Getting into the prepping mindset

Whole house automatic generator

Prep with what you use in everyday life. People are running out of toilet paper and food, that is ridiculous.

We buy the double packs of OTC meds from Costco, keep one bottle, use the other. When we empty one bottle we buy again, adding another bottle to the stash.

I don't like canned pastas but my kids eat them all the time, we just buy a case of something every trip. We tend to buy twice as fast as the kids eat them. If it was my only option, I sure as hell would eat them.

I am getting a Berkley water filter after our move, we finally have a waterfront property, so unlimited water as long as we can make it drinking safe. Bonus: Getting catfish in the backyard.

Sure I have guns, ammo, generator, propane, gas, camp stoves, knives, etc. etc. but the most important things are what you use all the time. Also, honestly it is a PITA to keep gas as a prep. I think I am going to stop filling my cans and just rely on propane and gas from my boat to run the generator.

Water, beans, and rice is about all you need food wise.

In my opinion, the very first thing you need to do is sit down and really think through possible scenarios. Are you prepping for a weather/natural disaster type of situation or are you prepping for a shite hits the fan type event? It is really easy to spend a ton of money on preps and not be prepared for much at all. I sat in thought about what is most likely to happen to me and mine in my location, of course in my case my #1 prep is for hurricanes and the after-effects. I make sure that my back-ups have backups and that I can survive comfortably for at least two weeks. I live on a few acres and have gardens and fruit trees so I tend to put quite a bit of food up either frozen, dehydrated, or home canned. I also can a good bit of meat to use as a quick meal or as a prep. My main concern is the availability of water. While it may be uncomfortable, you can go quite a long time without eating but 2-3 days with no water and you are either dead or damn near it so drinking water is #1. you can store water or locate a nearby source of surface water such as a pond or bayou. This water must be purified to drink but it is much easier to store 10lbs of pool shock powder to use to purify the water than to store large quantities of drinking water. With that said, I always keep 3-4 cases of .5 liter bottled water and at least 15 gallons (3 5 gal bottles ) of water for my water
cooler. If in an emergency I need more than that then I will use the pool shock to purify surface water. To me, the key thing is to stock up on things you ordinarily use to the point where you have at least 3 months worth of food and other consumables like toilet paper, paper towels, OTC medications, etc.

I am not prepping for a nuclear winter, zombie apocalypse, or some other doomsday scenario, I am prepped for things that have a much higher chance of actually happening like hurricanes, freezes, loss of power for an extended time, or anything else that would cause things to not function as normal.

like I said at the outset of this post. Spend some time thinking through different scenarios and what you need to get through each one. Then prep with those things in mind and stock up on things that you already use.

edit to add:
many of my preps are not so much survival items but comfort items. While I can live on beans and rice if necessary, I much prefer a diverse diet so I stock accordingly. I wouldn't die if I didn't have generators to run my central A/C but it sure as hell is more comfortable. Keep in mind that comfort is very important when going through a disaster of some sort. I don't have any kids at home but I prep like both of them and their spouses will be here during the emergency simply because it is much easier for me to prep than for them to do it. In my opinion, it is best to learn as many old skills as you can because a disaster can destroy your preps quickly but it cannot take away your knowledge and skills. I started trying to learn the old ways many years ago and I still learn something new almost every day. I know how to put food up for long-term storage, I know how to make various types of smoked sausage and things like jerky, pemmican, etc. I know how to grow a garden and I keep something growing year-round, Right this moment, I could go pick greens, cabbage, beets, and carrots from my garden and with a bit of meat and foraged foods such as fish from the bayou behind my house, berries in the spring, small game such as rabbit, coon, nutria, various birds, etc. If you go hungry in south Louisiana it is your own damn fault there is too much available year-round to not have something to eat.
So old skills and survival skills go a long way in helping you survive a disaster.

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It is really easy to spend a ton of money on preps and not be prepared for much at all.

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This is fantastically true. I think what many people also overlook is the importance of gaining not just stuff, but experience. You'll buy all kinds of crap you don't need and it won't do you any good when you do need it if you're not doing anything more than a thought exercise. If you live an urban/suburban type life where these skills aren't everyday chores then you need to make an effort to get outside. Camp in the desert. Camp in the snow. Camp in the rain. Be uncomfortable. Learn how to use what you have and thrive in what used to make you uncomfortable.

A good example is that I saw plenty of posts where people described being surprised at how much water they "needed" to use for cooking and cleaning. Most didn't need that much, they'd just never been in a situation where they needed to reduce their consumption and had little idea how to do it.

Also, if you call a repairman every time something minor breaks, stop doing that. Use it as an opportunity to learn. You won't (and don't need to) become a general contractor overnight, but you'll slowly build a collection of knowledge, tools, and spare parts that will come in handy when everyone is trying to call a repair man at the same time.

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Each have a theme

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I like this. The bins are probably easily stacked and if I need to load and go, I'll know exactly what I'm grabbing. Excellent idea that I'm gonna implement.

I’m not a huge prepper. My strategy is to have enough to 3 months at my house.

Beans and Rice. Wal Mart has good deals of 20 pound bags of rice for 18 dollars.

Two large cans of butter flavored Crisco for fat to put in the beans and rice.

I have a ton of wood on my property and a fireplace so I bought a nice hand saw.

I bought a clean plastic trash can to hold water.

A tarp to collect rain and a water filter that works for 1,000 gallons.

A few lighters and a big jug of Vaseline and cotton balls to start a fire.

Spices.

Guns and ammo.

My plan is for my family to be ok for 3 months then access the situation.

Not great but better than nothing.

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Serious preppers don’t discuss their preps.

You don’t want to be a target for when the SHTF.

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I had something to let them know I'm not a soft target. Too bad I lost it all in that boating accident...

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Serious preppers don’t discuss their preps. You don’t want to be a target for when the SHTF.

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Google "gray man theory"

Lots of good info given and I would look on YouTube, online, etc. where there are several of the prepper community that will give good advice. Some more hard core than others but you can find those in your range or comfort zone.

Another important thing is to have a support group of likeminded individuals close by so you can help each other. Don't just stockpile for yourself but also put away some items that others might need as well. Talk with them, make plans for potential disaster situations, not just the proverbial "civil war" or zombie apocalypse but natural disasters, economic downturns, etc.

You are more capable than you think and as someone said, if you don't know how to fix and repair things, start learning. You'll figure it out and that knowledge will be more valuable than many of the prepper items you will purchase.