# how much is too much?



## miho (Jun 10, 2012)

im prepping for a second depression . im also a single mom of 3 boys and my main concern is for them not to go thirsty or hungry.i been stocking up on canned goods,water,rice,beans and so on.i live in an apartment and my space is so limited.i dont want to ayone to think im a hoarder.im just making sure my sons get atleast one meal a day when shtf. im running out of space to save my goods. my closets are like black market grocery stores lol so far i have 100 lbs of rice,about 50 lbs of beans and everything else is canned goods.water i have about 20 gallons,couple soda bottles and i also have couple camping water jugs and 5 gal pails on the side that are empty right now but wont be if shtf .i got 2 boxes that are full of first aid stuff,i have a box full of soaps,shampoo,toothpaste and extra toothbrushes,and being the only woman in the house i have a box full of sanitary pads and tp paper.im telling you i have a mnii grocery store at home loli got lanterns,flashlights,candles,emergency blankets,an ax,i can go on and on and on about my preps. i just feel like im overdoing it sometimes.i wanted a second opinion if im in the right track or im overdoing it. im also looking for ways to protect my apt and my kids. but does it have to be a fire arm? im not fond of them so i been stocking up on butchers knifes. im a sous chef so when a knife goes dull at work i take it home and sharpen it . but are there any other ways for protection? what about glass doors? i worry about that a lot. i wat to start a garden but i dont know how to start. any advice is welcome.


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## Jazzman (Jun 8, 2012)

miho said:


> im prepping for a second depression . im also a single mom of 3 boys and my main concern is for them not to go thirsty or hungry.i been stocking up on canned goods,water,rice,beans and so on.i live in an apartment and my space is so limited.i dont want to ayone to think im a hoarder.im just making sure my sons get atleast one meal a day when shtf. im running out of space to save my goods. my closets are like black market grocery stores lol so far i have 100 lbs of rice,about 50 lbs of beans and everything else is canned goods.water i have about 20 gallons,couple soda bottles and i also have couple camping water jugs and 5 gal pails on the side that are empty right now but wont be if shtf .i got 2 boxes that are full of first aid stuff,i have a box full of soaps,shampoo,toothpaste and extra toothbrushes,and being the only woman in the house i have a box full of sanitary pads and tp paper.im telling you i have a mnii grocery store at home loli got lanterns,flashlights,candles,emergency blankets,an ax,i can go on and on and on about my preps. i just feel like im overdoing it sometimes.i wanted a second opinion if im in the right track or im overdoing it. im also looking for ways to protect my apt and my kids. but does it have to be a fire arm? im not fond of them so i been stocking up on butchers knifes. im a sous chef so when a knife goes dull at work i take it home and sharpen it . but are there any other ways for protection? what about glass doors? i worry about that a lot. i wat to start a garden but i dont know how to start. any advice is welcome.


 To hell with what others think about it , it's none of their damn business anyway. You've got kids to think about.

A point , don't think in terms of a meal a day , think in terms of caloric intake , it sounds like you've a good start. However keep in mind that both beans and rice are water intensive to prepare , beans more so. You didn't mention cooking , if you don't have one lay in some sort of system , propane is ok and less of a stoage problem in an apartment , one of the *any* fuel modern stoves may be a worthwhile investment.

In addition you might consider laying in a decent stash of stuff that requires no preparation just in case of the possibility that you may have to hunker down and maintain light and noise discipline , the various athletic bars and supplements ( and NOT gatorade.......think Metabollol II and/or Cytomax) are a good bet , MREs a secondary possibility ( though I personally destest MREs).

Firearm..............that's going to end up being *your* choice , however any individual that states to you that there is a substitute when what you really *need* is a firearm.................is a liar.

I'm not outing myself too far , here , but suffice to say that I *teach* self defense , and in the end even if you had been with me for a decade and attained advanced Dan rank , as a single woman I would *still* recommend you buy a decent sidearm and obtain some realistic training , along with purchasing a decent shotgun for the purposes of pure house defense. I'm sorry if that seems brutal , it's not intended to be , but nothing quite says " don't come in" to an unwanted intruder like a load of #1 buckshot.

The corollary responsibility is the development of safe attitudes as regards firearms with your kids. This is a decision only you can make.

An no I don't think you're overdoing it in the slightest. However...and this is another moment of brutal honesty , dispense with the notions of effective self defense with a knife unless you're willing to put the time into the training. And here's the thing if you're mentally unprepared to *be cut* don't consider the bladed weapon as anything but an extreme emergency fallback position.

And *do not* believe the movies or a lot of the Internet bullshit that flies around about edged weapons , in real life it's not a "clang clang" five minute long Seagal sequence........in real life it's over in microseconds , at most seconds and while the other guy may bleed MORE well *you* may well bleed to. The idea being to make the other guy Leak a great deal more.

May as well toss this out there , since some may decide to jump me about this.....research the Tueller Drill folks. Never *ever* under-estimate a bladed weapon in the hands of a trained individual. Not *ever*.


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## errorborne (Mar 16, 2012)

If you don't like firearms try pepper spray.


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## Medelwr (Jun 10, 2012)

I agree with Jazzman, you can't be too prepared. So what if there is someone who thinks you might be overdoing it. Chances are that is SHTF you are going to thrive and they aren't. For your glass doors, if you are fearful of people breaking into them there are a few products out like this one: Window & Glass Protection Films By ShatterGARD ShatterGUARD. Available In Your Hometown!! . It's a tough film on the inside of your door that prevents the glass from shattering. This isn't a bullet proof super product, it will just give you so much more time to get yourself something to "deter" the person from taking liberties with yourself and your property. Since you are a Sous chef maybe you could invest in a real good quality machete for close quarters. To prevent it ever getting close though you can always do what Jazzman suggested and introduce your uninvited friends to several pieces of lead launched at high speed in their general direction. Maybe you can take some self defense classes. Buy a collapsible baton for on your person and a big ol' nightstick for at home. How old are your boys? Maybe get them into self defense. Bet they would love archery lessons. Maybe a few slingshots with lead pellets for the little tykes. More importantly, have you got an escape route for your family in case of a last ditch effort to get out of dodge?


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## miho (Jun 10, 2012)

i have thought about a handgun but im just scared to have one at home because i have small children.they are 9,8 and 6. i thought about
buying a stun baton but im not even sure those are illegal or not. i have to agree with you theres no better way to welcome an unwanted guest rambo style lol about the cooking yes i have thought about it,i have a small campng stove and i can also cook on ope fire with sticks and rocks plus i been making homemade firestarters to help with that if needed. i will check the bars,mres been thinking on that too but heard they taste nasty so if i buy any i would prob buy maybe enough for couple days.



Jazzman said:


> To hell with what others think about it , it's none of their damn business anyway. You've got kids to think about.
> 
> A point , don't think in terms of a meal a day , think in terms of caloric intake , it sounds like you've a good start. However keep in mind that both beans and rice are water intensive to prepare , beans more so. You didn't mention cooking , if you don't have one lay in some sort of system , propane is ok and less of a stoage problem in an apartment , one of the *any* fuel modern stoves may be a worthwhile investment.
> 
> ...


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## miho (Jun 10, 2012)

i have pepper spray,i got a pen i carry in my purse and i got a lipstick i keep in my car,i also have some near my front door at home.



errorborne said:


> If you don't like firearms try pepper spray.


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## miho (Jun 10, 2012)

my boys are 9,8 and 6. been wanting to enroll them in martial arts or something but its too expensive so its been on hold. been looking for machetes just cant find any good quality ones.i will check those glass films and will invest for my windows and doors.



Medelwr said:


> I agree with Jazzman, you can't be too prepared. So what if there is someone who thinks you might be overdoing it. Chances are that is SHTF you are going to thrive and they aren't. For your glass doors, if you are fearful of people breaking into them there are a few products out like this one: Window & Glass Protection Films By ShatterGARD ShatterGUARD. Available In Your Hometown!! . It's a tough film on the inside of your door that prevents the glass from shattering. This isn't a bullet proof super product, it will just give you so much more time to get yourself something to "deter" the person from taking liberties with yourself and your property. Since you are a Sous chef maybe you could invest in a real good quality machete for close quarters. To prevent it ever getting close though you can always do what Jazzman suggested and introduce your uninvited friends to several pieces of lead launched at high speed in their general direction. Maybe you can take some self defense classes. Buy a collapsible baton for on your person and a big ol' nightstick for at home. How old are your boys? Maybe get them into self defense. Bet they would love archery lessons. Maybe a few slingshots with lead pellets for the little tykes. More importantly, have you got an escape route for your family in case of a last ditch effort to get out of dodge?


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## RuDown (Apr 16, 2012)

Hello,
This is only a opinion but I would ditch the idea of the bladed weapon. Unless you have the training you will get killed! It is easy to stand behind a corner and stick the first guy but are you going to be able to collect yourself and get the second guy also. Have you ever been a all out brawl with multiple people? Most haven't and that's good nothing wrong with it. I would have to agree with the shotgun as home defense you dont have to get a huge 12 gauge tactical gun. A 4-10 is still going to burn someone's azz and they are light and easy to handle. 
Pepper spray is expensive get wasp spray. See what happens when you spray that in someones eyes and mouth. LOL!
Someone made a good point about the beans and water. I never thought about it consuming my water to cook them. So what if you pre make them and can them. They are already cooked and ready to go. But I would see where they might take up more room though. Have you thought about maybe renting a small storage room somewhere on the outskirts or even closer and storing some stuff there. That might not be cost effective for you right now though. Just ideas. I'm sure if we all work on these problems together will surely come up with some solutions for everyone problems. 
I have recently started caches around my area. I have got my home to the point I want it now I have got to get my on the run stops done. I have chosen to go with 5 gallon buckets with gamma seals. They will be easier to bury for me.


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## Jazzman (Jun 8, 2012)

RuDown said:


> Hello,
> This is only a opinion but I would ditch the idea of the bladed weapon. Unless you have the training you will get killed! It is easy to stand behind a corner and stick the first guy but are you going to be able to collect yourself and get the second guy also. Have you ever been a all out brawl with multiple people? Most haven't and that's good nothing wrong with it. I would have to agree with the shotgun as home defense you dont have to get a huge 12 gauge tactical gun. A 4-10 is still going to burn someone's azz and they are light and easy to handle.
> Pepper spray is expensive get wasp spray. See what happens when you spray that in someones eyes and mouth. LOL!
> Someone made a good point about the beans and water. I never thought about it consuming my water to cook them. So what if you pre make them and can them. They are already cooked and ready to go. But I would see where they might take up more room though. Have you thought about maybe renting a small storage room somewhere on the outskirts or even closer and storing some stuff there. That might not be cost effective for you right now though. Just ideas. I'm sure if we all work on these problems together will surely come up with some solutions for everyone problems.
> I have recently started caches around my area. I have got my home to the point I want it now I have got to get my on the run stops done. I have chosen to go with 5 gallon buckets with gamma seals. They will be easier to bury for me.


 Good advice save for a couple of items , first being that a .410 will cost as much to feed as a 20 gauge and is nowhere near as effective or useful.

A word on blades , she could be up to speed in 4-8 weeks and at a reasonable skill level. And you " stick" very little , you do damage in a defensive scenario by making the opponent LEAK as much as possible along with doing as much possible damage to major muscle groups.

A moment of brutal honesty for you...........you stand a MUCH better chance of getting to that femoral artery than you do of penetrating to an internal organ and doing the required damage on one thrust , a cut across the wrist will do more damage than a thrust to the liver that doesn't reach it's target.

A thrust or "stab" is NOT a primary tactic , you cut your way into the opponent and THEN thrust , if you open with a thrust/stab then any individual that remotely knows what they're doing is gonna whittle on that thrusting arm for a bit , and you may not be able to use it afterwards.

Note something , the Pinay systems and some of the SE Asian ( Malaysian/Indonesian/Javanese) systems are the most efficient in the world as regards the short blade , of the 12 basic angles the Pinay systems are based on count the number of thrusts and ask yourself why , also not how they work into the geometric pattern of the other various strokes when in combination.

And as regards kenjutsu..........the object of the sword was to C U T , and indeed some ryu considered it to be sloppy and lacking finesse to kill with a thrust or the point of the blade.

And folks who slag off machetes? Need I remind y'all of why the .45 lc was adopted during the debacle in the Phillipines? Or how about examples from thousand of insurrections etc worldwide. There's a machete strapped to every bugout bag or pack I have set up and that has as much to do with it's weapons capability as it does with it's utilitarian uses.

I've got a lot of these Cold Steel offerings , the quality is very good for the price point. Though you might wish to stick to the actual practical blade patterns and avoid the "gadget" ones.

Machetes : Latin, Bowie, Kukri, Panga, Heavy Cold Steel Machetes


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## RuDown (Apr 16, 2012)

Yea I only mention the smaller shotgun because of the ease of handling. She has kids that are younger and they also could be trained on the smaller shotty. I remember trying to shoot the bigger guns when I was that age. Not easy. 
I only mention the knife because of the attacker. What if they are trained in any kind of close combat fighting she is dead. Now if she had the training that is different. Raising kids I would assume the $$$ is tight so how can she get the training when she wants to get more food. I'm not trying to crap on your response they are very good points also. Believe it or not it is very hard to get your mind to the point of taking someone's life. Most people get killed with their own guns I can only assume the same would be with a knife. Most people have the flight in their mind instead of the fight. She will be thinking of her kids and is no use to them dead. Believe me if someone comes into my house when the shtf they will be losing blood. If you can get the training Get It! Find out how much it is in your area Miho hell maybe we get enough people on here to round up the funds and get you and your boys some training. I'm in.


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## miho (Jun 10, 2012)

thanks everyone for good advice.i will check about training and see about small handgun with good lock.my main concern are my kids and i can asure you training or not,anyone who get close to them trying to do harm its in for fight.been thinking on traps n traps n my yard to buy us some time to leave just in case.any advice on that?



RuDown said:


> Yea I only mention the smaller shotgun because of the ease of handling. She has kids that are younger and they also could be trained on the smaller shotty. I remember trying to shoot the bigger guns when I was that age. Not easy.
> I only mention the knife because of the attacker. What if they are trained in any kind of close combat fighting she is dead. Now if she had the training that is different. Raising kids I would assume the $$$ is tight so how can she get the training when she wants to get more food. I'm not trying to crap on your response they are very good points also. Believe it or not it is very hard to get your mind to the point of taking someone's life. Most people get killed with their own guns I can only assume the same would be with a knife. Most people have the flight in their mind instead of the fight. She will be thinking of her kids and is no use to them dead. Believe me if someone comes into my house when the shtf they will be losing blood. If you can get the training Get It! Find out how much it is in your area Miho hell maybe we get enough people on here to round up the funds and get you and your boys some training. I'm in.


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