r/SelfSufficiency • u/Bread376 • 12d ago
Need help!
Hello I’ve never posted or added anything onto Reddit this would be my first time but I’m asking for help with getting started on doomsday prepping or someone to guide me to getting started, lately I’ve been obsessed with being prepared for the inevitable a collapse of some kind I want it be prepared at least
Anyways I guess what I’m asking for is someone to guide me and help me I’m 24 soon to be 25 130 lbs scrawny guy id say I’m a fast learner and open pretty open minded currently live in the city but would love to get more outdoors woods wise and learn the basics of nature survival first, weapons im a little iffy about but willing to learn as well whatever it takes I guess haha, also at the moment pretty broke :/ but still have a stable income I guess
Dont really have a hobby unless you count reading and gaming I do have a little pup though not that interesting of a person more of a mundane guy with little to say unless I’m comfortable enough to talk. But mainly enjoy the peace
That’s all I have to say for now so if someone is willing to mentor me I’d really appreciate it!
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u/AnyKing7879 12d ago
Would be good to post in r/Prepping or r/Prepping(country you are in)
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u/Bread376 12d ago
I didn’t think of that ha I’m new to all this thank you !!
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u/AnyKing7879 12d ago
No worries! I’m a similar age. It is easy to go down a rabbit hole of ‘buying equipment’ or preparing for situations that are less likely.
Start with the basics. Do you have a 1st aid kit? How about a small bag in your car if you break down and you have to wait on the side of the road… in Winter? Could you manage if the power and taps went off for 3 days? How about 3 weeks? What if your car stopped working?
Prepping is about getting the boring bits right. Whether prepping for everyday life or doomsday situations, the basics need to be covered first.
And work on your health. You don’t have to be huge, I’m not. 8 hours of sleep a day and at least 30 minutes of exercise a day will do more than mostly any suppliment you’ll find advertised online.
Bushcraft is something you might enjoy looking into. You can get a book on wild camping, wild foods, etc. Go camping with friends
Any questions feel free to let me know.
God Bless you man
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u/Bread376 12d ago
Alright I really appreciate the help, the basics are always important no matter the situation
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u/Living-Inspector1157 12d ago
You live in a city, so that's just going to make any attempt at being a wilderness survival wiz impossible. Broke prepping isn't too hard though. Buy some dog food, put it in a container with a oxygen scrubber. You can buy giant kibble bags. For survival try to just leave the city and sleep outside. You don't need a tent, or really anything. Just find a bush and sleep under it. Go camping with just your skin and clothes. You could even learn how to quick build a roof with a tarp if you want to be classy. People just slept on the ground frequently historically. Something a regular person would struggle with but you can get used to it.
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u/archina42 12d ago
You might want to look at hungryminds.com.
The book called "The Book" - how to rebuild civilisation after a societal collapse
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u/bluewingwind 12d ago
I always think best to begin preparing for things that WILL happen and then work your way up to doomsday. So do you have the normal stuff for disaster preparedness for a fire, a tornado, water out, electricity out, car crash, and short term food instability?
Stuff like a hand crank NOAA weather radio, flashlights, robust first aid kit (with narcan, an epipen, and any medication you need daily), car emergency kit, small food and fresh water supply and a filter. Then bigger stuff like a generator. Focus on getting all that really efficiently packed and organized so that moving it from your car to your house or vice versa is as simple as grabbing a small box or bag. Have it stored in your tornado shelter ready and regularly update it by yearly giving everything a test and a once over. Be able to find it in the dark. Learn to cook food if you don’t know how.
Once that’s all covered outside of your house you can start working on skills you’d do camping. I think learning how to go backpacking for multiple days is a lot of what you need. How to pack a back pack properly and wear one. How to put up a tent, fishing, water, hiking etcetera. Learn where to spend money and where not to. For example my REI tent and sleeping bag are absolutely worth it. But all those dried food meals and glamping stuff is not.
There is also hunting for large animals like deer. I find having a second freezer in my basement full of deer meat all year gives me a lot of security. Like I’m not at all worried about beef prices skyrocketing. I haven’t bought a significant amount of beef in years. When I crave it I just thaw a free venison steak. I have tons of the absolute prime cuts for pennies on the pound even with the price of the deer tag included which is hefty because I hunt out of state.
Then lastly you might be slightly limited but there are at-home skills you can learn like gardening, raising animals for meat and supplies, off grid stuff, solar installation etc. I raise chickens and meat rabbits in the suburbs. When my power went out for 6 days last spring we had to toss all our fridge food and we ate egg salad sandwiches with fresh eggs and garden veggies for a couple days. That felt like a lot of work paid off for me personally. No worries about cyclospora either because we had our own fresh herbs, fruits and veggies from the home garden all summer. Even if it’s not yourself, having a connection to a local supplier for things is a step up from relying on a global food system. A lot of the food at my local farmers market was safe also for example. Community preparedness is a lot smarter than individualistic preparedness.
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u/Varro-Reborn 12d ago
Learn to grow food. Start with grains and whatever bean grows local to you.
Stored preps are a temporary measure. Spend $125 on flour, beans, an oil, and learn to make bread, tortillas. Should be about 3 months of survival food.
Buy or find a place to start growing an Autonomous Garden. A place where you can use hand tools to grow a mostly complete diet (10,000 sq ft in the temperate climate). South facing (in the northern hemisphere), preferably down hill to a higher hill, or along a stream or water way.
Learn basic medical care. Prep vitamins, fever reducers.
Learn to make a water filter and buy the filters you need to make it.
Learn to cook on fire. Experiment and have fun with it.
Learn to passively heat or cool your home. Build a Hobbit house if you're up for it.
Get enough solar power and mobile internet for communications.
Build a community of like minded people of you can't do it yourself.
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u/I_VAPE_CAT_PISS 6d ago
Skills and neighbors before gear. Learn to fix a leaky pipe and cook without power, and know who on your block has a generator. When our road lost power for four days last winter, the guy with the generator and the lady with a camp stove fed half the street. Nobody touched a bug-out bag.
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u/Binasgarden 6d ago
Hey urban farmer here.....at least that is what I am told. Lets start at the beginning...what are we working with here, 136 acres log cabin with a well or like me a suburban house with a fifty by one fifty lot or like my kids a two bed with a balcony. Our government, Canada has a disaster prep pamphlet telling what you need on hand for 96 hour disaster kit, and when I was looking at root cellars and cold rooms a few years ago, I learned about 7th Day folks need to keep a year on hand. Sweden's king put out a great preparation book, all on line for free. An extra bag of lentils here, or a bag of split peas there, dehydrating leftover vegies for use later, or pickling them. learn how to fish, or sew or make your own sausage. Skills make everyone feel a bit safer knowing that if something comes up it won't overwhelm you
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