aka While The **** Hasn't Hit The Fan. What are some ways that you think prepping has helped/ continues to help/ will help until something happens or if nothing happens in your life. I am thinking about anything other than widespread chaos. For instance, inclement weather strands you at home or you get laid off. Also ways that it helps day to day. For instance, saving money by buying food in bulk and rotating stock, not running to the store to complete a recipe, reduced electric bills, learning skills to make you more self reliant, teaching children valuable life skills, or being better able to enjoy the outdoors. I am working on my ability to articulate how all this time money and energy will help in the long run other than "it's gonna happen dude! you'll see and then you'll be sorry." Anything to answer the question of why more completely. Please be specific in how you save $ or time and how much etc. Also please refrain from debating if/when it will hit the fan. I posted this in another forum as well, so if you see it somewhere else, I am just trying to broaden the responses I get. Also I'm new and trying to get my 5 useful posts in
Hurricane IKE. I had power, food, water, light, air conditioning, ice, cold food, hot food, (cool) showers, and overall quality of life was good. I was able to report to work the MONDAY after the storm because I had my ducks in a row, my preps in place and went on with nary a hitch. We lived without grid power for 3 weeks. Helped me realize even as prepped as I thought I was, there was plenty of room for improvement. I was not out running around looking for ice, gas, food, water, batteries. I was able to get my home in order in one day (clearing debris, etc.) - Saturday. The MORNING after the storm. Rested on Sunday, worked out a game plan for the rest of the week, and moved on with life.
Take a look around any aisle of any grocery store. Compare the prices today with the prices last week, last month, last year. Gov't statistics show inflation at about 1.8%, but they exclude energy and food. Food prices have skyrocketed around our area, in some cases, going up from 39 cents/can 2 weeks ago for veggies to 99 cents/can this week. That's darn near 300%! If you'd bought a year ago, you'd have effectively earned 300% on your "investment". Other goodies, such as meat, chicken, pork, and veggies and fruits have steadily gone up, also. Sooooo, you've get a heck of a return on your money just by buying regular groceries. Kajun
The Wall Street Journal had an article about food a couple of years ago. It basically said that investing in food would be better than putting money in the stock market. It looks like they were right!
For me... I'm growing more of our own food and dehydrating anything that goes on sale. There is a considerable amount of sweat labor in growing more of your own food but there's not much more work at dehydrating it because you have to slice/dice/chop before you cook anyway. There is additional expense to storage though because of the mason jars and mylar bags and then.... the oxygen absorbers but not that much more. Chickens are costly. We do that because we want organic eggs. Now.... if things go the way I think they're going to go.... we'll have eggs and chicken to supplement our diet where most folk will be on rations. I haven't started rabbits for meat yet but I intend to. I suspect rabbits will be costly also but in the longrun.... I think we'll end up with nice meat where again.... others will be on rations or going without. Better safe than sorry.
We're not as prepped as I'd like us to be, but we always(with the exception of water which we don't store too much of, have around 3-5 gallons at any given time) tend to have anywere from a week to a month of supplies. We try and do only 2 trips into town(Klamath Falls) a month, once for non-food stuff, and once for food. Saves on gas, which is $20 round trip. If need be, some friends down the street tend to go into town once a week so can get a ride with them.Also grow food to eat/sell(though last year was really bad for that). As for money saved on that, it's hard to calculate with varying prices on food in the store, price of seeds, and how much of my water bill goes towards the plants. I'll try anyways. Seed Savers packet of Stevia seeds is $2.75(I love how most of their seed packets are always the same price, helps with my math skills having gone into remission since I quit attending school). I belive it was 25 seeds. Let's say only 12 are successful in becoming full-fledged plants. They are perennial if kept in the right conditions(no less than 50degrees Farenheit for starters). I don't know how many years they will live yet, let's say you get 1lb per plant of stevia leaves in its lifetime(FYI, if you cut just above a set of leaves, 2 new branches will grow), Stevia products in the store, you'll be lucky to get $5 an ounce, which means each pound is $80, which you have 12 of, plus you have seeds(if you remembered to harvest). And all for an original $2.75 investment.
When the 'one-two punch' of Hurricanes shutdown ALL oil production and transport for about a month in 2008 throughout the South, and gas was very difficult to find and expensive for that month, I had thirty gallons stocked away and riding my MC was able to get to work and shopping with no problem. I now stock sixty gallons. I increased my stocks of fuel for the Propane and Charcoal cookers. Am looking at ways to seriously reduce my monthly power and water bill. Have a canner and am beginning to learn that skill and stock food away.
Most people don't realize it, but we have the power to make most emergencies in our lives into mere inconveniences. Power goes out for a week, emergency or inconvenience? If you do not have alternate means of cooking, lighting, and heating, you may have a real problem. If a blizzard shuts down the roads for 3 days, the grocery stores will be devoid of food. For most folks, that's an emergency, for a 'monkey, no problem. If you have to evacuate an area while there is no power, gas stations and ATM machines are not working. A monkey will have 1/2 tank of gas in his car and some emergency cash on hand, making it inconvenient, but not an emergency. You make the choice to have inconveniences instead of emergencies by prepping. People that choose to not prepare are in fact choosing emergencies. My younger brother ridiculed me about preparedness, then he had to evacuate for Katrina-he lives across the bay on the North side of New Orleans. He complained bitterly that when his family got hungry on the trip the only restaurant that had not run out of food had nothing left but steak. It cost him $75 to feed his family a meal. A simple 3 day kit or BOB would have solved that problem inexpensively. That is why I prepare.
Snowed in, yeppers for only 5 days, kinda wished it was longer. Job loss, actually I was too sick to drive for a month, that is when I lived in town and had a mortgage, had the $ stashed for it. Road washes out and you gotta drive an additional 70 miles, had it covered, x-tra gas at home. Lotta people had problems getting to town to get gas. {not enough to get to town} No electric, no problem, ain't got it anyways. Being able to take care of ones self is NICE! Had a bad fire, burned 1000's of acres, people were forced to evacuate, gee not me. When I did decide to leave we just went camping for a few days, others (friends) were stuck at the school on cots. Oh too bad. Fishing was good, better, way way better, than what the .gov was providing. Not just teotwawki or a 'temporary' SHTF thing, or such, just normal life for those who prepare.
Being snowed in and no power was a common occurence growing up, for the most part always lived in rural areas, so we always made sure to have supplies. I remember our first winter in Seattle area, I could tell a snowstorm was coming, and my first reaction was "Ok gotta go hit up the stores for supplies for a while before it hits." Granted we were in a big city and had just about every store/business we needed on our block, it's just habit. So is having to walk alot. Few years ago, mom was in town and not home when she said she would be, and had our farmer's market that morning a few miles(5) away, so I just put everything to sell into our garden cart, food/water in my backpack, and walked all the way.
I'm with the 2 of you. I was born and raised in s. Louisiana. Keep 3 + days of non-perishable foods, and a box of "hurricane stuff" was just normal. Today my wife and I have almost a years worth of food. There are several reasons for this. Today we live in an area where tornado, ice storms and snow storms are the threat. What if 1 or all of the kids got chase out of their by a hurricane and ended up at our house, Murphy would probably dictate it to happen on a holiday weekend. There is just Murphy. This happened to me last month. Go the doctor for out patent surgery. Something goes wrong I end up in ICU with a trak, total hosp stay 1 week. When I get home can't do much. Wife and I had plenty to hold us over till I was back on my feet. Then there is the tangible point. Food is a tangible. This country is in a bad way financially. Food, clothing, foot wear, guns, bullets, precious metals are tangibles. Inflation is going to hit hard for the next 2 to 6 years. (And that is only if they try to fix the problem.) What you buy today will cost more next month. Also if the DON'T try to fix the problem, I bet that you will start seeing empty shelves in the stores. That doesn't take into account a possible oil embargo like what happened in the 70's. If all else DOESN'T happen, I have food to eat, cloths to wear, and can have fun in the back pasture with my guns.
Back in the ice storm of 2001, when we lost electricity for a week, I had prepared this way: Made a delicious soup (before the storm actually) that my family enjoys and which I knew is quite tasty even cold. It also has a secret ingredient that is quite warming to the body (cayenne). I had also made our family fave of Mexican Lentils and Rice--also quite satisfying even cold. I always stock up on dried fruits, nuts, water, and that sort of thing-so we were fine. While others were rushing to the store just to find empty shelves, I was out taking pictures of how beautiful the ice looked on the trees (just add a bit of cayenne to socks/gloves, to help you stay warm out there). We had plenty of wool blankets, and a nice big, loving family for even more warmth).
I have never felt less worried in my life. I lost my job and I'm doing contract work, and I have at least some buffer to help out. While I still have heavy concerns, the "weight" is nothing like it was before.
Very interesting responses with so many with actual experience how it has helped them. I thought of another one with camping season approaching. I plan on converting my bronco to dual fuel (gas and propane). It will allow me more range (and I think it is safer than carrying gas cans) so I don't have to refuel in some of the mountain towns that charge $1. more per gallon. Also it gives me better 4x4 capabilities with out converting to fuel injected. Like most in my line of work, I think I am invincible. I had thought about getting canned but hadn't considered disability. ( short term or otherwise) Would definitely help in that situation.
Multiple Ways Prepping Helps Some folks have been able to use their prepping supplies to moderate an unexpected job loss, illness or accident. Some are able to go after a better job that would not have been able to do so without the prepping being in place. We have a personal inconvenience, tomorrow. Our sewer pipe collapsed and we have not had any ability to use our washer, shower, or toilets for nearly a week. Tomorrow, the construction crew is coming to get the repair made. Our lives were way less stressful due to our preps. What is not immediately evident until you have acquired a decent amount of food, supplies, etc. is that you will have several subtle, yet profound differences in how you view and resolve a number of events such as water outages, power outages, and so forth. Additionally, your self esteem will be buoyed somewhat by the very real knowledge that you are better prepared than most of the people that you know. In the final analysis, that is true freedom.
