I have noticed several mistakes that seem to keep recurring in the prepper community. So I decided to post on these problems; and offer an explanation of why they are a mistake, IMHO!
First a little background on prepping. EVERY prepping plan will be different, and I've seen a lot of infighting on minor disagreement on what's 'important'! My prepping plans include a lot of machinery that would be useless to many people. I have even collected vacuum tubes that are more EMP resistant, to keep my gear running, which would be a waste to most preppers. My heavy machinery would also be useless to a lot of preppers!
So WE, as a community, need to seek common ground; and provide support and discussion on the topic. Instead of fighting among ourselves, we should be Prepping; so let's focus on that!
The problems discussed here will be what should be common needs for all preppers, not minor variations in planning.
The first mistake (IMHO), is not including a dog;
I've had preppers tell me that dogs are just an extra load, and totally unneeded! This is why this is mistake...there is no companion you can have during a SHTF situation, that will be more help. They are 100% loyal, have very good sensory equipment, and will work for table scraps! The main complaint is the 'extra' rations required to feed the dog; but they will eat things not good for people to eat, and feed themselves if needed.
This dog knows Every time people are on my property, day or night! I can think of No better security, and his batteries never go down....
There is one more good reason to have a dog along, they are nice company when the World is falling apart! It is also calming to pet this rotten mutt...I have no idea who Spoiled him, LOL!
The other BIG mistake is to prep too small! Many have told me it's most important to grab your pack and disappear. This lone Wolf mentality will kill more than it saves, because with it there are not enough hands to set up a self sustaining survival Oasis!
To survive long term in a SHTF situation, it will take an isolated community; not half a dozen people in hiding, and praying no one notices them! The discussions I've had put the minimum number of 'Citizens' of a survival community at about 20. Some think that 50 is a better number, but that many will require large farms and heavy machinery; that will attract way too much attention. There has to be enough hands to grow the food, repair the community, and guard the perimeter. A maximum of about half of these 'Citizens' can be hard working (limit the dead wood as much as possible) unskilled people, but the rest must have skills to contribute! To have just a few skilled people runs two risks: one, if a skilled person dies, the community may not survive; and two, it concentrates too much power in one place.
The last thing we should do as preppers, is to set up a small group to control Everything. To do so we would be creating the very problems we are trying to to escape from, with our prepping work! So we should avoid this problems ahead of time, by broadening our community skill levels! The other side of this coin, is to have a meeting on each thing that must be done...meetings do not produce food; or much of anything else, from my experience!
The final problem I'd like to post on is financial. If you owe a lot of cash on your homestead, it's not yours; and you will loose it in a SHTF situation! You're better off in a travel trailer you OWN, than you are in a large log cabin with a big mortgage. Some don't agree with me here, but you will loose everything you have that you owe money on; when things crash! So to prep, the best first step is to pay off everything you owe cash on, as fast as possible. Locally, one young Man bought a piece of land, and put a travel trailer on it for under $4000. I bought a travel trailer (primarily for lockable storage) for $1000 myself, so I know they are out there.
I decided decades ago to prepare, and that decision included Never borrowing to do it! It also included paying off everything that was currently owed ASAP. I have found this to be a good choice, and I recommend it to you! Selling some stuff, to pay off other stuff, is one way to save the things that are 'prepping important'...get creative.
Obviously, stocking in the items you will need to survive is not a mistake; as long as you include enough to feed your community, until you can grow your own.