Cant Prep!

[Oakair]

Im 20. I'm in college and buried in debt already. Wont have a house for a long time to say the least...

If things go awry...Id like to have a plan...

I can offer my manual labour in exchange for said plan

If anyone owns a farm, or some other situation where food and water limits are not the main issue...Keep me in mind when things go the way they seem to be going...Id like to make it out O.K too ya know

[WizardTN]

Your first need is for a BOB (Bug Out Bag), decide what you would need for hiking the Appalachian or the Pacific Coast trail for a month and build that backpack.

[Mossy]

Of course you can prep. You don't really need much, consider how little the homeless can get by with.

If you are going to go low budget class, you need basic cook gear (mess kit will do, or either a small sauce pan with lid or 9" skillet) decent paring knife, maybe spoon and fork, a couple of empty pop bottles, extra set of underwear and socks, a couple of large garbage bags (rain gear), decent hiking shoes, small flashlight (not powerful, just to see what you are doing when you have to rummage around in the dark), extra glasses if you need them, lighter, soap and washcloth, jacket or sweater. You should have some stuff in your pockets to start with. Be sure to find a military style can openner (even the cheap ones will last long enough for a few day's worth of food). Paper napkins or paper towels can both be used for butt wipe as well as fingers. Medicines, of course. A bit of money. All of this can be put in a cheap book bag, though the money might go better in your pocket in a second wallet that contains little. Be sure to get your birth cert and passport.

Side note: MRE's can create constipation. Pack laxitives if you might end up eating the real thing. Constipation can kill.

Stop by Grey Hound and see if you can find a poster with what the feds prohibit on busses. That includes knives, so keep that in mind. Guns are, of course, out. If anything goes wrong, you might have to take Grey Hound or one of the other busses, or AmTrak. Plan accordingly.

[GTOJohn]

read, learn, aquire any and all skills (medical, gardening, aminals, for example), put some time into planning and creatings lists to work from,
small steps - but at least it will be progress

[didou]

Whatever you are preparing for, the most important thing is yourself.

Get in shape if you're not. If you take drugs or alcohol, learn moderation or stop. It may be easy to resist temptation now but under stress it's very different. If you smoke stop. Learn about healthy food. ...

Make peace with your god if you have one, whatever it may be, or be in peace with your spirituality if you do not have one. Pray or meditate, learn to relax and have fun. Stay emotionally healthy and well balanced.

Like GTOJohn said, teach yourself some useful skills.

Build connection with people around you and develop trust.

All that cost only time, no money, and it will get you a long way.

You can google any problem you have, thousand of people just had the exact same situation as you and already found a answer to it. You have the most complete library ever build by the human race at your fingertips, updated and evolving every seconds.

Creative idea to make money with nothing to start with are all over this forum, even in his title. You will find out how...

[anarchir]

I am 21, dropped out of college due to lack of interest. I'm poor. Work hard at your job and make some money, stock up on canned food and bottled water, rotate that food through your food supply. It costs nothing extra. Then work on your bug out bag, one cheap ingredient after another. There are plenty of lists online.

[Mossy]

If you smoke stop. Learn about healthy food. ...

Oh, yeah. Both. For sure. Hard to say which is the biggest waste of money, and harder on the health. When (not if, when) things fall apart, tobacco is going to be more expensive. It's addictive, and the addiction can cause people to be as desperate as a heroin addict, or meth addict.

At least with fat from poor nutrition, you have a little to fall back on, but every single fat cell is going to be screaming to be fed as it starves to death, and that is going to be a big problem. It will effect your judgement and make you more desperate. Loss weight if you have extra.

You will have an easier time prepping if you have a lockable area to secure your food or have a partner. The Filipinos I work with can eat well for less than a dollar a day. You can as well, if you follow a true asian diet. The foods in the books are Americanized, and expensive, and fattening.

Oh, and be sure to yank the prof's back on the subject of the class when they start talking politics or social issues. Point out that you are paying them to teach you something you can use to pay off your loans with, and every minute they are off subject is further in debt slavery you go. Might just call him a thief, stealing money from everyone in class, and there isn't enough burger flipper jobs for everyone to get to pay off the student loans.

[Verbane]

Im 20. I'm in college and buried in debt already. Wont have a house for a long time to say the least...

If things go awry...Id like to have a plan...

I can offer my manual labour in exchange for said plan

If anyone owns a farm, or some other situation where food and water limits are not the main issue...Keep me in mind when things go the way they seem to be going...Id like to make it out O.K too ya know

Start prepping for the short term, and build it into your long term plan.

The above advice is important long term... but a full blown TEOTWAWKI is less likely than a localized SHTF.

Are you "Away" at college? In the Dorms, renting a house? Living at home? Near home? A plan is the biggest Prep. Decide your final destination. This part of the plan should take about 30 seconds.

Determine your nearest safe area to your college location. Parents, Grands, Aunts & Uncles. Basically, Bug Out to Bug In. Prep what you need to get to your nearest safe area. Store a box at Uncle Bob's place, to get you to Grandma Jane's boxes, to get you home. What ever your situation, start building from there.

Don't try to start too big. If you need to bug out quickly from the college location, a few 0.39 cent cans of Vienna Sausage, dollar store Snack Crackers, a few bucks and a good/comfortable pair of running shoes could keep you going for a couple days. Water is the big equalizer. Water is the big equalizer.. WATER! Keep a few liter bottles full in your BOB, and get a filter type bottle. Just what you need to carry to get you to the first safe area.

Start with the initial plan/route. It will be easier to prep from there. And keep asking questions...

[Oakair]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I will invest in a backpackers type portable water filter as soon as possible.

I am currently renting a place by my University, and have no family to turn to within 2000 miles...nor could I turn to them even if they were closer...

Basically my biggest fear at this point is what to do about my debt ...its going to be the biggest factor to overcome, and I want to pay it off before the interest accrues too heavily, meaning I wont have any disposable income

What are your views on joining the armed forces after graduation...It would teach me vital skills and get me more in shape (although thats not really a problem) and allow me to pay off my massive debt while hopefully letting me accumulate disposable income at the same time...

[Verbane]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I will invest in a backpackers type portable water filter as soon as possible.

Good Start.

am currently renting a place by my University, and have no family to turn to within 2000 miles...nor could I turn to them even if they were closer...

This is a hitch in the giddy-up.... My advice doesn't help much here. Others may have a solution. Think outside the box.

my biggest fear at this point is what to do about my debt ...its going to be the biggest factor to overcome, and I want to pay it off before the interest accrues too heavily, meaning I wont have any disposable income

What are your views on joining the armed forces after graduation...It would teach me vital skills and get me more in shape (although thats not really a problem) and allow me to pay off my massive debt while hopefully letting me accumulate disposable income at the same time...

I was active duty Army. Go Fist Death from Above Steel Rain and all that...

This is always a possibility, but don't join to get your loans payed off. You truly need a higher calling than that to thrive in a military environment. Also remember any commitment starts at EIGHT years. You may sign up for 3 years active, but the total commitment is 8 years minimum. This would be better discussed in a separate thread in Members General Area.

[shinnosuke]

If there is a total derailment of the economy/country, I don't think any bank is going to come looking for you to pay back student loans. That would be the least of my worries if I were in your situation. Yes, it's an obligation and you shouldn't purposely try to skate. However, if you can't pay it due to unforeseen circumstances, don't sweat it. There will be millions just like you.

Do you own a firearm? Do you know how to use it? Not shoot it like they do in Hollywood, but really hit what you're aiming at? How many rounds do you have for it?

If staying with your family during a crisis is not possible, I think your best option is to develop a trusting relationship with a good friend where you are now. Perhaps one of your college buddies could convince his parents to let you stay with them. Work slowly and bring them into your world of awareness. (I know! Get engaged to a rich girl. Make that a pretty, rich girl.)

I don't want my sons to join the military because I don't care for the idea of them becoming cannon fodder on senseless missions of bringing democracy to people who don't understand it and don't want it. Accordingly, considering the advice I gave you on your student loans, I would not recommend that you spend time in the military for your future security.

Finally oakair, just by thinking about how to be prepared for the troubles ahead you have put yourself ahead of what, 80%...90%...of the US population. Take a deep breath and be thankful that you found this website. If you are not working, consider delivering pizza or anything that will put a little cash in your pocket. Use those funds to obtain the things you need. Do everything deliberately and in good order. Panic is your enemy.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

[psi]

For outdoor clothing I like to visit thrift shops regularly. Some good stuff turns up if you keep visiting, from quick drying materials to effective hunting style camo. The only clothes I really buy new are socks and underwear. I like fairly thin materials for mild weather, light to pack and quicker to dry. Polar fleece is good if it's a bit cool or damp, I like to use a light fleece sweater with a somewhat heavier zip-up vest for temperature regulation. If you get too hot you fatigue much easier so it's good to be able to vent off heat without having to stop and take anything off. Thinner layers are good for giving a wide range of heat retention options, because they trap warm air when you do them up but they don't over-insulate you when you have them open. Good to have some overlap between upper and lower body clothes if it's cold too because you lose heat at the waist otherwise, I like to have vests/coats that go at least 6-8 inches lower than my waist. A collar that zips all the way up is good when it's cooler as well.

Wool is good in wet conditions too and it won't go up in flames like the synthetics but I don't buy it as much anymore because I keep having nice stuff shrink. I have heard good things about wearing "gators" over your boots to keep your feet dry but have not tried them myself, I know from experience that having wet feet for an extended period is very bad news though.

[WizardTN]

Good article:

http://www.latah.id.us/disasterservices/Disaster_Pandemic_StockpilingFood.pdf