Food, Supplies, and Preps
Polling on Modern-Survival-Blog.com reveals that when it comes to survival preparedness, not only are most folks mostly concerned about the economy, but because of that concern… they are mostly buying food and supplies, followed by being frugal, reducing debt, and saving cash. These are all strong indicators that consumers remain unsure of their future and have low confidence in an economic recovery any time soon.
Food. You are stocking up on food. What kinds of food? In what form? Where do you keep it?
A word of caution… ‘heat’. Don’t keep your extra food storage where it can get hot. Bad ideas include your attic, or an outdoor shed (unless it’s insulated from extremes). Good ideas include areas within your normal living environment where temperature and humidity are somewhat normal. The basement can be OK, provided that it is dry (basements can sometimes be damp and a bit humid – so, use a dehumidifier).
For what you consider to be the majority of your food storage, I wonder if it mostly consists of things like sacks (or buckets) of beans and rice? Or is it mostly an assortment of lots of #10 cans of dried foods? Or is it mostly canned foods that you simply get from the grocery store? I also wonder how many of you have much of a variety of foods or how many of you rotate your extra foods and actually consume them?
Most preppers have heard this a million times, but, I’ll say it again… ‘Store what you eat, and eat what you store’. This is really the only way to avoid spoilage or waste over the longer run. Also, seriously, don’t forget to think of variety. Assuming you eat somewhat of a normal diet, be sure to get a little of everything – including your sweets and deserts!
Supplies. You are concerned enough about the uncertain future to be buying more supplies and stashing them on shelves, in closets, or your basement. What exactly are you buying in the way of supplies?
This is a pretty general category. My first thought are things like paper supplies – toilet paper! This is probably one thing you don’t want to be without during a disaster! I know that we at the MSB homestead have plenty of mega-packs of TP stashed away in the attic… buy them on sale!
Think of your supplies in terms of categories. Like, your kitchen – a few manual can openers, a means of cooking without electricity, gravity-fed water filter, etc… Or, your maintenance – things like hand tools, hardware, spare parts. I have an outdoor shed filled with all sorts of these types of supplies and have relied on them while keeping our home in shape over the years. It’s great not to have to run out to the hardware store every time you need something… and hardware stores may not be ‘open’ during times of disaster.
Preps. Besides food and supplies, what else are you buying or doing to provide more survival insurance for the uncertain future?
This is kind of a catch-all for everything else. Think beyond just the physical aspect of surviving or having the conveniences of life during a disaster. Think about your security – both at home and while on-the-road. Think about your transportation, back-up plans, and having a plan! Think about ‘what-if’ scenarios for a longer term disaster.
Although less likely, what-if we had to suffer through a mega-disaster – one that lasted for months or even years? This brings to mind many more precautions and prep items to truly shore up your survival preparedness. A long term disaster crosses a threshold where only those that have spent much time and efforts will have a better chance of making it through less scathed, or making it through at all.
Please comment with your own thoughts about categories or subcategories of Food, Supplies, and Preps for survival preparedness!
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