By Ditch Doctor
Don’t be discouraged when starting to prep since prepping can be overwhelming, confusing, and expensive. I started prepping using the “Rule of 5’s”. Here’s the list I started with and then expanded it when I reached my goals. Get your family involved but remember to have the quantity end with five. This can be fun for your kids as well.
-15 lbs propane
-15 candles
-5 boxes of matches
-5 lighters
-5 flashlights
-5 radios- AM-FM, weather, CB, shortwave (battery, hand crank, solar)
-25 batteries (sizes that you will use)
-5 lanterns or hurricane lamps (battery, hand crank, solar, kerosene)
-25 hand warmers
-5 gallons of gasoline
-15 days if firewood
-25 gallons of drinking water
-15 gallons of non-drinking water
-55 lbs of food
-$555 cash on hand (different denominations and coins)
-5 bottles of medications (aspirin, Ibuprofen, Imodium, Tylenol, decongestant)
-15 rolls of toilet paper
-5 emergency tarps
-5 rolls of duct tape
-5 bottles of hand sanitizer
-25 band-aids
-5 blankets
Your list may be different depending where you live and your family size. I live in the Midwest, so as you can see I need to stock items to keep my family warm. You can shop at the dollar store, warehouse food store, or discount home improvement store and take it one day at a time. It took me four months to achieve my initial goals but now I have raised the bar and have new goals. We have a saying on the fire department, it’s better to be proactive than reactive. Protect your family and start prepping today.
Ditch Doctor is a former Police Officer, retired Fire Lieutenant, and currently works as a Flight Paramedic on an air medical helicopter.
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