Getting Started in Prepping! Author: Welcome! If you are new to Prepping or are trying to figure out if you want to join us as a Prepper, this article is for you! The APN exists to help people learn about Prepping and to facilitate them becoming Self Reliant through increased personal responsibility. If you have, or are gaining, a personal belief that it is up to you to provide for you and your family in difficult times – then you are on the path to becoming a Prepper! If you want to quickly Much has been written on how to start Prepping. This article is meant to be a guide for you, not an all encompassing list. We are well aware though that it can be very daunting and seem an insurmountable task to “Become Prepared”. We want to help you weed through the plethora of information out there and help you to get started right away. As we mentioned, first and foremost to being a Prepper is a mental attitude. That of “I am responsible for me”. If you are relying on the government orothers to take care of you then you are a dependent of them, not an independent citizen capable of supporting themselves. And that is exactly what a Prepper is or strives to be – an Independent Citizen capable of supporting themselves. Through out the attitudes and beliefs that if something happens you’ll let others take care of you. In fact, through out the notion that nothing bad will ever happen to you – chances are extremely high that it will! Whether it’s a personal, family, neighborhood, city, state, national or world event – bad things happen every single day – dodging them all is pretty near impossible. Preppers are “Ready for Anything”. We don’t prepare for just one thing as some TV shows would have you believe. The Prepper philosophy dictates that you prepare for anything that might come your way. As such, one of your first steps is an assessment of your situation. What kind of things happen in your region? If you live in Louisiana, you have a high chance of havinggallons of water stored in your water heater? There’s also a few gallons in the tank of your toilet! If you have an outside water source – such as a lake, creek or storm drain – do you have a way to filter it? Your first goal with water should be to be able to provide your family with 2 weeks worth of water and a way to continue filtering found water after that. Food Did you know that most people in the United States have less than 2 weeks of food stored in their home?! If this includes you, it’s time to make a change! Take a look at your food supplies and estimate how long you could survive on it – for most beginners it’s pretty scary! Your first goal with food should be to have 1 month worth of meals stored, immediately after that you’re going to get 3 months worth as quickly as possible. Here is a great place to Some additional fantastic resources for Food Storage are and . Shelter It is critical that you be able to control your environment in an emergency. The place tostart is your home. If you live in an area where it gets very cold in the winter (as in you HAVE to run a heater to survive) then the most critical thing for you is going to be able to heat your home – or rather a section (at least one bedroom) of it. You’ll want to have a kerosene heater to keep a warm spot in your home. Here’s a good place to start learning about The Rest There is A LOT more! But this will get you off the ground on your adventure in getting prepared! We suggest you read about and follow it. and become an active member of the community. You can safely ask questions there and very quickly get 30 different opinions on what you’re trying to figure out! You’ll be able to make new friends who are just as interested in your new lifestyle. and get active in them. If you’re so inclined, Everyone loves to read articles written by people who are just getting started. If you would like to read a very comprehensive article about everything a Prepper takes into
