Understanding the 5 Basic Needs of Prepping

Everything starts with the 5 basic needs: Food, Water, Shelter, Energy, and Security. Additionally, we include First Aid, Hygiene, Communication, and Entertainment. While these 'extra' needs can fall within one of the primary categories, we like to highlight them on their own to truly emphasize their importance.

To get started let's make a list - ideally a handwritten list, but digital works too. At the moment we're not worried about what you don't have, let's figure out what you DO have.

Food - especially shelf-stable easy prep items are going to be most helpful. What's already in your pantry AND is it something your family will eat? Take a look in your pantry and note items you might buy extra of next time you have some room in the budget.

Water - depending on where you live, water may be more or less accessible. But, even if water is usually plentiful in your area, do you have a way to filter it? Storing some bottled water is always a good idea. Hint: it doesn't have to be store-bought bottled water.

Shelter - this is a roof over your head. Think a bit outside the box and add any vehicles, tents, or other structures that could function as shelter in an emergency.

Energy - do you have any external chargers for your devices? How about a generator? If you have a generator do you also have fuel for it?

Security - how do you plan to keep yourself and your family safe? I'm talking here about weapons (and the training to use them) as well as situational awareness. Do you have cameras around your home? Do you know your neighbors and the rhythms of your neighborhood?

By writing down what you DO have , I hope you realize that prepping doesn't have to be overwhelming. We can start where you are today and build from there. We'll use this list to start filling in the gaps and so you can really prioritize where you want to spend your time and money to keep your family save, whatever may come along.

And don't worry, we'll also cover First Aid, Hygiene, Communication, and Entertainment!