Prepping is simply getting prepared for things that could happen in the future.  This could include natural disasters, planned disasters/outages, an economic crisis, apocalyptical events, etc.  Preparing for such events can include stocking up on food, water and supplies, learning new skills that would help you if something big happened and creating plans so that you’d know what to do in an emergency.

Although mainstream media sometimes portrays the “Prepper” as a crazy person buying all the toilet paper, very normal people absolutely do prepare.  You are very smart if you’ve come here realizing that you should be getting some things prepared in case something were to happen.  Planning ahead can make the difference between life and death.  

If you’re brand new to the idea of preparing, don’t panic.  I always say start where your biggest concerns are.  If you’re most worried that you might not be able to go to the store for an extended amount of time- then start stocking up on food and water immediately.  If you’re most concerned about your safety then focus on security measures that you can put into place so that you feel safe.  If you’re most concerned that you might have to suddenly leave your house in a hurry, then focus on a Bug Out Bag so you have something to grab and go.  

Everyone has different goals on how much food and water they should have in their stockpile.  If you’re brand new, make it your goal to get a month of extra food/water on hand.  After you’ve got that, move up to 3 months. At the same time that you’re stocking food and water, also look for more sustainable ways to obtain food and water in a long term.  Self sufficiency is the goal so look into and start gardening, collecting seeds, learn water purification methods, etc.  

Definitely not!  Money can buy you many helpful things but it’s not necessary either.  You could start preparing by buying an extra can of beans every week or if you find yourself with an extra $100, go buy yourself 200 cans of beans.  Continuously growing your supply is what’s most important.  There were many years where my husband and I weren’t doing great financially and we still continued to build our supplies, slowly yet surely. 

Personally, I would be very careful who you talk to about preparing.  There are many way to suggest someone else start preparing without making yourself a target… I could say, “Hey, I just heard on the news that they’re expecting prices on groceries to go up so it might be a good idea to stock up a bit.”  If they respond asking if that’s what I’m going to do, I could simply reply, “I’m thinking about it!  Crazy times we’re living in, huh?” I’m not telling anyone that I already have a stockpile but I’m putting the idea in someone else’s mind that it might be wise to start buying extra.  The more people you know and trust you start preparing, the better.