How Much Food And Water Do You Store?

All the water I need, collect and treat rain water for normal use now ( I assume it will keep raining).

Combination of grain, dehydrated, FD and "normal" food to last over 2 years for my wife, myself and family members that are expected to show up.

We also grow the normal fruit and veg. along with wheat for extended needs. We do not can the extras, but have in the past and do have the supplies if needed. We also only make a half hearted effort at the wheat, maybe 100 # year. Both can be ramped up very guickly if needed and if man power is available (non-prepper free loading family).

We do all this and I really don't believe the end is near. It's a sickness, I save money, keep spare parts for cars, buy insurrance ect. I really can't understand people with no backup (like most of my family).

 

Where are you retiring?

The reason I ask is, Kansas and east you can own the mineral rights to your land and a lot of places have natural gas. We have our own gas well at a cost of about $2,000 in 1998. If you are moving it's something else to consider.

 

Sorry missed Tennesse

 

http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/tdg/maps/pdf/OIL_GAS.pdf

 

Water will be rainwater, treated with bleach.
Food will be poultry in the back garden plus all the wheat, corn and rice we can eat.

V.

 

Is this common throughout the US to be able to mine your own gas if it is on your property? (assuming of course there actually is gas under your property) Seems pretty unbelievable (and unreasonably cool) from where I'm standing/living...

V.

 

Seen many but never had one hit.
We did have a 100 mph straight line wind that broke 18" walnut trees in half. However they protected the house and shop from the wind, no damage.

If you do look for gas, you need to check drilling restrictions. We need at least 250' from well and property line.

 

In the US, all mineral rights for the eastern US are typically combined with the surface. However most of the western US had the mineral rights separated before the land was homesteaded. Meaning Kansas and east if you own the land you most likely own all minerals below the surface (Unless a previous owner sold the rights). If you own the land west of Kansas it is likely someone else owns them.

We own the minerals with our Kansas home, but do not own the minerals with our Colorado home (The saying out there is, if you find gold while digging your basement cover it back up and dig a new hold)

Right now in Texas, gas companies are buying gas rights from home owners for up to $25,000 and acre plus royalties.

 

Were buildin up a 3 month supply right now, then were goin fer 6 months, 9 months then a year. I might take it ta two years to.

Keepin gas, propane an kerosene on hand an buildin up that supply to.

We got a well on the property were gettin ready ta overhaul an a nearby creek so water isn't an issue really.

Most of America won't prepare, there lookin fer somebody else to take care of em. Sad situation an a wicked wake up call comin someday.

We can a fair amount a stuff, plus the dry goods were storin. Chickens comin on line next year.

 

WOW, this thread is bouncing all over the place. My house has city water, But I have have a shallow well and rain collection that I use for the garden and washing cars. I just added the rain collection info to my blog. I have a harbor freight 110v well pump that I can run with an invertor or I can switch to an old school hand pump with the turn of a valve. I live near a lake and river. I have a berkey water filter and chlorine for a back up, so I don't store any drinking water (exept for the bottles that I can't get my wife to stop buying) I tell water is free, it falls from the sky. Why the h*ell would you pay for it? She never listens to me:gaah:

I'm been working on food slowly. I should have maybe 6 months or so right now. I've mostly got some pasta, rice and wheat. I have a little canned meat. It's expensive and doesn't taste as good as fresh. I'm thinking about adding a couple egg hens or rabbit. I'd prefer hens, but I live in a twin house and my yard is small so rabbits might be a better fit for me. I think it would be easier to eat eggs compaired to eating animals that I raised from birth. I get attached to my pets. Don't get me wrong really not a softy, I've hunted deer and rabbits. I've cooked a few fish and crabs, but I didn't have watch them grow up.

 

I feel like I need to get much more!
I have about 4 to 6 months worth of food at the moment, but the garden is starting to work up to full steam.
But water wise- probably only about 1 weeks worth, but I do have the filters for cleaning water and there is a river and lake near by. Not to mention that I have two small ornamental ponds with about 400 gallons that could be used for my animals at the moment.
Am planning on a few water barrels for rain collecting.

 

Water isn't an issue for us. We have a shallow well that can be hand pumped or even drawn with a rope and bucket.

Food- 50 or so chickens and 20 goats.
Commercially and home canned or dried produce- about a years worth.
Coffee and Tea- 1 year
Sugar- 1 year
Honey- 6 months
Sea Salt- about 1 month. This is to be remedied sometime this month.
Iodized salt- 2 years.

Seeds- 3 years if I couldn't get any more but I grow mostly heirloom and save new seed every year.

Fuel- Diesel- about a year if used sparingly
Gas- about 3 months
Kerosene for lamps- 10 gal.
Wood- 2 years

 

*about to bring shame to my prepper parents*....We really don't and cant store much right now. Our financial situation is rapidly improving, and I hope within the next year to start building a real supply. Right now we might last a few weeks with what we have. I do some canning, so maybe we could live off pickles and jam for several months LOL! Right now my energy is focused on observation and learning, and also getting my basement in a condition that is suitable to store food (we've got moisture issues).

 

The majority of our long-term plan is for on-going food production. We produce most of our own food now through growing, raising, foraging, hunting, and fishing. We process our own food from start to finish.

So...some of the "how long" might depend on the time of the year! If something happened in, say, the spring and we couldn't plant, we could still get by at least a few months on what we have put back.

Water is all around us, and we have anywhere from 50 to 80 gallons stored in the house at any given time, with the water system we have.

 

Not trying to downplay you're moisture issues so please don't take it as such. :kiss:

WE have water issues. Our foundation is 3' thick hand laid stone. The water table is about 18'. In the fall and spring, when we get the majority of our rain, we have a spring that runs from the NE corner to the south wall of the cellar. We have everything set up on 2 pallets which puts it about 6" off the floor. Yes we learned the hard way. We can usually figure on a 1.5" to 2" stream running through during a prolonged rain event. Last summer we had a storm that dropped 5" of rain in 2 hours. There was a 4" river running through. In the spring and fall I fire up the wood furnace (which is on bricks) to dry things out. In the summer we just open up the outside doors for a couple days and turn on a fan to circulate air till things dry out.

Point is; even as wet as things can get down there, we have most of our stores there in 5 gallon buckets. Everything just needs to be well sealed. We haven't lost anything to water damage in 7 years.