Hi there and welcome back to the gubba podcast. I’m gubba a first time homesteader following in the footsteps of my homesteading. On this podcast, I talk about prepping, homesteading, food storage, and everything in between.
Today, I want to talk about categories to prep for outside of food storage. I’m so focused on food storage most of the time that I barely go over other categories outside of that.
Food isn’t the only thing you want to build a stock up of. You need to think and ask yourself what you need to carry on normally if the power is out or you have no running water.
Once you have answered that, you can start to work on the different areas around your house that need attention.
How do you cook without electricity?
I would say the most important category is surrounding food because we need food to survive. So how will you cook food if your electricity goes out? Have you ever thought of that? If the power went out right now for a few weeks, what would you be eating?
The easiest way to answer this question is to build up a stock of camping supplies. Because it is 2022, there are so many neat camping supplies that basically fill every need you could ever hope for.
My camping supply of supplies is pretty basic – I have a tent, a propane stove, chairs, cast iron cookware, and some other smaller items like campfire picks. I love having a propane camp stove on hand plus a stock of propane, so I always have a way to cook my food.
I also am blessed to have a fire pit by my house with plenty of wood that I could easily build a fire and use some coals to make something in my cast iron dutch oven or pan.
Along with the camping supplies, I also have a tent. What kind of shelter would you have if you had to evacuate your house right now? Maybe a flood, hurricane, tornado, whatever the reason—would you have shelter?
I know there are volunteer and government shelters but I believe you will always be most comfortable if you prepare yourself and don’t rely on anyone or anything else. I’ve also read and heard horror stories about government help during emergency evacuation situations.
Specifically, stories from hurricane Katrina and of people who had prepared and could keep up in their homes but were forced out at gun point by government officials trying to help.
Like no thanks, I like having the ability to choose for myself and I don’t want any intervention. Not only is prepping so you can thrive and not just survive but so you also don’t have to rely on anyone else.
It is nice to have supplies you can pick up and grab in a pinch. Camping supplies have gotten lighter and easier to pack over the years and like I said, meet about any need that you could imagine.
Seriously, think about a situation of having to be evacuated and what would be your next steps? I would suggest to never rely on anyone or anything if possible. Nothing is guaranteed but what you prep can be.
I could pick up my tent, chairs, cookware and dip out so fast that no one will catch me or be forcing me to leave my house. I’m confident I could survive. This also comes with having a full tank of gas at all times.
What do you do without running water?
The next category to stock up on also relates to food and that is things like paper towels, cutlery, paper plates, plastic storage bags, foil, saran wrap, and other things you use daily in your kitchen.
If the water goes out, you won’t be doing dishes and they would pile up quickly and turn into a stressful mess in your kitchen. You will definitely want disposable plates and eatery in a situation like that so you don’t have to worry about cleaning up.
If you have watched my prep videos on youtube, you know that I have a store of paper towels. I use them a lot in my kitchen so it makes sense for me to have paper towels on hand. I do use kitchen towels as well but you run into the same problem with laundry and messes piling up.
Paper towels are easily disposed of. Think of the items that you use daily to make and prepare your foods. How could you make that system easy for yourself in an emergency situation. Ask yourself these hard questions and address them—that’s a first step to getting prepared.
What first aid do you need?
The next category is first aid. I’m not entirely focused on first aid like I am on food storage, but it is an important category, especially if you have children. You never know what kind of situation you could find yourself in and you may need to utilize a first aid kit, band aids, trauma kits, or other type of specialty equipment.
First aid is a lot like camping supplies—there are so many different kinds of first aid items that address all kinds of situations. This could be area dependent and maybe you’re in the desert where you would experience sun burns or other trauma related to the sun and need certain types of things in your first aid kit like aloe vera to cool sunburns.
Maybe you’re in the woods and deal with a plethora of scratches and need a kit that helps mitigate bacteria in cuts. First aid is a lot like insurance as well because you don’t know if you’re going to slice yourself and bleed out and need a trauma kit at any point.
Invest if you want to and eventually I will work up my first aid, but food storage is my big focus at the moment.
What cleaning supplies do you need?
The next category is cleaning supplies. If you remember going to the store in 2020 and having the cleaning supply shelves be barren because rona was scary.
I remember that.
I had stocked up on cleaning supplies prior and was okay, but it’s always good to have some on hand. Lysol wipes (but be careful when you use them because the scent from these have supposedly caused seizures and other issues with animals.) Protect your fur babies.
Bleach is something to have on hand along with Pinesol. You couldn’t get either of those during the 2020 and I’m sure they were spendy as heck online. I remember when you couldn’t find hand sanitizer anywhere. What do you use to clean right now? Buy some more of that.
What would you need in an emergency situation to clean up blood or bodily fluids? Paper towels, sponges, rags. I love having cleaning supplies on hand because that results in having to go to the store less and I hate having to go to the store.
Along the lines of cleaning supplies, think about your hygiene. How will you stay clean in a situation where you don’t have power or water or maybe you’re off grid surviving?
There are, again, camping supplies that address this need like portable showers and what not. I use shampoo bars that are chemical free and easy to transport. Get some travel sizes of whatever hygiene products you use and keep a stock of those or put in your bug out bag and ready to go.
Another alternative is to not keep your hygiene at all and become a smelly stink. This is actually a pro tip from an extreme prepper I had followed. Like, they were awesome and man they had a whole inflatable kayak and survival gear in the trunk of their car so if it society ever broke down and he couldn’t get home from work on the free way, he had a map and all of the equipment in his trunk to go across a lake and trek home.
It was dope.
Anyway, his tip was to not practice proper hygiene and become smelly so then it keeps people away. If society breaks down, people will come around and you have to act like you’re just as much down and out like they are.
A good way to do that is to not clean up, get a stink, and air yourself out the windows. Obviously, it’s up to you on what you want to do. Maybe in a not so extreme situation you want to have good hygiene and still smell good.
Figure out what it will take to do that without power and water and do it.
How do you make homemade laundry detergent?
The next two categories are bonuses. The first one is off grid laundry. How the heck will you do laundry without power or running water? I love the convenience of my washer and dryer.
I’m blessed to have access to water to clean my clothes and I have an air dryer that collapses and stores easily. I actually use it right now to dry some of my clothes and it works great.
What would you use for laundry detergent if you couldn’t get any at the store?
I would suggest stocking up on your favorite kinds while you can and keeping a running stock of them. You can also learn how to make your own laundry detergent. I do, and it is super easy and chemical free.
Maybe you want to be stinky like with the hygiene so you wouldn’t have to wash your clothes at all. You do you!
Along the lines of clothes, it is important to have area-dependent clothing. For me, I have a plethora of winter clothes because I experience winter and I want to be warm if I don’t have access to heat.
I have boots, gloves, thick socks, jackets upon jackets, hats, and more. Think about your area and what you might be exposed to. Maybe in your area you are exposed to extreme sun.
You will want to prep accordingly and maybe have lightweight long sleeve shirts with hoods that can protect you from the sun. Consider your area and actually who knows what area you could end up in.
I have a variety of clothing for different situations and I would suggest that you think about that as well. Keep extra pairs in your vehicle too.
Well, I hoped that this episode of the Gubba Podcast helped you think a bit more about your situation and what areas you need to be preparing for in your life.
I have more articles and videos on this subject that you can check out on my website gubbahomestead.com or on my youtube.
I hope you have an amazing day!
