Our emergency response systems are also fairly sophisticated. Even massive disaster zones get at least their basic resources back within a few months. Limiting yourself to a few months with the assumption that you simply won't need more than that makes sense.

With the increasing volatility of the world, however, it's worth exploring your options for long-term prepping and future homesteading. If you're used to thinking short term, however, it's easy to get overwhelmed by everything you think you'll have to do. Here are some tips for where to focus your efforts.

Powering Up

Prevailing wisdom says that the best source of power when you're forced (or choose) to live off-grid is solar energy. They are definitely better and more sustainable than fuel powered generators (fuel eventually runs out, sunlight is always available). Of course, there will be times when your solar generators run out of juice so it's good to have a backup system.