Preppers, could they be right?

There's alittle independent store near my dentist and far from any larger supermarket.. when I left the dentist yesterday I popped into the tiny shop and asked them did they have a certain flavour of crisps ( chips)... which seem to have disappeared from our supermarket shelves. he didn't have them, but he pointed out the Haribo fruit gummies, and said that he's having a devil of a job getting any of those, and they are the most popular sweets he's ever sold..not just among the young either, apparently..and it has affected his overall takings quite severely, because people come in for the gummies and buy other things...
 

6 months of food. Pffft, you need years of food, (dehydrated kind that are good for 25 years or more) and things too numerous to mention in one post, so start with the basics. Water!!! can't survive without it for long. You can go without food longer than you think, but, water, without it you're a goner in days.
Need to think water, shelter, food, and most important, personal protection.

food.JPG saws.JPG Edible-plants.jpg water purifier.jpg
 
Do I think it's a good idea tp prepare for a power outage, and some kind of calamity for about a week or so, Yeah. I went through 5 days of not having power about 15+ years ago, during an ice storm. Because of all the falling tree limbs, no one was able to travel around., But do I think a bunch of "preppers" is going to last through some huge catastrophe? No. It's one thing to live off the grid, but it's a totally different thing tp provide for ALL of your food needs into the future,, without significant farming training, and arable land. A six month supply of food ain't gonna make it.
 

Quite a number of years ago I read a book called Lucifer's Hammer; it was a doomsday scenario caused by a gigantic asteroid.

The protagonist somehow managed to steal cases and cases of 12 year old Scotch, a whole lot of ammo and many many cartons of cigarettes; I think a truck full. He used these things to trade for what he could get.

Maybe that's the way to go... haha
 
I have a fear of being out of water and keep twelve, gallon jugs full in the garage all the time, but I know that won't last long.

I'm storing my caloric needs on my body, that should last longer than the water.

Squatting Dog! I read "personal protection" right before seeing your giant saw. Don't worry your seeds are safe from me!
 
Opening sentence and introduction to Morgan Rogue

Morgan Rogue, 37, from Alaska moved her family off-grid to help train them for a possible disaster that could result in the world ending.


Money spent for 6 months of food when the world is going to end seems like a waste to me.
 
Ladybj said:
I would love to help others but I have found it is impossible to help some people. Due to some people will not accept your help. I was in the store about a year or so ago and was going to pay for a lady grocery, she refused - I insisted, again - she refused. Nothing else I could do. We mean well but some people, do not want or will accept our help.
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That was kind of you, Ladybj, to help the lady. I understand how people with pride can refuse your offer. Yet there are other people that would have jumped on the chance.
 
RadishRose said:
If the floor is cement you'll need to move the water to a wooden pallet or something other than cement. the cement leeches through the plastic after awhile.
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Also, the plastic bottles, after awhile start leaking on their own. We tried it one year, and saved some bottles in the basement only to find a few of them a year later, leaking. The plastic isn't thick enough to last that long.
 
Della said:
Good points, Becky. You reminded me of Joseph, in the Bible, who dreamed about a famine, told the Pharaoh his dream, and so they collected seven years worth of grain and stored it.

How in the world did people manage before freezers and canned food? Imagine living for years on a steady diet of something like fish jerky and oatmeal.

I just went to the store two days in a row because I decided to make cookies and kept needing more ingredients. I had depleted my baking goods for health reasons so I had to buy; flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, Crisco, butter, eggs, chocolate chips -- and go back for vanilla.

A few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I walked into Kroger and actually choked-up a little. The produce shelves were not only full to overflowing, most items had extra bins in front. We live with such abundance all the time and usually take it for granted.
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People in the old days were constantly preparing ahead. They were like worker ants, constantly working to have food for the winter and lean months. Like you said, they managed before there were freezers. But I'm sure they used natural methods. Apples, for example, could be stored for months in a cool cellar. We had a crop of butternut squash that filled several shelves in our basement one year and we had enough to eat for months. The fact that we are here, living in this time, is because our ancestors were able to survive those harsh winters, etc.
 
I grew up on a farm with my grandparents. I helped grandma can everything we grew in the garden and some meats. They were not living in fear just being prepared for a time when there was not so much. They lived through the depression and WWll when things were rationed. We did not run to town for things we went to the cellar. I never like the feeling that I have to run to the store for something to eat.
I think the six month thing was something that I heard in the Mormon church and it sounds like a good idea. Even if it is just for emergencies like floods and snow storms. We do not panic when the power goes out because we know where the candles are and the wood stove will make sure we are warm. I'll go with whatever makes you feel comfortable.
 
hollydolly said:
Hahaha...I have enough food to last 6 months... I'm not a prepper. in that same sense as those people..... Anyone who can afford to and has any sense will always prepare for the unexpected...whether food or something else.
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I tend to buy on sale and have always looked at my surplus as "insurance." Just like we pay insurance for our home and cars, this is insurance for food shortage. Granted, every few months, I end up giving part of it away to the food bank. :)
 
Like @hollydolly and some others I happen to have at least six months worth of food not including perishables. Between my water heater tank, RV fresh water tank, and emergency stored water (in case of an EQ) I have over 120 gallons of potable water plus a full backyard swimming pool for other water uses.

In a widespread collapse our meals would get repetitive, but long before that happened we'd face the dilemma of starving, dehydrated neighbors. How many on this forum could/would shun neighbors or get into shootouts with armed intruders desperate for water and food? I wouldn't.

Sure, preppers in the wild would have a greater chance at survival for a while, at least. But after a time some well-armed, organized, roaming bands of desperadoes would likely overwhelm them, too.

Some deep underground, well-guarded private and government installations would prove nearly unbreachable, but even those have limited food storage. How many of these jet-setters could endure three years of mole living without losing their minds? Would it be five years before the food ran low? Ten? Then what? Eventually those hapless folks would emerge to face a new tribal order where survivors had not only learned to live by their wits, they'd gladly run roughshod over (if not summarily execute) tenderfoot government hiders and wealthy nerds.

Medical problems managed easily with today's modern technology and readily obtained medications would quickly prove fatal. Sanitation systems for clean water and sewage treatment would collapse so there would be localized cholera, dysentery, and typhoid epidemics. Infant and childhood mortality would zoom and life expectancy plummet.

The woman profiled in the OP: "Morgan has been preparing for a life-changing disaster since 2010 and already has enough canned food to last six months." She "originally began prepping for a zombie apocalypse." Seriously? The threat of a zombie apocalypse is what motivated her to go down this road?

Many of us are reasonably prepared for emergencies that don't include societal collapses where civil order cannot be maintained or quickly restored. If the latter occurred I'd probably be early in the die-off numbers. Certainly within the first few months. As would most of the rest on here, I'd guess. If not by dehydration or murder, then by suicide.
 
StarSong said:
The woman profiled in the OP: "Morgan has been preparing for a life-changing disaster since 2010 and already has enough canned food to last six months." She "originally began prepping for a zombie apocalypse." Seriously? The threat of a zombie apocalypse is what motivated her to go down this road?
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What's really scary is, she's homeschooling her children. yikes.jpg
 
palides2021 said:
I tend to buy on sale and have always looked at my surplus as "insurance." Just like we pay insurance for our home and cars, this is insurance for food shortage. Granted, every few months, I end up giving part of it away to the food bank. :)
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Yes you're absolutely right, it is definitely a type of insurance...

I don't give my food to a food bank every few months as you do because most packet and canned food here has around 3 or 4 years use by date on it... and everything we buy I use.

That said I buy several items at least once a month when I'm at the supermarket...for the food bank, and most of it is not food but toiletries including mens' disposable razors, ladies feminine products , shampoo and toothpaste..
 
Irwin said:
There's nothing wrong with living off the grid if you can, since housing is so expensive and in most areas, you have to spend so much of your time working just to pay the bills. Living in the wild without having to hold down a regular job sounds pretty good. I understand that completely.

Hopefully, the kids are getting a good enough education. When I hear of people homeschooling their children, too often, the parents don't seem all that bright, so what kind of education are the children actually getting, and how are they going to fare when they need to provide for themselves? Are they getting sufficiently prepared for college if they choose that route?

And to live in fear of economic collapse or whatever other disaster, that's just weird. But, to each his or her own! As long as they don't hurt anyone. I don't think hunting with an AR-15 is too honorable, either, but as long as they eat what they kill, oh well.
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MrPants said:
I think when the end of the world comes, I'll just go quietly. I don't want to survive only to find all the others out there are a bunch of paranoid crazies who are armed with giant automatic weapons looking to eliminate me before I steal their canned beans 😟
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I see this picture in my mind playing out about my neighbour who has a superb bunker with survival supplies to last for at least 12 months but only for his family and friends. With gun in hand, he looks at his surveillance monitor and sees a mob of terrified people gathered outside, screaming and begging to be let in. Nope. Not for me. I'll just go quietly with you Mr Pants. :)
 
We're not a "prepper", but after moving to a rural forest, years ago, we try to think of what could go wrong, and try to plan ahead, just in case. I have a generator that is strong enough to give us lights, keep the fridge and freezer going, runs the well for water, and supplies enough power to run the outdoor wood furnace. I keep a Coleman stove in the garage to cook on, and heat some water for basic hygiene, etc. If a long power loss occurred in the Summer, we have a couple of fans we could use to help keep cool.

We're far enough away from any "cities" that should a major disaster occur, the lunatics would be unlikely to venture this far....if they did, nearly everyone in this area is armed. If food ran short, we have enough deer and squirrels, etc., in the forest to survive quite awhile. If all this still doesn't suffice, things would probably be so bad that living longer would not be worth it.
 
Don M. said:
We're not a "prepper", but after moving to a rural forest, years ago, we try to think of what could go wrong, and try to plan ahead, just in case. I have a generator that is strong enough to give us lights, keep the fridge and freezer going, runs the well for water, and supplies enough power to run the outdoor wood furnace. I keep a Coleman stove in the garage to cook on, and heat some water for basic hygiene, etc. If a long power loss occurred in the Summer, we have a couple of fans we could use to help keep cool.

We're far enough away from any "cities" that should a major disaster occur, the lunatics would be unlikely to venture this far....if they did, nearly everyone in this area is armed. If food ran short, we have enough deer and squirrels, etc., in the forest to survive quite awhile. If all this still doesn't suffice, things would probably be so bad that living longer would not be worth it.
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You sound very organized Don, having that generator would be come in very handy.
 

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