2012/SHTF/TEOTWAWKI- been doing anything different this last year?

Mark Ducati · 07-12-2010, 04:38 PM

I've gotten to a point where I'm only restocking the ammo that I shoot... I still pick up a few freeze dried food cans here and there. Rotate the medicine out as it expires, picked up a few extra water filters for my hand pump.

When we opened the pool this spring, the who brought the salt used real salt this time instead of the water softener pellets you get at HomeDepot... big 40lb bags of NaCL, even says "food grade" on the side.

As cheap as the bags were, I got an extra dozen from him that I keep out in the pool house... salt's always good for preserving meat.

One other thing I've stocked up on are these little lighting bolt fireworks... they're about the size of a nickle, like a little bowl of magnesium with a fuse. These little guys burn for like 2 minutes and flicker like lightning, I keep these in the camping bag to start wet tinder.

I've been spending my gun money on car parts lately, although I'm having a S12 tricked out... will post pics when the refinish job is done.

**Charliebravo** · 07-12-2010, 05:12 PM

Sneak a few boxes of ammo into the grocery cart every time I hit the Ghetto-Mart. Keep a minimum of 10 cases of water on-hand as well as plenty of food......enough for a few months anyway. I've got a small house with a wife and 3 kids, so I'm limited on how much I can actually store in here. If TSHTF, I just have to survive the first few weeks until things calm down. I've got some supplies pre-positioned with relatives in E. Texas. Once the initial shitstorm is over, I can head east if need be.

**old Grump** · 07-12-2010, 07:07 PM

Might be I can back off on ammo purchases for awhile, ran out of space to put it until I get my new cabinet and reloading bench built. Also finally got bullets and primers so I can start putting some powder and bullets in all my empty brass. Then I will really have a storage problem. Right now my brass storage is a whole mess of 1 gallon jars and I don't think that will work after they are loaded. I need to find some ammo boxes and cans I can buy for reasonable. The last few cost me dear and I am way short on what I need.

Looking to build a root cellar as soon as I can afford it and it will double as my storm cellar and large perishable supply.

Garden is growing good but not nearly big enough, will have fresh veggies for awhile and hopefully the squash and onions I chose will store well. Going to need to get back in canning though. Tomatoes are going crazy. The one heirloom I planted got wrecked in a storm and the cheap grocery store varieties are going great guns. I don't think I worked that quite right.

**American Rage** · 07-12-2010, 11:36 PM

Nothing. I'm paying off all my bills ASAP and lookin' for a home before the interest rates explode.

Hope to get a good deal on a foreclosure, preferably on an acre. But time will tell.

Rage

swampdragon · 07-13-2010, 12:06 AM

I paid off my house in full.
My biggest monthly bill is now gone.

**renegadebuck** · 07-13-2010, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by swampdragon

I paid off my house in full.
My biggest monthly bill is now gone.

Good for you! I'm trying to work on food now.

swampdragon · 07-13-2010, 01:06 AM

You don't have any food?

Or do you mean you are stockpiling food?

**chiak47** · 07-13-2010, 01:45 AM

Swampy has a cool God; his says it's OK to devour human meat; therefore, he does not need to stockpile food.

Maser** · 07-13-2010, 02:31 AM

I've been buying mole gear. Good stuff, you should try this stuff it is real good for gun stuff.

**Broondog** · 07-13-2010, 03:06 AM

i'm pretty good on food. rationed right i have about 3 months worth. water is on the OK side but i still need to implement an alternate method of pumping the well in the event of long term power issues.

lately i've been slowly stocking up on other goods. when i need an oil change or tune up stuff i double up. same goes with toiletries and household cleaning supplies. also have a good supply of TP, trash and ziplok bags, foil (so they can't read my thoughts), Zippo fluid and flints, a few extra chains for my saw + a bunch of 2 cycle oil. ya know, general odds and ends. i wish i had more room for gasoline (only have 30 gals on hand) but them damn 5gal jugs just don't stack well. i'd get one of those above ground gravity tanks but when folks see those they might think 'free gas' and then i'd have to find room to stack the bodies!

in essence i've been trying to think more about the big picture. i'll be staying home if TSHTF so i want to be as comfy and self sufficient as possible.

swampdragon · 07-13-2010, 03:07 AM

Originally Posted by chiak47

Swampy has a cool God; his says it's OK to devour human meat; therefore, he does not need to stockpile food.

That's right.
You let 'em starve for a lil while until they get weak....then bash 'em in the head with a rock and toss 'em in the pot.
Good eatin' if ya do it right.

**L1A1Rocker** · 07-13-2010, 03:25 AM

Originally Posted by Charliebravo

Keep a minimum of 10 cases of water on-hand as well as plenty of food......enough for a few months anyway. I've got a small house with a wife and 3 kids, so I'm limited on how much I can actually store in here. If TSHTF, I just have to survive the first few weeks until things calm down. I've got some supplies pre-positioned with relatives in E. Texas. Once the initial shitstorm is over, I can head east if need be.

I took care of my water issue with a 55 gallon drum. You can get the FDA approved ones at the garden center of most super wal marts for around 30 bucks. I initially got it for Y2K but since I live in a hurrican area anyway I kept it. Makes things a lot easier than trying to dysinfect and seal up the bathtub everytime a hurrican is on its way. You can get a hand pump at harbor freight if you store it upright or do as I did. I built a cradle for it so it layes on its side. One of the bung hole caps is already threaded for an outdoor type faucet. Just drill it out and screw a "male" threaded faucet into it and lay it on its side. Works great.
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**chiak47** · 07-13-2010, 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by swampdragon

That's right.
You let 'em starve for a lil while until they get weak....then bash 'em in the head with a rock and toss 'em in the pot.
Good eatin' if ya do it right.

Remember, you get the shakes if you eat too much long-pig...

swampdragon · 07-13-2010, 03:54 AM

Originally Posted by L1A1Rocker

I took care of my water issue with a 55 gallon drum. You can get the FDA approved ones at the garden center of most super wal marts for around 30 bucks. I initially got it for Y2K but since I live in a hurrican area anyway I kept it. Makes things a lot easier than trying to dysinfect and seal up the bathtub everytime a hurrican is on its way. You can get a hand pump at harbor freight if you store it upright or do as I did. I built a cradle for it so it layes on its side. One of the bung hole caps is already threaded for an outdoor type faucet. Just drill it out and screw a "male" threaded faucet into it and lay it on its side. Works great.
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That's pretty cool.

swampdragon · 07-13-2010, 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by chiak47

Remember, you get the shakes if you eat too much long-pig...

Only livers. I hate liver. Yuck.

**Charliebravo** · 07-13-2010, 11:30 AM

That's a sweet setup, L1A1. Unfortunately, I don't have room for one and Mrs. 'Bravo would think that I'd lost my mind if I tried. Most of what I have is rather inconspicuous. She has no idea how prepared we are.

**renegadebuck** · 07-13-2010, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by swampdragon

You don't have any food?

Or do you mean you are stockpiling food?

The freezer just died, lost all of what was in there. Said screw it and buried freezer and all because it smelled so bad. So much for having generator back up for power.
Yeah, it's bare as hell here. You'd think Gib and Hondo passed through!

I still have the can food, but the meat is history!

Mark Ducati · 07-13-2010, 06:43 PM

Yeah, thanks L1A1... it was your post last year that got me to get one of those blue barrels too... mines a 30gal barrel, but I store it upright. I have a spigot that at the bottom that I can hook a short 3ft hose to get water into a pot if need be.

I went with the 30gallon one because I can fill it up and raise it by myself over the side of the bathtub to empty it (I store it in the vault's bathroom). I change the water out every 6 months doing the clorox thing.

Mark Ducati · 07-13-2010, 06:45 PM

Oh, a few more things... For the last year, every time we go on vacation or out of town, I've been stocking up or stealing the little shampoo/soap bottles from the hotels/maid-carts. Got a healthy supply of razor blades to shave with (those things are about near as expensive as ammo!). And I even bought a a still off of ebay to make my own hooch! I'll start a separate post for that.