Survival tips for low wage people

I've managed to get a 72 hour 25 year shelf life survival food bag, a little bug out bag backpack, a solar charger, a wind and waterproof baby zippo, and a few waterproof bags all free but shipping and handling.

I get so many survival food emails with "great deals" like a 1 year food supply for normally 5k (comes with many free survival items and guides) on sale for 2k. But low wagers can't afford 2k.

Any ideas how to maybe make food that will last 25 years? Or any ideas, period? I know there's a million and one ways to bug out and places to go, weather, etc. I'm southern Indiana, small town.

I can't even afford to build an underground living /food shelter.

You are asking a very good question. I'm looking forward to the answers from the ATS experts as I am wondering the same thing.

Learn to grow potatoes, and have a constant potato garden, if you eat them raw you almost can get all the nutrients you need. Get a little survival rifle and you will have a way to get meat.a reply to: sarra1833

a reply to: sarra1833

You'd be better served to learn how to hunt, fish, grow plants, learn about what plants in the wild are edible and a few more advanced cooking techniques that go beyond boiling pasta and grilling burgers.

Food that will last 25 years is cool and all, but there are too many other factors that could come in to play that makes that food worthless or unavailable and you will have to fend for yourself without it.

originally posted by: sarra1833
I've managed to get a 72 hour 25 year shelf life survival food bag, a little bug out bag backpack, a solar charger, a wind and waterproof baby zippo, and a few waterproof bags all free but shipping and handling.

I get so many survival food emails with "great deals" like a 1 year food supply for normally 5k (comes with many free survival items and guides) on sale for 2k. But low wagers can't afford 2k.

Any ideas how to maybe make food that will last 25 years? Or any ideas, period? I know there's a million and one ways to bug out and places to go, weather, etc. I'm southern Indiana, small town.

I can't even afford to build an underground living /food shelter.

I guess my question would be "where are you bugging out to?"

If you have no place to go and are not in an urban s#ithole, you may wish to consider this:


The Fallacy of Bugging Out – Are You Prepared to Be a Refugee?

www.shtfplan.com...

Other considerations:

Raiders, Marauders, And You - Things To Be Aware Of Before SHTF (Especially Mormons)
www.abovetopsecret.com...

A dehydrator and a vacuum sealer go a long way.

If it is sealed right,you can put rice into a big bag and put it in a 5 gallon pale.
My friend and I had hundreds of pounds stored at one point and it was fine.

Learning how to smoke your meat is important.
Canning your own food is another good one.

I can't vouch for anything to be good for 25 years but this is a good start for keeping food for longer terms.

Dollar stores are a really good place to get things like rope,batteries,fishing lures and all kinds of things really cheap just as a FYI.

Rice and beans. 25 years is a loooong time. Better to stay put if possible and learn the land. Bug out is last resort option. If NBC conditions, better to die.

Cannibalism. There must be lot of survival nutters near by... eat them. Noone there to judge you.. if anyone say something.. eat them too.

a reply to: sarra1833

buy 4.1mm- 5mm mylar bags, say 1 gallon. then buy a bunch of 100cc oxygen absorber packs.

cook and dehydrate (use your oven, or buy one at Cabelas, or a garage sale cheap), or just put in dry foods like rice or beans into a mylar bag. throw in 300cc/gallon bag, then heat seal(old flat iron works in a pinch).

My wife and I use a freeze dryer, but really all ya need is a minimum of 4.1mm mylar bags, oxy absorbers and a heating element to seal the bag.

wala preserved for 25 years+

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone.

Well, except cannibalization.
Only if I were in a plane wreck in the mountains AND I got close to death myself and had no other choice.
Can't even believe I wrote that.

a reply to: sarra1833

My Dad was in the military for 40 years, 30 active, 10 as a civilian.
Along the way he taught me a lot about survival skills. I can't thank him enough, he taught me the skills so that I know I will always be ok. All the food you could ever need is outside.
In a real SHTF scenario you might have to leave where you are and might not be able to take a lot, and that is ok. You could also be robbed etc. Don't count on stuff you can carry, count on your knowledge!

Start learning the basics about foraging. There is so much that is edible from the land (especially the midwest) I can think of at least a dozen things just from looking outside. (Catytails, parsnips, dandelion, chickweed, cranberries, nuts,rosehips) If you live near water much much more. We aren't even talking about hunting yet, just gathering!
There are some simple tests you can do to tell if something is poison or not. Put item in crack of arm, put under tongue etc wait and check for reaction etc. Please read up all all the ways to test wild food.

Even if the S doesn't hit the fan, these are such valuable skills, like if you get stranded or lost, if you lose income etc. After you have learned foraging, seriously learn to hunt, fish, catch. The vast majority of our population is so squeamish they don't even know how to debone a chicken! The other thing about foraging is you will realize how far removed from our natural food we are. All the food and medicine is right there!

a reply to: sarra1833

Check out this podcast: TSP

Original show notes:

I will give you some methods of creating long term storeable but ready to cook rations to supplement products like Mountain House, etc. These recipes are more about building bases first and then customizing them to taste

I have no affiliation, I just like what this guy has to say.

the key is not needing to have long term rations but instead the means to grow and survive off the land. the rations and things should just be to get u through that first year. shelters are easy to build using anything from mud to grass. fill yourself with that knowledge especially local knowledge of the plants and wildlife and youll have a much better chance at success.

a reply to: sarra1833

Bear with me here because it'll look like I'm criticising you when I'm not at all.

The zippo won't last. It's best feature is the flint and wheel so buy extra flints. A lot of businesses are exploiting the survivalist ethos. A 25 year horde of food will restrict mobility and potentially make you a target. You'd have to be like a dog that defends its food bowl. Having food that is edible for 25 years would still be limited to what you can carry if you don't have a base.

Aside from what others have said about learning how to hunt, fish and grow stuff, the most important thing (IMHO) is to be fit and be able to adapt to the environment. Homeless people are great examples of human resilience under adversity. Even so they still rely on what society provides and aren't physically fit. I reckon we would all need a combination of their resilience, the knowledge to source food that doesn't come in packaging and physical fitness.

Hunt and fish ?

That's difficult even under the best of times.

Of course that is even if there will be any game left.

Because OTHERS will be doing it, and over hunted.

The best survival tip anyone can give.

Do something different than what the majority is.

And plan ahead.

If you hunt or fish leave enough for game to procreate.

Growing your own crops diversity in to different varieties.

Stockpile also plays a major role.

Have a back up plan for when things go wrong, and they WILL.

Rinse and repeat.

a reply to: sarra1833


I found this. It also says if dehydrated and vacuum sealed in a Mylar bag it could last up to 30 years. I would date it and rotate it if need be. Dehydrate veggie and meats for soups.

www.wilderness-survival.net...

Consider this, many early colonialists died and that was back in the day when they knew how to grow and cook and gather hunt etc. and game was plentiful compared to today. The weather and seasons make survival hard. You are not going to have large fields to plant in with large root cellars or friendly natives to feed you from their fully functioning society.

Imagine millions of people running out of food after three days...if you are not already living in the backwoods with friendly self sufficient neighbors, don't bother trying.

originally posted by: Pandaram
Cannibalism. There must be lot of survival nutters near by... eat them. Noone there to judge you.. if anyone say something.. eat them too.

SO you sound like you are better prepared than 95% of the population already. Look we all wish we could build that cool bunker but its simply not a reality for many of us.

What can you do?

1) Plan plan plan: Paper maps, rally points. communication points out of state that you can can call if separated.
2) Weapons. Guns can be expensive. But a made in the USA Machete ? $25 at most. Great for utility and protection (unless they have a gun)
3) Skills: Take a wilderness medicine course. Understand basic electrical work, mechanics (local community collages have classes) You can lose you stuff or run out but you keep your skills
4) treat this as a lifetime thing and build. It took me 10 years to get my kits (family of 3) where I want them. Now im just honing the spear so to speak. Swapping out say a titanium pot for an aluminum one etc. Bug out bags in both cars. EDC kits, My latest is SW Commo gear for all the cards and each member of the family.
5) Thrift stores. Lots of opportunity to pick up other peoples mistakes on the cheap. last titanium pot I got was $2 and in good shape.
6) DO NOT SKIMP ON A WATER FILTER though. and get spare parts for it.

Hunt for rabbits.
In any given area where there aren't many humans, or no humans, during the night. They come out when the sun comes up.
There are so many rabbits you can't go wrong.
Find natural recources and use them.