Survival and Emergency Preparedness

These couple months have been a bit extreme for a lot of us...

But, what items are you short of ( from stores, etc ) or forgot to stock ?

I myself have pretty good cap on things here, but the few items I think I was a bit slack in....

1) Paper plates, plastic ware.
I don't usu stock these but lately we have gone thru quite a bit... thinking I need to stock a case in the future. With all the grandkids I've been trying not to run the dishwasher as some of the soap pods are low and local costco is a mess. Not a great need but a convenient one.
2) booze.
Yes the liqueur stores are open and I usu store a couple gallons of like everclear... it's not great plain drinking stock.. Going to put a few bottles of Jim Beam and Jameson away and rotate as used
3) propane.
Been using the BBQ and I usu run 4-20lbs tanks in rotation. Can't/hard to fill right now. But I do have 2-100gall tanks now. Going to have to tap that supply to make it more available.

So what have others been short of or missing ??

From your list:
1. I always stock paper plates, spoons, napkins. It's always nice to not have to wash stuff. And - if water is tight....great thing to have, and cheap.
2. Booze. I could run a bar for an evening from my house. Good there. even have pints available for barter etc.
3. I usually keep three propane on hand. One full, one in use and either an empty or another full depending on my motivation/barbq season

I will definitely be upping these items though:
- Powedered Milk.
- Sugar
- Seasoning perhaps.

I could also have had a few more cleaning products in rotation.

Also - this just happened to hit me on a TP/PAper towel low point!!!! Won't let that slip again....

Finally - I may up my mask stock...but not a ton. I maintain that the mask is a very false sense of security for most.

We were good on TP and paper towels, having said that, seeing as there was a run on those types of products I plan to add an extra case to the rotation. We usually buy the 12 roll pack of 1K sheets from Aldi. So after things get back to normal maybe have an extra pack or two beyond the normal amount. Same with paper towels.

We weren't in need of cat food but I think when I open a bag I will get a new bag as a back up.

We were good on stuff like hygiene and hand sanitizer type products so I was happy with that. When things get back to normal I'll probably pack away a few extra bottles of sanitizer and then save them for a rainy day. I posted videos on how to make your own hand sanitizer in the DIY section last night. I have several aloe vera plants in the backyard so I'll make my own for normal use and have the others for back up. Store bought hand sanitizer has a shelf live of a couple of years. How effective it is after that I don't know (yet). I always use hand sanitizer after things like pumping fuel. Probably increase this a bit in regards to after leaving a store, for example.

Disinfecting wipes. I'm good on those and have a few cans I haven't opened up yet, but when it all calms down I will stock up a bit more just to have on hand. As they are sealed up I don't see them going bad or losing moisture and I don't see an expiration date on the Clorox brand I have sitting on the counter next to my PC. I think I'll start carrying a small baggie of wipes in my EDC sling bag. Not all stores have the wipes where the shopping carts are and I've noticed that the ones that normally do ran out quickly with everything going on. So having some on hand to wipe off the cart is a good thing.

Really, as far as food, we were and are gold. Just perishables would be a concern like bananas and such. We go through a lot of bananas at my house so I have to go out maybe once a week to get more. Although I do have several banana trees in my backyard that do produce so I do have a back up.

Not seen any shortages anywhere but the booze thing has me wondering. I'm not a big drinker but like a scotch or bourbon occasionally. Wondering if/how I would get by without an occasional dram. I can go for weeks/months without but when I want it, I want it and my family has started doing weekly video conferencing "happy hours".

I currently have a couple bottles of good single malt scotch that will only be broken out on special occasions. I have half a bottle of common blend and half a bottle of bourbon. I'm thinking I should stock up like I did with ammo. Maybe a case or two of each of my favorites would hold my over should a real crisis occur.

We were good on paper products as I had stocked up in the past. I carry a baggy with clean rags made from old T shirts soaked in rubbing alcohol which I use to clean anything I touch and my hands. I then wipe down door handles, steering wheels and stuff inside and outside my cars whenever I go out which isn't often. My wife has been going shopping once a week and buys a little extra each time to stash.

As far as booze, I have a small cabinet with rums, vodka, bourbon and such. And that will last me for decades as I don't drink. My only reason for having such is company, making tinctures and the literal medicinal uses. For example, I bought a bottle of spiced rum about 6-8 years ago while on a cruise. I literally bought it for using for things like a sore throat and such. After 6-8 years I still have 80%+ in the bottle.

However, having said that, it wouldn't hurt to buy a few more bottles of whatever just to have on stock. Always good for other uses.

I am not "short" on anything.
I took heed in January when scheduling a cruise for May. To give an idea of the scope of preps, I purchased 4 cases of tp alone from Costco at that time. My cruise is now cancelled and I am out only $25.

The thing that concerns me is the very long term. I prefer to eat fresh veggies every day. That preference causes me to shop every few days. Things will not go back to "normal" for months and months. I will be exposed to the epidemic.

Booze comments. A very long time ago, I made the birthday and Christmas gifts of alcohol for rational reasons: 1. it was something people could use or serve to guests; 2. I know the wine and liquor industries and when the "sales" occur; 3. any wine or liquor purchased and not actually gifted constituted a potential preparation for shtf; 4. empty pint plastic liquor bottles (if you have to do trading) are inexpensive. My personal drinking is probably at the level of a six pack of beer, 2 gallons of wine and less than 1/2 a bottle of liquor a year. However, I estimate that I have 20 gallons of wine and 30 gallons of liquors. And, yes, I have a lot of relatives. Example. My mother drank Old Grandad. My older brother likes to make traditional pecan pies with Old Grandad. So I bought a case. He comes by at least once a year - and gets a bottle. Another example. I have a French amoire in one room. It is loaded with wrapped gifts for family members - booze/restored knives/books/Leatherman tools. I give credit to my late wife. She kept a closet of gifts for potential weddings and for the Los Angeles County orphanage downtown.

Well, since we went there...

Beer fridge is doing ok (Warm bottle stock not shown)



Wine rack moderately full (some "on-call" bottles in fridge not shown)



Booze Buffet doing fine



Barter Pints

You're either a well stocked prepper or you have a problem....

As my daughter said - he is like a Foodie, except with alcohol.

I actually may go weeks without having anything, or kick down 3-5 in an evening. Once a year I like to get a good drunk on, just to remind me why not to that...

It's a hobby, like guitars and guns.

As many here, most of our basics were / are covered... Could go longer in warm weather ( now getting here ) than winter, normal stocks would work.
I use to do a once a month Costco run for alot of basics while always having backups.

It's just I started thinking of a few extras things I had low amounts of or none.

One thing to add is I need to back up my supply of 2 stroke oil. I went to cut up a pine that fell in back as noticed I was low.
Yes, in a pinch I could use regular 30w, but prob not the best for saw.