Nothingness
Active member
I know what ya'll are thinking? Oh no! Not another conspiracy nutcase! Next he'll say Santa Claus was responsible for 9/11! Those of you that read this stuff know it as SHTF which means "Sh*t hits the fan" or TEOTWAWKI "The end of the world as we know it!" I'm not going into all that stuff here. I just want to share some information about prepping for emergencies with my fellow lunatics. I wrote an article once on survival prepping for poor people and it has some really good info for those of us who live on the cheap! I believe in being prepared. The gov't recommends that we all have a 3 week supply of food & water in our homes and a 3 day supply in our vehicles. I have a 3 month supply of food, water and medical supplies. I also have 25 gal. of gasoline, 4-40lb propane tanks and a years supply of cat food in the garden shed. Save the kitty! Imagine if those sad folks in New Orleans had just a 3 day supply for their families how different that disaster would have been? I'm starting to ramble now so heres the article and I hope it's useful!
The Poor Man’s Prepping
For us poor people. The idea of prepping can be overwhelming! We've all seen the youtube videos of rich folks spending thousands on those pre-made Costco 30 year food supplies in those neat plastic buckets and storing them in those custom-made underground shelters. Being a poor man who's wallet has taken a beating in this economy and barely making it as it is....well, it can seem hopeless! You can see yourself after SHTF standing in line with ragged survivors waiting for the gov't cheese and a jug of water with your family. Being poor doesn't mean you cant prep! I prep everyday. It's a conscious act! I'm always thinking of ways to prep cheaply. Every time I go to the store. I get a prep. Whether it’s a can of milk or a tube of chapstick. It’s all preps!
In the past year since I've started becoming prep conscious. I have a good 3 month supply of food and water. I know that seems small, but it's better than nothing and it's growing everyday. My preps are not strictly food & water either. I have medical, communications, defense, sanitation, clothing and a bunch more important stuff. I don't have a lead-lined steel reinforced concrete bunker, but I do have a solid basement that keeps everything cool and dry. It's not as neat as the youtubers, but it is efficient for me and that’s all that matters. I have a roll-away bed down there and a wood stove. I also have a gun and ammo locker.
1. Prepping
A. Getting Cheap SHTF Food!
Those freeze-dried 30 year long- life lasting survival food kits from Costco kick ***! What a great thing! Even the buckets are square for easy stacking and have re-sealable tops that make em great to poop in! What more could you want? My god! If I only had a million dollars! What I could do with it!
Now back to reality....
I'm not a rich guy. I'm a poor person. I live on the cheap! A meal out for me usually means going to Golden Corral or a some pizza joint. I’ve only been to Red Lobster once in my live and it sucked! Tiny lobster(or a big prawn?) for $30 bucks? Gemme a buffet any day!
I live alone. So I don't cook big meals. Usually I heat up something. A can of beef stew or chili. Fry some eggs and have toast or a pop tart? When shtf I'm going to wanna eat the same way. Freeze-dried Beef Stroganoff and egg noodles sounds tasty, but I don't eat that stuff now so why would I eat it after shtf?
Being raised country and also being frugal (cheap) I like simple foods. One of the things that I make and eat usually every week is beans. I love beans! Pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans and occasional black eye peas! Sometimes with rice. Most times cornbread or hoecake. Hoecake is a family thing my mother made for us when she cooked beans which was all the time! Beans is a great survival food! Easy to store and cook. To cook beans properly. According to my mother. You need good clean water, pork hock or fat back for seasoning. In those old days I guess pork hock was cheap? A pack of hocks at Wal-Mart runs about $3-4 bucks and you need refrigeration to store it. Being cheap (frugal) that’s not an option for survival. Go to your local commercial food distributor and get "pork base".Pork base (knorr is my favorite) comes in 1lb containers and cost about $9 each. One tablespoon per 1 lb of beans and needs no refrigeration. It will also last years! I have some in my kitchen that’s over 15 years old and still fresh. If you like soups? Meat bases are the way to go! In soup, broth means everything. Open some cans of veggies and throw in some chicken base and a little pepper and boom! A fine shtf meal!
I am a poor person. Getting enough to eat is challenging at times. Sometimes my cupboard is bare! I can’t(or really don’t want to) eat beans 24/7! I love em’, just not that much. Food is a moral boost. A good meal makes you happy and more productive. Ever try to sleep after a bad meal or have gone to bed hungry? No sweet dreams there. To survive in today’s world I need assistance. I go to local food banks every month to get food. Now I do go shopping at Food Lion like normal people, but the price of food is getting crazy! The other day I got a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and 2 cans of corned beef hash and it cost $9.80! For someone who makes $13 an hour, that’s expensive! Food Banks give away some great prep items like canned vegetables, dry noodles, dry milk and dry beans. I don’t eat everything they give me. You can only eat so much canned corn or green beans. Those items go into the prep box. Sometimes they give toiletries, paper towels, bottled water, etc. I go to 3 different local food banks each month. You’re only suppose to go to one on the honor system, but one bank just doesn’t give enough for a month’s living. There’s one charity that gives away food 3 times a week and anyone can go without much hassle other than adding your name to a list. You just need a big shopping bag and when you go in. Fill it up with what ever is on the tables? I get baked beans, naan bread, pastries and fresh stuff like cob corn, peaches and potatoes. Then! After everyone has got a bag. They open it up and everyone can help themselves to the leftovers or as I call it the Mad Rush! Those Latinos’ can be some aggressive and rude people in there! Another place I get free food is in dumpsters. You may have heard the term Dumpster Diving?
Oh my God! He eats garbage!!!
The first time I read about dumpster diving I was appalled like any normal person. Getting food from garbage? Eww! But I was curious, so I started to look around. I was stunned at the amount of good food that the big chain stores throw away! I can remember my first big haul. A dumpster plumb full of cases of Hostess Snack Cakes! When I left, my station wagon was a cake mobile! Excited…I went to my parents to show them the booty!
Needless to say….They were appalled.
In time. My parents saw the quality of food I acquired for free which was better than what they would buy themselves and my father became an avid Dumpster Diver himself.
When I go dumpstering I follow some rules that I created for myself.
1. Never take more than you need.
16 cases of cream corn looks good until it’s in your living room.
2. Stay no longer than 3-5 minutes.
In some areas, dumpster diving is illegal so check with local laws. Some store managers can get very irate and nasty! (even if it is legal) Don’t fight them, just leave!
3. Never take meat unless its frozen or really, really cold!
Spoiled meat is no joke! You can’t cook away the bacteria. I saw some illegals carrying away packages of black meat once….yeeck!
Ever go to the dollar store? Man! That is my favorite place! I go to the Dollar Tree a lot! You can get 1 gallon jugs of spring water for $1 and a quart of UHT long life milk for $1 dollar too! 4 cans of potted meat for $1 and 3 cans of Vienna Sausages for $1. I don’t like the canned beef stew or chili they have (Its really greasy!) But it’s a great cheap(frugal) store!
Another place is food auctions. Sometime when the big stores overstock or go out of business. They have warehouses full of stuff and they have auctions! Cases of everything!
Keep an eye on Craigslist too. In the Free Section people give away food there too!
The article also goes into about home canning and other stuff. This is more just the basics of cheap prepping. Share your ideas with us!
The Poor Man’s Prepping
For us poor people. The idea of prepping can be overwhelming! We've all seen the youtube videos of rich folks spending thousands on those pre-made Costco 30 year food supplies in those neat plastic buckets and storing them in those custom-made underground shelters. Being a poor man who's wallet has taken a beating in this economy and barely making it as it is....well, it can seem hopeless! You can see yourself after SHTF standing in line with ragged survivors waiting for the gov't cheese and a jug of water with your family. Being poor doesn't mean you cant prep! I prep everyday. It's a conscious act! I'm always thinking of ways to prep cheaply. Every time I go to the store. I get a prep. Whether it’s a can of milk or a tube of chapstick. It’s all preps!
In the past year since I've started becoming prep conscious. I have a good 3 month supply of food and water. I know that seems small, but it's better than nothing and it's growing everyday. My preps are not strictly food & water either. I have medical, communications, defense, sanitation, clothing and a bunch more important stuff. I don't have a lead-lined steel reinforced concrete bunker, but I do have a solid basement that keeps everything cool and dry. It's not as neat as the youtubers, but it is efficient for me and that’s all that matters. I have a roll-away bed down there and a wood stove. I also have a gun and ammo locker.
1. Prepping
A. Getting Cheap SHTF Food!
Those freeze-dried 30 year long- life lasting survival food kits from Costco kick ***! What a great thing! Even the buckets are square for easy stacking and have re-sealable tops that make em great to poop in! What more could you want? My god! If I only had a million dollars! What I could do with it!
Now back to reality....
I'm not a rich guy. I'm a poor person. I live on the cheap! A meal out for me usually means going to Golden Corral or a some pizza joint. I’ve only been to Red Lobster once in my live and it sucked! Tiny lobster(or a big prawn?) for $30 bucks? Gemme a buffet any day!
I live alone. So I don't cook big meals. Usually I heat up something. A can of beef stew or chili. Fry some eggs and have toast or a pop tart? When shtf I'm going to wanna eat the same way. Freeze-dried Beef Stroganoff and egg noodles sounds tasty, but I don't eat that stuff now so why would I eat it after shtf?
Being raised country and also being frugal (cheap) I like simple foods. One of the things that I make and eat usually every week is beans. I love beans! Pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans and occasional black eye peas! Sometimes with rice. Most times cornbread or hoecake. Hoecake is a family thing my mother made for us when she cooked beans which was all the time! Beans is a great survival food! Easy to store and cook. To cook beans properly. According to my mother. You need good clean water, pork hock or fat back for seasoning. In those old days I guess pork hock was cheap? A pack of hocks at Wal-Mart runs about $3-4 bucks and you need refrigeration to store it. Being cheap (frugal) that’s not an option for survival. Go to your local commercial food distributor and get "pork base".Pork base (knorr is my favorite) comes in 1lb containers and cost about $9 each. One tablespoon per 1 lb of beans and needs no refrigeration. It will also last years! I have some in my kitchen that’s over 15 years old and still fresh. If you like soups? Meat bases are the way to go! In soup, broth means everything. Open some cans of veggies and throw in some chicken base and a little pepper and boom! A fine shtf meal!
I am a poor person. Getting enough to eat is challenging at times. Sometimes my cupboard is bare! I can’t(or really don’t want to) eat beans 24/7! I love em’, just not that much. Food is a moral boost. A good meal makes you happy and more productive. Ever try to sleep after a bad meal or have gone to bed hungry? No sweet dreams there. To survive in today’s world I need assistance. I go to local food banks every month to get food. Now I do go shopping at Food Lion like normal people, but the price of food is getting crazy! The other day I got a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and 2 cans of corned beef hash and it cost $9.80! For someone who makes $13 an hour, that’s expensive! Food Banks give away some great prep items like canned vegetables, dry noodles, dry milk and dry beans. I don’t eat everything they give me. You can only eat so much canned corn or green beans. Those items go into the prep box. Sometimes they give toiletries, paper towels, bottled water, etc. I go to 3 different local food banks each month. You’re only suppose to go to one on the honor system, but one bank just doesn’t give enough for a month’s living. There’s one charity that gives away food 3 times a week and anyone can go without much hassle other than adding your name to a list. You just need a big shopping bag and when you go in. Fill it up with what ever is on the tables? I get baked beans, naan bread, pastries and fresh stuff like cob corn, peaches and potatoes. Then! After everyone has got a bag. They open it up and everyone can help themselves to the leftovers or as I call it the Mad Rush! Those Latinos’ can be some aggressive and rude people in there! Another place I get free food is in dumpsters. You may have heard the term Dumpster Diving?
Oh my God! He eats garbage!!!
The first time I read about dumpster diving I was appalled like any normal person. Getting food from garbage? Eww! But I was curious, so I started to look around. I was stunned at the amount of good food that the big chain stores throw away! I can remember my first big haul. A dumpster plumb full of cases of Hostess Snack Cakes! When I left, my station wagon was a cake mobile! Excited…I went to my parents to show them the booty!
Needless to say….They were appalled.
In time. My parents saw the quality of food I acquired for free which was better than what they would buy themselves and my father became an avid Dumpster Diver himself.
When I go dumpstering I follow some rules that I created for myself.
1. Never take more than you need.
16 cases of cream corn looks good until it’s in your living room.
2. Stay no longer than 3-5 minutes.
In some areas, dumpster diving is illegal so check with local laws. Some store managers can get very irate and nasty! (even if it is legal) Don’t fight them, just leave!
3. Never take meat unless its frozen or really, really cold!
Spoiled meat is no joke! You can’t cook away the bacteria. I saw some illegals carrying away packages of black meat once….yeeck!
Ever go to the dollar store? Man! That is my favorite place! I go to the Dollar Tree a lot! You can get 1 gallon jugs of spring water for $1 and a quart of UHT long life milk for $1 dollar too! 4 cans of potted meat for $1 and 3 cans of Vienna Sausages for $1. I don’t like the canned beef stew or chili they have (Its really greasy!) But it’s a great cheap(frugal) store!
Another place is food auctions. Sometime when the big stores overstock or go out of business. They have warehouses full of stuff and they have auctions! Cases of everything!
Keep an eye on Craigslist too. In the Free Section people give away food there too!
The article also goes into about home canning and other stuff. This is more just the basics of cheap prepping. Share your ideas with us!
