How to Start Prepping (2024)

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How to Start Prepping (12)

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Above Guildbrook Farm ~ Off Grid Living shares three tips for starting out in
prepping.
Happy endings...
Whatever you do to start prepping will make you feel more in
control of the world around you. Worry not that you are too late for
prepping, because you are ahead of the others who still haven't
had the epiphany!

Remember that everything you do today will help ensure your
survival tomorrow. There is peace of mind in prepping.

Get started prepping!
  1. Plan a shopping spree at the grocery store.
  2. Store water safely and store enough of it!
  3. Find a campstove that suits your needs.
  4. Figure out an easy off-grid toilet system.
  5. Know how to do the laundry without electricity.
  6. Pack a bugout bag.

Enjoy more articles for preppers...
  • Ten habits of happy preppers.
  • Prepper's TO DO list.
  • Dollar store prepping
  • Ten preps that won't cost you a dime.
Prepare to live happily ever after with us at happypreppers.com - the emergency
preparedness Web site of prepping, survival,
homesteading, and self-reliance.

How to Start Prepping (13)

How to Start Prepping
Get started prepping for emergenciesStart prepping now with these tips:
Prepping is about getting ready for an emergency and the path
you take towards preparedness is a personal path. You don't
need to build a bunker to get ready for ordinary emergencies. If
you want ideas on how to start prepping, then you've come to
the right place to begin your prepping journey.
There are lots of reasons to get started prepping:

  • Are you worried about Coronavirus?
  • Have you been a victim of controlled power outages?
  • Ever survived an earthquake, tornado or hurricane?
  • Think North Korea is still a threat?
  • Concerned an economic collapse could happen in pandemic?
  • Does socialism scare you more than Ebola?
  • Are you living paycheck-to-paycheck worried about job loss?

Thankfully, you've just enrolled in prepping 101 and we're
happy to have you join the prepping ranks! You will feel happier
knowing that you can handle anything that comes your way.
Below is an overview of what you can expect to do in your
prepping journey...
How to Start Prepping
Welcome to the prepping movement! Prepping is a mindset and
a way of living. Prepping is an understanding that preparing for
tomorrow means you must put aside food, water and supplies
today. It's knowing that knowledge weighs nothing and that the
skills you acquire today might save your life tomorrow.
In prepping you'll hear about the "rule of three":
  • Air: You can't live more than three minutes without air.
  • Water: You can't live more than three days without water.
  • Food: You can't live more than three weeks without food.

You can make a plan protect your family and be ready for
disasters that affect the air you breathe, the water you drink
and the food you get to eat. This is prepping! We're happy to
show you how to get started in preparedness.
Here are ten ways to get started prepping:#1: Know the first rule about Prep Club.
"First rule of prep club: don't talk about prep club." Second Rule
about prepping, is don't talk about prep club. Third rule of
prepping is ~ you got it! Don't go telling family and friends that
you're a prepper in the beginning. They just wont understand.
These things take time.

It's a singular journey. Allow mental preparedness to guide you.
Begin where you are now with a prepping mindset. Survival is a
combination of skills, knowledge, luck and hope. The prepper
mindset is to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. With
this in mind...

  • Don't try to solicit family members, either. In the
    beginning you're not going to convince others to join you
    as a prepper. People are headstrong on the topic of
    prepping and it's not in your best interest to discuss
    prepping with certain individuals. You'll cause unnecessary
    friction and waste valuable time. In reality, also, you
    might not get your spouse on board with the idea at first.
    No worries, with time your friends and family may begin to
    see you as a role model and not a crazy prepper.

  • Watch a survival movie. Movies are a fun way to imagine
    different scenarios and get you in the prepping mindset.
    Start with our list ten prepper survival movies.

  • Buy used prepping books. Another way to get started
    prepping is to read. Books on prepping will help you gain
    perspective from other preppers. Buy used prepping books
    to save money, but read anything to do with prepping!

  • Connect with like-minded preppers. Visit us on Twitter,
    Facebook and Pinterest, so you stay in touch with the
    happypreppers.com Feel free to ask us questions!

#2: Make it a priority to store water.
Stash water, water and more water! Before you head out and
get canned food, first get savvy that water is your first survival
priority because you can only live three days without water.

When you're new to prepping, you soon learn the "rule of three"
~ namely that you can survive only three minutes without air,
three days without water, and three weeks without food.

  • Make water storage a priority. A family of four needs
    270 gallons of water for a three month supply according to
    Utah State University. That's 90 gallons of water per
    person to make a three-month supply. You may not be
    able to run out and buy a large water storage tank, but
    you can begin by getting bottled water.

  • Get a survival water filter. There are many kinds of
    survival water filters and a Brita water filter is not one of
    them. Get a water filter that

#3: Buy what you eat, and eat what you store.
It's natural in the beginning, to want to put as much food away
as you can, but learn from other preppers and stockpile only the
foods you normally eat as a prepper.

Stock food in the Prepper's Pantry, but stock it well. Do you
know what to stockpile for economic collapse? If you're new to
prepping you may be feeling overwhelmed with regards to food
storage. Stockpiling food is one of the basic ways to feel like
you're getting a head-start on prepping. Putting away food in
the prepper's larder will help you build confidence, but the
problem is that ordinary cans of food last only one or two
years. Calculate your food storage.

  • Buy what you eat and eat what you store. It's natural in
    the beginning, to want to put as much food in your pantry
    as possible. Refrain from this rookie move until you have a
    little wisdom under your belt. You may be tempted to buy
    dried beans and a 25-pound bag rice, along with dozens of
    cans of SPAM and canned green beans. It's fine if this is
    your current diet. The problem is when your family doesn't
    eat these canned foods or if you don't know how to
    prepare dried beans and rice. Cans expire after a couple of
    years, dried beans are hard to cook and plain rice can get
    boring and vermin can get into your stores!

  • Create a Food Journal, then buy only foods you eat.
    Before you start buying all sorts of food, start by writing
    down what you eat today. This list will help you build an
    appropriate food storage system for prepping. Creating a
    food journal is important to keep you on track so you buy
    what you'll eat, and eat what you store. Documenting
    family meals will help provide a baseline for your shopping
    list. Take a look a the 37 Foods to hoard before crisis. It
    will give you an idea of the food to store based on your
    food journal. These are top foods to stockpile for an economic collapse.

  • Set up a food storage rotation system. Check your pantry
    now and you'll be surprised how many cans have already
    expired. Learn now to rotate food so that the oldest food
    is in the front and the newest food in your preps is in the
    back. You can build a fancy food rotation system built into
    your cabinetry,buy convenient storage solutions, or set up
    a rotation system of your own design for free. Whatever
    you do, take time to ensure you eat the oldest food first.

  • Stash a few food bars. When you're new to prepping, one
    of the easiest things you can do is to stock up on foods
    that don't require cooking. Emergency food bars are the
    perfect, ready-to-eat and shelf-stable survival food. Food
    bars will provide you and your family with much needed
    energy, nutrition and calories to get you through an
    emergency. Be sure to eat them and keep them in rotation.

  • Buy food in bulk and on sale. Stock up on your favorite
    foods when they go on sale. Shop Costco, Sams Club and
    even Amazon for bulk foods. Through Amazon's Subscribe
    and Save, you can have your favorite foods shipped to your
    home in bulk! Learn how to get free foods on Amazon!

  • Get a bucket of rice. If you don't normally eat rice, then
    stockpiling rice won't do your family much good. Learn to
    make rice from scratch and not a box mix. Once you learn
    to enjoy rice, you can add to your larder buckets of rice.

  • Buy a bucket of emergency food. Rather than stockpiling
    the wrong foods, you'd be better to order a freeze dried
    emergency 30-day food bucket from Augason Farms or a
    bucket of Emergency food from Mountain House. It's
    something you won't regret buying because it will virtually
    ensure you'll have something to eat in an emergency and
    they have a 25-year shelf life . It will make you feel better
    as you start your journey into prepping.

#4: Gather Non-Food Prepping Supplies.
Begin gathering non-food essentials. If you're new to prepping,
don't go into panic mode blindly buying all sorts of survival gear
and prepping supplies. Instead, start by analyzing your current
needs, and then see which direction you need to go. Below are
some basics. If you're a camper then you may already have
much of the gear you need.
Here are some of the non-food prepping supplies to gather:
  • Flashlights. Light the way! A Chinese proverb says "Better
    to light a candle than to curse the darkness." This is
    preparedness!Let there be light in an emergency! Preppers
    today have several options for lighting and it's really just a
    matter of making sure you have a supply of at least two of
    the options:

  • Batteries. Stock up on batteries, get a battery checker and
    find ways to recharge your batteries. Much of your gear
    relies on the different sizes of batteries.

  • Camp stove. Cooking off grid in an emergency requires
    having a variety of camp stove options to take advantage
    of different scenarios and available fuels. In looking at the
    various camp stove options, preppers should consider
    unique needs, locale and budget. Having several
    alternatives and backups is a wise consideration of any
    class of survival gear.



  • Gas mask. The iconic doomsday prepper has a gas mask.
    There are eight things to know before you purchase a gas
    mask for your family or group. How to buy a gas mask.

  • Self-defense weapons. Owning a firearm is a personal
    decision. Rest assured that not every prepper has a
    firearm; however far more are stockpiling bullets and
    firearms in anticipation of a world without rule of law.
  • Weapons you can make
  • Improvised weapons
#5: Gain firebuilding and cooking skills.
You'll eventually need to know how to make a fire for cooking
and warmth. Fire is essential for cooking your meals and
staying warm. One of the first skills you will learn as a prepper
is how to build a fire. Then as you grow in your prepping
journey, you'll learn many other firebuilding skills, such as:
  • How to make fire with steel wool and a battery.

#6: Build a first aid kit.
Medical preparedness is extremely important and thankfully
easy to get started. After you've secured the basic food and
water, you can start to build your preps to include First Aid
supplies. Get started gradually, but know that preppers go
beyond the basics of bandages. Ideal preps extend beyond to
include
dental aid, care for burns, and even surgical supplies!#7: Make plans for bugging out.
Evacuation is something you need to consider and it's not
something you can leave until the last few minutes. Make plans
for bugging out, but also make plans for bugging in!
  • Consider the fight or flight response. Preppers need to
    understand the fight or flight response ~ because bugging
    out isn't a given!

  • Build a bugout bag. There is a fantasy that goes along
    with building the perfect bugout bag when you watch those
    survival shows from your couch and second guess what the
    contestant packed. Sometimes as a prepper you feel like
    you've got the edge on others because you have the
    perfect firestarter and survival knife, but in reality it's not
    very easy to build a fire when you're "Alone" or "Naked and
    Afraid" or at least wet and bewildered, but you can build a
    better bag by testing your survival gear, lightening the
    load and re-evaluating priorities. Make sure your bag is no
    more than 1/3 of your weight.

  • Here's how to build a better bag.
  • Consider a bugout bike!
#8: Create an emergency binder.
What's an emergency binder? It's a compilation of necessary
documents unique to you and your family ~ such as
immunization record. It's also a place to ideas you find from
articles you read. It's a good idea to scan these documents
electronically.

An emergency binder doesn't need to be fancy, but it will help
you feel like you're getting a start at prepping. Get yourself a
presentation book with plastic sleeves ~ one with a capacity of
48 pages should suffice.

Start your emergency binder with copies of these documents:

  1. Emergency list. Prepare a list of names and addresses of
    family and friends who can help in a personal emergency.
  2. Medical providers. Provide a list of current doctor, dentist
    and orthodontist and preferred oral surgeon for wisdom
    teeth. Print out the preferred local clinics and hospitals.
  3. Immunization records. Print immunization records of
    every family member
  4. Insurance: Copies of medical insurance cards, and other
    types of insurance, such as car insurance card if applicable.
  5. Identification. Make copies of your kids old and current
    Student IDs, passport and driver's license. Order original
    copies of birth certificates, adoption records, and
    citizenship.
  6. Bank records. The past two statements of his or her
    financial accounts is sufficient to encapsulate financial
    data.
  7. Photos! Have a photo of everyone in the family ~ these
    can be invaluable comfort in emergency when phones
    might not work, but they will also help you share with
    media and law enforcement to find loved ones in the
    aftermath of a catastrophe.
  8. Cash. It may seem odd to put cash in a binder, but no one
    will suspect it's there, which is precisely why it's a good
    idea. Be sure to have small bills and not just a crisp $100
    bill.
  9. Transcripts. It's valuable to have the latest transcripts of
    schools attended by everyone in the household.
  10. Miscellaneous. Pet records, mortgages and so on.
  11. Write a note to yourself to keep perspective. A simple
    reminder as follows helps, particularly if your children have
    this binder:
  • Be positive yet realistic and always have hope.
  • Recognize you may be alone during an emergency.
  • Know your actions can, and will, make a difference!
  • Help others during an emergency when you feel safe.

#10: Start your own prepper TO DO list.
There are many directions you can take when you start
prepping, but you can only do one prepper project at a time.
Make one thing a priority and then move on down the list.

Take a deep breath, sit back and learn from other preppers
before you jump in and get all the wrong stuff.

Basic prepper list to get started prepping:
  • Learn from others, but trust your instincts. While you
    can learn from other preppers, you must always remember
    that your instincts will serve you best. You were born with
    knowing what to do: you need only listen to your inner
    voice. It bears repeating: "Go with your instincts!" No
    matter what others say about your prepping plans, the
    most important thing is to listen to the voice inside about
    what is right for you, your family or your group whether it's
    a pandemic, economic downturn, natural disaster or war, it
    doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how you
    handle the things that come your way. You'll know what to
    do if you listen to your inner voice as a guide.

  • Understand and learn from the past. Learn the skills of
    yesteryear. The Great Depression can offer valuable ideas
    to help you weather an economic storm. Learn the skills of
    the not so distant past. The people of war torn Bosnia
    subsisted on next to nothing and have valuable advice on
    how to prepare for the next turbulent times. Look to
    history! The pioneers were preppers ~ they forged the
    Oregon Trail and have valuable lessons to share on
    provision lists. Native Americans were also preppers. Your
    great grandparents were preppers too.

  • Forget what you may know about prepping. You don't
    have to be a camper, a gardener, a canner, a hunter, a
    fisherman, a marksman, or a self defense expert, (though
    these skills are helpful). You just need to want to survive
    and be willing to learn!

  • Know that prepping is mostly about persevering. It's
    about outlasting and avoiding suffering. Certainly you can
    get jump start on your preps with this beginning prepping
    tutorial; however, how you will get through a disaster or
    catastrophe depends on how you are able to ride out what
    comes your way and subsist on your own personal
    resources. In an emergency, you can keep afloat on
    ingenuity! It's important to always have hope.

  • Learn to make do or do without. Above all, preppers
    adapt to make do with what they have or do without.
    Preppers are a clever bunch and can fix just about anything
    with duct tape, WD-40 or Superglue. Preppers find
    pleasure in multi-use survival items.

  • Grow a survival garden. One thing on your prepper to do
    list might be to grow a survival garden. A popular prepper
    saying is "Grow food, not lawns" and with heirloom seeds,
    preppers do just that. They use food as landscaping and
    they also have a secret survival garden. Imagine growing
    food in your garden that you only have to plant once in
    your life-time! Such is the topic of a very popular book
    called Secret Garden of Survival: How to grow a
    camouflaged food- forest, pictured immediate right. You
    don't need to get started with a full blown survival garden.
    Start simply with some potted plants that support you with
    some means of food. As you grow your skills (pun
    intended) you can find a location for a raised bed and
    enhance your other survival garden efforts, like seed
    saving.

  • Pack your food properly. HALT! Know the HALT method
    of food storage. Namely the four threats to your food
    supply are H-umidity (moisture), A-ir (oxygen) L-ight and H-
    eat. For example, don't store food and water in the garage
    because the heat fluctuates to extremes of hot and cold
    and you will expose your food to moisture. You see, on the
    cement garage floor on a hot day, the cement can leach
    into your water supply and food grade buckets. On a cold
    day, the cans will condensate and the moisture will cause
    your metal cans to rust.

  • Learn the rules of food storage, including the HALT method.

The most important thing is to get started prepping!

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