The basic choices that YOU, as a PREPPER, will have to face

This is mostly common sense what I'm putting here, but we all need to be reminded of the basics. We all get so caught up in the details and problems of every day life... ya know? Besides, I'm a freshly blooming prepper myself, started prepping in high school about a year and a half ago.. with virtually no budget.

Making these threads is a learning experience for me, as its a source for you, ATS.

I expect different perspectives and debates. That's how we learn.

Also, my short term memory is pretty much non-existent.

So, making a thread of what I've learned so far will help me *keep* the information.



# 1 - Bug in, or bug out?

Yes, its fashionable to paint up a scenario of survivalism on the run. Its fun to imagine living like a drifter in a SHTF scenario, but that's probably the biggest fluke I've seen in observing people making the "bug in or bug out" choice. People will often plan to bug out, even when they have a perfectly stable home containing family, shelter, guns, and food. This is morbidly impractical.

Now don't get me wrong; if you have a 9-5 and you're barely scraping by each month, if your current home wouldn't provide you much support in a slowly dooming world, then bugging out MAY be your better option in the long run, as a last resort. BUT! Never ignore the importance of shelter. Shelter will be the key--the literal "home base" of your survival.

If you have a bug-out plan as a back up to your bug-in plan, I think its wise to follow the Alamo rule (yes, I just made that up).

The Alamo Rule - Don't run until the Alamo falls.

Meaning, if there's ANY way you can cling to your shelter or your home, DO IT. Don't abandon your home unless you know for sure that it will, or has, fallen to a threatening entity (looters, military, ect...)



# 2 - Follow Practicality

This means, do not plan a scheme of disarming government officials who burst down your door, killing them, and taking their guns from them. Please try to AVOID planning fo things as though they would inevitably play out like an action movie. Yes, Red is a great movie, but things aren't always gonna work that way...

If any government officials show up at your house with guns, chances are, you will have had some kind of warning. This is where the Alamo rule comes into play; If you hear tell of a foreign military sweeping over your area two days prior to them knocking on your door, you should have left the Alamo ahead of time.

And, if you somehow DIDN'T have any warning, you'd still have a better chance attempting to run than you would fighting them. Run. Like. Hell.

If you're like me, you have mostly other people--loved ones in your family--in mind when you're prepping. So, you're not going to go head-to-head with some armed soldiers like an idiot. You'll do whatever keeps them safe.

All preppers have somewhat of a fantasy complex, some much bigger than others. Meaning that, on some level, all preppers imagine a world of chaos and action-movie situations. That, while exciting and entertaining, is the last thing you want in real life. Those situations would mean a lot of pain, blood, and loss in reality. Its important for all preppers to realize their inner fantasy complex, and understand that throwing their loved ones into an action-movie is the particular thing you're trying to avoid.

Look your loved ones in the eyes. Look at those people you're prepping for.

Don't put them in danger because you want to adopt a thrill-seeking method of prepping, which will, inevitably, NOT end well for anyone involved.

Prepping is for AVOIDING those situations.

Not attracting them.



# 3 - A pre-determined community

This one is a personal favorite of mine; making connections. Networking, making friends, and making plans. You want loyal friends, and if at all possible, SKILLED friends. People you KNOW will stick around and play their part in the commune of post-apocalyptia.

Guns and swords are fun, but they're nothing without a wielder.

I'd rather have a handful of folks who each have a single gun of their own, a gun they know VERY well how to use, than be a lone wolf, sitting lonesome in my house with an armory and a laundry room full of food. In every sense, there really is power in numbers. I can't stress that enough.

But, just like in every day life, you ought to pick your company carefully.

We all have those questionable friends or loved ones that, if put in a rocky situation, you wouldn't now where their loyalties would lie. Choose wisely.

Make friends with skills, compassion, and loyalty. Those three character traits are key for pre-establishing a commune. And also, you all would probably want to bunker into ONE house. Don't live neighborhoods apart. Living commune is essential for survival--driving off looters, and maybe even military. Who knows?

If anything pops off, have one home you all meet at, and where you will all stay until the storm (hopefully) blows over. The Commune rule. This one is good for certain natural disasters, too.



# 4 - Consumables

If you are prepping, you need to put special emphasis here, especially considering what is going on lately with the drought and the possibility of soaring food prices. Having a stockpile of food is essential to survival when times get tough and I doubt anyone would argue against the importance of having fresh water to drink and cook with.

Still, working with little to no budget (like me), you may consider focusing, not only on a large quantity of food and water (which is needed one way or the other), but zeroing in on a select few key items that may save your life. Storing up a bunch of not-so-tasty filler foods is good for empty carbs and basic survival, but what about vitamins and nutrients?

There are three things you MUST stockpile.

1 - Water, of course. Water is the most important thing for human life.

2 - Honey. I'm sure you've all seen that extensive thread about Honey being an insanely amazing super-food? If not, see here ... not only is Honey potent in preventing cancers and viruses, but it also works as neosporin. That's right.

I have a cat with a particularly nasty naked scabbed spot on his neck, and I put honey on it every day. That way, when he attempts to lick it off, he spreads it around more, and since its not neosporin, it doesn't make him sick.

And guess what? It lasts forever.

3 - Spirulina. Its an algae that contains nearly every nutrient we need, and like honey, it is a super food. There are ways to grow it inside a fish tank and preserve it with a low/moderate budget. Frozen, it lasts about a year... but dehydrated, it lasts forever.

See? Water, honey, and spirulina all last forever, and they're all extremely helpful in numerous ways. Store em up! Sprinkle a little spirulina on one of your meals after TSHTF. Take a spoonful of honey during the sick season. They help a lot.



# 5 - How to hold down the fort

Hopefully, you WILL save bugging out as a last resort. And if you do, how are you going to protect your home? What if you're a lonely couple, living in a big house full of windows? How will you cover all the bases when someone's trying to get inside?

I've got a few ideas on this one.

First of all; get a gun. Common sense.

At least one gun, one you know full well how to use.

"Fear not the man with an armory, fear the man with one gun."

*~Continued~*

*****

Meaning, if you have ONE gun, chances are, you know pretty damn well how to use it. I like that rule... its practical, and a lot more budget friendly, no matter HOW much money you may or may not have.

Do you have a lot of windows in your home?

A slide-and-glass door?

Solutions;

Get a dog. Keep him in the back yard (or where ever the sliding glass door is) and keep him in reach of the door. Of course you should keep the door locked, of course you should keep a bar wedged in the back of the door. But if the door is made of glass, it'd be better if the criminals couldn't get near it... right?

A lab, a boxer, a wolf, a german shepard... anything that will protect your house.

Or, if you're super paranoid and you've played this scenario through your mind a lot more than your therapist would recommend, you've thought; What if they're armed? What if they kill my dog?

Then get TWO dogs.

Have them both sitting out there, waiting for crooks and watching each other's backs.

Also, once its in your budget, maybe one day you can bullet-proof your glass door... but that's later down the road, after you've saved a chunk of money. For now, I'm talking budget-friendly preparations. Dogs.

And the windows...?

Any window in your house that is big enough to fit a person, you should bar. Meaning, put bars over the windows. Now, here comes another long-term prepper choice that you will have to make personally; Do you want your home to look like a fortress, or a ransacked old pile of junk?

This one can go either way, as far as attracting or repelling criminals. Some people will put up barbwire and fences in order to send a clear message to crooks; KEEP OUT. Others will throw clothes around the yard, and make the house look as though its already been ransacked, and its not a worthy target. Yet another hard choice we preppers have to make... both of these plans have their pros and cons.

A fortress will likely intimidate folks away, yes... but it will also send the message; "They have something in there worth taking." So, the looters may chance it and attack the home anyway, or, if they're smart, they will leave, grab some friends, come back, and ambush the house.

A ransacked home will not draw attention... but it is also lacking in the intimidation department. Perhaps some people won't be fooled by it, or perhaps they'll try to break inside anyway, just to find a place to crash for the night. And it'll be easier for them without any barbwire or fences in the way. If the perception-filter approach does not work, your home is a sitting duck.

So, for both options...

If you're building a fortress, built an untouchable mansion.

People will want whatever is in your home, and if you're going with the untouchable-intimidating approach, you better go big or go home. Make sure your security is as flawless as financially possible. Make damn sure that your fortress really IS untouchable, because if they break your barriers, they've destroyed your biggest edge.

If you're going for the ransacked-home approach, then by all means, take security measures--but you'll have to keep them invisible.

Put bars on the inside if your windows instead of the outside. Keep the window closed and the blinds shut, so the outsiders can't see the bars.

Get those dogs.

Landmines.

Cameras.

Anything to give you a "secret" edge.

And no matter which option you choose, you will need people. Numbers to back you up. Otherwise, weather you have a ransacked home or a fortress, is WILL fall.

Fashioning people into weapons is perhaps the most powerful tool you could have, despite all your other prepping choices. That one is all important.



# 6 - Medical Stuff

If you have any medical problems, learn about them more. Do research. Learn some home remedies, and stockpile whatever you need to apply those home remedies.

Apart from that, I shouldn't need to tell you that it would be smart to have a doctor in your commune. If, however, you don't manage that, you ought to learn the basics on your own. It would suck pretty badly if you or a loved one dies from an infected cut on the finger, wouldn't it?

As a money-less prepper, I lucked out when, while I was cleaning a garage that was over cluttered with ten years or so worth of old stuff, I found two big plastic bags full of medical supplies, clean and untouched. Gause pads, wraps, bandaids, ect.

Storing up cheap medical supplies and antibiotics is a great idea, no doubt, and any prepper should do this much at LEAST. But, it really does you no good to have those items if you have no clue how to use them.

So, I found a website that lists various types of medical items, and how to use them, here

Basically, if you're not learning to be a medical professional yourself, do some rogue research and learn CPR. Try to make friends with doctors, too.


# 7 - Barter

This, in my opinion, isn't entirely as important as the other stuff--but something you ought to keep a mind for nonetheless. Whenever you can, grab a little extra gold or vodka. Also, if you have a doctor in your commune, their services could be used as a lever for bartering as well. If you have anyone with special skills, medical, repairing things, ect... skills are great for bartering.

From what I've read, gold, vodka, and non-hybrid seeds are the three most popular barter items among preppers... although it'd be smart to hold onto some of those seeds for yourself.



Those are the basic 7 that arose in my mind tonight, and I have ATS, a website called Prepper Resources, and a mild caffeine overdose to thank for overstimulating my brain this evening.

This is a great website for preppers to share ideas, Prepper Resources

I recommend it to all preppers.

Thaaaaat's all folks. Let's share thoughts now, ATS

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


I haven't read the whole thing...bout half way. I had to comment though on your alamo rule and heavily populated areas.

1. The alamo rule will get you caught or killed...depending on the situation that is. If looters are the intruder you might yes thats right might have a chance. Only because if your community is prepared (I saw you had a section on that. Thats good.) Your defense may outlast their will to take from you. If that intruder is the military/police...well...their resources and man power/will to follow orders and keep going in to die (if by the grace of god you have a community of vets trained to defend against proper military tactics time proven and wielded by masters of the trade) then it's already over and you have lost.

This brings me to my second part...

2. In a heavily populated area it will be worse. Not only will all the same dangers be present with larger risk, but what when the food runs short. Or when a 20-30% chunk turn snitch for your enemies whoever they may be. Also gangs/criminal rings tend to concentrate their power in and around cities. I don't know about you but I want to fight as little as possible. You dont use a sledge hammer to drive a nail in do ya?

So as for me I'm heading as far away from concentrations of people as I can. Not to say community is bad...small ones will be perfect...at least until things settle. When they do just think you'll have the best "roughin it in my day" stories for the next generation...heh.

i already decided i would kill and eat my cat if i had to.
there shouldn't be harder decisions

ok I love the idea of prepping, I think everyone should prep in some fashion, but the idea of what we are prepping for has to be changed.
A few years back in the area i live we were smashed with torrential rain and flooding, now this event left the general population in my area cut off and without power for four days, although there were no structural damage to properties the suburb was cut.
Of course it was party time on the first day and night, but then as the realisation set in that the water in the tap was not consumable the food in their refrigerators was going to spoil and what were they going to cook with, a deafening quiet settled over the area.
myself and my family were somewhat fine i had gas for the BBQ a lot of dried goods and a water tank, but i had never really ever thought about "prepping" before till then.
on the 4th day as the gas ran out and vehicles were starting to cruise the neighborhood the power came back on.
So I feel prepping for "the big one" is good and all, but everyone, everyone, should take the OP's advice in this thread and prep for a natural event in some way.
cheers.

reply to post by PLAYERONE01


I've done this with several hurricanes and ice storms. There is always the guy with a gas grill so all you do is go doo4 to door and let people know where to bring food they dont want to go bad. We ended up having the hugest bbq for about 3 days lol. Community is very important...it's all dependant on the situation.

This has been really informative, thanks for taking the time to write this. I've made a few notes to pick up honey, spirulina too.

Probably worth mentioning the advantages to all of us living in gated communities. Gates can be strengthened and retrofitted. Civil balance would be easier to maintain, and borders already established which means you're less likely to find yourself in the wrong community. Also the fact that a gated community may have hundreds of people with all levels of skills like carpentry, engineering, medical, mechanics, all sorts. Everyone can gather and get familiar with each other more easily, and we can help each other.

Most residential communities in the suburbs are like mini-villages. They all have established borders, so every person would know when they've left their neutral ground. Surely, much easier to safely navigate. Also, these separated gated communities can barter with each other.


BUT, outside of these bordered communities you're on your own it seems. maybe a few clusters of homes forming aliances here and there. I can imagine a walk down the street to be quiet dangerous indeed. You would have to be more street smart to know which areas are green and which are red. It might take a while longer for the residences to establish relations. So it could be more riskier.

Or..maybe I've been watching too much 'walking Dead'..

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


The time is coming soon. My question is about water. I live in deep south and water gets green algae slime. I am wondering what to do to stop this.

Is this spiralina expensive and where do you get it.

Read that the amoxicillin and other fish antibiotics sold in pets stores is same that we take and is cheap. Is this true.

Explain what kind of seeds you are talking about. How long are seeds viable. Can you freeze them. Where to buy.

Live in country so depending on how it happens at least we don't live in a city.

We don't have much so budget well there is none lol but we know we need to do something. We have an old tractor that is diesel so guess that is good, we need to learn how to do biodiesel, do you have to do anything to engine or will it run on biofuel.

Have the one weapon, but I don't believe that is enough. Well as ex infantry i know it's not. For me it is finding the money for the others. You need three types of guns. You need a good rifle, this allows you to hunt and take big game but also protect yourself from distance. You need good shotgun, this will help you take small game and birds, it is an awesome close quarter defense weapon. Hand gun, this is for your personal and family defense and can be concealed.

Outside of that you need a good crossbow. They are easier to master than a compound bow. Good set of machetes and good knife set. Advise getting survival hatchet, has bunch of uses, including fire making, fishing etc.

I hope this contributes, being ready seems so far away to me lol. I guess I just have to take it a little at a time lol.

Look forward to your help...

The Bot

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply, guys

I know the Alamo Rule is kinda "iffy" depending on where you are, and exactly what kind of sh!t is hitting the fan in your situation to come, but I still stick by it. Shelter is shelter. You're not gonna find a perfect location away from trouble, and even in a heavily populated area, if you have numbers (like you should), you ought to be able to veer off a lot of trouble.

That's not to say you SHOULDN'T try finding a place in the mountains, but as posted, I'm thinking for folks who are more budget shy, like myself.

Houses cost money.

People don't.

I also agree that folks shouldn't prep only for "the big one."

Prep for EVERYTHING.

The big one, storms, terrorist attacks, government shut downs, everything.

Your disaster shouldn't be specific.

You don't get to choose what happens.

I knew about the fish antibiotics too, but I forgot to mention it. As posted, my memory sucks terribly. Mentioning gated communities is brilliant, I hadn't thought of that one.

You can buy spirulina stuff online and grow it in a tank, I'm not sure how much it costs. I don't have any yet. I only have water and honey as of now.

I think one weapon per person is plenty enough, if you have the numbers.

But I'm not saying you shouldn't store up weapons, just saying weapons won't save you if you can't use em to your best ability.

I agree with the crossbow. Hunting~

Thanks for all your input.

I'm glad I was able to find a recent survival forum because some of the things I've had right in my face lately make me realize how bad off the majority of the population would be if a wide scale ER arrose. Everything right now is tops down - meaning...the government will rescue you - and so much the government does has made people dependent rather than independent.

People in the US (my home Country) are not thinking for themselves (too many people who can't get through day to day decisions let alone manage in the event of an emergency).

I just wanted to say I appreciate the ideas on here, and now realie why we must think for oursleves (sadly). If there is an ER it's ideal if we have each other (so much strength in that), but when paying attention to my interactions with random people (when at a store, etc.), I can see why not having an independent protection plan could mean demise. I wish our government would empower people but I fear too much damage has been done - would take a great effort now.

Bisman
i already decided i would kill and eat my cat if i had to.
there shouldn't be harder decisions

I too have decided I would kill and eat my own cat as well.
Of course I will have to steal one from a neighbor when the time comes.
My dogs are off limits though, I go before they do.

We plan on bugging out in the country to the woman's mothers cabin.

If for some reason we can't make it, I am going to take off the interior doors and put them over the windows.

I have a box of wood screws and a cordlesss drill ready to go.

I have an upstairs so an elevated defensive position is available.

I have never seen the door over the window idea before.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Now, I have to ask...

Where is everyone?

With everything going on recently, you'd think the survival forum would be exploding. But like a previous poster said, the survival forum's been pretty dead and dry lately. Why??

I busted my arse on this thread. Now I want my survivalists here!

Not just my thread, either... all the survival forum threads.

There's a lot more to prepping than stockpiling guns and food for a single, huge disaster. Lots of emergencies and disasters happen, in every country, and in everyone's every day life at some point or another. We're talking about surviving through life in GENERAL, not just one big doomsday holocaust.

I thought that was pretty important...

Good topic, I like going back to the basics every now and then. I also love how each comment (or at least the ones I read) expanded and deepened the discussion further, I had a blast reading this and can't wait to visit again to pick up more info. I agree on how everyone should prep for everything, not just the big one, though it is fun to think about, a smaller disaster can be just as hazardous if not properly prepared for. Thanks for posting this thread.

OP, some good sound advice, especially coming from a younger person. I try to read all the survival and prepper type threads I can. Every time I do, I learn something new, new ideas, new things to stock up on. Living in the populated areas will be hell if SHTF. I'm HAPPY that I don't depend on the government. I have prepared to take care of myself the best I can in any given situation. It didn't happen overnight and it took planning, thinking, re-planning and the small amount of extra money I had through the years. When I calculate all I have spent on prepping (and it pales in comparison to the money I have wasted through the years prior to coming to my senses) I don't feel bad a bit. I wouldn't have saved the money, I would have spent it on material possessions I didn't need. I now own my own place in an out of the way area and I have quite sufficient food stores, supplies and such. I have the peace of mind of knowing that whether I stay or I go, I will at least have a fighting chance. But it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks and as technology and strategies develop at an alarming rate, we also need to alter some of our own ideas and planning. Thanks for the thread.

I prep every fall for the winter, if the winter is 'okay' I eat the preps during spring, and then start prepping again for the winter, one thing that I have yet to see on prep sites, those who wear glasses or lenses, what do you do when they break, or are lost? or you need an eye test??

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


Maybe everyone is just busy? This is always a good time of year to make sure that you are ready for winter. I think that on one hand a lot of people have made this a way of life and try to stay ready for whatever come their way. On the other hand I think a lot of people got so caught up in the 12-21-12 apocalypse that they just gave up when it didn't happen. I saw survival gear and items that would be handy in any disaster for sale all over Craigslist this last year. For those people it was all about what happened on that one day, and since it didn't it just never will in their minds.

Keep it up! You will have things refined if you ever decide to start a family then you will be better able to care for them regardless. Look at what just happened in the Philippines. Those poor people couldn't have done anything differently. You can prep all you want and still lose it in a heartbeat ( though its always good to be prepared). Focus on being self sufficient as much as possible and the rest should hopefully fall into place.

I kinda hate to rain on anyone's parade or anything but continuing to 'talk' about all this accomplishes nothing. Look at it like this. You buy a striker and fire stick and go out in your back yard and use it to make a fire-now you are all happy and you got the fire problem solved. However, you have accomplished absolutely nothing since you haven't answered the most realistic question. Can I use this to start a fire when I am wet, freezing, alone, lonely, hungry, exhausted, dieing of thrust and depressed?

Every time I bring this up it upsets people because they just want to 'talk' about it and any mention of practically just ruins the thread.

spooky24
I kinda hate to rain on anyone's parade or anything but continuing to 'talk' about all this accomplishes nothing. Look at it like this. You buy a striker and fire stick and go out in your back yard and use it to make a fire-now you are all happy and you got the fire problem solved. However, you have accomplished absolutely nothing since you haven't answered the most realistic question. Can I use this to start a fire when I am wet, freezing, alone, lonely, hungry, exhausted, dieing of thrust and depressed?

Every time I bring this up it upsets people because they just want to 'talk' about it and any mention of practically just ruins the thread.

At least trying out your stuff gives you a sense of accomplishment and familiarity which is more than can be said for never talking or trying things out. When faced with options, most people will try to survive. Of all the survival and prepper shows on the tube, I have the utmost respect for Cody Lundin. He lives what he teaches. Even he sometimes fails at the tasks he sets out to do. But he keeps on trying.

Take 2 liter bottles of soda... if you don't drink 2 liters get some just for this purpose... squeeze out some air and fill them with water. Fill your extra freezer space with the bottles. Not only will this provide energy savings but it also provides longer shelf life of your freezer goods and provides water in bad case scenarios.

Seriously, do it.