I have read a fair amount regarding WWII and the rationing et al. My folks are on the road until next week, and I just wanted to ask if any of the older folks recall some helpful particulars about rationing. Like what is it they would reccommend stocking up on first, or just any little tricks they can recall and would like to share?

Somehow I don't think this is the same as WWII, but there are some similarities. Myself, I have been "knowing" that things were going to change here for years, but I didn't see it happening like this at all. Doesn't seem like anyone did. And honestly, it couldn't have come at a worse time financially, but no one plans for a total surprise.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), September 17, 2001

Answers

Sugar, rice, flour, A M M U N I T I O N!

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), September 17, 2001.

Just my opinion, but rationing is not a good idea. It can only add to consumer fear. Using less will require you to buy less , thus throwing our economy into greater danger. Shop like mad. Buy that new washing machine you have always wanted. Live for the day. Go buy the things you want, it will help the economy. Spend the money GW gave you back on durable goods. Don't let the terrorists win.

-- Uncle Sam (dollar@xzy.com), September 17, 2001.

I don't think rationing is in the immediate future, but it is always a good idea to make sure you have on hand the immediate necessities of life.

Air -- not much we can do about this one, except have on hand face masks in case we are warned about the use of bio or chemical warfare. (Warnings aren't likely until after the fact, as I don't think we have the resources in place to detect such attacks.)

Shelter (and heat in the winter) -- most of us already have a roof and four walls, make sure you can heat it even if the price of oil goes sky high.

Water -- store water and some means of purifying water. Or make sure you have a source of potable water that doesn't require electricity to get it out of the ground (an old-fashioned dug well with a hand pump?).

Food -- still not too late to do some canning most places. Stock up on non-perishables (and necessary paper goods like toilet paper, or plenty of cotton rags!! :-O) Also if you have livestock plan for their food supplies.

I would add some first-aid and emergency preparedness training, drills, and a communication plan for your family -- some place where you would all meet after a disaster so you aren't hunting all over the place trying to find lost people. And make sure you have adequate blankets and clothing for the winter; if you have to start heating solely with wood, or find yourselves without heat, you'll be thankful for them. Also, those three-day packs for emergency evacuation would be a good idea. Stock a small pack with whatever you would need to survive three days with no emergency services. These are useful in any number of kinds of emergencies, not just terrorist attacks.

Then go back to your normal life, as much as possible, and think about ways to make your community less vulnerable to the disruptions of possible attacks elsewhere. More self-sufficient.

And go to church and learn who God is and what He expects of us, if we expect to have Him hear and answer our prayers. Do you know how many businesses I saw yesterday on my way to and from church that had the words "God Bless America" on their signs, but their doors were wide open for business?!?

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 17, 2001.

Hello Doreen, Living frugully and emergency preparation should be in most peoples minds regardless of the recent attack on NY. If it is not worries about terroisms, then it is tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters. Canning your garden produce is a good place to start. If you heat your house with anything other than firewood, I would recommend getting a woodstove and cut some firewood off you land and have it all set up just in case you are short the money for propance, etc or the supply becomes expensive, (as it was last winter here). Learn first aid and have a goodly amount of basic medical supplies available. Guns are a personal choice. Some people have them others do not want to have them. I would recommend at least one rifle/shotgun and one handgun, with a modest amount of ammunition for each. If you have livestock, I would make sure they have enough feed and hay for the coming winter. I would get new tires for my vehicles, (just in case). Even if you don't need them now, it would be good to have them for later. Keep a little cash at home as an emergency stash. Sometimes problems do occur and ATMs don't always work or are readily available. Keep you records and passports up to date! Vital statistics are necessary as proof of your citizenship. Passports can be used as an escape route if necessary. This is a pretty common way of preparing for most emergencies. Some people will even have a "bug out bag" that they can grab quickly in the event that they have to leave their homes temporarily. That again, is a personal choice. I prefer to have an emergency location outside of our home that contains all the emergency supplies that would be in the bug out bag, such as a small cabin or cave or something nearby that all family members could regroup at in the event of an emergency at the homestead. There are probably many "little things" you can think of and others can think of that will make prepardness work best for your situation. But, preparedness should be the catch word of all homesteaders. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), September 17, 2001.

Hey guys, don't get me wrong here, I am head and shoulders above the "average" home in this country. i do have holes, but pretty well know what those holes are and it is nothing that should cause me to starve.

I just was thinking of things really not obvious........like material, shoe repair, how many gallons of gas is reasonable, what the rationing was like.....was it first come first serve so long as you had the stamps, was there black market on the ration books, was salt rationed, how about water in the cities, that kind of thing. Was barter a big thing?

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), September 18, 2001.

Never wanted to store gasoline on the "farm"...always been a little leery of the volatility of the stuff, especially here where it gets hot enough to fry an egg on my porch steps. How do you store gasoline safely in decent quantities? As a matter of fact, what is a decent quantity anyway? We have gas for the lawn tractor, weed whacker and mower, etc....but the largest container we use is only about 10 gallons or less. How safe is it to keep gasoline in a hot climate?

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), September 18, 2001.

Lesley, for the safety issues you ought to consult someone local -- underground storage might help, or safety valves on the containers. But keep in mind that gasoline can only be stored for about six months, and don't stock up and just leave the stuff sit forever. Rotate your supply, using up the oldest and replacing it regularly.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 18, 2001.

The biggest things that were rationed were sugar, coffee, tea and petroleum products. Petrol; ie, panty hose, tires, some kinds of rubber/poly products. Just about anything from Europe.

-- Stephanie Nosacek (possumliving@go.com), September 18, 2001.

Might it be more to the point to know what was rationed, and what life was like, in Great Britain during the war? They were actually under attack, as we were not -- but we are now. So I suspect it might be more relevant to know what was going on in Great Britain than here during WWII.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 18, 2001.

I think you just hit it, Kathleen!!! aduh.....Thanks!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), September 18, 2001.

So, does anyone on this list know someone who lived in Great Britain during the war that they could ask about conditions then? I've read quite a bit, but getting it first-hand from someone who was there would be better.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 19, 2001.

Try pretty much everything. My father was stationed part of the time in Britain and the conditions were pretty difficult. Shipping lanes were dangerous and all the best was being funneled to the solders as best as could be done. My mother and grandmother saved our ration books and I will try and look for them among my boxes of "treasures".

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), September 19, 2001.

I might also bring to your attention that in times of war "stock- piling" is usually against the law. As American citizens I would suggest each person look at their life style and see where they can reduce their dependence on imports and petroleum based products and overall consumption. Develop family plans for evacuation of family members from large cities and have food supplies available for them. My family developed a plan like this back in the early nineties at my insistance and all my children are so happy now that we did it.(at that time they were just humoring mom as the general concensis was that I was having some sort of psycotic episode with events of anxiety.....this was told to me by my daughter this past weekend) There is no law against having all our jars full and a decent supply of the necessities of life.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), September 19, 2001.

Bacon i think its very valuable!yes? i think so

-- Neil Allison (sexynez77@hotmail.com), March 19, 2003.