There are literally hundreds of lists out there. And for sure, they help in terms of getting you thinking, and giving reminders of things you may have forgotten.

But, the problem is, everyone's situations are so different, it's difficult to generalize.

I'd strongly suggest buying at least one book- Making the Best of Basics, by James Talmage Stevens. It has multiple lists, recipes, and you can fill in your own charts based on the ages/sex of the people you're prepping for (teenage boys need literally DOUBLE the calories as adult women, for just one example)

Here is the now (in)famous "100 things to disappear first in an emergency" list:
http://74.39.184.126/vb/showthread.php?p=1669142

As far as essential skills... if you have kids, I'd say everything you can possibly learn about first aid, home nursing and medical care is probably on the top of the list. I'd want to save pictures of different rashes (knowing whether you're dealing with scarlet fever or "fifth disease" could be crucial)

Being able to produce your own food is always vital... it simply is impossible to store enough food to outlast most long term scenarios. Of course, having a few months worth on hand sure beats having nothing, and may let you survive long enough to make other plans.

Sewing!! I sewed all my kids clothes when they were growing up... everything from the newborn layettes to prom gowns (and then I ended up making the bridesmaids dresses for two weddings, as well) If you start when the kids are small, you gain skill when they really don't care what it looks like! And my DD keeps saying how she can't believe how much better the clothes I make for my grandsons hold up wash after wash, compared to even expensive brand name stuff.

But... back to the "everyone has different situations". Personally, while we have a generator and the tractors to run it, I don't have any illusions of keeping things going on a 21st century level for long. I still need to get a solar set up for our outdoor woodburning furnace... as long as we can use that to heat the house in our cold winters, I don't really care THAT much whether we have electric lights, etc. I don't want to lose my nice propane stove and electric ovens, but I do have a wood burning cookstove I can switch to if it becomes necessary.

Others will do almost anything to keep their lifestyle they have now, either because they simply can't envision any other way, or due to medical necessity (needing supplemental oxygen, for example). I personally don't believe that will be possible for an extended period, but then- who knows whether or not we'll ever see a scenario where we're talking about the grid being down and the JIT system dying for months or years?

One thing I can say- if you currently buy most or all of your food, especially if you do so frequently- daily or biweekly visits to the store- you likely have NO idea how much your family consumes in a month or 6 months! Too many people think they're "prepped", but actually have about half as much as they think they do. That's where the book I suggested above is worth it's weight in gold.

Above all... START NOW!! If I hadn't prepped when I did, I'd never be able to afford it now. Prices on food, especially fruits, veggies and meat, are going to continue to skyrocket.

Summerthyme