Community Chat

[esmeraldagooch]

Just one of many from Costco.

128 Total Servings of Real Freeze-Dried Meat Entrée Combo Food Storage

http://www.costco.com/128-Total-Servings-of-Real-Freeze-Dried-Meat-Entr%C3%A9e-Combo-Food-Storage-.p...

[Mominohio]

Wow!

I haven't checked back on this topic for a number of days and was surprised at where the responses have gone. I am pleasantly surprised to see so many people here think and prepare beyond the very basic things. And to see that some folks are thinking about the big things that could happen, even if not considered very probable, lets me know that there are others here who think outside the box as well.

I put this out as more of a 'common man' emergency grab and go bag issue, as, quite frankly, I thought anything any larger would be shot down, and I'd be accused of being a 'nut job survivalist'! And, while not having an underground bunker, and haz mat suits and the like, we have, over the years, considered ourselves moving toward a more self sustainable lifestyle.

We have some land, a fruit orchard, a large garden, an artesian well (needs no pump to get water flow), canning abilities, hunting abilities, alternate heat sources, alternate energy sources, alternate cooking sources, private septic (not affected by or needing public sewage facilities) and back ups for our back ups. We don't have animals (only pets) but could easily keep a few, should we decide to or things necessitate it.

And when someone actually mentioned a Faraday cage?! What the heck? I'd have bet I was the only one on these boards that have ever even heard of one! Very pleasant surprise, although technically, we have yet to build/prepare one.

I, maybe just because of getting older, think that the world is becoming a more scary place each passing year. Sometimes the possible threats seem to come from every direction. Safety/availability of the food supply, aging and unprotected power grid, nuclear and biological weapons, natural disasters, terrorist that hate us, unstable financial markets. And it really doesn't take a big, worldwide disaster to hit. Just even a personal downfall in health, job, earning potential, etc. can make a person glad they had prepared some, and have things, money and skills to fall back on, until you can get on your feet again.

Thanks everyone, for taking this to the next level. I enjoyed finding out that more people here are awake than I'd have guessed.

[Mominohio]

On 4/13/2015 Qwackertoo said:

On 4/13/2015 cottonball said:

Thanks for the reminder. We have grab and go backpacks, along with supplies at home. After I fill the backpacks I tend to forget about them. I just checked them and some of the food and medicine has expired. It doesn't seem that long ago since I did it. I need to start checking them at least once a year.

maybe when the time changes each year . . . kinda like batteries in the smoke detectors and check your backpacks.

That is what we do. My husband and my birthdays are 6 months apart, so on our birthdays, we check the smoke detectors, switch the septic to flow to the other side of the leach field, and go through our bags to update them. It is just like any other thing you put on a schedule, it becomes routine after awhile.

[cerb]

Hi mominohio - I've enjoyed the thread also. About once a year my DH or I will read a book or website about preparedness and keep a running list of ideas on a notepad, and then make additions or adjustments. We had a 24 hour power outage last year that was a good test run. Turned out that our small generator (bartered for) wasn't strong enough. Our larger generator (purchased used on Craig's list) could run the freezer, frig and some lights. Good to have a trial run.

We refine our ideas over time. For example, we live in a semi-desert with few natural water sources, so water storage is imperative for us. Then I realized we wouldn't want to waste water washing dishes - hence the need for disposable eating utensils. Or, what was the good of having medical supplies without training or a first-aid manual? Fires are common after earthquakes, so we attached shut off wrenches to our gas meters - no need to run around trying to find one in a panic.

My DH and I have our own areas of "specialty". He is more interested in the electronics, faraday cage (ours is made from a small sized metal trash can, lined with cardboard, sealed with metal tape), generators, solar energy, building and repair, and defense. My areas of interest are food storage, gardening, first aid, clothing, bedding, etc. It works for us.

I've gotten better over time at dating everything that is for storage, and rotating everything to keep it usable. We keep the generators and extra gas in a storage shed rather than in our garage for safety reasons and my husband rotates the gas twice a year because it needs to be kept fresh too.

I know that mominohio already knows this, but I want to share one word of encouragement with anyone who might read this thread: you can choose the level of preparedness that is right for you. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'd like to see everyone prepared for 2 weeks, but anything over that is a personal choice. No right or wrong. Something is better than nothing!

[Qwackertoo]

On 4/14/2015 cerb said:

I've gotten better over time at dating everything that is for storage, and rotating everything to keep it usable. We keep the generators and extra gas in a storage shed rather than in our garage for safety reasons and my husband rotates the gas twice a year because it needs to be kept fresh too.

My husband just pulled our generator out this past weekend to let it run about 15 minutes. I guess the battery for the automatic start had ran down so he had to "pull" start it. I should remind him 6 months from now to do it again.

Also, there is a new station that opened up this past year that sells one pump of leaded gasoline which is better for small engines . . .vs unleaded gas. Use to you had to go to the county co-op to buy it . . . although too often he just gets the unleaded for the riding mower and such but I know it is harder on the small engines and gunks them up.

[Mominohio]

On 4/14/2015 cerb said:

Hi mominohio - I've enjoyed the thread also. About once a year my DH or I will read a book or website about preparedness and keep a running list of ideas on a notepad, and then make additions or adjustments. We had a 24 hour power outage last year that was a good test run. Turned out that our small generator (bartered for) wasn't strong enough. Our larger generator (purchased used on Craig's list) could run the freezer, frig and some lights. Good to have a trial run.

We refine our ideas over time. For example, we live in a semi-desert with few natural water sources, so water storage is imperative for us. Then I realized we wouldn't want to waste water washing dishes - hence the need for disposable eating utensils. Or, what was the good of having medical supplies without training or a first-aid manual? Fires are common after earthquakes, so we attached shut off wrenches to our gas meters - no need to run around trying to find one in a panic.

My DH and I have our own areas of "specialty". He is more interested in the electronics, faraday cage (ours is made from a small sized metal trash can, lined with cardboard, sealed with metal tape), generators, solar energy, building and repair, and defense. My areas of interest are food storage, gardening, first aid, clothing, bedding, etc. It works for us.

I've gotten better over time at dating everything that is for storage, and rotating everything to keep it usable. We keep the generators and extra gas in a storage shed rather than in our garage for safety reasons and my husband rotates the gas twice a year because it needs to be kept fresh too.

I know that mominohio already knows this, but I want to share one word of encouragement with anyone who might read this thread: you can choose the level of preparedness that is right for you. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'd like to see everyone prepared for 2 weeks, but anything over that is a personal choice. No right or wrong. Something is better than nothing!

This is very true, and great advice.

I personally find it selfish or neglectful for people not to prepare for a minimum of two weeks. To be able to feed (including water) and care for yourself without the normal day to day necessities like utilities, gas stations, and banks or stores, seems to be easy enough for most people to do, if they want to. If people can't get through even a few days (unless of course there is a medical need to be met) without the help of others, they are actually adding to the burden of the event, rather than being of help in tough times.

And you are so right. Not everyone is going to cover every base, but something is better than nothing, and will make the event much easier to get through.

[spot555]

mominohio

I haven't built a Faraday cage. I'm currently using my large metal filing cabinet for that purpose (you can search how to do this). I wrap all my batteries, etc. in foil, & make sure that nothing touches the edges of the cabinet. I also keep some flashlights & other things in there.

[Johnnyeager]

Some time ago there was a thread about folks still using cash versus just credit/debit cards. I was surprised at how many people said that they almost never have any cash. I remember after Hurricane Sandy when downtown Manhattan was without electricity for days some small food shops were still preparing burgers, eggs, coffee and such with gas, but accepting only cash.

In a real panic I imagine cash will be king so its always wise to keep some available.

[Qwackertoo]

On 4/14/2015 Johnnyeager said:

Some time ago there was a thread about folks still using cash versus just credit/debit cards. I was surprised at how many people said that they almost never have any cash. I remember after Hurricane Sandy when downtown Manhattan was without electricity for days some small food shops were still preparing burgers, eggs, coffee and such with gas, but accepting only cash.

In a real panic I imagine cash will be king so its always wise to keep some available.

And not all hundred or twenty dollar bills. Lots of 1's, 5's, 10's too!!! Lots.

[Mominohio]

On 4/14/2015 Qwackertoo said:

On 4/14/2015 Johnnyeager said:

Some time ago there was a thread about folks still using cash versus just credit/debit cards. I was surprised at how many people said that they almost never have any cash. I remember after Hurricane Sandy when downtown Manhattan was without electricity for days some small food shops were still preparing burgers, eggs, coffee and such with gas, but accepting only cash.

In a real panic I imagine cash will be king so its always wise to keep some available.

And not all hundred or twenty dollar bills. Lots of 1's, 5's, 10's too!!! Lots.

Small bills, and a pocket full of coins, can go a long way in an emergency. Many places that can do business with power down, may not be able to make change after a short time.

And I can't believe that there are now places that want to charge a fee to take cash. My son would go to one particular Verizon store to pay his phone bill, and they would charge him, I think $3 to pay it there in cash. That is just crazy.

Several years ago, we had a 5 day power outage due to an ice storm. Much of our area was without power, and a number of the post offices were unable to function. Our little tiny blip in the road post office (which has since been closed due to cuts....grrrrr!!), still did everything the 'old way'. They still weighed the packages on the manual scales, looked up the postage in a book, had a cash drawer that just pulled open, and used a solar calculator to add numbers. It was amazing how people came from all around to do business during that time period. New ways are great, but letting totally go of the simple, old, manual ways of doing things can be so dangerous in situation where there is no power.