52 Weekly Goals for 2020

Have you created your list of New Year Resolutions yet?  Consider adding these preparedness goals to your list so that by the end of the year, you will be prepared for anything.

1. Begin the 52-week money challenge so that by the end of the year you will have an extra $1300 to add to your emergency fund.
2. Put together an EDC (everyday carry) bag based on your needs.
3. Resolve to cook complete meals, from scratch, several times a week.
4. Apply for a passport if you don't already have one.
5. Sign up for a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training course in your area.
6. Put together a BOB (bug out bag) which meets your needs.
7. Sign up for a concealed carry or basic firearm safety course in your area.
8. Perform a vehicle inspection to ensure your vehicle is in good working order.
9. Put together an emergency car kit with everything you need to stay safe in your vehicle.
10. Store enough emergency drinking water in your home for each member of your family that will last for two weeks.
11. Store enough food to feed all members of your family for a minimum of two weeks (longer if possible).
12. Make sure your home is safe by reviewing all of these checklists.
13. Sign up for a first aid course in your community (take advanced courses in first aid if possible too).
14. Put together first aid kits for your home, EDC bag, camping/backpacking gear, boat, RV, office, etc.
15. Work with your family to create a family emergency plan.
16. Review your insurance coverages (life, health, auto, home, long-term care) to ensure that they meet your needs.
17. Make a list of your current debts and resolve to become debt free as soon as possible.
18. Grow a garden this summer (or a container garden, or even sprouting on your kitchen counter if you are limited in outdoor space).
19. Use the video camera on your phone to create a home inventory video of every item you own.  Show every room of your home as well as garage, land, outbuildings, etc.  Keep this digital file backed up in a safe location to use for insurance purposes in the event of a disaster.
20. Make a file on each member of your family (pets too!) which includes their photo, personal info (name, social security number, birth date, height, weight, tattoos, etc), medical info (medical history, current medications, allergies, etc), and even include a DNA sample if possible.
21. Digitize all of your important documents then save these document files, as well as a back-up of all of the files on your computer, on an external hard drive then store this back-up drive in a safe location.
22. Prepare back-up systems for power, lights, heat, cooking, sewer, water, entertainment, garbage removal, etc. to use in the event of a disaster that takes down municipal utilities.
23. Develop two or more alternate sources of income.
24. Sign up for self defense classes (krav maga, karate, boxing, etc).
25. Make appointments with your doctor, dentist, vision clinic, hearing clinic, and vaccination clinic and ensure your health is in tip top shape.
26. Schedule four family camping/backpacking trips for weekends in the winter, spring, summer, and fall and test your outdoor survival skills.
27. Teach the entire family how and when to shut off your home's water, electricity, and gas.
28. Practice various ways of preserving food including canning, freezing, pickling, making jams and preserves, etc.
29. Be sure that the entire family uses good internet, social media, and home network safety practices.
30. Make home evacuation plans with the entire family.  Determine how to evacuate your home, your neighborhood, your city, your state, and even your country.
31. Practice traveling around your city via public transit including walking, bicycling, city bus, Uber, etc.
32. Spend the weekend foraging for wild edibles in your neighborhood/community.
33. Volunteer in your community in an area that will help increase your preparedness skills (volunteer as an EMT, with your local ARES/RACES group, with Search and Rescue, etc).
34. Develop a daily family exercise plan; not only is this a fun bonding experience but being physically fit is a basic tenet of preparedness.  Activities can include playing soccer, running, going to the gym, playing basketball, etc.
35. Determine what are the most likely disasters in your area and prepare accordingly for these possibilities.
36. Take an international trip with the family and learn how to navigate foreign countries/cultures.
37. Set up everyone's cell phones with safety and security apps as well as to receive notifications from your local news, police/fire agencies, city/county/state department of emergency management offices, etc.
38. Hop online and learn even more about preparedness and survival via reddit, YouTube, FEMA, etc.
39. Decide which of the items on this list you would need in a disaster then start stockpiling them as you have extra money or as the items come on sale.
40. Take time to prepare for any family member(s) who have special needs (infants, babies, the ill, the elderly, pets, cattle/farm animals, deaf/blind/non-English speaking/mentally ill or other special populations, etc).
41. Diversify your investments.  Instead of, for example, stockpiling only gold, spread your investments around in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, precious metals, annuities, cash, etc.
42. Clean your home from top to bottom.  Go minimalist, get rid of things you no longer need/use, get rid of cheap junk and replace it with quality items, etc.
43. Put together a hard-copy and digital copy library of preparedness and survival books.
44. Have a weekly family game/activity night that doesn't include TVs/tablets/computers/video games/other digital entertainment.  Here are some ideas.
45. Learn a variety of "old fashioned" preparedness skills such as knot tying, HAM radio, bush craft, Morse Code, hunting, fishing, orienteering, soap making, etc.
46. Install a comprehensive interior/exterior/perimeter home security system. 
47. Attend a prepper/survivalist conference, gun show, or other preparedness-related event.
48. Deal with any personal problems: divorce and custody issues, financial problems, legal issues, addiction issues, etc.  It's hard to be prepared for the future when you have negative things from your past still hanging around.
49. Develop a circle of people you can absolutely depend on (this may be family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc).
50. Encourage preparedness and safety in your community including at your office, at your kid's school, at your church, etc.
51. Hold preparedness drills in your home including fire drills, evacuation drills, lock-down drills, etc.
52. Practice with weapons (guns, sling shot, bow and arrow, knives, etc).