I Didn’t Prep! What Now?!

woman holding chalboard reading don't panic

You didn’t prep? Don’t panic!

By now, many people have realized that civilization need not collapse amidst a zombie apocalypse or asteroid strike to make some level of prepping a good idea. Prepping need not mean for most people a vast array of expensive and likely unnecessary equipment, a cache of weapons, or a bunker comprised of a buried storage container or missile silo.

Prepping for most people, especially right now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic or shortly thereafter, is no longer an option in the sense that prepping really means preparing for a prolonged shortage of food, lack of the food you need, or scarcity of other goods (like toilet tissue) before the need arises.

The good news is you likely don’t need to panic as long as you have reliable city water or functioning wells, or access to several days worth of bottled water, along with food for a few days.

Before very long, you can be well positioned with just a few days of supplies on hand or readily available, which most people have in their kitchens already and which can be obtained easily with a bit of strategic online shopping or a visit to your local stores.

What to do now

Store enough water for two weeks.

This may seem unnecessary, but you need water. You can go many days without food if necessary, but you will be unable to function within just a few days without water. While it is extremely unlikely that reliable city water sources will fail, it is far better to be prepared than to find yourself without water. Storing enough water for two weeks will become increasingly difficult for large households, but it can still be done with careful planning. This Augason Farms 55-gallon water barrel with manual pump will hold enough drinking water for four people for up to four weeks. You should be able to get this barrel and pump for less than $100 if you are patient. Be aware the prices increased early during the COVID-19 pandemic and have stayed around $150 since. Bear in mind this barrel will weigh over 480 pounds when filled with water, so it needs to be on a ground floor or in a basement in a place where it will not shift. If you do not have the space or cannot safely store a 55-gallon barrel, then you can store multiple 5-gallon or 7-gallon containers such as this Reliance Products Aqua-Tainer.

Buy enough food for two weeks.

This is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. A 20-pound bag of rice and one or two of these 3-pack dried bean soup will feed a family of four, especially if combined with other items you very likely have on hand. Even without other items, those purchases (or similar ones) will provide food for a family of four for two weeks. It is important to note that eating only beans and rice is not nutritionally balanced. Ideally, they should be augmented with fruits and vegetables, and these can be fresh, canned, dehydrated, or freeze dried. Preferably fresh, but don’t be too focused on fresh (as long as it’s not spoiled) in an emergency.

Buy enough toilet tissue for a month.

This one will be more challenging until the supplies stabilize after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bear in mind that the issue is far less one of people buying far more than they need (although some of that is occurring), and more that many more people are home for a great deal more time than normal, so the use rate of toilet tissue at home has increased significantly. The best way to find some is to figure out when your local stores restock and go buy as soon as you can after the restocking. You can also keep an eye on availability on Amazon, but beware of price gouging and realize that many others are doing the same thing so what appears to be available can become unavailable before you can check out. So if you find some at a price you find acceptable, buy it rather than doing all of your shopping and then checking out.

Buy over-the-counter medications.

If you do not have enough OTC pain reliever (Aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin, etc.) or cold/flu medicine, begin shopping around. Store shelves have begun to carry these items again and they can usually be found without too much trouble, although local stores are often more reliable sources than online retailers. Also check the expiration dates and condition of items in your first aid kits and replenish what is needed. Buying many of these items at once is expensive; you will be better off identifying priorities for what you need and adding them to your shopping lists over time.

Be sure you have enough hand soap.

Thirty seconds of thorough hand washing does far more to clean your hands than pouring on alcohol or hand sanitizer. Remember, soap does not kill most germs; rather, soap and water form a lubricating carrier which makes it very difficult for germs to remain on your hands. That is why thorough scrubbing with lather and thorough rinsing is important. Dirt is not soluble in alcohol, meaning you cannot dissolve dirt with alcohol. You may be able to scrub it off, but doing that frequently will cause severe drying and cracking of skin.

Buy a good flashlight.

If you don’t already have a good flashlight, I recommend this one by Peak Plus. I have many flashlights, and have had many more over the last five decades. This Peak Plus is consistently reliable, has a demonstrated continuous run time of over six days on low (still bright enough to ready by in the dark!), and uses either a rechargeable battery or three AAA batteries that fit into an adapter that comes with the flashlight. Yes, you can use your cellphone for a flashlight, but if the power is out for an extended time, you really do not want to use your phone battery to supply light when there are better options that will conserve your phone’s power.

Buy a bidet attachment for your toilet.

Most households in the U.S. do not have bidets or bidet attachments. However, you will find that a properly maintained bidet attachment is both hygienic and can greatly reduce your usage of toilet tissue. The bidet seat type of attachment, available from Amazon from Luxe Bidet, or this handheld attachment from FREDI, work great. Both are non-electrical and attach to your current water supply line with an easy adapter that does not require penetrating the line.