Are you ready if everything hits the fan?
Is your home stocked and prepared for another pandemic, war, nuclear attack, or natural disaster?
Emergencies strike with no warning, but luckily there are steps you can take to prepare your home for any situation. Sleep soundly knowing you’ve done everything you can to protect yourself and your family from whatever the future may hold.
This article contains a list of prepper-related projects you can do around the house as well as items you can store in both your home and your closet.
Do you have everything you’ll need for the next emergency?
Let’s find out.
Important Prepper Home Projects
- Invest in solar panels and power storage.
- Install a rainwater catchment system.
- Build a water well.
- Invest in a backup generator.
- Install an emergency heat source.
- Create a long-term food storage.
- Create an emergency supply closet.
- Create an outdoor or indoor garden.
- Build a chicken coop.
- Reinforce your doors and windows.
- Build a bunker or hidden room.
- Build a greenhouse.
- Build a compost.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your household then these home projects listed above are great ways to become more self-sufficient as a prepper. Take these home ideas and work on them when you have some free time around the house.
What to Store In Your Home As a Prepper
Knowing what to stock up on and store in your home is one of the most important aspects of being a prepper. So much so that it can possibly mean the difference in life and death one day. Or at least save you from some kind of future annoyance…
Let’s start with what to store in your pantry and closet.
In Your Pantry
Building a proper pantry is the hallmark of an experienced prepper. Failure to have a long-term food storage is one of the biggest downfalls of new preppers. After all, how long do you expect to live if you don’t even have food in your home? Experienced hunters excluded.
- Stock up enough food to last you and all of your household members for at least 2 weeks. Plan for at least 25,000 calories per person. Preferred food sources include non-perishables like soups, beans, rice, and pasta. Choose your favorite freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Consider nutritional supplements like Ensure or Soylent.
- Remember to pack for family members with food allergies! If you’re not a natural at checking expiration dates, write the expiration date on every food item’s packaging somewhere obvious with a sharpie.
- Consider prioritizing single-serving food packages so you never have to worry about storing leftovers. Make sure to store all of your pantry foods in plastic bins or other storage containers that could survive potential water damage.
- Invest in a camper stove and cooking equipment for food preparation. Make sure you have supplies to cook or prepare each and every food item that you store in the pantry. You’d hate to enter an emergency and find you packed tons of canned food and never thought to pack a can opener!
- Stock up on silverware and cooking utensils.
- It’s important to stock up on lots of soap and many different kinds of it. Soap is needed to clean yourself, your dishes, and your cooking supplies.
- Stock up on potable water. Some preppers prefer to buy an extra gallon of water every time they’re at the grocery store. Others prefer to fill old milk and juice containers with water after they’re done using them.
- Make sure your prepper pantry is organized, and all of your food, utensils, and water are easy to find and access.
In Your Closet
Here’s a list of ideas for items you can store away in your closet for a rainy day. You never know when one of these random products can come in handy and save the day.
- Stock up on daily essentials including toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, trash bags, soap, sanitary products, batteries, and first-aid supplies.
- Consider creating your own personal pharmacy with essential over-the-counter medications, bandages, and instant ice packs. If you or any of your family members take prescription medications, consider keeping an emergency supply of these here as well. Be sure to label everything with an obvious expiration date.
- Don’t forget about special-needs family members! Stock a spare sleep apnea machine, oxygen tanks, blood sugar supplies, etc if applicable to you or any of your other household members.
- Invest in a safe where you can store emergency cash savings and important documents. Store all paper objects in sealed sealable bags inside the safe to prevent potential water damage. Make sure everyone in your household knows the code to the safe.
- Store a radio, windup flashlights, candles, matches, and an emergency phone.
- Stock charging cables! Your backup generator may ensure that you still have power, and if you do, you’ll want your phones charged.
- Create a list of local emergency numbers and resources. Store the list in a sealable bag to prevent potential water damage.
- Create pre-packed travel bags that you could grab in the event of an emergency quick-escape. Have one for each member of your family. We recommend waterproof camping backpacks equipped with some nonperishable food, flashlights, local maps in a sealable bag, matches in a waterproof container, and small emergency first-aid kits. Think about what you would need if you had to leave home quickly with no idea where you were going, or when you would return.
- Store a collection of books, board games, and other entertainment sources. If you’re stuck in your prepper bunker for 2 weeks, you’ll want something to do with your time.
- Don’t forget about pets! Store pet food, litter boxes or pee pads, brushes, toys, treats, and an extra pet bed.
- Stock up on at least one blanket per family member. Bonus points if they’re emergency blankets.
- Store pillows and sleeping bags.
- Store a fire extinguisher.
