Pharmacist here: I highly recommend keeping Pedialyte on hand. It's not just for kids and can be a lifesaver in preventing dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea!
I have 3 bottles always and the other night my little girl started vomiting and diarrhea she was like that for hours and having pedialyte on hand that helped me a lot because the stores were closed and my daughter recovered faster 👍🏼
Sparkles999 Rose I’m sorry but you are wrong, type one diabetes is only cause when the pancreas stops working, drinking pedialyte will not stop your pancreas from working ever again My child is type one diabetes, I am a RN Nurse, my sister is a medical doctor and my brother is a physician assistant Please don’t speak out of term.
I am 72 years old and we were taught from a very young age to stock up Everything. Last year I shipped toilet paper, tissues, and napkins to my sister in New York and my daughter in Texas. My neighbor affectionately nicknamed my house over 30 years ago Sue Mart
Yes ma’am, people need to stop thinking short term and going to grocery store every time they need something there are a hundred reasons why that keeping extra in hand is just common sense. Food is a necessity! Fancy clothes and the latest ‘TOYS’ are not ask your self will this help me or someone in my family if for whatever reason you can’t get it anymore, or get to the store whatever you use on a daily bases buy extra! Keep it on hand.
Been prepping since 2010. My grandma taught me how to pressure can and water bath. She always said, be prepared for anything mija, job loss, natural disaster and food shortages. I miss her so much.
We just started having a better pantry ourselves. We have always just had our grocery store trip nothing more, despite our older generations telling us to keep more. We went through Covid and wished we would have had it. We’ve got a couple weeks worth now, and still using our pantry. We are just grabbing $10-$15 dollars extra every time we got to the store. Nothing crazy, and not emptying a shelf of anything. My question is, my grandma says a use by date doesn’t mean throw it out by date. So like a box of Mac n cheese if you find it at the right time. Has a 2 year best by date, my grandma said she has used a box of Mac n cheese that was 5 years old and knew no different and didn’t get sick.. My question for those who have been doing this a long time is this true??? Is it just with boxed Mac n cheese?
If I didn’t have my stockpile/rotating pantry last winter during the southern storms I would have been in real trouble. Lost my job this summer so again, life saver. 👍🏻
Berkey water filters are the best.Alaska Prepper has a video on how to make your own Berkey system using the Berkey filters and two five gallon buckets. Or you can buy the original $30O stainless steel system.
When I was 15 I found a packet of tomato seeds in the back of a drawer from the year I was born. I planted them in the back yard and had so many tomatoes we were giving them away to the neighbors.
We preppers are not as crazy as some people seem to think. We well know serious 💩 happens and have usually experienced serious and not so serious 💩 happening. So we prepare ahead of time for pretty much any kind of 💩 to happen and then when the inevitable 💩 happens we are ready for it and can deal with the 💩 and it gets handled, and those who weren’t prepared look at us and wonder how we knew what to do when the 💩 happened and marvel at how we make it look so easy to deal with 💩.
I have a big family so I don't have a problem with anything ever expiring. When I buy a jar of spaghetti sauce it goes to the back and I use the one in the front. Sometimes when I have gotten lax on inventory I have run out of stuff so have to start again.
We started a small stock pile every fall for winter when we were in Northern Utah. Now that we live in Illinois, we will continue. It's amazing when you are sick or snowed in and you don't have to leave the house!
IL weather is so unpredictable! I dk where you are located, but I am 50mi S of the Lake Michigan and we've had some pretty nasty weather come our way many times
I live in the Northeast snow belt. We "stock up" for winter too. We also have a generator. We live in bfe, our electricity goes out routinely & because we live so far out, we're last to be turned on. Our house is gas too
Hello from Texas. I appreciate the calm and rational tone of this video. Too many people are promoting hysteria and being very irresponsible. We are already dealing with stress from the pandemic and many don't have the mental health bandwidth to weather another crisis. Slow mindful preparation is key. BTW love Solid Gold and my Great Dane loves it. Hugs from Texas.
One year the electricity was not avl in our area for a little over 2 weeks. We were wondering if we would lose all our refrigerated and frozen food. Just then our neighbor knocked on our door and offered his generator to help save our food and even said he had enough to let us use our TV. We did not ask - he offered. It was wonderful. He is now my landlord and let's me garden in the backyard. Best neighbor/landlord ever.
It makes me very happy to see regular channels talk about getting prepared. Our grandparents and great grandparents who experienced the great depression know all about being prepared, frugal and as self sufficient as possible. Take some tips from them. You will be happy you did.
Love your channel. This message was really needed at this time. I grew up in a house that "prepared" for the rest of the year. Mom would can 52 cans of green beans, one for every week, and the same with other things. Just what we needed for the year. We are spoiled and can get things much easier now but being prepared for your family is still necessary!
I grew up in Ohio. I've lived in Illinois for 50 years. I've always kept enough food for 4 or 5 months in the house. Winter comes. Power failures happen. Someone gets sick. Someone loses a job. It's nice to have shelf stable food and basic supplies. Tina
I live in Austin, Texas and was totally unprepared for the freeze we had last February. No power or water for 8 days! This video is super helpful and I will be sure to not put myself in that situation again!
We thought we were prepared, but hubs had to go out on the icy roads twice to get gas for the generators. Thankfully we had propane for our heating and cooking, oil lamps and plenty of blankets. We were with out power for 36 hours, but still had our water. But now I have some water stocked for just in case.
Happened to me when we moved into our house in 1999. Jan of 20 we got a foot of snow in NC. No power and on a well. Luckily we owned a kerosene heater. Keep our family warm. Melted snow to flush toilet. From then on I said never again. Got it taken care of now.
@@Bloodhoundjed1 We got a small (not tiny) wood stove installed in our kitchen. Best thing we ever did. It is so comforting to know when we lose power in the winter (and we always do) we can put a heavy curtain over the kitchen doorway and keep our large old kitchen toasty warm. Last year we dragged a couch in there when we lost power so we'd have a comfy place to sit. We have a lean-to full of wood ready to go. We can heat water on the stove for washing. We can cook eggs, bacon on top of that thing, we can warm soup or boil water for pour over coffee. It gives me such comfort. I used to fret constantly about losing power. Some choose generators. For us, the wood stove was the best option.
@@reggie2382 yep, I live in the DFW area as well and just thought we were prepared. Just got my propane delivered today. We were pretty low in February during our snowmaggedon, and trying not to run out. I forgot to check it ahead of time. We had to order propane as soon as the roads cleared.
A few things to add: A manual can opener - stockpiling canned goods is gonna do you no good if you can't get the food out of the can. Candles and matches so you can see without power.
Here is my list of long-storing things on which to stock up if you are worried about not having enough money when prices rise because of runaway inflation or if you get stranded at home because of winter power outages: 1) cheapest brand of dry spaghetti pasta/dry macaroni/blocks of Ramen noodles (buy what your family likes), 2) dried beans/peas/lentils (buy what your family likes), 3) jars of peanut butter and fruit jams (buy only what your family likes), 4) canisters of plain rolled oats (for breakfast; stores much longer than expensive boxed breakfast cereals), 5) a few bags of non-fat powdered milk (to go with the oatmeal), some canisters of Nesquik chocolate or strawberry flavored drink mix to make re-hydrated powered milk taste better (if you have milk drinkers at home), 6) some sugar or honey (to go with the oatmeal), 5) bar soap, bottles of shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and dental floss for cheap from a dollar store, 6) some large boxes of baking soda plus a gallon or two of plain white vinegar (to make inexpensive household cleansers), 7) laundry detergent or bars of laundry soap (which one depends upon whether you have electric power for the washing machine). If you can afford it, stock up on rolls of toilet paper (boxes of facial tissue can substitute for toilet paper). Instead of stocking up on expensive rolls of paper towels, do like great grandmother did and buy some tea towels, kitchen towels and kitchen wash cloths (new or gently used from a thrift shop or make some from old tablecloths and old clothing if you have a sewing machine for hemming). If stocking up on cold and flu remedies, get tablets and cough drops instead of anything in a liquid or gel form because the solid versions can store a lot longer. To have safe lighting, radio news and a working smart phone during a power outage, invest in rechargeable versions of these devices and get rechargeable batteries, a power bank and a solar panel or two for that power bank. For safe indoors, grid-down cooking, get one or two single burner butane stoves and enough butane cylinders for two or three weeks of cooking -- and have a battery powered CO/smoke alarm in the cooking area. Invest in a winter weather sleeping bag for each family member so people can sleep warm during winter power outages (can get for cheap at thrift shops or garage sales, always get a secondhand sleeping bag professionally dry cleaned before storing it at home).
One thing I would add. Get a cheap small tent to use as your sleeping area inside the house if it gets extended. Fix it up and hunker everybody down inside. You'll stay warmer that way.
Great Great suggestions 👍 after professional cleaning of sleeping bags, air these out for a couple days. Thank the girl scouts for that one lol. Have cash on hand all denominations. I thought a drop of bleach in a gallon of water helps if you can't boil it. I'm checking my buddy Google. Lol. Be safe, be prepared!!!
I was so happy to hear you talk about seeds and gardening. I am extremely passionate about gardening. I currently have way more seeds than I can plant in any given season, as I get gift cards often. Maybe you can do a seed starting video in the near future for any of your viewers who might want to get started gardening. You can really grow food anywhere, even in an apartment! Some people may not be aware of that.
@@nairda500 There are differing ideas on whether storing in the freezer is good or not. I keep mine in a plastic photo box in a relatively cool place on a shelf where it would take a major flood to get them wet. The most important things is to keep them cool and dry. I worry that is I put them in the freezer there would be condensation when I took them out and them what I did not use would go bad?
@@kathyhanson7337 Microgreens are a good choice when you are limited on space. Very healthy too. Also if you happen to have a balcony a greenstalk tower is a good choice. You can also grow plants under lights, some say they have done so in an extra closet or a spare corner on shelving. The last suggesion I will make is for an aerogarden. These are progressively more expensive so some might not be of use for everyone.
My family lives pretty much paycheck to paycheck (with some wiggle room) and we recently had a few car repairs that we needed to make and required new tires. In all these unplanned expenses totaled around $1,200. We used some of our savings and tapped into our storage pantry. We had plenty of toiletries and nice meals for the next month. I 1000% recommend having a pantry like this!
I lived in New Zealand for 14 years. I always had "Earthquake Boxes". Exactly this type of thing. So planned for power being out and no help being available for 14 days. Basically, WATER for everyone in the house, food (including pet food), medication, kept the car pretty full of gas all the time, had 2 gas bottle for BBQ - both full. You just use the stuff and cycle through it as you approach expiry dates. I now live in California and I've done exactly the same thing. "Earthquake/Wildfire Boxes". I now have a "Gotta Go Box" as well. That includes everything important (documents/family photos/insurance policies etc) in case we need to grab it and evacuate at short notice. She is absolutely correct about all of this stuff. Having been through a few reasonable sized earthquakes now (7.1 - 7.8) I can confirm it is very comforting to know you have everything ready when the power goes out.
14 days supply is very good for earthquake preparedness! I am in the fraser valley of BC and along the Juan de Fuca plate and as a region we are told 72 hrs supply. 3 days is by far the loudest message heard. People are naive to think everyone that could require assistance would get it within 3 days. And perhaps not surprising, I would say most aren't even prepared for 3 days. All that to say, good for you!
I used to live in tornado ally and we had an emergency box in our basement or cellar filled with all of that emergency stuff. Shortly after we moved away an F5 tornado ripped through the city we used to live in! I don’t miss those!
After the Northridge earthquake in 94 we camped out at a local park until our building was green tagged and we could go back home. Our earthquake kit supported all 5 of our family plus another family of 5 who lived in our building. 10 of us crammed into our family tent. It was actually a very fun time. Except for the fact there was no running water in the restrooms. Eww. But porta potties were delivered to the park within 2 days so that was a relief. But FEMA and the Red Cross didn't show up for another week. We were back in our apartment before that though and we didn't need any assistance. We were fine. Being prepared is such a comfort in stressful times.
Grew up in CA, now in TX. We had earthquake kits too and Jan 1 was the day my mom would change everything in it so we were excited to eat all the food. She kept all the "good stuff" in there 🤣 Was once in a traffic jam for 5 hours in CA. Was glad I had water, etc. Nowadays that is not unusual for the area I lived 😂
Don’t forget a “Go-Bag” for each person, with a little bit of food, water, clothing, and other basic necessities. In case there’s an emergency where you need to flee your home immediately, there’s not time to sit around and pack in the moment, so it’s great to have a simple backpack to just grab and go. 🎒👍
Include in your GoBag: cash (ATMs, Credit card readers may not be working), copies of key documents (dont know if coming back or to what damage) and LED/battery-powered flashlight with USB port and connector for your phone. Lots of great videos showing what the other “basic ncessities” are when evacuating🙀
@@got_style dont forget a small survival kit in each one too as there is a chance you could get separated and you want everyone to be able to survive. That kit should have at least about 2 or more ways to make a fire, 1-2 knives, water tablets and or Other type of gathering and cleaning water, and a compass, a line or rope( maybe some hooks for making traps or use for fishing) , an emergency whistle and a re-chargable light source or phone charger like I have a led lamp that is powdered by sunlight but if I need to I can charge it by hand to but that Will take about 10 min of winding, that Will give you about 2 hours of extra light. Im not really a prepper but Im starting to be one.
@@jayamilapersson4030 Good ideas; I have the same solar/crankable lamp! Do you have a channel where you could demo go-bags for families (with duplications for safety)😇
@@maryrobinson4572 same! Luckily my (working 1000 miles away) husband strongly urged that I get propane just in case power is lost. I will never be able to completely give enough gratitude for his foreshadowing. I lived (moved 1000 miles to be with my husband) in an old pier and beam farmhouse and the inside temperature could have dropped below freezing.
Can I add your local small store…I live “out there” and I they finally put in a small store in my town! It was the greatest thing that ever happened! It’s an amazing store! They are actually cheaper on a lot of products! We had a not so good store before… it was gross! And holiday shopping I got everything I needed there! Which the big stores were out of! The guy in the next isle over tonight that had not gone before (the cashier always asks did you find everything you needed bc they keep fine tuning the store to the clientele) was like yeah I’m so surprised this is a great store! So if you run out don’t forget those smaller stores you have never gone to! And support them!!
We Live in between a City & a small Town. When Limits & shortages Hit,Lots of Folks,from the City,Drove 30 Miles to the small Town’s Only Grocery Store & Wiped it Out & the Locals Had NOTHING to Buy! ☹️
I have been doing this since I had my twins 8 years ago. Because of inflation I now sacrifice name brands so then I can have more in my budget to buy $25 bucks each week to build our pantry. And I’ve gotten more inventive in reinventing leftovers. My mom thinks I’m crazy that all I’m asking for Christmas is a food saver but it would make freezer food last longer
A food saver/vacuum packer is an excellent item to have. Several years ago, my ex and I bought a food saver vacuum packer to use for just us two in our household. We also vacuum packed extra meat and gave it to my in law's. Food will keep a lot longer when it is vacuum packed. I have watched several videos on UA-cam. It's amazing and interesting what everyone has shared on storing food and other things. Just my two cents worth
@@karenmorgan9290 well my wish came true and I got a food saver. Meat is so expensive so when it totes on a major sale, I always buy about $200 worth and now with my food saver, I won’t have to worry about it going bad or freezer burnt.
@@Gmrgrl-mb5np Hi Mary, I'm glad your wish came true and you got your food saver. You can vacuum pack all kinds of items besides food. For example, matches can be vacuum packed to keep them dry. A change of clothes can be vacuum packed to take with you if an accident or emergency should occur. A vacuum packed change of clothes doesn't take up very much room. If your family does any camping, you could vacuum pack clothes and anything else you want to keep dry until needed. Enjoyed hearing back from you. Happy Vacuum Packing!
I agree with you on how putting limits on items, to me, seem to send people into buying up because they fear it won't be there. I just buy a little extra of items you mentioned here and there, but am super conscious of remembering everyone else needs that opportunity too.
I think that the grocery stores may do that intentionally also by leaving empty shelves when they want to move product. I think all of us are triggered now when we see empty shelves. Even if I only need 1 of something, I will grab 2 or 3 if the inventory looks really low. I think they know this and instead of packing out displays, they just continuously put out a little at a time.
Hi, we are 3 seniors living here in L.A. and yes we are preppin. I use the spare bedroom for my supplies, canned food, paper goods, water etc. We all use many prescription meds and make sure we have them at hand. Stay well
Biggest issue in Texas last year - most people did not have a tool to turn off their water at the curb. They had to wait for someone to come help them, neighbor or the city. Every single plumber was working overtime to fix everything, and flooding ensued in a lot of homes once it warmed up. Make sure you have this!!
Very good advice. I once had a cutoff valve pop off into my hand, and there was a few minutes where my husband frantically ran around looking for the tool, then frantically searched the yard (in the dark) for the box, while I sat in the bathroom floor with water hitting me in the chest and cried. One of a string of memories in the house that we called The Money Pit.
I live in Scotland, quite a few areas here were without power this past week due to a big storm, my family wasn’t affected. I’m quite well prepared in general but it certainly made me think about things like how I would heat my home, heat water, etc. I think we all owe it to our families to be prepared
I've been buying cat food long before I run low in it for a while now. He's a senior kitty with food allergies, so he needs a special diet. There's no way I am going to risk running out of food for him. I'm pretty good for food, because I often pick up an extra can or box of something that I can make a meal of. Water, now that's something I do have to consider. Something you left out, though, was seasonings. Not simply salt and pepper, but anything that you use a lot. For me, that's thyme, garlic and onion powders and smoked paprika. If necessary, a limited diet is made a lot more palatable if you can season it. And seeds - a lot of herbs can be grown indoors and provide nutrients that might be hard to get from canned or dry foods. Like parsley, which is rich in vitamin C. All in all, a really good video. Thanks for sharing it.
I have 3 cats. The 13yr old can only eat canned food due to digestion issues so I just feed them all canned. I stocked up on their food before stocking up on human food 😂
I'm in the same boat with two senior kitties on special diets...different special diets, of course. Feeding them gets pretty complicated, because everybody wants the food that will make them sick instead of their own. I have also upped my inventory of their special food. I used to keep one bag in reserve, and order another when I opened that bag. Now I keep two. And one of them has to have distilled water, which I buy by the gallon. The minerals in regular water will give him bladder stones. I keep several gallons of that as well, because I usually have some trouble finding it in the middle of the winter, I guess because that's when people are running humidifiers the most.
I have always stocked up... have been since couponing... always have 30 packs of toliet paper, dish soup, shampoo, conditioner, and I don't care if people look at me crazy... I did it way before the pandemic hit.
I did too. I had toilet paper and paper towels though the pandemic and until a month ago. And I had help people also. Now I’m stocking up waiting on Walgreens, cvs, dollar general and family dollar when they have good sale.
I have a tornado survival station in my basement. Every March, Severe Weather Awareness Month, I go down to inventory and update stock, check expiration dates, etc. I have a camp stove and propane heater, cookware and cutlery, food, clothes, linens, inflatable mattresses, toiletries, first-aid kit, board games and books, lanterns, radio, batteries, etc. My purse always hangs on the basement door, and my file box (with some emergency cash) sits on a shelf next to it. My jewelry drawer is in the guest room, which is also next to the basement door. When a tornado warning sounds, my son takes the jewelry drawer and file box down, while I collect electronics and my purse. It's at that time that I fill the washing machine with clean water, so we can have enough for general cleanup, in addition to the stock of bottled drinking water. We have enough of everything to manage for at least a week if the house is blown away by a tornado, long enough for the insurance company to inspect the damage, issue a check, and set us up in a hotel. I live in Tornado Country; I call it survival strategy, not prepping, and no one thinks I'm hoarding, thank goodness.
One thing you don't mention is keeping powdered and canned evaporated milk. The may not taste as good as regular milk, but are great for cooking and especially hot chocolate.
Klim and Nido are brands of powdered milk that taste much better than regular powdered milk. They're common in Jamaican and Mexican food stores and I've seen them in Walmart. It's what we use living in places where the power goes out a lot or don't have power at all.
Growing up we used evaporated milk half and half with water on cereal and in cooking there were many times we did not have regular milk and we survived
I would say don’t go advertising the fact that you have food & supplies stocked up. Because when things go sideways, and they will, you DO NOT want the yokels and thugs knowing what you’ve got.
While looking for certain kind of pastas at the grocery store lately, they have had empty shelves for a couple weeks. It made start looking at where these products are made. I was shocked to learn a ton of shelf stable foods are made in other countries and then packaged/distributed in the US. So I guess that explains why a ton of food might be on those cargo ships waiting to unload.
@@MyBigBeautifulHeart I think you probably don't have to worry to much about that. I'd expect that, if a food product doesn't meet US food safety standards, it will not be legal to import it. At least it's that way it works here in the EU. If this really worries you maybe you could look into how that works for the US?
A friend of my sister's imports foods. They currently have a shipment of garlic rotting in a container on one of those ships. Can you imagine that reek? I think by the time it gets to where it can be unloaded they will have to wear hazmat suits and breathing apparatus while they just burn the whole container since there will be no way to decontaminate and destink the container! 🤢
Probably add to the food is cooking oil. Since I'm trying to eat healthy, having a bottle of a good avocado oil or EVOO can go a long way and doesn't need to be refrigerated. If you wanted to spend the extra money, you can totally get ghee (clarified butter). It is shelf stable and doesn't need refrigeration either.
I've done this for years regarding holidays... but, in the last year I've also done it for life in general. Working in retail for four years and majoring in business taught me so much. Yes, I have a months worth of coffee prepped ... but it's so I can try to coast through the increase in coffee prices we're probably about to see. We'll, today the coffee order that has been faithfully delivered to my door for a year was randomly held at UPS. I'm down to my last pod from my previous order. I would have had to go out in holiday traffic and deal with horribly distracted drivers to get my darn coffee. I live in a metro. No fun. Oh... wait... I don't have to do that. I have a month in prep ready to go. I can wait until Saturday when the world is sleeping a turkey hangover off. 🥴
I'm a huge prepper and love your channel. I always thought your approach was totally consistent with prepping, but didn't see you embracing that label. So glad you finally said the "P" word. Love this video.
Thank you for clarifying being prepared for those who hurl the hoarding term. It is our responsibility to provide for our families, that means having food in case of an emergency. Living in Florida this is a mindset that should be instilled into everyone. My thought is if you can afford to prepare for a disaster you should slowly (please do not clear shelves, it’s selfish). There are people that need to purchase last minute because of financial limitation. We should help those who must shop last minute by staying out of the panic buying. I have often felt so bad for the single parent who is working show up at a store after Hurricane warnings have been issued to find wiped out shelves.
Bonjour, One item I keep in my storage is Dainty rice. They are often on sale here in Quebec, and preparing the rice is easy as it is already cooked and there is a packet of seasonnings in the box. So there is no need to boil water to cook the rice. Quick and easy to prepare when power is down. I use my fondue pot heating element to cook my food.
Thank you for making this video. I watch a lot of preppers on here and a lot of my mom friends make fun of me for doing so. They tell me I’m a worry wart and to chill out… but if more channels like yours, geared towards the everyday mom made videos like this I think people would listen and be a little more prepared for anyting that comes their way.
I’ve been scoffed at before, even by my husband, but that’s changed! He supports all my canning and our new bulk buying endeavor in 5 gallon buckets. Wouldn’t say I’m a “prepper,” but I certainly have a good few months of food stored. Never hurts to be cautious especially when living in a harsher climate! Ignore their comments mama 💪
I've been teased so much over the year by friends and families. I tell you what though, no one was teasing me when covid first hit and the shelves were empty. They're back to teasing me for the most part though. I wish it had inspired them to start their own pantries.
I know what you mean. I had a lady just today responded to a an email reply I sent re: being prepared. She said are you so sure all that is going to happen, just chill out, you'll feel better for it. How many people in 2020 thought "I might lose my job...or I won't lose my job.
Well during the big tx freeze those who didn't prepare, and we had plenty of warning it was coming, were calling/coming over looking for stuff, after ONE day.
@@TheOrganizedPineapple We thought we were prepared for the TX freeze, but hubs had to go out twice on the icy roads to buy gas for the generators. We were running two of them, one for us and one for my daughter. But we were okay on everything else. He wished he had diesel generators, as diesel will last longer than gas. And our trucks run on diseal as well.
Two things I would add: First even though I am against using them in day to day life since they are bad for the environment, having paper plates and plastic ware is useful if you have no power or no water you're not going to be able or want to try washing dishes. Second if you live in a place that has great tap water (I live in Central New York so I get great water) you can fill jugs from juice, iced tea or even milk jugs with your own tap water and store them so you aren't spending astronomical amounts of money on water. They also last about 6 - 8 months, so I will just spend a week or so using the bottled water and refilling the jugs with fresh a couple times a year.
Remember milk jugs biodegrade and will eventually leak, but any plastic containers with a recycle 1 on the bottom are good grade for long term storage. Don’t forget filling up empty bleach and detergent bottles for washing ur hands, laundry, toilets etc.
A great addition to prepping is put in a bidet. Ok don’t laugh. We have not been able to get home (Tuscany Italy) so been stuck on our boat in San Diego. First not a lot of room to stock up on paper products, and lack of TP at stores. Shortly before the pandemic my husband installed a bidet. Once the TP issue hit the stores we were so glade we had the bidet.
I just recovered from a horrible respiratory infection ( negative for Covid) lasted 18 days my son is still recuperating… although my church friends texted and checked up on me I was so glad we were well stocked! Including cough drops and plenty of Kleenex!
Bamboo towels instead of paper. Each towel can be used and washed. I've used some over 25 times. Depends what they 're used for. Seem pricey to buy but save a lot in the long run.
I'm collecting rainwater, in my state it's not only legal but actually encouraged. I use it for my little gardening hobby but it should be drinkable with little purification.
Thanks for doing this. Hopefully the more videos people see about this subject maybe they will start preparing. All the recent events this year and last should be a wake up call for everyone. I can't imagine standing in line for an hour and 1/2 to get a burger because you aren't prepared plus it is safer to stay home when there is natural disaster if possible, tensions runs really high during a disaster. Have a great Thanksgiving
My parents survived the Great Depression in the Deep South. They taught me by example so I am well prepared for whatever comes our way. Store items properly. For food, I'm talking critter proof containers. For tools, keep them dry and oiled. Everything is useless if you don't know how to use it. I can grow my own food AND preserve it by canning or dehydrating it. Hurricane Zeta left me without power for 7 days, but my freezer stayed cold because it is always full. I keep plastic half gallon and gallon water bottles in the freezer to fill it and keep my food frozen. Last year my fruit trees quickly outdid my ability to can them so I froze them. Now I can defrost the fruit and heat up the house canning on a cold winter day. Knowing how to cook and repair what you have is just as important as having stuff stored. Young people, us old farts know a lot. We can share if you will share your young strength. Make friends VERY carefully, ones who are strong where you are weak. Oh, right beside the toilet paper shortage was a canning supplies shortage. Stock up. Stay safe. Help others. God bless.
I grew up in the midwest so well versed for having enough stocked pantry through the winter seasons. However, we get windstorms where I am in WA state. Last year a freak windstorm in September started a fire, knocked out power and shut down the main hwy and canyon back roads. While my house wasn't in danger, it severely crippled the region where I was. But I do live surrounded by forests so if not that year, it's always a possibility. So just because that fire didn't affect my immediate area, it really got us thinking. We've prepared to shelter in place (we are in view of Mt. Rainier), but not so much of an evacuate preparation. I mean we have the bags for food and water and stuff like that, but no so much of a current inventory of our belongings for insurance purposes and need to step up our game with paperwork and stuff like that to bring with us incase of evacuation. We are re-assessing all that this holiday vacation break
Use your Google Drive. If you have a gmail, you have this tool. Take photos of your rooms in your home every6 months or so and of any new high priced items. Create a file and update it. (You can access this from any device you have.) Same with your important documents. If you don't want to use the drive, then get thumb drives and update them regularly. You got a new license or passport or new insurance? Take a pic or scan it and update. Thumb drives are very portable and can live in your bug out bag. 😊
If anyone has kids, please remember birthday candles. No matter what happens in the world, children still want to enjoy their birthdays, most adults want someone to remember. I put cake mixes( no oil, or shortening added) in mason jars with coffee filters on top along with candles taped on top of jars.
Dollar store is a great place to "stockpile" your meds. They're smaller quantities, which is great because you haven't made a huge investment in case you don't need to use it before it goes out of date. Also, regarding seeds: even if you don't prioritize buying organic in your regular grocery shop, consider buying organic and/or heirloom seeds. Conventional seeds are modified to produce fruits and veggies whose seeds are barren to prevent seed-saving, meaning you have to buy new seeds every year.
I do try to buy and plant heirloom seeds, but any seed that is open-pollinated will give you seeds that will germinate if you save them. Seed saving is a little complicated and I am a relatively new gardener who is a little too scattered right now to try to protect my blooms to make sure there is no cross-germination so I can save my seeds.
I think it is worth investing in the high tech fabric long underwear top and bottom. It is so great to have in the cold weather to keep warm. They are not cheap but even one set per person can make a huge difference for all ages. I also think it is realistic for every household member aNd elders to each have a zero degree sleeping bag even if none camp outdoors. These are health and life saving long term investments along with a couple of space blankets for each person and animal. Off grid skills are worth learning as a family affair. Make sure there is a medical backpack for family to share along with a To Go Bag for each which includes cash. Thanks for your informative channel. I am an adventurous 71 year old woman and duly applaud your common sense approach to prepping for unexpected events. It is much needed.
Heard this joke today and thought of you and your slow cooker videos. I was going to cook alligator for dinner, but then I realized I only have a croc pot.
I live in British Columbia and right now we are dealing with all of the major highways into the interior (where I live) being devasted due to last week's epic 'atmospheric river' storm that smoked the northwest. Rain and snow are forecasted for this week as well so there will be further stress on fragile conditions. We have one road open to essential travel only that goes from vancouver (canada's largest port) to the rest of the country. Our dairy and livestock industries in BC have been heavily impacted with tens of thousands of cows at risk or dead because of the intensity of the flooding in the Fraser Valley. There are store limits on all liquid dairy products and employees standing next to coolers enforcing them. Much of our trucking has been rerouted through washington state and supply chains have been re-established, but we are looking at 2020 covid decimation of grocery stock again with community fb groups lighting up whenever a grocery truck shows up at a store. Limits don't just effect residents of the BC interior, most places in western canada have limits in order to spread out the supply and distribution. Huge thanks to all the truckers that have doubled their trip time through WA to get us what we need.
Regarding food purchases, you mentioned in another video, but thought I would add here... you want to add food items gradually so that they don't all end up with the same expiration date.
After two years of supply shortages and more frequent natural disasters it’s kinda amazing that more people aren’t better prepped. I make it a point to check the sales before going to the grocery store. If its on sale and I know my family uses it, I get one, regardless. I may already have an extra one at home, but why would I wait for an item to be full price to replenish my pantry? I have a well stocked pantry, so I let the sales dictate what Extra items I purchase. It helps me stay prepped without hurting my budget. Happy New Year and best of luck in 2022 everyone.
Thank you for the awesome video! Remember to have two manual (hand crank) can openers in your pantry. If you loose power the electric can opener won't work plus the manual can openers tend to break easily hence the reason for two. Also powered milk and chocolate syrup with directions to make just one cup at a time taped to the package so it takes only a small amount of water and can be consumed quickly and not be wasted. If you have no power making small quantities of milk is absolutely amazing to do if you have kids so they can eat cereal. Also expands items you can eat. Chocolate syrup is my grandmother's trick for the kids who say the milk tastes funny. Add chocolate syrup and the issue is fixed.
Love the common sense approach to having what you need without taking from our neighbors 🥰 I feel a lot more secure in life when we have what is needed. Wants can wait
I live in a cold climate and like to be stocked for the winter for convenience. I like not having to drag in as many groceries when it is super cold and snowing!
I've found the tip to Sharpie-mark the top of cans with the expiration date very handy. Cycle out pantry stores a few months before the expiry date and donate them to the food pantry.
Once you have your pantry well stocked, you can shop from your pantry so you are using what you have stored. Keep a list of the items used and only buy the replacements when they go on sale. This will help keep your coast down as well.
Yes please donate food well BEFORE it expires, or just use it yourself. Many food banks must toss out food if it has expired, even though it's probably still good, so you're better off keeping and eating it and donating something fresh. But I just found in my fridge a cup of Chobani yogurt that had "expired" 7 months ago and it was totally fine!
@@lt1136 Yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese all keep well past the expiration date if unopened and stored upside down in a cold refrigerator. After opening, turn upside down on a small plate or tray. This keeps air out, which is the spoiler factor.
This is what I do, on everything - cans, boxes and bags. We keep a LOT of food on hand. My pantry is tiny, but I'm pretty creative about finding ways to fit more in. My groceries always get labeled with expiration date, and the new stuff goes in the back. If I have something close to expiration, it goes into the menu plan. It's extremely rare for me to run out of anything except milk.
So glad I had 6 boxes of shelf stable milk during the Texas freeze last Feb. which I shared with two neighbors. The funny thing is I had never bought any before and only had a small stockpile of emergency food, but, the political climate at the time had me really worried so I had just started on my backup food storage. Was thinking more in terms of not being able to buy it and people hoarding never thinking about the Power Grid going down.
Keep several rolls of masking tape on hand. It will double as a bandage with either a square of paper towel or tissue to go over the wound. It can be used for a lot of other things as well. It's probably the best multitasker you can have. I carry a roll in my suitcase and have used it more than any other item.
I lived where the Thomas fire happened a few years back in California..we were so unprepared .. the one thing I didn't think about was a can opener..we had an electric one..so we bought a manual one.. I'm glad you covered the basics because you never know when disaster is going to hit
What makes the shelves go dry is when masses of people who don't keep a regular stock go out and try to build an emergency supply in one day. Buying a couple extra cans of food, a gallon of water, etc. every other shopping trip is the way to go! We were very lucky in the Texas storm to have water and some extra food already stocked for emergencies. The main thing we're changing about this year is we might buy a generator in case the power is completely off as opposing to rolling. We have dart frogs that can't get too cold!
Re: limits. I think you are right, people panic. I live in south coast BC and we just had devastating weather. Flooding, mudslides, washouts etc. Many highways were damaged and as a result we are currently limited to purchasing 30L (8ish gallons) of gasoline while highways are assessed and rebuilt, and essential transportation like semis, fire trucks, ambulance etc get priority for fuelling. There were NO lineups the days between the intial devastation and this fuel restriction. But as soon as they announced it gas stations everywhere around me had lines around the corner and ran out of fuel. Grocery stores were depleted of meats, eggs, dairy. It was chaotic this past week. Now a new storm is on it's way and it has me on edge thinking about the people truly impacted by all of the flooding and destruction and how much worse it may get for some.
Are you close to the US border? If you’re able to get there safely, it might not be a bad idea to cross over to pick up essentials and fuel up now that that Feds are allowing it without that PCR test. Stay safe!
About seven years ago, I got mono and was very sick for a couple of months. I grew up in the country with an hour ride to the grocery store. As an adult, I have always kept spare food to some degree, but not as a prepper, etc. I was so glad that we had extra- I was able to stay at home for two months without the going to the store (other than my hubby going for milk and eggs at the little local town store). It was such a blessing. I also took the opportunity to learn how to use the instant pot - it saved me from having to stand in the kitchen and cook when I was so exhausted from the mono. I have since learned to pressure can our own convenience foods of meat, soups etc., For which I am so thankful
I appreciate you making this video. Some youtubers are saying they are not stocking up on anything. I kinda think with all we have seen it’s almost irresponsible to not have things for your family
My childhood home has a wood burning stove. My mom use to use it when the power when out. She’d make soup, Mac n cheese, coffee/tea/hot chocolate. Etc. it was very useful when our power went out.
This is a great, concise list! As far as food goes, I’d also recommend thinking about things you could make in one pot with just a heat source. If you’re having to cook on a camping burner, you don’t want to be trying to make a meat and two sides. But you could brown your meat, add your veggies and pasta and water and cook it all together in a pot. Planning out one pot meals for your emergency storage could really save you a lot of headaches later.
Keep a camp stove with extra propane. I cooked for a week on Whidbey Island in WA state when the power was out. I am buying a Berkey water purifier to sit on the counter always with a year's worth of filters. I may be giving water to neighbors. I am also buying a single burner butane stove. Vicks is great now to rub into your nostrils when going out during cold, flu or Covid seasons.
so I live in Northern VA right outside of DC- pre-pandemic we always had a huge amount of stores to choose from - never had any problems finding grocery items or household items. For the past 2 years we've had to keep careful track of many cleaning, paper and even food goods as shelves never really got back to being full again. we have a rule now - if you go out and see TP or Paper towels - you buy a pack just because. that has saved us because now when shelves are starting to go really bare again we have a decent stockpile to rely on. its crazy that I live in a hugely populated area and we are still having issues getting basic necessities some days.
Interesting! I noticed no ramen when I was strep a week or so ago, so I grabbed 5 pkgs (25 Indv.pkg) at dollar tree. Fritos have been scarce for a month. Our grandsons chip-in for the teacher appreciation chili feast was Fritos...ugh. We normally live this way of stocking as we go thru it, so at any one time we have 3 to 4 weeks of our regular meals ingredients in stock. Now The Big Kudos to Christine right here > I turn 56 tomorrow and my husband and I paid off my car Oct 25th and our home Oct 28th, Wow, what a feeling. Your content is heard and tips are definately employed so thank you so much! Happy Thanksgiving to your family as well as our online family 😘
Last year during the lock down we were already prepared. I have been slowly stockpiling over the years. We had over a years worth of toilet paper and a couple of years of paper towels. I don't use paper towels that often. I also make sure each October to stock up on cold and flu meds better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Especially during a blizzard and you can't get out. We have at least six months worth of canned goods and dry goods. I also been storing water. I wash and reuse the bottles that apple and cranberry juice come in. I change out the water every year. Need to do it soon. Unfortunately we can't have garden right now. The house we live in has the worst yard. It's nothing but grass covered rocks. When the new sewer lines went it all they dug up were rocks and very little dirt. Would have to do container gardening. That got expensive for what little food we were able to grow. We have plenty of fuel for cooking. Matter of fact we picked up some more today. Hubby found a four pack that was cheaper than Walmart. At an Asian grocery store. Needed my fix for melona frozen bars. While we were there I noticed some of the items had limits on them. They were out of stock on a few items. Luckily where I live we have several Asian markets. Plus, all the larger supermarkets have a decent size Asian ingredients selection. I am seriously considering getting a solar generator. But, we are on the same grid as our electric company. So, when power goes out we are usually first to get power restored. I believe everyone should slowly stockpile. I only realized I had been doing this when the lock down first happened and we didn't need to buy anything. Except for more chocolate. Now have a decent stash of chocolates and skittles. My stockpiling started as a means to save money. Everything in my stockpile was bought on sale. I rarely buy anything for regular price. The only thing we weren't prepared for was our nearly 20 year old microwave dying 3 days after lock down started. Luckily I had been looking for a microwave online for a couple of years. I want the same one. It was going to take Amazon and Walmart 3 weeks before they could ship me one. Then I remembered best buy had the same one. Not only did I get it the next day it was 20.00 cheaper. Couple of days later Hubby's TV died. Also, his iPhone, too. There are just some things you can't prepare for. Good thing microwaves and tvs are pretty inexpensive these days. Our latest microwave was less than 100.00. Our first one over 35 years ago was 135.00 during a Christmas sale. It wasn't digital. Only had a hi low setting and a 35 minute timer dial. Can't remember the watts. I remember it being a Hotpoint and selling it a yard sale. We couldn't go a day without the microwave. When I realized I couldn't make lunch without one. I ended up making sandwiches. We went out later that day to get the one we had on layaway out. We had that one for almost 12 years when I decided to replace it with the newer model that died last year. I miss that microwave. This one the light doesn't come on when you open it. Just when it is cooking. Anyways start stockpiling. There's a UA-camr that calls it payday prepping.
Going to the grocery store to fill in the gaps and going down the picked over isle, I kinda smile on the inside so thankful picking up several items over the months and even years. Like going to a garage sale in the summer and see a terrific buy on a winter coat..it isn’t selling but I’ll buy that coat looking to the future use.
Melbourne Australia here. Hi from down under! I live in a major city and here we have no shortages at all. I don't have a stockpile or prepper pantry yet but I will be retiring late next year and will start to prep slowly in the new year. I'm aiming for a 2 or 3 month stockpile at most. Thankyou for the hints and tips in your video.
Thank you for talking about doing it responsibly. I'm a prepper have been for a long time, I do some videos on my channel, but lately the trend in UA-cam has been to "stack it to the rafters" This promotes panic buying which adds to stock shortages impacts the poorest of us more than anything who don't have the buying power to be able to have a stockpile themselves. In times of plenty I'll stock 10 of something at a time if its a good deal, but in times like now I'll only grab 1 to 4 extra of something depending on the stock levels.
i follow the "first buy 2 for every one you use" and then as you CAN and budget allows, go to the "buy 3 use 1" for long term store things until you have a decent back stock.
@@hannahkayee831 yeah, hubby and i are fully vaxxed and boostered plus i am pretty sure i had it back before they admitted it was in the usa. We do the shopping for 2 of my immuno compromised friends...no way can they risk being in a crowd..
Use flannel square to wipe after #1. Throw in a tiny bucket ( I use a small Easter egg plastic basket ) next to the toilet. Inserted in the bucket is a mesh zippered bag. Get it full, then pull out, zip up & toss in the wash. Handy for cutting down t.p. Use.
I know that back in 2020 the feminine hygiene items also ran out at my local stores. Now I have a policy of keeping a couple of months ahead in my purchase of those items. Now that is one item I really do not want to run out of when I need it.
Doesn't have to be a pandemic we're prepping for - I grew up in blizzards and now live in earthquake country - my hubby thinks I'm nuts sometimes, but 1 good quake will disrupt the supply chain for at least a couple days. Nothing wrong with thinking ahead. And THANK YOU for mentioning pets... mine are the only kids I have and I have a supply of food for them for days that I rotate in / replace every 3-6 months!
Thanks for the list. A couple years back Publix handed out brochures entitled "Prepare for the When". It has a great list. I keep it posted on the side of my fridge as a reminder. Here in Alabama our major worry is tornadoes and possibly the occasional ice storm. I try to stay stocked up.
So we have twin toddlers and had a stock of diapers when the pandemic hit, but supplies ran out before the stores had any more. However sincs I had 4 weeks worth I was about to gather about 35 cloth diapers from friends to use until things went back to normal. Still have them and theh were a HUGE life saver for my 1 year olds!
Recently snowed in here in Alberta and was glad I had everything I needed. Including full tank of gas and coffee cream 😁 It can be a fine balance between feeling prepared and practical and feeling cluttered. I love this channel and recently started serving rice with chilli and tortilla chips, it’s the best. Thank you.
One thing I do is buy solar stake lights when the summer is over and they mark them down. These are fantastic for when you lose your electricity after hurricanes.
"Stockpiling" pet food is a good thing if you have a pet, yes is a good thing. But I'm not a big believer in the claims that some processed pet foods say that one is "healthier" than another. We had an English Setter for 18yrs and she got really sick and we were told she only had less than 6 months to live when she was 5yrs old and we were feeding her one of these "healthy" top name brand food. We were told all we could do was keep her comfortable, so we started making her food. We would cook several boneless skinless chicken breast, brown rice, peas, and carrots once a week. Then we would cut the chicken into small bite size pieces and mix everything together. And we would feed her a cup of that twice a day. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Obviously she lived WELL past the 6 months and the vet was shocked and amazed that not only did she live for 13yrs more but after a year they couldn't find anything wrong with her. They were also amazed that she lived to be 18yrs, almost 19yrs, old because they told us that 9 out of 10 English Setters only live 10-12yrs old, he had never seen one live a happy healthy life past 14yrs old in the 38yrs that he had been a Vet!
So my family lives in the same area so we made a plan and we all have a stockpile source so if something did happen we'd all be able to come together and take care of one another. We even get lots of fire wood and lighters to be able to start a fire. Plus we have a river near us so we can fish and have water source.
Christine, please please do a video about tips and tricks for managing and rotating food storage. I have a decent amount of food stored for my family but I find myself overwhelmed thinking about how I’m going to ensure that everything is used and nothing goes to waste. Love your content❤️❤️❤️
I write the month and year (example, 2/23) on mine with a sharpie, usually on the front labels, and this way I can see which cans need to be used first. It's easier for me to see the black sharpie than the little print they put on containers. And I try to re-stock my pantry with my backup pantry, before going to the store. I also made a spread sheet of the most used items I buy at the grocery store and hang the list on my freezer. As I use the item, I mark it on the list to buy again. I usually make 5-6 copies at a time to hang on my freezer. And if I didn't buy the item, because either I knew I didn't exactly need it yet or the store was out, I add it to the new list.
I bought can holders off Amazon! :) using a sharpie to write month & year is good too! :) Take inventory of what you have so you can keep track that way too. 👍
relax, best by dates do not mean the food automatically goes bad after that date. canned foods are fine as long as can is intact. dry goods sealed up and kept cool and dry last much longer. cool, dry, dark will keep most foods for long past best by dates. mylar bags and buckets can hold foods for many years.
Pharmacist here: I highly recommend keeping Pedialyte on hand. It's not just for kids and can be a lifesaver in preventing dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea!
I have a powdered electrolyte drink mix that takes much less space to store.
I was just going to suggest that too
I have 3 bottles always and the other night my little girl started vomiting and diarrhea she was like that for hours and having pedialyte on hand that helped me a lot because the stores were closed and my daughter recovered faster 👍🏼
Wouldn’t recommend it can cause type 1 diabetes in kids and almost kill them
Sparkles999 Rose I’m sorry but you are wrong, type one diabetes is only cause when the pancreas stops working, drinking pedialyte will not stop your pancreas from working ever again
My child is type one diabetes, I am a RN Nurse, my sister is a medical doctor and my brother is a physician assistant
Please don’t speak out of term.
I am 72 years old and we were taught from a very young age to stock up Everything. Last year I shipped toilet paper, tissues, and napkins to my sister in New York and my daughter in Texas. My neighbor affectionately nicknamed my house over 30 years ago Sue Mart
I love this.
😊🎶😊
Nice!!
Love that name Sue Mart.
Yes ma’am, people need to stop thinking short term and going to grocery store every time they need something there are a hundred reasons why that keeping extra in hand is just common sense. Food is a necessity! Fancy clothes and the latest ‘TOYS’ are not ask your self will this help me or someone in my family if for whatever reason you can’t get it anymore, or get to the store whatever you use on a daily bases buy extra! Keep it on hand.
Been prepping since 2010. My grandma taught me how to pressure can and water bath. She always said, be prepared for anything mija, job loss, natural disaster and food shortages. I miss her so much.
We just started having a better pantry ourselves. We have always just had our grocery store trip nothing more, despite our older generations telling us to keep more.
We went through Covid and wished we would have had it.
We’ve got a couple weeks worth now, and still using our pantry. We are just grabbing $10-$15 dollars extra every time we got to the store. Nothing crazy, and not emptying a shelf of anything. My question is, my grandma says a use by date doesn’t mean throw it out by date. So like a box of Mac n cheese if you find it at the right time. Has a 2 year best by date, my grandma said she has used a box of Mac n cheese that was 5 years old and knew no different and didn’t get sick..
My question for those who have been doing this a long time is this true??? Is it just with boxed Mac n cheese?
If I didn’t have my stockpile/rotating pantry last winter during the southern storms I would have been in real trouble. Lost my job this summer so again, life saver. 👍🏻
My husband thought I was crazy for stocking up but I was out for two months due to knee surgery and all of it came in handy. 😀 keep at it
Berkey water filters are the best.Alaska Prepper has a video on how to make your own Berkey system using the Berkey filters and two five gallon buckets. Or you can buy the original $30O stainless steel system.
I pray things are better now and you have a job!
When I was 15 I found a packet of tomato seeds in the back of a drawer from the year I was born. I planted them in the back yard and had so many tomatoes we were giving them away to the neighbors.
We preppers are not as crazy as some people seem to think. We well know serious 💩 happens and have usually experienced serious and not so serious 💩 happening. So we prepare ahead of time for pretty much any kind of 💩 to happen and then when the inevitable 💩 happens we are ready for it and can deal with the 💩 and it gets handled, and those who weren’t prepared look at us and wonder how we knew what to do when the 💩 happened and marvel at how we make it look so easy to deal with 💩.
The other reason to stock up slowly is so that you don't have 50 cans of green beans all expiring at once!
This is true, though expired canned foods aren’t really expired. As long as there is no damage to the can they should be fine🙂
Good point.
@@callsign.Noctra except pop tops. They don't last nearly as long.
@@rebeccaa2433 Lol!✌💖🇨🇦
I have a big family so I don't have a problem with anything ever expiring. When I buy a jar of spaghetti sauce it goes to the back and I use the one in the front. Sometimes when I have gotten lax on inventory I have run out of stuff so have to start again.
We started a small stock pile every fall for winter when we were in Northern Utah. Now that we live in Illinois, we will continue. It's amazing when you are sick or snowed in and you don't have to leave the house!
I'm from northern Utah... Logan. Im stocking up for the winter too. You just never know.
IL weather is so unpredictable! I dk where you are located, but I am 50mi S of the Lake Michigan and we've had some pretty nasty weather come our way many times
I live in the Northeast snow belt. We "stock up" for winter too. We also have a generator. We live in bfe, our electricity goes out routinely & because we live so far out, we're last to be turned on. Our house is gas too
I'm in Southeast IL. We've been doing prepping for a while.
Hello from Texas. I appreciate the calm and rational tone of this video. Too many people are promoting hysteria and being very irresponsible. We are already dealing with stress from the pandemic and many don't have the mental health bandwidth to weather another crisis. Slow mindful preparation is key. BTW love Solid Gold and my Great Dane loves it. Hugs from Texas.
One year the electricity was not avl in our area for a little over 2 weeks. We were wondering if we would lose all our refrigerated and frozen food. Just then our neighbor knocked on our door and offered his generator to help save our food and even said he had enough to let us use our TV. We did not ask - he offered. It was wonderful. He is now my landlord and let's me garden in the backyard. Best neighbor/landlord ever.
It makes me very happy to see regular channels talk about getting prepared.
Our grandparents and great grandparents who experienced the great depression know all about being prepared, frugal and as self sufficient as possible.
Take some tips from them. You will be happy you did.
Love your channel. This message was really needed at this time. I grew up in a house that "prepared" for the rest of the year. Mom would can 52 cans of green beans, one for every week, and the same with other things. Just what we needed for the year. We are spoiled and can get things much easier now but being prepared for your family is still necessary!
I grew up in Ohio. I've lived in Illinois for 50 years. I've always kept enough food for 4 or 5 months in the house. Winter comes. Power failures happen.
Someone gets sick. Someone loses a job. It's nice to have shelf stable food and basic supplies. Tina
I live in Austin, Texas and was totally unprepared for the freeze we had last February. No power or water for 8 days! This video is super helpful and I will be sure to not put myself in that situation again!
We thought we were prepared, but hubs had to go out on the icy roads twice to get gas for the generators. Thankfully we had propane for our heating and cooking, oil lamps and plenty of blankets. We were with out power for 36 hours, but still had our water. But now I have some water stocked for just in case.
Happened to me when we moved into our house in 1999. Jan of 20 we got a foot of snow in NC. No power and on a well. Luckily we owned a kerosene heater. Keep our family warm. Melted snow to flush toilet. From then on I said never again. Got it taken care of now.
@@Bloodhoundjed1 We got a small (not tiny) wood stove installed in our kitchen. Best thing we ever did. It is so comforting to know when we lose power in the winter (and we always do) we can put a heavy curtain over the kitchen doorway and keep our large old kitchen toasty warm. Last year we dragged a couch in there when we lost power so we'd have a comfy place to sit. We have a lean-to full of wood ready to go. We can heat water on the stove for washing. We can cook eggs, bacon on top of that thing, we can warm soup or boil water for pour over coffee. It gives me such comfort. I used to fret constantly about losing power. Some choose generators. For us, the wood stove was the best option.
I live in DFW and I was definitely not ready for that!
@@reggie2382 yep, I live in the DFW area as well and just thought we were prepared. Just got my propane delivered today. We were pretty low in February during our snowmaggedon, and trying not to run out. I forgot to check it ahead of time. We had to order propane as soon as the roads cleared.
A few things to add:
A manual can opener - stockpiling canned goods is gonna do you no good if you can't get the food out of the can.
Candles and matches so you can see without power.
every time i think about it or see a sale i buy another can opener- because i lose them. i keep one with each area i store cans in!
@@fabricdragon Great idea. People should have at least a few can openers, as they do brake or wear out eventually.
Outdoor solar string lights are safe to use indoors. Save your matches and candles.
@@lissagood3038 where I live a power outage is most likely to be caused by either a really bad storm or a lot of snow and ice.
Where can U buy decent solar string lights?
Here is my list of long-storing things on which to stock up if you are worried about not having enough money when prices rise because of runaway inflation or if you get stranded at home because of winter power outages: 1) cheapest brand of dry spaghetti pasta/dry macaroni/blocks of Ramen noodles (buy what your family likes), 2) dried beans/peas/lentils (buy what your family likes), 3) jars of peanut butter and fruit jams (buy only what your family likes), 4) canisters of plain rolled oats (for breakfast; stores much longer than expensive boxed breakfast cereals), 5) a few bags of non-fat powdered milk (to go with the oatmeal), some canisters of Nesquik chocolate or strawberry flavored drink mix to make re-hydrated powered milk taste better (if you have milk drinkers at home), 6) some sugar or honey (to go with the oatmeal), 5) bar soap, bottles of shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and dental floss for cheap from a dollar store, 6) some large boxes of baking soda plus a gallon or two of plain white vinegar (to make inexpensive household cleansers), 7) laundry detergent or bars of laundry soap (which one depends upon whether you have electric power for the washing machine).
If you can afford it, stock up on rolls of toilet paper (boxes of facial tissue can substitute for toilet paper). Instead of stocking up on expensive rolls of paper towels, do like great grandmother did and buy some tea towels, kitchen towels and kitchen wash cloths (new or gently used from a thrift shop or make some from old tablecloths and old clothing if you have a sewing machine for hemming). If stocking up on cold and flu remedies, get tablets and cough drops instead of anything in a liquid or gel form because the solid versions can store a lot longer.
To have safe lighting, radio news and a working smart phone during a power outage, invest in rechargeable versions of these devices and get rechargeable batteries, a power bank and a solar panel or two for that power bank. For safe indoors, grid-down cooking, get one or two single burner butane stoves and enough butane cylinders for two or three weeks of cooking -- and have a battery powered CO/smoke alarm in the cooking area. Invest in a winter weather sleeping bag for each family member so people can sleep warm during winter power outages (can get for cheap at thrift shops or garage sales, always get a secondhand sleeping bag professionally dry cleaned before storing it at home).
One thing I would add. Get a cheap small tent to use as your sleeping area inside the house if it gets extended. Fix it up and hunker everybody down inside. You'll stay warmer that way.
Thank you 😊
Great advice!
Thanks!
Great Great suggestions 👍 after professional cleaning of sleeping bags, air these out for a couple days. Thank the girl scouts for that one lol. Have cash on hand all denominations. I thought a drop of bleach in a gallon of water helps if you can't boil it. I'm checking my buddy Google. Lol. Be safe, be prepared!!!
I was so happy to hear you talk about seeds and gardening. I am extremely passionate about gardening. I currently have way more seeds than I can plant in any given season, as I get gift cards often. Maybe you can do a seed starting video in the near future for any of your viewers who might want to get started gardening. You can really grow food anywhere, even in an apartment! Some people may not be aware of that.
Ew
I'd like to know more about growing food in an apt.
Should I store seeds in the freezer?
@@nairda500 There are differing ideas on whether storing in the freezer is good or not. I keep mine in a plastic photo box in a relatively cool place on a shelf where it would take a major flood to get them wet. The most important things is to keep them cool and dry. I worry that is I put them in the freezer there would be condensation when I took them out and them what I did not use would go bad?
@@kathyhanson7337 Microgreens are a good choice when you are limited on space. Very healthy too. Also if you happen to have a balcony a greenstalk tower is a good choice. You can also grow plants under lights, some say they have done so in an extra closet or a spare corner on shelving. The last suggesion I will make is for an aerogarden. These are progressively more expensive so some might not be of use for everyone.
My family lives pretty much paycheck to paycheck (with some wiggle room) and we recently had a few car repairs that we needed to make and required new tires. In all these unplanned expenses totaled around $1,200. We used some of our savings and tapped into our storage pantry. We had plenty of toiletries and nice meals for the next month. I 1000% recommend having a pantry like this!
I lived in New Zealand for 14 years. I always had "Earthquake Boxes". Exactly this type of thing. So planned for power being out and no help being available for 14 days. Basically, WATER for everyone in the house, food (including pet food), medication, kept the car pretty full of gas all the time, had 2 gas bottle for BBQ - both full. You just use the stuff and cycle through it as you approach expiry dates. I now live in California and I've done exactly the same thing. "Earthquake/Wildfire Boxes". I now have a "Gotta Go Box" as well. That includes everything important (documents/family photos/insurance policies etc) in case we need to grab it and evacuate at short notice. She is absolutely correct about all of this stuff. Having been through a few reasonable sized earthquakes now (7.1 - 7.8) I can confirm it is very comforting to know you have everything ready when the power goes out.
Oh, and a really good shovel.... (Specific to earthquakes - sewer pipes fracture)
14 days supply is very good for earthquake preparedness! I am in the fraser valley of BC and along the Juan de Fuca plate and as a region we are told 72 hrs supply. 3 days is by far the loudest message heard. People are naive to think everyone that could require assistance would get it within 3 days. And perhaps not surprising, I would say most aren't even prepared for 3 days.
All that to say, good for you!
I used to live in tornado ally and we had an emergency box in our basement or cellar filled with all of that emergency stuff. Shortly after we moved away an F5 tornado ripped through the city we used to live in! I don’t miss those!
After the Northridge earthquake in 94 we camped out at a local park until our building was green tagged and we could go back home. Our earthquake kit supported all 5 of our family plus another family of 5 who lived in our building. 10 of us crammed into our family tent. It was actually a very fun time. Except for the fact there was no running water in the restrooms. Eww. But porta potties were delivered to the park within 2 days so that was a relief. But FEMA and the Red Cross didn't show up for another week. We were back in our apartment before that though and we didn't need any assistance. We were fine. Being prepared is such a comfort in stressful times.
Grew up in CA, now in TX. We had earthquake kits too and Jan 1 was the day my mom would change everything in it so we were excited to eat all the food. She kept all the "good stuff" in there 🤣
Was once in a traffic jam for 5 hours in CA. Was glad I had water, etc. Nowadays that is not unusual for the area I lived 😂
Don’t forget a “Go-Bag” for each person, with a little bit of food, water, clothing, and other basic necessities. In case there’s an emergency where you need to flee your home immediately, there’s not time to sit around and pack in the moment, so it’s great to have a simple backpack to just grab and go. 🎒👍
Include in your GoBag: cash (ATMs, Credit card readers may not be working), copies of key documents (dont know if coming back or to what damage) and LED/battery-powered flashlight with USB port and connector for your phone. Lots of great videos showing what the other “basic ncessities” are when evacuating🙀
Yes! We subscribe to a channel called Thinking Survival and he has a lot of smart ideas too.
@@paulandbenny you mean primitive survival thinking? I could not find a channel called survival thinking. Could you link it? Thank you
@@got_style dont forget a small survival kit in each one too as there is a chance you could get separated and you want everyone to be able to survive. That kit should have at least about 2 or more ways to make a fire, 1-2 knives, water tablets and or Other type of gathering and cleaning water, and a compass, a line or rope( maybe some hooks for making traps or use for fishing) , an emergency whistle and a re-chargable light source or phone charger like I have a led lamp that is powdered by sunlight but if I need to I can charge it by hand to but that Will take about 10 min of winding, that Will give you about 2 hours of extra light.
Im not really a prepper but Im starting to be one.
@@jayamilapersson4030 Good ideas; I have the same solar/crankable lamp! Do you have a channel where you could demo go-bags for families (with duplications for safety)😇
I survived That Texas Freeze!!! Thankful for simple shelf stable food items, lots of peanut butter and jelly and bananas.
Me too
@@shelleytaylor5410 I will never again live without a generator! EVER!
Same!! Omg it was so horrible. I thought I was going to freeze to death. All electric house and no fire place 🥶
@@maryrobinson4572 same! Luckily my (working 1000 miles away) husband strongly urged that I get propane just in case power is lost. I will never be able to completely give enough gratitude for his foreshadowing. I lived (moved 1000 miles to be with my husband) in an old pier and beam farmhouse and the inside temperature could have dropped below freezing.
Get ready for another freeze! They think it might be even worse than last year! 😱😱😱😱
I was able to feed 6 family's during the beginning of the pandemic from my stockpile now I'm working on building it up again.
God bless you! God told me to prepare to feed 6 people for six months. He will refill your pantry.
God bless that's exactly correct.
We recently had the opportunity to help a family in need from our stockpile and it really felt good to help.
Can I add your local small store…I live “out there” and I they finally put in a small store in my town! It was the greatest thing that ever happened! It’s an amazing store! They are actually cheaper on a lot of products! We had a not so good store before… it was gross! And holiday shopping I got everything I needed there! Which the big stores were out of! The guy in the next isle over tonight that had not gone before (the cashier always asks did you find everything you needed bc they keep fine tuning the store to the clientele) was like yeah I’m so surprised this is a great store! So if you run out don’t forget those smaller stores you have never gone to! And support them!!
We Live in between a City & a small Town.
When Limits & shortages Hit,Lots of Folks,from the City,Drove 30 Miles to the small Town’s Only Grocery Store & Wiped it Out & the Locals Had NOTHING to Buy! ☹️
I have been doing this since I had my twins 8 years ago. Because of inflation I now sacrifice name brands so then I can have more in my budget to buy $25 bucks each week to build our pantry. And I’ve gotten more inventive in reinventing leftovers. My mom thinks I’m crazy that all I’m asking for Christmas is a food saver but it would make freezer food last longer
I got a food saver for Christmas too!
A food saver/vacuum packer is an excellent item to have. Several years ago, my ex and I bought a food saver vacuum packer to use for just us two in our household. We also vacuum packed extra meat and gave it to my in law's. Food will keep a lot longer when it is vacuum packed. I have watched several videos on UA-cam. It's amazing and interesting what everyone has shared on storing food and other things. Just my two cents worth
@@karenmorgan9290 well my wish came true and I got a food saver. Meat is so expensive so when it totes on a major sale, I always buy about $200 worth and now with my food saver, I won’t have to worry about it going bad or freezer burnt.
@@Gmrgrl-mb5np Hi Mary, I'm glad your wish came true and you got your food saver. You can vacuum pack all kinds of items besides food. For example, matches can be vacuum packed to keep them dry. A change of clothes can be vacuum packed to take with you if an accident or emergency should occur. A vacuum packed change of clothes doesn't take up very much room. If your family does any camping, you could vacuum pack clothes and anything else you want to keep dry until needed. Enjoyed hearing back from you.
Happy Vacuum Packing!
@@Gmrgrl-mb5np hat is a food saver. where can a food hydrator be purchased?
I agree with you on how putting limits on items, to me, seem to send people into buying up because they fear it won't be there. I just buy a little extra of items you mentioned here and there, but am super conscious of remembering everyone else needs that opportunity too.
I think that the grocery stores may do that intentionally also by leaving empty shelves when they want to move product. I think all of us are triggered now when we see empty shelves. Even if I only need 1 of something, I will grab 2 or 3 if the inventory looks really low. I think they know this and instead of packing out displays, they just continuously put out a little at a time.
@@holditch1 o
Hi, we are 3 seniors living here in L.A. and yes we are preppin. I use the spare bedroom for my supplies, canned food, paper goods, water etc. We all use many prescription meds and make sure we have them at hand.
Stay well
I love how practical this video is. This puts me at ease with what I have "prepped" and what I still may want to get.
Biggest issue in Texas last year - most people did not have a tool to turn off their water at the curb. They had to wait for someone to come help them, neighbor or the city. Every single plumber was working overtime to fix everything, and flooding ensued in a lot of homes once it warmed up. Make sure you have this!!
Yes & make certain everyone in the house knows how to use it. My husband made sure I know how in case he isn't home & a line bust or such.
Very good advice. I once had a cutoff valve pop off into my hand, and there was a few minutes where my husband frantically ran around looking for the tool, then frantically searched the yard (in the dark) for the box, while I sat in the bathroom floor with water hitting me in the chest and cried. One of a string of memories in the house that we called The Money Pit.
what is the name of that tool
Please be ready. Now what you going to do for heat. Be one step ahead. Be blessed yall🙏❤️
I am always happy when a Frugal Fit Mom video pops up!! ❤️
Yay! Thank you!
Me 2, Tosha! :)
Me too!! I just love this young woman and how incredibly smart she is and that she SHARES with us!!
@@kimeverhart6253 I could not agree more!! ❤️
Benadryl! Always good to have on hand in case of allergic reactions!
I live in Scotland, quite a few areas here were without power this past week due to a big storm, my family wasn’t affected. I’m quite well prepared in general but it certainly made me think about things like how I would heat my home, heat water, etc. I think we all owe it to our families to be prepared
1) Food esp. shelf stable/canned
2) Water
3) Pet food
4) Medicine: ibuprofen, Tylenol,child meds, cold meds, feminine products, diapers
5) Medical equipment
6) Cooking fuel
7) Garden seeds
8) Tools: hammer, screwdriver, sewing kit, crowbar, etc
9) Batteries
10) Paper products
For paper and sanitary products its good to look into reudasable items as well. Same for diapers.
I've been buying cat food long before I run low in it for a while now. He's a senior kitty with food allergies, so he needs a special diet. There's no way I am going to risk running out of food for him. I'm pretty good for food, because I often pick up an extra can or box of something that I can make a meal of. Water, now that's something I do have to consider. Something you left out, though, was seasonings. Not simply salt and pepper, but anything that you use a lot. For me, that's thyme, garlic and onion powders and smoked paprika. If necessary, a limited diet is made a lot more palatable if you can season it. And seeds - a lot of herbs can be grown indoors and provide nutrients that might be hard to get from canned or dry foods. Like parsley, which is rich in vitamin C. All in all, a really good video. Thanks for sharing it.
I have 3 cats. The 13yr old can only eat canned food due to digestion issues so I just feed them all canned. I stocked up on their food before stocking up on human food 😂
I'm in the same boat with two senior kitties on special diets...different special diets, of course. Feeding them gets pretty complicated, because everybody wants the food that will make them sick instead of their own. I have also upped my inventory of their special food. I used to keep one bag in reserve, and order another when I opened that bag. Now I keep two. And one of them has to have distilled water, which I buy by the gallon. The minerals in regular water will give him bladder stones. I keep several gallons of that as well, because I usually have some trouble finding it in the middle of the winter, I guess because that's when people are running humidifiers the most.
I have always stocked up... have been since couponing... always have 30 packs of toliet paper, dish soup, shampoo, conditioner, and I don't care if people look at me crazy... I did it way before the pandemic hit.
I did too. I had toilet paper and paper towels though the pandemic and until a month ago. And I had help people also. Now I’m stocking up waiting on Walgreens, cvs, dollar general and family dollar when they have good sale.
I have a tornado survival station in my basement. Every March, Severe Weather Awareness Month, I go down to inventory and update stock, check expiration dates, etc. I have a camp stove and propane heater, cookware and cutlery, food, clothes, linens, inflatable mattresses, toiletries, first-aid kit, board games and books, lanterns, radio, batteries, etc. My purse always hangs on the basement door, and my file box (with some emergency cash) sits on a shelf next to it. My jewelry drawer is in the guest room, which is also next to the basement door. When a tornado warning sounds, my son takes the jewelry drawer and file box down, while I collect electronics and my purse. It's at that time that I fill the washing machine with clean water, so we can have enough for general cleanup, in addition to the stock of bottled drinking water. We have enough of everything to manage for at least a week if the house is blown away by a tornado, long enough for the insurance company to inspect the damage, issue a check, and set us up in a hotel. I live in Tornado Country; I call it survival strategy, not prepping, and no one thinks I'm hoarding, thank goodness.
One thing you don't mention is keeping powdered and canned evaporated milk. The may not taste as good as regular milk, but are great for cooking and especially hot chocolate.
Klim and Nido are brands of powdered milk that taste much better than regular powdered milk. They're common in Jamaican and Mexican food stores and I've seen them in Walmart. It's what we use living in places where the power goes out a lot or don't have power at all.
@@lissagood3038 Nestle also has powdered milk. I use this in my hot chocolate and it tastes good.
Nindo is a whole powdered milk (Mexican brand) its very good tasting but the shelf life is much shorter than the common brands.
I getting 2 mini jersey cows in a few months
Growing up we used evaporated milk half and half with water on cereal and in cooking there were many times we did not have regular milk and we survived
I would say don’t go advertising the fact that you have food & supplies stocked up. Because when things go sideways, and they will, you DO NOT want the yokels and thugs knowing what you’ve got.
While looking for certain kind of pastas at the grocery store lately, they have had empty shelves for a couple weeks. It made start looking at where these products are made. I was shocked to learn a ton of shelf stable foods are made in other countries and then packaged/distributed in the US. So I guess that explains why a ton of food might be on those cargo ships waiting to unload.
This scares the living daylights out of me. I can't stand the thought of eating foods from other countries with different rules about food safety.
@@MyBigBeautifulHeart I think you probably don't have to worry to much about that. I'd expect that, if a food product doesn't meet US food safety standards, it will not be legal to import it. At least it's that way it works here in the EU.
If this really worries you maybe you could look into how that works for the US?
@@MyBigBeautifulHeart Buy American!🇨🇦
A friend of my sister's imports foods. They currently have a shipment of garlic rotting in a container on one of those ships. Can you imagine that reek? I think by the time it gets to where it can be unloaded they will have to wear hazmat suits and breathing apparatus while they just burn the whole container since there will be no way to decontaminate and destink the container! 🤢
I've heard we import over half of our food.
Probably add to the food is cooking oil. Since I'm trying to eat healthy, having a bottle of a good avocado oil or EVOO can go a long way and doesn't need to be refrigerated. If you wanted to spend the extra money, you can totally get ghee (clarified butter). It is shelf stable and doesn't need refrigeration either.
I prefer American olive oil because import known to add other oils, cheating
@@danaodom1010 I agree. Which is why I read the label, check for the authenticity seal, harvest date and if the olives are single origin
I've done this for years regarding holidays... but, in the last year I've also done it for life in general. Working in retail for four years and majoring in business taught me so much.
Yes, I have a months worth of coffee prepped ... but it's so I can try to coast through the increase in coffee prices we're probably about to see. We'll, today the coffee order that has been faithfully delivered to my door for a year was randomly held at UPS. I'm down to my last pod from my previous order. I would have had to go out in holiday traffic and deal with horribly distracted drivers to get my darn coffee. I live in a metro. No fun.
Oh... wait... I don't have to do that. I have a month in prep ready to go. I can wait until Saturday when the world is sleeping a turkey hangover off.
🥴
Can't help but think of measures our country has taken historically during times of war when I see stores rationing items.
I'm a huge prepper and love your channel. I always thought your approach was totally consistent with prepping, but didn't see you embracing that label. So glad you finally said the "P" word. Love this video.
Thank you for clarifying being prepared for those who hurl the hoarding term. It is our responsibility to provide for our families, that means having food in case of an emergency. Living in Florida this is a mindset that should be instilled into everyone. My thought is if you can afford to prepare for a disaster you should slowly (please do not clear shelves, it’s selfish). There are people that need to purchase last minute because of financial limitation. We should help those who must shop last minute by staying out of the panic buying. I have often felt so bad for the single parent who is working show up at a store after Hurricane warnings have been issued to find wiped out shelves.
Bonjour,
One item I keep in my storage is Dainty rice. They are often on sale here in Quebec, and preparing the rice is easy as it is already cooked and there is a packet of seasonnings in the box. So there is no need to boil water to cook the rice. Quick and easy to prepare when power is down. I use my fondue pot heating element to cook my food.
Dollarama has Basmati precookef rice enveloppes for a dollar. J'en achète à chaque fois!
Thank you for making this video. I watch a lot of preppers on here and a lot of my mom friends make fun of me for doing so. They tell me I’m a worry wart and to chill out… but if more channels like yours, geared towards the everyday mom made videos like this I think people would listen and be a little more prepared for anyting that comes their way.
I’ve been scoffed at before, even by my husband, but that’s changed! He supports all my canning and our new bulk buying endeavor in 5 gallon buckets. Wouldn’t say I’m a “prepper,” but I certainly have a good few months of food stored. Never hurts to be cautious especially when living in a harsher climate! Ignore their comments mama 💪
I've been teased so much over the year by friends and families. I tell you what though, no one was teasing me when covid first hit and the shelves were empty. They're back to teasing me for the most part though. I wish it had inspired them to start their own pantries.
I know what you mean. I had a lady just today responded to a an email reply I sent re: being prepared. She said are you so sure all that is going to happen, just chill out, you'll feel better for it. How many people in 2020 thought "I might lose my job...or I won't lose my job.
Well during the big tx freeze those who didn't prepare, and we had plenty of warning it was coming, were calling/coming over looking for stuff, after ONE day.
@@TheOrganizedPineapple We thought we were prepared for the TX freeze, but hubs had to go out twice on the icy roads to buy gas for the generators. We were running two of them, one for us and one for my daughter. But we were okay on everything else. He wished he had diesel generators, as diesel will last longer than gas. And our trucks run on diseal as well.
Two things I would add:
First even though I am against using them in day to day life since they are bad for the environment, having paper plates and plastic ware is useful if you have no power or no water you're not going to be able or want to try washing dishes.
Second if you live in a place that has great tap water (I live in Central New York so I get great water) you can fill jugs from juice, iced tea or even milk jugs with your own tap water and store them so you aren't spending astronomical amounts of money on water. They also last about 6 - 8 months, so I will just spend a week or so using the bottled water and refilling the jugs with fresh a couple times a year.
Think about how much water to flush toliet
Remember milk jugs biodegrade and will eventually leak, but any plastic containers with a recycle 1 on the bottom are good grade for long term storage. Don’t forget filling up empty bleach and detergent bottles for washing ur hands, laundry, toilets etc.
Not to be weird. But i live in central New York as well.
@@elizabethjessmore2719 @JHelynG I will likely be moving to Central or Upstate New York in the next year.
@@beccagiessing3890 I never thought of that. I always just think about drinking water and how it can be used for everything. Excellent idea!!💖✌🇨🇦
A great addition to prepping is put in a bidet. Ok don’t laugh. We have not been able to get home (Tuscany Italy) so been stuck on our boat in San Diego. First not a lot of room to stock up on paper products, and lack of TP at stores. Shortly before the pandemic my husband installed a bidet. Once the TP issue hit the stores we were so glade we had the bidet.
What a great list. My thermostat takes batteries and I was wondering why my house was so cold...batteries died. So glad we had some on hand!!!!
I have all mini splits and the controllers take batteries as well!
That happened to me 2 weeks ago!! Glad I had batteries!!
My smoke detector was beeping in the middle of night. So annoying lol glad I had batteries 😅
I just recovered from a horrible respiratory infection ( negative for Covid) lasted 18 days my son is still recuperating… although my church friends texted and checked up on me I was so glad we were well stocked! Including cough drops and plenty of Kleenex!
Bamboo towels instead of paper. Each towel can be used and washed. I've used some over 25 times. Depends what they 're used for. Seem pricey to buy but save a lot in the long run.
I'm collecting rainwater, in my state it's not only legal but actually encouraged. I use it for my little gardening hobby but it should be drinkable with little purification.
Thanks for doing this. Hopefully the more videos people see about this subject maybe they will start preparing. All the recent events this year and last should be a wake up call for everyone. I can't imagine standing in line for an hour and 1/2 to get a burger because you aren't prepared plus it is safer to stay home when there is natural disaster if possible, tensions runs really high during a disaster. Have a great Thanksgiving
My parents survived the Great Depression in the Deep South. They taught me by example so I am well prepared for whatever comes our way. Store items properly. For food, I'm talking critter proof containers. For tools, keep them dry and oiled. Everything is useless if you don't know how to use it. I can grow my own food AND preserve it by canning or dehydrating it. Hurricane Zeta left me without power for 7 days, but my freezer stayed cold because it is always full. I keep plastic half gallon and gallon water bottles in the freezer to fill it and keep my food frozen. Last year my fruit trees quickly outdid my ability to can them so I froze them. Now I can defrost the fruit and heat up the house canning on a cold winter day. Knowing how to cook and repair what you have is just as important as having stuff stored. Young people, us old farts know a lot. We can share if you will share your young strength. Make friends VERY carefully, ones who are strong where you are weak. Oh, right beside the toilet paper shortage was a canning supplies shortage. Stock up. Stay safe. Help others. God bless.
I grew up in the midwest so well versed for having enough stocked pantry through the winter seasons. However, we get windstorms where I am in WA state. Last year a freak windstorm in September started a fire, knocked out power and shut down the main hwy and canyon back roads. While my house wasn't in danger, it severely crippled the region where I was. But I do live surrounded by forests so if not that year, it's always a possibility. So just because that fire didn't affect my immediate area, it really got us thinking. We've prepared to shelter in place (we are in view of Mt. Rainier), but not so much of an evacuate preparation. I mean we have the bags for food and water and stuff like that, but no so much of a current inventory of our belongings for insurance purposes and need to step up our game with paperwork and stuff like that to bring with us incase of evacuation. We are re-assessing all that this holiday vacation break
Use your Google Drive. If you have a gmail, you have this tool. Take photos of your rooms in your home every6 months or so and of any new high priced items. Create a file and update it. (You can access this from any device you have.) Same with your important documents. If you don't want to use the drive, then get thumb drives and update them regularly. You got a new license or passport or new insurance? Take a pic or scan it and update. Thumb drives are very portable and can live in your bug out bag. 😊
My power was out earlier this week for over 12 hours. So thankful for my woodstove! It kept me warm & cooked some food. 🔥
i buy packets of pre-cooked rice, noodles, quinoa, beans, all that don't need to be heated. delicious right out of the packet.
If anyone has kids, please remember birthday candles. No matter what happens in the world, children still want to enjoy their birthdays, most adults want someone to remember. I put cake mixes( no oil, or shortening added) in mason jars with coffee filters on top along with candles taped on top of jars.
Dollar store is a great place to "stockpile" your meds. They're smaller quantities, which is great because you haven't made a huge investment in case you don't need to use it before it goes out of date. Also, regarding seeds: even if you don't prioritize buying organic in your regular grocery shop, consider buying organic and/or heirloom seeds. Conventional seeds are modified to produce fruits and veggies whose seeds are barren to prevent seed-saving, meaning you have to buy new seeds every year.
Do you know a good site to buy heirloom seeds?
I do try to buy and plant heirloom seeds, but any seed that is open-pollinated will give you seeds that will germinate if you save them. Seed saving is a little complicated and I am a relatively new gardener who is a little too scattered right now to try to protect my blooms to make sure there is no cross-germination so I can save my seeds.
I think it is worth investing in the high tech fabric long underwear top and bottom. It is so great to have in the cold weather to keep warm. They are not cheap but even one set per person can make a huge difference for all ages. I also think it is realistic for every household member aNd elders to each have a zero degree sleeping bag even if none camp outdoors. These are health and life saving long term investments along with a couple of space blankets for each person and animal. Off grid skills are worth learning as a family affair. Make sure there is a medical backpack for family to share along with a To Go Bag for each which includes cash. Thanks for your informative channel. I am an adventurous 71 year old woman and duly applaud your common sense approach to prepping for unexpected events. It is much needed.
Don't forget furnace filters. At Lowe's earlier this week not a single furnace filter in the size I needed.
I saw them in aldi last week.
Heard this joke today and thought of you and your slow cooker videos. I was going to cook alligator for dinner, but then I realized I only have a croc pot.
Good belly laugh on this😂
I live in British Columbia and right now we are dealing with all of the major highways into the interior (where I live) being devasted due to last week's epic 'atmospheric river' storm that smoked the northwest. Rain and snow are forecasted for this week as well so there will be further stress on fragile conditions. We have one road open to essential travel only that goes from vancouver (canada's largest port) to the rest of the country. Our dairy and livestock industries in BC have been heavily impacted with tens of thousands of cows at risk or dead because of the intensity of the flooding in the Fraser Valley. There are store limits on all liquid dairy products and employees standing next to coolers enforcing them. Much of our trucking has been rerouted through washington state and supply chains have been re-established, but we are looking at 2020 covid decimation of grocery stock again with community fb groups lighting up whenever a grocery truck shows up at a store.
Limits don't just effect residents of the BC interior, most places in western canada have limits in order to spread out the supply and distribution.
Huge thanks to all the truckers that have doubled their trip time through WA to get us what we need.
Great video Christine! Here’s a hint-store new batteries in a plastic container in your fridge. It extends the life.
Regarding food purchases, you mentioned in another video, but thought I would add here... you want to add food items gradually so that they don't all end up with the same expiration date.
After two years of supply shortages and more frequent natural disasters it’s kinda amazing that more people aren’t better prepped. I make it a point to check the sales before going to the grocery store. If its on sale and I know my family uses it, I get one, regardless. I may already have an extra one at home, but why would I wait for an item to be full price to replenish my pantry? I have a well stocked pantry, so I let the sales dictate what Extra items I purchase. It helps me stay prepped without hurting my budget. Happy New Year and best of luck in 2022 everyone.
Thank you for the awesome video!
Remember to have two manual (hand crank) can openers in your pantry. If you loose power the electric can opener won't work plus the manual can openers tend to break easily hence the reason for two.
Also powered milk and chocolate syrup with directions to make just one cup at a time taped to the package so it takes only a small amount of water and can be consumed quickly and not be wasted. If you have no power making small quantities of milk is absolutely amazing to do if you have kids so they can eat cereal. Also expands items you can eat. Chocolate syrup is my grandmother's trick for the kids who say the milk tastes funny. Add chocolate syrup and the issue is fixed.
Chocolate makes everything better!😁
Love the common sense approach to having what you need without taking from our neighbors 🥰 I feel a lot more secure in life when we have what is needed. Wants can wait
I live in a cold climate and like to be stocked for the winter for convenience. I like not having to drag in as many groceries when it is super cold and snowing!
I've found the tip to Sharpie-mark the top of cans with the expiration date very handy. Cycle out pantry stores a few months before the expiry date and donate them to the food pantry.
Once you have your pantry well stocked, you can shop from your pantry so you are using what you have stored. Keep a list of the items used and only buy the replacements when they go on sale. This will help keep your coast down as well.
Yes please donate food well BEFORE it expires, or just use it yourself. Many food banks must toss out food if it has expired, even though it's probably still good, so you're better off keeping and eating it and donating something fresh. But I just found in my fridge a cup of Chobani yogurt that had "expired" 7 months ago and it was totally fine!
@@lt1136 Yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese all keep well past the expiration date if unopened and stored upside down in a cold refrigerator. After opening, turn upside down on a small plate or tray. This keeps air out, which is the spoiler factor.
Those are normally Best by dates, but are usually good for years longer.
This is what I do, on everything - cans, boxes and bags. We keep a LOT of food on hand. My pantry is tiny, but I'm pretty creative about finding ways to fit more in. My groceries always get labeled with expiration date, and the new stuff goes in the back. If I have something close to expiration, it goes into the menu plan. It's extremely rare for me to run out of anything except milk.
So glad I had 6 boxes of shelf stable milk during the Texas freeze last Feb. which I shared with two neighbors. The funny thing is I had never bought any before and only had a small stockpile of emergency food, but, the political climate at the time had me really worried so I had just started on my backup food storage. Was thinking more in terms of not being able to buy it and people hoarding never thinking about the Power Grid going down.
Rechargeable batteries and a solar panel is always a solid call... great list
Keep several rolls of masking tape on hand. It will double as a bandage with either a square of paper towel or tissue to go over the wound. It can be used for a lot of other things as well. It's probably the best multitasker you can have. I carry a roll in my suitcase and have used it more than any other item.
Your poodle is adorable. He/she looks very much like my rescue boy Dusty. He passed away 3 yrs ago at 19 yrs old.
I lived where the Thomas fire happened a few years back in California..we were so unprepared .. the one thing I didn't think about was a can opener..we had an electric one..so we bought a manual one.. I'm glad you covered the basics because you never know when disaster is going to hit
What makes the shelves go dry is when masses of people who don't keep a regular stock go out and try to build an emergency supply in one day. Buying a couple extra cans of food, a gallon of water, etc. every other shopping trip is the way to go! We were very lucky in the Texas storm to have water and some extra food already stocked for emergencies. The main thing we're changing about this year is we might buy a generator in case the power is completely off as opposing to rolling. We have dart frogs that can't get too cold!
Re: limits. I think you are right, people panic. I live in south coast BC and we just had devastating weather. Flooding, mudslides, washouts etc. Many highways were damaged and as a result we are currently limited to purchasing 30L (8ish gallons) of gasoline while highways are assessed and rebuilt, and essential transportation like semis, fire trucks, ambulance etc get priority for fuelling. There were NO lineups the days between the intial devastation and this fuel restriction. But as soon as they announced it gas stations everywhere around me had lines around the corner and ran out of fuel. Grocery stores were depleted of meats, eggs, dairy. It was chaotic this past week. Now a new storm is on it's way and it has me on edge thinking about the people truly impacted by all of the flooding and destruction and how much worse it may get for some.
Are you close to the US border? If you’re able to get there safely, it might not be a bad idea to cross over to pick up essentials and fuel up now that that Feds are allowing it without that PCR test. Stay safe!
@@ElissaMeghan I am very close to the border but I am very well prepared. I know people that are heading south though.
About seven years ago, I got mono and was very sick for a couple of months. I grew up in the country with an hour ride to the grocery store. As an adult, I have always kept spare food to some degree, but not as a prepper, etc.
I was so glad that we had extra- I was able to stay at home for two months without the going to the store (other than my hubby going for milk and eggs at the little local town store). It was such a blessing. I also took the opportunity to learn how to use the instant pot - it saved me from having to stand in the kitchen and cook when I was so exhausted from the mono.
I have since learned to pressure can our own convenience foods of meat, soups etc., For which I am so thankful
I appreciate you making this video. Some youtubers are saying they are not stocking up on anything. I kinda think with all we have seen it’s almost irresponsible to not have things for your family
They'll be the first to knock on your door, too. Anyone stocking up may not want to advertise it, bc when SHTF, you will be hunted down.
My childhood home has a wood burning stove. My mom use to use it when the power when out. She’d make soup, Mac n cheese, coffee/tea/hot chocolate. Etc.
it was very useful when our power went out.
This is a great, concise list! As far as food goes, I’d also recommend thinking about things you could make in one pot with just a heat source. If you’re having to cook on a camping burner, you don’t want to be trying to make a meat and two sides. But you could brown your meat, add your veggies and pasta and water and cook it all together in a pot. Planning out one pot meals for your emergency storage could really save you a lot of headaches later.
Great idea!
Keep a camp stove with extra propane. I cooked for a week on Whidbey Island in WA state when the power was out. I am buying a Berkey water purifier to sit on the counter always with a year's worth of filters. I may be giving water to neighbors. I am also buying a single burner butane stove. Vicks is great now to rub into your nostrils when going out during cold, flu or Covid seasons.
so I live in Northern VA right outside of DC- pre-pandemic we always had a huge amount of stores to choose from - never had any problems finding grocery items or household items. For the past 2 years we've had to keep careful track of many cleaning, paper and even food goods as shelves never really got back to being full again. we have a rule now - if you go out and see TP or Paper towels - you buy a pack just because. that has saved us because now when shelves are starting to go really bare again we have a decent stockpile to rely on. its crazy that I live in a hugely populated area and we are still having issues getting basic necessities some days.
If you can make a trip to Richmond, you can find those items and stock up without issue. Just FYI.
It’s only gonna get worse
Interesting! I noticed no ramen when I was strep a week or so ago, so I grabbed 5 pkgs (25 Indv.pkg) at dollar tree. Fritos have been scarce for a month. Our grandsons chip-in for the teacher appreciation chili feast was Fritos...ugh. We normally live this way of stocking as we go thru it, so at any one time we have 3 to 4 weeks of our regular meals ingredients in stock. Now The Big Kudos to Christine right here > I turn 56 tomorrow and my husband and I paid off my car Oct 25th and our home Oct 28th, Wow, what a feeling. Your content is heard and tips are definately employed so thank you so much! Happy Thanksgiving to your family as well as our online family 😘
Congratulation on paying off all that debt! Doesn't it feel wonderful?!
Last year during the lock down we were already prepared. I have been slowly stockpiling over the years. We had over a years worth of toilet paper and a couple of years of paper towels. I don't use paper towels that often. I also make sure each October to stock up on cold and flu meds better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Especially during a blizzard and you can't get out. We have at least six months worth of canned goods and dry goods. I also been storing water. I wash and reuse the bottles that apple and cranberry juice come in. I change out the water every year. Need to do it soon. Unfortunately we can't have garden right now. The house we live in has the worst yard. It's nothing but grass covered rocks. When the new sewer lines went it all they dug up were rocks and very little dirt. Would have to do container gardening. That got expensive for what little food we were able to grow. We have plenty of fuel for cooking. Matter of fact we picked up some more today. Hubby found a four pack that was cheaper than Walmart. At an Asian grocery store. Needed my fix for melona frozen bars. While we were there I noticed some of the items had limits on them. They were out of stock on a few items. Luckily where I live we have several Asian markets. Plus, all the larger supermarkets have a decent size Asian ingredients selection.
I am seriously considering getting a solar generator. But, we are on the same grid as our electric company. So, when power goes out we are usually first to get power restored.
I believe everyone should slowly stockpile. I only realized I had been doing this when the lock down first happened and we didn't need to buy anything. Except for more chocolate. Now have a decent stash of chocolates and skittles. My stockpiling started as a means to save money. Everything in my stockpile was bought on sale. I rarely buy anything for regular price.
The only thing we weren't prepared for was our nearly 20 year old microwave dying 3 days after lock down started. Luckily I had been looking for a microwave online for a couple of years. I want the same one. It was going to take Amazon and Walmart 3 weeks before they could ship me one. Then I remembered best buy had the same one. Not only did I get it the next day it was 20.00 cheaper. Couple of days later Hubby's TV died. Also, his iPhone, too. There are just some things you can't prepare for. Good thing microwaves and tvs are pretty inexpensive these days. Our latest microwave was less than 100.00. Our first one over 35 years ago was 135.00 during a Christmas sale. It wasn't digital. Only had a hi low setting and a 35 minute timer dial. Can't remember the watts. I remember it being a Hotpoint and selling it a yard sale. We couldn't go a day without the microwave. When I realized I couldn't make lunch without one. I ended up making sandwiches. We went out later that day to get the one we had on layaway out. We had that one for almost 12 years when I decided to replace it with the newer model that died last year. I miss that microwave. This one the light doesn't come on when you open it. Just when it is cooking.
Anyways start stockpiling. There's a UA-camr that calls it payday prepping.
Ditto to All!!
Kimberleys Think Alike!
You Go Girl!
Going to the grocery store to fill in the gaps and going down the picked over isle, I kinda smile on the inside so thankful picking up several items over the months and even years. Like going to a garage sale in the summer and see a terrific buy on a winter coat..it isn’t selling but I’ll buy that coat looking to the future use.
Melbourne Australia here. Hi from down under! I live in a major city and here we have no shortages at all. I don't have a stockpile or prepper pantry yet but I will be retiring late next year and will start to prep slowly in the new year. I'm aiming for a 2 or 3 month stockpile at most. Thankyou for the hints and tips in your video.
Lynda. I would not wait even until after Christmas. Try to set back enough for a week at least.
Thank you for talking about doing it responsibly. I'm a prepper have been for a long time, I do some videos on my channel, but lately the trend in UA-cam has been to "stack it to the rafters"
This promotes panic buying which adds to stock shortages impacts the poorest of us more than anything who don't have the buying power to be able to have a stockpile themselves.
In times of plenty I'll stock 10 of something at a time if its a good deal, but in times like now I'll only grab 1 to 4 extra of something depending on the stock levels.
Many people buy for their parents or grandparents too.
i follow the "first buy 2 for every one you use" and then as you CAN and budget allows, go to the "buy 3 use 1" for long term store things until you have a decent back stock.
@@hannahkayee831 yeah, hubby and i are fully vaxxed and boostered plus i am pretty sure i had it back before they admitted it was in the usa.
We do the shopping for 2 of my immuno compromised friends...no way can they risk being in a crowd..
Im aussie too. Is this your channel name? I'd love to follow people more in my neck of the woods.
@@EricaD61 yup it sure is 😊
Use flannel square to wipe after #1. Throw in a tiny bucket ( I use a small Easter egg plastic basket ) next to the toilet. Inserted in the bucket is a mesh zippered bag. Get it full, then pull out, zip up & toss in the wash. Handy for cutting down t.p. Use.
I know that back in 2020 the feminine hygiene items also ran out at my local stores. Now I have a policy of keeping a couple of months ahead in my purchase of those items. Now that is one item I really do not want to run out of when I need it.
In Africa, many many years back girls, would use a sponge (taken from the sea)
If all else fails remember this.
Doesn't have to be a pandemic we're prepping for - I grew up in blizzards and now live in earthquake country - my hubby thinks I'm nuts sometimes, but 1 good quake will disrupt the supply chain for at least a couple days. Nothing wrong with thinking ahead.
And THANK YOU for mentioning pets... mine are the only kids I have and I have a supply of food for them for days that I rotate in / replace every 3-6 months!
Thanks for the list. A couple years back Publix handed out brochures entitled "Prepare for the When". It has a great list. I keep it posted on the side of my fridge as a reminder.
Here in Alabama our major worry is tornadoes and possibly the occasional ice storm. I try to stay stocked up.
So we have twin toddlers and had a stock of diapers when the pandemic hit, but supplies ran out before the stores had any more. However sincs I had 4 weeks worth I was about to gather about 35 cloth diapers from friends to use until things went back to normal. Still have them and theh were a HUGE life saver for my 1 year olds!
Recently snowed in here in Alberta and was glad I had everything I needed. Including full tank of gas and coffee cream 😁
It can be a fine balance between feeling prepared and practical and feeling cluttered. I love this channel and recently started serving rice with chilli and tortilla chips, it’s the best. Thank you.
One thing I do is buy solar stake lights when the summer is over and they mark them down. These are fantastic for when you lose your electricity after hurricanes.
Great list! Mason jar and lids if you are into canning. Look for them every time you into your Walmart
I have bought canning jars at garage sales and estate sales for years. Even there prices have risen.
"Stockpiling" pet food is a good thing if you have a pet, yes is a good thing. But I'm not a big believer in the claims that some processed pet foods say that one is "healthier" than another. We had an English Setter for 18yrs and she got really sick and we were told she only had less than 6 months to live when she was 5yrs old and we were feeding her one of these "healthy" top name brand food. We were told all we could do was keep her comfortable, so we started making her food. We would cook several boneless skinless chicken breast, brown rice, peas, and carrots once a week. Then we would cut the chicken into small bite size pieces and mix everything together. And we would feed her a cup of that twice a day. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Obviously she lived WELL past the 6 months and the vet was shocked and amazed that not only did she live for 13yrs more but after a year they couldn't find anything wrong with her. They were also amazed that she lived to be 18yrs, almost 19yrs, old because they told us that 9 out of 10 English Setters only live 10-12yrs old, he had never seen one live a happy healthy life past 14yrs old in the 38yrs that he had been a Vet!
A battery back up radio was good to have in the blizzard of 1978 and other storms.
"The Blizzard of '78!" OMG when we moved from CA to Boston in 1991 that's all people talked about in the winter, was that blizzard.
If you keep seeds in the freezer or fridge, they last longer. My cousin just grew some mustard from my grandpa... he passed 10 or so years ago.
So my family lives in the same area so we made a plan and we all have a stockpile source so if something did happen we'd all be able to come together and take care of one another. We even get lots of fire wood and lighters to be able to start a fire. Plus we have a river near us so we can fish and have water source.
I’m in the lower Mojave Desert, an we are ok with stuff at present. We Only have fire, heatwaves,earthquakes an water shortage issues to worry about.
Christine, please please do a video about tips and tricks for managing and rotating food storage. I have a decent amount of food stored for my family but I find myself overwhelmed thinking about how I’m going to ensure that everything is used and nothing goes to waste. Love your content❤️❤️❤️
I write the month and year (example, 2/23) on mine with a sharpie, usually on the front labels, and this way I can see which cans need to be used first. It's easier for me to see the black sharpie than the little print they put on containers. And I try to re-stock my pantry with my backup pantry, before going to the store. I also made a spread sheet of the most used items I buy at the grocery store and hang the list on my freezer. As I use the item, I mark it on the list to buy again. I usually make 5-6 copies at a time to hang on my freezer. And if I didn't buy the item, because either I knew I didn't exactly need it yet or the store was out, I add it to the new list.
I bought can holders off Amazon! :) using a sharpie to write month & year is good too! :) Take inventory of what you have so you can keep track that way too. 👍
relax, best by dates do not mean the food automatically goes bad after that date. canned foods are fine as long as can is intact. dry goods sealed up and kept cool and dry last much longer. cool, dry, dark will keep most foods for long past best by dates. mylar bags and buckets can hold foods for many years.
This makes me feel so much better about being a perpetual prepper! Thanks for the great video :)
Me too!