Practical Prepping Protocol even if Poor

I think a temp supply of water is a good idea, but more important to have the ability to purify lots of water for long term. Some use filters, some advocate chlorine bleach without scents, but I think being able to boil water is also a good idea for long term.

As for food, think "cheap calories". The classic is beans and rice, but flour, cornmeal, or whatever is cheap/meal.

I think that the Mormons are right, two years for every person.

If you are tight on money, avoid freeze dried and most canned food. Dry food is cheapest/meal.

Most important is to have 30 days or more of what you eat!

First masks are for exhale and some inhalation, A respirator is for inhalation, So if you are sick ware a mask, if some one else is then a respirator.

Water costs $1 dollar per gallon, my 500 gallon tanks cost $500, the advantage of a tank or can is they will last longer. A 5 gal jug is like $20 a few would be ok, but
I have both. I would just do the 1 gal store bought at this point the bottles will be ok for a few years as I have apx 10 cases from more than a few years stored in a cool dark room.
Can goods get as much as you can store and will eat in one year! We eat 2-4 cans of tuna a week so I keep normally apx 50 same with the cans of chicken about half as much roast beef.

The best way to prep for long term basic food is providentliving.org as it will store for 30 years and cost about the same as bags from the store some things are cheaper!
I got the mother in law a years worth last week it was 17 cases with 6 each #10 cans in each, weighed apx.600 pounds and filled my ford ranger bed. It is 650,000 calories and cost $550. 6 cases of rice, 4 of black beans as they have nearly 2x the cals of the case of pintos and the white beans, also a case each of pasta apple slices and 3 rolled oats. That is about 1/10 of my stores.

Last Edited by sandman1 on 02/26/2020 03:16 PM

Taking a quick look at some of my stored food the two winners for calorie density are....

peanut butter: The 40 oz. cheap (well under $4)
6650 calories, 245 grams of protein.

1 pound box of small elbow macaroni (under $1)
1600 calories. 56 grams of protein.

I have cans of soup that have meat in them for the complete protein as well as canned spaghetti and meatballs. These are the most expensive and take up the most storage space per the calorie content, so one or two of these a day mixed with about 1/2 the box of cooked macaroni makes a huge pile of food for a family.

Sproutables: I repackaged almost all of the beans / seeds I have. The only packs I have are 3 one pound packs of soy beans:

Per pound: 1870 calories, 165 grams of protein.

I went light on the soy but heavy on mung beans, cow peas, and chick peas.

Thank you both for your insightful, extremely helpful replies. Your responses were clear and easy to understand. I hope the information also helps others at this time. Thank you for the websites and recommendations.

Is dried food going to take a lot of water though? Such as beans or rice. That is my worry. I can go a day or two without food, but not water.
You guys are the experts though, so I bet it is a nutritional necessity or something to survive.
I only went camping a few times and that was in relative luxury compared to something like this. Any more food recommendations like the last poster is amazing. I think most people know they should prep but don't know where to get started. This thread is amazing!


I read about the respirators, and people here were saying only certain ones work. Is this true? If so, which? I saw ones for sawmilling or something like that but wasn't sure.

Also, it is a nice reminder that we are all very late to this Covid-19 situation. Not trying to be doomy, but supplies are probably already getting short, especially since the CDC announcement today and because the President is going to speak on it.

You all that have prepped previously should give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back.

Water storage:

[link to www.sosproducts.com (secure)]

The 20 gallon fits nicely in a closet. Not sure if a 50 gallon fits but the 50 gallon blue drums are the most economical per gallon. Cleaning and re-filling 2 liter bottles and stashing them everywhere works too.

[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

See also to use less water:

Thread: Washing Your Hands With One Ounce of Water

Last Edited by Terces Egassem on 02/26/2020 03:55 PM

There is so much - best you just read a lot of posts and get a lot of ideas - nobody can give you a list - so much is needed, and some is specific to you, to your location, to your housing type, to all kinds of things.

Just keep reading and taking notes on what you believe would be good for you.

I'm very glad you are getting quantities of water - fourgallons per day per person.

As to length of time, FEMA recommended we have six months of everything, adn that was before this virus came up. Most people now say a minimum of two years. Of course it takes time to put together that much. I would say prep as far out as your assets permit.

A relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is the most important preparation we can have, and from there He will lead you into what further preparations to make, or at least that is how it has worked in my life.

:bump222:

also!

Conifers are found everywhere and can be used in the winter when food becomes more scarce. One that is very versatile is the Spruce tree. Black Spruce makes the best tasting but other varieties are just as edible. Also, every part of the Spruce can be eaten when no other source of food is available. When picking any of the new growth (tips), make sure you do not remove all of them from each branch as once removed, they won't grow back. And, what is appearing to be important in this age of plagues is that Spruce is high in Vitamin C.


[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Douglas Fir is another conifer that is high in Vitamin C.


[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Pine is another common tree all across the United States and Canada, one that is common here in central Oklahoma is the White Pine (I even have many on my acreage here). Many parts of the Pine are edible, such as the inner bark.


[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Learn about all the trees in your area and which ones you can fall back upon in an emergency when food becomes scarce!


[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]


[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Last Edited by Major Doom on 02/26/2020 11:47 PM

Wonderful post, Major Doom. Thank you!!!

I'm still seeing the recommendation of one gallon of water per day per person in various places.

I challenge anyone here who believes that amount to be adequate to do it! Fill a container with one gallon of water and from the moment you get up the next day, that is ALL the water you are allowed to use. Wash face or shower or shave, whatever your morning routine. Make coffee or tea. Give pets fresh water. Prepare breakfast, wash dishes. Take medications. Lunch - cook it, wash the dishes. Dinner - prepare, then clean up afterward.

Remember you need to be washing your hands frequently throughout the day, and brushing teeth after meals.

Now you are home for the evening. Time for some cleaning and laundry. Clean up the kitchen, do whatever bathroom cleaning is necessary, then do your laundry in whatever way you will be doing it. Have a shower or sponge bath if you did not do so in the morning.

How far did your daily gallon of water go? Did you have to put water in your radiator? Water a plant? Water a garden? Did you make it through lunch clean-up still using the only gallon of water you are allowed? Do remember I did not ask you to flush with water. You can save gray water for that, and should, as long as the plumbing still works, but it won't be enough.

Think about it, people - use those beans on top of your neck and consider, honestly, how much water it takes to live!

IF you have a high quality water purifier, you can buy a queen size water bed mattress on amazon for $40 to $50 that holds close to 200 gallons. Fill it up, use after proper filtration.

You can get those 55 gallon blue barrels for about $70-80 to use to store water. But, for long term storage you have to add a preserver to it. If you look at various products for water preserving, you'll notice the ingredients are nothing more than a 5.25% solution of sodium hypochlorite, which is ordinary household bleach.

One popular product costs $15 that contains enough to treat 55 gallons, or 0.73 fl.oz (22 ml). But the smart shopper will just go down to the local WalMart and get a 1 gallon jug of Great Value Concentrated Bleach, 121 oz at a cost of under $3. Also, the Great Value brand bleach is a 6.0% solution instead of the weaker 5.25% solution. If you are using bleach to preserve your stored water supply, use 6 to 8 drops per gallon (and no more!) for a shelf life for up to 5 years.

Last Edited by Major Doom on 02/29/2020 02:03 AM

Yesterday, among other things, I bought one of those big round boxes of old fashioned oats (store brand). 2 pounds, 10 ounces for $2.36. 4200 calories.

Last Edited by Terces Egassem on 02/29/2020 12:11 PM

The most water efficient Earth Ships in Taos, NM use 17gallons a day. That's not trying to conserve. 17 gallons is normal showering and cleaning, but I agree 1 gallon per person per day is just drinking water. No hygiene.

I have done the same. I bought frozen salmon and cod from Costco and chicken on sale at my local market to freeze. Also bought a bunch of sprouted wheat tortillas for freezer, they last better than bread.

Costco has organic mashed avocado in their refrigerated section near the hummus and pesto. It's in individual servings and it freezes great. Also their organic Keto chicken meatballs are vacuum packed for the millenium and will fit into corners of your freezer; delicious. I bought a bunch of different types of beans and rice and realized I don't need to package them specially as they are good for a couple of years just normally.

putting people in trailers during tornado season, what could go wrong?

In the South we call them tornado magnets.

cytokine storm?

If anyone here is concerned about obtaining a six month or possibly longer supply of their prescription medicine, this may be helpful. They won't fill prescriptions for painkillers or other drugs that could be abused.

Please go directly to the link to read the entire article as there is additional pertinent information there: [link to survivalblog.com (secure)]

From the blog: <<<After a few hours of searching, I discovered HoneyBee Pharmacy. This Pharmacy is properly licensed and located in Culver City California. A short web search revealed numerous five star reviews and an excellent trust pilot score. A few more searches showed their licensing status to be good. This pharmacy is online based and has no brick and mortar store. Their business model is to cut out the middleman and sell directly to consumers. They do not accept insurance and will not sell any medication with the potential to be abused (ADHD, muscle relaxers, narcotics etc.)

****** (continued)....

<<<<So it became necessary to find a doctor who would be able to prescribe my current medications for at least a six month supply. After some time browsing the internet, I stumbled upon the web site DrSays.com. This website charges a flat fee of thirty five dollars for an initial consultation, this consultation can be by phone or video chat. The process is simple, easy and fast. You sign up for an online account, state the purpose of the consultation and a short time later a doctor calls or video chats with you. These doctors are licensed in the state you reside and have all the script writing privileges of any other doctor in your state. Once on the phone I explained to the doctor that I wanted an extended supply of my current medications and asked that a prescription be made out and sent over to HoneyBee pharmacy. The doctor spent a few minutes reviewing my medical history and list of current medications. The doctor then made out a prescription for a six month supply (the longest allowed in my state) and sent it over to HoneyBee pharmacy. HoneyBee then verified this prescription and in two days I had a six month supply of medication to put back for when I might not be able to get them filled at my local pharmacy.>>>



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Last Edited by Windsage on 03/03/2020 08:46 PM

Just saw something that might help our diabetic friends.

You may be able to purchase insulin OTC from Walmart for $25. By all means check it out. In fact, if one store in your area says no, go to another. You may be able to stock up. What a blessing that would be!

Question — in a bug-out situation, is it feasible to use a hot water bottle as a portable canteen? How would I sterilise it first, if so?

I found this site that might help you with that~

[link to www.rei.com (secure)]

Homemade clorox wipes. Always Google for more information.

I made my own disinfecting spray. I use with a wash cloth.

Pour one cup of rubbing alcohol into a clean, empty spray bottle. Label the bottle !
Add 15 drops of Tea Tree essential
7-10 drops of Lemon essential oil
7-10 drops of Lavender essential oil.

Fill with clean water. Mix well.

I didn't have lemon essential oil this time so I used oregano essential oil. Oregano is listed as an ingredient in many other recipes. Rosemary essential oil is also listed as ingredient in many disinfectant recipes but we have one with a topical and food allergy to rosemary.

Spray on any hard surface and let dry. I will also wipe with a wash cloth to clean and then spray again to dry.

Bonus, toss the wash cloth into a load of smelly socks.

Portable version. Wet wash cloth with warm soapy water and spray generously onto rag and store in ziplock. Use everytime I get back into car to wipe down hands and keys. Use on shopping carts. Use on pinpad.
Make several ahead and freeze.

No essential oil? rubbing alcohol and water work too.

Really useful (particularly as I have a CamelBak too and was considering how to clean it). Thank you so much.

Your very welcome~

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Getting the garden ready. Increasing my “container’ gardening. Bought 5, 15 -gal grow bags. (These could easily be sewn if you have some rugged fabric in your stash.)

Putting these all up next to the house, to deter squirrels. Making trellises, today, from bamboo, but could use tree limbs that fell.

First lettuce is planted. Easily done in a container.

Starting seeds in recycled containers.

Using the compost, for my in-ground beds.



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