In Case of Emergency

My hubby and I just had this conversation and have decided to do the same thing, just in case.

So, No...you are not the only one.

~It does make me feel like a crazy person...but better safe than sorry, right?

I agree with TF. Back in the day when I was single and a homeowner in my early 20's there was about 6 weeks where I had NO money and litterally could only eat out of the pantry. Lesson learned. So now I tend to load up on items to keep on hand, including TP, shampoos, soaps, etc. Just in case...of what?? who knows, but at least we will be ok. :)

How do you rotate out massive amounts of canned foods when they expire? I mean, what if it takes 10 years to get to need it?

As someone who has gone through war, I tell you, if it were to happen here, no amount of canned food will be enough. You won't stay where you are. you will move to safer areas, and you will not be able to carry the goods with you. You will, however, be able to hide gold/silver or money and that will help you eventually. So, no except for weather-related emergencies we do not have anything else. i also refuse to think about what could happen. I spent 24 years in fear. I refuse to do it any longer. If it is meant to be then so be it. Nothing I can do to change how the future will be.
I say, enjoy life.

Life is to short to always be worried about what is behind each corner. I feel bad that you sound like you are too busy missing the forest for the trees. Life is a journey...enjoy the ride. Some extra food in the pantry, yes...stockpiling medical supplies and ammo...no.

PS: The point being that , yes...bad things may happen, but no matter how hard you plan, life will throw you another curveball.

I would say maybe you should spend your resources on learning how to live in the now, instead of planning for the what if...

I wouldn't say it's crazy, but IMO it's over the top. Yes, it's good to have an pantry full of food for an unforseen emergency. It's also good to have additional other supplies.

I think if you spend all your time worrying about and planning for "what if", you don't get the chance to enjoy life now.

It's always good to have a weeks supply of necessities for your family in case of a disaster. We carry about that much in supplies. It's totally up to decide what you need to be preparing for. Our country has gone through quite a few wars and threats of terrorism (and the few actual foreign attacks on our soil) and we have yet to need a bunker to live in for months. During the Cold War many people believed they needed an underground shelter and supplies for many months. Each generation has gone through a time here in the United States where they thought the world as they knew it would end. Things have changed, but we are not prepping for Armageddon. There is no harm in it, I suppose, as long as you are not living every day in fear. It never hurts to be prepared.

No you are not crazy.

In fact, since we live by the seat of our pants and are WAY too busy enjoying today to worry about tomorrow, we're banking on families like YOURS to stockpile enough ammo to fight off the.....uh, wait, who is it you think you might need to shoot?

Call me complacent.....

Anyway, yeah, I've got a very full pantry. And a LOT of faith.

:)

How long have you been doing this for? Have you checked the expiration dates on your medical supplies and food?? You may very well be wasting a tremendous amount of money (not to mention time and sanity) doing this.

I think a bunch of food and some supplies are ok... I also think doing things to your well are cool too - or even more like 'getting off the grid' but I say that from an environmental point of view.... not b/c I think I may need to get into hand to hand combat anytime soon :).

Is this something both of you are into or is one of you driving this? That would be an interesting insight. Re: stockpiling ammo??? That's a little scary.

Yes, I think you are crazy. No, you are not the only crazies out there. I am not worried that much. The country is not failing. Our military is strong, and I feel safe here. My husband has gotten several large raises over the years, yes even in this "recession." If you are worried about unemployment or living paycheck to paycheck then do something about it. If you are worried about retirement then do something about it. You can be in control of your destiny. And of course I think things will improve once we get our current president out of office.
No, there are not going to be massive food shortages. Quit stressing.

Lisa

I don't stock pile ammo and I don't sit back and worry about doomsday. I do, however, plan well and keep my supplies well stocked.

We built our house in 2000 and we have a huge pantry, I mean it could easily be a baby nursery, small room. I loved it and still do because the last house we built had a teeny pantry and I hated it.

That said, I keep my pantry well stocked, as well as my freezer. Not for doomsday but for the what if's. I have a lot of staples on hand, tp, paper towels, etc.

Not too many months ago, a repairman was here and he laughed and said he's send his wife to my house to grocery shop. LOL

It's not doomsday to me, it is just good planning. If I see a great deal on something we use a lot of, I stock up. FINALLY, I have the room!!

There is nothing wrong with planning for a hard time, but I do not see our country failing any time soon. Just remember as you stock pile, if ammo gets old or wet it can get dangerous, and even canned food has an expiration date.

Why don't you move? Hiding never solved any problems..... World is wide and diverse and some parts of it much better than US for some people. If you never traveled outside the US you may falsely believe that you live in the best country in the world.
Our country will not likely fall that fast that it will happen during your lifetime.... but all empires fall... eventually...and new one rise....the trick is to move in time. Digging yourself in a hole in aground will not help.
Educate your children; learn languages... that is how to get prepared for the future global economy and diversity.

I don't think you are crazy or the only ones as some of the others have posted. I live paycheck to paycheck and think you are very smart to do this. A couple of weeks ago in Dallas area we had a really bad ice storm come through, well the whole city pretty much shut down. I get paid once a month on top of it and it was January 31st when the storm hit. Needless to say, we didn't have much of anything and ate everything in the house which wasn't much. We even had money on the 1st but couldn't go shopping because we were iced in. It was horrible... You are truly bless and smart, great combination... don't let anyone make you believe there is something wrong with you...

I try to have a week or two of food supplies on hand in case of an emergency.......like the bad weather we have seen recently. However I am not worrying about dooms day. It takes too much effort. I find focusing on fear just makes me more fearful. It's kind of like getting what you ask for.

It's not that I think catastrophe cannot occur, but what is it you are truly imagining? I don't think you are crazy or the only ones. If it makes you feel safer then what can it hurt? I guess I just don't believe a huge stockpile is necessary or that it would help much if what you imagine became a reality.

J.!

You are sooo not alone!! You are just one of the few willing to openly admit what a mess our country is in!!!

We are ripe for a revolution - that's hard for me to say - it really is - but I truly believe that our country is ripe for a revolution - unemployment, a government too big for its britches, too many people feeling entitled to things which they did not earn and so much more!!

We took have an emergency kit - MREs, canned food, water jugs, dry milk, empty coffee cans for cooking and the plastic ones for human waste....i would ensure that you have items which you can barter with - gold, silver, etc. as the way things are going - seriously - our money isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

make sure you have weapons as well - defense will be important. Ensure your children know about gun safety.

As I type this I know I sound like a crazed loon - but i don't feel as we are far off the mark. If we could dig a well, we would. We've looked at places to build an emergency shelter as well.

make sure you rotate your stock. track it and make sure your family knows the emergency plan.

About the canned food - canned food does expire. All cans have expiration dates. You need to check them out and replenish what has gone bad.

For natural disaster, you're good.

For war, as Lola said, you don't stay in one place (the vast majority of the time). You typically either run to where's safer, or you stay on the move. In both cases, one forages (from abandoned stores, homes, villages) as you go.

"Currency" in times of war tend to be

- food
- clean water
- medicine (particularly birth control & fever reducers & antibiotics)
- ammunition (used for hunting)
- a safe place to sleep
- electricity

Of those 6, the only ones that are portable are medicine and clean water (water purification systems... like for camping).

IF you happen to be back of beyond, you may be able to stay put, at least for awhile. If so the hardest things to deal with are medical problems and sanitation.

My husband does this and I really think it is a good idea. You never know what type of situatiuon may arise, and it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm all for it, as long as it doesn't get out of hand and we end up with stockpiles all over the house. My husband is all about being safe and prepared and I know he thinks this way because he loves our family and always wants us to be prepared for anything that can happen. This is why I don't get irritated with him.

I feel like far too many people these days expect these things to just work themselves out. People are going to start taking a stand and not allowing goverment to take such a hold on society. I could go on for days; it seems like politics and the direction of our country are the topic at hand for all discussions anymore within our family, or end up being; anyway. I think what is going on is very real and I think Cheryl O is very correct in saying... its about that time. I wouldn't say we aren't far off from people starting to take the ideals of protest the way they have in Egypt. What kind of a country do we live in that feels its ok to cut billions in funding to our education system. I will tell you who; the folks who want our people ignorant to what is going on that way we will not stand up and fight. A people who is afraid of their government can make for a hostile society. I say whatever you feels is right for your family, DO IT! Be prepard. In this day and age, you never know what can happen.

nope-you are smart. I have been meaning to get a supply stash together but never get around to it. I had one for y2k but its all gone now. You should also have a decent amount of cash-I believe there is a good chance that our next terrorist attack may be cyber and we will not be able to get our cash out.

I assume that weapons and ammo are safely stored where they are not accessible to the kids?

Well after hurricane ike hit my city pretty hard we have since decided it is really good to have lots of water screens on our windows,batteries, a generator, gasoline, canned food, lighter fluid, and lanterns handy. We were without power for weeks and there were lines around the block waiting for ice.

When you say "ammo" that kind of creeps me out

I just had to respond to this one. My husband and I have not done this yet but will be soon. I don't think you are crazy and you certainly are not the only ones. I'm actually really shocked at some of the responses, I got the sense that people really thought you didn't have a brain cell to work with. Good grief, of course you secure ammo, switch out expired food etc. and seriously, I am pretty sure the last thing you are going to worry about is an expired can of food in the event of a disaster. I know that if my babies are starving, I am happy to use a can of expired food and cook it up real good. I know there are risks with that but I also know that the expiration dates are not reality and most canned food will last practically forever. Thank you preservatives.

Needless to say, you are sitting in a wonderful place if anything were to happen, and really, there is no "safe" place to go and avoid the mess our world is in. We have several friends sitting right were you are now and I think you all are VERY smart.

Good luck to you.

I am sure you are not the ony ones doing this and that is nobody's business but yours. My only concern is that you make sure the "ammo" is secure, and you don't make your kids so afraid of the future that they cannot enjoy today.

Absolutely you are not alone in this! My husband and I are the same way. We are out of debt minus the mortgage, but we are now look at building our 6 month income er fund and food storage.

Your not crazy! Your being practical. Treat it as a "no big deal" situation. This is what we do. I've joined up at www.freedomconnector.com and have met with many people just like us. Your not alone and you don't have to panic. Our family financial motto is "Live like know one else so we can live like no one else!" Safe, secure, prepared!

Your doing good!

You're doing a good thing and handling it very well by not teaching your children to live in fear. Continue to enjoy life. And, continue to keep your family prepared for the what-if's in life. You never know if it will be unemployment, illness, natural disaster, or whatever. We keep food, medicine and other things on hand so that we're prepared. We've dealt with unemployment and long term illnesses more than once. And sometimes it's just nice to have options for what to cook for dinner and not be stuck with whatever I decided to buy a week ago. Make sure you have alternate ways of cooking food that won't use electricity or natural gas. (i.e. dutch oven, charcoal, camp stove, etc.) One other thing I would suggest is to keep a small amount of cash on hand - in small bills. If you needed to buy something in an emergency and the cost was $2 but the smallest bill you had was a $10 you may have to pay $10 since change may not be available. Especially if you couldn't use your debit card or access your money in the bank due to cyber terrorisim. It's better to be prepared. Keep up the good work.

I think it is a personal preference as to how many days you have "stock piled". We have always had an emergency kit, which will take care of us for a couple of days if we have a disaster happen such as hurricane, tornado, earthquake or really bad storm (we lived in the North East and California). In California we had a neighbor who had something similar to what you are describing, but was told it was because of religious beliefs (I will not say what religion because I do not want to be attacked by anyone if they do not agree). My mom lives in Florida and she always is prepared before hurricane season begins.

Anyway, it is your family. I say do as you wish!

Rest assured, you are not the only ones. And even if you are, you are smarter and more prepared than others. What is the absolute worst case scenario if you never need your items? You wasted some time? Worst case scenario if you do need them and don't have them? Well, I don't have to tell you that, because you already know the answer.

I agree with Pamela - it is your fam, do as you wish and prepare away!

=)

We have a supply of food as well. My brother has a much bigger supply than us though. He also installed a wood burning stove that entirely heats his house and he hunts on his land. He has a huge garden and has quails that lay eggs. So compared to him we are totally unprepared. I think you are smart!!

definatly not. since our church teaches we should prepare for emergancies from my point of veiw seems you are doing great.

No you aren't alone. There are many people who are doing this. We are in the process of doing the same thing. I know of people who have a "safe room" even. In fact my husband deals with new construction in his line of work and he has said that a lot of the homebuilders are building homes with "safe rooms" in them. It's always a good idea to be as prepared for anything. Whether it's due to weather, unemployment, shortages of resources, or because of terrorism. You don't want to be unprepared. It's up to us all to provide for our families. You won't be able to depend on others especially the government during a major catastrophy - esp if it's a terrorist attack. Better to be safe than sorry. Don't be paranoid, just be prepared.

I think if you have the money to spend stock piling go for it. But if not you get to get the immediate necessities first, that is most important, there is no tomorrow without today. My hubby figures we have a plan to, first we go to the family member with food stock piled and then to the family member with the pool. Were set for at least a year or two with our family of four and extended family.

No you aren't the only one. I have some good friends doing the same. Last week my friend and her kids came over and afterward she was on her way to go and pick up some kind of bullet proof vest or something like that for her hubby. I asked her about it and found out that they are doing some stock piling as well. I told my hubs about it and we said that if things do go crazy and fall apart, at least we know somebody with a few guns ;) We do live debt free and are working on paying off our house and believe me we have been treated like we are lunatics for that by some. Wow, how crazy, actually to pay for what you have so it's yours...weird... We drive older cars which we maintain and we have a cap that we will pay, if we get near that, then we buy another car cash. Like right now I have an older model van. We paid $4,000, we will put up to $6,000 in work for as long as we have it. So total we are fine to pay about $10,000 for it. But hey, we plan to drive it for 10 years if we can, and new it would be like $25k. So yeah people think the way we live is strange, but at least no one else owns our stuff or has a hold on our money!!! If things head down hill you will be the people that other folks will be turning to!! My mom keeps lots of cases of water and some extra canned goods at all times for any potential weather issues, so to me, I don't find it too strange.

You are not the only one - my mother does this too. First off, I really don't have anywhere to stockpile anything. I guess I could have a few places, but then I would start to feel like a hoarder. I don't know, I guess I really don't worry much about this. I kinda just go with the flow...

We just had a major snow storm in January which left us without power. Now grant it, I didn't know how long it was going to last so we generally stay at a hotel. I saw people on tv who were freezing in their homes and had babies. They were taking the kids and warming themselves up in the car which could be dangerous. We make sure we have an emergency fund, so that we can stay at a hotel and eat. Most of the hotels we choose have complimentary breakfast, so this is a load off of us trying to leave and find food.

I keep hotel numbers on my cell phone just in case we need to leave the house, which we did that particular day. I always ask for any type of discount and let them know we have no power. They gave us a discount and allowed us to stay a couple hours over after check out until our power was restored. I have my son's backpack available and we load it up with snacks and drinks. We packed clothing and movies to watch on our laptop. Our power goes out quite frequent when there is a bad storm. We have tweeked our plan since then because we shopped around for closer hotels with better prices. We have a little one and just have to make him feel safe and warm. I was really thinking about buying a generator in the near future.

There is nothing wrong with having an emergency plan for your family.

You are not crazy. You are doing the right thing for appropriate reasons. You might want to add some water purification (recc. Berkey water purifier) and storage, whole grain and dry legume storage, a wheat grinder, solar energy generation, open-pollinated gardening seeds and gardening tools, alternate heat and light, and alternate toilet, washing, and sanitation supplies to your storage plan. You might also want to be sure you have good, low temperature sleeping bags, winter clothing, and alternate, sturdy shelter - e.g. canvas tent and wood burning stove. Some resources you can access include the following sites: www.ldsavow.com, www.solutionsfromscience.com, www.lds.org - look for the products. There are many other resources out there. If you are interested in some specialized preparedness information, contact me personally. I would be happy to help you.

If we had the space, we would. We are looking into a generator as we have power outages on occasion. Some people go days without heat and medically fragile people are especially vulnerable. I would not be so open about it as people do think people who do this are paranoid, unstable, etc...

Well, I am not currently worried about our country in this way & I won't be stockpiling ammo. BUT - if I could take our home "off the grid" and keep heat & power, I'd be all over it. I hope to pull that off one day.

I think, there's an extent to which wanting one's personal vision of self-sufficiency is a "Colorado thing." Regardless of our beliefs, we all have a strong streak of "independant"!

Uh...I guess I'd never thought about that...