Preparation goals for 2024

[twinfin]

Seems kind of slow in the Survival & Prep forum lately so how about sharing your preparation goals for the coming year?

As the hardcore-left street mobs coalesce around support for their latest grievance (Israel), I wonder what new operations are being planned to continue the destabilization of our Country and what that means for those who prepare to weather such events.

The usual threats of power outages, wildfire, supply chain disruptions and inflation continue to feature in my thinking about the summer ahead. Having gotten out of the city long ago, many of the issues for urban dwellers are of little concern out here in the sticks but there is still plenty to prepared for.

This years focus will be on expanding our vegetable garden and food preservation skills. We've been in our present location for a couple of years now and are slowly learning what grows well here and what does not. We'll expand the garden this year with the plants that have produced well in the past as we work towards more self sufficient food production.

Brush clearing for fire safety will be another ongoing project. The goal for this year will be clearing 10 feet on each side of our long driveway as an improvement to ingress and egress under fire conditions.

Lastly, I'll have to inventory my shop supply of screws, nails, saw blades, repair parts and assorted consumable items to make sure supplies will last during any period that travel will not be practical or supply chains disrupted.

How about you? Any special preparedness goals that you'll be working on this summer or emerging threats that have attracted your attention?

[tommyboy619]

Started prepping 10 years ago. The last couple months I have been going through my preps and replacing mostly medical supplies and updating get home bags (after 10 years in the trunk.). Upgraded armor for the family and I will continue to add to food stock. I should probably rotate the water prep, but it's a lot of water to waste and expensive to refill. My plan is to filter the water, if needed.

[user120312]

Improving fitness and getting the eye on the glass fixed. Apparently the ophthalmologist found a cataract progressing on that one. Either that or learning to shoot left handed, which is my dominant side otherwise.

Otherwise things look pretty good. Always more to learn and I'm testing radios as we walk the canyon and dune roads. I'm gathering observed information and forming up dossiers on other properties, particularly the ones owned by corporations and LLC's in the Communist incubators and are largely empty.

Main shortage is diesel fuel. Need to add another drum or two. I'm doing it in drums since it's hard to hide a big tank like I had in CA. Energy footprint is small to live but to do any armory stuff I'd need the machines and the tractor diesel genhead takes at least a gallon an hour to run, minimum. Generators can chew through fuel fast. I'm near the end of the service and it's easy to cut power to the whole canyon with one strategically placed cut with a chain saw or shape charge.

Eyes are top priority though. Gotta see.

[Wil-c]

expanding the garden, primarily fruit-bearing trees. Working on methley plum tree cuttings for now, 3 trees are growing well and a batch of 9 more cuttings looks like 5-7 of them are going to survive.

Started on the apple trees, got 5 bare root macintosh, all 5 are doing well, got 5 honeycrisp, one of them didn't make it and one more is struggling but I think it'll regrow.
Spoke to a local nursery & they're going to see if they can get more bare-root trees as they're more affordable than trees in pots.

The feral apricot tree is doing really well this year, already growing really good. It staggered badly in the heat last year but it's recovered & growing well.

The same for the feral nectarine & peach trees, they're recovered from last summer's ordeal & growing well & the mother tree of the feral peach made fruit this year.

regrowing the extinct okra is going a lot better than I figured it would. Germination on the seeds is a lot more than I thought I might get.
This year I'm going to do okra pickles, also got the dill plants to do it.
That and regrow fresh seed as what I had was getting old and I figured germination rates were going to drop mightily.

This years goal is to get food-bearing plants & trees going as much as possible.

[twinfin]

This years goal is to get food-bearing plants & trees going as much as possible.

Good plan! Reduce your exposure to just-in-time food delivery to the local grocery and inflationary pressure on the food budget.

[Wil-c]

Good plan! Reduce your exposure to just-in-time food delivery to the local grocery and inflationary pressure on the food budget.

Yep. Growing your own & knowing how to do it is very good knowledge to have.
Part of this is also growing whatever kinds of produce, fruit and/or vegetables, that can be canned.
All of the fruit-bearing trees are things that can be canned.

It is a good complement to stocking up on storable food.

It also is a fun hobby & not that expensive compared to other things.

Another aspect to this is the neighborhood kids are genuinely fascinated by it. I have everything growing in the front yard, no sense working to grow grass when I can do the same amount of work & grow food. The neighborhood kids come by and they've never seen food plants before, they want to look at the plants & trees and are genuinely fascinated.

It is fun to watch them walk around the trees & plants and they see tomatoes growing & fruit they've seen in the store actually on a tree.

[bv141]

I will be spending a significant portion of my free time organizing the home, preps and removing unneeded items.
Sounds corny, but it you can't find it or it's buried, it simply will not do you any good.

I want to get a small solar generator set up (I have the 2 kW battery and panels already.)

It's all about organization this year.

[twinfin]

I will be spending a significant portion of my free time organizing the home, preps and removing unneeded items.
Sounds corny, but it you can't find it or it's buried, it simply will not do you any good.

I want to get a small solar generator set up (I have the 2 kW battery and panels already.)

It's all about organization this year.

Ah yes, the dreaded spring cleaning; I'm overdue.

[TheChief]

Organization is the key word this year. For me that means going through everything, prioritizing, positioning, and getting rid of stuff. That last one is the real challenge. I am not in CA any longer and cannot find any like minded groups where I am at so what to do with all the excess items that still have worth to someone else? I tried to sell some 'camping' knives in the community FB group, not a single bite.