If I Had the Chance to Start Prepping All Over Again, Here’s What I Would Have Done…

There’s no doubt that prepping is a journey, a life-long one, in fact… at least for anyone who takes it seriously.

And, even though I’ve been at this seriously for a few years now and “interested” for several years, I often feel like I wasted too much time and money and could have been far better prepared if I only knew then what I know now.

Of course, I shouldn’t be kicking myself. That’s just the way we learn. And sometimes it’s our mistakes that teach us the best.

In this case, however, I’m not discussing my mistakes but, rather, a few regrets. Hopefully, you’ll take some of the following to heart if you’re still relatively new to the prepping lifestyle. Note: the following are roughly in my order of importance…

I WISH I Had Understood the Critical Importance of WATER to Life

I  wish I had understood early on how truly important water is to survival. Sure, it’s a no-brainer now and I’ve got stuff to deal with it but if I had a do-over I would have jumped right on purchasing a few large IBC totes (or at least 55-gallon drums) enough so that each family member had 50+ gallons stored.

I would have also immediately started collecting rooftop rainwater if for nothing else than for use in the garden. Oh, and I would have purchased a Berkey Water Filter straight from the start. To be honest, this is the minimum one should do to not be screwed if the water stops flowing for any length of time.

I would suggest that anybody who has recently dealt with the West Virginia water contamination problem can attest that water is a must-have!

I WISH I Had Learned to Use Food Storage Sooner

I also wish I had chosen to incorporate my long term storage foods (e.g., rice, beans, wheat, oats, etc) into our daily diets. Sure, I use them now but it was a long time before I actually tried to incorporate them into our diets. They were, to me, an insurance policy that wasn’t to be touched!

The thing is that these foods can be used in many ways and, in fact, can save significant amounts of money and be healthier for us if I had realized how to use them to make foods from scratch.

As such, I should have purchased six food grade buckets (one each for rice, wheat, black beans, pinto beans, flour, oats) right off the bat along with a matching set of gamma seal lids and immediately started figuring out how to use them.

And, of course, a quality grain grinder (such as the Wonder Junior Deluxe Mill or, better yet, the Country Living Grain Mill) for milling wheat. There’s other stuff to include but these are the basics. The main point is to purchase and then to start using food storage foods… you might be surprised at how much you can make.

I WISH I Started Making Homemade Cleaners

Similarly, I wish I had bothered to make my own DIY household cleaners. These are so simple to make it’s not even funny! And, of course, it saves money, keeps us healthier, and means we’re better prepared for having done so.

Granted, you still have to stockpile some basics supplies (e.g., baking soda, rubbing alcohol, essential oils, etc) which will eventually run out but it’s really no different than storing long term foods.

Anyway, there are plenty of DIY recipes to be found online and even here, just search. If you need a start read my article on 290+ Ways to Use Four Basic Supplies for a Healthier Life which provides links to a handful of sites/articles.

I WISH Firearms Were a Part of My Life in Childhood

Sadly, firearms are a more recent addition to my life and I only wish I’d understood their usefulness sooner. For some reason, even though my father had firearms when I was a child, I never got interested in them as a kid or he didn’t bother to show me or both. Whatever. Doesn’t matter now.

The fact is that they’re a relatively new part of my life and one that I regret not having included earlier. If I had understood this I probably would have been much further along in my firearms procurement planning than I am now and, more importantly, my kids would be more versed in the subject as well. Who knows, maybe I would have even taken up hunting!

If you want to include firearms in your prepping plan–and you should–then get to know about them now. Yes, spend the money on quality firearms, seek out qualified and knowledgeable trainers (there are many), and start doing it! Whether for hunting to put food on the table or simply for self defense, you can’t go wrong with the knowledge and peace-of-mind they can offer.

I WISH I Had Good Medical Training

The final thing I wish I knew more about is first aid and medical… anything. Sure, I’ve read books and watched plenty of videos but that doesn’t exactly cut it.

As I’m sure any medical professional will attest to there’s a world of difference between book knowledge and hands-on experience. And, unfortunately, the best way to get such experience is to be immersed in it.

Yes, there are good people like The Patriot Nurse who travels the country teaching to people like you and I truly useful emergency first aid skills and, of course, there’s a ton of good info from people like Dr. Alton and his wife at DoomAndBloom.net, as well as Dr. Hubbard as TheSurvivalDoctor.com.

The resources are out there, you and I just have to make use of them.

My Conclusion…

As you might be able to tell, the points I’ve outlined above center around two things: basics necessities for life (water and food) and being safe and healthy (medical training, firearms, and cleaners).

Yes, there’s a lot more that’s a part of the prepping lifestyle. In my opinion, however, these are the main points to consider because they’re going to keep you and your family alive!!

As such, I urge you to stop what you’re doing and re-read the above. Yes, they are solely my opinion, but I’d suspect most people will agree these particular topics are great ones to focus on and will help to get you more prepared and faster in less time and by spending money where it counts.