In the year of becoming interested in preparedness and starting this site, I picked up a few habits:
- Acquire a few emergency items each time I shop
- For everyday commonly used items, we now go by “Two is one and one is none.” I get anxious when only one is left of a commonly used item so I no longer wait to resupply.
- Fill up the gas tank as soon as it is half full. I used to let the gas go down to a quarter tank or less, but not anymore!
- Knowing which routes to get out of the city. This took some study, but I now know a few routes. See “Getting to Where You Need to Go”
- Started keeping an emergency cash stash to cover a few days expenses in a hidden location. See “Can a Bank Glitch Ruin Your Weekend?”
- Keep emergency supplies in the car
- Have a bug out bag. See “Bug Out Basics“
- Read survival blogs and became addicted to survival shows.
- I now store my own staples. See “Survival Food Storage“
- Started hiking as pastime and a way to get in shape. See “Fitness Reality Check“
Just as a fairly new-to-this type, I’ve managed to notice a couple of bits…
* I’ve always grown up with a scavenging heart of sorts – comes from being rather impoverished as a kid. If I look at something, no matter how inconsequential, I start thinking of what I can do with it to accomplish some random goal.
* I’ve started gathering and grouping all the old self-reliance books that I’ve managed to gather up over the years, and keep half an eye out for anything that may improve on them.
* For fun, I’ve begun driving alternate routes to get somewhere, just to increase my local knowledge of the roads, and I take note of how light/heavy the traffic is. I’ve already managed to cut down on travel time during rush hour in many cases.
* My old hunting habits have returned to the surface after years of non-use. Now when I’m outdoors I start looking first and foremost for signs of animal activity, followed very closely by seeking signs for human activity.
* My missus and I actually praise my dog (a mini Dachshund) whenever he barks at something that goes ‘bump’ in the night – quite the opposite from my previous habit of scolding him.