Are You Stockpiling Now? If so, what?

Originally posted by snatchypaws

People please!

Lets just have a little less paranoia shall we.

It is not reasonable to think that you can survive large scale problems. The more you worry about it, the more desperate you wil become.

If you start to panic buy or start to setup large collections of equipment, others will start to do the same and a panic buying spiral will begin. You will create your own doom.

Do you honestly think that the US is going to run out of water? C'mon lets calm down here a little bit.

yes, yes the US will run out of fresh water, it will be forced to move or import water from canada.

the simple fact of the matter, the states cant support its self, they need canada for fresh water/wood. without the water, they wouldn't get the oil, and without the tree's there wouldn't be any houses so.........yes, yes i do think the U.S will run out of water.

As for "It is not reasonable to think that you can survive large scale problems. The more you worry about it, the more desperate you will become." theres one thing people in main-stream society don't get, there are some people who WANT this to happen, we WANT to go back to nature, we WANT to live off the land and not be subject to the control and manipulation of governmenting systems which take away a persons civil rights.

I have always kept a reserve supply of food and water, and that practice has served me well in the past. Recently, I have increased the size of all my reserve supplies, for the most part before the recent price hikes.

I have stockpiled flour, rice, sugar, salt, corn meal, canned goods (fruits and veggies, soups and stews), cooking oil, peanut butter, pasta, spices, and I-don't-know-what-all. It's hard to estimate how long it would last, seeing as I could have anywhere from 2-6 people here in an emergency situation, but based on a scenario of 2 people, I think we'd be able to eat for a year.

I would suggest obtaining a vacuum-packaging system, such as the FoodSaver. I repackage all of my dry goods, and it increases the shelf life by at least double. I also invested in a home water distiller. I have a food dehydrater, which works particularly well on apples and carrots. My next major purchase will be a generator. I already have the requisite firearms, ammo, and big mean dog. :-)

Bravo to everyone who said that knowledge is more important than any of these things. I have long counseled people to increase in their practical skills; sewing, cooking, carpentry, repairs, etc. I have assembled a personal library of books on how to make or fix just about anything. I make all of my own blankets and am now making new ones to put aside for future trading.

One more thing; one can find many plans online for constructing simple and effective solar ovens. These can be made from cardboard boxes, and may come in handy in the future.

reply to post by Infadel

While I agree in principle to this thread(my wife and I are stockpliling beans, rice , legumes, and flours, I find the idea of buying a dray horse a bad idea. As a former owner of horses, do you have any idea how much food and water these animals take? Plus, you have to have the harnesses, the plows, etc. It's a good Idea on the surface, but give it some deep thought man. Those things can be exspensive to feed. Better to to invest in an ox.
Stock up on beans, rice, pasta, canned goods, powdered milk and any other non-persishable food group you can think of. Plant fruit trees. Stock up on alchol, (and i don't mean medicinal) A bottle of cheap scotch might be worth a fortune in barter. I'm stocking up on Wild Turkey 101. Good borbon, quick high, and good barter material(d0n't forget to save some for your self)

If you can get the makings, set up a still. Grow corn, barley, rye, whatever it takes, and brew your own, for drinking or for barter. If you can't age in barrela, then bottle it and sell it green. Most people aren't going to give a damn anyway. they are just wanting to relieve their pain.
If lyou can brew beer, so much the better. A great part of this country's economy was built on beer.
If you stock pile canned goods, DON"T CALL ATTENTION TO THE CANS. This will let your neighbors know you have food. The value of you life will quickly drop to

guys' do you not think we are going a bit over the top here? Jesus, there is no evidence that the food is running short, hell when I was in the supermarket today, they looked pretty well stocked to me! Nobody was out running around doing a panick buy. Guys' chill out.

Originally posted by wow23
Jesus, there is no evidence that the food is running short, hell when I was in the supermarket today, they looked pretty well stocked to me!

Well if your supermarket is stocked today, then there's no reason to worry, is there? Good thing we can always depend on the supermarket!

I got a few extras today and spent $367. A year ago, the same cost me $150-$200. I happened to notice that the grain aisle (flour, cornmeal, etc.) looked kinda skimpy. Read the articles linked in the first post and see if you still feel the same.

There is some economic shufflin' about to happen.

Did you know that all of the food markets in any given community contain only about a 3 day food supply for that community? If the supply lines are disrupted, a community could run out of food in nothing flat. Truckers are now protesting the high prices they must pay for diesel. As the price increases, we'll see fewer things being delivered to market. In a flu pandemic, everything could grind to a halt. I, for one, intend to be prepared for such an eventuality.

reply to post by jimmyx


Glad you noticed that hyped up food shortage situation. Think about the movie "Wag The Dog" with an empty food bowl. I believe my friends who are staunch anti-conspiracy types are starting to see something's not
quite right at the ol' grocery store and their wallets and purses.
I ask the checkers if others are as concerned as I am and they tell me
that it's growing. I notice when I shop, you can hear a pin drop as shoppers are really concentrating on what to buy and what they can do without. The luxuries (olives, specialty cheeses, etc) are just sitting and
gathering dust.
While hungry at times, even I can step back in awe as this plays out; it is historic. I read an article that there is enough food on this, our lonely blue planet, to feed 26 Billion (w/a "B") people. So, the shortages are contrived and designed to "starve us out".
I don't believe in hoarding as I head how horrible it was during WWII, but the next time I see 44 cent caned corn, I'll get a couple of extra cans. Maybe I could even pulverize the contents into fuel.

BEER!!!!....obviously!!!!......and CIGARETTES (diet ones of course....the ones with added vitamins, anti-oxidants and natural organic moisturisers etc) and erm.......probably women, lots of them!!!! (where is YOUR missus tonight???)

At our house we have always stockpiled some foods and drinks because we live in a mountain area where the roads are not the best to begin with. Our first stockpiling priority is water, since we live in Southern California earthquake country. We bought 50-gallon storage containers from SOS emergency supply outfitters, located in the San Fernando Valley, USA. Here is the link for their online store:


www.sosproducts.com...


They sell related items, such as water storage tablets, etc. If you store your water containers on a concrete flooring, be sure to set your containers on a plywood sheet on the floor, not directly on the concrete, since over time, salts from the concrete can migrate through the plastic container into the water. How much water to store? That depends on how many people are in your household, whether your close neighbors and friends have also stored water (or not), etc. The international Red Cross recommends storing at least a 3-day supply for the household, a minimum of 1 gallon per person per day -- that number is for drinking and cooking purposes only.

Another helpful U.S. source of basic food-preparation and household items at decent prices is Lehman's catalog. They sell many non-electric household machines, tools, and hard-to-find supplies, including reasonably priced home canning equipment, pickling crocks, on and on. Here is their website:


www.lehmans.com...


Note: We don't work for either of these stores, we've just bought from them and can vouch for the quality of what they offer.

BTW, be aware that Eden Foods is the only manufacturer currently using cans lined with natural plant ingredients which contain zero Bisphenol A. Here is the link to that topic discussion on their website:


www.edenfoods.com...


Okay, here is our list of what we have been stockpiling:

Gasoline: We keep our car tanks pretty full, and keep a 5-gallon can filled as well, but be aware that at least in the U.S., the refineries for years have included additives in commercial gasoline which limit its storage life quite a bit. So don't hang onto gasoline forever.

Grains: We often cook with whole grains, which usually involves soaking a cup or so of the grains overnight in the refrigerator -- cooking is much easier that way; I got used to planning ahead about that pretty quickly. I sometimes get headaches from wheat so we use alternative grains like spelt and kamut, as well as whole hulled barley and oats, millet, a little whole rye, short grain brown rice (this is the best-tasting), also medium grain brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, popcorn, various grain flake products, and a small amount of buckwheat. At a Latino market, I bought a 20-pound bag of Maseca brand corn masa mix (cornmeal for making tortillas at home), along with an inexpensive tool they sell for flattening out the tortilla shape, after I found out that many commercially made tortillas have sugar added -- gross! BTW, Maseca masa comes in 2-pound and 5-pound packages as well.

Noodles and tofu: Trader Joe's has decent prices on organic semolina dry pasta and excellent prices on organic tofu, otherwise we mostly drive to a Little Tokyo in downtown L.A. to buy dry noodles such as buckwheat soba, big fat udon noodles that are to die for (the flat udon noodles are so-so), and somen noodles.

Other dried goods, bought from local food co-op, stored in glass containers in our kitchen cupboards: Dried corn, various split peas, lentils, black-eyed peas, aduki beans, black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas), etc. Nuts include almonds, walnuts, dried chestnuts, and pine nuts. Seeds include sesame seeds (must store in refrigerator) and sprouting seeds such as sesame, alfalfa, even fenugreek. Pay attention to what's on sale; you can often get a good deal on dry goods this way.

I eat fish, while my partner is vegetarian; in Little Tokyo I bought dried flaked bonito in small plastic packages (no need to refrigerate), which is the secret ingredient in most restaurant miso soup broth.

Also in Little Tokyo we get high-quality low-priced seaweed packaged in plastic bags, shelf life is quite long. Just remember to be careful with your portion size of seaweed, since if you max it out over a long enough time, the iodine in the seaweed can make your thyroid gland hyper... not a great thing.

In Chinatown, we buy yuba (a sheet of high-protein, high-fat material made from tofu, and it's dried so no refrigeration necessary) and black bean (which is actually black soybean) sauce.

Drinks: We buy canned coffee from either Costco or Smart and Final, which are local "big box" discount stores. Costco is membership only, but Smart and Final membership is totally optional. We buy packaged tea from our co-op, and Trader Joe has good prices on lemons which we slice and add to glasses of water and what-have-you. We also buy quintuple-filtered water from our co-op (currently .30 cents a gallon, quite a good price). Unfiltered sake - cheaper to buy this in Little Tokyo, but Whole Wallet -- er, WholeFoods -- has it as well, a little more expensive.

Canned foods: The aforementioned Eden Foods manufacturer makes an array of canned beans and veggies, which we use for quick meals.

Home garden: We started growing lots of organic veggies and fruits, but varmints (squirrels etc.) got all the fruit and most of the veggies; nowadays we grow artichokes successfully along with citrus and leafy veggies the squirrels dislike, such as collards, kale, etc. Edible flowers include rose petals, nasturtiums, and garland chrysanthemum (Not the Regular Mums, folks - those are Not Edible).

Spices and ethnic supplies we get from an Indian grocery in the San Fernando Valley; star anise, for example is normally outrageously pricey, but I can buy a large plastic bag of star anise for around $2.00 (and anise has the active ingredient in Tamiflu, the bird flu vaccine).

Miscellaneous: Also from the co-op, we're buying quantities of soap, rice vinegar, unrefined sesame oil, unrefined olive oil, (store the oils in a cool place and refrigerate after opening), tahini, tempeh, Ezekiel bread (store in freezer until needed), sea salt, sprouting seeds and tamari sauce (a high quality soy sauce). Fresh produce we buy at our co-op includes green and other onions, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, collards, kale, mustard

[edit on 4/23/2008 by Uphill]

The majority of the world live virtually on rice.

Originally posted by snatchypaws
If you start to panic buy or start to setup large collections of equipment, others will start to do the same and a panic buying spiral will begin. You will create your own doom.

Panic? who's panicing? You know you sound like one of those NWO supporters who would rather we all be caught unprepared..

It is stupid NOT to have some preparations for emergency... even if its just a stock of food medicine and some spare cash in case you get hurt on the job and can't work for awhile

Do you honestly think that the US is going to run out of water? C'mon lets calm down here a little bit.

Well main stream news does Google this "US water shortage" But I have 35,000 gallons in my pool that would do in a pinch

Okay so food prices might go up, they will go down again in the future. Lots of areas of life have a cyclic pattern.

Well food prices is a GOOD reason to stock pile... We do THAT all the time.. buy the specials, stick it in the freezer and you save a TON of cash... that I can spend on building my Medieval Empire (which BTW is a LOT of fun )

Calm down, chill out and enjoy yourself.

Yup Most DEFINITELY a NWO Stooge

Originally posted by xpert11
Just remember the more you stockpile the more you have to replenish because food , water , batteries all have a shelf life whether or not they get used or not.

Its called "ROTATION"

Originally posted by Acidtastic
I certainly think that knowlage,will be more useful in the long run,than a stockpile of stuff.

The biggest problem with stock piling is transport... in case, like in New Orleans, you need to leave in a hurry

All our gear is stored in an old Uhaul (for convenience for events) so it would only take tossing in food and water and away we go..

Every time we go camping the neighbors think we are moving

Originally posted by NazcaPMy next major purchase will be a generator.

I would suggest you look at the new solar powered generators... I saw them at a convention here in Vegas... Would come in handy when the gas runs out

How to Make a Solar Power Generator for Less Than $300
www.rain.org...

I will find the company that makes the generators... I have a brochure here somewhere

[edit on 23-4-2008 by zorgon]

This is a good post. I think that it's time to start acquiring more groceries than you usually keep. We usually by canned goods by the case and what's a few more cases.

Here's a link to shelf life of some canned goods.
www.y2kkitchen.com...

Gardening is great if you have the time and space. Look for heritage seeds. You can harvest not only the fruit and/or veggies from these but you harvest the seeds for next year.

Here's a great link on how to build a still. Liquor will have value even if a paper dollar doesn't.
www.moonshine-still.com...

If you have money, I'd suggest that you convert some of it into silver coin. If the dollar tanks silver and gold coins will most likely still have value.

Other people have posted quite a bit of good information.

So, you should make a plan, implement the plan and hopefully have a great life.

PS With respect to food, you need to not just stockpile but you need to developer a rotation system so that you use the oldest first and continually replenish you stock. This should just become part of your lifestyle. If the economy gets better it's no big deal to have a little extra food. If it tanks, it could make all the difference in the world.

reply to post by Wildbob77


Agreed. Canned goods and home canned goods are great things to store. I don't know about a moonshine still, most folks will shy away from bootleg liquor, and even only a smaller portion of the population will drink legitimate liquor. I think the thing there is bottled wine. Its always good for storage and even if everyone was poor and all they had to bring to a wedding was a bottle of wine its still a nice gift. Wine doesn't require a still or skills at distillation either. You can buy 6 gallon wine kits for $50 and up that make 28-30 bottles. Wine is usually stabilized with vitamin C and retains most of the fruit juice in a preserved state. Just a thought.

We pretty much always have a few extra weeks on hand because we eat a variety of food and cook most of it. Dried beans and rice kept me going for nearly 5 years in college so I am not too worried. I will be storing larger amounts of dried foods just to ride out higer prices due to fuel prices and the trickle down effect and also to allow me to spurge on veggies, eggs, meat, etc should those go higher.

YAY NAFTA and WTO!!

reply to post by wow23


Those are the same exact words that people in New Orleans probably said before Hurricane Katrina.

Don't expect the niceties of modern life in a first-world country to work 100% of the time.

I live in northern Los Angeles along the San Gabriel mountains. I learned to stock food after the Northridge earthquake. That earthquake was strong but the region has potential for much more powerful earthquakes. I can't expect the government to help me, I can't expect the supermarkets to be stocked, I can't expect a trip to the supermarket to be safe, I can't expect the supermarket food to be edible, I can't even expect the supermarket to be standing.

Don't think that Los Angeles, New Orleans, or some far off third-world land are the only places that can have some disaster that affects food supply. It can happen anywhere.

The reasons to stock up on food are a little more than a possible world food-crisis or an NWO conspiracy. The fact that people just talk about stalking up on food means there are a lot less desperate people when a crisis does occur.

Part of the reason why people have firearms is to protect their food against those that were unprepared and are desperate enough to steal.

reply to post by METACOMET


Here is another great water filter, no moving parts, strictly ceramic and gravity fed. As long as we have gravity it should work. It filters a large amount of water and requires little effort. I have the Katadyn Swiss filter and it works great but it is a lot of work to pump enough water to drink for yourself let alone a family.

This filter is super cheap and works great.

shop.monolithic.com...

reply to post by Ironclad


Mate i don't know what part of oz you are from but Have you been shopping for meat and other stuff in the past few months ??? Price of food has gone past the roof and it's not going to get any better

Sorry about the off topic

I have started my veg garden and going well + i have been buying bulk rice and pasta Can food is next on my list I have 2x rain water tanks 6 thous lt in total

Trying to make the rest of my family understand what is going on in the world and about the times ahead

Not a very ezy task