I not only have worked towards balanced prepping, but have had the chance to live out of my BoB, survive off of a rationed intake, & make do will little to nothing except what I had already bought for prepping. Everyone should try and make it a point to live off of their preps for at least 72 hours a year. You should try and eat your most basic of foods (ie., rice & red beans, peanut butter and crackers) with only the seasonings you would have planned for after a year of survival living. It is not easy. I have lost weight (awesome, but need another 100 pounds gone) & learned to respect the amount of taste that we get on a daily basis. By me living like this for 5 of the last 7 weeks I now have a better paying job that I can really work on preparing for the inevitable with (not to mention pay ALL of my bills!).

Never lose sight of what prepping is. It is not a "cool" thing to do, it is not an inspector gadget episode, it is a means to take care of yourself and your family in a time of emergency. Whether the SHTF or your town gets hit by 2 tornadoes being prepared is a must in today's society of uncertainty.