There are so many items to have in your home in order to be prepared for whatever comes your way. These 12 items are things I believe everyone should be stock up on so you can have them when you need them.
These are 12 items, or rather categories, of things every prepper should stockpile, in alphabetical order because I couldn’t decide on any other order! HA.
Alcohol
Now, some people will tell you to keep alcohol on hand as a bartering tool. I have never been in a situation where I needed bartering tools, but I could see how people could think that. *Side note: I would think that salt or sugar, or even a freshly baked loaf of bread could be just as powerful for a bartering tool. Honestly anything can be used to barter. Stock things YOU would use and want, enough so that you can barter with those items if needed. That way, if you do need to barter things, you have extra. If not, you have a stockpile of things you actually want.
But alcohol can be used for tinctures and in certain emergencies, you may not have access to medication and are in need of things, having alcohol to make tinctures will be invaluable.
Defense Tools
This is to be able to keep you and your family safe should the need arise.
Security systems are also important things to look into.
If you had to shelter in place and a mob came to your door. . .what would you do? If you had to leave your home and you ran into a mob, what would you do? What could you do?
Important things to think about, even if they are unpleasant.
Fuel
There are a few different fuel options, and for some of them it depends on what tools you have to be able to use that fuel and also how to store the fuel.
- Candles – a light source without the need for electricity.
- Firewood – Can be used as a heat source and as a way to cook food.
- Gas – Consider having extra stored for your car. If you have a generator that runs on gasoline you will want to make sure you have some extra on hand. Be sure to rotate your gas because it doesn’t keep good for long.
- Lanterns – another light source used for bigger areas. If you have a battery-operated lantern, make sure you have extra batteries. If you have one that runs off oil, make sure you stock extra oil and wicks.
- Propane – If you don’t have a grill that runs on propane, I highly suggest having one. Then get, when you can, an extra propane tank. It’s an easy way to cook food if you don’t have electricity. Also, there are some heaters that run on propane.
Knowledge
I can’t tell you how important having knowledge on how to live is. I’m not talking about how life is now, I’m talking about living how our grandparents lived. If there’s one thing the last few years have taught me is to not depend on anyone, especially the stores. Bread and yeast were hard to find at one point. If I had had some yeast in my house, I could’ve easily made my family bread. But I didn’t even know how to make bread. I do now.
Can you start a fire? Do you know how to grow food? How about how to cook from scratch? What about food preservation? There are skills that we should know that seemingly have become lost. It’s not too late to learn. Books on how to do various skills would be an excellent thing to have in our homes.
Land
As a prepper, you will find that there is always something you can buy or are in need of. For me, one of them is land. Having some land, I’m not talking hundreds of acres, you decide how much you need/want, but having some land to be able to grow your own food and possibly have some goats or chickens or something would, well let’s be honest, it would freaking rock.
If you don’t have a lot of land but you have a porch or a small backyard, try growing things in pots. Tomatoes do well in them. You can do strawberries, potatoes, peppers, onions and so much more in them. Start learning how to grow some of your own food.
Long Term Food Storage
Not all foods can be stored for long term but there are certain foods that are excellent candidates for long term storage. Take rice and beans for example. Yes, everyone talks about them, but do you know why? They make a complete protein; both are inexpensive and when stored correctly can last a very long time!
Other foods like flour, pasta, sauces, canned meat, canned fruit and vegetables, powdered milk, potato flakes, oats, sugar, salt, vinegar and so much more are things that you can store for some time.
You can also look into freeze dried food. Supposedly that food can last up to 25 years.
Part of your food storage should include having some heirloom, non-gmo seeds.
Nuts, Bolts, Screws, Wood and Adhesions
Depending on the type of emergency, having things on hand to repair something in your home is smart. What happens if you need to build a house for newly acquired chickens? Or need to board up your windows because of a hurricane or a sandstorm?
Things like this are important to have on hand and you will be so thankful you have stuff on hand one day.
Power Sources
Solar generators. These can get expensive but if you have the means to have them, I think they could be useful. I know nothing about them, but man wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have one?
Renewable Food Source
I’ve talked a bit about growing your own food and having a space, or even pots to be able to plant food for your family could be lifesaving. There can be a learning curve to growing food so I would encourage everyone to try growing at least one item of food, even if it’s just in a pot on a deck/patio.
Also look into having animals like chickens who continually give you eggs and can even be meat birds. Goats can give you milk for drinking and soap making.
Toiletries
This is anything and everything from toilet paper to shampoo. Let’s also not forget any female products. You can get disposable but also look into something a little longer term such as cups. There are even washable pads.
I’m also going to lump having a well-stocked first aid kit in this category. Anything and everything from Band-Aids, medicine, how to books, etc.
Tools and Accessories
This is another area that has a wide variety of things within it. This is not a complete list, but some of the tools that I feel are good things to think about are:
- Shovels
- Hammer
- Axe
- Ropes/twine
- Tarps
- Garden Tools
- Knife
- Walkie Talkie
- Hand Crank Radio
- Heavy Duty Backpack
- Manual Can Opener
- Cast Iron pots and pans
- Canning supplies
Water & Water Filtration
Food is what most people think about when it comes to stockpiling. And while that’s important for survival, water is something that we can’t survive long without.
Everyone needs water stored. Not just plastic bottles of water, but also longer storage. You will want containers that won’t let light in and that is durable.
Then you’ll need a way to filter water in case your water is contaminated or if you have to get water from a creek or body of water.
I hope this helps!
This list is more about 12 categories to think about when you are working on your own preps at home. As always, fit this to your own family’s needs.
Thanks!
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