JJ

Sometimes I get so mad I can't see straight...

"It will never come to that!"

"That just can't happen!"

Man, i'm quoting people who live in TEXAS! OK, they don't live on the coast, where Katrina, Rita, or Ike could screw up your weekend, but the sad part is that most are FAMILY.

So, how many of us realize that if we have a 30-day food and water supply for four, and the balloon goes up, the FAMILY that we've tried to encourage to prepare knows we have food and water. So now we have a 15-day supply for eight, or a 7-day supply for sixteen. Easy math...

Most of us have lots of family that won't prepare.

Screw anarchy--I'm talking about ice-storms, or tornadoes that rip down transmission lines (gas pumps dead, Gro. Sto. trucks can't run).

They're still family, aren't they? Worth ponderin'...

steve marshall

If they've nothing to bring to the party, they aren't welcome. It is the pits to be the ant. You spend your money and time and energy and when you get a visitor in normal times all they can say is "Boy, I know where I'm coming if something happens". Then the expression of surprise when you inform them that you will repel all boarders. Priceless.

Cap'n Dex

Yeah, I've heard that one alot.

People tend to spend their money for things like stereos, TV's, extravagent cell phones, but not things like food and/or survival supplies because "I don't need that stuff." Heh. And now you wanna bum mine under my cover? Ummm...

TheBowhunter

I say start doing it now, I think the swine flue pandemic with new season already starting seen three new deaths so far this year and the flue season is just starting.
I know that as for me and my family we will be fine in all areas of this. We live in Kansas and We have been through ice storms tornado's.
In 2007 we had an Ice storm that knocked out power for 1 hole week temp outside was in 30's for duration inside our temp was a comfy 65 degrees. We have a gas stove and water heater so we can cook and hot water clean with,
I now have a generator and 55 gallons of gas stored to keep meat in freezer frozen.
We had prepared for this and any other disaster here in Kansas. Our essential list containes
Kerosene Heater (20 gallons of Kerosene), Candles, Oil lamps.
food storage for 60 days
water storage for 60 for two People my wife and myself. had this plan even when we had 5 children at home. we set this plan in motion by buying extra food every payday and always bought case of ammo for one firearm every month and we did shoot regular to practice and hunt.

bestseller92

What the Hell do Texicans know??

Jack Stanley

I've completely backed out of trying to convince someone to have an extra can of beans on the shelf . Now I'll let these same people start talking about the bad news in the world and I'll ask them where they think it will end up since no one is doing anything to stop it . With some of them it isn't to long and they start sounding like I used to .... trying to talk me into getting an extra can of beans

Jack

mercman

"If they've nothing to bring to the party, they aren't welcome. It is the pits to be the ant. You spend your money and time and energy and when you get a visitor in normal times all they can say is "Boy, I know where I'm coming if something happens". Then the expression of surprise when you inform them that you will repel all boarders. Priceless."

I just say come on down!!! Don't forget to wear your body armor.........cuz you'll need it.

JJ

If you look at the DATES on the can, you can get 2-3 years out of a can of tuna, same with a can of beef. Then you ROTATE, since we eat that stuff anyway. It ain't hard. What's hard is training your wife to buy extra each time, so you don't have to throw 20 cans of something on the conveyor belt...

I know we're talking groceries here, but if you don't train her to lay up some non-perishable feminine supplies, you'd better have a big bag of tee-shirts if the balloon ever goes up, like ice storm, hurricane, etc. Dam, that's a great topic. Not. But it's reality, brethren. If I had something that bled like that, I'd have it cut out. Men talking here...Ladies, try to see it from our feeble left-brained perspective. We love you, and sure couldn't do what you do, but it's mutual, darling--get over it--you can't do what we do.

Shields up, anticipating Estrogen Torpedoes. Hope there are none...we're in this together...

xm774u

yup. i know i have been called burt gummer b4 "tremors "
but if there right 100 times to my 1 ill eat my stuff and use it
if im right 1 time out of a hundred they will flock to me
sorry no room ..... repel all boarders . they think im nuts
not going to hurt any one unless! they have no clue
sheeple

TC6969

New guy here and yes I'm storing the hell out of food and ammo.

I see this all the time and I've seen it twice right here in this thread but no one seems to be able to explain it.

People keep talking about the balloon going up, if the balloon goes up when, the balloon goes up etc.

Exactly who will be sending up this balloon and what part of the sky should I watch to see it when it goes up?

Chili

The balloon going up is a figure of speech for a disaster or some sort of civil unrest. Think earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, economic collapse or political unrest. You will know when it happens.

2HOW

Yes a metaphor for a mushroom cloud, or any catastrophic event. We always grab a couple extra cans of fruit or what ever when we shop for the pantry. It don't take long to build up. And like the op said rotate it or give it to food bank. OBTW I don't think you'll have any trouble knowing when the shumer hits the rotating air machine.

TC6969

Got sent out for coffee filters today at work and picked up some nifty little canned hams and some Dinty Moore beef stew while I was there.

Its getting to be a habit!

Heres something else I thought of the other day.

If the power goes off for anything long term, Salt is going to be a very handy thing to have so I grabbed a 25lb sack (AND a 500 rounds of .45ACP ).

ar7 in trunk

great job people ! my collection started $10 a week in grocery budget ..now i have 6 mts food
meds h20 3 cases of mre-s 30 gal of gas in reserve to. a 5 gal can in bolth suv-es
1000 7,62 1000 5.56 wife 600 45acp and 900 9mm . more camping gear that ill use
and bobs in bolth suv-es i get stares but if nothing happens ill be the guy with to mutch
camping stuff if it does grr ill br ok lbe gear peace out all start small
there is time left ! a spam can at a time!

ar7 in trunk

sorry i have 30lbs of salt pickiling and iodised amd non yes ill jerck meat dont forget
canning !

ar7 in trunk

bad spell sorry keyboard

2HOW

a simple cheap power inverter can be run from your car battery to power important appliances. Of course there are more exotic backups.

JR

There's a fallacy to the "I'll be coming to see you" remarks. They always presuppose that they can get TO you. Bad weather, tornadoes, ice and snow pretty well limit mobility. Perhaps they expect you to deliver?

I don't even allow such conversations to start with me. What I do, and how I'm prepared, is my business. I would share with those whom I felt deserved it. Again, however, it's MY choice, and nobody elses.

shep854

It's said that a metro area only has three days' food on hand, so any sort of natural upset can really shake things up. I'm one who tries to pick up a "little extra" when at the grocery. The cache has also come in handy recently when money got tight.

Reading this thread, I realize I also need to pick up some cleaning wipes; a few years ago, my complex was without water for a few days (burst main). I was able to shower at the local YMCA, but even a simple wipedown in the summer heat can be a great comfort (as made abundantly clear by troops in the ME). A jug of plain bleach for water purification and vitamin tabs will be good if things get real basic, not to mention ammo (.22lr, esp).

If bugging-out becomes necessary (hopefully I'll see it coming and act in time), I plan to head up to my relatives' farm. I WILL NOT to empty-handed; I plan to bring food, meds, weapons and ammo! IOW, I'm not going as a drone!!

tc556guy

You guys complaining about extended family haven't seen struggle til its your own spouse who is resiting efforts to prep. I mean..you can kick extended family out the door..what are you supposed to say to your spouse when the balloon goes up? " I told you so" isn't going to cut it, and I'm almost positive that if the world came crashing down she'd prefer to kill herself rather than see her comfortable world end and be forced to struggle through surviving in some way.