Practical Prepping Protocol even if Poor

I wouldn't want to get down to four or five bars of soap - for me that would be cutting it too close because we don't know how long for which we are prepping, and the idea of running out of soap scares me.

By the way - if the packaging is removed from soap and it is in the cupboard bare for a while, the drying will make the bar of soap last much longer. Unwrap immediately after purchase and let them sit bare until use.

All the cool little stoves posters have brought in (I'm drooling over them all) have made me think of cooking an entire meal on one small burner. How many of us do that every day, well enough to manage if suddenly we had to do it?

I got some serious crash course on that when I first moved out to a 'no mod-cons' area with my late husband and had two choices: a small woodstove, just a rectangle box, not a cooking stove and one propane burner, which we generally used for morning coffee because it was faster. So I took instruction from people who do a lot of that in their own countries and headed for the nearest Asian Grocery Store whenever I went to town!

Asian Grocery Store Prep List - to be added to by anyone

1. Large wok.
You want one with a tall dome of a lid that you can put a lot of stuff under. No, get two. :) Asian groceries have many sizes and usually cheaper than you'll find them elsewhere.

2. Steamer Rack for Wok
Most of us have steamer racks, the basket with the little short legs, that fit in any pasta pot but the wok racks I had were just metal rings, with 'spokes' going to a smaller ring in the middle. Those do not have 'legs,' though you can likely manage with one that does. A couple of links of slightly fancier design - but not fancy price:
[link to www.wokshop.com (secure)]
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]
this page shows one with legs, but your wok has to be big to accommodate those if you want more than one layer of food.
[link to thewoksoflife.com (secure)]

And steamers, limited only by your imagination, there are so many different types. Simple traditional bamboo
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]
I like this stainless steel one too:
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]
There's an infinite variety of electric steamers but I'm concentrating just on those that'll work when 'electric' won't.

3. Brazier of any variety that works for you
Asian groceries will almost always have some type of these so I brought a wiki link just to give the idea:
[link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]
Hibachis of all types and sizes are good too.

So Jake made a statement: wait till the great famine hits and the food rationing starts could start this year

--------

The inside of a stalk of a cattail is alot like a potato...you can suppliment your diet with those, they grow everywhere there is water!

ALso bunnies and squirrels...A live trap could be worth its weight in vibranium!

I also picked up a pelet rifle with an awesome scope...It's quiet and I can hit an egg at 40 yards with it...but that wasn't cheap (about $150)

can you imagine trying to survive through God knows what long-term tragedy, with dirty hair?

--------

You could always shave your head :D

I'm trying to imagine what a bald pooka might look like :)

Edit: I searched on shaved pooka...you don't want to know...

Last Edited by Mental Case on 01/31/2019 03:55 PM

People who are surprised at the record cold - you need to read this:
Thread: 11/14/2018 :Nasa Scientist warns : Lack of sunspots to bring Space Age Record Cold, matter of months...// UPDATE 11 jan 2019 ... IT HAS BEGUN P7
Check out what's coming! This is rough, and it's for us. All the preps you can manage RIGHT NOW to protect you and yours from cold, you need to be about!

From clothing to heating your home, to protecting your animals, to managing the cold without electricity, or natural gas, or whatever your usual heat source, because there will be no doubt interruptions in service.

Now picture TSHTF while we are in subzero temps. Uhuh. Very possible. EMP, war, anything is possible.

Focus, too, on what this means for agriculture - where will plantings still be successful? How will the produce from those areas reach your area if trucking shut down? Could be gas shortage, strike, damaged roads and bridges, anything. Whatchagonnaeat?

Good idea to research ways of growing your own with whatever heat you can manage for them!

Just think cold! Plan for cold! What kind of gloves do you have? How many? What surviving could you do with frostbitten or missing fingers?

One of my personal favorites - toe warmers! Peel and stick to your socks and they can save your toes, as well as a lot of misery! Kinda spendy considering they last less than a day, but oh, the joy of using!!!

Hand warmers also very helpful and should be going on sale soon. That could save your fingers if you have to be outside cutting wood or doing other life-worthy tasks.

Having used ThermaCare-type heat patches for painful areas - and these are the true heat patches, not those phony mentholatum things, a couple times I've had one coming off and was busy, didn't want to lose it, so I just stuck it on my upper chest for the moment. Discovered placement there heats the whole body! Something good to remember when so cold you are in trouble.

Last Edited by Pooka on 01/31/2019 04:02 PM

Pooka falls down in a faint. Dear heaven! I can just imagine what you found - not even going there!

You are such fun! Crazy, but fun! LOL

Very nice shooting!!

Pooka generally I never eat canned food, except for green beans. I prefer all my veggies fresh.

When SHTF I won't be picky in the least and will gladly eat canned veg; so I will stock up on that and other canned foods mentioned in this thread.

I know for green beans I will buy cans and rotate them to where oldest are eaten first. This is probably a stupid question (remember I'm a prepping newbie!) but what about the items I purchase that I don't regularly eat and wouldn't unless it is a survival situation? Is it basically, eat them before they expire or they will be going to waste if things don't go south by then?

What about things like flour, sugar, salt? I never bake things, but I would if bread wasn't suddenly available for instance. I don't know exactly how to balance preparedness/potential waste.

I hope that makes sense.

Please, anyone else feel free to chime in too!

i don't have room for storing things. In my tiny apartment it is problematic. I have some water, but I am relying on being able to procure more water, either by tap or other methods if tshtf.

---------

Godblessya, you might want to focus on something to carry 2 containers of water a distance (just a suggestion).

A stick or 2X4 that you put across the back of your shoulders and have a water container on either end (to balance out).

The trick would be making it comfortable...maybe taping a piece of carpet in the center where the 2X4 will be sitting against your spine. And a notch cut in either end to hole the containers securely.

You could stand that up in the corner of a closet & it would take up no space at all...but be very usefull for carrying water back home.

because there will be no doubt interruptions in service.

Now picture TSHTF while we are in subzero temps. Uhuh. Very possible. EMP, war, anything is possible.


-----------

That's what I'm thinking with these warning from gas companies in multiple states.

It's a 2 day cold snap for Gods sake! And they can't handle the load?

Not to mention the utilities have got to be the BEST preparred...what does that say about roads, bridges, the supply chain, the financial system, etc?

If this isn't a wake up call for people to prep...I'm afraid they are going to reep what they have sewn!

(poor bastards are really going to suffer) :(

some food for thought if you are interested

Preppers will become Outlaws after SHTF - YouTube

A live trap is another thing that keeps on giving (set me up to be a king post SHTF).

It will work for decades & keep giving me food (meat) with no physical effort (unlike hunting).

Just like saws and maple taps keep giving & giving.

Hang a camp shower bag in the tub. Run it to wet down, turn it off, lather up, open again to rinse.

-------

I was thinking about setting something like that up outside.

Then I thought my feet would get all muddy.

Then the lightbulb went on...I could use a floor mat from my truck as the shower floor!

Home made soap = fat/oil and lye.

Fat or oil could be animal of veggie...it doesn't matter. But animal fat usually smells.

Lye is ash from hardwood mixed with water (it will burn you, chemical burn). (use baking soda & water on any chemical burn to nutralize the acid...never use oil or ointment on a chem burn...it will hold the chemical on the skin).

You cook/heat the fat or oil...add the lye...(add rose peddles or smelly stuff if you like)...stir...it thickens (soaponification), and you let it cool and set.

Then you use a thin piece of wire to cut it into bars.

Spot test on a small part of your arm, rinse, then give it 5 hours, to make sure your soap does not burn you.

Edit: when jumping a car battery I try (if possible) to wip up some baking soda & water, just incase a battery explodes in my face, I'll have the antidote for the acid right there at the ready.

Last Edited by Mental Case on 01/31/2019 04:41 PM

Preppers will become Outlaws after SHTF - YouTube

--------

When TSHTF preppers will become the new "RICH".

And we know how the "RICH" are thoguht of right now.

They will justify stealing our preps by calling it a "tax".

Yes, this is definitely the year I take the green house out of the box lol

Dry shampoo is the obvious alternative: Rub some corn meal or rolled oats through your hair, scrubbing your scalp good with it. Brush it all out. The grains will take the grime and grease with them.

No, not that kind. It's the alcohol that's flammable

No I sure don't. Definitely protien...

Dry shampoo is the obvious alternative: Rub some corn meal or rolled oats through your hair, scrubbing your scalp good with it. Brush it all out. The grains will take the grime and grease with them.

--------

Thanks!

I had never heard that...good info!

Excellent video, Denholm. YOu always have such great information for us! This one is certainly worth thinking about - where would you put part of your "stuff" to keep it away from "official collectors"? Any place come to mind? For me it does not. I do live in a city, which for this purpose is probably unfortunate - a house to house search would have me losing everything - it isn't much, but would feed an official's family for a couple days, so it would be valuable enough to them to confiscate. Maybe they have a dog and my dog food walks out the door - what do I feed my dogs after that? Heat source? Their families are cold too. Tools - they might be confiscated to put lower employees to work.

Good to think about, Denholm, thank you. It took me by surprise - which is poor planning on my part.

I honestly don't know any solution for myself right now - how about the rest of you? Did this video information surprise you? Do you have a plan? Did you have a plan before seeing the video? What are the answers?

Do you happen to know offhand roughly the nutritional content of Spam?

--------

50% fat - 50% salt :D

You learn something new everyday! Thanks!

Dry shampoo is available for purchase - I actually have one can, and it's in my tsunami trunk. Kinda hate to see any food go to use for the purpose if we can avoid it. On the other hand, the used grains could be fed to chickens or birds, to keep them going a while longer.

Hey!! I got it right just on a guess!!!

We will be terrible people! The non-preppers are the good folks, and we are stealing from their very mouths! Of course nobody will mention what all we did without in order to collect those preps, nor how often we tried to tell other people to be prepared.

Wish we could each live among LDS folks. Those folks know how to prep!!! And they wouldn't let us starve, if we ran out.

So every time Mental Case buys a new 10 pack of soap, 4 bars get put aside for storage. That would add up to a nice little stash in no time if he's been doing it long enough.
(sorry if you're a she, mc)

this vid has very good info on making the most of growing veggies.

I suggest fast forward till slightly before the narrator is talking with the actual gardener. I dunno, some might like him but I find him really obnoxious. Make sure to go back just a bit from the interview to see the tiny 3 foot tomato plant with ..count em... 42 decent size maters on it!



Last Edited by godblessya! on 01/31/2019 04:56 PM

I don't eat canned food as a rule either, except tuna once in a while and canned milk. I don't see a point in buying something you don't really want to eat. How about only investing only in what you will eat?

I suspect your thinking about the canned vegetables is that with dinner you have to have vegetables, and that's the only way to do it once TSHTF. I don't think we will be sitting down to perfectly normal meals. I think we will be thankful for what we can eat that is hot and filling, and take vitamins with it for nutritional assistance.

My recommendation would be to only buy what you willingly eat, because otherwise you would have to throw out what you didn't like, at the end of its shelf life, and buy more. Money isn't that easily come by, at least not for a lot of us. Invest in coffee, foods you can make with hot water, order the prepared survival meals if you can afford it.

Others may see things differently.

You're welcome. Now for the conditioners:
Get these now whilst you can: buckets of coconut oil!
Note: I just like that best but if you're caught out with no way to get it, use whatever fat or oil you have, including lard or Crisco.
You need both kinds: the unrefined, 'organic' that you'll be taking by the spoonful to get your healthy fats and that can be stored in a cool place - maybe not a problem with the coming Grand Solar Minimum
and: the refined version that you can store longer in more types of places and that you'll use externally and any place you need some quick lubrication.

Rosemary will grow in a window so long as it gets light, either morning or afternoon, for a few hours a day and you give it enough water. Always keep some around no matter how you obtain it - if it's dried, just keep it dark and cool, in glass or earthenware if you can. It strengthens the hair, refreshes and protects the brain and memory and has strong antibacterial qualities - safe for internal or external.

Take some and mash it a little in a mortar and pestle - if dried, you can still do it, it's just harder so add a drop or two of oil to help.:) Pour some melted coconut oil on top of it, say: 1 part herbs to 6 parts oil. Put it away and forget about it for a month. If you have enough water to wet your hair - it can be just damp all over - rub this oil mix on your hands - thinly, just enough to put a film on your hands - and work it through your hair from scalp to ends.

You can add or mix and match with these, using the same method: chamomile, rose petals, iris flowers, calendula, jasmine, marshmallow - the plant, not the candy fluff. All have a softening, soothing effect on skin and hair. This 'conditioner' will protect your hair from the wind, sun, smoke, dirt and will soak in and not be greasy. It is a shield against pollution soaking in and doing you damage later. (P.S. always cover your hair if you're around people sick with anything contagious or just gross.:))