Gentlemen:
Let me introduce you to a simple method of body disposal;
STEP 1 of 2) BUY WOODCHIPPER, FUEL, Stabilizer; 
Step 2 of 2) BACK IT UP TO A CATFISH POND!
END RESULT: GREAT TASTING CATFISH!
For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
read
As would be the work of burying hundreds of bodies.
Don’t forget matches, toilet paper, a way to purify water, etc.
Thank you. If ObamaRomney gets elected, we’re in for it.
Nothing more valuable than a network of trusted friends, neighbors, and relatives.
Nope. 4 days or so with one aimed round per minute 24 hours a day has always been my benchmark. And a cushion. Depends on who has ammo on sale. ;)
But you are correct. I actually save about 12-18% stocking up. I buy what I buy, and when there is a sale, I buy more, and stock it. 15% off special on tuna? Instead of 2 cans, I'll buy 10. Tuna keeps.
Same with all the canned goods and lots of dry goods.
Toilet paper prices NEVER go down. Ever. Anything you buy today will be better and cheaper than what you can buy next year. And it keeps forever if it's kept dry.
Part of it is being single. I love using mirepoix (two parts onion, one part carrot, one part celery) in lots of dishes. Very classically french. But one man that doesn't eat a lot can't eat one sales unit of fresh celery before it goes bad. So I keep what I'll need for fresh, and dehydrate the rest.
/johnny
I once had to kill a pet rabbit so we could eat it. I don't want to do that again.
” DOOMSDAY PREPPING – PLAN FIRST, BUY LATER “
One recurring problem I see in many of these threads is that many people mistake ‘event’ planning/prepping for DOOMSDAY planning/prepping...
Event planning concentrates on a specific event, ie. hurricane, tornado, earthquake, economic trouble, civil unrest, nuclear/biological threat (man-caused disaster or natural/accidental occurence) and other, more exotic and less probable events - and reflect ‘normalcy bias’, in that regardless of the event, order will be, in due course, restored and all will be as before...
DOOMDAY planning recognizes that all events have certain consequences in common, and assumes that those consequences will hold sway indefinitely..
DOOMSDAY preppers carry into our planning the vision of a world without ‘essential’ aspects that we have taken for granted - such as, electric power, motorized transportation, food deliveries, government activities (especially including effective law enforcement and firefighting), and long-distance communications.. (an admittedly partial list, but it covers some basics..)
It’s only after we have that vision firmly fixed in mind that we can start to do real planning and prepping, which, we soon find, means that food/fuel/essential goods storage, while a good first step, is only the beginning, and the next step is to identify the skills* (and the attitudes) we will need to acquire or hone in order to thrive in an essentially 18th century world....
Extreme?? Hopefully so - but if we’re prepped for the *real* end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, then the ‘events’ will be pretty much taken in stride....
* A partial list of skills that should be useful —
-gardening/farming/hunting & fishing/animal husbandry (with emphasis on nutrition principles)...
-food preparation (including butchering meat animals) and preservation (using only wood for fuel and no refrigeration)
-water procurement and treatment
-basic carpentry, plumbing, and metalworking (with emphasis on hand tools and adapting materials at hand/scrounged/scavenged)
-first aid, herbal medicine, and home remedies
(and, as a sop to the Keyboard Kommandos)
-self-defense and weapons training.. (Actually a short-term prep, because in a true collapse, either the predators will be dead, or we will, in pretty short order..)
Do any of you Preppers dip your canned food in paraffin for storage? I just threw out a Costco case of tomato paste because I opened three cans and each one exploded as I cut into the lid. Wondering if paraffin would have helped. They were stored indoors in a controlled environment (my pantry).
Good site, great info, K. Thanks!
LOL, well K, I'm really not sure about this issue -- just how much ammo would it take to defend a food supply for 20 years?
Just do what I do when I shop.
I buy one or two extra of things or something extra I think might help.
Salt. Dirt cheap and not more than .50 cents per.
Seasonings. Again, Dirt Cheap and found at the dollar store.
Baking Soda. Way dirt cheap. Walmart sells big ole boxes of the sruff, and I mean big for $2.
canned meats, veggies, suops beans etc. Dollar store. Stock up.
I ate from my stash 3 times this week because I just didn’t feel like going to a restaurant.
Razors. I buy an extra box whenever I buy em and I have at least two years worth of razors just in the house. At the office maybe more.
Same thing with shaving cream and after shave skin balm. I use Neutreugena because it doesn’t have odors, works really well and the after shave balm has spf 30. I got tons of this stuff.
Qtip. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap and I have years worth.
bar soap. Love Dial and the dollar store sells em cheap. Maybe two years worth.
Shampoo. Neutragena again. I use Tgel shampoo and the conditioner. couple of years again.
Alcohol and H2O@. Cheap and I just pick up a little extra every once in a while.
Hint for H2O2. There aren’t many things that actually go bad on the “Use by Date” but h202 does, even if you store in a cool dark place.
I mark each bottle in permananent marker for the day I got it and then 3 years from that date.
I’ve tested H202 for efficacy for stuff I knew was three years old and sure enough, no fizz.
No fizz, no good.
Sunblock. Got such a good deal on Nuetragena Sport spf 50 a few years ago I probably have enough for 5 years if I used it during snowboard season and in the summer.
Then again, I am always buying the stuff so who knows how much I have.
Deodorant? I just buy two whenever I buy them and I don’t think I need any for at least two years. I use Dry Idea(sensitive underarms) and Rock Crystals.
Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Diarrheal and other medications? Same habit of buying. More than enough for years...If I used them every day, which I don’t.
Aloe Vera. I go to Whole Foods for this. I use some rather expensive stuff that can be used for hair gel, skin issues, etc. It is literally the best and it’s by “Aloe Life”. I think I have enough for two years but will get some more next week and again, I buy in two’s. This stuff ain’t cheap but in my opinion is the best. $15 for 8 ounces.
I also have several other bottles of Aloe Vera, so I’m good for a long time.
Got tons of Icy Hot, Tiger Balm, DMSO and Veterinary Strength Absorbine. Bought em all in two’s and I won’t need more if the STHTF.
Betadine? Check.
Iodine? Check.
The ability to purify, not filter but, purify water? Check and check.
I have two Lifesaver bottles with backup filters and prefilters for each. I can make pure water out of 6,000 gallons of yucky Katrina water.
I also have two Katadyns but they are mostly for hiking.
I chose the Lifesaver system because of it’s portability. It’s the size of a thermos and delivers pure water as fast I’m going to require for four people.
Of course, I’ll be using one at a time but if I need Pure H20 faster I can use two at a time.
Batteries. I have enough batteries to run my various LED Flashlights for months even with continuous use. I also have more rechargeable battire than I’ll ever need. So they will always be available.
I can charge 16 batteries at a time so I can keep up with just about anything and they are all charged.
I also understand when you need light and how much so I won’t just run the lights at full power in the event of an emergency, if I think it’s long term. At the lowest setting, just about any of my lights can run over 100 hours of continuous use. At the highest they run about 2 hours.
The output on any of them ranges from 120 lumens to 820 lumens. Most use the same battries AA so I don’t have to fuss with looking for batteries.
I have several that run AA and more than enough battries for them as well.
Knives? Got a jillion of them and my fav is just about anything by CRKT. I have 15-20 sharpeners and 5 or six stone systems.
Rope. Couple of thousand feet of rope. Maybe 1,000 feet of climbing rope and 3 climbing systems. 1,500 feet of paracord(only $34.95 for 1,000) from a company that is certified to deliver to DOD.
Carabiners? I have more than I need on three backpacks and I don’t know how many of those Nite Eyes carabiners I have but dang they come in handy when I need them.
Axes? Don’t axe me. I just picked up another two weeks ago and realized I already had two of the same one and some others.
Saws? Dunno? I thought I had two and wanted another for my other GOTO, that I THOUGHT, didn’t have one and another for my car.
BTW, they are SVENN Saws and a total must have. They are very, very, durable and realiable. Cut most anything and can be used by one person. I gues I have six of them after that buying mistake. I don’t do returns.
Food? Got plenty at home. Got more at the office and more in two different storages I would have anyway.
Ammo? Haven’t a clue. I just buy stuff and even for calibers I don’t shoot. Never know.
Gun cleaning kits> I just pick a little here and a little there. I have enough for a hunting party to clean everyone’s guns.
First Aid triage type? I have six GSW/Chest Wound kits of the type our guys use in the ME and the Secret Service carries. Made them myself for I think 1/2 what they usually cost pre-made. Made two for my brother as well.
Burn Kits? Maybe four? Lucky you if I happen to have one with me. I did save a person from 2nd if not 3rd degree burns with one of my kits a few years ago.
SAM Splints. 11. There was a sale on something I think I hit the wrong button. If you break something around me I can probably stabilize it.
Space pens. I don’t have any idea. Seems like every time I go to REI I get another one or two. Same with the write anywhere paper.
Compasses? I must have 15 or so. I always carry two on my bags and they are lanyarded to my shoulder strap. Nothing like getting lost because you can’t do even dead reckoning.
Coleman Shower bags? No clue but for $10 they carry 5 gallons and the footprint is perfect. The also have a handle.
Inner tubes for bikes and repair kits? Just a bunch of repair kits and 3 sets of inner tubes that have that seal a flat goo already in them.
I didn’t acquire all this overnight and I have always had the habit of buying two of most things. It took years and now takes nothing to keep replenishing.
Point is: It doesn’t have to break your bank account to prepare for life’s eventualities. Who knows? Maybe it will never happen to you but I have had enough things happen to me I just expect they will.
Another way of thinking about all this is maybe not prepping but rather Contingency Planning.
Having a contingent plan demonstrates you recognize stuff happens and happens all the time but, that you are prepared and understand you are responsible for you and your loved ones.
The 1st responder is always you.
If you are snowed in so is everyone else.
If you are in danger of a forest/brush fire so is everyone else.
If you in danger of a flood so is everyone else.
If you are in danger of an earthquake so is everyone else.
If you are in danger of a riot so is everyone else.
The point is “Why wouldn’t you set your life up so you are not in further danger by mobs who are in the same predicament?”
Why would you want to go to the grocery store when desperate people are there?
It takes just so very little to get yourself in a decent position to not interact with Golden Hordes.
Just buy a little extra here and a little extra there.
In the U.S. there are 9 firearms for every 10 people.
I would like to throw in props for “When All Hell Breaks Loose”, by Cody Lundin.
Unfortunatly a great deal of the first part of it is written is rather hippy-dippy psychobabble, but once one gets through that it is really based on old school common sense. Know your neighbors, have a plan, ‘dig your well before you are thirsty”, as he puts it “stuff your grandparents would have regarded as common sense”. Sort of aimed to the urban hipster but really overall well focused on rational and economical approaches to being ready for a disaster of days to weeks.
He had a statistic that ‘40 percent of all Americans will have to deal with a natural disaster at some point in their lives’....
Don’t let his long hair and bandana and new age aphorisms fool you, he listened to grandparents, and Indians and other folks who knew about survival in the worst that this country can throw at you.
The nexus is really deciding on time frame: days? weeks? years? once you know how LONG the most economical and effective strategies are easier to figure out. Me, I find it past the point of diminishing returns to do what I would need to do for complete societal breakdown for years or decades, but no extrinsic water, power or social order for a week or two is well within my means to prep for....
Another smart plan for prepping is don’t post for the whole world to see just what you are doing.
It's all in .pdf form ready to download.
Gentlemen:
Let me introduce you to a simple method of body disposal;
STEP 1 of 2) BUY WOODCHIPPER, FUEL, Stabilizer;
Step 2 of 2) BACK IT UP TO A CATFISH POND!
END RESULT: GREAT TASTING CATFISH!
In the military we called it PPPPPP - Prior Planning Prevents Piddly Poor Performance. A plan allows you to focus on the critical issues first and not get lost on the bunny trails of less essential issues.
*