Looking back on my many years as a prepper, I know I’ve made many mistakes. Prepping is just not a one size fits all thing and because of it’s complex nature, I wish I would have known these little tidbits before I jumped headfirst into preparedness.
- The Gray Man Concept – It was a long time after I had started storing cans of food and water for a SHTF scenario when I first heard of the gray man concept. The gray man concept is all about simply blending into your surroundings to strategically not draw attention to yourself. Since it’s impossible to predict what the future will hold, especially the future of survivalism, we can only speculate how to best achieve “gray man” status. Blending in, laying low, recognizing dangers, and situational awareness all play a role in this concept. Going unnoticed can keep you out of harm’s way. That said, it is a skill that can be practiced now though, before the SHTF, and it costs nothing. I wish I had been practicing a long time ago and was in much more of a habit of being a “gray man.”
- Living Below Your Means – simply put, this means live on less than you make. This is a great skill to have and one that’s essential for economic turmoil preparedness. If you can survive on a lot less money, your chances of making it through another horrible recession less scathed than others increase dramatically. Buying your supplies on credit is a bad idea. Eventually, someone will come knocking wanting their money back. Instead, look for ways to cut costs on your monthly bills so you have a little going to prepping each month.
- You Can Store More Than Just Canned Goods -There is this idea that a food pantry must be loaded with canned foods and nothing else. You need to have a variety of canned, dry, and freeze-dried foods in order to diversify your diet. Otherwise, you will get bored with canned food and you won’t get the necessary vitamins and minerals to keep the body healthy. I have found that storing seeds and nuts can be done, you will just want to periodically check your food supplies in case things are going bad.
- Prep For Your Pets – If you have not made preparations for your pets, you may have no choice but to abandon them when the SHTF. That’s not a good solution for many, so store extra water and food for your pets too. Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to store kibble for your dog or cat and I really wish I would have thought of this from the get-go. Try to find a food-safe grain storage bin to keep out the rodents and save about a one year supply. This is handy for those who may want better quality dog food too. Buy kibble when it goes on sale and as you can afford it.
- It’s OK to Take Your Time – Don’t rush yourself. Odds are, the S won’t HTF tomorrow. Save some money, make sure you gather things you could use as a barter and take the time to test your tools and equipment. Prepping is a marathon, not a sprint. As you go, you’ll find holes in your gear or plans that will need to be patched up. This comes with experience that no amount of money can buy.
Hopefully, these tips will set you up for prepping success. We can all learn from the mistakes of others, and these are only a few of those that I personally wish I’d known before undertaking the massive task of preparedness.
m said, “I wish I had been practicing a long time ago and was in much more of a habit of being a “gray man.”
h ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queequeg
^ This strange and colorful savage was tolerated, only because he was useful.
Trolls, bullies, etc, can take any teeny element of your speech or appearance, and make it look like an outrageous faux pas. You’re not going to be able to bite your tongue hard enough, or leave enough of your clothes, or hair or perfume so far behind that some jackass is going to be pleased with your efforts at avoiding him, always.
And, after just a few of these submissive postures, you will forever be backpedaling, full time. There is no social situation, anywhere, ever, where you make some arbitrary number of concessions, showing that you were plain enough and trustworthy enough to be allowed the right to exist.
It always cracks me up when preppers warn of menu fatigue. I don’t think those facing starvation worry much about menu fatigue. Billions of people around the world eat nearly the same thing nearly every day. Rice and beans or porridge and bread, for years on end and are happy to have food in their bellies. I’ll take simple grains, beans, and foraged greens over near toxic over-salted freeze dried “variety” any day.
Corn meal,Spam,salt,brown sugar are all available cheap right now…add canned hams,rice and beans ; you can build a stockpile quick….follow the link to the best way to utilize cornmeal in a situation. to http://www.lemen.com/imageColdFlour1.html
Been listening for years about how you can’t use a shipping container to build a bunker..
They are designed to be water tight, almost near air tight. But the roofs collapse under pressure.
I’m sorry, why don’t people just dig a hole drop their containers on a poured slab, interconnect several containers, grease the door seals, connect a hose and pressurize the system, via a regulator, while they pour a few feet of concrete around them. It can’t collapse while pressurized. The concrete will be safe in 24 hours.
Problem solved…. Just thinking outside the box, and I’m always thinking outside the box.
I like boxes, but that is a story for another day……..
h ttps://offgridquest.com/homes-dwellings/dome-homes-made-from-inflatable-concrete
Respectfully though, if concrete is providing the structure, there is no strict need for the shipping containers.
Howdy Ptpo,
Hahaaa…I do truly love seeing GOOD examples of ‘Thinking outside the Box’, Kudo’s therefor…and well deserved!
FWIW, air pressure is something that mounts up ferociously with increasing area…pump just a couple of pounds into any sizable container and the load ‘carrying capacity’ increases hugely relative to a small differential in same.
Years ago some inventive soul marketed a simple reinforced ‘bag’ onto which was joined a flexible spout fesigned to strap around your tail pipe…which when the car was running would (while placed under a car) EASILY and rapidly lift a suprisingly large weight..far more, in fact, than the weight of a mere automobile.
I haven’t seen anysuch offered for many years but you can easily visualize the concept from the example given.
Thinking outside the box is a daily requisite for survival during the Winter months up in Alaska where we’ve settled these last several years. I am invariably delighted (and wholly heartened) when my nieces and nephews return with tales of thier applied ingenuity – aka, ‘Field Expediency’…many several of which I admit that I myself might not have thought up under otherwise stressful, time-constrained circumstances…which is always the case when it’s -40 F outside!
Thanks for pointing that out that particular application…both for my own recollection as well for everyone else here…Tip O’ the Hat!
JOG
Knowledge and survival skills and able to deploy your skills successfully, are those who will survive SHTF. Acquire all the hand tools your ancestors had back in 1850. When the grid crashes and no more electricity, boom, most are finished.
Prepping is not something you prep for some future event. Prepping is about making good decisions daily that makes you more independent of any one. “Independent” people will survive. Vs. “Dependent” people may run out of other people’s stuff and be cut off, and then die. prepare for your survival. Acquire the tools and knowledge to prolong your survival in all circumstances. Why wait for SHTF? Go move to your Bug out location now and get your homestead up and running and solar system set up. Plan on 5 years transition to get to be more self sustaining out in the Country. Doing noting now and sitting idle in the city watching the boob tube hopey wishy that nothing going to happen, is a foolish prepping plan, as most in the city will have to abandon 95% of their preps and flee for their lives or be killed when all hell breaks loose. And then the authorities may not let you leave the cities and make you fight it out and you are forced to go back to your dwelling to find all your preps disappeared. Then you starve to death or forced move into a FEMA CAMP as a Dependent indentured slave of the State doing their work for a meal and a bed.
Corn meal,Spam,salt,brown sugar are all available cheap right now…add canned hams,rice and beans ; you can build a stockpile quick….follow the link to the best way to utilize cornmeal in a [grid down]situation http://www.lemen.com/imageColdFlour1.html
There is little need for expensive “25 yr shelf life”food when we will be starving in 6 months….corn meal,canned meat,staples such as salt,sugar,alcohol(cheap booze is fine..I put back 2.00 pints of vodka)and rice/beans,pasta and such will see most families thru w/o breaking your piggy bank
Corn meal,Spam,salt,brown sugar are all available cheap right now…add canned hams,rice and beans ; you can build a stockpile quick….follow the link to the best way to utilize cornmeal in a [grid down]situation http://www.lemen.com/imageColdFlour1.html
There is little need for expensive “25 yr shelf life”food when we will be starving in 6 months….corn meal,canned meat,staples such as salt,sugar,alcohol(cheap booze is fine..I put back 2.00 pints of vodka)and rice/beans,pasta and such will see most families thru w/o breaking your piggy bank….Once the Pork and Corn shortages hit(we are eating last years harvest) there wont be any cornmeal or Spam to stock up…remember,2 cups of rice and 1 can of Chunky Soup will feed 2 people?….