Task #26: Identify Natural Food Sources in Your Area
You can hire a guide or find this out yourself, but you should start looking into the naturally occurring foods you can forage off the land in your local area. These may include plants you can eat, safe berries, nuts, and more.
It’s also important that you learn and teach your family what is unsafe to consume. There might be berries that smell wonderful and look delicious but are poisonous when eaten.
Task #27: Have a Supply of Non-Electric Entertainment Options
People often get so focused on their life-or-death needs that they forget there will be tons of downtime in a survival event. There will be no access to video game consoles or smartphone games.
Your kids (and you) will need things like cards and board games, jump ropes, and outdoor play equipment to have fun with. Make sure you have books everyone enjoys, too.
Task #28: Consider Investing in Educational Resources for Kids
When the pandemic hit, schools came to a grinding halt until they could scramble and find a way to get everyone online. However, you may not have access to online education during a major survival event.
If you have school-aged children, make sure you have some sort of learning tool to continue their education and ensure they don’t fall behind on important skills like math, reading, and more.
Task #29: Teach Your Family the Importance of Survival Silence
Silence can save your life in a survival situation. Whether you’re bugging out in the wilderness or trying to get home safely from work during a civil unrest, you must teach your family how to be quiet when it counts.
There’s more to it than just being quiet around strangers, too. You can’t have your kids bragging to their friends about your enormous survival supplies because they’re bound to put a target on you when the SHTF and there are no supplies to be found anywhere.
Task #30: Consider Your Outdoor Shelter Options
There may be times when you can’t stay home but have to leave and live outdoors for a while. If you have a tent or a camper, that’d be great. But not everyone will have access to that all the time.
You need to make a shelter out of simple things like a tarp and rope – or even from sticks, mud, and other supplies you can find in the outdoor landscape. Teach yourself how to build shelter from the land, and pass that knowledge on to your kids.
Task #31: Buy a Compass and Land Map for Each Person
Navigating by land is an important skill to help you and your family get around safely and find resources you may need. We have become so reliant on apps and automated GPS, but that may not help you in a survival event.
Invest in a small compass for each individual and buy land maps that you can use to determine which direction you’re going. Have everyone in the family practice leading each other from one place to another using the compass and map.
Task #32: Have Lighting Options for Nights with No Power
When the grid is down, it gets extremely dark at night. There is no more light pollution to illuminate the nearby surroundings, and there is only moonlight on clear nights. So you want to have a way to light up your room when necessary.
You can use kerosene lamps like they did in the old days or pop-up solar lights made for indoor or outdoor use. Remember that people outside your home will know there are people there if they see a light, so be cautious about when to use it.
Task #33: Start Accumulating Different Ways to Travel
If you need to go to an area where walking would take too long or isn’t feasible, you may want to have multiple forms of travel options. You might not be able to simply jump in the car and take a highway to where you need to go.
You might want to have a vehicle that’s good for off-roading, like a truck or sturdy SUV. You can also have motorcycles and 4-wheelers, bicycles and even horses to get around on.
And don’t forget travel by water, too. You might be able to use a kayak, boat, canoe or other means of transportation to get around. If you can afford it, invest in a camper and trailer to help you bug out if needed.
Task #34: Make Sure You Have Good Hand Tools
You might be used to plugging in a drill at home or using battery operated or electric outdoor tools. But if the grid goes down, these will be useless. You want to make sure you have hand tools – pliers, wrenches, screwdrivers and more. Don’t forget bigger tools like saws in case you need to cut down a tree or build a shelter.
Task #35: Check to See If Everyone Has Ample Survival Clothing
Survival clothing is something every person needs to weather a long-term or even a short-term event. The clothes should protect you from cold and blistering sun and even offer some protection from insect bites, too.
Make sure the clothing is purchased for layers. That way, in case you start out cold in the early morning, but end up hot by late afternoon, you can remove layers to stay comfortable.
Invest in clothes that offer protection from the elements, like a jacket that not only provides warmth, but protection from rain, too. Make sure they’re durable and waterproof and camouflaged to reduce the chances you’ll be seen.
Task #36: Print and Laminate Instructions You May Need
Anything you need to know but may not have a book about (or need to pack in a bug out bag), make sure you print it now and laminate the pages to prevent weathering or damage.
This might include instructions on how to cook certain things like beans or how to make bread from scratch. Even if you know how to do these things, your family may not, and in a worst-case scenario where they lose you, you’ll want them to have these instructions.
Task #37: Start Investing in Long Shelf Life Survival Foods
It’s always wise to pick up some extra groceries to stock away for survival reasons, like an extra bag of flour or sugar. But you also want to begin investing in some 25 and 30-year survival foods.
There are buckets of survival food you can buy that last one person an entire month – a 30-day supply. All you have to do is add water and heat them up. There are also MREs you can buy that are military grade.
You can buy 72-hour kits and 1-week kits as well. You can buy these kits where they include a main meal, side items, dessert and drink. But you can also buy individual items, like a can of dried whole egg powder that will last you 10 years.
Task #38: Prepare for Old Time Methods of Cleaning
Borrow the knowledge from your ancestors and learn how to do everything on your own. That includes making your own disinfectant and cleaning materials and using them without the luxury of a dishwasher or laundry machines.
You want to know how to make and use soap, have bleach on hand and use a laundry board with a bucket of water. Make sure you have a cable strung up to dry your laundry, too.
Task #39: Get Familiar with Cast Iron Cooking Over an Open Flame
Cast iron pots and pans are a great investment that can be passed down to your offspring. Taken care of, they will last a lifetime, and they’re perfect for cooking food over an open flame.
These aren’t the best for bugging out on foot, because they weigh a lot. But if you’re building a homestead or want to put some in a camping trailer, they’ll be perfect for when you have to cook without power.
Task #40: Start Shopping for Survival Supplies Strategically
Part of being a good prepper is learning how to shop smart. That means looking for sales on important items. You might find certain things like cold weather gear being slashed in price once the weather starts warming up, making it a perfect time to buy.
You also want to start buying in bulk to save money whenever possible. Look for brand and store coupons you can use to get more of what you want for free – or for a fraction of the price.
Don’t feel like everything you get has to be brand name, either. You may use a brand name food in your daily life, but when you stock up on survival food, knock off brands are just as good if they have the same shelf life.
Task #41: Consider Stocking Up on Items You Can Use to Barter
Not everything is purchased for your personal use. You might stumble upon a great sale for something you never use, like cigarettes. During a survival event, when smokers are desperately looking for them and can’t find them, you might be able to trade or barter with them as your currency.
This goes for any kind of luxury items – alcohol, chocolate, or even toilet paper! You want to make sure you have everything you need first, but you also want to keep an eye out for things you may not need, but would be a great in-demand item in a SHTF situation.
Task #42: Begin a Family Plan of Fitness and Health for Survival
Having supplies and knowing how to use them is half the battle. In a survival situation, your body will be put through the ringer. Whether you’re walking a lot, defending your property, chopping down wood for a fire – or something else, you need to be fit and healthy.
Don’t make it an unpleasant experience, but start some goals for each family member to improve their fitness and be able to survive with ease. For example, take the family on a hike and see how everyone fares before setting improvement goals.
Task #43: Start Learning Craftsmanship for Construction and Repairs
When society is broken for a long time, you can’t just call a mechanic, roofer or plumber. You have to fix things or build them yourself. So you have to be skilled at this in order to be able to do it yourself confidently.
You can watch YouTube videos or buy books, and even study as an apprentice with someone to learn the ropes. Think about the skills you may need most, and then, little by little, understand them and pass the knowledge on to your loved ones.
Task #44: Learn How to Hunt for Food
If you’re starving and can’t forage enough berries, plants and nuts, you may have to become a hunter instead. This can range from fishing to trapping and preparing small to large prey.
You’ll want to learn how to fish without a fishing pole and bait. You want to learn how to set traps, kill or skin an animal and properly prepare it to feed your family. You might be using a rifle and ammo, a knife, bow and arrow or your bare hands, so prepare for everything to help you stay alive.
Task #45: Teach Your Family How to Tie Knots and Use Ropes
Ropes come in very handy in a survival situation. You can use it to drag things from one place to another. You can leverage it to help build shelters, you can trap things in it and more.
Make sure you invest in a variety of ropes and learn how to tie knots in them. Test the strength of the knots and also practice undoing the knots, too – which can also come in handy.
Task #46: Take Your Family on Practice Survival Runs
Nothing prepares you more for a survival event than practicing. When something really does happen, most people will be in panic mode. They often forget what they need to do.
But practicing makes things come naturally. So, take your family campaign and practice bugging out without the usual luxuries in life. Have everyone learn to start a fire and cook for themselves.
Do the same indoors, too. Turn off all electricity for 24 hours and make everyone learn how to survive boredom, ensure the house is secure, eat during this time, and so on.
Task #47: Look for Signals That an Event Is on the Horizon
Staying abreast of the news and events in the world can help you be prepared long before others are. For example, when citizens on one side of the globe began chatting about toilet paper shortages, some in the States had been watching and were able to be prepared early on instead of trying to do last-minute hoarding.
The signals you want to watch for can include weather events, supply shortages, and even something as severe as war. Don’t just listen to mainstream media, either. Watch for chatter on social media and in forums, as well.
Task #48: Ensure You’re Planning for Stress Relief When Needed
Not only can a survival situation take a physical toll, but it takes a mental toll on everyone – young and old alike. Even if there’s not a severe, immediate threat, the constant worry about something worse happening may be enough to cause sadness, anger, or depression.
Everything from worry about food to lack of socialization – health issues and more – can impede someone’s ability to relax, regroup and maintain a positive mindset. So make sure you have supplies for relaxation and recovery as well as a plan to help everyone have a positive outlook.
Task #49: Make a Specific Prepper Budget and Start Buying on a Regular Basis
As you begin carrying out the tasks listed above, you start to get a better grasp on how much things cost, how to shop smart, and what items you most need for the comfort and survival of your family.
Now, you can create a budget for your ongoing purchases as well as big ticket items you want to have. This may include a homestead property, tornado shelter or panic room, camper and more.
Start a savings for the big ticket purchases and begin funneling in small amounts as you can. Look for ways to pay off debt and put those minimum payments toward your bigger survival purchases.
Task #50: Start Looking at Specific Homestead Property
If you’ve been prepping at home this whole time, in the suburbs or urban areas, you want to make long-term plans to have an official off-the-grid homestead out in the country – in the middle of nowhere – so that you’re safe from the chaos of an unruly crowd.
This spot should ideally have its own water source, like a river, stream or lake. You want plenty of land for raising animals and planting crops. You can build using a variety of supplies, such as an official second home level of luxury or something like a wooden cabin or shipping container survival home.
Start stocking the property with supplies of its own, so that you don’t have to try to transport the ones in your current home. And spend time on the property learning how to live on the land.
As you can see, a lot goes into preparing for survival. From little things like having extra canned vegetables on hand to significant decisions like where to build a homestead – you can go through them one by one, getting closer to your goals of self-sufficiency and preparedness.
Having a plan is the best way for you to protect yourself and your family. We have developed a plan to help you do this. Keep your family safe and prepared with this 38-page Family Survival Preparedness Planner! It’s the perfect tool to ensure that everyone’s ready for any emergency—organized, simple, and family-friendly.
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