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- - What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? (http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=449137)

nickelless | 02-17-2010 10:51 PM
What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I'd say that my biggest mistake so far was that I spent way too long planning how I was going to prep but didn't actually get around to starting prepping for about six months after I woke up and realized that the S will HTF soon.

The Argent Dragon | 02-17-2010 10:54 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not buying enough.......I'm still short. :bear_angry:

nickelless | 02-17-2010 11:05 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by The Argent Dragon (Post 2185193) Not buying enough.......I'm still short. :bear_angry:
But you're not done buying yet, are you? ;) If you're still buying, then you're getting closer to solving that problem.

TechGuy | 02-17-2010 11:06 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Telling people about them.

Apparition | 02-17-2010 11:52 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not shopping around enough to find better prices or superior-quality items.

Someone_else | 02-17-2010 11:53 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Maybe twenty years ago, I bought some apparent MRE entrees packaged as camping meals. I specifically remember "beef slice" and "beef stroganoff". They were decent for maybe five years or so, but after ten years they were definitely fugly. After fifteen years, I reluctantly threw them away. I also bought some large six-pound tins of army "noodles, buttered" which also suffered the same fate after ten years. Even when relatively fresh, they were pretty bland and who can eat six pound of wide pasta anyway? I also bought a fair bit of regular and protein-enhanced macaroni on sale that ended up with a lot of hatched bugs in them that I noticed after ten years or so. Now I know to freeze starch products to kill the eggs, and also it is easy to blow away the dead bug shells like chaff if necessary, but at the time I was really disgusted and dumped a lot of ten-year-old food. I bought on sale a few cases of "Treet", a SPAM knock-off, and within a very short time (certainly less than three or four years) the cans started bulging and looking dangerous. So I threw those in the garbage too. The same for a potted meat called "Kelly". I have felt a need to prepare since the mid-1980's but some of my preps have bitten me in the ass. Or maybe, they have given me a cheap education.

Ishkabibble | 02-18-2010 12:06 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I wasn't aware of how many storable preps contain poison like MSG and Aspartame. A lot of my preps don't really class as food, though admittedly they would still keep someone from starvation. My other mistake was letting too many know of the preps. BIG MISTAKE. I let everyone know I used them up when I ran short of cash. Now only I know of the stash. My kids know we have extra food, but not how much.

Golddust | 02-18-2010 12:18 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Knowing but denying and lying to my self... But cool now..Stashing food like a M/F now... Side note: the preps are still on the shelf..(sp) + thinking out side of the box..

nickelless | 02-18-2010 05:17 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Ishkabibble (Post 2185328) I wasn't aware of how many storable preps contain poison like MSG and Aspartame.
That's another reason why I'm making my own food preps. I didn't realize that some prepackaged storage foods have aspartame, but I'm massively allergic to it, so that just gives me one more reason to do things myself.

farscott | 02-18-2010 07:59 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Started prepping too late and spending too much money on the wrong stuff. Preps have to be something that gets used and rotated, and I learned that lesson the hard way. Still too dependent on refrigeration for some of my preps, including 1000 pounds of beef. May have to leave the beef literally on the hoof.

Golddust | 02-18-2010 08:20 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by farscott (Post 2185632) Started prepping too late and spending too much money on the wrong stuff. Preps have to be something that gets used and rotated, and I learned that lesson the hard way. Still too dependent on refrigeration for some of my preps, including 1000 pounds of beef. May have to leave the beef literally on the hoof.
Like you have wondered about meat and storage.. with out refrigeration. And drying it or canning it is 1. too much hassle 2. takes too much time.. 3. fill in the blank....__________? Been looking into salt packing.. and other old time ways of making meat keep. They did it in the old days.....B/R/C! (Before refrigeration or canning) But which way is best:::>>????

gunDriller | 02-18-2010 09:06 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? i stored a bunch of food seeds & tree seeds in a garage where a squirrel got access to them and ... they all disappeared. more like a lesson though. store them inside or in a steel container.

The Rooster | 02-18-2010 09:13 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Started too late and like most others here, let too many people know (mainly immediate family that tends to bring it up whenever we are in a group of family friends...:mad_m:) But too late is better than not at all!!! I am expecting my wine making kit in the mail today!!!:23_30_104::23_30_104: I will post a thread when I open the goodies and post some pics of the process...

gbgunner | 02-18-2010 09:59 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by TechGuy (Post 2185211) Telling people about them.
Posting on the internet about prepping. Not buying everything face to face, cash.

Publico, Pro Se | 02-18-2010 10:04 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Letting a 38 acreage slip by (11 cropland, 11 wooded, 11 pond). Still looking.

Shorty_Harris | 02-18-2010 10:15 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Underestimating the amount of space needed for said preps.

Drumblebum | 02-18-2010 10:28 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by The Rooster (Post 2185718) Started too late and like most others here, let too many people know (mainly immediate family that tends to bring it up whenever we are in a group of family friends...:mad_m:) But too late is better than not at all!!! I am expecting my wine making kit in the mail today!!!:23_30_104::23_30_104: I will post a thread when I open the goodies and post some pics of the process...
Wine making, eh? Well, I guess I should invite you to this group, then. Wine making counts as brewing, and we'd love to see the process! (Sorry about the OT)

silverblood | 02-18-2010 10:32 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Buying textured soy protein was my biggest mistake. It's better to can your own meat. Soy is a poison, not fit for human consumption. Google it.

hoarder | 02-18-2010 10:51 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Ishkabibble (Post 2185328) I wasn't aware of how many storable preps contain poison like MSG and Aspartame. A lot of my preps don't really class as food, though admittedly they would still keep someone from starvation.
Much of the white rice you get is "enriched", meaning it contains MSG. This is even true of the white rice sold at Walton's Feed.

silverblood | 02-18-2010 10:58 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by hoarder (Post 2185890) Much of the white rice you get is "enriched", meaning it contains MSG. This is even true of the white rice sold at Walton's Feed.
Do you have a source for that? The anecdotal evidence and marketing claims I find on the net suggest the enriching process adds only thiamin, niacin, iron, and folic acid. Enriched rich contains no sodium, which would be present if there was MSG in the rice.

hystckndle | 02-18-2010 11:19 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by hoarder (Post 2185890) Much of the white rice you get is "enriched", meaning it contains MSG. This is even true of the white rice sold at Walton's Feed.
Thanks !, for the info.:beer: I as gonna e-mail them and ask them that. They were my first purchase 5 or 6 years ago. Now I am bagging and containering on my own. Regards, Haystackneedle

The Rooster | 02-18-2010 11:26 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Drumblebum (Post 2185850) Wine making, eh? Well, I guess I should invite you to this group, then. Wine making counts as brewing, and we'd love to see the process! (Sorry about the OT)
Drumblebum, Thanks for the link!!! Obviously there is still a lot I need to learn about GIM...Just when I thought it couldn't get better. Did you try the Valentines Day Massacre Ale? This will be my first shot at wine but I will post an update on the group forum. Off topic...:signs14:

hoarder | 02-18-2010 11:35 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by silverblood (Post 2185902) Do you have a source for that? The anecdotal evidence and marketing claims I find on the net suggest the enriching process adds only thiamin, niacin, iron, and folic acid. Enriched rich contains no sodium, which would be present if there was MSG in the rice.
I hope you're right. Here are some links for your perusal: http://www.aspartame.ca/msg%20names.htm http://www.blessedquietness.com/jour...eworld/msg.htm If MSG is present it's probably a small quantity. I try to avoid toxins like that in any quantity when I can. If you were really sensitive to MSG you could use it as barter material. I think anyone buying bulk rice should snag 25 pounds of brown organic rice (I like Basmati). It doesn't keep as long and takes longer to cook but it's much more nutritious than white and will last 5 years or so. Save the white rice for later.

GOLD DUCK | 02-18-2010 11:49 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? QWAK,Mistakes are both GOOD and BAD -- because we LEARN from THEM! :thinkey: :yes: Most likely 50% or more of all the things I have done "PREPING" since 73 when I started, ended up being BURNED,ROTED or other wise rendered USLESS and a lot of TIME and EFFORT GONE! :yes: :36_1_25: :10_1_19: :censored: You WILL make mistakes -- lots and lots of mistakes -- that is LIFE :yes: and how we LEARN BEST! :thinkey: :36_1_25: :s10: :yes: I am inclined to believe it is just part of the PROCESS and is both UNAVOIDABLE and also NESSARY.:yes: It also sets up ones MIND :thinkey:to both ACCEPT new IDEAS and CONCEPTS and to SHARE with OTHERS ones OWN personal experiences to HELP OTHERS AVOID making the same mistakes! :yes: :36_3_13: :shine: I believe that ULTIMITLY all the preping I have done all thease years is so I can GIVE it ALL away and SHARE it with OTHERS at the time when they NEED it MOST and will both apreciate and understand so that THEY can continue to SHARE and pass on the KNOWING to OTHERS! :yes: :36_3_13: :shine: It is in the SHARING that the TRANSITION HAPPENS :thinkey: both sides of the EQUASION are changed and HARMONIC BALANCE restored!:23_30_104: :36_3_13: :shine: ALL you HAVE you will one day LOSE :yes: one way or another along the way it will be GONE :thinkey: when you can give things away and INJOY the GIVING because the APRECIATION is SO OBVIOUS and GENUIN --- because the NEED is real -- then the MIRACLE HAPPENS and TRANSITION to stable harmonics is established. :yes: :36_3_13: :shine: To LOVE yet -- LET GO:shine: is one of the hardist lessons to learn! :thinkey: :yes: This is TRUE on ALL LEVELS but when much time and effort are involved then the VALUE is INHANCED and not DEMINISHED! :shine: The LOSE is not a LOSE and the the percieved "CURSE" becomes a "BLESSING" -- a GIFT to BOTH in the PROCESS! :36_3_13: :shine: the DUCK :15_1_70v:

Godot | 02-18-2010 11:50 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not having bought the cottage in the eighties. Everything else pales by comparison.

thrifty_bob | 02-18-2010 01:29 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not putting "use up by" dates on my pails. I put the date they were packed, but have to open them to see the use by dates. Making bread with use by 09 flour today, LOL. No worries, its the same stuff that's been making excellent bread the past month or so.

Maddie | 02-18-2010 01:47 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not rotating storage foods often enough. I've wasted a lot of grocery-store bought storage food. I've even wasted a lot of home-canned foods. I told myself for years I'd get better about rotation, but I haven't and probably won't, so now I lean more heavily toward true long-term storage foods, such as cans of FD and buckets of rice and beans. The other mistake I made was a big one. I stored MREs in the basement without sealing them into metal storage containers of some sort. I can't eat MREs myself, but I'd been given about 6 cases of them, and I figured my husband could eat them, so I stuck them on a shelf downstairs and forgot about them. Long story short, some rats poked their heads into the basement, found a feast, invited their friends, and since we didn't go into the basement all that often (we figured they'd been there two to three weeks when we discovered them...apparently because they ran out of MREs and ventured upstairs), we ended up with a huge rat problem that took forever (and a few torn out walls) to fix. Now I store all my storage food except the plastic buckets in metal cabinets, and I watch the buckets to make sure nothing has moved in to gnaw on them (rats can gnaw through those food-storage buckets in a night or two). Also, I lost some canned food to the rat problem, as male rats tend to dribble pee wherever they go, and rat urine will eventually corrode metal. If you don't have a way to protect your storage food from vermin (pastic storage tubs will NOT do it), you may find a nasty surprise when the SHTF and sanitation services start breaking down! I had three cats and four dogs, one of them the rodent-hunting kind, at the time, and the rats still almost took over.

Camp Bassfish | 02-18-2010 01:48 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Freeze dried hookers...... just not the same. :signs1:

Goldfinger | 02-18-2010 02:09 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I don't know anything about most of you, but I bet I can identify the biggest mistake the vast majority of you have made. If you took off out your front door right now, how many miles could you run? How many push ups can you do? Chins/pull ups? No, push ups won't be important if :fan:, but you can bet your sweet rear end it will be survival of the fittest. All the rice, beans, bullets, ammo, etc won't be much good if your fat/frail body gives out on you...

TheNocturnalEgyptian | 02-18-2010 09:39 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I still haven't gotten my big buckets with oxygen absorbers. I have plenty of food, cooking oil, salt/spices, beans&rice, some other clever devices...but the storage is only so-so. The only people that know about my preps are GiM and my partner.

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nickelless | 02-19-2010 11:54 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty_Harris (Post 2185818) Underestimating the amount of space needed for said preps.
I'm curious to know what your space challenges have been. I've got 10 months worth of food for three people in a 10-by-3-by-5 foot area.

thorgrim | 02-19-2010 12:28 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? My biggest mistakes were putting too much $$ into silver. I haven't seen the gains I expected. Holding off on buying land by trying to time the market. A few years ago I passed on two properties that in retrospect were both affordable and close to perfect. Now real estate prices are still higher in Canada then they were 4 years ago and I haven't come across suitable land I can afford in awhile. Here is one that will surprise a lot of you. Buying too many guns. In Canada you cannot purchase guns that aren't registered so the government knows about my stash. I have all sorts of guns for all sorts of situations. After some thinking it has occurred to me that all someone needs should TSHTF is a side arm and a black rifle, and maybe 1000 rounds of ammo for both. If things get so bad that you actually have to use them there will be plenty of guns to take from adversary's. Having a huge arsenal is a waste of resources. If you need more then 1000 rounds to defend yourself then you are in the wrong area. Hell if you think you will need more then 100 you should probably move. I plan on selling many of my guns to raise funds for other preps.

wallew | 02-19-2010 01:53 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I disagree with the 'too many guns' statement. Or the too much silver statement. Or even the too much dried food, rice, beans, etc statements. Folks, in SHTF if you have EXTRA chances are HIGH that you will be either taking in friends or relatives (maybe not) at which point having extras will be a good thing. If you are not expecting to take anyone in (say no one KNOWS where your bug out bunker is), then after things 'settle down' as things eventually are wont to do, you have things you cans barter. The one thing I'm HOPING for is more TIME. I want to continue stocking things that I can sell out of our 'general store' in some small town. That and then narrowing down our locations to either one or two. Right now we have three and two alternates. The alternates are ONLY in case the other three are 'disappeared' as it were. Anyway, keep your preps going. If nothing else and we see an economic downturn you can EAT and DRINK (love the wine idea) while others just tighten then belts. OH, don't forget to buy or save your 'fat clothes'. Then you can wear them and LOOK like you are losing weight. Chances are, even WITH your preps you won't be eating as much as you used to and WILL start to look like everyone else. Remember hiding in plain sight is a good thing.

thorgrim | 02-19-2010 02:23 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? It is not so much that I have too many guns or too much silver, just that in retrospect I feel the resources could have been allocated better. If I had put the money spent on silver and weapons to use on one of those properties I passed on I would have been positioned much better now then I am. I thought the economic troubles would cause real estate to fall significantly and silver to go up severalfold and it didn't due to 0% interest rates PM price suppression. I had hoped that I could get some land free and clear but looking back I would rather have had the 3-4 years to get the land ready even if it meant a small mortgage.

TheNocturnalEgyptian | 02-19-2010 04:52 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldfinger (Post 2186329) I don't know anything about most of you, but I bet I can identify the biggest mistake the vast majority of you have made. If you took off out your front door right now, how many miles could you run? How many push ups can you do? Chins/pull ups? No, push ups won't be important if :fan:, but you can bet your sweet rear end it will be survival of the fittest. All the rice, beans, bullets, ammo, etc won't be much good if your fat/frail body gives out on you...
Yoga every morning, Kung Fu at night. Hiking on weekends, camping every major holiday. That's my schedule...

hystckndle | 02-19-2010 05:35 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by hoarder (Post 2185964) I hope you're right. Here are some links for your perusal: http://www.aspartame.ca/msg%20names.htm http://www.blessedquietness.com/jour...eworld/msg.htm If MSG is present it's probably a small quantity. I try to avoid toxins like that in any quantity when I can. If you were really sensitive to MSG you could use it as barter material. I think anyone buying bulk rice should snag 25 pounds of brown organic rice (I like Basmati). It doesn't keep as long and takes longer to cook but it's much more nutritious than white and will last 5 years or so. Save the white rice for later.
I have read that the " enrichment" process also contains gluten in the process as a medium to get the enriching items to stick to the rice. Wherein would be my own problem. Regards, Haystackneedle

millwright | 02-20-2010 08:28 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by hystckndle (Post 2188889) I have read that the " enrichment" process also contains gluten in the process as a medium to get the enriching items to stick to the rice. Wherein would be my own problem. Regards, Haystackneedle
Wow ! If true then i have been ingesting poison for a long time. Ill have to research this. Is nothing sacred ? Gluten is in everything. Sometimes i feel as if i have been cursed by God. I am allergic to food. Just doesn't seem right. Tortured Celiac Millwright

nickelless | 02-20-2010 08:19 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by hystckndle (Post 2188889) I have read that the " enrichment" process also contains gluten in the process as a medium to get the enriching items to stick to the rice. Wherein would be my own problem. Regards, Haystackneedle
Do you have any links on this?

Merlin | 02-20-2010 10:08 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Early in my food storage program I bought one of those year supply things from Walton's. Well, just how do you go about rotating a 6 gallon pail of dried milk? Knowing what I know now, in 2004 when the milk arrived I should have opened it up and repackaged it into smaller containers. Then was then and now is now. The dried milk is now 6 years old (probably still good because it's been stored cool in the basement). But if I tried to repackage it now, I'd probably do more harm than good. And, while I'm at it, I have a bunch of 6-year old beans that aren't getting any younger either. The story I hear about beans is that, as they age, they reach a point where they won't soften as you soak/cook them. Mine probably haven't reached that point yet; but then, you're reduced to whatever you can do with bean flour. Moral? Food preps age. Back to the top. It isn't easy to rotate 5 and 6 gallon pails. Smaller containers would be better.

hoarder | 02-20-2010 10:23 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2190953) Knowing what I know now, in 2004 when the milk arrived I should have opened it up and repackaged it into smaller containers. Then was then and now is now. The dried milk is now 6 years old (probably still good because it's been stored cool in the basement). But if I tried to repackage it now, I'd probably do more harm than good.
I don't think it would hurt to repackage it now. Quote:
And, while I'm at it, I have a bunch of 6-year old beans that aren't getting any younger either. The story I hear about beans is that, as they age, they reach a point where they won't soften as you soak/cook them.
It takes beans 15 to 20+ years to reach that point. I'd just get a couple cases of Mason jars and repackage the milk and beans with oxygen absorbers.

3x3l3r8 | 02-20-2010 10:26 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I feel like I have almost everything covered for about two years without using the seeds, and far longer using them. So, I am going to say my biggest mistake is overconfidence. :ok:

StackerKen | 02-20-2010 10:28 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? some of the posts in this thread have got me thinking.... I have around a hundred cans of soup (my first preps) that are almost two years old. Do you folks think they are still eatable? Too old for a food bank? Guess I may have to start eating soup with my eggs....lol

Merlin | 02-20-2010 10:43 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by StackerKen (Post 2190989) some of the posts in this thread have got me thinking.... I have around a hundred cans of soup (my first preps) that are almost two years old. Do you folks think they are still eatable? Too old for a food bank? Guess I may have to start eating soup with my eggs....lol
They may be two years old, Stacker. But are they out of date? And even if they are out of date, I'm here to tell you that I've eaten out of date Campbells Soup -- out of date by a couple or three years -- that was still perfectly OK when reconstituted and heated. My experience with older cans of soup is that, when opened, the consistency seems a little firmer (you may have to scrape the soup out of the can rather than shake it out), perhaps a little water has floated to the top. But, unless the can's integrity has been violated, the soup will be fine after you reconstitute it with water (if it is condensed soup) and heat it. My experience with canned soup is so positive that I have hundreds (like 2 or 3 hundred) cans in the basement right now. Most of it has not expired. But I expect that most of it will be edibile in a SHTF situation. The positive is that we eat soup for lunch nearly every day, so it definitely gets rotated. And, because we always buy it on sale, we're always eating at the lowest possible cost, even if TS never HTF.

Shorty_Harris | 02-21-2010 08:21 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by nickelless (Post 2188263) I'm curious to know what your space challenges have been. I've got 10 months worth of food for three people in a 10-by-3-by-5 foot area.
Without going into much detail..Lets just say I have considerably more then just a few cases of MRE's, and a couple of buckets of FD stuff down there. I certainly hope that your cache contains more then just food, for the sake of both you and your Family.

puller738 | 02-21-2010 08:56 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I've been preppin for 1.5 yrs. and I've told family members to do the same. I live in a small town and a few sister-in-laws start spreadin rumors a year ago that ive gone off the deep end. I'm guessin if the SHTF half the town shows up at my house. I may be screwed!!!!!!! The scariest part about the system collapsing to me is all those people who think they are going to be ok. When their kids have not had anything to eat in a few days they will become animals in a very short period of time.

Kregener | 02-21-2010 09:33 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Not accounting for divorce...

GOLD DUCK | 02-21-2010 09:53 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by puller738 (Post 2191481) I've been preppin for 1.5 yrs. and I've told family members to do the same. I live in a small town and a few sister-in-laws start spreadin rumors a year ago that ive gone off the deep end. I'm guessin if the SHTF half the town shows up at my house. I may be screwed!!!!!!! The scariest part about the system collapsing to me is all those people who think they are going to be ok. When their kids have not had anything to eat in a few days they will become animals in a very short period of time.
QWAK,puller738,This is the result of becoming a "Prozak Nation" motivated by only GREED and BLIND to true VALUES of personal CREATIVITY based in the understanding of SELF and the relationship to ALL! :thinkey: :banghead: The ONLY way to break the SPELL is to discard and disregard the CONVENTIONAL NORM and as an indevigual accept the HARMONICS that reverberate in your own MIND and HEART:36_3_13: -- then TRUST your own JUDGMENT, knowing you will make mistakes:banghead: -- but will also LEARN from making them :thinkey: and in doing so -- YOU will make TRUE PROGRESS twoards a GOAL that you can only vaguely describe your self and OTHERS can NOT even begin to COMPREHEND!:36_3_13::shine: It is not so much about SURVIVING :36_1_30:as it IS about how you are LIVING and PROJECTING in to the FUTURE:thinkey: what you want/wish the future to BE! :yes: :thinkey: :36_3_13: :shine: Every thing that LIVES -- DIES -- it is NOT the DEATH that matters:36_1_30: but HOW and WHY one choses to LIVE! :36_3_13::shine: the DUCK :15_1_70v:

Lt Dan | 02-21-2010 10:05 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Buying food or other stuff I don't normally eat or use. Waste of my time and money. If we don't use or eat it now, what make us think we will eat it or use later?

G-Man | 02-21-2010 12:17 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Since hindsight is 20/20, I would have stuck to my original plan of making double payments on the vehicle that is financed. Instead, after only 2 months into it, I resorted back to just making single payments. My reasoning at the time is that I could use the extra $520 a month to buy preps, and maybe be able to payout the vehicle under the original terms. Well I did buy some extra preps but still have over $10,000 owed. If I had known the world would not fall apart in 09, I would have made the double payments and be completely debt free. So far I believe that is my biggest mistake. I will probably have more later though, we'll see.

G-Man | 02-21-2010 12:22 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Oh, one other thing, I would not have bought an "electric" bread machine. We made about 3 loaves of bread and now sits in the laundry room collecting dust.

Merlin | 02-21-2010 12:43 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Buying food or other stuff I don't normally eat or use. Waste of my time and money. If we don't use or eat it now, what make us think we will eat it or use later?
We don’t eat or use it now because (1) we’re lazy and have gotten used to others preparing food from scratch that we can buy at the grocery store; (2) up until we decided to cache food in preparation for a SHTF event, we weren’t particularly concerned with shelf life. The simple fact is that raw foods, like dried beans, rice, wheat berries, etc. last longer than prepared foods we purchase every day, like loaves of bread, 3-bean salad at the deli counter, and carryout Chinese dinners. That is why I am making a concerted effort to learn how to cook nourishing and tasty meals from my pantry. I’ve learned how to mill my own flour, how to bake bread, how to cook Spanish rice and refried beans, how to cook soups and stews from garden vegetables. I encourage others to do the same thing. Maybe you shouldn’t buy a 6-gallon pail of pinto beans until you’ve learned to cook them; maybe you should learn to cook them. Quote:
Oh, one other thing, I would not have bought an "electric" bread machine. We made about 3 loaves of bread and now sits in the laundry room collecting dust.
I do not like my lack of control over the final rise of the dough in a bread machine; but I’ve never regretted buying my bread machine. I use it all the time to knead my dough and for single loaves of bread it does a much better job than does my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I’m basically lazy, after all, even though I have kneaded dough by hand. Having said that, I’ve also experimented with sourdough breads, no-knead bread recipes, and flat breads like tortillas. For me, the concept of versatility, the ability to prepare foods in many different ways, lends resiliency to my ability to feed myself. That’s the reason that I used my Sun Oven to bake a loaf of bread last summer. Do I use my electric double oven today and most of the time? Indeed I do. Am I sorry I bought the Sun Oven? Absolutely not.

Ishkabibble | 02-21-2010 01:02 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? There is a lot to be said for trying life as you would live it if SHTF. Test your accomodations in extremes, such as tenting or camping in your harsher winter temperatures, or during a few high humidity spring days. Eat only from your preps and track what and how much you consume... compare this to your total stash to see how well your quantities balance to your planned consumption pattern. Test your entertainment options too. In short, don't miss out on the trial runs; they will demonstrate what you've missed or taken for granted. Trial runs are the one thing I did that was most right; had I missed them, it would have been my greatest mistake. PS. Haystackneedle... you can't imagine how much your post has helped me! I am gluten intolerant but love my sushi. I have tried many brands of rice and learned that some leave me in agony while others are fine. I never understood why. I assumed my intolerances were growing, but that didn't explain why some rice wasn't an issue. I've spent many nights doubled over in pain for hours, knowing I'd had no gluten and uncertain where it may have come from. Now I know.

MNeagle | 02-21-2010 01:32 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Be sure you have hard copies of any internet recipes you want. Don't trust that the web will be available when there's trouble.

3x3l3r8 | 02-21-2010 02:01 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by MNeagle (Post 2191782) Be sure you have hard copies of any internet recipes you want. Don't trust that the web will be available when there's trouble.
That's a really good point. I also need to print some survival PDFs and card game instructions.

hoarder | 02-21-2010 02:03 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by G-Man (Post 2191687) Since hindsight is 20/20, I would have stuck to my original plan of making double payments on the vehicle that is financed. Instead, after only 2 months into it, I resorted back to just making single payments. My reasoning at the time is that I could use the extra $520 a month to buy preps, and maybe be able to payout the vehicle under the original terms. Well I did buy some extra preps but still have over $10,000 owed. If I had known the world would not fall apart in 09, I would have made the double payments and be completely debt free. So far I believe that is my biggest mistake. I will probably have more later though, we'll see.
Don't kick yourself in the arse because you can't predict the future. I don't think you made a mistake because as the saying goes "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it". If you had calculated the "world not ending" in 09 and lived without preps you would have been living with more risk.

MNeagle | 02-21-2010 02:05 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
That's a really good point. I also need to print some survival PDFs and card game instructions.
Thanks. Actually, I'm thinking of making a copy of the rice recipes & putting it in sheet protectors, with the rice. That way, if we need to grab-n-go, the recipes will be along too.

kitsune | 02-21-2010 02:26 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? I have almost no water storage resources. It's really been bugging me for the last few weeks. Even seeds aren't going to do any good without water.

nickelless | 02-21-2010 04:20 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by kitsune (Post 2191854) I have almost no water storage resources. It's really been bugging me for the last few weeks. Even seeds aren't going to do any good without water.
Multipacks of bottled water from Sam's Club are better than nothing. Start small if you have to, but get started. ;)

millwright | 02-21-2010 04:33 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Ishkabibble (Post 2191748) There is a lot to be said for trying life as you would live it if SHTF. Test your accomodations in extremes, such as tenting or camping in your harsher winter temperatures, or during a few high humidity spring days. Eat only from your preps and track what and how much you consume... compare this to your total stash to see how well your quantities balance to your planned consumption pattern. Test your entertainment options too. In short, don't miss out on the trial runs; they will demonstrate what you've missed or taken for granted. Trial runs are the one thing I did that was most right; had I missed them, it would have been my greatest mistake. PS. Haystackneedle... you can't imagine how much your post has helped me! I am gluten intolerant but love my sushi. I have tried many brands of rice and learned that some leave me in agony while others are fine. I never understood why. I assumed my intolerances were growing, but that didn't explain why some rice wasn't an issue. I've spent many nights doubled over in pain for hours, knowing I'd had no gluten and uncertain where it may have come from. Now I know.
I feel your pain. I am celiac as well as my daughter and my brother. I also have the dreaded Dermatitas that comes along with it . It's almost impossible to go out to eat without injesting poison. But , more and more people are becoming aware of gluten intolerence and there are lots of good products to be had at certain grocery stores.

Operation Grief | 02-21-2010 04:35 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by kitsune (Post 2191854) I have almost no water storage resources. It's really been bugging me for the last few weeks. Even seeds aren't going to do any good without water.
Try these (15 gallon barrels may be the biggest you want to go = tough to move when full): http://www.emprep.com/water_storage_barrels.html And for water purification: http://www.aquarain.com/

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kitsune | 02-22-2010 01:42 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Operation Grief (Post 2191982) Try these (15 gallon barrels may be the biggest you want to go = tough to move when full): http://www.emprep.com/water_storage_barrels.html And for water purification: http://www.aquarain.com/
Thanks! I think I'll get some of those. Was looking into the huge 330 gallon IBC skids but decided I really don't want to invest in a forklift. :biggrin:

thrifty_bob | 02-22-2010 04:34 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlin (Post 2190953) Early in my food storage program I bought one of those year supply things from Walton's. Well, just how do you go about rotating a 6 gallon pail of dried milk? Knowing what I know now, in 2004 when the milk arrived I should have opened it up and repackaged it into smaller containers. Then was then and now is now. The dried milk is now 6 years old (probably still good because it's been stored cool in the basement). But if I tried to repackage it now, I'd probably do more harm than good. And, while I'm at it, I have a bunch of 6-year old beans that aren't getting any younger either. The story I hear about beans is that, as they age, they reach a point where they won't soften as you soak/cook them. Mine probably haven't reached that point yet; but then, you're reduced to whatever you can do with bean flour. Moral? Food preps age. Back to the top. It isn't easy to rotate 5 and 6 gallon pails. Smaller containers would be better.
GOTTA ROTATE IT OR IT WILL GO TO WASTE! Many of my preps are in pails, too, but the pails contain usable sized sealed containers, and each pail contains no more than 3 or 4 months worth, so I open a pail, and use it up instead of buying at the store, and when its empty, I reload and pack it with new replacements from the store when its on sale. I have to buy what I'll use, and I have to use what I bought. Otherwise, it will go bad, and Murphy's Law says I'll find that out when I need it most.

BullionCubed | 02-22-2010 05:59 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldfinger (Post 2186329) I don't know anything about most of you, but I bet I can identify the biggest mistake the vast majority of you have made. If you took off out your front door right now, how many miles could you run? How many push ups can you do? Chins/pull ups? No, push ups won't be important if :fan:, but you can bet your sweet rear end it will be survival of the fittest. All the rice, beans, bullets, ammo, etc won't be much good if your fat/frail body gives out on you...
+1 I recently found the holy grail of Exercise info Al Sears PACE torrent

GOLD DUCK | 02-22-2010 08:22 AM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by Operation Grief (Post 2191982) Try these (15 gallon barrels may be the biggest you want to go = tough to move when full): http://www.emprep.com/water_storage_barrels.html And for water purification: http://www.aquarain.com/
QWAK,Here is a much better deal on/for water storage :23_30_104: 95 Gal. under $100.00 and no special UPS shiping charges! :23_30_104: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=590120 I got two of them and use them for cat and dog food storage! :36_1_11: You don't realy want or need to move full barrels :452: and 5 gallons is OK but much more than that is not realy praticle.:452: You can drill a hole and instal a spigot or use a syphon.:thinkey::yes: the DUCK :15_1_70v:

thorgrim | 02-22-2010 01:00 PM
Re: What's the biggest mistake you've made in your preps? Quote:
Originally Posted by BullionCubed (Post 2192819) +1 I recently found the holy grail of Exercise info Al Sears PACE torrent
There really isn't any secret to getting into great shape. The key is to be consistent and work threw any problems that might crop up instead of letting them discourage you. Another key is constantly striving to do better. Whether it is some extra weight on the bar or shaving a few seconds off a run time you should always be striving to do a little better. And eat well. Biggest way to sabotage a fitness program is to eat crappy food. Thats it really. I have had success with many different training programs. The type of program selected should match the goals you are trying to achieve. (This is just some general advice not necessarily only directed at you BC)

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