I wrote bits of this in another post, but I think it needs to be common knowledge if things get turbulent.
I popped a couple grand out of the bank the other day and scrapped my old debit card for a new one, to get me out of any subscription that still have the info logged in.
I don't think the money is gonna matter though. If the banks all go down, then the value of the dollar won't mean anything anyway. Cash will be as valuable as your ability to sucker someone into believing it still has value.
Gold and silver, unless you have it in your possession, is also as useless as money in the bank.
Even if you do have gold and silver on hand, don't expect to barter with it. People have no clue what it is actually worth anymore.
...
Instead, buy food and stuff that makes stuff. Don't buy more than 2 weeks of food, though. A minor shortage will turn into a major shortage in the panic, which we learned from the Toilet Paper Shortage before the China Virus started up.
When I say "stuff that makes stuff" I mean buy firewood (or better yet, source your own) and hand tools that don't need electricity. If the power goes out, and people need to build stuff, all the electric hand drills in the world won't be worth anything but their weight in copper coils. Instead, buy braces, old wrenches at thrift stores (can be gotten for pennies), nails, screws, bolts, ANYTHING elastic, yarn, cordage(paracord/rope), matches and candles(to melt the ends of paracord), saws, tarps, knives, hatchets; you get the deal.
Barter is the oldest and honest form of commerce -- and one they can't tax or monitor!
Buy some craft books. Put your "manliness" or "girliness" aside and get things like cookbooks, knitting/crochet/sewing books, wood working books, mechanic books, and the like. If the internet goes down, you'll be glad you can still crochet a blanket or pair of socks. It's really not as hard as it seems.
Next, the holy grail of crafts... PVC Piping.
PVC pipe in all sizes is more valuable than gold in an extended blackout. It can be used to make tents, collect water, or heated up and shaped to form armor plates. You can duct tape a kitchen knife to the end to make a spear, or even lash it with some cordage and make a bow. The interlocking cylinder's are the most versatile crafting base for any project to date. Expect a single Tee adapter to be worth a sack of flour on its own.
Don't glue unless you're working with water. You can always tear down what you make and use it for something else. Don't cut pipe unless you have to. Measure twice, cut once. Learn to make wood dowels to connect two small pipes together, in case you screw up.
Once you realize you don't have to buy something-ready made and that everything is only a sum of its parts (that you can scrap and reuse) you really get a rush of independence that only a Creator knows.
...
In summary...
Use these things to make things. Then trade the things you make. Make boxes, bags, knives(from old wrenches) and anything else needed for a more "rustic" lifestyle. You and others in your community will be glad you had the foresight.
So many goobers get all these mail-order "bugout bags" and prepper supplies, but they neglect getting the things that actually matter -- tools.
Make yourself so invaluable to your community, with your knowledge and intuition, that you'd be the last person they'd eat. It's a silly conclusion, but absolutely true in its merits.
Edit:
Feel free to add your own advice in the comments. Knots are something else to keep in mind.
OH! And learn to tie knots
https://www.animatedknots.com/
Please, please please! If there are only three things you can have in the world, let it be a 2.5+ inch pocket knife, a means to making cordage, and a book on how to tie knots.
It’s possible to stockpile long term food storage as well. You just have to be organized about it. Many grains can last 10-20 years if stored correctly. Create a system for using stuff that’s coming within a couple years if it’s shelf life, and replace it as you eat it.
It's really easy if you're single, much more difficult if you've got a lot of mouths to feed.
A system is an absolute must.
My system:
When building my stockpile, I would spend an extra $50 each time I went shopping on non-perishables. Always seeking sales. You'd be surprised how much mac n cheeze or soup or broth or other canned goods you can get when they're on sale. Just recently I got corn and green beans for $0.55/can.
Now that my pantry is full, I'm stocking up on other items but only as they come on sale/clearance. Things like tooth paste, tooth brushes, cleaning supplies, bathing supplies, trash bags, OTC meds, etc. etc. Couponing will really help here if you're inclined to do it.
When eating, I pull from the front and slide everything new in the back.
This is where I think it would be difficult with the family, you're probably better off having 2 or 3 "pantries", or it's how I"ve planned to do it.
first one, is your eating food. It's the stuff you're working on right now. All the stuff closest to your expiration goes in here.
2nd one, is your backup stock. That's where everythying is that's good for a year or more. Move to the 1st pantry as room permits.
3rd, overflow. Buying sales is key and it's harder to convice 3 other people to cut down rations for a while than a single guy. When you're buying in bulk, you'll end up n eeding extra space. Put the extra here and use it to keep the 1st 2 full. As things get moved up to the main pantry, refill and organize by date.
It only takes a little extra money at first and once you get into the practice of shopping smart (so many people have no idea how to actually shop) and eating healthier (even more people don't realize how much money and health they're tossing out by buying processed crap, premade crap, and sugary drinks) you'll find your bill will go down anyway.... so make that difference your "prep" supply.
I leave a big black marker in my prepper pantry and write expiration date big on front of all cans, bags, boxes etc. makes it very easy to use older foods first
Get protein. Stock up on protein. Meat is the most essential part of your diet and it'll be the hardest thing to get your hands on. Beans are okay but they just aren't any substitute for animal based protein.
Buy whey protein too.
My wife got hook up with another lady that gets surplus from food pantries, stores. We get boxes of all kinds of non-perishable food weekly, so much that we give lots of it to friends, relatives.
I have three months of ReadyHour survival food. But would only use it as last resort. Also have lots of rice, oats/grits, canned goods, cereals, powered pancake mix, powered milk, and milk that does not need refridg.
Advise that you get a propane grill, and at least 6 - 12 months of propane.
My only shortage currently is the thing that is most important - water. I have a 15 - 20 thousand gallon pool, and about 6 months worth of chlorine tabs, but need to purified water for drinkin.
^ This guy Minecrafts.
I would also add:
If you don't already know how, learn to use a map and compass.
Befriend a Mormon. A lot them have 2 years worth of food storage.
People will still want entertainment. Books, magazines, games, soccer balls, football, etc can keep the boredom down. If you're going to be inside for while with a group, have tabletop RPGs and war games avaliable.
Have a lot of extra toothbrushes and paste. No one want stinky breath. Floss, picks, and dental wax is imperative if you can't get to a dentist.
High proof Alcohol / Whiskey. It's valuable as an antiseptic and coolant, and fuel. And anesthetic if really needed.
Or the Amish
God bless the Amish Juls!
Lol true
Yup, and mentally register every single stream, body of water, and river near you for every outing you go on.
You're always encompassed by at least three sources of water. If you ever get lost in the middle of nowhere, think back to which body of water should be the nearest, use a compass or the sun to find your bearing, and head in that direction and don't stop moving until you get there.
All flowing water leads to civilization. Follow the water, and you'll find signs of people. If you find the coast first, then follow the coast to a port.
The ocean is just west of me lol. I grew up in a small town in Florida. Lived there most of my life until my wife got me to move down to gold coast, I guess that's what they call Tampa area of Florida. On my land up in North Florida, I have a four inch arteasian well that has 20 lbs pressure without pump.
I loved that well. When a storm came through, and power was out for any length of time, I could hook hoses up to house and have running water with no electricity. Now all I have is a regular well.
I need to figure out how to attach a hand pump to the well, so I could hand pump water out in case I ran out of fuel for generator. I'm thinking about getting on of those whole house generators that comes on automatically when commercial power goes out, but even if I had one of them, I would only use what was essential so as to not draw to much attention to myself. I don't know how much fuel it would take to run one for a year.
During the gas/fuel shortage of the 70's, my dad put down in the backyard a 2000 gallon diesel tank with an intermediate take that he could fill from it. When my parents died, before we sold the house, we dug it up. It had been emptied by then.
Research ‘Bison pumps’ my well is too deep, but Bison makes a hand pump that is fabulous and can in some cases live in the well you already have
Thanks, will do. I think my well is only around 80 ft. My artisian well up in North Florida was I think around 700 ft. The water was a bit sulpher, which I don't mind, but I could get five gallons in a jug, and let it breath a couple days, and it was the best water I have ever tasted.
Homemade toothpaste will remineralize your teeth!:
Here are a few recipes:
First One
1 part Food Grade diatomaceous earth (you can even make this yourself with egg shells, but it is not too expensive to buy)
5 parts Calcium Carbonate
3 parts xylitol or stevia powder
3 - 5 parts coconut oil
peppermint, spearmint, clove oil for flavoring, (you'll know it's enough when you like the taste 1/3 to 1/2 part)
Second:
1/2 C Coconut Oil
2-3 Tbls baking soda
5 Tbls Calcium Carbonate
2 small packs of pure stevia (1tsp)
15 - 20 drops of mint extract, clove extract or what ever flavor)
10 drops of myrrh extract
Third:
4 T. diatomaceous earth (food grade, egg shells, sea shells, ground up)
2 T. Baking Soda
2 T. Calcium Carbonate (food grade)
6 T. Coconut oil
15 drops liquid stevia
15 drops oil of peppermint, spearmint, clove, cinnamon or orange
I just dampen my toothbrush in water and dip it into a jar of calcium carbonate which sticks to the damp bristles. It works great. My dental hygienist has nothing but praise for how clean of tartar etc my teeth and healthy my gums are. I'm never going back to anything like toothpaste. Plus the calcium is good for you and calcium carbonate never ever spoils.
The oil is in the toothpaste to help draw out any infection, and to provide a means for the calcium to be absorbed. The calcium is better absorbed when combined with some form of fat.
The oil is there to draw out poison or infection. teeth like an alkaline environment, so the baking soda breaks down the acids formed by eating starches.The stevia also is good for your gums, but to each their own.
Omg gonna try this!
Diatomaceous earth will abrade your teeth in no time!
Yes, if you use it as a permanent replacement.
You have to cut it with something like charcoal if you plan on using it indefinitely.
Charcoal alone is good enough as a tooth paste, but many can't stand the taste of pure carbon.
I remember my grandma use to make her own soap. I always marveled at the big bars of soap over at her house. She also rendered her own chicken oil/greese for frying.
Whiskey is also an excellent barter item.
You're right. Never even thought of that!
Yeah, both my DH and I don't drink. But a Russian (and part Ukranian) Lady I know from my church is very aware that the USA may be going the way of Russia during the early 90s collapse, but in reverse embracing communism.
Tough times for most in Russia as corrupt Oligarchs, aligned with equally corrupt Politicians,Central Bankers and US Corporate types, ruled badly for almost a decade. (FWIW, she claims Putin fixed a lot of those problems by kicking out the Central Bankers and corrupt politicians. She doesn't think he's a bad guy, but prefers the USA the way it used to be.)
She said one of the best items to barter with at that time in Russia was brandy, whiskey and, of course, bottled vodka - not the homemade kind - although that would sell to the bigger city folks who couldn't still it.
My hubby and I looked at each other and decided to buy more than a few bottles for the future. They are stashed in a safe place. If things don't go all kaflooey they would make great gifts to people we know who drink.
I'm afraid to bulk stock Whiskey. I'm not 100% positive I could keep from drinking it.
I used to by one gallon jugs of the best moonshine from a cousin whose family had been making it for generations. That stuff was smooth, but would knock you on your butt before you know it.
LOL. Reminds me of that great song "White Lightning" sung by George Jones!
Well, my DH was an alcoholic (pass out kinda alcoholic!) who could hold a steady job but once he got home drank way too much beer and Jack Daniels. He finally went sober about 10 years ago after I made the decision not to enable him ever again. It was that or our marriage was over sad to say.
Thank the Lord he chose me over the booze. I decided to not drink again - even when away from home - to support him. No loss for me as I wasn't a big drinker to begin with. My DH no longer feels the need for alcohol. But we both decided to put our emergency stash in a place not easy to get to unless needed. ;-)
Haven't though of this in years, but when I was a young man, more than 40 years ago, I met a girl that lived in Atlanta. I ended up talking with her for hours at a time over the phone. We liked each other it seemed. She finally got an opportunity to travel to Jacksonville to visit me. I got drunk and made a total ass of myself, and ruined any chance of a relationship.
When I got home that night, alone, still pretty inebriated, I sat down at the table and wrote this, not to good of a poem, but it expressed the moment.
Well, I really did it this time, got drunk and ruined all my rapport
With the only girl in the world at the time, I really cared anything for.
You think I would have learned by now, no one likes being round a sot,
And I guess I sort of proven to this girl so how that nice is what I'm not.
But that couldn't have been me saying those words, I'm not that big of a goof
I was someone else that night inside
I call him the phantom of 86 proof
It's sort of like Jekell and Hyde.
Will I have the strength to defeat him, and come out a winner on top
Will I have the will to beat him, and make all the hurting stop.
I guess the answer will come when all's ended, and all that's goings gone down
When it's to late for relationships to be mended, and I count the friends still around.
God Bless you, Patriot.
At the very least you owned up as to why a promising relationship didn't pan out. That's a start.
Might want to pray if you're into that. My DH was never a really religious guy. He didn't mind my being so, but until he almost lost our marriage he came to the Lord...who answered his prayer. A few short relapses in the first couple of years made him realize he couldn't do it all on his own. So he became more prudent and wise by the grace of God. Our marriage is stronger for it.
Take care.
Oh yea, I am a big believer in the power of prayer. My life is a total miracle. God has save me form more than one certain death. And I had a mother that prayed over me all of her life. She was the most faithful Christian I will ever know. Not once did I ever see her faith fail. My father was also a quite, and faithful Christian. In both profession, and the way they lived their lives.
My Dad worked very hard. When I worked for him, our normal work day was from 08 am till 11 pm five days a week, and till 6 pm on Saturdays, and usually my did would be there working to late at night Saturday. But he would not even allow me to mow the grass, or do any work outside around the house on Sunday, not for the showiness of it, but he believe Sunday was the lords day. We were in church ever Sunday, and my mom and dad tithed faithfully up until the day they died. My mom gave me many examples of how the lord come through because they were always faithful with the tithe. That they never wanted for anything of necessity.
My grandmother was the same way. My mom told me the story about how one night, my grandmother was closing up her restaurant, and one of her good friends, a Senator from Florida watched her count her tithe out of the take from that days business. And the Senator said, Ms. Davis, I don't think your suppose to pay tithe on your gross profits. And my grandmother told him, this is they way I've been doing it all my life, and God has taken care of my needs, so that's the way I'm going to keep doing it. There are other storied of her tremendous faith that is I fear more than I could show.
One example I remember being told about my mom is when I was in a very serious car accident. When she first arrived at the hospital, and saw me bleeding, and shaking with convulsions, in the emergency room, she could hardly contain herself. But later, when It was still unknown whether I would live or die, other people around her would ask her, "how are you so calm in all of this." And she recounted to me that when she was nearly at the breaking point, she just said, 'Lord, I can't handle this, I am putting my son in your hands", and she told me that from that second on, she did not have one bit of worry in her mind, and knew that I was in Gods hands, and if I died, that was the lord will.
I know I have to get to heaven on my own faith, but it sure was nice to have a mom who prayed for me every day. I always felt like God saved me from that car accident, from three near drownings, and from countless other mishaps because of my mother prayers. I think she is praying for me, and my siblings even now from the Lords side,
I think your mother is praying for you in heaven too, Patriot.
God Bless.
There are 50+ different games you can play with cards alone. Add dice and you probably double that.
If it gets bad these things (yarn, craft skills?!) should be WAY lower priority. You will die without clean water. You will die without food. Someone will kill you for your water/food if you don't have some kind of home or community defense.
Start a FIFO pantry, after about two weeks a can of Campbell's Chunky soup with be worth more than all the PVC pipe you can imagine. I think we agree on precious metals, they won't be worth as much as people think if there's no food in the grocery store.
If you have the other stuff covered and want to start a stash I would start with alcohol, cigarettes/lighters, coffee, Coke/Pepsi/Mountain Dew (soda will barter way better than crocheted socks). I agree on hand tools, that's a good one. Bicycles and spare parts will probably be in high demand. Good shoes, there's going to be a lot more walking all of the sudden.
Pray that it doesn't get this bad.
precious metals are a contingency plan for carrying wealth THROUGH a shtf situation, so you have something on the other side, if you survive.
Exactly this. I don't intend to barter with silver, but I'm smart enough to know that whatever system comes up next will likely be another fiat type system and if it's backed by gold, ca-mother fuckin-ching!
and if it isn’t, well gold will still be valued as long as there are humans to value it
Silver and gold are electrical conductors. They will always have value.
And they will always have value for their beauty
even now the largest buyers are sovereign governments and they are stockpiling it
Consider this:
How will you carry all the crap you need to survive?
Bags.
They will get beat up and need to be replaced. There aren't enough in the current market as is. Plastic garbage bags and grocery bags will be gone in a month (hopefully we won't have to wait that long for things to settle down).
Re-gear your mind to understand that the most important commodity that absolutely everyone will need are containers -- things to put your things in.
I'm with you on the bottled goods, but only because they are far more important as containers than as a food stuff.
Food and water is always number 1 in a survival situation, but, if you don't have the tools to source and store your own food and water, after your supplies dry up you've got nothing and can offer nothing for trade.
"Bags."
Ok, why would I be carrying anything? I'm not leaving my home, where else am I going to go? It isn't going to be The Road or something where we're all trecking across the post-apocalyptic wastelands dodging the roaming cannibals.
Containers will be nice to have, but not "the most important commodity" by a long shot.
Trade is the focus.
You need bags to bring things you want to trade to market.
Other people need bags to bring things to market and take things home.
Everyone will need a bag, so knowing how to make them means you can trade with anyone, because after food and water it is the most common possession.
Unless you farm your own food, you will run out eventually.
There will always be something you want that someone else has and unless you have something to give them for it you're gonna be left without.
And chocolate
Yes! Recommended with any food storage. Tradable and good for morale. Food storage kits from places like My Patriot Supply include chocolate pudding.
😍 Carl & chocolate pudding, The Walking Dead. https://youtu.be/u8mkJLfV7j4
I'm a lifelong prepper, gun & gear guy. I've recently gotten big into PM's but don't understand people who think PM's will be of any use as a bartering / currency.
If our world truly collapses to the point where we aren't using a fiat currency, that IMO is a pretty serious and complete collapse of the economy and society, which means only hard goods; food, water, med supplies, guns, ammo; only that stuff will have any value.
PM's will regain value as we rebuild, but it will take them a long while to come back, IMHO.....
This is NOT to say that fiat is great; that we should not have a gold standard; just stating the fact that if things get that bad, we will have FAR bigger problems on our hands than using fractional gold & silver as "money" again......
Agree. Just look at how the super wealthy try to protect their wealth: they buy real estate, invest in the stock market, etc. Sometime a little PMs, sure. But that's all stuff that assumes society will be intact.
I heard Rick Rule (big silver guy) say in an interview that if we get to TEOTWAWKI, shotgun shells and those little airplane bottles of whiskey will be great currencies. I think he's got a point.
Rick Rule is definitely one that people should listen to.
Absolutely. It's very wise to store alcohol, tobacco, candy; things like that will be the new gold & silver if things get THAT bad.
Again; eventually gold & silver will regain their proper value, but if we have a big enough collapse...... can't eat it, can't shoot it, can't pack a wound with gold & silver....
Also; I'd never barter / trade / sell guns & ammo in a SHTF situation; you could end up arming your enemy....
Mountain Dew, you say?
Relevant clip from King of the Hill:
https://youtu.be/dtzyUdYljDc
Don't forget not having water... urine stinks. Hard to flush your toilet without water.
You gotta filter urine to water plants.
The salt and acid content will kill most vegetation.
Some people, like my grandmother, are actually poisonous to some plants. She can't so much as touch a green pepper without it withering a week later. I shit you not, green pepper plants are allergic to her. I can hardly imagine what her urine would do...
Urine's best use is as you said, to keep animals at bay, and if you distill it, the remnants can actually be used to make some light pyrotechnics. The phosphorus content in urine is a good base to make some matches, if you're willing enough to learn some less-than entry level chemistry and then slow-boil tons and tons of piss...
Flush your pee? Why not just pee in the back yard, or side yard, or front yard if your slingin.
If you haven't gone without water for a while, you wouldn't realize that it's the urine that stinks up the place more than the feces, and is easily solved, as you noticed.
I think on 1.5 acres, I can find a place to pee that want stink up the house.
I do no that if you pee in the same spot to much, it will kill the grass, and it will stink.
ok
This is so good, and something we can do right now.
Very smart!
I recently watched a video of a family that did this during the winter. One of the things they mentioned was an inexpensive camp stove. Didn't know they existed and if it's really cold out that would be better than the rocket stove I set up.
Our electricity went out last year for a day, we live in the country and this can happen for a hour or do, but this was at night and it went on and on. I thought I was prepared until i could not find the flash light I was looking for! I used phone and was all over my house looking for the light i wanted. Did not find it until next day at bottom of last used back pack. So I went on a flashlight rampage, now ever single light, headlamps,neck book lights (my favorite for hands free cooking) and big and small and hand crank light are all in the same spot in a cool box on bench in entryway. Next power outage I can find the one I want easily
Grow as much food as you can. I have a vegetable plot and am growing stuff in my greenhouse. Sprouting seeds can be grown in jars / containers and used in salads and stir-fries throughout the year.
I'd mention learning to seal mason jars to store them.
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-can-canning-pickling-preserving-ball-jars-materials-siphoning-recipes
Always useful.
Dig a well!
My advice would be to stock up on toilet paper......
😁
WWG1WGA
Food, water, silver, ammo, firewood is key, but also military will be assisting all who need it. Things will be easier than expected, White Hats in control 💕
I think people will be on their own for quite awhile. Don’t forget that there are hundreds of thousands of illegals that have come across the border. It is rumoured that already there are 350,000 Chinese military via Chinese students in America. And the criminals that were let out and the Afghans (taliban) etc, that arrived courtesy of Biden and Milley.
Totally agree if SHTF you’ll want to have a couple months of food to survive the initial phase which is about 2-4 weeks. This phase is when most of the killing will happen.
Reasons:
Taking more than that from the store only exacerbates the shortage's impact on the economy and increases others' desperation (and likelihood to get violent and loot/pillage).
Having more than that will make you a target.
You get complacent and neglect developing skills to grow and find food, which should happen as soon as SHTF if not before.
I should clarify -- if you have stored up on food, good, you can use it. That's ideal, and you did the right thing.
Going out RIGHT NOW and buying 1+ years food though... That's a problem.
They are deconstruction our food production. They are forcing farmers to scuttle their crops. They are stopping the shipping industry from bringing in imports and supplies for packaging foods.
We need to avoid if at all possible. Everyone going out and buying 1 year's worth of toilet paper had devastating short-term effects on the economy.
Imagine if ALL consumables met the same fate simultaneously. Total disaster.
Yes. I advise 2 weeks.
But, someone panicking out of their mind will go and purchase as much as they can. 1 year is what I expect they will buy in their fervor.
You misunderstand me. I'm not opposed to any amount of prep. More is better.
I am opposed to someone going out RIGHT NOW, on the cusp of a market failure, and buying everything they can get their hands on. Doing that only increases the damage done to the market, and extends the period of shortage.
At that point, it isn't prep, it is panic.
If someone yells "FIRE" in a crowded theatre, everyone running forms a stampede and if people fall down and crowd the door, more people will burn to death.
However, if everyone is calm and exits in a steady stream, most if not all people will be able to get out unscathed.
That's what I'm advising.
It's too late to stock up on more than 2 weeks of supply. If you grab more than that now, you'll only be extending the period of turmoil.
The commies just got rid of our logistics and manufacturing though...
We are far worse off than we were a year ago.
People started hoarding TP because other people started hoarding TP first.
If everyone had simply bought the exact same amount of TP they normally would, understanding that they would be pooping no more or less than usual, there would have been NO TP shortage.
But because anuses went hog-selfish and suddenly started clearing out the shelves everywhere they could out of mindless, baseless fear, people like me had to step up our game.
I learned when shipments would arrive at which stores, showed up early, and got supplied. Now I have 1.5 to 2 years' supply of TP and won't be contributing to the next shortage. Also paper towels, kleenex, alcohol, Lysol, baby wipes, and lighters.
'Thats a problem'
Yeah, a problem for the person with two weeks worth of food...
The old adage 'he who panics first, panics best' comes to mind...
Most people won’t know you’re prepared unless you’re a loud mouth.
You don't have to buy everything at once from 1 store. If X grocery store has an item or items you like, go to 5 of those places and spread it out. I'm not sure why people miss this, stockpile yes, but be strategic about it. If you buy things online, have it sent over several shipments, unload your groceries in the garage to keep the curiosity down. You could easily put away a years worth of supplies in a few weeks, as long as you are not conspicuous about it. The same applies to anything you are stockpiling. so what if you need to spend the day or extra time gathering what you need, if you spread it out, no one will be none the wiser.
Matches. Sternos. Tea light candles in upside down terracotta pots (it gets realllll cold in a house with no heat) lots of extra blankets.
here is the link to that story
https://lulz.com/surviving-a-year-of-shtf-in-90s-bosnia-war-selco-forum-thread-6265/
Lots of Selco articles here - populated search URL for you: https://www.shtfplan.com/?s=selco
And calling attention to that site for those who are not familiar with it. Gets scary some times, intense - be warned.
On fire, there is a method to lighting a fire with a HEAVY hammer, a hard metal surface(or another hammer) and a nail.
Pound the tip of the nail with the hammer on the hard surface, turning the nail 90° back and forth between each strike.
Have tinder ready.
Eventually, the tip of the nail will heat up enough to light dry tinder. Repetition and frequency is key to getting it hot enough. Keep air flow down while hammering.
I have a bunch of drier lint saved in tin foil pouches that I can use for starting a fire.
Drier lint is very flammable and you throw away mounds of it every year. Just save a little for starting fires if you need to.
Great tip, Grady! Upvoted. I will def be saving some dryer lint in ziploc bags.
Here's a fun fact I coincidentally just picked up yesterday:
dryer = (n.) machine for drying
drier = (adj.) more dry
Cotton balls with Vaseline is good too for lighting a fire.
Have you personally tested it because I've heard people saying they tried it and it didn't take a spark, likely due to fire retardant properties of their garments, might be worth giving it a try if you haven't.
If the lint is mostly from polyester or other plastic-based clothes, it will melt before it lights.
Almost all plastic melts before it lights, which is an important lesson to keep in mind.
I saw a video where the guy said cotton balls and vaseline is what he uses. Pretty easy to find and inexpensive. Haven't tried it yet though.
I add it to melted leftover crayons or candles pour into paperboard egg cartons to make fire starters. Use one egg holder to start campfire.
Wear ear protection!
If it gets really cold and snowy, it's actually a good idea to stack snow against the walls of your house in order to insulate it.
When water freezes, it becomes rigid, expands and gets stuck around the 32° freezing temp. Only the air gaps in between the crystals can get colder. Water is unique in that way.
So, snow can be used to insulate your house in a pinch. This is how igloos work and why many recommend burying yourself next to a tree or pole during a blizzard. Air gets colder than water, so getting out of the air is critical.
During the storm, keep the access to the tree open for oxygen flow. Once the blizzard ends, you use the tree to know which way is up and climb the tree out of the snow.
yeah, you don’t want to be in a tree well, though. Very important to be not in air down next to a tree.
Perhaps then a standing dead tree would be ideal?
no the point is any tree you’re next to you need to be buried in snow, not in cold air
If you can pull a loop of yarn through another loop of yarn, you can crochet. Supplies are cheap, a full set of hooks is $6-12 at Michaels, and really you only need one or two of the most common sizes. Yarn is as cheap as $1.99 for Super Saver at WalMart or Michaels, and Hobby Lobby has great inexpensive yarn as well. There are tons of really good tutorials on YouTube to learn. I taught myself in an afternoon and now make lots of things to sell, from cute stuffed toys to hats, shawls, afghans, even gloves. It’s an excellent and inexpensive skill/hobby. You can also often find free or cheap yarn on FB or Craigslist.
Big one: Leather working and shoe cobbling. Does anyone here know a single person in this modern life who can straight-up create a pair of shoes? If SHTF knocked out the economic flow of goods and services for more than 3 months or so, someone who could make a pair of shoes out of an old leather hide and a rubber tire would be worth their weight in gold.
I agree with some of what you say but telling people to only buy 2 weeks of food is irresponsible at best. First of all, by this time you should already have several months if not years of food stocked up. Secondly, to prevent a major shortage, you should be purchasing a little bit at a time not go out making $1000 food runs. But this requires time and sadly we're running out of it very quickly for those not already prepared.
Owning your own land where you can grow your own food and have your own livestock is even better though. My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and barely even noticed because they were already eating their own crops/livestock and selling the rest.
The main use of holding gold/silver is not to use as barter but rather to preserve some of your wealth as a devolving society transitions from it's failed currency to the next one.
Toiletries/medicines are gonna be worth just as much as hand tools. In a collapsed society situation, many people will die from infection and lack of hygiene. Make sure you have plenty of soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, hand soap, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotics, band-aids, gauze, wet wipes, bleach, etc.
Also have extra socks, underwear, undershirts, shorts, t-shirts, boots, shoes, to replace items as they wear out from the hard labor you will inevitably be doing.
Don't forget water filtration devices. Alexapure/Berkey/Propur gravity fed water filters with plenty of spare filters. These filter down to viruses. Containers to store your water too.
I agree. When I say 2 weeks, I mean 2 weeks of food RIGHT NOW. People panic buying will only bend the market to its breaking point.
If you already stored up to a year or more of food, you did the right thing and I have no qualms about it. More is better.
But everyone going out right now to buy years worth of food will only lead to ruin.
It could only take 2 weeks. If we knew that, people would buy 2 weeks worth and after those weeks are up, the supply would go back to normal.
If everyone bought 2 years though? It would take much longer for things to go back to normal. Additionally, people may live off those supplies for so long, that the market will underproduce when it does come back online.
I don't expect things to take more than a month. If it does go on longer, it means we're being invaded by foreign actors. Besides, if all the vaxx people die off in the next year, we can just take their food.
I see where you're coming from now fren and I agree with your perspective. I just want for those in this community to be most prepared since it's gonna be us that have to clean up the mess left. Where I do disagree with you is on the time this is gonna take to be all over with. I'm of the belief that this is going to take at least a year to get all resolved before we can begin to have something that somewhat resembles "back to normal."
Anything you can learn to make yourself will be a blessing to you and your family. Learn to make soap, or cheese, or wine, or beer, or jams, or furniture, or anything where there maybe a need and it’s something you would like to learn!
I've tossed the idea around to make a few of the items you listed but sadly never got around to making them. I guess it's never too late to start.
Also network with like minded people. Know your terrain. The most important thing other then basic necessities is intel.
My bugout location has lots of vacation homes. The grocery stores will be a bloodbath so our “beer drinking club” is gonna hit the vacation homes first thing before those people arrive.
Great post fren. Absolutely work on your skills and the next best thing is finding people who have skills you don’t. My only disagreement is when you said not to buy more then two weeks worth of food. Buy all the food you can. When SHTF you need to survive the first 2-4 weeks. Depending on how bad it is the worst of the killing will be then.
The smart man will conserve his energy and avoid the grocery stores until they are all completely vacant.
Then go in and steal the shelves. Use the shelves to make walls and boxes. Steal the frozen section's doors to make greenhouse walls. Grab a cart, fill it with the scrap, and keep the cart at home -- the caster wheels on them alone are probably the most valuable thing to salvage from the store.
That’s why I have months worth of food and am hitting the vacation homes first. Lots of food and materials will be in there. Let the unprepared kill themselves at the stores.
So let me understand. These vacation homes are not your, am I correct?
Why would I raid my own house
lol, that is a very good point. Sorry about that. It's a great idea you have me thinking about. I live in an apartment. Not really sure where there would be any vaca homes in the area that I live in. Maybe out towards Summerset but since it is winter people will be up their skiing if things go to shit.
Good advice at any time.
There's an implicit assumption that everyone would WANT to live in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world where roving marauders are stealing food and water, and bags are money.
I'm not cut out for that world. I'd be like Lisa Douglas from the penthouse except with no Oliver, suddenly having to scratch out a living on green acres, fix the tractor, plant and harvest food, etc.
Next!
Homesteading skills will also come in very handy. Wish I had been able to learn my Grampa’s smithy skills (he could fashion his own tools vis welding for the farm) and his willow witching for a well and bee charming skills when he was alive. They would come in very handy now.
It sounds pretty obvious, but you need to focus on renewable resources if you want to survive long term. Buying some long shelf life food and water will only get you so far - and the storage burden becomes a problem beyond a month of supplies.
Edit: Oh! And water is always your limiting factor. Not much point having a months supply of food if you don't have a plan for water. And don't forget, water is HEAVY and takes up lots of space. Those ReadyWise buckets look pretty good until you realize you need a few tonnes of water to go with it.
If you've got an above-ground swimming pool, set it up as soon as the power goes out.
You don't have to fill it, necessarily, but just have it laid out in case you need to collect rain water.
Then boil or distill to purify.
Great idea. You can also get bath bladders that you can fill up in anticipation of an event or drain your pipes as a last resort. Should keep the water clean for a while too.
Also, a do it yourself pond shell, kiddie pools, 5 gallon buckets to name a few are good to put out to gather water.
Most people live where it rains
this is out of the price range for most people, but for those that can afford it a $2k consumer freeze dry machine lets you freeze dry virtually any food you can put on the tray. Freeze dry fruits, meats, meals, put it in sealed bags with oxygen absorber and they will last 20+ years.
Freeze drying retains 97% nutritional value vs dehydrated foods which retains around 80%, and canning which retains under 50%.
I've been thinking about one of those but I can't shake the feeling that it's a bit late to get the $$ worth out of it--I think you'd logically need to have been using it non stop for at least 12 months before you've justified the cost.
I love this thread. Y2K all over again. 🙂 Don't forget diapers, feminine hygiene products, shopping carts or wagons. Comfort foods, especially chocolate. Oil lamps, wicks, radios.
If gold and silver are that valuable the incentive for someone to kill you for it increases. Not saying they would or they would win. Just saying lots of freaks gonna be licking their chops at your stuff.
Things that create more basic value and hard to steal/conceal.
Livestock, if you can.
I read in a colonial magazine cheese makers had the best lives in the colonies. Everyone like to trade with them and their product did not need refrigeration and a dense store of calories. Not that I have any livestock. But yeah I don't imagine suffering too bad. Brie is basically butter.
Obviously don't go flashing your metals around lol but thieves will steal anything of value if they can. And obviously concealed carry is necessary. Military is going to be patrolling everywhere, crime will be stamped out quickly.
QUALITY POST FREN!!
I agree on bamboo, but it can be risky.
Some states prohibit its growth as an invasive species, and for good reason.
Bamboo roots penetrate so deeply, and the plant grows so fast, that you need to dig up to 6 feet in some cases just to root out a patch. And then burn the soil for good measure.
Florida is going through hell trying to stop it from taking over.
If you can get ahold of some, make sure there is no way it can grow outside it's intended lot.
Yes, bamboo. Long as you have the extra six or seven years to wait for it to start growing, you're golden. Then it grows 90 feet high in six weeks.
I said suck it to college. Self learned many trades and now I smile because when shit goes down and the "educated" panic.... I will def be eaten last.
Good post.
Services will be currency! Teachers, doctors, security, deliveries, farmers. We can see the industries impacted w the mandates. Their value is being spotlighted right now.
Factually useless without their IT systems telling them what to do.
Surgeons and Paramedics are the only useful doctors in this situation because at least they can stop you from bleeding out.
There are plenty of old school family practice doctors that don’t rely on assistance to provide vital care. My mom is one of them, even does house calls. When I think of Dr I’m not thinking of the hospital kind. But you are very correct, those first responder emergency services are hugely valuable
I just planted different varieties of Bamboo in my yard, In 12 months, I'm gonna have so much materials to craft Bows, Arrows and many other useful things, and the shoots are edible too. My Bambusa eutuldoides 'Viridi-Vittata' will make a nice bow
There's a goober called Grandpa Amu who has a good time making wood crafts on YouTube in Japan.
Sometimes he does bamboo projects.
Here's a video I think will blow your mind on just how much you can do with it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heVG8OlBhlE
Make a moonshine still and buy sugar and yeast.
What’s the best way to put all the apples from my apple tree to use? Thinking about apple chips and maybe apple sauce. Canning maybe too
Apple pie filling in jars, apple butter, apple sauce, cinnamon apple sauce. Canning is your friend.
Drying them out is ideal because of storage space and weight.
You can always reconstitute apples with water if need be.
If you really want to shrink their storage volume, grind it to make a flakey powder.
Fill jars with the powder and use it a flour-type meal. You can use this as a base for apple wine if alcohol is needed.
Always include the peels -- they are the most nutritious part of the apple.
Keep the seeds. They have cyanide in them.
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/are-apple-seeds-poisonous
You can use the seeds as a poison for rats and mice, if you properly distill and extract it.
I have been drying apples for the past week with the leftover apples from cider making. Some apples are good for drying, some for applesauce, some for baking, some for cider,etc. It helps to know which apples you have. the good thing about dried apples is that they are good emergency food to keep in your pocket. they are soft and leathery and at first you are unimpressed but then the flavor just blooms in your mouth as a delightful surprise.
The thresh on the cannabis (hemp) is probably the most valuable thing about those seeds.
Learn to braid rope from it now and you'll be all set on the trade market.
If you're curious why it happened, it wasn't because you can get high off it.
The THC content then was so low, it would barely give you a tingle.
Paper/Parchment and Rockefeller petroleum-based synthetic rope manufacturers lobbied together in DC to convince people it was a dangerous drug that caused people to contract "reefer madness."
Since then, it has been carefully bred to be ridiculously high in THC, so yeah, not all is good for fiber.
The pot hippies smoked is possibly 1/10th the potency of pot on the "market" today. This is intentional, mind you, to keep it out of the paper and rope markets...
They simply made concessions to permit the Cartel drug trade from South America.
The end game for honest people is getting hemp back into the fiber industry. It's such woefully underutilized material.
some thing to remember cell phones, think ham radio, I have base station, 2 hand held for for moving around 2 meter and 70cm just picked up cb mine is for mobile car but hooked up to my power supply in house for a base now I have local people in my area and long distance, NEWS, INFORMATION and all will run off a car battery if no power dont be isolated we will need to know whats happening
A warning on storing PVC: it degrades in sunlight. If you are using it for green houses or tent poles it should be painted to prevent it from getting brittle and breaking.
Damn i just bought £2k of gold and silver bars :/
Don't get me wrong, it's still better in gold and silver than it is as £2k of monopoly money.
Just don't expect to use it to buy something from your average joe. They'll have no clue what it is worth.
Don't feel bad, it's a good move. Just don't neglect to get a bit of food and water in case you have to ride out some chaos.
I've got endless amount of tinned tomatoes and tomato soup. I hate tomatoes but it's all i could get lol
Haha wow, I too need some more diversity in my holdings but mine is mostly just meat and rice.
I've been stocking up on whiskey and bourbon...has medicinal uses as well as other important qualities... focusing on small to midsize...
Bartering is already in my plan.
I make mead and it's generally pretty tasty and strong. It holds on the shelf for a very very very long time.
So, I'm keeping my "brewery" (have a large closet in the kitchen which holds all of my fermenters and brews) full as well as supplies on hand (again, honey is great because it holds on the shelf for a long time) to keep brewing.
When life gets shitty, alcohol helps.
I'm also debating raising some chickens in my basement. It's not a huge basement but it's not useful for anything.... so building a pen on 1/4 of it gives enough room for I believe 6 hens.
Not only are eggs a super food (especially when you're feeding your chickens right) but they are used in a lot of food, giving them a lot of value. 6 hens could give me up to 3 dozen a week. People are already selling their eggs for $5/dozen. I can get by on 1 dozen a week. The extra eggs could probably get me some decent stuff.
Being able to PRODUCE food is going to be key.
PEOPLE IN THE PRIOR COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONS DIDN'T FORGET HOW TO HUNT AND FISH, THEY WIPED OUT THE GAME AND ENDED UP STARVING.
So, be able to produce food and if you hunt don't fucking over hunt and fuck yourself and everyone else.
Being able to get clean water, also important. Berkey filters are expensive but can pretty much filter piss into pure drinking water (they also have fluoride filters, great for your tap water if they poison it) so you couple that with some cheap buckets to collect rain and you're set there.
Power is nice. My camper is equipped with 120aH in batteries and a 160W mounted panel with an expansion port for an additional panel. I have more than enough electricity with that to cover my basics. Can't run a fridge that's bigger than a cooler, but some extra batteries and panels will make that a possibility.
Think about EVERYTHING you use each day, for meals, for cleaning, for entertainment, EVERYTHING, and find a way to reproduce it or provide some it from scratch. A little money goes a long way, If you cut out fast food, junk food, and soda, you could probably afford a solar panel and battery set-up within a month. Another month, you could have the berkey filter. Another month, enough jars to can 6 months wroth of food.
Trust me, you do not want chickens in a confined space.
Their crap is very toxic if not collected diligently and/or ventilated. You will get eye and sinus infections worse than you have ever had.
Chicken pens need plenty of open air to sweep the fumes and bacteria away.
Every spring our drunkard farmer neighbors sneak out in the middle of the night and spread untreated chicken crap on their fields. The entire neighborhood always gets incredibly sick around that time, solely because the state health officials don't care enough to do something about it despite us calling every year. That, or they are being bribed...
What about quail in a small cage array--some people keep them in apartments don't they?
I'll add to that, solar power and a "solar generator" (battery pack/charger). I just bought a setup that can charge my electric bike. It gets 30+ miles and can go basically anywhere. Add a makeshift trailer and you can go out further for scavenging and bring stuff back. I can charge phones, kindle e-books full of survival pdf's, drones, electric power tools, misc electrical devices, lights, you name it. Sure I could live life with a hatchet and a ball of twine, but if there are modern tools that can help, you may as well figure out how to power them. Christmas sales are already going on, and you can get some good deals.
ebikes are near silent also
Yep ebikes and solar are more renewable and quieter than gas generators and dirt bikes. And you can pedal them if you need to be the most quiet/efficient. Gas is definitely more powerful for the dollar, though, assuming you can get enough of it Mad Max style. Both are fun.
i also have a wind generator i keep boxed up can assemble in about a half hour. also quiet, but like you say gas is king.
Nice, any good recommendations? Can you get 100 watts from something decently sized/priced?
Make my own so cant help with recommendations
If you have a well I also recommend installing a hand pump.
I do not smoke but stockpiling cigarettes seems great. And lighters as someone already mentioned. Stocking any easy to store items people are addicted to is recommended.
ham radio shtf you wont need a license also get a cb mobile for car works can use in the house a power supply or get a car battery local news from around your area my ham gets me out much farther information crucial