Year Long Survival Plan – Month 1

There are other 12 month plans out there, but none that I found will also address having special needs. I hope to be able to provide some of that missing information.

This first month, you’ll begin building your prepper foundation for surviving disasters both man made and natural.

Divide up each Item List and Action for this month into something to concentrate on for each week of the month. This makes it even less overwhelming to achieve.

A family discussion is important at this point so that everyone knows what to expect and why you are making this plan. Our family knows that tornadoes and scary weather are possible at pretty much any given time, so they’ve never questioned the need to pack a go-bag and the family information that goes with it.

If you’re single, you might want to discuss your plans with friends and extended family, so they know where and what you’ll do in a disaster situation.

Having others know and be involved keeps you motivated too.

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” -Vincent Van Gogh

72-Hour Kit

Your 72 hour kit is the first line of defense. You need to make sure that this is your first goal if your budget is limited and you can’t do everything in the chapter.

Your Items and Actions are below.  

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ITEMS LIST

• Your family binder: including each member’s personal info- See how I made one here

http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/free-printables-from-30days/

• birthday, social security number, home address, family phone # ,
• medications list – time taken, reason,
• photograph, even a photocopied black/white version is good
• family/friends contact info
• insurance information – policy number, company name/phone #
• photocopy any cards (ss#, insurance card, ID or Drivers lisence)

• A backpack for each member of your family – even young children can carry some of their own items
  • learn more about backpacks and what’s appropriate in this post = Survival Backpack for Every Member of Your Family

• A change of clothing for each member of your family – don’t forget underwear, socks, and shoes
• If you live in a cold climate, make sure you have warm coats and boots accessible close to your 72 hour kit supplies
• Ax-shovel

• 5 gallon bucket
• Utility knife
• Large box of waterproof matches
• Whatever cash you can afford to set aside.

ACTION LIST

•  Backpacks. If you can afford it, then get good quality all weather backpacks. If you can’t, then use what you already have, or hit the thrift stores.
•  Clothing. Choose long-sleeved shirts and long pants. If you’re in a situation where there is a lot of debris, these items will help keep you from getting cut. You’ll also be protected in colder weather. If you live in a cold climate you may want to add an additional layer, like an undershirt and long johns. Feel free to add more than one change. This is just a starting point.

Find a location in your home where you’ll store these items. It should be all together and in a place where you can grab it and get out of your home quickly. You might consider an area in your garage or a closet near the back door.

• Place the change of clothing for each family member in his or her own backpack.
• Place the shovel and utility knife in the bucket.
• Place the cash in one of the backpacks in a resealable bag.
• Make a photocopy of the family information and place one in each backpack inside of a resealable bag.

Long-Term Food Storage

For long-term food storage, you’ll be using a lot of canned foods and dry ingredients. These last a long time and will stay well-preserved. We’ll discuss in more detail later rotating canned and boxed foods so that you don’t have a lot of expired food in your storage.

This post, Basic Prepper Food Storage Tips For Long Term Survival, gets you started with dry ingredients and a few other things that can help you start.

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ITEM LIST

For this month you’ll need to gather:

• A can opener that isn’t electric – invest in one that’s high quality and will last
• For a 3 month supply of food 6 cans of meat or fish per person – chicken, tuna, beef, etc.
• For a 12 month supply of food 24 cans of meat or fish per person

ACTION LIST

Make sure you choose a space to begin gathering food storage supplies. This month you don’t have too much to stow away, but it adds up quickly. Some people choose to purchase shelving specifically for this.

If you’re short on space, don’t worry. There are many ways you can maximize your storage for these added items. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that food should be kept in a temperature controlled environment.

Some ideas include:

• Under beds – you’re probably not using that space and it’s perfect for boxes and plastic under bed storage containers
• Reserve a closet in the house
• Basement shelving units
• Under end tables covered with tablecloths
• High kitchen cabinets that are rarely used
• Climate controlled storage shed

If the idea of storing such a great deal of food and other items is keeping you from getting started, think about the importance of these items. You’re probably storing a lot of other junk that you don’t need and sacrificing something very useful.

Shelter and Security

This month we’ll focus on a few cleaning and hygiene items.

Your Item and Action lists are below.

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ITEM LIST

• ½ gallon bleach per person for 3 month storage, 1 gallon per person for the whole year
• 10 heavy duty garbage bags per person for 3 months storage, 100 for 12 months
• Laundry detergent – 2 pounds per person for 3 months, 20 pounds per person for a year. Here’s my article so you can Learn how to make your own for much cheaper!

ACTION LIST

• Create a family escape plan for the whole family – plan more than one route. see how here; your family escape plan
• Gather important documents and place in fire proof safe.
• Change your smoke detector batteries now and again in 6 months. Or, at daylight saving time.

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Keep an Inventory

As your supplies begin to grow you’ll forget what you have and what you need.

Keeping an inventory is critical so that you can rotate out items that have expired and so that you can quickly determine what you need.

A simple paper and pencil inventory works well or you can use a computer spreadsheet to stay organized.

You can find my own simple printable tracking form on the resources page at the blog, or it’s included in the blog post about

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