Doghauler asked me to repost this as nobody can get to the old site because I paid to have the links redirected here. Even I can’t get to it. I do still have access to the dashboard however and was able to go in and copy past this.
Reader Michael made a very good suggestion about putting some food buckets up and having them handy to give out to folks who are having hard times.
Lord knows they are coming for all of us but there are already lots of people in need right now.
I am going to copy and paste his message to me. It took me a second because I just got home from work and I am tired but you will see some abbreviations in here. WM= WalMart and GV= Great Value, their In House brands.
I’m sure you can substitute anything that meets the same requirements from any supermarket brand.\
2 X 5 gallon Buckets and lids = 9.28
2 X 8 pound dried GV pinto Beans = 11.96 100 calories per 1/4 cup dry (or about 1/3 cup cooked) 8 grams protein x 206 servings = 20,600 calories and 1,648 grams protein
1 X 20 pound GV White rice = 8.98 160 cal per 1/4 cup dry (or a bit over 1/2 cup cooked) 3 grams protein X 202 servings = 32,320 calories and 606 grams protein
6 X 12 ounce GV luncheon loaf various flavors = 13.08 180 calories per 2 oz serving, 7 grams protein X 36 servings = 6,480 calories and 252 grams protein
26 oz container Iodized Salt 54 cents
3 oz black pepper 2.68
2 oz jar chili pepper (pick the spice you like here) 3.98
4 pounds pure cane sugar 2.08 Calories NOT Counted just flavoring for Japanese Sweet Beans, Sweet Rice and so on.
16 oz cooking oil 2.00 (Get the BEST Bottle you can leaks suck) Calories not counted just needed for cooking say refried beans and such.
130 count adult multivitamin 4.88
120 count 500 mg Vitamin C 3.96
25 +25 Beef and Chicken Bouillon cubes 3.76
Box of 100 black tea bags 1.00
Total cost 68.36
Total calories 59,400 /2,000 calories per day adult = 29.7 Man-days
Total Protein 2,506 / 30 days = 83 grams protein daily WELL over min needed here.
Mercy Bucket part two adds one more 5 gallon bucket with lid, an extra 20 pound WM GV White Rice and space for extras to double the 30 man days to 60 with still 40 grams protein. Cost + 8.98 for rice, + 4.64 for bucket and lid (WHY do folks spend so much time looking for “Free Buckets” and wash them forever…) = an additional 13.62 or about what I spend on a Burger Combo and a Shake….
Just for fun I did some “research” on “Survival Foods” and most “Servings” are about 140 calories mostly carbs and very little protein. AND from my asking about very FEW Folks have ever cooked some up and tastes them. I have several I’ve tasted. Worse was *Cough Wise *Cough*.
Move it or lose it, these prices and availability of cheap food will NOT last.
And again Phil sorry I forgot to mention in the email that you can PLANT and grow more pinto beans from those dry beans. I use them as seed in my garden yearly.
A great idea and my thanks to Michael for taking the time and effort to put this together and for sharing it.
I am going to add one thing here from some recent experience.
I don’t know if anyone else has run into this but Lowes had some Food Grade buckets on sale here a few months ago so I bought five of them. They were about $3 each. The store had stacks of buckets all over the place but no lids near any of the stacks. I wandered around until I found some help and they directed me clear back to a far corner of the store near the ABS pipe and stuff. That’s where they were hiding the lids and I’m here to tell you that they didn’t have near as many lids as they had buckets.
They also cost dang near as much as the buckets.
What I ran into later was that after I used a couple of the buckets for things people use buckets for, throwing stuff in, hauling stuff around, two out of the five busted open on the sides and one started leaking out of the bottom because it cracked.
So what I’m saying here is that you need to be careful when you are buying buckets anymore, apparently there are some seriously inferior ones getting into circulation.
I have never run into brittle plastic buckets until now.
So, you give the “couldn’t be bothered with prepping” parasites a bucket of grub and that takes care of the problem, right? Who are they going to go to when that bucket runs dry. Oh, I get it. You’re going to get all stern with them when they come back. Nope. They’re going to kill you and take your stuff. Harden your heart and keep your preps to yourself. If you’re smart.
Saw your comment over at CW’s site about your change of address and your request to update his link list with the new info.
Dunno if it’s related, but his link list now is extremely reduced compared to what it was a few days ago.
That’s probably because he is just like me and doesn’t think too much about it until it is brought to his attention and while he is in there he decides to start culling people who haven’t posted in a long time.
You will notice mine is much smaller than it used to be although I am not done going through it yet. Not enough hours in the day man.
Very useful for personal prep, but the more leftist of the herd that comes begging for relief will only get said relief in freedom pills.
I can’t prep for the world, only for me and mine. Everyone else, keep your distance and your head low.
Might be a good idea to have a few of these buckets for your conservative friends that are excellent marksmen. Then when they run out, hire them to help with security. No conservative wants something for nothing.
mercy ? I fresh out. eat your boat or pictures from mouse land or whatever
dumb shit you blew your money on. back in the 1980’s at a certain army school
there was a lecture about emp and the after effect. the gov’t figured about
60-75% of the people would be dead inside of 6 months.
why prolong their suffering? ;et them die off and get their stuff you want.
you feed anyone once and they will keep coming back to you for more.
and if you turn your back on them they will kill you for your stuff.
The 2008 report to Congress by the Congressional EMP Commission said that up to 90% of Americans could be dead within a year from violence, starvation, or disease.
Your cavalier, insensitive, dismissive attitude about the unprepared appears to make you blissfully ignorant of the fact that, if the government estimates are correct, you will be badly in need of people who will have your back in a crisis. While you belittle them for buying a boat in the ’80s or taking a vacation, the issue is what can they do for you NOW? If you can provide for them, you and your own family will be much more secure. People you can depend on are a rare commodity. As a really smart person said one time, there is strength in numbers.
Anyone who thinks that it is wise to attempt to survive as a Lone Wolf probably went to school on a short bus. They fall in the general classification of “low hanging fruit.”
The ignorance in this comment is stunning.
Clue: Prepared people do not need unprepared people.
Delis and donut shops go through 5-gallon food grade buckets like Sherman through Georgia. Sometimes you can get them for free. One donut shop near me sells their buckets for $1.50 with a lid. Another charges $2.00 with a lid.
If you store buckets more than three high, the lids will often crack. I placed pieces of wood in between the buckets and that has taken care of the problem. Even five high is possible, but place the heavier contents on the bottom.
That blue bucket shown is unlikely to be food grade. While it may be HDPE 2, I have read that there could be chemicals used in the molding process to allow for separation of the bucket from the mold. I dunno about that.
I have also read that you shouldn’t place the buckets directly on a concrete floor due to a wicking action of minerals from the concrete. Again, I don’t know that for sure, but what do you have to lose by placing something as a shield below the bucket?
The lowes food grade buckets were white. They do seem to be a bit softer plastic. One bonus to the lowes here is they have gamma seal lids on the shelf.
I have had the same problem with stacks of buckets, the upper ones shear thru the lids of the lower buckets. I have some lids that didn’t quite fit the buckets, and I’ll put one loose on top of the bottom buckets. So far that has done the trick. Certainly a piece of plywood, even 1/4″ will spread the weight to the rim and bucket sides, rather than the lid.
I’ve also noticed that they get brittle in the sun pretty quickly, most plastics do these days.
n
I am well aware of having like minded people to help in life. but I used to live in
a large demorat shithole of a city and only stayed because of my parents where
still alive then. spent some time working for sam. learned a bit from it as well.
I also got real tired of people saying “if anything happens I coming to your house”
type of shit. kind of like people who never check out their spare tire,,
the only person you can count on is yourself. any others are a blessing if that happens.
Thanks for the repost. Getting a few set up for me and a couple for some family members who are a bit closer to the bone than I am.
My bride suggested adding onion and garlic powder. Also some recipes/instructions for balanced meals and dealing with the dried beans.
Ghost hunter and others. Maybe you were confused by the term Mercy Bucket. Maybe you have all the team members you want. Maybe your a lone wolf. Maybe you or someone in your MAG just had their home Burned Out and then WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL YOUR PREPS?
If Every one in your MAG spent around 150 dollars on this sort of Mercy Buckets and stored them under 4+ inches of dirt, protected from vehicle traffic AND somewhere safe from water damage your MAG would have a Massive supply of food for emergencies like that fire situation.
FYI I’ve worked as a volunteer fire fighter and KNOW that 4+ inches down plastic is safe from most fire events.
Now THAT makes sense, and I agree. We have small acreage with dense forest and about 150 feet from the house is a 12’x12′ secured shed. That’s where I keep the overflow preps. That shed is concrete block with a metal roof.
ghostsniper FYI a concrete block shed it nice but a dense forest ablaze makes it into a Crematorium for anything stored inside.
Please clear away major flammables at least 20 feet away from your shed. Hopefully your shed its painted in non-heat adsorbing colors like white?
The reason 4+ inches of earth is so good at preventing fire damage is two fold. Heat RISES in general. So your concrete walls get to adsorb a LOT of fire heat thusly. Remember heat is transferred by Radiation (like sitting in the sunshine), Conduction (like grabbing that hot iron skillet) and Convection (superheated fire driven winds). The Block house is getting ALL of those transfers.
The earth sheltered is only getting conduction of fire DIRECTLY above it and soil is a poor conductor of heat.
A tertiary reason is amount of heat needed to get mass up to dangerous to (in this case) the plastic buckets. Each concrete block is around 80 pounds each (yes, I’ve done some construction also) BUT the Earth is well, far more massive as the fires heat is spread all over the place.
Do you have a Plan B Chaos Kit buried somewhere yet? Nice to have the basic stuff to create a basic shelter, food, clothing, tools, some freedom seed dispensers, seeds, garden stuff and such. For example a contractor sized roll of HD black sheet plastic, an ax, bow saw, large nails, some 550 cordage (or bank line) and some dried leaves I could quickly build my family a double walled Insulated Tent style structure for that Winter Night. Leaves and or pine branches works well enough for insulation. You know rule of threes stuff 🙂
My Inside the house Chaos kit has stuff like emergency house repairs materials, like clear sheet plastic, roofing nails, wood strips, a hammer, headlight and so on so broken windows and such are easily handled at night in bad weather. Yes, I had a large tree limb crash through my picture window during a Nor’easter snow storm. ALWAYS have clothing and Slip On Shoes for crashes in the night. Bare feet and shattered glass, well….. I got lucky my wife stopped me before I stomped my way into the living room.
Even if you have plans to Die in Place vs bug out would really suck to come home from work and discover A Neon Haired Creature of Indeterminate Sex decided to burn you out with a bottle of flaming Peace and a huge Slingshot.
Seems I heard a Odd “Woman” did start the recent California Fires to punish somebody living in the woods.