Long term prepping VS short term prepping

[diamonds]

I wonder how many people are doing long term prepping instead of short term prepping. I really feel that long term prepping is the way to go. I have planted an orchard. I am also putting in a garden with heirloom seeds. I ordered traps also.

I do have preps for an immediate need but what would happen if a situation became a long term thing?

 

[theoutlands]

It's all about the sig-line...

"Don't prep to outlast the "troubles" - prep to NOT NOTICE the "troubles"!" If you are prepped to live without modern society, then you may not notice when modern society dies...

 

[blueberry]

Long term here too.... fruit trees and gardens along with the preps.

 

[BV141]

deleted,

bv

 

[hitssquad]

What is the poll question? The question stated in the poll does not match the first post.

 

[SheWoff]

Being raised in farm country, we always put by for a year or more at a time so long term prepping has been and will continue to be, a way of life for me.

 

[barb43]

There needs to be another entry in the poll for "both".

I started out short-term prepping, but have now switched to a short-intermediate-long plan by mixing up the types and quantities of what's stocked plus figuring out how to work in growing some of our own food even if here in the city (raised beds, containers, etc.). It's an evolutionary process . . .

 

[juco]

I agree with Michael.

Everything I do is centered around the question, "if there were no ______ (fill in the modern convience of your choice) would this be worthwhile?"

We went round and round over the placement of the woodstove in our house plan. DH wanted it situated in a spot that would require some type of fan, ceiling, blower or otherwise , to circulate the heat. His outlook was if the electric were out, we'd just run the genny. And that's a great plan...for the short term.

I wanted it placed in a more central location for a more even distribution of heat, easier access from the kitchen for cooking on top of it and no close walls where I would have to worry about them getting too hot if there were no fan circulating the hot air coming off the stove. I could care less that I'll be losing 25 sq ft of living room/kitchen space.

I think I have him convinced. If momma's not happy, ain't nobody happy.

 

[Amanda Blue]

I'm prepping for the short term, becuase that's all i can do right now. I live in an apartment, and I don't have a lot of money. Hopefully in a year I'll be able to buy a house, then I'll be able to start prepping for the long term.

 

[Trailfox]

Long term, I look for things to spirial downward when it trully starts.
I sugest that those who are not able to prep on long term ,link up with some one who is if posible, there is not one of us who is going long term that could not use a nother set of hands, eyes or ears or abilities.

 

[Shooting Star]

I'm working on prepping for long term - more like short term right now....

 

[biere]

My short term preps are more hi-tech.

These are the preps used for a week with no power due to a huge snow storm or an earthquake or whatever.

I am prepping for long term though, just traded my gas suv in on a diesel pickup so I can store fuel for longer periods of time. Plus the diesel truck hauls stuff better so I can work on bigger projects without having to rent or borrow something to tow materials in.

I sold my home and am in an apartment while I look for more land to buy. My old place was pretty good for preps, but lacked a few things. My new one will be better for long term sustainability.

I plan to build my home, just a small one, and it will be built with sustainability in mind as well.

Overall I think you have to start with just the short term stuff because those are the preps most people will find they use because now and then a big ice storm or something comes along and causes a short term disruption.

Since my long term preps are lower tech and more labor intensive I can't say that I will live using them if I have access to today's easy way of life. But I will be working on cultivating the low tech stuff and improving what I have and I will be working on learning how to use and care for it as well.

There are some things I am ready to get around to using though, heating with wood is one of them after having to use kerosene or electricity in this apartment. My bills are not too bad, but cutting wood and burning it is more entertaining.

 

[Intergator]

The way I think of it, short term prepping evolves into long term if you truly believe TSWHTF. The problem for a lot of people just "getting it" is they have to assume the worst and prep for the best when they are just starting out. Say there is a quarantine which lasts 2 or 3 months due to bird flu or some other disease. So the immediate concern is to prep for short term because if it's going to be TEOTWAWKI type thing they wouldn't make it as far as preps go. So I think instead of running out and buying a diesel generator first thing - I would make dang sure I had 3 months or so of essentials. If it is a short term type deal a lot could make it - but something long term is another story.

 

[JohnGaltfla]

Diamonds this is a nice follow up poll to the 100 days poll I posted. Technically, I'm set forever, but in a different way. IF it appears to me to go beyond 180 days to a year in a SHTF scenario, I'm bugging out with some friends to our pre-arranged spot in the mountains. We'll start over, somewhat, there. But if those who are not prepping for the long term, financially, defensively, for food, water, and medical needs, I think those folks will be the ones we see on the evening news broadcasts like we did during Katrina.

At that point, with 90% of the population in full sheeple mode, all bets are off.

 

[Caplock50]

My financial situation dictates I prep for the short term. But, I have the tools for long term survival. My long term preps mainly consisted of knowledge on how to live off the land.

If one is just starting to prep, they *have* to be concerned only with the short term...because if you can't survive the short term, what good are long term preps?

I am in that 'in between' stage, and since that option wasn't listed, I didn't vote. But, there's my views on the subject.

 

[Christian for Israel]

living in an apartment, long term is out. when we're able to build a house that'll be different...

 

[Vis Mega]

Only have short term prepping time I think...

...with the way things are going, and the fact that I'm getting on this so late, with so little cash... I don't think I can prep for anything but the short term at this point.

Besides, I doubt if I'd want to stay in a capital city if and when it hits the fan.

I'm thankfull that it's no longer winter anymore.. that would have been a rough intoduction in to the survival sciences.

(hi everyone - my first post here - lurked here for over a year now - finaly contacted dennis and got an account - better late then never?)

VMX

 

[Theophilus]

VMX.... a big welcome to you!!

Theophilus

 

[Jumpy Frog]

I answered Short-Term, but that IMO is about 1-2 years for the preps we have on hand.

We rent our house, no real tillible land. We could do planters though......and we do have non-hybred seeds aplenty.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Sort of hard to prep for the long-term if you don't own your own place, though some may have situations that will allow them to do so.

The Hagan family preps for the long term. This automatically includes the short term.

.....Alan.

 

[gillmanNSF]

Maybe someone can define for me at what point does short term become long term. Use pounds of beans if that was the main course for every meal. I just want a base line so I can compare what I actually have. I have way more than just beans, but I did finally break the 100 lb. mark for both beans and rice, which I'm assuming is a 6 to 9 months supply. I have no clue.

Anyway, I'm going for a year's worth of food and preps. An apartment does have it's limitations, but I've been very creative and resourceful.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Where short term becomes long term is likely going to have to be a personal definition.

I put the change somewhere around three months. If things haven't gotten back to more or less normal for most of the country after three months chances are it's not ever going to go back to what we had before whatever caused the disruption came along.

Things may well get better, but it won't be like it was before. My opinion.

.....Alan.

 

[gillmanNSF]

Okay, quick calculation for those of us relying on beans and rice as a staple. According to some recipes I've viewed, 1 lb. of pinto beans yields an average of 8 servings. So each 25 lb. sack of beans yields 200 servings enough for 66.7 days at 3 meals a day for one person. I would offer this figure as a baseline for short term prepping. You can multiply this to suit your personal definition of short term and for the number of people you're prepping for and tweek it if you've got something else planned for breakfast.

This figure also depends on your personal definition of serving and if the recipe is stretched out with other ingredients that increase the volume.

So for my 125 lbs of beans stored, I have 1000 servings, all for less than $30. I also have 125 lbs. of rice which I coud use as a stretching ingredient, perhaps doubling my number of servings to 2000. For two people that would be enough for 333 days if all three meals a day depended on these two preps. Plus I have about 30 days worth of other beans, peas, lentils, and (other than white) rice. I also have many cans of vegetables and meat to compliment these dishes nutritionally.

So just with these two basic ingredients (legumes and rice), I can say I've prepped for the long term, which for me is a years worth of supplies. Do I have a year's worth of water stored? No. That's my next project to tackle. I have to do it "under the radar" so (apartment) neighbors won't know about the water preps.

There's also fuel and energy needs to think about when planning your food preps. My goal is to have a years worth of propane stocked and I'm waiting for the delivery of my solar oven, everything else is gravy!

 

[Nuthatch]

Long-term prepping ANYONE can do, regardless of renting/owning:

Learn to can foods
Learn to cook from whole foods
Learn to forage for food

Learn a second language
Make friends
Take a woodworking class
Learn to fix your own car/truck; change your own oil

Hike around your town/city, learn the shortcuts
Bake bread
Practice frugal living
Pay off debts

There are many more things that take little money and are an investment in your skills.

 

[Caplock50]

And here's a bit of advice for the 'apartment prepper'. Be sure the flooring *under* your stored preps can handle the load. You certainly don't want your preps to wind up in your downstairs neighbor's lap. A 55-gal. drum full of water weighs quite a lot, ya know.

 

[gillmanNSF]

And here's a bit of advice for the 'apartment prepper'. Be sure the flooring *under* your stored preps can handle the load. You certainly don't want your preps to wind up in your downstairs neighbor's lap. A 55-gal. drum full of water weighs quite a lot, ya know.

Point taken. I've got a 90 gallon aquarium and used to have a 125 gallon one, too. You just need to have good support across (not along) the floor joists. Security is another concern in an apartment if you're allowed to store things in the garage. I just installed hinges onto a large cabinet in the garage so that I can mount some doors and lock it. Then I'll have extra space to store preps out of sight. There are many ways to prep for the long term in an apartment. Maybe not a year, but 3 months is a good start. I've had years to increase my storage capacity and now I'm focusing on security. I rent an 8x5 ft. storage space at a local storage facility and have donated many unused items to make room for preps at home.

 

[Texas Writer]

gilmann. If you're going to eat nothing but beans for 66.7 days, planning for just one person is a good idea.

Seriously, I guess I fall into the both category. Location has a lot to do with it. Those of us out in the country are better suited to long-term prepping than our urban counterparts.

 

[gillmanNSF]

I didn't think about that.

 

[BREWER]

BREWER

Long term to me is 1 year+. Short term: 90-120 days. Some of the last threads have been about beans and rice. Anyone planning on only beans, rice, tunafish, pepperoni, etc. is going to make it about two weeks until appetite fatigue starts to set in. Probably before the end of 30 days most will start to refuse to eat the SOS, especially children and the elderly. Please diversify your foods. Start with a menu.
Breakfast:Coffee/Tea, Canned Roast Beef Hash, Spam, Dehydrated eggs[omelet, or scrambled], Hashbrowns, cereal, granola, etc.
Lunch:Macaroni and cheese, Crackers or Bread and cheese, or a grilled cheese sandwiche, dehydrated/fresh fruits[if available].
Snacks:I won't put anything here as YOU know what you prefer. If you have younger children or older parents this IS a meal you'd be best served planning for!
Dinner: Hearty Soup with bread[and butter if available], Red beans and rice[OK,fine I like it, too. ], stew, basically a one pot meal if possible. Tuna, noodle and peas cassarole, Chicken and rice, use your imagination. Keep plenty of corn srarch, gelatin, or [if diabetic] Arrowroot to THICKEN up these dishes. A stick-to-your-ribs meal will go farther than a 'thin' watery one.
I found it best to write down your breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals you currently eat and enjoy. Save the receipts from ALL shopping expeditions...don't cheat . Do this for a month and you will be astounded as to how varied your diet is. One of the first things I noticed was how much was spent on BEVERAGES. I'm not including going out to eat for any of these meals. Once you add that into it you will really be amazed. I was shocked at the sheer volume of ingredients and time it takes to do all of this from scratch with plenty of 'electric' appliances; by you own hands if the electric is out...whew. The whole spices, basics like sugar/honey/salt/pepper, condiments e.g. mayo, butter, catsup, mustard, hot sauces[Tabasco, etc] really start to add up in $'s and start to be used up VERY quickly. I'm sorry I am only scratching the surface here; however, anyone who is considering a H5N1 self-imposed quaranteen MUST make a menu and purchase accordingly.

 

[hitssquad]

Realistic expectations of water usage

I've got a 90 gallon aquarium and used to have a 125 gallon one, too. You just need to have good support across (not along) the floor joists.

Would you use less than 4,000 gallons of water in a year if you rationed? The average household uses 127,400 gallons in a year.
google.com/search?q=water+%22average+household+uses%22

 

[gillmanNSF]

Yup, it would be just like primitive camping. Pit toilets and less bathing, more wet wiping, that's 63% off the top. Hand washing clothes and no dishwasher would save even more water. The aquarium example was just to show that floor joists are meant to spread out the weight to the outside walls, not as a water storage container, though if it comes down to the fish or me....I have a Katadyn.

 

[Brooks]

Short-term could mean a few weeks.

Long-term could mean self-sustaining, and only a few people on this board are truly aiming for or have achieved that.

Really, impossible to answer this poll without knowing what you mean. You probably needed a third, middling choice.

 

[hitssquad]

How many gallons of water are you planning on using per day, Gillman?

 

[BREWER]

BREWER

hitssquad said, " How may gallons of water are you planning on using per day, Gillman? GREAT question. Couple this with how much you will need to be drinking, let alone clothes washing, toilet, etc and you really have a VERY IMPORTANT side of the prep equation. NASA used to say 5 gallons per day MINIMUM. 150 gallons/month and weight ~1250 lbs. This does not take into account brewing requirements, ouch.

 

[tangent]

While I'm prepping for the long term, I answered short term. Basically, your weakest link determines that. It's usually fuel or water.

Another limit is land, for many of us. Garden - easy, even if all you have is a balcony. But enough space to grow/raise all your own food - not to mention the labor involved, that's a bigger obstacle.

Fairly well set in other areas - though could be a lot better. Prepping is a lifestyle more than anything else. You can never have enough preps or aquire enough skills and knowledge. Kind of like a buddist seeking enlightenment, or a limit in calculus... you can get close, but can never reach your destination.

As others have said, it really depends on the time of year. If it's spring or winter - water isn't going to be much of a problem. If it's summer, fuel is a lot less of a problem. Also depends on location a lot.

-t