Book Review: Countdown to Preparedness by Jim Cobb
Countdown to Preparedness: The Prepper’s 52-Week Course to Total Disaster Readiness written by Jim Cobb is a comprehensive guide to setting up and organizing your preps, gaining skills, and becoming knowledgable over the course of a year. Jim is a preparedness expert having written five books on the subject of preparedness, writes for Survival Weekly, and is the owner and lead trainer for Disaster Prep Consultants.
What I liked about this book is that Jim broke down what you need to be prepared in an easy-to-follow, weekly plan. He tells you what you should get, what you need, and why. I like that he doesn’t tell you why you should prepare, but how you should prepare. I also like and agree with him that prepping takes time. Most people do not have the money or time to be prepared in a month or two.
Being prepared, having the skills, and gathering the goods you need takes time. He also tells you that some of the weeks may take longer than a week to do or to acquire the equipment needed. He is conscious about the fact that not everybody can afford the items he suggests at the time he recommends getting them. He recommends that you put away money every week so that you can afford those items when you find them at a good deal.
What I like the most about this book is that he emphasizes skills and knowledge. Having skills and knowledge will keep you alive longer than just having things.
I feel guilty that I should have had this review out six months ago, but I actually started following the book myself. Jim gave me a few things to think about and exposed some of the holes in my own preps. I also knew that I need to increase the amount of food I needed in storage and started following his recommendations on that too.
I love this book. It will be a permanent fixture in my preparedness library. I will also be giving it out as Christmas presents this year to some people on my list that I know are interested in prepping, but aren’t sure where to start. I will also be sure that my kids have a copy when they move out of the house. And I highly recommend this book to all of you!
Thanks for reading,
Erica