I have a year's worth of salsa, my kids and I made it last summer for the wedding this spring - so if there's a tortilla chip emergency, we are ready.

Living in the CA Central Valley, snow is not a concern. But, a really massive earthquake or flood could possibly cause real problems.

I don't have emergency supplies per se, but we certainly wouldn't starve were we to be stranded for a few weeks or so. Between my stuffed pantry, and two refrigerator/freezers we have food enough. I always have a fair number of bottles and tubs of ice made for picnics and to take in lunches, and they would both extend the time my frozen/refrigerated foods would last in case of power outage and provide drinking/cooking water should power fail. Also, we live within a reasonable hike to a river, and always have bleach on hand to purify river water if need be.

I've a fireplace, bbq and camp stoves so cooking wouldn't be a problem. And it really never gets cold enough here that we couldn't do without heat if necessary as we have plenty of good, warm clothes, blankets and sleeping bags.

Something that people can tend to forget is pet food. We have three cats, and I try to keep enough of at least their dry food on hand for them to last a few weeks. They mightn't be happy about going without wet food, but they'd survive.

Yep, we do have a year's supply of laundry soap, TP, etc.

It's all part of our basic financial planning and we taught our 3 kids to do the same. Our family order is...

1.) Three month's living expenses in ready cash;
2.) Pay off all debt except mortgage(s);
3.) One-year food/commodity storage;
4.) 1/4 bag of junk silver per person plus a bit of gold in small coins. We've had that for our family for over 30 years. It's our present to each new grandchild. (It's tempting to sell it all now; but, we won't.)
5.) Max out 401(k);
6.) Buy personal home;
7.) Other investments.

The food/commodity program worked well for our family. Prices continually rise over the long term. Worst case is that I purchase TP at today's price point & don't use it until next October.

We were in Denver in 1987 when the economy nose-dived. DH lost his job. We went 13 months without a paycheck & had to relocate cross-country to NH for work. We had lots of things to worry about but feeding/clothing 3 young children wasn't one of them because we had that storage program.

Self-sufficiency has been drilled into me by my immigrant parents/grandparents plus my sister married into a Morman family (lol). I don't raise my own chickens but I'm unlikely to run out of eggs for a very long time & if I do...there's a year's worth waiting for me at my DS & DDIL's home. (It's nice having adult children to take over!)

Yes, we do have available cash. Personally, I think it's foolish not to make those kind of arrangements. And it's stupid to have it under the mattress or buried in the backyard.

Preparedness & planning ahead is also cheaper. I can delay purchases waiting for good sale opportunities whether for milk, shoes or shirts, or TP. We've always got unworn sneakers, jeans, tees, underware, socks, etc. in our commodity storage. In over 30 years, I've never regreted it.

We sold our boat January '09 & we're finding ourselves uncomfortable without that means of transportation. We carried 15,500 lbs. of fuel with a range of 900-1,100 nm and capacity for 3-4 months supplies (except fresh water - we only carried 250 gallons). As long distance offshore cruisers we've learned to be ultra-conservative with supplies & I imagine if forced I could have found a way to store a full 6 months of supplies in that boat! DH is anxiously awaiting this fall's boat shows! If it gets ugly here we'll just putter our way to either Annie's (near lake Michigan) or to mustangs in Florida! ROFL!! :)

You're not the first to think it's crazy but our kids all learned their lesson when DH lost his job some 20+ years ago. A well planned storage program/plan & the ability to execute that plan makes loss of electricity or a snowstorm a no-brainer. I even took these really fun courses in open hearth cooking thru Strawberry Banke a couple decades ago where we not only made meals but also soap. On our little spit of land here I only garden ornamentals but I'm a master gardener thanks to the UNH Coop Ext. & have grown food crops since I was a kid growing up on 2,000 acres of farm land in the San Joaquin Valley.

I can't come even close to matching grainlady's budget but there's no doubt that our storage programs saves us, on average, at least 40% consistently on everything we consume. There's nothing crazy about that!

/tricia

Grainlady,

What is the supplier that you use for dehydrated foods? Ive looked around the internet and found that prices are all over the place and have yet to find one place that has everything that I would be interested in. Mostly I am looking for eggs, vital wheat gluten, butter and freeze dried fruit and vegetables. I have a few things that we bought for long term in cans but they take up a lot of space and living in Ca. its hard to control the temperature in the summer and I know that will affect the shelf life.

Al,

The problem is yes you can buy firearms but be sure to look at the availability of ammunition it's hard to come by now. DH reloads and we have enough supplies to last a lifetime but its not like it was even 2 years ago when you could walk into any sporting goods store and buy ammunition for a hand gun. Its almost impossible plus online dealers cant ship like they used to and if you can find it the prices have gone thought the roof.

Claudia

Claudia,

You're right about the ammunition business. It's nationwide. Needless, but accurate.

That's why DH (he was born/raised in CO) taught all 3 of our kids to be proficient with a bow. Target practice at the range was one of our family's favorite weekend activities (we'd have a picnic afterwards & stream fish). All 3 have carry permits & hunting/fishing licenses. Our oldest daughter is amazing with her bow! She's also the best fisherman(woman) out of the five of us.

God Forbid (but true)...in an emergency, a bow works just as well on two-legged intruders as it does on the 4-legged kind. :(

/tricia

LOL FOAS on both your posts, especially the first one.

I don't have an emergency stash as such but we could live quite a while on what I normally stock in the pantry and freezer. Lots of meats, veggies, fruit, flours plus tons of home canned stuff.

The exception is drinking water. I have a few large containers at the cottage because we need to bring drinking water in but at home........no supply of water which in turn can make making bread etc a challenge.

Oh, and I for sure don't have enough wine or Vodka.....

"........no supply of water which in turn can make making bread etc a challenge. "

well stock up on vodka girlfriend! I bet in a pinch you could use it for your bread dough.. the vodka pastry crust is really popular, right?

Alexa

Other than fresh milk (although I do have powdered) and fresh fruits, I could live for a very long time from the pantry and the freezer.

partst -

I've tried several sources (most of them found by trial and error doing on-line searches, price comparisons, or referenced in some books I've read, but some of my favorites:

Honeyville Grain -
http://www.honeyvillegrain.com/
They charge $4.49 for S/H for your entire order. I'd don't like their freeze-dried peas as well as I like Mountain House brand, but that's the only thing I've had a small issue with. They occasionally have 10% off if you purchase a case of something (6-cans), or 10% off your entire order. This is where I purchase Vital Wheat Gluten in #10 cans for making "fake meat" and High-Maize Resistant Starch. They recently started carrying freeze-dried meats and I've purchased some, but haven't opened them yet. They e-mail any sales they have.

Emergency Essentials -
www.beprepared.com
You can buy a sample pack of freeze-dried foods so you can see if you like them - that's how I started. I keep an eye out for sales and also get e-mails and their catalog.

Blue Chip Group -
http://www.bluechipgroup.net/
This is where I get Morning Moo's Whey-Based Milk Substitute, and other things. They also have sales, so check occasionally.

I've purchased from Walton Feed, but haven't order from them in a number of years.

I've also purchased from Pleasant Hill Grain, but not very much. They also have a sample pack, but it's DEHYDRATED foods.

There IS a difference between dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. The first difference is price (dehydrated foods are generally a little less expensive) - plus you can make your own at home. It's a convenient way to preserve a lot of produce.

The second difference is how long they take to rehydrate. Dehydrated foods take MUCH longer to rehydrate than freeze-dried. Freeze-dried foods rehydrate in hot water in 4-10 minutes, or you can snack on them without re-hydrating, but dehydrated foods may take 40-50 minutes to rehydrate, or have to be cooked for a long period of time to re-hydrate. Dehydrated foods lose more flavor and texture than freeze-dried. I use both. Wouldn't be without either in the grand scheme of things.

Always remember, store what you use and use what you store. It WAS a learning curve to put these kinds of foods into menu planning. My goal wasn't to just hoard them, but use them. So instead of having 5 cans of green peas on the shelf, I now have a #10 can of freeze-dried green peas (22 1/2-cup servings). Less waste and NO water to dump down the drain. I use freeze-dried foods, instead of frozen. Since we are basically whole foods people, it worked out very well for us.

People use dried foods at home all the time, they just don't think about purchasing them and using them by making their own homemade mixes or in everyday food preparation.

Another advantage of having home food storage, I only buy food when I find it at the lowest possible price because I "shop" at home for menu planning, not at the store. I generally only purchase loss leaders and manager's specials when I shop, and a small amount of so-called "fresh" produce (fooling ourselves into believing it's FRESH) when we're not producing our own. I stack savings by using a coupon or finding a rebate for even more savings.

I may only purchase potatoes a few times a year when they are buy one bag, get one free, and will make them into mashed potatoes, vacuum seal them in user-friendly amounts and stick them in the freezer, or dehydrate them. I bought enough sweet potatoes in November at Wal-Mart at rock-bottom prices, dehydrated them, and have enough powdered sweet potatoes to last until next year.

As of the first of the year I cut our food dollars by 25% - so now I budget $75 every TWO weeks. The only way I could do this is because of home food storage and making "value" choices in foods that are nutrient dense. I avoid convenience foods and over-processed foods.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, I have a few questions.

What kind of food dehydrator do you use? I've read a little about them here and there. I even have one but it's a piece of carp. It never dehydrates anything properly and takes days to do what it does. Do you store your dehydrated items out of the freezer?

And, also, is that your entire budget? Or do you spend 75.00 every two weeks for the bulk items only? You're doing great if that's your entire budget! Good job.

If there ever was some kind of disaster then water is my big worry. It doesn't rain much or often here. We don't have a well but aren't most of the pumps for them run by electricity or something? In that scenario, even growing vegetables would be a problem since they need water too. I often marvel at how the pioneers managed to survive. Geesh.

My DH remembers very vividly what it was like when his father broke his back in a logging accident. Due to "issues" with Workers Compensation, his family went a year with no income. His parents had four boys to feed, so having a good storage of canned goods and dry goods, a freezer full of meat, ammunition and fishing gear to get more protein, and a seasonal garden, kept them going for that long period before money started coming in.

What money they did have paid the mortgage and fuel bills for family transport to the VA hospital, etc.

As Grainlady and Triciae said, it might not be a natural disaster. It might be a personal financial one. In this economy with the high rate of unemployment, there are many families who might not have lost their homes if they hadn't needed to use their unemployment benefits on food and a high credit/installment debt load.

I'm not a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, but there is a lot to be said for their emphasis on self-sufficiency.

For us it isn't because we're survivalists or have an apocalyptic mentality, it's just a natural consequence of coming from farming backgrounds and being geared to stocking up. Being older and having parents with vivid memories of the Depression and WWII rationing, I'm sure are also factors.

We do have plenty of firepower and a good stock of ammunition, though I certainly hope we never need it for those purposes. We also have cash available. Here the eruption of Mt. St. Helens totally "dislocated" all normal functions for quite some time. In our electronic society, an extended power outage means no ATMs, no credit card readers, even cash registers don't work.

Carol

We probably have around a 4 month supply of necessities. We use the food saver to vac. rice, oatmeal, grains, and store those in bins in the pantry. We have 2 fridge freezers full of meats, fruits and veggies that we have vacuumed sealed. We shop the warehouse stores for paper goods and first aid supplies, have the room to store them so no problem there. The only thing I would say we are lacking in is dairy products. We do not stock up on those type of items. I'm not a fan of powdered milk (didn't like it as a child when mom use to give it to us, still don't like the taste today.) so we would have to figure something out for those items. Have a gas range for cooking and a parlor stove for heat. I think our family could far pretty well for a while until the utilities came back on line. NancyLouise

Thanks grainlady,

I will be looking at your links. The long shelf life cans I have DH bought from someone through work, cant remember the name of the place, but I really want to look into the freeze dried because of the heat we have here and the space it might save. I did open a can of butter just to see what it was like it was Ok but not something I would like to use every day.

Carol,

I agree were not survivalists or have an apocalyptic mentality either but I do believe in self-sufficiency especially in the times we are living in. We will have another terrorist attack at some point and if it stops commerce we may all be on our own for a long time. Money wont matter if your grocery store has empty shelves or is closed. If we have a major earthquake the Red Cross wont make it to Kernville for months. The canyon was closed once for 3 months and had it been winter it would have almost impossible to get out of this valley.

Claudia

Uhmmm, I am in the "no" camp also.
I think it's because of where I live. In 45 years, there has never been a disaster that closed a grocery store longer than a day.
We did lose power in 2006 from an ice storm, we were out for 5 days, so we went out to eat for most meals-until dh borrowed a co workers generator on day 3.

I also live about 4 miles away from all the stores so having a lot of food on hand isn't that necessary but I do keep a well stocked large freezer and pantry and could live for a long time on what we have, if necessary. I stock up when food is on loss leader sales.

When we have impending snow or ice, I feel this huge need to go grocery shopping so that if indeed it does snow, I can stay home and sip hot chocolate-and have plenty of ingredients to cook up hearty soups.

I did stock up heavily- a years supply of everything just about- for y2k. Took us years to get rid of it all.
The amount of olive oil, wine and chocolate I bought was ridiculous!

I went with my church group to help clean up for Hurricane Hugo and even then, the McDonald's was selling hamburgers using a generator. No milkshakes though.

If I ever had to live of the land, I think we could. We live on a creek and we could distill it. Plenty of deer, rabbits and wild turkey around and I do have books on this kind of thing. I also have a can of "seeds" for vegetables.

trsinc -

I have a NESCO American Harvest Dehydrator, readily available at ACE Hardware, True Value Hardware, Wal-Mart, etc... I've used mine for more than a decade. There are almonds in it as I type. I've added more trays, fruit leather sheets, and some Clean-A-Screen sheets that I use for sticky or small items. I also have a Jerkey-Maker that you use for extruding jerky made with lean ground meat.

For more information about dehydrators:
National Center for Home Food Preservation
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry.html

I do store some dehydrated foods in the freezer, but most of the things I dehydrate I put in canning jars and vacuum-seal them shut with a FoodSaver. There is a special method called DEHYDROFREEZING where you remove about 70% of the moisture in your dehydrated foods, but you MUST store them in the freezer to prevent bacteria growth. Normally you remove 80% of the moisture in fruits and 90% in vegetables. Benefits using this method:
-foods have better color and taste
-the foods take up less space in the freezer than raw foods
-the foods rehydrate in less time than fully-dehydrated

I like to dehydrofreeze large fruits like apricots and plums. I also dehydrate 1/2-inch cubes of lean COOKED meat and I vacuum seal it in a FoodSaver bag and freeze it.

My food budget (used for food only) is $75 every two weeks (for 2 adults) and that pays for ALL food. To date, I've spent $171.09 out of $225 for the year. I keep meat purchases to around $10/week out of that budget, and try to stay under $2/pound for meat, as a general guideline. I make all our breads and baked goods, and I think that's a huge $-saver and boost for better nutrition because I mill the flour. And all the other things I make with wheat - Cream of Wheat cereal, cracked wheat, bulgur, cooked wheat berries, wheat sprouts and wheat grass. I can even use it for the gluten to make "fake meat".

Whole Kernel & Bulgur Wheat - Preparation and Useage
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_356.pdf

Water source... We have around 1,000-gallons of water storage outdoors (rain barrels). We don't have them in use during the winter, but this is how we water our gardens and landscaping from March until November. Indoors we have racks of 5-gallon and 3-gallon jugs. I also have more than one way I can purify water for drinking, including a non-electric water distiller.

Maybe it IS a "country" thing.... Growing up in the middle of nowhere, we did home canning, grew potatoes and stored them in a concrete storm shelter. Stocked up for the winter should there be a blizzard or ice storm. We raised a hog every year for the freezer, and chickens for meat and eggs. Bought beef from a neighbor. We were always self-sufficient, and food storage is just an extension of that mind set. We didn't have the luxury of running to the store every time we ran short of something.

-Grainlady

It never ceases to amaze me what I learn on this forum. I had no idea that people actually had this kind of storage in their homes. It's really enlightening.

Here in Atlanta the last long power outage was back about 40 years ago. It was a little over a week and was terrible since we so seldom have any problems.

Now I have a bigger problem in that although I do have a fireplace, I've had trouble with people stealing my firewood even in non-emergency times. I live in a townhouse and everyone is in close quarters. I'm about the only one in the buildings surrounding me who ever had a store of firewood. It's due to space problems. So there would definitely be people helping themselves and it wouldn't last even one day. Kerosene heaters are a problem too because of the storage space shortage.

After reading this and saving grainlady's websites on freeze dried/dehydrated foods, I think my best options would be stocking up on freeze dried foods and water. And fuel for the grill!

Thanks to all of you on opening my eyes! And yes, I've often thought of a weapon.

No, my form of emergency food is a 357 magnum. I will steal whatever I need in the form of an emergency!

Just kidding. I don't own a handgun.....but I have been watching all seven seasons of The Shield that I bought for my dad for Christmas....so I have that mentality on my mind!

I have no extra stock. I could eat cheaply if necessary. I don't eat much at all despite my size LOL.

Duane

Coincidence? My Emergency Essentials catalog arrived this afternoon. lol

/t

I've been monitoring this to see if I would be on the side of survival or starvation. What I will be able to do for an extended emergency is to clean the house, kill weeds, and keep my hair clean and styled.

A friend was walking through our garage and DH showed them that I have amassed enough cleaners and weed killer to last us the rest of our lives. DD said much the same thing when she was in my bathroom looking for deodorant and couldn't find any. She said "mom, you have more hair products than CVS". (Silly girl, deodorant is kept in the closet where I get dressed)

So, perhaps I could barter weed killer for your survival garden for food??

DH says I must be planning on using toilet paper as barter. LOL In each bathroom I had a drawer built deep enough and wide enough to hold one of those 36 roll packs from Costco. You never know it may turn out to be worth than dollars.

Claudia

I hope it never turns to that in our lifetime....but we have enough leaves to substitute as TP if needed. Again....hope it doesn't happen! Big difference between lotion added toilet paper and oak leaves! LOL!~

Duane

Claudia, thanks for the reminder. We actually have more restrictions here in Canada. You're right about the ammunition and we will look at this matter from a different angle. Interesting thought about using a bow. I will do some research on the restrictions and availability here as well.

Grainlady, you never stop to amaze me. Now I have to pull out my old dehydrator to see if it still works.

Duane LOL leaves for TP. I really should give some thoughts to this... :p

Al

Wow, great posts here and I am glad to see so many are set for the worst. I was surprise by the comments of "going out to eat".

Annie, buy extra coffee beans and vac pack them.

May, several years ago the phone company had a major fire that downed access lines. No phones, and no ATM's for 6 weeks until it was repaired. Do I think the worse could happen some day. Yes, I do, but I don't lose sleep over it. Storms, strikes, terrorist of many kinds, job loss,political changes, anything can happen in life. I just don't stick my head in the sand.

Tricia, you are right about the gold and silver.

Grainlady, thanks for all the information.

I was thinking about this topic thread while I was working today, and it occurred to me that in case of a real emergency, a few extra medical supplies might be a good thing to have on hand. Neither my husband nor I take any medication the lack of would threaten our life, but during a true emergency situation, when hospitals might be overwhelmed or destroyed, I can think of a few things we might stock up on.

I did get one of those wind up flashlights a while back and was quite surprised at how well it works, and have thought about getting one of the radios that is powered the same way. We always have a fair supply of batteries around, but batteries run out quickly.

I may lay in a few more bottles of wine, Scotch and good chocolate as well...maybe not necessities, but during a rough time, small luxuries would be comforting and morale is important. ;)

That's a good strategy. I am experiencing a snow-induced vodka shortage, and wondering if tequila, club soda, lemon juice, and Splenda will make a good mixed drink. . .

Let us know, Jessica. :D

Someone would need to rescue us...

Everytime I look at the title of this thread, I read "Emergency Pants".

Which might be as essential as an Emergency Pantry.

AM

Hey, I drove an hour to the next city to shop...only to realize I had no shoes on. Second time it happened in a month. So now I carry "emergency shoes" in my trunk.

Fortunately, I was right in front of a Rack Room Shoes when this happened....so I had to go in with my socks on and buy a pair of shoes real fast. Nobody saw me!

LOL, bumblebeez, I once drove from Michigan to Great Lakes Naval Base without a pair of shoes. My Mother still loves to remind me...

Peppi, I don't have a food saver, you'll have to vac pack them for me. (grin)

Oh, and as for those bows, look at a crossbow. Here in Michigan if you are over 50 you can hunt during bow season for deer with them, and they're way easier than your normal bow or compound bow.

I do have a gun, and ammo, but I cry when I hit a squirrel with the Jeep, so Elery's going to have to be the "enforcer" in my family.

Tricia, come on over. Bring coffee.

Annie

Rachellen,

You're absolutely right about the medical supplies. As offshore boaters, we have this kit (see link) that serves double duty. It goes with us on the boat and when we get back the kit goes back to the house. So far, we've only had to use it on the boat...a few fish hook removals, a couple engine room burns, & a few seasick passengers (lol).

West Marine sells many different medical kit arrangements & all are USCG approved. Who knows what's in those from places like Wally World?!

Every home should also have fire extinguishers & every person living in the home should know how to use it.

Since we're just feet from the water, we have VHF here at the house. Sshhh, don't tell anybody! lol We've found that marine weather reports are by far the most accurate plus we pick-up commercial marine traffic with on-the-spot reports of what's actually happening. In the event we had a life-threatening emergency & couldn't reach land-based help we could always push our Distress SOS VHF button & it will put out our Lat/Lon location to all mariners & the USCG. We'd probably end up in jail after being released from the hospital 'cause we're not supposed to use it on land but, heck, if we need help quickly I'll worry about that little 'detail' later...much later. :)

During 911 & the days immediately following the VHF was our primary source of news affecting our local area. (USCG broadcasts) Anyway, things like short wave & VHF are good alternatives to TV for news.

On the ATMs, there are many reasons why they might be unavailable. Cyber attack (even coming from foreign countries), weather (either no power or inability of personnel to refill the ATMs due to impassable roads or closures), internal bank issues, etc. ATMs are conveniences & should never be considered as substituting for personal planning. They're actually quite vunerable. ATMs are solely bank convenience services...they don't have to have them operating. (Don't forget...even tellers are bank convenience services.)

Hey, I'm Christian so I expect miracles, hope for the best, & plan for the worst! :)

/tricia

You're not the first to think it's crazy
Believe me, I don't think any of you are crazy, and I didn't say that or mean to imply that. I just wanted to understand.

Which, after reading your replies, I think I do. It's just a totally different mind set. It makes sense to those of you who do this to do it. For me, it just doesn't make sense on many levels. Having emergency cash, saving money for possible unemployment, that kind of stuff, yes. I do that.

I guess if an emergency of this magnitude were to happen, I'm one of the ones who wouldn't make it through. But weighing the chances of that vs the effort, cost, and other implications of storing a year's worth of food, for me, the scale tips to being blissfully unprepared.

Again, this is a very interesting topic!

If you need a year's supplies, and guns and ammo, none of that will matter if you're not in the right place.
You need a defensible perimeter, and we don't have one.

I agree, CC, if you have to defend your food supply, you have to have a fortress to defend.

Here, though a gun is a given, used for everything from shooting the pigeons out of the hay mow so they don't poop on the hay to shooting deer during deer season (or outside of deer season, for some people) to slaughtering cattle in the fall.

A bow is more of a "niche" kind of item, but becoming more popular because arrows are reusable!

Annie

I think my mindset resembles Lowspark's. Maybe we're not tough enough enough, and maybe it's just that we're urbanites and not used to the self-sufficient life style of farmers, but I keep thinking that "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link," and we couldn't possibly cover all the bases in the face of a major disaster. For one thing, we'd need prescription meds for both DH and DC (cousin), and most of them are not dispensed more than a month's worth at a time. We don't have a generator, a fireplace, or a rain barrel. Also, we don't have many possessions worth stealing, and it seems to me that neighborliness and community cohesiveness is a better defense than firearms. I can envision an apocalyptic scenario, but I can't dwell on it because too much would be beyond my control, and 80% or 90% preparedness wouldn't suffice.

OTOH, I certainly do see the point of preparing for the inability to replenish supplies for a period of several weeks because of natural occurrences like ice storms and floods. The recent snowstorms have taught me where I need to reinforce my storage system.

I never knew there were things like powdered peanut butter and dehydrated vegetables (except for astronauts' food). I do have a hand-cranked/solar-powered radio/flashlight, and I guess I ought to learn how to use it. I do want to be reasonably prepared for extreme weather conditions and power outages, but it's beyond me to be prepared, in a material sense, for disasters.

Sue

Annie,

Here, in CT, crossbows are only legal for handicapped hunters with a special permit. We started all 3 of our kids (1 son & 2 daughters) with compound bows when they were just tykes ranging in age from 6-9. They make those things in itty-bitty sizes.

We'll bring coffee...is Mystic Dark Blend OK? :)

/t

I think some who live in urban areas are more accustomed to have stores, etc. nearby.
Even in the city, you'd be amazed what you could store that would feed/comfort you for a short period of time (ice storms, no ATM, etc.).
A few cans of meat (tuna, salmon, clams), 3-4 pounds of pasta and a couple of large cans of tomato sauce "could" feed a family of 4 for several days. It's even somewhat balanced with protein, starch and veggie. Not ideal or gourmet by any means. But you wouldn't be hungry!
One box of dry milk and big can of oatmeal and some dried fruit could be breakfasts for those same several days.
All this would store in the bottom of a closet or under the bed! Add some chocolate bars, 'cuz after about the 3rd day of eating the same thing...........you're gonna get really grouchy!! LOL Chocolate will help!

And Duane.......you'll have to get you and your 357, through my gate, down my driveway, through my door before I get a shot off if you want my supplies!!! LOLOL

JUST KIDDING!

Actually part of our planning, is to be able to help those who couldn't or didn't plan. I would be the one calling the neighborhood meeting to see who has what and who NEEDS what! United we stand kind of thing.....

I'm with triciae....Christian, expecting miracles, hoping/praying for the best and preparing for the worst.

I really like that saying!

Deanna

I really think in a true emergency that I hope I wouldn't stay home and arm the fort but be out helping those in true need; the elderly, the disabled and the poor.

bumblebeez,

In my first post, I noted that we stored enough supplies for several extra people. And Deanna has also noted that she would work with her community and help those in need. I've no doubt that grainlady & others also include contingency plans in their programs.

But, and it's an important "But"...

If you are hungry, thirsty, & without basic substenance supplies you would be unable to help anybody...not even yourself. So, what would be your definition of "true" need?

There are those, unfortunately, in this world that prey on others.

Whether it was the hours in the gym doing body building, taekwondo lessons, the archery practice, the firearms range, the 9 months in the master gardeners classes, learning how to make bread from wheat, make soap, and since I live on the water...learning to captain a boat...all of these self-defense & self-sufficiency skills have provided me with both the opportunity and the MEANS to help those you mentioned...the elderly, the disabled (that would now be me, BTW), and the poor.

We have to take care of ourselves before we can provide for others.

/t

As they say at take off secure your mask first then assist the other person.

I love reading on this topic. It's something I've struggled with for many years. There's such a difference about what you can do for rural vs urban. I think about all the possible disasters. Tricae, I lived on a boat for many years, and we now live right on the coast. I too have the vhf radio. I've take survival courses for desert living. But the truth is, we live in an urban environment in Los Angeles. If the water supply goes out, that's it. It doesn't matter how much food we have, or whether I know how to shoot a bow, track animals or tan hides (which I do... brain tanning). If I don't have a supply of fresh water...

I really shouldn't have said that because I don't mean anyone here and I apologize. I do understand what you are doing.
And I know others like you all who are generous, kind and the most compassionate people I know who help people all the time while taking care of their own families.

I think the emergency preparedness is such a foreign thing in my area that the only disasters I can imagine are terrorist attacks or nuclear and those make me scared! I don't know what I would do - and a huge supply of candy bars won't help much.

Bumblebeez, I think your last sentance was the point and goal of my original post- to get people thinking about they should and can do, not just or themselves and family but for others too.

I will call this mission accomplished. Now go forth and plan and do. And remember, a pantry is more than food. It is currency, medications, and improtant papers.

Annie, bring them and I will vac for you.And dang it, get one!

And thank you, for I know what I am missing. Ammo and powdered milk.

Tricia, Cathy and others you are right. If you have, you can help.

Just by being self-sufficient you'd be helping, because that frees up more supplies for others.
I'm glad for this thread (won't say I'm glad for all the snow) to remind me we should have water stored.

If you want to be really motivated to prepare, read One Second After by William Forstchen. It's a novel about what would happen after an EMP attack. The electromagnetic pulse brings everything to a halt. The story imagines what life would be like in one of the best places, a community in the mountains of North Carolina. The people have skills, they help each other, and there is even one car that still works. But things get harder and harder. It's an edge-of-the-seat read, and very scary because it's possible.

cloudy_christine, that reminds me of the conversations my husband and I had while Jericho was still on TV (other than the re-runs). It really makes one think. We have even tossed around opinions on why new Jericho shows havent have stopped.
Tammy

Generator:

Generator is a must for your house, wherever you are, rural or in big cities. How do you guys use your generators? Extension cord? or a very expensive switching system? I have a way to hook up your generator to your house easily if you are interested.

Water:

Water in your toilet tank is very clean. You can last a long time if your water is out.

Cooking:

A portable propane stove (camping stove) is very inexpensive.

dcarch

One more thing:

If you don't want to buy a generator, you can get an inverter (around 300 watts) to run an extension cord from your car battery to power your computer, TV, internet, radio, CFL lights.

A 1,000 watt inverter can run your frig.

Of course you need to keep the engine running.

Inverters are not that expensive.

dcarch

dcarch, I have an inverter because I camp a lot. It's going to be a problem when the vehicle runs out of gas, though, if you can't get anywhere to get some more fuel.

when I build at the farm I'll have a generator wired into the house, the power out there is out for days at a time pretty regularly and everyone pretty much has a generator. The local farmers have learned to fix their own downed power lines, if you have 1,000 cattle to milk, you want power for the milking machines, even if you heat with wood and preserve everything in sight. The power company doesn't like it, but looks the other way when it happens.

Annie

"Posted by annie1992 ----dcarch, I have an inverter because I camp a lot. It's going to be a problem when the vehicle runs out of gas, though, -------
when I build at the farm I'll have a generator wired into the house, ------
Annie"

If you get a few old car batteries and charge them up, they may not have enough power to crank a car, but they have plenty left for inverters.

It's a shame not more people have inverters. A 300 Watt inverter can be bought for $20.00.

A standby power generator that's wired to your house is very expensive, compared to a regular generator.

dcarch

Yes, dcarch, I'm aware. The boss just dropped nearly $20,000 getting a generator wired into the house. When you lost power nearly monthly, though, it's not such a bad expenditure.

I live in town and don't lose power very often but people who live outside of the "city limits" seem to lose power regularly.

Annie