Hello! My name is Mindy and I am new member. My dad has been on me for sometime to get on here. I have realized as each day goes past we are closer and closer to SHTF. I am open to any suggestions on how to prepare my family and I better.
Welcome aboard. There is a lot of good information here and we look forward what questions and answers you have yourself.
Greetings, Mindy! As far as suggestions - I would say to examine your situation, then address what you believe are going to be the most likely issues you will face. Civil unrest, economic turmoil, natural disaster...and to what degree...will foment what direction you should start. Make a plan, but don't get so narrow-viewed that you spend so much time planning that no action occurs. Anyhow, Welcome! Don't forget about the search box towards the top right of the page.
Welcome to the Monkey tree from the Crystal Coast. Pull up a branch and search back over old topics that may interest you. There's a tremendous amount of well covered information here. Enough to help you get comfortable with a plan B, and C and probably a D, E and F. That kind of adaptability is what makes you better able to survive whatever lies ahead. I'm partial to old ways and old things that work as well now as they did a hundred or more years ago, but i've been forced by the times to embrace new technology. It all a matter of balance. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the really basic topics like fire starting and basic sanitation pop back up. You'll hear groaning in the branches about "not this again" but it's good practice for everybody to review the basics occasionally.
Welcome to the monkey, Mindy! Preps will be determined by several issues: Your location, income, threat assessment, defense-ability of your location and others. Looking forward to your posts.
Howdy and welcome to the board. Lots to read about here, but don't get discouraged - being more self-reliant is a journey, not a race. Good luck - don't be afraid to ask questions, most here are more than happy to take the time to share their experiences - both good and bad..
"I am open to any suggestions on how to prepare my family and I better." Hi Mindy! I am certain you know this already but since you asked...Start with the 3 basics then move forward from there. Water: Comes down to storage and the capability to treat water. You cannot hit this area hard enough. Remember, keep it in temperature-controlled area and out of the sunlight plus use containers that are made for water, won't degrade with time, seals well and keeps sunlight off it. Food: first shoot for 3 months of stored food, increasing to 6 months as time and money allows, then it depends how much you can afford and/or want to do. Do you have storage space (temperature controlled) for 1-year of stored food? Do you can food? Shelter: Can you keep your home warm in the winter if your current heat source is turned off? Wood stove, propane heaters...sleeping bags? Can you cook or boil water if electricity is off? What about generating electricity to keep the fridge and freezer working? I would then also include security (some firearms, ammo, training), medical (first aid kits + family's prescriptions), and fuel (extra gasoline/diesel/propane) and move onwards from there. Most of this is common sense, simple prudence and only you know what you need and what you can do. Let's face it, there is a real price tag to preparing for emergencies and only you know what is possible. I had some hotdog Prepper tell me once that I must have, "...10,000 gallons of water stored and blah, blah, blah..." Well, that sure as hell isn't going to happen. LOL! I have neither the money nor the space for such an item but that doesn't mean I can't do what is possible. We live in the country (thank God!) and for us, this type of lifestyle (self suffcient) is standard operating procedure, and, no, we don't consider ourselves Preppers or Survivalist or etc. Anyway, we don't need to tell you how to 'suck eggs', Mindy. However, there are lots of old sweats here that can indeed help with some of the specific problems like solar power, generators, communications, firearms, gardening, canning - you name it - so don't be embarrassed to ask. One last thing...you asked the question, "to prepare my family and I better" which tells me that you at least realize you need to do something or do it better...so do it. Do not be put off because of what it takes to accomplish this. It's a big job that takes time, Mindy and it is never completed - never. One step and one dollar at a time and do what you can, when you can. Lastly, welcome!
Hi Mindy! Welcome. This is the Best forum that I have found. There's so much helpful information and the people here are so nice and knowledgeable about every topic I can think of.
hello mindy, only been on here a few days myself, listen to the old hands here they're right there's a ton of info on here. listen to your dad, i'm sure he can steer you to what you need to know. good luck!
living near The River - know the travel routes over & back - especially the immediate river bridge areas - even the ones far north & south of St Louis >>> you never know how a SHTF will shake out and the need to crossover - even check out the utility type pipelines and the barge locks that can serve as pedestrian crossings ....