Long time prepper, first time home owner.

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nighthawk05@reddit

Most importantly, learn how to maintain a house and have the supplies needed to do so. If there is some disaster scenario it's unlikely you will find a plumber to come out to fix your toilet, and if you can the rate might be high due to demand anyways.

You can learn a ton on YouTube, which I highly recommend. But you also should get some physical books as reference material in case you don't have internet access or power. Back in "the day" the big box hardware stores used to have a entire section of home improvement books, but now they seem to be discontinued. But you can still find them on eBay or used book stores. For example, Home Depot's "1-2-3" series: i.e. Plumbing 1-2-3 or Home Improvement 1-2-3.

Build a monthly/quarterly/yearly preventative maintenance checklist: Replace your air filter, use a shop vac to clean out your dryer vent, check gutters during a heavy rain, check all visible pipes (especially valves) in the basement for corrosion or leaks, drain your water heater, spray for pests inside and out, check under every sink cabinet to make sure there are no leaks, clean our your A/C unit once a year, check smoke detectors, etc

Build up a nice collection of power and hand tools (Home Depot has sales pretty much every holiday, so don't pay full price for a power tool unless you really need it).

Stock pile house consumables, such as air filters, and maintenance supplies: duct tape, fasteners (nails/screws), silicone, useful extra wood (2x4s, some plywood, etc), a few extra roof shingles, flex seal, extension cords, extra weather stripping, light bulbs, toilet fill valves, etc.

Not really a prepping tip, just a general homeowner tip: if you have a basement, get a dehumidifier that has a hose output and then run that hose to basement drain. You really don't want mold growth in the basement. And if you are store food down there then maintaining consistent humidity is important for that too.

I lived in the midwest for quiet a while and was not impressed with the reliability of the power grid so I do think a generator and transfer switch is important. I'd go with a dual fuel that can also run on propane especially if you also have a propane grill that you use.

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DiscoDiner@reddit

I’m completely unsure of what to do since I rent and will probably never own a home

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

How old are you 20s 30s 40s? What percentage of your income goes to bills/rent? What kind of payments do you have to make? (Car, credit, outstanding medical/legal) What’s your Geographical location?

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DiscoDiner@reddit

51 live in an apartment with my 23 yr old son, car is paid off but transmission is going out now, work 40+ hours a week, son less, but high rent, we live paycheck to paycheck , and have started storing food, the top 5, but we also have no network here

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Your son has a time advantage. See if you can get him working more. That way you both have more to work with financially.

Save so you can get him into some sort of trade program. Better if he can work at a company with little to no experience, and they pay for the education/apprenticeship.

Factory work even if for a year or two is good too. The work can suck but if I need a good job I would do whatever. Most factories offer good benefits/401k some even a pension if apart of the union. Big sign on bonuses as well as profit sharing and usually $25+ hourly wage.

I too am 23. I worked in the shop of a local construction company my last years of high school. The company specializes in excavations and road construction. After I graduated I stayed at the company to work full time. No secondary education, straight to the work force. The company soon put me through a heavy equipment operation apprenticeship. It was it was 12 weeks over a 3 year course. 2 weeks in class room 2 weeks doing work with equipment in a controlled environment and the rest is on the job training at the company you work for. It’s different for other trades like hvac, carpenter, welding, I would say heavy equipment is the easiest to get into if you find a company that invests in the employee.

At 19 so still in the apprenticeship I also got my cdl through the same company. It’s a bit harder and expensive now with the educational requirements. You can’t just pay and take tests like I did. I also moved into an apartment with my girlfriend. We lived there 2 years. Didn’t want to pay rent, moved in with friends. That didn’t work we moved back in with our own parents for a year. Durning that last year at my parents I was able to save a down payment. My now finance (same girlfriend from before) wasn’t able to save due to financial hardship with her parents.

Moral of the story is that you can both bring home good money and save for a few years. You could definitely put home ownership into a 5 year plan. Better to start now markets can/will crash.

I wish you the best of luck. I understand not everyone has the same opportunities. Some people are at a disadvantage due to health reasons or unexpected financial burdens. There is 1 million reasons why we are in the situations we’re in. I truly know nothing about your situation or if I have any real advice to give. That’s just my story.

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DiscoDiner@reddit

Thank you, my son is all about it, and we are trying to learn all we can in our spare time, we will do what we can to have to, definitely trying to get a little land and go from there

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Murky_Conclusion_637@reddit

One thing I like on my property is a burial tube. I don't want all my eggs in one basket. I'd also recommend spare plumbing supplies and the tools that go with them.

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DiscoDiner@reddit

I rent, always have but I’ve often thought about burying some stuff out in the forest, what do you think?

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Sold thought

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

I'm not in the middle of town but I also just bought a house for the first time a few months ago. One of my biggest regrets is not immediately getting things ready for a garden. We moved right in the middle of growing season and the house did have flower beds already so I used those to plant a few things. We had home improvements to do so I figured I would get around to making a garden sometime before next spring. I didn't realize how much growing I was missing out on though, healthy soil does make all the difference and that takes time. At our old place every year before winter but I'd add compost and such and then cover my garden so it was prepped and ready for spring. I've lived here 6 months and so many other things have come up that I haven't had a chance to even find a spot for a garden let alone get one prepared for next year.

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

I learned this the hard way when me and a friend tried to have a garden on their property and it didn’t work out so hot. Planing and prep is the most important part.

Our plan is to save as much as we can pay our bills and just make it through the winter while doing some preps for stuff like that next year.

I don’t have time or money to be worrying about a garden or other prepping adjacent hobbies right now. When winter comes and I possibly get laid off due to work in construction. Plus inevitably no power because of an ice storm at some point. Finances and winter preps take priority for me.

I totally understand what you’re saying, don’t dive headfirst in something just because you want to do it and then you inevitably waste money and time because you didn’t prepare or plan for what you were attempting to do.

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

We are usually good during the winter thankfully. My husband works in construction and I stay home with three kids so we aren't living lavishly by no means but this time of year is perfect for hunting so my husband usually keeps us pretty stocked on food. We use wood for heat and it's good for cooking if there's no power. We have been poor for so long that we've learned to make things happen even during the winter. To be honest I have never spent more than $100 getting a garden ready, most years I spend less than 50. We don't have nice raised cedar beds or anything fancy. Most of our stuff is recycled from other projects and also we make our own compost out of kitchen scraps and cardboard. Usually any money spent is the following spring on plants or seeds. But honestly you could even do without that he just have to find people that are willing to swap seeds and plants. I'm not saying that you should devote all your time and money into a garden, I'm just saying that if you wait until spring whatever money you end up spending will be wasted. And I'm sure there are more pressing issues to be dealt with first, I just know that the majority of our food that we eat comes from hunting or gardening and if we didn't do those two things then we would be spending hundreds of dollars a week I'm sure. For family five we can manage on less than $75 a week for groceries which in the long run saves a lot of money. I understand wanting to prep and do things the smart way but I do see a lot of people that tend to go out spending a lot of money on bigger projects or buying a lot of things they don't necessarily need and doing without the small and simple things which at the end of the day can help a lot. If money is tight I do suggest spending any free time trying to prep for as close to free as you possibly can. It is very possible and it doesn't have to be extremely time-consuming either

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Yeah, those are mainly my goals. I’m all for the reduce reuse recycle and I have the ability to burn wood for heat and I would like to hunt more seriously. Why spend the money on bills for heat and energy and food when I bought the tools and equipment to acquire my own years ago

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

The first few times my husband went hunting after we got married, a deer wouldn't last no time, I guess we just were so excited that we would cook it every night. I've gotten better about portioning it our meat out and we usually have enough to last a whole year. He tries to get a couple deer and a bear every year. We also buy meat chickens twice a year. Just fyi, if you do eventually get a set up for meat chickens rural King marks them down to a dollar each about this time of year. And meat chickens do not need a set up like laying hens. They don't roost and really don't need much considering you only keep them a couple months. Also for a first year garden that's dirt cheap and not time consuming at all, we converted all the existing flower beds from flowers to edible things (squash, tomatoes, peppers, blue berry bushes ECT.) that only consisted of us removing the flowers and planting new things. We also found an old piece of clear plastic, laid it on the ground all winter, by spring the grass is dead and gone. Add some compost and turn the dirt and plant. We also check tractor supply and Lowe's and other stores like that every 2 or 3 weeks for fruit trees and bushes. Last week I went to tractor supply and the manager told me if I bought all the citrus trees I could have them for 2 dollars each, they're normally 32.99. I got several lemon trees, lime trees and an olive tree. What we don't t keep I'll trade for other stuff. After July 4th I was able to get raspberry bushes, blueberry bushes, apple trees and a peach tree from tractor supply for less than 3 dollars each. Dollar general seeds (not the best grow rate but that's okay considering the price) get marked to 90 percent off every year so I paid 5 cents to 10 cents for each pack. We've managed to get to where for the most part the only things we have to buy from a grocery store are beef when it's on sale, dairy products and pantry staples like flour and sugar and coffee. I really hope you can get set up good. My best advice is to have a list of projects that need to be done, save for the most important project first but also look for crazy good deals and if you find things for 75% off or more that you can use or you need go ahead and buy them if your able

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Oh my lord. Glad this my post and I can come back whenever to review. You have a lot of insight. As well as practical tips!

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

I appreciate that, I'm only 28 and just winging it lol but we were so broke a few years ago that we had to count change to buy diapers and I don't want to ever be like that again if I can help it. I've had to learn to be more frugal and to do things for myself. It's been a learning process for sure. I try and find something new to learn every few months to help save money or whatever. My latest was raising quail and incubating eggs. They are surprisingly easy to take care of and the males are great for meat and the females great for eggs. Are end goal is to be able to live off-grid and not needing to use a grocery store, hopefully we'll get there one day

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

If there are things that you want to do that you just don't have the time or money to do right now just let me know and if I have any ideas to get it done cheap or free I don't mind sharing. I'm not nowhere near as knowledgeable as I'm sure a lot of other people on this thread are but I am very used to being broke and making things happen one way or another, which is fortunate and unfortunate at the same time😂

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

I am very resourceful and one thing that working in the construction industry is done for me. I don’t really buy building materials. I get extras off job sites that are “junk” I’ve purchased other lumber and sheets of wood but I have never once paid for a basic 2 x 4 or 4 x 4

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InternationalLet7306@reddit

We've been lucky enough to be able to do that to with my husband's jobs. A few weeks ago he was able to bring home half a pallet of really nice 12x24 stone bricks? I'm going to use them to build another small flower bed for fruit bushes. It really amazes me what you can get off a job site, my husband's boss has been working for the same company for 35 years and he literally built his whole house out of job site materials that was left over

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stream_inspector@reddit

Chainsaw if any wooded roads you could get stuck on during a storm or for fireplace/camp fire during power outage. Solar panels and batteries. Generator. Extra fridge or chest freezer. Costco Toilet paper and paper towel packs.

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Northernlightspirit@reddit

Good luck with your new home !

Just don`t overdo it, take your time and don`t spend all your emergency money instantly ;)

The Idea to have your windows boarded up when needed might sound good in the first thought. But i think a house with boarded windows might draw some unwanted attention - it alwasy looks like "there is no one home"

Better invest in very good windows with a solid frame and good doors. Prefer "unbreakable" glass like a glas / lexan combination. That way you have no headache when a storm / tornado lurks around, or a hail strom with golf ball size ice balls surprises you. That way you have your home somewhat " hardened" and every thug , looter or squatter around can see light and movement - making him think twice to try someting.

I have been living in the US for quite a while, and when it comes to doors and windows - it was a nightmare ! The standart in all appartemets i had rented were terrible, all landlords were going "cheapo" when it comes to security. One hard kick was enuogh for the entrance door i had to break due to a broken lock !

I recently bought a cheap house home in Germany wich needs some renovation, the main door and windows included. I bought windows and a front door in " RC 3 " ( resistance class three ) . It was less expensive than i expected - just 1/3 more than the stuff with no security at all ! ( 399,00 USD per Window in RC3 , 199 for the cheapo )

I don`t know if windows like theese are available in the US, but they are worth every cent, making me sleep much better ;)

See the Vid, it`s in German - but you`ll get the gist of it instantly !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmpufrDqc_0

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the_vandersons@reddit

Yes a backup generator was my first thought, but setting up a garden could pay off also

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Bored_Acolyte_44@reddit

Make sure your insurance covers flooding. Flooding isn't just floods, it's all kinds of water damage that will happen by an abundance of water.

Things are going to happen with your house that you will never have expected to happen, get ready for that now and get as much money filed away for it as possible.

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Wiinorr@reddit

Congrats on your home.

Do you have good homeowners insurance for your home? Everything else you have is great, but you are more likely to have an "Act of God" happen and do serious damage to your house rather than a tactical nuke or financial collapse atm.(might not be the case where you live or in your area, but it is something to consider if you haven't already done so).

Aside from that, a good tool kit goes far, in addition to solar batteries like the Jackery series or similar.

Lastly, if you have the funds for it, Starlink or similar internet will go miles for you as well.

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Still-Persimmon-2652@reddit

We cook on our gas grill on our back porch at least once to twice a week, and could even do so if we lost power or heat water on the small side burner to make coffee or tea. I also have an extra LP gas tank that I keep filled at all times, Walmart and Home Depot have them on sale starting in the fall months too.

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throwAwayWd73@reddit

The number one piece of advice I tell first-time homeowners... Get a toilet plunger before you need one.

Second, Make sure you have working smoke alarms.

Then there's a standard stuff I see other people mentioning about knowing how to shut off the water and gas.

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magichelmt@reddit

Also another great tool is a toilet auger that extends to 6’. I have two young daughters that on more than one occasion have jammed up a toilet. Plunger did nothing. The auger can push past almost any blockage. WAY CHEAPER than a plumber.

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Basic but very true

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sgtPresto@reddit

I moved toba rural area to have more confidence in its isolation and defensibility. I suggest water storage AND water Replenishment. You will die of thirst long before dying of hunger. Many people store gallons of water but fail to plan for its Replenishment. Is there a stream or water source nearby that you can take one of those pop-up wagons with some Lowes 5 gallon buckets to bring back water. Use a 2 liter soda bottle and cut off bottom. Layer it with cotton or gauze material near spout (to catch carbon), then activated carbon (it removes toxins), then sand (catches small particles) and then a layer of pebbles (catch heavier debris). Four layers to clean water. Stock up on activated carbon in advance as all other items easy to find. Also...your rural setting can provide food Replenishment long after the MREs and dehydrated foods are consumed. Learn gardening and dedicate 200 square foot of growing space per person. You need about 2000 to 2200 calories per day to survive comfortably so learn how to grow during grow seasons.

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Dont-Sleep@reddit

This is like flame on a fire here. Every guy wants to build pepper storage/ pepper supplies. Every man wants to be self sufficient. GL

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Feeling-Buffalo2914@reddit

Spare thermocouple for the heater. Chest freezer, the 4 deer model. Snow shovels, roof rake and snowblower. Full size shovel, rakes (leaf and solid), wheelbarrow. Other garden tools as needed. Muck boots, 5 gal buckets (never enough).

Inside shoes/outside shoes. Coveralls for that quick repair, stop ruining your good clothes.

Silicone caulk, interior and exterior. Black roof tar, and “Through the Roof” sealant. Couple rolls of heavy duty painters drop clothes. Enough to cover a roof. Deck screws, 1.5”, 3” and 4”. Heavy duty extension cords. Putty knives, patches and spackle. Hand and power tools.

Deep pantry time:

Now look at what you use everyday. Make a list of everything that you touch/use all day. From the toothbrush and toothpaste, to the coffee and breakfast, to brushing your teeth and going to bed in the evening.

Do this for a weekday or two, and at least one weekend.

Now list and look at every item, is this something that is a consumable? Coffee and filters are, the mug isn’t.

How many tubes of toothpaste do you use a month? Toothbrushes? How much coffee? Etc.

Make a realistic list and plan to get a years worth of “consumables”, maybe two eventually. Limit yourself to two years for deep stock.

Toothbrushes and toothpaste are cheap and easy, just grab a couple every time you go to the store until you have that years worth, then allocate that money to something else. Same goes for bar soap and body wash, shampoo, etc.

Then you follow the “copy canning” principle and buy a new one to replace the one that you take out of your stocks as you need them.

Food storage, only store what you will eat and use. Because you want to make a meal every week or two out of your stockpile. To keep the rotation going. You want to know that you can’t stand beans and weenies or spaghettios for more than one meal before you put back three cases.

What can you put back to limit your needs, your trips to the grocery later? If you only need some fresh vegetables and dairy for example, you have more options for making your house payments and other bills. Because the bank will not just go away.

Focus more on the short term emergencies, flooding, tornadoes, unemployment as these are the most likely and common. Especially unemployment.

Why only two years? Simple, many items are beginning to have issues, be it storage problems (chocolate getting oxidation), certain medications becoming dangerous, etc., but the real reason is that if the problem hasn’t been resolved within two years, it’s time to find greener pastures. The emergency is no longer an emergency, it’s endemic. Time to get out.

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Wow simple yet insightful, thank you!

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Prestigious-Fig-5513@reddit

If you have no trees on your property and you have enough of it you might plant some for fruit and fuel in the future.

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OwnedByBernese@reddit

Do you think a month of food is enough?

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Absolutely not, but it’s what I have after moving 4 times in the last 3 years. Now that I have a permanent place and I can start taking certain branches of prepping more seriously.

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OwnedByBernese@reddit

I'm in an area where water is plentiful, but the municipal water tastes and smells like clorox, so we (me, husband and our pup) still drink pretty much exclusively from an artesian spring that we have access to (for now). We normally keep about 30-40 gallons on hand (in 3 gallon containers, refill as needed).

I recently ordered some containers from WaterBrick to fill up for long-term water storage (in case we can't get to the artesian spring). Those things stack like Legos! And I will probably get thumped by the mods for sharing it, but I also love their mission: waterbrick dot org.

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P__Riches@reddit

https://youtube.com/shorts/VKz2iEQRn4g?si=pZ6pTcwbvRWwXo4p

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OFFblack33@reddit

Congrats on a great start!

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Academic_1989@reddit

Some of this has been mentioned before, but I would focus first on a few things first, namely security and safety. Cameras at entry points (with flood lights and human detection with optional alarm), carbon monoxide and smoke detectors (maybe also natural gas and water leak detection), power and water cutoff - securing any exterior power cutoff breakers with a padlock or small fenced area, bullet resistant window film on any windows that face a main road or highway, clear indoor evacuation routes for fire (we actually keep a sledgehammer near the bedroom in the event that we need to break out due to blocked doors/windows, and maybe installation of a fireproof hidden safe. Someone said water and power cutoffs and yes concur with that and also working gas cutoff valves. A large loud dog to alert you of intruders.

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ReidCWagner@reddit

Plumbing stuff, off grid water system. Off grid power generation.

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IlliniWarrior1@reddit

for future prepping demands make sure to multiple and spread the various utility outlets as you make changes & update the home >>>> example - a ring around the outside of GFI electrical outlets - at least one outside hose bib on each side of the home - natural gas outlets for both a BBQ and a generator - run utilities to the garage ....

plumbing inside >>>> have hose bibs cut into water lines for attaching hoses inside the home - most homes have one on the water heater - for the clothes washer - sometimes a utility sink faucet is threaded (not so much today) >>> instrumental for fire fighting and convenient filling of large containers in rooms around the home ....

landscaping >>> installing both hard & soft landscaping to deny/limit property entry is always a critical part of a defense plan - a hedge or fence is an inhibitor in normal times - add barb wire for a SHTF and it becomes a firm denier .....

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

Get a generator and/or some power stations and a solar panel or two. Even an ordinary outage due to a blown transformer can leave you needing a power source. I was in that situation just last week and was very glad that one of my little Ecoflows was fully charged.

Get a camping grade water purifier. If you're under a boil water notice you can just use your water purifier.

Consider a camp toilet for if you lose water altogether. It doesn't even take a disaster for that to happen. The line from my house to the sewer line broke and for two days I couldn't flush the toilet without contaminating the work site. Camp toilets are as cheap or as fancy as you want to get them.

Ditch the candles and get glow sticks. That way a careless motion or the actions of a pet won't set your house on fire. Glow sticks also have a handy little hook so you can hang them up and distribute the light better. Get the white or yellow ones for the most light.

Get some thermal patches, such as Thermacare, and some mylar emergency blankets in case you lose power in winter. For summer, battery powered fans and chemical cold packs are nice.

How do you cook food? Electricity? Get a little butane stove. They don't cost much and are great insurance against not having a way to cook during an extended outage. Mine came in a nice little case, like a briefcase, making it easy to store.

What's your plan for morale during an extended outage? I have a dedicated DVD player with screen and some DVDs. Older tech sometimes works best in certain circumstances. Maybe you prefer cards or board games. It doesn't matter, just think of what you'll do if you can't leave your home and have limited means for entertainment. Morale is probably the most overlooked part of prep, but it's what gets you through tough situations.

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Heat. Install a wood stove asap, probably will need more than 1.

We are in deep south and have 3 in our house- Vermont Bunbaker near the kitchen, Waterford Erin in living room and Waterford Leprechaun in bedroom.

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PineapplePiazzas@reddit

If you wanna prep, consider what you are prepping against.

Is it war, food shortage, water shortage, pandemic, a longer blackout or maybe some combination.

Living in an apartment tells me you are in a populated area and in most cases having a car, a bug out bag and a hideout far away from a populated area is your best bet if pure survival is your goal, though helping your community and finding ways to do that effectively in a crisis would be a more noble option if you think alturistic about it.

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Lucho-Libre@reddit

A fire safe where you can keep a spare ID/Passport some cash and an emergency credit card, in case you need to bugout on short notice in an emergency.

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itchybiscut9273@reddit

Home security. Deadbolts, cameras, gates, lights. One interesting thing I learned years ago is a light on outside not only helps you see, it prevents people being able to see in a window at night.
Also consider plants like thorn bushes around windows. Remove bushes that block sightlines to the driveway and road from your windows.
Plastic window film for ground level windows.

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itsadiseaster@reddit

Test

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BaldyCarrotTop@reddit

Water: You now have space for a big water barrel or tank.

A garden for your own food. Start small and expand as your knowledge expands.

Solar plus battery. DIY it, Don't buy or lease it,

Alternate source of heat.

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arglebargle82@reddit

I don't know that anyone has mentioned it, capacitors for your AC unit. They go out more often than you'd think, and are easily replaceable for a cheap fee.

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Eredani@reddit

Food and water are the obvious and easy answers... but it depends on what you are prepping for.

A very high priority for me is sustainable power... but you need a lot of solar panels and batteries.

One thing that gets missed is the sewage backflow valve.

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Upset_Assumption9610@reddit

Why did you choose the center of town to buy? (If I reading things correctly that is)

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Location wasn’t a super big concern for me at this time in my life. I have also always lived in or around this town. Somewhere more secluded would have been ideal but I took the opportunity to get this place. Cause trying to get anything can be a nightmare for new home buyers at 22years old

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Gojo-Babe@reddit

I hear that. If I could choose, I’d pick living in someplace small like a tiny home. But tiny homes don’t build equity 🤷‍♀️

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Upset_Assumption9610@reddit

Awesome and impressive. Getting into a place and the benefits ownership provide is definitely the key factor at your age. Congrats!

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archos1gnis@reddit

Not all of us make every single decision based on prepping for the worst-case scenario?

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Upset_Assumption9610@reddit

Of course not. I am curious of the thought process though, if it was preparation related or not. I've run through different scenarios in my head where being at the center of a small town could be better than being on the outskirts.

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magichelmt@reddit

First congratulations on the big step of home ownership. As said above, general home maintenance knowledge is a huge asset. I built a shed for lawn equipment and storage of fuels. I do not keep gasoline, propane, and charcoal in my house. Fumes or gas can accumulate and are too dangerous for my tastes. I keep those flammable items away from where my family is sleeping. My OCD, I know, but I store a lot of propane and usually rotate 25 gallons of fuel throughout the year. My generator runs on gas or propane and the gas can fill our vehicles if needed. If a shed isn’t feasible maybe an outdoor deck box. One of my other concerns is water storage. I bought four 55 gallon barrels that are good grade. I cleaned and set them along a wall in my garage. I then built a workbench that was mounted on hinges to the wall and rests on the water barrels. Try to be organized with your preps. Nothing worse than knowing you have something and not knowing where it is. Don’t rush to spend money, but research and learn. Good luck.

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Pando5280@reddit

Think of project as a long-term investment in your safety and comfort. Also dotn customize it too much or you lose potential resale value. Seen some places where you need to be half engineer and half mad scientist to make sens of what was done (ie a home refining systen to turn French fry oil into biodiesel which is awesome but man what a hassle to take over when it was built from scratch). Personally the best investments I've seen are in insulation (ie lower energy costs and higher comfort levels) and in redundant systems, ie solar or Generac forbpower outages. One thing I and I'm sure others learned the hard way is to take it slow and buy quality, ie define your priorities and only purchase from reputable vendors. Seen some folks go cheapnand they end up with more hassle and replacement or repair costs than they woukd have spent buying and installing quality components. Lastly is dont advertise too much and make sure to know your neighbors. Lived in an isolated rural area and grew up in small towns and as most folks know there are people with long histories and relationships so as the new guy its best to keep things low key and not make waves and its always better to have allies than enemies. Plus if things go south it's your neighbors that are going to be there with you but you also dont want to be the guy that people know has more than them in times of shortages. End game is small towns are like old quilts, they are a patchwork of individual lives with patterns and variety and long time threads that hold them together. Figure out where and how you fit in and be a part of the community without trying to alter it too much.

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thegrimelf@reddit

First off, congrats!

The first prep I made specific to my home was purchasing a generator and transfer switch.

Start learning the basics of home maintenance and home improvement skills. Invest in tools necessary to cover those bases.

Take care of any general home improvements you might need related to energy efficient/insulation and general safety. If none of that is necessary, look into home surveillance systems and door security.

Also, prepare for what you would do if you lost your home. Nothing is permanent and in a disaster that takes your home you will need contingencies for who/where you will stay.

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tokenpenguin@reddit (OP)

Great advice. One of my biggest thoughts is knowing Im financially responsible for this place while’s also knowing it can be gone pretty easily

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thegrimelf@reddit

Yeah, and while homeowner’s insurance is necessary, it won’t cover the cost of everything. Acquiring tools and home improvement knowledge now will pay huge dividends over your lifetime. Make your monthly payments and start building an emergency fund with as high a fixed interest rate as you can get that is insulated from the stock market.

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archos1gnis@reddit

Have repair supplies on hand. What would you do if you had a water leak? Roof leak? Electrical issue? Sewer issue? Basically, if something in your house broke, what's your backup/work around? And on the same note, get good at preventive maintenance, so you can stop emergencies from even happening.

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Adamantium_X@reddit

Tools and supplies/spare parts for basic home systems. Plumbing, electrical, hvac etc.

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Backsight-Foreskin@reddit

Check out your county and your municipalities emergency management plan. Know how to cut off the water, electric, and gas to your home.