Propper Prepper Priorities

[WhoShotJR]

This may have been covered before, but with the google search being used now I had no luck finding anything.

I consider myself to be pretty well prepared, at least more so than the vast majority of people. But I wasted a lot of time and money getting here. I'd like to see if we can come up with a pretty general list of things people can do, or buy, to become prepared for life's little hiccups. This may also help those of us here who tend to focus on some areas (BOB's and guns) while ignoring others (e.g. emergency funds and flood insurance).

I don't have any kind of thesis here, just brainstorming with you guys to see what we can come up with.

It's important to keep in mind that we should consider being prepped in light of reality, that one is more likely to lose a job than have their face chewed off by some shambling undead post-human. We'd all like to be 100% ready for the zombpacalyse, but everyone has to start somewhere.

1. I say the first priority is to prioritize. Cute, huh? By that I mean two things. First, go though some kind of list like this and make a realistic plan for what order YOU need to do these things in, and make a plan to get it done. Second, if you claim you can't afford $40 of food (or whatever) a month, but you spend $80/ month on cable, you might want to rethink that. I gave up satellite, I'm happier now without it.

2. Assuming you have a place to live, your number one priority (after breathing) is covered. Keep current with payments.

3. Now, if you cupboards are bare, your next step should be to get some food insurance. Of course it's just a matter of going to the grocery store and stocking up on some cheap food and bottled water, make sure it's food you and yours will eat. A roll of TP per person. You should realistically be able to provide a basic diet for everyone you provide for for around $20 for a week's worth. Watch those sale flyers, every week I see really good buys on food. Now you have the .gov recommend food and water taken care of.

4. If you don't already have the really basic household goods, you might want to gather those now. Manual can opener, matches or lighter, pots and pans, soap, first aid kit, bleach, kitchen knives, candles, warm blankets. No need for anything fancy here, just the things most every household has. A trip to the dollar store and Big Lots or any other deep discount store can help you out here.

At this point, the basis for short term life sustainment is covered. Now, what are you trying to prepare for? Start with the most basic things, and obviously the list will vary by person. If you're just barely squeaking by financially, your most likely disaster is running out of money. You very first prep priority is to do whatever you have to, sell something, get a part time job, to get some money squirreled away for that rainy day. Independently wealthy living on San Fransisco Bay, you need a good bug out bag, an even better bug out plan, and better still earthquake insurance. Step #1, prioritizing and planning, is the most important step to make sure you don't waste your resources going after the wrong things in the wrong order.

What are you more likely to need, a bug out bag or house insurance? Statistics say the insurance. Again, you have to look at your situation.

5. Insurance. This is all pretty obvious, we all know we should have it, but a lot of us don't. Own a house, have homeowners. Rent, have renters insurance. Live in a flood plain, have flood insurance. Health insurance, even if not provided through work, can be reasonably bought for most people if you shop around. Life insurance, everyone should have it, but if your married and/or have kids, you should definitely have it. A reasonable amount of term life insurance is too cheap not to have.

6. Papers, please. If something happens to your house or apartment, do you have copies (hard copies, flash drives, cd's) stored somewhere offsite? This is one thing that can happen to any of us, on any day, with no forewarning. Your stuff is gone. But as long as you have proper insurance, important documents copied offsite, copies of photos, receipts for big ticket items, etc, it can become more of a major pain in the backside than a life altering event. A fire proof safe can be useful here, especially if you have any important family heirlooms you would like to protect. Most of this doesn't take much money, but you do have to invest some time. An often quoted site to go for more ideas- http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/map.html

7. Money, money, money. Cash is king. For most of us, it's not something we can do at one whack but has to be done over time. Figure out a way to put aside a rainy day fund, in cash. Save whatever you can every time you get paid. Sell something you probably don't need anyway. Just have some cash. Put together enough to spend three nights at some dirt cheap motel and put it in your emergency bag. Build up enough to where you can cover your absolute bare essentials for one month. Having a little cash around should be one of the first things you do. Eventually it would be nice to have 3-6 months of super basic expenses covered put up somewhere, with around half kept as cash on hand.

8. Emergency bag. You ain't always gonna be home when sumpin bad happens. People obsess over this, building BOB's, GHB's, INCH's, etc. You don't have to get all fancy with all the latest camping gear, just put something together you can keep in your car. A backpack with a change of clothes, snacks, bottled water, matches, small blanket, cash and some quarters. Maybe a disposable poncho, space blanket. Look around for ideas on what you might need. You can build a nice kit, where you have to buy everything, for less than $100. But you probably already own a lot of things you would need to build such a bag, and could do it for a lot less. See here for some good ideas of good, cheap emergency bags. http://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=54612&start=96
Consider carrying a small knife, flashlight, and pepper spray with you at all times. They're amazingly small and cheap these days.

9. Guns and ammo. Now we're talking. For the purpose of here and now, I'm speaking of a self defense weapon. You don't need a $2000 tricked out AR-15. Get a handgun or a shotgun, learn how to use it, keep it handy. There's more than enough info on guns here to keep you busy for a long time.

10. Tools and supplies. It's always good to have a least a toolbox full of basic hand tools, nails, screws, zip ties, etc. A lot of people don't think of these as preparedness items, but if you need them and don't have them.... If you own a car and only a few tools, consider keeping your toolbox in there.

11. Mundane things that can come in handy in small emergencies. Car cell phone charger, wool blanket in the car, can of fix-a-flat, spare house key in your emergency bag. Point is, take care of these little items before you go on to upgrade the bigger and better stuff.

12. Debt. The noose around our necks. It's very important to pay off debt, for numerous reasons I won't go into here except to say that less debt = more free cash flow. Make your decision of what your bare minimum supplies are, get those, then knock that debt out as fast as you can. For example, you plan might say: I'm going to build up 2 weeks of food, a cheap emergency bag for each member of my family, a scanner and some blank CD's to make document copies, put $1000 aside in cash, spend $300 for a used shotgun and some ammo, and at that point I'll start attacking my debt. It's your plan, you decide. But DO make a plan, then get about doing it.

Let's go back to the plan for a minute. Say you've decided that you might need to bug out to somewhere else. Have you made arrangements with someone at that location so that you can stay there if needed? Friends, family, just make a phone call. Tell them that if XXXX ever happened, could you stay at their place for a few days. Extend the same offer to them. Do you know how to get there, multiple ways? Mapquest and a few minutes time are all it takes.


At this point, if you've done all of this, you are a winner. Ding, ding, ding. You have a well rounded 'cushion' of supplies and ideas to land on if the rug gets pulled out from under you. You've started to pay down your debt. I say that every one of us should do these things first, before we move on to bigger and better things. Again, YOU have to prioritize what YOU are most likely to need. Some bigger and better ideas:

Increase food and water storage. Aim for one month first. Eventually may decide to go to 3, 6, 12, even 24 months. It's up to you.

More guns and ammo. Be careful here, a lot of people take this to an extreme, because it's fun. Keep this, as everything, in balance.

Upgrade your emergency bag. Better knife, better bag, whatever. Same advice as above on balance. I'd have reached my goals much faster if I didn't go crazy on bags, flashlights, knives.....

Fancier, long term options. Solar, efficient appliances, generators, on and on.

The whole idea is to make a plan that gets you where you want to be that is realistic, well balanced, and based on common sense.

Edited for clarity and typos

[Murph]

You mean I can't go from step #1 to #9 right away? crap!

[mantis]

@WhoShotJR....Excellent post and really good advice. Planning and prioritization is defintely number 1 and it's a step that too many people skip when first starting out.

[Sicone]

I definitely agree with getting you basses covered then upgrading them later. My Alice pack is fine for now. though Kifaru surely puts the lead in my pencil I have a lot more important thing before upgrading.

[DannusMaximus]

Pretty good guidelines, in my opinion. I would include as a priority "Get (or stay) as fit and healthy as you can". This means different things to different people, but for most people it will include such things as making sure you're keeping up with dental exams, yearly physicals if suggested by your doctor, yearly medical tests if suggested by your doctor, taking your medications (if any) as directed by your doctor and keeping a supply of extra meds stored with your preps, keeping any chronic illnesses as under control as possible, etc. Trying to maintain a level of fitness is important, albeit often difficult. At a minimum you should be fit enough to put your particular plans into motion - - e.g., if your bug out plan includes grabbing your pack and hoofing it out of dodge, you had better be phsically fit enough to grab your pack and hoof it out of dodge!

When facing a disaster, however, minor, making sure your physical and mental health is as squared away as possible is going to be a big plus. You don't want to realize on the day after the zombies rise that you really should have had that cavity looked at...

[WhoShotJR]

You mean I can't go from step #1 to #9 right away? crap!

Unfortunately that's exactly what I did. And paid for them with credit cards. Thus, this post was born, for if I knew then what I know now, I would have saved a lot of money and time paying them off.

[Necrodamus]

I would say before prioritizing you need to do a risk analysis.
Also I noticed at step 4 you have the basics covered but you have not mentioned water yet.
Water is king!

Here is another post with lots of good info.

[WhoShotJR]

Pretty good guidelines, in my opinion. I would include as a priority "Get (or stay) as fit and healthy as you can". This means different things to different people, but for most people it will include such things as making sure you're keeping up with dental exams, yearly physicals if suggested by your doctor, yearly medical tests if suggested by your doctor, taking your medications (if any) as directed by your doctor and keeping a supply of extra meds stored with your preps, keeping any chronic illnesses as under control as possible, etc. Trying to maintain a level of fitness is important, albeit often difficult. At a minimum you should be fit enough to put your particular plans into motion - - e.g., if you're bug out plan includes grabbing your pack and hoofing it out of dodge, you had better be phsically fit enough to grab your pack and hoof it out of dodge!

When facing a disaster, however, minor, making sure your physical and mental health is as squared away as possible is going to be a big plus. You don't want to realize on the day after the zombies rise that you really should have had that cavity looked at...

I agree 100%. Like I wrote at the beginning, this isn't my thread, this is our thread to try and help others prioritize their decisions. Any and everybody else feel free to add.

[WhoShotJR]

I would say before prioritizing you need to do a risk analysis.
Also I noticed at step 4 you have the basics covered but you have not mentioned water yet.
Water is king!

Here is another post with lots of good info.

Risk analysis, for sure. Anyone with a good link?

Step 3 did include bottled water, but I never went into more storage options. Ideas?

[Treacle_Man]

Step 3 did include bottled water, but I never went into more storage options. Ideas?

It took me a couple minutes but I found the thread I thought of when you asked this.

http://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=40785

Do a search for "water storage" using the current google search function and you'll turn up a bunch of great threads.

[Necrodamus]

I would say before prioritizing you need to do a risk analysis.
Also I noticed at step 4 you have the basics covered but you have not mentioned water yet.
Water is king!

Here is another post with lots of good info.

Risk analysis, for sure. Anyone with a good link?
maybe the one above that says Here is another post with lots of good info.

Step 3 did include bottled water, but I never went into more storage options. Ideas?

You said it... Ideas
Thats the key, If you store a ton of water and have to bug-out its no good.
If you have filters or purification tabs and cant find water its no good.
Its about balance and having more than one resource.
Especially with water, you should have more than one way to supply, more than one way to filter, more than one way to purify, and more than one way to store. (an area where I am seriously lacking)

[prepper7]

You mean I can't go from step #1 to #9 right away? crap!

Wait--what? There was something between #1 and #9?

Seriously, it was a pleasure to read this, OP. I hope you are including a copy, perhaps with a little bag of "prep favours" (inexpensive, appealing, useful, compact, and lightweight items (think party favours) such as mini lighters, tea light candles, matchbooks, lightsticks, flashlights--these go on clearance after Halloween--, food bars, whistles, Mylar emergency blankets, etc. with your Christmas / Chanukah / solstice / Festivus cards.

[Glennbo]

You mean I can't go from step #1 to #9 right away? crap!

Wait--what? There was something between #1 and #9?

#9 was my #1.

At least I had stopped at two pistols before stumbling on this place and wising up.

Good list.

[none1]

Great Post WhoshotJR. I think this is a great idea. So many folks are "in the middle" prep stages, so they ask a question about water, or they ask a question about bags, or they ask a question about the aspect of prepping they are working on. I think a thread aimed at beginners is a GREAT idea.

I also think it would be great, WhoshotJR, if you could update the first post with suggestions, so that a new prepper would only have to read your first post, rather than read every post. Just a thought.

Some thoughts ...

SUMMARY Of OP list
1) Prioritize
2) Place to live
3) FOOD for ??? how long?
4) Basic HH goods.
5) Insurance
6) Back up documents
7) Money
BOB
9) Defense
10) tools
11) Small emergency prep
12) Debt


Some of my thoughts:

I like trying to put some time frames around some of the recommendations, so someone starting out should get 3 days of food and water, then xx days, then xxx months. So a "new prepper" can prep in phases, bob (on hand items) + documents + 3 days food and water + 3 days money for hotel. Then a list of stuff a prepper could get "reasonably" soon (insurance, more food for xx time, etc., expanded BOB), then a list of "long term stuff" e.g. a year of food, 6 months of living expenses, etc.. I think whoshotJR did a good job of this in some of the steps. I wonder if we should have 3 lists, (a) PREP NOW, (b) short term, and (c) long term, or if for each of the origional steps, we could maybe add an a, b, c time frame, so a new prepper could do all the "a" steps THIS WEEKEND, then could start on the b list, and so on. Just a thought, what do you all think?

Specific steps thoughts......
xx) PLAN - I like it, but you don't give it a number ..... I'd combine PLAN with (1) prioritize, OR make PLAN = #2. Debt plan, bug out plan, water plan, COMMUNICATION plan? Where should family meet if there is a disaster, etc.. What other common recommendations should we have that folks should have a plan for?
BOB - I think this could be moved earlier, if only because its something I think most folks can get together tomorrow, with stuff they already have. NO, not a full SHTF PAW bag, but a quick go bag, with some $$, clothes, toiletries, etc. I think of whoshotJr's thread "my new favorite sister" type bag. Fires happen, family emergencies happen, a quick, prepacked bag for a weekend I think many "non preppers" could put together right away. Add in the linked thread to cheap BOB's and its an easy place to start prepping for pretty common disasters.

3) Food --- How long? I usually recommend 3 days of food and water on hand, convenience foods, perhaps in the BOB, and then 2 weeks of "normal food" on hand. 2 weeks, IMO, will cover most disaster time frames, much longer than that you're prepping for BIG STUFF, so I'd say 1 year. 3 - 2 -1 prep for 3 days NOW, 2 weeks "soon", and then work on 1 year over time. What does everyone else think of for time frames? It would be nice to give some new preppers some guidance, I worry that a new person will immediately start trying to buy and store bulk foods for a year, and miss some of the other stuff on the list that could help more.
4) Basic house hold stuffs .... OP has a quick list, what else should be on that list?
6) Should papers be before insurance? Similarly for the BOB, I see this as something someone can do, TOMORROW, with ALMOST NO COST, so it would seem to be an "early stage" of prepping.

7) How much money when? I like the OP suggestion of 3 days motel fare, I might suggest 3 days out of house expenses, then 2 weeks out of house expenses, then 2 months "current expenses"? (3-2-2) Similar to the food, 2 weeks displaced or power out or etc. seems to cover most disasters, I'd love to hear other proposed time frames. I pulled 2 months out of the air, as an "average" time to find a new job, either in a downsizing no disaster, or a forced displacement my city is underwater scenario. What's the next level? How much "current expenses for XX months" should be kept liquid on hand? 6 months? 1 year?

10) On the "c) long term" prep side, I think a chain saw is VERY handy, to clean up houses and roads after a disaster.

11) "normal" emergency stuffs ... I wonder if this should be in the "b) short term" time frame, e.g. I'd like to see folks get this stuff after they had SOME food, but BEFORE they got one year of food preps. What would be simple quick, common items folks should get. OP had a quick list, is there anything else folks would recommend should be added?

13) (new step) Add, as earlier poster mentioned, a "health" category
14) (new step) Add skill training? I see this often more in the "c long term prep" category, I'd like to see someone first with a BOB, some food and water, etc., but, as a noob moves into more long term preps, shooting classes, camping practice, first aid class, ham radio class, etc. are all examples.

What else should we put on the list?

[Murph]

I agree with other comments that water should be split out as it's own task, and I'd put it before food.

Also, I think that a first aid kit (and some training eventually) could aslo be considered it's own task.

Fire starting for cooking/heating should be mentioned too. I know come every winter time there are like 5 threads about "how do I heat my place in an emergency?"

[nicklefish]

13) (new step) Add, as earlier poster mentioned, a "health" category

One hundred percent agreed. I mean, if you don't have your health, what do you have? Probably clap, you whore!

But seriously, if you're not physically able to initiate your flight, all your meticulous planning is for naught. And trust me, it ranks right up there with food, water and shelter. Especially if you're bugging out.

A lot of the BOB's I see average between 25-40 pounds. That's a good weight but it makes a hell of a difference. Especially if you're trying to, oh, climb a mountain. Or even walk up a slight grade.
The first time I went backpacking, I thought "eh. I do manual labor. I can handle this." Five miles in, I thought I was going to die. And that was mostly level and downhill.
The next day was murder and I had to watch as 70 year old couples whizzed right by talking about doing a "light day of only 15 miles or so".
You don't need to be Mr. Universe. Or lean and trim, even. Hell, in a PAW a little extra body fat would be a great thing. But at least do some cardio. Get your muscles accustomed to work before you're running for your life.
If you've got a pool or even a swimming hole in your area, make use of it. Swimming is the best exercise you can possibly get. Plenty of cardio, good amount of resistance to tone and build muscle and virtually no impact (great for people with bad knees and the like).
And you don't need to go 3 million laps a day, every day. Just 45 minutes to an hour of sustained activity (like taking a walk. Just a walk for God's sake!) three to four times a week should be enough to give you an edge on the tubbers and exercise resistant.

Also, do you have maintenance meds? You'll need to keep a good supply (made easy if you have insurance). Get regular checkups. Annual routine physicals, eye exams and biannual teeth cleaning and checkups should be a part of your regular routine (also covered by insurance). An abcessed tooth or even minor ear infection can do a lot to turn nasty quick, especially if you can't put in a call to Dr. Feelgood.

And here's a novel idea: learn about your body. Know some of the processes your body goes through. Why is sleep important? What happens when you get bitten by a mosquito to cause you to itch? Why can I see things a bit better in the dark if I look just slightly away from them? An insight on anatomy and biology can take you a long way.

What did I miss? I know I missed something.

[OkieZombies]

Excellent post. I almost think it should be 'stickied'.

[TC]

Great stuff, nice and concise too. This would be perfect for getting people up to speed in prepping if they ask for a link to start them off.

[PistolPete]

Bravo. Too often we only focus on a piece or two, and not a methodical approach to being prepared. Great work!

[WhoShotJR]

Excellent post. I almost think it should be 'stickied'.

Almost? How dare you, sir.

I also think it would be great, WhoshotJR, if you could update the first post with suggestions, so that a new prepper would only have to read your first post, rather than read every post. Just a thought.

I was actually hoping to get some more feedback first, maybe some more links or advice from other people. But that's the plan, I'll go back and clean it up and flesh it out a little.

I agree with other comments that water should be split out as it's own task, and I'd put it before food.

Also, I think that a first aid kit (and some training eventually) could aslo be considered it's own task.

Fire starting for cooking/heating should be mentioned too. I know come every winter time there are like 5 threads about "how do I heat my place in an emergency?"

I'm all about breaking it down a little more, but I would appreciate it if you guys could provide me with some links I can put at the end of each category. Maybe the best post you know of on here about that specific topic.

Great stuff, nice and concise too. This would be perfect for getting people up to speed in prepping if they ask for a link to start them off.

I'd like to keep it concise, too. Like, "hey, you need water, look at this link". And I'd like to think it would be useful not only to people who are just getting started. I wish someone would have shown me something like this when I was pulling out my credit card to buy my eighth gun and a Kifaru woobie when I didn't even have 1 gallon of water stored.

Bravo. Too often we only focus on a piece or two, and not a methodical approach to being prepared. Great work!

Thanks PP. With a little time to add to it and clean it up, I hope to make it into something that can help people.

Wait, maybe I'll write a book.

[MaxRite]

Great Post WhoshotJR. I think this is a great idea. So many folks are "in the middle" prep stages, so they ask a question about water, or they ask a question about bags, or they ask a question about the aspect of prepping they are working on. I think a thread aimed at beginners is a GREAT idea.

I also think it would be great, WhoshotJR, if you could update the first post with suggestions, so that a new prepper would only have to read your first post, rather than read every post. Just a thought.

Some thoughts ...

SUMMARY Of OP list
1) Prioritize
2) Place to live
3) FOOD for ??? how long?
4) Basic HH goods.
5) Insurance
6) Back up documents
7) Money
BOB
9) Defense
10) tools
11) Small emergency prep
12) Debt


Some of my thoughts:

I like trying to put some time frames around some of the recommendations, so someone starting out should get 3 days of food and water, then xx days, then xxx months. So a "new prepper" can prep in phases, bob (on hand items) + documents + 3 days food and water + 3 days money for hotel. Then a list of stuff a prepper could get "reasonably" soon (insurance, more food for xx time, etc., expanded BOB), then a list of "long term stuff" e.g. a year of food, 6 months of living expenses, etc.. I think whoshotJR did a good job of this in some of the steps. I wonder if we should have 3 lists, (a) PREP NOW, (b) short term, and (c) long term, or if for each of the origional steps, we could maybe add an a, b, c time frame, so a new prepper could do all the "a" steps THIS WEEKEND, then could start on the b list, and so on. Just a thought, what do you all think?

Specific steps thoughts......
xx) PLAN - I like it, but you don't give it a number ..... I'd combine PLAN with (1) prioritize, OR make PLAN = #2. Debt plan, bug out plan, water plan, COMMUNICATION plan? Where should family meet if there is a disaster, etc.. What other common recommendations should we have that folks should have a plan for?
BOB - I think this could be moved earlier, if only because its something I think most folks can get together tomorrow, with stuff they already have. NO, not a full SHTF PAW bag, but a quick go bag, with some $$, clothes, toiletries, etc. I think of whoshotJr's thread "my new favorite sister" type bag. Fires happen, family emergencies happen, a quick, prepacked bag for a weekend I think many "non preppers" could put together right away. Add in the linked thread to cheap BOB's and its an easy place to start prepping for pretty common disasters.

3) Food --- How long? I usually recommend 3 days of food and water on hand, convenience foods, perhaps in the BOB, and then 2 weeks of "normal food" on hand. 2 weeks, IMO, will cover most disaster time frames, much longer than that you're prepping for BIG STUFF, so I'd say 1 year. 3 - 2 -1 prep for 3 days NOW, 2 weeks "soon", and then work on 1 year over time. What does everyone else think of for time frames? It would be nice to give some new preppers some guidance, I worry that a new person will immediately start trying to buy and store bulk foods for a year, and miss some of the other stuff on the list that could help more.
4) Basic house hold stuffs .... OP has a quick list, what else should be on that list?
6) Should papers be before insurance? Similarly for the BOB, I see this as something someone can do, TOMORROW, with ALMOST NO COST, so it would seem to be an "early stage" of prepping.

7) How much money when? I like the OP suggestion of 3 days motel fare, I might suggest 3 days out of house expenses, then 2 weeks out of house expenses, then 2 months "current expenses"? (3-2-2) Similar to the food, 2 weeks displaced or power out or etc. seems to cover most disasters, I'd love to hear other proposed time frames. I pulled 2 months out of the air, as an "average" time to find a new job, either in a downsizing no disaster, or a forced displacement my city is underwater scenario. What's the next level? How much "current expenses for XX months" should be kept liquid on hand? 6 months? 1 year?

10) On the "c) long term" prep side, I think a chain saw is VERY handy, to clean up houses and roads after a disaster.

11) "normal" emergency stuffs ... I wonder if this should be in the "b) short term" time frame, e.g. I'd like to see folks get this stuff after they had SOME food, but BEFORE they got one year of food preps. What would be simple quick, common items folks should get. OP had a quick list, is there anything else folks would recommend should be added?

13) (new step) Add, as earlier poster mentioned, a "health" category
14) (new step) Add skill training? I see this often more in the "c long term prep" category, I'd like to see someone first with a BOB, some food and water, etc., but, as a noob moves into more long term preps, shooting classes, camping practice, first aid class, ham radio class, etc. are all examples.

What else should we put on the list?

I like this write-up and I'd like to tinker with it a little bit. Now within the context of the abovementioned definitions I see the order as follows:

1. Threat Assessment
2. Prioritize based on #1
3. Budget for preps based on #2
4. Assure continious savings.
5. Health. Assure continious wellbeing or improvement.
6. Place to live
7. Food
8. Water (more vital to survival, but ultimately easier to obtain)
9. FAK
10. HH goods
11. Emergency cash stash separate from overall savings.
12. Insurance based on #1 and #2, must not conflict with #3 and #4
13. Defence (not only guns, but household security, place of employment, travel routes, activities)
14. BOB
15. Tools
16. Remaining gear/preps/improvements
17. BOV
18. BOL
19. Nest egg

* Removed "back up of documents" because its relatively easy, cheap and fast to accomplish task comparing to the others.
* bugging in > buggin out, so defence went above the BOB
* Threat assessment went to the top, since it ultimately defines the order of things for each individual prepper.
* Health could be raised in priority over money depending on initial assessment. Getting sick for most of us is still more likely than being fired, being homeless, starving or being eaten by zombies.
* #4 implies that you budget for savings on everyday basis. You should be putting away something beginning with first paycheck you get. In the absense of zombies, cash is second only to health as far as emergency preps go.
Feel free to re-arrange and argue.

[Murph]

I agree with other comments that water should be split out as it's own task, and I'd put it before food.

Also, I think that a first aid kit (and some training eventually) could aslo be considered it's own task.

Fire starting for cooking/heating should be mentioned too. I know come every winter time there are like 5 threads about "how do I heat my place in an emergency?"

I'm all about breaking it down a little more, but I would appreciate it if you guys could provide me with some links I can put at the end of each category. Maybe the best post you know of on here about that specific topic.

Here's my primer on Water Purifiers/Filters:
Tactical Tuesday presents: Water, Filters vs. Purifiers
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=66568

I'd cruise over to the Hall Of Fame posts too:
viewforum.php?f=89

[Jester79]

Good thread, marked for later

[none1]

I like this write-up and I'd like to tinker with it a little bit. Now within the context of the abovementioned definitions I see the order as follows:

1. Threat Assessment
2. Prioritize based on #1
3. Budget for preps based on #2
4. Assure continious savings.
5. Health. Assure continious wellbeing or improvement.
6. Place to live
7. Food
8. Water (more vital to survival, but ultimately easier to obtain)
9. FAK
10. HH goods
11. Emergency cash stash separate from overall savings.
12. Insurance based on #1 and #2, must not conflict with #3 and #4
13. Defence (not only guns, but household security, place of employment, travel routes, activities)
14. BOB
15. Tools
16. Remaining gear/preps/improvements
17. BOV
18. BOL
19. Nest egg

* Removed "back up of documents" because its relatively easy, cheap and fast to accomplish task comparing to the others.
* bugging in > buggin out, so defence went above the BOB
* Threat assessment went to the top, since it ultimately defines the order of things for each individual prepper.
* Health could be raised in priority over money depending on initial assessment. Getting sick for most of us is still more likely than being fired, being homeless, starving or being eaten by zombies.
* #4 implies that you budget for savings on everyday basis. You should be putting away something beginning with first paycheck you get. In the absense of zombies, cash is second only to health as far as emergency preps go.
Feel free to re-arrange and argue.

I'd leave "back up of documents", since this is a guide for beginners, and we should tell them it should be done somewhere. I agree its a no brainer / can be done with very little work.

My reason for moving the BOB up, was similar to your reasoning for removing the back up documents. A basic bug out bag can be put together, within 1 hour of right now, for almost every household that reads this post. NOT a full ZPAW bag, but a bag that would help folks make it through the next few days if a fire or evacuation or medical emergency hit. AND, more people in the USA could use a BOB than health, or food preps, or water, assuming 3 days food and water in the BOB. There are MANY unhealthy folks, whose house burns down every year, that could have used a BOB. There are WAY more folks displaced for a few days and need a 72 hour bag than there are folks that can't get to the store for 2 weeks.

A 72 hour bag could have been used by THOUSANDS of people in the last 12 months. Comparatively fewer folks needed 2 weeks of food and water, or needed to be able to run 1 mile. A 72 hour bag with clothes, toiletries, food and water, in an old duffle bag or even a hefty contractors bag, is stuff that most households have right now, or could be added much quicker than 2 weeks worth of food.

A "starter bob" is fast, cheap, and IMO could be used by more people each year than most other preps. I DO agree that a more "full featured" BOB, for SHTF, could be down lower .... again, I'm .... ?struggling? with the time frames and steps. I think a starter BOB is a "do it this weekend" and a ZPAW BOB is a longer term thing to build up. That's why I think we should list stages for many of these preps. For example, on your list, you have FOOD before BOB. I worry then a noob comes in reads the list, and starts buying bulk wheat and other bulk foods before they have any BOB. IMO, and its just MY opinion .... I 'd rate things like (A) 3days food + 72 hour starter bag >> (B) than two weeks food >> (C) PAW BOB >> (D) 1 year of food preps. Without somehow talking about the degrees / timeframes, I have trouble just saying "food before BOB".


Similarly, your #4 and #19 are two sides of the same coin, I'd like to have 1 category "savings" with guidelines for folks to shoot for. How much "cash on hand" should a new prepper have before they start to pay off debt or work on a nest egg? My proposal is / was to put away "3 days" ASAP, and start saving for 2 months worth of expenses. THEN, after 2 months of expenses, work on paying debt, or nest egg, or xxx depending on priorities. I agree there should always be continuous savings, ASAP, but I'd like to have some "goals" for a new person who is just starting out.


I guess maybe the way I'm thinking about it, is for a beginner to FIRST be prepared for NOW, (?? 3 days), SECOND to be prepared for SHORT TERM (/shrug 2 weeks??), and THIRD to be prepared for LONG TERM.


As I look at our list, there are some things from each category (e.g. savings, or BOB) that might be different for NOW VS SHORT TERM VS LONG TERM.


THAT is why I'm having trouble putting our list of "stuff" in order, because I think the GOAL should be NOW, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM prepped, and stuff on our list can fit in multiple time points.

Am I making any sense? I FEEL like I'm having trouble articulating this approach.