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A Great Twist to the Rule of Threes

October 19, 2012 by

Today I want to share with you an email I received from a visitor that I think has a fantastic spin on the rule of threes.  I am posting the email, with his permission, below.  My take on it is added afterward.

 

From Mike from Mass

“Hi Chris,
First off, thanks for this site.  it has been a good resources for our family, mostly in confirming our lifestyle when juxtaposing our preparedness with scripture, as well as lots of practical info…great stuff.
A quick story:  years ago, when our family was first starting down the “prepper” road, I had spoken to a guy who told me about the “rule of Three’s”.  Years later I had googled it and found a completely different “rule” than what I was told by this gentleman.  The traditional “rule of three’s” deals with the “3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days etc.”  but what I had been taught was basically this: Make sure to have 3 ways to provide for each basic human need.  The first way is what we do every day; ex. food: grocery store (or farming/gardening, if you already do it).

The second would be ready to come into play if the first failed, the third way if the second failed, etc.  so for food, one might set up their rule of three like this:
1. Grocery Store/Pantry
2. Stored/canned reserves
3. hunting/gardening

or for water:
1. Faucet
2. Stored water
3. Rain water/river collection followed by boiling/filtration

I used this format recently (applied to your listing of the 5 basic human needs)in a preparedness workshop I did with my church homegroup.

I only mention it to you because I haven’t seen or read much on this approach to preparedness. It may be a good blog post for you to put up there.  I know that it’s been a very good model for our family.   For each person/family, their “three ways” are going to be different. For instance, someone living in an apartment will have to prepare differently than someone living in a home with land.

Anyway…Thanks again, brother, for using the gifts God has blessed you with to give info to others.  Keep up the good work.

Mike from Mass “

 

My Take

First, thank you for sending this email Mike.  It will be great food for thought for the rest of the community.  I also want to thank you for the compliment.  I am glad that you found the site and that it has been helpful with the cognitive dissonance you felt between your preparedness lifestyle and Scripture.

I love this spin on the rule of threes.  It was a wise man who taught you that and you were smart to follow it.  I have mentioned a few times that having redundancy for things like backup power is important but this takes it to another level.

Ensuring that you have three ways to meet all of the basic human needs is a high level of redundancy and will make sure your family has their needs met.  I also think that if you apply this to your skill sets, you will have a deep pool of knowledge.  For example, if you only know one way to make fire and you lose your lighter, you might be up a crick.  If you know three ways and lose your lighter but know how to use a bow drill, you can go about looking for the right pieces of wood.

 

Thanks again Mike from Mass for sharing!

 

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Filed Under: General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips

Dressing For Survival

September 19, 2012 by

Today I want to talk about a subject I never thought I would have a conversation about or write an article on, but since it has survival in the title I feel better about it (haha).

How you dress can greatly impact you in a survival situation.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

 

Cotton Kills

This is often mentioned in forums.  What it means is that cotton wicks your body’s heat away from you when it’s wet.  Wool on the other hand will retain your body’s heat even while wet.  If you live where it gets cold, having some good wool winter gear is a good idea.  Since cotton wicks away your body’s heat, it may be preferable in hot climates.

 

Dress in Layers

This again is geared more for cold climates.  The reason one dresses in layers when out in cold temperatures is to make sure you’re warm enough and to give you the option of removing layers if you begin to sweat.  For example, here in Minnesota the temps can get to -20, not including wind-chill.  If I have to go out to shovel, I’ll normally wear a white t-shirt, thin long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and my winter coat, along with long underwear and jeans, wool socks and good winter boots.  I’ll also wear a hat, the hood of the coat and a scarf.  Even though I’m not in a survival situation, shoveling Minnesota snow can be a workout.  If I start to sweat, I’ll take off the sweat shirt and put the jacket back on and maybe lower the hood.  I think you get the idea.  If you are in a survival situation in cold weather and are sweating, you are in danger and are increasing the odds of hypothermia.  Take off a layer or two and give yourself a rest.

 

Put Some Clothes On!

When you’re out in direct sun, especially in hot climates, it is advisable to have all of your skin covered, especially your head.  The sun will draw the moisture out of uncovered skin.  You’ll also be susceptible to sunburn, which can be detrimental in a survival situation.

 

Do you have any other survival clothing related tips to add?

Filed Under: Preparedness Tips

Building a Stockpile of Medicine

August 15, 2012 by

Stocking up on most items is pretty easy, as long as you have the money, but what about medicine?  Because it can be a bit more difficult, here are some things you can try to build a small stockpile of the meds you take daily.

 

90 Day Supply

Many insurance companies will let you order a 90 day supply of some medications.  If yours will not do it automatically, there may be a form you can fill out to request that they allow it.

 

Slowly Building a Stockpile

I got this tip from a local Emergency Manager.  If you can purchase a 90 day supply, you can often refill it a few days or weeks before it runs out.  For example, let’s say that time is 14 days.  Once you receive the new prescription, take 14 pills out of it and put it in a third container.  Continue to do this until the third bottle is filled.  Use this bottle as your main bottle, letting the new bottle you just received be your reserve.  Now you should have an extra 30-90 day supply.  Remember to keep it in rotation.

 

Auto-refills

We use Walgreens as our pharmacy.  One option they have is auto refills.  They will automatically refill eligible prescriptions every time your insurance company allows it.  This is often sooner than the prescription runs out.  This essentially does the same as the above, but you don’t have to remove pills from the new bottle and add them to the third.  This method has gotten my wife a three month supply of asthma medicine that she needs every day.

 

Lost or Misplaced

If you lose or misplace your medicine, a call to the pharmacy can often get them to contact your insurance company to authorize a refill.

 

Talking to your Physician

Believe it or not there are many physicians around who are open to the idea of you being medically prepared.  Cynthia J. Koelker, MD wrote an article on the SurvivalBlog called “How to Get Your Doctor to Help You Stockpile Medicine”.  This article has some very good advice on how to approach the subject.

 

Walmart

While I’m not a huge fan of Walmart, they do have a pretty good prescription plan.  For $4 you can get a 30 day supply of certain medications, and for $10 you can get a 90 day supply.  If you found a doctor who was sympathetic to your desire to build a small stockpile of medications, they could write you a paper prescription and you could pay for this out of pocket.  This way the insurance company is out of the loop.   Follow the link to see a list of included medicines.

 

Veterinary Medicines

Did you know that many of the medicines given to animals are the exact same medicines given to humans?  Sometimes they change the name, sometimes they don’t.  I’m not saying this is a good or bad option, just giving you the information.  I’ll let you decide.

 

Here are two articles on other blogs on the subject.  I’m sure you can find more with just a few minutes of research.  Guide to Veterinary Drugs for Human Consumption, Post-SHTF and Preparing for Medical Emergencies When There Is No Doctor
 

As I mentioned, building a stockpile of medicines can be more difficult, but hopefully one of these options can help you.  If you have another idea, please list it in the comments.

 

Filed Under: Medical and First Aid, Preparedness Tips

Knowledge Skills and Gear – The Preparedness Hierarchy

August 8, 2012 by

Knowledge Skills and Gear – The Preparedness Hierarchy and how they build off of each other

 

When someone begins their preparedness journey, there is a tendency to want to acquire supplies and gear quickly.  I think it gives us that sense of security like a blanket does a child; something tangible we can put our hands on.

 

But I believe there is a hierarchy that exists.  It looks like this; knowledge, then skills and then gear.  Knowledge includes mind set as well as actual learning, in my opinion.  If you use a different hierarchy, you could still have success but I don’t think you’ll have as much success or attain it as quickly.

 

For an example; having become aware of the fact that the crime rate around me is rising and I have no real way to protect my family, the first thing that engaged was my mind.  I changed my mindset on home defense.  When I became a prepper I was a firearm novice.  I took a First Shots class and a hunter safety class with the kids.

 

Now it was time to make a purchase. I wanted something I could conceal and carry, as well as for home defense use.  While a handgun isn’t the optimal gun for home defense, for the reasons listed above it’s what I bought first.  I researched caliber and brand and then I went to a few different stores and pawn shops that sold firearms.  I wanted to put my hands on them, find something I liked the feel of.  I found a few that I wanted to shoot and went to a range that rents guns to fire each one.

 

You might have noticed that I went right from knowledge to gear, but this is one of those occasions when you have to have the gear to build the skill.  It is still the skill that is more important than the gear.  Without the skill and training to use the firearm correctly, sure I could fire it but not fire it effectively.

 

I eventually decided on a Glock 19 as did my wife.  We took a training course and learned proper stance, grip, trigger control and many other things.  We became members at a local range after our training and practiced quite a bit.  Neither of us are crack shots, but both are fully capable of hitting center mass of a man sized target at self-defense range.

 

Knowledge produces skill, which makes gear effective.

 

 

A recent project:

 

One of the traits of Asperger’s Syndrome is the ability to become fixated on something; learning as much as you possibly can about the subject, to the point where some might think you’re a little odd (or a lot odd depending on the subject).  For me, that subject is preparedness.  Over the last six or seven years I have amassed a large collection of bookmarks on various subjects related to preparedness.  I am in the process of going through and making sure the links are still good, with the eventual goal of posting a link library.  I want most of them to be in PDF form.  That way if you want to save the file on your local PC or print the document you can.  However there will be some sites that are listed because the information on the entire site is so good.

 

Once I post it, I would also like you to help fill in this library with links to PDF’s and sites that you find very helpful.  I’d like to ask you to post these links in the comments section.  Because knowledge is so important and there is so much to learn about preparedness, the end goal is that if there is an area in preparedness you want to learn about, you can come to this link library to find sites that have been vetted by fellow readers.  I hope to have this library ready next week, but there are a lot of links left to check, so don’t hold me to it.

 

There are some criteria for posting links, they cannot be copyrighted, or if they are, they must be available to the public domain.  There are some really great articles on some sites that I know are just a section from another document, I am not going to post those as I cannot prove copyright.  I’ll post more when I actually get the Link Library up.

 

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Mind Set, Preparedness Tips

Vision Preparedness

July 25, 2012 by

In a survival situation, not being able to see well, or at all, could drastically reduce your chances of making it through unscathed.  With that in mind I am going to give you some things you can do preemptively as well as a couple things you can do if you happen to be caught unprepared.

 

Preemptive Solutions

 

Lasik

While I don’t think that vision preparedness in case “it” hits the fan is the only reason to get Lasik, it was one of the reasons I got it done.  My vision was 25/20 before Lasik.  The day after Lasik, it was 20/15 and at my eye exam yesterday it was 20/20.  I wore contacts and/or glasses for twenty years.  Having Lasik done was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

It’s expensive but some health plans will cover a portion and I believe you can use an HSA as well, if you have one.  I was told that there is a very good chance I would need to use glasses later in life for reading.  I don’t mind that.  It beats wearing glasses and contacts for the next 10-20 years.   Enhancements are covered for life through the facility I used, if there is a need.  If my vision starts to get worse, they’ll do Lasik again for free.

I was told by the doctor who performed my Lasik that all someone needs to do to be certified to do Lasik treatment is attend a weekend seminar.  Make sure you go to someone who has done hundreds, if not thousands of these procedures.

 

“Back Up” Pair of Glasses

Whether you wear glasses or contacts full time, you should have a pair of backup glasses.  I got bit by this before I was a Prepper; I wore contacts and didn’t own a pair of glasses.  I got an eye infection and was told I couldn’t wear contacts for two weeks.  They were able to get me a pair of glasses in a couple of days, but I went a day or two without and paid more to have them rushed.

Zenni Optical is an online store that sells glasses from $6.95 to $49.00.  While I have never purchased from them, I have heard several good things.  I looked through and they have some good looking frames.  Whether you use these as your main glasses or buy a few cheap pairs to put in a hard glasses case and toss them in the glove box, BOB or anywhere else, I think this is a solid idea.  You’ll need to know your prescription and pupillary distance.  There are options available that can raise the price to over $100, but if you’re buying a backup pair, just go bare bones.

 

Goggles

I have a pair of the geeky goggles we had to wear in science class in my car.  My thinking is to keep water out of my eyes if I need to change a tire in the rain or to keep debris out.  They’ll protect my eyes in just about any scenario.

 

Eye Glass Repair Kit

This is a must have item.  In fact, they’re cheap enough; have a couple.  This way you’ll increase the chance of finding one when you need it.  You could also use it as a barter item or just save the day when a neighbors glasses need some tightening.

 

Options in a Pinch

If you don’t have a backup pair of glasses and a lens breaks, you still have a couple options;  one is to use duct tape as my friend, James Hubbard MD The Survival Doctor explains.  There is a video of this on his site.  Essentially, you place duct tape where the lens goes and poke some holes in the tape where your pupil is.  See his article and video for full details.  It is good information to have.

If you break your glasses and don’t have duct tape handy, you can use cardboard or any other item you can poke small pin holes in.

 

As you can see, as with almost everything else in preparedness, there are many more options before the fan, than after it.

 

Filed Under: Medical and First Aid, Preparedness Tips

Know Your Terms; Watches vs. Warnings

July 12, 2012 by

I covered Severe Weather in detail in the linked post. Today I just want to post a refresher, as there are a couple terms that we have all heard but either may not fully understand or, like me, get confused. Those terms are: “watch” and “warning”.

From The Weather Channel.com

Tornados

Tornado watch — Conditions are conducive to the development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area.

Tornado warning — A tornado has been sighted by spotters or indicated on radar and is occurring or imminent in the warning area.

Thunderstorms

Severe thunderstorm watch — Conditions are conducive to the development of severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.

Severe thunderstorm warning — A severe thunderstorm has been observed by spotters or indicated on radar, and is occurring or imminent in the warning area

I guess I’ll try to keep it straight by thinking a watch means “Watch out” and a warning mean “You’ve been warned”.

 

 

Filed Under: Preparedness Tips

Expiration Dates; Fact or Fiction?

July 11, 2012 by

We are a consumer based society that has been trained to believe the “expiration”, “best used by” or the “you’ll die if you use after this date” are firm dates that mean the product is no longer usable. Marketers have figured out that one great way to get continuous repeat business is to train us to pay a lot of attention to those dates and throw the product out after that date has passed. Am I saying that all expiration dates can just be ignored? Of course not, but I have literally seen expiration dates on paper and plastic goods.

It’s impossible for me to cover all types of products, so I am just going to touch on a few that I think might be popular or important. There are some pretty standard storage rules that will increase the life of just about everything. Keep your items in a cool, dark and dry area.
 
 
Staples

Wheat, sugar, honey, salt and so on. I have a pretty extensive list of staples., and here is a link showing you how to store them long term. Many of these items will last 25+ years. Some, such as honey, will store indefinitely, when stored correctly.
 
 
Canned Food

From Food Reference.com “Canned food has a shelf life of at least two years from the date of processing. Canned food retains its safety and nutritional value well beyond two years, but it may have some variation in quality, such as a change of color and texture. Canning is a high-heat process that renders the food commercially sterile. Food safety is not an issue in products kept on the shelf or in the pantry for long periods of time. In fact, canned food has an almost indefinite shelf life at moderate temperatures (75° F and below). Canned food as old as 100 years has been found in sunken ships and it is still microbiologically safe! We don’t recommend keeping canned food for 100 years, but if the can is intact, not dented or bulging, it is edible.”

For home canned food, the Ball Jar company used to have the following in the FAQ on their site. They have since revamped their site and I can’t find it again. But what they said was:

“How long can home canned food be stored?
Food that has been properly canned, using an up-to-date, tested recipe and that has a vacuum seal will keep indefinitely; however, over an extended period of time changes do occur. These changes may affect the flavor, color, texture and nutritional value of the product. For the highest quality, use home canned food within one year.

How do I know if a jar of home canned food is spoiled?
When up-to-date guidelines, such as those outlined on this site, are followed exactly, there should be little concern about the quality and safety of your home canned foods. As with commercial packaged foods, it is always wise to examine any food before using it. When you take it from the shelf, check each jar to see that it has retained a vacuum seal and that no visible changes have taken place during storage”
 
 
Pop, soda, coke, whatever you call it, where ever you live

This one is a bit tricky. I can’t find any firm numbers, but the research that I have done shows that regular, NON diet, pop will last for a long time, some places say years. As long as the can remains sealed, it will remain carbonated. The corn syrup lasts much longer than artificial sweeteners.

Diet pop goes bad not long after the expiration date. This has to do with the artificial sweeteners.

 
 
Chocolate

Chocolate by itself, according to Hershey’s Product FAQ

Q. How should I store chocolate?

A. Solid chocolate products will maintain their quality if well wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place (55-60°F). While refrigerated chocolate is certainly safe to use, we don’t recommend it. Chocolate kept in the refrigerator may “sweat” when brought to room temperature and may not melt properly. Cocoa is considered a non-perishable item which should maintain quality if stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

Chocolate may turn white. This is called “blooming”. The chocolate is still perfectly edible. Here is what Hershey’s has to say in the Hershey’s Product FAQ

Q. My chocolate sometimes turns tan or white. What causes this?

A. Chocolate contains cocoa butter, a vegetable fat that is sensitive to heat and humidity. Temperatures above 75°F will cause chocolate to melt. The cocoa butter can rise to the surface and form a discoloration called “cocoa butter bloom.” Condensation on milk or semi-sweet chocolate may cause the sugar to dissolve and rise to the surface as “sugar bloom.” Chocolate that has “bloomed” is certainly safe to use, but flavor loss and texture changes may be noticed.

 
 
Bottled Water

The water itself won’t go bad but the chemicals from the plastic can leech into the water over time. If you use water bottles regularly and rotate through your supply, this shouldn’t be a concern. If you are storing water bottles for pure water storage, rotate every 6-12 months.

 
 
Medication

I am not a Doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV, but I have done plenty of research on the subject of medicine. From the below links I’ll show you how I had come to believe that in large part, big-pharma has sold us a bill of goods.

Drugs Frequently Potent Past Expiration details how in the mid 1980’s the military was faced with spending billions to replace medications that were reaching the end of their expiration date and requested the FDA to test whether medications were still effective after their expirations dates. Read the article for full details, but some of the high points:

The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.

In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn’t mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.”

“Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions – notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics – most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. “Most drugs degrade very slowly,” he says. “In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it’s in the refrigerator.””

Here are more articles dealing with the expiration dates of medicines from MD’s that are themselves prepper’s.

From SurvivalBlog.com

Antibiotics and Antiviral Medications; by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD
Part One, Part Two, Part Three.
A Doctor’s Thoughts on Antibiotics, Expiration Dates, and TEOTWAWKI, by Dr. Bones

The Survival Podcast
Episode-685 with Dr. Eric Wilke on Survival Medicine

Doom and Bloom
The Truth About Expiration Dates by Dr Bones

There was only one medicine that I could find that was in fact harmful when used after it had expired. That was Tetracycline and it only effected one person in the 1960’s I believe. It was suggested that it could have been something else that caused the reaction, but it was blamed on Tetracycline.

From the research I have done it looks like medicines that are in pill form only, not liquid or gel, will last much longer than the expiration date suggests. I have and will continue to store and use medicines that were prescribed and not fully used that have exceeded their expiration dates.

 
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Filed Under: Food, General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips

Multiple Uses for Multiple Things

June 27, 2012 by

Every now and then I come across a webpage that lists different uses for a certain product and I always bookmark them. Today I thought I would share the collection I have with you. I can’t vouch for any of these sites, or if the things they claim are true, but here they are.

 
Hydrogen Peroxide
Food Grade H202 is a blog and looks like they may sell an e-book or two, but there are many free uses listed.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide is another blog on Hydrogen Peroxide and looks like they sell an e-book as well, but again, many free uses are listed.
 

Vinegar
I can’t seem to find the original source, but here is one link to the list of Uses for Vinegar created by Rae Osenbaugh.

Vinegar And It’s Uses also has many uses and other information on it.
 

Apple Cider Vinegar
10 Tips for Using Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar Cures

 
Salt
46 smart uses for salt
Sixty Uses for Salt
 

Olive Oil
Must Have: Olive Oil
25 Alternative Uses for Olive Oil
 
Baking Soda (Bicarbonate soda)
Sixty Uses Of Baking Soda
51 Fantastic Uses for Baking Soda
75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda
 
Vodka
21 Uses for Vodka
 
Rubbing Alcohol
25 Alternative Uses for Rubbing Alcohol
12 Ways to Use Rubbing Alcohol
 
WD-40
Almost 2000 uses for a can of WD-40 This site list 200 of the almost 2000 uses.

This is the Official List of 2000+ Uses from WD40.com

 
10 great household products

This next site is the motherlode, it has uses for 10 great household products including Vinegar, Baking Soda, Coca Cola, Borax, Coffee Filters. WD-40, Ketchup, Salt, Sugar and Honey

If you have any other sites like this, please add them in the comment section and I’ll add them to the list.

 

Filed Under: Preparedness Tips

Teaching Children About Preparedness

June 25, 2012 by

Exodus 18:20 “Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.”

I believe it is up to us to teach the next generation to be more independent and more self-reliant, to be prepared for what life might bring, and not to see government as a safety net that will always be there from cradle to grave. How you teach your kids about preparedness is completely your decision. Today, I am just going to give a few ideas and tips you may want to use. Much of this article will depend on the age and maturity of your kids.

 

Lead By Example

Kids often, for good or bad, mimic what their parents do or think that is just the way things are done. As an example, my mom made loads of jelly from our grapes, raspberry and strawberry plants. I was probably ten or eleven when it dawned on me that some people actually bought their jelly from a store.
If they see you storing more food or building a BOB, chances are they’ll ask what you’re doing. Just make sure you’re ready with an answer that will inform, not scare.

 

Use Examples They’re Familiar With

All kids do fire drills and tornado drills in school. They understand the concept of knowing how to do something and being ready to do something “just in case”. Explain that this is the same kind of thing; we hope that there isn’t ever a storm that makes it so we are without electricity, but we want to be ready just in case. Explain using the seatbelt; we put it on every time we get in the car, just in case there’s an accident.

 

Use Examples They’re Not Familiar With

With older kids, use your judgment on teaching them about some of the bigger scenarios that have a much slimmer chance of happening. We’ve talked to our kids about EMP and what life might be like. We had been Prepper’s for a while by then and were moderately prepared. Had we not had those preps to point to, I think it may have been a scarier conversation for them.

 

Be Honest

I’ve never been a believer in hiding bad or difficult things from kids. Hiding doesn’t get them ready for life, which is full of bad and difficult things. We just need to be prudent about when and how we expose them to these things.

If your kids are mature enough to understand the dangers and potential dangers we live in, explain that you want to be prepared to be able to take care of them if any of those things happens.
We’re to the point now that when the kids hear a news story about the economy or some other related preparedness item they point it out to me.

Here are a few resources that are mostly geared to younger children that you can use to teach your kids about preparedness.

 

FEMA

FEMA has come out with a few programs aimed at helping to teach children about preparedness. The Ready Kids Activity Book is a 16 page PDF that is part coloring book, part comic book and has word finds and other related activities.
They also have the Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book from 1993, which still contains relevant information. FEMA also now has Fun and Gameswhich contains many different preparedness related activities for kids.

 

Sesame Street

Sesame Street had originally partnered with FEMA, but it looks like they now have their own preparedness movement called Let’s Get Ready!

 

The Red Cross

The Red Cross has put together an Educators Kit called “Masters of Disasters”. They have curriculum for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8.

 

Arthur


I had never seen this cartoon, but came across this episode on a forum some time ago. In it, there is a blackout and Arthurs’ family isn’t prepared. His neighbors on the other hand, you’ll have to watch to find out. I couldn’t find it in one stream, so it has been cut in two, both are linked below.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Getting Started, Preparedness Tips

The First 100 Things to Disappear

June 14, 2012 by

There is a list that floats around in the realm of preparedness called 100 Items to Disappear First in a Panic. I don’t know if the link I provided is the original source of this list, but I think it is. 

I don’t want you to treat this list as a list of things to run out and get if the “fan” starts to rotate, but rather as a tool to see where you may have holes in your preps.  I am going to copy and paste the list and add my comments marked in red.  I don’t know if the link I provided is the original source but it was one of the easier to read when I searched. 

 

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers You should have this as a priority now, not when it’s hitting the fan.
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots. (In the London riots sporting goods stores ran out of bats, people purchased them to protect their homes.)
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat (this stuff stored for 20+ years when done right, don’t wait for a last minute run.)
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking. (It doesn’t need to be in clear plastic, in fact many of the food grade water drums are hard blue plastic)
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book. 
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels (This stuff can go in the attic as it’s not subject to heat, stack it igh and deep.)
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food) (So people run out and purchase dogs when there is an impending emergency?  Don’t get me wrong, dogs are a great alert system, I just don’t know if it belongs on this list.)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens  (Again, not an item I am sure people run out and get in an impending emergency).

 

I’m not sure where the following came from, but it good info none the less.
From a Sarajevo War Survivor:
Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war – death of parents and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity – it’s the easiest to
do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy – it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books – escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway – trust me, you’ll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches

Filed Under: General Preparedness, Preparedness Tips
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