Here’s what 75 preppers learned during the lockdown.

Great eye opening accounts from the ladies that keep the household going.

Really good info for the next lockdown in September.

Come again?

Maya…

I had anticipated shortages like food, soap, TP, and PPEs, but I underestimated how short in supply durable consumer goods would be – like the fact that freezers would pretty much become extinct, all gardening supplies, etc. Luckily, I had stockpiled seeds (although this year I brought veggie starts because everything started late this year.) It took until June to get the raised bed kits (industrial area, it’s not safe to grow anything you want to eat in the ground). Canning jars have also become in short supply.

I anticipated has shortages, which did not take place – in fact, gas became dirt cheap with nobody able to go anywhere. I did fail to anticipate that the border would be closed for half a year! Living in a border city, I tend to rely on the much cheaper US prices for many things. I really should not have put off dentist and eye appointments, or a haircut! I will get that attended to before the next wave of contamination and lock-downs.

I am working now on beefing up food growing and preserving supplies. Desiccants, oxygen absorbers, Mylar bags, food grade buckets, canning lids, canning jars, and food saver bags are all likely to become harder to obtain as food prices rise and more people become aware of how to grow and preserve foods. I am also stocking up on organic fertilizers and indoor growing options. And sprouting seeds – I think I have at least 2 years’ worth of those.

You have the same system I use. You only need 1 years supply of canning jars, then get a ton of canning lids. Also, think about 10%-20% jar breakage and adjust your jar quantity. I have enough lids for 4 years assuming 1 quart jar per day per person...

Did you catch the cheap gas and store it. Got 50 gallons in storage at 99 cents per gallon...

I have a minimum of 3 months supply of food and canned veggies which I rotate. In a pinch could be stretched to 6 months. This does not include 2 freezers full of meat, fish, chicken, and blanched veggies. Buy meats on sale and then vacuum seal them and freeze them. They last many years and taste great...

For later reading.
We did pretty good on ours--we were actually planning to take stock on Friday and see if there's anything we are over/under stocked on.

Bump

I buy aggressively when stores run BOGO sales. I probably have a years' worth of mayo, mustard, ketchup, Coffee and olive oil just from BOGO sales.

It's not as simple as use one up, put another on the list, if you want to stock up at the best price.

I learned that NO ONE is truly ready for a real real event!

scary how fucking fast everything can fuck up and shut down! 2020 will be a year of much learning

This is true. I used that method in the beginning. Bought cases of veggies that I never used. After 5 or 6 years, got rid of most along with the bloated cans...

Best to stagger the best buy dates so that perishables don't come due at the same time...

Now buying non-perishable supplies, your method is excellent. Had a years worth of TP before the Virus hit...

Don't forget about the paper plates, paper towels, plastic knives forks and spoons. They come in very handy. I usually have a minimum stock of 6 months supplies or more...

Fine tuning preps is a ongoing process.....it depends on different situations and needs.....for me, it's alcohol.....I stocked some in my 1 yrs prep stuff but not enough, however I still have that one container of lysol wipe barely used....same with hand sanitizer.....

Some people can stock up in 1 trip using a van, others need a gradual build up.....Sice the winter, most should have a good idea on what and how much they need....

Regardless if you think the virus is real or not doesn't matter.....the supply line shortages will still be the same....I thought we had more time but the current rates don't bode well....

I increased my preps from my 1 year which I maintained since the 80's to 2 years now....been stocking up on anything related to work and daily life other than food also....

Best of luck to all....

BTW Melbourne is going under lockdown again....

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I learned that us "paranoid peppers" became "greedy hoarders" as soon as toilet paper became scarce.

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I learned that stuff doesn’t last forever. Who else had to throw there Y2K and 2012 preps in the dumpster ?

NO SUCH THING AS GREED WHEN ITS COME OUT LIVING AND OUT DOING EVERYONE ELSE ONLY YOUR LIFE IS IMPORTANT!

If anyone prepped for y2k or 2012 you were severely brain washed!

i couldn't read too much of that. mostly women babbling on about inane things.

the main thing we preppers should have learned is that we were right, continue to do what we did, and more.

Yes...but early on in my prepping.....fine tuning to edit out most things not used or if there is a longer shelf life substitute.....tho expensive I have a large quantity of freeze dried stuff to complement the deep freeze and canned goods....freeze dried have a 30+ yrs shelf life not requiring refrigeration.....30 yrs is longer than my shelf life....lol....

Staying one step ahead is neither of those things. :)

I learned that I thought I was prepped but there were plenty of holes. I've used the "Use 1 buy 2" prepping for a while because I buy what I use and there isn't too much waste. I buy a years worth of supplies this way and use up the oldest first. I've got to up it to 2 years. I've also decided to take $25/week out of my grocery budget and stock up on 1 item that way by the end of the year I'll be up 52 items. Storage and rotation are my biggest problems but still working on it. You can't eat big houses,cars,vacations or money. Food and liquids first. You can't always just go to the store.

I learned six months won’t get us through two growing seasons and that two years is a safer alternative.

"I learned that stuff doesn’t last forever. Who else had to throw there Y2K and 2012 preps in the dumpster ?"

It Happens !

Do you ever spend MONEY on insurance?

( ; )

But if the SHTF nothing will matter.Can you stop runs of human locusts loaded with a myriad of weapons,some as simple as a bic lighter taking out whole communities?

IMO preps mean nothing in war scenarios.

I learned canning jars are expensive. 12 bottles of wine is not much. Canned milk uses up quickly. Canned vegetables get used quickly for one meal. You need 4-5 cans often. Bulk nuts and dried fruit are expensive. It is not easy to make banana chips.
Sugar is used up fast.

Preppers are losers. Let's face it...

I learned that a lot of people shut-down/melt-down and become like scared little kids when they think the shtf. I had inlaws crying and whining 'i dont know what to do' and that was from not being bale to buy TP and paper towles. Even people I knew as preppers jsut mentally collapsed, and this is a mild event. I learned a lot about people I thought were strong.

The ones that will lose the most are the ones that do not prep.

Chance favors the prepared mind.

Rice= Rice wine + plus garden bugs= A stir fry.

lol. Insane.

That is because people assume that what you did is what they would do... given the chance.

For instance, if over the last 3 years every time you go to the store you buy an extra can of pork & beans... after 3 years of going to the store once a week you have over 150 cans of pork & beans.

Your neighbor, the Grasshopper, runs to the store to buy pork & beans during a crisis, sees the empty shelves. He finds out you have 150 cans, and believes that he is "going without" because some hoarder (YOU!) cleared out all the shelves.

Why? Because that's what he'd do, given the chance.

Same thing with TP. You have 100 rolls, they don't assume you bought it when it was on sale over the past few years, gradually building up a nice surplus. They assume you ran to the store and cleared out the shelves, leaving nothing for them.

They are short-sighted and can't fathom that you've been working on your stores incrementally for years.

Thanks to GLP for the heads up, I started stocking up back in January long before the panic buying. Have only been going out about twice a month for early morning shopping runs. No matter what my current needs, I buy 2 of everything and more when I see a good sale. Happy to say my pantry now looks like a small grocery store!

I also followed my instincts and purchased a lot of random home repair supplies like plumbing parts etc.. Glad I did because I found out the local hardware stores have been running out of stock now.

When you buy pasta sauce, make sure it comes in a Mason or Ball canning jar. Then all you need to purchase are the canning lids.