With all the talk about the H1N1 flu virus and it possibly causing a pandemic, along with other factors in our world today loss of job, etc. and having to wait for unemployment to kick in, a question that was brought up on another group I belong to is "Could You and your family survive for 30 days without leaving your home?"
I have been working towards this goal for a long time, it isn't easy. Today I bought 2 large bags of dog food for our dogs that would last a month, in 2 weeks I'll buy another one so that I always have a month on hand. I have a turkey in the freezer that I need to cook next week and refreeze into smaller portions so that if we lost heat and electric, I could thaw out small amounts and cook on my butane burner plate. I also try to keep stocked up on crackers/ saltines/snack type in case I don't have bread since bread goes stale and it takes up too much valuable space in my deep freezers.
We also have kerosene fuel to last at least 7 days will be trying to add to that soon. We have books, craft supplies that can be done manually, cards to keep us entertained.
Are you prepared if you were to become housebound for 30 days?
Anna
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Wow, Anna, it sounds like you are well on your way. Sadly, we wouldn't make it. I could stalk up on food in my full size freezer but other than that, we don't have a lot of space for any other extras.
Anna, way to go on being prepared. When I lived in Memphis, we had a bad storm come through with straight line winds of about 80-100 mph. It knocked down all of the power lines in the city. Luckily, we lived outside of Memphis in a newer area and all of the power lines were buried underground. Anyway, there were areas of the city who were without power for almost a month.
With the supplies we have on hand right now, we could probably last for about a week. I have enough food to last longer than that, but probably not enough water. We keep an extra propane tank for our gas grill and have plenty of firewood for heat.
We have several flashlights, battery operated radios, manual can opener and lots of candles. I am planning on buying a hand crank lantern that has a weather radio built in and chargers for cell phones. The one thing that annoys me is that insurance won't let us get more than a 30-day supply of prescription meds at a time so that would definitely become an issue in a long-term emergency.
Tami, I read a book once about stockpiling, and it had lots of ideas for people living in apartments and very small homes. It recommended storing things under beds, sofas, etc.
Good thread Anna.
YES - we could survive. I started stockpiling back in Sept. & Oct. for the H1N1 reason. I tried to anticipate everything that we use and would need. We are stocked for many months. The only thing we wouldn't have is fresh milk and eggs. I do have some eggs frozen and I have dry milk I could use if necessary. Would have to go out for meds, but can do drive-up for that.
I will be trying to stay in more this winter. The only time I buy grocery items, is when I see a great deal that shouldn't be missed.
In case of emergency situation, we have extra propane for grill, have a source for wood (if needed to cook with), we have gas for generator, plenty of candles and flash lights. Lot's of books, and things to do. Lot's of rain water (from summer) stored in basement which would help in flushing and bathing. I could even boil to drink. I probably should get some bottled water to have on hand - I just cringe at the thought of buying water!
We have lots of food items that could be eaten without cooking as well. We have a couple months of pet food and litter on hand most of the time.
YEP, I think I'm ready. PRAY - we don't have to be!!!!!!!!
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Last edited by pootersmommy; 01-01-2010 at 07:49 AM.
I think (fingers crossed) that we would be okay food and heat wise; should get the other propane tank filled though.
We have a fireplace and barbque grill to cook on.
One thing I like by having a stock pile is I don't have to run out and buy something at full price because I've run out. I can buy when things are on sale to replace what we have used and match the sales with coupons when possible.
We could survive for 30 days. We have a generator and enough gas for it for it to run 30 days. The generator would give us water and electric. We have a wood burning stove and plenty of wood. We use the stove to help with our heating bill. We have 2 large freezers stocked with meat and frozen veggies. I have plenty of box and can items. I always have plenty of dog and cat food. We have plenty of propane for the gas grill. We have a camper in our driveway that we could also live in. It has propane heat and a battery for electric. I have 1 telephone that is does not need electric to work. I have 3 dutchovens that I could use on my wood buring stove. We also have a firering in our back yard. I could us that to cook on if I had to. With being a camping family we are very set for ruffing it. LOL!!
Whether you are searching for frugal dinners or just want to learn how to save some money, this is the forum you want!
Kathy
