Discussions

You’ve gotten a lot of good advice already. In terms of buying things, as Redneck shared, I’d prioritize supplies to survive 2 weeks (mostly food and water). If you want quick, cheap, and easy, getting some things like quick boil rice, dried or canned beans, canned tomato sauce, and spam (I never used to eat it but its actually pretty tasty if pan fried and with some BBQ sauce), covers some basics while also being inexpensive and relatively easy to prepare. If you don’t have the budget for 5 gallon water containers yet, Eric has recommended getting several 1 gallon jugs of bottled water (from Walmart or wherever) which are easy to carry and pretty cheap. You want at least one gallon per day per person (14 gallons if it’s just you). Take one of those, pour out a bit, freeze it, and keep it in your freezer to act as a big “ice battery” to keep things colder for longer in your freezer if you lose power. Then start to work your way through the website’s bug-out bag checklist. The items are listed in tiers of priority and most of the gear reviews have a recommended, budget, and premium option. In the US, Walmart and Amazon tend to have the best prices if they sell the item. If you wait until black friday/Christmas for the more expensive items, you also tend to hit good sales. In general, I like to prioritize things that check off multiple boxes. For example, while bugging out is going to be the last option for most situations, getting those items prepares you for that while also checking off most or all of the items you’d want to survive at home for 2 weeks during a power outage or as a vehicle bag if you break down on the road in bad weather. Also, if you live on your own, talk with local friends and family about plans during emergency situations (e.g. if xyz happens, let’s group up at my place if it’s safe to travel/if they’re forecasting a big blizzard, why don’t your crash at my place the day before and have a movie night). It’s always better to be with others you trust in an emergency situation both for practical, mental, and emotional benefits.

Barb, you make a lot of good points for people to consider before they pursue the livestock route. And I think for the average city (or even suburban) dweller or those who live in evacuation-prone areas, it is probably WAY more effective to invest in freeze-dried/shelf stable foods than pursue livestock. Even for those planning for long-term survival situations, owning livestock that would require you to bug out from the city (or store large amounts of feed, etc.) is full of complications as you described and probably just not realistic/effective. That said, I also agree with Redneck that if you live in an area where you are most likely bugging in and aren’t prone to too many evacuations, livestock can be a fantastic way toward sustainable, self-reliance. Your caution about inputs is very valid, even for people who find themselves in that situation, though. I’m a big fan of permaculture that looks to harvest your inputs from “waste” outputs that you have elsewhere on your plot and also encourages building mutually beneficial, sustainable ecosystems (e.g., growing acorns and mulberries that reliably produce with little human input and so provide “free” feed for many kinds of livestock whose manure then provides food for your fruit/nut trees). That type of set-up just isn’t possible for most urban/suburban folks, but it certainly more possible further out in the country. And, for you urban/suburban folks who either can’t or don’t want to pursue livestock, you certainly have other options, too. If you did find yourself bugging out in a longer-term survival situation, consider how to harness those same ecosystem realities by planning to hunt/fish near nut-heavy forests and lakes/streams or consider joining a CSA or other type of food co-op where you have a relationship with someone who IS growing their own food/livestock. That could keep the “food pipeline” open during challenging times or even give you a friendly person you could partner with in a bug-out situation. Of course, we all hope we never have to go to quite those lengths, but I also like to have some idea of what I would do in different contingencies…  I also agree with Redneck’s book recommendation of Collard Greens. It’s a fascinating book that describes some of the nuts and bolts of people who lived under really difficult circumstances.

Great topic. I have a large spreadsheet with different tabs for different categories of things (Bug-out-bag, vehicle-specific supplies, prepping library, bug-in supplies, etc.). The bug-in supplies is a pretty big list so it’s broken down into separate tabs for ease of review. Within each of those lists, I prioritize things I think I need ASAP versus things that can come later. This is roughly my prioritization framework: 1. Food, water, normal meds, cold weather clothes/sleeping bags, lighting, and cooking ability in case of 14-day grid down situation. 2. Car kit (I prioritize vehicle-specific things and things that would be enough to get me home to the rest of my gear) 3. Bug-out-Bag list, starting with tier 1 and working up to tier 3 (most of these things also help with bug-in) 4. Survival and Prepper books (start with “if you only buy a few”) 5. Bug-in supplies including medical supplies, home garden, tools, etc.  My goal was to fully complete 1-3 as soon as possible. I’ve been working my way through 4 and 5 based on the below criteria in descending order of importance: – What would be the most critical item to help ensure survival based on my family’s needs, my immediate environment, and the most likely situations we’d encounter? – What could be very difficult to procure in the future (I’ve found many quality tools have been out of stock for months)? – What would make life way easier in a survival situation? – Leverage seasonal sales for key merchants/suppliers when possible – What would make life more comfortable/enjoyable? (while it’s last, this can also sprinkle in higher up the list if I find a good sale or find something that I also will use in every-day life) I also prioritize things that check off multiple boxes of things I value. I grow some of my own food because it’s healthy, cheaper (after initial investment), gets me outdoors and provides exercise, teaches me useful skills, gives me the satisfaction of producing something useful, and provides a way to produce some of my own food if I ever needed to rely on it. 


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You’ve gotten a lot of good advice already. In terms of buying things, as Redneck shared, I’d prioritize supplies to survive 2 weeks (mostly food and water). If you want quick, cheap, and easy, getting some things like quick boil rice, dried or canned beans, canned tomato sauce, and spam (I never used to eat it but its actually pretty tasty if pan fried and with some BBQ sauce), covers some basics while also being inexpensive and relatively easy to prepare. If you don’t have the budget for 5 gallon water containers yet, Eric has recommended getting several 1 gallon jugs of bottled water (from Walmart or wherever) which are easy to carry and pretty cheap. You want at least one gallon per day per person (14 gallons if it’s just you). Take one of those, pour out a bit, freeze it, and keep it in your freezer to act as a big “ice battery” to keep things colder for longer in your freezer if you lose power. Then start to work your way through the website’s bug-out bag checklist. The items are listed in tiers of priority and most of the gear reviews have a recommended, budget, and premium option. In the US, Walmart and Amazon tend to have the best prices if they sell the item. If you wait until black friday/Christmas for the more expensive items, you also tend to hit good sales. In general, I like to prioritize things that check off multiple boxes. For example, while bugging out is going to be the last option for most situations, getting those items prepares you for that while also checking off most or all of the items you’d want to survive at home for 2 weeks during a power outage or as a vehicle bag if you break down on the road in bad weather. Also, if you live on your own, talk with local friends and family about plans during emergency situations (e.g. if xyz happens, let’s group up at my place if it’s safe to travel/if they’re forecasting a big blizzard, why don’t your crash at my place the day before and have a movie night). It’s always better to be with others you trust in an emergency situation both for practical, mental, and emotional benefits.

Barb, you make a lot of good points for people to consider before they pursue the livestock route. And I think for the average city (or even suburban) dweller or those who live in evacuation-prone areas, it is probably WAY more effective to invest in freeze-dried/shelf stable foods than pursue livestock. Even for those planning for long-term survival situations, owning livestock that would require you to bug out from the city (or store large amounts of feed, etc.) is full of complications as you described and probably just not realistic/effective. That said, I also agree with Redneck that if you live in an area where you are most likely bugging in and aren’t prone to too many evacuations, livestock can be a fantastic way toward sustainable, self-reliance. Your caution about inputs is very valid, even for people who find themselves in that situation, though. I’m a big fan of permaculture that looks to harvest your inputs from “waste” outputs that you have elsewhere on your plot and also encourages building mutually beneficial, sustainable ecosystems (e.g., growing acorns and mulberries that reliably produce with little human input and so provide “free” feed for many kinds of livestock whose manure then provides food for your fruit/nut trees). That type of set-up just isn’t possible for most urban/suburban folks, but it certainly more possible further out in the country. And, for you urban/suburban folks who either can’t or don’t want to pursue livestock, you certainly have other options, too. If you did find yourself bugging out in a longer-term survival situation, consider how to harness those same ecosystem realities by planning to hunt/fish near nut-heavy forests and lakes/streams or consider joining a CSA or other type of food co-op where you have a relationship with someone who IS growing their own food/livestock. That could keep the “food pipeline” open during challenging times or even give you a friendly person you could partner with in a bug-out situation. Of course, we all hope we never have to go to quite those lengths, but I also like to have some idea of what I would do in different contingencies…  I also agree with Redneck’s book recommendation of Collard Greens. It’s a fascinating book that describes some of the nuts and bolts of people who lived under really difficult circumstances.

Great topic. I have a large spreadsheet with different tabs for different categories of things (Bug-out-bag, vehicle-specific supplies, prepping library, bug-in supplies, etc.). The bug-in supplies is a pretty big list so it’s broken down into separate tabs for ease of review. Within each of those lists, I prioritize things I think I need ASAP versus things that can come later. This is roughly my prioritization framework: 1. Food, water, normal meds, cold weather clothes/sleeping bags, lighting, and cooking ability in case of 14-day grid down situation. 2. Car kit (I prioritize vehicle-specific things and things that would be enough to get me home to the rest of my gear) 3. Bug-out-Bag list, starting with tier 1 and working up to tier 3 (most of these things also help with bug-in) 4. Survival and Prepper books (start with “if you only buy a few”) 5. Bug-in supplies including medical supplies, home garden, tools, etc.  My goal was to fully complete 1-3 as soon as possible. I’ve been working my way through 4 and 5 based on the below criteria in descending order of importance: – What would be the most critical item to help ensure survival based on my family’s needs, my immediate environment, and the most likely situations we’d encounter? – What could be very difficult to procure in the future (I’ve found many quality tools have been out of stock for months)? – What would make life way easier in a survival situation? – Leverage seasonal sales for key merchants/suppliers when possible – What would make life more comfortable/enjoyable? (while it’s last, this can also sprinkle in higher up the list if I find a good sale or find something that I also will use in every-day life) I also prioritize things that check off multiple boxes of things I value. I grow some of my own food because it’s healthy, cheaper (after initial investment), gets me outdoors and provides exercise, teaches me useful skills, gives me the satisfaction of producing something useful, and provides a way to produce some of my own food if I ever needed to rely on it. 


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