Are You Already Prepping?
I am willing to bet real money that you’re already prepping and do not realize it. Let’s see if you pass the test.
- When you go to the grocery store do you buy more than you need for just the next meal? If you do, you are a prepper. You are preparing for more than a single meal. You are buying for future meals too and you are going to store those supplies until needed. You are a prepper.
- When you buy supplies for meals do you buy things that are on “sale” like buy one, get one specials? If you do, you are a prepper.
- When you buy supplies like toilet paper, bottled water, trash bags and other items that come in bulk quantities like cases or boxes you are buying more than your immediate need. You are a prepper.
- Do you have food in your freezer? Then you are a prepper.
- Do you have food in a pantry? Then you are a prepper.
Granted, in each of these scenarios you are not buying huge quantities that will last a year, but you are buying more than your immediate need and preparing for your future needs. That is all prepping is.
It is not the quantity of food or supplies that you have put back that makes you a prepper. It isn’t like you get to a certain amount and instantly turn into one. In reality, we all are preppers to some degree.
Now that we have that settled, let’s get into what some call “The Prepper Lifestyle”.
Take Prepping To The Next Level
Let’s take what you are already doing to the next level without breaking the bank. Here are some examples of prepping on a budget to get you started.
The grocery stores in our area are really good about running BOGOs or “Buy One, Get One” free promotions. This promotion allows you to buy an item at regular price and the get a 2nd one free. In reality, this is a 50% discount on both. For the benefit of prepping this allows you to buy 1 to eat now and the 2nd to go into your food storage. Easy and in some way this seems like you are building your preps for free.
Another promotion in our local stores is 10 for $10. That is you buy 10 of an item for $1 each. I love to use this promotion to buy packaged or boxed dinners, cans of soup, beef stew and chili.
The package and boxed dinners feed 2 people each. Add a protein like chicken, beef or pork and you can stretch these to feed 3 or more. Add a canned vegetable and you now feed a family of 4 easily.
For $30 you can buy enough to feed a couple or small family for a month. Do this for 3 months and you now have enough food storage for 90 days worth of meals. You are really making progress now.
Careful. You are starting to live the prepping lifestyle.
Living Like Our Forefathers
Looking at our pioneer heritage we see that these people spent every day struggling to feed themselves that day and still have enough to put back. They would put food back for themselves and their livestock. I am not suggesting that we all go back to this lifestyle. I am saying that we can learn from the way they lived their lives.
The prepping lifestyle is thinking about more than your immediate needs. Think about your needs for those times when you can’t simply run to the store for something to eat. Think about the needs of your family if the water coming out of the faucet is not fit to drink.
The prepping lifestyle is gathering for your family’s needs for when life’s emergencies happen. Weather, economic and unemployment disasters that happen all too often.
Conclusion
What are you doing today to prepare? How can you live the prepping lifestyle better?
Learn more about storing gourmet Meals in a Jar for long-term food storage.
Jerry D. Wilson has a lifetime of wilderness and outdoors experience to pull from to give quality advice for emergency preparedness.
