Getting Started

[3fingervic]

Hi, I'm new on this site. I would like some advise on getting prepared. I don't have a ton of money, but would like to slowly build up items that are needed. Can you help me, with prioritizing a list?

[NCLee]

Welcome, Vic, and congratualtions on recognizing the need to be better prepared and self-reliant.

There are a few questions that you need to answer before starting working on lists. Do you plan to stay where you are or go somewhere else, if TSHTF. Are you alone or are you prepping for a family?

What's the most likely natural disaster that'll take the power out for 2 weeks? Here it's ice storms and hurricanes. Preparing for natural disasters to be self-sufficient for 2 weeks is your first goal. Once you have that in place, you can build from there for the long term.

Do you live in the city in an apartment or out in the country on a good sized piece of land?

Answers to these questions (no need to be specific to the point that you're giving out too much personal information) will help us point you in the right direction(s).

And, to help you get started, in general, take a look at this site.
Realistic Self-Sufficiency: The Do's and the Don'ts
http://www.grandpappy.info/hself.htm
Be sure to check out the subjects covered in the applicable site topics, such as "Hard Times Survival". There you will find some lists and much more.

Another site to check out is http://drum-runners.com/ There's a world of info there that can help you get started.

Hope this helps. And, again, Welcome!

Lee

[Steve_L]

I like this book:

http://deseretbook.com/item/4689114/Emergency_Food_Storage_in_a_Nutshell

No, you don't have to be LDS to buy from the Deseret Bookstore. The Mormons have this down to a science; how to get started on a limited budget, how to build up a year's supply, how to cook it, how to rotate it and all that.

[3fingervic]

Lee, I live about 20 miles north of Detroit, MI. We really don't have a threat as far as natural disasters are concerned where I live. I don't live real close to water to have to worry about floods. We don't get real bad tornados

I could stay at my house, or I could drive about 80 miles north to my cottage. I'm not sure what would be the best to do. I'm currently in a house on a 65'x12' lot.

[CountryGuy]

3fing - Welcome and congrats on starting the rest of your life!

Is your last post correct, 65x12 lot? How large is your lot at your cottage?

Is it just you or do you have a family also? What are everyone's ages?

First thing first, read, read, read...lots of FREE great info on this site and other sites on the web. Also get an economical printer and some 3 ring binders, that way as you find important articles that you'd like for the long term, print them and organize into 3 ring binders. Getting organized can be difficult but it's very important to everything.

Above all remember the most important thing you can ever have is knowledge. And have fun!

[patience]

3fingervic,

I'm going to assume you left off a zero = 65' x 120'. That gives you some room to grow some veggies, and fruits, but the amount is limited by your growing season and your space. If you have more ground at the cabin, that could be a factor, along with whatever is going on where you live now.

For the moment, I would think that food storage comes first, and an emergency water supply. Also think about how could you make it best without a job? Look at your financial situation, and decide how best to insure that you can make it, no matter what. I think economic problems are most likely to hit us first, so I would address that concern very soon. Several sources reccomend at least a few months suply of cash on hand, in the event of a "bank holiday" (or income problems).

[3fingervic]

You were correct, the lot is 120'x65'. I am employed at a juvenile jail near my house, so I'm thinking I will try to make a go of it at my house. If there is a real deterioration of society, will probably try to get to the cottage. I'm going to start by getting a few five gallon water jugs, with intentions to get 10 in total. Then I will try to get my nonperishable food stores up. My wife has started a small garden (8'x4'), that we will slowly add to it as we gain experience.

[NCLee]

For water storage check out the Aqua-Tainer at WalMart. It holds 7 gallons. It has a built in spigot. Square shape easy to store. Sturdy handle. $10.88 ea.

You can also store water in clean sanitized 2 liter soda bottles. This size can be stashed in nooks and crannies where larger containers won't fit.

In addition to storing water, learn the 2-3 closest locations that have naturally ocurring water that's within hauling distance. If there are none within that distance, establish your long term method for obtaining water. Depending on your circumstances, this may be rain water collection, manual pump for a well, developing a spring nearby, or other.

Also learn how to make that water safe to drink!!!!!!!!!

Earlier you mentioned lists. IMHO, this is the first list that you should make. Assume that the power will be out for 2 weeks. Walk through your home and make a list of everything that runs off electricity that you would NEED to use during those 2 weeks. Here's a few items to get you started:

Electric stove? Need alternative way to cook.
Electric can opener? Need a manual one (Side cutting version is the best.)
Wind up alarm clock
Stove top perculator for coffee
Wind up or shake flashlight (no dead batteries)
Wind up radio - ditto batteries
Oil lamps for lighting (safer than candles), plus the kerosene
Treadle sewing machine
Manual shop tools

In addition to lists of things to buy there are skills to learn. These need to be learned BEFORE the need arises to use them. When the power is out and supplies are low isn't the time to teach yourself how to make biscuits in a campstyle dutch oven in the backyard. Or, in the oven of your gas stove, for that matter. If you have supplies on hand and know how to make biscuits, you'll have bread. A hot biscuit is a real comfort food when the world is going to heck in a handbasket.

Do you know how to preserve foods without electricity?
Do you know how to make soap and wash clothes?
Do you know how to trim a oil lamp wick?
Do you know how to build a campfire?
Do you know how to plant a garden? (Glad to see you're started with that one!)

Do you know how to make a pot of cowboy coffee? I'm a coffee nut and gotta have a cup of coffee to help keep me going. :) Learned the hardway what it means not to have a way to make a cup of coffee. Probably have a dozen ways to make coffee today, after learning that lesson.

These are just some general comments for now. Simply because you may be an avid camper and much of what was mentioned above you already have the skills and equipment. OTOH, you may not have any experience in camping, so the campfire skill would be a totally new thing for you to learn to do.

Spend some time searching the threads and the article index here for tons of information on a wide variety of subjects. And feel free to zero in on a topic and ask questions, as they relate to your circumstances. We'll be glad to help, based on our experiences and/or references we've used to learn more about the topic.

Lee

[Pokeberry Mary]

This came to mind right away.. The first thing I'm usually concerned with when we move is food storage.

Eventually you'll have garden produce to can, dry, freeze etc... but in the meantime get acquainted with the stores and markets and road side stands near you.

Start to pay attention to price trends and stock up on things when they are on sale--use coupons if you can too.

If you have electric and use a freezer don't waste it on things that aren't high value. Mine is mostly full of meat and seafood. My smaller one is my prep freezer and contains things I use to cook with daily.

Buy Food you know you will eat. It doesn't do a bit of good to buy 30 cans of something dirt cheap if you're never going to want to eat it.

End of summer there are usually better deals on canned veggies.

Get some storage spaces in order--you need shelves, and hopefully they'll be in a dry area. If you have space for root cellaring it should be more humid.

READ lots of books on Food Storage, canning, drying, root cellerin'g etc.

You can sit down and think through what you might eat in one month and then try to prepare for a year using that as a base plan.

If your funds are limited just buy a little extra every time things are on sale.

Start stocking up on containers as well. Big tins, plastic food grade buckets, etc. Look at everything you empty from the store and think of ways you might use the container it came in.

Make sure you store dry foods in air tight bug and rodent proof containers.

Hope my contribution is useful. ;)

[3fingervic]

Thanks for the great replies. I am a bit of an out doors man. I can build a campfire. I hunt deer, water foul, and do a little bit of fishing. My freezer is usually full of wild game. In fact my wife and I mostly eat wild game. I have two sources of water with in walking distance, so finding fresh water wouldn't be an issue. I will do some research on how to make it safe to drink.

Lee, do you have a method of cleaning the 2 liter to make safe for water storage?

We have a gas stove, but I'm going to stock up on charcoal for my grill.

Also, I have a food saver, could that be useful for dried foods.

As for all the questions that were asked that I didn't know the answer to, I will be looking it up.

Thanks to everyone, keep the adivce coming.:)

[NCLee]

Vic, since you are an outdoors person, you've already got a great start on being more self-reliant. There are a lot of skills in the things that you've mentioned that ya'll are already doing.

Re: Soda bottles - I collect them from anywhere I can, as we don't drink enough soda to warrent buying the 2 liter bottles. So, I assume automatically that they need to be sanitized. Here's how I do it.

Remove the labels. Fill the sink with hot water a a couple of good squirts of Dawn dish detergent. Fill the bottles and let them soak for a few minutes to disolve any stuck/dried sugar/syrup. Empty the bottle back into the sink. Refill about half full. Holding my hand over the opening really slosh the water around good. Empty again. Rinse well, several times with hot water to remove the soap and any lingering syrup residue. Tip: Hold the bottle by the neck in one hand. Use the other to swirl the top of the bottle. This will setup an action in the bottle much like the whirlpool you see when emptying a bathtub. Less bubbling, thus less soap bubbles. Especially with the first rinse.

Turn the bottles upside down to drain, until you've finished with the batch. Refill the sink with plain warm water. Add enough bleach to the water so you can smell it. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the bleach. Use a funnel to fill the soda bottles with the bleach/water solution. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes. Empty back into the sink. If you're using for water storage, refill with water & add a few drops of bleach. If you're planning to use the bottles for dry storage, let them dry thoroughly before use.

Forgot to mention, treat the caps the same way as the bottles for each step of the process. If possible avoid root beer / Dr Pepper soda bottles, or let them air dry for a long time to remove the odor of the soda. Washing/soaking with a baking soda solution can help, btw.

I dry mine in an Excalibur dehydrator. It'll hold 6 at a time and will dry them in about 20 minutes. It takes about 2 days to let them air dry.

FWIW, I use 2 liter soda bottles for storing dry foods (that will fit) that have a long shelf life. Sugar, rice, beans, popcorn, salt are some items that come to mind.

Hope this helps. Start collecting those empty soda bottles!! :)

[BonnyLake]

Don't underestimate your water needs. Big mistake! You will need at least three times the amount you think you'll need. We had to haul our own water for a year and even though it was near-by it was a tough job that required planning and a lot of containers that didn't slosh out on the ride home (the back of the truck actually sprouted wheat and mushrooms where the water and hidden in pools). Unless you are getting it from someone's hose you will get really wet yourself dunking containers and filling bottles, then you have to haul everything at least twice, this takes lots of muscle and agility because a waterhole or lake and a homestead don't have a lot of flat ground to walk on. My dream was a sistern near the house with an electric pump and a guy with a water truck to fill it for me. But alas, thats not the point of "doing it yourself". We had two 55gal blue water drums with tops that held the hand pump and airvents. You have to take the tops off when you fill them and that lets in lots of tree needles, bugs, etc. A large funnel helped but the going was slow, and once again, wet! I would use a fishtank net to skim the top after filling and settling. Of course it didn't go directly into the house so I had to fill 5gal bottles from the drum and store them someplace and then carry them into the house and then empty them again into something else, again... wet. Using the hand pump was another matter, sore arms... you have to be set up so that gravity does the work for you but at the bottom of the drum you have to manhandle it to get the last few gallons. I often wondered how much went on me and the ground instead of where it was supposed to go :girl_wacko:
One time I hauled in snow in laundry baskets to melt on the woodstove to see how much I needed to get a gallon of water... way too much!

[BonnyLake]

If you will be living on homemade power then the place you store food will be a priority. Uneven heat, cold and humidity will ruin everything pretty fast. We had to move our stuff a couple of times before we found the right set of temperature rules. I think that digging some type of underground pantry is the safest bet because the temp. stays fairly consistant... look up some of the articles on doing this.

We made our own power so we decided to use propane for as much as possible. We rented a tank from the local co-op and had them fill it regularly, just in case. We bought a gas oven/stove from Sears that doesn't need electricity to fire the pilot lights. It was hard to find so you may have to order one, but it was affordable. Also, hot water, or do you want to make that yourself and fill the bathtub by hand off the woodstove? Propane frig... we have one from an old motorhome that works great. In fact, using stuff from an old travel trailer or motorhome is a great plan when loading your new living spaces; cheap at a wrecking yard, compact, made to last and a lot of stuff works off propane, even some of the light fixtures.
Enjoy the new experience!

[midmo]

You can tell by my impressive post count that I'm more of a lurker than a poster at this forum, but I've been lurking for quite a while, and have been "prepping" all my life, so to speak (actually practicing self-reliant living, which to me is basically the same thing).

You've already gotten some very good replies, but unless I overlooked it nobody's posted one of the easiest, and least intimidating steps in being prepared: just buy two of some things instead of one, next time you're in the store. By slipping in a few extra cans of corn here and there, maybe an extra bag of rice or beans, you'll be taking the first steps - and it's virtually painless. Grain mills, mylar bags, home canning... all are important and will come in due time, but switching your grocery buying to a "pantry" mindset is an easy and effective first step.

Hello everyone!

[CapeCMom]

Hi midmo! Glad you've decided to stop lurking and join in on the conversation! Please don't be shy about posting. We are all here to learn.

[NCLee]

Hello Midmo! Glad you came out of lurking. That was good advice in your first post. Especially since it follows the golden rule of food storage --

Store what you eat and eat what you store.

Every "extra" can, bag, or box does exactly that. Stores what you normally eat.

Looking forward to seeing more of your posts.

Lee

[Pokeberry Mary]

You can tell by my impressive post count that I'm more of a lurker than a poster at this forum, but I've been lurking for quite a while, and have been "prepping" all my life, so to speak (actually practicing self-reliant living, which to me is basically the same thing).

You've already gotten some very good replies, but unless I overlooked it nobody's posted one of the easiest, and least intimidating steps in being prepared: just buy two of some things instead of one, next time you're in the store. By slipping in a few extra cans of corn here and there, maybe an extra bag of rice or beans, you'll be taking the first steps - and it's virtually painless. Grain mills, mylar bags, home canning... all are important and will come in due time, but switching your grocery buying to a "pantry" mindset is an easy and effective first step.

Hello everyone! Very sensible. I do that. Whenever I see anything at a lower price than usual I get extra. Also use coupons and shop at discount stores and ethnic stores when I can. It all adds up. :)