I've read countless prepping articles, I'm not sure I need another link to a prepping blog. I'm am more interested in knowing what my extremely smart anons are doing for prepping. An article might say I only need two weeks of food or 2 years of food, but realistically based on the political data gathered from this forum, is 3 months of food enough or too much? Is a couple cases of bullets enough or is more needed?
What prepping supplies and how much prepping supplies do YOU guys have considering that some food prepping makes sense but I doubt that things will be so bad that we need a years supply of food.
Thank you everyone!!! I'm just a worried father of 3 youngins trying to prep with a somewhat limited budget.
Also should I take out all my money from my bank and put it in a credit union or is it smarter to have it at my house because credit unions might not be accessible or might go under too?
I am personally trying for 6 months.
That's really ambitious. Chest freezers are expensive! 6 months of food? And how much ammo?
I am doing mostly dry foods. No ammo. Don't own a gun.
It's tough to get one in Chicago.
Luckily I am in a high-rise apartment on the 31st floor.
I would buy atleast a box of ammo for barter. If u never need, you can always give to a friend
I'm in TX so this concept is completely foreign to me, but in Illinois they need a Firearm Owner’s Identification (“FOID”) card just to buy ammo. Incredibly you have to be 21 to get the card, but you can get a note from Mommy (SERIOUSLY) to purchase ammo if you are under 21.
By the way - I'm not sure I'd want to live so high up if the SHTF. Think elevators and water when the power dies.
That’s a good idea.
If I were you, I'd take a nice drive over the state line to Indiana and look into purchasing a shotgun. you can get a decent cheap shotgun for under $200 and ammo is pretty cheap and is plentiful for them as well.
Another good idea. I am from Indiana.
BB guns look pretty real these days. Also hurt.
Hurt does not equal stop.
Got any family or friends outside the city?
Yes I do. They are back in Indiana.
Yeah never been a gun person. My dad and grandmother both had them.
Just never got around to getting one.
Aim for dried food. There is no guarantee that the West will not suffer the power shortages the UK and Europe are. Local hardware store or just google - food grade buckets with lids. We have oats, rice, pasta, flour, sugar, beans, salt, etc. stored. Have for many years. The buckets should be lined with MYLAR BAGS, fill to near top, drop in oxygen absorbers and seal with hot iron. Instructions on Ytube. Once bags are sealed the oxygen absorbers will do their job. Then put the lid on correctly, label and date it. In some cases these staples can last 20 years.
If you go on PINTEREST people have created tables to show how much food for say 2 adults and 2 children for 2 weeks up to 2 years.
Oh, and don't put oxygen absorbers in the sugar unless you like having to chisel it apart.
Or salt. 😀. But in general. You learn that as you go along. There was a series of videos that I followed years ago about this one family, but there was the Mum and Dad, the 2 sons and wives and daughters and their husbands etc. that shopped big at a Amish market. They had car loads of produce and they had a day of just dividing up the items they purchased in bulk and breaking them into the family lots, then into the buckets. They did a canning day too. Many hands make light work.
Keep a rotation of fresh water jugs going so you can make the rice and have fluid.
We are lucky in Australia. Every new home going back 15 years must have a water tank. But as time went by, it became obvious to install one even if your home was a hundred years old. 100 years ago every home had a corrugated iron tank, then some bright spark on council said to pull them down. Decades later they are back and come in all shapes and sizes and colours. They are poly tanks these days. We have ours on a ‘tank stand’ and the water off the roof via the gutter. We’re capped it off as we are getting flooding rains and this water just goes down the stormwater pipes. Such waste. We could have an inland sea if our politicians had brains, but it flows to the sea and is wasted. It would open up our outback which is arid but as it is in Australia, flooding rains then drought, but before that the bushfires. We’re on the east coast and we normally have high winds in August but they are roaring atm. drying out our land, come summer it will be a tinderbox.
https://www.tankworld.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqoibBhDUARIsAH2OpWjf0fhIQjQHhouEYSIFV3vK348iPV3D1BG3EEy2bZBCUV3BLEUepJEaAk4eEALw_wcB
I wouldn't bank on all frozen foods in case there's no electricity. Dried beans and rice are cheaper, and can go a long ways. Make sure you have a way to get clean water as well. Like a LifeProof straw or something similar at least one for each family member.
I wonder if they would still sprout? If you have any left, wrap a few in a damp paper towel and stick it in a sandwich bag for a few days. The sprouts are tasty and nutritious, and a nice fresh change from dried beans and rice.
Another idea for city / apartment folks.... buy a sprouting container and some seeds. They can sit right on your countertop and require no special lights. Pour a cup or 2 of water over them twice a day and in 3-4 days, you have fresh sprouts. Cheap, easy, no dirt, no lights.
Oh really? That's a bummer. I bought ours from an organic farm online. The reviews are really good, but I guess I should have tried eating some before putting them in the mylar bags and buckets. 🤦♀️