What would you buy?

[andyn1976]

What would you buy if you had $1000 to prepare for thshtf situations? Living in an urban neighborhood with no prior preparations besides a few firearms.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Berkey water filter, portable water filter bottle, water storage containers, food, buckets and mylar, ammo, firestarters, pocket tool, good blade, backpack and attend some classes to gain some skills
IMHO

[96thTallarn]

A pair of good boots.

[Lowdown3]

A way to get out. Good bug out bags/packs, portable water filtration system, portable lightweight food.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Well you didn't give us much info other than the $1000 limit. How many people are there, any children in the family, how far do you need to go to be safe (do you have a retreat to go to), what kind of firearms (is all you have a single shot .410 with some bird shot or do you have an AK47, semi auto 9mm and a remy 700 bolt in .308)? Now you don't need to give specifics so you can maintain OPSEC, but it is hard to give you specifics on what is important for you to spend your hard earned $1000. What I mean is that if your SHTF scenario is a nuke in your area, you could need a $1000 just in NBC equipment and some food and safety equip. But if it is a slow economic slide with unemployed becoming looters, then storage food, ammo (for the right weapons) and items listed by others would be important.

Make sure you have a dependable way to get out, fuel for your vehicle to get away from town, some water and water filter, cash/coins/some junk silver, MRE's and/or mountain house food, ammo for your firearms, a way to make fire, shelter material/tent/poncho, and some place to head to as well as all the other items listed by others. With a little more info, we may be able to be more specific.

I don't know if you have heard the saying...you can survive for 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without the proper shelter, 3 days without water to drink, 3 weeks without food and maybe only three seconds if you don't have a weapon and the other guy does.

[Boyd]

If it was me, I'd spend the 1k on food and making sure I had enough variety.. but BOL I have... Firearms I have, hunting and assault rifles, pistols etc.. Water? Deep and shallow wells on site.. Plenty of firewood for heat, stream through the property for backup. I still have my old CBW gear, and perhaps I'd get another suit or two if I thought the fam needed it, but respirators for sure. The CBW gear I got is some of uncle Sams best, but I doubt it would fit my wife or daughters... Son? No chance.

I second the thought somebody had on good boots. I've paid upwards of 200-300 on comfortable boots before, and a decade later you still can't kill them.

[Jerry D Young]

Saywer Zero Point Two 4-liter water purification kit, 2 15-gallon water drums w/siphon pump, Chemical toilet with chemical and TP, propane camp stove, propane tent-safe heater, plenty of propane bottles, several windup flashlights, lots of canned meats and canned fruit, rice/lentils/beans/instant potatoes/instant oats, plenty of comfort food, good first-aid kit.

It's all for bugging in. If you need to bug out, the situation changes and is more expensive. A decent camping set up with plenty of easy to fix food, the Sawyer, and first aid kit.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[Buktoof]

Sounds like my situation a couple months ago . . .

My starting point (i started off with 1500 cash I saved up in a christmas club savings thing with work, which by the way worked great as they took it out before I even saw my paycheck so never missed it). I live in the suburbs with no BOL myself.


800 went to food/water {bought cases of water, canned meat , canned veggies, canned fruit, tea bags etc). Most stuff that I use anyways and will rotate. All stuff I bought had expirations at least 2 years from purchase date.

300 went to ammo for which I already had firearms. That was one thing I got from here. Funny how I never thought about ammo but yeah a firearm is nothing more than an expensive club/paperweight without food for it.

last 400 went to random stuff like extra socks and underwear, batteries, lumber and nails (for boarding windows, helping secure doors, etc), propane tanks for heating/cooking, activated charcoal and sand for making my own water filter, blankets (thrift shop cheap and inexpensive), even bought a chord of firewood (guy looked at me funny as I have a NG fireplace; was converted from a wood burning but could be reconverted if needed).


That was my starting point. While I was saving for further purchases I used that time to obtain stuff that didnt cost anything except my time such as KNOWLEDGE, 5 gallon buckets from deli's and bakeries, scrap lumber/cynder blocks/bricks from construction sites and scouting yard sales /thrift shops for super deals. Also hanging around some buddies that have skills I do not possess like small engine repair and construction. I offer them my labor in exchange for thier time to teach me. As my residence with be my BOL I have also insured that my house is in good repair and have used this current economic down turn to have things completed Im not skilled to do myself as labor prices have been more within my means. I take that time as well to hover and look over their shoulder (after letting them know Im trying to learn not critique or "supervise") and learn something new.

I personally dont even worry bout NBC myself as I know Im in the immediate area and wouldnt likely survive/probalby wouldnt want to survive after exposure (live in very close proximity to one of the largest if not largest military installations on the east coast). Eventually I will put together a BOB but honestly I dont have the skills to survive out in the woods right now. So thats wasted resources to me where I could be putting more food up for LTS.

It all goes to what your situation is and what/whom you are prepping. Given the amount of cash you have to spend I would think you are better off investing the 80% of it in food/water supplies for you/your family with the left overs going to food for your firearms.

[protus]

What would you buy if you had $1000 to prepare for thshtf situations? Living in an urban neighborhood with no prior preparations besides a few firearms.

i assume by this you mean a large city.

if so.

good portable water filter- like the katydyne mini/micro whatever it is, or the msr
way to carry that water ( nalgene, and platypus bags)
way to purify it ( tablets/drops)
good socks
good boots
good pack
good sleep bag
good sleep pad
lightweight shelter
the know how to cook lightweight foods and have camp skills.
get in shape.

make sure your weapons are sqaured away. Set your ROE....this way you dont think twice about what to do when homie comes up and says aint that his BOB.............


thatll suck up that 1k fast,.



if not

food
water
shekter and alot of it,

[andyn1976]

Have wife and two small kids, bugging out not an option. No well so filtration sounds good. 3006 40cal 12 ga 410 and several 22 rifles. Little ammo for all. Have plenty of camping gear. Trying to do a small garden.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Have wife and two small kids, bugging out not an option. No well so filtration sounds good. 3006 40cal 12 ga 410 and several 22 rifles. Little ammo for all. Have plenty of camping gear. Trying to do a small garden.

IMHO Bugging is always an option as well as GMHB, what if a chemical spill hits etc. I still stay with my original answer however given a better idea on your situation it requires some tweeking:
More ammo and mags, possibly training depending on how much you have. Seeds and gardening instruments, food-mylar-buckets, Berkey and barrels and portable water containers prefilled and figure out how and what is needed to transport them from the possible local water sources (which could require a cart or something). The barrels need to be enough for you and the garden figured on the hottest days of the year with no well. The food and water and ammo would be first and garden and training secondary IMHO. Good Luck and welcome to the battle of what should I spend my limited resources on!! I made a list a while back and numbered it in order of cost and then in what I thought was most pressing. It was enlightning to me.

[jloneill17]

If you plan on bugging in, get food, water, water containers, food buckets and mylar. Ammo, lots of it, (remember you can always trade some of it) batteries, toilet paper, just real essentials. I'd get a good bag in case you have to leave. If you gonna bug out, get the bag, then load it with water filter, some mountain house meals, water, sleeping bag, basically the stuff listed by other posters. and like protus said, get in shape (if you aren't) humping a 40-60lbs on your back for a couple of miles isn't easy if you are out of shape.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

Thanks for the further info. You say you don't have a well, so that must mean you have city water. That will dry up or not be fit to drink quickly after the crisis. Water filters, one of which should be portable in case you decide to bug out. MRE's and/or dehydrated/freeze dried food, again if you need to pack it out of dodge. Now, like Jerry Young commented on is sewer. Not only will city water shut down, so will sewer. It will back up and overflow, especially if you are downhill. Have a "clean" way for your family to use the bathroom. You have firearms, so make sure you have defensive ammo and ammo for hunting small game in your neighborhood/AO. Maybe even an airgun for taking squirrels/birds in your backyard, this will save ammo and be quieter. I would still plan for bugging out, as someone earlier said there are other emergencies that may require you to leave quickly. Also plan for an "escape" just in case it becomes too dangerous to stay. Just my two cents....

[rice paddy daddy]

The wife and I are already in our permanant location, we have firearms, food plot, well water, etc. We live on just my paycheck as a warehouse worker, so money's always tight.
Food is always a good option for "extra" money to be spent on. What we do is watch the weekly sales at the grocery stores in the two nearby towns, and we stock up on sale can goods. We also buy mail order long time storage food.
Remember, the dates on canned goods are the "best by" dates, not expiration dates, they will stay good for much longer. Just the other night we had some canned pinto beans that "went out of date" over two years ago.
The biggest thing, in my own opinion, is no matter if you are bugging out or in, do not let others know about any food, weapon, or ammo stocks you have.

[Klayton]

well if you have not, you need to find your local cannery. We just got back from our Mormon cannery and bought 8 1/2 cases of various canned foods (sugar, dehydrated onions, dehydrated carrots, nonfat milk, pinto beans, white beans, cocoa mix, speghetti, and macaroni) plus enough bulk rice for 5 more buckets (we will do that tomorrow-I am beat)... Total spent tonight: $278.95... Food Security: PRICELESS!!