The Quick Start Guide for getting prepared

From The Survival Mom

There’s just no telling when Armageddon will occur, nor is there a date scheduled, yet, for a zombie invasion. However, all this talk lately about the debt ceiling and a looming financial apocalypse has scared a lot of people. Many of them have done very little to prepare and are wondering, “Is it too late?”

You’ll know it’s too late when your pantry is empty, right along with grocery store shelves, no water comes from your tap, there’s no electricity, and fifty zombies are coming up your driveway. Until then, you have time to prepare! Here is The Survival Mom’s Quick Start Guide for getting prepared in a hurry.

One small disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea exactly what is going to happen in our country, around the world, or in your particular neighborhood or when. This advice is given to those who feel nervous about the future and want a game plan to get prepared quickly.

Step 1: Decide what you’re preparing for. This step will help clarify your focus and help you set priorities.

Step 2: Examine your financial situation. How much money do you have to spend on preparedness? If you’re in a hurry to improve your family’s odds of survival, you’ll need a healthy amount of money on hand. Survival Moms (and Dads) who have been at this a while have been able to spread out their expenses over many months and years. Do not go into debt in order to be prepared. You don’t want to face an uncertain future with credit card bills arriving every month. Do what you can with what you have.

Step 3: Food storage will be one of your main goals, regardless of what happens. Prices at the grocery store are rising, containers are getting smaller, and it’s the consumer who is losing out. Do a quick inventory of your pantry and see what you already have that can be set aside toward a one-month food storage goal. (One month is the minimum storage goal.)

Step 4: Make a list of simple breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The ingredients should all be items that do not require refrigeration in case of a power outage. These recipes should be simple and easy to prepare. In the face of the apocalypse, do you really want to be slaving over a hot stove three times a day? I think not. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with planning on eating the same meals over and over again. There’s also nothing wrong with deciding that eating canned soup for lunch every other day is a good thing. You’re establishing your back-to-the-wall food storage supply. The Famine Menu can help you stock up on the bare-bones basics.

Step 5: Make a grocery list of all the ingredients you will need to make your set of recipes to cover 31 days, that would be Month #1, and then go shopping. If you can get your hands on coupons and can check the grocery store ads for discounts, so much the better.

Step 6: Besides food, you’ll need cleaning supplies, laundry soap, extra prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Your pets will need their own food and supplies. Print out a copy of my Costco TEOTWAWKI shopping guide to help you decide what other supplies your family should have on hand.

Step 7: Decide how you want to safeguard your finances. The prices of gold and silver have been rising steadily as the value of the dollar declines. Do you want to take a portion of your cash and purchase gold and silver? Do you want to have cash on hand in case of a bank holiday or some other disaster that would prevent you from using ATMs, money transfers, and other convenient bank services? Are you adequately insured? It’s hard to tell how a national financial crisis would affect insurance carriers, but with a policy in hand, you’ll have some recourse in case your home is vandalized, your car is stolen, etc.

Step 8: Water is vital to survival, but it’s unlikely that a chaotic economy would necessarily shut down water treatment plants. All the same, if you feel you need to store water, you should store at least one gallon per person per day. A family of four needs at least 28 gallons to meet their needs for a week. You can buy a few cases of bottled water, but sturdier water containers are better. My own favorite is the lowly 2-liter soda bottle, cleaned out and refilled with water.

Step 9: Make a plan for keeping your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter without the use of electricity. Again, chaos in Washington D.C. doesn’t mean our power grid is in danger, but many natural disasters and extreme weather events cause power outages. If government regulations cause energy prices to rise drastically, most of us will be looking for ways to use a lot less electricity, even during a heat wave or blizzard. You should have alternate ways of staying warm and cool, as well as ways to cook food and heat up water.

Step 10: Don’t take the health of your family lightly. Increased turmoil will cause more people to seek help from hospitals and doctors. Make sure you have a well-equipped first aid kit, have downloaded or purchased a good first aid book, and, preferably, have recently taken a course in CPR and first aid. In a medical crisis, you and your family might be on your own, at least for a while.

Step 11: We take transportation for granted, but you should have a secondary way to get around town. I recommend a bicycle with either a small trailer or baskets. If roads are blocked, the price of gasoline skyrockets, or an EMP renders your car useless, you’ll be glad you have at least a bike to get where you need to go.

Step 12: Consider some worst-case scenarios. What if a financial crisis causes a drastic increase in crime? What if riots and protests erupt outside your home or workplace? What if desperate family members show up at your door in need of shelter and food? It doesn’t hurt to let your mind run wild and picture these scenarios, and others, as long as you continue thinking and planning how you and your family might cope.

Step 13: You can’t learning everything there is to know about survival in just a few days. Check out my list of 30 survival must-have books and make a trip to a bookstore or the Amazon website. A good survival library is worth its weight in $ 1600-an-ounce gold!

Step 14: How do you propose to keep what you’ve stockpiled? In other words, do you have a security system planned? This could be an actual security system installed in your home, but those aren’t fool-proof. Firearms make sense, but do not purchase a gun unless you are trained in its use or are committed to taking training classes and can frequently practice at a gun range. At the very least, your family should have a shotgun (12-gauge is most popular although a 20-gauge will have less recoil) and a handgun (preferably 9 mm, .40 or 45 caliber). I cannot stress enough the importance of training and practice. How much ammo should you have on hand? As much as you can afford.

Even if the end of the world doesn’t happen in the next few days, these Quick Start steps will turbo-charge your preparedness and put you in a solid position to continue on. No one is every so fully prepared they can afford to stop. There’s always something more to learn, one more thing to do. Be sure, though, to let your mind be at peace, knowing you’ve made some important strides toward preparing your home and your family.

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