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Is It Too Late to Start Prepping?

3K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  MUSIBIKE 
#1 ·
Is It Too Late to Start Prepping?

The Organic Prepper

A lot of new folks are starting to realize that the outlook in North America is every bit as grim as the reality in European countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal and a host of others. When even the mainstream media is making dire predictions, the writing is truly on the wall.



If you’re new at this, you might be dipping your toe in the water, reading some survivalist and prepping websites, trying to figure out how to keep your family safe and well-fed in the difficult days ahead…and you may also read a host of discouraging comments saying that it’s too late to get started. ”If you aren’t already prepared, there’s no time left,” many experienced preppers are saying dismally. “You’re screwed.”

If you’ve already come upon some difficult times, you may think to yourself, “I’d like to prepare but I barely have enough money to keep a roof over our heads…We’re screwed.”

You might be reading these terrible prophecies, rolling pennies to buy milk at the grocery store, and watching the parade of terrible daily events and be ready to give up before you even get started. You may agree, “Yep, it’s too late. I’m screwed.”

The thing is, I’m the eternal optimist, and I don’t believe that it really IS too late. I don’t believe that you are screwed, even if tomorrow is the date of your first stockpile shopping trip! If the stores are open, there’s still time.

While I agree that the situation is dire and that economic doom is getting closer every day, if you’re reading this site and others like it, you’ve taken the first step to preparedness already – just like a 12-Step program for addiction, you have recognized and admitted the problem. This, in and of itself, puts you in the company of an estimated 3 million preppers who are aware that life as we know it today could change in the blink of an eye!



This recognition of the need to prepare puts you ahead of “the herd”.

This means that you will look at current events differently.
This means that you will think critically when presented with information via the media.
This means that you will truly weigh the pros and cons of fiat currency that you intend to spend.
This means that when you shop, you aren’t just looking to feed your family until the next grocery trip.

Even if you just have a little inkling in the back of your mind that things are not as they ought to be, you have crossed a thresh-hold and you can choose whether you want to step in to awareness or slam the door on that uneasy feeling and go about your life, doing things the way you have always done them.

If you’re still reading, then you may have decided to come on in and join the ranks of the prepared!

While it’s late in the game we aren’t in the last inning just yet – so let’s get started!

The wake-up call for many of us is a downturn in finances. While it’s ideal to begin stocking up while your income is still good, don’t be discouraged if you’ve taken a financial hit. You won’t be able to buy a year’s supply in one marathon shopping trip but you can empower yourself by getting started.
Getting Started

The first step is to take inventory of what you have – you may be surprised to realize that you already have a week or a month of supplies in your pantry. Read “If You Don’t Know What You Have, You Don’t Know What You Need!” for more detailed information on inventorying the items that you already have. (Note: the 52 Weeks to Preparedness section of the website Ready Nutrition contains a wealth of information for the beginning prepper. It’s a budget-friendly approach to getting prepared!)

Once you’ve figured out where you are as far as supplies are concerned, you must figure out a way to finance your prepping endeavors. Your budget may be so tight that you can barely keep the lights on but there is still hope. When you change the way you shop, you’ll soon find that some of the budgetary stress is relieved. But first things first, you have to free up enough money to get started.

You might think that the week after Christmas is a terrible time to get started on something that costs money, but in actuality, you will probably never be in a better position to do so. If your house is anything like mine, you probably have a whole refrigerator full of holiday leftovers – resist the urge to do your normal weekly shopping trip and feed your family leftovers combined with the goods you have in your pantry. Use that money that you would normally spend for groceries and let’s get started! No matter how small your budget is, you can begin building security for your family. I am basing these prices on my teeny tiny small-town grocery store, this week. You may be able to get more, based on what’s on sale in your area.
$20 List

2 pound bag of rice
2 pound bag of beans
4 cans of spaghetti sauce
2 cans of peaches in water
1 jar of peanut butter
1 jug of white vinegar
5 gallon jug of water

$50 List

everything in the $20 list and

4 boxes of saltine crackers
4 jars of unsweetened applesauce
2 pounds of sugar
5 pounds of flour
1 liter of olive oil
3 cans of green beans
2 boxes of baking soda

$100 List

everything on the $20 list and the $50 list and

1 canister of grated Parmesan cheese
1 canister of baking powder
10 pound bag of potatoes
5 pound bag of onions
5 pound bag of carrots
2 pounds of powdered milk
6 pounds of pasta
5 bags of dried spices of choice
small assortment of treats (candy, chocolate chips, etc – you have $5 to spend on things that make life more pleasant!)



If you’ve read my other articles, you may think these lists are in conflict with the “organic” theme. While I’d certainly love to see everyone give Monsanto the cold shoulder by buying local and organic, it’s just not always feasible, especially when you are just getting started. I’d rather see people begin to take control by having a supply like the one listed here – something that when combined with the foods in the cupboards might see you through a month of hard times.

What’s more, when you have this little bit of security – this one-month food investment, you can begin to build on this with healthier and more nutritious options. You can start learning how to be more self-sufficient by growing what you can, by learning to preserve food and by buying in bulk.
It’s Not Over – There’s Time

That little voice whispering warnings is telling you something very important – it’s saying that things just aren’t right. Call it instinct, the voice of God, or a premonition – but listen and get prepared. Start right now. Even if you only have 2 weeks’ worth of food and water, that is two weeks that your family will not be hungry or thirsty. After Superstorm Sandy people were complaining that they hadn’t eaten after only two days.

None of us knows how long the dollar will last. We, in North America, will be going the way of Greece – not if, but when. Natural disasters occur, interrupting the flow of commerce and the availability of goods. Jobs are lost, illnesses occur, and storms blow in. If you listen to that little voice telling you to get ready, you will not be standing in line with all of the rowdy crowds waiting for FEMA to dole out benevolence.

Take the time we have left and make the most of it. Ignore the naysayers with their discouraging pronouncements that there isn’t enough time. Every single meal you put aside, every book of matches, every candle and every alternative cooking method you invest in, increases the security of your family.

Focus on what you can do – and block out the static of those who say the word “can’t”.

Is It Too Late to Start Prepping? | Pakalert Press


Black Blade: Better late than never I guess.
 
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#4 ·
I'm sure he's trying to help people who live pay check to pay check, people who have to pay child support and find enough for there present families to survive on. When you only work one or two days a week and fix peoples cars in the winter in your driveway
to earn a few extra dollars you might get a better understating of the working poor.













in the weather you might get a better understating of the working poor.
 
#7 ·
I have about 18 to 20 cardboard box full of can goods,rice,beans,etc put away for hard times or SHTF.I have 7.62x 63,51,39 and 45acp,45lc,9mm 22,and 12ga if needed.Water might be a problem if I lose my city water.With COPD I can't travel far without a machine or animal.
 
#9 ·
In some ways, this is the Poor Mans Preps. Food and supplies that you can use week to week, and NOT impact your world too much.

I am all for this as a first step, and a valuable way to begin preparing for the unknowable. These steps can be built up over time, and result in a very stable cache of food.

Just my $0.02
 
#10 ·
The way anybody on a strict budget can get started is to simply buy several cans of what you normally buy whenever it is on sale. Most canned goods have a listed 3 year shelf life but if stored in the proverbial cool dry place you could get a decade or more out of them. Just rotate the older stuff out into your daily meals and before ya know it that extra $10 you spend per week "stocking up" has turned into a several month/years food supply. The dented can/closeout cart is your friend, although I would limit dented to your next few weeks meals instead of long term storage. Warehouse club stores like SAMS CLUB can help too if you buy in bulk. Canning jars and a small "victory garden" could extend your preps with fresh vegetables for pennies just like it did for your relatives that lived through the WWII era. The Dollar Store usually has a variety of spices, adding some to your cache will make a lot of the plainer meals more palatable.
 
#11 ·
Interesting. Good link on the lifestraw tanvil, thank you..
Lot of rice in storage, plenty of fish here to be caught and lots of natural veggies from the swamp..
Now if the people in the cities do not swarm us, we have enough natural food here to supply our whole community..
Natural spring pumping millions of gallons of fresh water a day into the river.
Medications could become a problem. Ah what the hell, we all have to die of something..
 
#12 ·
Interesting. Good link on the lifestraw tanvil, thank you..
Lot of rice in storage, plenty of fish here to be caught and lots of natural veggies from the swamp..
Now if the people in the cities do not swarm us, we have enough natural food here to supply our whole community..
Natural spring pumping millions of gallons of fresh water a day into the river.
Medications could become a problem. Ah what the hell, we all have to die of something..
If they do swarm ya, well I hear they taste like pork, not chicken....
 
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