5 items only, the economies shut-down

[WyomingEMT]

At our family reunion, we got on the subject of prepardness. The subject moved to the economy and someone gave a senario that made me think. The senario go's like this. No more trucks, trains or planes will be moving anywhere for a very, very long time. It doesn't matter the reason. You can only go to the store and buy five things to suppliment your storage or your wants and needs. It could be anything from a swiss knife to a bag of Bon-Bons. I know the list can be as long as your arm, and if you could drive a dump truck to clean out the store you and I would, but work with me. Tell me 1 to 5 things that you would rush to get before it's gone. If I start getting several of the same item, I will know that I need to move that to the top of my list. Maybe you only need one item, tell me. Hope I get some input!

Edited September 29, 2010 by WyomingEMT

[lizrenowden]

waterproof matches or flints and steels that way you can cook and keep warm if need be

[NeuroTypical]

The answer has to be "it depends". Such a massive and long-term disruption in the food distribution network would mean massive population migration and civil unrest and a whole lot of death for a lot of people. Your five things would depend totally on your location, access to food or water, people around you and their situation, etc.

But, if you could pick 5:

1. A fully stocked retreat location out in the middle of nowhere that nobody knows about, but has a year round water supply and good farmland.

2. A way to get to it.

3. A way to survive off it (heirloom seeds, livestock, etc)

4. A way to defend it (think good neighbors/strong church organization more than bazookas and minefields)

5. The skills necessary to make it all work.

Unfortunately, I don't see much of those stocked on the shelves of my local WalMart.

[WyomingEMT]

Seeds were on my wifes and sister-in-laws list. And they wanted to seal them in a can for long term storage. But Seeds could come in pretty handy down that long road with nothing in the store.

[WyomingEMT]

I'll tell you one thing on my list and that would be gas. I would try and buy as much fuel (gasoline) to store as I could.

[jayanna]

water purification tabs, or bleach

toilet paper

soap, infections suck

good shoes

[pam]

Gosh I don't even know where to start.

Guess that tells me something. I need everything.

[Wingnut]

Unfortunately, I don't see much of those stocked on the shelves of my local WalMart.

Which fact renders your post pretty much pointless with regards to the OP. :)

Seeds were on my wifes and sister-in-laws list. And they wanted to seal them in a can for long term storage. But Seeds could come in pretty handy down that long road with nothing in the store.

Seeds were my first thought, too. They won't be helpful in the short term, but they definitely would be in the long term.

[Dravin]

Seeds were my first thought, too. They won't be helpful in the short term, but they definitely would be in the long term.

Depends on the seeds. Things such as legumes, corn or wheat, if you had enough of them, can be consumed with the remainder being planted.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Dravin

[Raven21633]

1. Toilet Paper (in bulk if possible).

2. Soap

3. Batteries

4. Big bag of long-storing hard candy (comfort food for psychological reasons)

5. Shotgun shells.

I'm assuming gas and electricity are on.

[NeuroTypical]

In this scenario, gas and electricity run out after the trains stop getting the coal and fuel and parts to the power plants, and workers stop showing up because their cars don't get them to work and they're off trying to feed/defend their families.

Unfortunately, I don't see much of those stocked on the shelves of my local WalMart.

Which fact renders your post pretty much pointless with regards to the OP. :)

I was thinking that my post illustrated a critical issue in the question. It doesn't matter what five things you buy from a store in such a situation. If a long-term breakdown of the global food distribution network occurs, America will switch from modern living to pre-industrial revolution living in a week or two. Maybe 10-20% of America would survive the first winter - everyone else will die. Unless you have a place to go, a way to get there, skills and tools and will to live like folks did in the 1800's, you might as well buy 5 buckets of popcorn and watch yourself starve and die with everyone else.

It's not like we could all move onto church farms and work in the cannery. Or, if we could, how would we get there and where would we live once we're there?

(Fortunately, I don't see much possibility of just waking up one day and none of the machines work.)

LM

[WyomingEMT]

I'm begaining to think your all siding with my wife on the seeds. The second item that I would get if thats all I could grab in a rush would be asprin, yep, asprin. I would get as much as I could carry to the check-out counter. Why! I take it everyday like a majority of people, and it would make a great barter item. We haven't had to barter much, but if something happened, we will all become experts at bartering.

[Guest Alana]

I'd like a gun and lots and lots of ammunition.

Sugar and honey. I missed the last cannery order when we got sugar. I love sugar.

More antibiotic ointment. I have some, would like more.

Duct tape. There's no reason not to have this. Maybe I'll get this today anyways.

Bleach. Have some, would like more.

[WyomingEMT]

Starting to get different ideas, great. My wife and I just finished bottling peaches and tomatos. We went to the store to buy some lids and they were out, thank goodness we had some in storage. I think having a good supply of bottling supplies in reserve would be good.

[California_Dreaming]

Reminds me of that old movie “THE TIME MACHINE” a guy goes into the future where the world has degraded into the Stone Age. He returns to the present and then returns to the future, and after he has gone, his friends notice the book shelf has three books missing. The movie ends with, “I wonder what three books he took with him?”

I would not have things that would run out like gas and batteries. What happens when the batteries have died and the gas has run out? Are you proficient in making “moonshine” and then modify the machines to run on alcohol and how much better to have a hand crank combination flashlight/radio. (Mine is hand crank and/or solar powered.)

I would instead concentrate on “Beans, Bullets and Band-Aids.

1.)The beans (i.e. food storage to feed my family and for bartering and charity)

2.)The bullets and weapons to protect my family from people who did not plan ahead and think that I should supply them.

3.)The Band-aids because I’m a “Klutz”.

The remaining two categories would be for continued feeding of my family.

1.Seeds and tools to continue growing food as my storage runs thin.

2.And last, canning and preserving supplies to restock my storage (jars, lids, water bath canner, and a pressure canner). (Sugar and salt would come from food storage)

[lindapruss]

CHOCOLATE.............yum I store in mason jars that are vacuumed sealed. I saw in on an LDS tv show. Her's was 2 years old and she also did her favorite cookies that way too! good luck

[dalepres]

Depends on the seeds. Things such as legumes, corn or wheat, if you had enough of them, can be consumed with the remainder being planted.

Treated seeds? Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

[Guest tiger_neil]

1. A good fixed blade Knife. Buck special, Good for eveything from kitchen use to field dressing game.

2. A way to purify water. Maybe a 2 quart pan and fine cheese cloth.

3.A good sleeping bag. Those nights get cold buy an excellent one of good design.

4. A lot of high strengh fishing line. Good not only for fishing but also nooses for trapping small game. (good for rigging an alarm around a garden.)

5. A bucket of rice.(I hope you have other food storage but a bucket of rice will feed you for quite a while and be easy to cook)

[Guest mormonmusic]

I would bring my fully charged eReader, a bicycle, a chess set, probably the Book of Mormon, and a sleeping bag. I would see it as an opportunity to lose weight and finally get some peace from my email.

[lindapruss]

thanks for sharing....I am reading "the Patriot".....wow.............now thats prepared! Merry Christmas

[WyomingEMT]

I enjoyed the Patriot book also. Make you realize that you need hundreds of things to make a go of it during hard times.

[mightynancy]

I can totally understand the guns and ammo for hunting, but I know I could never "defend" my food from a desperate person.

The earth and everything in it are the Lord's; I'm certainly not going to kill or even harm one of His children so I can save my pudding mix and wheat.

[NeuroTypical]

Yeah, there's something to be said for selflesness. But I wonder Mightynancy - what if the choice was to fight to keep your kids from starving? Would you kill or even harm for your child's pudding mix and wheat? Or would you refuse to defend your food, choosing instead to hand it over to someone who decided to take it by force?

This is the sort of dire scenario this thread is talking about. Folks are starving. Someone wants your kid's bellyfull of food, and won't stop unless you stop him. What then?

Edited December 18, 2010 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[mightynancy]

My reading comprehension is fine, thanks.

I still stand by my statement - a lot of us talk about being willing to commit all for our beliefs. It's easy to sit here, warm and fed, and claim one thing or another. I imagine one would need to be in the actual scenario (improbable as it is) to see the truth.

[NeuroTypical]

That's a fine answer also.

Since I carry a firearm, I find much value in running through tons of what-if scenarios in my head. It's important to know beforehand what I will and won't do given a certain set of circumstances, so that I don't sit there trying to figure it out in the heat of the moment.

And yes, I can see umpteen possible scenarios where I will use force to protect the loved ones within my stewardship from serious harm or death. No end-times scenario necessary.

But really - your answer is ok too.