Prepping Basics
Prepping for Beginners: A Calm 30-Day Plan
New to prepping? Start with a calm 30-day plan: water, food, light, heat, meds and paperwork, built around a $50-a-week budget and a printable checklist.
Also on the supply list
SOP-01
The boring basics, in order
Four unexciting jobs cover most real emergencies. Do them in this order and you are ahead of most households.
Section 01Prepping Basics
All 3 guides →
Prepping Basics
Prepping for Beginners: A Calm 30-Day Plan
New to prepping? Start with a calm 30-day plan: water, food, light, heat, meds and paperwork, built around a $50-a-week budget and a printable checklist.
Prepping Basics
What to Stockpile for an Emergency: 40 Boring Items
Wondering what to stockpile for an emergency? 40 ordinary household items worth having, with how much to keep, shelf life notes and what not to hoard.
Prepping Basics
Best States for Preppers: Honest Pros and Cons
There is no safest state. Here are the best states for preppers, scored on hazards, water, land cost, heat and grid, with real trade-offs for each pick.
Section 02Power Outages & Winter
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Power Outages & Winter
How to Stay Warm Without Power: 21 Methods That Work in Winter
Lost power in winter? 21 ways to keep your body and one room warm without electricity, plus the carbon monoxide and fire rules that keep you alive.
Power Outages & Winter
Power Outage Checklist: What to Do Before, During and After
A printable power outage checklist: what to buy now, the first hour, fridge and freezer rules, generator safety, and what to do if it lasts 3+ days.
Power Outages & Winter
Winter Car Emergency Kit: What to Pack and What to Do If Stranded
A winter car emergency kit checklist, plus exactly what to do if you are stuck in snow: stay put, clear the exhaust, run the engine 10 minutes an hour.
Free tool
How much water and food does your household need?
Enter the people, pets and days. Get gallons, calories and a shopping list you can print.
Open the calculator
Section 03Food Storage
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Food Storage
How Long Does Food Last in the Fridge Without Power?
A closed fridge keeps food safe about 4 hours, a full freezer about 48. Here is the USDA keep-or-toss chart, plus how to stretch both without a generator.
Food Storage
Foods That Never Expire: What Really Lasts Decades in Storage
Which foods that never expire really do? Honey, sugar and white rice come close. Realistic shelf lives, storage methods and the foods that only claim it.
Food Storage
Best Canned Foods for Emergency Storage: What to Buy and Skip
The best canned foods for emergency storage, picked for protein, calories and eat-cold convenience, with shelf lives, can safety rules and what to skip.
Section 04Water
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Water
How Much Water to Store Per Person (and How to Store It)
How much water to store per person: at least 1 gallon a day for 3 days, 2 weeks if you can. Chart for 1-6 people, container options and cleaning steps.
Water
How to Make Water Safe to Drink: Boiling, Bleach and Filters
How to make water safe to drink in an emergency: exact boiling times, a bleach drops-per-gallon table from EPA and CDC, filters, and what none of it removes.
Water
What to Drink When There Is No Water: 10 Sources in Your House
What to drink when there is no water: the water heater, pipes, ice and more, ranked by safety, plus what never to drink and when to treat water first.
Section 05Home & Security · Off-Grid Power
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Home & Security
How to Deter Burglars: 17 Boring Habits That Work
How to deter burglars from your home: what 422 convicted burglars told researchers, 17 plain habits that make a house a worse target, and blackout tips.
Off-Grid Power
Off-Grid Power Options for a Normal House
Off grid power options for a normal house, from power banks to standby generators. Watt-hour math, rough costs, runtimes and the safety rules that matter.
Standing orders
Why "boring"?
Because real emergencies are. The ice storm, the boil-water notice, the week the power company needs to rebuild a substation. Nobody films those. They are mostly logistics.
Because the numbers matter more than the gear. One gallon of water per person per day. Four hours for a closed fridge. Twenty feet between a generator and your windows. We check them against official guidance.
Because calm people make better decisions. No doomsday countdowns, no "99% will die". Just a household that can shrug off two weeks without the grid.
Every guide so far
- Prepping BasicsPrepping for Beginners: A Calm 30-Day Plan
- Power Outages & WinterHow to Stay Warm Without Power: 21 Methods That Work in Winter
- Food StorageHow Long Does Food Last in the Fridge Without Power?
- Food StorageFoods That Never Expire: What Really Lasts Decades in Storage
- WaterHow Much Water to Store Per Person (and How to Store It)
- Power Outages & WinterPower Outage Checklist: What to Do Before, During and After
- Prepping BasicsWhat to Stockpile for an Emergency: 40 Boring Items
- WaterHow to Make Water Safe to Drink: Boiling, Bleach and Filters
- Food StorageBest Canned Foods for Emergency Storage: What to Buy and Skip
- Food Storage2 Week Emergency Food Supply List: Shopping List for 1 or 4 People
- WaterWhat to Drink When There Is No Water: 10 Sources in Your House
- Power Outages & WinterWinter Car Emergency Kit: What to Pack and What to Do If Stranded
- Home & SecurityHow to Deter Burglars: 17 Boring Habits That Work
- Off-Grid PowerOff-Grid Power Options for a Normal House
- Prepping BasicsBest States for Preppers: Honest Pros and Cons