Best Use Of $1500

Assume that you have all the prepping “basics:” food, water supply, defense, medical etc. and you had $1,500 to spend on “advanced” supplies. How would you prioritize the following list:
A) Night Vision
B) Gun Suppression
C) More Beans, Bullets and Bandaids
D) Hard assets like gold and silver
E) Something more important not on the list

 

I assume I can go off the list, ok. Do you have solar, and/or wind power? How about a hand pump for your well? Do you have a scanner and ham radios? Does your medical include antibiotics, herbs, and essential oils? Heirloom seeds: vegetables, grains (a hand crank grinder), herbs (medicinally and culinary), seeds to grow foods for your livestock? I would buy more livestock, or stock a pond with fish or crayfish...if you do not have a pond...dig one and stock it. Do you have a survival retreat and have it stocked and caches along the way. How about a pre '84 auto? Vitamins & over the counter meds? If you have kids, do you have some clothes, coats, shoes of the next 5 to 10 sizes for them to grow into? How about school materials to continue their education if "it" hits the fan. I could go on all night. Shoot, I need most of this myself...and I would need money too...lol

 

I would choose (C.) I have three years of food, and wish I had five or ten years of food.

Other things........Traps (including rat traps for rats and squirrels). Lots of snares. Wood Matches. Very high quality boots and socks, gloves.

So much depends on where you are, me needs being based on being deep in Alaska.

 

My other thought, around the same price range is a good bullet proof vest but believe night vision will provide the biggest edge in a disaster scenario.

 

F) Knowledge -

Physical preps are fine--and necessary--for bumps in the beltway of life: unemployment, illness, economic upheavals, and for a limited time, longer-term Zombie-style disasters. However, relying 100% on physical preps for long-term security is not in my plans because preps will be depleted or can be lost in an instant (as some here can personally testify).

What will happen if I can't replace my stash of (X-Y-Z) after I have become lulled into a false sense of security by short-term solutions? What will happen if my notes on certain critical skills are destroyed, and my knowledge is rusty because I didn't use the skills often enough? In this light, genuine self-reliance is not a matter of preps, but a way of life.

Here are a few useful things to know and practice until they become muscle-memory. This list is limited, but will hopefully serve as a springboard of ideas to jump from.

- Take an EMT course.

- Sign up for (as local as possible, but travel if you must) hands-on courses in wild edible/medicinal identification and use.

- Learn how to back up your disaster preps with a wide variety of primitive living skills which will serve you well long after (or before) the last store-bought item is gone. (I will use my skills to supplement and preserve my preps as long as possible, and not wait until I have run out of everything.)

- Learn how to “camouflage-garden.” Some of my specialty gardens are more of a camouflaged style...plants that the average person would not recognize as food, and not as a target for hungry thieves. Some plants in my camo-gardens are grown from seeds of plants that are not regarded as food in my country but are delicacies in other parts of the world. And other plants are wildlings that have been transplanted or planted from seed (good sources of these seeds include https://www.rareseeds.com/ and https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/ and others).

And of course, while my regular, conventional food gardens are likely to be raided by nighttime thieves during a prolonged SHTF scenario, the plus side is that they will think they "got it all" and overlook the fact that I have more enduring camouflaged gardens planted all over the area that requires very little, if any, upkeep. For years, I have invested heavily in this project, “Johnny Appleseed-style,” and reap the rewards daily. I love my wildlings; they are good food and good medicine, both!


Last, but not least (this requires NO money...yay!), I bolster my spiritual mind and heart on a daily basis, because staying spiritually healthy has carried me through severe times better than any other skill or physical prep has ever carried me.




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I have night vision covered, Don't need sound suppression, am well stocked on food, water and ammo, Have the hard currency covered so I would probably put the money into hardening my site with better-armored fire positions. Dig in deeper, and make things more fire resistant.

 

GrizzlyetteAdam, I also use grow lights. With these, I can grow inside in the dark, or undercover, plants grow like crazy. This is my plan for hidden garden. I have solar and lots of marine batteries for electricity to keep them growing. Also plan on growing sprouts. I have been buying lots of these for super quick , very good for you foods. And I will be planting lots of edible flowers scattered all around randomly. And any root crops or greens that do not require a lot of sun, I plan to scatter around my location. Inside my living quarters will be edible.

 

I'd put a little wood-burning stove into my fireplace and adapt it to the flue. I normally have such a stove, but simply went with other old-time cooking equipment for this house's big fireplace. First thing I did was to have the firebrick re-mortared and a 3" diameter hole drilled to allow outside air in to let the fire breathe. One doesn't want to have a fire / chimney suck the warmed air out of one's house.

 

A .25 Brocock PCP air rifle (FAC), hand pump and pellet moulds... More because I want it rather than need it. My preps are already in place, the Brocock is an extremely sustainable piece of hunting equipment that is also a bit of fun.

 

Good plan! It is shockingly easy, once you get past the short learning curve. I do this every winter to make up for the lack of what my garden outside can't do when it's too cold for plants to grow.

Some seeds are short lived and can't be stored for too long. Those I like to sprout on a regular basis to keep my stock rotated. Others last for five or more years.

Here is a handy-dandy chart that I like to help me keep on top of things:

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/on/dema...4d0/assets/information/seed-storage-guide.pdf

Happy sprouting!


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3ish years ago started tomatoes from seed given to me either in 81 or 82 by an old timer.they were kept in freezer in a old pill bottle all this time.

results....looked up when i grew these it was 2014...so much for memory of it being 3ish years...lol..still makes seeds over 30 years old.

 

if it was me and i didnt have a 'rainy day fund' i would do that. something to cover repairs now because truth be told that type shtf deal is most likely to happen and most often.

 

REPAIRS! Now there is a fine and good reason for saving and salvaging stuff... I am not ashamed to admit that I have my own private "hardware store." One visitor saw my shed where I keep it all, and called it the most organized chaos he'd ever seen. I took it as a compliment, lol.

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who needs a home...folks like us grizzgal we need a warehouse with living quarters only....lol

 

Remember my three-year-long camping stint? Well, I hauled in an old stripped down van to the site for "garage" purposes. I learned right quick-like to organize stuff or else they may never be found again when I need them most.


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Oh my, those are NICE tomatoes! And big, too. I can tell by the comparison to your um...big paws!

Dang... I knew that tomato seeds stayed viable for a long time, but 30 years in a freezer? Wow, that is amazing. It also kills the myth that freezing seeds isn't a good idea.


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yea...the old gang knows how big my paws are...lol....them maters are large.

 

i just learned a lesson on this form...it will post something you decided not to post...somehow it saves it in the box...lol

 

Ha ha, ain't that a hoot (I saw it before you deleted it).



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Old Geezer: Great minds think alike. I too would install a wood burning stove in my house. Very versatile: you can heat, cook, boil water. We have access to plenty of wood.

I would also consider getting a generator of some form. My first choice would be gas, and have it installed to work within the existing framework with the other appliances.

Some type of solar arrangement to provide power would also be on the wish list.

 

Grizzlyette Adam
Thank you for the seed saving chart. I have a couple of seed to seed savers books. Haven't gone thru yet, hope to soon or some day, which ever comes first...lol

 

I keep my seeds in the freezer too and it works like charm. But long time I wonder, how would you store seeds when there is no electricity for the freezer?

 

Well if you have seeds in the freezer and we have an EMP, I would think they would still be okay for a season or two if kept in a cool place, or bury the jar of seeds in the ground where constant temperature is around 55. WOW !!! I think I just came up with a brain kiss (a great idea) for storing seeds and keeping the bad guys from looting your emergency stash of food/seeds.

 

I suggest you send the $1500 to me for safe storage until you decide how to spend it. I promise no more conditions than a bank on its return, nominal fees and if need be to help you change your mind. Trust me I hav3 worked for both the government and banks. What could go Wrong?

 

If I had $1500 in "disposable" income, I'd spend about $900 for a stainless steel auxiliary hand-pump for my water well, and with the balance, I'd probably get a Nubian doe in milk (preferably with kids), and maybe a Boer wether to raise for meat.

Actually, that's what I would suggest to Dawn, and she'd (hopefully) go along with it.

On the other hand, if I had $15,000, I'd redo the kitchen*, get the auxiliary well-pump, get the Nubian and the Boer, and get a rear-tine tiller and a brush-hog, and a new set of tires for the XTerra, and take Mama out to dinner at the finest restaurant in Twin Falls and then I'd be broke w00t w00t!
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*Dawn would definitely go along with that.

 

Sign me up for E. Something more important not on the list.

With some of those extra "Benjamins" to quote Congressperson Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, I'd work a near-crash program to prepare for a mandatory evacuation from my shack to another geographic area. This is frequently not considered but it's happened before.

I'd read up on the forced evacuations of the WWII era in Europe and Asia. This includes America's Philippines.

A few bucks would be spent on researching and visiting "old-timers" who can tell their story (Think of the Vietnamese "boat people").

I'd consider a new "wardrobe" for all-weather / all - area wear. Aforesaid really just terms because nothing is universal in clothing. The new wardrobe would include boots, with premium wool socks, a discrete "hard-hat" outfitted with mosquito net and ear muffs of some sort. I'd consider a large discrete flight bag adjustable also for back pack carry in lieu of an industry field pack. My wardrobe would have civilian cargo vests. My personal equipment would be "acceptable" to authorities such as a non-threatening looking knife, a best quality multi-tool and a professionally prepared medical kit.

In my flight bag, I'd prep a resume with exhibits documenting some of my skills useful to oversight people.

Would consider maps of possible relocation areas. Would have a well-prepared portable desk with lightweight, all-weather paper and the related. Some personal food would be repackaged into semi-disgusting snacks wrappers so no one will ask me to help alleviate their hunger because they were too busy at the party to prep for emergency.

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Above mostly done and ready except for last minute decision whether to carry copy of letter from President Trump to me. I am a(n) historian and know about implications and consequences....and the unknown.

 

Well, I'm only saving for one thing. A good night vision device and $1500 would help greatly on a $3500 bill. The things I want the most I can't buy. Better health and more time. Never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

Dale