Time’s Up!

That’s been the gist of several articles recently published on a wide array of blogs, some that I check frequently, and others that are new to me.  I’ve never seen so many appear so close to one another in time and to be speaking with the same degree of absolute urgency. 

Truth be told, I thought our time was just about up over a decade ago.  I would have said it was too late to prepare.  And yet, here we are.  So maybe our time isn’t up just yet.  Maybe there are several more weeks or months or years. 

Regular readers here acknowledge that I don’t present a lot in the way of beginner or low-level information on preparing for the challenges staring us down.  There are an awful lot of newbie checklists out there.  The world probably doesn’t need another one.  And yet, I have to admit, I often have a viewpoint that differs substantially from the conventional wisdom.  I never had any plans to post something like a “TEOTWAWKI’s almost here” list—go buy all this stuff right now to prepare.  I think those lists are popular with bloggers because many are Amazon affiliates looking to cash in a bit. 

However, as I was preparing a blog article on radiation last week, I re-read a few articles at Shane Connor’s GoodNewsNuke.com.  And one of them was specifically written to the 99% of people who don’t prepare and then run around like crazy when there’s a crisis.  He wrote to help them out, knowing that even a little preparation at the last minute may spell the difference between life and death.  It was written with such compassion for and lack of judgment against those who just realized they needed to act.  And it got me to thinking, what would I list as the most important items for someone who suddenly decided to panic (because we can’t rightfully call it preparing) at literally the last minute?

Two years ago I posted a list of items that were the first things to disappear during the COVID shutdowns.  Interestingly, the ubiquitous “First Items to Disappear” in a crisis lists online didn’t have much in common with the reality.  You can read that article here. So what would I recommend?  And why?  Actually, I just decided to pretty much scratch the why.  They don’t have time.

I realize this list won’t be of much use to regular readers here.  But if you’re like the rest of us, you probably know a person or two who will suddenly wake up and realize the time to panic is incredibly short.  You might direct them to the following info to get them started.

FOR THE NEWBIES:

You’ve suddenly realized that your world is about to collapse and you’d like to acquire essential items while it’s still possible.

If you’ve got a team and the ability to divide and conquer, split up the duties.  Send a couple of people grocery shopping so that you can get what you want without looking like a hoarder.  You might just follow each other around the store and just check out through different lanes.  Use cash if you don’t want your purchases tracked.  Send another person to Home Depot.  A third to the feed and ranch (great source for fish antibiotics and medical supplies).  A fourth to the pharmacy.  And someone at home to print up references before the internet goes down. 

FOOD

The amount of food you want depends on how long you are preparing for.  All quantities are in pounds and have been rounded up to the nearest pound.  This is the amount needed to provide 2000 calories per day—survival-type rations, in other words, just barely enough.  You’ll want to supplement with canned foods.

	Salt	Oils	Sugars	Grains	Dry beans	Dry milk
2 weeks	1	1	3	17	3	1
1 month	1	2	5	33	5	2
2 months	2	4	10	66	10	3
3 months	3	5	15	100	15	4
6 months	5	10	30	200	30	8
1 year	10	20	60	400	60	15

 

Salt, iodized if possible

Cooking oil, coconut if possible—makes a fantastic butter substitute and has some medicinal uses as well

Sugar, again, not just for baking, but also has some medicinal uses—allow an extra pound or two for medicinal purposes

Popcorn—quick and easy to prepare, especially with coconut oil (above)

Flour

Oats, mostly for eating, but also has medicinal uses

Rice

Beans

Milk, this is just for baking, not drinking.  If you wish to have enough to drink, buy more. 

Egg substitutes—unflavored gelatin, garbanzo bean liquid

Baking powder

Vinegar—some is for regular eating, more for food preservation and a lot for cleaning

Baking soda—not just for cooking, but also for cleaning and has some medical and medicinal uses as well

Yeast, if you bake bread

In addition, stock up on the other non-perishables you normally consume as much as your finances allow.

WATER

Bleach, regular, unscented

Betadine

Coffee filters, to remove contaminants before further treatment

Soda bottles

GARDEN

Seeds—hybrid preferred.  The yield will be higher in adverse conditions, and after one year, you’ll be able to find others who have saved open-pollinated seeds.  Besides, seed-saving isn’t something learned in just a year when you’re just learning how to garden.

Fertilizer—maybe.  You can start using humanure.  If you didn’t prep, you’re going to have to.  Sorry.

Garden tools

Gloves—garden, leather, nitrile, dishwashing

Large rolls of plastic—lighter weight for protecting soil from fallout, heavier weight for making row covers to get a jump start on growing vegetables.

CLEANING

Rubbing alcohol

Bleach

Soap

Dish detergent

Vinegar

Baking soda

MEDICAL

Vitamins

Benadryl

Pain relievers

Vaseline

“Fish” antibiotics

Bandages and dressings

Duct tape

Rubbing alcohol

Alcohol wipes

Betadine

Caffeine pills (medical uses and withdrawing from coffee)

If time and finances allow, consult the Master Medical Shopping List for additional items it would be wise to have on hand.

PRINT

Substitutes lists (ex., substitutes for eggs in baking, oil in cooking, butter, milk, etc.)

Recipes

Manuals—Survival and Austere Medicine, 3^rd Edition, Humanure Handbook, Nuclear War Survival Skills, etc.

Every item listed here and hundreds more are covered in over 1000 posts on this blog.  To learn more, type search words into the search bar on the right.  Save or print information, or order the books from Amazon. 

Links to related posts:

Calories and recommended food storage amounts

Master Medical Shopping List 

References:

https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2022/03/if-youre-still-not-listening-youre.html

https://www.theorganicprepper.com/selcos-neighborhood/

http://goodnewsnuke.com/

https://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2022/03/folks-get-your-canned-tuna-sardines-now