# How to Start prepping



## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Food Water Shelter Security Medical

those are the 5 areas to focus on

IF you are just getting start..................

Chances are you already have shelter (Home/apartment)

70% of the earth is water, so you should have some handy and the ability to get and boil it/ make it fit to drink

where most people will have problems is food and security and medical to a lesser degree

I want to focus on a down and dirty FIRST step in food........ this is NOT going to get you by for 1 year. it is a plan to get you past the early panic and riots at the stores
I am not saying HOW much of these to buy... buy what you can

Rice
Beans
Peanut Butter
Canned fruit cocktail (it is the cheapest of the "fruit"


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## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

I'd like to add, its important as a new prepper to not panic or get overwhelmed during your prepping and spend your last penny on supplies. I've heard of spouse/family issues from this happening, mainly when prepping spouse starts into prepping and wants that M1 Garand to go along with their beans and rice.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Do not assume your home is safe from natural disasters. Too much wind, too much snow, etc. So even some tents for backup. And for those living in the extreme cold, backup heating.

Water is so important for life you want multiple means of purifying water. Wet wood doesn't burn well for purifying water or cooking.

If you are going to do beans & rice, you want 2 or 3 parts beans to one part rice. Multiple kinds of beans helps from getting bored with the beans & rice. I usually mix pinto & great northern beans together.

Firearm for protection depends on where you live.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Until a beginner prepper has a certain supply of fresh food to provide vitamins, they should also have multivitamin tabs in the preps. Rickets and scurvy would not be fun. "Fresh" foods includes seeds to sprout, which can be just about anything - wheat berries, radishes, beans, etc. These fresh young sprouts are loaded with vitamins. Even the tiny young tumbleweed sprouts (as well as other "weeds" like dandilions, purslane, pigweed) are highly nutritious.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> Water is so important for life you want multiple means of purifying water. Wet wood doesn't burn well for purifying water or cooking.


Have some backup cooking methods as well. And practice cooking with them. The more the better, and the more you practice, the more confident you will feel. Options include solar ovens, parabolic cookers, Dutch ovens. Practice with alternate fuel sources if you have availability. Charcoal briqettes and wood may run out. Do you have a source of horse or cow manure? When dried, it works just fine. Making a small methane generator is easy and can provide cooking fuel in any type of weather. There are so many options and many of them are inexpensive. But having backup systems for each of your preps is essential.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

That's a good starting point Maine-Marine. To do it comprehensively the process takes some time. 

For instance, one shouldn't store food that you and you family can't or won't eat. This may require checking recipes, preparation methods, and digestive tolerance to the products. Then the equipment for cooking has to be purchased, tested, and fuel stored. Proper food packaging and storage conditions have to be provided, a system of rotation established, and probably other things I've forgotten right now.

Shelter depends on your prevailing climate, specific hazards (flood, brush fire, wind, earthquake) etc.

It can get complicated and seem overwhelming. Remember that it won't happen overnight. Educating yourself is as important as obtaining physical equipment. Read, read, read. This site is an excellent place to start.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Don't get overwhelmed. Small steps. Cover everything you can think of in a realistic disaster. Cover 72 hours first. Then a week. Then two weeks, etc.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

If there are just the two of you, consider getting a couple of 55 gal barrels. I found some for just $23 each at a local feed store. They had been used for food products (Be sure not to get any that had chemicals.) If you suddenly lost your water supply, it is possible for the two of you to get by on 2 gal/person per day. 1 gal to drink, 1 gal for cooking, washing. That is tight, but do-able in a survival situation. That means a 55 gal barrel would last you almost a month! That is a great back up water supply for you. (Also remember water in your hot water heater and toilet tanks.) Wash the barrel with soapy water, rinse well, and then slosh a little bleach water (10 %) to cover all inside surfaces. Let sit for 20 minutes and rinse with tap water. Fill and seal. Use the water every 6 months to water plants and refill. I prefer the barrels with 2 screw on caps on top, rather than the whole lid/ring system. You can put a faucet tap at the bottom or you can use a siphon. There are siphons specifically designed to screw into one of the top holes of 55 gal barrels. Either way works fine. But it's a way for you to quickly get some water put aside. Have some smaller containers filled as well. I like to use the 1 gallon ice tea containers that I get from friends who buy tea rather than make it. The containers are heavier duty than regular 1 liter/quart drink bottles. But Gatorade and Powerade bottles work fine. I don't like the thin bottles that water come in. They can break or spring leaks with time. Just some ideas.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I agree on not liking the thin plastic bottles such as soda comes in. Thinker bottles such as juice comes in is a better choice. Mostly I use juice bottles for storing things like beans & rice. But then too, I've a water collection & storage system of eight 55gal barrels.


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## CWOLDOJAX (Sep 5, 2013)

Gotta admit the cowboys did pretty well living off of beans on the open range.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

When assisting a friend to get ready for an emergency situation, a blizzard or flooding. She lives in an area that gets spring flooding and sometimes she can't get out of her town aka off the mountain. I had her keep her grocery lists for one month and her receipts from the store. Then we sat down and looked at what she bought and how often. The first thing she started stocking up on were those things. A few extra packs of pasta, a bag of rice, canned veggies and fruits with each shopping trip are not going to break the bank, especially when they are on sale. She can now be self sufficient on food and water for 4 weeks. It is a start.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

For a localized disaster, four weeks of self sufficient is reasonable.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

CWOLDOJAX said:


> Gotta admit the cowboys did pretty well living off of beans on the open range.


Don't forget the biscuits or tortillas.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> For instance, one shouldn't store food that you and you family can't or *won't eat*.


Won't is a interesting thing and in MOST cases will change after you do not eat for awhile..


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Let me make another point... you DO NOT have to eat three meals a day


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Maine-Marine said:


> Won't is a interesting thing and in MOST cases will change after you do not eat for awhile..


You are right in general I'm sure, but it's a proven fact that some people WILL die before they will eat what they consider to be repugnant.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

With lower gas prices most should have more money left at the end of the month. That should mean extra money for preps.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Since everyone is adding tips I'll throw in my two cents. 

Don't store all your preps in the same place. If you have everything neatly shelved in the garage and the roof caves in from snow, the garage gets torn apart from tornado/hurricanes or gets flooded from rains/mudslides there go all your preps.


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## 3percent (Dec 28, 2014)

As for not getting over whelmed: Just start buying a little more food than you normally do and put it into normal rotation. I would venture to say that a lot of folks don't have one WEEK worth of food. If you have that much, increase it by two weeks. Over time, you will start to recognize what you need and what you don't.

Try to put together a nice first aid supplies. You know the red cross ones they sell at target? Not one of those. Who the hell needs 500 band aids. MAKE a kit. Lots of 2x2 and 4x4 bandages. Get a couple containers of alcohol and peroxide. Some anti bacteria stuff along with some nitrite gloves. That is a really good start. Work from there.

Try not to go full Soldier of Fortune. If you are going to buy a gun and you don't have one, find a sane friend who knows a little about guns but knows that little bit of knowledge very well. Start with a nice 20 gauge since this is something that most men and women and 10 year olds can shoot. Ammo is not too much. Wall world sells it for 25 bucks a 100 pack. Good shottys can be had for less than $300. You don't need tac lights and that stuff. It's just a cherry on top. And for the love of all things prepper, please teach yourself and your family how to use it!!

Water is hard. It takes up a lot of space. Just find a corner and stack a few boxes of water there. 

Biggest thing is Prepper Mentality. Remember that TV show? Don't be like that. Just be calm. You mind is your number one Prep item. When you get yourself into about a months worth of supplies, you will be better off than most. Just don't do it all at once. Getting your husband or wife along may be difficult. Jumping in head first may scare them. Mine was on board after she saw what happened during Hurricane Katrina. She then saw first hand what a prepper mind does during a terrorist attack (She ran the Boston Marathon in 2013 and crossed the finish line about 15 minutes before the bombs.) Because I am the way that I am, I got us out of there within 10 minutes and on the interstate. I don't even live there and had never been to Boston before. I just had a general plan. But it worked.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Maine-Marine said:


> Won't is a interesting thing and in MOST cases will change after you do not eat for awhile..


Ha ha... so true. I really do believe that family members need to start "getting over" what they won't eat. There will be so many other stressors without having to worry about some kid going on a hunger strike. Years ago, I started preparing food that contained all sorts of things and now my family trusts me enough to cook just about anything into something that is not only edible, but also pretty yummy once they get their brains past the idea. They have eaten cactus (pads, seeds, juice, flower buds), crocodile, rattlesnake, packrat, all kinds of wild game, and now even crickets. When SHTF, I am not going to cater to finicky eaters. And they can be put to useful work without stressing over their food.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> With lower gas prices most should have more money left at the end of the month. That should mean extra money for preps.


That is CRAZY talk... if I have extra money - I am buying the newest (phone, game, TV, etc)


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## taps50 (Sep 28, 2013)

I am relatively new to prepping still (only been prepping for about a year and a half) I agree the top three are food, security, and medical. Right now I have approximately two weeks worth of food in my apartment, although its not food I would enjoy eating I can still eat for two weeks on what I have.

As for medical I have a small starter kit put together I add things all the time, little here and there not trying to break the bank with any of my preps.

Then there is security, I have sort of focused on security because I live in a smaller city and would need to get out with my preps if SHTF. Right now I have two pistols (one 9mm one 40 S&W) my 9mm has around two hundred rounds and my 40 S&W I have about 150 rounds; I have around 800 rounds for my AR for my 12ga I have 100 and for my 20ga I have 50 rounds. 

With all that I feel relatively comfortable for a small emergency, like everyone has said before take your time slow and steady wins the race. The biggest thing really is the mind set, stay calm and make smart decisions, being on this forum has helped a lot everyone I have encountered is very knowledgeable and willing to share.


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## Diver (Nov 22, 2014)

Start with a plan. What kinds of disasters? Expected duration? Will you bug in or bug out? If bug out, where to? Who are you prepping for? When you have those questions answered, take the shortest term, most likely disasters first. What supplies do you need? What skills do you need? What can you do now? What must you do when the disaster happens? How will you know the disaster is underway? What if you aren't at home when disaster strikes?

If you think all of this through you'll avoid wasted money and get to your goals more rapidly, and understand what you are facing much more rapidly when disaster strikes.

When you have your plan developed you'll have categories of preps, as MM did in the opening post. My categories include his and a few additional categories as well, but it really doesn't matter what the breakdown is so long as it works for you, your group, and your situation.


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## PatriotFlamethrower (Jan 10, 2015)

Let's face it. This country is going to hell............financially, morally, structurally, and spiritually. I personally don't believe that this country will survive much longer. The inmates are in charge of the asylum, and the rest of us can do nothing but watch and PREPARE for the coming collapse.

If you live in a city, and are dependent on city services/utilities, your ONLY option is to GET THE HELL OUT OF THE CITY ASAP. The cities will be the FIRST to collapse into rioting and complete anarchy.

If you live in the country, with your own source of water, and an alternative means of producing power (generator, solar, wind), you are already well on your way in the prepping "game".

Do not discount CANNED GOODS. Canned vegetables. Canned fruit. Canned meats. Canned soups. Canned sauces. Canned stews. Etc. Etc. Etc. Canned goods will last MANY years past their expiration dates, especially if they are stored in a cool, dry area and the cans have not been compromised.

Ramen noodles. Peanut butter. Brown rice. Instant coffee. Hot cocoa. Honey. Maple syrup. Bouillon cubes. Powdered milk. Sugar. Self-canned food. Dried beans. All of these items, and many more, have an UNLIMITED shelf life, as long as they are stored in a cool, dry place, and are oxygen-starved.

What about antibiotics? Most common antibiotics are available on the internet, and at some pet stores and feed stores, WITHOUT a prescription. Pharmaceutical-grade antibiotics are also used for FISH (yes, FISH), and they are available for sale on the internet at very reasonable prices. Obtaining antibiotics could be a matter of life and death for you and/or your loved ones.

Medical supplies? In addition to the "usual" first aid supplies, don't forget to buy tooth extraction tools. Also buy a field surgical kit. Buy plenty of antiseptics, and OTC cold and flu remedies. Assume that there are NO DOCTORS available and NO HOSPITALS in operation. Assume that your home is a place to sustain life, and may become a place where death can also occur.

What about firearms? You damn well better have firearms, with plenty of ammunition available. A MINIMUM of a shotgun, a hunting rifle, a small-caliber rifle, and a couple of handguns will get you started. The more, the better. If you're not a "gun person", then you better have a compound bow, a crossbow, a slingshot, a machete, and anything else you can think of to defend yourself and your loved ones.

ALWAYS keep in mind that WHATEVER you have in your home............food, water, medical supplies, blankets, clothing, firewood, fuel, etc., etc., etc..............SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE, and would have no problem doing whatever necessary to take what you have. If you aren't ready to defend your property and the lives of everybody on that property, then your property will belong to somebody else in very short order.

Prepping is not a GAME. Prepping is serious business. It is a matter of LIFE AND DEATH. If you aren't going to take the whole prepping concept seriously, then don't bother doing it.


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## E.H. (Dec 21, 2014)

The title of this thread is how to start prepping and with that in mind there are a lot of things that can be done long before you build a firearm arsenal that will improve your security. Examples include improving the lighting around your residence, clear away anything that is not necessary that could be used for cover or concealment by someone less then desirable and seek training from a competent instructor. In fact you should seek training in anything you are prepping with. If you buy/build a first aid kit seek some basic first aid training. It's great to buy things to prep buy you need to know how to use them.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

E.H. said:


> there are a lot of things that can be done long before you build a firearm arsenal that will improve your security.
> 
> It's great to buy things to prep buy you need to know how to use them.


I agree there are more important things then having 25 rifles.. but having SOME is important

I also agree that it is important to know how to use things...however... lots of things we will get more familiar with after


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## 7515 (Aug 31, 2014)

well how about 308,104 calories for only $121.10
these are not made up prices each item i will list comes from one of 3 stores
sams club,wal-mart and dollar tree

this is not all you need.....but it will keep you from starving to death
and the meals will be boring and bland so pack some seasoning

qty 2 20# long grain white rice 9.00 $18.00 106,840 calories
qty 2 5# enriched grits 4.75 $9.50 14,664 calories
qty 10 42oz quick oats 2.00 $20.00 42,840 calories
qty 20 1# dry pasta .88 $17.60 31,200 calories
qty 20 12oz jars OF PEANUTBUTTER 1.00 $20.00 45,120 calories
qty 2 25#dry pinto beans 18.00 $36.00 67,800 calories

this will give you a great start for a cheap investment
if you break this down to 2,000 calories per day
this is enough for 154 days for 1 person

took this from another page


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