Prep Me.

May 7, 2020 2:02 PM

I feel like I got caught with my pants down on this SiP and I don't want it to happen again; but I also don't want to go down a rabbit hole of antisocial paranoia. Can you recommend resources for me?

So... you know what I'm talking about, right?

When this COVID stuff landed, my house was empty of baking supplies, because early spring is keto diet time for me. I had close to no freezer space, because I rarely used my freezer. Thank goodness I happened to have plenty of toilet paper; but that was a relative fluke. And then boom -- all of a sudden -- there's no f'ing flour to be had! It was not clear where or how I was going to GET toilet paper!

I never want to be in that situation again.

What I'd really like is a book, or website, ideally, that will help me think through and weigh priorities about how to Be Readier, going forward; taking into account a generally normal suburban N American lifestyle. I have questions like, what are the kinds of generators, under what conditions will I be glad I had one, and what are the safety tradeoffs? What are the various options for making water drinkable? What stuff has a generally vulnerable supply chain? What are the things I might not have thought of, without which normal life will degrade significantly? (TP! Menstrual supplies! Stuff like that.)

All that said, I am not looking for instructions on how to build a bunker, you know what I'm saying...

I know there are a million prepper websites. I don't want to sift through all of them; and I know many of them will be at a "homesteading" level that is not appropriate for me. So: are there resources you'd recommend?

posted by fingersandtoes to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

Best answer: This remains one of the best comments I've ever seen on the issue from Dee Xtrovert.

She talks about stuff to add flavor and variety to your live - because that's what you can reasonably have enough of to matter (unlike basic consumable supplies.)

I'd add to that to get reusable stuff/tools (filter pitcher (or lifestraw), bidet, menstrual cup, reusable kitchen cloths, etc) so that you have fewer specific consumer goods you need week to week. This has the added benefit of reducing your consumer footprint day-to-day.
posted by mercredi at 2:08 PM on May 7, 2020 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Kevin Kelly of Cool Tools fame recommends the The Prepared, which is more The Wirecutter vs "Imma gonna use all these guns to mow down the black masses from Atlanta after the NWO declares Marshall [sic] Law....."
posted by sideshow at 2:42 PM on May 7, 2020 [11 favorites]

Also take a lesson from the federal government's medical stockpile: you have to use up your stockpile gradually over time and replenish it, so that the contents remain current and healthful.
posted by tmdonahue at 3:10 PM on May 7, 2020 [7 favorites]

Sharon Astyk’s frame of doing prep stuff that would be good to do anyway - know your neighbors, reduce your dependence on disposable stuff and air freight - and preparing to take care of your neighbors, our neighbors, future generations, really works for me. She has several books out, used to have an advice website.
posted by clew at 5:10 PM on May 7, 2020 [3 favorites]

Preppers have a crappy reputation,often well-deserved, but there are some Liberal Prepper groups on facebook that might be helpful. In San Francisco, being prepared for an earthquake is a good idea. The federal gov't. has information, Ca.gov has information.
posted by theora55 at 6:41 PM on May 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I think Doomsday Prepping for Less Crazy Folk is exactly what you want!
posted by Syllepsis at 6:52 PM on May 7, 2020 [7 favorites]

This really depends on the hazards you expect to encounter and how long you want to be self-sustaining. Just as an example: Menstrual cup instead of disposable supplies addresses a certain kind of supply chain problem, but probably backfires if you have limited water for washing it.
Ice storms taking out your electricity out for days/weeks/longer but not affecting your water or sewer is a fundamentally different preparation problem from a big earthquake taking out all of your service or a nearby fire inducing rolling blackouts.
posted by janell at 7:48 PM on May 7, 2020

I second the recommendation for The Prepared website. Also, if you have any local CERT/NERT options, definitely take advantage of them, as they will give you skills as well as things to have on hand.
posted by gingerbeer at 9:31 PM on May 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

We did a CSA (farm share) this year partly as insurance against fresh vegetable/fruit supply chain issues. Meat is likely to get more expensive so it'd be a great time to figure out ingredients for more vegetarian meals.
posted by typecloud at 4:16 AM on May 8, 2020