(9 minute read)
As mentioned in the previous post, you can start by doing small things that will not add too much time and money to your already busy schedule and constrained finances. You must consider what is reasonable for you to accomplish based on the time, resources, and budget you can allot. But the most crucial thing any new prepper must be able to shift is not their schedule or budget but their mindset. Remember, you are approaching this not as a chore or hobby but something to tend to as money and time allow. It ensures that you have what you need in the case of an emergency. Security is the best gift you can give yourself and any children or creatures in your charge. If you have their security in mind, prepping becomes a necessity borne out of care, not just something to do. It doesn’t matter if it is a natural disaster, a power outage, or a pandemic; you will need the same things. You must understand that it CAN happen to you. No area is immune to disaster. As mentioned in an earlier blog, earthquakes and floods are becoming more severe and unpredictable. Your location no longer guarantees your safety from these events.
The second step is accepting that you must take FULL responsibility for yourself and the safety and security of the children and animals in your care. Do not leave this up to the government, believing they will come through and save the day before the food in your refrigerator spoils or you run out of water. Of course, the government responds as quickly as possible with aid. However, remember they have to help everyone affected by the event. Depending on what happened, how it affects the local infrastructure, and how many people need assistance factors into how long that assistance will arrive for you.
Further, even with all the best intentions, if there is any mismanagement, the government assistance you are counting on may arrive late, not be adequately distributed, or not have enough. What if you ended up on the short end of the stick should this occur? You should not be willing to leave this to chance! If you paid any attention to the disaster relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina or Super Storm Sandy, you would see how the disaster response fell short in many ways. Don’t allow yourself, your kids, and your animals to suffer more than necessary.
- For example, after Hurricane Ike, some folks waited two weeks for FEMA aid*, and by the time the trucks reached them, they had no food or water left, just toiletries. Others traveled several miles and waited hours at distribution centers for food and water.
- Hurricane Katrina. Homes were decimated or unlivable, and folks were moving through sewage-infested waters. Much of the area could be navigated only by boat.*
Please do not give up before you begin. With the country losing its mind, listening to the news or too many prepping/homesteaders can get depressing and scary, and you may feel that what you need to do is out of reach. It Isn’t! It’s easy to be intimidated by preppers or homesteaders with large swaths of land, off-the-grid contraptions, sponsorship, who can – or has someone who can – build or repair things with tools you don’t have or know how to use. SMSFs have different environments, lifestyles, and needs. Treat your fellow preppers/homesteaders as unique sources of information. Not gospel, not law, just folks who figured out what works for them and sharing this knowledge with those ready to get aboard the preparedness train. Preppers come from all walks of life. Some may turn you off with their attitude or political stances; perhaps the sound of their voice irks you, or their writing is difficult to follow. Just take what resonates and leave the rest. Don’t dismiss the mission because you may not always like the agent.
Don’t let others discourage you. You may find that even mentioning the word “prepper” or even the more innocuous “emergency preparedness” may garner you some eye-rolling or a chuckle. Folks may say it’s a waste of money and time, that nothing of a grand scale will happen where you need such measures. Besides, where are you going to put all that stuff? Remember that you are not discussing shoes, collecting things for fun, or fishing for anyone’s approval. The same people will beg for what you’ve stored when the SHTF (Sh*t Hits the Fan), or worse, try to take what you’ve stored through guilt, coercion, or force. Don’t discuss it further if you speak with someone whose opinion is dismissive and you can’t trust them. You want to build with people you can barter or collaborate with, not be wary of, even if they are family and friends now. Remember, money and emergencies show people’s true colors. Don’t endanger yourself or risk losing your preps to people who did not take it seriously when you brought up the subject.
Don’t put yourself into debt trying to prep. I will admit – I totally did this, am still recovering, and it isn’t cute! Once you recognize how serious things are becoming and realize that you don’t have what you need, running out and going nuts getting preps is tempting. Do not do this. Have a conscious and measured approach to prepping and make a plan or budget for what you want in case some life-changing event changes your financial picture (which happened to me). You will find a way to get what you need and want once you get more involved in the prepping lifestyle and locate resources you may not have been aware of. Be patient, and be proud that you’re making an effort.
Accept the preparedness challenge! Be ready to show your prepping ingenuity in a way that fits your life. A big part of preparedness is going with what you already know or your intuition. No one knows what works for you, your kids, or your pets more than you do! You may be able to make, find substitutes for, or improve upon a prep you have seen somewhere. Don’t feel limited by what others show you; if you have an idea that makes a prep more suitable for your situation or a product you prefer, don’t doubt yourself. Go for it! Get the kids involved, especially if you make it fun and something you can do together, like learning how to bake bread, dehydrate food, and container gardening.
What skills do you have or would like to develop that may help you with connections and supplies should necessities get scarce? Do you have any medical training? Can you build or repair things? Do you know how to grow food? Maybe you’ve wanted to learn CPR, get more familiar with power tools, start growing food in small spaces, or learn canning. Perhaps you’ve wanted to take a self-defense class or learn to shoot. NOW IS THE TIME! Should currency become useless, you can build your stash and find new resources through your skillset; being able to barter a mental or physical skill rather than your stored preps is ideal. You should want something to “bring to the table” in case you end up in a group, and your success as a group depends on everyone having something to contribute. You want to be an asset, not a liability.
Next: More on the “Mindset” Tip
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/texas-leaders-blast-fema-for-hurricane-ike-1789822.php
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26737789
https://guides.lib.lsu.edu/Hurricanes/KatrinaEnvironment#:~:text=Inland%20waterbodies%20and%20public%20health,later%20pumped%20into%20Lake%20Pontchartrain.
https://www.rferl.org/a/1061278.html