# IF you HAD to prep



## Merlot

I know there was a thread several years ago about food hoarding/ prepping.  I'm semi a lot newer here and if this is inappropriate the mods can remove.  I am curious because I just got done reading The Bronze Horseman and it was about WWII.  I was so interested in the sections of rationing and what the involved were going through, I just wonder, if you knew you had to prep.  What would you do?


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## dragnlaw

whoa!!  not too sure what you mean.  Not familiar with the book but am assuming with the reference to WWII that you mean an Armageddon situation? or close to? 

Are you asking what we would do to prepare for a disaster? a personal disaster?   global disaster?  a war? flooding? power being knocked out for 6 months?  the moon crashing into us?


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## caseydog

It probably is in the wrong forum, but prepping is not that controversial, or just something for "hoarders and end-timers." 

I used to live on the Gulf Coast, and my family still does. They "prep" for hurricane season. Dad has a generator he maintains for being without power for days. He had to use it for Hurricane Ike to run the refrigerators, keep phones charged, and such basics. You also keep well stoked with bottled water during hurricane season, because once the warnings start being issued, the store shelves empty out of water. 

I lived in a town that got hit by an F5 tornado, and for several days, we had no electricity, and could not go anywhere, because the roads were not passable due to downed trees and debris.   

So, there are lots of reasons to be a little bit of a "prepper." 

CD


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## Merlot

I'm just asking, what would you personally prep for a war?


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## blissful

I'm a prepper of sorts, I have my own pantry with lots to eat, just in case. If I lose my job, I have food. There were a number of years I went without a job, but I didn't run out of food. It's like a savings account, just in case. We have flash floods, tornadoes, breaking down cars, and there is no end to the 'what if's'. 

What would I do? Start with putting up food, add water supplies without having electricity, add generators, learn skills, skills will be in short supply in an emergency or long term emergency. Learn first aid, cpr, have medical supplies on hand. Can you sew, can you kill and gut and cut up a deer, do you know how to dehydrate food. Do you have seeds, do you know how to garden. Can you put in fencing for animals, can you take care of goats or chickens. All that would be a start.


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## caseydog

Merlot said:


> I'm just asking, what would you personally prep for a war?



I've never thought about preparing for war. If war ever comes to our soil, it won't be a very long one -- maybe a matter of hours -- one way or another. 

I focus more on local disasters. 

CD


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## caseydog

BTW, I go on-an-on about how much I love my Weber Kettle grill. I also love the twice-a-year Kingsford sales Home Depot and Lowe's have. 

Soooo, I could eat well with no electricity to cook with, although I'd like to have a generator to keep the fridge/freezer running. 

Did you know you can get 440 pounds of Kingsford Charcoal in a MINI Cooper? Psycho-Poodle was impressed. He didn't think I could do it. 

CD 

.


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## CakePoet

I live in a country that is seen a  necessary loss to stop the Russians. A buffer zone, not worth saving.  Thanks for that, so during the cold war I was taught  to hide, survive in the forest, it was done as  fun games in school, but as old I realize what we were doing.

So I am going to hide in the nearest forest and hope for the best.


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## Margot Howe

Interesting comments here.  I don't think you are on the wrong forum.  It is, after all, about food.  Just in storage, not baking.
I live on the east coast.  We have had hurricanes go through and take out the power for up to five days.  We have had blizzards do the same.  One situation we had was in one home we had a well.  Electricity brought the water into the house.  That power outage meant no water to wash, drink or flush toilets. Not having a pond around, and every store quickly emptied of bottled water, the town came to our rescue and brought in ten 50-gallon drums of water.  We saved the bottled water for drinking and used the drums of water for the rest.  
In New England, a weather forecast of impending snow sends the whole population to the markets which quickly empty of bread and milk.  We can usually get by with what is in the pantry if we just have bread and milk.  
And today, with the way things are in China, I'm seeing an upsurge in food hoarding of a different kind.  My go-to place in case of civil unrest is to my son's home.  He has stored in buckets of food that can be prepared easily.  Mostly freeze-dried, dried beans and rice, and meals that need to be rehydrated come in those buckets.  I add to the collection on occasion.  And as he is a hunter, living in the wilds, there will be meat on the table.  A wood stove for heat or cooking, a gas grill for some foods.... it's not perfect, but it is a plan.


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## cjmmytunes

We always keep bottled water, canned foods (with a manual can opener if they don't have the flip top), peanut butter crackers, peanut butter & jelly, candies, and juice boxes on hand year-round.  Hurricanes during the summers, snowstorms during the winters.  I also have extra copies of prescriptions, and extra supplies for blood sugar meters and such.


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## Katie H

I've always been one to be fairly well prepared for severe emergencies.  I learned just how well I had done when the historic ice storm of January 2009 hit our region.

I was alone because Buck had died a few months earlier so I was solely at my own wits.

I was without power for 21 days and had no issue with food or water because I've always kept a fully-stocked pantry and maintained a full freezer.  The full freezer was a bonus in a good way because it held everything frozen the entire time.  I only opened it occasionally to ensure it didn't thaw out.

Fortunately I had a gas cooktop and a gas water heater so I could cook and had hot water.  Had to be careful with the water because the well ran on electricity.  Had to ration that.

Currently I still follow my same plan, along with plenty of home-canned goods.  We have 11 acres that are fenced so we could raise animals if necessary.  We already grow a variety of vegetables in the summertime, many of which are either canned or frozen.  Some things are dried.

As of today, we could probably live quite well for about 6 months with what is now on hand.

We have lanterns and lamps and access to a generator if needed.

Some of our preparations are a result of lessons learned after the 2009 ice storm.


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## GotGarlic

We are also in hurricane country, so we prep for that. I have lots of food in the two fridges with freezers and the stand-alone freezer, plus the pantry (which actually takes up four cabinets in my kitchen [emoji38] ). We have a generator and a gas stove and water heater, so we're good there, as long as we can get gasoline to run the generator. Need to get fresh water supplies for this year. We do have a well and the water is potable, but the pump is electric. 

My problem would be getting essential medication that is perishable, so I can't stockpile it. So I would not plan on lasting very long in a war, to be honest.


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## PrincessFiona60

I have:
5 - 55 gallon water barrels with potable water
20 cat litter plastic buckets, sanitized and filled with:


dehydrated vegetables
dried beans, rice
pemmican
jerky
seeds (fruit, veg, herbs, flowers)
paper products
socks, underwear
winter clothing (hats, scarves, gloves)
Canned foods on shelving
Ammo for the rifles and pistols
Compound Bows and hunting arrows
Complete medical kits with IV fluids
Complete set of the Foxfire Books and several survival manuels
Outdoor Grill
Charcoal

Not too worried about no electric, but will be getting a generator soon for the freezer.  I can go without phone, computer and TV for a while.

We live in tornado country and I have always been interested in "end of the world" stories.  I guess I am a Prepper...


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## roadfix

For war?     
Water, non-perishable food, medicine, and lots of ammo.....


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## di reston

I think it depends very much on what you need to stockpile for. If, say, it's for emergencies, I reckon you would need less than would if you lived in a hurricane zone where it would, in the event of a disaster like Katrina, and even then, when THAT hurricane struck, people were evacuated from the area. In that case, you would be dependent on Government hand-outs, charitable donations and so forth. When WWII struck Europe, Britain  had rationing, and provided recipe leaflets to help make supplies go further, and female work forces were sent off to till the land and produce much needed food. War zones are the worst, along with famines. We all know what famine does, and fortunately there are international organisations who send supplies to famine-struck areas, and help the local people with projects to cultivate crops, dig wells, irrigate and help people that way.

To a very much lesser extent, most of us stockpile for personal emergencies, and in that case it's simply a matter of calculating in the event of whatever happens. Personally, as we live in the countryside, it makes sense to have some reserves, although there are towns not far away. I'm a hoarder anyway, and we always have plenty of stuff. But I always give something by way of food to the Libyan refugees on the streets. I'm by no means a Saint Di, but I feel sorry for these guys.

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast     Oscar Wilde


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## Addie

Unfortunately, the apartments in this building fail to give the tenants to become preppers. The apartments are just to small. I buy paper towels, toilet paper and several other items in bulk. They store under my bed, the little table with the long skirt, my walking closet and I have plenty of cabinets. I am fortunate in that I have the largest apartment in the whole building. And I have two rooms. Most of the apartments are just big enough for a single bed and couch in the main room. The kitchens are extremely small. Some have only four cabinets. I always have a cabinet full of can goods. Except for veggies. I had enough of canned veggies as a kid. Hated them then, hate them now. Our mechanical room is full of gas machinery to keep the building going. And of course there are the emergency lights in the hallway. 

One time a truck hit an electrical pole and we were without lights for a number of hours. It happened right before everyone was ready to make their supper. So out came the peanut butter, crackers, and other foods that folks had in the apartments. Everyone had a good meal and had eaten enough to claim they were full. I have a hand operated Swingline can opener that I have had since Pirate was about five. (He is 50 now.) Out it came also to open a can of Spam and some other canned meats that someone had in their pantry. Everyone sat in the hall and had a great time. We had gas, so I heated up the two cans of hash I had. 

During the Blizzard of 1978, I was working for the Police Department in Charlestown. I got a good look at what happens when you are not prepared for an emergency. After day three or four, the police were flooded with calls of people who were diabetic and had run out of food. For a Type 1 diabetic, that is very serious. It messes up their insulin intake. 

I think I have enough food to get me through two weeks, maybe three.


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## roadfix

roadfix said:


> For war?
> Water, non-perishable food, medicine, and lots of ammo.....



I forgot to add cash money.


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## Steve Kroll

Well... I have about 700-800 or so bottles of wine in the cellar, so I suppose I'm well prepared for a wine shortage. 

Seriously, there are many other scenarios that seem far more likely. For example, losing one's job, or experiencing a health event, or getting hit by a natural disaster. Along with retirement, death, and taxes, those are the kind of things I try to prepare for.

War? Let's just say I don't think I'll be building a bunker anytime soon.


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## GotGarlic

Steve Kroll said:


> Well... I have about 700-800 or so bottles of wine in the cellar, so I suppose I'm well prepared for a wine shortage.
> 
> Seriously, there are many other scenarios that seem far more likely. For example, losing one's job, or experiencing a health event, or getting hit by a natural disaster. Along with retirement, death, and taxes, those are the kind of things I try to prepare for.
> 
> War? Let's just say I don't think I'll be building a bunker anytime soon.


+1. In addition, we live less than 10 miles from the largest Navy base in the United States. This city has been a center of war operations more than once, which makes our area a primary target. C'est la vie!


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## blissful

Not war but the war on food prices rising, a good thing to stockpile things which keep well, which will go up in price. Honey, wheat grain, rye grain, canned coffee, teas, WINE, alcohol, canned goods. Learning to save seeds has saved me money. Learning how to make vinegar, is cool. Once you have say, 6 cans of coffee in stock, there is no need to buy it until you find a fabulous sale on it. I'd say more than 50% of our food dollars goes to restocking and the rest to milk, eggs, bread, toilet paper, and fresh veggies and fruit. Don't buy everything that is on sale, if you aren't used to eating something, those sale things may be forgotten and go to waste. Eat what you buy, buy what you eat.


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## Rparrny

Living on Long Island...and I live 250 ft away from the bay...hurricanes, blizzards and power outages are part of life.
Things I have ready:
30 five gallon buckets filled with Honey, whole wheat to grind for flour, legumes of every sort, sugar, dehydrated and freeze dried vegetable and fruits.
Cans of dry milk, powered cheese, spices ect.
I can meat and poultry, jams, some veggies.
I make my own laundry soap concentrate in 5 gallon buckets and keep 5 gallons worth of quart mason jars filled with them as well as homemade fabric softener.
Batteries, lanterns, candles, a CB radio with 2 handheld units.
2 Solar ovens
2 Rocket stoves
Guns, ammo and the ability to load my own.
A sling shot so powerful it could kill a deer (or a man) with a rock easily.
4 Cords of wood and a woodburning stove that I can cook on.
Extra propane for the grill
A generator that I have used only once and the electric came back on 30 minutes after I turned it on.
Currency
At least 20 pounds of green coffee beans at any given time.
Paper products
First aid supplies
Herbal Medicines and the ability to make more
Heirloom seeds.
Soap and the ability to make more from scratch
County water (fine if the electric is out) and a private well that needs electric.
A three month supply of my meds

Yeah...I'm a prepper...


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## rodentraiser

Like with Addie, I don't have a lot of room to keep stuff. Also, when you're in an apartment, you can't always keep any barrels of water. And let's face it, if there was an emergency and you had to evacuate, you couldn't bring any of that stuff along anyway.

So I always had my car prepped. I lived out of my truck for 6 years and later on I lived out of my car for a couple of months till I could find a place to live again. I kept a propane stove and a couple gallons of water, some dry foods like boxed potatoes and canned goods, things like cooking utensils, matches, paper towels, garbage bags, some baby wipes, things like that in it. I also always kept a bed made up in the back with a pillow, extra blankets, clothes, towels, and an extra pair of shoes. A car is also handy if you're away from home and a disaster strikes and you can't get back home right away. That's what happened to me after the Loma Prieta earthquake. 

Now I keep a couple 2 gallon jugs of water in my fridge and a flashlight hanging by a hook right next to my bed. While in California, I was always prepped for a large earthquake or a  fire, plus rolling brownouts and blackouts and El  Ninos. Of course now where I live, any natural disaster is going to be either a huge earthquake (third floor, brick building, not sure I'd survive anyway) or a huge tsunami (up to 13 ft high and I'm one block from the ocean). In the event of a disaster, there wouldn't be anywhere to go and the streets would be filled with traffic trying to get out. The only ways across the highway would be blocked by the highway collapsing, or an overpass collapsing, not to mention that to get anywhere in this area would mean crossing bridges.

You have to be realistic about these things. 

But all that would be in the event of a major major disaster. Anything less like a semi-large earthquake or a major power outage wouldn't be enough to cause a problem for me or have me in any kind of survival mode.


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## Cheryl J

^ LIKE, girlfriend!


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## Cooking Goddess

Merlot said:


> I'm just asking, what would you personally prep for a war?


Live a good life and pray hard. 




Steve Kroll said:


> Well... I have about 700-800 or so bottles of wine in the cellar, so I suppose I'm well prepared for a wine shortage. ...


If I had 700 bottles of wine in my cellar, I'd consider myself well prepared for any event. I could just drink my way into oblivion and remain blissfully unaware of impending doom.


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## cjmmytunes

GotGarlic said:


> My problem would be getting essential medication that is perishable, so I can't stockpile it. So I would not plan on lasting very long in a war, to be honest.



I also have medication that is perishable, actually am thinking about getting some FRIO wallets to keep it cool when needed (power outages, long trips, etc).


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## GotGarlic

cjmmytunes said:


> I also have medication that is perishable, actually am thinking about getting some FRIO wallets to keep it cool when needed (power outages, long trips, etc).


We have a generator for power outages and a cooler works for long trips. When I flew to Michigan last year, I wrapped some in a towel in my suitcase with a few freezer packs; that kept it cold enough. But it expires in 10 days, so in a very severe situation, getting resupplied would be the problem. So I'd stock up on wine, cheese, cured meats and crackers and be happy till the end [emoji2]


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## roadfix

Steve Kroll said:


> Seriously, there are many other scenarios that seem far more likely. For example, losing one's job, or experiencing a health event, or getting hit by a natural disaster. Along with retirement, death, and taxes, those are the kind of things I try to prepare for.



Agree.    These are more realistic events and I'm sure most of us are prepared for...


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## PrincessFiona60

Please remember this is a food forum (Menu Planning) and even global politics has no place in it.  We can discuss WAR in general.


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## Addie

Well, Since the store shelves would be empty, I would head for the checkout areas. Candy bars there along with something to read. 

But I do understand the original question. During WWII, England went on rations that affected the whole country. The U.S. did also, but not as severe at England. Here anyone who had even a small plot of land had a Victory Garden. If you grew tomatoes and your neighbor grew celery, you swapped with each other and both homes had salad that night. Here in the U.S. we fed each other. After the war, England stayed on rationing. Here for us the prices were frozen by President Truman. But the food was available to the general public. Our problem was in giving the factories enough time to change over to peace time. We had the land and the population to make that change quickly. And we didn't have to put our efforts into building homes to replace the buildings that had been bombed. Our housing problem was in building homes fast enough for the Vets returning home. 

All those farms here that were feeding the men overseas could now put all their efforts into feeding the general public. 

But in the event that something like that time should happen again, would you be prepared to evacuate in a hurry and still be able to feed yourself as well as your family? We have "Emergency Evacuation Route" signs on all our secondary streets on only one side. They are all leading us north. For us, it is in the direction of where a lot of the food for the farmers markets comes from. So we would have food. Unfortunately, I think the farmers would want to sell us their wares. And being human, we most likely would march into his gardens and take what we wanted. 

But where would all the folks who went that route sleep? On the ground wrapped up in a blanket? Where ever it might be, at least we would sleep with a full tummy that first night.


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## Bigjim68

Merlot said:


> I know there was a thread several years ago about food hoarding/ prepping.  I'm semi a lot newer here and if this is inappropriate the mods can remove.  I am curious because I just got done reading The Bronze Horseman and it was about WWII.  I was so interested in the sections of rationing and what the involved were going through, I just wonder, if you knew you had to prep.  What would you do?



I lived through WW II and am familiar with rationing.  We made out by raising chickens and growing and canning a large garden.  Some things we did without.  Sugar and coffee were in short supply.  Mom made dresses and shirts from feed sacks.  No designer jeans for us. Not a big deal as every kid in the school wore the same clothes.  

If I were prepping today, it would be dried foods including meats, and most of all cooking and heating fuel.  Which is often overlooked.


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## Bigjim68

Addie said:


> Well, Since the store shelves would be empty, I would head for the checkout areas. Candy bars there along with something to read.
> 
> But I do understand the original question. During WWII, England went on rations that affected the whole country. The U.S. did also, but not as severe at England. Here anyone who had even a small plot of land had a Victory Garden. If you grew tomatoes and your neighbor grew celery, you swapped with each other and both homes had salad that night. Here in the U.S. we fed each other. After the war, England stayed on rationing. Here for us the prices were frozen by President Truman. But the food was available to the general public. Our problem was in giving the factories enough time to change over to peace time. We had the land and the population to make that change quickly. And we didn't have to put our efforts into building homes to replace the buildings that had been bombed. Our housing problem was in building homes fast enough for the Vets returning home.
> 
> All those farms here that were feeding the men overseas could now put all their efforts into feeding the general public.
> 
> But in the event that something like that time should happen again, would you be prepared to evacuate in a hurry and still be able to feed yourself as well as your family? We have "Emergency Evacuation Route" signs on all our secondary streets on only one side. They are all leading us north. For us, it is in the direction of where a lot of the food for the farmers markets comes from. So we would have food. Unfortunately, I think the farmers would want to sell us their wares. And being human, we most likely would march into his gardens and take what we wanted.
> 
> But where would all the folks who went that route sleep? On the ground wrapped up in a blanket? Where ever it might be, at least we would sleep with a full tummy that first night.



One advantage that we had in WW II that is totally missing today is the fact that at the beginning of WW II we had 15 years experience of just getting by.  Especially in the midwest.  My dad went from travelling the west looking for work to a for the duration $250/week semi permanent job.  Today after 60 years of prosperity that is gone.  Kids today would opt for a cell phone over a weeks worth of food.


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## Addie

Bigjim68 said:


> I lived through WW II and am familiar with rationing.  We made out by raising chickens and growing and canning a large garden.  Some things we did without.  Sugar and coffee were in short supply.  Mom made dresses and shirts from feed sacks.  No designer jeans for us. Not a big deal as every kid in the school wore the same clothes.
> 
> If I were prepping today, it would be dried foods including meats, and most of all cooking and heating fuel.  Which is often overlooked.



There is a commercial selling dried food for "just in case". Considering that in order to utilize this food, you would need hot water, camp out near some woods and bring a good supply of matches or other means of starting a fire. Collect some dried wood including some kindling, and hoping you know how to build a fire for cooking, then you should be able to survive. So now you will be able to feed yourself and your family and keep warm at the same time. The only other thing you should know about is how to build a lean-to. And try to find a place to camp along side of a brook or small river. You are going to need some water for that dried food and for drinking.


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## Bigjim68

Addie said:


> There is a commercial selling dried food for "just in case". Considering that in order to utilize this food, you would need hot water, camp out near some woods and bring a good supply of matches or other means of starting a fire. Collect some dried wood including some kindling, and hoping you know how to build a fire for cooking, then you should be able to survive. So now you will be able to feed yourself and your family and keep warm at the same time. The only other thing you should know about is how to build a lean-to. And try to find a place to camp along side of a brook or small river. You are going to need some water for that dried food and for drinking.



All the skills you mention were taught in Scouts when I grew up.  Maybe still are.

I still have my boy scout flint and can still start a fire with a pile of dead grass and the flint.


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## rodentraiser

Addie said:


> There is a commercial selling dried food for "just in case". Considering that in order to utilize this food, you would need hot water, camp out near some woods and bring a good supply of matches or other means of starting a fire. Collect some dried wood including some kindling, and hoping you know how to build a fire for cooking, then you should be able to survive. So now you will be able to feed yourself and your family and keep warm at the same time. The only other thing you should know about is how to build a lean-to. And try to find a place to camp along side of a brook or small river. You are going to need some water for that dried food and for drinking.



You better have a water filter for that water. I understand there isn't a stream or river anywhere in the US anymore that doesn't have Giardia in it. You could boil the water first, but that would run your available fuel down faster.


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## Addie

Bigjim68 said:


> All the skills you mention were taught in Scouts when I grew up.  Maybe still are.
> 
> I still have my boy scout flint and can still start a fire with a pile of dead grass and the flint.



And they are all the skills I taught my Girl Scouts. We also taught them how to use a size 10 can for frying bacon and other foods with a tuna can and a spiral of cardboard and melted paraffin wax for fuel. By the time they were ready to go home ten days later, all of them thought they were ready to become Mrs. Daniel Boone. The following year some of our repeat scouts took the new ones under their wings and taught the new kids to cooking camp style. They also taught them how to build a safe fire and they sat around the camp fire toasting marshmallows for S'Mores. 

On one of the hikes, the kids found an old fridge grate. They brought it back to camp, gathered some big rocks, placed the great across and built a BBQ  for themselves. They had to wash it first. But I wasn't too worried about them getting sick. The fire sterilized the grate. And they did remove all the dirt.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz

Having spent the majority of my life on a _tiny speck_ of an island, smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, susceptible to *ANYTHING!* 
Ya neva know what's going to hit ya! 
With all of the different branches of the US Military, stationed on one small mass of Earth, surrounded by nothing but thousands and thousands of miles of water, at the mercy of Dock Workers, Hurricane force storms, conflicts of all sorts and NO WHERE to go (we don't have basements), I mean where are you going to go?  It's 180 miles around (Oahu), that's it!

Prepping? 
Done it my entire life, long before some genius created a TV reality program about it! 
You're always on alert.

It was very difficult to own a fire arm in Hawaii; I thanked God everyday that my husband was in Law Enforcement! 
And now we live in Cowboy Country, where everybody's got a _loaded_ gun rack in their car/truck/ATV and even carry openly. 
It's every man for them selves here! 

Today, I am a hoarder, I admit it!
I have enough of _everything_ to last us, oh, probably a year I suppose.
 
Since moving here to the 'mainland', we've always had a bank of storage cabinets the entire length of our garage, that I keep all of my stuff in.


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## Bigjim68

Addie said:


> And they are all the skills I taught my Girl Scouts. We also taught them how to use a size 10 can for frying bacon and other foods with a tuna can and a spiral of cardboard and melted paraffin wax for fuel. By the time they were ready to go home ten days later, all of them thought they were ready to become Mrs. Daniel Boone. The following year some of our repeat scouts took the new ones under their wings and taught the new kids to cooking camp style. They also taught them how to build a safe fire and they sat around the camp fire toasting marshmallows for S'Mores.
> 
> On one of the hikes, the kids found an old fridge grate. They brought it back to camp, gathered some big rocks, placed the great across and built a BBQ  for themselves. They had to wash it first. But I wasn't too worried about them getting sick. The fire sterilized the grate. And they did remove all the dirt.



I remember making those homemade Sterno's.  They worked well.


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## blissful

Kaneohegirlinaz 

Nice pantry cabinets! 

I was thinking about the title to this thread, If I HAD to prep. I've never HAD to prep, I was brought up this way, so I've always been more prepared than most people around me. The thing to be aware of, is to never get too cocky about it, have humility because just when you aren't expecting it, something happens that you AREN'T prepared for.


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## Steve Kroll

Cooking Goddess said:


> If I had 700 bottles of wine in my cellar, I'd consider myself well prepared for any event. I could just drink my way into oblivion and remain blissfully unaware of impending doom.


In the event of a war in the 21st century, that may be all we have time to do.


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## Merlot

Thank you for all the replies!  I was nervous about posting this new thread.  Everyone's stories and suggestions are so interesting. Being from WV and knowing our skills, I think we would make loads of moonshine.  We certainly know how and it could be a good trade and used for lots of stuff!


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## blissful

Merlot said:


> Thank you for all the replies!  I was nervous about posting this new thread.  Everyone's stories and suggestions are so interesting. Being from WV and knowing our skills, I think we would make loads of moonshine.  We certainly know how and it could be a good trade and used for lots of stuff!



Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern  Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the  road.  As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and  asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.  With a word or two of  thanks, she got in the car.  
After resuming the journey and a bit of small talk, the Navajo  woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. "What's in the  bag?"  asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said,  "It's a bottle of wine.  Got it for my husband."  
The Navajo woman was silent for a moment, and then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said,  "Good trade."


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## Kaneohegirlinaz

blissful said:


> sally was driving home from one of her business trips in northern  arizona when she saw an elderly navajo woman walking on the side of the  road.  As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and  asked the navajo woman if she would like a ride.  With a word or two of  thanks, she got in the car.
> After resuming the journey and a bit of small talk, the navajo  woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to sally. "what's in the  bag?"  asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said,  "it's a bottle of wine.  Got it for my husband."
> the navajo woman was silent for a moment, and then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said,  *"good trade."*


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## Merlot

blissful said:


> Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern  Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the  road.  As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and  asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.  With a word or two of  thanks, she got in the car.
> After resuming the journey and a bit of small talk, the Navajo  woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. "What's in the  bag?"  asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said,  "It's a bottle of wine.  Got it for my husband."
> The Navajo woman was silent for a moment, and then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said,  "Good trade."


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## dragnlaw

I agree 100% - *GOOD TRADE!*

But back to prepping - there are so many different type of emergencies...  my son has * grab & run bags. * Different coloured bags - red has the most urgent necessities. Blue the extras, still necessities but could do without if you really really have to.
Red, certain meds, container for to get water, water purifier tablets, fire starters, fire lighters, dried food packets, etc. things like that.  Blue has warming blankets (super thin but extra warm), extra medical supplies, soaps, tooth brushes (don't forget hygiene in emergency situations can help lessen the impact of trauma). 

I don't remember exactly what all he has in them but it is rather well organized. If they get an instant evacuate signal all he has to do is grab the bags, the kids and head for the hills!


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## sparrowgrass

Disaster Preparedness Plan | Make a Plan | Red Cross

Red Cross has some great info on how to get your family ready for any kind of disaster.  Prepper folks seem to concentrate on the apocalypse/nuclear war, but there are lots of smaller disasters all the time.  Chemical spills on the highways/railroads, hurricanes, house fires, floods.

One thing you are guaranteed to hear from disaster survivors is a complaint about the government not being there quick enough to help THEM.  Take responsibility--the government is going to be there, but it might take them a day or two or three, depending on the extent of the problem.  Have your own plans regarding what you will do if the water or power is shut off, or if you have to leave your home for an extended period.  Don't sit back and wait for someone to rescue you.


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## blissful

sparrowgrass said:


> Don't sit back and wait for someone to rescue you.



+1 excellent and the most important point.


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## Kayelle

Very interesting thread. I think only one person mentioned *CASH* and make it in small bills as you sure aren't going to get change.


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## PrincessFiona60

sparrowgrass said:


> Disaster Preparedness Plan | Make a Plan | Red Cross
> 
> Red Cross has some great info on how to get your family ready for any kind of disaster. * Prepper folks seem to concentrate on the apocalypse/nuclear war,* but there are lots of smaller disasters all the time.  Chemical spills on the highways/railroads, hurricanes, house fires, floods.
> 
> One thing you are guaranteed to hear from disaster survivors is a complaint about the government not being there quick enough to help THEM.  Take responsibility--the government is going to be there, but it might take them a day or two or three, depending on the extent of the problem.  Have your own plans regarding what you will do if the water or power is shut off, or if you have to leave your home for an extended period.  Don't sit back and wait for someone to rescue you.



You will be glad you are prepared when the Zombie Apocalypse comes.


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## roadfix

I don't particularly care for zombies but I really enjoyed World War Z.    Anyone else seen that movie?   It was a fairly recent movie with Brad Pitt.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz

Ya know, up here in Cowboy-ville, trade and barter for goods and services is very common, where I haven't seen that since was a little, little kid.
I think that folks don't think about that any more and in the case of a disaster that would be useful to have something, be it a service or a good to trade.
Home canned goods, potable water, the possibilities are endless.


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## taxlady

I'm surprised by the people who have wells that run on electric and no way to get water if there is no water. We pried the concrete cover off the well and dipped out water (it was a spring well, so not all that deep). A friend still had the old fashioned pump in the kitchen attached to her well and could actually pump water right into her sink.


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## blissful

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> Ya know, up here in Cowboy-ville, trade and barter for goods and services is very common, where I haven't seen that since was a little, little kid.
> I think that folks don't think about that any more and in the case of a disaster that would be useful to have something, be it a service or a good to trade.
> Home canned goods, potable water, the possibilities are endless.



I'm in Wisconsin, if I know someone that has something they usually sell, I will barter with them. Make an offer and see what they say. It's not just during an emergency, that it still makes sense.

The trick is to have on hand things above and beyond what you will use yourself and make it available to others. I've bartered soap, garlic, traps, food, food preparation, teaching, plants, and received all kinds of goodies, mulch-straw, produce, water, candy, herbal medicines, plants, and handmade items for the household. I hope to add cheese to my list of things I have available that others might want to trade.

Building those relationships takes time and trust and fairness. If you wait until an emergency, you are more likely to find more desperate people and less likely to make fair trades.


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## Merlot

During the derecho in 2012? We had a generator but the whole county shut down, no gas! 
My fiancé does a lot of trading.  He is great at it.  Just in general, he makes me feel safer than I have in a long time in case we did have a need for an emergency.  My ex husband was pure useless


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## buckytom

I'm not a prepper, but as an old habit I have a few backpacks in the garage ready to go as bug-out bags. It's not so much on purpose for survival, rather it's just easier to store everything ready to go.

Although, I hopefully wouldn't need to go anywhere. I live on the edge of thousands of acres of a nature preserve, dotted with clean, natural lakes for water, fish, and edible plants. And I have enough meat walking through my backyard every day in terms of deer, bear, and turkey that protein wouldn't be a problem.

The woods behind me is loaded with wild raspberries and blackberries, hence the wildlife.

As far as veggies go, growing lettuces and other greens is pretty easy to do, even in winter if you have a really sunny room.

Finally, I have enough wood to heat the house through 2 winters. I took down about 35 trees last year in order to have a backyard instead of a forest, so I now have about 8 to 10 cords or more of wood waiting to be cut and split.


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