I’m a college student living in the western U.S. I have been interested in prepping ever since I got my Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge in Boy Scouts when I was about 12. My parents thought it’d be a phase, but it has always been a way of life for me ever since. I have had a lot of fun even with it, and it’s not as hard as it can seem, especially for those who are still in school. I’d like to share a few things that I have picked up over the years that can help any who are on a limited budget, lack space or just want to get started.
1. Time to Learn. You might be asking, ‘learn what?’ Well, learn about what interests you. Learn about your state and local areas and what scenarios that you should prepare for. Getting a buddy who is local can can get you all sorts of info, like where to find a good local thrift store, bargain grocery, or outdoor gear store.
I know that on our campuses we are force fed all sorts of information in what most people think of as learning. But you can use that to your advantage, the campus, not the other stuff. Many have classes about things like first aid, rock climbing, backpacking and mountain biking. Have you ever wanted to try rafting? See if there is a class for that. Do your future plans involve eventually owning a farm or ranch as a getaway? Take classes that could be useful to your farm like welding, Diesel mechanics, or basic veterinary skills. Take physical education classes like basketball, swimming, or karate in order to help you stay fit if you lack personal motivation to work out.
Learn about local threats. Find out the emergency plans for your university and if there is one for the city where you live. By joining a CERT or Search and Rescue team you can add more knowledge to your mental tool box. Get skills, because they are a lot easier to move than your big screen television.
Gather as much information as you can. As you are reading this site, you have a good start. Look for things to get you started like ‘Prepping on a Low Income Budget’ and ‘Beginning Prepping’ or other similar themes.
2. Plan. Make a plan about what you are going to do. Now is the time when you put your prior acquired learning to use. Remember to consider the law, as most disasters are not the end of the world as we know it. As much fun as it is to talk with buddies about your plan for the rising of the zombie, an earthquake plan in California or a hurricane plan in Florida are more likely to be needed. Do you live in an apartment in the Midwest with tornados? Where do you go for shelter when the alerts go off? These are just a couple of things you may want to consider.
I suggest having at least two plans. One is your “hunker down” plan, or your short term plan. This is the plan I will use for things like power outages, most bad weather, and when my apartment complex shuts off water for the hundredth time. Most problems will be a short term scenario. Your other plan is an evacuation plan. I have only used my evac plan once, when I lived in a hurricane area in Florida. Often we think of an evacuation as an adventure, but it is really boring. Long hours in traffic, long lines for gas, long waits for the ok to go home is what you have to look forward to in most evacuations. Granted, we still all hope for the adventure.
3. Gear Up. As a student with limited space and money, I strongly suggest not blowing all your cash money on cool gear. I know this hurts many young dreams, but hang on for a minute. First, see what you can get for free. Do you have a buddy who loves buying the latest gear? Then see if he has any old gear that he is replacing. Did you grow up in an outdoors family? See what you can take back with you after your next trip home. Again, this is when your learning can pay off. Knowing where local army surplus shops, or bargain outdoor stores, even regular gear locations that are having a sale or gear swap can pay off. Thrift stores are a good bet, too.
Gearing up is also more than packing a bag full of PAW goodies. Remember, space is limited in an apartment, so let’s plan wisely. What is under your bed? If not much, then we have a location. You can also buy or build bed risers to increase the available room. I’ve seen some people put their beds on cinder blocks to really get some room.
When it comes to survival food, store what you enjoy eating. A case of MREs can last you a long time, but if you hate MREs, they won’t do you much good. Get things like soup, stew, rice, and pasta. The trick is to get what you like to eat. If you are still a kid at heart and can’t get enough of Spaghetti-O’s or Chef Boyardee, stock up on it. Find out if local stores have case lot sales to get it on the cheap. This is when you stock up on the classic beans, bullets, and band aids. Start with food and water for a week, and then build it up to two. Keep adding as you have room.
Just know, bigger is not always better. Don’t buy in bulk if it will spoil faster than you can finish it. Don’t forget water. Bottled water can be pricey, and you probably don’t have the room for one of the big blue barrels that many preppers have in the garage. If you are a soda fiend, buy your sugar fuel in bottles, and wash and refill them. Two liter bottles, if washed out thoroughly, can hold water really well, because they were made to hold the very acidic soda for years. One liter bottles will work, too. Plan on two liters for drinking, and another two for cleaning, per person per day.
The easiest way I have found to do this is what I call the “one on – one off” idea. For everything you are using or plan to use soon, have another extra waiting in the wings. I do this with soap, toilet paper, cans and other containers of food. I have one box of rice open on the shelf, one off in my storage. Then when I use up the one on the shelf, I open the one in storage and buy another. This is handy because you never run out of things you need at an inopportune moment.
Again, follow any rules that you have to in your contract, at your university and the local laws. If it will get you busted, don’t run out and buy an awesome gun that looks like it belongs in an action movie. Guns are great, but get things like food and water first. They are also expensive and gun laws differ state by state. It would really blow chunks if your new toy (or its magazines) had to stay at Other State University when you return to your parents house, or vice versa. Many Universities have very strict rules about fire arms on campus, especially in campus housing.
For self defense, a baseball bat is low key, and if you want to be even lower key, find an old baseball glove on Craig’s List or at a thrift store and carry the bat and glove together. People will just think you like baseball.
4. Get Active. If your plan involves hoofing it 20 miles and you look like a blob, good luck. A fellow student who works in the recreation field shared with me a story of a man who wanted to climb a mountain near where my classmate worked. He did his research on outdoors sites, gathered his information, and posted on a forum that was dedicated to climbing that mountain. He also weighed nearly 400 pounds. When he asked veterans of that mountain what he should focus on, they were united in the statement, “Lose 100 pounds.” He insisted that he was in shape, and a former football player. He said the weight was mostly muscle. (It wasn’t.) He had to be pulled off the mountain barely a quarter of the way up. Don’t let this happen to you. Your university can be used to help on this. Most schools have gyms, tracks and other facilities available for student use for free. Put your tuition money to work!
Find simple ways to be more fit during the day, such as taking the stairs in place of elevators. Drink more water instead of soda or cruddy energy drinks. Get enough sleep every night and add fruits and veggies to your meals.
5. Roommates can be a pain. If you have to live with roommates, I highly recommend having a private room. I can’t say how many times I and other friends have had roomies steal food, not pull their weight, or make a huge mess. I even had one roommate who thought a strainer was a bowl and lost most of his food all over the counter. Then he refused to clean it up.
Roommates can also “spill the beans” about your preps, and that could mean too many people at your place when SHTF, or they could demand that you share.
This depends on your roommates. Despite of all the bad roomies, I have had others who were great and have had a lot in common with. If you can pick your roommates, and you have friends who are like-minded, then try to get together.
I hope that these tips can help you get started down the road of preparedness. You never know what can happen or when it will hit, so having a basic start can help set you ahead of the pack when the world doesn’t follow the plan in your Smartphone or on your Facebook event page.