How long would you survive if the stores were empty?

DH and I have a lifetime of this lifestyle under our belts. We're used to roughing it, living awhile on very small amounts of food, finding ways to stay busy and keep a good attitude during the hard times. Thirty years of electrical service coming from a rural cooperative and you soon learn not to depend totally on electric. The ice storm back in February was 17 days without electric. It gave us a good practice and showed where we needed to beef up our preps.

I will add this - if you find you and your family in a TEOTWAWKI, then be prepared to ration food and water. The only way to be prepared is to have some practice with that beforehand. Also consider the types of food you put into preps and how much energy/time it takes to prepare that food. For me and DH, a portion of our prep food is of the heat and eat variety with a focus on getting the most nutrition from the least amount of effort. Our energy will likely be better spent getting our garden in production.

I put back enough corn and garden vegetables as staple foods to get me through to the end of the next planting season so the only critical "how long" factor for me is dependent on how long my ammunition held out if anyone tried to raid my stores if things got totally worse case scenario.

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

You by chance didn't get a case of prep burn out did you from Y2K? What do you believe makes the US and it's citizens so unique from the rest of the world that a decline isn't even a small possibility? Other great nations/civilizations have fallen, you should know that if you have any sort of knowledge of history at all. There is a saying which goes something like history forgotten is history repeated.

I'll be honest I don't go around screaming the sky is falling, hide out in my house with my gun, and bite my nails nervously waiting for the world to die. That is dumb and no way to live life. But I also don't plug my ears and say la la la nothing is happening. It is always wise to be aware of what is going on in the world around you. I consider being aware of current events and how they may effect you a form of prepping. Just like watching a weather forecast can help one plant their crops or protect their property so does paying attention to unfolding current events.

I pulled out all my money out of a stock based annuity trust only about a month before the stock market crashed last year. I had plenty of folks tell me it was a bad idea. The folks on most major news networks said there was nothing to worry about and the problems had been contained. We all know how that one went. Because I had enough foresight to realize what was going to happen I could avoid a potential loss. There were only a few who correctly predicted the current mess. I guess for me it was pretty darn clear.

There are factors one must consider now that may permanently alter everyone's future. Whether or not these factors develop into real problems is something else entirely. But not to at the very least keep an eye on certain things would be unwise.

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http://www.xanga.com/shackman A blog about whatever

Let me give you a scenerio. A group of 24 terrorist enter the US and split up into two person teams depending on the sizes of states. Their target: truck drivers. In a vehicle which allows them to fire a sniper rifle in all directions they start randomly picking off truckers. How long would it take for truckers to refuse to venture on any road without bullet proof windshields and doors? Convoys? Would you want to be the first or last in line?

And this doesn't include possibly train derailments, shoot down of cargo aircraft or tugboat operators pulling barges.

As far as I know Tampa Electric still gets there coal from a mine up the Mississippi River. Stop their coal deliveries and they would likely have to shut down within a couple of weeks when on-hand supplies run out. It might be extended, such as areas get two hours of juice three times a day, but how could you separate out say supermarkets from homes near it.

How many McVey-type truck bombs would it take to close down the bridges across the Mississippi River?

Sleep well tonight remembering FEMA is on the job.

So basically your not really into prepping...

See most of the folks here on this board that homestead have pantries, freezers, and various methods of storing our harvest. So having a years worth of meat from your chickens and hogs or a years worth of veggies because they come in about once a year at harvest time isn't exactly being over the top with storage. In fact you should really have 2 years worth of provisions. Never know when a harvest will fail.

You sound like suburban folks from my family... When they say things like. What are you gonna do with all that meat? You will never eat it. With you having so much you should give it to charity. They just can't get it that we don't eat from a store. Do you think like them?

Reasonable and rational are a matter of perspective. For those of us who live in very rural areas that are subject to tornadoes, ice storms, and sucky electric service where we lose power for days (in fair weather)... sometimes weeks (in bad weather)... stocking up is a lifestyle, not an "obsession". The time, money, and energy are well spent in the end, but you wouldn't know that unless you've survived a major disaster.

It's not fanatical at all... it's a way of life. Pray for the best, prep for the worst.

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Before you marry someone, ask yourself, "Will they be a good killing partner during the zombie apocalypse?"
-someecards.com

We have a good sized Amish & Mennonite community south of here. How well would they be off being use to living without many utilities and such? From what I understand they are just as dependent upon supermarkets as others in a rural area, although they do tend to buy in bulk.

Reasonable and Rational (?) ,common sense told me Y2K fear was totally silly. When I was ready for worse, there was nothing to "fear". 9-11, I was sitting at my spinning wheel working away when the 1st Tower was hit, called my Mom. Left the house, went to the bank took out all the $$ they would let me. Went and bought more ammo. Stopped at Mom's house told the Parents where we will meet when I give the word. I wasn't sitting on my butt at home worrying. See, everything was in place. Where one persons Preps end, what takes over from there? Fear? Government? Personally, I don't like either one. So the only I can control is my own ability, that takes Knowledge and I'm not going to Quit learning until the day I die. I am not wasting "time, money, or energy" when it comes to being "Responsible".

[QUOTE=CocalicoSprings;4175220]Not to be pessimistic or a doomsdayer but seriously.... Do you stock enough food to survive for a month or two? /QUOTE]

Yes. And each year, after the Christmas holidays, I do my 'stump settin' to take a serious look at my own situation, i. e. how well have I prepared, how can I make it better for the future, what things do I need to shore up, etc. This is an annual thing I do along with dreaming about the garden for next Spring. Sort of a 'to do' list sort of thing. This uses up quite a few pages of legal sized yellow paper.

Doomsday scenarios? Well............ Just sensing by many of the postings you have generated that, to survive today, you either need ice water in your veins or peace in your heart. I prefer the latter.................

A joyful Christmas for any who are of that persuasion.

You never answered my question, what makes the US so special that it can not possibly decline when other nations have? If your going to call certain things a bunch of fear mongering propaganda you better back it up with some facts.

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http://www.xanga.com/shackman A blog about whatever

Here's another scenario that I stubbled upon...

Over 70% of the nation's petrochemical production comes from Texas. Imagine if that was suddenly gone.

I could last 3 weeks with my food storage by then most people will have died. So do like the zombies and slice up a few and make a stew. I hear people taste like chicken...lol, just a little humor. Tell the people, Sollient Green, its people.

I am one of those nuts you speak of and so are many of my friends at this forum. I'll try not to take being considered a "nut" too personal. Thank you for your 2 cents.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

I think you are missing the point that we currently, with cheap energy, put in one calorie for every ten calories of food consumed. This is only because of oil. All the compost in the world isn't going to fix that problem, because there just isn't enough for 300 million people in the USA and 6 billion in the world. Pooling together as a community won't fix this problem. Sort of like saying there are only 10 meals, but if 100 people work together, all will be okay...

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Growing trees and food in Costa Rica.

John - I think you have extrapolated to far from one post about reading a couple of doomer porn type literature.

Most of this forum is homesteaders. You know the folks that keep pantries, and have animals to kill for food, and gardens. Apparently from your websites, and profile you claim to have the same. You also are into self=-reliance if your profile is to be believed. No reason not to believe it.

Therefore, you are one of the group but coming accross as a know it all snob, thinking that you know better than most here on the forums. The group here know what's about, and shake their heads over the city folks that don't keep an extra loaf of bread, or have to run out for milk if the weather forecast says that four letter word "snow".

So, why don't you get to know the forums better and the folks better before trying to tell us how we are doing it wrong from YOUR point of view. Your point of view is no better than anyone elses on the forum.

Angie

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"Live your life, and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale

Do you not know how to make a proper sig?

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I haven't seen anyone lump you into the category of City Folks and Suburbanites.

But you are coming on WAY too strong for a newbie.

This forum is like a FAMILY. We know each other, we cry and laugh together. Like a family, we have our spats.

You, a newcomer nobody knows, a stranger off the street, dare to come in here and insult our opinions and our intelligence.

What reaction do you expect you should get?

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I'm shocked I tell you. I went to a homesteading board that has a Survival and Emergency Preparedness forum and found out that there are actually preppers on the board!

John, speaking as one of the people who worked on remediating Y2K issues at a large company, the fact that not much happened may be a reflection on the fact that a lot of effort went into dealing with the issue. You may be surprised to hear that there really were some real problems that took place.

But not to digress too far..... You seem to assume that those of us who engage in prepping of the nature you deride are somehow way out there. I look at it as I spend less on prepping annually than I do on more formal insurance. It's not that I act in fear. I recognize a risk and take steps to address the risk. While the risk of these sorts of events may be relatively small in any given year, the consequences if the event occurs are fairly high.

Most of the people I know from this board are not shivering in a bunker waiting for the worst. They prep as one part of their everyday life.

John, you decided to prep for Y2K by breaking out champagne. What if you were wrong? Would the consequences be more or less compared to the person who was wrong and ended up eating canned beans for a while? I'd rather guess wrong on the conservative side...but that's me.

Just a few thoughts.

Mike

John - my partial quote was NOT about you. It was about those that don't do anything and need bread and milk when SNOW is in the forecast.

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"Live your life, and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale

The post from Angie wasn't calling you a city folk. She was pointing out that we here are homesteading preppers, not like unprepared city folk.

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