$8.99 Flat Rate Shipping On All Orders

I'm ready to get prepared, where do I start?

I'm ready to get prepared, where do I start?

Posted by DL on Jan 11th 2017

So you just now realized the how fragile this world really is. Maybe you walked into your local grocery store and thought "what if there was no food to buy?", or you turned your faucet and had drinkable water come out and thought "what if water didn't come out?". Those thoughts are only the beginning of attaining the mindset you need to overcome and prevail in a world that is ever changing.

Everyone tells me water should be first. Water generally is first since the human body can barely last longer than 3 days without it. Here's the thing about water: it's all over the place. If you have a metal pot in your house along with a way to make fire you can easily boil water after straining it through some thickly woven fabric. You can definitely get a water filter/purifier unit and you should eventually, especially if you may have to walk to a safer location during an extended emergency. As great as a backing-style water filter is, they can break. Being mechanical, any of its moving parts are susceptible to breaking. Not only that, but during winter water can freeze inside the unit and destroy it. It's a lot harder to break a metal pot, which is a multi-use item. Staying hydrated should be your number one goal regardless of the taste. You can always throw any flavored mix or electrolyte solution into the boiled water.

The reason we carry the TOAKS Titanium cookware is because it's lightweight, durable, and finds a home in any sized preparedness kit. Instead of purchasing an expensive mechanical water filter, make sure you at least have one camping pot that is large and durable for boiling water and cooking in. For the summer months, an individual can get away with a 750ml pot but in winter, when you may have to melt snow, a bigger pot is always recommend (1,600ml-2,000ml). One great feature on many of the TOAKS pots we carry are the large wire bails, which are used to hang the pot directly over the fire.

Now let's be honest: you don't need the Ti Pot first. You probably already have a stainless steel sauce pan in your home that you could boil water in. Just make sure there are no plastic handles on it or a camp fire will destroy them.

Back to the original question, "where do I start?". The short answer is SECURITY. If you cannot protect yourself, your family, and your supplies, someone else will be able to take it from you. Every able-bodied person in your family should have a firearm and know how to use it. Type of firearm is for another debate, but for now just make sure you have a way to deal with a threat at a safe distance.

Luke 22:36 (KJV) says, “Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”

The sword of Jesus' day was the equivalent of an Infantryman’s battle rifle of today. Every Roman Soldier carried one for a reason.

So let’s assume you have firearms and some ammunition, at least enough to be a deterrent to the majority of the early-bird predators who just realized the police are busy somewhere else. You need more food. Every single grocery store in town will be ransacked in less than 24 hours of an emergency. Even if you have cash, why take the risk? How may predators could be waiting in the parking lot to take what you have bought? Food will be a resource that people will do unspeakable things for and anyone who has studied history knows this is true. Look at current day Venezuela...

From Daily Mail.com: Hungry: This mother searches in vain for basic food stuffs in an empty supermarket in Caracas. Some desperate Venezuelans are resorting to bartering on social media to provide for their families, trading everything from flour and nappies to prescription drugs.

Not only do you need food, but you need a lot of it. You cannot prepare for every eventuality, but that is why preparing is continuous. The best way to increase your food stores is to purchase a little each paycheck or, at the very least, a little each month. If you want your money to work for you, the best investment is in freeze dried meal kits which will/can last 25 years! These meals take very little water to re-hydrate and offer better nutritional value and positive psychological impact than rice and beans. I’m not saying one should not have rice and beans; you should as these are great fillers and can be doled out as charity or trade items to your neighbors.

Another great feature of dehydrated meals is that they are lightweight. You can carry a lot of food in a backpack and not be weighed down when comparing the same amount of calories in canned foods or even MRE meal packs.

Foods such as Wise Company and Mountain House last from 7 years on their camping foods to 25 years of shelf life on their emergency food kits. Everyone knows how much more expensive food gets every year. As you accumulate a long-term food storage kit, your food acts as a storage of wealth. What you buy now, will cost you noticeably more in 3-5 years. Start buying now and have the added assurance that long-term food storage will give you.

How many types of insurance do you carry: Car, Life, Home, and Health? All of which only pay out because the system is still in place. Do you keep a fire extinguisher in your house because you know it catch fire? No, you do it just in case. Do you wear a seat belt because you know you are going to get in an accident? Exactly! You do it just in case. It’s time to take responsibility for you and your family and become your own insurance policy. If something catastrophic happens, help will never arrive as soon as it’s needed. Be self-reliant, have a plan, pray nothing bad happens.

1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) says, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, andis worse than an infidel.”

Besides the natural instinct of self-preservation, there is a Biblical mandate to prepare. How can you help others if you cannot help yourself first?

Please call or email us if you need more information or advice on building a long-term food supply. I promise it will not be a sales pitch; let us help you get started today.

God Bless,

The MI-TAC Team