http://groups.yahoo.com/group/misc_survivalism_moderated/message/1203
[2000]
wildernesselite - http://www.angelfire.com/nj/IamSF5/index.html
Analysis - Toilet paper, kleenex and matches
OF KLEENEX AND TOILET PAPER...
This following (short) posting recently appeared on Gary North’s web
site.
Read it first, then get to our comments below:
I’m sort of curious about whether anyone here has actually been
through
a
war
- not as a soldier, but as someone who experienced war in their own
community. I lived through the siege of my city (Sarajevo) and
experienced
most of the crummy things that can happen in a war - death of parents
and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper
attacks. It’s odd to see many people concerned about things that
aren’t
going
to matter that much if something awful happens. So I offer my advice,
free
of
charge:
1) Stockpiling helps, but you never no how long trouble will last, so
locate
near renewable food resources.
2) Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3) After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury
in
war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is great than gold’s.
4) If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it’s the
easiest
to do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for
heat.)
5) Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty
without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it
makes
a
lot
of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible.
Only
needs enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially
if
you
buy it in bulk.
6) Bring some books - escapist ones like romances or mysteries become
more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of
survival
guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust
me,
you’ll have a lot of time on your hands.
7) The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell
you
how
many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a
little
bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting
if
you
have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like
nothing
else.
8) Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches.
9) More matches.
OUR COMMENTS
This post stands as an important reminder to all of us who are
preparing
for
Y2K: don’t forget the basics.
Sure, it’s nice to have an array of self-defense items, surveillance
equipment, solar systems and night-vision scopes. But don’t blow your
“basics” budget on all the really cool items.
In fact, right now is a good time to look at how much toilet paper,
Kleenex
and matches you have. Do you have enough?
WE TOOK A CLOSER LOOK
How much toilet paper do you really use? A family of four easily goes
through
a dozen rolls a month. So, how many 12-packs of toilet paper do you
have
stored right now?
We recommend storing at least a 90-day supply of these essential
items.
That’s at least 36 rolls of toilet paper for a family of four. But
don’t
stop
there if you have more space. Toilet paper won’t go bad. And you
definitely
know you’ll use it someday, so load up. Best source: Your local Costco
or
Sam’s club. If you don’t have a super store nearby, hit your local
Walmart,
K-Mart or Target store.
Kleenex is the same story: you can’t have too much, and it won’t go
bad.
It
could get moldy if you happen live in a very, very wet climate. But
even
in
the Pacific Northwest, paper seems to store for decades without going
bad.
Both toilet paper and kleenex are excellent items for storing in your
attic.
They’re not heavy, for one thing. And they also function as added
insulation.
Because these items take up so much space, you won’t want to be
keeping
them
around the house for long. Even the garage can get filled up fairly
quickly.
So look for attic storage (or basement storage) if at all possible.
MATCHES
As the post above mentions, matches are a real blessing in a time of
crisis.
Why? Cooking and heating, basically. If you have the fuel for heating
and
cooking, but no matches, you might as well have nothing. Matches get
used up
faster than you think, by the way. It’s a good idea to stockpile a few
thousand matches. Again, this is a relatively inexpensive item that
may
prove
to be extremely valuable.
WHAT ABOUT LIGHTERS?
The Bic lighter would be considered “magic” just a few hundred years
ago.
Imagine: a portable flame. With some lighters, you can light up to
1000
times. That’s a heavy-duty “portable match.” Lighters are an excellent
stockpiling choice, especially if you think things are likely to get
really
bad.
Nothing teaches you this like war. Naturally, we haven’t been through
any
wars, and most of you probably haven’t either. But we can certainly
imagine
the scarcity of simple items... even if we can’t imagine the horrors
of
war.
We all hope, of course, that neither Y2K nor wars come to pass. Nine
months
from now, we’ll hopefully be sitting on an 8-foot stack of toilet
paper
and
laughing about the whole thing. “Go ahead, WIPE AWAY, we’ve got lots
of
toilet paper, man!” It would be nice to be able to laugh about all
this.
But
we won’t know until well into January 2000 whether we should be
laughing
about the toilet paper or rationing it.
###
This page is subject to the following disclaimer:
http://www.y2knewswire.com/Index.asp?pageid=disclaimer
All statements made herein, and made since August of 1998,
are Year 2000 Statements and are retroactively protected
as Year 2000 readiness disclosures under the Good Samaritan Act
Copyright © 1999
bookmark
bookmark