How to be a PrepperBut Not One of Those Crazy OnesDaisy Luther Maybe it made sense in principle, but then you watched that guy and his wife filter and drink their own pee on Doomsday Preppers and you said, Oh, heck no. Maybe you were considering the wisdom of storing some extra supplies when you read about the survivalist who holed up in a fully stocked bunker with a little boy he had kidnapped, and you thought, Thats way too much crazy for me. No way. Maybe youve been witnessing the mainstream medias demonization that makes it sound like those in the preparedness community are angry militia members, hoarders, or fruitcakes who are preparing for the next Great Flood. Well, I cant tell you that extreme people dont exist they do, in every segment of the population. But most of the time, youd never realize someone was a prepper unless they came right out and told you. One prepping family a know has a dad, a mom, 3 kids, a cat, and a dog. They live in the country with a few acres of farmland. They raise chickens. They stockpile. But they also go out to the movies, shop at department stores, and let their children go to sleepovers at other kids houses. They barbecue on the 4th of July, and they have ham on Christmas. Another family I know consists of a grandma and grandpa. They prep not only for themselves, but for their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. They go to church on Sunday, are active volunteers in their community, and have the best garden Ive ever seen. My family is relatively normal too. Im a single mom, with one daughteraway atcollege on an academic scholarship and another daughterin high school. We live in a cute little Victorian house in the country. We grow veggies and theres a chicken coop in the yard. I preserve what we grow and we have a tidy little stockpile stashed away just in case. For fun, we like to read and hike, and this year at Christmas, were having a Mexican fiesta instead of a turkey. I drive a Mom SUV and last year I was part of the PTA. Youd never know, running into any of us, that we are prepared to handle all sorts of crazy situations. We dont wrap our heads in tinfoil, we dont have bunkers (although, holy cow, it sure would be cool to find one already there when you bought that little old wartime bungalow youve been eying), and we dont have to walk sideways through our halls to squeeze between all the boxes of supplies. The fact of the matter is, if you take OPSEC (OPerational SECurity) seriously, there are absolutely no obvious signs that your family is into preparedness. But that kind of prepperdoesnt make for good television or dramatic headlines. Thats why it seems like were ALL extreme, when that couldnt be further from the truth. When they arent pushing the kooky extremist stuff or warning of a dangerous survivalist-run-amok, the mainstream media likesto poke fun at preppers. In pretty much every article, you see the word preppers residing inside a pair of quotation marks, like it isnt even a real word, but is some kind of made-up term. Sometimes they go past poking fun to all-out scorn and derision. However, recently the media has warmed up to the idea of preparedness. It only took one man dying in Texas of a horrifying virus to get them to see that maybe preppers arent so crazy after all. Maybe this more positive coverage is why youre here, reading this article.With all of the things going on in the world right now, you may be considering adding some preparedness supplies to your life. Read on and learn why you should take the plunge. I know, that sounds sort of gloomy. And Im not a gloom and doom prepper at all. But sometimes disaster is the only word that fits. These are NOT outrageous Armageddon-style situations, but things that can happen to any of us. Nearly everyone has experienced one or more of these scenarios, and in each of them, some basic preparedness supplies would have made their lives much easier. We cant control whether or not disasters happen, but we can control our response to them. See what I mean? Is it really THAT unreasonable that any of the above scenarios could occur? Theyve happened before and theyll definitely happen again. You cant control the weather or the economy or the actions of an irresponsible industry, but you can be prepared to take care of your family. Remember when you were a little kid, and something bad happened? You went to your mom or dad, and they fixed it. You didnt have to resolve the issue yourself, because there was an adult who would handle it. But remember also that you had no choice whatsoever on how it was handled. If their solution was that you would have to go without an item you felt you needed, you went without. If they sent you to your room and took away your privileges, you didnt have much recourse. If they replaced a lost or damaged item with one you didnt actually want or like, well, you were totally at the mercy of their decision. If they were busy and delayed resolving your problem until they had time, you had no option but to abide by their schedule, waiting until they decided (and if they decided) to help. Maybe their assistance was qualified: Ill replace X broken item as soon as you finish cleaning your room and mowing the lawn. Its a lot like that with FEMA and other governmental response agencies. They get there when they get there, they dole out the supplies they deem necessary in the quantities that they deem appropriate. They can use these supplies to control you by requiring certain actions from you before you are allowed to have your rations doled out. You have to wait in line behind the others who got there first and take whatever is left. Heaven forbid youre at the end of the line and supplies run out before you get any. Doesnt that sound a lot like reverting to childhood? Do you really want to be dependent upon the whims of others for your basic necessities? Preparedness means youve taken responsibility for your family no matter what situation arises. You wont be standing in the FEMA lines with an angry crowd, waiting for an MRE and a bottle of water to ration out across your family. It means youve embraced adulthood and you arent waiting to be rescued. Fact #3: Personal responsibility is actually a sign of excellent mental health. Speaking to the whole preppers are crazy stigma, dont you think that taking responsibility for your own well-being is a sign of great sanity? In fact, wouldnt the following be signs of poor mental health? Someone who can prepare for and accept reality is much more easily able to adapt to a fluid situation. It gives you the ability to think on your feet and move immediately to a solution, instead of wallowing in the cognitive dissonance of, This cant be happening. When you look at the scenarios listed above, isit really at allrational to say, This wont happen so I dont need to prepare? They have happened, and they will again. Preparedness is the sanest possible response in the face of this evidence. Although we have the mainstream reputation of being immersed in gloom and doom all the time, there is nothing more optimistic than preparedness. I wrote about this recently: If you want to be able to peacefully meet challenges and provide for your family without panic, prepping is where its at. Even the kids deal better with scary situations when they know that mom and dad have things under control. Developing your skills and survival mindset will take you far in facing any challenge. Maybe the recent news headlines have brought you here, or perhaps a friend who cares about you emailed you a link to this article. If youve gotten this far and what Ive said makes sense to you, here are a few tips to get your started. There are links in each section where you can go to learn more about that topic. At the end is a resource list with some shortcuts and some useful books. Dont feel like you have to do every single thing RIGHT NOW. This is just a preparedness overview. If you never buy a single canned good or bag of pasta for long term food storage, please store water. Just this year, three communities have suddenly had water crises that left shelves cleared. A full months supply of drinking water for a family of 4 is approximately $150, give or take a little, depending on the prices in your area. I recommend the refillable 5 gallon water jugs for this. As well, fill empty containers with tap water that can be safely used for pets, for flushing, and for cleaning and hygiene purposes. This is a small investment to make for your familys security and well-being in the event of an emergency. Once you have water stored, consider adding filtration devices, secondary water sources, and water harvesting to your preparedness endeavors. You can learn more about water storage HERE, HERE, and HERE. Lots of preppers like to keep a years supply of food on hand. If youre just getting started out, that can be incredibly overwhelming. Start out smaller than that focus first on an extra two weeks, then on a months supply. You can always build from there. Keep in mind when building your emergency food supply that you might not have electricity during some disasters. In that case, youll want to have food that doesnt require lengthy (or any) cooking times. Look for just-add-water dehydrated foods, or better yet, foods that dont need to be cooked at all.Find a list of foods that dont require cooking HERE. Do not make the mistake of loading your pantry with nutritionless processed foods. In a crisis event, you want your body to work optimally, and junk in means junk out. Focus on nutrient-dense foods for good health and energy no matter whats going on in the world around you. Learn how to build a pantry HERE. Find a short-term food supply list HERE. A great starting point for someone who is just getting started on a preparedness journey is prepping specifically for a two-week power outage. If you can comfortably survive for two weeks without electricity, you will be in a far better position than most of the people in North America. Lighting is absolutely vital, especially if there are children in the house. Nothing is more frightening than being completely in the dark during a stressful situation. Fortunately, its one of the easiest things to plan for, as well as one of the least expensive. Some lighting solutions are: Learn about prepping for a two week power outage in more detail HERE. Its an unfortunate fact that disaster situations bring out the worst in many people. Because of this, even if you stay safely at home, you could be called upon to defend your property or family. Some people loot for the sheer fun of it, others consider chaos a free pass to commit crimes, and still others are frightened and desperate. You can have a 10-year supply of food, water, and medicine, but if you cant defend it, you dont own it. The articleThe Anatomy of a Breakdownexplains the predictable patterns of social unrest. The best way to win a fight is to avoid getting into that fight in the first place.Secure your home and lay low, butbe prepared if trouble comes to visit. Here are some tips to make your home less of a target: Keep the curtains closed. Theres no need for people walking past to be able to see what you have or to do reconnaissanceon how many people are present. Dont answer the door.Many home invasions start with an innocent-seeming knock at the door to gain access to your house. Keep pets indoors. Sometimes criminals use an animal in distress to get a homeowner to open the door for them. Sometimes people are just mean and hurt animals for fun. Either way, its safer for your furry friends to be inside with you. Be armed and know how to use your weapon of choice. When the door of your home is breached, you can be pretty sure the people coming in are not there to make friendly conversation over a nice cup of tea. Make a plan to greet them with a deterring amount of force. Whatever your choice of weapon, practice, practice, practice. A weapon you dont know how to use is more dangerous than having no weapon at all. Heres some advice from someone who knows a lot more about weaponsthan I do. Have a safe roomestablished for children or other vulnerable family members. If the worst happens and your home is breached, you need to have a room into which family members can escape. This room needs to have a heavy exterior door instead of a regular hollow core interior door. There should be communications devices in the room so that the person can call for help, as well as a reliable weapon to be used in the event that the safe room is breached. The family members should be instructed not to come out of that roomFOR ANY REASONuntil you give them the all clear or help has arrived. Plan an escape route.If the odds are against you, devise a way to get your family to safety. Your property is not worth your life. Its very important to make a defense plan well before you need one. You want to act, no react. A common cause of illness, and even death, during a down-grid situation is lack of sanitation. Weve discussed the importance of clean drinking water, but you wont want to use your drinking water to keep things clean or to flush the toilet. For cleaning, reduce your need to wash things. Stock up on paper plates, paper towels, and disposable cups and flatware. Keep some disinfecting cleaning wipes and sprays (I dont recommend using antibacterial products on a regular basis, however in the event of an emergency they can help to keep you healthy.) Use hand sanitizer after using the bathroom and before handing food or beverages there may be a lot more germs afoot in a disaster. Look at your options for sanitation. Does your toilet still flush when the electricity is out? Many people discovered the hard way that the toilets didnt work when the sewage backed up in the highrises in New York City in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. At our cabin, the toilet wont flush without power because the pump is electric. If you are on a septic system, with no risk of the toilet backing up into the house, simply store some water for flushing in the bathroom. (At the first sign of a storm, we always fill the bathtub for this purpose.) Add the water to the tank so that you can flush. If this is not an option, another solution is to stock up on extremely heavy duty garbage bags (like the kind that contractors use at construction sites) and kitty litter. Place a bag either in your drained toilet or in a bucket. Sprinkle some kitty litter in the bottom of the bag. Each time someone uses the bathroom, add another handful of litter. Be very careful that the bag doesnt get too heavy for you to handle it. Tie it up very securely and store it outside until services are restored. If your power outage takes place in the winter and you live in a colder climate, heat is another necessity. During the first 24 hours after a power outage, you can stay fairly warm if you block off one room of the house for everyone to group together in. Keep the door closed and keep a towel or blanket folded along the bottom of the door to conserve warmth. You can safely burn a couple of candles also, and in the enclosed space, your body heat will keep it relatively warm. As well, dress in layers and keep everything covered wear a hat, gloves (fingerless ones allow you to still function), and a scarf. ClickHEREto learn how to stay warm with less heat. However, after about 48 hours, thats not going to be enough in very cold weather. You will require back-up heat at this point in certain climates. If you are lucky enough to have a source of heat like a fireplace or woodstove, youll be just fine as long as you have a supply of wood. Consider aportable propane heater (and propane) or an oil heater. You have to be very careful what type of backup heat you plan on using, as many of them can cause carbon monoxide poisoning if used in a poorly ventilated area. Also invest in aCO alarm that is not grid-dependent. Learn more about off-grid heat options HERE. Its important to have a basic first aid kit on hand at all times, but particularly in the event of an emergency. Your kit should include basic wound care items like bandages, antibiotic ointments, and sprays. As well, if you use them, keep on hand a supply of basic over-the-counter medications, like pain relief capsules, cold medicine, cough syrup, anti-nausea pills, and allergy medication. Particularly important if sanitation is a problem areanti-diarrheal medications. If you want to put together a more advanced medical kit, you can find a list HERE. This is something that will be unique to every family. Consider the things that are needed on a daily basis in your household. It might be prescription medications, diapers, or special foods. If you have pets, youll need supplies for them too. The best way to figure out what you need is to jot things down as you use them over the course of a week or so. Pandemics In light of the current panic over Ebola, pandemic preparedness may be the very reason youre reading this article and considering taking the leap. The good news is, if youre prepared for other situations, youre also prepared for many types of pandemics with only a few additions like protective clothing and specific sanitation supplies. In the event of a pandemic, the standard preparedness advice is to self-quarantine. You can learn more about Ebola-specific preparations HERE. Here is a general list of supplies to have on hand. Rememberthat sometimes power supplies are lost during a variety of situations, so keep the potential for a down-grid situation in mind when preparing. You dont have to get everything all at once. Just get started and build your supplies as you can. After a quick inventory and re-organization, you may be pleasantly surprised at how many supplies you actually have on hand. Books to Help You on Your Journey The Preppers Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster (This is the be-all and end-all Bible of prepping) Were always glad to welcome people who are new to preparedness. Read books, go to websites, and join forums. While there ARE some curmudgeonly folks out there, most are delighted to answer questions and help you on your way. Please, dont let the thought of all of the preps that you do not yet have bring you down. Its a process. Once you know the possibilities, accept them, and begin to prepare, you are already far ahead of most of the neighborhood.Dont be discouraged by how much you have left to do, instead, be encouraged by how far ahead you are compared to your former unawareness. Just making the decision to get started is the biggest step towards preparedness youll ever take. Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor. Her website, The Organic Prepper, where this first appeared, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca If you enjoyed this article, please Vote for The Organic Prepper as a top prepping web site. The difference between the crazies and non-crazies are those who advertise and those who dont. Even if youre armed to the teeth, in order to protect your stash, theres no need to put yourself on the skyline. 