Read This First Before You Decide That Preppers Are Crazy

[jack]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

jack and Doozer> do I REALLY need to see the movie 'The Road'>>>? That sounds like a depression session movie and if it made her cry.... it'd make me cry. There's so much going on that sometimes I just wanna go stick my whole head in a rabbit hole sometimes. I think I'm doing as much as I can do.
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Equil, The movie is the second best option. The book is the best option. I guarantee that even you will look at the prospect of surviving a cataclysmic event differently.

I include the book in my senior year curriculum and every year it gets the most votes as best book that we read. It includes the result of no photosynthesis going on, (remember Mt. St. Helena and the cloudy days that followed as the debris floated East?) and without anything growing and without the heat of the sun, the story takes the reader on a journey with a father and his young child down a road heading South, seeking warmer weather. The father is handy, creative, and downright lucky, but certainly would have preferred dying on the first day and would not be alive except for his need to care for his boy, which drives him on.

It is bleak, no doubt. BUt there is hope at the end that relieves the sadness. Cannibalism is rampant in the land, and there are harrowing scenes on the subject.

This is not pulp fiction, however, as McCarthy is one of the preeminent authors alive today. This is a book that provokes lots of thought about the subject of preppers. It is also reminiscent of the days when I was in elementary school when we had air raid drills and had to get under our desks in case of a nuclear attack. I often think that if either a comet of huge proportion struck or a nuclear holocaust were to occur, that I would prefer either the bomb or the comet to hit my house dead on...

[havalotta]

You need at least "A gallon of water per person per day" and as far as buying....Buy only what you would normally eat, not what others are liking and suggesting. Beans and oatmeal are real good staples to have as well as rice to fill the gut, a bit of fruits and veggies and there you go. Total variety. If you haven't the room to store water at least buy a jug of "regular" bleach so you'd be able to make whatever water's available safe to drink.

Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of whatever water you round up whether it's from your old pipes or gathered outdoors, let it set 30 minutes and sniff. It should have a HINT of bleach smell, if not, repeat the 16 drops, wait another 30 minutes and check again. It's then ok to drink even if it is discolored.

You could fill a few shallow Tupperware containers like the ones you use for storing things under your bed with a stash of goods and set it into your crawl space or basement where its cooler temps preserve things better. Just make sure to buy things that don't expire right away.....crackers and floury- powdery mixes. In lets say, 6 months or so, pull it out restock your inside cabinets then restock the bin and tuck the new goods away for another 6 months. Real easy doing things that way!

As far as heating with the 2 kerosene heaters, and propane heaters, you would DEFINITELY need to monitor your carbon monoxide levels as it is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless emission that could EASILY kill you!

[Equilibrium]

jack> I’m not sold on reading your book or watching your movie…. I remember back when I tried to get a Tickle Me Elmo about 15 years ago and what lengths some folk were willing to go to all so they could bring home a stuffed toy to their kid. I came home without Elmo. It just wasn’t worth the fight but the experience left me sorta numb. If we're willing to treat each other the way we did because of limited stocks of a toy…. there’s really little left to the imagination as to how we’d treat each other over limited supplies of food and water.
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“I often think that if either a comet of huge proportion struck or a nuclear holocaust were to occur, that I would prefer either the bomb or the comet to hit my house dead on...” Me too.
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hava> bleach has a shelf life…. might be better buying Pool Shock. If we’ve got Pool Shock… we can make our own bleach. More economical than buying RTU bleach anyway. We can make about 25 gallons on demand for what it would cost buying 1 gallon of Clorox. I like the idea of shallow storage units…. especially for apt and condo dwellers.

[havalotta]

hava> bleach has a shelf life….

Hmmmmm I better go out and check mine. I've only a few gallons of it stashed away. I figure boiling would be the best-cheapest route any way.

As far as my comment about making sure to buy things that don't expire right away.....crackers and floury- powdery mixes.
Those you can set into tupperware containers to protect from ice crystals and freeze.

[jack]

Originally Posted by havalotta

Hmmmmm I better go out and check mine. I've only a few gallons of it stashed away. I figure boiling would be the best-cheapest route any way.

As far as my comment about making sure to buy things that don't expire right away.....crackers and floury- powdery mixes.
Those you can set into tupperware containers to protect from ice crystals and freeze.

It might be added, however, that if one is saving food for survival purposes, crackers and floury powdery mixes are, perhaps, the last thing that would give you the nutrition you would need.

[Equilibrium]

I've got some crackers and floury "stuff" set aside. I've got about a month's worth of powdered milk too. I use em so I'm just rotating em out. I'm thinking these things are great if we're just trying for a 3 month supply. There's a problem with some of the floury and noodly "stuff" though especially if you forget it's downstairs. It gets bugs so I've had to stick it in my freezer for a week before putting it on a shelf. Same thing with rice and beans too. I've got to freeze those 1st too. My family does NOT like the added protein.

[havalotta]

When I had stated that line I should have included the oatmeals and grains to give you a better idea where I was heading.
Starting with the "basics"....Powdered milk Equill mentioned was one, powdered cheese, eggs, spices and staples are others...Not so dried, nuts, fruits, and cheese. If you want to go a step further you add a few luxuries, dried cool whip, bake mixes (Think pancakes, breads, cakes) cereal bars, puddings, jello, chocolate, potatoes, butter buds, soups, Koolaid, coffee, gum whatever fancies you.

I have always set the legumes, flours, grains into the freezer before use as an insect preventative.
You just never know what they harbor until the tiny beetles grubs, moths and their webs multiply. Then..... its too late!

[Equilibrium]

Ohhh.... dried cool whip>>>>? I've never heard of that before. That'd be a good 1 in place of whipped cream for gingerbread and pumpkin pie. Come to think of it.... that'd be good for some fruit salads. What's the brand name of that powdered cool whip?
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Ya.... the bugs were a surprise. I was ok with em but... nobody else was. You know you can store all those buggie type things in an air tight container or bag with oxygen absorbers tossed in too if you're looking for longer term storage.

[BooBooBearBecky]

Powdered whipped cream topping is called: Dream Whip

[Equilibrium]

Can that be used in anything we use whipped cream in? I know I've seen Cool Whip before and I think I've seen this Dream Whip before.... I just never paid attention to it or tried it. I wouldn't mind buying a box of that for the pantry especially if I could use it as a substitute in fruit salads.