How well prepared are you actually

Not really sure how to 'scale' myself to be honest. The problem is that the state of 'preparedness' depends on the SHTF scenario.

Having a stockpile of food, water and other supplies is a wise idea whatever the scenario. Most 'longlife food' however does not last forever! just remember to keep it updated.

I've got a full survival equipment kit prepared for my immediate family, as for food and water........ thats gonna be one last minute supermarket sweep....FREE!

reply to post by Mr Mask


well some info is ok to tell, besides if anyone can get to my supplies, let alone into my house without being invited in. then i will not have the need for my stuff anyways.

my property is more secure than you could imagine, i know whenever someone or some animal is on my property long before they can see my homestead. And if they come up my driveway they usually get met before they make the halfway point.

reply to post by triaxrob


Very good, VERY VERY good.

Again...as said before...if the "bad day" comes, and we meet, I will surly be interested in barter.

Stay safe, and lets hope we prepare for nothing.

Wasted work would be more welcomed then being "right".

I have the training, the equipment, and the will. I'm a skilled marksman and martial artist, I know how to live in many environments, not survive, LIVE. With all of that said, I'm about an 8. You can never be fully prepared for what you dont know is coming, matter of fact because of that let's cut me down to a 6. Which is about where the scale should be for most people.

"Over a long enough timeline everyones survival rate is zero." On this note, put me down at 1. Death is always part of the survivalist job description. This is a fact that no bug out bag, not rifle, no ration can change.

For a long term scenario:
I think we are at a 3, maybe a 4. I've got food stores, defensive needs, medical supplies, seed for gardening, animals, the basics...
I probably would have rated myself much higher until I realized just how many family members need to exist on what I have stored. On the up side, I have convinced one other family member to at least -start- storing basics. So, I can give myself a fraction of a point for that!
In all honest I give myself a 1 due to health issues, but I stock up anyway so that my family can have the benefit even if I don't make it through.
For a 3 month scenario, I can give us an 8-8.5, barring a major medical crisis. Food and water wise, 3 months wouldn't be a problem here.
Unfortunately, I don't see any overall scenario as only lasting 3 months. But it's still a comfort in the event of natural disasters and such.
The more scenarios I think of, the lower I rate us...
Think I'll stop for now!=)
~prep

I'd give us a solid 9, our primary weakness being an inability to defend against a large-scale insurgency, plus the fact that a good bit of our strategy hinges around being able to hold the house. We have a group of like-minded people, who would be mutually invaluable. We're a small group though, and any large force that chooses to take us out will eventually be successful. I don't know why they'd do that, as there's nothing to steal or export, but it's a possibility.

We're self-sufficient, for the most part, powerwise, most food, water source and storage, skills, tools.

Our survival strategy for the last 15 years has been to simplify our lives, and gradually shift over to self-sufficiency, rather that awaiting the dreaded SitX and responding to it. Yes, we use fuel and buy groceries -- some groceries. Neither of those conditions would cost our lives if they were cut off. Neither my Bride nor I want to effect changes that ONLY benefit us if TSHTF. Okay, not entirely true........ maybe there is a toy or three that is socked away or cached that we hope is never needed. We're blessed to have a very good and deep cave.

It's a very simple life, this ol' computer and brand new monitor being the primary extravagence. Oh yeah, and the solar collector-heated homemade hot tub. Don't laugh!! Wait until you're 52 years old and see if you consider a hot soak a luxury. ha!

Neither of us worry about a nuclear strike inasfar as our own lives are concerned. We worry about it all the time as far as the globe is concerned.

It's good to prepare. I suggest getting a little extra food each time you shop, rotate your stock and it helps to mark the purchase date on items that don't have an expiration. Cooking oils are often overlooked when stocking up, along with the biggie -- toilet paper. I believe that olive oil in a glass or metal container lasts the longest without going rancid.

Water filtration a must. If you live in a warm/hot area, freeze your flour, dried pasta, rice, beans for 24 hours first before storing them away. It kills the weevil eggs that are a natural by-product of harvesting. Store foods in an airless of a condition as you can.

Hopefully, we'll still be having these conversations years from now. At the time when the two of us began stocking up, we had just moved here, and our income was USD $750 per month.

I agree with many others it depends on the type of scenario. No one can be a 10 for EVERY possible scenario.

I'll comfortably put myself at 7.

I have a decent stockpile of canned goods (mostly home-canned) and a couple cases of MRE's. We raise chickens & ducks (flock of 50+ now) so those could provide plenty of food as well.

For heat we're on propane. I try to keep the tank topped off at all times. If we need to, we could stretch a full tank to 2-3 months if we turned the heat down a bit, depending on what the outside temp was like. Propane stove for cooking. We also have a fireplace and a crapton of wood (plus plenty of dead trees to cut).

We're on well water and a septic system. I dug a small pond out back for the ducks and although the water is pretty nasty (ducks are DIRTY!), if it came down to it we could make it safe to drink by boiling, distilling or running through my backpacking water filter. I also have a couple large emergency water containers in the basement, I think around 20gals or so.

We've got tons of camping gear (tents, bags, portable stove, etc.) so we could "bug out" if necessary but that is a last resort IMO. I have an old Jeep, lifted, oversize tires, it's my off-road toy and would be our bug-out vehicle if we needed to get the heck outta here.

As far as knowledge goes, we grow a huge vegetable garden every year (roughly 1/4 acre) and have several producing fruit trees. I can hunt & process game on my own. Rabbits & deer are plentiful in my area. We do alot of home canning, and I'm familiar with other "antique" preservation techniques such as drying meat, salt-curing, etc.

For defense we're really, really well set. Got enough rifles, handguns & ammo here to equip a small army. And I'm very comfortable with every one of them. My oldest son is pretty good too, wife not so much. I have a range setup in the back and practice shooting every week. Strategically our house would be great to defend from -- atop a large hill, I have visibility of a mile in every direction. I have easy access to the roof (good vantage point) from several rooms. We're about a mile outside the city.

Our biggest weak point right now is electricity. I have a small generator (2500w) but it's barely enough to run the fridge, deep freeze plus a couple room's worth of lights. Maybe the well if I unplugged one of the refrigerators. And of course it requires gasoline -- something else I don't have a whole lot of. We have an old grain silo in the back that would hold at least a couple wind turbines to supplement our power. Will get some up there when time & money permits. If I had enough solar panels or wind turbines to run the well pump, we'd really be set.

I can't stress enough how important KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE are for your SitX plans. Learn to can your own fruits & meats, and other preservation techniques. Learn how to garden, hunt, process game. Learn to distill water, how to recognize good/bad water sources in the wild. Learn to shoot! Your brain is your most valuable resource!

reply to post by WhiteDevil013


That really sucks and I know it can be frustrating. Sit down and have a serious talk with her. Tell her what yo believe and what your plan is, tell her it may sound weird but it's important to you.



I started storing things in one of my closets without tell me husband, luckily he visits these site to and we talk about the forums, about 6th months in he said ' you know it may sound weird but maybe we should start putting some things away".... I was like I already have been, check out the closet.

I'd say I'm at a 6 maybe. I know I have a long long way to go. Luckily my family has agree to start helping out. I put my older sister on breakfast foods. Younger sister on starches ( pasta, rice, potato & sauces) while my mother and I working on everything else.

I keep a spread sheet of all updated food supplies and another for medical/personal needs. Our plan is to head to my parents house. We all live in NH, my parents own a 5 bedroom house (5 kids) but we're all out now. They have 30 secluded acres with plentiful hunting. There are 12 adults total, and 7 soon to be 8 children ( 6 and under). I've convinced my siblings to keep a Bug out Bag so they can just go, not sure which Situation will arise but I guess we'll tackle it together.

Here is our current supplies. I know it's skimpy for 12+ people, but we'll get there.

Flour (All Purpose) 7 5lbs
Sugar (White) 8 5lbs
Dry Milk 8 41 lbs
Dry Milk 1 21 lbs
Dry Milk 1 25 oz
Brown Sugar 2 2 lbs
Oatmeal (quick oats) 5 2 lbs
Honey 3 16 oz
Corn Starch 1 16 oz
Sea Salt 3 16 oz
Pancake Mix 5
Corn Meal 2 24 oz
Breadcrumbs (Assorted)2 24 oz
Corn Syrup 1 16 oz
Yeast (Quick Rise) 15 4 oz
Chicken Bouillon 3 2 oz packet
Muffin Mix (Assorted) 22 makes 12
Maple Syrup 3 24 oz
Cream of Wheat 6 32 oz
Oatmeal (Assorted Flavors) 5 2 oz packet
Crisco 3 48 oz
Crisco 1 16 oz
Vegetable Oil 4 48 oz
Rice 18 10 lbs
Extras:
Tea (Assorted) 6 tea bags
Hot Cocoa 1 box of 30 1 oz each pack
Jello (assorted) 6 3 oz
Pudding (assorted) 6 3 oz
season mixes (assorted)24 3oz
Coffee Creamer 6 16 oz
Coffee 5 Large, Small
Jelly (Assorted Flavors) 8 32 oz
Applesauce 6 48 oz
Fluff 2 16 oz
Peanut Butter (Assorted Sizes)14
Popcorn (Assorted Sizes)2 3 lbs
Water 6 Gallons
Cake Mix 7 18 oz
Frosting 7 16 oz
Brownie,Mix 5 18 oz
Ovaltine 4
Assort Drink Mix 3 12 oz
Meals;
Pastas (Assorted) 72 16 lbs
Mac & Cheese 85 small, kids
Lentils 30 16 oz
Ramien 21 box's 12 packs
Broths (Assorted) 7 28 oz
Pasta Sauce (Assorted)59 26 oz
Baked Beans 6 1 lb
Instant Potatoes 16
Assorted Cereals 11 15/28 oz
Canned Potatoes 4 15 oz
Canned Vegetables (assorted)60 14 oz cans
Canned Fruit 40 29 oz
Canned Tuna 66 5 oz
Stuffing Mix 46
Crackers (Assorted) 7 Assorted
Cookies (Assorted) 5 Assorted
Fruit snacks 2 18 each
Soup (Assorted)
Corn Muffin/ Bisquick mix 22
Boxed rice 11 6oz

Here is our Medical/Personal needs list.

Medical
Peroxide 3
Alcohol 3
Hydro-cortisone cream 2
Cotton Balls 2
Hot/ cold patch 2
Thermometer 3
Athletic Tape 6
Ace Bandage ( reusable) 6
Ace Bandage (disposable) 17
Scissors 1
Ibuprofen 6
Excedrin 4
Aspirin 2
Sleep Aid 2
Band Aids 5 assorted ( 100-200 count)
Triminic Cough 1
Childrens pain reliever 4
Gauze bandages 2 ( 30 pk)
Children Allergy relief 2 1
Adult cold meds 3
Vitamins children 5 (260 count)
Pepto 2
Adult Allergy relief 1
Triple Antibiotic 2
Sanitizer 10
Cough Drops 2 ( 200 count)

Personal Needs
Pads 12 pks
Tampons 15 box
Q tips 3 (300 count)
Toilet paper 2 packs ( need lots more)
Tooth Brushes 8 (Kids)
Tooth Paste 3
Mouthwash 3
Contact Case 1
Deodorant 10 sticks
Razors 20 packs
Soap 12 brs
Epsom salt 4 quart

Extras
Matches 6 ( 300 count)
Clothes Pins 2pk
Bugspray 2
Twine 6
Masking tape 6
Electrical Tape 6
Dust/medical mask 1 box
Sewing kits 4
Crayons 4
Colored Pencils 4
Markers 4
Glue sticks 6
Coloring books 10
Note books 10
Learning books 10
Various crafts -a lot
AA batteries 1
AAA Batteries 1
D batteries 2
Extra wics 2
oil lanterns 6

reply to post by spiritwomyn

Today most humans do not care about anyone but themselves and believe someone else should help them and others.

I'm sorry these are the people you encounter in your life, but all human do not act this way. I know lots of people willing to give, I am one of them. My husband works to support 5 people on one paycheck. The kids are young and childcare cost should be criminal so I stay home with them. We don't have much but what we do have I'm willing to share. I'm always looking for another charity to help becuase that's what make me happy. My latest mission is to help the homeless man in my town Ron. We only have one homeless man so its a big deal around here.

I'd put a solid 7. I would say I'm secure in my home with food stock and ammunition. If i had to leave and live in the wilderness id say a 6. I camp a lot and i do know some basic bush craft I don't know how long I could absolutely stay especially with my wife and hopefully at some point a kid. So if all things considered I'd say 5 for me ... im not unprepared just not entirely prepared

Give myself about 2.5 -4 I'm afraid, got some bits ready, got a BOB but no real provisions, Think I'd bugin rather than Bugout.

Originally posted by spiritwomyn
Lets see, I have no vehicle, have to be out of this house in six days and have no visible funds to work with, and there is no organization or human that will help, so I guess a one, except I have God.

In a bad or good situation that makes it a ten and above. I certainly would not count on any humans having my back.

Most talk a good talk here and all over, but when it comes down to it, they would stab you in the back as well.

My folks would help anyone in need and gave so much even though they had eleven children. My dad was Coast Guard and my mother was a Marine. Today most humans do not care about anyone but themselves and believe someone else should help them and others.

So we have chosen the lie and the deception and the fear over Truth, Love, Compassion and Giving.

So I think most people are already bankcrupt and without the real supplies for survival.

With the right knowledge one could be at a 6 or 7 with nothing more than a water filter, sleeping bag, tarp, wool blanket, cooking pot, a couple changes of clothes, 2 canteens, and a good axe, and a $250 shotgun, better start filling that brain with bushcraft and woodlore. Absent a nuke you could have as good a shot as the guy with $20K in preps, most of which will be stolen or left behind when things get bad enough (waterworks shut down). I'd like to see 14 months of food fit in a car along with other gear. Much more important in my opinion is knowing how to trap game and find edible plants locally. A couple of books on edible plants don't cost that much and weigh a lot less than indefinite food. My food stocks are limited to what would be necessary to get through the dry season in CA, 2-3 months.

[edit on 12-12-2009 by wanderingwaldo]

I would say ZERO. Im not ganna lie I use to think the whole "Be prepared, stock up!" thing was completely stupid but with the things going on right now, im about to start filling our empty milk jugs with water. And im really thinking of getting a CCW. Things are just turning weird and its better to be safe than sorry.

Originally posted by Jess_Undefined
I would say ZERO. Im not ganna lie I use to think the whole "Be prepared, stock up!" thing was completely stupid but with the things going on right now, im about to start filling our empty milk jugs with water. And im really thinking of getting a CCW. Things are just turning weird and its better to be safe than sorry.

develop yourself a budget that you can afford to live and work with.... and then look at what do you actually need for a SHTF scenario.... with a little time and dilligence you will have a good supply of items all set up in no time....

CCW is not a bad idea.... not bad at all...

Depending on the scenario, we're a 6-8. We live way out in the country on a small farm with giant garden and livestock. We raise about 70% of our own food. Have a stocked root cellar, and across the road is a large lake. We live on a hill and have water/ swamps/ lake on 3 sides and through the woods about a mile is an abandoned mine with well constructed, modern horizontal shafts... don't go more than 150 yards though, they quickly go vertical. We're well armed, with a variety of arms and hunting rifles. Outside of the hunting rifles, all arms are chambered to fire the same calibre as US Armed forces... get ammo off of dead.
The biggest thing is skill level and practice. We can live like gran' daddy and sometimes do for fun. That is my biggest suggestion... live and learn like you will never go to the store or have electricity again. Think in 19th century terms... literal horsepower, buckets for hauling water, hand tools for working with logs and cutting firewood, castiron for cooking with, smoking and curing for food preservation, hand plows for gardening. Canning supplies, candles, matches galore, heirloom seeds, stores of nails Pretend you are on a historical re-enactment settlement... could you live comfortably?

Originally posted by AlreadyGone
Depending on the scenario, we're a 6-8. We live way out in the country on a small farm with giant garden and livestock. We raise about 70% of our own food. Have a stocked root cellar, and across the road is a large lake. We live on a hill and have water/ swamps/ lake on 3 sides and through the woods about a mile is an abandoned mine with well constructed, modern horizontal shafts... don't go more than 150 yards though, they quickly go vertical. We're well armed, with a variety of arms and hunting rifles. Outside of the hunting rifles, all arms are chambered to fire the same calibre as US Armed forces... get ammo off of dead.
The biggest thing is skill level and practice. We can live like gran' daddy and sometimes do for fun. That is my biggest suggestion... live and learn like you will never go to the store or have electricity again. Think in 19th century terms... literal horsepower, buckets for hauling water, hand tools for working with logs and cutting firewood, castiron for cooking with, smoking and curing for food preservation, hand plows for gardening. Canning supplies, candles, matches galore, heirloom seeds, stores of nails Pretend you are on a historical re-enactment settlement... could you live comfortably?

The lady and i could and have done it..... but people need to learn how to make soap...that was a biggy with us.... people tend to stink and hygiene is essential

reply to post by triaxrob


Close your eyes and you will see clearly
Seize to listen and you will hear truth
Be silent and your heart will sing
Seek no contacts and you will find union
Be Gentle and you will need no strength
Be Still and you will move forward on the tide of the spirit
Be Humble and You Will Remain Whole
--Taoist Meditation

To those who seek security from without, know that in the stillness of your own spirit you will be shown all there is to know and all you need to know at the time you need to know it. All you have to do is KNOW what it is you want and visualize such and it will be shown and in your gratitude the speed at which it shows up expedites the process of GOD, Generator-Operater-Dispenser of your own desires. You are the one is control always.

I wish I had implemented what I knew 10 years ago. I do not have these things that you have, but I know I that my spirit will put me and my kids where we need to be when the time is right. Eliminating fear is the most challenging for me.

Antolina

For a month or less I'd say I'm comfortably an 8 or 9
for 3-6 months i'd say 5-6
for any time over 6 months I'd give myself a 1-2

Living in hurricane country (florida) makes me always have a 2-3 week supply of just about everything on hand, however the longer the time, the more diminished my supplies will become and the tougher it will be to sustain a family of four.

I dont know what number I fall on because I dont actually have anything stockpiled, except for some water. I have researched and applied my survivalist knowledge to where I actually only need some camo and my bushcraft knife(I have both). I dont use guns, but I train in martial arts. I can get everything I need from the wilderness, so theres no need to stockpile anything now when I know where to find exactly what I need, any time.

My hip bag contains my main knife & slingshot ammo, My SHTF bag has:

- first aid, 2 auxilary knives, flint, para-cord, compass, thermometer, some spices and seasoning for wild game, some plastic bags, and a slingshot. (yes a slingshot, they are 10 shades of amazing for small game)

In the arena of ''stockpiling food and supplies'' - I think Im a 1 or 2.

In the arena of Survivalist knowledge/primitive living - probably a 7? 6?

[edit on 20-12-2009 by Tanulis]