Posted on 01/18/2025 9:03:35 AM PST by Mean Daddy
I prep for a few yrs out....some things do not taste right after a few yrs I don't care how much mylar or vacuum sealing you do although that helps..flour gets a funny taste after a couple of yrs...I know..buy wheat berries..you do have to use them up pretty quickly after grinding.
the things I do store are in canning jars...I probably have too much.
don't drive yourself crazy.
Mean Daddy :"What other things are you doing for you and your family?
One thing I saw the other day was Sarah Adams recommended taking a First Aid class,
building connections with people who have served in the Middle East as they're savvy to their way of fighting."
"What things should people be thinking about but often overlooked? "
----------------------------
Building your own survival skills and developing a reliable social network of others who think the same as you is essential; there is safety in numbers.
Situational Awareness is the standard of prepping
If you live near a river, evaluate for the prospects of flooding; if in a mountainous area, evaluate for mudslides and ground creep
If you live in a desert environment, evaluate for possible water shortage or the need for rain water barrel containment.
If you live in an earthquake prone area, or near Yellowstone, develop skills for debris removal, safety travel routes, acquire maps and compass orienteering skills.
Bottom Line develop your own set of personal and tradecraft skills so as to act on your own, independently, without reliance on others or the government.
Because in the event of some massive catastrophic failure, there will be numerous others who will be more 'in need' than you, and there will never be enough resources to go around.
You cannot with any amount of accuracy predict what all might occur, but know in your heart that God blessed you with a thinking mind for the purpose of your survival,
and in difficult times, as well as easier times, you need to grow closer to God to provide you with faith and hope for the future.
Please draw you attention to the comments posted, such as : posts8,10,14,20,21,24,25,30,32,34, and 37
Posts of special note : Post 13, 27, and 31
All these posts are good - it's best to learn from them that's doing it.
Since mayhem will almost assuredly be unleashed as soon as President Trump is inaugurated, it is better to be safe than sorry regarding having necessary supplies on hand by Monday. Bongino has mentioned enough for 3 months. A whistleblower (FBI iirc) recently stated that there are 1000 jihadis in the US ready to do their thing, what to speak of other criminal illegals, the Venezualan gang and so on. I’m sure that President Trump being the CiC on Monday, will do what needs to be done, but it will almost for sure be some time before things settle back to peacefulness.
One thing I rarely see mentioned but is critical is salt.
It’s critical for survival and not a lot of places are near a good supply of it.
I wash out my glass spaghetti sauce jars and use those to store it so it doesn’t cake up. Since the lids have that built in gasket, it’s hermetically sealed and keeps the moisture out.
And they seem pretty corrosion resistant.
I would also to a decent supply of high quality vitamins, to avoid vitamin deficiencies.
There are rumors of pro-palestinian “protesters” planning on *protesting*, (IOW creating anarchy for the heck of it but any excuse will do), but I suspect in many cases, the weather will put a damper on their plans.
This massive cold spell and weather system may be divine providence.
In nearly all things, water, food, a way to keep warm and dry, a way to deal with waste hygienically, keep clean and a way to defend yourself are requirements. Communications and lighting are not as necessary but are very nice to have.
Your easiest and cheapest way to do all of this for a two week period is as follows:
Water: 1 gallon of water per person is your minimum. Two is a much better goal. Half of this can be bottled water but tap water in gallon jugs can make up the other half. Do not use old milk jugs. Vinegar jugs are my personal choice but any other thick plastic just that can be cleaned out will work as well.
Food: Go with canned or packaged here. You need about 1,000 calories per day per person at minimum. Choose things you would normally eat. You are going for "open can, eat".
Keeping warm and dry: Propane heater. If you can get a small camp stove for warm food and water that helps as well. Tarps will cover holes in roofs or broken windows.
Waste: Sealing waste can. Kitty litter. Just the cheap clay kind without scent. Baking soda. Plastic bags. You can line your bowl with the bag, dump in some litter and baking soda and go. Remove and tie bag closed and place in sealing waste container.
Keeping yourself clean: Dry shampoo, baking soda, baby wipes. You will not smell like a rose but you will not develop skin infections.
Self defense: Gun. Ammo. Generally a shotgun with buckshot will work. Pump action 5+1 is my recommendation but dealers choice. A hand gun is also recommended but that may not be possible in your area.
Communications: Battery operated two way radio and a battery operated multiband radio receiver. Knowing what is going on is nice. You will need either a box of batteries or a way to charge your items that does not depend on the electricity being on.
Lighting: Flashlights, oil lamps, candles. A battery operated lantern is about the most safe way to have light. Followed by a hurricane lamp, other types of oil lamps and candles. Candles should always be the last resort as they will be the most likely to cause a fire. Never leave them unattended. Always place them on a large baking tray so when they fall over they do not set things on fire.
Basic tools: ax, knife (not a rambo type knife, just a good solid, sharp belt knife) whetstone, fire extinguisher (several), rope and cord, hammer and nails, screwdriver, crowbar, good first aid kit, good burn treatment kit.
This should get you through two weeks without dying and it works no matter where you are.
This does not cover your personal situation because it is not meant to do so. You should have enough of your personal medications on hand to last for at least a month because you are an adult and should have enough foresight to do that. You should have basic first aid knowledge and know how to do basic repairs for the same reason.
There won’t be the same cold all over the country. I expect much widespread violence.
We have a couple older camping lanterns that we found replacement LED light bulbs for. They do not eat batteries like the old bulbs did.
No, not the entire country, but a good chunk of it.
So, yes, likely there will be issues.
From Ryan Hall, Y’all
This Winter Storm Will Be CHAOTIC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hbFg4HK-vQ
Rural areas and smaller towns will probably be free from the mayhem, but supply chains likely interrrupted. That’s what hub and I figure.
Personally, I wouldn’t do kits. I would do bulk foods to be able to better make up my own meal plans.
frugalsquirrels.com forum is an old Christian based prepper forum and while membership has gone way down due to people going gray man, it’s still a good resource. There’s one massive thread called “Think you can’t afford to prep? Think again.”
It’s the ultimate, how to prep affordably guide, and not buy those pre-packaged kits. As for kits and bulk food, this outfit in Utah HAD historically been one of the best, if for no other reason than their flat rate shipping rates. https://www.beprepared.com/pages/shipping-rates. Looks like they have strictly #10 cans now and not very cheap.
Plenty of info out there on using 5 gallon buckets with mylar bags and O2 absorbers to store dry goods. Sometimes, desiccant is needed instead of O2 absorbers. I have a 4 gallon bucket of salt that is a solid block because I used neither. I could chip and scrape some off if need be. The #10 cans would be fine for dried fruits. Freeze dried anything lasts many years. That’s why instant coffee stores longer than ground of even coffee beans.
I’m lucky to have Amish and Mennonite stores not too far from me that carry 50lb sacks of grains, salt, sugar, beans etc. I don’t prep like I used to since I left the East coast and moved to rural MO. I’ve been learning to garden and will be planting fruit/nut trees over the next few years and much of it will be improved varieties of what already grows here wild.
I’ve already bugged out and am at my retreat so to speak.
Do you think I was clear enough on my "candles should be your last option" lecture? A good deal of the problems, (and fires) that happen after the lights go out are caused by people being careless with candles. They get out their tall, top heavy candle stick, put it in the middle of the wood table with a nice table cloth, light all the tall tapers and walk away.
Ah! Do not do this.
There was a reason candles used to be short, thick and in a low, heavy candle holder.
Please do not set yourself on fire.
I would also recommend a pellet gun. Accurate for small game, pellets are cheap, and they don't create a ton of noise.
Water is huge. Some way to store it, plus purify it. A couple of ways to purify water should be part of the plan. I have a couple of different filters for hiking, but for extended purposes, something like this: Aqua Pure. It all depends on your environment (urban, rural, etc.), and what you think might be the biggest threats and/or issues you'll run against.
😆
Thanks for mentioning waste/toilets. A good friend of mine and I have an ongoing conversation about ‘improvements’ we’ve made to your basic bucket toilet. ;)
Both of us were big campers back in the day, so it’s been a life-long learning curve. ;) And I can attest that digging Army latrines in the field is every so much fun, LOL!
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/bucket-toilet/
When I get my final design down to something along the lines of a Litter Genie that you use for cats, I’m gonna be rich, Rich, RICH! ;)
I’d start by taking a weekend camping trip out of your car. Bring several freeze dried meals meant for camping/hiking and a way to boil water. It’s best to figure out what you can handle in a fun weekend trip. Note what you liked and lacked. Living out of your car for a couple of days will teach you a lot about what you want and need.
It’s liberals who are prepping now... might want to ask them.
Yup, that’s why we go with LED lanterns.
If I do use candles, it’s on the granite countertop.
Yup. They’re convinced it’s the apocalypse to hear them talk.
(I’ve been checking out as much DU as I can handle)
I remember my parents and grandparents having rice in their salt shakers so it did not cake. My wife’s family used saltine crackers in the same way. Wouldn’t recommend the crackers now because they did something to them making them get rancid after a while.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.