Waiting until you’re in an emergency, whether a natural or made-made disaster, to get the necessary thing you need is always a bad idea. More people are taking steps to equip themselves for different situations as they realize that they can’t rely on others for their needs in emergencies.

The main aim of preparing for emergencies is to reduce life disruptions when you encounter unusual situations. If you want to prepare for emergencies but are unsure where to start, this prep guide for beginners will point you in the right direction.

Tips and Common Beginners Mistakes while Preparing for Emergencies

• Avoid buying off-the-shelf emergency kits, as 98% are not worth the amount your pay for them
• Being ready to handle emergencies is important because you can’t predict when an emergency will occur
• Be practical and realistic when prepping for emergencies. Focus on things that matter most and avoid zombie fantasies and the likes.
• Avoid letting preparations for emergencies overwhelm you. Enjoying your life and living in the moment are important. Being focused on only doomsday can lead to depression. You can prepare for emergencies without giving up on living. Compare your preparation to buying health insurance, which doesn’t mean you have to give up on your health
• Avoid double-dipping your emergency safety gear. It may be tempting to take out items from your bug bag for other activities. But, you may end up having your essentials scattered around and unprepared when an emergency finally happens
• If you’re working on a budget, consider buying a few high-quality items than cheap options that will likely fail when you need them. Even without a lot of money, you can prep for an emergency with DIY and second-hand purchases

The basic steps for prepping include the following.

1. Build a Solid Health and Personal Finance Foundation

Financial and health issues are the most likely disruptions that may affect you during emergencies. Spending a lot of money on things beyond your basic supply may be pointless if you haven’t made financial preparations like a debt-reduction plan, retirement savings, and rainy day fund.

This also applies to personal health. You’ll hardly be able to survive emergencies if you have to live through emergencies with a severe health issue.

2. Make your Home Self-reliant for Two Weeks

Preparing your home for unexpected disasters is important because you’ll likely spend most of your time at home. Your home may also be the best place to make it through certain emergencies.

Your goal should be to have everything you need to survive in your home for a minimum of two weeks without help. This means having enough food, water, a means of heating and cooling, communication, power supply, and medical care. You also need money and basic tools.

3. Learn Important Survival Skills and Practice with your Safety Gear

Having survival gear is important, but it would be useless if you don’t know how to use it. Being prepared is a mix of planning, gear, skills, and practice. If an emergency occurs, you wouldn’t want to have a gear that you don’t know how to use. Practicing with your gear will help you know if you need more gears and how reliable your gears are for certain situations.