Don’t get me wrong, all of these are great “programs”. However I don’t see how a person can truly get prepared in a month! I think it takes much more than that to really be prepared.
So I say take this time to make a resolution to spend the next year getting better prepared. Do it in bits and pieces. This will not only be much easier on your wallet, it will be far more suited to you and your lifestyle.
Over the next 20+ weeks, I will give you a schedule of sorts to follow for not only acquiring preparedness needs, but in forming your Needs Based Plan’s attitude too.
This will include a weekly “shopping” and “To Do” list that will gradually help you to build your preparedness goods, knowledge and skills, as well as build your Important Documents Binder. These “shopping” lists will include some pricing, so you can get an idea of how much all of this will cost and allow you to budget for these items.
Weeks 1 and 2 are the toughest part for me.
- Meet with your household to discuss your procurement and crisis plans. Download and complete the steps needed to formulate a Needs Based Plan to guide you and yours.
- Explain how to prepare; when and how to respond within your household
- Discuss what to do if you need to evacuate or leave your primary crisis retreat or how to get to your primary crisis retreat. Plan your routes, rendezvous spots and “secret signals”.
- Discuss and plan for vacations and household outings that will allow you to learn a new skill like: fire starting, milking a cow or goat; making cheese; map & compass (orienteering); spinning & weaving; trapping & snares; soap & candle making and the like.
- Have drills to practice your plan (at least once or twice every year) and make sure to include bug-out scenarios.
- Think multi-functional, light weight and small for your Go-Bags.
- Decide where you will store your supplies
- Check your house for supplies that you already have on hand (Needs & Acquire Lists from the Needs Based Plan)
Most likely your Needs Based Plan will NOT be finalized for several months. However enough of it should be sufficiently completed for you to get the full gist of the matter, which will in itself, help in finalizing your family preparedness plan.
Throughout all of this keep in mind:
- Your SHFT life is NOT the same as your here and now life. ie: think NEEDS not wants.
- You cannot purchase preparedness, one must do it.
- Everything has some kind of shelf life or viability life; rotation of items is a must.
- Prepare for the worst case scenario and any backup plans are almost automatic.
- 90% of the crises any of us are likely to experience will NOT be of the “world altering, catastrophic” type. Rather they will fall under the realm of natural earth events (extreme weather, earthquake, landslides, etc), or personal events like fire, illness or injury, crime and personal finance.
- Frugal is NOT a dirty word or being a “tight wad”. It is smart and makes more sense than not.
- Being prepared is anything beyond first aid kits and insurance policies. It is NOT, in and of itself, one of "those crazy people" surrounding themselves with MRE's, guns and ammo or running around in the woods with a loin cloth, living off the land.
- For go-bags think: temporary, small, compact, lightweight and as multi-functional as possible, per item.
All of these are reasons why the Needs Based Plan rather than a Crisis Based Plan is so unique and customizable.
Catch ya next week ;-}
TNT
that a being governs its own actions.
A thing which is always subject to the direction of another
is somewhat of a dead thing.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
1225-1274, Italian Scholastic Philosopher and Theologian