What is your advice on supply shortages during this pandemic?

It probably depends a lot on where you live, but in Southern California, some of the wholesale open-to-the-public stores like smartandfinal have now restocked on just about all cleaning supplies and paper products that were unobtanium for many months. I even bought a box of nitrile (blue plastic) disposable gloves, right off the shelf. That's so 2019.

Family-owned grocery store chains like Gelsons now have in stock several different kinds of laundry bleach, so some of the supply chain problems are finally starting to improve.

Some of the product placement is a little weird, but I'll take weird over unavailable any day. For example, Fry's Electronics now sells disposable masks and disinfecting wipes by the payment counter/cash registers.

Are you all seeing similar supply chain improvements? Or not?

I think people are more or less over the panic buying. Store shelves should stay stocked. Meat processors are still seeing some problems, but they should get them worked out soon.

a reply to: Uphill

Up here in Alaska we have been able to get most anything for months now. You had to put in the effort to find things at times, but if you really wanted something, you could get it.

We go through about 50 disposable masks a month and I'm not sure how many gloves. Never had an issue getting gloves. Prices went nuts for a bit. Hand sanitizer was a little more difficult and the wipes, but I see my wife brought home a large supply of wipes yesterday. Off brand, but cheap again.

I think the supply chain has adjusted itself.

You can never really know what will be rushed during an emergency. A smart person tries to have 6 months of everything they need if they can do so.

I do have enough of many things, but some things would require a warehouse of some sort on my part. That is not in the cards for me.

Most important above all else is to have a plan for drinking water. You lose that, you will die in a very short time.

For the toilet paper issue, First, I bought a bidet toilet attachment for one toilet in my home. As far as toilet paper, I try to keep at least a month supply. Any more than that it becomes an annoyance as far as storage goes.

Another thing that I have done is that I have bought long term dried foods and stored quite a bit at my mothers (on top of what I have stored here at my own home). I am closer to the city than she is (by 50 miles) so if things ever get really bad...etc.

Another good buy is a extreme cold weather sleeping bag. It would be smart to have one for every member of your family.

a reply to: Fools

I have a lifetime of supplies in nature all around me.

You do too.

Hoarding is a fear based mentality.
You dont need more than a months worth of modern civilizations produce. And that's being very conservative.

If you open your mind you won't feel needs like this anymore. You'll experience abundance. It's all in your mind as luckily nature itself provides more than enough to survive indefinitely.

We have tons of guides showing what you can eat and how to get water, build shelter, get fuel and heat, and devise your own tech.

If there's a nuclear war everything is dead anyway so who gives a #? Nothing on earth will be capable of any cares at all...

Most everything is available here in SC, but damned ammunition is scarce and pricey. Got no idea why...

As long as civilization exists, you'll have toilet paper and food I promise. No amount of panic buying can stifle our corporate greed lol.

A shelf may go empty occasionally, usually during MSM fear campaigns like this or the 2008 fiasco or like 911 etc.

Just eat rice or ramen or potatoes or corn.
If you think you need better than this to survive a few months you're sheltered spoiled and completely out of touch with reality.

There's nothing to fear and if there was you're already dead so who cares just go live. You're mortal it's a fact. Were you really born to act like this? No. Go outside and play, please be my guest.

This goes for all of you.
This whole world is yours to enjoy!

Today could be your last day wake up ppl.

If you even care what's on the shelf or not you're trapped in your own wants and desires for stuff and need to break free from this it's darkness consuming your soul and completely unnecessary to suffer this way...

originally posted by: NightFlight
Most everything is available here in SC, but damned ammunition is scarce and pricey. Got no idea why...

It's very doable to manufacture your own ammunition if it was absolutely necessary.

In the event you need a ton of ammo, don't worry you'll come across plenty of stashes as you scavenge or battle or whatever.

Where one sees problems it's better for you to try and see opportunities and solutions.

Where I am, TP is slowly coming back. But there is still a limit of one pack per customer. Paper towels are harder to find than TP. Go figure! Now canning supplies have become impossible to find! Jars & lids. Sold out everywhere! They are selling on eBay for four times what the regular price was!

Some of the processed, packaged foods never came back. Beef prices are still pretty high. Turkey parts are finally back, but smaller than before. Probably still young? Some flavors of pop/soda in cans are still unavailable.

A couple of the big chain stores want exact change. If you don’t have it, they drop the cents & give you an even dollar amount back! That’s going to hurt eventually! They probably can write it off as a loss though.

WOQ

See how easy things can be if you let go of all of this stuff and just be happy to live for a minute?

No problem is ever to big.

No one believes in themselves anymore.
Well I believe and I know.

a reply to: muzzleflash

Oh, don't get me wrong. My middle son and I make a point to eat every edible weed that grows around here. Many of them taste far better than anyone would ever guess.

So yeah, I have several field guides for local edibles. I have many varieties of water cleaning. I even understand how to re-introduce myself to unfiltered water and did so about 10 years ago to see if I could do it. Had a little poop issue for a day or two but after that passed I was able to drink out of a local pond filtering with a old tshirt and nothing else. Tasted bad, and was not really satisfying, but it is doable if you have a good supply of fresh water to last you while you are innoculating (proper term?) yourself.

ANyway, I am not a balls out prepper, but I do want my family to survive if at all possible.

I mean another that is weird is so many people think that other people will suddenly start turning against eachother. I would imagine that some form of trade and assistance in local areas (that are morally stable) will start to happen almost immediately. Pure tribalism only works where there is total lack of law and probably an above average amount of young males under 25.

a reply to: muzzleflash

I highly doubt you could exist in the woods, its not a joke or anything to be a primetime player on the internet about.
I do it for real and I still highly doubt myself.

Reality is we all think we can but when you go out and do it...you quickly realize that you are screwed and am not that much a hot shot you thought you were.
Talking from experience.

I love going to the grocery store or ordering Chinese food and having a shower.
You can't do that in the wilderness.

a reply to: DrumsRfun



I had a lot of training growing up, and even did a week in the mountains in the winter and a month in the desert in the summer. To say it's not easy, even when knowing what you are doing is an understatement.

Killing most of the population is as easy as disconnecting the power supply and cutting off fuel.

well Furnished stores are going out of Business here as people use all the excess TP to build couches and lazy boys lololol.

So much TP on the shelves now looks libel to fall over .
walmart seams to have the most issues But i think its bad management as The frys here are Rarly short On any thing you can dream of .

prices well oddly hamburger is cheaper then pork here .
but over all things are normal .

Walmart sucks
PS can get salmon for 5.99 half fish ( Talk about cheep wild yet ! god i love salmon

a reply to: DrumsRfun

Ordering Chinese isn't hoarding 6 months of supplies.

I didn't say life was easy, but I did say thinking was easy if you free your mind.

I've gone days without food and slept thru blizzards outside so I know it's not as hard as ppl say. At first it is very hard because we are spoiled by civilization.

Humans survived off nature for 99% of our history, it wasn't easy but it sure isn't impossible.

You definitely should enjoy what this world offers but dont let it become your life.

I know I can survive because I have and do so I don't care if you doubt me. All that matters is that I don't doubt me.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: DrumsRfun

I had a lot of training growing up, and even did a week in the mountains in the winter and a month in the desert in the summer. To say it's not easy, even when knowing what you are doing is an understatement.

Killing most of the population is as easy as disconnecting the power supply and cutting off fuel.

You don't have to cut them off or bloody your hands.

These people are ready to kill each other off they're so stressed and desperate lol.

Personally I always try to keep 6 months food, as much water storage as I can manage, medical kits, water purification capabilities and clothes appropriate to the area and of course the ability to cook said food.

if you run the risk of being with out power, you are not hoping someone comes to help you, if you get laid off you can save money feeding yourself and your family.

Lumber is up about 120% in 3 months getting crazy. 7/16" OSB was $9.48 yesterday $22.16. Construction is all being put on hold for 30 days.

What is your advice on supply shortages during this pandemic?

I'll just give one advice, only because there's a million things that one could do.

Don't let your food spoil, dehydrate it before it spoils for long term storage.

Well Im 54 and back In the day we had Nuk war drills and survival Camps sprung up all over the country .
I was sent to survival camps two weeks a year for 4 years .

First thing they tought us Is firing a Gun twice makes It so any one within five miles can triangulate were you are .

Second thing was Survival is JUST that survival . All Fair play goes out the window .
You get your desert training have fun with that I would head to the rocky's in some valley no one could get to by car 50 miles from no ware .

Fish traps are simple take just a knife to make and done right can get food to last weeks in a few hours .
Dried over a smokeless fire will last months .

As for fires well fire sticks are Nice But i would carry a magnifying glass once you get a fire Going always keep some burning in a can or some such One fire can last forever .

As for plants well you get them only at the right time of year But there are quite a few to supplement with .
Lilly pads grow a type of water chest nut DARN GOOD all year round .
STAY away FROM mushrooms Even with a a Book you can be DEAD .

THE only two places LEFT in the Continental US that it may be possible is the rocky's and the swamps of north Florida - Georgia and maybe the smoky mountains .

As for how hard it was I LOVED it and fish are so easy pit traps dead falls - nooses on any game trail work just fine . All illegal as can be and nasty for teh animals But the point is eating becomes a habit after the first hour your born .