The following article by Brandon Turbeville of Activist Post gives us a small glimpse into what the world will look like when crisis strikes.
As a survivor of the Icepocalypse that recently gripped much of the South in crippling power outages and freezing temperatures, at least three lessons can be deduced from the experience.
While this statement may come as basic common sense to the majority of my usual readers, such observations do bear repeating. Indeed, it is important to remind ourselves of just how unprepared we may be, even though we may be more prepared than most of the rest of the population.
Many of those who are aware of the possibility of an economic collapse, general war, electrical grid failure, or simple natural disasters are aware through available literature of how human behavior will adjust to the new circumstances if a crisis takes place. Although much of what “preppers” are confronted with in terms of information often borders on the state of panic and fear, it is true that what is at first a tranquil community of friends and neighbors can very quickly turn into a violent mob and dangerous enemies fighting over finite resources.
While the recent winter storm did not turn out to be the Apocalypse, the days without power for many was a very important learning experience on just how prepared they were for an emergency as well as how their neighbors will react in the same situation.
As I already mentioned, there were a small minority of individuals who were prepared all along, because they had previously learned to stock up on essential items and tools for personal survival to begin with. These individuals are often called “preppers” by media outlets (mainstream and alternative alike) but, in reality, they are simply people who exercise a level of basic forethought in the manner that was once common behavior and not notable in any sense.
These individuals were able to weather the storm in conditions ranging from basic temporary self-reliance to minor discomfort and inconvenience. They had a source of food, water, and heat. They had a means to defend themselves if necessary. They did not require supplies after the fact.
They were also a distinct minority.
Others still believed they were prepared . . . until the storm hit. They had generators but no gas. They had extra food but no way to cook it. They had a well but no way to pump the water. Some had fireplaces with no logs or firewood with nowhere to burn it. The list of half-preparedness is endless but the resulting sum of that half-work is the same – they were not prepared at all.
In short, being prepared half-way is not being prepared at all.
The vast majority of people, however, did not even have the basic material needed to last through a four-hour disturbance in their normal routine. Most had not purchased extra food and water or made plans to heat themselves in some way other than electricity. Nor had they even bothered to fill up their gas tanks the day before the storm. In fact, with the exception of the usual rush to buy milk and eggs (food that will spoil as soon as the power goes out)when a storm approaches, there was not even the shockwave of panicked buyers looking to prepare. Most of the important items like canned goods were still on the shelves the day before the storm.
After the storm, however, panicked masses brought out by sudden discomfort and disruption were lining up for warm food (or any food they could find) while others lined up for a mile to purchase gas for their vehicles or generators. Any stations and restaurants with a generator were able to make a killing in one day, but the number of stores with that capability were few and far between. People congregated anywhere with signs of heat and commerce. It should also be noted that most open stores were unable to process credit and debit cards.
This was the morning after the power went out.
On the second day without power, the lines of people at the pump were noticeably more irritated, with some breaking in line by parking across the street with their gas containers and jumping in front of motorists to pump their fuel. Others simply tried to use their vehicles to push their way ahead. Thankfully, gas trucks were able to reach most areas, keeping the supply flowing, and food trucks were also able to resupply corporate fast food chains which also faced a number of line jumpers.
While power was gradually restored after the second day, the tension and panic began to subside. However, one can only wonder as to what might have taken place had the power continued to be shut off for another day or even a week. What would the city have looked like if food and gas trucks had not been able to reach the stations and restaurants freshly out of food? What if the outage continued indefinitely?
Clearly, one answer is that a great many people – particularly those who are incapable of even the slightest forethought to prepare for an oncoming storm, much less an undefined disaster which may or may not happen in the future – will be looking for food and warmth. If the crisis persists, they will not be able to find either.
With this in mind, the recent winter storm and its corresponding power outages should serve as a reminder that a little preparation is never a bad idea. However, your preparation should cover the most essential items, as well as cover a longer-than-expected length of time. Indeed, whatever preparation done now in the correct manner will be worth so much more when an actual event takes place.
Thus, a short list of basic necessities to consider in the case of a winter storm is included below. It is by no means comprehensive – but, from my experience, it will definitely keep you well ahead of even the half-prepared. Readers are encouraged to add useful tips in the comments section.
Remember, purchasing goods for the winter in the summer is usually a cheaper route than waiting until the cold has arrived.
1. Storable food and water – This does not necessarily have to be hundreds of dollars of worth freeze-dried food. It could mean something as simple as canned goods, Raemen noodles, and other foods that last a long time without requiring electricity to prepare. Bottled water or storable water jugs are always a good idea as well.
2. Guns and Ammunition – Let’s face it. If the crisis continues, you will need to defend yourself as others reap the fruits of years of television watching when they should have been preparing.
3. Generator – Although a good generator is out of the price range for many and possibly even a liability in a prolonged crisis for everyday use (it can signal who has power when everything else is silent), in a short-lived winter emergency a generator is life saver.
4. Propane and Propane Accessories – A propane cooker, for short-term outages, can provide an avenue to cook all of the food that may be in danger of going to waste if the power stays out. Similarly, having iron cookware that can be used in tandem with a traditional grill or even over an open fire might eventually become useful.
5. Heat Source – This heat source can come from a generator, but only so long as the gasoline lasts. Likewise, almost all heat sources rely on finite sources of energy – gas, oil, wood, etc. Not relying solely on one source is paramount. Wood stoves, kerosene heaters, propane, generators and more are all welcome additions for those of us who need to take heat into a consideration. Also, look into innovative means of heating your home in an emergency such as using tea light candles and other useful mechanisms.
6. Winter Wear/Extra Blankets – Eventually, if the crisis persists, the heat will run out. You need extra sets of warm clothes and several sets of extra blankets if you are to survive. Water-resistant boots can make the difference between comfort and frostbite. The same applies to gloves, jackets, and hats.
7. Flashlights – You will need light inside and outside of the house. Darkness falls quickly and one needs light by which to locate tools, find your way around, or even to travel if need be.
8. Batteries – Lots of them. And not just for flashlights. However, batteries have incredibly short lives when they are being utilized regularly, so the more the better.
9. Candles – Eventually, batteries run out. Candles can provide steady light in the dark so flashlights can be saved for travel or emergencies.
10. Lighters – Fire is extremely important in winter, and for only a few dollars you can make sure that fire is always at your fingertips. Magnesium fire starters are also a good idea.
11. Medicines – If you or a loved one rely on prescription or non-prescription medications, always do your best to save up and keep an extra supply of medication just in case. In a real crisis, medical centers may not be open and family practitioners/pharmacists will be in short supply.
12. Fuel! – If you know a winter storm is coming, fill up your gas tanks and your gas cans beforehand. After the storm, to do anything is always too late.
Recently by Brandon Turbeville:
Brandon Turbeville is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Francis Marion University and is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1and volume 2, and The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria. Turbeville has published over 275 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.
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Hope eveeryone is ready for the next one, old wives tale is “if it stays on the ground longer that 4 days, expect it again”…
Love those blonde jokes, since I’m blonde too, but I can take a joke…
A man who’d just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit.
The female blond mortician asks the deceased’s wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing.
The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the Blond mortician a blank check and says, ‘I don’t care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.’
The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly…
She says to the mortician, ‘Whatever this cost, I’m very satisfied.. You did an excellent job and I’m very grateful. How much did you spend?’
To her astonishment, the blond mortician presents her with the blank check.
‘There’s no charge,’ she says.
‘No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!’ she says.
‘Honestly, ma’am,’ the blonde says, ‘it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband’s size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.’
‘So I just switched the heads.’
eppe, you are twisted. Thanks for the laugh.
+1
Don’t take anything that the people in DC say at face value. They have a hidden agenda for everything they say and do.
The sad fact is, many people out there
couldn’t light a strike-anywhere match,
let alone cook something on the BBQ.
I can’t even FIND a strike-anywhere match.
The Strike-Anywhere matches seem to come and go on our local store shelves. Usually, it’s the Strike-on-Box. When I see the Strike-Anywhere, they are in my hands in a trice. That’s one thing I won’t wait to find on sale or discount. The other is lantern mantles and ammo primers.
Probably add .22LR to the buy on sight list this year.
@ Bert…..I find them at dollar tree or cabelas. I can’t find them anywhere else.
@ Bert I found strike anywhere matches at Ace Hardware a few months back. Not sure if they still carry them or not.
My local Fred Meyer grocery in Canyon Park, WA. had a bunch. 32 count small box Diamond brand. I bought ’em a month ago. I was surprised they had ’em.
My local Bartell drug store had the big box a few years ago….then gone!
Don’t take anything the people in DC say at face value. They have a hidden agenda for everything they say and do.
We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false.– William Casey, CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)
🙂 indeed
A blonde hurried into the emergency room late one night with the tip of her index finger shot off. ‘How did this happen?’ the emergency room doctor asked her.
‘Well, I was trying to commit suicide,’ the blonde replied.
‘What?’ sputtered the doctor. ‘You tried to commit suicide by
shooting off your finger?’
‘No, silly’ the blonde said. ‘First I put the gun to my chest, & then I thought, ‘I just paid $6,000.00 for these implants…I’m not shooting myself in the chest.’
‘So then?’ asked the doctor.
‘Then I put the gun in my mouth, & I thought, ‘I just paid
$3,000..00 to get my teeth straightened I’m not shooting myself in the mouth.’
‘So then?’
‘Then I put the gun to my ear, & I thought: ‘This is going to make a loud noise. So I put my finger in my other ear before I pulled the trigger.
Wrong, you ain’t right either. Sounds like you’ve been hanging around Eppe.
You can add SmokinOkie and Outwest, we ought to go drinking one night…
Maybe we ought to come up with “prepping jokes” to be inline with the forum…
I’d enjoy that a lot.
Acronyms
B- BECAUSE
U- U
D- DESERVE
W- WHAT
E- EVERY
I- INDIVIDUAL
S- SHOULD
E- ENJOY
R- REGULARLY
D- DON’T
E- EVEN
L- LEAVE
T- THE
A- AIRPORT
N- NEED
A- ANOTHER
S- SEVEN
A- ASTRONAUTS
I came up with these myself….
L- LOOK
I- I’M
T- TRASHED
E- EVERYONE
C- CAUSE
O- ORNERY
R- REDNECKS
O- ONLY
N- NEED
A- ALOCHOL
Been working on Hieniken, Amstel, AND Dos Eqius? Any suggestions????
A music instructor had a medical emergency involving his blonde student. After he removed a clarinet from her throat and revived her, he reminded her “On this instrument, blow means blow”.
Good one, I will remember that….
The buxom blondes well-hung husband had just died
but he still had an enormous erection when the
undertaker arrived.
She told the mortician when he prepped his body
to cut off the massive appendage and place it up
his rectum.
At his viewing, as she tearfully approached the
casket of her husband, she looked into his face and whispered; ‘There you sonofabitch, I told you
it hurt like hell.’
That’s a blonde joke I haven’t heard yet, thanks for that.
I really don’t think the list is the best. They make radios that are Battery, hand crank, and solar, get one. They also make some good solar and some good hand crank flashlights, not seen any that were both, Likewise, forget Kerosene heaters, Aladdin Lamps do the heat and provide light. Other more simple items are very good and cheap; Cards. get some iron hand warmers, (You can make your own out of steel wool and sea salt.) Buy some Kool Aid to mix with snow for snow cones, bored kids are a pain, books same reason. For a few bucks and a trip to the junk store youvan do a lot, For most situations boredom is a bigger problem than survival. Not here to write an article but just think what do you need to get past 4-5 days of nothing to do.
“Aladdin Lamps do the heat”??? You’re kidding, right?
Maybe that might work in the South, I don’t know. But in the North, that’s a joke.
Also, Kerosene heaters rock! They might not be perfect, but they’re close. Propane ain’t bad neither. Especially if you don’t have a fireplace or a wood stove and a couple of cords of good firewood.
I’m in Casper Wy and 20 below isn’t unusual. and yes, anyone that thinks they are going to keep the house warm is just plain stupid. But you can keep a few small spaces warm and lit. One light will keep the bathroom from freezing, and one in the basement can keep those warm. You got the bucks and 1000 Gals of kerosene by all means use heaters. Otherwise, you better think not freezing to death, and how long you can last.
Im not far from you. I remember winters when the power went off and never came back until spring. The biggest problem of the power going off was the water lines freezing. Once they froze they didn’t unfreeze until spring. We never expected to keep the house at 70F in those days either. There were many weeks and months when the interior of the house was below freezing. The water would freeze where ever you left it. But we survived. Sitting by the TV or computer just wasent done either. You spent all day working the cattle or shoveling snow/breaking ice or some sort of strenuous work that kept you warm.
“bucks and 1000 Gals of kerosene” ??? What are you talking about, Paranoid? If you just run it a couple of times a day to warm up, five gallons can last a week. That’s cheap.
Also, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve never had a smell from my kerosene heaters except briefly and very faintly when shutting them off. I’m more bothered from the smoke of a candle when I blow it out than from a kerosene heater. If it’s bad, your wick is bad, or your fuel is. Imho.
Paranoid, most of your list is good except for the handcrank flashlights and radios. I’ve tried them and they’re useless. Battery-operated is THE way to go and don’t forget to stock up like crazy on batteries. I have one of those propane-powered portable heaters and it’s good. Kerosene heaters work as long as you can stand the smell of kerosene fuel. Propane burns a lot cleaner than kerosene. LED flashlights rock. When my power is out, I use candles as much as possible. That last storm bypassed my area, but had it struck, I am still prepared for one. I still expect one to hit my area.
I have both a solar LED, and a crank LED flashlight that work well.
One Issue I know about. I’ve had several surgeries in the last few years, one of which had to be packed and looked after. If you have a severe wound; It takes a huge amount of gauze and tape. I don’t know where you can buy gause by the bale but I’d recommend it?
You can find it all in the feminine hygiene isle.
Not quite true, pads were from WWI bandages, but wound packing is different stuff. They don’t work well.
I have collected varied sizes of sutures for my med kit. Hope someone is around that can sew.
One other thing. You should get a bottle of Iron supplements. If you loose much blood you could become anemic.
Black strap molasses has iron in it.
Floradix works wonders for anemia…my clients use it when needed…
If you have a gaping wound post collapse, better decide your chances of survival is close to nil. Nature is coming to balance the planet, and the wounded, young, old and weak are going to be washed out fast.
02 you are somewhat right; but I’d like to point out that even the worst of us have knowledge that NO MD had in 1870, and a lot of badly wounded survived. We know about germs,we know you need to clean out misc crud, wounds should heal from the bottom, lots of things they didn’t. Actually, any lady butcher that’s good with a needle and thread, is better than ANY MD from the Civil War
Get fish antibiotics now before they’re illegal!
“Get fish antibiotics now before they’re illegal!”
Farm Supply Stores…. All the big animal antibiotics you could ever want. You just better be dam sure on dosing. 20cc Penicillin G Benzthine & Penicillin G Procaine @ 300,000 units per mL is good for 2 days in a 1200 lb horse. Don’t even know if a human could tolerate it. Better off just lying to your Dr.
Paranoid,
I don’t have bales of either gauze or tape but Chinook Medical online gives better quantity/price breaks than buying either at retail from CVS. Which I do because being unbanked, I can buy in person for cash.
Source I used 3 or 4 years ago, might still exist: Buy Med Vet.
In a dire enough situation duct tape will cover a wound. Far from the ideal solution but when it’s “good enough” or nothing if I were in that situation I’d consider it.
Duct tape is not something you want to use on a wound that requires redressing, you’ll just pull it apart when removing the tape.
You can certainly use it where you have nothing else, as a poor man’s butterfly closure, to pull the edges together for as long as it takes to get medical attention.
You don’t want to cheap out on medical supplies. A couple hundred bucks can get you a lot of gauze, medical tape, packing, suture thread, small tools, pans, antiseptics, gloves and masks, clotting packs, etc., etc.
Paranoid….Horse feed and supply store has bales of cotton and huge rolls of guaze including the self sticking kind. Also DMSO and Betadine scrub (iodine)
DMSO is some wicked stuff, mix it with a mixture of poisions, spray someone and they are gone in minutes…
Goal Zero makes a hand crank rechargable lantern that also has a USB charge port. Lasts about 5 hours with OEM battery, and LI ION batteries are available on Amazon. About $40 plus extra battery if you want more run time or to charge larger items. Best to use same size batteries when running them in parallel.
Paranoid, I wanted to comment on the bored kids comment. Unplug your kids now, as soon as possible. My boys are 6 & 8 and have not watched television in 3 years ( except for special sporting events and occasional glimpses of the Olympics). They are not allowed on the internet and rarely use a gaming system! We play board games as a family, they collect coins, play OUTDOORS, play with toys that require imagination and read. When we lose power, we enjoy shadow play and glow stick games but life goes on as usual. They both have household chores as well, which makes them useful in such situations, rather than “a pain”.
My parents agree with you, but they love hanging with them, because I make them laugh all the time…
That popped up in the wrong place, should have been for RickInOregon…
eppe,
To funny, I told this to my two daughters one of which is blond, the brunette that that was awful, the blond thought that that would be a whole lot easier then switching suits.
I guess I did not make any brownie points with the brunette?
But the blonde is on track in my eyes for what is worth….
prepper endorsed lol making the best of what you have!
Eppe, you just ain’t right. keep them coming.
Never been right, did you see the input above?
I don’t get it.
People around here always say that the snow is waiting for more. Also, if it thunders in the winter, you can expect snow within 10 days.
Between snow and rain, our yard is muck, and it’s supposed to rain again tonight and tomorrow.
When it thunders here in the winter it is probably already snowing , in fact if the sun shines , it is probably already snowing , if the clouds roll in then you know for sure that it is snowing, and right now it is still snowing .
And thats because its monday .
hammer
I’m tired of the snow now.
wrong
ME TOO
well so far we’re still good here in the everglades as far as snow goes ,we did get down to 40deg. last night ,and before you say thats nothing it was 85deg. yesterday ,and back up to 90deg, today ,so any way you look at it, its still a 50deg. drop in the temp. overnight ,i got a call into al gore to see what the hell thats all about
Fairly common to get frost at night and eighty degrees during the day in So.Cal. winter. Rain is what is needed now and it does not look like that is going to happen with only a few weeks left of the rainy season
yea ,you guys really need it hope you get some soon ,we’re a little on the dry side but no more than usual for this time of the year
Also, “In winter, when you hear thunder, within 14 days you will be snowed under”. Thunder storms called for later in the week.
I tried to post this twice in reply to Eppe’s first comment, it would have made sense there, but seems pretty random here on it’s own!
Also, “in winter when you hear thunder, within 14 days you will be snowed under”. Thunderstorms predicted later this week.
Prepping for a Spring, sunshiney power outage would certainly be easier.
Nice writeup
Those crocuses and daffodils are murder on the power lines,and their affect on the roadways,well,that is a worse case SHTF scenerio!
It will be up to a lot of us to help our neighbors if anything bad happens. In A storm once, I took my little generator…… my only one…. and took it across the street to my neighbors house. A neighbor of 45 years who was on oxygen and needed this more than me.
Maybe they should have had their own, but they did not. I went without to help a long time neighbor. That is what OUR COUNTRY should be about, but i hear a lot here that say people can die if they have not prepared.
That is the new attitude.
I will help as much as i can, as I would want help also If i need it. I wont be prepared for everything, and hopefully someone would be ther eot give mE a hand.
Fuck this “me” generation.
It’s all about US.
The prepared and unprepared alike.
HT,while we need to first care for ourselves am in total agreement about helping others when one can.Nieghbors lost their heat recently,and though had a wood stove and had it capped/cleaned that season had no wood.I helped neighbor load about a 1/3 cord into his truck,they blocked off home where no piping ect. and that little stove in kitchen of theirs rocked with little amounts.They had me over for lunch,and as helped load it instead of wood warming me 2 times it warmed me 3 times total.They fixed heater but needless to say bought a couple of cords and have ready,tried to give me a few bucks but they are nice and though even we are all distanced just enough to have our own lives we all know and try and help each other,this was more common we would all go a long ways towards being a better country.
I live near the epi-center of the Southern ice storm. A few observations.
Two days without power made people cranky, angry, aggravated and mad. And they still KNEW it was coming back on! Imagine if they had no clue when it would be restored!
Some people on social media were looking for firewood – as the storm hit!
Many people ventured outside during & after the storm – when the trees were coming down. There were many devastating injuries from limbs & trees falling on people.
Lowes, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, etc were sold of of generators, chain saws & related equipment within hours.
Some rose to the occasion. Neighbors helped neighbors. Those of us with power opened their homes to friends. A local business offered discounts on salt. People with chain saws helped neighbors. People regularly checked on the elderly.
Some of my friends showed remarkable survivor skills – cooking over open fires for days, building “sterno” burners from scratch on their stove tops, etc. Gives me hope in the human mind & spirit should something big go down.
Sounds like a good area,as I live in area with few people that could go on for a long time,unfortunately probably not in high population areas,but,then one can hope.
A bit of irony I forgot to mention:
Us and a few of our local prepper friends were the MOST PREPARED for this storm (and any outcome). Several cords of wood, kerosene heaters, food for years, generators, etc.
And none of us lost power! We were the 15% in the region who were spared.
Go figure.
It’s like having insurance. If you’ve got it, you probably wont need it. If you don’t, guarantee you’ll wish you did. Insurance doesn’t really protect you, it protects your wealth.
Remember the days before the term “prepper”, when everyone was at least somewhat prepared? Even if you didn’t have all the supplies, you had the skills and moxy to take care of yourself.
Mr. Blutarsky, I’m in the Memphis area and wasn’t hit either, but was and still am prepared for one.
braveheart
I think a good prep for you right now
would be a beach umbrella and some
Coppertone suntan lotion. Poor baby.
I see you are getting into the sixties
tomorrow.
I would love to shovel out and come
down for a visit, but I have to keep
the ol’ woodstove stoked.
Five below last night. BRrrrr……
Howdy, OutWest. it feels like spring down here in my neck of the woods and that’s scary being we’re still in Feb. I still halfway expect one of those winter storms to knock the hell out of us between now and April. I’m prepped and still prepping. that won’t stop until the balloon goes up.
When I hear about the prepared not needing their supplies for whatever reason, I can’t help but think “God helps those that help themselves.”
In January we lost power during one of the coldest days here. We immediately build a fire in the fireplace of the family room and closed off the room to keep the heat in.
My husband tried to start the generator which was outside on the carport. Although, the generator had been started recently, it would NOT start in the near zero temperature outside.
We have since moved the generator to the garage, where it is warmer.
Don’t run the generator in the garage. The fumes will get into the house.
My husband decided to store it in the garage, until needed.
The generator is heavy, but is on wheels, so can be easily moved back out on the carport when needed.
Hopefully, the generator won’t be “frozen” and will start the next time it is needed.
Time to clean that spark plug , also sometimes a plug that is one step “hotter” will help .
Generators sit for months at a time , i like to keep mine only half full so when i need it i can add fresh gas in to mix with the old .
hope it helps.
hammerhead,
Thank you for the info!
I will pass this along.
Also a can of spray starting fluid works well, part of the problem is gasoline has mixtures of Butane, and propane to help it start in the winter. Summer gas does not, it also boils off slowly,as it ages, so you need the either, read the directions.
KY, if you can find it… the non ethanol gas. We’ve got one gas station in the center of town that still offers non-ethanol gasoline. It usually runs about 20cents more per gallon but it beats spoiling early with kandykorn gasoline and gummin’ up the carburetor. I’ve tried Stabil and other additives that tout keeping gas longer, but your better off paying for the non ethanol if you can get it and not have to pay tearing down the carburetor to get it running after a few weeks of non use.
KY MOM-
Ofttimes in extreme cold, when attempting to start a gasoline engine generator(diesel too)…a quick shot of (starting fluid)..aka ether into the air intake tract, will ensure ignition/running engine.
..for a gas engine, keep it choked somewhat until it warms up.
Good luck!
You probably have water in the carb fuel bowl. Try to drain that out or remove the bowl and clean. Check the tank and fuel line for water contamination, Ethanol blend fuels attract water from the atmosphere. Best to keep tank full at all times as there will be less “air-space” to bring in moisture. Also use Pri-G or Stabil every time. When you are done using Gen. turn off fuel valve and run until it dies to use up fuel in carb and then fill tank. Also check your fuel can to be sure it has no water. Water is heavy and will sink to the bottom of can or tank or carb. If its in your tank, it will go straight to your carb, and ruin your day.
Good Luck,
If you need more help, I’ll be here.
KY Mom,
Have a can of starting fluid on hand. Any small engine will start with a squirt in the air intake.
WD40 works also….
Go easy on starting fluids with either, it “washes” off the oil coating inside the cylinder and piston rings.
Have prepped some cans of starter fluid. Can really make a difference in getting any engine running; chainsaw, snow-blower, car, generator.
I lost a friend 3years ago.He had his in the garage with the door up . And killed him in his sleep.Inside his home.
With the garage door up, it built up enough to force itself into his home and build up there instead? How?
I keep my generator fuel tank empty unless an epic storm is predicted. To start it in cold weather or to prime the fuel I use a propane torch (not lit) to supply pure fuel direct to the carb.
After using it to get through an eleven day power outage, I have a new appreciation for the value of my generator.
I had never throughout the fact it needed an oil change every 50 hours. Hmm that’s every two days. Oil was really hard to find after the big storm, the auto parts stores and department stores were all out. I did get through, and now I keep at least a two week supply of oil changes,
I have also upgrade to a multi-blend full synthetic oil. That generator is just too damn valuable to risk to cheap oil, as well the synthetic is suitable over all temperatures, so it’s ready in the hot summer or coldest winter without tweaking the oil.
I’m thinking I want to order a spare set of diodes for the generator just to have on the shelf.
My generator is on wheels and can be rolled into the garage for easy maintenance, but beware,even though mine was shielded and well protected from the house, one night when the wind was just right, the CO detector in the house went off. I took action and all was well. Moral of the story, multiple CO detectors are a must when using a generator.
Generator on wheels? Yes I chained that sucker down and in a locked chain link fence pen. Several strangers walking by, showed way too much interest in my generator. No phones, no Internet, no cell service, we were totally on our own. Need a cop, yeah sure get in your car and drive over to the station, they might even be there?
You took the words right outta my mouth!
Get a can of ether for cold starts. Proper priming and use of the choke also help. When it is cold like that be careful not to spill gas or ether on you. It will evaporate and freeze where ever it hit. Frostbite type injury.
Thank you everyone for the information!
I appreciate it!
Take care!
KY Mom
Just pull the air filter off until it starts and runs for a few minites, as the air is too cold. Happens to my wood splitter with a brand new Honda engine.
KY Mom : Do not use starting fluid or either. It is hard on your engine. Use break clean instead. It works just as good without the side affects on your engine.
Also do not leave the fuel tank half full. That promotes sweat, which in turn puts water in your tank. Either keep it all the way full or run it completely empty.
Do not leave ethanol gas in the generator. If you have to get a can of the Tru gas for starting purposes. Ethanol will result in water in the fuel bowl and rust and corrosion in the fuel system. Worst crap ever for small engines especially if stored.
Put a insert in your fireplace and it will increase the heat tenfold. About 300$ used.
Just be careful which insert you get. At least some — the older BuckStove units, for example — cannot be used for any length of time without electricity to operate the fan. We have one and made the mistake of using it with a full fire during a power outage, and burnt up the motor and controls, which are located just outside the firebox. The fan running keeps the electrical components cool enough to survive …
This may or may not help. The manual for my generator lists which oil weights are for different temperature ranges. I put oil in it for the lowest temp, since that is when I would most likely need the generator. If you have the wrong weight oil in the thing you may have issues starting. It got us through a blizzard when the power lines were down this winter.
Thank you everyone for all the information about the generator!!
We live in a rural area and have had many power outages over the years. This is the first time the generator would not start.
I must admit I have very limited knowledge when it comes to engines. I copied, pasted and printed out all the tips about the generator and showed them to my husband.
He repairs and maintains our vehicles and has rebuilt old cars.
My husband says, “Thank you!”
Our power did not come on again until yesterday, Sunday. 5 days without power. The family thought the crazy old uncle (me) was a nut for buying a surplus military diesel genset for $760. A Mep002A. They thought I was crazy when I stashed a weeks worth of fuel.
On the 2nd day without power gas stations had no gas but they had off road diesel!
On the 3rd day seems there were problems at the terminal in Augusta.. and they ran out of deisel.. but got a delievery on the 4th day as power started coming back on in different parts of town
That MEP002A ran non stop (well one stop to check oil) for 5 days… we could have sold showers for $5.00 a piece by the third day…
And they don’t think Im crazy any more,
Cha-Ching!
This where prepping pays off. I’ll bet you got a couple converts out of the deal, that could be handy.
HTJ,
You sound like a wonderful neighbor.
Neighbors will have to work together if we are to survive the coming difficult years.
Take care!
KY Mom
Im hopeful that this is how it all works out, but i can definitely see problems from outsiders
Agree kula,but am also hopeful(won’t bet on it)their will be outsiders/strangers that also willing to help.Some of the first search and rescue after Katrina where from Canada,embarrassing but at least they were there to help the firsts we had going in.
Agreed,,, there are still good people out there, im hopeful more good than bad,
I worry more about those ” just doing my job ” because those are the ones who will try to separate me from certain items i will not compromise on,,,
I already had a bunch of t-shirts made up that say, Don’t shoot, I’m from here. Had one printed in Spanish, just in case.
Maudy ,Kula may want to have his t-shirts printed in chinese, or at least japanese .
just a thought.
Oh hell no! If them bastards get that goddamn close to have to see the words on my tee shirt I’m gonna make sure they’re layin’ on the ground tits up.
Like a lot on here are saying, the end of hard times in a storm is visible, the law is still in place, people’s actions will be held into account. You head into a situation where there is no end in sight, worl, and things will be completely different.
Something to think about…. How much “help” will anyone be able or want to give when you know that resupply is basically impossible. I think this is where most preppers are coming from. Its not that we hate them or don’t like them, but why give your LIMITED resources to someone who did not care about themselves enough to get their own?
Bingo!
@ Arby….That’s the speech I’m fixen to tell my youngest son . He’s just about to get his taxes back and already has found a small motorcycle he wants (which is ok ,I guess, since it will be a gas-saver)and hopefully this will be the time to remind him of the need to stock up the thing’s him and his family HAVE to Have ! I thought about telling him “If your lil girls are crying because they’re hungry ,….YOU will Kill to feed them !!” But maybe that’s a little to harsh .?? Maybe I’ll tone that down some or save it as a last resort .?? I can’t ‘stock up’cause I end up eating 1/3 of what I bought the month before! But I did buy led spotlight (motion-detector) and Sawyer water mini-filter last month ,so We’ll have water at least . Prepp ON ….mm
HT while you good deed is commendable. The fact is you where being the neighbors enabler. when A true long term SHTF occurs are you prepared to be some ones long term enabler? Why reward the unprepared at your own determent. That neighbor knew he was on oxygen. That neighbor should have been self reliant & prepared. You might have been more help to them if you let them suffer. Or made them pay dearly. That way they would have learned a lesson. And learned it the hard way! No matter what when the great shakeout occurs 90% will die. And the unprepared sickly ,old, stupid, ect. ect will be the first to perish.
When the SHTF, only one thought comes to mind: TOUGH LOVE! They all knew it was coming. TOUGH LOVE!
Even when you know and are prepared things go wrong vet/gennies break/folks get badly wounded and run thru supplies for injury,hell,the list is endless.I don’t try and help others might as well not survive any calamity be it natural or man made.
Off Topic…
Banking default concerns continue in China.
China Folds On Reforms – Bails Out 2nd Shadow-Banking Default After “Last Drop Of Blood” Threats
“The Jilin Trust default, as we noted last week, was the second notable ‘technical’ default among Chinese wealth management products.”
“Bankers have warned that China’s lenders are exposed to vast swathes of loans extended by their non-bank partners and sold to bank clients as off-balance-sheet wealth management products. Though banks are not legally responsible for repaying investors in such cases, they may face pressure to do so in order to maintain their reputations and uphold social stability.”
“Shares of China’s biggest listed coal producers have dropped to their lowest valuations on record as falling fuel prices make it harder to repay debt.”
“…it’s not over yet – as the following chart shows, there are a lot more “maturing” trusts to come in the next 3 months alone…”
Zerohedge
Direct link…
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-17/china-folds-reforms-bails-out-2nd-shadow-banking-default-after-last-drop-blood-threa
Shits getting real more so every day. The center is getting chipped away.
There is such a thing as love that is too tough. In ND/MN, if you let the silly doorknobs just suffer they may die…or at the very least they may have their pipes frozen or other thing that then they will be hounding you to borrow your tools or supplies later. I help people first because it’s neighborly and I consider it the right thing to do, but also out of self-defense. In a winter power or other emergency, up here you’ve gotta be ready to share heat or the ability to produce it. Luckily, most of the time that means plugging in my gennie so I have power to my furnace igniter and then allowing any and all neighbors who bring an extension cord to have a bit of power to rig in their igniters.
If the gas ever goes off (haven’t heard of that now, but it will post-shtf) then it’s a whole new world up here. Then again, those who aren’t prepared at that point will likely flee south and we’ll never see them again, either because they got there or because they didn’t.
…What’s the best way to season a yankee?
A little salt and pepper, and Grey Poupon!
Just remember no good deed goes unpunished
OV, I agree about the “tough” part. But the “love”…. NO. “Shit”, yes.
Brandon,
“Icepocalypse” great word
Excellent article.
Icepocalpse” sounds like a syfy movie , lol
Their the best !
Icepocalpse, new syfy flick, starring The Sliding Dead
Remember a song titled “Slip sliding Away” by Paul Simon?
hate puke simon for his politics.
but like his craft , one of the best .IMHO
Starring The Slick and The Dead…
“Propane and Propane Accessories”
Love it.
Wasn’t that Hals line?
That was Hank Hill’s line! 🙂
Dammit Warchild!I am more a south park fan as they skewer everyone but did watch the King occasionally.
Quite a few people failed the Icepocalypse this go around. Ill bet theyll fail next time too. People just dont care and theyre lazy. Theres been a belief that many people see themselves as being a loser or a failure. Theres truth to that but those of us who prep dont think of those people who set themselves up to fail. We just think theyre dumbasses. Some are plain lazy and theres some who dont care.
Around here there were only a few people w/ smoke rising from their chimneys during this last storm. We got 15 inches of snow and an icy crust on top. Most neighbors in this area have fireplaces too. Were in the country and tThese aint new homes. The owners have been here for decades so are they just too old, they hate dust in the house, or they dont prep for a power outage w/ wood? If they dont have the sense to get ready for a snow storm or the energy to take care of themselves why should someone else do it for them.
I will admit some are dumb and just can’t picture things going wrong,some though are on very limited budgets and though while the smalls add up(you can do it!)can’t cover all of the bases,I know I can’t and actually have a lot of things covered,of course,use these regularly so kinda just covered to a large degree by lifestyle.Some folks will need help and if I can will.Some folks just scared of/never introduced to firearms,that said,will not knowingly allow them to be victims of murder/rape ect. without at least trying to help,a drastic example but still,just one of many ways will try and help folks in times of need.It might only be loaning a few books to someone till a storm passes through,will do either way.
A tight budget can be hard to work with but it aint the end of the world if your willing and you got the drive to prep. Once your determined you know you set the goals and start searching for ways to help yourself on the cheap. There sure is plenty of tricks and tips online. Things can be made w/ scraps if a person has some time and the ability to scrounge and scrape. Sometimes being the tightwad or living w/ less money brings out the best in a person because theyve got to think differently or go about it a different way. Barter w/ others. Shop the sales or w/ coupons. Shop foods in season, buy foods in bulk or w/ others to get bulk prices.
ABout neighbors, lived here 20 years but we dont know many of the neighbors on our road. Country life aint as tight as it once was. People are preoccupied and busy. Some folks are connected to others through churches or 4H or farming. Theres some who help each other as friends or family. We know a few who taught the kids and know others through the kids playing w/ one another. None of these folks are what youd think are dumbasses, theyre just country folks. Maybe they figure theyll make it. Reminds me of the old timer words of making do or doing without. Theyre doing life on the slow lane while they sit a spell. Something like that.
We put up extra dried foods for hard times if food needs to be passed out but so far, weve never heard word of anyone whos that put out. Food pantry has a different story though and its near a church just outside of town. We take our extra eggs over there and some canned goods but since we dont know where the food goes we dont donate too much, just what we can easily afford. Too many take advantage and Id rather donate directly. Fall season might tell a different tale. Food prices are heading up and salads may be a thing of the past unless you grow it in the garden.
Some folks dont have firearms and some are scared of owning any, you got that right. Kids need to learn about guns and gun safety. We taught the kids the right way, even gave them safety courses. One ofthe grandkids is wanting to shoot so later this year, well head to the range and get her started. She wants to be a cowboy and get a horse. Shes got the boots, now she wants the gun. Could be worse, could be Justen Beaver or Miley Syrus and all those crazy teenagers.
Sounds like ya lucked out with that grandkid.
Many do depend on help of others too much, or get unreliable, untested information.
I read a site yesterday listing prepping needs.
Of both those lists from that site, not ONCE was cable ties listed.
Folks, get cable ties–all lengths. Packages of cable ties.
I couldn’t inform this brilliant author because the comment section was off.
Maybe someone else noticed some missing essentials and the author realized he didn’t know c**t from shinola??
My dad use to say that; I don’t even know where shinola is! 🙂
I got a paper box full of all sizes, it is amazing where you can use those things, just think outside the box…
Shinola is a town in China?
Eppe, it might be near Bumf#$%, Egypt.
Shinola is a shoe polish brand.
eppe–
one possible use … plastic handcuffs when you need some?
NO Look at U-Tube shows how to get out of Cable tie handcufs in a second or two.
Only if you use them as they show, with different sizes and widths, I can make one better than the LEOs use…
I know, I have tried, and Huodini? could not escape….
Go down to your heating supply shop and get some of the plastic zip ties they use for attic conduit runs. The ties are about three feet long, double the strength of the little cable ties, and will work on two average persons. Cable their feet together and they are not moving anywhere.
John Allen-
Sssssshhh, bro’.
..that “balls-deep character” might get some nefarious ideas!
Oh, dad must have known!!
It’s on the road to Shambala..
JayJay, it’s funny you mention “s45t from shinola’. My Dad used to say the same thing; mostly about politicians.
see–they were all smarter than us..what else would china make but c**t!!
JayJay, AMEN to that!
“didn’t know c**t from shinola??”
Keeps putting the wrong one on his shoes!
Brown boot polish used during the US Civil War. 3 guesses what it looked like. Also where the term “Shodey” cam from. Sombody sold the Army a bunch of boots that the soles were pressed paper, of the same name.
Shoddy, not shodey.
Also got “the whole shebang” from the Civil War. Was a slang term for a jury-rig pup tent and mattress, maybe a stool or some such ‘comfort’ at Andersonville Prison. When you were dying or repatriated, you left all or part of your shebang to some other unfortunate who did not have one.
A catastrophic collapse event will consume most people, even the prepared. What if you lost all your preps to whatever. Are you going to sit down, cry and give up? You gotta have your mind right. If you’ve never had to endure great hardship in your life it might seem overwhelming. For some of you it will be the end. For those of you that make it, you need to multiply and prosper. Take over what’s left and run it right.
Maudy
I can’t multiply anymore. Can I please be one of the guys in the prosper group? I promise I’ll share and help bring up the youngin’s.
wrong
p.s.
sure will be glad when spring arrives.
Wrong, Ok, we put you on the prosper list.
Thank You.
Well, I’ll multiply…if I have to..
Just tryin to do my part..
Lived on creamed corn and pancakes for 3 months. We ate porcupines and poached antelope and elk. Times were tight but out of most my life, I remember those times the most vividly.
yep , bean soup and cornbread , didnt notice at the time
but i remember now .
lean times teach us alot , sometimes it a good thing in disguise .
There was a few days where we ran out of food. We used the last of our bread and lettuce from the garden to make lettuce and mustard sandwiches.
You can teach that to the desperate now starving because their food stamps were cut by $5 a month!! Oh, right–they don’t know how to cook pancakes and would NEVRR think of making their own maple syrup.
Maple syrup is tough work (really) jay-jay.
Been there done that.
I would rather by my high fructose corn syrup artificial stuff at the dollar store , its cheaper .
And sooo much better (sarc) .
On that note i am currently building a hydrolic cider press while i watch the snow fall . gotta stay busy.
Those hand crank jobs get old after while .
I got 10 new trees that should produce this year.
AHHH , hard cider .
Nice!
hammer
I rebuilt a press made in 1856. All the iron pieces got cleaned and scrubbed with a wire brush and repainted. The whole thing went through a barn fire in 1950 and was pretty charred. I have over an hundred hours in that thing. We made cider last year with it. I found some nice white oak I used for all the pieces. Hand cut all all the mortise and tenons. It was really enjoyable and I look forward to using it for years and years. My grand kids will be using it.
WRONG , THATS COOL ! Kinda a lost art as far as folks squashin apples at home .
We use it for grapes and pears as well .
The pulp is the greatest mulch you ever had , very alive in enzimes that help stop parasites.
I dont know why, just happens that way i guess.
wrong , what do you use for “pulp” bags ?
Ive tried all kinds of stuff .
Low thread count bedsheats seem to work best.
When I was a kid the old timer down the street took a keg of apple jack in cold weather, tapped it into a bucket, and would keep skimming the ice off the top. When he was done it was about 40 proof. All without a still. When he was satisfied, he bottled up the good stuff in gallon sized ceramic jugs.
very nice
Oh, not real maple syrup–but flavored maple syrup, using Mapleline!
Sorry about that confusion.
Off Topic…
Many credit and debit cards have this chip.
Surprise! One swipe, bank account drained.
“It’s frightening to see just how easy it is for crooks to steal your money and your identity these days…
The news clip below shows how one man can use a $100 device to “pickpocket” you… without ever touching your wallet. The device exploits credit cards with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Chances are good you have one of these. Over one billion cards — one third of all credit and debit cards — utilize RFID (go to 2:38 in the clip to see how to recognize an RFID card).
One quick swipe with the device gives the thief your name, credit card information, and expiration date.
Thieves can then “clone” your card and implant the information into another card, like a hotel room key. Fast forward to 3:35 to see how easy it is to make purchases with the cloned card.
The gaping security hole in your wallet will shock you. Watch at 4:50 to see how you can protect yourself from this threat.”
The Daily Crux
Direct link…
http://thecrux.com/i-never-thought-id-want-a-tin-foil-hat-but-its-for-my-wallet-not-my-head/
that’s funny, i just saw an old friend that works for the gubmint at ft irwin, california and he showed me a handful of those sleeves to protect your info… he was issued them when he went to work out there.
You can also carry your cards wrapped in aluminum foil, until just before you intend to use them. rewrap after you leave the store. Those wallets are nice, but tin foil is cheaper.
KY Mom
That was pretty funny how all the companies said “Oh, it’s perfectly safe” “Its better” “Blablabla” and then the guy buys a pop after 60 seconds with the other guys card.
Amazing. I don’t have that on my one card. But I sure checked.
Thanks
wrong,
I checked my cards too. Thankfully, my cards do NOT have the RFID chip.
But, 1/3 of ALL CARDS already have this chip. From the video, I got the impression that MANY more will have the RFID chip in the future. Keep in mind, the banks replace these cards every few years.
If the chip is “better” (incentives given ?), for the bank, then we can expect move cards will have them in the near future.
We all know the RFID has so many other uses – medical, financial, location, etc.
KY MOM,
Lets just say I work in this industry and by Oct. 2014, all merchants must be able to accept RFID chips. This is already in all cards in Europe.
There’s not a lot we can do because RFID is now considered the only way to be PCI compliant. (Payment Card Industy)
I hear everyday the praise of this technology and how it’s going to stop fraud but you never hear about the ways people can steal from you.
My fear is next they will say you don’t need a card cause we’re going to plant one in your head. That will be the day I take my stand cause they’re not putting anything in this guy…..Willingly
Ky Mom, I watched that video and almost fell out of my chair. I checked my personal debit card and my company credit card for RFID and fortunately neither one of those have the chip. I won’t accept RFID for any reason.
wrong,
I wonder if a strong electrical pulse sent to the RFID chip on someone’s card could shock or kill them.
If you have one of these cards, just locate the chip (by holding the card at an angle and looking to the imperfections in the surface of the card) and then shove a thumbtack thru the chip. It make nice little crackling sounds as it dies…
One well placed crack with a finish hammer will do nicely too. I saw a video on youtube about that last year.
It would for sure fry the chip.
You bring up some good points.
What I was wondering is could someone be injured or killed by an electrical shock to the chip on their card if it was in their pocket or purse?
No, KY Mom, the energy level is orders of magnitude too small. Microwatts. Millionths of a watt.
One thing they CAN do with RFID chips, however, is disable them from any read/write terminal within range.
fold in al foil?
No cards yet, but I’ll just use a 1/8″ drill when one of those cards shows up.
Steve
That will do it. Already there’s metal-mesh-lined wallets you can buy.
Did you read where an agent/social services employee stole $600,000 in two years by creating 23 fake accounts and used her sister to help??
Washington or DC?? Can’t find the link now.
That’s not the only case. One in Seattle last year for over a million bucks.
Most outfits have two or three people in the money chain now to prevent this kind of crap. Small businesses that can’t afford it are losing money all the time to clerks and purchasing agents.
We had seven inches from our biggest snow storm. We were out the next day clearing the front porch and shoveling the front walk. There’s a black family not far from us, and the wife had started shoveling their driveway the night before. She was out there again in the morning. We hadn’t met them, but my wife called out and complimented her on her industriousness. She actually came over to our yard and helped us finish shoveling our walk and part of our driveway (she’s a lot younger than we are). Even though she was from NY, she seemed to be as friendly and self-reliant as any of our longer-term neighbors.
Oh no. I just checked the weather, and they say we have a chance of sleet tonight. Must go get bread and milk. And Little Debbie cakes.
Arch,not stocked up on Little Debbie cakes?!Damn,talk about being unprepared!
In a pinch HoHo’s and Ding Dongs work OK
better keep yer eye on her!, she might be casin’ yer place……juuuust kiddin’……kind’uh.
Not only are supplies of oil and natural gas under imminent threat of failing to meet demand for them, but so is a whole range of precious metals, along with indium, gallium and germanium and other vital elements such as phosphorus and helium.
Plastic constitutes approximately 90% of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile. Ocean fisheries are tanking.
Fukushima CONTINUES to pour millions of gallons of radiated water daily into the Pacific and there seems to be no fix or end in sight. All we do know is Tepco is lying through their teeth. Gee, whodathunkit?
China is hoping people will revert to gold for food, but I really think this time is different. Even as China buys up multiple tons of gold with their ballistic fiat printed buttwipe, I don’t think a gold backed currency is going to mean hills when the coming famines hit. Energy is going to be king and the biggest bang for the buck is oil.
We are now to the peak that every generation will be living a lesser life than the previous. The McMansions are rotting as I type this, and retail is crashing.
It is starting to get real as resource depletion becomes a glaring reality and the only thing governments can do is take from the people to keep themselves in power. The earth has been “juiced”.
When I was a logger we would move into the next logging unit that was marked out with blue ribbons, being the blue ribbons were the boundaries and everything inside the ribbons was known as the “strip”. We worked as a term called gypo loggers as we were paid by the load, piece or board foot, but it was on a production basis. So, what would happen is we would move into a new job, cut everything that would hit the road first as this was termed juicing the road as it was the easiest skid to the landing where the trees were processed and loaded on the trucks. Then the next thing we would do is build a trail into the biggest nicest timber and cut/skid it next. This is called juicing the strip. Now, if you haven’t caught onto the situation yet this is what happens. While we are juicing the road and strip everyone is making easy money and all is happy smiles and buy another beer for the house. As the strip becomes less productive because the easy stuff is now gone, the crew starts to grumble and moral tanks.
We have juiced the planet, tptb and governments know this, so as food keeps skyrocketing in price, and more lay offs as more retail closes and as each day goes by there is less for every person alive, the center sooner rather than later is not going to hold, riots are going to be global along with mass starvation, governments and military will be triage mode, and things are going to get ugly, worse, and unbearable. This time is different.
.02, you forgot the most important one, Upsadaisium. The last mine is near Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.
Isn’t that the stuff the guy used in the Walt Disney movie? He put it on his basketball shoes….. He could jump really tall..
Fred MacMurray…
Rocky and Bullwinkle had some.
flubber
flubber.
All those problems can be solved with Administratium and Bureaucratium, according to the President.
Extinction. I was just reading about it and thought of this. In a prolonged collapse many species may go extinct. You can expect to see the disappearance of most squirrels, rabbits, ducks, geese, deer and anything else edible near population centers. Ponds and small lakes will be emptied of fish, etc. Already in Africa, if it wasn’t for international help, most wild animals would have been killed off already. All large mammals will go bye bye.
This will be the 7th extinction the earth has gone through 6 and we have plants and animals going extinct at a break neck speed. The bees are the one animal that will lead to human extinction.
bees? we don’t NEED no stinkin’ BEES!(monsanto)
Immediately after every extinction event is when new species suddenly appear. Maybe we won’t need the bees.
Maybe Intel can produce some little nano-robots to do the pollenating…
Just think of it as artificial-insemenation for the flowers.
Sebastion your right because we will all be dead
That immediately is 5-10 Million years.
Don’t forget the distinct possibility of cannibalism occurring following the demise of all the wild game. It’s gonna get reeeeeeaaal ugly! protect you & yours!
Uh daddy,we prefer the phrase”long pig connoisseurs”.The book Alive was one of my favorites as a child.I die,feel free if safe to eat my corpse,am already a organ donor,honestly do not see much difference if it helps people live.
It’s possible but I think the wild game will outlast the 2 weeks that will see most of the unprepared die off- I don’t see the average person (out of shape, unmotivated, ignorant of how to do much of anything for themselves, fast food eating, no-food-in-the-pantry types) making much of a dent in the wildlife population. There may well be cannibalism but I think it will be because people are easier to harvest and the degenerates among us see only themselves as really being “people”. And then they die off from the diseases they are exposed to from preying on the sick and run-down.
I hope you are right.
I think?
SW,am dead serious(pun intended!),folks come across me and body frozen besides utilizing whatever goods I have,dammit!,eat my body,hell,cut it up/cook and feed the dogs,whatever.I have considered and probably should do now having a note in my pack/home stating this.I really see in tough times no difference then my organ donor card.Whatever is left,don’t bury unless safety from disease a issue,feed me to the critters.Of course,you kill me hope you die of food poisoning and will see you on the rock in hell,I will be the long haired one with a beer and a smoke laughing at ya’s!
Another useful lesson is “GET IN SHAPE” Being slow and fat is going to be a terrible liability when SHTF.
Start slow and work your way into a full workout. I started by just walking a mile a day. Then started doing weight lifting last week. I was sore a few days but feel like I have a lot more energy.
I’m not fat but when I hit 30, I noticed those cheeseburgers started to hang around my waist more than I wanted them too.
Just wait until you hit 50 and it really gets hard to burn off those cheeseburgers, but boy do they taste good.
It wasn’t the cheeseburger…it was the bun…and the pasta and all the other refined grains you ate… Go paleo…
Indy: It’s great that you are getting in better shape. Please do some research and find the right program for you. I lifted weights for a long time before I found out I was not lifting in the right cycles (heavy low rep vs light high reg and off week/days). There are plenty of online resources for this.
I would also include some fun cardio whether that consists of running, biking or in the winters I like X-country skiing. I also like to do winter camping on snowshoes. That gets me away from the house and lets me do a certain amount of testing of my gear.
My last trip I was snowshoeing above 11k ft weighing 260 with pack and pulling another 30lbs on a sled. It will make a person think seriously about what kind of gear you need and what each piece weighs. My gear is surplus and is heavy but it is also inexpensive by comparison.
Some things I realized on prior trips: My 3500 cu in pack wasn’t nearly enough space for winter gear, so I bought an ILBE which is 4500 cu in and I attach both the hydration pack with 3L of water and the assault pack to bring in the tent with me at night with next days socks and next days base layer.
Things I have yet to perfect is keeping the hydration pack from freezing while hiking. It thaws at night in the bag with me but freezes in the day.
sorry I got off on a tangent. But try to do some fun challenging things with your fitness regiment that may also help in your prepping.
I read some of the comments on here. The idea that you actually have neighbors that will help you out; and even reciprocate the kindness; is in my mind; absolutely great. I truly hope you people with great neighbors NEVER take them for granted. They are a gold coin. My neighbors? Glad you asked. One old guy; across the hall; is an effin Stalker. Not kidding. Section 8 people moved into the condo below me; AND on the opposite side of me. When I leave for work early in the morning; I can smell the aroma of pot wafting through the halls. I KNOW what these people are going to be like if the S every hits the fan. Its going to be ugly.
Not IF… but WHEN
You gotta get out of there.
You sure can’t bug in with that situation.
Maybe #1 prep should be to find a better arrangement.
I don’t know where you are, but it sounds bad.
moving soon?
If you have been waiting for the “global economic crisis” to begin, just open up your eyes and look around. I know that most Americans tend to ignore what happens in the rest of the world because they consider it to be “irrelevant” to their daily lives, but the truth is that the massive economic problems that are currently sweeping across Europe, Asia and South America are going to be affecting all of us here in the U.S. very soon. Sadly, most of the big news organizations in this country seem to be more concerned about the fate of Justin Bieber’s wax statue in Times Square than about the horrible financial nightmare that is gripping emerging markets all over the planet. After a brief period of relative calm, we are beginning to see signs of global financial instability that are unlike anything that we have witnessed since the financial crisis of 2008.
Here is a possibility…
http://ourfiniteworld.com/
Well, the article started out good, but then really sounded, in my opinion, like agenda 21 propaganda. Like I said, just my opinion on it 🙂
Headline 0 hedge: 15 Reasons Why Your Food Prices Are About To Start Soaring.
If you have a garden better put it to use this year and if no garden, better get with it.
.02, totally agree with ya! I’ve been telling people for years not to JUST have one of those “seed vaults” they sell but to grow something every year. I’ve been gardening for over 40 years and still learn something new every year and some years I don’t get what I think I will, I had no corn to put up last fall because a raccoon family decided to devour my corn in a day, good thing the Good Lord blessed me the year before with extra corn that I did put up, at least I have some this winter 🙂
Did you know that the U.S. state that produces the most vegetables is going through the worst drought it has ever experienced and that the size of the total U.S. cattle herd is now the smallest that it has been since 1951? Just the other day, a CBS News article boldly declared that “food prices soar as incomes stand still”, but the truth is that this is only just the beginning. If the drought that has been devastating farmers and ranchers out west continues, we are going to see prices for meat, fruits and vegetables soar into the stratosphere. Already, the federal government has declared portions of 11 states to be “disaster areas”, and California farmers are going to leave half a million acres sitting idle this year because of the extremely dry conditions.
Sadly, experts are telling us that things are probably going to get worse before they get better (if they ever do). As you will read about below, one expert recently told National Geographic that throughout history it has been quite common for that region of North America to experience severe droughts that last for decades. In fact, one drought actually lasted for about 200 years. So there is the possibility that the drought that has begun in the state of California may not end during your entire lifetime.
who cares? i got 2 years of food in my storage rooms and hundreds of gallons of water and guns&ammo and,,,,,why are you all looking at me like that……uh ohhh, there’s a mass of zombies right behind me ready to take my stuff, isn’t there?!!! awwww, SHIT! aint got enough guards to get ’em all! AIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE! HEEEEEELLLLLLLP MEEEEE…………..DOINK! shit!………..hope y’all kin laff at that, i been workin’ on it fer 3 weeks now!
“Did you know that the U.S. state that produces the most vegetables is going through the worst drought it has ever experienced and that the size of the total U.S. cattle herd is now the smallest that it has been since 1951? ”
YES , and some of us michigan capitalist farmer types are gettin ready to fill as much of the void as possible.
Ya hafta be pro-active to survive .
If this damn snow ever melts , i’m gonna get active. 🙂
I only buy your state’s apples–no Ca. apples for me!!
And cherries.
JayJay, I don’t buy anything from Commiefornia.
too bad more of us don’t have that attitude, braveheart. i live here and HAVE to buy from these commie bastards. i’m stuck here with my kids until they get old enough to get out on their own. i’m STUCK here as long as my ex wants to live here….unless of course, she wants to move back to where she’s FROM…..wait for it…..DETROIT!…i think i would rather wake up in a sleepin’ bag with harry reed, naked,…. than wake up in detroit next to a cheerleader! well, wait a minute…i gotta think this one out a bit.
There’s plenty of good farmland in NC. If food prices go up high enough, more of the farmers here will switch from corn, cotton, and soybeans to truck farming. In my area there are already fields as far as you can see with wheat, potatoes, cabbage, and strawberries.
arch , as a country we need to be more “regional” .
I dont want to be divisive , but every region has to have its own supply.
We can no longer count on nation wide distribution if we are gonna have a steady supply of food.
How long before the truckers shut em down ?
5 bucks? 6 bucks? what are we gonna pay, get it ?
“Communities”, for lack of a better word, need to become more self sufficient. Like the old days. Now not every town can have a tire factory, but they should be able to provide most of the food they consume.
And, the potatoes I am dehydrating now are from Raleigh–I was surprised!!
I’m with Jay Jay! also highly recommend MI cherries. I will not eat any other. love my home state!
if i said i was gonna eat some of the fruits from california, somebody would probly make a joke about it.
Snowing real good here in NE Illinois right now. Already 5 inches and some more on the way. Wet stuff this time. Supposed to be upper 30’s the next few days or so. Probably flood.
” such observations do bear repeating. ”
and again and again and again until it sounds like one word…and then again.
Is it any wonder I’m almost bald…but it’s beautiful… 🙂
Reading this make me feel sick.
Local Police Train With Special Forces To Raid Farm Houses, Conduct Domestic Raids
“If the reports of these sources are accurate, the American military and indeed the Richland County Sheriff’s Department clearly see the American people and the people of South Carolina as the enemy.”
The Daily Sheeple
Direct link…
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/local-police-train-with-special-forces-to-raid-farm-houses-conduct-domestic-raids_022014
not sure why this article references Ft Bragg, which is in NC. the Fort here in Columbia, SC (Richland County) is Ft. Jackson. Sheriff Lott ain’t so bad. one of his deputies strong-armed a gal @ a Wings restaurant this past summer. Lott fired him.
This is what we need to prep for!!
Read an article last week about a guy in Texas acquitted for killing a sheriff who barged into his home w/out knocking. Full SWAT team behind the sheriff in that raid. Jury sided w/ the accused shooter who was defending himself and family against intruders who didnt id themselves.
All the police and all the soldiers ain’t gonna go home and hunker down with their families. If you believe that then shame on you. Note: Ain’t aimed at you KY Mom. I know you know better.
On the flip side its like believin’ that all the gun owners are gonna field their weapons and head off into combat. Wrong..godammit… wrong.
Not going anywhere, Hope they don’t come to me, But I’ll see them in H befor they move me.
PERFECT FOR MOST EMERGENCIES
just having a wool blanket , couple of candles , metal tin cup , couple boxes of oatmeal , nuts , raisins and bottled water stashed away for a few days or a even week , hunkering down with just that in a safe place is good … perfect for most emergencies actually .
* don’t forget to get that ‘at a min.’ .38 revolver , ammo , good belt knife , matches , saw and a hand axe with sharpener also .
N.O. ;0p
Howdy, NinaO…Respect. I already follow the advice you’re offering, although I go a little stronger on my pistol caliber, plus I have Bertha with 00 buckshot. Never know when ‘heavier artillery’ will be necessary. I collect a few fixed blade and folding knives and have boocoo sharpening equipment. plus a good gun cleaning kit and extra guncleaning supplies plus oil. Have LED lights and plenty of spare batteries although I tend to prefer candles during power outages. Also have battery operated radios, especially the shortwave variety, for any source of info on the outside world. Have a Katadyn water purifier with extra filters. Still use a Coleman propane campstove for warming up meals during said power outage. Even without that, I have been known to eat canned goods straight out of the can COLD if necessary. when you’re hungry and there is a will there is a way.
Hell I eat right out of the can anyways. Less dishes and I can get back to what I was doing anyway. I’m not a picky eater at all.
Hey Braveheart,
I read online yesterday the FBI is switching back to 9m because the balistics are superior and followup shots are more accurate. That’s the reason I got a g19
The one item in very cold weather that people forget about that can insulate just about anything, Snow. Snow and ice is water, and water is a fantastic insulator. Igloos are an example of this. People in very cold areas that have lost power have packed snow against the house, if it is ground level and keep the temperature much warmer inside than if they had not. Lot of work, but it does help. People also have packed water pipes that are exposed to the elements in areas that don’t get that cold and it keeps them from freezing if heat tape is not available.
As for the definition of half ass prepping. It is true to leave out key components in prepping that makes something worthless like oil for a generation is bad prepping. However someone that has only 30 days of supplies is still way better off than 99% of the people. It is far better to have 90 days, 6 months, 1 year and so one worth of what you need. I still would never discourage a person from prepping, even if it is just 1 month. They might not be able to afford much more at the time, or they have not yet felt the wonderful secure feeling of having supplies that you need.
I hope that no one takes this article wrong that they think that only X number of days worth of supplies is above being half prepared. Many times people can take this to mean that unless you an advanced prepper you are not prepared at all. Anyone with some supplies is going to MAYBE be able to survive lightweight SHTF events. I always try to encourage people to have something and then continue to add to it as they can. I really encourage people to add items like candles from people too stupid to understand their value selling them at garage sales for a dollar a dozen. Items you don’t need to rotate are something everyone should continue to add to their stockpile whenever they can. I prefer lots of wooden matches to many lighters, still have some lighters, because matches are cheap and one match stays lit a long time in comparison to the amount of fuel used up in a lighter. I highly recommend everyone have a mini library of survival books available as you tend to lose some of your survival wisdom when times are really stressful.
Howdy, BI, and AMEN to your comments and tips. This is what I referred to previously, getting back to exchanging useful information on survival-related topics. This thread has gone very well. Not one troll showed up to try and spoil it. Plus, I already follow the advice you gave in your post. Excellent advice and keep it coming.
i buy all the drug books,medical emergency,growing garden, canning, edible plants, survival books i can find at yard sales and local library used book sales. very reasonable, because people are throwing them away to get their info “online”. it aint gonna be there forever! i got LOTS of readin’ to do!
I love this website. Prepper plans are helpful to us all.
That said, we all need to take location into consideration.
It is just a personal opinion but I think the prepper plans for Minnesota should be different than the prepper plans for Southern California. (Store more fuel north – store more water south.)
Most preppers are smart enough to figure that out. Sadly, many wantabes that, at least, try by reading things the post on this website are not. Just a thought.
Good will to all.
As I always love to pontificate,”The Smalls Add Up!”.I will say,that attitude am actually in piles of the large on a lot of stuff,still a ways to go.That said anything is better then nothing,all but especially the monetarily challenged,see what and how many uses you can use what you already own in making your life easier in trying times.
I know the volume isn’t great but crystal radios require NO electricity. As long as you have ground and a copper wire for antenna they will work indefinitely. Its not a replacement for a good shortwave/ham but it can help quite a bit for free and it will never wear out. I’ve listened to some AM that is CLEAR with NO static. Just a suggestion. Hope all is well with you folks.
I have never heard of that,is that something you make at home or too complicated and better to buy?
Your great grandparents would have had one as the first radio. You can make or buy them but since transistors of the 50’s they have fallen to the wayside. Radioshack used to sell the kits. Very simple and easy.
Plenty of tutorials on the web, search for “build your own crystal radio” and you’ll get lots of good info.
KY Mom : Do not use starting fluid or either. It is to hard on the motor. Use brake clean instead. Works just as good and not hard on the engine. Also do not leave the generator halh full ( thinking you can add fresh gas when necessary ). Half full tank promotes sweat which adds water to your tank. Run it all the way out or keep it all the way full. On another note, somebody said stock up on sutures. If you can not afford it, waxed dental floss works great and is cheap. This is my first post, but I have been reading here for about a year. Thank you all and keep it up.
sutures are 7 bucks at the vet supply place, but i found them at the gunshow for a buck each a year or so ago…i think they are more now.
careful some of those gotten at gunshows might be the kind that dissolve after time and def have a shelf life and wont be good after that or much longer floss works forever it seems
fishandmud,
Welcome! Hope you continue to read and post.
Thank you for the information!
Take care!
KY Mom
Welcome!
Under the generator comment, should have discussed options. A generator as backup power is wasteful. For $500 or so, people can setup a solid solar system. So many people think solar power is an all or nothing thing, but it’s not. I have a small setup to give me some power: an LED light which is close to a 60W incadescent, and power for laptops and modem, etc. I also have a portable power station that cost close to $150.
As far a generator, a cheaper, portable generator is an option for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money on something they may not even use once a year.
Chris,good short term but things go south want at least more lights and run say occasionally water pump.Run a genny a hour a day will refridge your food/bump up the heat/give a chance for water buildup/shower.The 650 you speak of buys a few months of this in fuel,real needs filled(battery light and laptop recharged easy during this hour.I love solar heat and like solar power but battery tech needs further advances,solar good but a good genny first choice in my book.To recharge phone/laptop say a simple system for muc less could accomplish that.
KY Mom : Do not use starting fluid or either. It is to hard on the motor. Use brake clean instead. It works just as good without the side effects to your engine. Also do not leave your generator half full of fuel. A hal;f full tank promotes sweat which equalls water in the fuel tank. Either fill it all the way or run it completely empty.
Next subject, if you can not afford sutures, you can use waxed dental floss. It works great and is cheap. A friend of mine uses it on his hog dogs all the time. It has to be the waxed, non flavored.
Most of those who are aware already know all of this…and it is great info for newcomers. But, to be quite realistic, not so many people have the financial means to acquire all that STUFF….I know I don’t. Why have fuel powered generators at all? Eventually the fuel runs out and they make a great deal of noise….go with human powered generators…makes a great deal more sense and they can go where you go. As for the rest on the list, I say do what you can, as you can, for as long as you can….this is not “keeping up with the Jones'”….
I sometimes get the impression that some folks are merely attempting to just “survive”….and what does that ultimately mean, really? What comes NEXT? Has it not occurred to anyone that we all may be FORCED to be completely mobile/nomads? Take the time we have to read and learn just how to take care of yourself….without all the STUFF which you may have taken from you or you may just have to leave behind. Have everything you truly need between your ears…everything else will be a luxury. This is the time for us oldsters to teach…anything and everything that may be of value to those who come after us…
fob
The calories needed for human powered can be prohibitive depending on how much food you have available versus how much power you’re trying to create.
Solar is arguably the best option even if you’re mobile. You can buy a folding panel for well under $100 that can recharge your mobile devices (may not be that valuable a function) but it can also recharge your batteries for things like your carry/weapon lights, NVG, IR gear, HAM radios, AM/FM/Shortwave, CB etc.
HisArmsWide…..I believe that everyone should go with what they are comfortable with….I personally think that human power is the way to go….no need for sunlight (and others can see a solar apparatus if outdoors), portable, no sound, and exercise to keep muscles toned when weather is inclement….sadly, if anyone is too frail to operate one, then the overall chances for survival are minimal at best anyway.
fob
Addendum: From an individual standpoint – For those of you who have many, many weapons…which two would you take with you and what would you do with the others? For those of you who have thousands of gallons of water stored…how many of those gallons will you be able to carry? For those of you who have years of foodstuffs stored, how many pounds of that food will you be able to transport? I am of the opinion that it would be far better to simplify…and then stay the course…KNOWLEDGE of how to survive is far more important than the Stuff you obtain to survive….
fob
F.o.b – excellent post(s). I especially like the comment about folks having too many guns and too much ammo to take if they need to bug-out. You don’t just need to have already decided what gets left behind – you need to have a plan to prevent others using what you left behind to harm you. Bearing this in mind, I consolidated my ‘collection’. Part of it is just being realistic – any group with the intent and capability to overrun a few adults, each with a rifle and handgun and dug-in in a defensive position – such a group is unlikely to prevail against. Too many preppers think like infantry and not enough like STA or scout/sniper. Scoot if you can. Shoot & scoot if you must (& repeat as necessary). The main goal is never killing the threat. The main goal is staying alive
Too many guns puts folks in a position of indecisiveness if you have to bug at a moments notice. Also, how much valuable time will you lose sawing through each receiver? (Especially if the power is out and its handtools vs hardened steel?) I’m not saying don’t prep for bug-ins. Stock your home with all the beans and toilet paper that you can. Nobody is going to chase after you and kill you with beans or tp rolls. But I’m not about to be in a position where someone can aquire the ammo or guns I left behind and use them against me. The adults in my party all have a long gun and a handgun. Long guns are all break-down and can fit in the BOBs if necessary for stealth. And one of each person’s two firearms is a 22. 100 to 200 rounds of ‘defensive’ (or medium to large game) ammo and one or two bricks of 22 each. We plan to bug-in. But part of prepping is to have a plan B, C, and at least D. I really don’t want any more ammo than we can easily carry if bugging out on foot. A lot of folks that I know would be better off selling some guns and ammo and putting that money into a weekend survival course, martial arts classes, first aid training, etc… They can take your gun and knife, but they can’t take away a blackbelt’s muscle memory or a scout master’s bushcraft skills.
I am a mobile locksmith who is always on the road. Forget those stupid first aid kits with 1/2″ bandages. Cut joint on hand that bleed so much tha band aid kept falling off. Used fast food napkins to hold bleeding. Went to store and bought jumbo bandages, guaze and triple aintibotic cream. Now I carry: Heavy plastic box with water tight seal 2″bandages triple antibiotic cream guaze tape for guaze military wound kit Had my doctor write prescription for other emergency items. bought army surgical kit (about $50) Doctor told me to bring raw meat and he would teach me to suture His 1911 was not ejecting correctly and I showed him how to replace parts kit. Did I mention doctor was a prepper? And no I’m still not fully prepped. Still working on that.
I like your doctor,there is a great video out there with a guy showing suturing on large pieces of chicken,really goes thru it pretty well,I find it will post.The ending is great,he washes chicken/removes sutures and puts in marinade and ends with a see ya’s at the barbecue!
I gotta see that.
It is also possible to use super glue to close a wound. Bring the edges of the wound together and dribble the glue across the top. Hold until the glue is dry and do not glue your fingers to the wound.
This works best for small, shallow wounds. It is good for areas like the scalp but not over joints because the repeated bending will cause the wound to break open. The glue will gradually peel off but by the time it does, the wound will be healed enough to leave bare.
You can buy ‘super glue’ specifically for this that’s sterile.
I would love to see that vidio. Remember some “flappers” or missing pieces of skin can’t be sutured. Some deeper wounds need to be wicked so that wound heals deep first. The more I earn the more I realise my lack of knowledge.
we practice on frogs lol (not the French btw)
I lived without running water and power company electricity(had generator for tools) for three months while building a cabin. Its only doable if in the right area. I had fresh water within walking distance and plenty of wild game if needed. Most will run out of power and water and go bat turd crazy within days. Get in shape and learn to live off minimum calories now before its too late.
They mention flashlights. Make sure you invest in the RIGHT flashlights. My paclite, personally tested, will run 7 months, 24/7, on a single lithium 9v, granted on low but low is still bright enough to get things done.
My armytek lights can go months on a single battery on moonlight and firefly modes.
4sevens/quark, fenix also make great lights that offer <2 lumen output that runs for days,weeks, or months of 24/7 light.
Again it's low level light but it beats sitting in the dark.
Don't buy crap and expect to be happy with it, flashlights are one place you really, IMO, don't want to skimp.
Well: I didn’t get to read this until today. I just spent all day Monday and 1/2 day Tuesday going over my prepps. Thank the Lord I’m where I want to be.
So I just got a very peaceful feeling over me. The only thing that would bother me is a NUIKE right on top of me. Then that would last maybe .01 of a second.
I want to thank all the great people here for your insight, and advise. It has made my prepps better and more of them.
A.S.M.S.
Sgt.
Look at the bright side of the Nuke; It should be lovely and definately impressive
I need to ‘fess up. I’m one of those who are half prepared. I can manage for a month,maybe a little bit more.Problem is,storage food is so damn expensive!
If you start right, it’s not very expensive. Go buy a 25 lb sack of white rice and a 10 lb sack of beans. You wouldn’t like to, but you can survive near a month on that, About $20. Next go buy a 250 ct. bottle of multivitamins. it’s about $10, now you can survive poorly but a lot more healthy. Slowly add: Salt, sugar, oil (Not corn, gets old quickly) Learn to make sourdough bread. After that buy 20# of rolled oats, Powdered milk. Even at 4-5 dollars a week, you can in a very short time get a lot of bulk food. Then add the little things like pepper, COCOA powder, spices that make it good.