Now I’m changing my focus a bit to include potential quarantine, using the hurricane and unemployment experience makes it easier because I have experience with those. Basically I need N95s (have 24) and medical supplies (OTC and herbals already on hand, and considering fish ABX for an affordable “just-in-case” the hospitals are full. Also in the “fish” category, I bought some tubing in case I need to hydrate PR).

Now I’m changing my focus a bit to include potential quarantine, using the hurricane and unemployment experience makes it easier because I have experience with those. Basically I need N95s (have 24) and medical supplies (OTC and herbals already on hand, and considering fish ABX for an affordable “just-in-case” the hospitals are full. Also in the “fish” category, I bought some tubing in case I need to hydrate PR).

Having been at this preparedness thing for nearly 25 years myself, I can tell you the Rabbit Hole analogy is perfect. As emphasized, prioritization is key. Ten-thousand rounds of ammunition and a years worth of stored food will not do you much good if you don’t have a supply of potable water for yourself and your family. Anything that will force you to leave the security of your home during a disaster situation exponentially multiplies the chances that you will be added to the victim list.

I would also suggest to look at prioritization in terms of potential product price changes and product availabilities. Usually these market changes are very predictable. For example, the increasing prices and sporadic shortages of long-term survival foods (and many other survival products) coincides with the recent media popularization of the “Survival Movement”. The dramatic price increases and availability issues with firearms and ammunition could be expected long before the presidential inauguration and current situation. Similarly, pandemic supplies are best obviously purchased BEFORE the WHO announces Phase 6 Pandemic level and the obvious product shortages. Think about what sorts of things would be in demand and short supply in various disaster situations ahead of time.

Another way that I look at prioritization is balance. There are times that I go down one “hole” or another for sure but overall I try to keep balanced across the major critical areas of preparedness in both study, training and financial expenditure. I believe that it only takes one neglected critical preparation area to turn a well meaning “prepper” into a desperate refugee or victim. Water, food, communications, medical, energy production, shelter, self-defense, financial/bartering resources, reference materials, among others, all need to be addressed in terms of short, intermediate and long-term planning scenarios.

Thanks to experienced authors like yourself, there are vast resources of information available on the internet. Taking advantage of the collective experience can be an extremely efficient method of minimizing the learning curves associated in every area as well as reducing costly purchase errors no matter how far along you may be. Be mindful as you go because there are also many sources of “bad” (read-dangerous) information out there. My advice is to take your time, explore and study the basics of each “Rabbit Hole” and proceed from where you are. Don’t be overwhelmed-just start from where you are and you will be better prepared than you were yesterday!
-doctor zero

Having been at this preparedness thing for nearly 25 years myself, I can tell you the Rabbit Hole analogy is perfect. As emphasized, prioritization is key. Ten-thousand rounds of ammunition and a years worth of stored food will not do you much good if you don’t have a supply of potable water for yourself and your family. Anything that will force you to leave the security of your home during a disaster situation exponentially multiplies the chances that you will be added to the victim list.

I would also suggest to look at prioritization in terms of potential product price changes and product availabilities. Usually these market changes are very predictable. For example, the increasing prices and sporadic shortages of long-term survival foods (and many other survival products) coincides with the recent media popularization of the “Survival Movement”. The dramatic price increases and availability issues with firearms and ammunition could be expected long before the presidential inauguration and current situation. Similarly, pandemic supplies are best obviously purchased BEFORE the WHO announces Phase 6 Pandemic level and the obvious product shortages. Think about what sorts of things would be in demand and short supply in various disaster situations ahead of time.

Another way that I look at prioritization is balance. There are times that I go down one “hole” or another for sure but overall I try to keep balanced across the major critical areas of preparedness in both study, training and financial expenditure. I believe that it only takes one neglected critical preparation area to turn a well meaning “prepper” into a desperate refugee or victim. Water, food, communications, medical, energy production, shelter, self-defense, financial/bartering resources, reference materials, among others, all need to be addressed in terms of short, intermediate and long-term planning scenarios.

Thanks to experienced authors like yourself, there are vast resources of information available on the internet. Taking advantage of the collective experience can be an extremely efficient method of minimizing the learning curves associated in every area as well as reducing costly purchase errors no matter how far along you may be. Be mindful as you go because there are also many sources of “bad” (read-dangerous) information out there. My advice is to take your time, explore and study the basics of each “Rabbit Hole” and proceed from where you are. Don’t be overwhelmed-just start from where you are and you will be better prepared than you were yesterday!
-doctor zero

You did an awesome job of wordsmithing there.
Yes, it is overwhelming and yes, we all got here with the help of many people knowing only parts of the big equation.
Focus on the basics and pray that you will get by.
Crazy isn’t as fun as some folks would like you to believe.

You did an awesome job of wordsmithing there.
Yes, it is overwhelming and yes, we all got here with the help of many people knowing only parts of the big equation.
Focus on the basics and pray that you will get by.
Crazy isn’t as fun as some folks would like you to believe.

I recommend looking at it from a “survival time” point of view. How long can I be self-reliant? Simply by adding some water storage to your home will allow you to survive a week. What would it take to survive two weeks? A month? Two months? By slowly increasing your survival time, you can comfortably prepare without stressing and you will have a feeling of accomplishment as you reach each milestone.