It can be pretty confusing for anyone just getting into preparedness, but once that fog clears, it becomes fairly basic. Unfortunately, that is just the beginning. After a while, we find ourselves with a whole new set of long term prepping challenges.
If you have been at this for more than a year or so, you probably have a good grasp on food storage, water storage, first aid and other miscellaneous survival supplies. To become better prepared, we need to take these basic skills to the next level.
SPP214 Long Term Prepping Challenges
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This week in the show, Lisa and I talked about some of the challenges we begin to face as we get deeper into preparedness. We covered everything from Self-doubt, to getting out of debt, to storage problems and solutions.
Getting Out of Debt
Let’s face it, as Americans we are really good at justifying our purchases. Quite often, we confuse our wants with our needs. Couple that with the endless supply of companies willing to “help you out” and it’s far too easy to get into debt.
Getting out of debt (and staying out of debt) is much harder, but one of the most important parts of becoming better prepared. The money we spend monthly on credit card debt could be better spent, saved or invested. Not to mention the money you pay in interest, which is basically paying to be in debt.
Helpful Links…
Maintaining Your Preparedness Level
This is something we all battle with. We reach our preparedness goal, and we tend to let off the gas a little bit. Let’s say you reach your goal of being prepared for 6 months, and you give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. If you wait too long, that 6 months will turn into 3 before you know it.
This is also why it’s important to do inventory, and why we try to store food and supplies with long shelf lives. If we just “get it and forget it” or supplies could become spoiled, damaged, or destroyed when you actually need them.
Helpful Links…
11 Things That Will Derail Your SHTF Plans
Where to Store Everything
Inevitably we all run into this problem. Cupboards get packed, closets get stuffed and we begin to look for creative ways to store our supplies. A lot of this also depends on your living situation as well. Smaller homes and apartments only has so much available storage space, while larger homes have their own set of challenges.
In a larger home you will have more options, but how you store your preparedness supplies is just as important as where you store them. If you store things in front of things, in front of other things, you will have a hard time finding that thing you need when you need it.
Helpful Links…
Storage Problems & Solutions for Preppers
Food Storage: One Sizes Does not Fit All
Staying Organized
Along the same lines as where to store everything is staying organized. The deeper you get into preparedness the harder this becomes. It doesn’t take long at all to accumulate all sorts of different preparedness supplies.
What also complicates things is that we need to use these supplies and practice with them. It does no good having a great survival knife and a ferro rod if you don’t know how to use them. It’s easier said than done for some people (me) but these supplies need to “go back home” when we are done with them.
Helpful Links…
Organization and Storage Ideas for Preppers
Storage Problems & Solutions for Preppers
Battling Complacency & Self-Doubt
Just like in the story of the boy who cried wolf, sometimes we can begin to wonder if everything we are doing is a waste of time and energy. We hear and read about all the bad things that could happen, but nothing ever does.
Becoming complacent is dangerous because just because the odds are against a major disaster happening, there is still a chance. As preppers, becoming lackadaisical should not be an option, because we know better. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to my family because I took the easy way out.
Helpful Links…
The Different Types of Prepping (And Preppers)
Why We Crazy Preppers Aren’t So Crazy
Practice & Honing Your Skills
Once you get the basics of preparedness down, it’s time to practice and learn new skills. The skills you decide to focus on really depends on your priorities and your interests. Preparedness is a never-ending journey, and we should be trying to grow every day.
It’s not only important to have emergency plans, it’s important to practice them, and make sure the family is on the same page. The perfect bug out plan is pointless if you are the only one in the family who knows what it is, and how to execute it.
Helpful Links…
10 Wilderness Survival Skills Everyone Should Know
15 DIY Prepping Ideas to Learn New Skills
Moving Further Away
For most of us, moving out to the boonies and away from society (people) is not an option, and some of us have no desire to do so in the first place. For most people, this is a long term goal, and not something that can be done overnight.
For some people this could mean moving out of an urban area to a more suburban area. For us, we have already taken that step. We live in a semi-rural area, and our plans are to get a little further away in the future.
Helpful Links…
The Difference Between Urban and Rural Prepping
Surviving An Economic Collapse: What Are Your Options?
What Are Your Challenges?
If you have any challenges you have encountered after prepping for a while, we would love to hear about them. Leave a comment below and let everyone know…
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