Below is a list of things suggested by members of the site that someone new to it all may find useful:-
* Start small and start at the beginning and start now! Ignore the Hollywood stuff and stay real
* What do you need for today ie (light power food) and then multiply by how many days you need!
* A good thing would be to get a large sheet of paper, list on one side the pros/plus of your current location and on the other the cons/minus of it, then make a list of your current food stock and check it with one of the lists say a 30 day one to start with.
* If you start to feel overwhelmed step back and take a break, because prepping can become all consuming if you're not careful. When you're ready come back to it with a fresh perspective.
* If your partner is not "on board" with the need to prep and you are just starting out, don't nag them constantly about everything as no one likes to be nagged. A few little hints here and there will work much better. If there is an item on the news (like the people trapped in cars in the snow) just drop into conversation how much easier it would have been for them if they had some food and water, a blanket, shovel etc in the car.
* Learn how to light a fire , an essential skill that sounds easy but isnt , especially in adverse conditions
* Make 3 lists, What I need to get, What I need to learn, What I need to do. Work your way through them as and when you can.
* It doesnt matter whether you are preparing for the odd powercut or a major economic downturn, your basic preps to survive will still be the same: Shelter, Water, Food, Heat. Obviously you need to tailer your preps depending on your own situation and location but you will still need the 4 basics covered and many new preppers will already have one or two of these covered by family camping equipment, calor fires etc.
* Realistically, moving house to a different part of the country isn't financially viable for the majority. Scrutinise your present location and surroundings and find out its vulnerabilities, i.e., do you live in a flood plain, find out what local resources are about and how they could be accessed WTSHTF (when the **** hits the fan), plan and explore multiple BOR (Bug out Route) to your location and look at how your home could be improved for storage, horticulture and fortification. Consider a series of back up locations (these could tie in with your BOR's).
* Have a look at your County Councils Emergency Planning Website, you should be able to find it by googling the council name and "emergency planning" or something similar. Some of the sites are very good with lots of info about what will happen in the event of an emergency ...although some aren't so good.
* Also useful to check out neighbouring counties emergency planning
* Store what you eat. Eat what you store (Then add more chocolate
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