quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
Revisiting this thread has got me thinking:

Any suggestions for best places to buy bulk mason jars?
Also, a wood-fired smoker that works but won't break the bank?

Bruce

For me walmart is the best source for mason jars. In the summer, they're everywhere here, but the best pricing is at walmart.

As for a smoker...I've found the home made to be the best, they're easy to make. Otherwise get something computerized and electric.

Some really good points in this thread. I keep about 3 months of food on hand, and about 1 week of water. I'm on a well, so if I have power I have water and that can be manipulated with a generator pretty easily. So our hope is that if something happens, the ground water becomes drinkable within 1 week, or I'll have to start coming up with another plan.

I'd like to shore up our reserves, I've had 6 months of water and food stored in the past. We've used these preps several times over the years, most recently the large thanksgiving earthquake here caused a run on our stores, and we had to move to bottled water for drinking. I still don't drink our well water, but we probably could if we had to. Our store shelves (which ones were even open) went bare in about 24 hours after the quake. It takes 7 days to get supplies to get distributed in Alaska after a disaster. This one was minor, but those who didn't have 72 hours of food and water on hand...had to bugout to shelters and friends/families houses. We saw a lot of that, and people are still displaced.

6 months for 6 people.
Water filters, pond with lots of fish, and lots of Turkey and deer around.

I've been trying to think about chemical attacks and radiation. Specifically, since our fish got radiated from fukashima, how long do you need to have safe food stores before you can start trusting the stuff outdoors again? For 6 months if not 7 months, I can source water from snow...but if it's contaminated beyond basic boiling and filtering...then what?

I've lived in North Idaho all but a few weeks of my life so far. Some of those years alone.

If something happens that makes all that trivial by comparison, then I think I'll just try to enjoy the freedom of anarchy for as long as possible.

Might be a few minutes in total, but it beats old age from what I've seen.

Something else to consider if the calamity is expected to go past a couple of weeks- grab a handful of tubes of antibiotic salve like neosporin or similar. A simple infection from a small cut in less than a good hygienic environment could lead to something more life threatening if it gets out of hand. Several years ago, I had a small cut on my thumb go south with a strep infection; a strange bacteria strain usually associated with throat ailments. By the time I went to the doctor, it was way beyond home treatment.

A good quantity of soap wouldn’t be a bad idea either. A gallon of Dr. Bronners Castile soap is viable for a very long time. It’s concentrated, so you can make up a mix (5:1 water to soap works well) as you need it.

Good points.
On our own, longer term, things like health maintenance and hygiene will become more important. Minor injuries and illnesses that would be fixed by a quick trip to urgent care would probably kill a lot of people.
A well stocked first aid kit with plenty of bandage material will be gold. A set of crutches and a cane. Antibiotic ointment. Burn cream. Soap. Bleach. A quantity of antidiarrhea medicine and oral rehydration salts. Many, many people in the Third World literally shit themselves to death from minor GI illnesses that we don't give a second thought to. Questionable food and suspect water will do that to you.

Bruce

Or learn to make your own soap.

A little lard (or pretty much any fat for that matter) and some lye and you're good to go. In a pinch you can make your own lye from campfire ashes.

Hopefully we don't go back to those days, but if we do, at least I'll be clean.

Toilet paper will be the new currency. I've been all over the world, nobody loves their toilet paper like Americans do.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
I've got plenty of ammo. My plan is to encourage y'all food preppers to share.

you live in the city, you will need 1/2 that ammo to keep the hordes at bay,

I'M more concerned with Rx than food. Fortunately the V.A. gives me 90 days on refills.
I believe Lead will be worth more than Gold. We have plenty of saltwater fish close by, as long as we have gas!

I think about it.. Not a lot actually planned though. I like the water storage as well.

the whole I'll just take the prepared peoples provisions will get you booted from most prep sites. Probably wont be as easy as you think!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
I've got plenty of ammo. My plan is to encourage y'all food preppers to share.

This is where we need a “like” button.

Wife's mother is a hoarder. Buys stuff because it’s on sale, regardless of how many she already has going bad in the cupboards. Consequently, wife is loathe to have more than one backup item in the pantry, if that. Same with clothes, household items, etc. if it’s not being used it goes to the dump of donated.

quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
Revisiting this thread has got me thinking:

Any suggestions for best places to buy bulk mason jars?
Bruce

I’ve seen end of season sales, like August September and October, with good quantity supplies at Big Lots for both lids and jars. My local Big Lots had huge stacks last fall and prices were excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
Revisiting this thread has got me thinking:

Any suggestions for best places to buy bulk mason jars?

Bruce

Look at estate sales. A friend recently picked up nearly 1000 quart jars for a song.

What I've been doing for years is grabbing a dozen every time I go to the hardware store. They're cheap, and I just throw them in the cart with whatever else I'm buying. I have quite the stock built up. Likewise, rings and lids. Every time I buy something on Amazon I add a box of each and they are dirt cheap. I have thousands of them stored up.

You never know.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
Revisiting this thread has got me thinking:

Any suggestions for best places to buy bulk mason jars?

Bruce

Look at estate sales. A friend recently picked up nearly 1000 quart jars for a song.

What I've been doing for years is grabbing a dozen every time I go to the hardware store. They're cheap, and I just throw them in the cart with whatever else I'm buying. I have quite the stock built up. Likewise, rings and lids. Every time I buy something on Amazon I add a box of each and they are dirt cheap. I have thousands of them stored up.

You never know.

If nothing else, you have the perfect vessels for storing sterilized water if you don’t have time to can food with them. Or even tap water for later boiling. Or bullets if they need to be stashed somewhere. Any number of uses.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Toilet paper will be the new currency.

Not if you learn how to use the three seashells.

quote:

Originally posted by Censored:

quote:

Originally posted by Kasinefect:

quote:

Originally posted by dave7378:

quote:

Originally posted by Censored:
Not a food prepper, but we have 3 grocery stores,2 drug stores, and 3 gas stations nearby. Can take by force if necessary

This is not a statement but a question. Are you advocating taking(iow, stealing) from others, "by force if necessary" rather than preparing now while you have the time and resources?

I'm guessing that the post was made in jest. More than a few store owners are armed and organized such as the Korean merchants during the Rodney King riots in Los Angelas.

You could say that I am very well prepared. I don't like to publish a whole lot on the web (not sure who is all reading it)

OPSEC. Agree completely. When I first started prepping I used to brag about what I had until I realized how stupid and dangerous that was. That was over 10 years ago but I wonder if the shtf if those I bragged to wouldn't remember.

For the long term apocolypse, why no discussion on distilling and brewing? That will be real currency.

I'm not a prepared as I used to be, I'm taking care of my 83 y/o folks and in a long term situation, that will be a game not easily won.