What are your prepping goals for 2013?

[prepguide]

As we are close to the end of the year was wondering what prepping goals do you have for 2013? For me the biggest ones are improving communication especially longer range as well as continuing to make strides in improving my health. Working with and helping to strengthen my local prep group is another large area of focus for me. The stronger it is the better off all of us in the group are.

Other goals include
Finishing up the sequel to my first prepping book
Finish up the preparedness study course I am developing
Establish more caches


Have a safe day all

[Taz Baby]

Building 3 houses, workshop,barn, and then fencing and getting animals. Plus putting in a larger water storage tank in to catch the over flow of the one we have now.

[Echo2]

Loose more weight.....lost 25lbs since Sept....want to keep up the trend.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Move from here and establish my BOL in God's Country.

[greg48]

my challenge for the new year is getting my wife on board. being ready for a SHTF event will be much easier if 50% of the team were planning also. she at times will say something like "we need to be ready for a tornado, etc..." somtimes she'll buy something from the grocery to put in "my stash", it's like she knows an event is coming but she prefers ignoring it because it will inconvience her life....

[realist]

Build my cabin, level or terrace a portion of the property. Work like hell to develop a plan to deal with the tax situation. I am getting hosed and if we go over the Fiscal Cliff then we will have even less. I need to find a cash job..........

[bacpacker]

Finish putting my HF radio set up and fine tune to get max output from it.

Doing a fall garden to get as close to year round food production.

Improve my physical health. I am sure there are others.

[FL-Jeeper]

Improve physical fitness level, continue food storage preps, beef up water storage & conduct as much cash business &/or bartered services as possible.

[Jimmy24]

Add another solar panel and another 400 watt windgenset. Purchase a larger pressure canner. Catch more hawgs. Get turkeys going again. Continue a co-op plan with two neighbors on a large pond we have joining our common land. If I get that done, it will be a MAJOR accomplishment.

Jimmy

[Sniper-T]

Absolutely nothing!

Now that 12, 21, 2012 has passed, all is safe I am going to sell everything, but TV's and stereos and bon-bons; and party like it was 1999!

yeah, well, maybe not. just keep on, keeping on. keep adding weeks and months to the short term preps, and keep adding months and years to the long ones.

[Metrocruiser]

Plan to take some courses in first aid. Hand to hand combat. Knife fighting. Orienteering. Hand gun combat.

Going to take kids and wife camping/hiking alot this spring.

Hope to build up my dream 79 bronco in 2013 or at least get one ready for a bug out scenario.

Dont have a bol so we are hoping to find some vacant acreage and set up a couple 20 foot shipping containers on it. Plan to use some cellular surveillance cams to monitor the containers.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Get the back pasture fenceline finished, put the horses back there and add a couple steers and a hopefully a heifer for breeding. Get the goat pens and chicken pens built, and get a few meat goats, plus one dairy goat. Master making goat milk soap. Get the garden going, we have not tilled a spot yet, though it is fenced in and we have the disk now. Get the hand-pump well pump. And can sauce, butter and jam from the apples, pears, peaches, blackberries and persimmons that we have growing here on the farm.

[msomnipotent]

I'm keeping it simple.

Actually start canning instead of staring at my canner in the basement.

Get back to exercising 3x a week now that my brain is functioning almost normally again (normal for me, anyway).

Expand the garden and make a real effort to grow (and can) some veggies.

Actually go to a gun range instead of making plans with my BIL to go "sometime".

Organize! I used to be the go-to person to organize everything, and all my preps are all over the house.

And finally, more intensive training for my dog. She barks at everything, she is terrified of everything, and she tries to eat my sister's dog
every chance she gets. I need something better than intending to eat her first and adopting a stray if the going gets rough.

When I get all of that done, stage two consists of taking first aid classes, having a few practice days without power, and invest in more long term storage foods.

[Evolver]

Move to Utah and we'll be starting from scratch again as far as the garden goes so we'll be working on a garden.

[mitunnelrat]

Before I get into this I just want to say thank you, prepguide, for starting this thread. You beat me to it.

As for my goals for '13... overall is mproved time management. Seriously. I figured out there isn't anything of interest to me that I can't do given enough time - and I waste a lot of time staying awake through half the night and sleeping the morning away before working all afternoon.

My primary goal though is relocating. I think doing so smartly means completing my debt elimination plan and getting an emergency fund set up (to offset moving away from my established support structure) before I go. The trick is going to be balancing this against the other goals I have in mind, so my focus this year is largely going to be on knowledge, skills, and physical condition over amassing further materials and supplies.

Recommitting to a physical training schedule, fueling that activity properly with a regular meal schedule and balanced nutrition. Eliminating dependence on caffeine and nicotine... Getting out weekly to do hikes of 4-16 mile lengths and work on marksmanship fundamentals. Continue the push to feed myself with wild game and plants & gardening. Learning food processing and preservation techniques that I've only observed thus far. I need to recert in first aid and CPR, at a minimum for medical training. I need to get my HAM tech license, finish assembling my reloading setup and get started in that... I want to attend an MMA gym and start doing some full spectrum weapons based training beyond that. All the way from the simple stick, to edged weapons, to firearms courses. Continuing in the training vein, I found a bushcrafting school near me, and intend to attend some of their classes and courses.


Beyond that I feel a need to volunteer myself more regularly to those already in dire need, so I have a myriad of activities I'm looking at from helping staff a food drive to giving at a blood drive. I found out today I can donate two pints of red blood cells rather than the normal one pint of whole blood if I choose - so I did. Ya'll need to remind me that eating beforehand is a good thing though. I went a little pale this time. ;)

I feel like I missed something, as if that isn't enough, right?

[ladyhk13]

So MTR are you coming to TN when you relocate?

[mitunnelrat]

Yes.

[Stormfeather]

Ok, besides the glaring fact, that all the cool kids hang out in Tn, whats the importance of moving there? Cost of living? Job Market? Property values/Cost? Help me out here folks, Im just short of throwing a dart at a map and packing up and moving to wherever the dart hits!

Oh yea, prepping goals for 2013, getting higher end commo, with longer range, getting my HAM license, and continuing stocking up! Next big thing is to get the DW more acclimated to doing cycling the food stocks.

[mitunnelrat]

Three letters did it for me: S.B.R., and I'm only half kidding with that. You pretty much nailed it already though. The cost of living is lower, and their (lack of state income) tax system is more attractive than Michigan's, so I could be spending less and bringing home more. From what LHK and Riverrat described this also carries over into property values/ taxes when I'm ready to do that. The winter's are reportedly milder too. Finally, another selling point for me is that I'm not "too far" from my family. That was my biggest concern, and I realized prior planning/ technology can offset that.

Oh yeah, the AT is right there too, and... the state is centrally located for a business idea I have to get izzy off his ass ;) I'll need to be there to launch it.

[prepguide]

There is a chance that come July I will be moving to TN as well, specifically the Clarksville area. I won't know for about two months or so but so far its looking positive.

[Evolver]

Dang... If BR and the Lady would offer up parcels on there property we all could move to TN.
I could be the Builder and Justa the organizer. :) What would you all have to offer? (This could be a thread of it's own).:)

[apssbc]

Well shit maybe I should move to Tennessee too...I mean everyone's doing it ;)

My goals are to increase my food supply, build up some more ammo stores, create some caches, build my functional strength, take some weapons training and possible hand to hand training.

Ill probably be attending some classes from the buschcraft school MTR mentioned as well.

Or...maybe ill just move to Tennessee!

[bacpacker]

Well this is getting exciting.

Like MTR said, outside of the larger towns property taxes aren't too bad. just gotta check out the counties and cities first. No state tax is a big plus, down side of that is a higher sales tax, including food. Some areas have high unemployment, others fairly low. Property prices can be pretty cheap to very high, again all depends on location. Overall crime isn't bad outside of the larger cities.

All I got to say, come on down.

[ladyhk13]

Well Izzy is standing right next to me and he says he has security taken care of, that's his offering. The boys are headed out bright and early in the a.m. for a hunting expidetion on the property so he'll be the first of the "colony" to set feet on. Hopefully they'll grab themselves a couple of deer and not freeze their body parts.
TN is awesome. We love it here and welcome you ANTS as we build our Mag even larger. I have a feeling we are going to need it in the future. Our unemployment rates here are fairly low in most counties, our property taxes are low (if you are a 100% total and perm disabled vet you pay no property taxes and you get 2 vehicle tags for free plus a lifetime hunting/fishing license for $10.). The people are REALLY friendly, the weather is moderate and we love our guns. Just stay away from Memphis and Dover. The central part of the state is the best and has the best topography. Each county should be checked out for differences though.
We were hoping brother Grumps was going to come out but alas, Texas way he went....:(

[mitunnelrat]

Well shit maybe I should move to Tennessee too...I mean everyone's doing it ;)

My goals are to increase my food supply, build up some more ammo stores, create some caches, build my functional strength, take some weapons training and possible hand to hand training.

Ill probably be attending some classes from the buschcraft school MTR mentioned as well.

Or...maybe ill just move to Tennessee!

Ah yes... some more of those goals I need to balance! I'll let you figure out which ones ;) Or I'll text you later. Relocating doesn't mean wholly abandoning my interests here.

[mitunnelrat]

As for locations, I got a good laugh working on this. I posted how I'd go about picking a BOL location in another thread not too long ago, and when I did that for TN it pretty much put me in izzy's back yard. I've got a couple other areas I'm interested in as well, but it seems to me that one is the strongest overall in terms of prepping, recreational interests, and routes north.

[ladyhk13]

And we're close as well so it works out well.

[mitunnelrat]

Yes. I should have specified that. From my current perspective though, going anyplace in TN puts everyone there "close" ;)

[The Stig]

Ok, besides the glaring fact, that all the cool kids hang out in Tn, whats the importance of moving there? Cost of living? Job Market? Property values/Cost? Help me out here folks, Im just short of throwing a dart at a map and packing up and moving to wherever the dart hits!


Deep south isn't a bad second place. While there aren't as many cool kids there's a fair number of advantages.

[The Stig]

Stigs big goals for 2013

Physical Fitness: I groaned and moaned about it all last year and did nothing. Surprisingly I am no more healthy or in shape than this time last year.

Night Vision: It's time to make the big jump forward into the world of NVG.

Expand network in neighborhood: Am attending a neighborhood association meeting in a few weeks and will check out the "stability" of those who attend. If they aren't retards I might start suggesting we do some emergency planning. My goal is to have an organized response to disasters big and small.

Food & Water: Increase and diversify the food and water stocks we have on hand.

[Evolver]

Well Izzy is standing right next to me and he says he has security taken care of, that's his offering. The boys are headed out bright and early in the a.m. for a hunting expidetion on the property so he'll be the first of the "colony" to set feet on. Hopefully they'll grab themselves a couple of deer and not freeze their body parts.
(
Very cool!!! (no pun intended) I wish them luck on their hunt and tell Izzy and BR hi for us when they return.

[ElevenBravo]

Loose more weight.....lost 25lbs since Sept....want to keep up the trend.

You sure about that?!?!? You didnt drop a decimal, was it supposed to be 2.5 lbs?


Just funnin' ya bro... I encourage you to continue your quest to better health. Its hard to shoot & scoot when your heavy bro... Dont give up!

Dont forget, we can head into the hills for a ruck march or your welcome to come over to hit the weights anytime Im off work... If I *ever* get time off work (the damn task masters!)

Take care E2...

EB

PS
Thanks for putting me onto this forum!

[NWPilgrim]

My prep goals for 2013 are:
- Replace my van with a truck. I want to find a decent1980s Ford F250 4wd and rebuild the engine, suspension, steering, and if need be the transmission. Goal is to have a sturdy and reliable work truck that is simple enough to work on myself.

- work up new handloads in .40 and 9mm for my pistols with a couple of new to me powders. Can't always find W231 or AA5 in stock so need good loads developed for Power Pistol and Universal. I have usable loafs now but want to fine tune the new loafs and adjust my new night sights, too.

- finish my start on 5 gal bucket food storage. I have MREs and #10 cans and vacuum bagged food. Need to add some buckets with mylar bags and O2 absorbers for more rice, beans, flour, etc.

- get a generator. Been putting it off but decided this year to take the plunge.

- if funds allow I will finally build a work and storage shed in the back yard. Preps, tools and reloading and ammo are all in the garage. No decent place for a real work bench or for projects. Get it wired for 240v for eventually doing welding.

[Katrina]

My goals are:
To quit smoking (AGAIN)
Get the rest of the teeth fixed
Build the green house/ expand the garden
Get the pressure canner (AND use it)
Clean out the furnace room shelves (sorry hubs but the M&M boxes gots ta go) for more storage.

[ladyhk13]

Shoot my .9mm more right handed and get better at both eyes open (now I shoot lefty with left eye - will never shoot rifle righty though).
Pull out my compound bow and start using it again - been way too long.
Look for a new piece of property (boo hoo)

[Willie51]

Shoot my .9mm more right handed and get better at both eyes open (now I shoot lefty with left eye - will never shoot rifle righty though).
Pull out my compound bow and start using it again - been way too long.
Look for a new piece of property (boo hoo)

All sounds great but "the looking for the new piece of property". I hope it all works and it's not too painful.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

More primers, powder and bullets. Restocking my reloading supplies due to the filling of brass. Was advised by a "Safari Club Senior Member" friend to stock up because of things to come. Seems the administration will soon have their way by making sure we don't have our ammo either. Just kinda quoting the source. Also boning up on my physical condition back on the high endurance training kick. Starting today "pain is just your body's way of letting you know you're still alive" Vehicles, vehicles, vehicles, comms, comms, comms. Geez I could make a huge list but what's the use.........business as usual.......water proof Container storage seems to come to mind, I have the feeling that I want to have all my essentials "containerized" and ready for storage for very near future. As Lady HK said "New property search" we have a bunch of equipment that was supposed to be transported to the new property and I was ready to start clearing and constructing but we were "halted" by the county. So I'm in limbo, stressing and pissed, but hey Izzy gets fresh meat for the freezer! Spring Gobbler season also approaches............YES EVERYONE COME TO TENNESSEE! THE VOLUNTEER STATE!

[greg48]

gotta get my wife on board. she'll acknowledge our country is in trouble but refuses to think beyond her little world. was in the news yesterday DC was flying choppers around do simulated test for a "dirty bomb", seems we here are not the only ones concerned...

[ElevenBravo]

Bank ammo and grub. Acquire more equipment for LT survival, such as water filter, etc..

Get my cardio up, more than it is now anyway.

Have money stuffed in a sock for the early early phase of SHTF

Get my comms up for small group and/or family

Solar charging system for small load, like comms, etc..

Get some experience small game hunting, including gutting & dressing... and cooking.

Get some gardening experience and bank some seeds

Improve my fishing skills through education and experience (watching a fly fishing DVD from netflix as I type this)

Get my diesel K5 Blazer's transmission rebuilt so I can wheel it again...

Acquire an enclosed trailer and set it up as a BOT (But Out Trailer, very small sleeping quarters with bulk transport ability)
(Maybe 6X9 or 6X12)

And a host of knick knack things that are of minimal investment, but major contribution to the effort.

EB