Posted: 3/30/2011 3:05:41 AM EDT
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Due to a recent bonus, I've ended up with an extra $500 to prep with. I live in a small apartment, so storage space is limited. Things like generators, large stockpiles of food, etc., just aren't an option. I'm single, so I don't have a wife/kids to worry about.
I'm thinking the best use for this would be to either buy silver, or simply put it in the bank. Any suggestions? CURRENTLY I HAVE:
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Tire repair kit?
12V Inflator? Tow strap? I'm stuck on a car/truck theme. 
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When I see a "hover-Round" old people scooter ad squeezed in between the ads that scream buy gold now....with the volume jacked up so the hearing impaired can hear... I have to say now is not the time to buy gold or silver. Put that $500 in your new car fund or invest it. |
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Credit/debit cards are not very useful in grid-down. Any cash on hand?
Some efficient LED lamps for area lighting and batteries would be a nice addition. I know you said you din't have room for more food, but I'd try to get 90 days worth. We'll need that to shelter in place in the event of a pandemic. |
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Maybe a small safe to keep a month or two worth of cash on hand and somewhere to store the handguns when you're not home. Having money in the bank is a crap shoot especially if there's a area wide power outage.
- a 100gal water bob to store water or a couple 5 gal water cans so you don't have to make as many trips to the lake - a Mr. Buddy heater to keep warm and a half dozen 1lb canisters - multi fuel stove to heat that water for your food/hot drinks. Eating cold food day after day sucks - couple good fire extinguishers - if live on 2nd or 3rd floor of an apartment, a escape ladder to the ground if main door is blocked |
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Eye glasses? (how old are you, check out the off the shelf reading glasses, I just got my "you're 40 now pop go the eyes" thing recently, get a couple of pairs and one good pair (so, $5, $5, $30)) Need dental work? Good pair of boots? Have some decent tools? Pry bar of some sort? Boxcutter? Glues, tape? Cordage? Are you physically fit? Maybe find an exercise hobby and spend a bit on that? Got a HYST BOB put together with your paperwork scanned, encrypted and on a USB drive? Renters Insurance?
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BOBicycle.
At Academy they have a bladder you can put in your bathtub that holds a descent amount of water. Fill it up before the water turns off. Binoculars to scout with. Those screens that let you see out, but others can't see in? I don't know what they're called. Lots of hygiene items. If you have to bunker down for a few weeks in your apartment it's going to get smelly. |
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Quoted:
Due to a recent bonus, I've ended up with an extra $500 to prep with. I live in a small apartment, so storage space is limited. Things like generators, large stockpiles of food, etc., just aren't an option. I'm single, so I don't have a wife/kids to worry about. I'm thinking the best use for this would be to either buy silver, or simply put it in the bank. Any suggestions? Just some random suggestions that popped into my head as I read your list. CURRENTLY I HAVE:
You are on the right track with your prepping. Great job! |
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Get a portable water filter. I own a Katadyn Pocket and can highly recommend it. he has that in #1. i would NOT buy precious metals. i just dont see the use in a shtf scenario. you cant eat it or drink it. those will be the most important things come shtf. i would figure out a way to store more food and water. |
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Thanks for all the input. Some feedback:
A small safe doesn't make much sense. I do have a couple small handgun safes to comply with state storage laws, but there's nothing on the market that: 1. Can't be broken into in 9 hours while I'm at work. 2. Is portable enough that I can take it with me when I move. 3. Doesn't damage the apartment (and thus cost me my deposit) I'm 28, and I wear prescription glasses. I have a spare pair, but need to pick up another. That's covered by my insurance though. Physically fit? Sort of. I was exercising a lot to train for paintball, but given the extremely cold temps over the past few months, I've had to resort to an exercise bike (which is in my livingroom pointed at the TV...). A bladder that fits in a bathtub won't help me much; all I've got is a shower. Yes, I'm a flashlight whore. As far as hygine items, I need to pick up some toothpaste and a spare toothbrush, but I've probably got a 5+ year supply of bar soap and a 1-2 years worth of TP. Yes, it was on sale at BJ's. Waste of space, but since I bought it I'm gonna use it (eventually). I keep about $100 cash set asside (plus about $100-200 in my wallet). I may pick up some silver dimes or increase my on-hand cash supply. With prices as high as they are, I think gold/silver are seriously overvalued. Even if they weren't overvalued, the main thing they are good for would be a long-term investment in serious quantity (like $10k+) as a hedge against inflation. |
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Halffast! he is NOT a flashlight whore! I close to that number of lights per child. If I have my ruck or tool box, then I am at risk of having more lights than that as a matter of every day life. AND I'm not sure that Skibane and Batmanacw will allow me in the flashlight club. |
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I know you don't think you have more room but you need more food and water. You'll go thru 6 gallons in 2-3 days. Even a few extra large soda bottles in the closet could help because you may not be able to get to said lake.
Under the bed is often empty space and I've seen "coffee tables" made of cases of food then covered with a table cloth. Also you didn't mention how the place is heated. You may want to get a propane heater and either propane or oil lamps. Otherwise you're more prepared than most of the population. And tell no one! |
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give us a good reason why you dont buy a home. you have enough cash for a down payment. I live in MA. This state sucks. If I could move, I would, but there's no way in hell I'd own land here. If if I wanted to buy, prices in this area start at $200-$300k for a free-standing house; $80k for a one-room condo. A $200k a bit beyond what I can currently afford. |
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It sounds like you've got a bunch of Mainstay / Datrex type rations. Trust me, you do NOT want to live for an extended period on those. They will get you through a few days and can supplement other foods, but as a daily diet you will end up killing yourself long before your stash runs out...
I'll bet you money (how about $500  ) that you can find room for a small freestanding shelf that you can fill up with canned foods for much, much less than $500. You can easily get a month's worth of canned food to go with your rations and still have some cash left over for other stuff.
You can also keep a half-dozen cases of bottled water around to help tide you over in short term events. They slide easily under beds, tables, couches, etc - there's always some place to put them. You cannot have too much water, you will use it all whether you have a lake nearby or not. Your preps are not advanced enough to start worrying about PMs, IMHO. You have much work to do on the more basic stuff like food and water. Also... is it realistic to believe that you can go an extended period alone in an apartment complex having food while all of your neighbors are starving? Think about it... |
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Quoted: Thanks for all the input. Some feedback: A small safe doesn't make much sense. I do have a couple small handgun safes to comply with state storage laws, but there's nothing on the market that: 1. Can't be broken into in 9 hours while I'm at work. 2. Is portable enough that I can take it with me when I move. 3. Doesn't damage the apartment (and thus cost me my deposit) I'm 28, and I wear prescription glasses. I have a spare pair, but need to pick up another. That's covered by my insurance though. Physically fit? Sort of. I was exercising a lot to train for paintball, but given the extremely cold temps over the past few months, I've had to resort to an exercise bike (which is in my livingroom pointed at the TV...). A bladder that fits in a bathtub won't help me much; all I've got is a shower. Yes, I'm a flashlight whore. As far as hygine items, I need to pick up some toothpaste and a spare toothbrush, but I've probably got a 5+ year supply of bar soap and a 1-2 years worth of TP. Yes, it was on sale at BJ's. Waste of space, but since I bought it I'm gonna use it (eventually). I keep about $100 cash set asside (plus about $100-200 in my wallet). I may pick up some silver dimes or increase my on-hand cash supply. With prices as high as they are, I think gold/silver are seriously overvalued. Even if they weren't overvalued, the main thing they are good for would be a long-term investment in serious quantity (like $10k+) as a hedge against inflation. I say put that 500 in your wallet for emergencies or good deals that require cash on the spot. |
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"I have enough money in savings to cover approximately 16 months, assuming no significant inflation, at my current expense level (including hobbies)."
This. Take a hot young thing out for dinner. I'm thinking a couple of Stoli martinis, a bottle of French red, filets, lobsters, garlic mashed potatos, creme brulee and some nice cognac. Follow this with some highly aerobic interpersonal interaction and you can lay back and release your angst. BTW, good job on the frugality! |
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"I have enough money in savings to cover approximately 16 months, assuming no significant inflation, at my current expense level (including hobbies)." This. Take a hot young thing out for dinner. I'm thinking a couple of Stoli martinis, a bottle of French red, filets, lobsters, garlic mashed potatos, creme brulee and some nice cognac. Follow this with some highly aerobic interpersonal interaction and you can lay back and release your angst. BTW, good job on the frugality! If post whoring is the disease, then you must be the cure, carbean. 
Sorry of the hijack and page two ownage!
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You do know that you are better equipped than most of this country don't you? Good job.
How well do you know your neighbors and how honest and prepared are they? I see a big weakness in your ability to leave your apartment. Is there someone that could watch your home while you're out trading or whatever? Would you feel comfortable arming a neighbor or two? You have a lot of food put away that doesn't need much preparing but do you have any long term stuff? You may not want to cook but someone else might really want some rice, flour, etc and be willing to trade. This stuff is still pretty cheap compared to other foods. How about a small camping stove that takes different fuels? There are some that will run off of gas, Coleman Fuel and kerosine? Then there is water storage. Space is limited in an apartment so some collapsible containers might be a good idea. I'd add a bit of bleach as well since you might want to hook up a trusted neighbor or two. You are going to have to build a relationsip with someone that can watch your door or lose everything you have the first time you go out. Do you have ammo in popular calibers to trade? I'm not suggesting trading in your building but someone somewhere will want ammo and wherever there are people and a reasonable amount stability there will be trading. I would buy a really good lock for when you go out and if you cannot currently install it then you can always put it away until you need it (perhaps a couple of locks). I don't see anything in regards to communication. I would get some kind of CB or multi channel walkie talkie. A police scanner might be good too. It would be nice to know what's going on around you. How about a bike and trailer? Living in an apartment leaves you at a greater risk of fire, crime and loss of opsec. You may find yourself on the road when the roads are impassable for autos. You may also find yourself travelling a bit more to trade if you need something. Optics? Again, you might want to see what's going on around you? You are living in the middle of a lot of people but if you don't have optics and communication then you are blind and cannot plan for the next day or the next few hours. |
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Pry bars Hammers Axes Shovels Stuff like that so you can bust out, bust in, dig out, dig in, or whatever. Also rope so you can pull, bind, tie up, or whatever. And duct tape for sundry other things. GL This. Someone else suggested a saw, which is also a good idea as long as it's a handsaw, nothing that requires electricity. Add bolt cutters, some 550 paracord, safety glasses, some good workgloves and a few N95 facemasks. These tools are not long useful to you personally, but can be used to assist in rescue operations. Also, the only thing you have for longer term area lighting is that hand crank lantern. Consider a Coleman lantern and/or a kerosene lantern (and extra fuel of course). |
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I would suggest a modest 12v power system. Get a good 12v solar panel, one or two good 12v deep cycle batteries, an 110v AC Battery charger.
From there, make sure you have a way to use that 12v power to recharge or run your other items. Cell phone, radio, light, comms, AA and AAA battery charger, and much much more could run a long time with a setup like this. The Solar seup is high on my own wish list for any project bonus money I might see. |
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I second on the BOLT CUTTERS. Check out the ENTRY TOOLS on this page.
GL |
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I would suggest a modest 12v power system. Get a good 12v solar panel, one or two good 12v deep cycle batteries, an 110v AC Battery charger. From there, make sure you have a way to use that 12v power to recharge or run your other items. Cell phone, radio, light, comms, AA and AAA battery charger, and much much more could run a long time with a setup like this. The Solar seup is high on my own wish list for any project bonus money I might see. Excellent suggestion. 
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sounds like cash in the bank is good. have some cash at the house? maybe like $500 in small bills and change?
other than that toilet paper shovel (maybe like an e-tool unless if you're satisfied with your trowel) machete 5 gallon bucket toilet and some trash bags if you dont feel like pooping outside if the water gets cut off tarp rope |
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sounds like cash in the bank is good. have some cash at the house? maybe like $500 in small bills and change? other than that toilet paper Got it, about 2+ years worth. shovel (maybe like an e-tool unless if you're satisfied with your trowel) Got an e-tool, though I'm not exactly sure where I put it. machete Got it, though think of that as a kitchen tool rather than a survival prep. Picked it up in a grocery store in Costa Rica; great for making salads. 5 gallon bucket toilet and some trash bags if you dont feel like pooping outside if the water gets cut off Good idea. tarp Got one in my truck that I forgot about. rope I've actually got most of that covered. |
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I think I'm going to pick up a good wood saw (I need to build target stands anyways) and then just turn the rest into extra cash.
One of the reasons I want to keep the overall mass/volume down is that I'm hoping to move (across state lines) at somepoint soon. The less I have to haul the better. |
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I think I'm going to pick up a good wood saw (I need to build target stands anyways) and then just turn the rest into extra cash. One of the reasons I want to keep the overall mass/volume down is that I'm hoping to move (across state lines) at somepoint soon. The less I have to haul the better. For cutting wood without power I really like the old 2-man saws. They come in several sizes and my big one is something like 7-ft long but loggers in the old days used to cut down old growth forests with them and it is an efficient way to cut firewood without gas. I picked mine up off Craigslist for the whopping price of $35 and it has one chipped tooth. There are lots of versions of these old saws and you can often pick them up quite cheap as most people only see them as a decoration and it takes up very little room hanging on the wall of my workshop
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I may be AM more paranoid than others, but to hell with 16 months of cash in the bank. If we wind up in a hyper inflation scenario that could work out to 16 minutes worth. Commodities are my choice. Ammo doesn't spoil and MREs last quite well, along with other gear. If you blow it all down to 6 months worth on used guns and gear and things turn a 180°, you can always resell the stuff (used vs new because you always get most of your money back if you resell used). But if you need the stuff and your bank is dead or your dollar is worthless, you're screwed!
Silver coins are nice though, but I'm just buying lead. I know lots of folks who are "prepared" with a gun and two mags worth of ammo. I'll be sure to thank them when I bend them over just for a box of .22 shells. 
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