I was on my last prep trip to Wal-Mart this morning( this was my 3rd LAST trip!), and have been down the dried bean isle almost every trip. Today the 3 pound bags of beans (limas) were over 5 dollars ! Also 223 ammmo has not been available during the last few weeks. The counter person said that people are coming in and buying all they have every time a shipment comes in. I started prepping last December and have been "obsessed" on maintaining my self imposed completion deadline of June 1st. There has been so much to do. We are fortunate enough to own a second home (150 acre farm with house and livestock) and have installed a 10K generator and 500 gallon propane tank. Also... you should see the supplies stored in the house ! We're just watching for the "bug out" signs. It might hard to tell which one to react to because there is TOO MUCH HAPPENING in the world! I have taken a lot of kidding from my family and friends, ( not my GI husband...he has been wonderful) but now it seems that if I had not started as early as I did there would be major obstacles to getting what we need...not to mention the added expense. If any of you reading this are just "getting it" please BEGIN NOW..begin with a prioritized list and START. Take every spare dollar and buy supplies, even if it is as small as a 5 dollar bag of beans! Good luck to all and God bless. We are living in the best of times and the worst of times.

-- (allsweet@rocketmail.com), May 29, 1999

Answers

Wow!! $5 for 3lbs of beans??? Even good old Wally World is going to rip it to us, I guess. I will check my WalMart out on tuesday.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 29, 1999.

"...now it seems that if I had not started as early as I did there would be major obstacles to getting what we need.."

I have been making serious preps for a long time, and even so, I will not come even close to where I want to be. I am just finishing putting up the fence around my ten acres this weekend. Woven wire and two strands of barbed wire on top, six foot high. Enormous amount of time and labor, not to mention expense.

I know a host of folks who are waiting for some 'sign' about when to start making 'serious' preps. LOL LOL I have warned them that the ONLY way to make it is to do it in advance. They do not listen. They want that 'sign' before they 'waste' any money. No skin off my nose.

I have explained to them that when they see that 'sign', so will everyone else, rendering it that much more impossible for them to prepare properly. Time is the BIG element. I wish that even I had started a year sooner.

I spend a minimum of $300 a week on preparations. Minimum. Most of it goes into infrastructure. Fences, water tower, garden, etc etc.

I could not do that if it were not for my oldest son who works with me. He turns over his entire paycheck every week, voluntarily, in order to spend it on preparations. Good kid. Otherwise, without him, we would be screwed.

Soon, there is going to be one great big, loud collective "dope slap" as all the 'big brained' folks who were waiting or simply refused to prepare, panic.

"DoH!"

This afternoon, I pulled the first turnips out of our garden. Man, are they going to be good around that roast pork tonight.

We have about 40 beds right now. Each one is 3 foot by 25 feet. I still have yet to make more beds for the melons, cucumbers, winter squash, summer squash and the like. Our biggest garden yet.

Last weekend we planted green peppers 40, tomatoes 240, eggplant 20, sweet bannana peppers 40, sweet potatoes 40, and jalapenos 30. I am very late with the garden because I have been spending every free minute with the higher priority stuff.

The bottom line is that in the very same way that folks are wildly overestimating what they may be able to prepare for, the SAME thing is happening with IT departments. They grossly overestimate what they will be able to fix on time. It is plain and simple human nature.

I know alot of folks may be thinking that if nothing bad goes down they just may have wasted that $1200 on a manual water pump when they could have spent it on something else. On the other hand, if it goes down they will be wailing and gnashing their teeth asking themselves what in the hell they were thinking becuase now they are going to die because that trip to Aruba was so much more important.

It comes down to a risk assessment. If I am wrong, I have lost some time and money, but not much because most of my preps are in my infrastructure that I can use anyway. I am far more willing to lose some money than to lose my life because I did not make the preps.

I think that most people are far more concerned about losing the money and looking foolish than they are about the lives of their families. I don't understand that at all in light of the voluminous and manifest evidence that not even near enough is being done globally.

Like I said, "No skin off my nose". I will be very sorry to see all this pitiful faces on the unprepared when the time comes, but that will not influence me in the slightest to comprimise my family. I will be more than happy to help someone out and send them on their way, pronto.

But, that is it. Their tears will not move me when they had all the time in the world to do something and they did not. They have EARNED their consequences and they deserve what befalls them because of their own decisions. I have sacrificed greatly in order to be prepared. Yet most are not willing to make any sacrifice at all.

Let them suffer the consequences of their own self-imposed foolishness.

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), May 29, 1999.

Sam's Club still has 50# bags of white rice for $12.45 in Minneapolis.

site: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- Minnesotasmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), May 29, 1999.

Paul, we posted at the exact same time, and I did not see your post until after my rice post went up. I hesitate a bit to suggest this to someone of your Y2K stature, but, what the heck: re the time/money shortage for preparing for GIs (wealthy healthy unemployed DGIs are still screwed), have you taken a look at the "Finding Y2K Prep Time" article on my website?

site address: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), May 29, 1999.

Paul....I envy you your son. You must have done something right in order to have such a willing kid. Family is everything and you seem to have it all. Long before Y2k, like when I bought my first farm in the CAscades back in 1973, I learned my first lesson re "homesteading". Everything costs twice as much and takes three times effort and time than you figured on. That rule hasn't changed. I wish I had a dollar for every fence pole I have set and every wire I have stretched in my life time.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 29, 1999.

Minnesota:

Yes I have. It is all good common sense which most people will not abide. They gotta rent that movie or go to Red Lobster.

I don't do that. I can not afford to do that and still have enough done in time.

So I forgo that trip to Red Lobster. And when it all goes down, the unprepared will have the memories of that ONE meal and I will have TWENTY in my pantry.

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), May 29, 1999.

allsweet: on last trips -- my husband no longer blinks an eye when I say-- well, I've thought of something else, or I think we need more of ...fill in the blank... I started a year ago and have been making those last trips since November. At this point I'm adding little things that are wants rather than true needs, extra clothing essentials, shoes, extra food, matches, candles, things for gardening and expansion of gardening next year. I should be able to feed my entire family of ten should they come here and a few neighbors also. I feel blessed to have been able to do what I could do.

We weren't able to do what Paul has done...but the interesting thing and true blessing of having involved ourselves in this process is that a lot of things like the gardening that I wanted to do, and the family closeness which has resulted can be attributed directly to the process. I have enjoyed and learned from your rantings as well as your good advice, Paul. Although we have opted to remain where we are and play the role of suburan warriors in this drama, we feel more prepared to survive in our chosen role each day.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), May 29, 1999.

Paul, What are you going to do with all that eggplant???? I love eggplant, but only planted six plants. It's tough to grow in southerm Mo, and I must keep it covered. Eggplant doesn't keep too long. Do you have good ways to preserve it? Please share if you do. We have four sons all grown, none of whom think y2k is a serious issue. They have not been studying it for the past two and a half years as their parents have. Two of them enjoy the target practice, but not wood cutting 101. We are just about ready for the worst of it. I doubt that we ever say "there, thats enough, we are all set now". Our best wishes to all of you. Hope you take a little break today. We plan to take a horseback ride through our property, and check fence. p.s. Anyone know of a good place for canning recipes other than the usual? Best regards, Abigayle P.s. Anyone know how to install a double layer of sealed plastic for a greenhouse ( for use with an inflation fan?)

-- Abigayle (jgreenleaf@townsqr.com), May 30, 1999.

Honeyville Grain in Salt Lake City sells 25LBS of Lima Beans for only $18.50 50LBS cream of wheat is only $15. All low prices!

-- freddie (freddie@thefreeloader.com), May 30, 1999.

This is delicious!

Mrs. Bervy's Eggplant Relish

Makes 10 quarts

Bake 4 large eggplants for an hour @400

Grind 10 tomatoes

seven sweet peppers

5 cups chopped scallions

Peel and chop eggplants and mix ingredients in a large bowl with:

1 cup salad oil

3/4 cup vinegar

3 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Fresh relish is allowed to mellow for a day or two before use

Preserved relish should be sealed and boiled in quart jars for 45 minutes.

-- mb (mdbutler@coastalnet.com), May 31, 1999.

allsweet:

My local Wal*Mart does not have an extensive food selection. No dried beans or grains. Small selection of canned goods. Mostly junk foods and candy. Consider yourself fortunate having the available selections.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), May 31, 1999.

Paul:

I enjoyed reading about your extensive gardening exploits. I wish I had that much land to till at my mother's homestead in the country.

Your remark about "that trip to Aruba" reminded me of a young married coworker. She has recently returned from a weeklong cruise in the Caribbean. This is the same one to whom I had mentioned a 2/$3 sale on Dinty Moore Beef Stew. When she remarked, "We still have a can", I quit talking to her about Y2K. She'll remember that cruise, but will she remember our discussion? I hope not, as I bought many cases during the sale.

Steven

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), May 31, 1999.