
- Grow your own food. You don’t need acres to have a garden or berry plants or dwarf fruit trees and raising chickens(if allowed in your area) for meat and eggs. It will be healthier for you, reduce your dependence on large corporations. Even if nothing happens during our lifetime, you’ll still live healthier.
- Reducing your debt and increase your savings. How can that be bad? Years ago after digging a huge financial hole for myself, I cut up all my credit cards. I do have a couple of prepaid debit cards. Now, if I don’t have the funds, I have to examine if it is a need or a want. If it’s a need that I can’t currently afford, I save for it! I still have some old debt that I am paying off but I am not incurring any new debt. The upside to all of that is I OWN everything I have.
- Following #2, Using Coupons effectively. There are or were reality shows about extreme couponing. They are real and anyone can save big money! Look for local stores that double or triple your coupons value then look at their sales fliers. If you can find a sale for say toothpaste for $1.50 and you have a $.50 coupon and they triple the value, you got that free! Free is one of my favorite words. I am personally working on stocking up on non perishable goods.
- Food & Item storage. Once you begin, you are going to need storage. Basements, pantries and shed are a great place for shelving. If you have a spare bedroom, you probably have a closet you can convert to shelving and storage. If you are storing food, make sure to check your dates and rotate stored items to the kitchen for use.
- Learn a skill. Learn to fish, hunt, camp, home canning, using essential oils. These are great skills to have. Even if nothing ever happens, you can use these skills to catch food, store your food, get away and recharge your emotional/mental batteries, using essential oils for aromatherapy or crafting your own health & beauty products.
- Learn First Aid. The local Red Cross and usually several local organizations teach valuable first aid skills. These skills are great to have while you are camping or in an emergency. You’ll know what to do or at least have a clue when you are the first person at a car accident.
- Learn about Herbs. From growing your own to cooking and medicinal uses. Not only will you be saving money at the drug store and super market but it will healthier for you.
- Water harvesting- Grey Water and Rain Water. Take a course or research how to harvest and store water to use on your plants and trees to conserve drinking water.
- If you’re moving or new to an area learn what weather can cause an interruption to your life. Do you live in a flood/earthquake/tornado prone area? What are winters like? Do extremely hot summers cause power failures or brown outs? Is there a oil drilling facility near you? A chemical plant? A freight rail line near you? Know your environment and things you can do to prepare for and minimize those emergencies.
- Start small and slowly but start today! Make a plan for yourself and your family and think about ways that Prepping or Homesteading principles work for you and adapt them to make your life better or easier.
I’ll be posting some more links in the very near future.
Stay safe and be happy!!!