# Rookie Preppers: 8 Mistakes To Avoid



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

http://readynutrition.com/resources/8-mistakes-made-by-first-time-preppers_06092013/

*Don't Panic*

Take a deep breath, sit down and make an emergency plan. Decide what emergency you are preparing for and what supplies you will need. Try and stay within a certain emergency time frame and work your way up to larger scale emergencies. For example, begin planning for a 72 hour emergency and work your way up to a short term emergency and later, a larger scale or long term emergency.

Take your time and properly plan how you are going to open up your budget so that you can attain these emergency items. Cutting out the extraneous spending in your budget can free up a lot of extra cash. The money saved can be used toward your future preparedness items. Make the choice of using the new found preparedness money or save it for a more expensive prep. Either way, you will accumulate a little at a time and not break the budget.

Personal Experience - One mistake I remember (and am still paying for) was when my husband and I decided to get a short term food supply. We hadn't really researched what it takes to maintain your family's health during a short term emergency so we impulsively went out and bought $200 in canned goods. Needless to say that we are still living off of that canned good investment. Looking back, we could have used that $200 in a more constructive manner.

*Don't always believe the experts.*

Listen to what the experts say, but make the decision that is best for your family and your needs. Some expert's advice is driven by what makes them the most money or what other experts are saying at the time. Make a list of what items you are looking for and research those items (include reading the customer reviews).

Personal Experience - An expert was telling everyone that they should have a certain brand of hiking boots. Well, I went out and bought them because "the expert" said I should. Because I didn't research the boots (and the specs about the boot), after purchasing it; I made the realization that they were way too heavy for me. Luckily, I was able to return the boots and get my money back. After I researched and read customer reviews, I went out and invested in a different pair of hiking boots that were perfect for what I needed.

*Don't buy cheap preps.*

Trying to save money here and there is great, but when you are investing in survival gear, you want to make sure the investment is worth the money spent. Begin looking at your purchase as an investment for your future. You want that product to last and do it's desired function with minimal hassel. And you want to be able to depend on that product to see you through an emergency. On another note, whatever items or tools you buy, make sure you use it. If you invest money and buy an item that you do not know how to use, it's useless.

Personal Experience - I wanted to save a few bucks and bought a basic sleeping bag that didn't have any bells or whistles. Later on down the line, I realized the sleeping bag was way too bulky, weighed too much for a bug out situation and had no capacity to really keep someone warm. I ended up investing in an ultralight backpack that keeps me toasty when I need it the most and is feather light. Although I made a mistake with the first sleeping bag, I am using it as a back up, so the investment was not a complete loss. Other items I have found that are worth spending extra money on are good toothbrushes, survival tools, water filtration systems and survival knives.

*Buy preps that are multi purpose.*

You want to make the most out of your preparedness investment so do some extra research and find preparedness items that have multiple functions.

Personal Experience - I have found a lot of items that have multi uses, so listing them would be an entire article in itself. However, here are few suggestions that would help serve a multitude of functions. Rope, for instance is a great multi use prep. It can be used for hanging or securing emergency shelters, used as a laundry line or for hauling. Other multi-function items are a good knife, multi tool, and emergency foods, such as salt, baking soda, and vinegar.

*Buy foods you and your family normally eat.*

This is one of the biggest mistakes that preppers make. You want to use the food that you store. To get the most out of your food investment, develop good storage habits. Further, it's a good rule of thumb to purchase foods and items that will be used within their allotted time span, so check the expiration date!

Personal Experience - I came across some cans of seafood medley at my local grocery store and thought how great it would be to use it in an emergency situation. I was so excited about this canned seafood because it was high in protein and vitamins, so I ended up buying 4 cans of this stuff. Needless to say that after opening 1 of the cans up for a dinner&#8230; my family (and myself included) pushed our plates aside and decided to eat cereal instead. Needless to say, the seafood medley was horrible. I donated the remaining cans of the seafood medley to a food bank.

*Eat what you store.*

In an article I wrote about storing food, I stated, "Storing food is a continual process of using, rotating and reloading. If a short term food supply is bought, the food must be used and more food purchased to resupply the storage shelf. Thinking of the food supply as a small store where the foods in the front has the shortest expiration date and the ones in the back have the longest. The food storage area should be checked every six months to make sure that appropriate food items are rotated. "

Personal Experience - I can't tell you how many items I have had to throw away unopened food because I didn't use it within it's expiration date. Using and rotating your food supply takes some getting used to. Many think that the stored food is for emergencies only. And it is, but it should also be there for you when you need it. It's your own personal convenience store. When you use an item, buy a new one at the store and replace it on your shelf.

*Have back ups for your back ups.*

This is a golden rule for preppers. You never know when one of your preps will break or jam up on you. Having extra items gives you peace of mind because you are not solely dependent on one item for survival.

Personal Experience - When we were researching water filtration systems, we ended up buying a katadyn water filter (A solid investment in my opinion). However, we began thinking about the use and effectiveness of the filter after mulitiple uses. We decided that solely depending on one item to give up potable water was not wise. We not only bought extra filters for our katadyn, but also invested in micro-pur tablets (chlorine dioxide tablets), and chlorine granuals to make sure that all areas were covered.

*Get your friends and family on board.*

In an emergency situation, you will need help from others. It would be unrealistic to think differently. Talking with friends and family about being prepared is a great way to awaken the need for their personal preparedness efforts and help you find more "like minded" individuals. Help guide them and give them advise on how to begin.

Personal Experience - We all have stories of people thinking we are "kooky" because we prepare for short or long term emergencies, and I am no different. I have learned to take other's opinion in stride, but I have talked with some family and friends who see the need to prepare and have started doing so. My largest accomplishment thus far has been helping my sister become more prepared. I have peace of mind knowing most of my immediate family is prepared - at least for a short term emergency.

There will be some friends and family members who are not going to be on board no matter how much you try and talk to them. There will be some who will be on board and will listen to what you have to say. Hopefully, after you share your experiences and first time mistakes, they will listen and learn from you.

What are some prepping mistakes you have made?


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I would like to comment, but you have covered it.
The mistakes I made is not storing enough for a year, for 10 people .
But I am working on that.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Just in the past two years we changed our long term food storage from "wet" canned to dehydrated or freeze dried foods. This does not include things canned in glass jars, but unless one uses the best lids you can buy you may end up with some of the same issues as with tin cans. Over the years we've thrown away a lot of canned food that hadn't come close to their expiration dates. And yes we don't store any foods that we don't try at first. One thing that UncleJoe didn't mention is water and that's one thing I hammer on for prepping, if you don't have a steady supply of water available under any condition you may parish with plenty of food stored. Think of it, power goes down and unless you have a back up generator to run the well pump, have a deep well hand pump, shallow well that can be dipped out of, surface spring or safe stream you may be in dire straights in no time. If you live in a city or town and they don't have a water storage tank with enough height to give you a steady stream out of your faucets you'll be in bad shape unless you have long term water storage for your whole families' needs.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Eat what you store.

:congrat:


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

You can recover from any prepping mistake, until the emergency occurs. You still have time, you just don't know how much time.


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## Cabowabo (Nov 6, 2012)

I would recommend listening to The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko. He did 2 episodes geared towards new preppers. Called
Episode number 1190 "Holy Crap I just found out everything isn't super"
Episode number 1191 "Holy Crap I just found out everything isn't super 2"
He has some really solid advice from the get go on mistakes not to make.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Dont advertise what you are doing most sheeple just don't understand and will place labels on you that are negative. Or you may have more "friends than you ever had before once somthing does happen. 

Ditto the water.

Use your tools and gadgets make sure you know how they work and that they work before somthing happens and you find you lack skill or a decent tool for the task.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Number 9 or number 1? Relying on gear instead of knowledge, relying on knowledge instead of skills. The more you (truly know) the less you need. Gear isn’t going to save you, skills give you a running chance!!! imho


The difference between knowledge and skill… Take knowledge then go out and do it 10, 100, 500 then 1000 times, then it’s a skill.


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## doubleTHICK (Jun 19, 2012)

Don't believe the Experts. AMEN!
I here newbies quoting the experts and this somehow now also makes them experts. AH, the good ol' days when I too was naïve and believed everything from the guys on TV.

Mistakes? Don't go out and buy something just because it has "survival" in the name or you saw it on TV.
(OMG, the money I wasted early on, scary)

By the way, for boots you should always go with Danners.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

doubleTHICK said:


> By the way, for boots you should always go with Danners.


I am partial to my Garmont boots and K is in love with his Carhartts and Redwings.

As for the mistakes...

Putting gear ahead of food and water. You can't eat a sleeping bag or tent.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Food and water are very very important esp for longer term issues but Shelter is top priority as the elements will kill you much faster than you can die of dehydration or starvation. Gotta balance all of it out. All is well if you CAN stay at home or Can make it to a safe shelter quickly but if you have to shelter outside a really good sleeping bag will likely save your life just as well as a canteen of clean water. Balance in all things Grasshopper  But don't skimp on your gear is a big of good advice at the same time high priced does not neccessarily mean BEST Rather than a 300 dollar sleeping bag I"d much rather have my bed roll of a self inflating sleeping mat two wool blankets a fleece bag liner and queen size sheet and poncho with liner. All neatly rolled up inside my water proofed nylon body bag. yeah smidge more bulky that a high dollar ultralight sleeping bag but it is all seasons effective versatile and very very durable. and costs maybe 100 dollars and maybe far less I haven't priced a body bag lately


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Learn recipes that include and use your food stores to the best ability. If you use a little of everything, it can give you a good meal and keep food fatigue from happening. 

My mistake?? Too many bags. D:


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

One mistake I made early on was to throw out perfectly good food. I used to believe expiration dates. Canned goods are good till the can goes bad. Commercial or home canned always check for bulged lids and listen for the air as the vacuum is relieved. There are cases where canned food that was over a hundred years old was tested. It was still edible and retained much of its food value. I have eaten salmon that I put up twenty years before. 

The trick is knowing which expiration dates matter. Nothing goes bad the day after the expiration date as long as it is properly cared for. Milk left out on the counter will not last till the use by date but refrigerated milk with a pinch of salt will last well past the date on the carton.

Another mistake I made was in not knowing just how fast I was going through each item. Vitamins are easy, you know how many the family takes each day and the bottle tells you how many were packed. How many cans of cream of mushroom soup do I go through a year? When I started dating each item as I added it to storage I found that I had too many of some items and way too few of others. Space allocations for each item were adjusted.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Good article with good advice.

The only thing I would disagree with is the last one - getting family and friends on board. I'd say that also falls under the concept of listen to the 'experts' but make your own decisions based on your own scenario. It's good to have your immediate family (household) on board, but beyond that would be a case-by-case situation. Same with friends. We want the people we love (family and friends) to be able to take care of themselves and to survive difficult times (whatever those difficult times may be), but sometimes there's a limit to what we can do without risking ourselves and our immediate household.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

goshengirl said:


> I would disagree with the last one - getting family and friends on board.


My brother's facebook profile picture is of him shaking hands with Obama (when he was not yet nominated).... my bro is NOT invited!!!


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

The biggest mistake you can make is overestimating your ability and knowledge, overconfidence has gotten many outdoorsman in trouble ,even death. Try to keep things simple, minimum preparation time and water usage
and sometimes the tiniest thing can get you in trouble so attention to detail , spares parts and maintenance. Anybody can pack a bob or have a closet full of cans but if you don`t practice with your equipment or at home you are just as doom as those who don`t prepared at all.


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## doubleTHICK (Jun 19, 2012)

Grimm said:


> *I am partial to my Garmont boots and K is in love with his Carhartts and Redwings*.
> 
> As for the mistakes...
> 
> Putting gear ahead of food and water. You can't eat a sleeping bag or tent.


Unfortunately there is only one right answer (Danners), I am sorry. 

Forgot who just posted it, but knowing your equipment has an other side. My wife has been learning to cook from scratch. Having 100s of pounds of dry goods like AP flour, wheat flour, oats, ... means nothing if you can't turn it into dinner.

She is getting pretty good at biscuits too


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Caribou said:


> refrigerated milk with a pinch of salt will last well past the date on the carton.


Never heard that or even gave it any thought. :hmmm:


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Never heard that or even gave it any thought. :hmmm:


It really does extend the life of milk by close to an extra week. I literally take a pinch (as much as I can hold between my thumb and finger) of salt and add it to a gallon of milk when I open a new one. We don't use much milk.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I take what people say as true until someone proves them wrong(thread on WD40).
But when it comes to food, I have to Know it is true.
I found two sites that say a pinch of salt in a gallon of milk works to keep it fresh longer.
Also found a home made recipe for Mozzarella ( not tried it yet) & 20 tips on using salt.
Thanks, Caribou.


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## AfleetAlex (Nov 8, 2013)

doubleTHICK said:


> My wife has been learning to cook from scratch. Having 100s of pounds of dry goods like AP flour, wheat flour, oats, ... means nothing if you can't turn it into dinner. She is getting pretty good at biscuits too


Do you know how to cook from scratch? Hope so.
Which leads up to another HUGE prepper mistake: Depending on one person in your group to take care of food preparation, security, hunting/gathering/gardening and medical. We should at the very least, be the Jack of all these trades; and Master of as many as possible. The partner you're depending on may not be around for the long haul.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Alex, My mother taught us to do everything, that homestead women do.
She never got around to teaching the sewing machine.
Cooking,cleaning & baby sitting which is much more then watching babies & calling some one to feed or change them.
She never said it out loud, but I can now see she thought there were enough men who could or would not do for themselves in the world.
Now it seems 2 or more generation of both sexes that are not doing for themselves.
I still need to do more baking, but pancakes & biscuits I was doing in grade school.
My kids took to cooking too.
I hate cleaning more then working on the farm or gardening, but it has to be done.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We have designated roles in our group bases on skills: 1 person in charge of garden, 1 for security, etc. but that just means they are the most knowledgeable to teach the rest of us.

My sis in laws husband is retired LEO-- he is in charge of security, figuring out how best to secure the farm. Then he does firearm, recon, guard duty surveillance. 

My grandpa has over 60 year gardening experience so he's in charge of finding the best seeds for our gardens. He is teaching us all what to do with the plots now that winter is upon us. 

I am the cook of the family and I literally have thousands of dollars worth of cookbooks. I have cooking sessions with the kids since the adults can cook.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Caribou said:


> Milk left out on the counter will not last till the use by date but refrigerated milk with a pinch of salt will last well past the date on the carton.
> .


Silver also works for preserving milk. Our ancestors did it, they kept silver dollars in milk jugs. They also used silver dimes when water bath canning, it stopped botulism. I keep pre-65 US dimes in my water filter (Berkfeld), in my fridge's water jug and humidifier in winter. Everything stays fresh&#8230;


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

LincTex said:


> My brother's facebook profile picture is of him shaking hands with Obama (when he was not yet nominated).... my bro is NOT invited!!!


Linc if that is your brother then one of you has gotta be adopted!! No way the same parents made you and an obamabot!


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

mojo4 said:


> Linc if that is your brother then one of you has gotta be adopted!! No way the same parents made you and an obamabot!


Oh, I can imagine it. Both of my brothers are massive obamabots, and I am decidedly not.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here is something I was reminded of today...

It is easy to get excited when those we care about (family and/or friends) show an interest/desire to prep. But be very careful how generous you are regardless if it is your time or supplies you share. It is easy for others to sit back and take without giving in return.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

ugh... that doesnt sound like it was a good day. sorry


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

I was going to comment on this before when I first saw it on a different site, but then figured, let everyone learn on their own.

*Get your friends and family on board.*
In an emergency situation, you will need help from others. It would be unrealistic to think differently. Talking with friends and family about being prepared is a great way to awaken the need for their personal preparedness efforts and help you find more "like minded" individuals. Help guide them and give them advise on how to begin.

if you've prepared right and done the planning, you will not need others at this point in time. I feel that I gave everyone a chance yrs ago and they ignored it or just laughed.

you have to be careful who you take in, everyone has another best friend and another relative who they will not throw under the bus, then those people have more best friends and relatives that will be knocking the door down when and if the S really HsTF
, I'm talking, the power goes out indefinitely, there's no gas, no stores open, no trucks moving, we're shut down. the only thing you may see is the NG or homeland security. From reading it's easy to see that some think the only thing that can happen is a power outage for a couple weeks or an oil embargo(73) for a short time and then it''s business as usual' 
the people that you take in can end or shorten your days on the planet. I have a daughter in her forties and she cries when she runs over a rattle snake, She's just sentimental and doesn't think anything can go wrong, her husband has worked for the PO for over 20 yrs and like all government workers, he thinks the ck will be direct deposited no matter what.I'm assuming they will come here when things shut down as they haven't got food in the house for Monday afternoon. I've told them many time to come here, but do not bring anyone else as they will be turned away, I don't care if it's his parents or her best friends, I'm not going to be the food bank. you have to make a choice, you and yours survive for ever or you and a room full of strangers survive for a few months.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Dakine said:


> ugh... that doesnt sound like it was a good day. sorry


Not a bad day just a sobering reminder that not everyone is what they say they are. I can't really share the full story in the open forum as they read this forum too...


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I told my son about the 1/4 cup of rice per person, per meal for up to 5 years plan.
He said On I Love Lucy, Lucy cooked 1 pound of rice per person & the rice swelled out of the pot.
So I am wondering if he on board with the 5 year plan.
I guess I should start with the one year plan & move on from there.
Or the 3 months, just in case & move on from there.


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