survial readiness tips for us poor folk

reply to post by calstorm
BoBs are a great idea, but, when it comes right down to it, what happens if you loose your BoB - a very likely possibility in moments of flight, fright or survival.

So - what you need, really need, is what you can carry with you in your head.

I truly believe knowledge is going to be what saves us.

In saying this it’s my opinion you should take the time you’ve got now to search out and download and print up any and all information you can find on how to survive.

How to make your own weapons.

How to cook without fire.

How to make a fire with whatever you’ve got at hand.

EMT manuals can be found on line. First and foremost for a Mother I would think.

What plants grow wild and have medicinal properties.

The alternate uses for commonly found household items.

Information on how to live off the land, and (though I don't think most will ever get this option, you never know.

Review this information with your kids, and as for you, know it inside and out.

Also, start right now to prepare yourself.

How long could you run, right now, supporting your children?

How much can you lift?

Can you use both your right and your left hand to defend yourself? With and without weapons. Both hands to wield a weapon, chop down a tree, etc.

See what I mean?

If you really believe the time is coming for escape, or, survival, then you’ve got to really get serious.

How many of you cold make a fire with your submissive hand, if your dominant hand was injured.

Can your children make a fire? Can you children defend themselves? Do they have ANY knowledge of self preservation at all?

Do you and your children have any belief system - another most important survival tool. Hope can be stronger than any BoB, believe me.

My point. You might have a great BoB, but you’re not going to be able to pull survival out of that hat. You’re going to have to learn it, practice it, and know it.

If nothing else, learning all this, taking control, and getting your kids in shape and informed will take a huge step forward in giving you the confidence to survive, the most important thing second to knowledge.

peace


[edit on 13-8-2009 by silo13]

There is a thread from another board, that has a 'dollar tree survival' thread with lots of different items you can get from the dollar tree. Not sure if I can post it, but it is out there.

I was re-organizing and going thru our medical supplies the other day, and came across our family thermometer. It is one of those battery-operated in-the-ear ones. I immediately went looking for one of the old-fashioned oral thermometers. They are hard to find - apparently have been phased out due to the mercury. I was able to find one that was mercury-free. Bought it at CVS for about $6. I hope that if there IS a disaster, it won't last longer than any batteries I might have, but I thought it might be prudent just to have a manual one just in case.

reply to post by calstorm


I have a fairly comprehensive list which envisions most any disaster one can think of. I center it around 'one person' so you can do the math yourself for your own situation.

Most of what's on my list echos the contents of the ready made packs, but HEY....it's valuable supplies..so why wouldn't I include them?

Check out the list here: Survival Kit Checklist

reply to post by silo13


Thankfully I do have quite a bit of experiance in those areas, what I don't know I have been putting in quite a bit of effort into researching. As a kid while most girls were playing barbies I was trying to figure out how to fry an egg with out a stove and how to kill a deer with home made weapons (never got myself a deer, but I did get that really mean rooster that was always chasing me). *wonders if my parents ever paid attention to what I was doing.*

reply to post by calstorm

Thankfully I do have quite a bit of experiance in those areas, what I don't know I have been putting in quite a bit of effort into researching. As a kid while most girls were playing barbies I was trying to figure out how to fry an egg with out a stove and how to kill a deer with home made weapons (never got myself a deer, but I did get that really mean rooster that was always chasing me). *wonders if my parents ever paid attention to what I was doing.*

*HIGH FIVE*

We'd a been best buddies back then, lol.

I'm still trying to figure out how to bend a tree over to catch someone in a rope loop!

I caught a squirrel once though and it scared the you know what outta me! Boy was that thing MAD!

Best of luck to you and yours!

peace
gracie

Originally posted by calstorm
reply to post by silo13

 

(never got myself a deer, but I did get that really mean rooster that was always chasing me).

Way to show that little cock who's boss! ;-)

Being poor myself, I've done my fair share of bargain basement survival supply purchasing. Sadly, it still gets expensive.

reply to post by calstorm


If your on a tight budgit, You wanna make every penny count.
If your going to stay put... insure you have enough for at least 3-4 months supply of food, soap, water or the ability to filter it with plenty of it in rivers or lakes ect.
the basics are
1) shelter
2) water
3) food
4) protection
5) first aid
6) comfort items

Now these are all important to survival, start with what you have in the house and use all the time ...like toilet paper... for some it is a comfort item and others it is a manditory item to have...the choice is yours but to realize the things you will need to survive, you should shut off the power for a weekend and see what you need to make it through the weekend with the least amount of stress and loss of comfort.
What do you need to cook? What about light, heat, water,cloths, your toilet supplies are a huge part of your kits...if you are a dirty person in a SHTF than you could get sick quick.
Remember that your mind and ability to preform tasks in a SHTF are more important than all the gear in the stores.
The early american trappers got by with very little and could carry about everything on their backs or with limited help from horses and mules.

Your mind is the most important thing that you have.

my wife works at Walgreens. They have huge discounts on items that they are closing out. Unpublished sale items. Get to know the "sims coordinator"
of your local store and ask her when great deals come along to give you a call.

I keep about 4feet of duct tape, a paper clip, bandaid and a razor blade in my wallet at all times. I wrapped duct tape around my old safeway card at the end i folded over about 1/8". put a paperclip on the card and slid the razor blade ( the kind used on scrapers ) into the duct tape layer.

this "safe-way" card is always in my wallet.

Nice way to always have duct tape on you. It has so many uses.

reply to post by calstorm


This is tuff stuff. I know. My prayers are with you and your family. This is my take on it, take it for what it is worth to you. I am a Christain I have been driven to study hard on all this for about a year now. The Bible states that those that will be alive during the tribulation when they hear the trumpet sound they must flee at once to their safe place it says you will not have time to go down into your house and gather things. I take that as saying we need to be prepared and know where we are going before the trumpet sounds. Having a bag in your car is good because you must flee at once! But if you can have it in a safe place already so if you do have to walk our catch a ride you won't leave all your stuff, then your prep will be in vein. You must remember the tribulation will last for seven years so we must be prepared to survive for seven years. Do you have a safe place you can go? Out of the city? Think... Any country living relatives or friends you can work with to prepare a place for a group? You will not be able to just roam around you will have to flee to a designated area that is already set up. Now this is my personal thoughts on it. As far as gathering the things you will need IMO we have about six months to prepare so maybe your house payment isn't the top priority now maybe getting supplies is. You have to have faith in God. God saved Noah but Noah had to prepare. God saved Lot but Lot had to listen a flee. God will save you too if you will have faith and prepare at all costs even if it means not paying the house payment you wont need it anyway but you will need food, warmth, safety. Your safe place maybe a tent in the middle of nowhere. Pray and fast and study and he (God) will let you know what to do... I promise. God bless you and your family.

Reference: Mathew 24:17-18

I am an escapee from So. CA. Have been surviving and preparing for this shtf scenario for 8 years...this includes research time.. I left a 90k/yr job in CA. to make minimum wage in AZ. A year later I was offered a decent salary to help a startup company....Nope.
Why? Wages earned paid for necessities. I have less necessities living in a rural environment.
Back to topic. Survival isn't a matter of accumulated money or "stuff". I have been preparing and I wonder if i'll be around to use it...Night vision goggles, weapons/ammo, food and water for 2 years(rationed) and still have the feeling i'm missing something.
I am not rich or even well off. I make minimum wage and the wife makes a few dollars more. I bought property using my gi loan. This is our refuge.
We will not leave it and nobody will tell us to.

I had researched,for a cpl years, survival alternatives...A] bug out..B] dig in.

I put it to my wife , before we bought the house, Do we bug out or dig in..She chose dig in.

If I were to bug out I would pick a wilderness area locally that has a stream and game. Then prepare the "wilderness" spot with whatever is lacking...FResh water/water purification, food- buried in sealed containers.

Cosco has a 5gal "emergency food" dehydrated deal that has like 250 meals for $70.. go for it..i have 2.

Pick your spot and stock it underground. use rocks as a marker and camoflauge.
In the city, you'll have to be mad max syndrome. Nuff said on that.

I don't claim to be a survival expert but I thought I'd comment on some of the suggested items thus far. These are my personal views and I hope not to offend anyone.

1) water filter

I have mixed feelings about this. There's two types of scenarios here with the first being that questionable water can be found somewhere (stream, lake, toilet bowl, hot water tanks) and the second scenario is that water is hard to find. In either situation I'd argue that having a water filter that has a limited lifespan of x gallons will only be prolonging the inevitable. Badgerprints made a very practical suggestion: use bleach to make the water safe. I personally have both bleach and an iodine water disinfectant. It may taste like crap but it will work if done properly. Alternatives also include boiling the water, making a solar distiller, making your own water filter with some cotton and some wood turned into charcoal and activated with an enclosed fire pit (high heat / low oxygen).

2) No one mentioned it but a warm durable jacket, jeans and thermals and shoes would be important - especially in the winter.

3) Thumbs up to Merigold on suggesting getting in shape. Thumbs down on the idea of hand-to-hand defense. You don't want to be injured in a survival situation, best to flee and as a last resort have a weapon handy - there are millions of guns around the globe.

4) Thumbs down on vitamins idea. To keep yourself alive you are going to need primarily water and secondarily calories from some type of food such as rice, canned goods, rodents caught with a snare, insects, nuts etc. As badgerprints and oaktree suggests, also plan for the "bug in" route with cheap long shelf life food in the pantry. Cycle through that food with your regular meals to prevent the need for having to throw it away. And if the SHTF an expiration date on food is a suggestion and not a mandate. You'd be surprised what a starving stomach can handle as long as you cook the food well.

5) havok mentions burying your goods. Maybe not a bad idea if those goods are properly protected. There's a guy on youtube that makes containers out of large PVC piping that's capped off at one end and threaded on the other. Neat idea and should last quite a long time.

6) Thumbs down on space-bags as its a single use concept unless you plan on bringing your vacuum. Best to bring plastic sheeting and plastic bags for water protection and other uses (shelter, distiller, etc). Thumbs up on vacuum sealing your dried foods. The other option to prolong shelf-life is silica packs which absorb oxygen and can be bought on eBay.

7) Thumbs down to bug spray. Look, if you're in the elements you are going to get bitten either way. Best to suck it up and deal with it like our forefathers did.

8) Medical items. Generic aspirin has many uses. Iodine again can be used to disinfect a wound. Gauze is a must, in a pinch you can use cotton clothing, sheets etc. Rubbing alcohol also has many uses. I personally own a small field surgical kit. I may have a use for it but suspect it would be a great item to barter for something I need especially if the other party has injured.

9) Learn how to start a fire. It can be done with a match, condom, magnesium, stick and shoelace, magnifying glass, etc.

10) Thumbs down on a thermometer and trust your hands.

11) Thumbs up to home-made hunting weapons/traps. The easiest one to make is the snare, how-tos can be found on youtube.

12) I like awakentired wallet kit. I personally keep a set of razors along with a razor knife in my kit. In a long term situation razors can be sharpened and reused.

13) As moonwilson suggests, a good knife or machete is a must. I also suggest a light back-packing shovel. Plenty of uses for a shovel.

14) Thumbs down to any comfort items. If the SHTF then life is #ty until the # clears, deal with it or die. The only comfort item I carry is my right hand.

Take care!

Incog

I agree with INCOG,

you would aslo need to have a priority of what is most important to least important.

If your staying put you can have everything you need no problem at you house and get by with little or no trouble at all.

However murphy's law is in full effect so don't count on that always being the case.

You should be able to carry everthing needed by yourself in a strong pack, because you never know if you'll be alone or not. Situation could change quickly. You have to be semper gumby...aka...always flexable.

reply to post by calstorm


calstorm, about that Bug-Out-Bag. I LIVED off what I carried for months, with the exception of food and water. Weight is critical.

Keep things simple, practical, and light-weight.

Consider visiting an Army/Navy surplus store. There are poncho liners that you'll find very light weight, durable, quick drying, and will help keep the chill off.

Salt. If you have everything in the world, but don't have salt - you'll die. That is going to be a critical commodity, assuming the balloon goes up.

The thing about those coins. It's really about silver. In the nineteenth century West, men carried silver coins and kept a few in their canteen. Silver is about the safest, most effective anti-microbial in existence.

And for an infected wound, a few filings will help kill that which it can reach.

You'll need containers for water, a method of purifying water, and you'll need fire. A way to start fire. Read up and decide on what may be best for you. Wet matches positively suck.

Don't panic, and a smart BOB will really not take a lot of money. You'll be amazed at what you can scrounge.

You'll be further amazed at what you can eat when you get hungry enough.

I'm also on a budget myself. I really can't afford anything for a BOB bag or similar.

My piece of advice though, forget what everyone else is saying. The only true sound advice I have seen is knowledge, despite used in a semi-wrong context.

Learn what wild foods are available for your area and you'll never go hungry.

Learn how to make cord from fibrous plants and hooks from bone and then you can fish or use the cord to tie together a fish trap or make a snare for other animals.

Go out in the woods and try to make a decent debris hut that is waterproof, after you've mastered that, try making something more structurally sound and permanent.

Learn how to filter water with sand and charcoal and boiling, if you lack anything to boil water in then make a birch basket or use whatever is available that can be used to contain the water for boiling.

So, we have the three most needed basic necessities of man met right there. Food, water and shelter. You can buy all the gadgets, bells, and whistles you like and pack them in a bag. Everything you need is all around you though. Why waste your money now when you should be learning skills that are more important. Think about it, you buy that water filter and it's the only one you have and it breaks. Then what? Risk getting diseases because you couldn't be bothered to learn how to filter water with common materials all around you? Or, suppose your food stash runs out, now you starve despite hundreds of plants you can eat literally right next to you.

Knowledge is key to survival, not gadgets. Learn everything you can, learn how we've survived for thousands and thousands of years without gadgets. Life is only as tough as you want it to be, if you can't live without buying a water filter and stalking up on food, then your not going to live very long.

reply to post by incogniteus


Have to disagree with incog's vitamin thumbs down. Fact is that "survival" type rations and preps even are not ballanced nutritionally. Scurvy is a huge killer in an emergency environment . You can die in weeks. This is not well known simply because the vitamins are added to the corporate food program.

Get vitamin C and D at the minimum. I have a list that eludes me atm but i'll find it and post it. It is my wife's shopping list in fact. She works at a drug store and I told her to buy these in mass if they go on sale.

You will only get vitamin C from fruits and veggies. If your emergency supply..like mine is rice and beans...then you need a supplement.

reply to post by sirnex


Starred your respons cause the attitue is right. However, the overall idea is wrong. You need to prepare and not take it as it comes...even if you can only gather a couple days of food and water and use it even if you have soup lines available. The idea is do be a free thinker. Don't be a sheep and go along with the herd w/o knowing possible results. Pretend to be a sheep though until the time is right.

Hi awakentired,

I appreciate your reply and respect your opinion. A few ideas:

Vitamin D is produced automagically by your body in direct sunlight.
Vitamin C can be had quite quickly with a nice cup of pine needle tea.

Take care!

Incog

Well, the only reason we need our foods fortified is because our processing of them leeches all the nutrients right out of them. There are a lot of plants that provide plenty of vitamin C, dandelion comes to mind right away, or even pine needles made into a tea. Our body also produces all the vitamin D it needs, only reason we need it in fortified foods is because we don't get enough inside our cubicles all day. We also get plenty from fish and eggs. Problem with that scenario is that our diets are more geared towards junk foods that don't offer the proper nutrition our bodies need. So, in essence, he's right to thumbs down vitamins, it's a stupid thing to take unless you plan on living off junk food when tshtf.