How to create a prepper binder:

I was having a discussion this morning, with some girlfriends over coffee, about how to prep for a natural disaster such as a hurricane, flood, blizzard, or tornado. We got to talking about vital information that we might need in a situation like this. I started thinking of all the vital documents that I would feel compelled to take with me. Driver’s license, social security cards, that would be necessary if we weren’t able to go home again. It was overwhelming. So I came up with the idea of doing a “prepper binder”.

I want you to do a quick mental inventory of all the different places all the vital documents are in your home. If you’re like me they’re in at least 2 places, but more realistically 5 places! If you had minutes to grab what you could and get out of the house you need to be able to grab all your vital documents quickly in one fail swoop!

This is where the “prepper binder” comes in. This is a non-descript 3” ring binder with COPIES of all of our important documents. All our originals, save for our driver’s licenses and social security cards, are in our strong box. It took some time, but I’ve narrowed everything down to two different places in my home. In the case of an emergency, however, I have the ability to have everything in one place.

Now, there are so many ways to organize a binder like this, but if you have the document in a sheet protector that’s good enough to start. You can always go back and organize it later.

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

This section has copies of all your personal information such as:

• Birth Certificates
• Social security cards
• Driver’s licenses
• Shot records
• Passports (if applicable)
• Any other identification paperwork

Shot records might not seem important, but if the catastrophic natural disaster is bio-hazardous, it could come in handy.

IMPORTANT FAMILY INFORMATION:

This section has copies of all your home and family information:

• Home owner’s insurance
• Vehicle insurance
• Home & vehicle titles
• Health insurance documentation
• Marriage certificates
• Adoption paperwork
• Last wills and testaments
• Any other pertinent legal information

I strongly recommend copying anything and everything you may need in this section. It’s always better to have too much information than not enough

FAMILY SURVIVAL INFORMATION:

In the middle section of the binder are recipes, survival, diy, and sustainment. My generation has lost the art of truly being self-sustaining. Don’t overestimate your ability to do DIY from Pinterest if you still need to go to hobby lobby to even get started. I’m talking about gardening, canning, vacuum sealing, harvesting rainwater, making bread FROM SCRATCH, treating water to make it drinkable, how to make baby food with what you have on hand.

I have used Pinterest (it’s God’s gift to preppers and survivalists), and many other websites, magazines, and resources to help me find the information I want, then I PRINT IT OFF so I have a hard copy of the resource. I have step-by-step instructions on almost everything! From hot-wiring a car, starting a fire, dealing with human waste, working a HAM and CB radio, Morse code, medical tips, homemade bug spray, and sunscreen! I also have sections on mental health, essential oils and their uses, non-food recipes like baby wipes, all-purpose cleaners, homemade Pedialyte. Point being, Pinterest is going to be your best friend, but you need hard copies!

You need to sit down and take a hard look at your environment and position in your country. What affects me in the Rockies may not be an issue for those in the mid-west. You need to think of any issue that you may have and find a how-to guide and print it off, insert it into a sheet protector, and add it to your binder. Also, don’t forget the electrical items such as rigging batteries to charge your mobile devices and cook your food.

I would highly recommend sifting through Pinterest, survival magazines like Recoil and Recoil: Off Grid, websites, and finding articles and how-tos for the absolute worst case scenario. If you plan for the worst, the mediocre will already be covered. Again, having too much information is much better than not having enough. As you play on-line or on Pinterest you can add to your binder as information presents itself.

Let me know how your binder is coming along in the comments below!

Cheers!

Nila