Getting Started

[wcd]

We are very new to this. In the past we have canned food for preservation purposes. Veggies Chili chicken. So how do you build on that with out having an unlimited budget? Does it make sense to start with roll back items from Walmart such as soups canned pasta tuna etc?We usually buy a case of water weekly just to have on hand. Suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[d.kaufman]

Thats basically how we got started. Buying some canned goods, water, medical supplies, etc. Whenever the budget allows. In the past few years we've moved on to canning our own veggies and fruits from the garden. Also very good idea to stock up on rice and beans as they're pretty inexpensive and can buy quite a bit at one time. We've also started raising chickens for eggs along with a few meat birds, if.property would allow id love to branch out to pigs and goats but until i can talk the wife into selling and getting some property that's not gonna happen to soon. Dont forget and overlook toiletries also. I also believe in stocking up on ammo, silver, and any small.amounts of gold i can get ahold of when the budget allows. I've even started buying copper bouillon as it is cheap and relatively easy to melt and mold into whatever you might need, bullets and such, plus i believe it will also be good for bartering if the need arises. Hope some of this helps and good luck.. stock up and be prepared!

 

[pudly]

Be sure to rotate your stored food. Eat the older stuff while it is still withing the "best by" date and continue building your stocks. Eat what you store and store what you eat. So, if you eat Veggies Chili chicken, that should be part of your stores. You can build it up a little at a time as your budget allows. When you would buy 3 cans of soup just for normal use, buy 4 instead. When you see a sale on something you want, jump on it and buy as much as you can. Each fall (about October), most of the grocery stores seriously discount canned vegetables. So, veggies that are 75 cents to a dollar/can normally have been 33 cents for the last couple of years.

As for water, there are many ways to buy/store it. The bottled water is convenient, but probably the least economical form of water storage. Tap water is infinitely cheaper. You just need the right containers. You can buy dedicated storage containers (check for BPA free) or use recycled containers. Milk jugs aren't considered good for the purpose. Soda bottles are fine.

Keep your stores cool, dry and well sealed. That will help them stay fresh and hold their nutrients longer.

 

[sgreen3]

Yup same here when they do the 10 for $10 sales here at our local store we will get those or other non perishable food items that we catch on sale and just stick them back. Then we try an rotate everything out each month, by that I mean eating the oldest and buying new to take the spot of what we ate. An also as mentioned its a good way to get stocked on medical supplies also.

 

[wcd]

Thats basically how we got started. Buying some canned goods, water, medical supplies, etc. Whenever the budget allows. In the past few years we've moved on to canning our own veggies and fruits from the garden. Also very good idea to stock up on rice and beans as they're pretty inexpensive and can buy quite a bit at one time. We've also started raising chickens for eggs along with a few meat birds, if.property would allow id love to branch out to pigs and goats but until i can talk the wife into selling and getting some property that's not gonna happen to soon. Dont forget and overlook toiletries also. I also believe in stocking up on ammo, silver, and any small.amounts of gold i can get ahold of when the budget allows. I've even started buying copper bouillon as it is cheap and relatively easy to melt and mold into whatever you might need, bullets and such, plus i believe it will also be good for bartering if the need arises. Hope some of this helps and good luck.. stock up and be prepared!

We have chickens ducks already and Monday we transitioned the turkeys from the pasture to the freezer. We never really thought of it as prepping before. We have a nice parcell and a good deal of my budget has been going towards fencing a little at a time. When that project is done we really want to focus more on raising things like bacon seeds and a steer. So I guess we will do baby steps.

 

[Libertarian01]

As I have always understood a simple premise, it is to begin with having three (3) days of food, water, necessities stored for an emergency.

Once you have that your next goal is three (3) weeks of the same.

After that, three (3) monthes, then finally a year. Planning beyond a year is somewhat problematic, as either the system will have corrected itself by then or a new normal will begin to emerge.

The problem with the "year" is a year for who? I am a single male, so if I store a year for me that is 365 days, easy. But consider what happens if my parents (both living) run out and need help. My 365 just went to 121 days, just more than four (4) monthes. Now I also have a buddy of limited means and I wouldn't want to turn him away, but with him will come his daughter and granddaughter. With the total up to six (6) people my years rations just went to 61 days. That is less than a growing season! Throw in a good guy from INGO in the neighborhood with his wife and two (2) kids who I just couldn't turn down, now I am at ten (10) people with little more than a monthes rations after I started with a year.

Begin prepping with probabilities of risk in mind. One of the most likely events in Indiana that could cause widescale issues is NOT a hurricane or volcano. It is more likely a very bad, prolonged winter storm. So with that in mind prepping could be considering the loss of power in a bad storm that may last three (3) weeks. So food, water, a backup generator, some spare fuel, and possibly nonelectric emergency heating plans. Probably first for most people would be a severe individual economic downturn, either due to injury (like I just experienced) or the loss of a job. In this case, putting aside at least six (6) monthes of money to pay all current bills is an excellent start.

Put Mad Max and the Zombie Apocalypse WAY WAY WAY down on the list to prepare for! I still love post-holocaust stories so do keep these issues on the list, just near the bottom.

Talk to the better half. Make certain both are on board and thinking at least in the same book. The same chapter, page and paragraph would be better, but the book is needed to start effectively. In talking to the better half you WILL eventually need to have a series of conversations as to what happens if everything does go dark for the foreseeable future about who you will want to take in and help versus who will show up at the door and want to be taken in. How do you treat the idiot neighbor/brother/sister/coworker? Talk about everything that both are comfortable with. Nobody is smart enough to think of everything, so two (2) heads are always better than none.

Like others have said in other threads, start thinking of useful skills to pick up. These can be used both for self preservation AND trade! Fixing your own mower is nice. Fixing your neighbors generator is something he will need to pay you for.

Good luck in your planning.

Regards,

Doug

PS - Do NOT lose sight of the fact that it is best to NEVER use this stuff for the reasons bought! You don't buy the fire extinguisher hoping to put out a kitchen fire, it is there in case of a fire. There is a difference some people lose sight of.