To All, I have been a hard core GI for months but have been so poor I could barely afford to feed my kids in the present - let alone stockpile for the future. Through an amazing stroke of good fortune (legal even!) I now have about $3000.00 to spend on preps. I have ignored all the prep lists in the past because they were too depressing. I have invested in a few things - oil lamps, propane, lamp oil, sleeping bags, chickens. Now I want to make the most of my small but vital windfall.

I have 2 small kids, live in a rural area where the temp stays about 54 degrees year round. Lots of rain. Lots of trees. I have never canned or split wood. May make a break for the ample hills if it seems prudent. (water treatment failures are my biggest concern)

I would be very very grateful now if someone(s) could provide me with a link or 2.

Thanks!

-- Scrambling (Gotta@hurry.now), June 06, 1999

Answers

Personal preparedness resources (from simple to more involved):

American Red Cross - Disaster supplies kit

FEMA - Emergency Food and Water Supplies

Roleigh Martin's Y2K info and prep tips mailer for neighbors

Individual Preparation for Y2K

With commonsense planning, you can survive hard times

How-To Survival Library

Community Preparation - The Cassandra Project



-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), June 06, 1999.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Scrambling (Gotta@hurry.now), June 06, 1999.

Still like Ted Derryberry's list. Be patient, it takes a bit of time to load.

Ted's List

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), June 06, 1999.

Start with food/water for 7 days, for the family. Once that is done, up it to 14 days. After that, go for 1 month. Then, go for 3 months, etc. A nice, EVEN level of preparation for all...

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), June 06, 1999.

purchase the book, "making the best of basics: family preparedness handbook" by james talmadge stevens. or go to barnes and noble and check out the books on their y2k table, they include some preparedness books. also you can start your food supply with the basics, see gary north article of june 5, "what mormons are doing to prepare"--it has a short list of the very basics of dried foods.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), June 06, 1999.

See...

LINKS REQUESTS: Which Are Your Favorite Y2K Preparation Checklists? (For The New GI)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000shh

And...

San Francisco Chronicle Writes 4 Preparedness & Y2K Grassroots Articles! (Amazable!!)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000upy

Good luck!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 06, 1999.

When you count up the number of pounds of beans, grains and other dry food you intend to store, you will know how many 5 gallon buckets you need. They hold about 40 to 45 pounds of food each.

I would like to recommend that you order the buckets from US Plastics. I will give you the link and direct you to the type I think is best.

The link to the home page is:

http://www.usplastic.com/usindex.htm

Under the menu heading, Site Features, click on the word "Products"

On the next page, at the top, again click on the word "Products"

This will bring you to the main products page which is in alphabetical order.

Click on the word Buckets and on the Buckets/Pails page there is a long list, click on the item

Colorful 5 gallon Plastic Pails with Lids.

These food grade buckets come in many colors making your labeling job much easier if you code it to the different categories like beans, corn, oats, wheat, etc.

This site also sells drums for water storage and many other prep items. Be sure to get the lid opener. You might consider getting a couple specialty lids with spouts or easily reopened lids for those buckets in constant use. The other lids need a special opener that you should get or you will never get them off.

Buckets can be used to protect other things besides food.

My other suggestion for starters besides the inexpensive and essential dry food is open-pollinated seed. I know of 2 good sources of ready made packages that saves you time and includes a wide range of varieties.

Ark Institute, which also carries essential books for seed saving and gardening knowledge. On the good side, they tailor to your area, and on the down side, she does not have time to label the varieties other than pea or bean or radish, so you do not know just what kind of radish you get. But instructions are included.

And Millenium Seeds, which carries many packages of seed varieties. The homestead package is the one I got, but I have not planted it yet.

I will send the links shortly, as I do not have them handy, and others as I can gather them up. This is a good start as well as the others people have posted.

Good luck.

PS I also have a link for an inexpensive but high quality water filter. I will send this shortly.

-- Lora Ereshan (artemis45@hotmail.com), June 06, 1999.

From the Cassandra Project:

http://cassandraproject.org/indprep.html

"Individual Preparedness for Y2K"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), June 06, 1999.

Here are the links

Ark Institute http://www.arkinstitute.com/default.htm

Millenium Seeds http://www.y2kstormwatch.com/milleniumseeds.htm

Water filters http://www.pwgazette.com/gravity.htm

If you do not have a composting toilet, you can use the bucket with sawdust method. It would be good to have 2 55 gal drums to store the waste long term. You would need to put a hole for ventilation covered with screen to keep out flies and animals. Store for 1 to 2 years and then empty under trees but not in the garden.

I have 2 children too. I wish your family the best of luck.

Lora

-- Lora Ereshan (artemis45@hotmail.com), June 06, 1999.

The link to the home page of the Cassandra Project is:

http://cassandraproject.org/home.html

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), June 06, 1999.

This is the time of year many seed outlets are dumping this years garden seed. I just got a BAG full for $5.00, good insurance I think

-- && (&&@&&.&), June 06, 1999.

I would be amiss not posting the Archive on this thread eh?

Year 2000 Preparation Archive

Choose the category you are interested in and press Enter. The link will appear in a new page. Close window to return.

Category	Year 2000 Preparation ArchivePersonal ConsiderationsPreparationFamilyHome FoodFood Storage and PreservingGrowing FoodFood - Cooking< option>ClotheswaterSanitationHealth LightingHeatFuelAlternate powerMoney and Y2KCommunity PreparationRural LivingUrban LivingBugging outSecurity and gunsHam Radio - CommunicationsBooksLeadershipAnimals

-- Brian (imager@home.com), June 06, 1999.

Dear Scrambling,

Don't forget chicken feed. There are different kinds for different purposes. Store in metal. Rodents eat through platic containers. Need chicken coop and chicken wire enclosure.

-- Not Again! (Seenit@ww2.com), June 06, 1999.

Let me shamelessly plug the thread http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000uxE because sterile water is SO important. Diarhea can kill you during hard circumstances so please look at http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger/surv/ORIENT also.

The best book I know for low budget/no budget survival is Cresson Kearney's Nuclear War Survival Skills published by OISM and is even downloadable at http://www.oism.org

All the above is about $30-40 but it can save your life.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 06, 1999.

Thank you Thank you thank you All!!!!!

Am grateful for all your help. Have been wracking my brain with the whole storage issue so the info on buckets is great. Water is vital too natch.

Have found a wholesale distributor for food. They supply to co-ops so you don't need a commercial address to get deliveries. Will post info soon on its own thread.

Have also found a source for food grade hydrogen peroxide which you can use to purify water instead of bleach. Will get more useful info on that up soon as well.

Last but not least I heard that you need a pound of legumes and a pound of grains per person per week. Is that true? Or is it 1/2 a pound of each for a total of one pound? Big diff between buying and storing 52 pounds of food vs 104. Especially if I want to stock up for DWGI loved ones who show up at the last minute.

BTW, anyone I have tried to warn for months - that shows up later hat in hand - is on latrine duty indefinitely. I'll feed them but I'll be damned if I'll take any more of their shit.

-- Scrambling (Gotta@hurry.now), June 07, 1999.