# Rationing



## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Depending on what & how it comes down, the idea of rationing food, water, tp, ammunition, etc may become a reality we have to face. Even if you have an extensive stockpile. Personally I think it's dangerous to think you have more than enough and wouldn't have to worry about it. But maybe that's just me. 

Water would probably be the biggest concern, especially those of us dependent on the city water system but it's also possible for those on private wells. Just because you have your own well, doesn't mean you're the only one using that water. More than likely your neighbors and others have wells that are pulling from the same underground source, and wells do go dry. Not sure, but could also get contaminated in some way. Same goes for rain water. 

There are a few ways of saving water, one of which is for cooking. Most canned foods have some type of liquid or water that can be either saved or used for other cooking or rehydrating dried foods. And along this same line, if you normally use 2 cans of green beans, to feed your family, only use one and add some dried green beans to make use of the water and save the other can for another meal. Or just throw cans of veggies water & all into the pot, add rice or pasta to soak it up. These suggestions aren't much but may help to keep more drinking water available. 

As for food? Do you currently eat the daily recommended servings of each food type and serving sizes??? Probably not since most of us eat a lot more than we really need.....so when SHTF, you'd think you were already rationing. 

With your supplies, how soon and how much would you be willing or need to start rationing? How would it look like? 


Here, I'd say I have enough food stuff for 3 adults for 3 or 4 months, but only enough drinking water for about 10 days. With a 200 gallon water tank (currently less than half full) and several buckets for rain water that would be used for the animals and washing/cleaning......or us with purification if needed. And I would start rationing right off the bat, and by that I mean there would be a one pot meal prepared per day and any leftovers would provide an additional meal the next day (that days one pot meal, then whatever leftovers from the previous day). Maybe once a week have a 3 or 4 course meal. And at all times, meat would not be the main ingredient. It would be part of the meal, just in smaller amounts. (remember, 2 or 3 oz of protein is about the size of a deck of cards and most people eat atleast twice that much) And even though I have chickens, I wouldn't butcher right away.....unless absolutely necessary. 

If i'm lucky I could stretch my food for another month, maybe 2 and a bountiful garden would extend that even further.....but water only a day or two, unless it rained heavily with no type of contamination.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Sounds like you need to up your water harvesting / purification / storage game.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Sounds like you need to up your water harvesting / purification / storage game.


yep, that's the biggy for me. There's not even a water source, lake, river, stream or pond nearby. Other than a large runoff pond about a mile away, where everyone else will be taking from and/or contaminating in the process.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Look into rain capture.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Look into rain capture.


yes, that's what the buckets and tank is for. Plus I'd need more as well. Then have to hope there is no type of contamination like acid rain or nuke/radiation fall out or whatever else


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Buckets and tanks are for storage. How will you _collect _water?


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Buckets and tanks are for storage. How will you _collect _water?


So that's what the buckets are for....then I dump them into the tank. LOL

I need to figure out a makeshift gutter system on my coop to the tank. It would be great if I could get another and/or bigger tank to catch the house gutters, but is out of range at the moment


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

If you have the funds, put in a cistern feed from roof run off. Renewable resource and being underground it’s not obvious what you have to prying eyes.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Do a bit of research on a "First Flush System" for Rain Catchment.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Ome thing that bothers me is boredom eating. I really worry I could blow thru my food way too fast.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paraquack said:


> Ome thing that bothers me is boredom eating. I really worry I could blow thru my food way too fast.


Make sure you have plenty of variety of foods and spices/seasonings to start with. Rice & beans are good, but surely not everyday.

My aim is to have similar meals to what we have now. If rationing to make it all last longer, then add more of what you have more of. Like with meat, more specifically beef or pork because I don't have a renewable source for that. I have some put back but it will only go so far. But I do have a garden to grow more veggies. So a rationed meal may include a pint jar of beef cubes with broth, extra veggies and a handful of rice with a different seasoning each time. (Mexican or taco one time, Italian another, Cajun the next). Maybe change out the type of veggies used or even pasta instead of rice. And it's easy to make pasta when your store bought is gone. Flour, egg & water (I think?), mix to dough, roll it out & cut to whatever shape or size, then let it dry. Remember when it cooks, it will puff up. Maybe add a piece of bread & butter.

Since I have chickens and atleast one good broody mama, I do have a renewable source for that and eggs. Also may have to have a meat-less meal now & then just to change things up.

speaking of bread.....something I've done for years when baking homemade bread is to pinch off pieces of dough, roll it out & make a couple of cuts thru it, then fry it in some butter. Lid on while frying to create a mini oven so the center gets cooked. Or you can make Indian fry bread......same thing but different.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

@JustAnotherNut Build a pond. Then Berkey.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

One thing to keep in mind when rationing food is that most Americans can live off their fat for a long time. Yes, you may get hungry, but the hunger hormones will pass and then your body will be just fine using it's reserves. So unless you're rail thin, you're not gonna starve to death even if you're not feeling fantastic. Like I said, it'll pass and you'll be feeling fine--maybe even better energy-wise than you would have had you eaten earlier. .


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

The title of the thread made me immediately think of the gasoline crisis, I think it was 1974. The Arabs put an oil embargo on America.
You could only buy gas on certain days of the week, based on your license plate numbers. And then, you were limited to a max of 10 gallons.
There were long lines at all the stations, sometimes people ran dry waiting in line. Anyone trying to cheat and get gas when it wasn't their day was set upon by others in line.
It was an ugly time.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The title of the thread made me immediately think of the gasoline crisis, I think it was 1974. The Arabs put an oil embargo on America.
> You could only buy gas on certain days of the week, based on your license plate numbers. And then, you were limited to a max of 10 gallons.
> There were long lines at all the stations, sometimes people ran dry waiting in line. Anyone trying to cheat and get gas when it wasn't their day was set upon by others in line.
> It was an ugly time.


Good time for me as a kid...I was 12, and I had a bike so no worries about gas. We girls got to wear pants to school so we'd keep warm and the nuns could keep the furnace low thus saving energy. No uniforms until spring!


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The title of the thread made me immediately think of the gasoline crisis, I think it was 1974. The Arabs put an oil embargo on America.
> You could only buy gas on certain days of the week, based on your license plate numbers. And then, you were limited to a max of 10 gallons.
> There were long lines at all the stations, sometimes people ran dry waiting in line. Anyone trying to cheat and get gas when it wasn't their day was set upon by others in line.
> It was an ugly time.


I remember those days well, even if I was too young to drive.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Annie said:


> One thing to keep in mind when rationing food is that most Americans can live off their fat for a long time. Yes, you may get hungry, but the hunger hormones will pass and then your body will be just fine using it's reserves. So unless you're rail thin, you're not gonna starve to death even if you're not feeling fantastic. Like I said, it'll pass and you'll be feeling fine--maybe even better energy-wise than you would have had you eaten earlier. .


I agree up to a point. IF you mean not eating at all, I wouldn't push it past a couple of days at most, before other side effects kick in. When the body is starved, it will eventually start eating itself. Ketosis may be good for burning off fat, but it's not good for brain function.

https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-what-would-happen-if-you-stopped-eating

*But things get really dire after 72 hours, when your brain decides it needs more than just ketones to survive. This is when your body starts to break down its own proteins so that it can use their amino acids to form glucose. This means your body literally cannibalises itself and eats away at your muscle tissue just to stay alive.
If you don't eat at this point, the break-down of your body will continue, and death can occur as little as three weeks after you stop eating - if you don't get sick from a lack of immune system-essential vitamins and minerals first.
*

And as for that pond...&#8230;&#8230;.I don't really have enough room for a decent sized one and I'm not sure how to keep the water from draining out, without a liner, which I'd rather not use if possible. Though I may need to reconsider that option. Thanks


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

paraquack said:


> Ome thing that bothers me is boredom eating. I really worry I could blow thru my food way too fast.


Wait a minute......I think I had misunderstood what you meant by boredom eating. It's not about the food, is it?......but eating when you're bored?.

Well, SHTF I don't think you'll have time to be bored.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> The title of the thread made me immediately think of the gasoline crisis, I think it was 1974. The Arabs put an oil embargo on America.
> You could only buy gas on certain days of the week, based on your license plate numbers. And then, you were limited to a max of 10 gallons.
> There were long lines at all the stations, sometimes people ran dry waiting in line. Anyone trying to cheat and get gas when it wasn't their day was set upon by others in line.
> It was an ugly time.


When considering what may come up in any SHTF, the possibility of having to ration supplies could be a serious one.

I tend to look to history to learn from what has been done......similar to England (& US for that matter) during WW2. There is a video series on YT called 'Wartime Kitchen & Garden' about life in England during the war. I'm sure they glorify it, but it gives an idea of what things were like then and some of the challenges they faced.

I also remember many a story from my mother & others that grew up poor during that time, and what they had to do to survive with little or nothing. Like having to take pancakes with lard for their school lunch, or walking to the dump to scrounge for any food that hadn't been sprayed with a contaminate.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

My wife has a cookbook titled "Cooking On A Ration" from WW2 that she got from her Mother.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

JustAnotherNut said:


> I agree up to a point. IF you mean not eating at all, I wouldn't push it past a couple of days at most, before other side effects kick in. When the body is starved, it will eventually start eating itself. Ketosis may be good for burning off fat, but it's not good for brain function.
> 
> https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-what-would-happen-if-you-stopped-eating
> 
> ...


That's all sort of dated. If you have no body fat or insulin problems, yeah you're right. Just check out Jason Fung on youTube if you're interested.



> And as for that pond...&#8230;&#8230;.I don't really have enough room for a decent sized one and I'm not sure how to keep the water from draining out, without a liner, which I'd rather not use if possible. Though I may need to reconsider that option. Thanks


Ah, well even a small one is better than nothing. We have a small on here. It can attract deer and the like. _Bang, bang!_


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

@JustAnotherNut check him out. The reason being that this info could give us a psychological edge when things get tough. knowing we're die going to 'curl up on the couch in the fetal position', as Fung says is beneficial in a lot of ways.


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## agmccall (Jan 26, 2017)

For toilet paper get compressed towels. https://amzn.to/2Yvtx8F is just one example, 200 for $16.00, the average person will use one a day for toilet paper, maybe 2 on taco night.

Look on craigslist for food grade barrels to collect rain water. simple pre filters will get most of the big stuff out and like Annie mentioned get a berkey.

For those with wells I would think about a hand pump a company called "Simple Pump" has developed one that is efficient and can be used to fill pressure tanks. I am saving for one. The depth of my well is around 250' and will cost about 3k.

Buying freeze dried food can go a long way extending your food supply without taking up much room. It is a bit expensive but a #10 can will give you anywhere from 15 to 20 meals even more if you have smaller portions

al


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## paulag1955 (Dec 15, 2019)

Here's a different viewpoint on ketosis and brain function. The Fat Burning Brain

Personally, I don't notice any decrease in cognitive ability when I'm deep in ketosis, even after weeks and months of it. Being able to function at a high level is an adaptation to periods of plenty and periods of famine and confers an evolutionary advantage. Ketosis should not be feared.

But be that as it may be, I don't think this is going to be an issue for most people who have prepped for emergencies, because I would guess that their food storage items skew heavily to carbohydrates. A breakfast of oatmeal plus a single serving of pasta or rice later in the day is enough carbohydrate to keep virtually anyone out of ketosis.

My planning stumbling block is how to store enough NON-carbohydrate calories to carry on. Because I _like_ being in ketosis. :tango_face_wink:


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## Bigfoot63 (Aug 11, 2016)

Not an expert,but a few years ago I started eating only when I was truly hungry. Now,even though I work hard in the yard,I only eat one meal a day. No loss of brain function or energy. Meal size is about 1800 calories. The human body is a fantastic machine and is highly adaptive.


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## Bigfoot63 (Aug 11, 2016)

Also, these guys are right about the pond. Any water is better than NO water.


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