Episode-1056- Zero to Prepared – Fast, Simple and Low Cost – Part 1
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You will notice that title of this episode ends in “low cost” vs. “cheap”. As a marketer there is a rule, if you can eliminate a word do it, but that won’t work here. Cheap sets the wrong tone for what we will discuss today, we are talking about protecting your life, your property and the lives of those you love, one doesn’t go “cheap” with such things.
Today may seem like a basic beginners show but I will bet even the seasoned prepper will gain something and if nothing else will be better able to help others get started. Prepping doesn’t have to be complex or expensive, what it must be is specific to a set of goals, today we talk about simple ways to make that happen.
Join Me Today as We Discuss…
- The entire basic system revolves around 6 innate survival needs
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
- Energy
- Security
- Sanitation and Health
- To this we add some basic logistics
- Threat analysis
- When to bug in or out
- Where to go if you have to leave
- Insure the ability to do business when main systems are down
- Once this is understood we create a basic checklist for each need
- Food
- Build 30, 60 and 90 days of reserves in that order
- Begin with “copy canning” then move to cheap LTS
- Slowly develop your own plan using prepared LTS foods
- Water
- Store water in 2 liter bottle used soda bottles
- Acquire a reliable filter
- Know when to “fill the tubs”
- Consider large scale catchment/storage based on space and budget
- Shelter
- Know all the “systems” that run your home
- Have basic repair materials that can keep your home intact
- Make sure your home is fully insured
- Make sure to distribute your preps throughout your home
- Don’t plan on living in a tent or an RV without trying it first
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- Western Botanicals – (sponsor of the day)
- Back Woods Home Magazine – (sponsor of the day)
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I really like the “Meat and Potato” episodes. Because even an advanced prepper can get complacent. Basics, Basics, Basics. This type of episode should be played quarterly. Just to keep everyone on alert. As well it perfect for new listeners, who may not have searched past episodes that deal with this
YEAH! Jack is back in black! Hope your home migration is going well, brother.
I had to dig into my food storage when my husband had an accident that landed him in the hospital. He was off work for 4 mos and i was so glad to have the reserves. I didn’t have to worry about groceries and could concentrate on the major bills when we didn’t have his income. I use this example when I talk to people about being prepared.
what is your take on the 7 mag rule in NYC. what happens to all LE that are ret. or will be ret. the law has no perv. for that.
If I lived in NY I would move.
Stop making me share all these great episodes, man, I got stuff to do!
Jack’s garden hose advice:
I was at the hardware store yesterday and went to buy a garden hose. I looked at a few hoses and quality/price. Straight away I thought of the “Jack Spirko Garden Hose Standards” 🙂 and went for a good quality hose. Yes it cost me a little more but when I used it I could see it would last the test of time. Even came with a 15 year guarantee.
Thanks for the advice Jack 🙂
Jack, I heard the term “Copy Canning” about 30 years ago at a Mormon (LDS) cooking class I attended with a friend. They used it talking about new members as my friend was. The concept has save my behind more times than I can count, as I don’t just use it for FOOD. But, items like WD40, Oil, camp fuel, etc. And it simply WORKS, and it is SIMPLY.
Thanks for mentioning it,
Michael
Jack your story about the washing machine took me back 9 years. When I got home from work it was dark out and my wife was still at work. The living room light was off which was weird because it’s always on. So I assumed it was a burned out light. Well when I went into the house all I could hear was running water and a lot of it! I turned to look and I saw a waterfall coming out of the ceiling between the living room and dinning room. So I ran upstairs to the bathroom to find the toilet supply line had failed. I shut the water off. What happened was the guy that owned the house before us replaced the line with one that was to short and he pulled the copper line up in order for it to fit. Well the stress of a copper line caused the plastic nut on the supply line to break. When I put in a new line I made sure it was long enough. So that guy that was either to lazy or cheap to buy the right one caused a event that caused over $20,000 in damages. Thankfully we had full insurance!
DAMN IT!!!! I am so sick and tired of people who don’t fully understand solar systems trying to pitch solar in a unrealistic ways.(i’m not talking about Jack) Was the person who wrote that book a NABCEP certified solar professional? NO!!! I bet not!! An educated and certified solar professional would never suggest you operate an electric stove with solar!!! Electric resistance coils do have a place in solar systems but better when coupled with wind and very rarely as a primary function.
Great show Jack. Good to revisit the basics. Have to disagree on RVing. Not for everyone that’s for sure. Like everything, it comes down to quality. If you RV in a cheap tiny trailer you’ll have one experience, if you do it in a quality class C or fifth wheel with slide outs you’ll have another. They have all the amenities of home. Some have fireplaces, marble lined showers and kitchen counters, even outside grills and refrigerators if you have the $$. We full time RV’d for several years. Loved it. The freedom of the open road. Not for everyone though, just like some people hate hotels and only stay in b&bs or the other way around.
Like I said try it first. I hated RVing, in fact I hated pulling the damn thing more then anything else. What a pain in the ass, a bigger RV would have only made that worse. Clearly some love them or the industry would not exist, it ain’t for me.
I started out in a ‘Fred Flinstone” style camper, and have not yet experienced a class c or d camper–would like to!–but camping gives you more experience of nature and i think makes for a better prepper than one who’s vacation preference is a grade A hotel!
Cheap is not always better, agreed. Knowing the basics and building on those with the “right ” stuff is the way to go. Thanks for recalling the basics.
Welcome back, Jack! Hope everything went smoothly on your closing and that you and Dorothy are either down in your new digs already or on the way there very soon!
Great information.
On a side note this episode should be sponsored by Wolf Brand Chili
Great episode – I just wish it would have started more with the ‘why’ instead of the ‘how’ and ‘what’. I think Jack mentioned that was coming in part 2, but to introduce new people it may have been better to have that first.
Just a not about 2L soda bottles. The real reason they are more durable is because they are for carbonated beverages. This means they have a “burst pressure” design target. FYI, they work for bottling home brew as well.
Hey, guys, seen the video and articles on the 2nd Ammendment by the esteemed Mr. Walter Williams? He’s PRO the fight, btw…. http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/13/walter-williams-americans-misunderstand-the-point-of-the-second-amendment/
http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams/are-guns-the-problem.html
Great show. I learn a lot from your programs. Using food storage, especially long term storage is something we have been learning over the last year (cooking grains, grinding for bread). We haven’t joined yet, but will as soon as we are able. Again, thanks.
Good episode. I would recommend holding a BBQ and inviting over people in your neighborhood to discuss fortifying your neighborhood in case of a problem. Ie: bad weather, economic collapse.
Important to rally neighborhoods but neighbors need to know why they need to get together. Hold a BBQ and lecture your neighbors.
Jack, Do you think it would be possible to back feed a house with water from a large storage tank out back. I’m thinking get an IBC tank and mount it on a platform about five feet high and plumbing it in to my standard outside faucet, and leaving the faucet on and have a float valve in the tank to turn it off when full. Use it to water garden etc.. But if the water supply gets shut off I would shut the water off to the house and then run the tank output into my outside faucet, thus back feeding the house. I wouldn’t use it to fill the bathtub but being able to wash hands in the sink like normal would be nice. Just don’t know if there would be enough water pressure, but I guess you could just raise the tank higher.
Great episode. Thanks for the plug, hopefully my misfortune can help save others from the same happening to them. Security has become my number one priority in everything I do now. See you in NH.
Two thoughts on the water info.
I was concerned about your process for rotating water through the berkey. You said you take filtered water in a bottle from the fridge, use the water, fill the bottle at the tap, pour it in the berkey, refill it from the berkey, then put the bottle back in the fridge. Full Circle. That’s a great system for when the water out of the tap is safe, but as a habit, might be dangerous for when the tap water is non potable. Ideally, I would have a designated container for refilling the filter from the tap, and the bottles of filtered water in the fridge would never touch unfiltered water.
Also, I liked your ideas concerning recycling 2 liter bottles for water storage. We don’t drink soda at all, either, but I found that you can buy generic sparkling seltzer water in 2 liters. Quadruple bonus: its just water, we can store it as a comfort item, we’ve been enjoying sparkling water as a treat we don’t normally have, and we’ve been making loads of progress on a new E water storage program!
Thanks, Jack.
We are campers and used to ‘roughing it’ but I am appreciating all of your tips. I am a prep beginner but I hope my camping background is useful in this.
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