The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.
A few more items have been allocated in gear set aside for the Purple Pack Lady. Details to follow.
But First...
In my recent post on starting to prep, I said to start with what you have, and add more. Later, in the BCP Facebook group, a question was asked on potentially buying longer-term storage items. I caught myself doing exactly the opposite of what I said in the above post: making suggestions that don't help and could possibly discourage someone starting to build a secure way to feed yourself or your family in an emergency. Blue Collar Prepping was started to show how folks like you and I can assemble gear and supplies on a very limited budget.
There is a tendency in many online groups for the more experienced members to look down on those starting out in their mutual hobby. Jokes are made about the equipment the newbie has, how enthusiastic they are to find a needed item, and in general be less than helpful to someone with a beginner's budget.
Not here! If you look through all of the posts by every writer, and I think you should at least search through the blog for how all this started, you will find post after post after post with encouragement for the flea market finds, thrift store treasures or hand-me-downs that fit perfectly into a much-need place in somebody's life. Just in my own gear I have so many secondhand items that I'd have to unpack not only my EDC and GHB, but also dig out my camping gear, to make an accurate list. Not to mention that the items gifted me by friends who knew what I really needed would easily fill up one side of a 3x5 file card.
All this is a longwinded way of saying, "Start now with what you have, and buy what you need when you can afford it and build from there." Someone will always have something better, newer or more of "That Thing" everyone wants. Always! Don't let that prevent you from doing what needs to be done now.
Purple Pack Additions
I've said that I'm having to consolidate all my gear and get rid of many things that are not needed, due to a lack of storage space. This means reducing the number of my camping gear totes, and so the latest interesting thing set aside to go into The Purple Pack is a Solo Stove.
I have two of them, which I purchased after the proverbial clouds parted, a ray of light illuminated me and a Voice said "Buy This Item!"... okay, it was really Erin and the other bloggers convincing me to get one. Solo was running a great sale then, and they have a BOGO sale going on right now!
From the Solo Stove website:
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| Solo Stove Co picture |
- Everyone has a starting point. Try to remember how you began, whether it was with nothing or with lots of gear. We're here to help each other.
- Go to the Solo Stove website to see all their deals. There are bargains to be had on other things, not just the Solo Lite, and all of their camping stoves are Buy One, Get One Free.
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Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
As usual, a good post, and to the point. I know that I have seen a lot of the popular web hosts online who write about prepping tend to get into the more expensive items with a lot of bells and whistles that most people would never know how to use, yet alone even have a need to put into play.
ReplyDeleteThe KISS plan suits probably 99% of the people who are simply preparing for either a short term need, or an extended problem. If one is planning on an EOTWAWKI, now we might be talking a different thing, but with that, I still think that skills are going to be more important than things. The ability to know how not to just hunt, but where to find game, and not just how to fish, but what kind of fish is available during which season, those types of knowledge will be what are invaluable. Not just planting a garden, but how to preserve the harvest and how to save seeds for the next years crop, etc.
Of course, prepping means that you must store up for the future, like the industrious ant, and not ignore things like the lazy grasshopper. But adding to that, knowledge is possibly just as important.