[snip]

I'm sort of curious about whether anyone here has actually been through a war - not as a soldier, but as someone who experienced war in their own community. I lived through the siege of my city (Sarajevo) and experienced most of the crummy things that can happen in a war - death of parents and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks. It's odd to see many people concerned about things that aren't going to matter that much if something awful happens. So I offer my advice, free of charge:

1) Stockpiling helps, but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate near renewable food resources.

2) Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.

3) After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is great than gold's.

4) If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it's the easiest to do without (unless you're in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)

5) Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs enough heat to "warm", not to cook. It's cheap too, especially if you buy it in bulk.

6) Bring some books - escapist ones like romances or mysteries become more valuable as the war continues. Sure, it's great to have a lot of survival guides, but you'll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you'll have a lot of time on your hands.

7) The feeling that you're human can fade pretty fast. I can't tell you how many people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.

8) Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches.

9) More matches.

Later,

Dee.

[/snip] ~C~

-- Critt Jarvis (critt@critt.com), March 06, 1999

Answers

Thanks, Critt, good post. Necessities distilled to the bare minimum. Please also remember herbs and spices--an apocryphal story about a precious bay leaf being passed around an English village still makes the rounds. And, of course, raisins, nuts and mixed peel for fruitcakes are essential storage items. . .

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 06, 1999.

Thanks Critt!

Backs up my choice for y2k "investments"

$5 cash or 1 oz. of silver or 12 rolls of Charmin?

If there may be TP shortages, I'll choose the Charmin everytime.

-- Bill (y2khippo@yahoo.com), March 06, 1999.

In a book written in 1978 by Gary North PHD, entitled How to survive the coming price controls(which would have happened if Volker, the then Fed Chair, hadnot unexpectantly bit the bullet), the first item when they tell you that there will never be price controlls is to buy as much toilet paper as you can safely house. A second corallary is to buy as many boxes of tampons and you can. If you're an eligible guy, you'll have more girlfrineds that you can shake a stick at if youtell them you have tampons!! Anybody here want to go back to yccckkk ....rags? Glenna

-- Glenna (kamoroff@hotmail.com), March 06, 1999.

I lived through the second world war in Holland. There was an extreme shortage of bike tires and innertubes and bicycle pumps. We finally used wooden hoops for bike tires. You could not turn fast, because you would slip and fall. Also a shortage of shoes, so we reverted back to wooden shoes. Not very comfortable! As a result, I now have ten years of bike tires and shoes stocked up! Bought them all on sale at Shopko!

-- Freddie the Freeloader (freddie@aol.com), March 06, 1999.