Are you Stocking Up or Preparing for an Emergency? Support Thread - Page 2

[dancebaraka]

has anyone here used frontier powdered milk and eggs?
thoughts?

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by dubfam

I hope you don't mind but I added all of that to the OP

No prob! There's just so much good useful info that I was afraid would get lost. Maybe people who posted links in the previous thread (esp the locked second thread) could repost those here?

Originally Posted by harpyr

I'm thinking of going on a big shopping trip this weekend and was wondering about vitamins. I have a feeling that a bunch of gummy vitamins probably aren't the most efficient or cost effective choice. Does any one have a recommendations?

As for regular vitamins, I'd go for a prenatal for the women, and one formulated for men. I read somewhere while preggo with ds2 that all women of childbearing age should really be taking prenatals, rather than regular vitamins. I'd prolly also get some Flinstones for ds.

As for vit. C, I LOVE Emergen-C. I use it for colds and it comes in huge packages in Costco. It's something like 1000mg vit.C and some other vitamins too in yummy fizzy drink form.

Ami

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

As for vit. C, I LOVE Emergen-C. I use it for colds and it comes in huge packages in Costco. It's something like 1000mg vit.C and some other vitamins too in yummy fizzy drink form.

We love Emergen-C too. We have 3 boxes of it! I didn't know they sold it at Costco.. I'll look next time.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by dancebaraka

has anyone here used frontier powdered milk and eggs?
thoughts?

Yes - they are about the same as Honeyville and Walton Feed's in taste and texture. We've only ever had the milk in recipes or stirred in with other milk.

[Denvergirlie]

We've had food and HBA stockpiled for some time now... so long as the power holds we are okay.

If the power goes, we still have a gas stove so could hopefully pressure can the chicken in the freezer.

If the gas goes as well, we do have some camps stoves we could try our best. I'd like to get a propane outdoor stove and a tank and I could pressure can in the back yard.

We have 2 berkey fitlers, but would have to haul water from the city creek that's about 4-5 blocks away. Not ideal, but we have a bike trailer that we could transport it in so long as roving gangs didn't attack us.....

What we don't have in place yet are BOB (bug out bags) ready to grab, but have been meaning to do so for the past year... we spoke about it again at lunch today so it's acknowledged that we need to get that done ASAP. We also need to prepare papers in a safety box along with have some cash at home. Gold/ silver would be ideal as well, but don't have any yet.

I would like to have several cans of gas at the ready, but that too is a failing. Should we need to flee the city, it's a 15 hour drive to my folks place in IL, or 30 drive to his folks place in OR. Both live in smaller towns/ cities on a good bit of land.

Firepower is also lacking in our house.

We have a lot of work to still do

[Jenivere]

Originally Posted by karina5

But one thing I do wonder about, is how much time do I have? When do you think that everything is going to chaos? (sh*t hitting the fan, as I've read). I mean, are people trying to get things stockpiled by the end of the month? I don't know, it may sound like a silly question, but what is the "Stockpile Timeline" so to speak.

I wish I knew. All I know is I am doing whatever I can as fast as I can.

[Jenivere]

Originally Posted by velochic

ETA: I don't think it's ever too late to prep, but it's important to not prep out of fear-fueled emotion. Keep a level head, evaluate what you will *truly* use and go slow.

I could not agree more, do not panic buy because you'll likely end up with useless stuff. Sit down and make a list of what you use, what your low on and which of those things are highest in priority for survival. Food and water are most important but don't forget household things like soap and toilet paper.

Basic food storage guide lines http://www.trackmyfoodstorage.com/ar...eid=4&zoneid=1

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

What we don't have in place yet are BOB (bug out bags) ready to grab, but have been meaning to do so for the past year... we spoke about it again at lunch today so it's acknowledged that we need to get that done ASAP. We also need to prepare papers in a safety box along with have some cash at home. Gold/ silver would be ideal as well, but don't have any yet.

We don't have our BOB either. What would we put them in? Suitcases? Backpacks? Garbage bags?

We bought a fire/water proof safe at Big Lots for $20 or so the other day, that is currently holding our passports, SS cards, birth certs, and marriage license. I keep meaning to put my jewelry in it (I do not have a lot, mostly everything my grandma gave me).

Oh, and I only have $50 in cash, plus a lot of change.

[mamadelbosque]

We're pretty well prepared for most stuff already, though we want to stock up on some more grains & beans here, so my next co-op order is going to be looking a bit on the wacky side! Probably will be about 75# worth of wheat and another 50# of beans, maybe a bit more. Those things keep for a LONG time and we eat them anyways, so might as well have a stock just in case something happens and we can't get out. Might sound unlikely to some, but its a definet possibility for us. We were trapped down here for 4 days this summer after the big wind storm hit - last folks on a dead end road (closest neighbors are 7/10 of a mile away), we're pretty low on the totem pole of folks needing help, you know?

We bought one of Lehman's hand washers (I think its called the Wonder Washer), so that we can wash stuff, but mostly diapers! We were nearly out of diapers when we finally got out this summer and that hit a light bulb of a *NEED*!! Here we thought we were SO smart using cloth diapers but, DUH! You *need* a way to wash the suckers too!!! And we also ordered a propane shower heater thing by Zodi, so that we can take showers too Cause, keeping clean would be nice. But otherwise, we're pretty well set at this point!!

I don't have a BOB done, and am not sure that I really 'need' one.. I suppose if the house caught on fire it'd be a good thing to have, but I can't think of any other situation in which we'd need to leave super quick. In anycase we do have some cash and important documents in a safety deposit box at my dads bank. I actually need to go put some more stuff in it (passports, birth certificats, etc)

[fek&fuzz]

Ok, so I was totally anti-stocking up, but then I realized that I already do! My main concern is having locally grown food throughout the winter, and having some things in case money gets tight for a while. And a bag in my car for winter car emergencies. And I just like to not have to go to the store.

Here's what I have
- lots and lots of kale in the freezer (from the local organic farm.)
- local organic onions and potatoes to get me through winter.
- 1/5 of a pig in the freezer.
- 10 pounds of flour and sugar and yeast (I make a loaf of bread a week.)
- Extra coffee (would like more of this.)
- 5 gallons of water.
- lots of contact lens solution.
- lots of matches.

What I still need is some meals to have if the power goes out in a storm - which it does from time to time, and all my stuff is ingredients and nothing ready to eat. I might take a trip to Trader Joes since they have some yummy Indian Food ready to eat.

I also need more candles. I burn them in the evenings anyway, but I want to have a stash for power outages.

I have a water filter somewhere.

My winter car bag will have:
- emergency heat blanket (foil type)
- regular blanket.
- wool socks
- boots
- extra hat.
- shovel, scraper
- meal replacement bars.
- I'm trying to figure out about water because it will freeze, so I might have to empty a bottle most of the way. But freezing plastic is not good since some of the chemicals can leach. Anyone have tips on how to store water in the car for winter?
- make sure always to have at least 1/2 tank of gas
- keep fluids topped off.
- battery is new.

I have also gone through my pantry to find the things I don't eat (hello, 5 cans of diced tomatoes, I will never eat you and don't know why I keep buying you) and donating them to the food bank.

[aihcalappa]

To the person who asked about vitamins, I take a store-brand prental (all we can afford) and for the kids, I have OneSource Active Kids chewables. Pretty affordable at W*lmart.

P.S. Thank you so much to Dubfam for starting this thread here, where it can be support only!

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by fek&fuzz

I might take a trip to Trader Joes since they have some yummy Indian Food ready to eat.

I also need more candles. I burn them in the evenings anyway, but I want to have a stash for power outages.

I have also gone through my pantry to find the things I don't eat (hello, 5 cans of diced tomatoes, I will never eat you and don't know why I keep buying you) and donating them to the food bank.

I love those (Far East Brand, I think?)!! I always take those camping, and can be eaten right out of the package if need-be. I think I will buy about 6 of those for our BOB.

We don't have any candles.. well we have scented ones

I go through more diced tomatoes than anything else canned!

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

We bought one of Lehman's hand washers (I think its called the Wonder Washer), so that we can wash stuff, but mostly diapers! We were nearly out of diapers when we finally got out this summer and that hit a light bulb of a *NEED*!! Here we thought we were SO smart using cloth diapers but, DUH! You *need* a way to wash the suckers too!!! And we also ordered a propane shower heater thing by Zodi, so that we can take showers too Cause, keeping clean would be nice. But otherwise, we're pretty well set at this point!!

I've heard good & bad things about the wonder washer. I have heard from lots of people who do handwash that all you need is 1 bucket and a toilet plunger. The most sophisticated set up included 3 buckets. One with hot soapy water and two filled with warm clean water for rinses.

The buckets are those 5 gal ones that are filled with stuff, like cat litter, frosting, etc. So really cheap. Basically, take up to 5 or so adult clothing pieces (you want it full but not packed in), place into the soapy bucket, then using the plunger, pump it up & down vigorously a few times (5-6 was recommended) Take out, wring a bit, place in first rinse bucket (or change water), plunge again a few times. Then wring and repeat in the last bucket. She used a mop wringer to wring out the clothes, then hung them up on the line. Much cheaper and according to her, it worked really well. She did it for mindfulness--in the end it caused her to reduce the size of everyone's wardrobes into items that were actually liked and well made.

Ami

[fek&fuzz]

Originally Posted by LizzyQ

I love those (Far East Brand, I think?)!! I always take those camping, and can be eaten right out of the package if need-be. I think I will buy about 6 of those for our BOB.

We don't have any candles.. well we have scented ones

I go through more diced tomatoes than anything else canned!

I always think I will, but I realized that I don't really like tomatoes or tomato sauce. So I'm giving 1/2 the cans to my boyfriend who likes tomato sauce, and half to the food bank.

[Denvergirlie]

Originally Posted by LizzyQ

We don't have our BOB either. What would we put them in? Suitcases? Backpacks? Garbage bags?

We bought a fire/water proof safe at Big Lots for $20 or so the other day, that is currently holding our passports, SS cards, birth certs, and marriage license. I keep meaning to put my jewelry in it (I do not have a lot, mostly everything my grandma gave me).

Oh, and I only have $50 in cash, plus a lot of change.

We will be packing our in heavy duty camping tpye backpacks and perhaps another large duffle bag as well. I would like to know that I could carry with my own body power and be able to hike with my supplies if needed. Hopefully, it will never be needed but if it is I want it to be as portable as possible.

Thanks for the tip on Big Lots safes, perhaps I'll hit that tomorrow as I will be just across the street at Walgreens already.

[Satori]

wow, started this thread just in time, the other thread just got locked!

[dubfam]

Originally Posted by Satori

wow, started this thread just in time, the other thread just got locked!

Good Riddance (IMO) :
Nothing positive was coming out of that!!!

And to the pp who thanked me for starting this thread...I just borrowed the idea from a Poster on the now locked thread.

[Jenivere]

I'm hoping to find a washboard at one of the local antique shops but getting a plunger and some five gallon buckets is easy to do.

[velochic]

I wanted to post this link to a serious prepper's EXCELLENT prepping guide. I know him from a survivalist and emergency prepping forum and he is level-headed and smart about prepping. I've gotten tons of great advice from him. He's not a tin-foil donning weirdo. His guide is worth printing out.

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/Index.html

ETA: gasoline was really low here today ($2.63), so to be on the safe side, I filled up our generator gas cans. With the gas we have, we can run the freezers and some lights (don't need heat or a stove... we have a woodburning stove and plenty of wood) for about 1 month. Not 24/7, but enough to keep our food from thawing. Generators are a good thing to have.

[Denvergirlie]

Originally Posted by Jenivere

I'm hoping to find a washboard at one of the local antique shops but getting a plunger and some five gallon buckets is easy to do.

A broiler pan would work just as well instead of an antique washboard.

Finally, pick up a mop bucket with wringer to save your hands when getting the excess water out of the clothing before you line dry.