Posted: 11/4/2016 7:52:05 PM EDT
|
I don't think the world will end, or we'll go into some mad max scenario.
I'm much better prepared than most. (Not on this board, just society...) 
I have a good bit of freeze dried goods, canned goods, salt, etc. I have a lot of ammo because it's cheaper that way, and I hedge for politics. I was just thinking though. Say I'm wrong. Big event happens that lasts months, not weeks. I'm screwed. I garden, but I do it in pots. (Condo) I can, but again, I can a limited amount, and it's mainly for deliciousness. I can't plant a survival garden in fall. Others would contribute to over hunting. I could never leave my house for a month, but I'm not prepared beyond that. Does anyone plan for anything beyond a month, that doesn't live in a rural area? I actually had fun with a 3 day power outage a few years ago. Finally, sure, you can plan a full on underground shelter for three years. However, not only is that not in the budget, I don't think that's a realistic scenario. As for the learning part, are there other skills I need to learn? Am I being reasonable or ignorant? |
|
Urban and more than a month? Good luck. Even if you stock for longer than that, I would NOT want to be anywhere NEAR an urban area. You have now realized the allure of a bug out location a few hours away that you evac to in the event of a major SHTF (if you can get there...) Of course, there will come the advice of getting a passport to everywhere and be a perpetual refugee in socialist countries coming soon... |
|
Quoted:
All you can control is what you do. be as prepared as you can reasonably be. Beyond that, who knows? You are already better off than 99% of the population. That's what I'm thinking. But I'm open to alternate opinions. I feel a post in this forum is a good vetting of my mindset and situation. |
|
Quoted: Suburban, not urban. I have a spot a few hours away that's rural, but my friend who lives there is not as prepared as me. difference between suburban and urban. Middle of the city and the burbs will be in the same boat in a true SHTF event. Your issues with prepping beyond a relatively minor event are not your shortcomings, its everybody else's. Your next door neighbor, stand up guy, will do crazy shit to not watch his family starve. I'm out in the country, but still not EXTREMELY remote. For 99% of situations, its great. Close enough to towns that have stores and hospitals (medical emergencies are far more likely than a wide spread SHTF), but far enough away from big cities that nobody is walking here. The town we are closest to is too close for comfort for that type of SHTF, but I digress. I would say for any type of urban/SUBURBAN home, any kind of actual major SHTF does not end well. Now, stocking more than 1 month of day to day supplies is great, as a personal SHTF (usually financial) is exactly 143582 times more likely to happen to you than a Mad Max scenario. |
| I think a couple of key areas that one should try before any long term event... 1. cooking with limited fuel and with a solar oven..... 2. preserving any animal protein you may obtain... I originally vacuum sealed my staple food like rice and beans, but after viewing the Wendy DeWitt LDS video changed to using 1 qt glass canning jars,that store under my bed... the jars can be re used with my All American pressure canner...I store some extra lids... couple of cases of clean new jars also.....if you pay attention to events, you may have time to buy bulk chicken, pork, and even ground beef to can...... I have a small electric dehydrator, and drying near expiration date corn and beans taste pretty good.... used to smoke a lot of fish, have attempted making biltong in the Sun...try cooking with a home built solar oven, and over a small brick tornado stove using twigs for a fuel source... try sprouting beans for your green veggies if you don't have much room... sweet potato down here is a pretty good starch crop and grow in bad soil, and onion and garlic chive is easy to grow for seasoning in the Earth buckets... try your own Bannock or fry bread recipe... if you don't store wheat berries, at least put a couple of 10# bags of flour away.... have a good whole family water filter |
|
Quoted:
Little difference between suburban and urban. Middle of the city and the burbs will be in the same boat in a true SHTF event. Your issues with prepping beyond a relatively minor event are not your shortcomings, its everybody else's. Your next door neighbor, stand up guy, will do crazy shit to not watch his family starve. I'm out in the country, but still not EXTREMELY remote. For 99% of situations, its great. Close enough to towns that have stores and hospitals (medical emergencies are far more likely than a wide spread SHTF), but far enough away from big cities that nobody is walking here. The town we are closest to is too close for comfort for that type of SHTF, but I digress. I would say for any type of urban/SUBURBAN home, any kind of actual major SHTF does not end well. Now, stocking more than 1 month of day to day supplies is great, as a personal SHTF (usually financial) is exactly 143582 times more likely to happen to you than a Mad Max scenario. Quoted:
Quoted:
Suburban, not urban. I have a spot a few hours away that's rural, but my friend who lives there is not as prepared as me. Your issues with prepping beyond a relatively minor event are not your shortcomings, its everybody else's. Your next door neighbor, stand up guy, will do crazy shit to not watch his family starve. I'm out in the country, but still not EXTREMELY remote. For 99% of situations, its great. Close enough to towns that have stores and hospitals (medical emergencies are far more likely than a wide spread SHTF), but far enough away from big cities that nobody is walking here. The town we are closest to is too close for comfort for that type of SHTF, but I digress. I would say for any type of urban/SUBURBAN home, any kind of actual major SHTF does not end well. Now, stocking more than 1 month of day to day supplies is great, as a personal SHTF (usually financial) is exactly 143582 times more likely to happen to you than a Mad Max scenario. That's where my thinking lies. I could go without a job for six months. Deal with no supplies for one month. I think I'm good, but figured I'd put this thread out there for people to poke holes in. I welcome people putting holes in it. That's how I get more prepared. |
|
Quoted:
I think a couple of key areas that one should try before any long term event... 1. cooking with limited fuel and with a solar oven..... 2. preserving any animal protein you may obtain... I originally vacuum sealed my staple food like rice and beans, but after viewing the Wendy DeWitt LDS video changed to using 1 qt glass canning jars,that store under my bed... the jars can be re used with my All American pressure canner...I store some extra lids... couple of cases of clean new jars also.....if you pay attention to events, you may have time to buy bulk chicken, pork, and even ground beef to can...... I have a small electric dehydrator, and drying near expiration date corn and beans taste pretty good.... used to smoke a lot of fish, have attempted making biltong in the Sun...try cooking with a home built solar oven, and over a small brick tornado stove using twigs for a fuel source... try sprouting beans for your green veggies if you don't have much room... sweet potato down here is a pretty good starch crop and grow in bad soil, and onion and garlic chive is easy to grow for seasoning in the Earth buckets... try your own Bannock or fry bread recipe... if you don't store wheat berries, at least put a couple of 10# bags of flour away.... have a good whole family water filter Water filtration is good to go. Cooking is good to go. Resupply is not. |
|
In urban and suburban areas, water and fuel are probably the biggest concerns. Almost everyone in or around cities is on the metro water system, the electrical grid, and possibly the natural gas system. If those go down and the propane bottles on the backyard grill run out, things become very difficult. With fire department regulations it is very hard to stockpile more that 30 days of fuel legally, and around here it is not legal to have your own water source as the metro water system claims to own every last drop of surface and subsurface water, even the rain that lands on my roof is supposedly their property.
Also, it the metro water system fails sewage will start making an ugly appearance on the surface within a few days, along with rats going after the garbage that isn't picked up. 30 days or more of food is relatively easy to stockpile by comparison. |
|
Community gardens are very popular, maybe join one or start one. Limited space since it would be divided up, and impossible to protect since it would be out in public.
If you have limited space to garden at your condo, I would go for a "cash crop" type of thing and trade with other gardeners. You would meet somewhat like minded people, and build up a relationship with them. |
|
buy a lot in a small rural community you can pitch a tent on SHTF, $1000 to $2000 and you own a tax write off. Trust me
there is always small lots for sale in small towns. Less if you hit the annual tax auctions. I own a couple of lots I paid less that $300 for. find a like minded individual thru a personal add or thru a board such as this willing to lease you an acre or lot on rural property contractually. risky? maybe but better than nothing. go camping there once a year or more, get to know them. Put add in local papers, craigslist. TOPIX etc someone may have an acre of creek lot or something they can't farm and would take a few hundred a year for space rental. maybe put a conex box, small one, it will give you some permanency in either local and a place to secure preps. small towns have rental storage spaces just like suburban areas. rent a small unit, store your stuff. have a place to bug out to where at least you can lock a door and get some sleep SHTF you may become mayor of a small village
|