In recent years, the term “prepping” has become a part of the public consciousness like never before. The word means getting ready for something, but it also appears in more ominous phrases, like “Doomsday prepping.” This is because some individuals believe something catastrophic is going to occur that will ravage society.
People seldom agree about what that catastrophe will be. Many of them point to quantifiable things, such as climate change, as a reason to start prepping.
Regardless of what you think will happen that will send us all into a Mad Max-style situation, it’s not a bad idea to prepare for the unexpected. Let’s go over some tips as to how you can prep for any unusual scenario.
Store As Much Water as Possible
There are ways you can stay as safe as possible in any circumstance if you take the time to think logically. For instance, if you concentrate on something like how cyclists can stay safe on the road, you’ll probably think of helmets and reflective clothing that you can wear at night. If you think about what you’ll need if some calamity strikes, your thoughts will probably turn to water before anything else.
Many of us are storing water filters, purifiers, and even alternative water sanitizers. Items such as bleach and chlorine. We hope that one day we will have good use of these items. The reality is that these things are just a plan B. You will still need to store water and lots of it if you want to have a real chance in a long-term survival scenario.
Potable water is something that you’ll need before the day is out if the grid crashes and you’re suddenly living in a survivalist situation. To that end, you should purchase cases of water bottles that you can keep in your basement or anywhere else you’re storing your most vital supplies.
You should definitely have as much water as you can conveniently store since you need it to survive. If you do not have a convenient basement or garage in which to keep it, consider setting up a safe room inside your house.
Water doesn’t have an expiration date, but you still have to make sure that it is potable when the times come to rely on your water supplies. Water will never go bad if you store it properly, and it only becomes undrinkable if contaminants get into it. Chemicals, algae, and bacteria that get into your water will ruin it in a couple of days.
Emergency water storage requires the water to be sealed in air-tight, opaque containers. You shouldn’t open the containers unless you plan to use the water. It should be stored in a cool place, a place where temperatures don’t fluctuate.
If you fill your containers with tap water, there is no need to treat them with chlorine or iodine. Tap water should already be treated with chemicals, so there’s no need to add more. However, if you want to be absolutely certain that your water is safe to drink, you can add 1/8 teaspoon of chlorine per gallon of water before you seal the containers.
Buy Food Your Family Will Eat
You’ll need food if you can’t make it to grocery stores, or those stores no longer have the items you usually buy. You should stock up on things like canned goods that will keep for a long time.
However, while it’s great to try and get a wide array of canned goods, it’s also pointless to procure some items you and your family aren’t likely to eat. It’s true that having some kind of food is better than having nothing at all, but if you know that the whole family hates lima beans, there’s no point in stocking up on them right now, during the plentiful times when you can get other options.
Talk to your family during this prepping phase, and ask them what they’re likely to eat. If you anticipate their likes and dislikes, you can factor those into what canned or prepared foods you store.
Even in our modern times, food storage can make the difference between life and death. Being able to create your own long-term food supply is an essential skill for preppers, survivalists, and off-gridders. If you have peace of mind knowing that your pantry is full, you can face anything life throws at you, even an apocalyptic disaster.
Food storage shouldn’t be complicated. You can do it on any budget if you are dedicated. Just like with everything in life, you should start small and grow over time. It doesn’t matter if you buy a few bags of rice or some extra cans of vegetables and fruits. You should start doing it today.
Decide on the best space to store your food and start filling it up. Start with a large cardboard box and, in time, expand that into an organized pantry. Start your food storage by adding a few extra cans into your shopping cart as part of your shopping routine. You won’t even notice the difference in your grocery bill.
Almost all supermarkets have modern foods that store really well. You can find a large variety of foods at reasonable prices. Keep some permanent markers at hand and develop the habit of writing the day you bought every item. You can write the date on top of the can or on the side of the bag or box. This will help you with the cycling of the foods.
Set Up Some Bug-Out Bags
Preppers will already know the term bug-out bag. It means a backpack or something similar that has some essential items in it.
You should set up a couple of bug-out bags and have them ready in your home or at work. Those bags should contain things like a survival knife, some rope, bottled water, a little bit of food, matches, and a flashlight.
You can have these bags ready to go if something ever happens that forces you to leave your home and your familiar haunts. You should also remember to switch out the food in your bug-out bag periodically. It won’t do to have some expired supplies in that bag if you do ever happen to need it.
Before you start preparing your bug out bag, keep in mind the following:
- Your bug-out bag should be lightweight.
- It should contain only the supplies that are vital for your journey.
- Your bug-out bag should provide you with mobility and comfort – if you struggle carrying it, you’re doing something wrong.
Although I prefer to customize my survival bag based on my skills and needs, there are people who prefer to buy a pre-packed bug-out bag to avoid the struggle of planning every single detail of their bugging-out plan. I understand this, and I think that going this way is still better than not being prepared at all.
A commercial bug-out bag is a good alternative for all the unprepared people that need to be prepared but don’t have the time and dedication to become a prepper. A pre-packed survival bag may not be ideal for everyone, but it will sure make a difference when the brown stuff hits the fan.
Have Sturdy Shelves in Your Storage Space
If you have a storage space set up for your food and water in a garage, basement, bunker, or elsewhere, make sure you have constructed sturdy shelves that can take a lot of weight. Once you start loading up on water and canned goods, those shelves will need to support hundreds of pounds. It’s no good if they collapse on you.
You can either construct the shelves and the storage space’s layout yourself, or else you can hire someone to do it. A skilled carpenter is probably the perfect choice for the job.
Understand that the integrity of your storage space is as important as the items you store in that designated place, and making any construction mistakes may cost you down the road.
If you overload the shelves, they may break, and you will end up with food spilled everywhere, or they can trigger a domino effect, and you will no longer be able to access the storage space as it will get blocked by all sorts of supplies and gear.
Learn as Many Survival Skills as Possible
It’s always useful to stock up on food and water and be ready with your bug-out bag, but learning as many survivalist-style skills as you can is the best way to be prepared for a disaster. Learn how to make a fire, stay alive in the wild, and so forth.
The conscientious survival-oriented individual also recognizes that acquiring and maintaining the skills necessary for the security of his or her family is equally if not more important and can really get into a bind trying to satisfy both of those needs.
If you can do that, you’ll be in a much better position to survive, along with your family, should the worst ever happen.
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