I've been pondering this in my head over the course of the last month or so, wondering what I can or could have done better with regards to my preparations and the like, and decided to make a nice little game out of it and ask the SF guys their thoughts on the matter. So I present to you, the following.

If you could start fresh, what steps would you take to ensure you were as prepared or better prepared than you are at present? For the sake of the thread, consider all assets liquidized. Complete restart in regards to your preps. You have nothing you currently have now besides your current location and a budget of let's say $45,000. This is "disposable" income set aside for this specific purpose, independent from your other finances. You are free to move wherever you wish or stay where you are, and procure whatever items that you wish presently available to you right now. Where would you go? What would you buy? Would you network with like-minded persons close by and foster the development of a tightly knit group of trusted individuals? Feel free to provide reference images and links if you wish. I leave this free for anyone to respond as I formulate my own ideas. Hopefully this can also ignite some interesting discussion.

Hmmmmm. I'm assuming I have a reliable vehicle but here's what I'm thinking based on a family of six.

5k to food/canning/dehydrator
1k water storage amd purification
4-6k for clothing and sleeping gear
2-5k power gen
15k tractor, chainsaw, hand tools
2k cash
1-2k tools to work on anything I have
3-4k fuel/fuel storage
10k to firearms, optics and reloading/ammo

Start over??????

Prepping is an on-going exercise and adjustments should be made on an on-going basis.

I see no logic to "Starting Over" if common sense has been applied ALL ALONG.

Or unless the 'threat' has significantly changed, that I don't expect to happen, since it's pretty clear what the major threats are.


Why would there be a reason to 'start over' unless the initial prepping was mis-guided/stupid to start with?

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If it helps, consider the scenario presented instead of starting over, to be one of someone just starting out, who so happened to have that amount of money available to set aside specifically for this. It is a hypothetical discussion for people to present and share ideas, after all.

I thought about it in terms of a fire. Sense my job moves me around I can't cache much.

That's a whole nuther question to what you originally posted.


If starting out, the greatest prepping bang-for-the buck is investing in developing common sense.

Unfortunately, developing common sense suggests the prepper had some to begin with, and if he didn't, then he's unlikely to understand he needs to get any more.




It's not too hard to get some indication of a prepper's level of common sense, based on the importance he places on acquiring material things [that are undoubtedly  important to acquire] vs his emphasis [or lack or it] on the 'soft' skills.

I wouldn't have bought a pallet of MRE's to begin with.

Unfortunately, the highlighted section is all too prevalent in today's general populace as we've all seen in our outside lives.

I apologize if you disagree with the intent behind the thread; to generate discussion for how to improve one's preps from a "if I could do things differently" standpoint. In a realistic sense, I would not start over. I've too much currently invested already. $45,000 could better serve me in other ways were I to come into that sort of financial gain, exclusive of prepping.

ETA: You edited your post before I posted this one. I would agree with you on your final point.

I agree, what we usually see focused on is folks desperately seeking to obtain material things ---to the deference of more intellectual skills.

If they focused on the intellectual ones early in the game, the material ones would likely become easy, later.

Most folks never learn this in time.

All this said, most prolly think they NEVER have enough preps, no matter the level of anything.  

In 2005 when I started, it was because I worked in the beltway, took slug rides to the Pentagon and then walked from there to work or rode the Crystal city subway in.

So I created a GHB and cached basic camping gear and food at home for maybe 2-3 weeks. Easy peesy.

Then we had more kids and moved elsewhere...and got a home etc. suddenly I needed the big generator, more food, fuel, stuff. more tools- owning a home with land has a way of forcing you to live in Home Depot or Lowes and you begin buying tools every week for this or that job.

There's no set answer as to what I'd do different other than seize opportunities better. Had a guy offer me a .357 for $100 that I turned down out of principle - I didn't like the caliber. Now I'm kicking myself as the pistol alone was worth $400....

I saw a Rock River AR for $550 in 2007 and turned it down - I wasn't looking for one, didn't "need one" and figured I could get one later if need be. I've never found one that cheap since.

So you learn to be prepared to seize good deals when they present themselves. It's a marathon not a sprint. All the mountain house we bought in 2005 has expired.

I agree 10,000% on the intellectual skills. Now, would you please stop taking a giant poop on anyone who posts a hypothetical? Please? I find it valuable to sometimes question everything and see what this community can come up with. (Sorry, I know it's not just you doing it. It's just that others follow your lead around here.)

I would have dated MREs, as I brought them home.

Other than that, I would have budget'ed myself a bit. Crazy, right?

I would have planned out and coordinated my purchases and efforts.

All the stuff I know I should start doing, but still won't even now.

Not sure, as I'm basically restarting now.  For $45k, I'd be almost debt free, as the $40k I spent going back to, and finishing college would be paid for.  I think that is the biggest hurdle for me now.  I'd have an extra $600 a month, which would go a long way towards preps.

My vote, is getting as debt free as possible.

I'd ignore EXPY, he seems to mostly troll here.

We started on a budget and didn’t know where to start in 2004.  Back-up heat came first.  Then food and then a gun.  We have grown as time progressed.  

Knowing what I know now, I would have listened to the older people and saved 10% from my first paycheck and everyone after that and made my future my hobby.  But, I was way too smart for that.  

It’s a good exercise to evaluate what has been done and what could be done better.  I have still not learned to make eatable bread from flour, much-less from wheat.  This is something I need to do.  I have murdered by neglect at least three sourdough starters due to not having or making free time to experiment.  

Observations (no order, good and bad)
Taking care of my body should be and have been a bigger priority.
Should have sold all of our silver bars when it hit $40, then bought US pre-’64 coins this week.
Spent a few more minutes listening to my kids when they were little.
We have been lucky that we have not experienced serious illness or main job loss.  
When I do secure a prep that has been lagging it does give me extreme satisfaction.  
Did pick several common calibers and stuck with them many years ago.
Cook-in a lot and don’t eat out much.  Except for a couple pizza’s a month.  
Complacency is our biggest threat.
We have never tried MRE’s.
Cultivate my relationship with my wife.  She is and has been my best friend and partner for over 34 years.  

The one thing I really missed out on was watching, asking, participating, and enjoying the country life my dad and his side of the family embraced.  They lived a full and rich life in a simple way.  I blew it because color TV was more important to me at the time. Those skills and knowledge died with the family and are gone forever.  Well, except for making beans and cornbread!

Thanks for posting, you bring up a lot of good aspects that also go beyond the mainstream line of thought behind prepping.

hurricane preps were ongoing and continuously evolving.... as a classroom teacher, did class assignment utilizing the "list-cluster-label" identification techniques, and outcome based writing assignments using the prompt... "you have 30 minutes to get out of town, what would you take with you" scenario for 25years before my retirement... a lady came into the department that was LDS, and after our learning community adopted a survival theme for the freshmen,  made the paper assignments into a full blown lab to actually prepare (simulations were allowed for knives, firearms etc)  a 72 hour "go bucket", additionally... off the self MRE equivalents, analog watch sun compass, and land navigation lab... I should have looked harder at the LDS preps before getting caught up in the "doomsday survivalist" on the net.... YMMV

Interesting question.

I've been slow and methodical, and relied on this forum a lot when I started. It's been a good balance between knowledge and stuff.

I don't regret anything we've done so far, and absolutely nothing has been a waste.

I think the biggest mistake we could of made when starting out, would have been to take $45,000 and a list and head to the store.

From day one I have always been behind the 8 Ball when it comes to water storage. So under the OP's scenario I would address this issue right from the get-go. What I envision is some sort of mid-sized, well made (semi hardened?) storage shed/small building that would contain one or two of those new, slick lookin' water storage tanks --- or maybe just a regular, plain old 5-600 gallon water tank.....plus a built in, automatic generator system (only have two portable Hondas now), and a fuel storage area (within the structure). The shed/building would of course contain more 'stuff', but those are the three main areas I would hit hard and do correctly right from the start. I have no regrets on the accumulation progression of the rest of my preps.

How do you figure that? Bolded

I'm going to assume you live in a paid off house so I can focus on gear and stuff and not debt.

2k - 500 gallon water storage tank and and 3 water filters able to filter at least 1000 gallons each.
3k - 12 months food supply. Store what you eat.
2k - 12 months of every day stuff people use. Bleach, trash bags, paper towels, extra soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, TP, sponges. If you use it and replace it it should be on this list.
2k - wood burning stove and 12 months of wood if applicable (people in south Texas probably don't need this and would be better suited by a grill and some charcoal).

2k - BOB with glock 19, all the standard bug out gear, compass, water filter, snacks, gloves. This should cover 3 days for 2 people without any assistance.
6k - basic solar setup to power a couple lights, a deep freezer, fridge, fan in summer.
1k - med supplies. Band aids, normal over the counter drugs, slings, antibiotics, etc.
2k - sleeping bags, tent, pocket knife, a good multi tool, camp stove, gas for camp stove, saw, axe, gloves, cold weather clothing, other general camping stuff
1k - radio setup and 4 two way radios.
1k - books, encyclopedias, medical reference, building reference, gardening, maps. It's all worth having.

5k - half  cash, half gold and silver.
3k - Training in firearm/combat/medic

4k - Security upgrades. Body armor for 2. Upgraded locks. Lights around the house. plants that keep people away. Anti shatter window film. Drapesso people cant see in. Fire extinguishers. Paper copies of all records you might needs in a fireproof safe. USB backups of anything valuable.

8k - 2 ARs in 5.56, 2 glock 19s, 2 10/22s 10 mags for each, 2000 rounds per gun, 20k of .22
2k - optics for ARs and .22s

1k - barter stuff. Alcohol, lighters, cheap pocket knifes, can openers, tin foil, trash bags, paper towels, TP all to be used for trading and gifts.

Scenario presented assumes the 45k is independent of your primary finances, so whether you line out your plan based on financial security is completely up to you. I just want to make sure that's known so that there's no confusion about this being a "what would you do" thread and not a "what should I do" thread.

I would have invested in a ham radio setup off the bat.  
I would have chosen to purchase a few quality guns that suit a specific need instead of filling my safe with mediocre ones.
I would have gotten into canning before I ran out of free space.
I would have filled my garage with water barrels before my wife filled it with her shit.
I would have zigged when I zagged.

I'm in the process of rectifying these errors, but it's slow going.

I hear that. Thankfully I don't have a garage, yet The walk in closet is already lost.

I would have gone to solar power.

I would say we are mostly in this boat as well.

 

HAHA!

You're the one who's up to his eyeballs in debt and your posts mostly reflect that quality.

You're paying down ---guessing $50,000 in debt ---at $600/month???  

Glad you finished college, the investment is often worth it in the long run.

Running up debt doing it though, not so much.

I wish I would have managed my money better. I'm not doing "bad" really, but I could have managed my money better and be more secure now. I could have gotten a house at Tybee back when land there was cheap, and sold it.



I could have budgeted my money better and have more saved up for emergencies. I was doing a lot better a few years ago, I should have taken advantage of that better.



But . . . Things could be worse. I feel "prepped" as well as someone in my area can be. I have food stored up, ways to fix things, all the guns and ammo I need. I want for nothing as far as that goes.

From the aspect of starting out instead of starting over... and with 45k on hand to make it happem, Id have invested a large portion of that into a BOL or retiremwnt property first then focused on the basics food and water witb some good medical gear packed. After that Id take whats left over and sink it into training, some more training, and higher quality gear, two or three excellent weapons, and ammo.

This is of course assuming everything else in life was good to go and financially sound. Id also have listened to more of the advice found here and other places and invested more time into experiences and trying to enjoy life more.

I agree with you across most of these points. Especially about the BOL.

Hit more yard sales and buy everything used!

hy·po·thet·i·cal
?hip?'THed?k(?)l/
adjective
1.
of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis.
"that option is merely hypothetical at this juncture"
LOGIC
denoting or containing a proposition of the logical form if p then q.
noun
noun: hypothetical; plural noun: hypotheticals
1.
a hypothetical proposition or statement.
"Finn talked in hypotheticals, tossing what-if scenarios to Rosen"

Let's see if I could start over....and knowing what I know now and knowing how absolutely lazy and clueless I was by comparison when I started....

Definitely less guns!! I'd have my own BOL and a bunker of food by now!  

I would have started on the path to being a do-it-yourselfer a LOT earlier!  But for years I thought guns/ammo and money were all that mattered.  Now I can do almost anything around the house/property and am getting MUCH more handy with vehicles.

That's just off the top of my head.

-Emt1581

With $33k I would buy land someplace, and install a well and storage shed. With $5k I would buy a few guns, and medical supplies. $2k would go towards making my vehicle more survivable. (skid plates, radios installed, trans cooler, tools, etc) The remaining $5k would go towards becoming EMT certified, evasive driving training, and several advanced firearms classes.

Pouches?

Physical fitness

 
























 

Good thoughts  ^^^...

An issue with the OP's premise is he's putting a 'price' on cost to prep.

When you can't...

Because true prepping is a lifestyle that has more to do with mind-set and knowledge, discipline, common sense, making logical choices, and while we're on the subject, ackshully HAVING the ability to think logically...  ---etc.

All these things that are developed and formed beginning young in life. Some folks start with good thinking processes, and are distracted, others never start at all....

[Why are there so few women on these forums, in relation to men???]

All things you can't buy ---certainly for $45k or $250k Or at any price...  

And folks without them look the other way and sing LALALA when you bring this up.

Watch.


Once you have the traits and skills enumerated above, it really doesn't matter much if it costs $45k or whatever for your MATERIAL preps because as a lifetime survivor/prepper, that's chump change and irrelevant in the scope of what you will produce.

Good points, past decisions and events lead to current ones.

 

Funny, just came here to post that.

That, and I wouldn't have initially put myself in debt to prep. When the economy crashed, I spazzed out, maxed out the credit card with preps, and ended up with a pallet of MRE's.

Not that I mind, I love eating them. I just don't eat them all that often. So technically they're coming up on their expired date pretty soon.

If I had gotten this job when I first got out of the Navy 11 years ago, I'd be much further along.  Instead of taking the path that I did which ended up with me being unemployed and demolished my food storage buffer.  Starting over financially at 41 is a pain.

It's a process, a mindset, and a lifestyle.  A shopping list, regardless of the budget, is not the most important thing.

Choose where you live and who you associate with.  Live below your means and recognize that financial problems are by far the biggest life disruptors.  An emergency fund, debt avoidance, and plans for a boring life and long retirement should be the first things anyone prepares for.  Job loss.  Family in need.  Personal injury and illness.  Temporary, localized natural disasters.  You know, boring stuff.

What you spend your $45,000 or whatever on should be targeted at risks specific to your age, health, profession, family, location, risk tolerance, skill set, and a dozen other factors.  I wouldn't be able to give you a useful list any more than I'd be able to give you an appropriate shopping list for the grocery store.


Also.  Guns are always overemphasized here, but that's a forgivable forum sin; it is ar15.com after all.  All you really need is a concealable handgun, a rifle, some quality defensive ammo, and enough cheap ammo to maintain proficiency.  That can be done for well under $2000.  An expensive collection of guns and reloading gear in the name of preparedness is foolish.  Buy that stuff if you want it, and if it won't compromise your financial health.

Good question OP, it opens up some discussion and thought.

I had no background in being prepared for anything.  Growing up my family never thought about it, didn't have any money to prep much anyway, not to the point where it would have made any difference.  Also had no skills that I could learn except for hard work and the danger of debt - but these are quite important.  


Things I might do over, but have learned from.

1.  Develop a plan - stick with it, don't get sucked into rabbit trails, set aside $$ per month no matter what to get your plan there.
2.  Limit firearms/ammo purchases to those that are necessary (4-5k) until you are done with your plan (very hard to do when you shoot as a hobby)
3.  Knowledge > stuff, but certain stuff is hard to do without and compliments knowledge.
4.  Physical health and fitness is one of the greatest preps ever and costs little if you are disciplines.

***Physical health and fitness is one of the greatest preps ever and costs little if you are disciplines.***

Yup, critical...

AS WELL AS....

Mental health.