# What Did You Learn About Your Level of Preparedness From COVID19 Nonsense?



## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

So, it appears that this COVID19 government lockdown nonsense may be winding down for now. It, or something similar, will surface again. 

So what did you learn about your LOP (Level Of Preparedness)?

I'll start;

Mrs Slippy and I realized that we had more than the basics covered and for the most part our lives did not change that much.

What we did venture out was mainly for;

Meat, Eggs, Fuel (Diesel), Booze and Luxury Food Items like Ice Cream or a Specific Brand of Some Item (I may have mentioned Mrs S loves Palmetto Brand Cheese Spread and only a few select stores seem to carry it in our area so we would classify that as a luxury food item) You get the picture.

The rest we had covered. Did we add some items to our Stores? Yes, but only because we did not want to reduce what we built up. Based on what we consumed and what we had stored, I believe we could have gone at least 18 months and never batted an eye if Shit Had Hit The Fan in a much great Velocity than this Chicom Nonsense .:vs_smile:

So I would give ourselves a solid A- :vs_closedeyes:

Now, what to do the next time to be prepared? :vs_worry: 

THAT is the QUESTION! :vs_wave:


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Slippy said:


> So, it appears that this COVID19 government lockdown nonsense may be winding down for now. It, or something similar, will surface again.
> 
> So what did you learn about your LOP (Level Of Preparedness)?
> 
> ...


What did I learn? That if this would have been the new normal and last indefinitely...&#8230;.I didn't have enough stored already. BUT what I did have would have lasted us for 4 to 6 months...&#8230;...good thing I didn't use it though, so it's still there, and I've been adding to it. Most of the food we've been eating during the shut down, was bought fresh to stay away from my stash.

But I also learned the things I was low on like tp, paper products, water & purifier, other things to drink like soda, Gatorade, etc. IOW, food is covered, but everything else is not


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

It was a bit like going to the school of hard knocks, gives the test first, then the lesson. Quite a few holes in my preps. Nothing major but still holes.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

It pretty much reinforced that we are on the right track. Only stock things we use all the time. No special 50 lb bags of rice for example. Have our supplies setup for easy rotation to keep it fresh. Sure we used some of our stuff but resupply regularly to maintain a level. Proved to ourselves that we could go a long time. Especially if rationed it more closely. With little to no change in life style or eating habits.

Didn't get into a emergency plan B. Which would involve shooting wild game, scavenging or raiding. Never got to test weapons or vehicle preps but know I'm good to go. So I'll give myself a solid B+.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I'd give myself a B-. Was well stocked on food, but was short on water storage.

That deficiency has been corrected already.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

We have plenty of TP. And could get by if we ran out
We can go a month more it we need to easy with out changing our eating habits with out going to the store
We did not have to run out at the last minute and buy a gun
We had plenty of ammo
We learned when furnace quit the wood heat worked fine and the spare parts fixed the furnace.
At least for something like this we are well prepared.


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## Michael_Js (Dec 4, 2013)

Didn't notice any difference...ran out of nothing. Didn't shop any more, or less, than usual. Saved a ton of gas $$$$ not traveling every day to work...Spent what we needed on what we wanted...Other than working at home and the 6' distances at Costco and stuff, wouldn't know the difference. Oh, and the panic the media is causing and the continued worthless corrupted politicians in this liberal state (again, no difference than before the pandemic)...

Oh, 1 difference, since I am always home, and the wife is always home, we're always home together  Not a bad thing, but we've had to work through sharing the same office since she always works from home.

Peace out,
Michael J.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

What I have found is that I lack on short term items, such as canned stuff, which is not part of my true SHTF stores.

Short term meats is another, the frozen ones, one thing that disappeared was breadstuffs, Wally World bakery closed down. 

The large and small tortillas flew off the shelves, when I went out the next time there were some, I grabbed some and froze them.

I have been out of here 4 times since 1 march, mostly for meds, now they are being mailed to us.

Now I have had for a long time the flour and press to make my own if needed, grabbed 30 pounds of AP flour in early march.

In those times out I grabbed a total of 120 pounds of rice, and a 80+ cans of navy, great northern and pinto beans.

Those two items are for active use, not storage, have plenty of rice and dried beans put away for long term.

I did grab 20 pounds of spaghetti for interim use early on, now there is none at all on the shelves.

There is no baking powder, baking soda, yeast, flours, veggie oils of any sort available in the three stores I go to.

I have gone out in the mornings during the old geezer hour at the different stores, 

It is the best time to get stuff before the nuts strip the shelves bare.

The other unexpected come up short things are butter, paper towels, sanitizers, and disinfectants, 

I do have plenty of dry and liquid bleach in store. 

Have plenty of lab grade 95% ethyl alcohol, 75% isopropyl and iodine, which I have used to make a hand sanitizer with.

Now when I say short on the PT, I mean that I have only a three months supply, TP, a lifetime's worth is stored.

I did read the tea leaves back in early march, bought accordingly then, glad I did.

Never had to break into any long term storage items as of today.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

I didn't really consider this much of a learning experience, as life in general didn't change much. Yes, the shut down has killed my business, but the government just printed some more money, so we are OK for the next few months. Otherwise, I drove to work each day, shopped once or twice a week, and purchased anything I needed except for hand sanitizer or disinfectant spray/wipes. TP was not available every time but I'd say about half. Not that I needed it, as I have cases in storage.

Only part of my prepping that was tested, was the part dealing with infection control specific items... such as masks, gloves, etc. So while the whole world is out hunting for or making half ass masks, I sit on cases of n95 masks plus lots of half face respirators with even better filters. I've just used a tiny part of those masks, so good to go for a long time... especially by disinfecting them & reusing. I don't mind reusing as here in rural Mississippi, there just is almost no sick folks and our hospitals are not the least bit overworked. I was able to purchase gallons of hand sanitizer from one of our vendors that switched over some of their chemical production to sanitizer. Still have enough commercial disinfectant for the home and haven't had to hit my stores to make my own. Every prepper should have plenty of pool shock in storage.

So for this pandemic, so far I say ho hum.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

JustAnotherNut said:


> What did I learn? That if this would have been the new normal and last indefinitely...&#8230;.I didn't have enough stored already. BUT what I did have would have lasted us for 4 to 6 months...&#8230;...good thing I didn't use it though, so it's still there, and I've been adding to it. Most of the food we've been eating during the shut down, was bought fresh to stay away from my stash.
> 
> But I also learned the things I was low on like tp, paper products, water & purifier, other things to drink like soda, Gatorade, etc. IOW, food is covered, but everything else is not


I found I'm short on pretty much the same things as you, but we only have enough food stored to last, maybe, four months and that would be managing it carefully.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

We were set.
TP? Cases of it out in the hay shed. Paper towels same-same.
N95 masks? On hand when everyone could not find any and were trying to make masks out of coffee filters. We don't wear them, and going into town the vast majority of people we encounter don't either.
Food? No problem here.

As far as self isolation, Florida and Georgia did not enforce this, and my wife and I are isolationists as a normal course of life anyway. 
As an example, the best fried chicken place on the entire planet, Quick Chic in Folkston, Georgia, closed the dining room, but we always get it to go anyway. Nothing changed - I walk in (no mask), order at the counter (they wore no masks either), pick up order, go back home.

Bottom line - nothing much changed in our little world. But i miss not getting my monthly haircut. I'm beginning to feel like a hippie.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

We are pretty much hermits here, have been for a long time, by choice.

We go nowhere except for grocery stores and doctors occasionally.

My business is located just outside my home and has been so for almost 40 years.

Work it part time only now, just to keep active, 8-12 hours a week, 4 of those starting in an hour.

The only thing that changed is the hours we shop, from afternoons to early morning ones.

In the state as of yesterday there are 60,265 reported cases with 3,405 deaths, more than California has.

This county has 5,300 cases half of which are within 13-15 miles of me.

These numbers help keep me at home more than normal.

Twice a day I monitor my temp, BP, pulse and O2 saturation, all are normal and hopefully will stay that way.

Every other month I do blood test, RBC,WBC, retic, platelets, etc.


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## Rellgar (Sep 25, 2018)

First off, it's not wineding down, it's just beginning. I learned that there is a huge difference between a real prepper and the average person that preps when there is a crises already happening. I also learned no matter how thoroughly you prepped, there are still more things you discover during the crises that you didn't prepare for that wish you had.


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## Shelterinplace1963 (Mar 9, 2020)

Is it over? With Tennessee starting back up, I think there might be another resurgence in this neck of the woods once the local hillbillies start running around again. People around here think it was all a big hoax.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

We were fine. Added a bit to the cans & boxes stash and kept fresh food restocked with our weekly trip. Tried bi-weekly once but that really put dent in the ability to eat fresh. We're always good for TP, wet wipes and paper towels but I did want for more lysol/clorox wipes. Didn't run out but going forward I'm increasing par levels for peace of mind.

As vendors restock I will get another couple hundred N95's but haven't used what we had - saving them for a true need. I will add a few 3M 6000 series respirators as well when they're available.

My BIG takeaway was the need to become my own supply chain for fresh food. To that end, I'm getting all my ducks in a row to start adding raised beds and containers for vegetables. I have seeds and other supplies ordered. Summer is downtime in the Deep South for gardening so I'll have the next few months to get everything set. I also have a chest freezer ordered. I want those extra 10cf of freezer space to allow for more diversified food stores.

In terms of what I HAD been planning for, I'd give myself an A-
In terms of what I WILL be planning for, I'd give myself a C

I've been saying since January - this may be our one and only test-run. I've done a lot of observing these past few months: from federal/state/local responses to how my immediate family has reacted. I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste because I believe something truly nasty is out there and it's a matter of when, not if.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

We were good on staple supplies. Not so good on luxury stuff. I consider paper products luxury, and that was the only thing we were really lacking in. We never ran out, but it could have happened if we hadn't found TP during our normal shopping.
We made bread by hand when the store had no loaves. We bought another bag of rice and of beans to store away when they showed up again.
I took time to go through our shelves and get a better inventory of items. Medical stuff was decently stocked, but a few more masks wouldn't have hurt since I gave some to my folks.
Grocery shopping has been pretty normal so far.
We tried to keep things as normal as we could for the sake of the kids. We've yet had to go to "hard mode" to get by. No cracking open of the food buckets, no filtering our own water, no security rotations.

Life has been pretty normal.

Then the cat pissed in my sock drawer this morning, and S*$T HIT THE FAN!!!

:vs_laugh:


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Slippy said:


> So, it appears that this COVID19 government lockdown nonsense may be winding down for now. It, or something similar, will surface again.
> 
> So what did you learn about your LOP (Level Of Preparedness)?
> 
> ...


Think we learned we wasnt very prepped. Trusting the Lord to see us through this mess. Will try to do better next time..if there is another next time. So far we still have water food and plenty of ammo and we are highly pissed off at retarded Liberals.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I wonder how much of the general population suddenly realized how ill-prepared they were and might be a bit more inclined to be more proactive.


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## jmh033089 (Oct 23, 2012)

I learned I need to find other means for meat, I cleaned up the deep freeze in the garage and plan on putting as much meat as I can in there. I am in the IL Valley 80 miles southwest of Chicago in the cornfields and we still had an issue with people buying everything even now weeks after this its still issues.


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

Back Pack Hack said:


> I wonder how much of the general population suddenly realized how ill-prepared they were and might be a bit more inclined to be more proactive.


Probably not nearly enough but every person/family that does will be an asset. When folks are lining up the night before (and sleeping in their cars) at the free food stations across the country - that paints a pretty clear picture of the sad state of affairs we're in as a nation. The poor, of both money and mentality, will never prop themselves up but I do have some hope for those on the razors edge that want to and can do better going forward.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

In general pretty decent, but failed to have enough N95 masks in stock. So far very lucky, only had to use 2.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Hemi45 said:


> Probably not nearly enough but every person/family that does will be an asset. When folks are lining up the night before (and sleeping in their cars) at the free food stations across the country - that paints a pretty clear picture of the sad state of affairs we're in as a nation. The poor, of both money and mentality, will never prop themselves up but I do have some hope for those on the razors edge that want to and can do better going forward.


From the polling being touted concerning the monthly income checks idea, I doubt many will take it upon themselves.
The power hungry know that maintaining dependency is the surest way to maintain their power. Keep people focused on what daddy gubmint can dole out, and few will turn to self-reliance.


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## jeffh (Apr 6, 2020)

So, being the new guy here, I'll admit, I wasn't very prepared. When this all started I had just sold my house, was in the midst of building a new one (that got delayed due to COVID), and most of my stuff is in storage. About the only thing I did right was I have a shit-ton of ammunition, and a reloading press for when that gets low, so no matter how bad it gets, I figure I am in decent shape. <only kind of a joke> So I either get a D or an A-, depending on how much you rely on a safe full of guns and ammo.

Now in reality, I shop at Sam's club so I was set for TP and paper towels, but other than that, we had to shop for what we needed.

Now what did I learn from this? I need to be better prepared. Once I finally move in the new house, we are getting started on stocking up. My wife and I have been completely self sufficient for the 25 years I have known her. The insecurity of this pandemic hasn't sat well with either of us.


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## T-Man 1066 (Jan 3, 2016)

We did fine. Never came close to running out of anything important. I have been working overtime this whole while, so nothing was a big concern. If any areas were weak it would be the ability to supplement perishable foods. Milk, butter, fresh fruit. Had plenty of food, fine for TP, PT, kleenex. Cleaning supplies. Would like to have more cash on hand, but like most people 6-12 months cash on hand is a lofty goal. Prescription meds are harder to stockpile. All in all relatively happy, can always do more.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

T-Man 1066 said:


> We did fine. Never came close to running out of anything important. I have been working overtime this whole while, so nothing was a big concern. If any areas were weak it would be the ability to supplement perishable foods. Milk, butter, fresh fruit. Had plenty of food, fine for TP, PT, kleenex. Cleaning supplies. Would like to have more cash on hand, but like most people 6-12 months cash on hand is a lofty goal. Prescription meds are harder to stockpile. All in all relatively happy, can always do more.


Is someone really advocating that people have 6 to 12 months of CASH ON HAND? That means cash under your mattress. I've only ever heard people say to have 12 months savings, but they meant in a bank.


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## Michael_Js (Dec 4, 2013)

paulag1955 said:


> Is someone really advocating that people have 6 to 12 months of CASH ON HAND? That means cash under your mattress. I've only ever heard people say to have 12 months savings, but they meant in a bank.


I have 12 months of cash on hand! Well, if you only need $100 a month, that is 
Hopefully, although I doubt it, my local credit union is safer than a bank, but...
more withdrawing in the future - from the credit union, not from society 

Peace,
Michael J.


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

Back Pack Hack said:


> I wonder how much of the general population suddenly realized how ill-prepared they were and might be a bit more inclined to be more proactive.


Not much I suspect. I know at least 5 households that were defiantly not preppers but survived on Amazon and food deliveries and they all said they needed nothing.


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

While we had N-95 masks they are hard to breath through, Our only prepping fail was not having any easy to breath through thinner masks. 

While I worked most days my wife was stuck working from home so she went a bit batty from lack of conversation. But with the stores mostly well stocked she made some extra good suppers with her extra free time.

This pandemic really wasn't much of a test. We were still able to buy most of what we wanted and didn't need to go into the preps.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Michael_Js said:


> I have 12 months of cash on hand! Well, if you only need $100 a month, that is
> Hopefully, although I doubt it, my local credit union is safer than a bank, but...
> more withdrawing in the future - from the credit union, not from society
> 
> ...


Yeah, I keep more cash on hand than most people, I'm sure, and I don't approach even two month's worth.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

Elvis said:


> Not much I suspect. I know at least 5 households that were defiantly not preppers but survived on Amazon and food deliveries and they all said they needed nothing.


Clueless.
They, and the millions out there just like them, wont last long when things really go sideways.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

The only thing I want more of up here is dog chow.
I dont want them out there hunting their own food yet; 
unless they develop a craving for a cat or two.


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## ajk1941 (Feb 17, 2013)

Glad I started prepping over 10 years ago. Life goes on as usual while we weather this virus problem. Even my kids finally see the point of stocking up just in case...


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MountainGirl said:


> Clueless.
> They, and the millions out there just like them, wont last long when things really go sideways.


That just means more stuff for the rest of us.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

This one never really tested us at all. We live far enough out that going to the grocery store or whatever is a half-day process. So food shopping, dog food shopping, etc. is something we only do every 2-3 months anyway. This thing hit at the optimal time for us as we had just been to the stores a couple weeks before everything hit. So we never needed our preps except for one day when I experimented with making bread so I ground up some wheat from our supplies.

The only thing we had to buy in the last 6 weeks was grain for the steer. But in reality, even that was a luxury item. There is still plenty of grass in the pasture for him to eat but I'll be damned if I am going to let all that good marbling that we have been building up in him the last 6 months go away because of same damn Chinese flu.

I guess if I had to recount something I learned through the whole process it would be to leave the baking to Mrs Inor. My bread came out tasting pretty good but I absolutely destroyed Mrs Inor's kitchen.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Well, first of all I don't think it's over, but that said, I done fairly well so far. Never had to get into my storage and even found enough items to raise my stock levels in some areas. I even picked up a new pistol. If it weren't for the talking bobble heads, everyone wearing masks, and the light traffic, I might not know anything was up. I would give myself an A-.

I need to increase my supply of disinfectants and masks, although I have not run out of anything. I am going to increase my meat storage capacity and antibiotics supply along with over the counter meds. 

Otherwise, this really wasn't much of a test yet. I didn't get to shoot a zombie or even a crazed unprepared wacko liberal. Well, maybe soon. :tango_face_grin:


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Funny thing... there is always a thread about what you should never be with out and I always joke... TP. I wasn’t kidding.. needless to say, we wound up supplying the kids a little and never ran out/low. Joking aside, I think the only thing we were short on was stored bread flour. We went to the store once a week as my wife follows a cooking practice (a book) that basically has you precook a weeks worth of meals. So we were able to get to the store for anything we needed once a week or every other week to fill the recipes. 

No depletion of supplies and we did supply others with fresh eggs. So I don’t think this was a severe test and we still have a few months of excellent storage to live on easily. Stretched it could be 5 months. Anyway, I’d say I’m a solid B right now. I also think a devastating hurricane would be more of a SHTF than this. Economic collapse too...


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Piratesailor said:


> Funny thing... there is always a thread about what you should never be with out and I always joke... TP. I wasn't kidding.. needless to say, we wound up supplying the kids a little and never ran out/low. Joking aside, I think the only thing we were short on was stored bread flour. We went to the store once a week as my wife follows a cooking practice (a book) that basically has you precook a weeks worth of meals. So we were able to get to the store for anything we needed once a week or every other week to fill the recipes.
> 
> No depletion of supplies and we did supply others with fresh eggs. So I don't think this was a severe test and we still have a few months of excellent storage to live on easily. Stretched it could be 5 months. Anyway, I'd say I'm a solid B right now. I also think a devastating hurricane would be more of a SHTF than this. Economic collapse too...


Living where we do, It's not out of the realm of possibilities that we have all three at once. A hurricane, an economic disaster, and the China Bug. We already have two of the three. :tango_face_wink:


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## Cascade (May 1, 2020)

nice information


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

We didn't have to touch the storage stuff. With no way to have fresh eggs at home, I did make runs to the grocery store. The upside for me is my wife is now happy with my preps. What we ran out of was Blue Bell ice cream, my wife's favorite. I very little space to grow things and I'm going to have to figure that one out but we still found the few things we needed at the store.

My sister in law has autoimmune disorder and couldn't go out so I did the shopping for both of us. We did fine.

This is not over. Prepare for round 2. Most folks didn't learn a thing. Every time there is any kind of major event, the results are the same. Hopefully some did learn but not the majority.

The upside for me is I finally got off my butt and am working on making my own bread. I'm working on artisan bread right now and have a sourdough starter going. The first loaf wasn't bad. The second recipe I tried was almost pass, failed and the 3rd one will be baked tomorrow. So far, that batch of dough looks good. I'm trying a number of recipe's to find what works best for us.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

paulag1955 said:


> Is someone really advocating that people have 6 to 12 months of CASH ON HAND? That means cash under your mattress. I've only ever heard people say to have 12 months savings, but they meant in a bank.


 Eight years ago I received roughly a $100,000.00 cash and 30 gun inheritance.

After the check cleared, I drew out $20,000.00 in cash, before they gave it to me I

had to sign a disclaimer saying I understood that I could get robbed of the cash.

Well 10K went into my safe and two other places but not under the mattress.

Good to have cash when you want no record of the transaction.

Don't buy anything ?? from wally world, they record every checkout with video of the purchaser, cash or card.

That vid is tied to the product purchased.

My daughter is the only other person that knows where it is.

Now I have been retired since 2004, don't spend a lot on anything anymore,

That money will go a long way for us.


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## Green Lilly (Nov 8, 2018)

Good conversation starter @Slippy. As far as supplies we were in pretty good shape. I have been reflecting the last couple of days and have noted the following-

1. I learned that when there is panic run, things empty out pretty fast. While we didn't "need" anything I took note of what went the quickest at the stores. I never would have thought TP would turn into the fiasco it did. We had plenty but I will be stocking up on more as it becomes available.

2. Items like flour, yeast, sugar etc were impossible to get in the initial panic rush. Even as things are calming down flour and yeast are still hard to find. I learned that I should stock up better on staples such as those. We have enough for about 3 months but I want to build that up more. Those are things that I can't easily supplement here on the homestead.

3. I need to keep a better stock of cash on hand as well as more gasoline for the cars. We keep a little, but not enough. Will be working on that.

4. I read about it and try to imagine it but it was a real wake up call watching a minor event like this unfold. It has spurred me to work harder and get more serious about supplying more of our own fruits, veggies and meat. I had been putting off the tools needed to butcher our own game. When this happened I realized if it had been much more serious, not having those things would have hurt. Ordered them and have them on hand now. The garden is in full swing however I am already looking at ways to beef it up.

5. I realized that I need to look more into preparing for the emotional/ mental aspect of a SHTF event. It isn't something I have given much thought to. We have mostly isolated the last 6 weeks and I am seeing how hard that is on everyone, especially the young one. It is tough mentally to have your entire routine thrown into the wind and finding the new normal. Add to that the stress of the unknown and the undisciplined will have a hard time maintaining focus and readiness. I have learned I need to do some more research on that and how to better handle it for future events.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

inceptor said:


> We didn't have to touch the storage stuff. With no way to have fresh eggs at home, I did make runs to the grocery store. The upside for me is my wife is now happy with my preps. What we ran out of was Blue Bell ice cream, my wife's favorite. I very little space to grow things and I'm going to have to figure that one out but we still found the few things we needed at the store.
> 
> My sister in law has autoimmune disorder and couldn't go out so I did the shopping for both of us. We did fine.
> 
> ...


The thing I learned from my bread attempt was when the instructions call for mixing the flour with the salt... Do NOT use the KitchenAid, especially on high! The resultant flour cloud is still hanging in the air over 3 weeks later.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

To me this pandemic should have given all a glimpse of what could happen during a real crisis. If this had been a real crisis, with panic buying, last thing any prepper should want to do is go to a store. That means you need to be prepared today to survive for whatever period you think proper. For some that may be 1 week... for others that means forever (self sufficiency).

So treat this as a wake up call. If this had been a true crisis, would you have been rushing to the stores with the rest of humanity, risking your life?


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

#1 I need to find a job where I can work from home
#2 I need to build long term food stores
#3 Kind of figured this but it confirms it, the government takes no preventative measures for anything and everything is a knee jerk over reaction.
#4 Like above, we're on our own when its really going down.
#5 Need to continue building the warchest by paying down debt and increasing savings


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Inor said:


> The thing I learned from my bread attempt was when the instructions call for mixing the flour with the salt... Do NOT use the KitchenAid, especially on high! The resultant flour cloud is still hanging in the air over 3 weeks later.


Oops!


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

For a hurricane or covid 19 type event, we're totally good. For a really big events such as an emp, there's no way I'm ready. Bit by bit I keep chugging along though.


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

When this dies down a bit, going to get a few more cases of long term food storage items from LDS. Going to increase my solar panel array from 1000 to 1200 watts. Going to increase my gasolene storage by 5 gallons. Top up TP and paper towels to slightly higher levels than pre-covid. Definately going to stock 100 N95 masks and maybe a pair of quality respirators with extra filters. Put more lysol and cleaners/disinfectants on the shelf. I’m going to top off my coal and furnace oil tanks now, not wait for fall. Who knows what the situation will be by then?

Basically, I’m trying to anticipate anything we might need and anything that might require repair/replacement in the foreseeable future and getting it taken care of now. Lots of scary shit on the horizon. Better to spend now that to wait and get caught short later on.


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## tuffy_chick_13 (Nov 15, 2015)

Need a bigger place to actually stock food and water and such 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

Inor said:


> The thing I learned from my bread attempt was when the instructions call for mixing the flour with the salt... Do NOT use the KitchenAid, especially on high! The resultant flour cloud is still hanging in the air over 3 weeks later.


Here is my response, :vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh:

There was a huge Hobart in the restaurant when I was a kid, the bowl was big enough for me to take a bath in at the time.

There was a huge tin pitcher for the water, don't remember how many fills though, yeast cakes were the size of a pound of butter.

I had to crumble them up and put in while the machine was running, I think 2 of them were used, hey that was 68 years ago.

It took two people to lift it to dump it on the parting table when done. it was raised and re kneaded in the machine first.

I use to put 25 scoops of bread flour into the mixer with a scoop the size of a #10 can,

I should have known something was wrong (but just a little kid), before I started it, there was a whisk hooked up not the hook,

the god damned thing was on high!

As you can well tell everything was white in there, today, I realize there could have been a dust explosion from it.

Anyways my two favorite jobs were doing the steamed clams and cutting the french fries and cooking them both.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

I learned a couple of things:

1) It only takes a wienee assed pandemic to turn a whole country of pusswads into freedom swapping idiots.
2) As an essential employee, and it seems like most everyone is as well ... unless you sell furnuture or work in a restaurant/bar, my world changed very little. I have almost a a year supply of most stores, and did not find myself participating in the run on Sams/Walmart. If you want to test me, come up with a areal pandemic that stresses my existence .... just a little.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> I learned a couple of things:
> 
> 1) It only takes a wienee assed pandemic to turn a whole country of pusswads into freedom swapping idiots.
> 2) As an essential employee, and it seems like most everyone is as well ... unless you sell furnuture or work in a restaurant/bar, my world changed very little. I have almost a a year supply of most stores, and did not find myself participating in the run on Sams/Walmart. If you want to test me, come up with a areal pandemic that stresses my existence .... just a little.


Pffft :vs_unimpressed: This ain't no damn apocalypse till I see zombies eating liberals in the damn streets. :devil:


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## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

Green Lilly said:


> 5. I realized that I need to look more into preparing for the emotional/ mental aspect of a SHTF event. It isn't something I have given much thought to. We have mostly isolated the last 6 weeks and I am seeing how hard that is on everyone,.


We keep a box full of playing cards, dice, and board games. The purpose isn't just to stay busy but also to make us interact when things truly get boring. We also keep a fat stack of music CDs. The CD player can be run off solar power.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Hmmmmm…...something else I learned, since I first posted....I don't have enough room to store everything we need or have. I need a bigger house.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

JustAnotherNut said:


> Hmmmmm&#8230;...something else I learned, since I first posted....I don't have enough room to store everything we need or have. I need a bigger house.


NOPE!

We went from a 4000 ft2 to a 1750 ft2 home and have way more USEFUL stuff now in the smaller home than in the big house.

The trick is get rid of all the shit that you DON'T use!

PS We can still toss out or give-a-way a lot of useless stuff...I mean why do we still have a 30 year old Baby Crib in the basement collecting dust and taking up space?


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Slippy said:


> NOPE!
> 
> We went from a 4000 ft2 to a 1750 ft2 home and have way more USEFUL stuff now in the smaller home than in the big house.
> 
> ...


If I where to suggest getting rid of all our useless stuff I suspicion my beautiful bride would perhaps begin with me. :vs_laugh:


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

I learned that apparently I stock N95 masks for a longer time frame of need than medical providers. (We did not use them because the threat was not sufficient in my judgement) I also learned I need to work on my fresh vegetable supply. Also My method of rotation for TP probably needs to be tweaked since the run began when I was just about to my buy point. We are still using what I had before, but supply level would only be good for maybe another month.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Slippy said:


> NOPE!
> 
> We went from a 4000 ft2 to a 1750 ft2 home and have way more USEFUL stuff now in the smaller home than in the big house.
> 
> ...


My house is less than 1000sf and was not built with much storage of any kind. My pantry was a small linen closet at the end of the hall that could just hold 2 of the 4 shelf Rubbermaid units. As my preps have grown over time, I added a third unit in my bedroom for the overflow. Then after hubs passed, I built shelves in his closet. In the Livingroom is a set of 4 kitchen cabinets stacked on one wall (floor to almost the ceiling) that he picked up but never installed that is also full......all of which are now filled to the brim. His 9-drawer dresser holds all the dehydrated stuff and that's full as well, plus buckets of staples...&#8230;...and garden season is just beginning.

There is nothing here that is not used.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Learned I need to eat more of our stuff we canned last year.  Still have lots of jams, jellies and apple sauce. So this morning I'm having toasted English muffins, buttered with our homemade peach jam. SO much better than anything you can buy! Peach trees are just loaded with baby peaches and blueberries have set a huge crop. Too early for blackberries but all my apples are looking good too.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

OK, Yep... I'm a glutton. Talked myself into having some apple sauce.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

******* said:


> OK, Yep... I'm a glutton. Talked myself into having some apple sauce.


Applesauce is also good to dip your pork chops in......like a steak sauce. YUM


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

JustAnotherNut said:


> Applesauce is also good to dip your pork chops in......like a steak sauce. YUM


Yum! remember those candied apple rings they used to serve with your pork chop? Unnaturally red in color but delicious when you eat a slice with every bite of pork.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

jimb1972 said:


> Yum! remember those candied apple rings they used to serve with your pork chop? Unnaturally red in color but delicious when you eat a slice with every bite of pork.


I've been looking for a canning recipe for those for years, but all the recipes I can find for candied apple rings have red hots in them and that is definitely not what I remember.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paulag1955 said:


> I've been looking for a canning recipe for those for years, but all the recipes I can find for candied apple rings have red hots in them and that is definitely not what I remember.


Then don't. Leave out the red hots or use maraschino cherry juice though that may change the taste, IDK


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

JustAnotherNut said:


> My house is less than 1000sf and was not built with much storage of any kind. My pantry was a small linen closet at the end of the hall that could just hold 2 of the 4 shelf Rubbermaid units. As my preps have grown over time, I added a third unit in my bedroom for the overflow. Then after hubs passed, I built shelves in his closet. In the Livingroom is a set of 4 kitchen cabinets stacked on one wall (floor to almost the ceiling) that he picked up but never installed that is also full......all of which are now filled to the brim. His 9-drawer dresser holds all the dehydrated stuff and that's full as well, plus buckets of staples...&#8230;...and garden season is just beginning.
> 
> There is nothing here that is not used.


Oh wow, it must have been tough getting rid of his old things. :crying: But wise, I think.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

I learned that my family drinks one hella'valotta coffee when forced to stay home together all day. And they can eat more of my home made bread then I care to bake in one day.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

******* said:


> To me this pandemic should have given all a glimpse of what could happen during a real crisis. If this had been a real crisis, with panic buying, last thing any prepper should want to do is go to a store. That means you need to be prepared today to survive for whatever period you think proper. For some that may be 1 week... for others that means forever (self sufficiency).
> 
> So treat this as a wake up call. If this had been a true crisis, would you have been rushing to the stores with the rest of humanity, risking your life?


Depending on how the crisis unfolded...&#8230;.possibly yes, in the very beginning, atleast one trip.

1. to get what I can to add to my stash, especially if it was the last chance to do so.

2. I want everyone to see me, right there along side, with the appearance of being in the same predicament....if not, anyone that knows you or neighbors will know WHY you're not in the food line......cause you already got plenty and may be their next stop after the store is empty.

3. After that first trip?...&#8230;.oh hail NO, blood will be shed. IOW, I can handle a Walmart black Friday like event but not walking into an alligator den that hasn't eaten in a week or month


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Annie said:


> Oh wow, it must have been tough getting rid of his old things. :crying: But wise, I think.


In some ways yes, but I thought it was harder to keep seeing his things and knowing he was gone, like a constant reminder.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

JustAnotherNut said:


> Depending on how the crisis unfolded...&#8230;.possibly yes, in the very beginning, atleast one trip.
> 
> 1. to get what I can to add to my stash, especially if it was the last chance to do so.
> 
> ...


Would your neighbors know if you did or didn't go to the supermarket? i don't think mine would notice. It's not a community-type neighborhood. Everyone keeps to themselves. I've live here for 17 years and there are still neighbors who were here before us that I've never spoken to.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paulag1955 said:


> Would your neighbors know if you did or didn't go to the supermarket? i don't think mine would notice. It's not a community-type neighborhood. Everyone keeps to themselves. I've live here for 17 years and there are still neighbors who were here before us that I've never spoken to.


yes, most of us either know each other as friends or see one another in passing to recognize and wave, or stop for a quick chat. Enough so that if life got really bad with marauders , there's enough of us on friendly terms to protect each other. It's always good to know your neighbors.....sometimes they know or see things that you don't and visa versa.

But if push comes to shove, I have no doubt that friendly togetherness will turn sour and everyone for themselves.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

JustAnotherNut said:


> yes, most of us either know each other as friends or see one another in passing to recognize and wave, or stop for a quick chat. Enough so that if life got really bad with marauders , there's enough of us on friendly terms to protect each other. It's always good to know your neighbors.....sometimes they know or see things that you don't and visa versa.
> 
> But if push comes to shove, I have no doubt that friendly togetherness will turn sour and everyone for themselves.


I'm an introvert and a shy introvert at that (yes, there is such a thing as an outgoing introvert; my best friend in high school was one) so if other people don't take the initiative with me, nothing will happen.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

paulag1955 said:


> I'm an introvert and a shy introvert at that (yes, there is such a thing as an outgoing introvert; my best friend in high school was one) so if other people don't take the initiative with me, nothing will happen.


I understand. My wife is an outgoing introvert. A good day for her is reading her Kindle and being left alone. She will go out and socialize but that's because I like being social. Her preference in most cases would be to stay at home.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

JustAnotherNut said:


> yes, most of us either know each other as friends or see one another in passing to recognize and wave, or stop for a quick chat. Enough so that if life got really bad with marauders , there's enough of us on friendly terms to protect each other. It's always good to know your neighbors.....sometimes they know or see things that you don't and visa versa.
> 
> *But if push comes to shove, I have no doubt that friendly togetherness will turn sour and everyone for themselves.*


I had to give this some thought before I replied but I think my neighborhood would be the same for quite a while. Only one family has preps and they are LDS. Once the initial crisis hits and things get worse, I'm thinking that neighbors will see that we have to band together to stop outsiders from raiding. At least, that seems reasonable to me. I have a couple of places I could go but I'm not sure I could take others that I would be responsible for, my wife's family. She wouldn't go without them and I won't go without her. So, I figure this is where I'll be come whatever.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Booze, definitely booze. Dont get me wrong I have plenty for me. I just need more for barter.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

inceptor said:


> I had to give this some thought before I replied but I think my neighborhood would be the same for quite a while. Only one family has preps and they are LDS. Once the initial crisis hits and things get worse, I'm thinking that neighbors will see that we have to band together to stop outsiders from raiding. At least, that seems reasonable to me. I have a couple of places I could go but I'm not sure I could take others that I would be responsible for, my wife's family. She wouldn't go without them and I won't go without her. So, I figure this is where I'll be come whatever.


I would hope that as life becomes more difficult, we would be able to come together to exchange skills & knowledge etc, to help each other survive and that coming together would ripple out and expand to others. The more people you can get on your side, the better off everyone will be. 
I'm sure most would think that to be naïve and foolhardy and a childish dream...&#8230;...but if you want to really survive and even thrive, especially living in town, you need others and they need you as long as everyone has something to contribute. I may be the crazy old lady that can barely hobble to the mailbox...&#8230;..but I got skills, knowledge and experience that many of them don't. And most of the neighbors know I have chickens and some know of my garden.

Now if I was out in the back country, that would be a different story.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Sasquatch said:


> Booze, definitely booze. Dont get me wrong I have plenty for me. I just need more for barter.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Naw ... you'd drink all the profits. :tango_face_wink:


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## danben (Mar 23, 2020)

I started some serious prepping back when there were a bunch of vendors of good quality freeze-dried foods and maybe OK long term canned goods at local gun shows. I always had kept some canned and dry foods stored, but never really took a good look at doing things in an organized fashion. Then came 2005 with katrina and Rita etc, and I started taking it more seriously. I stocked up on the above, kept a decent supply of water (I actually take any bottles that have degassed a bit and use them as space fillers in the freezer), paper goods, water filtration stuff, and the ability to cook if the public gas supply goes south. I got caught short on masks (had a bunch of dust grade ones but discovered that one of my sons borrowed them for a construction project he was doing and never replaced them), sanitizing wipes (had a bunch, should have gotten more in early February when I figured that things might go more south than folk realized), and a few things we could really do without in a pinch. So, I'll give myself a solid B to B+. One thing that made me laugh was a colleague who, when I mentioned prepping, asked me if I have a bunker in the back yard - and said that I wasn't a prepper if I didn't. On the other hand, her idea of prep is laying in an extra case of sipping wine.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

I spent the better part of my time scouting potential bug out avenues and short term camp sites and found some remarkable things out.....its actually hard to get to federal lands without going through others and your not going to do that unnoticed using roads.

I need more maps of those ares and need to plan better routes and find better short term camp sites. I also added saddlebags to my motorcycle so that I can keep essential tools nd BOB components with me for those times as well.

I practiced starting fire a lot but need more time with hand and bow drill methods. I also need a rifle rack for my motorcycle.

I'm thinking a very quite enduro bike would be good too.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I've leaned that the sheeple are insanely stupid and easily panicked. But then, I already knew that.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

inceptor said:


> I understand. My wife is an outgoing introvert. A good day for her is reading her Kindle and being left alone. She will go out and socialize but that's because I like being social. Her preference in most cases would be to stay at home.


My mother was an extrovert. My dad was like me. He accommodated her in the same way your wife accommodates you. Don't undervalue that; it's a sign of selfless love.

Your wife sounds like my kind of person. Even as a child, when my mother told me to go outside and play, I'd take a book outside and read.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

JustAnotherNut said:


> I would hope that as life becomes more difficult, we would be able to come together to exchange skills & knowledge etc, to help each other survive and that coming together would ripple out and expand to others. The more people you can get on your side, the better off everyone will be.
> I'm sure most would think that to be naïve and foolhardy and a childish dream...&#8230;...but if you want to really survive and even thrive, especially living in town, you need others and they need you as long as everyone has something to contribute. I may be the crazy old lady that can barely hobble to the mailbox...&#8230;..but I got skills, knowledge and experience that many of them don't. And most of the neighbors know I have chickens and some know of my garden.
> 
> Now if I was out in the back country, that would be a different story.


Not sure how many of my neighbors have useful skills. Heck, one of them has to pay someone to come blow the leaves off his roof because he can't do it himself.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paulag1955 said:


> Not sure how many of my neighbors have useful skills. Heck, one of them has to pay someone to come blow the leaves off his roof because he can't do it himself.


You may be in a lot of trouble then...&#8230;&#8230;.but also to be fair, that doesn't mean he doesn't have useful knowledge, skills or experience with how to do something, even if he can't do it himself. You just never know what people know until you're in a situation they can shine.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

JustAnotherNut said:


> You may be in a lot of trouble then...&#8230;&#8230;.but also to be fair, that doesn't mean he doesn't have useful knowledge, skills or experience with how to do something, even if he can't do it himself. You just never know what people know until you're in a situation they can shine.


I'm...fairly sure about this guy. A tree fell in his yard and it just laid there for months until his father-in-law came to visit and cut it up for him.


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## Michael_Js (Dec 4, 2013)

We know - via in person or social media of one sort or another - many of the neighbors around us. We live in a rural setting, most people own horses, cattle, chicken, goats, etc...most people up and down our street shoot on their property. We've been selling eggs via the front doorstep, giving away other things like sprouting potatoes and strawberry starts, and having some convo's with people as they stop by.

I think there are a lot of skills abound, and I also think we'd come to each others aid, if need be. One of neighbor's with 2 small girls, whose husband was away, messaged my wife late one night - because my wife keeps a late night, me, no - and we all heard a loud noise. She knows we're well armed, and we told her we'd come right over if she needed anything...nothing came of it, but again, we'd support each other - and it was very recent, during our wonderful pandemic lock down.

My wife in an introvert and other than terribly missing her animal shelter volunteering, is not concerned about being behind her computer, Kindle, and cell phone...we have property that we get out every day with the dogs for a walk...

Again, we've not noticed anything much with our preps and this lock down. In fact, we're going out grocery shopping today, and will make a "masked" run to Costco this coming week...

peace out,
Michael J.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

JustAnotherNut said:


> You may be in a lot of trouble then...&#8230;&#8230;.but also to be fair, that doesn't mean he doesn't have useful knowledge, skills or experience with how to do something, even if he can't do it himself. You just never know what people know until you're in a situation they can shine.





paulag1955 said:


> I'm...fairly sure about this guy. A tree fell in his yard and it just laid there for months until his father-in-law came to visit and cut it up for him.


The issue I find is that for many years now we've have become a disposable society. If something breaks, toss it and buy a new one. You need something done, hire someone. There are some, like my nephew who learns quickly and likes fixing things. He can afford to have it done but would rather do it himself.

Society has promoted self indulgence for decades. Self indulgence states you don't need to do things yourself but can hire others to do it for you. Yes, many have skills of one sort or another but how many have skills that will help them when things turn sour? I figure that part of what I will be doing will be teaching.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

paulag1955 said:


> My mother was an extrovert. My dad was like me. He accommodated her in the same way your wife accommodates you. *Don't undervalue that; it's a sign of selfless love.
> *
> Your wife sounds like my kind of person. Even as a child, when my mother told me to go outside and play, I'd take a book outside and read.


We have been married for 31 years and we are best friends. She is very close to her sisters and one lives not that far away. That sister is alone and I am helping take care of her during this crisis. My mother and brother have passed away so I have no family left to speak of. My brother had a daughter but she is real close to her mothers family and I don't see her much.

We have no kids, not by design but it just never happened. The sister that lives close by has 2 boys and they are like our kids. They know what I think and what I do and they all know to come to our house if things get bad. So I will be taking care of others also, not just my wife and I.


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

Annie said:


> I learned that my family drinks one hella'valotta coffee when forced to stay home together all day. And they can eat more of my home made bread then I care to bake in one day.


My 16 year old son now drinks coffee. My wife only drinks a cup or two, I drink the other 10, now I am having to brew at least two pots if I want my normal amount.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paulag1955 said:


> I'm...fairly sure about this guy. A tree fell in his yard and it just laid there for months until his father-in-law came to visit and cut it up for him.


Just because he doesn't deal with fallen trees or wood in any way doesn't mean he doesn't have some kind of useful skills. Maybe he knows how to cook a meal with few ingredients or he can send & read smoke signals. I don't know, maybe he can't do any of that, but if he's going to be part of your survival group, there has to be something he's good at.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> Naw ... you'd drink all the profits. :tango_face_wink:


I think you know me a little too well.


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## GypsyJedi (Feb 5, 2019)

What I’ve learned: Have more flour, yeast and Bisquick. The cleaning supplies disappearing really took me off guard so I’ll stock up on those when I can. When the news of “the plague” first started, I inventoried my OTC meds. Most were expired (I guess we’ve been healthier the past few years than I thought) so I restocked those. I really kicked myself for not having masks and glove. But we in Utah also had an earthquake during this whole mess. While I was putting things in the car in case we had to evacuate low and behold I found masks and gloves. 
I also realized I didn’t know many of my neighbors. I made an effort to check on them and the whole block has become more cohesive. The saddest thing....our society will politicize anything!


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## marineimaging (Jun 1, 2013)

I learned that a lot of people are just talk. If Americans let this go as far as it has without a response other than just some whining, I can imagine we will be easily run over and give in without a whimper. Otherwise, I had already moved to my BOL, have the means to eat and survive, and as for those things that needed attention, we got them in spades.


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## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

Slippy said:


> NOPE!
> 
> We went from a 4000 ft2 to a 1750 ft2 home and have way more USEFUL stuff now in the smaller home than in the big house.
> 
> ...


Amen Mister Slippy Amen Available space is vital for preps. Food fuel, tools and water can take up a lot of space.


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

paulag1955 said:


> I'm...fairly sure about this guy. A tree fell in his yard and it just laid there for months until his father-in-law came to visit and cut it up for him.


You know, i am a social introvert, I can socialize if needed, but prefer to be alone, tired of people and their BS.

Now I am the guy who is terrified to climb up on a roof, have been forever, but have done so out of necessity.

Today with neuropathic problems I will not go up on any of my roofs, send kid up.

After the windstorm a week ago, the day after I was out with a chainsaw to cut up three trees that came down.

Me who is afraid of a 16 foot high roof had no problem flying planes at 20,000 feet!

I almost died when getting off the elevator and on to the observation deck of the Empire State Building,

froze up solid, instant rigor.

Managed to survive the Skylon restaurant on the Canadian side of the falls at Niagara, TWICE, 20 years between the visits.

I may come off as a bump on a log to casual observers in the local area,

but I have a dozen skill sets that are highly desired.

As an add on I have roughly 900 sq ft. of storage space not counting any in my home, and that space is filled.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

SOCOM42 said:


> You know, i am a social introvert, I can socialize if needed, but prefer to be alone, tired of people and their BS.
> 
> Now I am the guy who is terrified to climb up on a roof, have been forever, but have done so out of necessity.
> 
> ...


This is a very sweet and tactful way of saying I shouldn't be so judge-y and you're right, I shouldn't.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

SOCOM42 said:


> You know, i am a social introvert, I can socialize if needed, but prefer to be alone, tired of people and their BS.
> 
> Now I am the guy who is terrified to climb up on a roof, have been forever, but have done so out of necessity.
> 
> ...


I can relate people suck!


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

I learned that during a pandemic the masks that I had stockpiled along with other supplies needed to be donated to the medical community. I did so. I have since replaced those with other masks, some sewn by friends. Aside from masks my food, Toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizer and other preps have been great. I hope I don't need to dip into my guns and ammo stash any time soon. That is where I focused most of my efforts lol.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

csi-tech said:


> I learned that during a pandemic the masks that I had stockpiled along with other supplies needed to be donated to the medical community. I did so. I have since replaced those with other masks, some sewn by friends. Aside from masks my food, Toilet paper, paper towels, sanitizer and other preps have been great. I hope I don't need to dip into my guns and ammo stash any time soon. That is where I focused most of my efforts lol.


 @csi-tech

You know I respect you tons!

Why was the medical community out of masks?

My concern for the "medical community" is..JUST WHAT THE EFF HAVE THEY BEEN DOING WITH ALL THE MONEY THAT WE THE PEOPLE AND OUR INSURANCE PROVIDERS HAVE BEEN PAYING TO THEM!!!???!!!???!!!??

My point is, just a routine procedure is out of this world expensive.

Just why in the hell were they out of masks?...and other stuff.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Slippy said:


> Just why in the hell were they out of masks?...and other stuff.


Because the medical community is made up of "normal" Americans. You know, those folks that don't need to plan for tomorrow because big brother will always step in and help. I didn't give them any of my masks or protective gear. In all my years, they ain't given me a damn thing so why would I give them something. Problem is, if I charged them extra, I'd get arrested for it. Yet they can charge me $10 for a single damn band-aid and get away with it.

Now that I think about it, I didn't learn anything from this pandemic. However, all my family members and friends that know I'm a prepper did learn something. They learned that maybe, just maybe, I'm not as crazy as they once thought.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

******* said:


> I'm not as crazy as they once thought.


Uh, is this up for debate? :vs_worry: :vs_smirk:


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

inceptor said:


> Uh, is this up for debate? :vs_worry: :vs_smirk:


Nah. I'm still a crazy old hoot but people got a glimpse of what could happen without big brother to fix. Something ever prepper knows can happen.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Yes, why the hub-bub about shortage of masks? Went to Menards, wouldn't let you shop without one, you could buy one from them for a buck a piece.


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## spritey1964 (Jun 25, 2015)

Thanks for the thread Slippy. Enjoyed reading it.

I did well on food and like most, was able to get out as it was obvious things were going south. I'd still be good for 3-6 months without. Just not as comfy.

Were I failed was hand sanitizer / masks /etc. As a kidney transplant patient; that's a big screw up for me. Don't get me wrong - still have some, but would sleep better having a big extra bottle. Since we've been home, using more hand or dish soap so all good. I liked the comments on the coffee pot in case we lose electricity (not probable under this scenario), so I bought one already.

I'd like to point out that some water stores doesn't always have to be for drinking. You'll likely need some for toilets, etc. I have 100+ gal in drinkable and ~ 70 in 'potable' - same water, but the containers aren't BPA-free (my bad), so there is a smell to the water that I wouldn't drink from it vs. going to the creek nearby and hauling some for boiling on a fire (again, not this scenario). 

Thanks again.


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

spritey1964 said:


> Thanks for the thread Slippy. Enjoyed reading it.
> 
> I did well on food and like most, was able to get out as it was obvious things were going south. I'd still be good for 3-6 months without. Just not as comfy.
> 
> ...


With a creek nearby, you should get a Berkey or Alexapure water filter and save yourself all that boiling.


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