Category: Preparedness

Since there is an interest in longer-term preparedness, I’m going to start a new section (book?) to pick up where Preparedness Pays (the original book in progress) leaves off. There have been requests for discussions on bugging out, with a focus on doing so by foot, and on longer-term planning including how to handle a lack of government (for) response. The need for the latter is one of those things where we do need to look well beyond simple preparedness and survival.

If I had my druthers, and the funds, I would start this with water which is the be-all, end-all, and number-one issue for being prepared. If anyone cares to hit the tip jar, what I would like to do for that is look at and experiment with at least two bulk water purification systems and two to three individual systems. A LOT has changed over the years and one of my favorite systems/companies is no more. Time to do some new reviews with your help.

Instead, I’m going to start with medium- to long-term storage, which is key to the majority of other issues. It’s more than just food, though food justly gets the lion’s share of the discussion. It’s all the things that let you stay as civilized as possible in an otherwise uncivilized situation. It’s about preserving knowledge, thought, and even the spiritual things that are needed for a full life and more.

So, tomorrow we will start looking at some of the different means and options for storage, and how to make use of it as a part of your regular life. Some of what I bring up can and should be used in day-to-day life as a means of rotating stocks while saving on the food budget. And for you to practice certain skills that will add to your everyday menu as well as to longer term preparedness. Also, there are some resources out there that can be used such that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

I’m also counting on your good inputs. Some of my knowledge is out of date. Some of mine is flat-out missing (stupid lightning). Some of what I do gets into over-engineering or otherwise going overboard on some things. I’m hoping you, my readers, will offer up suggestions, share things that work for you, or for you to tell me when I am going overboard. Equally, if I’m not taking things far enough, sing out!

If there is a topic you want to see explored in this series, let me know in the comments or via e-mail. There is lots to discuss, and to think about, especially given how the world seems to be going. While Preparedness Pays (original) was aimed at those who have never dealt with preparedness before, and primarily focused on the short-term, I want to use this series to build on it and take people a bit deeper into preparedness — and how it can make day-to-day life a bit smoother.

If all goes to plan (which it seldom does it seems), we will start tomorrow by looking at options for longer-term storage (glass, plastic, metal, and even concrete). I will say up front that some of my “over engineering” may be geared towards providing more than one item at a time for use and re-use later. Onwards!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

I need to get back to work on the book sometime soon, but for now, some reminders and legal caveats in regards preparedness. Always remember the first rule of Preparedness Club: THERE IS NO PREPAREDNESS CLUB!

That is for your safety. Otherwise, first thing that happens is that ill-intentioned people can and will see you as a target and act accordingly. I will simply say for now be prepared, and that should include mental and spiritual preparations to decide what you are willing and able to do to defend your own against such evil. Only you can make the right decision for you.

Keep in mind also that the good-intentioned may also come to take anything you are known to have in regards food and other supplies. If you don’t believe me, check into your local and state rules, regulations, and laws in regards disasters. It is rare that it is easy to get the information, as for some reason governments don’t really like to talk about it, but most major (and even some minor) cities and even states have regulations and/or laws on the books that allow them to seize food, medicines, and other supplies not only from warehouses and stores, but also from individuals who are “hording” said materials.

You might also want to check the definitions of the terms used in the laws, as they can be most enlightening. That sack of lentils you got the good deal on so your family has food to get by may well be hoarding, a large food stock, or other term that allows it to be seized. Nor would I ever suggest that even if it were not those sent out to do such collecting would disregard the law and take it anyway.

Let me be clear: I do not advocate hiding any preparations or stocks of food from those legally (lawfully is something else) authorized to raid your home, property, or other to seize same. Nor do I advocate passive or active resistance to such. Keep in mind that not only are they likely to be legally armed (and you need to check your local laws as in emergency any weapons of any type you may have may no longer be legal to possess, carry, or use in some jurisdictions) and backed by armed enforcement.

In fact, I would remind you that using jelly jars or smaller to hold any supplies may not be a great idea as they are small and easily misplaced. For all that they are great for holding dried spices, wicks, small but critical hardware, and such — and keep in mind that not all that long ago pepper and other “exotic” spices were worth many times their weight in gold — they also can be easily misplaced or lost. That would deprive you of those necessities (like needles, thread, wicks, etc.) and luxuries that could also be trade goods in small quantities (spices, etc.).

Having your supplies in one central, secure, and known location can be a very good idea. You know where everything is located, what you have, and can easily rotate out stocks at need. Also, if things are seized and you are given a receipt for things taken, it makes quantifying such easier. Dispersing supplies makes it harder to keep up with what you have, rotate stock, and if it is known you disperse supplies could lead to a variety of unpleasantness. DO prepare, but be prepared to Both look after yours and to comply with legal demands.

As for me, I write a good bit but am very limited in what I can put away. Your help and donations allow me to experiment, write, and get by. I thank you very much for them.

Just as there are many good reasons to Be Prepared, there are many reasons to live the first rule of Preparedness Club. Be Safe. Be Smart. Be Prepared. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

NOTE: This focuses on state and local, you don’t even want to think about what the feds will claim they can do.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

The other day, I came across someone who was talking with great passion about oil candles and/or improvised oil lamps. They had a lot of information on how to improvise at need, provided you had wick material. Honestly, good to know if you are out of position when disaster strikes, except for the wick part though you can improvise that at need (pure cotton shoe laces for example).

While looking at their post, an odd feeling hit, and I began to smile. The next morning at Church, I double checked some things. Later, I checked in at the nearby religious bookstore, and frankly grinned a bit.

While you may have to hit a bookstore associated with one of the more traditional branches (Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic), there is no need to reinvent the wheel as the monks have you covered. You have brass and twisted wire wick holders, floating holders, and a variety of containers and container holders. Most of what I have turns out to be from Holy Cross, but am also hearing some good things said about Holy Archangel Candles.

With a trimmed wick and filled oil source, you can get a surprising amount of light out of a simple oil candle. Go with a holder that can handle a wider (lamp) wick, and you are doing good. My advice is to keep the wick trimmed, and if you keep the candle/oil source filled you can get a lot of life out the wick even as you get a lot of light.

Two other things to keep in mind. One, do NOT use extra virgin olive oil. It does not burn well, to be polite. Regular olive oil has a higher smoke point and is the way to go, though in an emergency you can use almost any vegetable oil. Two, provided it is not rancid, out-of-date olive oil still burns quite well and does not smell. You may can even find some restaurants willing to give you, or sell cheap, olive oil that is headed out of date.

Oil candles and lamps give you another layer in keeping the lights on, so to speak. Flashlights, camping lanterns, wax candles, candle lanterns, and chem lights all have their place and are good things to have. Adding one more layer is just insurance. Fairly inexpensive insurance too, as I don’t think I paid over $3.50 for any holder or packet of wicks, and some of the holders you can find for $1. Finally, to be honest, oil candles are pretty insurance at that.

Just thought I should throw a bit of light on the subject.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

I’ve not gotten a lot done the last two to three weeks, but I did get one truly constructive thing done. Before we get into that, some quick thoughts I can’t remember if I covered in Preparedness Pays, but need to add if I didn’t.

Disaster preparedness should NOT be overwhelming. Yes, the potential number of disasters is indeed an infinity-minus-one situation. However, there are only four things that can truly happen to you in the event of one or more happening at once. Also, remember that “emergencies” come in just three flavors: inconvenience, emergency, and disaster.

If you have a basic level of preparedness, it automatically puts most “emergencies” into the inconvenience category. By basic, I mean the ability to provide light, water, heat, food, etc. when faced with a temporary loss of services. It means things like flashlights, candles, water-on-hand, canned or frozen food, means of heating food or a room, and similar things.

Power goes out for up to 24-hours, ho-hum. You have flashlights, a camp stove, and backup power for cell phone, laptop, etc. Water goes out for same, you have water to rinse the soap off in the shower, drink, cook, and even clean a bit at need. And, well, you get the drift. What would otherwise be an emergency is reduced to an inconvenience.

Where it gets fun is where things move from an inconvenience to an emergency or a disaster. In that case, you need to have food stocks above and beyond being prepared for a few days to a couple of weeks. This is where dried foods come in to play.

What you are looking at is up to a month’s worth of food or food augmentation in the event of things going truly sideways into emergency or disaster. Yes, I do mean weeks, as if it slides into full emergency or disaster status you best be rationing.

I am playing with the concept a bit, as this is a general kit really designed for augmentation of limited rations. It features two quart jars of all-purpose flour, one quart of iodized salt, two quarts of dried beans, two quarts of enriched rice (remember, rice plus beans equals effective complete protein), two quarts of quinoa (a complete protein on its own), one quart of green lentils, one quart of oats, and one quart of white sugar. In a major disaster, it will get several people by for several weeks.

When you add in canned meats, vegetables, and fats, you have a month of rationed nutrition for several people. Seriously, add in a small tub of lard, canned meat, and some canned vegetables, and you have a variety of tasty options for very nutritious meals. Add in a shelf-stable jar of ghee, and the oats become very nutritious oatmeal for breakfast. Remember that in emergencies/disasters it is not just the absence of food, but the absence of the right type of foods that poses the largest threat.

Fats are one of the hardest things to get when in a survival situation. I very much remember being told that six large moths a day would give you the minimum amount of fat needed for survival. Moths are amazing creatures, however dusty is a word that comes to mind and not-tasty also pops to mind. Emergencies and disasters DO NOT need to be survival situations in terms of food. If you think and plan ahead, you can put that off a good while.

One thing I will strongly recommend is to have some canned salmon as part of your canned meats. Salmon is a great source for a variety of oils that are critical to the body, including the eyes. Yes, tuna has some of the same, but it takes more tuna to equal the content of the salmon.

But, back to the dried foods. Stored properly, dried foods can last for ten to twenty years. There are those who promote low-temperature canning in the oven to preserve them. The idea is that the low temperature of 200 degrees will kill any insect eggs/larvae in the dried products, along with harmful pathogens, without damaging the dry goods. There are as many (if not more) who disagree.

I got curious and did an experiment. I then talked with some people who know a thing or two about food preservation (and at least one has the certifications to go with same). Short version is that I have to come down on the side of those who say not to do the oven canning. It stresses the jars, it stresses the contents, and it does not guarantee proper canning of the materials.

So, since my seal-a-meal system is in storage, I checked out something else. A rechargeable, hand-held jar vacuum sealer.

It uses fairly standard connectors, which means you should be able to recharge it using the same systems used for your cell phones and other electronics in an emergency. It also gives you the ability to re-seal at least some jars and foods in an emergency or disaster, which can be a distinct plus.

For me, the drawbacks to these systems boil down to two things: not being sure they are as powerful as a good counter-top system and the lack of data. The handhelds (sold under several brand names) do not give much data, so you have no idea of how much vacuum you have established. In my case, to be safe, I used 500cc oxygen absorbers in the jars to be safe. It seems like a strong seal/vacuum, but in the absence of data I prefer to err on the side of caution. On the whole, however, recommended.

CAVEAT EMPTOR DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER CAVEAT EMPTOR

Neither the government nor anyone else considers oven canning or vacuum sealing to be proper canning. In doing either you run the risk of mold, mildew, botulism, and other delights. There are websites that will take this into extreme detail if you are interested. You need to keep an eye on things and anytime lids are trying to pop, bulging, etc., skip it. I look for signs of discoloration or growth as well.

/END CAVEAT EMPTOR

That now said, if you sterilize your jars and do all the things as you should be doing, I see the risk as low for vacuum sealing. Me, I want to continue to play with this a bit and put together some specialty packages, such as a baking package with different flours, baking soda, cocoa powder, etc. Maybe do a breakfast package of grits, oats, and other things that will make a good solid breakfast. I also want to play with various spices, whole primarily, in jelly jars for both portion control and for trade. If you hit the Indian/Asian markets, you can get an amazing array of whole spices as well as some ground that may (repeat, MAY) do well with vacuum sealing.

I’m also planning to seal some basic pasta (water/flour only types) and similar items. Such items allow you to augment and expand food so that not only is nutrition satisfied, so is hunger. It’s a way to bulk up without having to store a lot of bulk.

Also, when you buy the jars, buy extra lids at the same time. This gives you a way to use the jars multiple times, and to do real canning at need even in an emergency or a disaster.

Before I forget, it’s a great idea to stock away some raw local honey. The great thing about honey, especially raw, is that if it hasn’t been adulterated, it lasts not for hundreds of years, but even thousands. Honey in various tombs and other sites that are thousands of years old is still edible and nutritious. Honey has medicinal and other uses (amazing preservative used in early jerky) as well. I will just note that a few gallon jars can go a long way and last one heck of a long time.

I will admit to one benefit from this little experiment. I had left-over beans, lentils, etc., so I threw them into a pot with some bone/other stock. I then cut-up and threw in some kielbasa I found that had no added sugar, corn syrup, or other crap. I’ve now got several containers of delicious soup/stew in the freezer.

So, I will continue to experiment and put away as much dry food as I can. Dry foods will need water, which I continue to see as the key item for all scenarios. I really do want to upgrade my water purification systems, as well as to find ways to upgrade my water-on-hand.

Remember, preparedness pays (always!). Keep your things where you can find them in the dark, and be prepared.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Today, I want to look at some topics a bit beyond those in Preparedness Pays, relating to finances and non-normal disasters. The catalyst for this comes from a Substack article that looks at the fall of civilization but not government, and what that might entail. A fascinating and scary topic, that should be a concern given current events.

Between it and some other events, it also reminded me of a key scene early in Alas Babylon where a character commits suicide after realizing that all currency was now nothing more than paper. Nuclear war is not the only way such can happen, as all it requires is a large-scale (or even mid-scale in some cases) failure of the government or the improper imposition of continuity of government to provide the failure cascade that disrupts the true basic functions of government (public safety, currency, mail, etc.).

As I pointed out in my response to the very good commentary from A. Nonymous in response to my section on finances for Preparedness Pays, I have to walk a bit of a tightrope with the book. First, it’s a 101-level book that has two purposes: to help people learn how to prepare and to make it a part of their lives. It does this by changing from looking at the infinity-minus-one number of potential disasters to the five things that can happen, and to how being prepared for “everyday” or “normal” disasters saves time, money, and stress.

There is, unfortunately, a mindset out there that any form of preparation, practical or otherwise, is the domain of mentally unstable and unserious people. This has been encouraged by corporate news and entertainment media, among others. One good example of it was showcased by a local talk radio host who said on air that if someone was talking preparedness and pretty much said anything beyond typical natural disasters they shut them out, would not share, promote, or discuss it/them on his show or in social media. One of the things I hope to do with Preparedness Pays is to not just get around such close-mindedness, but to start changing what I consider to be a very harmful mindset.

Thus, the very short chapter on finances is very basic, straightforward, and notes repeatedly to get expert advice. I did mention precious metals and may have to tweak that a bit as I used to have a few gold coins, including some tenth ounce coins as well as some silver coins. Reason being not everything would be worth a gold or silver dollar/ounce.

The key to keep in mind is that large-scale events with have large-scale implications, and not everyone will be able to keep up with the changes. Just look at the banker in Alas Babylon, who didn’t consider the implications of what was happening and tried to keep it as business as usual until he couldn’t. You will be a LOT better off if you do study some history and consider the implications.

Given the fragility of both our power grid and the government financial systems, in a large-scale event, I’m going to use my debit or other cards for as long as I can to gather food and items. If they are already down, I will use cash if I find someone willing to exchange things or a service (get me out of here right now and I’ll give you $X) for cash. Cash is only good if the government can back it and if the other countries of the world will accept it. As such, until one or both conditions are met, I will try to have cash on hand.

Historically, precious metals and jewels have made for a good means to carry wealth with you. They can provide a good hedge against inflation or even the results of a depression. They hold value even amidst regional conflicts, and held up pretty well during the two world wars. You can also hide a pretty large amount on the average person via creative tailoring. For example, one reason that mercy shots were needed for the Czar’s family when the Reds murdered them is that the various corsets, vests, and such were full of jewels and jewelry, which acted as a makeshift bulletproof vest. The idea was that if they could escape or be rescued, the jewels could be sold to fund them, bribe as necessary, etc.

This will work, provided there are some islands of stability that will value and give fair value for those items. It also requires safety for all involved. In the case of the Russian revolution, the rest of the world provided that stability. In the face of a massive natural disaster (Welcome Sweet Meteor of Death!) or a global economic or societal crash, that may not hold true as A. Nonymous noted.

Also, given the linked article, keep in mind that if you are having to do either an overt or covert bugout, you need to be able to hide your valuables on you, in you, and around you. A major disaster can and does bring out the best in some people. In others, not so much. There will be people out to rob you, do bad things to you, etc. and some of them may be from the government confiscating for the greater good. Hate to say it, but you need to plan for that.

Quick side note, the linked article above also has some good play on what was talked about in an earlier chapter of Preparedness Pays. Have as many means of travel as possible for your bugout. The use of waterways is a great amplification and can be a good way to think outside the box and get around literal and figurative roadblocks.

When you look at history, a number of interesting things have become currency. Food, drink, spices — all have been used as currency along with precious metals and other valuable items. Or at least valuable in the eyes of the local population. In the event of a large-scale event, such probably will again.

It’s a good reason to look at the foods we take for granted that are almost entirely shipped in from overseas. Coffee, tea, pepper, cocoa/chocolate, and other spices are just a few of them. Good things to have on hand, and not just because I’m a caffeine addict and minor foodie. Individual salt and pepper packets are cheap in bulk, and provide portion control as well as trade goods. Buy bulk and portion down and you have trade goods to exchange for other goods and services.

Then think about the goods that will be needed for doing things by hand: needles, thread, specialty needles, hand tools, nails, screws, and other things we take for granted will just be there when needed. In the event of a large-scale, things like needles and thimbles will be worth their weight in platinum, not just gold. Fishing line, hooks, lures, and related are also things well worth keeping tucked away. Lot of these things are now made overseas, and that is problematic on more than one level.

On a higher level, industrial diamonds, cutting tools for manufacturing, along with some other high-value low-volume items could also be a sound investment in some circumstances. Any area, country, or region looking to get back on it’s feet will be looking for the tools and materials needed to make that happen.

You can’t do everything, but you can prepare for a good bit and on the inexpensive if not the cheap. Thing is, for a number of mid- to large-scale events, don’t count on currency or even current valuables. At least for a short time, you are going to be seeing a trade economy and it is always a good idea to have goods or services you can use for barter. After all, if you have a truly useful skill, or goods to barter, someone might just let you into the Ark.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Time to get back to this, and need to do at least one more related post, maybe tomorrow.

NOTE: This is a (very) rough draft

Finances And Preparedness

This is going to be a very short chapter, as unless you are interested in investing in bridges, oceanfront property that you can get to at low tide, or magic beans, I’m the last person you should look to for financial advice or investment advice. If I knew what I was doing, I would be writing this on my tropical island lair being waited on hand and foot by a very attractive female staff. Since I’m writing this from the basement bunker with the landlord’s cat stalking me to demand attention…

My advice is to do a better job than I did on financial preparedness, and use professional help if you can get it.

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind. Practical preparedness applies to finances large and small. Are you prepared if the card readers at the grocery store go down, and they can only take cash? That happened to someone I follow online recently, and because they had taken the precaution of keeping some cash hidden away in their wallet, they were able to get their groceries and head home.

At a minimum, it’s a good idea to have enough on you to make a purchase and then make it home. It may be $10 and bus fare, or it may be more plus a tank of gas. You need to be prepared so that things like this aren’t a disaster, just an annoyance.

As noted in the previous chapter, at this point it’s about building up to meet the larger disasters in life. It’s being able to cover an emergency car repair or other not-so-minor problems in life. It’s about having the cash or credit to cover even larger expenses. For the first, build it up over time. Have it as both cash and other valuables, on hand and in a bank account. For the second, work on that credit score. My thoughts on credit scores and how they view things is best left unsaid, but it is a game you need to learn how to play so as to use it to your advantage. There is a lot of good, and free, information and help available on improving your score. Get good advice and do what is best for you.

As for the on-hand, keep in mind you may not be able to access your accounts in a timely manner during an emergency. Power could be down, the card processing network could be down, you might be miles from an ATM. This is especially true during a bug-out situation. Fire, flood, chemical spill — it doesn’t matter. What matters is getting out ASAP and being prepared to pay cash for things you need later.

Also, diversify if you can. Right now, given inflation, I wish I had invested in gold. Look at precious metals or other items of value that are low volume/size but hold or even increase in value. If something really bad happens, paper currency can become worthless overnight even in this day and age; electronic assets can be erased; banks can fail quite rapidly (as we’ve recently seen); and, well, there’s an almost endless litany of what can go wrong. But, just as with the premise with everything else, it’s not the type or number of disasters, it’s how you can prepare pretty much comes down to one thing: save. Having cash or other valuables you can use in an emergency is essential.

One final thing to consider is that governments can and have banned private ownership of gold and other valuables. Our own American government did so under FDR, a tale of which more people should learn. So, choose wisely and remember the first rule of Preparedness Club. Also, don’t have everything in one spot.

For this tome, that’s all I’m going to say about finances. Getting good, sound, and professional advice on your situation is what matters, so you can be as prepared as possible.

I so thought those beans were going to be a good investment. Sigh.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

The book as it goes:

Preparedness Pays: Draft Introduction

Preparedness Pays: Draft Chapter 1A

Preparedness Pays: Draft Chapter 2A

Preparedness Pays: Draft Chapter 3A

Preparedness Pays: Draft Chapter 4A

Preparedness Pays: Draft Chapter 5A