Hey You're All Prepped! Um...Now What?

 I've often wondered if there was a critical mass level involving preparedness....a point where "enough is enough" and you don't believe you need to go farther in your preps. For instance if you're prepping for a 2-week disruption for a family of four, and lets say you have all the calculated food, water, medical supplies suggested for that time frame. You also have all bases covered regarding security operations and utilities (alternative energy, water purification, etc....) for a grid-down situation, and you have four, individually configured bug-out bags all ready to go with a bug-out location targeted. The question becomes; "What now?"

The following are a few answers to that question that you should consider even after you believe your preparedness plan is fulfilled.

Sustained Maintenance

This never ends. Food and medicines have expiration dates and need replenished. Water needs cycled. Skills need practiced (firearms, first-aid) to keep them sharp. Apps like StockUp help keep track of those pesky expiration dates and even warn you when it's time to start cycling out those consumables.

Upgrades

Sure, you have everything you need, but are those 'things' good quality or sufficient for your preparation plan? Maybe you skimped a little on that generator you bought, choosing the one that would only power your refrigerator during power outages, but now it's time to save up a little and buy something bigger. Perhaps you bought the skimpiest little knife from WalMart for your bugout bag and it's time to get something a little more robust. Saving up and purchasing equipment upgrades, or signing up for classes to increase your knowledge and skill level, is another one of those "What now?" options on the 'never ends' list.

Run Drills

...and test those skills. Periodically do a mock bug-out, or cut the power and water to your house and function 100% on your preps for a bug-in weekend. These types of drills not only keep your skills sharp and allow you to identify holes in your plan, but they allow you to thoroughly test your gear in case you need to Upgrade as mentioned above. Just remember to replenish or replace those consumables you've used during your tests.

Expand Your Preps

Sometimes a disruption can last longer than those two weeks, or perhaps your family unit has grown beyond the nuclear four. Prepping for friends and forming a MAG (Mutual Assistance Group) could force the need to expand your stores of preparation supplies as well. In these cases grow your stock beyond those two weeks or four people.

Final thoughts

Many older, cranky preppers will tell you there's never a critical mass-point in your preps and you should always grow and improve. I can't argue with that, but such an attitude can lead down the path to prepper-obsession or even burn out where people stop prepping altogether. To avoid both it's critical to have a realistic preparedness plan and stick to it, then maintain, upgrade, test, and/or grow that plan as you see fit based on your finances and comfort level. 

Stay safe!