First thing I would do to begin my journey is to make sure I had water. If water is no longer flowing from your faucet, you have a serious problem. It takes three days to die from dehydration, more or less. Buy a water container(s). Five gallon, three gallon, one or two with a water spicket. Two gallon that fit nicely in your refrigerator. You can use this type in a cupboard. You can also fill them with food like lentiles, beans, rice, sugar, and flour. All important foods to always keep well stocked. Purchase salt and honey. Sugar and honey attract ants so be very careful once you open. Honey can be kept in the refrigerator but it gets hard and crystallizes. Just gently warm in warm water. Do not put glass jar in hot water. It could break and heat kills healthy enzymes. Otherwise honey is an excellent food. It never, ever goes bad. You can buy sugar, salt, and honey and keep them indefinitely. Make sure to stock several types of salt. Sea salt is a healthy choice, but you also need canning and pickling salt. You may not know how to can (actually jar) food but stock it anyway.

If you live in a rented apartment, your landlord might get very upset if you don’t get permission, but ask if he would mind if you put up shelves and secured them to the wall. If you have a large empty bedroom or space of some kind, not only could you put shelves on each wall from floor to ceiling, but you can put shelves throughout the room. This is probably more than most people will want, but keep as an option. I started by putting one full wall from ceiling to floor in each bedroom for my children’s toys. Of course shelves can hold books. They can also be a very large pantry of food, water, and supplies.

Starting out, you will want to have several bags which you can grab and go. First is your everyday bag. In it always have water. You need to drink throughout the day or you become dehydrated. This is very serious. Most people walk around in a mild state of dehydration. This is very unhealthy. Depends were designed for young people who are too busy or too preoccupied to take care of their bodies most primal need; air and water. Waiting until you are thirsty and then buying a diet soda is signing your own death certificate. So first and foremost carry your own clean filtered water. Get a filter that removes chemicals, bacteria, and flouride. Once water is Distilled or totally filtered, you’ll need to take a mineral supplement or drink mineral water. Otherwise this thirsty water will pull minerals from your body. Not good.
Keep a bag or briefcase or some type of mobile backpack with photographs of loved ones, yourself, and close friends. Also copies of important papers such as birth certificate, marriage license, divorce and death certificates, etc. so you can pick up and go in a moments time. You may want to keep cash with your papers. Small, medium and large bills in something that doesn’t scream money. You need some utility bills to prove you live where you do live, if you have them. Have a resume and printed copies of character witnesses. All ready to grab and go. Have a bag with overnight clothes. Remember to have extra socks, and a skullcap. A sweater and windbreaker jacket. Toothbrush and dental floss are essential. A hair comb, scissors, disinfectant wipes and maybe deodorant. Feminine care products for their main purpose or to use as a bandage. Pen, paper, postcard, stamps (forever stamps). Something to use as a catch for rainwater such as a tarp and something to start fire. Flint, matches, lighter are all important. Some petroleum jelly and cotton. String, rope, insect repellent, snare to catch small game such as squirrel. A good knife. A small pocket knife. If you’re heading for the woods, a hatchet and tent and the best sleeping bag money can buy. If you have a car, keep a cot and wool army blankets with your tent. If you have room for a cooler, I would bring one or two. There are soft types that travel light and can double as storage for blankets, a pillow (luxury), additional outerwear. Nail file, nail clippers, and tweezers have multiple uses. Flashlights, lanterns, batteries. Books, maps, compass, sky chart. Directions to predetermined safe house or alternative residence, Mom’s house. Keep an address book with phone numbers addresses and directions. Keep something on your person that gives your blood type, allergies, medical conditions in the event of injury. Also, name and phone number of Relative to contact in the event of your injury or death.

Keep your car in tip top shape if you have one. Keep the tank filled, insurance, registration tags, oil changed, check that there is no reason a cop would want to pull you over. If you have to leave the area quickly, you have extra water and nuts or some kind of food so you don’t have to stop. Time may be of utmost importance. You want to get ahead of the crowds. There may not be anywhere to stop for food. Keep enough for a couple of days trip. Check to be sure it’s fresh. Change it out every so often. Eat it before it goes stale.

Keep diatomaceous earth to kill little bugs. Eat yourself to kill some parasites. Grow garlic and onions. Raw garlic kills some parasites in humans. Grow dandelions, weeds, in pots on your porch. Also grow mint. It grows like a weed so keep in pots. Good for digestion. Get an organic avocado or ten of them peel the brown papery skin off the seed, put three or four toothpicks in it avoiding the line. Put in glass of water with the narrow part up. Change water every day. Let it sit by a window probably near your kitchen sink. When it starts to grow roots and sprouts a tree, put it in a pot and keep watering. After a while transplant to a larger pot. You can grow trees on your porch. When they start bearing fruit, eat the fruit. You can then plant them on your property when you purchase a home, give them to family who have a home, or use them to barter for other things. Since trees that are seven or eight years old sell for $25 to $35 dollars, you would make very little for your effort. But that is not the point. You learn how to grow and care for a plant. It costs almost nothing, but ultimately it will provide you with healthy fats your body needs. Survival takes many forms. Appreciating Natures wealth of edible plants is, in my opinion one of the most important skills any human can hope to acquire while on this very short journey we call life.

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