Government Shutdown & Safety Awareness: How to Stay Ready

Summary

Podcast Summary: Practical Prepping Podcast

Episode: Government Shutdown & Safety Awareness: How to Stay Ready
Hosts: Mark & Krista Lawley
Date: November 3, 2025
Duration: ~42 minutes

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Overview

This episode of the Practical Prepping Podcast tackles two main topics: the real-world effects of a government shutdown—specifically focusing on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefit disruptions—and actionable strategies for maintaining safety and preparedness during uncertain times. Mark and Krista also answer seven of the most frequently asked listener questions about practical prepping for everyday emergencies, emphasizing relatable, family-friendly, and non-extreme advice throughout the discussion.

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Segment 1: Government Shutdown & Safety Awareness

Starts at 01:38

Key Discussion Points

• Understanding SNAP and EBT Interruptions

  • Mark explains that SNAP benefits, managed through EBT cards, are essential for millions and disruptions can cause immediate food insecurity for those dependent on them (01:50).
  • "It's a good program, but it's also often misused." – Mark (02:24)
  • Krista and Mark discuss how generational dependency has formed around these government programs, noting, "It's been going on for many, many generations since it started. Third, fourth, fifth generation..." – Mark (03:04)

• Social Consequences of Benefit Interruptions

  • Krista highlights that historically, food shortages can lead to civil unrest: "When there is no food for an elongated period of time, people begin to turn on each other." (03:35)
  • Mark raises concerns about increasing crime: "Posts on social media... they're saying we'll just go to grocery stores and rob people when they come out." (03:55)
  • Both acknowledge that while many social media threats are just talk, a desperate minority could take real action.

• Safety Recommendations for Shoppers

  • Grocery delivery and pickup are recommended to minimize in-person risk. Krista points out the added bonus of saving money and sticking to her grocery budget (05:49).
  • Mark urges listeners to "go armed if you can legally carry and you've trained for use of your firearm" (06:27).
  • Krista gives practical advice: shop in daylight, go with friends, choose well-lit parking, don't linger, and "be situationally aware" (06:41).

• Situational Awareness in Practice

  • Avoid being distracted by phones; predators look for distracted people (07:19).
  • Key advice: "Walk with your head held high. Look people square in the eyes as you're walking around. Don't dawdle, don't shuffle. Walk with purpose, like you've got somewhere to go and somewhere to be." – Krista (08:23)
  • Always scan surroundings while loading groceries or caring for children and don’t sit idly in the car post-shopping (09:55, 10:46).
  • If something feels off, return to the store and ask for help: "Trust your instincts. If something feels off, go back inside the store and ask for an escort or wait until the area feels safer." – Mark (08:12)

• Broader Community Impact

  • Shutdowns affect not only government workers and SNAP recipients, but also local businesses that depend on them (12:09).
  • Emphasis on personal safety as equally vital as traditional preparedness: "Personal safety is just as important as water or food storage." – Krista (13:07)

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Segment 2: Frequently Asked Prepping Questions

Starts at 13:30

1. How Much Food and Water Should I Store?

• Start with a three-day supply (FEMA's minimum), but strive for 2 weeks to 3 months according to your space and resources (13:30).
• Real-life events often strain resources far longer than expected—examples cited include Jamaican hurricane recovery and American blizzards.
• "We recommend a lot more than just three days... you may need more than three days." – Mark (13:51)
• Water storage: Minimum one gallon per person per day, more in hot climates or with pets (16:52).

2. What is the Shelf Life of Stored Food?

• Canned goods: Typically 3–5 years, some last much longer. Avoid using cans far past the date if highly acidic (18:23).
• "Use your nose, let your nose be your guide there." – Mark (18:49, 19:13)
• Dry foods: Rice, beans, pasta last 10+ years if sealed with oxygen absorbers.
• Freeze-dried foods: up to 25 years if professionally packed and kept cool/dry.
• Mix short-term "eat now" stores with long-term supplies for flexibility (20:09).

3. Bugging In vs. Bugging Out

• Generally, bugging in is safer for most events; bugging out is vital for floods, fires, or hazardous materials events (21:05).
• "Our first three bug out locations are hotels." – Mark (22:24)
• Have a prioritized checklist to know exactly when you’d need to leave home.

4. What Should Go into a Bug Out Bag/Get Home Bag?

• Essentials include:
  • Flashlight, extra batteries, first aid kit, extra meds, sanitizer, toothbrush, extra glasses/contacts (24:09)
  • Fire starting tools, personal water filter & purification tablets, container (single wall stainless preferred), knife or multitool, emergency blanket/rain gear, extra clothes, high-energy foods, cash in small bills and coins
• "I'm not going to be carrying 24 pounds of water. I'll find some on the way and I will purify it so I can drink it." – Mark (25:01)
• Communication devices (ham/GMRS/FRS radio, basic AM/FM), phone charger, power bank, copies of ID, and pertinent documents are also recommended (27:47-30:41).

5. How to Communicate When Cell Service Fails

• Beware "rapid radio" devices that depend on cellular networks (30:58).
• Ham radio is most reliable (license required). GMRS is a good alternative (cheap license, 10 years), FRS for hyperlocal use (32:41).
• Mesh networks (e.g., MeshTastic, Bridgefy, Zello) can relay messages through nearby devices and are a potential option for some areas (33:38).
• Practice ahead of emergencies to understand coverage and limitations (34:13).

6. How Do I Get My Family on Board with Prepping?

• Use relatable terms ("preparedness" rather than "prepping"), keep things practical, cite real-world scenarios (blizzards, power outages, job loss) (34:55).
• "We've often said, 'Prepared, not scared,' because that's what preparedness does for you." – Krista (35:10)
• Share success stories and simple “what if” scenarios for buy-in (37:05-37:24).

7. How Can I Afford to Prep on a Budget?

• Add 1–2 extra items per grocery trip—costs little but accumulates over time (38:31).
• Buy second-hand at thrift stores, yard sales, surplus outlets. Share bulk buys with friends/family (39:17-40:28).
• "Learning skills really doesn't cost... Skills are priceless." – Mark (40:10)
• Resourcefulness beats splurging; focus on habits and steady progress over big spending.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The more you know, the less you have to carry." – Underlying theme throughout (Intro)
• On situational awareness: "When you look alert, a lot of folks that might be near you that are up to no good, they don't like that because you're aware." – Krista (08:23)
• Grocery budget tip: "I'm still saving money in the long run by not going into the store and doing a lot of useless browsing." – Krista (05:49)
• "Prepared, not scared." – Krista (35:10)
• On prepping for all backgrounds: "No bunkers, no zombies, no alien invasions. Just practical prepping where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies." – Krista (00:43)
• Mark’s bug-out practicality: "Our first three bug out locations are hotels." (22:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic/Quote | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:38 | Start of government shutdown segment | | 03:35 | Historical consequences of food shortages | | 04:44 | How to protect yourself as a shopper during unrest | | 05:49 | Grocery delivery and budget tip | | 06:27 | Personal safety: going armed/situational awareness | | 08:12 | Trust your instincts; ask for escort if unsafe | | 13:30 | Start of prepping FAQ segment | | 16:52 | Water storage essentials | | 22:24 | Mark: First three bug out locations are hotels | | 24:09 | Contents of bug out/get home bag | | 30:58 | Communication alternatives to cell networks | | 35:10 | "Prepared, not scared" – getting family on board | | 38:31 | Affording prepping on a budget | | 40:10 | "Skills are priceless" |

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Tone & Language

Mark and Krista maintain a warm, approachable, and humor-laced tone throughout, steering clear of panic and paranoia. Their advice is accessible (“we’re preppers... our first three bug out locations are hotels”), and they use vivid, down-to-earth examples that appeal to listeners from all walks of life. The content is judgment-free and encourages steady, modest, and practical steps toward readiness—inviting listeners to stay connected and reach out for further discussion or support.

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Summary

This episode delivers practical, actionable advice for staying safe and ready during disruptive times such as government shutdowns. Mark and Krista respond thoughtfully to listener concerns, demystify key prepping questions, and stress the value of awareness, sensible planning, and steady skill-building over expensive gear or fear-driven decisions. With their community-minded approach and focus on everyday solutions, the hosts empower listeners to “stay prepared” like any responsible neighbor—and to see preparedness as a rational, caring, and family-focused endeavor.

Transcript

[Mark]

We've got two segments for you today. The first one comes with a quick trigger warning. Some of the content may be difficult for certain listeners, and that's okay. It's important information that we all need to hear. If it stirs something up or if you find it hard to get through, feel free to reach out to us at inforacticalprepping.info we're open to hearing your thoughts and continuing the conversation. Our second segment covers seven of the most frequently asked prepping questions listeners have sent our way.

[Krista]

Welcome to Practical prepping. Today is November 3rd, 2025, and this is episode 531. This is the prepping podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions. Just practical prepping where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies. And we're here to help you get prepared. Hi guys, I'm Krista.

[Mark]

And I'm Mark. And if you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info 531 now. This episode is sponsored by our book, the 31 Day Devotional for Preppers. It's. It's a biblical view of preparedness, physically and spiritually. And if you would like the perfect Christmas gift, visit practicalprepping.infobooks to find this and our other books which are available on Amazon.

[Krista]

Now. Today we're going to address the government shutdown and people going without paychecks, particularly the SNAP benefit EBT cards that did not get reloaded on Saturday, November 1st.

[Mark]

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It is to help low income individuals and families buy groceries. It's also used to provide food for foster children. And when someone qualifies for snap, they receive an EBT card. It's an electronic benefits transfer and it's used just like a debit card or a credit card for people to buy certain things. They're allowed to buy certain things and other things they're not allowed to buy. They cannot buy alcohol, tobacco, but it is used for milk and eggs and produce and, you know, various cereals and I mean, nutritional type things. And it's a good program, but it's also often misused.

[Krista]

You know, have you seen that sign in the parks that say do not feed the animals? Do you know why those signs are there?

[Mark]

They become dependent and cannot feed themselves.

[Krista]

And so we have a dependent class of people who have become totally and completely dependent on the government. And in some instances, we've found that this is even generational. It's been going on for many, many.

[Mark]

Generations since it started. Third, fourth, fifth generation, and the next generations are planning to do the exact same thing.

[Krista]

That's true.

[Mark]

It's what we used to call the food stamp program. But instead of using food stamps and counting those out, they actually use the EBT card.

[Krista]

Well, that's because of the digital age.

[Mark]

Well, it is, it is. And it is less embarrassing for someone to use that card than it is to count out those food stamps.

[Krista]

You know, history shows that when there is no food for an elongated period of time, people begin to turn on each other.

[Mark]

And that's one of the fears among preppers, is that in a total grid down situation that people may be coming for our food if they know we have it.

[Krista]

So what do these two things have to do with each other?

[Mark]

Their posts on social media and this is what's concerning. They're saying we'll just go to grocery stores and rob people when they come out.

[Krista]

You know, the majority of these posts are probably just people running their mouth.

[Mark]

Probably.

[Krista]

But there will be some out there that may take this as an opportunity.

[Mark]

Yeah, there will be some of those that say, I didn't think about that. Let's go.

[Krista]

Yeah.

[Mark]

And I also see the possibility of more convenient store robberies and more residential burglaries during this time. And we see an increase of those between Thanksgiving and Christmas, people going out and robbing a store to buy Christmas gifts.

[Krista]

So when that EBT card runs empty, people run out of food. And a question came up to us that asked this, what can we do to protect ourselves at a time like that?

[Mark]

One of the things which we do already a lot is use grocery delivery or pickup. Now delivery brings it to your door.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

They bring it and they set it on our steps. They knock on the door and they leave.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

It's very convenient. It's great. When, when Krista has a lot of things going on in a day, she's got a lot of appointments and things, she can make an order and tell me, expect a grocery delivery between this time and this time.

[Krista]

As a matter of fact, we're getting one tonight.

[Mark]

Oh, we are? Okay. All right. You can also use grocery pickup. And we've done this a lot of times. This started during COVID and, and you make your order and you give them a time to pick it up and you pull up, park in a particular place and let them know that you are there and they will come out and put it in your car. This actually costs nothing extra. Now, the delivery does cost some delivery fee.

[Krista]

You either sign up for a rewards program or you just kind of pay a fee as you go, you tip the driver and that sort of thing. And I have found out just incidentally, I'm still saving money in the long run by not going into the store and doing a lot of useless browsing where I might spend an extra 25, $30 that I really shouldn't. And so this actually has kept me closer to my grocery budget. In fact, I have found that my grocery budget has been reduced a great deal by shopping this way.

[Mark]

Well, it was reduced quite a bit when you quit taking me to the grocery store with you. And so we're saving a whole lot more right now. Right. But if you do go out, be prepared.

[Krista]

That's very good advice.

[Mark]

Be prepared. Krista says all the time stuff happens, be prepared. First thing we would say, or I would say is go armed if you can legally carry and you've trained for use of your firearm right now.

[Krista]

Also go in the daytime if possible rather than after dark. And I know it's a little harder sometimes in the wintertime. You know, we've just come through a time change where it's like sundown at 4:30 now. So I understand some people cannot get to the grocery store after dark, but maybe go with a friend or park in a very well lighted area. Don't linger. Be situationally aware.

[Mark]

You don't want to stay alert and it might be a time that you take me back to the grocery store with you. Probably so, as she said, be aware of your surroundings. We see too many people that have no idea what's going on around them.

[Krista]

And do you know why that is? They're talking on their phone.

[Mark]

A lot of times you look around.

[Krista]

Any public setting anywhere, you're going to find people talking on the phone with the earbud in their ear or they're scrolling or doom scrolling on their phone while they're walking. They're completely distracted and someone up to no good is going to look for a distracted person.

[Mark]

Yeah. So keep your head up, avoid those distractions and scan the area as you walk. As you walk out of the store, look around, look around the parking lot, look to the right of the door, look to the left of the door. Is there anything unusual going on right there? Is there folks hanging around? Are the vehicles idling really near you? Is there very dim lighting? These are things that you need to take into consideration and then trust your instincts.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

If something feels off, go back inside the store and ask for an escort or wait until the area feels safer.

[Krista]

Something else that's very important to do is to walk confidently and purposefully. Walk with your head held high. Look people square in the eyes as you're walking around. Don't dawdle, don't shuffle. Walk with purpose, like you've got somewhere to go and somewhere to be. When you look alert, a lot of folks that might be near you that are up to no good, they don't like that because you're aware, you have.

[Mark]

Awareness, especially at you being six foot. And you look at them like, go ahead, try. Well, let's see.

[Krista]

I don't usually try to give people the threatening look, but I do give them the look of, I see you and you see me seeing you. And I don't know how many I may have ever averted that might have had nefarious intentions. But I'm on a mission, and my mission is to get to my car, have my keys in my hand. I've done that many, many times Before I even leave the four walls of the store. I've got my key in my hand. I don't want to fumble around. I don't want fishing through a dark purse or a bag. They're either in my pocket or in my hand. Get in that car, load up and lock your doors immediately once you're inside the car.

[Mark]

Yeah. And while you're loading up now, if you come out with one or two bags, you've got those in one hand, you open the door, you stick them in, you get in the car. But if you're coming out with a basket full of groceries and you're loading those things in the car, you're looking at what you're doing each time you put a couple of bags in there. Then just rescan the area. Just make sure nobody is coming up close to you.

[Krista]

Maybe trying to be real quiet about it.

[Mark]

Yes. And just scan that area. It only takes. I mean, it'll add 15 seconds to your trip, but it may save your life.

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

But just keep an eye out, even between those bags as you're unloading. Same thing if you're carrying a baby out, don't just focus your attention on that baby. They're important, but you're important as well. So when you put that baby in, you just scan that area. And I would say turn your back into the door. Yeah. You're standing usually in the back door and you put the child in. Face the child, but put your back against that door so that you can.

[Krista]

Got to have more awareness.

[Mark]

Somebody's going to have to move that door to get to you and so you can scan that. But don't forget that area behind you. Look around.

[Krista]

Here's another very important point. Once you're in your car, don't just sit there and pop on the phone and start being distracted again because a lot of times a would be predator can see you just sitting there idly and they can crack that window and there you go. So just don't sit in your car for another 10, 15 minutes.

[Mark]

Do another no. Or another three minutes, go ahead and back out. And if you need to make a phone call or you need to send a telephone text message like I'm leaving the store, I'm on the way home, you know, something like that, then move to a different area of the parking lot.

[Krista]

Yeah.

[Mark]

Move away and you've. And move out into an area that is pretty much unoccupied.

[Krista]

Oh, well, it.

[Mark]

Depending on. Exactly. But get yourself away from where you were and you might type half the text and pull up 25, 30ft, look like you're leaving and stop. Again, just some thoughts here.

[Krista]

Right. I mean, we wanted to bring this subject to light because actually a listener, a very dear good friend even brought up this particular topic and said, you know, I'd like to hear you maybe kind of stretch this topic out and give me your thoughts and facts about that. I said, you know, it hadn't really occurred to me until this friend mentioned it, but there's going to be some areas of our country where the desperation factor may be a little higher than in other regions.

[Mark]

It may be in some of the inner city areas, it may be in some of the cities. It could be anywhere for that matter. This government shutdown, it's not just the people that work for the government that are being affected. We were talking about this at lunch yesterday that folks in different types of businesses that cater to government workers. And I'm really thinking here, the mom and pop restaurant that is not far off base and all the soldiers love to go there and stuff. And they're not getting paid or didn't get paid or don't get paid. They're not going out to eat like they were. So this. There's a lot of folks that are affected and it definitely affects those that are on the SNAP program. And so it is something that we just wanted to bring to your attention and let you think through some of these things to be prepared.

[Krista]

Yeah, I mean, personal safety is just as important as water or food storage.

[Mark]

Now today's cup of coffee comes from Gloria.

[Krista]

Thank you, Gloria.

[Mark]

We really do enjoy our coffee and we really do appreciate your support of the show. Now let's turn to the seven most frequently asked questions that we receive about prepping.

[Krista]

Question number one. How much food and water should I store? Okay, great question. The experts say that three days is a bare minimum, but we encourage you to plan for anywhere from two weeks to three months worth, depending, depending on your personal space, location and your resources.

[Mark]

And whether or not you've got teenagers.

[Krista]

Well, that's true. You know, everybody's got a different story.

[Mark]

Yeah, there's. But how much are you going to need? And here's why. We recommend a lot more than just three days. You can have extended events like they're doing in Jamaica right now, like they're doing in Jamaica. It could be hurricane recovery, like the one in Jamaica. Melissa.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

It could be like the extended recovery that we saw after Helene. You may need more than three days.

[Krista]

I think they're still dealing with some of that.

[Mark]

They're still dealing with a lot of it. But they've got the infrastructure open to be able to get food in. That's the thing. But one of the cases. One of the situations with that case was that the infrastructure was damaged to a degree that they could not get it in.

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

In certain places, they were having to deliver food to communities by helicopter.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

And so you want to have more than just that three day, bare minimum. But that's a place to start. If you don't prep, if you haven't prepped, then start with that three day and then go for two weeks and then go for three months. And if you've got teenagers, go for a year and maybe you can make it two months.

[Krista]

Yeah, maybe, Maybe so.

[Mark]

But you can get snowed in with blizzards, tornado recovery, job loss, injury or illness.

[Krista]

Yeah. These are items that would force you into your preps.

[Mark]

They can. They do. And they have.

[Krista]

Yeah. We're living proof.

[Mark]

Krista and I went to one income, and our preps kept us going for what, a month or so that we only had to buy perishables. We would buy bread, milk, meat, things like that. But all of our canned goods we had. We had plenty of spaghetti, plenty of frozen food. So all of those.

[Krista]

I like my spaghetti.

[Mark]

She does like her spaghetti.

[Krista]

It's the best food ever.

[Mark]

And I noticed about five more boxes of it sitting on the counter a while ago.

[Krista]

I get a good deal on them.

[Mark]

Yes, she does. And she does make a good spaghetti. And I'm. I like it. Okay. You can have supply chain issues. Look at what we had during COVID some of the shelves were absolutely empty. I've related the story to you folks before that one day I just went on a reconnaissance mission to the grocery store. Sure, we didn't need anything, but I wanted to see what I was hearing on social media during the COVID During COVID And I went into the meat counter and there were two things left in that counter. There was no chicken, no fish, no beef, no pork.

[Krista]

Yeah, it's all gone.

[Mark]

There was bison and there was tofu.

[Krista]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mark]

And the tofu seemed to last the longest. But that's some of the reasons that we see to prepare for longer than just three days.

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

Your water essentials. This is something that you need to look at. Recommended one gallon per day, bare minimum per person, per person per day. You need to store more. If you're in hot climates or if you've got pets, account for them. But now choose items that require very little prep. Canned meals can do well. Energy bars, dry staples, those kinds of things. But what we say when it comes to what you need to store, food wise, store what you normally eat.

[Krista]

Yes.

[Mark]

Now the freeze dried, they have their place, but it's not for a five day event. And then rotate it. First in, first out. Eat the older stock. And we're not talking about old food here, we're talking about just eat what you've had the longest, which might have been. You've had it three months. Yeah, sure, it's still good. And replace it regularly as you eat it. Continue replacing.

[Krista]

Right. You want to also keep your supplies as best as you can in a cool, dark and pest free environment. Avoid putting things in the basement because there may be a flooding or extreme humidity situation. That actually might not bode well for some of your dried bagged items as well. Let's move on to the next question. What is the shelf life of stored food? Well, that's one of those. It depends. Shelf life depends on the storage method and the type of food you're talking about.

[Mark]

Canned foods generally three to five years is what's said. But you can go a lot longer than that on most foods. Tomatoes is not one of them. Anything that's highly acidic, you don't want to go a long time beyond the best buy date. If it's in a can.

[Krista]

Yeah. And if you open it, let your nose kind of be your guide.

[Mark]

Let your nose be your guide. But watch out for rust and bulging or dents in the can that can compromise the integrity of the food that's inside. But there are preppers, there are folks That I read one the other day. I forgot exactly what it was that she was eating, but she said it was 10 years out of date and it was still fine.

[Krista]

Wow.

[Mark]

But like Christa said, use your nose, let your nose be your guide there.

[Krista]

Now, on dry foods like bags of rice or beans, oats, pasta, those types of foods can last 10 or more years if they're sealed in some Mylar with some oxygen absorbers, we have found a lot of success in that particular type of procedure. We're talking about freeze dried foods. Generally a rule of thumb is they can last up to 25 years when they're stored properly. So you kind of want to be guided by the type of food and how you're storing it and how it did it. Was it professionally freeze dried? If you're doing this at home, you might get less than 25 years.

[Mark]

You might. But this is also a place where you want to be real careful with pests. Don't put it over in the corner and forget about it. You want to check it because most of that stuff comes in plastic buckets. And rats and vermin can chew through the plastic.

[Krista]

They certainly can. And a best practice that we can share would be to store a mix of some short term, eat now types of foods and long term store and forget supplies so that you can have a bit of both. And depending on what your crisis may be, if it's just a few days go into your eat now storage and if it's a more of a longer term, say a month or more, you may have to get into some of that 25 year food.

[Mark]

You might have to. But now here's a tip for that. Don't go from one to the other abruptly and exclusively. Start mixing it in. If you're going to have to start using the freeze dried foods, especially the commercially packed, the emergency foods, then you want to add these in and have a mix of those as you transition to those.

[Krista]

Sure, sure.

[Mark]

Our next most asked question is what's more important, bugging in or bugging out another one?

[Krista]

It depends. It depends on that particular threat. Generally you're going to be bugging in, which is a safer option for short term emergencies. You already know your surroundings, you already have your own resources. And generally, as long as there's not a lot of structural dam to speak of after a storm event or a flood event, something like that, maybe you've averted the high flood waters, but they flooded everywhere else, you're probably good bugging in.

[Mark]

Yeah. Now the time that it's time to Bug out is flood, fire and hazmat. Those are the three things that it's time to go.

[Krista]

Okay.

[Mark]

You go find someplace else to be. It might be across the street, it might be down the street, it might be the hotel. But there are times that bugging out is the only option. But the rest of the time you're bugging in. But use this guide. Bug out if it's necessary because your home becomes unsafe.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

It's not safe to stay there.

[Krista]

Exactly. And bugging out doesn't mean that you're going to go living in the woods and trying to live off the wild. To us, bugging out is the next nearest town's hotel. You know, if we have to go there, we're, we're going to try to be as reasonable as we can about where we go if we have to bug out.

[Mark]

Our first three bug out locations are hotels.

[Krista]

Exactly. I mean, hey, you know, yeah, we're preppers now.

[Mark]

We're going to have stupid. We're going to have to rough it because they don't have room service. Yeah. But anyway, they do have color tv, but it depends on why you bug out. And we've got our house in another location. But it's a lot further away than going to one of these hotels. And it depends on why we have to go.

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

But have a prioritized checklist and it says when this happens, it's time to go. I've got a friend lives down on the coast and their thing is they will ride out a lower cat 3, but if it's an upper cat 3 or above, they're gone.

[Krista]

I see.

[Mark]

And that's. Here's our point where we do. But now they grew up there. Okay. So they're well accustomed to it. But you can identify multiple bug out routes and have your destinations written down ahead of time.

[Krista]

Next question. What should go into a bug out bag or a get home bag? Now, we consider this your 72 hour survival kit. You're going to grab it and go. If you have to leave your home.

[Mark]

Quickly, that's the bug out bag. The get home bag is what you'd need if you had to get home on foot. Now this, let's talk through this one for a minute. Let's just take some odd situation. It could be an emp, it could be, you know, who knows what wildfire, who knows what. And we've got to walk home. Okay.

[Krista]

Yeah.

[Mark]

And it might take three days to get there.

[Krista]

Wow.

[Mark]

So we're going to need some things to help us along the way. And that's flashlight and extra batteries. That comes without saying you need a first aid kit. We need a supply of our regular meds. We need some sanitizer, some wipes and even our toothbrush. And extra glasses or contacts. I carry an extra set of contacts in each of my bags.

[Krista]

Yeah, exactly.

[Mark]

You might want some fire starting gear in there. Now we like lighters and matches. We do carry ferro rods, but we carry lighters and matches. Personal water filter, this is critical. And some purification tablets as a backup if you're having to travel to get home on foot. And what do we say while ago, a gallon of water per person per day?

[Krista]

Yeah, that's just to consume.

[Mark]

That's three gallons and that's 24 pounds. And I'm not going to be carrying 24 pounds of water. I'll find some on the way and I will purify it so I can drink it.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

But it's good to carry some type of water container. Now I like a single wall stainless steel water bottle. You can use that to boil water, you can use it to heat water. But do not use an insulated water bottle on a fire.

[Krista]

Right. What we call a double walled. And you can usually tell by looking inside.

[Mark]

Yeah. And you stick your finger down in there. Is it single wall or is there something space between here?

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

But most of those have air in between two walls.

[Krista]

Yes. You don't want to boil in that.

[Mark]

Well, you don't want to put it on the fire because that inner air is going to heat up and things going to explode.

[Krista]

Explode, yeah.

[Mark]

So stay away from that. You want a knife or a multi tool, some emergency blankets, some type of rain gear or poncho. A blanket. Now I like the ruby. I like saying wooby, but it's a poncho liner. It's the military poncho liner. And if you've ever slept under one or in one, they're warm.

[Krista]

Yeah, they really are. They're very lightweight for what they offer.

[Mark]

Very, very. Carry some extra socks and a change of clothes. Carry some energy bars. I've got some powdered soup mixes in our bags.

[Krista]

You can make those in that stainless.

[Mark]

Steel water container and hard candy. Something that just gives you a little bit of instant energy kind of thing. A small stash of mixed nuts or beef jerky. Or a large stash non perishable. Exactly. Beef jerky will last a long time in that bag. We were stuck on the I40 parking lot one day for quite a while and we were getting ready to look for a place to eat. When we pulled up into the i40 parking lot, it was a wreck and it was in a construction zone and all of this stuff. So we wound up reaching over into our car bag and pulling out a big old pack of beef jerky in several waters. And we got along pretty well right there, sitting on the interstate.

[Krista]

Yeah, we didn't starve.

[Mark]

We didn't starve. Carry a small stash of cash.

[Krista]

Yes, a cash stash.

[Mark]

A cash stash in, carry and carry coins and bills.

[Krista]

Just on the off chance that you may come up on a vending machine or a place of business that may have had a power outage and they're not running their credit card machine, but they're doing cash transaction.

[Mark]

Right.

[Krista]

Well, and we're talking about ones, fives, tens and twenties. Don't be walking around with a roll full of $100 bills because somebody may not be able to make change back for you. And that loaf of bread and pack of baloney may cost you 100 bucks.

[Mark]

Right. And some communications equipment, if you have it. And you can look at ham radio, you can look at GMRs, you can look at FRS, which is very short distance radios, some type of communications equipment. And when I look at communications equipment, I'm also looking at receiving information. Yeah, an AM FM radio is very simple. You can get information. Now let's talk about that bug out bag.

[Krista]

Okay.

[Mark]

And this is one you're talking about not to go live in the woods, Right. But this is when you have to go live somewhere else in another location for 72 hours.

[Krista]

And you've often given the example of you've just gotten the call that your family member is going to be in the hospital for surgery and recovery and they need somebody there to stay with them.

[Mark]

Right.

[Krista]

This is where you can pick up that bag and go.

[Mark]

And a friend of ours whose wife just got out of the hospital on Saturday, she had to go to the hospital and he had told me, we had paid attention and we built a go bag with items for her in that to go to the hospital.

[Krista]

Okay.

[Mark]

And so it's just something that you can grab and go, especially if 911 is called and there's an ambulance or whatever and they're getting ready to go and they say, you want to ride with us? This is the bag you grab.

[Krista]

Yeah, sure. Okay.

[Mark]

This lets you stay at the hospital or a hotel or relatives home. But you want to change your clothes somewhere in there. You go on change clothes.

[Krista]

Yeah.

[Mark]

Carry a phone charger and extra cables in that bag. Now you'll pick up your phone by habit but have a charger in there. Now I carry a cheap extension cord. I carry actually a 9 foot $2.98, I think it was extension cord. It's got three plugs on one end or three receptacles. Because if I'm in the hospital, I'm never close enough to the outlet for my phone cable to reach you.

[Krista]

Talking about like sitting in the lobby.

[Mark]

And sitting in the waiting or ICU waiting room or something like that and in the patient's room. So you can plug it in over there and I can run it over here to where I am and I can plug whatever I want into it. I also carry a power bank.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

We have power banks in our bags. There's some cash, again, some bills and coins because you may find the snack machine that only takes correct change and it's a dollar and a half. There are a lot more vending machines now that accept debit cards and credit cards. But you may not be in that situation, especially in a smaller hospital, you might need that cash. Also carry some copies of your ID and some important papers.

[Krista]

Another question that comes up is how do I communicate if the cell service has failed? Because that's very often the case, particularly after a large staff severe storm event, the communication networks often fail. So you've got to plan for some alternatives.

[Mark]

And I will say this here and I will stick by it. You see all of these rapid radio advertisement that say that in an emergency you can communicate. What they don't tell you is that they depend on cell service. It's like the old Nextel, okay? It's a push to talk radio. And before there was free long distance on your cell phone, they were great. That kind of thing was great because kids 100 miles away you can talk back and forth. But just be aware that rapid radios do not work when the grid is down, when the cell phones are down.

[Krista]

Right. So what's the really the best alternative for something when you're in a completely landline, gone, cell lines, gone.

[Mark]

What works? Ham radio works, but it does require a license and it does offer some long range contact and a lot of reliability. But now that's not on the technician's license. Yeah, and it takes, there's a learning curve there. But for local communications, if there's a repeater available, you can talk 50 miles with a very small radio. And if it's not, you can still talk a couple of miles, maybe further than that. If you're talking to somebody on simplex that has A good antenna.

[Krista]

Well, also depends on the terrain. Terrain, because if you're in the down the valley and there's nothing but mountains all around you, that may be a little bit more.

[Mark]

You can talk to the top of the mountain, but you're not going to talk to the bottom of the next hollow.

[Krista]

Right.

[Mark]

GMRS is another good one. There's no test required for the license for GMRs. It's like $35 for 10 years.

[Krista]

Oh, yeah.

[Mark]

When you get into the local communications, it's very much like ham radio. There are repeaters, a lot of the very same capability. And if you wanted to look at these two, see what's available when it comes to repeaters in your area, and that way it help you to make a decision. Do you want to go ham? Do you Want to go GMRs? Now, FRS Radios, the family radio service. Now, this requires no license. This is the ones you get in the blister pack at Outdoorman and the big box stores. Now, they're very short distance. I mean, most of the time you're going to get about a half a mile out of them. They're good. In the community, there are some apps that use the offline mesh network.

[Krista]

Oh, that's cool.

[Mark]

And it depends on a mesh tastic is what it's called. Folks are setting up mesh tastic nodes at their house or area, and what it does is it just keeps seeking a way to get your message to where it goes. And it goes from node to node to node to node.

[Krista]

So it can connect locally through Bluetooth and WI fi.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Krista]

Okay. Some of these apps, one of them is called Bridgify. Another one is called Zello Mesh. So you may want to look into some offline mesh network that might work in your particular area if nothing else.

[Mark]

Is available to you, especially if you're in like a suburban area. Now, you're not going to get a lot of these when, when you're out in very rural areas because you know there is a limited distance on each of the nodes, and I really don't know what that is. It would depend a lot on the antenna. But check into that if that's something of interest to you and then practice with that. Test your gear before the emergencies. Know the range that you can get with that, know what channels if you're using GMRs, FRS, if you're in ham, learn the national calling frequency. And there are some things that you can do, but there's some learning curve to it.

[Krista]

Next question is, how do I get my family on board with Prepping, you know, because not everybody sees prepping the same way. So you want to keep it relatable. Maybe you need to even avoid using the words prepper and prepping. We have often said, say, being prepared or preparedness because this seems to soften the understanding that some people think prepper is kind of like a dark, dim word that only cuckoo bananas wackadoodles would use. And we know that that is not the case. So you want to present it as a smart planning tool and not some sort of paranoia or fear monger. We've often said prepared, not scared, because that's what preparedness does for you. You want to start very small, start with water and food, just a few days, have some flashlights, have some power banks, have these things on hand. And we have found, oh so many times a prepared person will contact us and tell us, my spouse was totally not on board with prepping, even made fun of me about it until. And then they named whatever the crisis was. In one case, it was a blizzard on the highways of Virginia that the spouse got stuck in it and then hours and hours and hours later came home and told his wife, you are officially no longer crazy. Because he was basically saying she was looney tunes for being a prepper. And he said, I get it now. I get it. Because he experienced firsthand what it's like to be out on a blizzarded highway for probably 24 consecutive hours with nothing, zero, no water, no food, no. I mean, he was on a 15 minute trip and it turned into an all day nightmare. So also frame it with the real events that have actually happened to people. It doesn't have to happen to you to be a real event, but it's even more fulfilling when you can say, hey, we got through this storm when our power went out. Because I had this on hand. I had that on hand. Instead of using some hypothetical never happening disaster. Talk about there are times when you do have power outages. You have to have a power outage.

[Mark]

Plan, ask the questions, what would we do if.

[Krista]

Right. And make a scenario.

[Mark]

I've said this time and time and time and time and time again on the podcast. I asked the question, you wake up Tomorrow morning, there's 48 inches of snow on the ground. We're in the south. You're not going anywhere if it's a half inch of it, right?

[Krista]

Pretty much.

[Mark]

But. But you wake up, there's 48 inches of snow on the ground, you're not going anywhere and the power's out. Now, how long can you keep Your family fed and warm. Yeah, that's the question.

[Krista]

Here's another question. What if one of you lost your job or had a debilitating injury that kept you at home for months?

[Mark]

We used to go into a single income there for a while and our preps got us through.

[Krista]

Exactly.

[Mark]

I've known of folks that did get injured. I've known of folks that had to have open heart surgery and were unable to work for six or eight weeks.

[Krista]

I have a brother right now that's recovering from two torn ACL surgeries, you know, back to back, because the first one didn't take, they had to go in and do it again. He's been pretty much flat on his back or very little movement for months. He may not go back to work until spring of next year because he's trying to get healed up. So this is a real, you know, hit on their family.

[Mark]

Yeah. The last question we're going to cover, and we get asked this a lot, is how can I afford to prep on a budget?

[Krista]

Well, preparedness doesn't have to be expensive. You just have to be very strategic with your plan. You want to start slow. You know, nobody is going to say, take $10,000 and go on a prep buying weekend because, I mean, if you can afford to do that, God bless you. But most of us, in fact, pretty much all of us cannot do that. When you go to the grocery store or you're ordering groceries, add a can or two of something extra, add a box or two of something you can store, add an extra gallon or two of water and just start putting the extras back. Little by little, as you do this each time, you're going to find that it's only an extra two, $3. Maybe it's an extra dollar, maybe it's an extra $5. But you're going to find that over time, you've now started a good prepping.

[Mark]

Stash and you can thrift and reuse stuff.

[Krista]

We certainly do.

[Mark]

We call it the prepper store. When we go to the thrift store.

[Krista]

Oh, yes. You can find lots of cool prepper stuff.

[Mark]

Loves to go. Love to go in there and just look around. And one of the things, actually, I've got a pot that's about a, I don't know, two cup, three cups, pot in my get home bag that I paid a dollar for.

[Krista]

Oh, sure.

[Mark]

At the thrift store.

[Krista]

Even had a top on it.

[Mark]

Yep. And you can hit discount stores, you can hit yard sales, which yard sales are a great place for cast iron. It's a great place to buy cast iron. Certainly you can use surplus gear and that saves a lot of money. You can pick up flashlights and thrift store is a great place to pick up jar can.

[Krista]

Sure, absolutely.

[Mark]

And so those are great things to do there to save some money. But you know, learning skills really doesn't cost. You can learn gardening, you can learn first aid, you can learn to cook without electricity. Yeah, and skills are priceless.

[Krista]

Also, you can maybe even approach like minded friends or family or community members if you wanted to go into a bulk buy situation. Like if there's a case or two of something that that two or three or four or five families can split. A lot of times it's so much more economical for people to get together and do that and split a gross of paper towels or bathroom tissue or cans of soup or whatever it is and just become a little strategic with your dollars because you can make a more of an impact all the way around and everybody feels prepared. And you're finding that you can do this very, very easily, even on the tightest of budgets.

[Mark]

And if you receive value from the podcast, would you help us by giving back a little? You can go to practicalprepping.info support and you'll find several ways that you can help support the show, including buying us a cup of coffee. And you can start your Amazon shopping from our website. Just click on our banner that says Amazon and then log into your regular Amazon account. It costs you nothing extra, but it does pay us a tiny commission, so we would appreciate that. And we do appreciate you being here today. And as Krista always says, stuff happens. Stay prepared and we'll see you next time.