Preparation on a budget

[LHS]

As a town dweller without the time to get a real garden going (yet) I threw up some hooks on the patio and set up some of those goofy upside down planters. Was pulling in cherry tomatoes and strawberries left and right. I was actually impressed. May add a few other items next spring. Bought the Topsy-Turvys at the end of last season from Walmart, they were around 75% off ($4-5 ea). This would be a great option for apartment dwellers with a patio or deck.

That looks like just what I need to keep a steady supply of fresh mint for my mojito habit.

[PA PATRIOT]

Had a live practice run with the bug out gear moving to are shortest distance relocation camp which is only 150 miles from the daily homestead. I did not announce the time or date to the family prior to this run and conducted it during "Rush Hour" to simulate heavy traffic conditions. Here are the results both good and bad,

Load and go,
As soon as the kids got off the bus Friday and walked Thur the front door I announced a Road trip and that we had to depart in 10 minutes. The kids looked at me as if it was a joke but soon realized that the timer was on and we were out the door with no excuses. The Wife who just pulled into the driveway was not in the mood for anything but a hot bath and some dinner. The first and only words out of her mouth were "Your Shitting Me, NOW!" but started grabbing her assigned gear and storage bins. Total time it took to load up and attach the camper to the back of the truck was 21 minutes without any prodding of the family from me. So I would have to grade this event a "C" since the family did know nothing really was going on so they sandbag a bit.

Trip to the bug-out location,
"SLOW" I have to give myself a "D" as most of my routes were jammed with Friday night traffic and my work around routes just didn't product the driving time savings I hoped for. I will have to locate and drive new routes at high traffic times to see what if any improvement could be discovered. One thing I did notice is that the newest GPS's which deploy traffic avoidance programs based on current traffic conditions did help greatly. More then once it made route changes which I considered crazy but later found that it directed us around jams which would have stopped us dead in are tracks. Normal driving time is 2.5 hours but with the heavy traffic the trip ran 4 hours and change.

Unpack and Set-up,
Now here is were you find all the things that were left behind that you really needed. To my amazement all numbered storage bins were packed, weapons/armor/ammo and seasonal clothes were correct. All the food/first aid and toilet items were accounted for and in less then 30 minutes after arrival the camp was fully up and running. After starting the well pump and hot water heater the wife finally got her hot bath and plate full of canned stew. Grade for this area was a "A+".

I found a few weak areas in my bug-out plan which need to be addressed but as with every plan refinement is always needed. But unless we put are planning and gear to the test one would never know the weak areas. I use all the gear I list in this section and so far none have let me down.

[PA PATRIOT]

Test post,

Has anyone been having problems with posting in this section? I recently seen were I make a post and it shows that I have a new post with the date and time of that post on the main section were you select to enter this thread but my post does not show up in the body of the thread.

Anyone else having this same problem?

Edited to add that the problem has not surfaced in the last day so hopefully its gone for good.

[streaker69]

I got some of the Gamma-Seal lids and buckets just this week, they worth the money for them. I also got the O2 absorbers with them. The only hitch I found is that my wife had a tough time opening them. So I made a little wrench.

[motorwerks]

Its funny I hadn't even thought of Charcoal, I always just planned on being the first to hit lowes or home depo with bolt cutters and stocking up on tanks...... but since thats not a reality, and was more of a joke really. I suppose I should look into at least a little.

[johnnychimpo]

Most helpful thread I've read in a while.

[bignc]

I know, I'm new here (I think this is even my first or second post) and that this is a sticky but I hope you fellows keep this one going. I live in the country basically and on some acreage but my wife and I work 40 and 25 minutes (respectively) away from home. Therefore, our "go bags" are designed to get us home with or without the vehicles. The kids go to school where my wife teaches and it is about 40 minutes from my place of employment. We have a "meet" place selected between their location and home and plans to wait, communicate, etc. Then of course, planning to stay at home during whatever happening is another issue- so I like what I have read so far (and have gained exactly 4 bookmarks) and am ready for more from you expert gentlemen/ women... So hi, nice to meet you and thanks for the info!

[500grains]

I still have some canned corn and stewed tomatoes in cans left over from the 2000 computer software scare which never materialized. Last month I tried a can of each and they were just fine to eat.

Lately I have been laying in stores of pinto beans (56% fiber) and rice. They last a long time if kept in Wal Mart plastic storage boxes. With a little gravy mix, or some spices or some canned goods, you can eat beans and rice pretty much forever. Flour does not last too long unfortunately.

Yesterday a local grocery was having a case lot sale. For $80 I bought what I figure is 1 month's worth of food. However, it was mostly canned stuff. At 50 cents a can, canned food is expensive compared to beans and rice.

There is the problem of protein. Spam, canned tuna, etc. help fill the gap. But fresh meat will be important long term.

[500grains]

I know, I'm new here (I think this is even my first or second post) and that this is a sticky but I hope you fellows keep this one going. I live in the country basically and on some acreage but my wife and I work 40 and 25 minutes (respectively) away from home. Therefore, our "go bags" are designed to get us home with or without the vehicles. The kids go to school where my wife teaches and it is about 40 minutes from my place of employment. We have a "meet" place selected between their location and home and plans to wait, communicate, etc. Then of course, planning to stay at home during whatever happening is another issue- so I like what I have read so far (and have gained exactly 4 bookmarks) and am ready for more from you expert gentlemen/ women... So hi, nice to meet you and thanks for the info!

Sounds like you are on the right track! Do you have plenty of ammo and first aid supplies? Can you suture a wound? Do you have antibiotics? Can you cook with the power and gas turned off? Are there bridges in your area which will need to be disrupted to keep undesirables out?

I assume that there are deer and wild pigs near where you live that can be hunted, and if so that is a Godsend.

Do you have plans with the neighbors for neighborhood patrols and road blocks (boulders, trenches, etc.) as appropriate to limit access to your AO?

[PA PATRIOT]

I have been working on several projects so my hunt for the great deals which may help cut the cost of laying in supply's and gear was placed on the back burner. But one tit-bit I can offer for folks living in PA is that most of the major food chain stores have been running insane deals on canned/dry goods (Current with long exp dates) and offering discount coupons which take either $5.00 or $10.00 off your total order. Just in the last two weeks I rotated my entire bunker stock at a price I didn't think possible but the price wars are going strong here so I'M taking advantage. The stores currently running the deals are Redners, Giant and Bottom Dollar, I'll be up-dating future deals as they hit.