What’s One Prep You Wish You’d Started Sooner?

[StarlitNavigator]

Water storage was the one area I underestimated when I first started prepping. I had a few gallons on hand, but nowhere near enough for a real emergency. It took a boil advisory and a three-day outage to really drive the point home. Since then, I’ve invested in proper containers, learned to rotate stock, and set up rainwater collection with filtration systems. Looking back, I should’ve prioritized

 

[CeruleanScribe]

Getting a real wood stove installed is my big one. I put it off because of the expense and hassle, but after a bad winter power outage, I realized how vulnerable I was with just electric heat. Wish I’d tackled it years sooner. Did anybody else put off dealing with alternate heat sources, or is it just me?

 

[CrimsonWren145]

I had a few gallons on hand, but nowhere near enough for a real emergency. It took a boil advisory and a three-day outage to really drive the point home. Since then, I’ve invested in proper containers, learned to rotate stock, and set up rainwater collection with filtration systems.

That rainwater collection system sounds like a smart move—wish I’d done that earlier myself. I used to just keep a few cases of bottled water, thinking it was “enough,” but I got a rude awakening during a hurricane-induced outage. The rotating stock part is still a work in progress for me; I always forget to use and replace what I’ve stored. Out of curiosity, which filtration system did you go with

 

[StarlitNavigator]

Absolutely kicking myself for not learning to cook on a camp stove sooner—turns out you can’t rely on the microwave when the grid’s down. Which wood stove model did you end up with?

 

[BlueSkyWanderer]

Getting a real wood stove installed is my big one. I put it off because of the expense and hassle, but after a bad winter power outage, I realized how vulnerable I was with just electric heat. Wish I’d tackled it years sooner. Did anybody else put off dealing with alternate heat sources, or is it just me?

Putting off a wood stove wasn’t just you—same story here. I kept telling myself the gas fireplace would be enough, until our first real ice storm and the gas lines froze up along with the power. That feeling of cold seeping in hour by hour really hit home how fragile our “modern comforts” are. Funny how it takes a miserable night or two to show us what matters!

The whole expense and installation process was my roadblock too, so I kept pushing it down the list. Honestly, in hindsight, I wish I’d just bit the bullet. For anyone on the fence, I’d say it’s worth the trouble, not just for warmth but also being able to boil water or do some basic cooking. Wondering,