No, it is not too late.
An oz of PREVENTION is worth a POUND of cure,,,,but this time,,,,there is no cure,,,
Best get started right now, though and you can still beat the crowds.
No!
Go here for ideas on what to do.
Gary near Death Valley… that makes that oz of prevention go that much further.
Love your prep photos, btw. Awesome!
Yep, hop to, anonymous… sooner is better than later. There’s a lot you can do, and it really took a load off _my_ mind to know I had a little security tucked away.
Are all your comments about do it NOW due to Indonesia or just in general?
To me, prepping means being prepared. Why wait? Some sort of crisis is always on its way. That’s not being negative….It’s just the way life is. Being prepared allows me to spend valuable time living instead of worrying. I think BF is close. Indonesia heightens my awareness of that just because it is in the focus right now. Ever since this was brought to my attention, though, I have had a strong intuitive feeling that this is a BIG one that is not going away. I want to give it my best shot to survive. Of course not everyone would want to survive it. But if you do, you have to prepare in some way.
if not now, when?
‘preparation’ is the state of having been made ready beforehand. if the event is already here, it ain’t prep ;-)
seriously, it takes a while to get several years, months or even weeks worth of preparation done. it’s never too late to do what you can.
right now is a great time to get started.
And it’s not just prepping for a pandemic. In the US, on the West Coast, you’ve got ‘quakes and wildfires, in the South, hurricanes and flooding, in the Northeast, blizzards and flooding and heavy storms, in the Midwest, tornadoes and flooding. Other parts of the world have much of the same…being prepared means you may not have to stand in line for hours on end to get a few slices of bread and a bottle of water every day
In some areas given a High CFR and little water availability it could be “over” in four to five weeks. After a severe winnowing due to the virus, thirst, and disorder there could be lots of food left here and there. You (anonymous) just need to get at least that much in preps, food, and water and learn some social distancing techniques and sanitary pracitices. After those four to five weeks there may not be that many people to distance yourself from given my scenario. But even with other less dire scenarios (but still catastrophic) in which more supplies would be preferable for a much longer period of time you would still be ahead.
And the knowledge you gain here will be as crucial to your survival as any mountain of preps.
It is never too late to begin prepping. It is also never too early to begin prepping. If given the choice, you will do much better starting as early as you can. That means starting right now.
please don’t be intimidated by the massive mountains of supplies that some of us here describe. none of these piles of goodies was acquired instantly, nor, in most cases, were the owners aware of just how much stuff they would end up accumulating. You needn’t think that you need to do that.
Start at the beginning. The government recommends two weeks of food, water and mediciane for each family member. That is a number you can get your hands around. You can start smaller. How about 1 weeks worth. That’s 7 gallons of water per person, 7 days worth of prescription meds put aside, and Enough rice, beans, pasta, canned sauce, soup and veggies and other fixins for 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners. I would also personally add 7 days worth of TP to the recommendation. throw in a few flashlights and batteries and you are prepped.
It needn’t be huge, it needn’t be elaborate and it needn’t be expensive. Water is free, containers are free if you drink soda and basic foods (not high end prepared foods) are downright cheap.
If you need help and advice, there are scads of folks here who will respond with answers to any questions or problems you bring to us.
Just get started. Remember it is better to prepare months too soon than one day too late.
Many of us have added freeze dried and dehydrated foods to our mix. Ordered some of each Aug. 14, from Emergency Essentials, received them today, Aug. 22nd, this is faster than any time since I started prepping (back in Sept. 05) So the supplies are out there, but anyone who waits for TSTHF will more than likely find sources will have dried up…!
Dehydrated foods…dried up!
That’s a good one.
Prepping doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve stocked more of the things that my family usually uses … only have very, very limited “real” prep stuff. I have a couple of #10 cans of dried eggs, and a #10 can of powdered margarine which I bought before I found out I could make a reasonable substitute using powdered milk.
I used to can and dehydrate a lot … then due to time constraints stopped. Last year I started doing it again … but more because the price of groceries and fuel was increasing faster than we could stretch the budget. Something had to give … so my time was stretched by adding in more prevervation activities. Actually, I’ve now found that I save time in the long run because I’m not having to run to the store nearly as often.
Its a trade off.
Don’t go for things that you family doesn’t normally eat. Some may be cheaper … but you won’t be nearly as happy with it in the long run. If you need to prep in that fashion, start introducing the new menu items to your family now. Lot easier to figure that kind of logistical stuff out now than when you might be spending a lot of your time nursing a sick family member(s) or doing other stuff “the old fashioned way” which means that normal activities might be more labor intensive given the availability … or lack there of … to fuel and power.
I’m right there with Kathy in FL. I have some dehydrated eggs and one can of onions. I have used her recipe for “homemade” margarine and find it completely satisfactory. The fact of the matter is that good, basic food is cheap in this country. There is lots of it in the store right now. That will not be the case if some type of emergency arises. What you need to do is transfer the shelf-stable food you like to eat from the store to your house. Simple as that. Just start buying ahead as you can afford, it mounts up if you are diligent.
As Eccles stated above, water is extremely inexpensive and containers to store it in are free. To not start putting it away is pure folly.
How long will water stored in those Blue five gallons containers last. These are the containers that are sold specifically to store water. I’m talking about city water, already chlorinated.
Quill – at 13:27
Six months for sure. I have tested it myself with no ill effects whatsoever.
Quill – at 13:27
A cheaper option is to store the water in 2-liter bottles … free to use after you empty the soda out of them. <grin>
Kathy in FL - 11:21
and a #10 can of powdered margarine which I bought before I found out I could make a reasonable substitute using powdered milk.
Could you be so kind as to post your margarine recipe again? Thanks!
As long as the pandemic hasn’t started yet, it is not too late.
What can you do today? (What can your local essential services personnel do today, too? Have they seen the Flu Wiki yet?)
Little steps are something; would you be ready tomorrow if their was water main work on your street, or, a fluke power outtage for a week, or, a storm or an earthquake, or an illness or job loss? It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Tangible “insurance”.
Being more prepared is a good thing all around.
Kathy - I ask along with Blue Ridge Mom - can you repost or link to the butter/margarine recipe? And also how to get to the other recipe group you have? THANKS
I’d be happy to have that recipie also. Thanks, Kathy, your gonna keep us well fed through this!
Blue Ridge Mountain Mom – at 23:12, amak – at 11:07, Green Mom – at 14:03
I’ll repost the powdered milk to margarine recipe on the recipe thread so we can try and keep all of that info in one place.
Kathy in FL - 15:54
You are the recipe goddess! Thank you!!!!
I don’t buy soda in 2-liter bottles, but I have been buying bottled water (Ozarka brand here) in 3-liter clear PETE plastic bottles and rotating it, so getting quite a collection of them over this hot summer.
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