# Where should a newbie start or begin with prepping?



## AnotherNewbiePrepper (Jan 11, 2019)

I'm new to prepping and wanted advice on where, how and what's the best way to begin for a beginner or newbie like myself? My situation isn't all that good to be frank. I live in the city so there's quite a good amount of population density to be concerned of if a major and serious crisis does happen, and I can't do a whole lot about it since I have to work and commute on a regular basis. I don't have a massive budget or anything for something such as buy some land far from the city, move to it and build a bunker or fallout shelter of some kind and stock with with supplies, food, equipment, etc. in case SHTF, thus I can't simply just move away and leave where I currently live. That just isn't practical or realistic for me and possibly many others as well, unless somehow I won the lottery or something, maybe. I also don't have a car either, been either using mostly a bike or public transportation on a regular basis, that's also not good either, I know.

And I'm aware prepping goes beyond merely just stockpiling and loading up on stuff. I'm looking for anything that is practical and realistic for my situation. I'm in the northeast side of the US in *Massachusetts* currently. At the moment I'm trying to put together my very first bug out bag, any advice on this pertaining to my situation would be much appreciated. What are the things I should and need to be prepared for and what are the most realistic and practical ways and methods I can be prepared for them according and within the limits to my current situation? is what I'm trying to figure out right now.


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## jimLE (Feb 8, 2014)

You've got a bicycle. That's a start.look for a bicycle trailer for it.one for loading up for bug out situation. Just in case you have to bug out and able to.get a road map showing all the streets and hoprfully the alleys as well.then use it to plan your best bug out route's .you have a famliy member,relative, friend that'll let you show up in a shtf situation? Talk with them if you do...more importantly. Think for the here n now when it comes to where your living.stock up on whats needed.food water first aid supplies hygiene items.what weapon(s) you can legally have and afford. Might look your place over and decide on where to keep your preps.then rearrang what you already have.so you can hide your preps.even some can sit in thge opken.i gave candle lanterns and oil lamp in the open.in which they look more like decorations then anything else. Then there's flashlights rechatgable battries and at least one battery charger.


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## BookWorm (Jul 8, 2018)

Being in the city will be tough. Being on the 31st floor of a high rise would be worse. A bike is good, a few routes to a safer place is better. A bike trailer is good if it won't draw too much attention to you. When planning for your bug out bag (BOB) think a 3 day camping trip and how to stay warm, dry and fed. It wouldn't be the worst idea to carry a get home bag with the minimums; knife, light, jerky etc. 

If you are by yourself it could be good that you can move fast, but bad that you have nobody to watch your six. If you use the search function on this site, look up specific things, I'd bet you find hours of reading material to start making notes from. 

Last piece of advice. Don't wait till next month to be putting ideas and things together. If you don't already, now is a good time to start thinking outside the box.

And finally, welcome to the site.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Hey welocme from N. Texas. Think all prepping should start with guns and ammo. Whatcha got?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Grasshopper,

You should think harder about what being prepared really is...



AnotherNewbiePrepper said:


> I'm new to prepping and wanted advice on where, how and what's the best way to begin for a beginner or newbie like myself? My situation isn't all that good to be frank. I live in the city so there's quite a good amount of population density to be concerned of if a major and serious crisis does happen, and I can't do a whole lot about it since I have to work and commute on a regular basis. I don't have a massive budget or anything for something such as buy some land far from the city, move to it and build a bunker or fallout shelter of some kind and stock with with supplies, food, equipment, etc. in case SHTF, thus I can't simply just move away and leave where I currently live. That just isn't practical or realistic for me and possibly many others as well, unless somehow I won the lottery or something, maybe. I also don't have a car either, been either using mostly a bike or public transportation on a regular basis, that's also not good either, I know.
> 
> And I'm aware prepping goes beyond merely just stockpiling and loading up on stuff. I'm looking for anything that is practical and realistic for my situation. I'm in the northeast side of the US in *Massachusetts* currently. At the moment I'm trying to put together my very first bug out bag, any advice on this pertaining to my situation would be much appreciated. What are the things I should and need to be prepared for and what are the most realistic and practical ways and methods I can be prepared for them according and within the limits to my current situation? is what I'm trying to figure out right now.


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## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

Welcome to the site Newbie. There is a lot of good info here. Just remember it will take you some time to learn the game and procure the things you need. Most important don't procrastinate and don't go public with your game. When SHTF happens folks will want to ride your coattails.


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## MikeTango (Apr 13, 2018)

Welcome from Alabama

In a way, your situation simplifies things. I can see three scenarios you’ll need to deal with. 

First, shelter in place at home. 

Build water and food supply. Plan on no electricity. Alternate source of heat. Alternate source of light. You’ll need to stay informed so some sort of small am/fm radio. Security, a way to stay safe at home. First aid and meds. The list goes on...

Second, your home and city aren’t safe or will soon become unsafe. It’s time to leave. 

Decide on several different places that will be safer that you know you can either bike to or hike to. Plan routes, secure maps, expect the unexpected. Assemble a bug out bag. You’re going to need to stay informed so you can make your decision to leave as early as possible. You’re going to need several ways to filter water on the go. The list goes on...

Third, you’re at work or commuting when SHTF. 

Is there a place at work to keep emergency supplies? Your EDC (Every Day Carry) items will be extremely important! What if you can’t get back home before you have to leave the city? Save extra cash for cab ride out of town. Plan routes out of town from work. The list goes on...

Personally, I’d start with EDC items (this includes personal security stuff) and building up shelter in place supplies. Then I’d work on the BOB. 

Start with what you worry about most. Break it down into manageable chunks.

Have you searched for prepper groups in your area? Are you a member of a church? Any coworkers you’d be able to trust and form a small team with? Dependable family members within reach?





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## AnotherNewbiePrepper (Jan 11, 2019)

I want to thank all of you for your input. I really appreciate it.



BookWorm said:


> Being in the city will be tough. Being on the 31st floor of a high rise would be worse. A bike is good, a few routes to a safer place is better. A bike trailer is good if it won't draw too much attention to you. When planning for your bug out bag (BOB) think a 3 day camping trip and how to stay warm, dry and fed. It wouldn't be the worst idea to carry a get home bag with the minimums; knife, light, jerky etc.
> 
> If you are by yourself it could be good that you can move fast, but bad that you have nobody to watch your six. If you use the search function on this site, look up specific things, I'd bet you find hours of reading material to start making notes from.
> 
> ...


I live on ground level and not in one of those high rise type of apartment complex, don't know if that's good news or not. I'm not sure if it counts as by myself. I live with my parents, well sort of anyway. They're split and don't live together. Both live on ground level. They live about an hour away but that's only with riding the subway and walking/biking.

I don't know if it counts as by myself, but the prepping would primarily be done by myself I suppose, maybe my dad can provide some assistance since he's already retired. I don't have a spouse, children or any of that kind of family to worry about, it's mainly my parents and a younger brother and me. My brother lives on his own, although I think he's also on ground level, but I'm not absolutely certain about it.



bigwheel said:


> Hey welocme from N. Texas. Think all prepping should start with guns and ammo. Whatcha got?


I don't have the permits and license for them yet. Even then I doubt I'd have the budget for a large supply of them. Perhaps maybe something like 2 handguns and a few magazines for them is about all I can afford, or that I'd expect and think that I could afford.



Joe said:


> Welcome to the site Newbie. There is a lot of good info here. Just remember it will take you some time to learn the game and procure the things you need. Most important don't procrastinate and don't go public with your game. When SHTF happens folks will want to ride your coattails.


Thanks. I get it. Remain incognito and do not draw any unwanted attention from others. Besides, my situation is not favorable at all either way and I know it. I'd just have to work with and do the best I could due to my limitations.



MikeTango said:


> Welcome from Alabama
> 
> In a way, your situation simplifies things. I can see three scenarios you'll need to deal with.
> 
> ...


I'm gonna get those needed supplies very soon in these next few weeks. Been looking for a good portable solar generator for awhile, think I might have found one, but it's currently out of stock unfortunately.



MikeTango said:


> Second, your home and city aren't safe or will soon become unsafe. It's time to leave.
> 
> Decide on several different places that will be safer that you know you can either bike to or hike to. Plan routes, secure maps, expect the unexpected. Assemble a bug out bag. You're going to need to stay informed so you can make your decision to leave as early as possible. You're going to need several ways to filter water on the go. The list goes on...


This is the hardest one since I don't have a car of my own and I also don't have a massive budget for. I would want to leave the densely populated cities but it's going to be tough. I almost forgotten about water filtration, thanks for the reminder though.



MikeTango said:


> Third, you're at work or commuting when SHTF.
> 
> Is there a place at work to keep emergency supplies? Your EDC (Every Day Carry) items will be extremely important! What if you can't get back home before you have to leave the city? Save extra cash for cab ride out of town. Plan routes out of town from work. The list goes on...


The suppose the only good news is that work isn't more than 30 minutes away walking distance from home, well for most part anyway. Other than my locker at work there isn't much space in them to store supplies. I did keep cash around though, I suppose getting a cab ride, maybe uber or lyft ride out of town is my other option.



MikeTango said:


> Have you searched for prepper groups in your area? Are you a member of a church? Any coworkers you'd be able to trust and form a small team with? Dependable family members within reach?


At the moment I did find a local meetup group for preppers. I'd rather not draw unwanted attention from coworkers about prepping. This is also another tough one, but I'll work on it.


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## Yavanna (Aug 27, 2018)

Do you live in a house? If so, you can start a food garden. 
If you live in an apartment, you could try a vertical or a container garden in your balcony. 
Gardening is not as simple as it sounds, and requires some time to learn. While you cannot move out of the city, you can learn a lot about growing seasons, seed starting, fertilizers, etc, and that would be very useful if you move to the country someday. Pick some vegatable seeds you like and start from there. 
You will save some money buying fresh vegetables, and in a situation where you have to depend on stored food, some fresh veggies surely will be nice, and add valuable vitamines.


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## stowlin (Apr 25, 2016)

Knowledge is free so don’t fret the cost. When I lived in SF I had every feasible path from my condo to my boat figured out, by day, by night, and by crisis as best I could. Now I’m out of there thank goodness and non of that free planning was a waste it always made me feel better. Learn how to cycle out of there, where you might go and remember there is park land, BLM land and options out there you don’t have to buy.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Welcome! Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. Also, remember the search function on this site can help you navigate to just about any question you have. It's located on the very top left of your screen.

Here are two good links to start you off.

https://www.prepperforums.net/forum/general-prepper-survival-talk/14970-where-begin-new-prepper.html

https://www.prepperforums.net/forum/strictly-bug-out-bags/


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

Slippy said:


> Grasshopper,
> 
> You should think harder about what being prepared really is...


Sounds like he is trying to. Coming here was a pretty good first step.


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

I see homeless people on bikes with those trailers people use to haul their small children with them. It might be a good idea to be prepared to look like one of them on your way out of town. You can haul a decent amount of food and water as long as it is concealed. A couple cans of spray paint can make a bike look less than desirable pretty quickly. Just a couple ideas.


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## wallyLOZ (May 12, 2013)

I always like to think of it as a timeline. What do I have to have to survive in the next ten seconds, ten minutes, ten hours.....? For ten seconds, you have to have air to breath. Ten minutes could mean your personal safety if out in the open, in the city. Bad guys will resort to evil very quickly in a SHTF environment. Or, if it's cold, shelter could be the second objective. Survival manuals will tell you that you can survive without water for a few days and food for a few weeks. Create your own timeline and what you need to acquire to meet your objectives, in the order of importance.

Scour this forum to get references to survival manuals. Go to your library, read and learn. Your mind is your biggest asset.

Lastly, you will not be prepared over night. It's a marathon, not a fifty yard dash. Stay at it and you will get there. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## PAPrepper (Oct 24, 2013)

In for info..


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