REALLY getting started

[Bearman202]

I am just curious how many there are out there who feel like I do. I've made some baby steps toward becoming prepared. Unfortunately, I'm in a terrible position, living in an apartment in a not-so-good area. It's all I can afford right now. I am a gun hugger, so that part is pretty well covered, but as for the rest.... I buy some extra every time I go to the store, but even with what I've got accumulated already, it doesn't feel like nearly enough. I look at how far I need to go to get to where I think I need to be, and feel totally overwhelmed. Anybody else?

[Lowdown3]

It's a very common thing to feel behind the 8 ball with your preps. Don't concern yourself a whole lot with that. Focus on your goals and keep plugging away.

Preparedness is a JOURNEY not a quick destination.

Never forget that.

If you want specific suggestions- start with a basic year supply of food. See "The Basics" forum here for the "Getting started in food storage" thread. $.70 a day for a basic year supply. Everyone can afford that.

Get that put up and later you can supplement to that as needed.

A year supply of food gives you a lot of leeway for bad economic times, loss of income, etc. It's a good starting point. Good luck.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

It is easy to get overwhelmed, so don't feel bad about that. Remember, nobody knows when or if TEOTWAWKI will come, if ever in our lifetime. Start with a little at a time, and keep progressing as you can. DON'T GO INTO DEBT though. Pay cash and aquire what you need a little at a time. It is easy for someone to tell you to buy bulk because it is cheeper (which it is), but they don't know what your situation is. It may be better for you to buy a little at a time as you can and save a little $ each payday for bulk purchases down the road. That way you fell like you are making headway, but still getting somewhere with bulk buys as well. When you go grocery shopping, look for "buy one get one" deals, that way you don't put out any extra $ for a short term supply of food. Get things you can use and watch the exp. dates and rotate with your other daily grocery habits/foods.

Also, watch for deals. I was in a sporting goods store the other day and they had 12g birdshot on sale for $3.99 for a box of 25. I picked up four boxes as I figured that they would help if I needed them. I could have gotten a case, but only had $20 to spend in my wallet, so I limited myself to just four. Watch online sources for other needs. The sponsor of this forum runs deals every now and then and usually are good deals watch the thread related to these deals. There are other sites online as well.

Remember, it is not a race. A little at a time and you will see it start to come together. Look at your other expenses and see if you can cut back on something and use that saved money towards prepping.

Feel free to ask questions as there are many here that have been in your shoes and they can answer more specific questions. There are many here that have great advice to give, so don't be afraid to ask.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Congrats on working and thinking towards the future. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed, I know I see it about once a month in my preparations but you must stay positive and this forum is a good place for that. I've done it for years even though I'm new here on the blog. I always feel like I never have enough but I feel better every time I do something. Buying is not everything, sometimes mental and physical preparation is what you will accomplish in a weeks time especially with tough economic times. Prepare yourself by working out or gettin a new routine. Look at what resources are near your apt. such as car wash water tanks, small lots of woods with wild food, figure out what direction you might need to bug out of your area and recon the routes. Inventory what you have, field strip your "huggies". Like these wise folks here are telling you don't be down, be proud of what you are doing. Look around you, is anyone else doing what you are? If no then you are going to be on top of the food chain one day. If yes then see if you can work with them and gain a force multiplier. Either way you are a survivor and that is nothing to scoff at!

[BigJohn]

Try to keep a positive outlook. You are WAY better prepared than most people. You are much better prepared than you were last month, right? Do what you can to get ready for adversity, but don't let it overwhelm you. You will NEVER be ready for everything, but you are ready for a lot of nasty circumstances already and getting better all the time. Set your priorities and keep working it.

[Klayton]

May I make a suggestion? I get ridiculed by the hardcore survivalist all the time for this, but they can never prove it wrong or a bad idea.
Can you afford $30 a week? More even better. Here is how I started!
Retail canned goods last well over a year. Find something you like to eat. I chose Hormel Chili w/ Beans | several different Select Harvest Soups | Speghettios w/ Franks
All of these last anywhere between 12 months and 24 months, and that is with the freshness guarantee, I am sure they would last atleast 6-12 months past that if stored in a COOL location.
Then I bought packages of rice (not the big bags, just the little ones) and vacuum sealed them.
Then I bought the simple old fashioned oatmeal in the carboard tub (12 month shelf life) and vacuum sealed them.
If money permits add a can of veggies and/or fruit (6-12 month shelf life normally-again the gauranteed freshness thing).

You see where I am going with this? I dont have to invest in any high tech survival storage at first. But every week I added atleast a week supply to my survival food stock.

Survival meals would include one from each list:
Main: Chili | Soup | Stew | Speghettios (most less than a $1 a can, sometimes as many as 3 for a $1 on sale)
Filler: Oatmeal | Rice
Vegetables: canned Green Beans | canned Whole Kernal Corn | etc (avg price 69cents a can, on sale 4 for a $1)

depending on daily calorie requirement would dictate adding a can of fruit and/or powdered milk (comes in a cardboard box-rehydrate before drinking of course-LOL)

I also grabbed an extra handful of salt and pepper packets at the fast food joints everytime I went to one(free).
Pizza Hut has packets crushed pepper if you ask your waitress for them for your doggy bag(free).
Taco Bell has packets of Fire Sauce(free).
Chinese has packets of Soy Sauce(free).

To start my water supply I just used empty 2LTR bottles fulled with tap water and put in a cool dark basement pantry (mark them with date, empty and refill every 6 months, discard bottle when it is 2 years old:chemical leaching probable after 2 years). You can get generic store brand soda for as low as 39 cents a 2liter on sale.

Now I know you hardcores laugh at this, but if a man can live a month on bread, water and milk, one certainly could live on my suggestion for well over a year if they had to (even longer would be my bet).

Watch for sales!
Clip coupons!

Hope this helps.

[Klayton]

OH, forgot a huge thing. Because canning destroys some trace minerals, add a good multivatmin to your stockpile. =)

[BigJohn]

Klayton is right on the money. Another suggestion to get a quick jump-start is rice and beans.
I store both of these in canning jars because they are airtight and watertight. (add an oxygen absorber if you want to keep them several years). Canning jars come in a variety of sizes that easily fit in odd places like under beds or alongside your washing machine or in that hard to reach shelf over the refrigerator. Rice is versatile and so are beans and both of them are dirt cheap right now. You can buy a 20 pound bag of rice and two 4 pound bags of dried beans every time you go food shopping and it adds up quickly. With a multi-vitamin I suspect you could live a long time on rice and beans if you had to.

[Klayton]

OH MAN, great idea BigJohn. I am going to add that canning jar thing with beans to my pack next time I head to the grocery. Thanks!! =)

[BigJohn]

Canning jars have three problems.
1. They are heavy
2. They break if you drop them. Real canning jars are heavier than the mayonaise jars you get at the store, but they are still glass.
3. They are fairly expensive. They cost about 80 cents each. The quart size is most economical and versatile.

I use them because they are very airtight and I wanted to accumulate a lot of jars and lids. I think canning lids will be barterable items after a crash....or I can use them.

If you don't do any canning, 2 liter plastic bottles work well for storing grains and beans too. Popcorn also stores basically forever if you have a grinder.

White sugar and salt can be stored in their original containers and never really go bad.
Oil should be stored in the back of your refrigerator....where you can't reach very well. It keeps you from accumulating too many leftovers too.

[bountyhunter69]

just a pointer i would like to add,look at yard sales,garage sales,estate sales,and craigslist too, for jars..ive been picking them up for couple years now..these sales are very popular in my area..a couple weeks ago i bought 25 dozen (300) jars for 2.00 per dz,this raises my hoard of jars to over 40 dzn..and im still buying when i see them if price is right..Bigjohn is right they cost around .80 ea 9-10 dollars a dz..also watch at walmart for closeouts after canning season..good luck and happy prepping to all

[Rmplstlskn]

Well, for the last few decades, I was the "wierdo" that bought "camping gear" and "freeze-dried food" while my friends were buying surfboards, gaming machines, race cars, motorcycles, boats, etc... It always begins with baby steps, unless your last name is "Gates." You build up slowly every week, every month... Keep the faith! Know that if you do the best you can, your Creator will often pick up the slack.

Also, look for bargains on the various gun boards... One of the best scores I bumped into was a guy selling off all his freeze-dried and dehydrated canned foods. I bought a whole car load of cans for easily 3/4 off the retail. These deals pop up now and then, especially as the economy gets worse and more people sell stuff that just "sits in a closet" to get money...

Rmpl