Prepping help

First of all I want to make it clear I am an expert on NOTHING and I didn't stay at a holiday Inn Express last night.

What I am, is fairly experienced at prepping, storing food, firearms and other related things.
I have 2 years of dry goods stored & 1 year of canned foods along with about everything you can imagine survival wise.

I have been preaching to people for a long time and got tired of the rude comments and having everyone think I was crazy & paranoid so I quit doing it.

If anyone that's just started or wishes to start has any questions, I would be glad to offer my experience and advice.

I have learned the hard way how some things should be done and how they shouldn't be done.

Failure is the best teacher but I believe time may be running out and many people don't have time to learn from scratch without help.

I am not rich and have put together my preps slowly over the years but you can get a very good start in weeks or months. I have been doing this for over 25 years so although I claim not to be an expert I do believe I have quite a bit of experience that may help some people who want it.

I must admit I don't follow threads for long so if anyone wants or needs help PM me and I will get back to you.

''What I am, is fairly experienced at prepping, storing food, firearms and other related things. I have 2 years of dry goods stored & 1 year of canned foods along with about everything you can imagine survival wise. ''

What about long-term?

What is your advice on growing crops, livestock etc?

And what should one do to prepare in a physical sense? Is it better to 'buff up' or to keep lean?


Thanks

I've always wondered about canned soups like "Chunky - Chicken Corn Chowder" which, IMO, is easily the best soup in the universe.

Being that it is chowder and contains meat and vegetables I've always wondered if those cans would spoil more quickly than other kinds of canned goods.

The idea that's been handed down to me is that if it's canned it will last indefinately. Is that true?

Also, I've heard some scary stuff recently about powdered goods like milk and eggs. What I've heard is that they contain high levels of a certain chemical that is used to help make silly putty. Is that true?

-ChriS

reply to post by mwood



Starting around 1997 ish , I was working in my Dry Cleaners 14-16 hours a day, as my business grew, i would spend many hours listening to the radio and let me say ART BELL was one of my favorite programs. As time went by I really believed many things that were proposed, UFO's Sascuatch, Shadow people ect.. but the one thing that really "caught me up" in concern, was the Y2K fear... it started lightly in my mind, but as more and more people claiming to be EXPERTS, or "in the know" came forward with "evidence" my worry grew..
I remember telling my wife about my thoughts on how we should become "prepared" and she just thought i was worried over nothing and said well you go ahead and do what you think is best.. she thought it was lighthearted and funny at that time. but it didn't stay funny for long.. as time went by and 2000 was approaching, so my stock piles of food supply's, and equipment grew, and i Became more certin that my "belife" was so self evident i started telling my friends about "the end" and how they should get prepared like me... i remember giving tours of my "bunker" and tools, weapons with my 15,000 rounds of ammo, and showing how the house was wired for 12volt as well as back-up power for when the grid was going to go down.... i don't want to give a full list here ,, but if it was available, i had the money to buy it.. i was so prepared i could feed a family and live without anything else- quite well, for 2 years without ever leaving my land... my wife started with teasing me in front her friends at first but i felt so "Confident" by this time i had the "you just wait and see" attitude.. i''ll show them all..................................--------------------.................. Y2K came and went................................................................ and so did my beliveability and trust in my marriage, i had a son Jan 20. and had more important things to do still working as hard as ever i became blind,,,, numb,,,, and embarrassed at how my fears became obsessions .....

my wife left,, moved out and left me and my son to fend for ourselves,, and im sure it was because, in part, of my failure to have a "REAL" hobby, to vent stress, instead i brought my stress home and made more stress in my family till everyone could "understand" why she left. (even my parents)
...........
after 911,, i had a small vindication --- yea for me--- (with full sorrow).. my self esteem was shot.. and as the divorce went on,, Complete with pictures of my bunker and gear,,,, the state told me i had to give up my son --- she was gone and pregnant with another mans son for about 2 years , and NOW i had to give up MY BOY,,,??
That broke me ... i ended up losing my business that did around $380,000 bucks that year.. my home went into forclosure,,, they reposesed my ford explorer.. somebody stole my speed boat.. and couldn't care less...

I only blame my self, and thank God i didnt get all the neighbors on my street to follow in my footsteps.... i did try,,,,,,,,, it might have broken up other familys as well ;;
so
please..... listen to me, the doom you might be feeling might be more localized to just you and ONLY you ,,,,,,as it became for me ..... i had to sell all my stuff ,,, and lost the rest..... a true tragedy of mind and spirit.

i did it all to myself and ruined the privilege of security in a loving home..

this hard working husband/father/business owner would have this kind of pain ten years later, is my only warning, sure i did "get it together " eventually... but the damage still goes on.....
im in a rental house and i pay my bills on time, but i lost much more then i was trying to SAVE.... fear grows like weeds, and can crowd out love and destroy our lives ..... the only thing i have left is a AWESOME collection of flashlights.... and the smile of my son when he hugs DAD....

-----------------------------edit------------------- i wrote the above ,,9-24-09---------------

today--- learning life's lessons, as hard as i did... i just realized how prepared i am INSIDE my mind,,, so much so. it is not, just, the "jump-bag" i keep ,, but it how i KEEP my head in the coming troubles, that will make the difference,,

reply to post by darrman


I would almost expect that mental preparedness would always be the toughest part. Especially if movies like "The Road" have any basis in reality. The thing is though, you can never really be prepared for what will happen. Even if you knew the exact second we would be hit by an asteroid, you can never really be prepared for what would happen afterwards.

Plus, even though there are many possibilities we sometimes consider and discuss here on ATS there are many things that we could happen which we would never foresee.

-ChriS

Originally posted by Beyond Creation
''What I am, is fairly experienced at prepping, storing food, firearms and other related things. I have 2 years of dry goods stored & 1 year of canned foods along with about everything you can imagine survival wise. ''

What about long-term?

What is your advice on growing crops, livestock etc?

And what should one do to prepare in a physical sense? Is it better to 'buff up' or to keep lean?


Thanks

Long term? I advise that if you believe that the scenario will play out to be a long term problem you better have seeds and the know how to plant, raise, harvest and preserve your crops. You can only store so much food and you have to be able to grow your own eventually.
Live stock: You are better off if you have the space and ability to have some live stock obviously. Canned tuna & SPAM can only go so far. You can get through for quite a while without meat with the right diet but you need some fat. Hunting and fishing may be an option depending on where you live and the resources at hand. Everyone has a different situation.

You should have a good stock of seeds that will do well in your area along with the proper tools to put in and maintain a garden. Also, You need to know how to harvest seeds from each years crops and how to store them properly to use the following year.

As for being buff or staying lean? I never gave it much thought. As long as your healthy and able to do what needs to be done I am not sure it matters. I figure people who have a little body fat will be better off than those who are skinny with low fat reserves. (I'm not talking 350 pounds here)

Originally posted by BlasteR
I've always wondered about canned soups like "Chunky - Chicken Corn Chowder" which, IMO, is easily the best soup in the universe.

Being that it is chowder and contains meat and vegetables I've always wondered if those cans would spoil more quickly than other kinds of canned goods.

The idea that's been handed down to me is that if it's canned it will last indefinately. Is that true?

Also, I've heard some scary stuff recently about powdered goods like milk and eggs. What I've heard is that they contain high levels of a certain chemical that is used to help make silly putty. Is that true?

-ChriS

In my experience most commercially canned food is usually "good" for 2-3 years, Some longer than others.
I won't store canned goods longer than 2 years and I use & rotate it so there isn't any getting past that date.

Home canned food that's pressure cooked and canned in glass jars will last a very long time. We are using stewed tomatoes my grandmother canned about 25 years ago and their still good.

As for the milk and eggs I am not sure about what you heard. I personally don't store those items.

Like I said I don't know everything but will help with the things I do know.

reply to post by darrman


Sorry to hear about what you had to endure. Life throws some crazy stuff at us sometimes.

You brought up a good point though. Being mentally prepared and strong is the best thing to have on your side no matter the situation.

I feel it's good to be prepared as best you can for what ever may come but don't make it life consuming.
It's a shame your ex couldn't be on the same page with you and have the same interests.

When the SHTF someday it don't need to mean a world changing event or on a huge scale.

Actually I have had to have 2 back surgeries in the last 9 months and have been off work for 10 months. Our food preps have really helped us along during some weeks.

reply to post by darrman


What a great post Darrman and thank you for sharing your story!
Few people could be so honest as you have been about their past mistakes.
You seek to help others avoid the same problem you had - I find that very commendable

I never gave the Y2k thing much credence but have been prepping since the early 90's.
You weren't wrong to be getting prepared but to have a set date to expect things to fall apart was your mistake.
The bigger mistake of course was to put distance between yourself and your family over it.
The sad part is that you were doing it out of love for them.
I'm sorry for all you've been through - I understand as I've been through a divorce w/ kids too. I'm still trying to repair damage that was done to our relationships 15 years ago.

I really wanted to say thanks for sharing, it takes a big man to admit their mistakes.
Cheers,
Asktheanimals

reply to post by Asktheanimals


cheers,, to our future!

and our kids..!!!

reply to post by mwood


I just remembered where I heard about the powdered milk and eggs.



I'm not sure whether or not "Eugenics" is the reason for all this toxic stuff in food but it's pretty disturbing nonetheless.

I heard once about certain foods being given radioactive contaminants on purpose but I'm not sure whether or not that's true. This was before the nuclear crisis in Japan. However, finding information on that in google is nearly impossible since all the links are related to the Japan food contamination. Not sure if I heard this from Alex Jones or not.

-ChriS

reply to post by mwood


I just remembered where I heard about the powdered milk and eggs.



I'm not sure whether or not "Eugenics" is the reason for all this toxic stuff in food but it's pretty disturbing nonetheless.

I heard once about certain foods being given radioactive contaminants on purpose but I'm not sure whether or not that's true. This was before the nuclear crisis in Japan. However, finding information on that in google is nearly impossible since all the links are related to the Japan food contamination. Not sure if I heard this from Alex Jones or not.

-ChriS

reply to post by darrman


Thank you for sharing your experience. I too allowed fear to destroy my marriage/family and an enviable standard of living. I attracted what I feared the most. Forgiving myself is still difficult. Having lost so much however, I am far less attached to the material.

When I first started to prepare I think I did so out of fear because I have noone to rely upon but myself. The process of planning and preparing has really made me far less afraid and has actually fostered my spiritual preparation. What's really important? For physical survival -- water and sustinence (and air). It's amazing that after all the suffering I've been through that I'm still afraid of suffering. If I could master that then there would be true freedom. Anyhow, spiritually, the fear of SHTF has lead to an increase awareness that I want to live. That's been a gift and I feal good that I can take care of myself for a time off the grid. There is nothing that I would like more than to live entirely off if.

I've started making it a daily practice to spend a little time daily mentally focusing on our ideal world.

What would it look like (ie How would it function?)
How would people treat each other?
What if there was no more money (no have's and have not's) and everyone shared what they had and lived peacefully.

We focus so much on what's wrong...and there's surely a place for it...but a little time with a mental picture of utopia is very cool.

Originally posted by darrman
reply to post by mwood

 

Starting around 1997 ish , I was working in my Dry Cleaners 14-16 hours a day, as my business grew, i would spend many hours listening to the radio and let me say ART BELL was one of my favorite programs. As time went by I really believed many things that were proposed, UFO's Sascuatch, Shadow people ect.. but the one thing that really "caught me up" in concern, was the Y2K fear... it started lightly in my mind, but as more and more people claiming to be EXPERTS, or "in the know" came forward with "evidence" my worry grew..
I remember telling my wife about my thoughts on how we should become "prepared" and she just thought i was worried over nothing and said well you go ahead and do what you think is best.. she thought it was lighthearted and funny at that time. but it didn't stay funny for long.. as time went by and 2000 was approaching, so my stock piles of food supply's, and equipment grew, and i Became more certin that my "belife" was so self evident i started telling my friends about "the end" and how they should get prepared like me... i remember giving tours of my "bunker" and tools, weapons with my 15,000 rounds of ammo, and showing how the house was wired for 12volt as well as back-up power for when the grid was going to go down.... i don't want to give a full list here ,, but if it was available, i had the money to buy it.. i was so prepared i could feed a family and live without anything else- quite well, for 2 years without ever leaving my land... my wife started with teasing me in front her friends at first but i felt so "Confident" by this time i had the "you just wait and see" attitude.. i''ll show them all..................................--------------------.................. Y2K came and went................................................................ and so did my beliveability and trust in my marriage, i had a son Jan 20. and had more important things to do still working as hard as ever i became blind,,,, numb,,,, and embarrassed at how my fears became obsessions .....

my wife left,, moved out and left me and my son to fend for ourselves,, and im sure it was because, in part, of my failure to have a "REAL" hobby, to vent stress, instead i brought my stress home and made more stress in my family till everyone could "understand" why she left. (even my parents)
...........
after 911,, i had a small vindication --- yea for me--- (with full sorrow).. my self esteem was shot.. and as the divorce went on,, Complete with pictures of my bunker and gear,,,, the state told me i had to give up my son --- she was gone and pregnant with another mans son for about 2 years , and NOW i had to give up MY BOY,,,??
That broke me ... i ended up losing my business that did around $380,000 bucks that year.. my home went into forclosure,,, they reposesed my ford explorer.. somebody stole my speed boat.. and couldn't care less...

I only blame my self, and thank God i didnt get all the neighbors on my street to follow in my footsteps.... i did try,,,,,,,,, it might have broken up other familys as well ;;
so
please..... listen to me, the doom you might be feeling might be more localized to just you and ONLY you ,,,,,,as it became for me ..... i had to sell all my stuff ,,, and lost the rest..... a true tragedy of mind and spirit.

i did it all to myself and ruined the privilege of security in a loving home..

this hard working husband/father/business owner would have this kind of pain ten years later, is my only warning, sure i did "get it together " eventually... but the damage still goes on.....
im in a rental house and i pay my bills on time, but i lost much more then i was trying to SAVE.... fear grows like weeds, and can crowd out love and destroy our lives ..... the only thing i have left is a AWESOME collection of flashlights.... and the smile of my son when he hugs DAD....

-----------------------------edit------------------- i wrote the above ,,9-24-09---------------

today--- learning life's lessons, as hard as i did... i just realized how prepared i am INSIDE my mind,,, so much so. it is not, just, the "jump-bag" i keep ,, but it how i KEEP my head in the coming troubles, that will make the difference,,

edit on 3/27/11 by darrman because: satisfaction .... brings us back...

some things should never be forgotten
Darrman