I came across this link yesterday where you can check just how prepared you are for SHTF. I didn’t score too badly, but there’s always room for improvement!
National Geographic Doomsday Preppers
The best part is that it breaks it down into water, food, fuel, supplies, protection, communication. So you can see exactly where you stand, and what you need to work on next. And it’s not just about what you have stockpiled, but includes access – like how close you live or will bug out to a water source. Something else to keep in mind . . .
Some of you may have seen my Facebook posts about being caught without Advil – don’t forget those “nice but not necessary” items (although for me, Advil IS a necessity!). For instance, I’m totally addicted to General Foods International Coffee. Or maybe it’s General Mills. Anyway, yes, I stock up on that, the orange cappuccino specifically. Without that, it might look like the zombie apocalypse around here . . .
Back to prepping, for real: take the quiz, pick the most important area – I’d say water, to start – and work on that exclusively until you’re where you need to be. Then move on to the next, and so on and on.
It’s good to have a plan, and to break it down into parts so it’s not so overwhelming. And it’s much, much better to have that plan and to work it before SHTF, rather than during. Or after. And one more thing: there may not ever be a widespread SHTF situation, but there could easily be smaller ones that effect you and your family, like hurricane, tornado, blackout, market crash, and on and on.
Robin Writes 
Haha. 2 – 4 weeks… Although Rich seems to think we’d last a lot longer because he has bugout locations. Me thinks me may be a secret prepper…
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Hmmmm. Keeping secrets, huh? 😉
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The other side of survival is not covered. It’s far too politically correct. Too nice, too proper. It hinges on what you have and little on what you can get.
We are both foragers, I’m a trapper and a VERY good scavenger.
Call it looting if you like but ultimately no one can hold enough stores for an indefinite period without acquiring what they need.
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Have you read my books? Some prepping, yes, but also scavenging . . .
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No Robin, I’m not much of a reader. The attention span of a goldfish. I’m 95% practical, 5% theoretical.
You”ll be getting the drift by now. My point was aimed at the survey though, like all these “one size fits all” things, it has to be bland to not upset the “sensitive”.
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Oh, I hear what you’re saying. And while I don’t advocate theft, there will be items that could be, er, appropriated, if necessary. If.
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🙂 Theft is only when things belong to others and by the time I’m going to be out and about, what’s left of the population ain’t going to be worried about who owns what.
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Exactly!
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Good post, excellent idea even though it tends to be ‘one size fits all’ as noted. —Well, 16 months can’t be too bad relatively speaking.
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