Posted on 10/07/2012 2:50:25 AM PDT by djf
We often have threads that quote recommendations of others about things you should do to prepare. Those threads usually focus on food, water, medicinal items, bug out preparations, etc.
So I think it would be interesting to find out what FReepers themselves are doing. Combined, we are probably one of the most intelligent, experienced, honest, and practical group on the planet.
Without further adieu! In the last two days I:
Bought 3 food grade 5 gallon buckets Bought enough oatmeal to fill one, which amounted to 18 lbs. Bought a 5 lb bag of tobacco (I'm a smoker, I admit it, but if SHTF, tobacco will be priceless) In my garden, I had a number of radish plants that went to seed, so I spent about an hour collecting radish seed pods.
So post away on what preps you are making. Hopefully, we can give ideas and help out people who are curious about what to do!
/johnny
If the gummint checks stop flowing, it’s lights out.
And I am sure the gummint knows that, and therefore will keep them going as long as possible, no matter what.
What that means for the workers in the country and the rest of the economy, I’m not sure.
Buying bulk isn't so bad if you have a good broker.
/johnny
It was a suggestion for a very very deep larder. Cans work for that. I do roast and grind from green. Take care.
I have been dry canning things like cornmeal, bread flour, pasta, and dehydrated foods. We are giving our son ammo for his birthday present; I will be canning pinto beans over the next two weeks, along with a turkey we have in the freezer. I have accumulated a lot of great first aid supplies that I am putting into various first aid kits for all of the cars of all of the family members. Each week I teach a Bible study and the ladies in it are scheduling a prayer vigil for the Monday before the election. I am planning Christmas gifts around the preparedness theme. We are headed to a gun show in two weeks to see what we can buy there. I sense the need to move quickly now.
If I do last that long, I can figure out a way to get coffee from Costa Rica if it's not available with a phone call. How hard can ship-building be?
/johnny
Over and above the obvious crap in the world going on, do understand that humans have a normal reflex to stock up for winter, and that normally shows up in the fall.
We've been doing it for tens of thousands of years.
/johnny
Tobacco, I can grow. Coffee? Not so much.
/johnny
I sense the need to move quickly now.
Funny thing. This story is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
My prepping started, and I can tell you exactly when.
I was cleaning out a closet, my wife had passed the previous year, and there is a closet in a spare bedroom I have.
I was due to leave town during mid-week, had some things I needed to take care of.
So that weekend, I started thinking I should use the space and store some stuff, I went to the store, bought about a hundred dollars of canned goods, and started arranging it in the closet.
I know the exact date, because a bit more than one week later, two airplanes crashed into the WTC buildings.
It was Sep 2, 2001
I took that as a sign that I need to get serious about learning things and making preps.
This time it feels different, though. Like a volcano getting ready to erupt...
Some sociopaths don't get that part, and want to steal. That's also part of the human condition.
Those that prepare survive.
Those that don't, or decide to steal, tend to not survive.
We ignore our gut instincts at our peril, they have been developed over thousands of years.
Ever see a squirrel that didn't put nuts away for winter?
/johnny
Big cans of coffee for less than 5 bucks a can - at least enough for a year. I keep a 1 year supply on hand, buying replacements when there are specials. Current price is $7.00 when not on sale. Same for peanut butter 1 buck for 16 oz jar, now costs $2.25. Just 2 examples. I made a list of all our usual and most favorite and stocked up.
Having lived through double digit inflation, that was kicked off by a rise in gas prices, I knew that food was going to get pretty expensive, so I bought it before prices started going up.
We have also planted a small orchard and nut trees, along with berry bushes to add to our existing native walnut and persimmon tress and blackberry bushes.
This way we have food that has not been sprayed with pesticides, and will help us keep our food budget affordable as the value of the dollar deteriorates going forward.
We live on the New Madrid fault line, and tornado alley. We have had days and days of no electricity. So we long ago purchased generators to keep our Refrigerators and Freezer running. We also have fireplaces for back up heat. We used to camp and hike, so we have always had a coleman stove and lantern as well as sterno stoves and fuel.
I do expect difficult financial times ahead, especially for older folks like me who are living on their pensions. Old folks were especially vulnerable during the Carter recession and double digit inflation days. I don't intend to eat dogfood, like some people did back then.
I still remember empty supermarket shelves during the Nixon years, where lots of stuff was not available. Our local store looked like the old pictures we saw of the Soviet Union grocery stores when I was in grade school.
We are on our own well, and usually have enough water stored to last for our typical emergency. We had water storage for our garden of about 350 gallons in rain barrels that is usually enough to get through our typical dry season. That was inadequate this year due to prolonged drought and higher than normal temperatures.
So we bought an above ground pool on sale at the end of summer to use next spring, just in case we need more water for the garden than usual next year.
There is plenty of real life emergencies to get ready for as just a part of normal everyday life. We are living in perilous times, that could very well be as bad or worse than the great depression, especially if Obama gets re-elected.
Go ahead and make fun with your tinfoil hat jokes, grasshopper. History is littered with great civilizations that no longer exist.
You think nothing bad can happen to the USA? We have determined enemies who are growing more powerful, and our Government is doing stupid stuff that does not make us stronger.
Just remember the fable about the ant and the grasshopper. Maybe someone will feel sorry for your ignorance, and take pity on you and help you when things get bad. If they don't, just remember this post. Someone cared enough to try and help you understand.
“How far off they put with digital printing is anyones guess.”
As is what was meant by that statement.
Actually, the invaders took over and assimilated the people who stayed. So you are sitting in your little basement when the flood comes or the hordes come or the bug comes and all that crap is just going to weigh you down.
Those who adapt are those who survive, not the ones who cling to the old ways.
The neighbors have pools. But I have several of those cube shaped containers in stainless steel cages for storing the treated water.
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