I wanted to start a thread on information that new preppers should start out with. Something to get them on the right tract. If enough seasoned preppers participate, this thread will be an excellent resource for newbie's to go to.
I will start the thread.
Food
Buy lots of food. Food should be one of your highest priorities besides water and defense. Get a mixture of food items that stores long term like rice and beans. The stuff your going to eat with the rice and beans. A variety of canned goods. Keep in mind that expiration dates are just the manufactures way to guarantee that their product will stay fresh and palatable. Use your judgment on how long after the expiration dates that you will keep them. Most items should be good years past their dates.
I keep MRE's in stock also. When they start to age then we use them for camping/hiking. Otherwise it is nice to have a stock of food you don't have to cook and can immediately eat cold if you want. Especially during a bug out.
Set your goals. Like one weeks worth of groceries, then just keep working your way up until you have six months of food or what ever you set as your ultimate goal of food storage.
Check out Step 3: Three Month Food Supply there is a really great excel spreadsheet that you can download that will help out with your food storage plan.
Consider getting a dehydrator. You can dehydrate a lot of foods and they will last a really long time especially if you store your stuff in Mylar bags inside of 5 gallon buckets with oxygen absorbers in them. You can learn how to store this way by watching some You Tube videos.
If you live in a rural area plant fruit trees. Once they mature you will have all the fruit you can eat and it will give you something to barter with.
Water
You will want to store water. How much? Well that's going to depend on your situation. Do you live in an apartment in the city or a homestead in a rural area?
If you drink those individual water bottle bottles then stock up heavy on them just keep in mind that the bottles are designed to break down over time. They will eventually leak. If you can not store a lot of water then prepare your self to be able to procure water from a source like a pond or stream. There are several ways to make water potable, water purification filters, chemical means like bleach and iodine tablets and boiling the water.
Power
Consider getting a generator for power outages. Especially if you live near the coast where a hurricane could mess you up. There are multi fuel generators available. Propane and gas, just gas, just propane and just diesel. If your going to invest in a generator then invest in a generator transfer switch.
The switch hooks up to your circuit breaker box and lets you have power with your generator but prevents back feeding the electrical line. It also does away with all of the extension cords. Reliance and Generac are good brand names.
Depending on the emergency you may not want to use it in a prolonged manner, just use it intermittently to keep your fridge and freezer cold. And you may not want to use lights in the evening. It will be like beacon to desperate people.
Defense
Your going to want a firearm to defend your family and property.
Which firearms should you use? Ask several different people and you will get several different answers. It is recommended that you standardize so ammunition and repair parts will be easier to stock. Stick to NATO type calibers with the addition of a few others. NATO calibers usually consist of 9mm, 45cal, 7.62X52mm/.308cal, 5.56mm/.223, 12gauge, .50cal, .300 win mag.
I would add the 7.62X39 to your possible lists to choose from, why? Because the AK 47 has a long time reputation of never breaking down/misfires and jams. AK's are relatively cheap. They can be used in a multi -purpose role. They are an excellent swamp gun for hunting, you can use high capacity magazines for defense/offense and at close to mid range they are pretty accurate. If you have bolt action scoped rifles that are very accurate. Use them for sniper rifles. The important thing is to have something. Something is better than nothing.
Bug Out Bags
If you plan on bugging out to a different location whether it is a stocked cabin or family and friends residence you will want a BOB. The size will depend on what you can carry comfortably. These bags will contain the minimum what is needed to sustain you until you can get to your location.
Now its time to pick this apart in a positive manner. How would you tell a new prepper to start? What can you add to what I have already written?
I will start the thread.
Food
Buy lots of food. Food should be one of your highest priorities besides water and defense. Get a mixture of food items that stores long term like rice and beans. The stuff your going to eat with the rice and beans. A variety of canned goods. Keep in mind that expiration dates are just the manufactures way to guarantee that their product will stay fresh and palatable. Use your judgment on how long after the expiration dates that you will keep them. Most items should be good years past their dates.
I keep MRE's in stock also. When they start to age then we use them for camping/hiking. Otherwise it is nice to have a stock of food you don't have to cook and can immediately eat cold if you want. Especially during a bug out.
Set your goals. Like one weeks worth of groceries, then just keep working your way up until you have six months of food or what ever you set as your ultimate goal of food storage.
Check out Step 3: Three Month Food Supply there is a really great excel spreadsheet that you can download that will help out with your food storage plan.
Consider getting a dehydrator. You can dehydrate a lot of foods and they will last a really long time especially if you store your stuff in Mylar bags inside of 5 gallon buckets with oxygen absorbers in them. You can learn how to store this way by watching some You Tube videos.
If you live in a rural area plant fruit trees. Once they mature you will have all the fruit you can eat and it will give you something to barter with.
Water
You will want to store water. How much? Well that's going to depend on your situation. Do you live in an apartment in the city or a homestead in a rural area?
If you drink those individual water bottle bottles then stock up heavy on them just keep in mind that the bottles are designed to break down over time. They will eventually leak. If you can not store a lot of water then prepare your self to be able to procure water from a source like a pond or stream. There are several ways to make water potable, water purification filters, chemical means like bleach and iodine tablets and boiling the water.
Power
Consider getting a generator for power outages. Especially if you live near the coast where a hurricane could mess you up. There are multi fuel generators available. Propane and gas, just gas, just propane and just diesel. If your going to invest in a generator then invest in a generator transfer switch.
The switch hooks up to your circuit breaker box and lets you have power with your generator but prevents back feeding the electrical line. It also does away with all of the extension cords. Reliance and Generac are good brand names.
Depending on the emergency you may not want to use it in a prolonged manner, just use it intermittently to keep your fridge and freezer cold. And you may not want to use lights in the evening. It will be like beacon to desperate people.
Defense
Your going to want a firearm to defend your family and property.
Which firearms should you use? Ask several different people and you will get several different answers. It is recommended that you standardize so ammunition and repair parts will be easier to stock. Stick to NATO type calibers with the addition of a few others. NATO calibers usually consist of 9mm, 45cal, 7.62X52mm/.308cal, 5.56mm/.223, 12gauge, .50cal, .300 win mag.
I would add the 7.62X39 to your possible lists to choose from, why? Because the AK 47 has a long time reputation of never breaking down/misfires and jams. AK's are relatively cheap. They can be used in a multi -purpose role. They are an excellent swamp gun for hunting, you can use high capacity magazines for defense/offense and at close to mid range they are pretty accurate. If you have bolt action scoped rifles that are very accurate. Use them for sniper rifles. The important thing is to have something. Something is better than nothing.
Bug Out Bags
If you plan on bugging out to a different location whether it is a stocked cabin or family and friends residence you will want a BOB. The size will depend on what you can carry comfortably. These bags will contain the minimum what is needed to sustain you until you can get to your location.
Now its time to pick this apart in a positive manner. How would you tell a new prepper to start? What can you add to what I have already written?