We are all newbies.

It is snowy here. And cold - surprisingly a little bit - no such winter as far as I remember. So I can not write a lot about progress of my small country project cause it's stopped by nature.

Todays inspiration comes as usual lately from IPN forum. Its a thread about starting, experience, spendings. As an answer I would tell prepping is not about starting, experience or spendings. Completely. Its about being aware. And that makes a difference.

Prepping is a road not a point. So its not about the state but about attitude. You cannot say you are newbie because we, everyone of us is newbie. First - it is because when we would think about ourselves as being prepared and experienced we would lost the whole idea. And one day we would be surprised. Second - no one is experienced with the situation when SHTF so all we can do about is discuss not being sure of anything. Also here you will find that there are no stupid ideas - almost everything is worth to watch, sometimes only for a moment, but to gain another point of view. The wider picture we take the easier we will find solutions.

When you will start you will find that there is always something to do - even just because you have to renew your stockpile, there is always something to learn - because as a person who enjoys life you will always find something new to do - pottery, herbalism, carpentry, biology. You will find that there is always something to add to your "collection" to feel secure, comfortable. Being a prepper is the neverending story.

What is funny the most important things do not cost almost anything both in terms of time and money.  First things I would suggest to do are:

1. Make an order in your documents.  You can use a list as it is in J. Stevens book. 

2. Make an order in your financial. Make a list of income and spendings. Make a balance sheet. It will make you aware what can be easily done and what need to be worked on in a future. Find out which spendings are really necessary. Not knowing where are the wholes in the canteen you won't be able to plug them so you'd better do it ASAP.

3. Make an order in your life. Time is the essence. Start to plan your life - you will much easier find a time for you when you can do whatever you want. Prepping activities - why not?

Planning is also essential just not to forget about something. Make a list of "things to do". Review it monthly to improve ideas, check progress, etc.

4. Try to be informed. About financial issues, government plans (budget...), weather (hurricanes...). Learn to read informations - separate pure informations from comment. 

These four points are the most important and it cost virtually nothing to put them into life. And you will... never have them done. :) Because it is a way not a point as I mentioned before.

Everything more like stockpiling, networking are derivatives of these first things. They are a part of greater plan. Alone are worth almost nothing (have a hundred filters but no water source? have a prepper friend near but no cooperation plan?). And don't forget about patience. For me it is not a question cause I am who I am and then I found I am a prepper. But some people will try to be prepared because of many reasons : fear, family, anything, and its important to be patient. Not to forget of the main reasons which once made you decide to go this way.

Good luck !

Who am I not.

An interesting thread was started on APN forum lately. It is worth saying a few more words. 

Maybe preppers are taken as weird people. But that is a trap of democracy - majority do not means to be right automatically. In other words - even if you will vote for sunny holiday they may not be sunny. "To want" is not enough in many matters. People are also desperate not to take responsibility for themselves and others. That is why they vote for more control , more social, more "free" things delivered by governments. From neutral point of view they are weird because they believe in a power of paper, they believe that if something is voted and written in paper or law - nothing can change it. They are wrong - as much as possible. Last century took us in another dimension of coexistence. People became specialists and they are mainly worth nothing without all the support. Support I mean people, firms, processes which involve the need of usage of specialists. Especially financial sector is very dependent on other people within this sector itself. Financial specialist as he is today, was worthless in the begining of XX century and will be worthless when he will be dismissed after financial sector will shrink or SHTF. That is why I think that people today have new religion - they believe that it has to be - this way or other but has to. They go on strike when salaries are cut or people fired. They think that everything should be as it is and no worse because so.  No explanations, no knowledge - just believing in omnipotence of governments and politicians "who promised everything".

Preppers are not believers. They are people who do not trust that we can forget who we are and trust that things will last because of our will. We do not let think others for ourselves. We want to decide. We care and we just live. What others called preparing - it is just living. What they call living being totally unprepared - it is like a party. Preppers are thinking not only about self-sustainable lifestyle as it is thought but we are for widely understood freedom which is taken in the name of so called "justice" and "need" under the codename "security", "terrorism", "health" or other stupid explanation for the masses.

But carnival never last forever and what is gonna be when the party is over ?...