$1k, How Would You Allocate?
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start with a stainless steel 10/22 and ammo, then a Berkey water filter. Go from there.
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Oh, if we're including ammo and guns, we're pretty decently stocked there, though I'm trying to pick up extra when we hit Wallyworld. I do have a Berkey, which was part of the renewable water source, a well on our place that we can pull the cover off and dip from if we needed. Eventually I want a hand pump, but right now we can get water with or without power, albeit very slowly.
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1. Allocate half of it to your emergency fund and the other half to an available to the public combat medic related course and a first aid bag on steroids.
2. Allocate half of it to your emergency fund and the other half to more food.
3. Allocate half of it to your emergency fund and get a hand pump. Any balance remaining put toward ammo.
2. Allocate half of it to your emergency fund and the other half to more food.
3. Allocate half of it to your emergency fund and get a hand pump. Any balance remaining put toward ammo.
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Renewable water source! You can use this all the time in several different ways. I do not believe in spending too much money on things that can only be used during a shtf. I think a SHTF event is less likely than most posting here. I have som raw land for a BOL but plan on bugging in at ome of my two homes.
You might want to consider an SHTF alternative source. I have a 600 gal LP tank but only a gas instant hot water heater and fireplace. You cannot harvest that much wood. That is at one BOL. just purchased the second bug in location today.
You might want to consider an SHTF alternative source. I have a 600 gal LP tank but only a gas instant hot water heater and fireplace. You cannot harvest that much wood. That is at one BOL. just purchased the second bug in location today.
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First aid supplies, and a class.
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start a garden
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Since you already have a well, why not a backup water system? Get gutters and tanks. Harvest rain water if its ok in your state. Water the garden or trees from it. Save the well water for drinking and cooking.
I'm in the same boat. I am selling off some unnecessary stuff (extra cars, stuff laying around not useable in a SHTF scenario) if the buick sells, then I'll have about $7000 to spare.
So I'm going to invest in more gutters, more holding tanks, and a berkey.
Can't have too much water.
Another thing to invest in, is LED light bulbs. Spend more now, yeah, but if it'll drop the bill, then it's worth it.
Depending on your location, wether you own it, or if you're bugging in, I'd invest in upgraded windows and doors. Find out what direction the wind is coming from, and upgrade that part. I have a sliding door and a window on the north side, where the wind comes from. Those will be upgraded first. It'll be about $600 to upgrade just those.
Of course I'm always thinking of the long term pay offs. Don't want to be in a SHTF situation and burn 2x the fuel to keep warm, and not have access to upgrade.
I would also suggest in more food. Or even gardening supplies. Canning supplies. Tools.
Or even top off the fuel tanks (car/truck, propane tanks, even the wood pile)
One thing I want to do is get a gamo pellet gun. I'm in the city basically, and would rather fire off a pellet gun than a rifle. Yesterday was a perfect example. Gopher popped up, and all I could get to quickly was the .22. Kind of loud, especially in a SHTF scenario, just for a gopher.
Do you already have an alternate power source? Maybe now is the time money wise, to either set up or expand/upgrade?
I'm thinking hydro for the winter. Have them inline with the downspouts. It's not that it rains THAT much, but if I'm living off of battery, a little recharge from the hydro, is better than waiting the rain out for a sunny day. Or waiting for it to get windy. It is hardly windy when it rains around here.
Another thing I'm thinking of is swapping out the faucets for loflo, or aerator faucets. Use less water per run. I already have loflo toilets.
If you own your house, can you repipe the "gray" water into barrels, or to a garden area? I'm on septic, and hopefully soon, the only thing going into it will be toilet water. The rest will be going into a sand/gravel/carbon filtered barrel. Then into a larger storage tank, for the garden.
My house is dark inside, so I will be investing in skylights. So if I have to board up the windows, it'll still be light inside.
Is your vehicle bug out ready? Maybe needs a tune up, or new tires? All my cars have NEW tires. 2 cars are 5x4.5 and the other 2 are 5x5.5. So no matter what, I can have spares just in case.
Only you know your weaknesses. I'd try to turn those weaknesses into strengths
I'm in the same boat. I am selling off some unnecessary stuff (extra cars, stuff laying around not useable in a SHTF scenario) if the buick sells, then I'll have about $7000 to spare.
So I'm going to invest in more gutters, more holding tanks, and a berkey.
Can't have too much water.
Another thing to invest in, is LED light bulbs. Spend more now, yeah, but if it'll drop the bill, then it's worth it.
Depending on your location, wether you own it, or if you're bugging in, I'd invest in upgraded windows and doors. Find out what direction the wind is coming from, and upgrade that part. I have a sliding door and a window on the north side, where the wind comes from. Those will be upgraded first. It'll be about $600 to upgrade just those.
Of course I'm always thinking of the long term pay offs. Don't want to be in a SHTF situation and burn 2x the fuel to keep warm, and not have access to upgrade.
I would also suggest in more food. Or even gardening supplies. Canning supplies. Tools.
Or even top off the fuel tanks (car/truck, propane tanks, even the wood pile)
One thing I want to do is get a gamo pellet gun. I'm in the city basically, and would rather fire off a pellet gun than a rifle. Yesterday was a perfect example. Gopher popped up, and all I could get to quickly was the .22. Kind of loud, especially in a SHTF scenario, just for a gopher.
Do you already have an alternate power source? Maybe now is the time money wise, to either set up or expand/upgrade?
I'm thinking hydro for the winter. Have them inline with the downspouts. It's not that it rains THAT much, but if I'm living off of battery, a little recharge from the hydro, is better than waiting the rain out for a sunny day. Or waiting for it to get windy. It is hardly windy when it rains around here.
Another thing I'm thinking of is swapping out the faucets for loflo, or aerator faucets. Use less water per run. I already have loflo toilets.
If you own your house, can you repipe the "gray" water into barrels, or to a garden area? I'm on septic, and hopefully soon, the only thing going into it will be toilet water. The rest will be going into a sand/gravel/carbon filtered barrel. Then into a larger storage tank, for the garden.
My house is dark inside, so I will be investing in skylights. So if I have to board up the windows, it'll still be light inside.
Is your vehicle bug out ready? Maybe needs a tune up, or new tires? All my cars have NEW tires. 2 cars are 5x4.5 and the other 2 are 5x5.5. So no matter what, I can have spares just in case.
Only you know your weaknesses. I'd try to turn those weaknesses into strengths
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I'm just not comfortable with the levels of any of our preps, but keep going back and forth about the priorities. We had some big setbacks this year and used our emergency fund up for, well, emergencies. So we're starting over from square one.
I think I like the idea of half and half to the fund and to food.
Many of the things you suggested Kevin (or is it Kev In?) are things I want to get to, but I tend to rank them a little lower right now since things are so sparse. So many plans, so few funds! :/
So we're starting over from square one.I think I like the idea of half and half to the fund and to food.
Many of the things you suggested Kevin (or is it Kev In?) are things I want to get to, but I tend to rank them a little lower right now since things are so sparse. So many plans, so few funds! :/
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I'm not sure what two weeks of living expenses equates to but I know that two months of food is not enough. If you have a truly renewable source of water - that is potable and safe - then there is little to spend money on there.
You need a years worth of food stored but you also need a garden. Firearms weren't mentioned so I would say after food then a pump shotgun is in order if you have reliable shelter. If I was in the city I would put the whole $1000 into a land fund and keep adding to it until I could get some land for cash.
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I guess my biggest concern was how to decide between food and emergency fund. We are decently armed. Could always have more, but, you know... Hubby has a separate fund made from birthday money, selling things, etc. for getting his next gun and it should happen by Christmas. We can make do with what we have for hunting and self defense right now.
We also garden. It's small but we'll expand next year. I also can so we have some of that but living purely off stores...probably 2 months.
We sit on 5 very not secluded acres and want to get into a secluded, timbered place soon.
Here's the way I figure, will leave it up to you more experienced folks to tell me if I'm off:
50/50 extra cash into food and emergency fund. Get both to 6 months and then start adding in other preps, such as more ammo, a land fund, and whatever else while working toward a year of both cash and food. I don't really plan for bugging out because my kids are 1, 3 and 5 and I'm alone. Can't see any way to make that work so we'll stay put unless there's no other choice. Not a lot of natural disaster issues to worry about here so hopefully it never gets to bugging out - I have nowhere to go in any case.
We also garden. It's small but we'll expand next year. I also can so we have some of that but living purely off stores...probably 2 months.
We sit on 5 very not secluded acres and want to get into a secluded, timbered place soon.
Here's the way I figure, will leave it up to you more experienced folks to tell me if I'm off:
50/50 extra cash into food and emergency fund. Get both to 6 months and then start adding in other preps, such as more ammo, a land fund, and whatever else while working toward a year of both cash and food. I don't really plan for bugging out because my kids are 1, 3 and 5 and I'm alone. Can't see any way to make that work so we'll stay put unless there's no other choice. Not a lot of natural disaster issues to worry about here so hopefully it never gets to bugging out - I have nowhere to go in any case.
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