You might want to look into a dehydrator, and storage jars. Watch this sequence on YouTube.
Watch Jack Spirko's-The 5 Gallon Bucket Food Storage Project - Part 3-B. Most of what he shows in his pod cast is reliable.

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Hey all!

I have little to no actually preparations for a 72 hour emergency, let alone a TEOTWAWKI scenario. So I need to start basic and work up from there. To start with, I have $500.

Oh wise ones, how would should I best spend that meager initial investment? I gathered from a similar post that people have really learned stuff along the way. I don't want to run out and spend it on useless crap, I want to approach it calmly and intelligently and go from there.

Thanks in advance,
amf

p.s. I realize $500 is a drop in a bucket. I plan to add extra food to our grocery shops and buy things along the way, and also save up for bigger items.

You will be surprised just how far the $500.00 will go.
For my 2 cents
Here is the link to the Government of Canada web site for what you need. Since you said you have nothing ready this is a wonderful place to start. There is a check list to go by.
http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/kts/bsc-kt-eng.aspx

May I suggest you start with that list as well as a first aid kit and then move to the additional items list. It says that you can print the list off but I haven't been able to do so.

Wonderful replies so far. Love that Government of Canada website ... a great simple way to start.
Also, about the bag you wish you had got, Gravlore, what is it about that style of bag that makes it so good? Saw it on a website where they said the military has been using that or similar for a long time. We went to an army surplus style store today and I saw a lot of those camoflauge, rugged bags, but I wonder what are the advantages and disadvantages compared to a technical kind of backpack like the kind at MEC? Durability vs weight?

Start with the dollar stores, and the surplus stores. Keep an eye on the expiry dates. Get some foods that can be eaten without heat, such as stews, breakfast bars and cereals. A 10 pound bag of rice, 2 lbs of dried beans and some cans of meats/fish can sustain you for a long time. Think simple to start with. But most of all, LEARN, LEARN, LEARN ABOUT PREPPING AND SURVIVAL.

No matter what else happens in life there are 2 things you must do daily to survive... eat and drink water...priority list is that you need water (die after 3 days without it), then food (last about 3 weeks without it), then depending on weather you need clothing, shelter/bedding, fire/self defence...plan around those needs...medical needs-first aid kit is important to have...have a bug out bag ready and either in vehicle every time you go somewhere or ready to grab from the house with all your important documents in it as well. By a huge bag of rice, dehydrate at 125-250 degrees in your oven (WARM if you have no dehydrator)onion, green peppers,and whatever you like in your rice and get a vacumm sealer and make individual meals and MRE packages in advance for your bag or just for eating...you only need to rehydrate them with a little water and heat them up. Good luck in your prepping!

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I completely agree with ranger2012 = FOOD! All the survival gear in the world will do no good if you starve to death! Stuff you can eat without heating is a good place to start as well as 4 litre + bottles of water. Man, you can buy ALOT of 'food' with $500!
You've come to the right place - there are alot of experience Preppers here as well as beginner preppers. We're all in this together.
Oh and by the way, buy a hand can opener or two.....

Everyone has good advice. In the end you have to decide what you need for your family and your situation. Only you know that. First the basics... food, water and shelter. If you are looking at bugging out then you want to go for lightweight and utilitarian. If your kit is the basis of staying in your currant location then plan differently. Food should always be basically an extention of when your family eats now. You can extend the time it will last by supplementing it with low cost starch based food such as pasta and noodles. Water can be stored in clean 2 liter pop bottles. They can be rotated every few months. A radio that can pick up AM / FM and weather bands is helpful. Batteries and a solar charger. Something to cook with and fuel. Candles and lighters and / or matches. Basically begin with what you NEED for the "RIGHT NOW"... think about if the power went out TONIGHT!!! Then once you have that list then begin to expand on the what if's. It will be a process. DO NOT make a list and rush out and spend your $500.00. Save some for the things you missed on your list. A good way to test and develop your lists is by playing. Turn your power off at dusk for 4 hours. What do you need? Do different scenarios... and so on and so on...

I almost forgot!!! Get large cans of CRISCO shortening ($9 approx)...put a wick in it all the way and coat it and bring part of the wick out...this will be a "45 day" candle....have a few of them on hand for power outages.

I went through the same process about six months ago. Fortunately, my wife and I are back country campers so some of the pricier items were taken care of such as good sleeping bags, a ceramic water filter, and light weight bags and a tent. What I did, however, is make a list of the items you commonly find in a Bug out Bag and started picking things up when I went out for groceries (a weekly trip that we both hate). First it was some canned goods for that first 72 hours, extra pet food, and some dry goods. The next week it was three long burning candles (three wicks in a jar) for our autos and the BoB as well as wooden matches. The following week it was something else... and so on. As we use out back packs for camping, our BoB is actually a "Rubbermaid" container that we keep in the kitchen. It's got handles and is grab and go if we have no time... If we do we can fill our packs more appropriately. I also started putting $50 away every pay cheque for bugging out. I personally think having some cash on hand when the SHTF might be a good thing. I personally don't think cash will become useless; at least not right away.

Good luck with it!

Antsy

Hi amf. $500 hmm, well it would depend if intend to bug, bug out or perhaps both. Personally I would spend at least $300 on food and water and up to $200 on general supplies. By that I mean a really good backpack, a compass and oh yeas a good knife.

Hi amf. $500 hmm, well it would depend if intend to bug, bug out or perhaps both. Personally I would spend at least $300 on food and water and up to $200 on general supplies. By that I mean a really good backpack, a compass and oh yeas a good knife.

agreed 🙂

Man, I have so used packs and web gear for pillows for so long!
edit: again I did not see page 2.. arrggg old age and memory issues!
> garage sales
kijiji.ca
craigslist
scour the local paper listings
freecycle.org
some military surpluses, some (others are just too high a price)

make your list
take it with you, tick off the things you buy, that way you will not buy too many of each type 🙄
(memory issues, so I do that)

water purification
water container (fan of military canteen bottle/cup/carrier for so many many reasons)
fire! means to make fire x 3 minimum
magnesium fire starters, matches (in diff pouches), lighter/small torch - jet burner?? can not remember the right name.. sorry
bug net in summer
tarp in winter
knife
food
compass
really you need the basics, you can survive with only those if need be, but surviving and thriving are two different things

Go bag, Dodge Bag, Bug out bag, bug in bag, in car/truck bag
these are all things you should eventually have, there is overlap and minimums in each of them, some specific purposes as well.
What is your ultimate goal for the bag? Do you want it to be a get out of Dodge Bag, or a Go bag as in Go home from the office or Car bag?

example, a Go bag >
you work in an office that is a 20-40 min drive from your house
your office makes you wear a suit!
your go bag should have a pair of comfortable broke in hiking shoes/boots
comfortable hiking clothing (1 set)
- your not going to get far in a suit, it will also make you a target for hoodlums (we have all seen the idiots rioting over stupid stuff too many times now to think it will not happen again) and it is hard to jump or travel far in those hard pointy shoes with no treads people wear in offices, and women's high healed shoes will be a great big no no (especially if your a dude.. just kidding, but point is..)
Go bag, is just this, small with min things to get to your other location, be it;
house - bug out location - friends, storage facility etc