# Mitch's Prepping Tips!
1. [Introduction](#introduction)
2. [Food](#food)
3. [Clothing](#clothing)
4. [Hygiene](#hygiene)
5. [Medicine](#medicine)
6. [Gear](#gear)
7. [Conclusion](#conclusion)
As we all know, the current economic situation is very poor
at best, and most like the start of the end. With that said,
until The Lord calls us home, we have to get threw this. The
purpose of this post is to share some tips and tricks that I
have learned over the years, from growing up poor in the south,
as well as from my studies. If you have any additional tips
or advice, please email me (link on the bottom of the page).
**Basic rules for hard times**
- "Two is as good as one, one is as good as none"
- always stock what you use and use what you stock.
- "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", better
to take care of yourself and not get sick, even if it costs
more now.
- "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best", plan as if things
are not ever going to improve and act. If and when they do,
you will have a better appreciation of what you have.
- "The more you know, the less you need", skills are *very*
important in hard times. Spend time learning them and practicing
them.
[🔝](#top)
## Food
Everyone should be able to go for at least 3 months with no
incoming food sources. That does not mean that you will eat
steak each night. Knowing what to buy and how to cook from
scratch is one of the best things to know to survive hard times.
**Stock up**
Make sure you have a chest freezer full of food if you can. Meat
is the best thing to store for food. It is the most nutritiously
dense, and complete food. It is also the most hard to come by
in hard times. After that dry goods, canned good, etc... Stay
away from mixes and boxed meals (hamburger helper, etc...).
* Date the products
* Do not buy anything you will not really use
* Then make sure that you rotate them out using the
oldest 1st
Salt! Store lots of salt. It is one of the best, and proven
methods of preserving food. Used in canning, pickling, and
drying! Salt with color is best (pink sea salt, or Celtic). But
*any* salt will do.
**Related skills**
- You need to know how to bake bread, make stews, soups,
etc... from scratch.
- How to garden if you live in a place that you can
- How to regrow vegetables from the store indoors
- How to preserve food without power: can, dehydrate,
dry canning, pickle
- How to make *Bone Broth*
- How to identify wild edibles and use them (in your
local area)
- How to hunt, fish, and trap
- You should have manual tools at home (grader, can
openers, knives)
- Pick up a camping coffee pot
>Electric appliances are nice, but you should have a complete
camp kitchen, and know how to use it. This will be useful for
camping, bugging out, and power down situations.
[🔝](#top)
## Clothing
- Good set of boots, sneakers.
- Plan for layers, have extras and keep them in good shape.
- "When you buy quality, you only cry once"
- Have a sewing kit for repairs and learn how to use it.
[🔝](#top)
## Hygiene
- Use baking soda for brushing your teeth, it's cheaper then
anything else. You can add some essential oil to it for flavor
(mint or cinnamon).
- Stop buying shampoo, use soap. Shampoo is soap, you are
paying for marketing. If you have dandruff, try Pine Tar soap.
- Stop buying deodorant. You can buy zinc oxide powder a
small bag will last you years. I fill a small tin and use a
power-puff for makeup to apply. It will work until you shower
it off. Long distance hikers use it. You can also use a water
and magnesium hydroxide solution in a roll on bottle. Both
are very effective and last a very long time.
## Medicine
Check out the [medicine](http://crn.hopto.org/health.html#meds)
section under health on my site. Also look at the supplements
listed above it.
## Gear
Every adult should own two things: A backpack setup for camping
(inch bag) and a go bag.
In addition to this one should also carry some basic items to
make sure that you are ready for whatever comes your way. (this
is often called EDC, Every Day Carry)
Keep in mind that each level includes the items from the ones
below it:
Level 1 - Things you should always carry (EDC)
Level 2 - Jacket and bag/pouch
Level 3 - Go bag
Level 4 - Back Pack (inch bag)
Level 5 - Home
**Level 1 - Things to carry**
- Cell phone w/ GPS or Mapping feature
- Comb
- Lighter
- Handkerchief
- Weapon (Pepper spray, Stun gun, hand gun, knife) and training
on how to use
it.
- Flash light
- Multi tool (Swiss army knife of Leatherman)
- Keys: House, car, work
- Wallet:
- 100 cash
- ID/DL
- Debit card
- Insurance cards, professional license
- Police card: Rules for dealing with police/law
Police-cheat sheet
**Level 2 - Jacket and bag/pouch**
- Light jacket with hood and good for wet weather. Pick one
with lots of
pockets:
- Gloves
- Emergency blanket
- Light stick
- Pen and Paper
- Matches (water proof)
- Belt pouch:
- Flash light
- Leather man
- Flint/Steal
- Magnesium block
- Emergency blanket
- First aid kit
- Wipes
- Compass / maps
**Level 3 - go bag**
This would contain your clothes, papers, pictures, etc. How
do you decide what to place in it? Take a sheet of paper and
start a list. Pretend that you just had everything you own
wiped out. You get to keep 100 things. What are they? Can you
place your hands on them at a moments notice now? Like I said,
you decide.
Sample list:
- Food: Hard tack, sardines, oatmeal, instant coffee and tea.
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 long sleeve shirts, 2 short T's
- 3 pairs socks and underwear
- Soap (Pine Tar soap keeps bugs away and helps with many
skin issues)
- Vitamins and medications
- Towel, wash cloth
- batteries for devices (one backup set)
Kit bag:
- Tooth brush
- Deodorant
- Tooth Paste or whatever you use
- Homeopathic remedies Create Your Own Natural
Medicine Chest
**Level 4 - Back pack**
This again is going to be based on your location and
skills. That being said
this is a sample list to work from:
- Food and Water for three days
- First Aid Kit
- Disaster Plan with location and contact information of
emergency services
- Maps and compass
- Emergency shelter such as tents and tarps
- Supplies for the building of fire including a lighter,
emergency matches,
Fire Steel
- Cooking supplies (Kelly Kettle)
- Bedding such as warm blankets or sleeping bags
- Medicines
- Tools and survival gear (Fishing / Hunting)
- Pet Supplies
- Radio (Weather/AM/FM at a minimum)
- Lighting (LED Flashlights are best)
- Water purification (See: Cooking supplies)
- Signaling (whistle, signal mirror, flares, etc)
**Level 5 - Home**
- Garden
>Every home should have a garden. Especially if you have
kids. It will help them learn that food from from plant and is
not made in one. It is also a big part of being able to support
yourself. It also has the side benefits of saving money on food,
and eating healthier.
>Knowing how to live without fertiliser and pest control is
important. You can do this indoors without smell if you have
to in the city.
>If you are in the city you can window garden. Window Farms
Below in the sources section are links for "Urban Homesteding",
they are worth
looking into. This is just to give you a taste of what you
can do:
- Chickens/rabbits/goats
>This is based on how much you want to put into it and also
the place you live.
Laws come into to play as well.
- Electricity
>Think what you NEED verses what you want. You need to
power/charge you radios and cell phones. A generator is nice,
but long term fuel will be an issue. I like to think out of
the box on this one.
- Get an inverter for you car and use it as a backup device.
- Purchase a 12 volt battery (gel or auto)
- Add a 12 volt auto adapter kit
- Purchase a solar panel (small one available from auto
parts store or camping supply)
- Make sure all your devices have auto chargers, and you
are good
- Gas
If you can have your home put on gas for cooking/water
heating/cloths drying it will save you money and can be used
without power (cooking). Having a tank is better then a utility
run. A large tank can be buried in most yards and not be an
eye sore.
- Water
A simple water collection system and some basic storage are
a must. You can use the Kelly Kettle to boil.
For home I would also recommend a Big Berkey
- Self defense
Do not be a victim. The police and other law enforcement only
get involved AFTER a crime. Owning a weapon and NOT knowing
how to use it is VERY dangerous for everyone.
- Learn to carry a gun and take a course.
- Or take a basic self defense class or martial arts
- Buy a stun gun and read a good book
- Purchase a shut gun and join a range and take lessons
- Older folks like myself can also carry a cane. This
make a very good weapon, and people see it as a weakness
(big advantage), plus you can take it places other
weapons would not be allowed.
**Be prepared**
Every person should at a minimum read a book on the following
topics, training would be better if possible.
- First Aid (See my books page)
- Self Defense
- How to start a fire
- Basic cooking
- Simple gardening
- Hand sewing
[🔝](#top)
## Conclusion
- Read the Bible every day and prey.
- Read to educate yourself on related topics. Many books are
free, thanks to the internet.
- Start a garden, even indoor window garden.
- Learn Linux, stop paying for software and being spied on.
- Come up with a home exercise routine.
- Make a 'get home' bag for your car.
- Learn how to repair, reuse, and repurpose
[DIY](http://crn.hopto.org/links.html#diy)
- Basic auto servicing (oil change, replace tires, etc..)
If you are stuck home due to lack of funds, virus scare, or what
ever, use the time. If you have lost your job or laid off (me),
then use the time to better yourself. Become more self reliant.
As we all know we have the plandemic going on, what most folks
are unaware of the what it is covering up. A global meltdown of
our economic markets and monetary systems. It is also another
excuse to put us back on a feudal system. The consequences of
all this will make the depression of the 30's like child's play.
I pray that the Lord Jesus will call us home soon, but we know
not when that hour shall be. So we must keep the faith, stay
in His Word, and pray. We also are going to change our standard
of living in a very large way. Some of you are going to have to
learn new skills very quickly, or get plugged into the "system".
### What not to do
Do not rely on government services as much as possible. A time
will come when they will be overwhelmed and will not be able
to help. Or they will want to control you and take away your
freedom, something they are already doing.
Do not stand out, blend in as much as possible. This is called
*grey-man* skills. You do not want to attract undo attention
to yourself or your family.
### Going forward
- Now is the time to acquire as much as you can without drawing
attention to yourself. Stock up, on food, medicine, books,
ebooks, etc...
- Seeds, lots of seeds. Grow lights (LED) and tools that do
not require power.
- Keep you car topped off, don't let it get low on fuel
- Travel without your phone, and turn off the GPS in it. It
will be used to track you and record what you say. Just keep
that in mind.
- Technology is a double edge sword, it needs to be handled
with care.
I know that this all sounds scary. But look how quickly things
have changed. Many have been caught off guard, don't let it
happen again. Even if things go back to "normal", plan as if
it won't stay that way, it will not.
**Additionally**
- Read the King Jame Bible, the only source of truth in
this world.
- Get rid of the T.V., all it does is push a narrative.
- Get out of debt
- Eat real food, mostly meat and real fats and salt. Focus on
you health!
- Start reading and educating yourself.
- Take responsibility for **you and yours**.
[🔝](#top)