April 13, 2020 By Lisa Phillips Comments are Off
Whew! [Check out the video below!]
I got SO MANY POSITIVE RESPONSES!! Thank you guys, so glad some of the ideas I presented were either food for thought, or things you didnt think about and are implementing NOW! Also so happy to see who out there were already preppers, just low key about it like I am. We will definitely be the ones to assist our family members and communities during the hard time – that’s why we are, the way we are, to help those we are here to help.
So, onto the good stuff. This is hours worth of research, so its a bit long, but I hope you can find a piece and it can help shorten your timeline.
This is very practical, and I would get what you can now over the next week. Honestly, some of the supply is sold out, so you will have to look where you can or you’re looking at July/September for somethings. You can spend anywhere from $100 – $1500 – Do what you can for what’s coming. We are still going to have hurricanes, windstorms, and flooding WHILE this is all going down, and most of these last for years.
Water
During those power outages, the water won’t be running. And remember, we will have the same natural disasters – but this time, it wont be easy to get electricians from neighboring cities to come help – they’ll probably be sick! There are a lot of models, but I personally got this model – it will fit in my garage. If you don’t have much room, you can go ahead and get 1 or 2 three gallon containers intead of 6. Or, if you dont have the funds for that, fill an old jug with water. But now is absolutely the time to have water stored on hand. I also invested in a heavy duty walter system – the Berkey Water system – this filters just about everything out of water. You can take water from the sewage and put it through these filters and they will come out clean – they have survivalist canteens specifically for this. It’s a big investment at $278, but the water taste SOOO good, and they have a flouride filter which sold me. This isnt necessary, but in case of a hurricane and lack of water, Im sure it can come in handy.
Energy
Solar Energy is the way to go! You can DIY your own set if you have the tools and time (This one is amazing), but I Just paid $1825 after taxes and shipping for this 1250 watt Inergy Apex after reviewing current solar powered options (and it wont ship until after May 7th okay, so the lines are already forming for everything!), for a solar generator that a can power refrigerator, drying machine, cell phones and laptops, all with 3 100 Watt panels i can set outside and comes with a 30 ft cable. I paid for it with my 401k funds – through the CARES act, you can withdraw up to 100k penalty free (See an article here), and with a pandemic, upcoming food shortage, and economic collapse possible…I think I need renewable energy more than anything else. There are still going to be frequent windstorms this summer – and instead of getting power back in a day, it might be 4 or 5 days due to out of work electricians who are sick – and i can’t lose my food or my laptop [Note – if weather does cause long term power outages, be prepared to CAN your food in jars (Or Smoke it) to not have hundreds of dollars worth of meat to go bad) The same natural disasters that always hit will still be hitting during this time. There are cheaper options as well, but if there was ever time to do it, its now. Also, if you can, an extra propane tank for powering up the grill, especially if you DONT have an solar or gas generator. Gas generators are fine, and cheaper, but it’s not optimal or feasible in apartments as solar is – just need someplace to put the panels. If you live in a small apartment not facing big windows, go ahead and get a small goal zero or portable solar panels – if nothing else, you can add a battery and recharge on the rooftop – and everyone will be greatful. (I got this for camping, which works great – if all you have is a cell phone, that’s generally enough for everyone in the family – and you can pick up two). But you can also get this model for$250 with a little more power – but if the families’ phones working IS a necessity in power outage situation – especially if we have to shelter in place – a fan can be a lifesaver. *Note, you will need to purchase portable solar panels, but im sure there will be a lot of uses for them in the future*
Food
Eggs and Potatoes are you staples! Both are completely filling, and can be very nutritious. You can buy a can of store brand potatoes for about a $1, and Del Monte, BPA free brand $1.29. I am generally an organic shopper, but in this case, money needed to stretch so store brand it is! Not only can you pour potatoes in a casserole, but you can also fry it for breakfast hash brown style.
Eggs —
Is there anything more filling than eggs? You can cook them for breakfast and bake with them. An egg a day can keep the family fed. And there are many ways to store them. 1.) Mix 2-4 eggs at a time, whip them up, put them in a ziplock bag and lay them flat in the freezer – you get individualized servings for scrambled eggs or baking, taking up VERY little room (tip, when thawing the bag might break, so put it on a bowl or plate and cut the plastic off so it wont be messy). 2.) You can cook and scramble them and dehydrate them saving freezer space 3.) You can pickle them in vinegar and salt for 6-12 months and have hardboiled eggs snack – a nice protein boost during SHTF territory. 4.) You can get pickling lime (Its not pickling, its a preservative) – best with farm fresh eggs because their natural coating hasnt been washed off – put them in a glass and they are good 6 -12 months later to crack open and use as you like 5.) You can put mineral oil on them and coat them – this protects the egg from oxygenating, and it can last 8-10 months. Best with farm fresh eggs, as the ones in the grocery stores have likely already been treated, and are not fresh – the sell by date indicates its at the end of its lifespan. SO many ways to prepare them that don’t take up valuable freezer space you will need for the meats you will try to purchase this week! Im not going to lie, I bought 6 dozen eggs ($30) from the farmers market that they will deliver to my door in about 5 days. 2 dozen for pickling, 3 dozen for water glassing, and the rest to be frozen and put in the freezer. That’s enough for several months in my home of scrambled eggs, snacks, and what not, and leave a lot of storage space in your freezer for other hard to come by items.
Freezer –
Just for meats! If you can purchase low cost meats now, go ahead and do that. If you can purchase and have room for a chest freezer, go for it – I personally tried to and everything is sold out until July – September – doesnt do me any good if the food runs out in May. I am trying to stock up within the next 2 weeks for this upcoming event we can foresee. Leave the freezer for meats, and use dehydrated foods and canned foods for vegetables, which lead me to the next point
Dehydrate your food – The shelf life of dehydrated food lasts 6-12 months – that’s enough to get us through this triple threat of pandemic, economic collapse, food shortage and the annual natural disasters. As I ran out of freezer space, I took ALL frozen vegetables out and dehydrated them (a few tips). And, you can also dehydrate eggs – an investment in plastic jars or mason jars is all you need to make more room in your freezer for meats without wasting food. If you don’t have a dehydrator (I own this model, but presto is a brand that has cheaper accessories), you can use your oven at low temperature and by opening the door. This is also good for fruits picked at the local farmers market – if they dont run out of food. You can then rehydrate them and use as regular.
Pickling and Vinegar are your friends – they dont need refrigeration, just moderate temperatures. I’ve pickled eggs so far, but plan on pickling my garden i am starting.
Gasoline
Now is the time to get a tank of gasoline. With prices at $1.69 per gallon, $8 can fill up a 5 gallon jerry can, and you can leave it outside. Again, if you dont have the room you can get something smaller – just enough to get you out of the neighborhood if the power is down, gas stations aren’t pumping, and you no longer want to be where you are. You can get a gasoline tank/jerry can/gas can from HD, Lowes, or Harbor Freight. I will be honest, this one is on my list of things to do and I plan on doing this within the next week. I also plan on getting an extra $25 lb propane tank as well, and MORE smaller 1 lb tanks. Remember, even a camp coleman grill and three 1 lb propane tanks would be enough to feed the family during an outage of some sort. For my city people, especially my NYC clients, this is going to matter.
Storage
if you are in the city, this can be challenging, but if you can dedicate at least 1 closet to this, that’s enough for the family to eat during the real food shortages. Angry Prepper is a NYC cop who i like who goes into details on living in NY. I think he’s ready to bugout, actually lol. For everyone elese, same thing applies, I have all of my cabinets full, a closet full, and a small section in the garage.
Security and Opsec, Spirituality, Physical Distancing, Financial History Lessons- Well….Let’s just say, that’s a whole other email. IF you would like a follow up email on this items/please reply and let me know if this was helpful.
PS. I know this is a lot. I’ve been acquiring a majority of this over the last 8 years, but it’s new to some of you. Go small, and build each month.
thanks, this is more of an information overload, but this will be the difference between your family thriving during this time, or having a really tough time.
I’m thriving, and Im happy to say Im helping other people be empowered to thrive and lead their families as well.
xXLisa
https://www.facebook.com/lisaphillipsrei/videos/2472186599665013/?t=1
Comments are closed.