When folks sign up for my newsletter, a lot of them reply to my welcome email and tell me EXACTLY what their biggest challenge with prepping is.

Every email I get helps me build this site, and make sure I’m putting out exactly what you want and need.

I love hearing from you guys. Many of you have really appreciated the work I’m doing, and to those folks, I want to say a big THANK YOU!

This growing tribe is just-plain-amazing and I’m grateful to be a part of it!!

The one question I’m asked more than any other is: “Where/How do I start?”

I usually email them back with links and info.

Finally, after getting so many of these emails, the light bulb flicked on in my head — build that prepping 101 pages of links and info that you keep emailing folks. Duh.

So here it is. Hope you find it useful.

Prepping 101

When we start trying to tackle a problem as BIG and as important as prepping, our brains kind of get a little “fuzzy” (it’s a medical term.  ).

We feel overwhelmed. Confused.

Sometimes, even a bit panicked.

Here’s why (and how to fix it):

Prepping 101: What is the WORST question any prepper on a budget can ask?

There are a video and a PDF worksheet download.

To make the most of this, download and print out the PDF. Please fill it out and keep it someplace where you can see it.

It will help get you moving in the right direction. And will help keep you focused on what’s ahead.

Prepping On A Budget

Probably the second biggest challenge is how to tell the good info from the bad.

This is made even more important when you’re on a tight budget (and who isn’t nowadays??).

There’s a ton of info online, and a lot of it is just noise that’ll waste your time and money.

Prepping 101 good rule of thumb: you can’t buy your way out.

There is a ton of “shiny new thing” chasing in our community.

That new thing may be fun to show to your friends, and it may even make you feel like you’re really doing something to be better prepared (when you’re really not).

But for a lot of that stuff, that’s all it’s good for.

So if you see someone selling something, no matter how cool it may be, ask yourself how you’ll use it.

Do you really know how to use it? Are you buying it to learn how to use it? Which skills and abilities will this shiny new thing add to?

Because the other good rule of thumb is: the more you know, the less you have to carry.

It’s better to know more and depend less on what you carry.

Force Multipliers

One way to make sure you’re getting the most from your time and money is to look for ways to “double-up” or stack the benefits or effects of a thing.

This applies to skills as well as to gear.

The next article covers how to do just that.

Prepping On A Budget (part 1) – Force Multipliers

This will get you thinking about ways to get the BIGGEST bang for your buck (and time spent).

How to find overlap in your preps. How to find what truly matters to your survival.

And how to avoid being distracted by what isn’t essential.

This is a technique our military – especially our Special Operations community – relies on heavily.

Now you can too.

With this technique, a force of 10 can seem like 100 – or more. That’s why the Navy SEALs use it so much.

Or, one small family can seem like a much larger, much more powerful group.

A large and powerful group that no gang of bad guys would want to mess with.

Good stuff to know and apply to your preps.

Rule Of The Vital Few

So you’ve identified the biggest threats to your safety and the ways to maximize your impact.

Now we’re going to take those results and put them on steroids.

Make your preps even bigger and stronger, and more effective, but in the most counter-intuitive way.

Prepping On A Budget (part 2) – Rule Of The Vital Few

Here, we are getting into the meat and potatoes.

If you’re not familiar with this one rule, it will be a game-changer.

Seriously, this one rule spun me on my head.

And it changed the way I do everything.

It’s not exactly a walk in the park to apply it, because we need to take a hard look at where our best efforts are (and what are the time-wasters).

And there are far more time wasters than you or I can imagine.

But it is incredibly satisfying to know you’re getting such a huge return on what you’re doing.

And if you’re prepping on a budget, this one rule is vital.

Get The BEST Info

I’d also suggest you join our newsletter.

The newsletter is where I publish member-only info that I don’t publish on my site.

The deeper, real-world stuff.

Stuff like real survival case studies and the history of survival. What’s worked for mankind, and what hasn’t (here’s a clue: what’s kept the man alive typically isn’t something shiny and new)

This is the stuff that not everyone can handle.

Saying they can’t handle it isn’t me being some kind of wise guy, or funny, or exaggerating.

Lots of people truly can’t handle this stuff.

Because those folks (those who can’t handle it) want to believe that when — when not if — things go sideways that their good Ol’ Uncle Sam (the U.S. government) will be there to save them.

Life will continue as usual. Their expensive coffees and cushy lifestyle will keep on ‘as scheduled.’

If you’ve read this far, then you probably know that’s not likely.

We’ve seen how it actually plays out when things crash and burn too many times, and in too many places already.

And all you have to do is go to your local grocery store the day before a big storm (like I did) to see what a scared, hungry mob is all about.

(and it isn’t about survival for one and all)

So join our newsletter. Please.

It’s the best way to learn about our GIVEAWAYS ($343 value), get our special free guides, new site updates, and other free and useful stuff you will love.

You can join our tribe by putting your email into this form below.

And when you get my Welcome email, hit reply and let me know what you are struggling with.

It helps me build this site and helps me make sure you’re getting what you want and need.

Do it now, and say hello.

See you on the other side!

Remember, I got your back.