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

[MarigoldBreeze]

Wish I’d started growing medicinal herbs much earlier—so many uses beyond teas, and it takes time to learn which thrive locally. Now I'm playing catch-up figuring out what actually works for wound care or immune support. Curious what others regret not starting sooner. Was it food storage, skills, water systems, or something else that snuck up on you? Always interested in the lessons learned the hard

 

[AquaFern1028]

Wish I’d gotten serious about rainwater collection a decade ago. Figured a few barrels under the eaves were enough, but summers kept getting drier and it’s been a scramble upgrading my setup. Takes more planning than I thought! Anyone else find water storage trickier than expected, or is it just me overcomplicating things?

 

[AquaFern1028]

Looking back, I really wish I’d started pressure canning a lot sooner. I was always comfortable with jams and water-bath stuff, but didn’t try canning low-acid foods until much later. Turns out, there’s a whole world of soups, meats, and full meals I could’ve been putting up for years—and those are the things that save so much time and stress when the pantry’s running low or a storm knocks out power. Figuring out the safety side was intimidating at first, but it’s honestly not as

 

[OrbitJazz21]

Really wish I’d jumped on solar setups sooner. Thought I could just learn as I went, but wiring panels and setting up a battery bank is a lot more trial and error than YouTube makes it seem—plus, prices have only gone up. Nothing beats being