Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and millions of Americans are feverishly preparing for what they consider to be “the end of the world as we know it”. In fact, it is estimated that there are now approximately 3 million “preppers” in the United States. But for people that have never done much prepping before, getting started can be both confusing and intimidating.
In fact, I get more questions about prepping than anything else. People are constantly asking me how they can prepare for the difficult times that are coming. Well, in this article I have compiled 120 powerful pieces of advice for preppers. No two situations are exactly the same, and almost every prepper approaches preparation differently, but there are some basic principles that apply to almost everyone. And without a doubt, a lot of people that are not preparing now are going to regret it in the years ahead.
The global financial system is falling apart, the United States and Europe are absolutely drowning in debt, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are becoming more frequent, signs of social decay are everywhere and war could erupt in the Middle East at any time. Actually, it is absolutely amazing that there are so many people out there that still believe that “prepping” is not necessary.
When people ask me what they can do to prepare, there is usually one tip that I give above everything else. It is not very “sexy”, but it is absolutely foundational.
During the last recession, millions of people lost their jobs, and because a lot of them had no financial cushion, many of them also lost their homes.
For the next couple of years, my number one tip is to build up an emergency fund. If you are a prepper and you are living month to month, then you are in a very vulnerable position.
What is going to happen to all of your preparations if something goes wrong and you suddenly lose your home to foreclosure?
I recommend that everyone have an emergency fund that will be able to cover all bills and expenses for at least six months.
Yes, cash is continually losing value. But during any economic downturn it is absolutely essential that you be able to continue to pay your bills. Having a cash reserve is the smart thing to do.
So what else can people do to start prepping for the tough times that are on the horizon?
In a previous article, I explained that a good place to start is by focusing on the five basics….
1) Food
2) Water
3) Shelter
4) Energy
5) Self-Defense
If you have those five areas totally covered you will be in pretty good shape.
The following are some more things to consider as you are prepping….
*Do not post pictures of money or gold or your preps on Facebook. If you do, you might get someunwelcome visitors to your home.
*Make sure that your preparations are not against the law. If you have any doubt about this, make sure that you do not go on national television and tell all of America what you are doing.
*In the event of a major disaster, there will likely be hordes of “non-preppers” running around looking to take away the things that all of the preppers have been storing up. This is something that you will need to be prepared for.
*The following are 6 excellent privacy tips for preppers that come from an article by an anonymous author that was recently posted on theintelhub.com….
1. Trust no one that you do not personally know. Even the little old lady down the road will rat on you if she is hungry when the SHTF.
2. Keep your prepping to yourself. Again, do not tell anyone you are prepping. If they know you have stores of food, where do you think they will think of first when the SHTF? Oh and don’t forget, the Department of Homeland Security thinks people with stockpiles of food and weapons as potential domestic terrorist.
3. Don’t share any prepping articles on Facebook or other social media. Don’t draw attention to yourself by posting prepping articles or discussing the topic on the website. You may think you are educating your friends, but in reality you are just letting them know of your actions and plans.
4. Make sure boxes are not labeled with the company name if your order emergency supplies. Most companies will publish this in their ordering information. You don’t want to tip off the UPS driver that you just received a year’s worth of freeze dried food.
5. Do not tell anyone what you are up to. You don’t know how hard it is for me not to tell people I meet that I was almost on the National Geographic TV show. That would be a disaster.
6. Be alert to what others are saying. I was sitting in my dental hygienist chair a week ago and she told me about another customer that was storing food. She thought he might be prepping and she said if it ever got bad, she knew where to find some food. I just acknowledged the statement and let it rest.
*In one article that I did about preparation, I listed 10 things that you can start doing right now to get yourself into a better position for the chaos that is coming….
1 – Get Out Of Debt
2 – Find New Sources Of Income
3 – Reduce Your Expenses
4 – Learn To Grow Your Own Food
5 – Make Sure You Have A Reliable Water Supply
6 – Buy Land
7 – Get Off The Grid
8 – Store Non-Perishable Supplies
9 – Develop Stronger Relationships
10 – Get Educated And Stay Flexible
*Would moving to another area of the country be the best choice for you and your family? In an article entitled “What Is The Best Place To Live In The United States To Prepare For The Coming Economic Collapse?” I detailed some of the pros and cons for living in various areas of the country.
*In a recent article posted on shtfplan.com, Norse Prepper shared 11 questions that all preppers should be asking themselves….
1. What am I preparing for?
2. Am I going to bug in or bug out?
3. Can I defend my family, property and preps?
4. Do I have enough to feed my family until order is restored?
5. How will I heat my home?
6. How will I keep clean?
7. How will I provide light and electricity?
8. How will I keep up on information and communicate with the outside world?
9. What do I have to offer others?
10. How will I fight off boredom?
11. How do I pay for all of this?
You can read the entire article right here.
*In the years ahead food might cost a whole lot more than it does right now. Your food dollars are never going to go farther than they do right now.
*Many people do not realize this, but you can grow herbs that have tremendous healing properties in your own garden.
*In a recent article, I detailed some of the things that you will want to consider in the event of a major economic collapse….
#1 Food Shortages Can Actually Happen
#2 Medicine Is One Of The First Things That Becomes Scarce During An Economic Collapse
#3 When An Economy Collapses, So Might The Power Grid
#4 During An Economic Collapse You Cannot Even Take Water For Granted
#5 During An Economic Crisis Your Credit Cards And Debit Cards May Stop Working
#6 Crime, Rioting And Looting Become Commonplace During An Economic Collapse
#7 During A Financial Meltdown Many Average Citizens Will Start Bartering
#8 Suicides Spike During An Economic Collapse
#9 Your Currency May Rapidly Lose Value During An Economic Crisis
#10 When Things Hit The Fan The Government Will Not Save You
*You need to have a plan for what you will do if a massive wildfire comes sweeping through your area. This is especially true if you live in the western half of the United States.
*In a previous article entitled “20 Things You Will Need To Survive When The Economy Collapses And The Next Great Depression Begins”, I made a list of 20 things that you will need when you are not able to rely on Wal-Mart or the grocery store any longer….
#1) Storable Food
#2) Clean Water
#3) Shelter
#4) Warm Clothing
#5) An Axe
#6) Lighters Or Matches
#7) Hiking Boots Or Comfortable Shoes
#8) A Flashlight And/Or Lantern
#9) A Radio
#10) Communication Equipment
#11) A Swiss Army Knife
#12) Personal Hygiene Items
#13) A First Aid Kit And Other Medical Supplies
#14) Extra Gasoline (But Be Very Careful How You Store It)
#15) A Sewing Kit
#16) Self-Defense Equipment
#17) A Compass
#18) A Hiking Backpack
#19) A Community
#20) A Backup Plan
*In the comments following that article, my readers suggested a number of additional items to add to that list….
1. A K-Bar Fighting Knife
2. Salt
3. Extra Batteries
4. Medicine
5. A Camp Stove
6. Propane
7. Pet Food
8. Heirloom Seeds
9. Tools
10. An LED Headlamp
11. Candles
12. Clorox
13. Calcium Hypochlorite
14. Ziplock Bags
15. Maps Of Your Area
16. inoculars
17. Sleeping Bags
18. Rifle For Hunting
19. Extra Socks
20. Gloves
21. Gold And Silver Coins For Bartering
*There are more preppers out there than you might think. Don’t be afraid to reach out and make new friends.
*In a recent article, Brandon Smith shared some of the factors to consider when choosing a location for a survival retreat….
1. Property Placement
2. Community Network
3. Defensibility
4. Water Availability
5. Food Production
6. Proximity To National Forest
7. Secondary Retreat Locations
You can read the rest of that article right here.
*Almost everyone can grow a survival garden. Even if you only have an apartment, you can still grow a few things on your balcony.
*Don’t underestimate the impact a major transportation disruption could have on our daily lives.
*You would be surprised what you can actually do with limited resources. For example, there is one family that is actually producing 6000 pounds of produce a year on just 1/10th of an acre right in the middle of Pasadena, California.
*Survival Mom once shared the top ten survival tips that nobody wants to talk about….
1. Duct taping your windows will not save you from radiation poisoning.
2. You may have to dig a latrine (more than one time).
3. You may not receive any government benefits or payment from your place of employment during a disaster.
4. It is possible that you may be sick or in the hospital during a disaster.
5. Your pets may not survive.
6. It is likely that your cell phone will not work.
7. No one is coming to help you.
8. Insurance doesn’t cover everything, if there is an insurance company left.
9. There will not be enough food and water for everyone.
10. If it is the end of the world, the previous nine tips will not matter!!!
*An EMP burst caused by a high altitude nuke or by a major solar event could fry most of your electronics. What are you going to do if that happens?
*Spending a million dollars on a “survival condo” in an abandoned missile silo in Kansas is probably not a very efficient use of your limited resources.
*Off Grid Survival recently posted a list of four powerful traits that most survivors have in common….
1. Survivors stay Calm in the face of Danger
2. Survivalists are Experts at Improvisation
3. Survivors are D.I.Y Experts
4. Survivors are Great Leaders
*You can always learn more. Organizations such as The American Preppers Network enable preppers to network and learn from one another.
*During the difficult times that are coming, in addition to physical preparation it is going to be absolutely crucial to be both mentally and spiritually tough.
Many have accused me of being a “doom and gloomer”, but I don’t see anything negative about being prepared.
In fact, having a plan can give you a tremendous amount of hope. There will be a lot of people out there that will be tremendously blessed in the midst of the chaos that is coming. Victory often goes to those who are most prepared.
But if you choose simply to have blind faith in the system and you choose to stick your head in the sand, you might find that “ignorance is bliss” for a little while but when the stuff hits the fan it is going to be incredibly painful for you.
Previous generations understood that it was wise to store up supplies in the good years in order to make things easier in the lean years.
Unfortunately, most people these days have never been through truly hard times so they have no idea what they are like.
Just because the world has enjoyed a tremendous amount of prosperity for the last several decades does not mean that things will always be this way.
Wake up, take a look at the storm on the horizon and get prepared while you still can.
If you choose not to prepare now, you will regret it later.