Unfortunately, like so many other things in today’s consumer-oriented society, gardening has become a hobby that includes buying countless supplies and focusing on aesthetics rather than practicality. That’s become especially true throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with more people spending time at home.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Gardening has many mental and physical health benefits. It can help to reduce stress, boost the immune system, and it’s even a good workout. 

But, from a sustainability standpoint, “trendy” gardening isn’t effective or efficient. People are regularly razing their gardens and getting rid of useful plants because they’re viewed as “weeds”. Others are using harsh chemicals and other environmentally-damaging supplies to keep their gardens looking pristine. 

Obviously, you don’t want to fall into that category. 

So, how can you enjoy the benefits of gardening while cooperating with nature to increase your self-sustainability? 

Know Which Flowers to Grow

When most people think of a sustainable garden, fruits and vegetables come to mind. Growing your own food is a fantastic way to reduce your reliance on big box stores or even other farmers who can sell their produce to those without gardens of their own. 

But, it’s important not to discount growing specific plants and flowers. They can be just as beneficial as fruits and vegetables when used creatively. 

Many herbs, flowers, and roots, for example, have medicinal purposes: 

• Chamomile for relaxation and anxiety
• Aloe vera for soothing burns and irritated skin
• Ginger for nausea and motion sickness
• Saint John’s wort for depression

Growing these plants in your garden is a great way to reduce your dependency on pharmaceuticals and focus on natural, holistic healing. 

Plant preservation is another great way to utilize whatever you grow. If you want your home decor to be more sustainable and natural, consider pressing flowers rather than buying bouquets from a store or decorating with artificial greenery. Pressed plants and flowers are beautiful, last for years, and can even make great gifts. So, grow whatever appeals to you and know that you can preserve it once it’s in bloom rather than watching it wither away in the dirt. 

Be Strategic With Your Planting

No matter what you plant, it can be difficult to keep bugs, critters, and even larger animals like deer away from your space. While they’re just trying to get a bite to eat, they can end up destroying your precious plants if you don’t take action. 

Unfortunately, many insect and animal repellants contain harsh chemicals. Not only could they make animals sick, but they could cause damage to sensitive plants. Furthermore, if you’re going to a garden supply store or major chain store to purchase repellants, you’re going to end up crushing your self-sustainability efforts. 

Thankfully, there are strategies you can put in place to deter critters, birds, and bugs from destroying your plants. 

One of the easiest ways to keep birds and insects from eating your plants is to utilize color. Birds rely on color for everything from finding a mate to choosing the ripest berries to eat. There are some colors they’re more attracted to than others, but the one they are most likely to stay away from is white. White often signals “danger” to our fine feathered friends, so consider planting some white flowers around your plants to keep birds from swooping in. 

Bugs are also attracted to bright colors, so planting flowers and plants that have softer hues and more “neutral” shades can help to keep insects away. 

Another way to keep pests away is to make sure your garden stays “clean”. Start with clean soil, and be sure to pull any weeds and debris from your garden bed as often as possible. It’s easy for critters to hide in those weeds and make a home for themselves. By clearing everything away, you’ll have an organized and neat garden that’s harder for bugs and critters to set up shop. 

Giving Back to the Planet

Part of being self-sustainable is encouraging a more sustainable planet. Many preppers adopt eco-friendly lifestyles so they can rely on the earth’s natural resources to help them survive. Gardening can be a fantastic way to do something good for the environment – as long as you don’t douse it with pesticides or waste too much water trying to make it grow. 

There are plenty of ways to be more environmentally conscious with your garden that can also help you reduce your dependency on things like store-bought fertilizer and city water. Some of the best ways to make your garden more sustainable are: 

• Utilizing harvested water from rain barrels
• Composting
• Watering less
• Choosing native plants
• Reusing your resources whenever possible

Whether you’re trying to grow your own food, medicine, or you just want to enjoy some of the health benefits of gardening, doing so the right way can increase your self-sustainability and do something good for the planet at the same time. Keep these ideas in mind to implement in your garden this spring, and you’ll see how easy it is to grow something useful and beautiful without having to rely on the green thumb trends of the moment. 

The post Gardening in Cooperation With Nature to Increase Self-Sustainability  appeared first on Practical Preppers.

Prepping is often seen as a solitary activity. It is stereotypically depicted as overly skittish individuals hoarding everything they can so that they can survive the inevitable end of the world.

But the truth is, prepping is an activity everyone should participate in — and not just for themselves, either. Along with making sure that you’re ready for the next emergency, here are a few suggestions for ways that you can show that brotherly love by helping to prepare your neighborhood for any potential problems, too.

Choose Your Neighborhood Carefully

Before we get into the nitty-gritty aspects of orchestrating neighborhood-wide prepping activities, it’s worth taking a minute to talk about the place that you choose to live. From the setting to your particular house, you want to choose your living space carefully.

This starts with your home. Prepping influences your choice of living space in multiple ways. For instance, here are a few questions to ask when you’re looking for a home:

• Are you choosing a home that is in an open, clear location where you can defend yourself and maintain your self-sufficiency and autonomy if necessary?
• Is your new home going to undercut your financial preparedness or are you tackling monthly costs and future budgeting?
• Is the local neighborhood overcrowded or difficult to protect?
• Are the neighbors engaged or do they avoid interacting with one another?

You may not be able to answer all of these questions upfront. Nevertheless, it’s worth asking them beforehand to help make as informed a decision as possible.

Of course, if you’re already in a house and aren’t planning on moving any time soon, you can still work with what you have. However, if and when you do choose to move, do so with a long-term prepping mindset — both in regards to your personal living space as well as your local community.

Be Diplomatic

When you set out to prep for your entire neighborhood, the first thing to do is consider how you’ll approach the task. There is a stigma around prepping that you want to avoid.

Instead of reinforcing the paranoid stereotype already mentioned, emphasize the sense of control that being prepared offers. Prepping isn’t about being scared or fearful. It’s about safeguarding yourself against potential future issues. 

This doesn’t have to be a full-blown apocalypse. Instead, focus on things like the possibility of going through another pandemic, a serious electric outage, a flood, or some other event that is more likely in the short term. This will make your propositions more relatable.

Start a Neighborhood Watch

When it comes to first steps, consider starting a neighborhood watch. This is a common, practical activity that many will see useful even if they aren’t sold out to the prepper mindset yet.

You can start a neighborhood watch by:

• Setting things up with local law enforcement;
• Meeting with neighbors to discuss the task;
• Electing officers and coordinators to oversee the effort;
• Creating a schedule and setting up an online group for community communication.

A neighborhood watch is a great way to get your local community comfortable with the idea of prepping as a unit.

Gather Resources

Once you have your neighborhood involved in the prepping efforts, you can begin to work toward expanding them beyond basic safety concerns. Start having meetings for those who want to take basic prepping more seriously.

Again, be diplomatic with this. Focus on things like ensuring that everyone has basic supplies and properly stocked go bags in the event of a minor emergency like a power outage or storm.

From there, you can begin to introduce more complex and important resources for a larger disaster. For example, gather transportation, terrain, and Google image maps of the local area. 

Then go over them with your neighbors. Look for things like nearby water sources and designate gathering points if things go wrong.

Over time, you may even be able to start discussing things like defensive strategies and tactics. Outline an area of the neighborhood that will be the easiest to defend if things really go south. Talk through things like weapons, lock systems, and so on.

Easing Your Neighborhood Into a Prepping Mindset

Prepping takes a lot of work. This is just as true on a neighborhood scale as it is for an individual or a household. It requires coordination, communication, and the right mindset.

Community prepping also takes time and patience. You can’t create a defensively sound, self-dependent community in a week. 

Instead, start to lay the groundwork in reasonable ways. Launch a neighborhood watch program. Set up a community Facebook Group or text feed. Have collective prepping days to ensure that everyone is ready for basic emergencies.

As you identify those who are more sold out to the prepping lifestyle, you can create a team of individuals that can help spearhead the prepping efforts across your community. If you can do that, you’ll find that your neighborhood is as prepared as possible before long.

The post How Preppers Can Help Keep Their Neighborhood Safe appeared first on Practical Preppers.

1. Talk to your children about the plan and include them in the decision making.

“Nothing causes more panic, then not having a plan for emergencies” says David Reece, a psychology writer at Boom Essays and Lia Help. Put the emphasis on the idea that it is better to be prepared for an emergency rather than making sound imminent. Answer their questions honestly and consider their good ideas, so they feel like they have meaningfully contributed. Make sure you also keep it age appropriate. Teach your children how to call the appropriate authorities for help and make sure you have a plan of action, and they know it by heart. This way should the need arise, they will be able to keep calm and follow the plan. 

2. Make the emergency plan prepping interesting.

One of the easiest way to pique your child’s interest in prepping for an emergency situation is to make it interesting. Provide books, movies, and video games surrounding survivalist topics for your children to ingest and soon they will be asking questions about what they are reading and playing. Books like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen or My Side of the Mountain by Jean George will entice them to want to try out their own survivalist skills. If you children are into video games, Disaster Hero might get them thinking about how to prep for a disaster and wanting to know more. It’s a great way to get them on board with disaster prepping without having to convince them it’s a good idea. Children who are interested in this knowledge will actively be more helpful and willing to prep than a child who has zero interest. 

3. Give them some age appropriate responsibilities based on their current interests.

If your child is ready and willing to help your prep should an emergency or disaster befall you both, start by letting them choose something they need to be responsible for. Maybe they want to plant and maintain a little vegetable patch, because they really like doing things outdoors. If your child is really into technology, then maybe they let them learn how to use a CB radio and be in charge of the walkie talkies. Again, letting them choose the responsibility based around their current interests will make it more likely that they will be willing to help. 

4. Encourage hobbies that are prep friendly

Again, based on their current interests, your child can develop a hobby that is emergency prep-friendly. One of your kids might be more kitchen orientated and want to help can and preserve food. Another might prefer to tend the garden. Maybe one is really into foraging in the forests for food. Whatever they are into, that’s where their energy and work should go towards. 

“If your children don’t seem to develop hobbies based around survival/outdoor skills, getting them involved in your local Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts troop is a great way to develop hobbies that are prep friendly” advises Vickie Mosher, a parent blogger at State of writing and Essay Roo.

5. Go camping

This may seem less like prepping for a disaster and more like fun in the outdoors, but camping is a great way to do both. When you camp, you learn a lot of survivalist skills, like foraging, making a fire, cooking over an open flame, putting up a tent, and much more. It’s a great way to hone a lot of disaster prep skills while having a lot of fun with the whole family. You can combine it with activities like hunting and fishing, which are useful prep skills to have as well. 

These are five easy ways to include your children in prepping for emergencies, based on their current interests, without too much stress. 

The post 5 Easy Ways To Get Your Child Involved In Prepping appeared first on Practical Preppers.

Make A First Aid Kit

This is something every student should have, and ideally you should have two: one at home, and one in your car. It needs to be somewhere you can easily grab should you need it, so make sure it’s easily reached.

You can buy a ready-made kit easily online, or you can put together your own. That’s usually a good idea if you have to take regular medications, like inhalers for asthma. A first aid kit should include the following:

• Several bandage types, such as roller bandage and adhesive bandages
   
• Compress dressings
   
• Antiseptic wipes
   
• Hydrocortisone ointment packets
   
• Adhesive cloth tape
   
• Packets of aspirin
   
• Emergency blanket
   
• Breathing barrier
   
• Instant cold compress
   
• Non latex gloves
   
• Sterile gauze pads
   
• Oral thermometer
   
• Tweezers
  

Have A Power Outage Kit

There are all kinds of reasons why your power may go out, from a tripped circuit breaker to area wide power outages. Whatever the reason, you need to be prepared for an outage. Have the following items on hand, in case you need them:

Flashlight: This is the most important thing in your kit. ‘There are several types of flashlights out there, from wind up ones to chargeable ones’ says preparedness blogger Shiloh Miles, from Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. ‘It’s worth having a few with different power sources, so you’ll always be able to find your way around.’

Headlamp: This is another good light source, as you can wear it and keep your hands free. It can help you to signal others if needed.

Radio: It’s hard to stress how helpful a radio is when it comes to power outages. They’ll help you get local info on what’s going on, such as where to go to get food and water should you need it.

Solar charger: While your phone may not be useful for calls if the local phone network goes down, it’s still practical for other reasons, such as an additional flashlight. A solar charger collects power in the sun, which you can then use to charge your phone as needed.

Have Non-Perishable Food On Hand

If there’s a natural disaster in your area, you need to ensure you have enough food in the house for you to survive on. Having a good non-perishable stock will go a long way towards keeping you fed. Some foods to stock include:

• Canned foods, like meat, soup, stew etc.
   
• Rice and pasta
   
• Tea and coffee
   
• Sugar
   
• Peanut butter
   
• Powdered milk
   
• Boxed or canned juice
   
• Granola bars
  

Don’t forget that you may need water, too. ‘Generally, you should have one gallon per day for drinking and cooking’ says psychology writer Lidia Pitt, from Origin Writings and Brit Student. ‘The more you can store, the better.’

Remember to replace any stored water after 6 months and keep containers out of direct sunlight. Having them under your bed is always a good spot.

Put Together an Emergency Kit

Along with your food and other supplies, there are some items you need to have in an emergency kit.

Multi tool: These are so helpful as they can do almost anything, from cutting items to opening cans.

Signaling whistle: If you’re in danger, you can use this to get attention and help quickly.

Duct tape: A good quality duct tape will help you do temporary repairs, such as sealing windows or holding items together.

Use this guide to put together your own emergency kit. With everything here, you should be prepared for pretty much anything. Just make sure that everything is in easy reach, should you ever need it.

The post The College Student’s Guide To Disaster Prepping appeared first on Practical Preppers.

Focusing on waste prevention will make you more prepared while doing something good for the planet. 

It’s important to know how to properly dispose of things as well as how to reuse and recycle other items. Some things you might typically throw away can actually be used more than once to cut back on waste production. Repurposing should already be in your wheelhouse, so shift your perspective on it to utilize your skills in waste prevention. 

How exactly can focusing on waste prevention make you more prepared? Let’s cover a few of those reasons so you can start focusing on reducing your personal waste and getting creative with things you can reuse. 

You’ll Be Self-Sustainable

Sustainability is a hot topic right now, but when you’re a prepper it takes on a few different meanings. It’s always good to give back to the planet and do something good for the environment. That’s why 64% of Americans are willing to pay more for sustainable products. But, sustainability is about more than the products you purchase. 

Going zero waste can make you less dependent on things like big box stores and online ordering. Instead, you can focus on things like: 

• Getting to know your neighbors
• Building a community
• Being a more conscious consumer
• Stocking up on shelf-stable food
• Minimizing packaging

You can also start to collect fresh water through sustainable solutions like creating an off-grid water delivery system. You won’t have to depend on your city or county because you can control your own water use without wasting a lot of it. Plus, you won’t have to stock up on hundreds of plastic water bottles!

Waste prevention doesn’t have to be a solo project. By getting your local prep community involved, you can rely on each other. Self-sustainability can involve other people, as long as you’re all willing to pitch in and help one another to reduce waste and use what you already have or can produce on your own. 

You’ll Be More Resourceful

Along with self-sustainability, you’ll learn to be more resourceful when you shift your focus to waste prevention. Resourcefulness will come out of necessity. For example, it’s not just about finding your own water – it’s about using it proactively and efficiently. You can be more resourceful while cutting back on waste by doing things like: 

• Taking shorter showers
• Growing your food
• Investing in quality furniture or making your own
• Using recyclable products

Choose to avoid things like fast fashion. Instead, invest in high-quality clothing or shop and thrift stores. Avoid single-use plastic. If you can’t grow your food, shop at local farmer’s markets rather than a big grocery store. 

Resourcefulness should come naturally as a prepper. You already know what it takes to be prepared for disasters. You can apply some of those skills to making everyday changes toward sustainability. 

You can also be more resourceful by reusing things that might otherwise be considered “trash”. Do you have some old clothes lying around with tears or things you won’t wear anymore? Use them for cleaning or donate them if they’re in good shape. Repurpose old furniture or rebuild pieces to turn them into something completely different. You’ll get to use your imagination and find creative, effective ways to use what you already have when you choose to be more resourceful. 

You’ll Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe

Most of your prepping efforts are likely already in place to keep you and your family safe. But, focusing on waste prevention can boost your safety efforts in ways you might not have thought about before. 

People tend to think of waste as garbage or food scraps. But, energy waste and water waste are big problems, too. You can cut back on wasted energy while keeping your family protected by closing up gaps around your home. Leak detection around your house is incredibly important. When there are leaks, it increases the risk of mold. That can contribute to respiratory infections, nausea, and wreak havoc on family members with conditions like asthma. Sealing up those leaks will not only keep your family healthier but will reduce energy waste and lower your overall energy consumption. 

Finding ways to reduce waste can make your prepping efforts easier and more effective. You don’t have to be “zero-waste” to make a solid effort and make a difference while you’re at it. If you’re already prepping for a disaster or emergency, find ways to “tweak” what you do to reduce your waste production and increase your preparedness. 

The post How Focusing on Waste Prevention Will Make You More Prepared appeared first on Practical Preppers.

1. Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

When the lights are out, it’s even more important to know when there may be a gas leak or a fire. Keeping your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors fully operational can help avert disaster in an already tricky situation. 

Setting a reminder for yourself can help you remember to switch out the old batteries on your detectors, which should be done every six months or so. Keeping your family safe is a top priority and fresh batteries can keep your detectors running even when the power is off, so you’ll always know. 

2. Have extra sources of light handy

If your power is out, one of the most important things to have planned out is your source of light. This means having a stockpile of options in an easily accessible place. Keep a designated cabinet or drawer in your home where you keep your extra light supplies, so that you can find them without much trouble when the lights are out.

Make sure your stash has matches, flashlights, extra batteries and perhaps a few candles. It’s easy for one of your light sources to fail, so having an extra box of matches, batteries that aren’t dead, and some candles with full wicks will take the stress off when you’re first looking for light. 

3. Keep stocked on non-perishable food

Staying stocked with non-perishable food can be incredibly helpful during a power outage, especially when you consider that some of your fresh food will easily go bad without refrigeration. For this reason, having a pantry full of canned goods, dried fruits and nuts, grains and boxed meals will go a long way if your fresh foods spoil. Some brands even specialise in foods for camping and situations like disasters and power outages.

Before opening, nut milks do not require refrigeration as well as many soups and other dehydrated meals. You may want to stock up on easy and quick foods like oatmeal. There are even some full meals that can be prepared only with pantry-friendly goods. It’s a good time to be creative, and plan out mentally what types of food you will want to eat when the power is out. 

4. Prepare for your medical needs

When the power is out, it’s helpful and prudent to be prepared for any special medical needs your family has. Keeping a stock that is easy to get to and not expired is important. In case of an emergency, you definitely don’t want to be scrambling through cabinets, checking labels and expiration dates, especially in the dark. 

It’s also important that you have a list of information, so everyone in the family is accounted for. Having details such as allergies, common medications, prescriptions and any other records you may need to get to in a pinch, will help make sure everyone is safe and taken care of in an already challenging situation. Lastly, if one of your family members uses a ventilator or other medical device, making sure your house has a backup source of power can mean life or death!

5. Stay informed

Without television or internet, it is easy to miss any updates on your city’s power, or the natural events that may be causing it. Make sure you have some spare batteries for your smartphone, so that you can stay in the loop about weather patterns, evacuation recommendations, etc. 

Using your phone only when necessary and enabling push notifications from your weather app is a good way to make sure you won’t miss the most important information. There are plenty of sources you may want to check, such as your local news, your utility company’s website, and the weather channel.

6. Have a full tank of gas

While it’s less common for you to need to leave your house during a power outage, it’s better to be prepared in the case of a more serious event. Having your gas tank filled will take away unnecessary stress should you need to evacuate, run an errand for something essential, or stay with friends or relatives temporarily. You may even want to keep a small portable gas tank in the garage, should you find your tank low when you need to leave. 

7. Keep a to-go bag ready

If you need to leave in a pinch, having a to-go bag full of essentials is incredibly important. In the case of an emergency, the last thing you want to be doing is running around the house, trying to remember all of the important things you will need and all the various places they may be hidden. 

In your to-go bag, you can keep important documents, such as passports, social security cards, and other forms of identification. It’s also a good idea to have a few snacks, water bottles, extra batteries and chargers for your phone, and even a bit of spare cash. Keeping a few extra blankets and some of you children’s favorite toys can also make for a smoother ride. 

If you have pets, packing their leashes, toys and food will save you time on the way out. Lastly, keeping a good stock of medications you or your family members take regularly, as well as any prescription information, is absolutely essential.

8. Purchase a generator

If you live in an area where the power goes out often, you might want to invest in a propane or diesel generator to power your home. The longer the power is out, the more it becomes important to power appliances like your fridge, keep water running, and enjoy the comforts of your other appliances. This can keep your food from spoiling and creating a large mess to clean up later. It can also help you stay clean and comfortable, which is especially important in uncertain times. 

Make sure you operate your generator safely by keeping it dry, only refilling it when it is powered down and cooled off, and operating the generator outside and far away from your house (about 20 feet). Using propane or diesel instead of gas is also a good idea because it allows you to store your generator safely.

9. Keep yourself entertained

If you’re lucky, the power will only be out for a few hours. Unfortunately, when it pushes past a few hours, it’s especially important to keep yourself busy and give everyone something to focus on besides the power outage. If you have young children, it’s good to have some toys, books, flashlights, puppets, and maybe a few board games. 

It’s the perfect time to make a big pillow fort in the living room, or have story time with shadow puppets! Having art supplies that require little cleanup, like crayons, markers and coloring books, will help the hours go by much more quickly, without adding extra stress to the situation. 

10. Keep stocked on comfort items

Regardless of your climate, the weather outside will begin to affect you once the power goes out. If your power is out due to a more intense weather condition, it’s especially important to have what you need to stay comfortable. As soon as the power goes out, you’ll begin to feel the difference within your home. 

Keeping your home well stocked with sleeping bags, comfortable blankets, pillows, and warm clothing can help you stay warm in the event that you live in a colder climate. You may want to layer up, keep close to family members, and stay in one room of the house. Also, making sure you have taken steps to weather-proof your home will significantly help your home stay insulated and cozy.

If you live in a warmer climate, have some lighter clothes to change into, keep the fridge and freezer closed as much as possible, and stop your house from heating up as quickly by drawing the shades and curtains to block intense sunlight. You may consider having a few small, battery powered fans in the home to keep the air flowing in your home. 

11. Make sure you’re insured

In the event that the power outage is part of a larger disaster, it’s important to make sure your home and property are covered. Checking up on your home insurance policy can save you lots of trouble in case anything is lost or damaged.

Pay close attention to what is covered in the case of an emergency, such as an extreme weather event or fire. You may even want to check your life insurance policy, to make sure your coverage is up to date and there are no lapses in your policy. 

Whether you’re preparing for a disaster, a trip or simply trying to keep your home updated and sustainable, Practical Preppers has the information you need to roll with the tides in a changing world. Based in South Carolina, we specialise in sharing our passion for off-grid living and providing you and your family with solutions for an independent and sustainable lifestyle in the face of unpredictable circumstances.

The post How to Stay Prepared for a Power Outage appeared first on Practical Preppers.

Unlike your human family members, pets can’t do much to prep for disaster ahead of time. So,  it’s up to you to make sure you have everything in place for them. That includes having the right supplies on hand and making sure you include them in whatever plans you create to stay safe. 

It’s not uncommon for pets to get abandoned during natural disasters – not on purpose, but because owners aren’t fully prepared. If you’re an avid prepper, including your pets in your plan will keep your entire family together when disaster strikes. 

Not sure where to get started when it comes to prepping with pets? Let’s go over a few helpful tips and ideas that will make it easier so your whole family can stay together during a disaster. 

Having the Right Supplies

You already know the importance of having the right gear and supplies for your family. So, make sure you do the same for your pet. Packing a small bug-out bag or first-aid kit specifically for your four-legged friend is a great place to start. From there, you can build a bigger natural disaster preparedness kit, including items like: 

• Food and water to last a week
• Any medicine your pet might need
• A blanket
• Their leash/harness
• Cat litter (if needed)
• Their favorite toy

You should also make sure your pet can be easily identified. Their collar or leash should have their name and your basic contact information. If you do end up getting separated, someone else might find them and have an easier time returning them home. 

Keep in mind that your pet might be scared or uncertain if there’s an emergency. They won’t be able to comprehend it the same way you do. So, don’t be afraid to throw a few extra “comfort” items into their kit. Whether it’s more toys, treats, or even something that smells like you, it can make a big difference. 

Prepping Your Home for Your Pets

As a prepper, you already know that not every disaster is a natural disaster. Many people have separate homes or shelters they can retreat to if other threats ever occur. It’s not uncommon to put a lot of time and effort into these secondary shelters. You might have shelves stocked with food, a strong foundation, and extra safety measures in place. 

But, is it built for your pet, too? 

The last thing you want to do is leave your pet behind because your secure location isn’t safe for them. So, when you’re making your home disaster ready, make sure you keep your furry family member in mind, too. 

Making sure your furniture is pet-friendly will be a big help. You might not be able to buy new furniture during a disaster, so pet-friendly items that are durable, easy to clean, and will last a long time are essential. Additionally, having a pet bed or something they can climb on without worrying about it getting ruined will make them more comfortable and can offer you greater peace of mind. 

Making Your Pet a Part of the Plan

If you have a plan in place for what your family should do during a disaster, don’t forget to include your pet. They’re not going to be able to “remember” their role or go through any kind of verbal drills to practice. So, someone should always be assigned to take responsibility for your furry friends if you need to suddenly leave your home. 

Having a disaster plan that includes a pet isn’t too different from any human plan. But, it’s important to remember a few critical additions, including: 

• Evacuating before a mandatory order
• Having a place to go ahead of time that allows pets
• Connecting with someone who can take care of your pet if you’re not home
• Relying on friends and family to help

If you’re stuck in your home or it’s too late to leave, make sure your plan includes extra safety measures for your four-legged friend. Keep toxic items out of their reach, designate a “safe room” or specific area for them, and have their supplies easily accessible. It’s also a good idea to close off any small areas of your home where your animal might try to hide. That’s especially important if you have a cat or dog who gets spooked easily. 

One of the highest priorities you should have during a disaster is to make sure every member of your family is safe. When you truly care about your pet, that plan needs to include them. Like prepping for anything else, your efforts need to start now. No one knows when an emergency will happen. Being as prepared as possible for your pet’s sake will ensure their safety and make it easier to bring them along with you, even in the worst situations. 

The post Prepping With Pets appeared first on Practical Preppers.

Many things in life are unpredictable such as natural disasters, home invasions, and the apocalypse, just to name a few. Although the chances of these things happening may be pretty small, it still worries many people since the damage left by these events can be significant and life-threatening.

So, creating a safer home environment and provide protection when unpredictable events occur is becoming increasingly in demand these days.

Many people have been intimidated by the high costs of panic room construction. The good news is that a panic room doesn’t need to be expensive and luxurious. You can make do with just a basement or a well-hidden room with thick walls. In this article, we will discuss what a panic room is, its uses, and the five things you need for a panic room. 

What’s A Panic Room? 

A panic room or a safe room is a secure room usually installed in a private residence. A panic room adds extra security and protection for homeowners in case an emergency happens. 

Many things make up a panic room, but the main things would be reduced entry points, thick walls, means of communication, supplies, and power source to keep the room running. Most panic rooms are built to keep inhabitants alive for a certain amount of time.

Why People Build Panic Rooms

With natural disasters, news about the apocalypse, and imminent danger, it’s evident that the demand for panic rooms stems from the need for security and protection during these events. Due to its unpredictability, panic rooms give homeowners a sense of safety and comfort, knowing that they have an extra layer of security when disaster strikes.

Although a panic room won’t guarantee complete protection from disasters, it increases the chances of survival, which is undoubtedly better than being in danger with nowhere to go. 

The Essentials

When we see panic rooms in the media, they often show luxurious bunkers and state-of-the-art technology that we know we have little chances of affording. Although it doesn’t hurt to have extra perks for your panic room, a five-star hotel room isn’t necessary for survival.

Here are some main things to keep in mind when thinking about constructing your panic room without breaking the budget. Although it still requires some funds, you’ll be spending it on necessities to help you survive unpredictable disasters.

1. Renewable Source of Energy

The most important thing you would need for your panic room is power. We recommend using a renewable source of energy powered by a solar-powered system such as solar panels. 

After a natural disaster, the power supply is often interrupted. Having solar panels will ensure that your panic room will run seamlessly despite the circumstances. In addition, since solar power is a renewable source of energy, you won’t have to worry about running out of power.

Besides the fact that they’re clean and environmentally friendly, they can also help you save up money while keeping you and your loved ones protected from danger. 

2. Means of Communication

In a panic room, you should always have something to communicate with the outside world. It can be a two-way radio, a land-line phone, or a cell phone. You should also have a charger ready in case the batteries run out. 

It is recommended that you have a land-line phone and a two-way radio on hand since sometimes cell phones can’t operate properly through thick walls and intruders might cut off your land-line.  

3. Plenty of Supplies

If you’re one of the lucky ones, you might have to stay in your panic room for just a few hours. However, what happens if you need to stay there for at least a few days? No matter how long you need to remain in your panic room, you must stock up your space with as many supplies as you can. It’s also never too late to prepare early on.

When stocking up your panic room, remind yourself to get a moderate amount of medication, canned food, water, and blankets. Also, you could add in some of your favorite books and board games to keep yourself entertained during the long hours. 

4. Basic Plumbing

Having proper plumbing is imperative for your panic room, especially if you had to stay in the room for a certain period of time. Depending on your budget, proper plumbing can range from a simple portable toilet to a septic tank with separate plumbing with a new bathroom. 

Either way, you would also need to stock your panic room with lots of water to ensure that your makeshift bathrooms stay running throughout the entire time. 

5. Reduced Points of Entry

Last but not least, your panic room should have reduced points of entry. This means that you should have no windows and only one door. Having windows might seem nice, but it increases the chances of intruders breaking into your panic room.

It’s also crucial that you have a strong door. Wooden doors won’t be able to do the job of protecting you from danger, so a solid door made of steel is highly recommended. 

Wrapping Up

A panic room doesn’t need to look or feel like a five-star hotel. So although it would be nice to have some extra perks and state-of-the-art technology, it’s not strictly essential.
Having these five elements such as a renewable source of energy, means of communication, plenty of supplies, basic plumbing, and reduced points of entry is more than enough to ensure that you and your loved ones will be protected and secure during natural disasters, home invasions, or the apocalypse.

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Preparing for a disaster situation is a very important, yet very overlooked, life practice. Just last year we experienced a pandemic, with this year bringing us widespread grid failure and ransomware attacks. These unprecedented times are proof now more than ever that we need to be prepared for an earth-shaking disaster. Being prepared for an emergency ensures that you and your family can not only stay calm and level-headed while trying to survive but also stay safe and healthy.

The first things that need to be assessed in a disaster are shelter, food, and water. The ease at which we can get food in today’s America has created a generation of citizens unaware and uninterested in how and where their food is made. The advancement of production has also erased most worries of food scarcity in US citizens, making long-term food storage a non-essential to many. Not only is food storage essential, but it could also be what makes the difference between life or death in emergencies.

If you’re getting curious about preparedness, you can browse our other blog posts, which you can find here and here, to get more information on starting and maintaining a food pantry. 

You’ve Stored Food, What Now?

Let’s say you have an impressive prepper pantry full of freeze-dried this and powdered that, have you tried cooking with it? Have you considered making meals with only those items and no help from the fresh food you have in the fridge? Cooking is doable with fire, but have you ever tried cooking with none of the electrical appliances you’re used to? Well, we made a meal using items only from our food storage so you don’t have to.

The Recipe Test

We made Hawaiian-style Spam fried rice with ONLY food storage from our prepper pantry. Here’s a link to the recipe, if you’d like exact measurements and ingredients to make it yourself! There were a few changes that needed to be made when we began cooking to ensure we only used long-term food storage.

The first thing we did was raid the prepper pantry to make sure we had everything necessary for the dish. Rice, vegetables, egg substitute, and Spam were our main ingredients and, fortunately, we had it all available. Seasonings and condiments aren’t vital in this meal, though they definitely make a difference in taste.

Perishable items like eggs and some of our vegetable ingredients would have been impossible if we didn’t have Thrive products in our pantry! Check out Thrive here to browse their huge list of freeze-dried products that they have. 

The recipe is best made with day-old rice that’s gotten sticky (which is great if you’ve made too much the day before and can’t afford to waste food during a scarcity), but it is possible to boil the rice fresh and then let it sit and cool while the rest is cooked.  

 We cooked the diced Spam over high heat and then set it to the side. Next, we reconstituted the onions in water and gave them time to soak. We mixed the egg powder with water and sugar and cooked the mixture in the same pan we used for the Spam. We thought it would be interesting to go out and collect fresh eggs from the chickens (not technically cheating since the eggs would be accessible during an emergency and wouldn’t need to be refrigerated!) and compare the egg powder to the real thing. The textures were surprisingly similar, with the powdered egg being slightly sweeter with less of the eggy flavor we’re used to (thankfully much closer in taste than I was expecting). 

  Then we combined our seasonings (using soy sauce, salt, pepper, and Thrive’s garlic powder and ginger powder) and veggies over the heat. Once those were ready, we added our rice and Spam and let everything mix. Once everything was thoroughly cooked, it was time to plate! 

When I took my first bite my eyes widened. It was not only better than I was expecting, it was good! If I wanted to eat this for lunch on a regular day, I couldn’t imagine how satisfying it would be in worse circumstances.

Final Thoughts

Digging into long-term food storage and cooking with it is something I think all preppers need to do. Hypothetical planning can’t compare to real-life experience. Playing out scenarios could be life-saving in a disaster situation. Being able to call upon experience during an emergency reduces fear and stress, making you calm and efficient. 

Cooking with long-term food storage gave me a feeling of optimism. It’s doable. Not only is it doable, but it’s also not that hard. It was a confidence boost knowing that there’s one less thing to worry about in a disaster. Having access to a tasty cooked meal could not only be the means to survive but also a means to comfort, which will also be scarce in the times that we prepare for. 

The post Making a Meal Only Using Food Storage appeared first on Practical Preppers.

On the contrary, a real prepper is interested in, well, prepping. They want to be prepared for the worst in all areas of life. This is where cryptocurrency can be a huge help. Here is a quick rundown on several of the top reasons preppers should consider crypto as a portion of their prepping activities — along with a few things to watch out for.

Crypto is the New Gold

For many, financial prepping is based on security. Things like printed currency and fiat money can inflate and deflate in value based on the whims of a politician or a vote in Congress.

Crypto, though, is limited. It often has a capped value, like Bitcoin which only has 21 million coins in existence (mined as well as unmined.) This makes it much more interesting as an investment. In essence, its limited nature makes cryptocurrency a sort of “digital gold,” a flattering term that many in the industry have come to use fondly.

Even if you invest in something like Dogecoin, which doesn’t have a set amount of coins in circulation, you’re at least free from the whims of government bureaucrats. Sure, the value may swing based on market demand and news cycles, but it isn’t tied to political platforms. 

Crypto Can Diversify Your Financial Prep

Adding cryptocurrency is also a great way to diversify your portfolio. If you’re a prepper, chances are you try to avoid an overdependence on things like plastic credit and digital banking. These are systems that are dependent on a larger power grid and distant servers, all of which are out of your control.

Stockpiling things like gold, silver, and paper cash are classic workarounds to this financial weakness … and so is cryptocurrency. Admittedly, crypto is also dependent on an online connection in many cases. However, if you download your holdings into a hardware wallet, you can literally store them right alongside your gold and silver in your safe.

As a quick aside, this ability to stow your crypto “offline” is also a great cybersecurity bonus that can help you rest at night.

Crypto Can Appreciate in Value

Finally, don’t forget the fact that owning crypto can be an investment all on its own. Along with the security and diversity benefits that it provides for your finances, it can also give you more money to use for your prepping activities.

A lot of the elements of prepping can require a significant amount of upfront capital. Food storage, water purifying devices, solar panels, and other off-grid investments add up quickly. Investing in crypto has the upside of helping you pay for these items, avoid compiling debt, and even keeping your credit in good standing. This opens up a slew of financial benefits — many of which are critical elements of financial preparedness, such as higher chances of loan approvals if and when society rebuilds.

The Downsides of Crypto in Your Prepper Portfolio

When cryptocurrency is brought up in a negative light, it typically revolves around two things: unstable prices and energy usage. We already addressed the former and why it shouldn’t be a major concern for preppers — especially when fiat money is the alternative.

However, the energy usage associated with the crypto market is certainly a concern. This has led to major declines in the value of cryptocurrency, such as when Elon Musk criticized Bitcoin for its “rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels.” Many preppers prioritize things like sustainability and personal energy independence, which is the ability to produce the amount of energy needed for all power needs. The energy used in transactions and mining goes directly against the efficacy of this financial model.

Along with these more high-minded, universal concerns, there are a few personal considerations when it comes to your own financial prepping. For instance, in a serious emergency, there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to immediately access your cryptocurrency. 

Even if you can get your hardware wallet back online, there’s no guarantee that it will hold its value in every scenario — or even be useable as a legitimate form of tender. Metaphorical money isn’t the same as a lump of gold — or ideally, silver — that you could use to barter with in a pinch.

While there are plenty of upsides, it’s important to realize that you’re taking a risk if you prep with crypto. And for all the reasons listed above, it should never be your primary investment.

Considering Crypto as a Prepper

Recent disasters like the Great Recession and the COVID19 pandemic taught us that prepping needs to go much further than the end of the world. It also showed us that everything from food to energy to toilet paper needs to be factored into the equation.

Finances also remain a critical piece of the prepping puzzle. The novel “digital gold” offers a host of benefits for any avid prepper, and while it comes with its downsides, for the time being at least, it seems like a great move to add some crypto to your prepping portfolio.

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