Countdown to TSHTF

OK say you are starting out now in preparation. For whatever reason you just woke up and realized "Hey we are about to experience a BIG SHTF situation." You have 90 days to prepare more or less and are on as limited budget. What to do/ What do you buy? What is THE most important thing/s to have? You are preparing for a family of four with small children.

reply to post by IslandGirl


10...9...8?

Edit: The above was because it was an empty thread.

Edit #2: Why do I have to prepare for a family of four? Why can't I prepare for my family. Why are making me choose to leave someone out!?

ok i'll start

9..........

Edit: The above was because it was an empty thread, too.

reply to post by superman2012


you beat me to it

damn

reply to post by IslandGirl


It's not enough time and these types of threads have come up dozens of times on here...no offense my friend...

Well I am in a family of four, including me. With one small child. We already decided our plan. Grab the guns, grab the bread, don't forget the dog and head to Dan's ranch.

If I had absolute surety, I'd begin by making everyone exercise to the peak of physical fitness obtainable in such time.
When the SHTF, and people evacuate and panic, I'll take everything they left behind that I can use.
I will plan on relying on and exploiting the panic of other people since I have no money to prepare or do anything worthwhile with.

reply to post by superman2012


Ok say at least four. sorry

Thank you for your thread! Even though others have posted the same types of threads in the past doesn't mean that everyone has read them. I have been a member here for a few months, and this thread is the first one that I have gone to on the subject. This is an important issue, and as far as I'm concerned there can't be too many.

One of the best things I can think of to have is plenty of water as well as some type of filter to be able to purify dirty water. Water is a number one thing that one needs in order to survive. No water, no life, period. Besides for drinking, water is a solvent and cleaner among other things and has a myriad of uses.

There are many other things that are useful in a SHTF scenario. Hopefully others will add input too.

I seem to be getting the common feel from others as well that lack the experience and time on the forum I thought I'd ask to give these others a general idea of exactly where to start. Simply saying there not enough time is like saying "do nothing, die" I am trying to address the concerns of those who are new to this and WANT to do SOMETHING. not everyone has been at this for years. So thank you all whom are willing to share.

I live in hurricane alley. We keep a minimum two week supply of food and water during hurricane season. That is just a way of life for us.

However this intrigues me... Costco emergency food, water, and first aid kits. Even on a budget you should be able to replace, a meal a day with ramen and be able to afford one a month in a 90 day period
www.costco.com...|3605|75277&lang=en-US&whse=BC

Make sure you have a way to cook and boil water without electricity. Fireplace/wood stove/bbq'r (and plenty of wood/fuel)

90 days to prepare on a limited budget.

Camping supplies, you might already have. Join some organization as a volunteer so that you will be included in their plan, and they will include your family too because you will be such a valuable asset to them with your eagerness.

Some group that is not survival related, but who for sure would be taken care of well. I have no idea who that might be.

reply to post by Rocketman7


Probably a church group.. while not directly survival related, even if you're not religious, in the event of something like that, you want to be around people who are selfless and used to working as an organization with a variety of members..

You need to start with your basic needs: water, food and shelter. Figure 1-2 gallons of water per person, per day. That adds up fast. You may only be able to realistically acquire enough food afford one or two meals per day. You also need to decide if you're planning to prepare to seek refuge in your home, or abandon it for another location. Certain types of events will decide this for you. Consider what type of climate you live in. Does it get cold in the winter? I don't mean jacket and a sweater cold, I mean kill you in hours cold. You say limited budget. Does that mean $20 per week to use or a couple hundred per month?
I would try to keep 50 gallons of water on hand. I get 5 gallon buckets from a restaurant for free and fill them up. Water containers from the store get pricey. The one gallon jugs that look like milk jugs tend to leak over time and their cost can add up quick. If it snows or rains a lot where you live or you have a water source near by, that could be an option too, but i would still keep some on hand for a head start. You can filter natures water through a pillow case to get the big stuff out and use regular bleach to sterilize it. Also, remember that it takes quite a bit of energy to melt large quantities of snow.
For food, think simple. Peanut butter is cheap, lasts quite a while and has lots of calories and protein. Oatmeal is cheap, cooks quickly and will fill you up. Raisins last a long time too, are cheap and are great in oatmeal. Other things like granola bars, poptarts, boxed mac n cheese, canned pasta, canned fruits and veggies are all cheap, easy to store and prepare, requiring minimal cooking. Just remember that things like pasta, rice and dried beans will take anywhere from 15 min to a couple hours of cooking which means needing enough fuel to handle that. If you live in a rural, wooded area, fuel may not be an issue. I live in a suburban neighborhood with substantial wooded areas very close by, but considering all the other people that live around me, all the dry dead fall would be cleaned up in weeks, especially during winter. I bought a Coleman duel fuel stove from walmart for about $90. I know its not cheap, but they work very well and should be able to run for about a month on a couple gallons of fuel. If that runs out, they also burn regular old gasoline. What ever is left in the car should be able to feed it for months. Since you have kids, some little things like candy may help to boost their spirits. Kids don't exactly comprehend serious situations the way adults do.
You have to have somewhere to sleep too. I can come up with more hypothetical scenarios that entail living in your home without modern amenities than ones that mean that you have to pack the car, grab the kids and go. Stuff like the blankets you already have can keep you warm, no need to run out and buy everyone sleeping bags and sleeping pads. If winters are cold where you live, you may be interested in something like kerosene or propane space heater. You can get one of either for under $150 which isn't too bad, but they require fuel too. Even if you ration your fuel by only running the heater a few hours per day, you're going to need at least a 100 gallons of kerosene or 100 pounds of propane to get you through a whole winter. The idea of stockpiling that much of either fuel in my home makes me (and my insurance agent) nervous.
Other items you need to have are first aid supplies. Remember that children get sick more easily and often than adults, so prepare accordingly. Even in your home, an infected wound could kill you in a week. Toilet paper can be worth its weight in gold if you have a place to store it. My wife gets 20 roll pack for about $10, 5 of those could last you 3 months if you had too. Wet wipes are great too. They cost more than TP, but take up way less space and will cut you TP consumption drastically. You can get a huge bottle of hand sanitizer for $5. I buy trash bags in bulk for everyday use, but you may find yourself needing to use a bucket as an improvised toilet. Trash bags make good disposable liners for that, you can burn them in the backyard to get rid of them. Human waste is toxic and you don't want stuff like that piling up in your house. Lets be honest, no matter what happens, you're still gonna have to poop and you need to have some way to deal with it. You should have at least one flashlight and it should be an LED type, that batteries will last way longer. I have a mini mag light that uses AA batteries with an LED light. It cost about $20 and it's very bright. I'm still using the original batteries after about 4 months, and I use it almost daily at least for a little bit. Don't under estimate candles either. They can be really cheap and single candle can light your living room for several nights possibly. I think people would be surprised how far even $100 would go if you really prioritize.

If your just starting out do yourself a favor and set some clear parameters for where you want to be and then stick to those.

Decide you are going to be 100% self sufficient for 4 weeks with the family. Thats a good objective.

Use the search engines and look of all the lists people have and the search for the lists right here. Trim the lists to meet your objectives.

Some items meat a goal such as fire starting. You really should have three dependable methods. Bic lighters are not a method. They get in your bag and get bumped and or depressed and let out all their fuel. Waterproof matches in a match safe are more dependable. But have some bics too. and a good fire flint like the strike force or the blast match. People will all tell you that you need to have 3 ways to make fire.

Which takes us to the second point. since your new dont fall into the trap most of these folks are in and have a single way to make clean water. You need 3 as well. I recently called the manufacturer of a common water filter thats supposed to last for 14,000 gallons and asked how i could purchase parts for this little wonder that sells for 250 dollars. They told me they dont stock rebuild parts and they just replace them when they break. They replace quite a few of them actually. People that own this will know exactly the one. Dont fall into the trap of one way to make water.


Once you read the lists it will all come together. Just make them smaller to match the goals you set. Once you do the month prep shoot for 6 months. then 1 year.

Dont get in a rush. it takes time and being awake is the first step. Knowing with all the violence and conflict in the world, that its mother nature who will hand you your as* on a platter is step two. slow and steady wins the race with prepping.

reply to post by thefurryone

Great Info! Thank you for joining in!

Have to totally agree with yourself and others who have said a cooking source is necessary. You can live of of those cold veggies, beans, soups, and corned beef out of a can, but heating it sure makes it taste better! Even if it means a buying a can of sterno or two a week, be sure to have a way to cook your food. A two burner camp propane stove can be picked up rather cheap too $30. Just don't for get the propane- a four pack like $10, and I store the tanks outside on porch.

Another way to address both cold and cooking issues I would say, would be a wood stove. Check on line or in the paper for used ones. You can probably pick one up a used one for 100-200. Save more money by taking walks and collecting wood with the family from woods in your area to start a supply pile.
As a child my family survived a very cold winter in the 80's when heating fuel prices were at high this way! Believe me the kids were happy to help collect wood too, and it was kinda fun sleeping in sleeping bags on the living room floor around the stove on the coldest nights. Installing them is not to hard either, especially if your home has a fire place/ chimney already. If you do not own your own home, I would say the kerosene heater is a great way to go.

Most people think of food, water then shelter, but reverse that.
Think shelter, water, then food. You can go weeks without food, days without water, but only hours without shelter in extreme temps.
Buy a little bit of everything, so that if anything happens before you're finished (and what preparedness plan is really ever complete) you'll have something from every category.

For the most part, I'm all set. So I would probably take that time to get some solar cells, inverters, batteries, neodymium magnets and copper wire.

While I was out, I'd probably stock up on some basic hardware like nails and screws. Pick up some more bullets. Maybe get some sheets of steel or aluminum. Grab some more seeds for planting. And then head on home.

I might try and get somebody to come out and top off the gigantic diesel tank I use to fill my tractor.

My goal for when the SHTF is to keep my homestead running. I'd like to be able to produce enough energy to keep a couple of freezers running, a few lights at night and be able to heat some water. The water is not an essential because there are plenty of ways I can do that without electricity.

I have plenty of land for a small solar grid, a creek for hydro power, and plenty of space to continue to raise my cattle and still grow a decent sized garden. I've got enough canned food to keep the me and the family well fed for over a year without needing to slaughter one of the cows.

Originally posted by IslandGirl
OK say you are starting out now in preparation. For whatever reason you just woke up and realized "Hey we are about to experience a BIG SHTF situation." You have 90 days to prepare more or less and are on as limited budget. What to do/ What do you buy? What is THE most important thing/s to have? You are preparing for a family of four with small children.

edit on 21-10-2011 by IslandGirl because: hit enter too fast

edit on 21-10-2011 by IslandGirl because: (no reason given)

edit on 21-10-2011 by IslandGirl because: i suck at typing

First of all, I gave you several stars, and a flag. You a new, but trying. You get a small slap on the a55.

However, members of ATS are pretty much prepared, and a 90 day warning is mute to us.

Second, when starting a thread, try to do more than just one paragraph, and include a few pictures, or a video.

It helps to get you stars and flags.

Third, If you come to the survival forum with an idea for a new thread, try to make it original.

We are suckers for females creating new ideas.

That said......

I will unabashedly advertise my own thread about a SHTF scenario, HERE.

Thanks for joining, and hope I helped.

ETA: Get an avatar soon.

reply to post by IslandGirl


I'm glad you liked my post. Apparently, your hypothetical budget was a little bigger than I was thinking. I just looked on Craigslist in my area. You can get a used wood stove for about $200- 300 and enough wood to last a season for about another $300. That's not too bad. If you have access to free timber, you can buy a quality chainsaw for about $300 instead, and cut endless amounts of dead fall timber and split it yourself. A chainsaw can pay for itself very quickly if your physically capable of operating it. Wood is definitely the way to go for long term fuel source.