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There are so many choices when it comes to SHTF regarding bugging out or staying in place. It’s hard to know what to do, and it will be harder when SHTF actually happens, because you, and everyone else, will be in crisis mode.

What? You thought you’d be perfectly calm and collected? Probably not. See, it’s one thing to talk about it and to prep for it, but it’s something entirely different when it happens—because it hasn’t yet happened, and few people have that experience; even fewer have the experience of complete collapse.

However, if you prep, you’ll be better off than most. Think about it.

So now it comes down to do you stay or do you go?

If you’re staying, you’re pretty well set, right? Food, water, ammo, defensive measures, heat sources, etc. Unless, of course, it’s impossible to stay because of fires, looting, rioting, and so forth. Only YOU can make the distinction, the decision.

But if you go, you’ll probably have to decide that pretty quickly. People will be in panic mode, some hunkering down at home and waiting to get supplies, some heading out and creating more traffic and confusion and congestion than rush hour.

Our plan is to wait and see—to a point. As you know, things around here may be getting crazy in the next few weeks. Crazier. If things start spreading south and west, we’ll be watching. If it’s more of the usual, and pretty well contained, we’ll be okay; if panic starts, we’re outta here.

Of course, the big question, if you decide to leave, is where are you going? You need a plan, and a route, and a means of transportation. And, of course, a destination.

I don’t recommend crashing at a friend’s house, or even that of a relative. We’ve talked about this. You likely won’t be let in, unless you can bring something to the table—food, ammo, skills—and maybe not even then.

Some folks are lucky enough to have a place to go, one of their very own, that has been ready and waiting. Awesome—go there.

The important thing is to get out of the city and out of suburbia. Why? Because more people equals more chaos. More mayhem. More danger. And fewer supplies. And that decision to go or stay needs to be made quickly, before these things escalate.

So where do you go?

The less population, the better. Avoid homes and anywhere near buildings and what is clearly private property—you don’t want to get shot. Study maps. Learn the lay of the land within a reasonable driving distance, or further out if necessary. Look at satellite images to determine where people live, bodies of water, and so forth.

Don’t forget public land—private is dicier, but remember that some of these people may not be able to actually get to their property or perhaps even live in another state. It’s good to check out as much information as you can find.

Parks, particularly county, can be a good spot for a temporary relocation. Sure, others may think of it, but not as many as you might imagine. One thing that will hold up their decision is the “permission” factor. We’re all conditioned to make camping reservations, go in or out at certain times of the year or times of day. Forget all that. When SHTF, no one’s going to care. Or even be around to enforce it.

Look, make your call—stay or go—and then have a planned route and a planned location. Even two or three locations, just in case. And definitely several routes, the less traveled under normal conditions, the better. Again, study those maps.

Along with everything else, I’m trying to 1) actually accomplish and 2) catch up on, getting ready for winter—like the squirrels—is high on my list.

Speaking of, yes, I do have a list of stocked supplies. It does need to be updated periodically though, because of course I rotate, but with a twist:

If I need to use something, I do, but I’m often in the middle of cooking and don’t have a chance to remove that item from the list right away. And then I forget. [hangs head in shame]

For me, it’s much easier to, oh, once a month, check the list and compare it to my supplies. It really doesn’t matter HOW you do this, just that you DO it.

I have three areas of storage: the garage for things that rodents can’t break into, the upper shelves in my kitchen, and the bookcases in the kitchen. Yes, bookcases. When you close up a bookstore and have um, a few extra bookcases, you use them. I have two, four feet tall, beautiful dark wood—cookbooks, canning jars, and of course, the bar . . .

Now, I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s important: stock whatever food you will eat. No point is hoarding cans of sardines if you can’t stand them, right? I actually have a small box of things, in the garage, that I’ve somehow accumulated—and will only eat if I’m starving—marked “Icky Food.”

Besides the list updating, I also have to reorganize a bit; things are starting to spread out. And of course, I’ll be bringing out the dehydrator today and pulling in the last of the garden stuff. Well, probably the last—my tomatoes just keep going and going and going . . .

So where should YOU start?

First, I watch the dollar sales at my two local grocery stores. I shop twice a week, usually two different stores. Quite often, sometimes in the same week, each of them have products that are “10 for $10” and it’s mix and match.

Next, consider all meals and the number of people for whom you’ll be providing: breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us, some snacks, some desserts, for three-plus people. Why the plus? Because, even though many in our extended family prep a little bit, they aren’t really prepared, ya know? And I’m not sure I’d be able to turn away kids and grandkids if that time ever came.

SHTF meals should achieve several things: nutrition, taste, variety, and satiation.

Now, we all know that meat is uber-expensive these days, but pasta and beans are an acceptable substitute. Ten packages of pasta don’t take up much room, and they last forever; dried beans, same thing. If you don’t know how to cook from scratch, you’d better learn. Ten for ten cans of soup and ravioli and whatnot are convenient and take up less space, but you have to consider product weight, variety, and health benefits.

I’m not advocating foods touted as “all natural” or “gluten free” or whatever buzzword is popular this month, but consider preservatives and weird chemical ingredients too. When SHTF, it’ll take a lot of energy to stay healthy—assuming you already are. The closer to natural, the better—and that doesn’t mean paying big bucks for things marked “organic,” either.

Herbs and spices are expensive, yes? You can plant a few pots of herbs, and grow them year round. You don’t even need a dehydrator; just dry them on the counter on a paper towel, crumble, and put in a saved and washed spice jar. Little things will go a long way on making that pasta with beans more palatable as time goes on.

Finally, take a moment and think about the meals you ate when you were a child. Maybe your mom cooked breakfast, maybe you grabbed something quick; lunch was probably at school, or maybe you packed a sandwich. For dinner, you probably had meat, potatoes, a vegetable, and a salad. And sometimes a dessert. Any snacks were probably a quick bite after school, or maybe popcorn during a weekend movie.

And, of course, most of us played outside and ran ourselves ragged all over the neighborhood, right? Which, kind of, is what you’ll be doing when SHTF.

But mostly, think about the portions you were served. It was enough, yes? Did you ever leave the table, moaning and groaning and feeling TOO full (Thanksgiving doesn’t count!)? Probably not. Do you do that now? Probably yes.

Satiation is just that—feeling full, but not overfull. You don’t have to cook elaborate dinners, but everyone must have “enough.” Try it now, before SHTF, by cutting back on food prep. Remember the old recommendations? A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. Practice that. And leftovers? A lot of people use up leftovers in other dishes, or have them for lunch. But in a world where power and fuel are at a premium or being on the move is important, those leftovers will be likely be wasted. Practice cooking just “enough.”

Look, everyone has to start somewhere. When you grocery shop, pick up a few sale items or a couple things you might need. Make a list of what you’d like to have stocked, at some point, so you don’t just grab items marked “sale.”

My own policy is to avoid purchasing things I can make myself—same thing when I go to a restaurant; I order something I’m not going to make at home, or can’t easily make at home. And I stick with the “the more natural, the better” rule. I don’t buy granola bars, I make granola; I don’t buy dried fruit, I buy fresh and dry it myself. Same with herbs, onions, mushrooms, etc. Try it—it’s not hard, and you’ll be a lot better off when SHTF.