Brand new to Prepping

[EnigmaPrep]

Hi All,

So I am brand new to prepping. After watching several tv shows, youtube videos and looking through quite a few articles online I thought it time to start putting things into practice.
I will be starting small and just wanted some advice as to where to start and what would be the first thing to look into, research or buy? I thought getting together a good first aid kit might be a good step so have already started buying the odd bit but not sure where to go from there.

Thankyou

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

[Jamesey1981]

Hi and welcome.
What you do now is entirely down to your situation and the reason you're thinking about prepping, a good first aid kit is in my opinion essential for everyone though so that's a very good start.
I would say whatever you're prepping for then start slow, if you're thinking about building up some food stores for example then just buy a little extra every time you head to the shops, you'll soon build up a fair amount of stores and won't really notice the cost at all.
Most of us here are prepping for power cuts, unemployment or bad weather, your more everyday kind of emergency rather than the zombie apocalypse, although if it were to happen then we'd all be better off than your average person with enough food in their house for two or three days. I do focus quite heavily on bushcraft and survival skills, but that's mainly a hobby rather than ever expecting to use it in anger, but it stands me in good stead if something goes wrong on a hunting or camping trip.
I would suggest doing a first aid course, ideally the three day one if you haven't already done it for work and can spare the cash to pay for it, although if you approach your employer they'll often pay for it, companies have to have first aiders on site and are usually happy to train up an extra person or two. It looks good on your cv for a start, and the best first aid kit in the world is no use if you don't know what to do with it, I have been in situations where I have had to administer first aid (both the usual trips and falls and I was also involved in a major rail disaster) and if I hadn't had the training I think I would have panicked.
Also research fire extinguishers if you don't already know all there is to know, which colours contain which product, and the situations where you'd use them, using the wrong fire extinguisher on even a small fire can put you in real danger or make the fire worse.
What I've mentioned is just what I would consider immediately useful knowledge, there's some very knowledgeable people on here so anything specific then just ask, I am happy to pass on my knowledge to anyone that wants me to, and if there's stuff that I can't answer then there will be others here that can.

[Deeps]

Welcome to the forum, as Jamesey says, if you have an idea of what it is you're likely to be prepping for then you can work towards it. A first aid kit is a good place to start, you also need to think about food and water and whether you plan on staying put or relocating somewhere else, this will have a huge impact on how and what you need to set in place. Something to heat food and hot water for brews is good for morale too. Lighting and things like toilet roll also make life easier. If you know how many you'll be prepping for it gives you a number to work to, if you want to have a weeks worth for 4 people that's 28 days worth and again this might affect how quickly you can put it together.

Have a nose around the different threads and see what catches your eye, I have a folder on my desk top that I copy stuff to if I think it will be useful and want to refer to it, saves trying to remember what thread I found it in. Remember, you don't have to do it all in a oner, no matter how much you'd like to. I think a lot of us have been guilty of getting caught up in 'having' to buy stuff, just start getting the basics and then when you're comfortable with the level you've built up and something catches your eye you can start expanding, and things will catch your eye, we all like the gucci toys.

Again, as Jamesey says, if you've got questions ask, there's a good chance someone on here will be able to give you pointers or at least opinions. Your preps are what works for YOU, not me or some American dude on Youtube although its good to see what others are doing. Enjoy.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Also a big survival bag to run to the hills with is likely to be a waste of money...

But a "hotel bag" might be useful if you get evacuated from your home due to a big fire or industrial emergency.. Think what you would need for 3 days away and a list of important details such as home insurance contact numbers and such like..

Then think about common issues (no running water due to burst water main or a power cut at night, if you drive is your car reliable and what if you breakdown on a cold night and are forced to sit up on the embankment of the motorway to stay safe? Or it snows badly and you can't get to the supermarket

[EnigmaPrep]

Hi and welcome.
What you do now is entirely down to your situation and the reason you're thinking about prepping, a good first aid kit is in my opinion essential for everyone though so that's a very good start.
I would say whatever you're prepping for then start slow, if you're thinking about building up some food stores for example then just buy a little extra every time you head to the shops, you'll soon build up a fair amount of stores and won't really notice the cost at all.
Most of us here are prepping for power cuts, unemployment or bad weather, your more everyday kind of emergency rather than the zombie apocalypse, although if it were to happen then we'd all be better off than your average person with enough food in their house for two or three days. I do focus quite heavily on bushcraft and survival skills, but that's mainly a hobby rather than ever expecting to use it in anger, but it stands me in good stead if something goes wrong on a hunting or camping trip.
I would suggest doing a first aid course, ideally the three day one if you haven't already done it for work and can spare the cash to pay for it, although if you approach your employer they'll often pay for it, companies have to have first aiders on site and are usually happy to train up an extra person or two. It looks good on your cv for a start, and the best first aid kit in the world is no use if you don't know what to do with it, I have been in situations where I have had to administer first aid (both the usual trips and falls and I was also involved in a major rail disaster) and if I hadn't had the training I think I would have panicked.
Also research fire extinguishers if you don't already know all there is to know, which colours contain which product, and the situations where you'd use them, using the wrong fire extinguisher on even a small fire can put you in real danger or make the fire worse.
What I've mentioned is just what I would consider immediately useful knowledge, there's some very knowledgeable people on here so anything specific then just ask, I am happy to pass on my knowledge to anyone that wants me to, and if there's stuff that I can't answer then there will be others here that can.

Thats brilliant thank you, luckily I have not long ago passed a first aid course with work so that has given me basic first aid in case of emergency, this also covered canines as well so could certainly help my dog should the worst happen. Which leads me onto another question I had, how does it change the situation when a pet is involved? If anyone has any experience of prepping with a dog or pet?

[munchh]

Hi, yes all of the above and dont get caught up in any "this is the best thing you can do for yourself" type stuff, that applies to gear you should never be without also,

I did at first, but soon enough you realise its very personal and what might be right for you could be totaly different.

I have found i do far more research before buying something nawadays, i would see if i could make one before buying one always.

There are always going to be staples of what you should do as essencial preps, but its the way you do them that will be yours.

Have fun.

[Deeps]

As for prepping for dogs etc, aye, there's a fair few of us on here who do. I like to have plenty of cat and dog food in, quite a few of us use zooplus to bulk buy, its fairly cheap for some stuff but like anywhere, there are some things that they're not. Prepping for beasties can bring complications potentially, you might not be able to take dogs out for walks for example, whether that's because you don't want to leave all your gear unattended at home or because the zombies might eat them is up to you but either way you'll end up with a nuts dog that's desperate for a walk. Cats are a lot more independent and can fend for themselves a lot better but I still like to keep plenty food in for our one remaining moggy. Water is something else to consider for your animals, best not to forget them in your calculations.

[Jamesey1981]

Pets have pretty much the same needs as us, food, water and shelter, I have three cats personally, I have food for them for the same time as myself and my girlfriend, and water is factored in too, (not that they ever want to drink any of it) as well as a stock of as many basic medicines as I can get without prescription. If you have a dog then making sure it's well trained should factor in to your preps, any kind of emergency is a stressful time for pets and humans alike, so you want to make sure your dog isn't going to freak out and misbehave at the wrong moment, same would go for my cats if they were in any way trainable.
Plenty of flea and worming treatment is a no brainier, both for the sake of your dog's health and your own sanity.
Get yourself some kind of tick removal tool if you don't already have one as well, they're always handy to have, you can do it with tweezers but there's a risk you'll squeeze the tick and make it more likely to transfer infection or disease to your dog, and you can also leave the head behind when you pull off the tick which is near enough guaranteed to get infected.
It's worth researching which human medicines you can give to your pet too, some are fine for humans but deadly to pets, and you can also look into which dog medicines you could take yourself if you needed to.

[unsure]

i also prep for my dog , she is after all part of he family .
i think at the moment we have about 4 -5 months of food for her .
she is our family pet , alarm , guard dog .