Prepping is a term that can come with a lot of preconceived ideas. If like me, your first exposure to prepping was from Doomsday Preppers or another “popular” depiction of this lifestyle, you may think all of us that are involved in prepping are just a little bit crazy…it’s okay…that’s what I thought too!

The good news is that you don’t have to have a bunker or retreat location to qualify as a prepper. And most of us aren’t actually preparing for the apocalypse.

At its most basic level, prepping is simply preparing for an event before it happens.

In our case, we are preparing for the unexpected in life. We are taking intentional and well-thought out steps to keep our families safe and secure no matter what the future holds. COVID-19 is a perfect example of how the unexpected can dramatically impact our day-to-day life (and the toilet paper supply)!

I saw the stress and frustration that many of my friends experienced during the pandemic. Not being able to buy essentials for their family as they had done every week for years created a sense of fear and overwhelm.

Although, I started prepping more than a year ago, this pandemic was a stark reminder of how few of us have supplies to last our families even a few weeks. In an emergency situation that can be frightening and frustrating.

Here are 10 reasons you should start prepping now.

1. Gives you a sense of peace and security - Knowing that you have the supplies, and more importantly the skills, to take care of your family gives you a sense of peace that is hard to describe. Prepping is about creating a cushion for your family for when the unexpected happens.

2. Protect your family during an emergency - We can’t predict when emergencies are going to take place, all we know is that millions of families are impacted by them every year. Floods, hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes are all common national emergencies that can take a huge toll on your local area. Imagine what it would be like to know that you have all your supplies ready to go at a moments notice to make it through an emergency.

3. Keeps your family safe during a pandemic - Imagine how much less stressful COVID-19 would have been for you and your family if you’d been fully stocked up on toilet paper, Clorox wipes, and food. Knowing you have the supplies in place to live without a trip to the store for a few weeks, or longer, makes it a lot easier to navigate a crisis like a pandemic.

4. Prepares you for a job loss or pay cut - No one wants to consider what it looks like when the family income is cut, but the reality is families can face unexpected financial strain at any point. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many as 40% of households faced significant financial strain due to job loss and reduction in hours. When we stock up on the essential supplies our family uses on a regular basis, we can create a safety net or cushion if someone in the family loses a job or suffers a pay cut.

5. Provides a hedge against inflation - Even in normal financial markets prices normally rise over time. When you buy supplies in bulk today you are buying at lower prices than you’ll see in the future and saving money. In the case of extreme inflation, prepping can ensure you can continue to feed and clothe your family during tough economic times. Now your trips to Sams or Costco can be smart financial decisions!

6. Allows you to learn new skills - One of my favorite aspects of prepping is learning new skills. If you consider yourself a life-long learner, like I do, prepping can provide you years of entertainment and education. Prepping has encouraged me to try new things and stretch my comfort zone. My new focus on a greater ability to be somewhat self-reliant has resulted in some pretty fun new hobbies and crafts. It’s also a great way to create some new family adventures.

7. Helps you focus on what you truly value as a family - Prepping will force you to be very deliberate about how you spend your time and money to get “prepared.” This is a great way to have family discussions about what’s important to you and your family.

8. Encourages healthy eating and more movement - If you are REALLY into prepping, you’ll find yourself learning how to cook with whole foods and from scratch (or partially from scratch). You’ll also find yourself looking at how you can increase your stamina and build stronger muscles…moving 5 gallons of water around the basement takes muscles my friends!

9. Enables you to help others in the community - There are those preppers that have a hoarding or lone-wolf mentality, but if you want it to, prepping gives you the ability to help those around you. Sharing vital supplies with neighbors or donating to local charities in times of crisis is a possibility when you have enough for your family and have intentionally stored a little extra.

10. Prepping reduces stress - Let’s face it most of the stressful things in our life are related to unexpected events that we weren’t prepared for before they happened. The beauty of prepping is that you know you have a plan in place for most emergencies. Essential items like food, water, and shelter are part of any contingency plans. Most preppers also take steps to reduce debt and keep an emergency fund for the unexpected, which means those things that used to wreck your budget, will become minor inconveniences. Imagine how less stressful life would be knowing you were prepared for whatever came your way.

11. Gives you a good reason to collect cool bags! - You may notice that I threw in a bonus reason…okay this one probably isn’t really a great reason to start prepping, but I do love that I can buy all sorts of bags and packs for my stuff. If bags make you smile, prepping might be a great new lifestyle.

Prepping is not about doomsday preparedness as the popular media would like you to believe. Instead it’s about a well-thought out approach to being prepared for the unexpected.

It’s about looking at the challenges we might face, and then creating a plan to help overcome them in a way that keeps our family safe and secure.

As someone that’s been prepping for a little over a year, I can tell you that it was one of the best lifestyle choices I’ve made.