Prepper Non-Food Items

When preppers prepare for a disaster they usually stock up on food and water. They purchase can goods from the grocery store, can their own meats and vegetables and dehydrate foods. Even though their time, effort and money go into preparing food stores, there are non-food items that are equally important.

For food items, here is a quick rule of thumb of how to prepare for a year.

There are 52 weeks in the year and 7 days per week. Figure out what foods you like, not frozen, and have 7 different types and 52 of each one so your family can have it once a week. As an example, if you like chicken, then have enough canned chicken, store bought or home prepared, for your family to eat chicken once per week for 52 weeks. If you like green beans with the chicken, then store enough green beans for your family to have once per week with the chicken.

That’s it. If you have 52 of each item to cover 7 days per week then you have food stores for your family for one year. If you don’t have that, then you have some more preparing to do. In a pinch, dry beans and rice will keep you from going hungry.

For non-food items, here is a list we have added to our supplies.

Toilet paper is an essential item. We buy Pom’s Toilet Paper from Sam’s Club. It is two ply and is a triple roll. You get 40 rolls for under $20. To figure out how many you need, keep track of how long one roll will last in each bathroom. So, if a roll lasted for 3 days, you will need 365 \ 3 = 122 rolls of toilet paper (3 cases of Poms)to supply that one bathroom for one year.

Paper towels or dish towels? That is the question. If paper towels, determine how many you need using the same method as for toilet paper. If you go with dish towels that you can wash, Sam’s Club sells them in bulk.

Plenty of Kleenex Tissue unless you plan on using your toilet paper or paper towels. Determine your consumption the same as above. Buy in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco.

Paper Plates and plastic eating and drinking utensils since you may not have water to wash dishes.

Manual Kitchen Utensils, such as, a can opener and hand mixer.

Tooth paste and tooth brushes. Determine how many you need for a year.

Gas grill and cook stove. If you don’t have electricity, you will need a way to cook your food. We installed a 120 gallon propane tank for our grill and a two burner cook stove that will last about one and a half years. If you also want it for heat then install a larger tank.

Alternate heat source. Kerosene or propane heater, solar heat or fireplace. Install a 250 gallon tank for the kerosene and/or an appropriate sized propane container. Stock up on wood for your fireplace or wood stove.

You need to have clean drinking water. You can have a water bladder that fits into your tub that can be filled before the disaster strikes. You could also have purification tablets, a way to strain and boil water or a gravity fed water filter, such as, a Berkey.

Kerosene Lanterns are great for light and provide a little heat. You do not need to buy the special lantern oil in the stores….just use kerosene. Buy a blue kerosene container at your favorite hardware store and fill it up at your local gas station. Many hardware stores have fragrances you can add to the kerosene. Also have a smaller container to pour the kerosene into to fill your lanterns.

Make sure you have a supply of matches, candles and batteries on hand, as well as, flashlights.

Moist towelettes for bird baths.

Feminine hygiene products.

Medicinal stuff, such as, peroxide, aspirin, antibiotic cream, anbesol, etc.

Hand and bath soap, as well as, anti-bacterial hand wash.

If you are on a sewer system, you absolutely need a portable potty and a supply of hygiene bags. Do not use trash bags as they will leak and end up causing health problems. You can use a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat made for the bucket. You will still need the hygiene bags. You can also put kitty litter in the bag to keep down the odor.

If you are on a well for your water, it only works if you have electricity. So you need to install a manual well pump that works when you don’t have electricity. Even if you don’t have electricity for days, weeks, months or years, you will still have good drinking water which is absolutely necessary to stay alive and healthy. If you are on city water then buy the water collection barrels to collect water from your gutter system. You will still need a way to purify your water before drinking it.

Since I am a prepper, I believe you should also have a way to protect your family, your home and your possessions. If you can, buy your weapons from an individual. No city, state or Federal Government can keep you from having arms. There is no law they can pass that trumps the 2nd amendment. If they try, carry it all the way to the Supreme Court. So, stock up.

Buy an ATV (Four Wheeler) that has a distributor with points and plugs (EMP Proof). They make these special without electronics for the same price but you have to ask for them. If you rather have a car, buy an older one that does not have any electronics on it, such as, an electronic ignition.

The above is not a big deal unless you need it and don’t have it. If you are a tent camper you already have your starting supplies. Just keep adding to it.

Walk through each room of your home and ask, ‘If I had to rely on my supplies for one year, what do I absolutely need. Then, stock up a supply that will last you for a year. That’s all there is to preparing a survival list.

Another test you can do is imagine you do not have electric, water or sewer. Now, what food and non-food items would you need to survive. If you think this is far fetched, ask the people of New York and New Jersey who survived Hurricane Sandy.

Here are some businesses that can help you get prepared.

www.carolinareadiness.com
www.samsclub.com