# This is the BIGGEST problem preppers face....



## JJWalker85 (Feb 23, 2017)

Hello preppin' people! How goes it? So, let me get right down to it... I started getting into prepping about 6 months ago and I've been soaking up as much info on different topics as possible. One thing I have noticed is that being prepared can get expensive.

Besides cost... what are some of the BIGGEST and most common problems you have faced trying to get ready for when it does hit the fan? 

This is for new folks and experts alike. I know each stage of skill probably presents new challenges and I'd just like to know what kind of snags I should be looking out for as I progress. 

The kinds of problems that you don't find in prepper books... real problems that you only discover with experience. :cheers:


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

Mental discipline comes first, because without it it's just a fad and will only last a few months. Just as important as discipline is the mental strength to never tell any one what you are doing. 

After this it's all just a matter of time and experience to get the right supplies, buy the right property, and to develop necessary skills.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

You need security, water, food, & clothing. While our basic needs are the same, the resources we already have & what we have access to acquire, can be vastly different so what may be a problem for me may not be an issue at all for you. There are some basic tenets of prepping that hold true, store what you eat & eat what store will help you avoid a lot of problems. Skills will last longer than any gear you can acquire. Stay organized. Simple is usually better.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

While you are going to need stuff , you are also going to need skills .. and the only for sure skill that you find in any situation is trading/ bartering... as you acquire skills of any kind, as you up your game you are going to want better stuff to go with it ...

There is the opportunity .. right there to practice trading and barter.. trading off you old stuff for better stuff more suited to your improving skill levels ..

Guns show, flea markets , crafts fairs , yard sale ..

Storage space is going to be a problem at some point .. get ahead of it now.. make the best deal you can... old clothes donate them to Salvation Army or the local thrift store and get a charity receipt to deduct it on your taxes if that is the best you can do .. if you have a hobby or collect things practice by upgrading your collection .... instead of just letting the county take you recycling .. find someplace that pays for it.. not the first place, find the place that gives you the best price.. don't just cluck at litter and shake you head .. know what is worth picking up and scrapping.. got weeds find a market for organic dandelions .. it also means you need to learn what makes a plant safe to eat.. if you spray weed killer or insecticide on your lawn you can't use those weeds yourself, and you can't sell those weeds, learn what makes common things valuable and what makes the same thing worthless .. if you have plants that people buy at the nursery already growing on your property .. learn how to use their seeds or clone them or take cutting and line up a nursery that will buy your propagation .. obviously you can't do everything at once .. but train your eye and mind to see profit or a valuable trading item in everything around you...learn how to use everything you already have to your best advantage might mean save might mean sell .. now.. because it may save your life or keep you going when the SHTF or the bottom falls out of the economy. Learn how to cook from scratch and start doing it now.. saves money now makes it a lot cheaper to stack a larger supply of food , but most importantly there will not be a lot of drive thru fast food frozen peas and carrots or nicely cut up steaks after shtf .. you will have basics you will have grain .. but you need to make flour and then bread from that.. you will have a chicken or a pigeon ( called squab in fancy French restaurants ) you need to make that a meal You need to know how to find and grow food . that means you need to know how to preserve it process it cook it .. that means tools and equipment and knowledge growing your own canning your own smoking your own dehydrating your own curing your own saves money and means you get to eat when there aren't any grocery stores.

You rely on #10 cans and tuna fish .. congrats, you starve to death last, hooray for you.

You probably have a lot of junk .. Mini Storage is one of the fastest growing industries in America .. get rid of the junk at a good price ebay swap meets craigs list whatever .. here, where I live I can sell anything I grow totally off the books tax free.. there are somethings you can make or sell that do not fall under government control or only minor control or safety requirements like a food safety course http://www.pickyourown.org/CottageFoodLawsByState.htm
the above web site is a great resource lots of info on canning and preserving but Most of all it tries to list every pick your own farm in America and it keeps you up to date on what is ready to pick when .

Here is the story of a guy that traded one red paper clip for a house http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/ it wasn't a straight across trade . he traded the paper clip up for something, and traded that something up for a better something, and a hundred or two trades latter he had a house ...

you are going to need to know how to do this stuff come shtf anyway, might as well make some money off it now and hone your skills ...

just a suggestion http://backyardgrowers.com/hidden-opportunity/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/backyard-nursery-business-zmaz00onzgoe

you can get the book or not .. 66 pages of blog here http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/ 10 more pages of just the start/titles to how to articles click on a topic read the full article ... all free

there are other such guides rasing worms and worm casting compost. growing mushrooms all ways to make some extra money all require real work all cn be done in your spare time all good skills come shtf trading material

This is exactly what Johnny Appleseed did he died very rich man .. he wasn't giving away apple trees he went out ahead of civilization and started orchards when the Homesteaders showed up and started claim land from the Government they needed two things to "prove" the land so it was theirs a cabin and a small orchard of at east 50 apple trees Johnny sold them the trees

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-applesand-booze-american-frontier-180953263/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/62113/9-facts-tell-true-story-johnny-appleseed


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> One thing I have noticed is that being prepared can get expensive.


This is not necessarily a true statement. Beginning preppers think it is all about buying 'stuff'. It is not. It is more about learning stuff. Learning is usually free or cheap. Or being fit. Getting fit is free. 
Knowledge is always the key.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

Being fully prepped is being able to walk out your front door in weather appropriate clothing, a pair of good boots, and a good knife, and survive for at least a month in something resembling comfort.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

The biggest problem pepper's face is ignorance or lack of knowledge ;failure to understand the need for preparations ,the why , and over doing something that is actually very simple .History is our best school .


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## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

The biggest problem is maintaining motivation. Life intervenes... you change jobs, your family situation changes, the economy improves (so things don't seem as bad as all that), people think you're nuts and you start to agree with them....

It's hard sometimes to stay focused. It's also difficult to maintain a healthy balance -- to keep a nose to the wind but still have a life.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I'll omit the knowledge portion as it's been addressed but I wholeheartedly agree it is very important.

As for preparations related to "stuff", a common theme I see is space being an issue. When you're preparing for a duration of a week or a month, probably not a problem. When preparing for longer or items related to being self-sufficient (e.g. canning equipment), space can get tight.

Rotation is another common theme. Make sure you rotate your food in particular.

If you have kids, there's another level of complexity. Balancing their immediate needs with their growing needs can be a hard balancing act. Going from diapers to adult sized clothes is something that needs more attention than a lot of other, more stable/known needs.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

The three limiting factors in all areas of life are health, time and money. No matter what you choose to do in life one, two or all of those are going to be the stumbling blocks in my opinion. Maybe you could add motivation, will, or follow through but if you can get those first three knocked out you're doing pretty good no matter which direction you are going.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

AmmoSgt said:


> Being fully prepped is being able to walk out your front door in weather appropriate clothing, a pair of good boots, and a good knife, and survive for at least a month in something resembling comfort.


No, that's the exact opposite of prepping. Prepping means you have stored food, ways to heat your home and cook your food, guns to hunt with and/or protect yourself with. Along with stored water or a good water source and ways to purify it.

Most people would starve if they went outside with just a knife. You really can't hunt anything. You don't have anything to fish with.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

AmmoSgt sounds like he's on the run from law or he wants to be on the next "Hunted" show.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

survival... so easy a caveman can do it.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

AmmoSgt said:


> survival... so easy a caveman can do it.


Yes but it sure gets messy after you take that first drink of unfiltered water.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

BillS said:


> No, that's the exact opposite of prepping. Prepping means you have stored food, ways to heat your home and cook your food, guns to hunt with and/or protect yourself with. Along with stored water or a good water source and ways to purify it.
> 
> Most people would starve if they went outside with just a knife. You really can't hunt anything. You don't have anything to fish with.


Most people probably would.. that is why it takes prepping to know what and how to do.. I practice wildcrafting aka foraging .. living off the land .. http://www.eattheweeds.com/
I can hunt just fine thank you .. traps .. I can make my own cordage pit traps deadfalls .. even pen traps cordage means nets .. but fishing is easier with wicker weirs and fish traps than with pole and line that is why they are usually illegal or regulated .. or considered commercial fishing you can cook anything on flat rock or wrapped in leave or grass and then covered in mud if you prefer baked heck you got a knife whittle a spoon sharpen a forked stick make a spit your options are endless you can burn chunk of wood into a bowl with coals and a reed take the knife to shape it up pretty and you can save it for company or special occasions boil up a stew in it with hot rocks ... squirrel stew OMG now I AM hungry best info on fire starting I have ever seen http://www.northwestjournal.ca/IX3945.htm http://www.northwestjournal.ca/I1.htm

Knife is steel.. not that there isn't tons of steel laying around .. but a good hard 58 steel is best ,, my knife is 58 D2 tool steel a Du**star F1.. you don't need flint.. nice to have .. rare round here .. but jasper is common, jasper works just fine for fire starting .. water isn't a big problem.. a canteen would be nice .. but most the really tasty stuff game fish plants , but especially fish, are near water anyway .. so it's not that much out of my way ... you don't need to purify water just pasteurize it you can do that with sunshine and a closed clear container... what's the chances I might find a bottle it I needed one I got fire and I can recognize clay if it comes to that

just a quick tip if you got amazon prime movie about firing pottery reallyworth thewatch mountain people again https://www.amazon.com/Out-Fire-Kev...id=1487902358&sr=1-1&keywords=out+of+the+fire

it's only $4 if you don't have prime highly recommend it

.. but my favorite is grape vines.. they purify the water for you and they are everywhere ... the reason you probably don't know that is because you are used to commercial field on grape vines on frames .. grapes love sunshine .. wild grapes climb trees to get in their tops http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com/.../03/drinking-water-from-wild-grapevines-.html great website by the way they have a play list that plays all the time of local Appalachians country, gospel , and blues bands singing the old stuff even some "Child Ballads" that go back to Scotland not ballads for children rather Ballads collected by Dr Child to save the heritage of Mountain folk so be prepared to adjust your volume.. here is the play list just incase you can't find it on your own https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE4GAPSO6GtGSmzq2pIWLSksBskljkDvE ( they updated thier website and put the music on it's own page instead of just having it play as a sound track for the website .. that's kind of a shame )

lot of good stories by , for, and about Mountain folks Kind of a "take me home country Roads come to life

but there are other mountain songs











I could explain it to you.. but I can't understand it for you..

Trust me.. our far far distant ancestors survived using rocks shaped into various tools ...If I have a steel knife I am about 100,000 years ahead of them. and boots they did it bare foot... I mention appropriate clothing simply because as the Swedes say " there is no bad weather, only bad clothing" and I would get in trouble walking around naked until I got to the wilderness ... nice practical clothes are a big advantage, kind of like a portable shelter of sorts and imminently civilized ...

You rely on canned and stacked food.. you starve to death last .. hooray for you.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Getting mentally strong, physically fit and active, positive attitude, and remaining flexible and adaptable.You don't need a bunch of expensive tacticool stuff. Try to build a good library. The internet may not always be available. Then take what you read and put it into practice to build hands on skill. Most of all don't fear failure. look at everything as a learning opportunity. And think before you say anything to any one. That's so hard when you are proud of what you are putting together.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Tweto said:


> Mental discipline comes first, because without it it's just a fad and will only last a few months. Just as important as discipline is the mental strength to never tell any one what you are doing.
> 
> After this it's all just a matter of time and experience to get the right supplies, buy the right property, and to develop necessary skills.


Actually, this is most likely at the top of the list because it leads to understanding delayed gratification and a stick to it through thick and thin attitude. A lot of people can loose heart because they see their progress as being "Too slow", but the truth is, is that is how most of us get to a point of being somewhat feeling like we are getting somewhere. The reality is that most of us never feel fully prepped as we never know what may be thrown at us, really bad storms, floods, fires (we've gone through this and thank God we were prepped), tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, loss of income or a number of other things. Having that mental discipline can give you the strength to sacrifice to give up comfort zone stuff for things that are far more important for your future health and wellbeing.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

This is a good question but there is no need to over think it or dwell on it ,when it comes to survival or everyday living we all know that we need shelter ,food ,water ;etc, etc well our ancestors had the same issues going back to the caveman and survival is related to your neck of the woods ,your living conditions and closely related to the weather ,the rest is pure logic. Many prepared for a Doomsday scenario ,whatever that may be ,others dolt for readiness based on past experiences like never running their gas tank past half or having extra tissue paper for that unforeseeable toilet moment, the biggest problem is overspending the urge to have all the Rambo toys and not a mason jar full of coins for the real emergency ,my grandmother had one of those, we never lack anything in our home and I kept the tradition going in our home today. Learn to do with less but learn.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

HardCider said:


> Getting mentally strong, physically fit and active, positive attitude, and remaining flexible and adaptable.You don't need a bunch of expensive tacticool stuff. Try to build a good library. The internet may not always be available. Then take what you read and put it into practice to build hands on skill. Most of all don't fear failure. look at everything as a learning opportunity. And think before you say anything to any one. That's so hard when you are proud of what you are putting together.


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

AmmoSgt said:


> survival... so easy a caveman can do it.


And what was the life expectancy for the CAVEMAN?


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## Mase92 (Feb 4, 2013)

Knowledge is power, free and weighs nothing. Develop a great base on what you need to do going forward. 

Just like with any hobby, it will be expensive and time consuming. The difference with prepping? This one can save your life and keep your family safe.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

tmttactical said:


> And what was the life expectancy for the CAVEMAN?


25 years was about it.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Tweto said:


> 25 years was about it.


And those were the lucky ones. Looking at the bone records prehistoric man went through the ringer. More broken bones throughout their short lives than 3rd world rodeo pro's and that's just the broken bones record.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. - Albert Einstein

Skill & talent can go only so far, the flexible of imagination will take you the rest of the way. 

Work each problem, solve it & move to the next or you die.
The Martian


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

In reading the thread here, I believe I should add Wisdom and it may be more important than all the other things, the Bible says to get wisdom and that it is more precious than gold or silver, in the case of prepping it could mean the difference between living or dying, thriving or struggling, spending everything or having great reserves.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

People have survived incredible trials with virtually nothing in the way of preps and knowledge. However the more you know and the more you have the easier it will be. That being said, the more you know the less you'll need. So pursue knowledge and skills even as you acquire materials. I could outfit us pretty cheap at this stage of life. We have a lot put back but to be honest most of it is to make life easier. You only need the basics to survive.


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## Pessimistic2 (Jan 26, 2017)

Tweto is the only one who mentioned location (buy the right property). You basically have two ways to go: (A) Lone wolf, in which case, in my opinion, you want to be as isolated as possible. Find what you can afford waaaaaay out in the boonies, where no one else has any reason to be there, or (B) Small group, in which case you can jointly find the ideal location, jointly purchase it. 
Just as in successful retail operations, the key is location, location, location!
And yes it can get expensive, depending on just how "comfortable" you want to be. (I'm not into "primitive living," .....hunting, fishing, trapping, yes, primitive digs, no!) 
Also, in my opinion, you want "backups." Two sources of power, at least, and if you are going with a small diesel generator, you want a couple large fuel bladders. Two constant sources of water. Large septic tank. Stored food rotation is important, too, not even MREs are good forever. Perhaps even more important are a large garden and stored condiments...hunting, fishing, trapping can take care of meat. There are a million and one things to think about and plan, and a goodly number of them have been mentioned by other posters. Mostly I just wanted to touch on the "location" issue, because no one except Tweto mentioned it, yet location is one of the most important things to consider.


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

Oh sure give tweeto all the credit. I gave up my cushy job in a wasteland for a better location. That is probably my biggest prep so far. :sarcasm2:


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## Pessimistic2 (Jan 26, 2017)

jnrdesertrats said:


> Oh sure give tweeto all the credit. I gave up my cushy job in a wasteland for a better location. That is probably my biggest prep so far. :sarcasm2:


Just went over the thread....no posts from you, and Tweto is the only one that mentioned location. Sorry if I offended you. If you gave up a cushy job for a better location, congrats, you already are ahead of the curve. Most people I talk to ask about a zillion things, and never once even mention "location," or WHY location should be considered before all those zillion other things!


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## Pessimistic2 (Jan 26, 2017)

jnrdesertrats said:


> Oh sure give tweeto all the credit. I gave up my cushy job in a wasteland for a better location. That is probably my biggest prep so far. :sarcasm2:


Did I miss the sarcasm part? Maybe I better have another beer, clear up my vision......


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

I just realized I had this thread confused as it the sucky job thread. Sorry all


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## Murby (Mar 11, 2017)

hiwall said:


> This is not necessarily a true statement. Beginning preppers think it is all about buying 'stuff'. It is not. It is more about learning stuff. Learning is usually free or cheap. Or being fit. Getting fit is free.
> Knowledge is always the key.


I'm new here. But this is the statement that sums it all up.

Knowledge is probably 90% of all prepping. A truly prepared person will have a vast amount of knowledge on everything.

I've been prepping for about three months now. In that time, I have built up enough food stores to last about 6 to 8 months comfortably.. and we're constantly adding a week here and there.

But the most valuable things I've done is to learn how to do things I don't normally need to do. 
Tanning hides, making explosives, learning what stops bullets and what doesn't, learning about Ham radio's and various other communications, how to make booby traps, smoke bombs and learning about more advanced medical care such as anesthesia and minor surgery.

And one of the most interesting things I've been doing is reading about other peoples idea on the kinds of situations that can develop and how to handle them.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Murby said:


> I'm new here. But this is the statement that sums it all up.
> 
> Knowledge is probably 90% of all prepping. A truly prepared person will have a vast amount of knowledge on everything.
> 
> ...


I agree I'm new at this to. But from what I have read is it's 90% mental (how to do things) and 10% doing the actual things that need to be done.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Murby said:


> I'm new here. But this is the statement that sums it all up.
> 
> Knowledge is probably 90% of all prepping. A truly prepared person will have a vast amount of knowledge on everything.
> 
> ...


 Welcome Murby. I'd like to live a little bit more before the bucket is kicked so we also planned a trip up north to the Wrens Nest in Gloucester. The Perfect Storm was a fantastic book.

Make tiem for fun just in case it is not the end of our world as we know it.


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