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Mr&MsM

Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Messages
6
Location
Michigan
Hello all,

I have always thought that we would be "prepared" for things such as a "pandemic". We have extra food at all times. We have personal hygiene items, even medicine. . . but honestly now that we are in a pandemic I feel so ill prepared. I need help now because I have kids to protect and I refuse to let them starve.

Thanks,
Mr&MsM
 
Warm Welcome from the Arizona valley folks. USA
 
howdy from a Texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quite a few knowledgeable folks here that'll gladly tell ya what you need to know,or at least point ya in the right direction and/or give ya a good idea or 2..and by all means jump right on in with any replies you have on a topic
 
Okay so first question .... how or where do I begin?

Read prepping 101 and see if you have any holes to fill, that apply to you. Then see where you can be more self sufficient. I believe this Pandemic will lead to other man madedisaster's. This is still the very beginning of a long SHTF chain of events.
 
Okay so first question .... how or where do I begin?

You could begin with what I’ve just finished : take a complete inventory of what supplies you have on hand for every day living. Then prioritize acquiring what you desperately need compared to what you feel you have an adequate amount of for a long term situation. Water, food, clothing, shelter, medical/dental, hygiene, personal protection, etc.
 
Well my two cents may not be worth much. . . .but I would start with the basic items first. You and your husband have a family to support and your family is your number 1 priority. Water, food and shelter would be first. Having a life straw for water would be good to have, especially if you plan on leaving your home. Honestly, I do not have one of these even though I should, but I am not planning on leaving my homestead long term ever. We have county water for our home but also put in a water well to water the garden and animals too. The one time our county water got shut off due to the floods of Harvey, I ended up boiling our well water for drinking just to be on the safe side even though it is normally 'good'. It was also nice because I could still do my laundry, washing dishes, flushing toilets and ourselves without much concern.
You say you have extra food at all times, but how much is your extra? Is it a couple weeks? A couple months? I honestly have a couple years worth. This has been a labor of love for me. I started a garden the spring after we moved into our homestead even working a full time job at the time so it was on a much smaller scale than what I do now. Since you have a few in your family, I would want to start there. Make it a family project. It's always exciting to find something new growing. . . . even my husband who does not often like to "help" still likes to hear what is new out there so he can tell his buddies. . . It was easier when the boys were still living at home and took an interest. Now that it is just hunny and I, it is mainly just me, but I do mot work the hours I use to and am more part time going in when scheduled and if needed for extra hours. This season has been the first hunny has 'helped' in years even helping plant corn and spraying my walkways to prevent weeds. Think even the pandemic has worried him some. I would definitely start a garden. That was actually my first. . . .
We have since added in our critters like cows, goats, pigs and chickens. I am taking a guess here and think you are in a city or suburb? Some city ordinance allow chickens. you just cant get a roaster so check. You could get eggs on a daily basis. Even if you cant use as many as produced everyday, you can preserve with either dehydrating to make powder or using a slake lime/water solution. They are also a great meat source. Not for frying because farm raised or at least mine are better boilded. ZThey tend to be tough otherwise in my opinion. If you can have the bigger livestock I can go into that too.
Shelter is my current property so I would look to someone else who is planning on bugging out. Yes we have a tent and camp stove but we have only used these on occasion when the boys were young and we went camping for fun.+
 
Okay so first question .... how or where do I begin?

A simple word of advice about stockpiling supplies : when the SHTF, those who don’t have water, food, shelter, et.al. are going to be looking to take what you have unless you have some way to protect what you have, i.e. firearms and the will to use deadly force against the rampaging hordes.
 
NOTE: Rampaging hoard is equal to the number of persons above or equal the number 1. It does only take one or more people with bad intentions. A lot of us use the term "Hoard" to lessen the realities of bad people are out there and under dire situations (lack of food - water - shelter) good people can do bad things.
 
Well my two cents may not be worth much. . . .but I would start with the basic items first. You and your husband have a family to support and your family is your number 1 priority. Water, food and shelter would be first. Having a life straw for water would be good to have, especially if you plan on leaving your home. Honestly, I do not have one of these even though I should, but I am not planning on leaving my homestead long term ever. We have county water for our home but also put in a water well to water the garden and animals too. The one time our county water got shut off due to the floods of Harvey, I ended up boiling our well water for drinking just to be on the safe side even though it is normally 'good'. It was also nice because I could still do my laundry, washing dishes, flushing toilets and ourselves without much concern.
You say you have extra food at all times, but how much is your extra? Is it a couple weeks? A couple months? I honestly have a couple years worth. This has been a labor of love for me. I started a garden the spring after we moved into our homestead even working a full time job at the time so it was on a much smaller scale than what I do now. Since you have a few in your family, I would want to start there. Make it a family project. It's always exciting to find something new growing. . . . even my husband who does not often like to "help" still likes to hear what is new out there so he can tell his buddies. . . It was easier when the boys were still living at home and took an interest. Now that it is just hunny and I, it is mainly just me, but I do mot work the hours I use to and am more part time going in when scheduled and if needed for extra hours. This season has been the first hunny has 'helped' in years even helping plant corn and spraying my walkways to prevent weeds. Think even the pandemic has worried him some. I would definitely start a garden. That was actually my first. . . .
We have since added in our critters like cows, goats, pigs and chickens. I am taking a guess here and think you are in a city or suburb? Some city ordinance allow chickens. you just cant get a roaster so check. You could get eggs on a daily basis. Even if you cant use as many as produced everyday, you can preserve with either dehydrating to make powder or using a slake lime/water solution. They are also a great meat source. Not for frying because farm raised or at least mine are better boilded. ZThey tend to be tough otherwise in my opinion. If you can have the bigger livestock I can go into that too.
Shelter is my current property so I would look to someone else who is planning on bugging out. Yes we have a tent and camp stove but we have only used these on occasion when the boys were young and we went camping for fun.+
Thank you for the advice, I'm sorry I have not been able to respond prior to now. My stock pile I would have to say is definitely not where it should be but we (6+) could live on it for at least 6 months. Definitely is a work in progress. We do live within "city" limits by about 1/2 a mile and so we do have to follow the city ordinance of NO chickens. We had originally planned to raise chickens (my daughter was the one pushing for this), but then found out that we are not allowed. We do have a couple gardens, and I preserve everything I possibly can. We have planted fruit trees when we first moved to this home (3+) and are starting to see good fruit on a couple of them. We have about 3 1/2 acres of cleared land and then an additional 8 1/2 wooded acres. We have no plans of leaving our home when things go bad. Home is our sanctuary our safety zone however with that said we do have a couple tents, but definitely need to make sure we get a camp stove, etc. Thank you for the great start.
 
A simple word of advice about stockpiling supplies : when the SHTF, those who don’t have water, food, shelter, et.al. are going to be looking to take what you have unless you have some way to protect what you have, i.e. firearms and the will to use deadly force against the rampaging hordes.
What firearms do you recommend? What do you think of a Glock 20?
 
You actually can do a lot with your acreage when it comes to gardening. Sounds like you can grow and preserve the majority of what you use during the year even with your short growing season with veggies and fruits. I dont live within city limits but my mom does. She could have chicken, if she chose, but not a rooster since that is the noise maker. Just douvle check.
 
What firearms do you recommend? What do you think of a Glock 20?

welcome to the forum

I am not a Glock fan in fact it would be an act of desperation if you found me with one,,,,,,,,a pump shotgun there are a lot of good ones out there 12 or 20 gauge either will do and the ammo is cheap and Walmart carries it all the time,,,,,,,,,,,,my 3 main weapons are a 1911 45acp,,,,Remington 870 compact and I also have a AR15 in 300 Blackout,,,,223 ammo is cheaper but I hunt with mine and went with the larger round

good luck
 
sorry I forgot to say there is nothing really wrong with Glock,,,I just don't like them
 
Thank you for the advice, I'm sorry I have not been able to respond prior to now. My stock pile I would have to say is definitely not where it should be but we (6+) could live on it for at least 6 months. Definitely is a work in progress. We do live within "city" limits by about 1/2 a mile and so we do have to follow the city ordinance of NO chickens. We had originally planned to raise chickens (my daughter was the one pushing for this), but then found out that we are not allowed. We do have a couple gardens, and I preserve everything I possibly can. We have planted fruit trees when we first moved to this home (3+) and are starting to see good fruit on a couple of them. We have about 3 1/2 acres of cleared land and then an additional 8 1/2 wooded acres. We have no plans of leaving our home when things go bad. Home is our sanctuary our safety zone however with that said we do have a couple tents, but definitely need to make sure we get a camp stove, etc. Thank you for the great start.
Check if ye can keep rabbits instead of chickens maybe.
 
sry,missed to Welcome you here,my bad.
Rabbits would be my choice too,during WW2,many city people raised rabbits for meat and fur,easy and they tend to breed like rabbits 🤣

security; a shotgun is always a good choice and it can be used for hunting purposes too and never ever brag about your supplies..a neighbor now can be friendly, a hungry neighbor is danger.
 
Welcome from Missouri. Good to have you with us. Where do you begin? Really think about WHY you are prepping. What are you most likely to encounter? From there you decide what is best for you and your family. Lots of good people here; all willing to help. If you have questions just ask.
 
What firearms do you recommend? What do you think of a Glock 20?

Have you ever used firearms? Do you own any, and have familiarity with them? If not take training classes, and learn about firearms before making a decision. That is not a decision to be taken lightly. or a purchase that should be made on a whim.
 
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