I was wondering if you guys would mind sharing your thoughts on how long you are preparing for? I have been planning on storing about 3-4 months of food, but now I just don't know if it's going to be enough. I know that no one knows how long we're going to be in for, but would just like to "hear" some of your opinions. With all the preps that we are all doing & all the extra gray hairs I'm getting from worrying, there sure better be something that happens!!!(please note that my tongue is planted firmly in cheek!!:o)) LOL I'm praying of course that nothing does, but I guess we all know. better. Thanks, Donna in Texas

-- Donna B (Dd0143@aol.com), September 17, 1998

Answers

One year food storage. I ordered in early July, received in late August. I understand it can take 3-4 months to get delivery if you order now.

-- Joe (shar@pei.com), September 17, 1998.

Donna,

My wife and I are planning for one year minimum, but we are doing it by canning, not relying on frozen or dehydrated foods that you have to purchase in bulk. We are buying fresh foods on sale or from local farmer markets and using a pressure cooker to can foods the old fashion way. You can can most fruits and vegetables and also meats.

This fall we are preparing for our garden next year with non-hybrid seeds and canning what we grow. We are also installing a solar backup system with propane generator. We believe these are normal steps you can take. this cuts down on your power bill in the future and gives you vegetables year round from your own garden.

I am currently in a bear fund finally and plan on removing most of my assests from my bank and stock market by 6/99. Plan on a combination of currency, gold, silver, and barter items.

We are on a septic system and will be putting in a well on our property in the future.

We think this will cover our needs in food, water, power, and money. By the way, we are not planning on hiding, but are trying to alert our neighborhood and get them prepare and share as much as possible.

Walter

-- Walter Whitehurst (walter06@wwisp.com), September 17, 1998.

Walter---Thank you so much for your input. I too am going to purchase a pressure canner & put up alot of my own foods. We have a well & septic system also. Question: where does one go about looking for solar energy items and a propane generator? Thanks again! Donna in Texas

-- Donna B (Dd0143@aol.com), September 17, 1998.

The person who told me is planning for 2 years. He says that if runs and shortages start in mid 99 he needs an extra half year for that and then enough to go 1 year past that while being able if needed to help others. But then what? He hopes everything is back to "normal". I think it would be good to be self-sufficient, but it is too hard and time consuming and costly for me. How's a mom supposed to buy a farm, support the family, and buy 2 years of food when it is just now paycheck to paycheck (credit is maxxed). For me it looks like the greatest risk would be spending a lot of money I don't have preparing too much. I will do what I can, but since I'm alone it gets overwhelming.

-- Jo (Joloo@bigfoot.com), September 17, 1998.

My plan is to use a bunch of thirty gallon sealable garbage cans, put liners in them and store them in the basement. Then, during shopping trips, get extras of the following and store them in the cans:

Whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt/pepper/spices/baking powder, brown rice, beans/split peas/legumes/etc, granola, dried fruits, & soy protein. Then we'll also stock up with cases of canned veggies and stews, soy milk, bottled water, soda and energy foods.We'll probably spend several thousand dollars on this stuff as well as hardware, etc. Come spring of '00, well grow as many veggies as we can, and can whatever possible.

I would like to be able to feed 10-15 people through the summer of 2001. We'll be eating lots of rice & beans, soup and bread and cereal. Fresh water is my biggest concern...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), September 17, 1998.

Donna,

For solar and many other items, try www.realgoods.com For back to basics items, try www.lehmans.com

I am getting my solar panels, batteries, and inverter from Real Goods and my propane generator from a local Kohler distributor.

The best price on pressure cooker with no gasket is at Lehman's I got a 21.5 qt cooker for $135.00, holds 20 pt or 7 quarts.

Walter

-- Walter Whitehurst (walter06@wwisp.com), September 17, 1998.

Walter (and anyone else going solar),

Exactly what will you be able to run off of your solar set up? I have been under the impression that solar energy is too unreliable to count on for emergencies and also that it would require many, large panels to get a decent amount of electricity...but then again, I have not seriously looked into this. Any info you could pass along about your set up would be appreciated. Thanks.

-- KLH (72890@usa.net), September 17, 1998.

KLH, try reading everything on this website to get yourself acquainted.

http://www.mrsolar.com/

A couple of good rated panels, a decent Honda gas/propane generator - 5k watt/a battery bank of 4 golf cart batteries, a 1750 watt inverter ought to do you fine. We are planning on a propane heat stove because a wood stove is too large of an expense right now. 1000 gals of propane, if used frugally, ought to last over a year. The above setup is a back-to-basics plan, no frills. No fridge, no central-heating, no hotwater heater, no washer-dryer. It will get you light, the use of small appliances on a rotating basis and the ability to regenerate to preserve your propane. The setup is going to cost in the neighborhood of $5k-$6k including the propane.

-- Goldi (goldilucks@yahoo.com), September 17, 1998.

I can also recommend http:///www.mrsolar.com. We have purchased and are installing a wood stove. Buying extras at the stock-up stores and want to keep a year ahead. Have practiced canning and dehydrating all summer with plans to do more next year, and spend this winter canning meat. My parent and grandparents always had a year's worth of stuff canned and frozen - I just didn't pay attention and/or forgot how to do that. I protect myself from doubt by telling me that these are good moves anyway, and once you learn the skills, t(or in my case, RE-learn them) they are always at your disposal.

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.som), September 18, 1998.

Don't forget a battery/solar/hand crank radio. There are a couple of good ones on the market. Radio stations should still be on the air because the Emergency Brodcast Stations must have a generator back up system. I am not sure how much back up fuel the generator are required to have, but I would think that they would be given priority in a time of crisis.

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), September 18, 1998.

PSHANNON (and rest) If you can find Dazey Seal a meal bags seal ALL of your dry stuff BEFORE you pop into the trash cans. If you find the bags LET US KNOW!!

Alternatively, got to your local homebrewer supply ang get many of the LARGEST as well as a small selection of other sizes of OXYGEN BARRIER bags (usu sold for hops storage) and seal them with a dazey sealer or one of the current sealers. Dazey sealers DO NOT WORK with zip-locks and other currently available bags!!

Sealing the foods will protect them from ambient damp, etc. (as I learned to my chagrin yesterday as my wife and I went through our "Iron rations" and pitched them all!! cr

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 18, 1998.

Donna and All, Money is SO tight around here, with 5 kids and all, we are preparing the best we can. We too have a septic system, and are preparing to store water in barrels. But as I figure it, a 55 gal barrel will only last us about 6-7 days if we use 1 gal per day per person. So that's a worry for me.

So far we have prepared for 4 months. We work on it one month at a time. After that month is taken care of we start the next one. We do take advantage of sales and good buys, so some of our preparations are farther ahead than others.

We are planning to store food and supplies for a year. We can, dry food, and grow a big garden, so this is not as hard as it sounds. Even buying produce at a local farmers market and then preserving it CAN be a money saver, just be careful and count the cost first.

The big thing we have had to remember when storing food for a long duration is appetite fatigue. So with 5 kids we are including things in our food storage plans that may seem foolish to others.

mac

-- macajah b. (macajah@usa.net), September 18, 1998.

Donna, since you're talking about food storage, here is a chart that is very helpful on the shelf life of grocery store items. A lot of effort went into this site. I am so thankful for the people who offer these things free- just to help others.

http://www.glitchproof.com/glitchproof/storlifofgro.html

Mac, I don't think you're crazy. I don't think there's anything wrong with storing the things your kids like. It doesn't all have to be beans and rice. That may be the cheapest, but watch for sales! Peanut butter and jelly both have long shelf lives! Thanksgiving is coming and most stores, because of competition, will offer great prices on lots of goodies. Most "professionals" like Karen Anderson, will tell you to store "comfort" foods, too.

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), September 18, 1998.

Goldi: Woodstove too expensive? Have you shopped around for a used stove? Here in Maine I can buy very nice used woodstoves for $400 and less, often a lot less, especially through yard sales and classified ads. Don't know where you live, but if decent firewood is under $100 a cord, (or if you can produce it yourself) you should be able to put in a woodstove with enough fuel to keep yourself warm and dry through the winter for less than $1000. And wood doesn't depend on pipelines, oil refineries, or complex delivery systems to produce. Of course, with a large family, propane can also fuel a gas-fired hot water heater, which might be as important as other considerations.

-- J.D. Clark (yankeejdc@aol.com), September 18, 1998.

Goldi: Woodstove too expensive? Have you shopped around for a used stove? Here in Maine I can buy very nice used woodstoves for $400 and less, often a lot less, especially through yard sales and classified ads. Don't know where you live, but if decent firewood is under $100 a cord, (or if you can produce it yourself) you should be able to put in a woodstove with enough fuel to keep yourself warm and dry through the winter for less than $1000. And wood doesn't depend on pipelines, oil refineries, or complex delivery systems to produce. Of course, with a large family, propane can also fuel a gas-fired hot water heater, which might be as important as other considerations.

It's not just the cost of the stove which we have priced at around $1,500 to 2,000. It's the proprietary piping that costs MORE than the stove itself. We have to install a pollution rated unit in order to get a permit to burn the wood where I live. The piping has to go up the inside of the exterior wall and out the 2nd story roof. The installation and piping together turn this into a $6,500-$7,000 luxury we cannot afford. If you have knowledge of how to do it for under $3,000, not breaking laws and no corner cutting in safety, I would like to hear about it.

-- Goldi (goldilucks@yahoo.com), September 20, 1998.

Consider knocking out one window frame's glass, replacing it with a solid, but heat proof material. Don't know a specific one right off hand. Cut a hole in the "material" the size of your outlet.

Then go striaght out from the stove sideways through the former "window" pane. Once outside, brace it securely and go "up" vertically to establish enough draft.

May want to write Mother Earth News to "ask" if about this or other alternatives. I can't stand their politics or attitude, but they do know their stuff in some areas.

You've got time to work with, study first, then build.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 20, 1998.