2. Explore long term food options (freeze-dried foods, cans, peanut butter, etc.)
3. Store at least a 50 gallon water supply, depending on your family size.
4. Invest in a solar powered generator.
5. Make a checklist of your supplies - as you store them.
If you're interested in becoming a prepper one of the most important things you can do to start is to find a secure place to keep your supplies. Many people choose to store their supplies in a designated room, basement, or garage. It is important that this storage is temperature controlled (cool), does not contain gasoline or other potentially toxic fumes, and can be easily accessed when an emergency arises.
After you find a place to store your supplies you should start looking at available food options. Freeze dried food is the best option because it is lightweight and can be carried over long distances if need be. It is also good for up to 25 years! Other than that you'll want to store canned goods, sealed crackers, peanut butter, and at least a 50 gallon water supply depending on your family.
Next, you'll need a way to generate electricity. Solar panels are the best option to ensure that you have at least enough energy to charge radios, phones, and other important electronics. Solar powered generators are popular in the prepper community.
Finally, and most important - make a checklist of all of your supplies as you store them. If you keep track of how many you have of each item, you will better be able to asses how long you have in an emergency situation.
Some people think that prepping is a waste of time and money, the most common reasons is because people tend to think bad things will never happen to them. People like to believe that they are safe and immune from all of the terrible things that happen in the world. If something terrible happens, they just donate money on a GoFundMe and never think about it again. This mindset is troublesome because we live in a wildly unpredictable world, anything is possible at any given moment.
Talking about this reminds me of any given "doomsday/end of the world movie", the person who always rescues the main character (who is always incredible helpless) is a seasoned prepper. It's normally an old man living at the top of a mountain with an arsenal and 150 years worth of food and supplies buried all over his yard. It sounds incredibly ridiculous, but guess what? When SHTF, he was prepared.
I'm not saying that you have to go to these types of extremes, but you should at least have a 30 days of stored food, water storage, and some type of fuel or cooking source. So if people around you are telling you that prepping is pointless, then you're talking to the main character of a doomsday flick. Just nod your head and show them how many natural disasters have occurred per state since 1953. It's actually terrifying.
