Planning properly for disasters and making sure you have everything you need to get through them can be overwhelming. Especially for new preppers.
You don’t know where to start, what to focus on, and the best way to gather everything you need.
However, as a prepper, you have to ensure you are ready to face any crisis that comes so you can get through it.
It is normal to make mistakes while preparing for catastrophic events but some of them can cost you once disasters come.
So, today we’ll talk about common mistakes preppers make and the best ways to avoid them.
Let’s get started!
HAVING A SOLID PLAN
One mistake preppers make is failing to have a plan or not planning enough. You focus too much on stocking essential supplies and neglect the importance of having a plan you can act on.
For example, what happens when a specific disaster occurs unexpectedly? How will you respond to it? Does your family know what to do, how to respond, and where to go once a crisis hits?
It’s important to have a plan so that everyone at home knows the best way to respond.
So, have a family meeting and create a plan together. One that everyone is comfortable with and one that’s easy to understand.
Talk about the likelihood of catastrophic events, their impact on your lives, and the best ways to avoid them.
Determine how you’ll respond to certain emergencies, what you’ll carry, and where you’ll meet.
Choose a meeting place that everyone can easily get to and state how long you’ll wait for each other before leaving the house. If you have to.
Make sure everyone understands the escape plan and is comfortable with it. Practice as often as you need to so that it will be easy for you to avoid panicking and respond the right way.
Have a backup plan in case the initial one fails. For example, know what you’ll do if things don’t turn out as predicted.
Let’s say you plan for an earthquake, stock up on food supplies, and choose an ideal bug out location but your prepper pantry gets destroyed and your bug out location gets compromised. What will you do next?
Include that in your plan and make sure you can find alternative ways to find food and a safe location to escape to.
PREPARING FOR ONE EVENT
Focusing on one specific event and neglecting the rest is another common mistake you need to avoid.
Most preppers concentrate on disasters that are highly likely to occur in their region and ignore the rest. However, that’s one thing that makes it difficult to get through uncertain times.
You don’t know the type of disasters that will hit your area and their effects on your livelihood. So, don’t prepare for one event. Create an emergency plan that helps you deal with every disaster that comes.
Identify the most common disasters and learn more about the impact they have on the economy, businesses, finances, health, and your relationships. Outline the best ways to get through them and build an emergency kit that will ensure survival. For example, a medical kit, food supplies, self-defense tools, alternative power sources, and clean water sources.
LEARNING FIRST-AID
Most disasters lead to countless injuries and health complications.
A loved one may panic and lose consciousness. You may fall and sustain a knee injury while trying to escape or find it difficult to take care of someone with a chronic illness during a crisis.
The only way to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you is to learn first-aid. You have to master basic skills and know what to do in emergencies.
It will be easy for you to offer help and keep the situation under control before a health professional arrives. So, learn first-aid and include it in your emergency prepping plan.
Know how to tend to injuries, dress wounds, administer CPR, and provide basic medical assistance.
If a loved one has a chronic illness and gets affected in an emergency, know how to respond. Know the medication needed at that time to keep them calm and prevent the situation from worsening. For example, if they’re asthmatic and get an attack, find an inhaler and help them control their breathing.
Another mistake most preppers make is not having enough medical supplies in their emergency kits. So, make sure you have all the items that will help you deal with various situations and offer help.
Consider each family member and make sure the kit has enough supplies to meet them at their points of need.
If someone depends on certain medicines, make sure you stock enough to last them for at least 3 months during emergencies.
BUYING SUPPLIES WITHOUT RESEARCHING
Having the wrong equipment in your emergency kit or bug out bag makes it difficult for you to survive disasters.
Apart from wasting money on things that you will not use, you won’t be able to cope with the events because you don’t have the right tools to get through.
So, make sure you buy the right equipment to avoid headaches later on.
Do enough research on what to buy before spending your money.
Know the kinds of foods to buy and the tools that will get you through disasters.
Answer key questions: “What survival foods must I stockpile?”, “What water purification methods can I rely on during catastrophic events?”, “What water filters can I buy?”, and “What are the best self-defense tools to have around the home during an emergency?”
Ask yourself these questions and let them guide you when buying to avoid having the wrong gear in your kit.
Another mistake to avoid is failing to test your gear.
Most preppers know what to buy and purchase the right tools but never take the time to test if everything works.
You have to know your gear and get comfortable using it so that when disaster comes, you’ll be ready.
So, train with your gear and determine whether everything works as expected or not. This will help you when a crisis comes and ensure you survive whatever you face.
NEGLECTING YOUR HEALTH
Your ability to survive uncertain times depends on your health. If you don’t take care of yourself it will be difficult to get through.
The main reason most preppers struggle to handle disasters is that they neglect their health. You stock basic food supplies and forget you still need to stay healthy in disasters. You don’t think about the nutrients you need to live healthier even during catastrophic events.
Remember that the food you eat has an impact on your immune system and influences your mood.
So, buy a variety of foods for your prepper pantry and consider your overall health as you get the supplies.
Consider all the essential nutrients and purchase foods that have high nutritional value.
Balance it out to ensure healthy and nutritious meals.
Add variety to keep your meals interesting and ensure everyone enjoys mealtime even during a crisis. That means focusing on your family’s favorites and not on foods they won’t eat.
When you’re done stockpiling or building your prepper pantry, don’t neglect your supplies. Do a food inventory and make sure your items don’t expire before a disaster happens.
Pay attention to the expiration dates when buying and always rotate your food. That means eating what you store for emergencies and ensuring you don’t keep expired foods in your pantry.
So, after 3 months, do a food inventory. Eat the foods that are close to their expiration date and replace them with ones with a longer shelf life.
ONLY STOCKPILING FOOD
This is by far the most common mistake preppers make. Especially first-time preppers.
You are only concerned about stockpiling food and neglect water and alternative power sources.
Remember that you can’t predict the impact certain disasters will have on your life. You don’t know the effects on the environment, your work-life, businesses, and your health.
Certain disasters can cause power outages, disrupt communication, and lead to water shortages.
So, keep that in mind when preparing for emergencies.
Don’t just stockpile the right foods. Have a water storage supply, alternative power sources, weapons for home protection, and medical supplies.
Research the best tools you need to cater to all your survival needs. That is how you’ll effectively handle tough times, keep your family safe, and survive.
NEGLECTING SECURITY
One of the worst mistakes you can make as a prepper is assuming you don’t need to defend yourself or your home during emergencies. This is because anything is possible during catastrophic events.
You have to protect your home from attacks. You have to protect yourself from burglaries, thieves, and even animals.
Prioritise home security and make sure your house is safe from attacks.
Buy a reliable home security system and use it to defend your home.
You can either install the system yourself or hire a security company to do it for you. Depending on the type of security you want and the installation requirements.
Learn basic self-defense moves and teach your family to protect themselves during an attack.
Buy self-defense tools and know the best ways to use them. This will help you respond correctly to attacks when they happen. It is key to protecting yourself as well as your loved ones from unexpected incidents.
Some of the best self-defense tools to buy are a tactical pen, batons, a stun gun, tasers, a biker whip, pepper spray, and an emergency whip.
TELLING EVERYONE YOU ARE A PREPPER
Being a prepper can be exciting. Especially if you are a beginner. You get excited about building your prepper pantry, creating a water storage supply, and ensuring you are ready for any kind of emergency. That is why you’ll feel like telling everyone you know that you are a prepper.
However, that’s one mistake you don’t want to make because you don’t know who will turn on you once a crisis comes.
So, keep it private.
Remember that people can get desperate during survival situations. Even your trusted neighbors.
If they know you have been stockpiling food, have excess water, and other important survival supplies, they may break into your home.
So, don’t tell people you are prepping for disasters. Don’t show off your supplies because that’s how you expose yourself to risks that you and your family can’t afford.
PANICKING AND FOLLOWING FAKE NEWS
Panicking is one thing that causes you to buy the wrong supplies and fail to effectively prepare for emergencies.
People like to exaggerate. Especially when something new or unexpected happens. For example, natural disasters, inflation, and even civil unrest.
So, avoid listening to fake news and don’t panic.
Only follow trusted news sources so you don’t get overwhelmed with fear.
Another mistake you don’t want to make is ignoring the news because you don’t want to get stressed or overwhelmed. Doing this makes it hard for you to become aware of disasters and remain ready for them.
What happens if there are upcoming power cuts? What happens if there is going to be a water shortage?
If certain disasters will lead to power cuts or water rationing, you have to know so that you can prepare on time.
So, stay up-to-date with current events and only follow reputable news sources to set yourself up for success.
HAVING CASH RESERVES
Most disasters can lead to the digital disruption of financial services. You may lose access to the ATM and your bank may close down.
However, you’ll still need access to cash so you can buy certain items that will help you survive.
Most preppers neglect building cash reserves because they assume that they’ll always have access to the money they need at the bank.
This is one mistake you don’t want to make because as mentioned earlier, anything can happen during catastrophic events. Including losing access to the money in your bank account.
So, build cash reserves and make sure you have money to survive.
Save enough to get through emergencies and ensure you can buy whatever you need during survival situations.
Another mistake to avoid is only planning for survival situations inside your home. For example, preparing to survive and get through tough times while at home.
What happens if certain disasters force you to leave your home? Where will you go and how will you survive in your new location?
Pick a bug out location that you can seek shelter in, just in case you have to leave your home.
Choose a location that will keep you and your loved ones protected. One that’s safe from attackers and secure enough to help you get through difficult times.
Make sure no one knows about your bug out location for safety reasons. Only you and your family should know about the location you choose. This is how you ensure protection for everyone around the house and avoid inviting trouble.
Another common mistake to avoid is failing to plan for your pets.
If you have pets, make sure they can also survive disasters.
Have a pet survival kit and store all the important items that your pets need to make it easy for them to get through the disaster. Make sure you cater to all their needs to ensure survival. That means stocking enough food, bathing supplies, and a medical kit.
CONCLUSION
Preparing for disasters and getting your family ready for any unexpected event that may come can be both exciting and challenging at the same time.
That’s one thing that leads to making common mistakes that can make it difficult to survive.
So, when planning for disasters, look out for the mistakes we’ve mentioned and avoid them.
Doing this helps you prepare effectively and ensure survival. You’ll have access to everything you need, avoid things you don’t need, ensure safety for your family, and avoid panicking when disasters occur.
Remember to include your family when coming up with an emergency plan and building your kit.
Ask for their opinion so you can cater to everyone’s needs.
If there’s someone with special needs, make sure they are met even during a crisis. For example, if certain family members rely on certain medication or need specific foods to maintain their health, make sure you buy enough for them as well.
You can stock up on enough supplies that will last up to 3 months. Even 6.
Don’t just focus on stockpiling food and neglect other important survival items. Such as alternative power sources, a medical kit, a reliable water storage supply, and self-defense tools.
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