To Start Prepping Separate Needs from Wants

The other day, we read about how another part of the country was pounded with floods and storms. Weather is going to weather.

The victims of tornadoes and hurricanes live in shells of their homes while they wait to begin rebuilding, usually months after landfall. Makes one wonder how many of these storm victims had taken the step of family preparedness before the natural disaster. I bet more will after the fact.

With our Preparedness articles, I’ve been asked where I suggest you start your Prepping journey. To that, I respond, knowing what you need vs. what you want — is the first step! (Downloading my Paracord Tips eBook can help you get going, too.)

When discussing what to include in our disaster kit, we need to ensure we will require those items, especially if we may have to use the kit for the long term. Below are a couple of examples I’ve seen/heard/read that we must have, according to the “experts,” and my response.

Store Gold or Silver To Trade?

Maybe you have heard that you should keep gold or silver on hand if something happens with our monetary system, and cash isn’t considered valuable except as a material to start a fire. Remember that during the Great Depression, the government confiscated gold when the dollar collapsed.

I don’t get that point of view—at least to start. In immediate need, people want food or medicine — not gold or silver. Clean water, warm clothes, and even a disposable lighter will be more valuable than jewelry or precious metals.

While gold or silver can undoubtedly be a barter item, if the SHTF, focus on your immediate needs when starting to prep. Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, you can take a longer view and plan accordingly.

Large Supply Of Toilet Paper?

Boy, did we learn this the hard way during COVID. However, when your storage space is at a minimum, you don’t want to fill that space with just toilet paper. It is a convenience, a very nice one, but a convenience nonetheless.

If you don’t have room to store large quantities of TP, also consider keeping old fabric scraps in a bucket and a small bottle of bleach stored near the toilet. If you need to use them, add some water to the bleach and place the used fabric scraps in the disinfecting solution for washing.

I hear you on this one. I know — YUCK! My point is to think about these things so you can plan accordingly — at some point, you can run out of TP, right?

Learning to Make Soap?

This one makes me smirk… While knowing how to make soap is a valuable skill for a prolonged period when you won’t be able to purchase more supplies, it may not be practical in the short term.

Large bottles of liquid castile soap are inexpensive, easy to store, last forever, and can be used to wash bodies, dishes, and laundry. Therefore, making soap may be an unwise use of resources and energy in the short term.

Some folks enjoy making soap — then have at it! However, I think this skill can be put on the back burner in favor of other skills that may be more important, such as first aid, fire-starting, and water purification.

Knowing what is valued and sought after during an emergency can be challenging. Start a notebook with a “need” column and a “want” column, and prioritize from there. Imagine what you would need, like medicine, or want, like coffee. Okay, coffee isn’t a good example—that’s a need for me.

Then do what we do: every time you go to the store, buy a few items from your list and put them right into storage (don’t forget to rotate your supplies too).