Most Important things to stock

[bmaverick]

Oct 6, 2014 15:23:40 GMT -5 Debbie Lincoln said:

It's funny you posted this now, because we just purchased, last week, a Berkley water filter system. Next we are going to upgrade rain water collection (which seem kind of pointless since it doesn't rain here anymore!)

I also want to relate that I was in Dallas with my mom this past Thursday night when a horrific wind/rain storm hit her neighborhood, blowing down trees and turning off the lights (on over 280,000 folks) for 14 hours. It reinforced what I have been preaching to her for some years now - BE PREPARED FOR DISASTER. She knew exactly where to go for candles and flashlights and matches. Unfortunately, someone had stolen her generator, so the DH loaded up our little portable one and was just hitting the road when the lights came back on. Her frig and freezer were still solid frozen.
Her next door neighbor was in the middle of baking a chicken (with electricity) and brought it over to Moms to finish cooking in her gas oven. They have NO other means to cook - no gas grill, no wood for fireplace, nada. Of course, most city folks expect the lights to come back on pretty quickly and don't think about long term issues...THOSE are the people I am afraid of....

Yes, water first and foremost.  It is scheduled to rain all this week here in Nashville.
 

A deal came up this year from WorldNetDaily with the Solar SunOvens for preppers. We snagged one. It cooks very well. The food dehydrator works well too.   For the cost of DIY to make vs. already made (even in the USA) with the extras, we took the plunge.  So, if the chicken was cooking, no other energy source but the sun.  Or toss it on a rocket stove if the day is cloudy. 

As for flash lights, the Coleman 6AA runs for more hours than what is advertised if using Rayovac or Duracell rechargeable batteries.  Just point it upward on a table and you would think the room had regular 100W bulb lighting the place up.
www.walmart.com/ip/COLEMAN-2000012913-Coleman-6-AA-Ultra-High-Power-LED-Max-Flashlight/22086467?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=92395110663&category=0%3A4125%3A546956%3A4128%3A645883%3A645885&client_guid=efb2eda4-7c9a-4db3-bba7-dd6f01564915&config_id=2&parent_item_id=13848694&guid=64d03508-8d9c-4cf0-a009-fd3a776270e1&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

[2stormeyseas]

Oct 7, 2014 15:34:22 GMT -5 bmaverick said:

As for flash lights, the Coleman 6AA runs for more hours than what is advertised if using Rayovac or Duracell rechargeable batteries.  Just point it upward on a table and you would think the room had regular 100W bulb lighting the place up.

problem with rechargable batteries - if there is no power you cannot recharge them unless you used solar, wind, water...somehow (I don't know how)

[bmaverick]

Oct 7, 2014 22:09:31 GMT -5 2stormeyseas said:

Oct 7, 2014 15:34:22 GMT -5 bmaverick said:

As for flash lights, the Coleman 6AA runs for more hours than what is advertised if using Rayovac or Duracell rechargeable batteries.  Just point it upward on a table and you would think the room had regular 100W bulb lighting the place up.

problem with rechargable batteries - if there is no power you cannot recharge them unless you used solar, wind, water...somehow (I don't know how)

I just swap them out at the house from the wall charger.   Are you totally off grid then???

[Debbie Lincoln]

You can recharge AA batteries with the solar outdoor walkway lights. Last week when the power went out in Dallas, Mom went and brought inside all her little solar-powered patio lights and just stuck them all over the house. Most we still lit in the morning.

[eljay]

Oct 8, 2014 18:16:24 GMT -5 Debbie Lincoln said:

You can recharge AA batteries with the solar outdoor walkway lights. Last week when the power went out in Dallas, Mom went and brought inside all her little solar-powered patio lights and just stuck them all over the house. Most we still lit in the morning.

Clever!

[redridge]

I think our number one asset here in TN is water. You can collect it, tap into it, gravity it, and use it for power. Pretty handy.
We gravity feed all water for livestock and home. Micro hydro makes for easy quick power. But in general power is solar with a battery bank. We've toyed with some wind but it wouldn't be as effected as solar here.
The big thing to always consider with every resource is renewability. Two is one and one is none. This is why we have several bulls, several rams, several cocks and bucks. It is also the reason all plants are heirloom. Storing a lot of things for the long term (meaning longer than a few years) is simply not as practical or dependable as being able to sustain them. Whether it's water, power, genetics, or seeds, continually thinking "sustainable" will get you much further down the road than stocking up without the ability to renew.

[bmaverick]

Oct 9, 2014 6:38:14 GMT -5 redridge said:

I think our number one asset here in TN is water. You can collect it, tap into it, gravity it, and use it for power. Pretty handy.
We gravity feed all water for livestock and home. Micro hydro makes for easy quick power. But in general power is solar with a battery bank. We've toyed with some wind but it wouldn't be as effected as solar here.
The big thing to always consider with every resource is renewability. Two is one and one is none. This is why we have several bulls, several rams, several cocks and bucks. It is also the reason all plants are heirloom. Storing a lot of things for the long term (meaning longer than a few years) is simply not as practical or dependable as being able to sustain them. Whether it's water, power, genetics, or seeds, continually thinking "sustainable" will get you much further down the road than stocking up without the ability to renew.

Indeed.  Stocking up should be for short term (months) of use.  Being "independent" or the politicall correct word "sustainable" is the way to go.

I know of people who are stocking up on collidal silver, but what if your stock is used up with no ability to get more.  Then what?   It's easier and cost effective in the long run to OWN the machine that makes the stuff.
www.wishgranted.com/Colloidal_Silver_Generator.html  This machine works on both 110VAC (home) and 12VDC car battery (solar/wind/water). 
 

 

[redridge]

Oct 9, 2014 14:36:57 GMT -5 bmaverick said:

Oct 9, 2014 6:38:14 GMT -5 redridge said:

I think our number one asset here in TN is water. You can collect it, tap into it, gravity it, and use it for power. Pretty handy.
We gravity feed all water for livestock and home. Micro hydro makes for easy quick power. But in general power is solar with a battery bank. We've toyed with some wind but it wouldn't be as effected as solar here.
The big thing to always consider with every resource is renewability. Two is one and one is none. This is why we have several bulls, several rams, several cocks and bucks. It is also the reason all plants are heirloom. Storing a lot of things for the long term (meaning longer than a few years) is simply not as practical or dependable as being able to sustain them. Whether it's water, power, genetics, or seeds, continually thinking "sustainable" will get you much further down the road than stocking up without the ability to renew.

Indeed.  Stocking up should be for short term (months) of use.  Being "independent" or the politicall correct word "sustainable" is the way to go.

I know of people who are stocking up on collidal silver, but what if your stock is used up with no ability to get more.  Then what?   It's easier and cost effective in the long run to OWN the machine that makes the stuff.
www.wishgranted.com/Colloidal_Silver_Generator.html  This machine works on both 110VAC (home) and 12VDC car battery (solar/wind/water). 
 

 

Ours is the Silver Edge brand.
There are also many other things which are beneficial health wise to plant such as elderberry, ginger, etc

[bmaverick]

Oct 9, 2014 15:19:44 GMT -5 redridge said:

Oct 9, 2014 14:36:57 GMT -5 bmaverick said:

Indeed.  Stocking up should be for short term (months) of use.  Being "independent" or the politicall correct word "sustainable" is the way to go.

I know of people who are stocking up on collidal silver, but what if your stock is used up with no ability to get more.  Then what?   It's easier and cost effective in the long run to OWN the machine that makes the stuff.
www.wishgranted.com/Colloidal_Silver_Generator.html  This machine works on both 110VAC (home) and 12VDC car battery (solar/wind/water). 
 

 

Ours is the Silver Edge brand.
There are also many other things which are beneficial health wise to plant such as elderberry, ginger, etc.

 

That Silver Edge machine is a bit more in cost.  It looks a bit hokey with the timer off to the side and not built in.  At least the 6-inch wire prices are close to the normal market costs. 
I would agree, it's by far cheaper to make your own vs. stocking up on the stuff.
 
How do you store your CS liquid?  In a Mason jar or something else with a sealed top?

[redridge]

Yes Mason jars... Just like our tinctures

[coloneldad5]

In my experience the first and foremost point of preparedness is one's mentality. Survival is more often due to having the right thought process than the right supplies/equipment.

Second most important item in my book is knowledge. Having the right knowledge and information is crucial to doing the right things. Studying such things as edible wild plants, herbology, medicine, gardening skills, animal husbandry, etc. can help out when there may not be others immediately available to assist.

Third I would say are good neighbors. I have watched the show "Doomsday Preppers" and almost laugh at how often they want to 'go it alone' in their quest to survive the EOTW scenarios. This kind of goes back to my second point in having good information. If you study historical examples of dire situations you will find that loners just don't make it very often, especially in situations where lots of people are around. It is possible for a loner to survive if he/she is very much alone and can avoid and hide from others, but let me tell you this is not a very good life to lead unless you are young and physicality fit. If you have a family, are older or have some kind of disability then I would strongly urge you to find a good community to go with. A good community is also helpful because it is virtually impossible for any one person to know all that information that you'll need to effectively maintain a homestead. While you can be a 'jack of all trades' you'll never be a master of any. Having a community allows folks to specialize in some trades (blacksmithing, butchering, baking, cheese making, etc.) and to improve the overall living conditions of all. It also allows for better security as you can always have someone on watch while others a resting or working, not to mention allowing for greater numbers to ward off those who might try to prey on smaller and more vulnerable individuals/groups.

Yes as has been mentioned having a good water supply is crucial for survival. There are means of purifying and treating water that you can use today. I would strongly suggest finding methods that require no electricity, natural gas, mechanical means or other than a simple procedure. Berkley systems and other water purification pumps use filters, unless you stock up on several years worth eventually they will run out and you will have to develop a more non-sophisticated means of purifying your water. My recommendation is to learn and practice these methods early on and make use of them.

There are many other possible suggestions of items and the list can go on forever. My recommendation is to plan on situations that have no electricity or other modern conveniences. It doesn't do much good to have hundreds of pounds of wheat stored up if your only grinder is electric powered. Rigging up a bicycle powered grinder could be worth its weight in gold. Farm tools that are horse/oxen/mule drawn might be highly valuable if you can't get gas/diesel fuel to power your tractors. It would also be good to plan on having the necessary harnesses to pull them. Another aspect of sustainability are seeds. Most garden seeds and farm seeds are hybrids which are not good for providing seeds for the next years cultivation. Thus once you run out of seeds you run out of food. Heirloom seeds provide the means of replenishing your stocks each year. I dare say many will quickly fall into this trap if things go bad.

Another aspect that is often overlooked is the aspect of sanitation. Historically this is the biggest problem and leads to disease, sickness and death, much more so than any other means of death. My wife in speaking with the Emergency Preparedness leaders of the last town we lived in brought up the aspect of sanitation. Their plan was to bring in a lot of port-o-johns. Unfortunately they hadn't considered the aspect that there just wouldn't be enough if there was a major disaster which impacted more than that town. Most likely they would be low down on the priority list as bigger cities would quickly use up all available resources, not to mention the ability to service them would be greatly hampered thus increasing the sanitation problem. When toilets cease working historical examples show that people continue to them until overflowing. Most either don't know how to or tend to be too lazy to build effective latrines, not to mention doing them in the best method so as not to contaminate their neighbors or their own water/food supplies or living accommodations. If you are rural this can be less of a problem.

Medicine will be another possible problem in that the supplies of pills and such that most of our western medicine is based upon may not be easily available or rationed. Knowing how to identify and use herbs can mean the difference between life and death. Essential oils is another means of dealing with some medical ailments. There are other methods that some preparedness minded people are turning to such as eastern methods. Much of these while they used to be practice in Europe have been eliminated from the western culture by over zealous religious folks in centuries past. I have come to learn that God has provided a natural means of healing and dealing with virtually all ailments known to man. Kind of funny to see when modern anthropologists learn some of the methods and practices that was used in times past and just how effective they were.