Posted on 01/17/2015 3:33:54 PM PST by Kartographer
What if nothing ever happens that leads to me really needing a hand-cranked wheat grinder to survive or breaking out an AR-15 to defend my home?
My answer is that even though the biggest emergency I have experienced is the occasional brief power outage, my preparedness efforts have already benefited me in more ways than I can probably enumerate. One of my first efforts was putting an emergency bag in my car. Almost immediately, I found that I was using it. I would need to cut something, and there in my bag would be a knife. If I cut myself, I would have a bandage, or I might be stuck somewhere waiting and get hungry or thirsty; there would be some food and water in the bag. I also had a change of clothes, which proved useful on many occasions when I tore or soiled some clothes that would otherwise have required that I go back home to change. Additionally, my job would sometimes send me out of town overnight at a moment’s notice, and with my bag, I didn’t have to go home and get anything. So, with my regular use of the emergency bag, my first problem that I had to deal with was making sure I kept my supplies in my bag from running out.
(Excerpt) Read more at survivalblog.com ...
No worrying about what to do if the power goes out.
Most important of all knowing that when nature calls I never worry about there being no TP! ;-)
Preppers’ PING!!
I used my can goods that I was buying initially on a limited budget. I replaced them with 25 year items that take up less space. When I first started to prep, I did it quickly to get enough food to get 10 people through a year long SHTF situation. Now I can leisurely get longer shelf life and better quality items as a replacement.
Thx for posting.
One principal at a school has suggested keeping a can of corn or beans handy for a weapon against a terrorist for school kids. Has anyone seed a “potato gun” that can shoot a can of beans?
The can vegetables must be Halal and produced in a plant that doesn’t process nuts or nut products.
Every drop of water we drink is filtered through our Berkey water filter.
This hits home with me. There are so many benefits to even a little bit of ‘prepping’, even if no serious or long-term scenario arises where one would actually NEED to use their supplies.
First of all, the sheer savings: once you have even a few weeks supply ahead, of all the things that you use, you can begin to ONLY buy things when they’re on sale. After a while, you can take a week’s grocery money and spend it on one or two items that you can get inexpensively that week, and have months of it on hand.
My husband and I love to cook, and try out new recipes. Usually there was something missing, like a can of tomato paste. No longer! Well-stocked with tomato paste, bought only when it was super cheap.
TP goes on sale somewhere almost every week. Coupons and sales add up to a very good supply, always on hand.
But I especially like the author’s stress on the fact that the prepper ‘mind-set’ causes one to Think Ahead. (We just acquired new pet cats, and realized that they need to be prepped-for too. Many coupons and sales later, and we’re already good for weeks.)
Remember to prep for your pets!
There are also a lot of things that one could use for barter, in many situations; and for that reason we save EVERYTHING useful that we can fit into our small space. (I would have traded something valuable a few years ago, when I desperately needed just a can of motor oil; all nearby shops were shut down for debit/credit sales due to a power outage, and we had no cash on hand.)
We already had multiples of basic tools like screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc. But one of us won a tool set in a “Silly Santa” game; and it’s in the house, ready to be traded for something in the future - like a can of motor oil :-)
(Note to self: Motor Oil! - and windshield wiper fluid.)
-JT
I understand the humor of your comment, but I would like to say legitimate preppers will not need a potato gun against terrorists and expired can goods would still be an excellent bargaining commodity in a SHTF situation.
Preps are like life insurance
Hope we never have to use them...but glad they’re there if we ever need them.
Guarantee your kid an A+ for show and tell how the pioneers ground their wheat.
It’s better to have the supplies and not need them than to need the supplies and NOT have them.
Excellent!
Yeh we have some life straws too but probably not enough. Check out the Sawyer water filter. Its like a life straw but different.
Having some stuff around in a hurricane zone isn't even a question. And GHB sundry is always handy.
For real long term with cats? Uuhhh. Put the rabbit stew back on the menu.
Boy, that's prolly gonna cost me with the local cat klan. Momma gets her undies inna wad when I call her cats "the rabbit stew crew". d;^)
I hope you have plenty of filters. They don’t last forever and it would be a shame if they were worn out when the SHTF.
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