Stocking Up...

...on supplies, as in putting together a cache of survival items may seem silly to some, but the realization has hit me that it may not be a bad idea. I don't mean going out and buying things for a 'emergency preparedness bag' or for a 'grab & go kit' (which I already have), I mean actually going out and stocking up on essentials such as food, medical supplies, toiletries, paper products and so forth in a large enough amount to last my family at least a few to several months. This is not something that would be easily done at today's prices, but I am truly concerned that future prices will climb so high as to either make these prices sky rocket further, that there will be a major depression, that civil unrest dues to the economy will create disruptions in supply, or that something along the lines of a major truckers strike will completely cut off supply.

So what would one include in such a store of supplies. One of the first purchases I am thinking of making will be a water filtration system. Nothing fancy, and something small will fit the bill. A couple of Brita pitchers will do nicely. After that I will think of foodstuffs to purchase. I am thinking about a couple or few bags of rice in the 50 pound size, about 100 pounds canned or vacuumed sealed flour, several pounds of salt, several cases of canned vegetables and fruits, canned meat - again several cases, powdered milk, and some high energy foods like nuts. As to medical supplies I am thinking of picking up enough to stock first aid needs my family for at least a year. As to toiletries, I think a good supply to last at least a few months would be in order. I do not mean things like perfumes or hair gel, but rather things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, mouthwash. Other things that might be a good idea could be: matches, candles, batteries, flashlights, charcoal, a can or two of gasoline for emergency use only. There are quite a few other things I will include on my list. Shopping for all this stuff could be done in a day, but I sure cannot afford to buy it all at once. I figure if I spread out the purchases over the next few paychecks, well it should work out fine.

I am not about to do this because of any great fear I have that we are about to face doomsday or anything like that; but I do see the signs out there that we may indeed go into a deep recession which would put us only one small step away from a depression. I remember the riots of the late 60s,the shortages of the mid 70s, and my mom lived through the great depression and through the rationing of WWII. If I ever have to face anything along any of those lines, I would hope to have been somewhat prepared by the time things get bad. Now I may go out and spend a lot of money on things, and then the economy will suddenly turn rosy and good times will be upon us. That will be okay because times will be good for me too and the money while spent will not have been wasted because I can still use all the items I bought. Of course it will not have been all that great if I will have gone out and made a lot of purchases at inflated prices and then the prices drop drastically, in fact that will suck. The thing is though, I keep wondering which way I would be worse off: spending too much money now on things I did not need right now, or not having things my family and I need when times get really tough and then not being able to get them at all. I think you know the answer. So this weekend I'll be on a BJ's Club or Costco shopping spree to start building up the larder.

All the best,
Glenn B