Hi all

[Boston_Joe]

Don't let my handle fool ya. I'm not from Boston. Well not anymore at least. The missus and I have moved around a bit. We started in MA, went to ME and now we're in SC. We're not new to rural living but we're a bit more rural than we had been. I do have to travel into the city for work but get to enjoy country living.

We are of the opinion that there will be a SHtF type event at some point soon and have begun to get ready. Being as new to prepping as we are we are a bit overwhelmed with all that needs to get done to be truly prepared. Playing catch up is never easy but we're working on prioritizing our needs. If anyone has any advice would be most appreciated. We've got an area for our pantry and other supplies all set up and have been getting "extra" each time we hit the store to expand our stores.

While I don't think we will get to self sufficiency I'd like to be a whole lot less dependent on "the machine" than I am today.

I read the whole Going Home series (1-6) over the last 3 weeks. These books along with other that I have read recently have really been the kick in the pants I've needed to accelerate our preparations. I just hope that I am not too late.

[Cwi555]

Welcome from TN.

[unseenone]

Welcome, you will find all the help you need here. Be sure and post up some reviews on Amazon, etc. it really helps.

[Sacajawea]

Hiya from coastal NC. no such thing as too late. Priorities in this order:

Water
food
shelter
heat/cooling
medical
comms

[kickstand]

Hi Joe, from Southern New Mexico. Don't feel bad about trying to play catch-up, we all started somewhere. At least you're doing it now, and not after some SHTF event. None of us are millionaires (that I know of), and all have to prep on a budget. So a little here, a little there, it adds up and eventually you'll be about where you feel a bit more comfortable.
Keep your head above the waterline and just keep chugging.

[W.Lynn]

Heya Joe, hope the wife is on board! We can all make suggestions, but one thing that is better than anybody's opinion, is to find out what HAS happened right there in your county over the last 200 years. We don't all get historic deep freezes every 20 or 30 years, but you might find out about interesting storms with unheard of amounts of lightning or something.

[Boston_Joe]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes.

Answering in no particular order...Yup the missus is aboard. Maybe not to the extent that I want but she knows we need to do something, yesterday. We came dowm from Maine and the weather was a big factor in the decision. The snow and the cold got to be too much. We do get some extreme weather here. In the past 25 years there have been a couple of tornados and the coast got hammered this week by all that rain. We do have an advantage our house was build with a full cellar which is unusual for this area. One part is below our sun/dining room and is foundation wall on 3 sides. We've made that our safe room.

On the supply front we're pecking away at it. The food and water stores are growing with each trip to the store. We don't have any water source nearby so I'm looking at a way to get water from the well without power from the pole. We do have a backup genny but if we were unable to get LP we'd be SOL with that. Heat is no too much of an issue. We have a wood stove downstairs and our place has acres of trees. Med and comms are still in the research phase but always on my mind.

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll start picking everyones brains soon.

[Sacajawea]

So you're in pretty good shape, compared to probably 50% of the population Joe!

[Boston_Joe]

WooHoo! I love being above average.

[Cwi555]

Suggest that you start monitoring rainfall in your area. Keep a chart for 365 days and bounce it off of official recordings. It may be you just need a collection system.

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes.

Answering in no particular order...Yup the missus is aboard. Maybe not to the extent that I want but she knows we need to do something, yesterday. We came dowm from Maine and the weather was a big factor in the decision. The snow and the cold got to be too much. We do get some extreme weather here. In the past 25 years there have been a couple of tornados and the coast got hammered this week by all that rain. We do have an advantage our house was build with a full cellar which is unusual for this area. One part is below our sun/dining room and is foundation wall on 3 sides. We've made that our safe room.

On the supply front we're pecking away at it. The food and water stores are growing with each trip to the store. We don't have any water source nearby so I'm looking at a way to get water from the well without power from the pole. We do have a backup genny but if we were unable to get LP we'd be SOL with that. Heat is no too much of an issue. We have a wood stove downstairs and our place has acres of trees. Med and comms are still in the research phase but always on my mind.

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll start picking everyones brains soon.

[Concerned Dad]

Welcome from NC Joe. My motto is do a little bit of something is better than doing a lot of nothing

[tk]

Welcome From PA

[Boston_Joe]

Suggest that you start monitoring rainfall in your area. Keep a chart for 365 days and bounce it off of official recordings. It may be you just need a collection system.

Good idea and one I hadn't thought of. In addition to the house we have a bunch of out buildings. I could get ample water from all of those.

[Rockntoy]

Welcome from the center of Okiehoma.

[W.Lynn]

Or you could use a long, skinny, bucket?

1384.jpg

Lehmans.com has them, so I'm sure there must be others on the market too.