Starting anything new is always rough, but for preppers, this difficulty hits on multiple levels. Above all, you will be battling ignorance, both your own and that of others.

Take a look at tips below to learn what you need to prepare for when making this transition into a prepping lifestyle.

Not knowing where to start
I turned to the wonderful world of the internet where many believe if it is on the internet then it must be true. I spent endless hours studying and sifting through the knowledge available in order to find a foundation to build on top of.
Eventually after much studying of how to get started I was able to put together a plan. This wasn’t a concrete plan but is something that is ever evolving. Either way it is important to have a plan instead of mindlessly wandering buying gear here and there.
Disapproval from friends and family
In our society people call someone who is a prepper crazy because they believe in being prepared for disasters instead of depending on a government to save them. People have become so mindless that they believe something similar to a small pox outbreak could never happen in our time. Then when they meet someone who does it shocks them.
Our goal shouldn’t be to control family members into believing what we believe. Instead we should try to speak their language. For example, they may not believe in the potential of martial law being instituted but they could be concerned about an earthquake in your area. Try finding their fears and speak their language to encourage them about the importance of being prepared.
Finding storage for your preps
As an apartment prepper it is extremely challenging to find space to store emergency supplies. You don’t have a garage or able to expand your property to fit everything. Storing food alone is challenging. Then you have to find where to store gear.
This challenge is not only for the apartment prepper. Even if you have a house you could be very limited to space due to having a family with kids. So we have to find creative ways to build storage.
On Pinterest there are tons of articles on prepper storage that you can find to help you to either build your own storage or find small living hacks. Another good option is look into renting off site storage. Now I would recommend having the essentials in your house along with at least a 30 day supply of food. The remainder can be stored in these off-site locations. This is also good if you are raided and your supplies are stolen. Off-site storage will give you a backup solution.
Too much focus on gear and not survival
The focus should not be on the gear when you first get started. The focus should be on surviving. You can survive without a lot of the gear that is available. Prepper gear just helps make it easier. However, if your gear breaks or fails then you better be able to survive without it.
When it comes to survival you want to follow the rule of 3’s. This rule states that you can survive only 3 seconds without hope, 3 minutes without air or blood, 3 hours in extreme weather conditions, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. So you should learn the survival basics of each. For example you can learn how to filter and purify water so that it is drinkable. You could also practice building a fire to survive extreme weather conditions and so on.
Lack of money to purchase gear
A lot of us are feeling the effects of an economy that is suffering. Even if the economy is doing well there will still be a lot of us that will still be suffering. This makes it almost impossible to buy high quality gear because it can get pretty pricey.
There are a lot of great places to check out. Some include yard sales, Goodwill, army surplus, etc. Sometimes we may have to start with cheaper gear just to have something there quickly available until you can afford the better quality item.
Becoming fearful and overwhelmed
There is that fear that will be present when it comes to being a prepper. This is especially true if you get caught up in a lot of internet shows and conspiracy theorists who live off of the fears of others. Be very weary of people who constantly keeping you in fear in order to get you to purchase their products. Stuff like that can drive you insane and into poverty.
Eventually you will have to realize that even if you are at least somewhat prepared you are still more prepared than millions of others in this world. For example 53% of Americans do not have 3 days of emergency supplies.

An often-cited sore point for many people is how long it took FEMA to get supplies to Katrina victims. You can be upset at FEMA for their incompetence, or you can be upset at the people for not evacuating when they were told, or you can be mad at them for not being prepared with supplies in the first place.

In any event, the only ones who didn't suffer from the injustice of a poorly-established governmental program were the ones who were “radical preppers” and had supplies stocked up in advance. No matter what the difficulties preppers face, it's far, far better than the alternative…

If you liked this information, check out more insight on how it is to be a new prepper on Smart Prepper Gear.