Just a few decades ago things were a lot different than what they are today. There weren't Wal-Mart Supercenters or big supermarkets all over. Most people got the majority of their food from local farmers and locally owned grocery stores and businesses. Lots grew their own gardens and canned and stored food throughout the growing season. These people had the prepper mindset long before the word was coined. Today we live fast lives full of quick fixes and are extremely shortsighted; only able to see what's in front of our noses. A lot of people make weekly, or bi-weekly trips to the supermarket for their food and other essential items. Years ago, this would be frowned upon. We rely on a system of mass production of food and goods, where huge distribution centers load big rig trucks to bring the products to the store shelves. A lot of factors have to be in sync for this system to work effectively. Most stores only have 3 days worth of food at any given time, and if one part of the distribution system was interrupted, the store shelves would be empty.
Knowing this, it would be the smart thing to keep at least an extra month of food and supplies on hand at any given time. Even a bad storm could disrupt the supply chain and then you wouldn't have any food. Now, more than ever, it's important to be aware of what's going on around you, and have food and water storages for emergencies. It's also very economical to incorporate your food storage plan with coupons. This is outlined in my Save Money and Build your Food Storage post. We can't rely on supermarkets to feed us in the event of an emergency, because depending on where you live, there's thousands of others who also rely on those stores.
With the economy going down the crapper, we must get prepared and getting food and water stored up is the first step. I outlined the steps to take for a college student to get prepared in my "Prepping for College Students" series, and the same principles would also apply for a beginner who needs an idea of what to buy and how to store it.
Prepping for College Students Part 1
Prepping for College Students Part 2
Prepping for College Students Part 3
Prepping for College Students Part 4
Prepping can be cheap and a great way to keep your head above water when a storm hits or if an emergency strikes. In a recession it's even more important to have a backup plan if you were to lose your job or a substantial portion of your income. In times like we live in today, how could anyone justify not prepping?
