Starting with The Basics 

The best place to start on your prepping journey is at the beginning. This may seem like a no-brainer but it’s really not. I meet and speak with so many people who have no idea where to begin. It can be a little bit overwhelming when looking at all that needs to be accomplished in a time frame that remains unknown. A disaster or social upheaval may occur in the next hour, minute, day, week, month, or year ahead. We just don’t know. The one thing that is absolutely certain is that if you do nothing then you will make zero progress. 

Many survival experts teach the “rule of three” as a general rule for surviving in the short term. It is a short list of priorities that need to be met to stay alive. There are four areas that are essential for any survival situation. They are: You can survive for three minutes without air; You can survive for three hours without shelter; You can survive for three days without water; You can survive for 3 weeks without food. These timeframes assume that the previous need was met. For instance, you can survive for three weeks without food, assuming you have air, shelter and water.

• Air: To be honest, I have never even considered this. Breathable air surrounds us, right? But what if there was a biological attack or some other type of situation that prevented me from breathing the air that seems to be so plentiful. This area definitely needs work.
• Shelter: I am ok if there is a situation where staying in my home is the best option. I use wood to heat my home and I have several years worth of seasoned firewood on hand at all times. I have a working septic

  

  system for waste (provided I maintain an abundance of water). I have tools to maintain and repair my home from damage, and aging. The issue I need to look at for shelter is what will happen if I need to evacuate or leave my home.

• Water: I currently have about 50 gallons of bottled water on hand at any given time. This is not nearly enough. Sure, it’s fine for the occasional blizzard, hurricane or other instances where I may not be able to get out for a few days. One other consideration is that I live in a neighborhood with a community well and I live at the highest point in that neighborhood. When the power goes out, people begin filling their bathtubs, sinks, empty bottles with water. I am the first to lose water pressure. I do have a portable swimming pool to collect water but I will need to find a way to make that water drinkable.
• Food: I have a pantry but it doesn’t have nearly enough food for a long term survival situation. There is about a month’s worth of food for me and my family. I have several rifles so I can hunt, if needed. I am not currently a hunter but I need to develop this skill. I am fortunate enough to live in a place that has an abundance of wild animals. I will have to find ways to improve in this vital area too.

I will be tackling each of these areas as I move forward with my own prepping plan. Remember, I am doing this as I explain it to you. We are learning together. I am simply showing you how to take the overwhelming prospect of self-sufficient survival living and break it down to a manageable lifestyle.  For more information and to help you prepare in these vital areas I have included some links to survival websites with more information:

https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/wilderness-survival-rules-of-3/

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/the-survival-rules-of-3-what-you-need-to-set-to-memory/

I hope this helps as you begin your journey of being prepared!

God Bless,

Michael at R2W