Posted: 8/10/2008 6:59:54 PM EDT
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I've recently convinced my wife to really get serious about prepping for a SHTF scenario. We have minor preps (A week or so) in place right now, but would like to aim for at least a month in this first phase of major preps. We have a few considerations most of you don't have, though: 1: We live in a 970 sq ft Condo. Figure our entire prep can take no more than a large closet. No outdoor storage available. 2: Say we have $1000 to spend. This isn't a hard number, but we're on a tight budget. 3: We have "enough" guns/ammo and a good BOV, those aren't concerns. 4: We live on the outskirts of a small city with Open area all around it (Reno) So, what would you do? The first, obvious concern is lack of storage space, specifically for water and to a lesser degree fuel. Some kind of water purification system seems like a good investment, but living in the desert, natural water can be scarce. Secondly, as we live in a condo "Bugging In" isn't really an option, but.. where do we go? Our only land-owning friend is a good 70 mile drive from here, through 2 cities. Thanks for any thought and suggestions. I figured this would be a fun mental exercise for a lot of you, as it's pretty atypical. |
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Once a month buy a case (6 #10 cans) from the LDS store online (you do NOT have to be a member) for $31 which includes shipping, it's like 33 lbs of wheat per case. I have around 300 lbs of it under my bed. Lasts for 30+ years. ETA Water water and more water. Nothing wrong with cases of it from sams club or costco, without water you are dead. Store a couple gallons of bleach, and buy a water filter. Both for safe drinking water. ETA2 Also start building up a large life saving (as opposed to a boo-boo kit). Every time you go food shopping pick something up for the kit, asprin, tylenol, ibuprofin, large gause pads, super glue, also I would buy some antibiotics (and read up on proper use) from vetamerica.com under the fish category. |
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Go to Costco or an equivalent and buy: 50 lbs. of rice in two 25lb. sacks 50 lbs. of flour (usually in 1, fifty pound sack) 50 lbs. of sugar (one pack) Grab some yeast one large rubbermaid tote bin. Put yeast in frig, staples in bin and seal. Get large gallon or so jug of olive oil and spices... Then get a large atlas of the country and of your state. Then prepare to go on a 3 day hiking trip, off road, on foot. This means: small tent, ground tarp, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, 2 large back packs, cooking wear, hikers' stove and fuel, FAK, boots, water bladders or canteens. MSR or Katadyne water purifier or filters. This way, you'll have the basics to 'bug out' by vehicle, hike out on foot, or hunker down for a month. |
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on food- stock up your pantry on extras- - stock up on some LTS items such as- 100 lbs of rice 20 lbsof salt 20 lbs of sugar 50lbs of beans wheat- lds has best going now unless you pack your own. spices- add to panrty as well purchase a 15 gallon water barrel or buy a bunch of smaller 7 gallon ones. get at least 100 gallons worth. Pack your grains and such as you would for LTS that way you have zero issues down the road. get some wet packed food items aka- MRE's or frezze dreid items- not much some. on your BI vs BO- this firend 70 miles away. is he like minded to survival? if so 70 miles is under 10 days slow walk. at 10 miles a day. between two people and split loads that should be a zero issue on foot. via BOV. even easier. routes plan your routes and have back ups. you may be able to detour around those cities- off road as well. more on the "where do we go..." network now. This means meeting and hooking up with others that are likemined in your AO. The HT forums here or other forums. meet/greets/camp outs. If you not going to a local camp/meet you wont meet many folks imho. network network. it takes time to meet people and more time to build a realtionship to trust in a SHTf event! YMMV. |
Do you have an address for this online LDS store? That's a pretty decent deal. |
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1. Make a week's menu, using only canned or boxed foods that do not require refrigeration. Good nutrition, four food groups, something you can eat but might not choose for a midnight snack. If your preps don't already include a weeks worth of fuel for cooking, wood for the woodstove, gas for the Coleman, etc, plan your menu for foods which don't require cooking either. 2. Look UP for storage, then get creative. Under beds, shelves over doors, unused bathtubs, crawlspace, attic, etc. A door that opens out against a blank wall masks a three foot wide, by seven foot tall, by three inch deep (the trim space around the door)space for can shelves. 3. Get orgaized from day one. Very first purchase, a 6 pack of Sharpies and rolls of duct tape for labelling. Spend some time on Wal-mart's Tupperware and closet organization aisles. If you size your Tupperware tubs properly, so that at least two will nest, and stash a couple bags of playground sand, plus a gallon of Clorox, you can make your own high volume backwashable water filter. 4. Print out your menu, and go shopping, start with one week's worth. Get it home, get it organized, then see how much room it takes. 5. Buy additional weeks as space and funding allows. 6. After you get your first month's worth of supplies put back, go back and flesh out those preps, with prescription and OTC medicines, batteries, toothpaste, dish/laundry/bath soap, TP, backup eyeglasses, salt, pepper, sugar, spices etc. Keeping a thumbtacked list in the kitchen and bathroom, updated as you live your normal daily schedule, can help you remember things you might otherwise forget. 7. After you have three months supplies put back, organize one month's worth for a quick bugout. Might be a good time to devise an alternate one week menu, for diversity. 8. Add a week or two worth of MREs. Add another week or two worth of dehydrated trail foods. Get a feel for how many weeks worth of supplies you can load in your BOV, and organize several loadout options for rapid bugout, to the wilderness, to an urban shelter, to an friend's house, etc. 9. Finally, when you hit your targets for designated stockpiled supplies, complete preps for that period with the rest of your survival machine, hand tools, repair parts, spares, cable ties, more duct tape, coat hangers, copper wire, rope, extra boots, etc,. etc. If the SHTF, and the emergency continues long term, your preps are the bank account that will allow you to transtion over time to self reliance. You can plan to support a standalone enclave, or plan to trade for needs you cant store or manufacture yourself, but you need a long term plan. This will help determine what preps you need to make in addition to food, water, ammo and medicine. How would you dress out and preserve a wild pig or deer? Could you save the hide and make clothes from it? Do you have enough salt? Needles and thread? What kind of game thrives in your area and how do you best harvest them? What kind of non-family support exists in your area? Country blacksmith/metal shop? Carpenters that still have basic hand tools? Farmers or ranchers? Whatever you can't trade for, or make yourself, you'll have to do without. What are you going to trade away to get these items? What skills do you have, or could you have to trade with, instead of having to give up dwindling stockpiles? That's a start. use this guideline to design a project path that works for your family in your AO. |
I like that plan. I'm starting mine soon. Hopefuly next payday. |
