Posted: 9/13/2014 8:19:36 AM EDT
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I've been reading this forum for years and I still don't get it! I grab a nugget here and there, but there are so many scenarios, so many things to focus on, that it becomes information overload.
Setting up a systematic method of buying food and water, gear, rotating stocks, and staying gray is hard to conceptualize. MH vs food buckets, water bobs vs the microscopic size of Ebola, the nuances of a great BOB, and is it time to bug in vs bug out... Can we have a discussion about the time vs (realistic) money spent of prepping? Day 0 - Day 15 (newbies plus the S is H T F soon; how to start smartly start stocking food, water, etc...) - the first $100 - the first $500 - the first $1000 Day 15 - 6 months of preparing (changing grocery store habits, buying gear, creating a plan for YOUR particular emergency) - the first $100 , - etc 6 months - 2 years (should I be buying a BOL, time to rotate food, plus the next election...) - $ Lifetime of preparing (change residences, responding to events, teaching the kids, learning a skill) Kind of a basic checklist. I admit, I need help! :D (edit for additional remarks) |
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There is exact dollar amount. If you added it all up folks eyes and heads would explode! LOL
Food...water...shelter....expand each per your plan. Stick to that ..don't over think it. This is a lifestyle. Yeah I had a BOB and such in the 90 s...but now I have a homestead...livestock...etc. As you progress and change /evolve so does your "preps ". Today is easy to get slammed ..so much info and MISINFORMATION out there. Add to that differences in how to prep.old school vs new (post Katrina /election preppers) ... But in the end if you just concentrate on the big three you'll do fine. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I started in 2009 by getting ready for unemployment. Payed down debt and accumulated foods and consumables to the point that an unemployment check would carry me.
After that milepost, I aimed for one year on my own with no outside income. That meant becoming debt free with a small surplus for electricity, insurance, monthly bill stuff. Now I'm at the point where the lights could go out for 5 years and if raiders didn't kill me, I'd survive with moderate hardships. I've probably spent about 30-40K on this. |
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Start with geting in shape if you are not already, and really we could all be faster and stronger... Work on the software side of things, sure i might not have the greatest water filtration system, but just knowing that water needs to be treated and boiling said water is a great start. Knowledge is the #1 prep imo. Buy a quality ar15 and handgun of your choice and then train with them. Dryfire is great as is getting involved with the shooting sports. Having a stock pile of weapons and ammo is great, but i would rather be the guy with only 100 rounds of ammo because he spent the other 5000 rounds training. Start network with other people in your area, they dont even have to be preppers. Dont get so hung up on the buying side of things, sure its great to have a couple months worth of food a goal every one should get too, but you cant buy your way out of every problem. Dont get me wrong storing beans, bullets, and band aids is a important thing, but in the end it is still stuff that you might not be able to take with you, or that could be gone when you need it. Dont just bank on all the preps you have stored.
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| I've lived on the central Gulf coast of Florida since 1955...I was lucky in that I grew up during a time when jobs were available, and all you had to do was apply...and for the last 33years before retiring, had a good paying (including medical benefits and state retirement) job as a high school science teacher... I started shooting USPSA before there was USPSA, and have acquired rudimentary skills... for the last 25 or so years I tried to buy a minimum of $100 worth of "hardware" towards upgrading my hurricane supplies per year...during the 2004/2005 hurricane season we were over run with back to back storms, and it pointed out some holes in my preparations.... since retirement, and Amazon, I've increased the amount of long term food preps, but not nearly as much as most members here... most of the hardware is pretty up to date...I've got nice firearm toys.... the outcome of the election will be determine my future direction |
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Pick pieces to mess with. Do you go grocery shopping before each meal? What about going to the grocery each day for all 3 meals? What about once a week? All prepping is doing is making you have things on hand. This example can save you time and gas money and if you learn to buy on sale you can save more money because that chicken you cooked was bought a few weeks ago on sale and placed in the freezer instead of buying the chicken this week at a higher price. We all tend to have a vehicle and some have lawnmowers and weed eaters and lots more stuff. Do you have the stuff on hand to do an oil change? Do you keep a spare 5 gallons of gas around for the lawnmower or do you haul your mower or ride it to the gas station before mowing the yard? This stuff most folks already do is a tiny bit of prepping. Reading in here you see people going a whole lot further down the road than keeping a spare 5 gallons of gas around for the mower, but that is a start. Being able to say yes there is air in the spare tire for your vehicle and you know you can change that spare by hand if needed also means something. Lots of folks say it but if you did not try breaking the lug nuts loose yourself after having the vehicle worked on you might be wrong. Don't look at the entire picture. Don't try to look at total cost. The cost will vary for everyone because each person and family is different in how they do things. TJ has said he does not really store rice and beans because he does not plan to eat them. His food storage cost will be different than someone who starts off with some rice and beans because they are cheap. Then we get into people actually eating what they store or just buying food to put in the pantry and they will learn when the time comes. Being a prepper and having to move can suck, but it is also a nice shakeup at times. My grocery budget always goes into ammo when I have to move since I start eating food out of the pantry so I have less to move. Prepping is mostly just thinking ahead. Having food on hand so I don't have to run to town when hungry saves a lot of time and gas. Saving time and gas equals money to me since I have to buy the gas and pay for the extra wear and tear on the vehicle. Having stuff on hand so I can repair a vehicle for a common issue is nice, it saves me time and gas usually but it can really be important if it is late on a holiday and everything is closed up. Just plugging a flat tire or running on your spare is something that a lot of folks can't do right now. I shake my head when I hear someone talk about calling triple A instead of changing their own tire. But they pay for that and if that is their prepping then so be it. |
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Start with enough savings in cash (bank or safe or both) to cover 6 months of expenses. Make sure you have 2 weeks of food and water in your house if all utilities are off. Then, and only then, work on anything else. You two biggest risks, as far as likelyhood of happening, are job loss and violent weather. ETA; turn off the news. Seriously. Git rid of your tv if you have enough will to do so. You will find great comfort in knowing you have savings in the bank and food on the shelf and all the propaganda will fade away. |