Let’s get this out of the way:
You don’t need night vision goggles.
You don’t need 400 pounds of freeze-dried chili.
You don’t need to bathe in rainwater in a ghillie suit while whispering “trust no one.”
You just need to be a little less fragile than the world expects you to be.
This guide is for you—the normal person.
The city dweller. The tired parent. The introvert in a studio apartment. The millennial Googling “how to store rice without looking insane.”
🧠 First: You’re Not Late. You’re Just Early Enough
The fact that you’re even reading this means you’re ahead of 90% of the population.
Most people will wait until:
- Their tap stops working
- Their power bill triples
- The grocery store has empty shelves again
- Or their Wi-Fi cuts out mid-Zoom and they feel actual grief
You? You’re paying attention. That’s rare. And valuable.
🛠 Prepping Starter Kit for the Absolutely Average Human
1. Water (Because Duh)
- Store 1 gallon per person per day. Start with 3 days.
- Rotate every 6 months. It’s not wine.
- Bonus: Get a filter. Even a $25 one is better than nothing.
2. Food (Shelf-Stable, Not Sad)
- Rice
- Lentils
- Oats
- Canned beans, fish, and tomatoes
- Peanut butter, chocolate, coffee (these are morale foods, don’t argue)
Build out 2 weeks of food you’d actually eat. Not apocalypse astronaut ice cream. Real food.
3. Heat & Light
- Flashlights (plural) + batteries
- Solar lanterns
- Candles
- Indoor-safe heater (if you live somewhere cold and your power company sucks)
4. Power
- Battery bank for your phone
- Solar charger if you want to get spicy
- Hand-crank radio (gets you news when the internet dies)
5. Basic Sanity Tools
- Wet wipes
- Toilet paper (calm down, just 1 extra pack)
- First aid kit
- Manual can opener
- Entertainment (cards, books, not TikTok)
🧳 The “Bug In” Mentality
You don’t need a bug-out bag if you’re not bugging out.
Most crises involve staying where you are and making it suck less:
- No power
- No water
- No groceries
- No phone signal
- Just vibes
Prep for that.
💬 What You Don’t Need (Yet)
| Overkill Prep Item | Realistic Alternative |
|---|---|
| Tactical vest | Hoodie with snacks |
| Gas mask | N95 in a Ziploc |
| $5K solar rig | Two battery banks and a headlamp |
| Freeze-dried beef stroganoff | Rice and lentils with spices |
| $300 knife | A sharp $20 one that doesn’t make you look like a Marvel villain |
The point isn’t cosplay. It’s capability.
🧪 Try This: The “72-Hour Drill”
This weekend, simulate a mini-crisis:
- No power
- No takeout
- No running water
- No phone (except emergency)
What you’ll learn:
- What’s missing
- What’s annoying
- What you can totally handle
- What felt empowering
✅ Prepping gets way less theoretical when you’re eating canned soup by headlamp.
📥 Subscribe to download: The Chill Prepper Starter Checklist
Includes:
- What to buy first (cheap & essential)
- “Things You Already Own That Are Secretly Prepping Tools”
- 2-week pantry builder
- Mental reframes for nervous beginners
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