PREP Ebola/Isis/ETC Time to fill in the prep holes?

[SheWoff]

Sitting here scanning the front page of TB2K and posting to the Ebola daily thread...I am starting to wonder if it isn't time to fill in those holes in our preps now before prices go up any more or flu season hits or any number of reasons you can think of? If you are...what is it that you're missing? I thought maybe a good brainstorming thread of possible needed items might help some of us who are stuck.

I know there are food preps I need to get like tea bags, spices, meat, etc... but what about med preps and such? I guess I am looking for some good ideas that don't cost a fortune. Thanks!

She

 

[jed turtle]

from this month's newsletter from Dr. David Williams: "Protect Yourself During a Pandemic" :

....Anti-viral compounds:...
four of the most potent antiviral compounds I've ever encoutered in my decades of research are modified citrus pectin (MCP), active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), elderberry extract (Sambucol) (several teaspoons daily, let it coat your mouth and throad and don't drink any fluids for 15 to 20 minutes, and high does of vitamin D. (as much as 50,000 IU per day for three days and then reducing to 3,000 to 5,000 per day depending on your weight. )

for more info drdavidwilliams.com

eta: he lists sources:
MCP every day ( a 5 gram scoop of Pecta sol-C from Econugenics with morning protein shake)
econugenics. com

AHCC (Immpower from American BioSciences - he doesn't take it daily, but it can be a true godsend for gitting rid of the flu or any persistent infection.)
American BioSciences: the harmonycompany.com

 

[Hfcomms]

I know there are food preps I need to get like tea bags, spices, meat, etc... but what about med preps and such? I guess I am looking for some good ideas that don't cost a fortune. Thanks!

She

We have a just in time supply system which is not geared to rapidly spool up to increasing demand. It is like that in the medical supply system as well...even the basic supplies have little room to gear up. For something like Ebola personal protective gear will be in very short supply. Everyone should have several tyvek suits or greater. Everyone should have at least one or two boxes of N95 or greater respirators. Everyone should have a couple of boxes of nitrile gloves or similar, a set of swimmers goggles for basic eye protection per person, ect. Have a good supply of antiseptic wash with the capability to make more. I have Chlorhexidine 2% Disinfectant that I use but even regular household bleach can be diluted and used. And of course if someone does get sick you need a good size tent or an outbuilding that they can be put along with basic supplies for patient care. A lot of the things needed are basic and don't cost that much right now. In the event of a panic people will be buying stuff and don't even know what they are buying it for. Similar to the run on duct tape and plastic sheeting after 911. Get what you need and put it away now. If you don't need it this time it's still cheap insurance against the future.

 

[dogmanan]

I would after all these years we all should be pretty well prepped.

I know we always want more but most should be good to go I would think.

 

[joyfulheart]

I am prepped for minor things, but NOT Ebola. (assuming we would be on our own) I have a list of wants/needs, but money isn't there right now.
If God wants us to have it, HE will have the money available or give us the resources.

 

[dogmanan]

I am prepped for minor things, but NOT Ebola. (assuming we would be on our own) I have a list of wants/needs, but money isn't there right now.
If God wants us to have it, HE will have the money available or give us the resources.

I would think the best prepp for ebola would be a lot of praying and a lot of luck.

 

[bw]

I would think the best prepp for ebola would be a lot of praying and a lot of luck.

Most of the dead probably used that strategy.

 

[Terrwyn]

Shop around for Immpower. don't buy from the harmony co. Vita cost has Immpower with D3 for 26.95. Harmony co. is 34.95

 

[jed turtle]

Shop around for Immpower. don't buy from the harmony co. Vita cost has Immpower with D3 for 26.95. Harmony co. is 34.95

thanks for the info!

it looks like valuable stuff to have around considering the influx of illegal aliens with a cocktail brew of diseases being spread around the country behind our backs with no accounting by the gov.

 

[WalknTrot]

I'm not worried about Ebola. But I AM more worried about economic collapse, war and terrorism than I was even a month ago.

This morning was putting a frugal "to-do" list together - thinking another #10 can case of split peas (Emergency Essentials) , a couple cases of #10 packed dried apples (LDS storage online store) , and a case of Safecastle's canned Yoder bacon. Then buying sugar and vinegar while it's on sale, picking up enough bagged bread flour for the winter, and refreshing my frozen yeast supply.

This weekend, I'll be digging out all of the dusty 5 gallon gas cans from the corner of the barn, stabilizing and filling with gas. Been going through and checking the lighting options, (more batteries!) have filled the 500 gallon propane tank, and need to officially inventory the pantry. Harvest time is here, and canned tomato products, fruit and vegetables are on sale now. Also on sale are lots of frozen vegetables, so the dehydrator will be working O.T.

 

[Trend]

Cocoa, I need cocoa, Audis only has it during holiday season.

 

[Adino]

i started looking for and filling holes immediately after dr brantley flew thru jfk and dfw

even if we are very fortunate and this burns out the frn is in its death throws

when it finally kicks shortages of every kind will be here ebola or not

 

[Sacajawea]

While also available from S. America, cocoa and coffee are generally shipped from W. Africa. And shipping from countries with an outbreak, as I understand things, has been restricted.

We've been hard at "topping off" since fall of last year. Had a few things necessary to do to the house; then had the HW heater die on us. The budget is weezing right now. But I have a few odds & ends still on my shopping list - even tho I think we could lock down today or tomorrow (with a couple of last minute runs for fuel & additives).

For meds: tylenol (acetominophen) is the recommended fever reducer for Ebola -- because it doesn't have the side effect of aggravating gastric bleeding. For OTC remedies - the dollar store is the best bang for your buck. I read labels; for the most part these are identical in make-up to the brand names. Don't forget to buy a pack of kitchen style rubber gloves, to go over the lighter weight ones, when cleaning up! I've been adding some extra cleaning supplies to my "stash".

 

[SAPPHIRE]

My pennies are screaming all ready.......really pinched....but still doing what we can. Those planes have me concerned........

 

[Mushroom]

I have more TP to add to TP mountain as well as another couple cases of baby wipes. I have enough vinegar and bleach to keep me for a while. I have enough plastic bags and a huge amount of rubber/vinyl gloves. I just ordered some refried bean flakes and carrot shreds to fill in my stores with easy to fix foods. DH is just finished with making more cable connections for the 4 new batteries we bought last spring so we will have a total of 16 in the bank for the solar panels to charge up. He got the henhouse nesting boxes put together and installed now all we have to do is convince the hens to use them. We got a deck box to keep the sun ovens in so they don't get so dusty and need to clear a spot for it that's as out of the weather as we can make it. If there is enough room after I put in the 2 sun ovens, I plan to add some bags of lump charcoal to use in the bbq. The charcoal is on my shopping list. I already have a galvanized trash can full but more is, well, more. I need to dump out an old bag of bread flour and replace it with a new one. That should be about right for now. We will be as ready as we can get.

 

[ginnie6]

pennies are beyond pinched here and yet I keep thinking of things we NEED! I let the preps go for quite awhile and now am paying for it. We eat simply so I think we're ok on food for awhile. It's all the other little things that are worrying me. That and what is going to happen long term. At some point if things go south everyone will run out of everything.....then what? That's what worries me....

 

[Mushroom]

pennies are beyond pinched here and yet I keep thinking of things we NEED! I let the preps go for quite awhile and now am paying for it. We eat simply so I think we're ok on food for awhile. It's all the other little things that are worrying me. That and what is going to happen long term. At some point if things go south everyone will run out of everything.....then what? That's what worries me....

Ginnie6, all you can do is all you can do. I have prepped for my whole family because I could and they couldn't. It might be a good idea to express your worries with some of your family and go in together on things that you can't get alone. Buy in bulk and split it up. Spread the savings around. Think up workarounds for things you can't afford. We each have our limitations and we learn to make do. Having help in the family is worth the effort.

 

[ginnie6]

I wish that were a possibility. Sadly I am the one who is prepping for others. Only family nearby are the married kids and they are still of that mindset that things like that won't happen to them. Although I think one sil might be starting to get it. I've tried talking to the dd's about keeping enough food on hand for a month just in case but I don't think either one does. If something bad happens I have no doubt that I will have 4 adults turn up with whatever they have left on hand. They might get very tired of eating the same thing over and over but at least they would have something!

 

[SheWoff]

Thanks for the tip about the swim goggles! I found two pair yesterday in a clearance bin and cost me a total of 50 cents! They went into the medical box.

That jit inventory is what's got me to thinking about all this. Most people still think stores have tons of stuff in the back room. We know better. So I guess it's back to the grind today of canning, but still working on the list. There are some good ideas here!

She

 

[Illini Warrior]

don't forget the possible disease outbreaks post - SHTF ..... clean water and sanitary conditions will be the first to go .... combine that with bad food and possible poisoning .... haphazard housing situations ..... you'll be seeing people down and dying within a week .... dysentery will be rampant .... 3rd World conditions just like present day ebola central

 

[Bobga]

A thought just came to me.... it has been a while since I went through meds, and health related storage.... (well all storage for that matter)...

The point being....

Some things have expiration dates......
Some of those are just dates... and mean nothing... others are for real...

How about my stuff..... how about your stuff??

Now is the time to double check.... that is now on the list for the next couple days...

Bogba

 

[Rabbit]

My pennies are screaming all ready.......really pinched....but still doing what we can. Those planes have me concerned........

I am with you there. At least I am getting extra water barrel squared away and ready to hunker down with what I've got.

 

[Baloo]

I am with you there. At least I am getting extra water barrel squared away and ready to hunker down with what I've got.

I need rain water barrel--what do people recommend.
Amazon reviews basically hate them all.

 

[parsonswife]

need to get some 6mil plastic and heavy duty "trash compactor" bags. I read where nurses were making their own PPE out of desperation.....thought having having these would be better than nothing is dealing with sick family.

Does anyone know if a N95 mask could be modified to be better protection? the N100 masks are close to $6-7 each and really out of our price range especially if you have to replace them every few hours or so......same with having enough tyvek suits.

 

[GunGirl]

We just moved from another state and I finally have room to start prepping. I've always been a buy in bulk keep food on hand cook from scratch person, but really, where do you start? Everyone tells me I have quite a pantry, but I really think I only have about two months of food right now.
I will be canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce this weekend, and I'm getting a lug of peaches soon that will all be made onto jam and pie filling.
What are your top basic prep items?

 

[Futira]

I need rain water barrel--what do people recommend.
Amazon reviews basically hate them all.

We got the cheapest Home Depot one (I know it was under $150 - but don't see it on their website now) and it works fine for us - getting a Rubbermaid trashcan this weekend for another one - topped with screen netting on bricks with spigot at bottom. Make sure you set it up high enough to get a watering can or bucket under the spigot.

 

[Hansa44]

Most of the dead probably used that strategy.

Looks like it worked. They got to go Home.

 

[WalknTrot]

We just moved from another state and I finally have room to start prepping. I've always been a buy in bulk keep food on hand cook from scratch person, but really, where do you start? Everyone tells me I have quite a pantry, but I really think I only have about two months of food right now.
I will be canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce this weekend, and I'm getting a lug of peaches soon that will all be made onto jam and pie filling.
What are your top basic prep items?

I'd start with beans, rice, flour (or wheat), oatmeal, complete pancake mix, dry milk, instant potatoes, dry pasta, peanut butter, and canned goods to include meat, tomato products, soup, stew, beans, fruit and vegetables. (Do your own canning if you like).

Along with, store condiments, spices and baking needs like yeast (I freeze mine), baking powder and soda, salt, spices you use, cocoa powder, syrup, jam, ketchup, mustard, soup base or bullion, vinegar and sugar.

That stuff alone will get you far.

 

[JMG91]

In the med department, check your local military surplus place--if you have one--and see if they have medical supplies. Ours has instruments, gauze, vet wrap, bandages, and just about anything else you can think of; and they sell it to us and a couple of our prepper friends for insanely cheap because NO ONE ELSE WANTS IT. Can you believe that?! Most people go in there for the camo and the boots, belts, shirts, etc., but no one ever thinks about the medical. I can't tell you how many times that stuff has come in handy already! And another thing I've learned through using it is: IT GOES FAST. Unbelievably fast. I've quickly learned that, when you stock up on med supplies, you'd better STOCK UP.

Another good way to get med stuff on sale is to find a medical catalogue--I used Moore Medical--and see what they have, then, check Amazon to see if you can find someone else selling it cheaper. Moore Medical sells a box of 20 Steri-Strips for about $35; but a seller on Amazon.com was selling 500 for the same price!!

Also, here's a good place to get vet wrap really cheap--99 cents a roll! If anyone's ever bought that stuff from the store, you know how expensive it is!

http://www.sstack.com/product/dura-tech-vet-flex-bandage/

Another medical item I would recommend having is stainless steel draining needles--between 16 and 18 gauge. You never know when you'll have an incident where you, a family member, or a pet has fluid filling up in an extremity and needs to be drained ASAP. We made sure to stock up on injector needles, drainage needles, extra syringes, etc.

 

[summerthyme]

We just moved from another state and I finally have room to start prepping. I've always been a buy in bulk keep food on hand cook from scratch person, but really, where do you start? Everyone tells me I have quite a pantry, but I really think I only have about two months of food right now.
I will be canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce this weekend, and I'm getting a lug of peaches soon that will all be made onto jam and pie filling.
What are your top basic prep items?

Gungirl... I started with the "Mormon 4"... wheat, salt, honey and oil. (IIRC). Basically, you can live for a long time on those with the addition of some multivitamins, plus whatever greens, vegetables, etc you can produce or scrounge. Of course, we don't have any problems with gluten in our family, so having a lot of good hard winter wheat (we prefer the hard WHITE winter wheat, as it's a bit milder in flavor and lighter in color- for those who aren't used to whole wheat in everything, it's easier to adapt to) on hand means the basis for everything from bread, crackers and pancakes to dougnuts, and all the usual baked goodies. Plus wheat pilaf, hot cereal (cooked cracked wheat)...

Pasta is another adaptable storage food that keeps nearly forever with decent packaging. White rice stores well with oxygen absorbers. Dry beans store a long time, but not forever- they'll get hard eventually. Still, in our cool cellar, I've used 10 year old beans (not stored "right"- just in glass jars, not in mylar with O2 absorbers) and they cooked up fine- took a LONG time, though!

Spices and herbs, boullion... anything to dress up the basic foods is going to be important. So much depends on your individual situation. I don't store a lot of stuff like dried eggs or dairy products because we have chickens and cows. I do store some dry milk and evaporated milk in case of problems like radiation (where I couldn't pasture the cow, or if I had to due to lack of feed, couldn't drink the milk)

There's a book called "Making the Best of Basics" by James Talmage Stevens which is excellent. I got one of the early editions almost 25 years ago, and bought one of the newer editions around 1999. He covers pretty much everything, and has excellent charts which give REALISTIC amounts of what you need for your family. Too many "year supplies" that are sold are NOT going to do much more than keep people alive for a year- not enough calories, or fat.

And as always, WATER. You can't realistically store enough water for long. That means either finding a nearby source of safe water, or getting a decent water filter. We have an artesian well that runs 15 gallons per minute of wonderful water, but I have a couple of filters anyway... just in case. Cheap (relatively!) insurance...

Summerthyme

 

[Annika]

http://survivallife.com/2014/08/15/...r&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=content-mail#

 

[twobarkingdogs]

I need rain water barrel--what do people recommend.
Amazon reviews basically hate them all.

Get a 330 gallon water tote off of craigslist. Make sure its food grade and only held food type products. It should be approx $100. I included a link to one for sale in my area because he's got them strung together real nice for use in one of his pics.

I have 5 of them in my place, 4 in use and 1 spare. 2 of them are at the barn collecting roof water runoff from the gutter downspouts and 2 are downhill at the garden. I have them hooked together by garden hose. When the lower ones need water I open a valve on one of the upper ones and the water flows downhill.

If TSHTF I plan to use the upper ones with a 12v RV pump to provide gray water to the house for flushing, showering, etc.


.


http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/grd/4643027387.html

 

[GunGirl]

Thanks JMG and Summerthyme. I never would have considered pancake mix and dry potatoes. Dry milk is on my list.

I do have a grain mill and have some wheat, I do have a lot of flour also.

I can't just go buy all I would want now, so I am just going to have to prioritize and start getting a couple extra each time I buy one. I have been buying the clearance canned goods at the grocery store-- scored canned pumpkin for $.89 recently-- half price.

I will have to see if there's a military surplus place near us for med supplies. Until then, Sam's Club is our friend.

 

[dogmanan]

We just moved from another state and I finally have room to start prepping. I've always been a buy in bulk keep food on hand cook from scratch person, but really, where do you start? Everyone tells me I have quite a pantry, but I really think I only have about two months of food right now.
I will be canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce this weekend, and I'm getting a lug of peaches soon that will all be made onto jam and pie filling.
What are your top basic prep items?

Beans and rice are a complete food I would buy lots and loys of them they are still very cheap I buy mine in fifty pound bags,and buy lots of different things to flavor them.

Also if you are worried about not getting enough vitamin-c you sprout beans and they are like almost a hundred percent vitamin-c or you can make pine needle tea and get you vitamin -c.

Oat meal is also very cheap if baught in fifty pound bags and very good for you.
I can get a fifty pound of oat meal still for around twenty eight dollars.
If it was me that's what I would get first as it's the cheapest and you can live on it for ever and be healthy, and when I had a lot of this stuff then I would move on to other food.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

For medical equipment I found a lot cheap at thrift shops, like a working blood pressure cuff with scope and an adult potty chair. We have a first aid kit for each person. IMHO if a bad bug is going around I don't think it is a good idea to share things like: thermometers, tweezers and dental floss.

For prepping I like the idea of calculating bulk buys in meals or servings. I don't go by the serving size on the packaging. I go by how much my family eats, per person, in a meal. Example 1 pound of peas is enough for one meal for out family if additional vegetables are available to help fortify the soup. If not I would add more peas.

 

[changed]

Don't forget that you can buy antibiotics from a Farm Feed and Seed store for a worst case scenario.

 

[momof23goats]

I AM ON A HOMESTEAD, SO WEGROW EVERY THING, OUR MEAT, OUR VEGGIES, AND FRUIT. This week I made pasta sauce, and dried tons of tomatoes, plus, green beans, made about 50 jars of pickles of different kinds.we make our own breads, jams jellies and butter.we make all of our own soups, turkey with brown rice, is wonderful, plus split pea and ham, veggie soup, we make all kinds.and this year French onion as well.


we also can up pig meats, and beef, and goat and chicken. yes I can it up. much better than running about 4 freezers like I did for years, but we have to cut back on all of those freezers so we can it up or dry it up.we also make our cheeses at certain times of the year, as well as all of our soaps. for laundry and bath and hand soaps.I have several yards of flannel, for when there is no more tp. just wipe then use a bucket to put in like old fashion diapers.rinse the cloth out then put in a mild solution of bleach water, or soapy water. that is how they did it before tp.

we have lots of beans, of all kinds. yes we do eat them all. I also have tons of odo ban, it kills more than bleach. a doc told me about it.also I use peroxide to clean counters with,kills all kinds of stuff soap and bleach wipes leave behind.

 

[GunGirl]

So I and my husband recently got a Sam's Club membership. They have a LOT of long-term storage and prep items for decent prices, with FREE shipping to your door if you have a Sam's membership. Any membership, not just the elite memberships.

I may start getting some things. The freeze-dried fruit was a pretty decent price, as was the wheat.

 

[patience]

Yes we can store enough water for a long time. We have a cistern that was built to supply our home before county utility water was available here. I rehabbed the cistern about 5 years ago. Filled cracks with hydraulic cement and replastered the inside using QUIKWALL, a fiberglass reinforced hydraulic cement from Quikrete. Put in a new electric pump and pressure tank, ALL new plumbing, and added a hand well pump on the back porch. The back porch floor is the top of the cistern, 12 feet x 14 feet. It's 7 feet deep inside, so it holds around 6,400 gallons when you knock off for the wall thickness. Have a 1 micron filter + charcoal, and a better one for emergency use.

Before we began the cistern work, we cut the big trees around the house to stop the leaf problem, and had a new metal roof put on the house. That keeps shingle grit out of the cistern. I do despise a shingle roof! The new roof cost us about $5K, but insurance money from hail damage to the old shingle roof helped a lot with that. Cistern work cost about $2K. Our monthly water bill had been running about $40 a month, but that is gone. So, we save about $480 a year which would amortize out the cistern costs in a few years.

STORING water, food, or anything else is just putting off the inevitable if TSHTF. You need to be able to produce things for your own needs--grow food, pump your own water, do your own everything as near as possible. Then you need some kind of resource to trade for what you cannot produce. Or, you will be doing without.

 

[the watcher]

Don't forget Ebay. I picked up some, cough cough stuff, that generally you need a medical license for. Dates are fine, sealed and sterile. It's the medical stuff, that will be impossible to get in a shtf scenario.