Letter Re: Hunting for Canadian Silver Coins

Hello Mr. Rawles,
I’m a newbie to investing in junk silver and no nothing about coin collecting, but some questions at my local coin shop in Calgary, some research on Wikipedia have yielded some information I thought your readers might find useful:

1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins seem to be the most commonly collected and follow this general rule:

Any combination of $1 face value 1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins contain 0.6 Troy Ounces of silver (said coins have 80% silver content), with the exception of dimes and nickels.

In 1967-1968 it appears there were 50% silver dimes introduced alongside the 80% silver dimes, and in 1968 the 80% silver coins were discontinued.  If post-SHTF barter is your intention, I’d say not to take the risk with dimes minted after 1966.

Only 1920-1921 Canadian nickels had 80% silver content (and thus, 0.6 troy oz to the dollar).  Prior too, 1858 – 1919 nickels had 92.5% silver content.  Any later nickels are either nickel, steel or copper.  Current circulation Canadian “nickels” are 94.5% steel, so I can’t imagine the same rule with American nickels applying to current Canadian nickels.  Either way, Canadian nickels are, for the most part useless – and I’m not going to bother trying to search my pocket change for them.

The 1920 – 1967 nickels, dimes, quarters have a very similar appearance as current circulation coins (except for a different monarch, God Save the Queen, eh?)  The other coins (half dollar and silver dollar) are no longer in circulation.

One other interesting observation is that prior to 1920, with all Canadian coins having 92.5% silver content, each $1 face value contains 0.693 Troy Ounce of silver.  However, these coins don’t appear to be as common as the 1920 – 1967 coins, and I think in a SHTF situation, I believe either too few people will recognize these coins for what they are or the people who do will realize they have collectors value above the silver content.

Either way, I believe that “junk” 1920 – 1966 Canadian dimes, quarters, half dollars, and silver dollars are what you should be looking for, if you are a Canadian.

Here are the Wikipedia links for each Canadian coin:

Canadian Nickels

Canadian Quarters

Canadian Silver Dollars

I hope the foregoing proves useful.

Thank you for the work you do, and God bless you! – Nick L.

Economics and Investing:

Those pesky derivatives again: The Next Shoe To Drop: European Insurance Companies – Assicurazioni Generali CDS Explodes. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Another from J.B.G.: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund: Official.

John R. sent these two items: EU Outlines Bond Restructuring Plan 

Also from John: EU rescue costs start to threaten Germany itself. “The escalating debt crisis on the eurozone periphery is starting to contaminate the creditworthiness of Germany and the core states of monetary union.”

Mounting calls for ‘nuclear response’ to save monetary union. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Dr. Housing Bubble reports: The mini face of foreclosure. Oh and speaking of mini houses: Tiny house movement thrives amid real estate bust. (Thanks to Jon A. for the latter link.)

B.L.W. flagged this: Theft of nickel from city warehouse has international implications

Items from The Economatrix:

The US Economy:  Stand By For Worse News  

The Madness Of A Lost Society  

Nine Shocking Examples Of Black Friday Violence:  Is This A Foretaste Of The Economic Riots We Can Expect When The Financial System Collapse?  

Global Debt Crisis Implosions, Use Gold And Silver To Protect From The Big One, Coming Soon 

Odds ‘n Sods:

This news story from U.S.A. Today sounds like something out of a novel I once read wrote: More families, friends move in together. They even refer to it as “doubling up.” A hat tip to Jeff S. for sending us the link.

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I recently placed a small order with L.L. Bean Company. When it arrived, I was disgusted to see that they are now selling some clothes that are made in mainland China. My advice is that if you place an order with them only do so by phone, and insist that they omit any items made in China. (See my previous post about the laogai prison factory system in China.)

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Dr. G.S. found the web site for the El Paso Energy Association. “There are multiple resources for off grid energy resources, including links to external sites devoted to straw bale house construction, et cetera.”

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House May Block Food Safety Bill Over Senate Error. This is good news. Please contact your Congresscritters and ask them to stop this bad piece of legislation via “blue slipping” or any other means! (Among other things, the Senate version violates Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.)

Note from JWR:

We’ve completed the judging for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. And the winners are…

First Prize goes to T.K. for his article: Bugout Base Camp: My Solar School Bus, which was posted on Nov. 15, 2010. He will receive: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize goes to Naomi M. for her article Using the Grain You Have Stored, which was posted on November 24, 2010. She will receive: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize goes to A. for her article Keeping Secrets in Suburbia–Constructing Our Hidden Basement Room, which was posted on October 20, 2010. She will receive: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

There were so many great entries in Round 31 that an unprecedented twenty Honorable Mention prizes are being awarded. These articles were:

These authors will each receive a $30 gift certificate from Amazon.com. Congratulations. Keep in mind that you are still eligible to win one of the top three prizes for any future entries.

Note to prize winners: Send us an e-mail to let us know both your snail mail and UPS address (for the top three prizes), and just your e-mail address (for the Honorable Mention prize winners.) Thanks!

Round 32 begins today. (We didn’t have room to post all of the entries that were received for Round 31, so those will be posted in the next two weeks, for consideration in the judging for Round 32.) Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. Round 32 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry.

Note: One of the contest prizes is changing for this next round of the writing contest. Because the Fiocchi 9mm ammo is about to sell out, a 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo will be substituted. This prize is courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value),

Letter Re: Apartment Fire Lessons Learned

JWR:
I am sleeping soundly when I hear a car horn then another long horn for a full minute which seems like an eternity at 4 A.M. the apartment behind mine are 70 yards from my back porch. Then I hear a slamming of metal sound and then another like a bat hitting a car. Then I kind of fall back to sleep only to hear police knocking on doors yelling police and it sounds like they are down stairs and then all this knocking. I open my eyes and there is a fireball outside my window and my dog is starting to go nuts.

I look for my flashlight next to my pillow and realize it is in the truck because I took an extra one when I went hunting and forgot to put it back. I put on some clothes and cant find the flashlight in the kitchen. I go outside and the cops are trying to get people out of their apartments that are near this truck that is now a huge bonfire. I get closer and then the fire dept comes and this truck starts to catch another car on fire and the cops are trying to put out a huge blaze with a car fire extinguisher. Now there is smoke everywhere and I go back to my apt cause I can’t breathe.

Lessons Learned:

Don’t remove the flashlight without putting it back. Have one in your vehicle and have a fire extinguisher in your car and in your apt. Have a damn bug out bag. I started one and through hunting and car trips, etc. It got used and appropriated for other things. Seeing the neighbors who’s front door was 10 feet from the parked truck standing out in the cold at 4 A.M. in boxers while being shouted at by cops while you are half awake is disconcerting to say the least. Had I lived closer to that truck that was on fire, it would have been us out there.

So as I am half awake, I am planning on building a BOB for the family and dog and getting fire extinguishers and some gear together and putting it in our vehicles. 

Letter Re: DIY Food Storage Packing

Sir:
I am an avid reader of your blog. This particular article touched a chord and I’d like to suggest one place for a great many staples this person will need to store.

I am a Mormon.  The LDS bishop’s storehouse is available to me – however, this same resource is also available to non-members.  I have regularly taken my close non-Mormon friends to the local storehouse in the Sacramento, California region.  The prices I think are on-par with Sam’s Club and they have things that Sam’s Club simply won’t carry. (Wheat is one of those).  Here is a link to the order form and you can find your local store house location from this same site. 

I found that initially during my preparedness days (2004-to-2007) that it was cheaper to purchase rice at Sam’s, but better to purchase the beans (several varieties) from the store house.  All the items at the storehouse are in the 25 lb. bags. If you want the smaller sizes you will have to buy the 25 lb. bag and break that up into smaller containers.  You can purchase and can food items at most of the store houses.  No one will break up the large bags into #10 cans or Mylar pouches, you should make an appointment ahead of time if you plan to do this.  Also it is helpful to call ahead to make sure they have an item in stock.  If you are planning to purchase an entire year’s worth of supplies up front you must order (and pay) in advance.

There will no one there to convert you or talk to you about the LDS faith.  The goal of the storehouse is to distribute food/supplies to members in need of assistance and help you purchase and store up enough food to feed your family and provide charity to your neighbors. Thanks, – Mike

JWR Replies: It is best to compare prices before buying anywhere. I agree that the Bishop’s Storehouse dry canning plants are a great option. In the Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course I describe in detail how to buy foods in bulk–for example from “Big Box” stores like Costco and Sam’s Club stores, and then re-pack them yourself.

Letter Re: An Adequate Bug Out Vehicle (BOV)

Hello JWR,
I have a comment for the recent article by Ed in Kentucky. He listed several good points that include: debris passage, water passage, off-road ability, range, and tow capacity. I’ve seen some great pictures of School buses, Trash trucks, work vans built up to be livable and what I call “sleeper” vehicles. Imagine an ambulance in the exact same scenario. Instead of using the more common Ford E-150, and then build it up (with shelves, extra fuel tanks, interior stuff, etc.), get an Ambulance and build it down.

Run through Ed’s list again – scroll down now and come back – look at all the “upgrades” you didn’t have to buy.

Here ARE some things you will have to buy: Lights: You can not legally drive our big bad ambulance around town looking like an ambulance. RED and BLUE are always demand Right-of-way for Ambulance, Fire, and Police services. Be very careful of Green and Blue lights for volunteer services as many times green is also considered HAZMAT. So legally, [in most jurisdictions] yellow/amber/orange are “Requesting right-of-way” or danger/ safety lights and are okay along with white lights for any vehicle. I had to replace 14 lights @ 12.50 each. and replace the red spinners to yellow in the light bar. Paint them black, take off the red lenses, whatever.

You have to peel the stickers off: If your vehicle looks like a Ambulance then [in many jurisdictions] you have the legal responsibility to stop and render professional aid when hailed. Example: Let’s say there is a heart attack victim who calls 911, and unbeknown to you, you drive your “ambulance” right by their house and keep right on going. They are trying to flag you down with 911 on their cell running after you. You’re going to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars.

I’ve come to recognize that Fire trucks Police cars and Ambulances have certain upgrades that make them reliable in time of need, and after a time, they become very expensive to maintain at par levels. So they sell them at auction houses, what have you, and then buy next years best model. Well all those Ambulances and fire trucks are still Gigantic Tool boxes on wheels.

I have a 1980s vintage Ford Chateau 350 with a Horton box, gasoline 460cc V8 engine, Automatic transmission, Dually rear axle RWD just loaded with tool boxes, lights and sirens.

The problems: The VIN is only 7 digits (instead of the now-standard 13 or more) and “old enough” to make insurance raise an eye brow (clearly I’m not insuring as an ambulance, but just a work van. 2WD – they do make 4WD versions Very thirsty – 8 MPG? but two huge gas tanks to accommodate. Looks like an ambulance and therefore carries legal liability. I was teased by my friends only a few times. Not real easy to “lock” and make secure. They are a lot better than an RV door as far as security, but not really “hardened”. (Maybe look into an older Wells-Fargo armored truck) The light-brown basket-weave interior linoleum is just awfully ugly. It’s easy to just mop anything out however.

The Assets: Horton Ambulance box, mid 1980s vintage Type III Dually wheels, Ford Chateau E-350 parts availability, and partially EMP proof. There is a military designed box that sits on the rear of a Hummer or trailer that acts as an EMP-proof unit designed for electronics and reliable battlefield comms. Well, I think an ambulance with its solid metal skin may just fit the ticket quite nicely. (Yes there is glass in a door every once in a while – sigh.) Lots of white light inside. Lots of white light outside in the form of spot lights. All Halogen even. Lots of heat and air conditioning. (Mine just happens to need R12 coolant, far superior in cooling ability than its noble R134a counterpart, but also quite a bit more expensive, being so rare.)

Very clean wiring and electrical system including a 230 Amp Alternator (as a comparison, many house in the US only have a 200 Amp breaker box for their mains.) You really haven’t seen quality electrical until you’ve seen this wiring. RVs don’t even come close in serviceability and troubleshooting. (I do have barrel connectors all over the place however I’m not really fond of this but…) An Ambulance is on a higher playing field as far as quality and reliability are concerned. Other commercial or consumer grade cars trucks and vans have nothing on an ambulance. AMR, EMR, and other professional Ambulance companies have to pay huge money to buy an Ambulance brand new, get it certified with all the required codes and quality checks, and have to pay to keep it in working condition. Then it is always stored indoors and serviced by professionals perhaps more often than even school buses, tow trucks, police cars, and maybe even fire trucks. Did I mention it already has a 110 VAC using the standard plug? That is awesome. Dual batteries, monster alternator, and a shore line. Lots of clean AC and DC power.

My use for it when I bought it was to make it a mobile computer lab. I am quite versed in fiber channel, iSCSI and networking and after I was laid-off from a major computer firm this past summer 2010; I wanted to go into business for myself fixing business machines – say a remote PC/MAC/UNIX server “ambulance” (and a mobile bill-board for advertising even).

Back to the ambulance: Often there will be a lot of hours on the engine where no mileage was logged, just sitting in a parking lot waiting for a call to come in. So the default Ford cam shaft is fairly relaxed. I knew this going in so we replaced the cam to something “a little more aggressive”. Hint: Have you ever seen an ambulance lift it’s front wheels off the ground from a stop light? It’s a sleeper.

I would like to have either the natural gas version, or the diesel (preferred). But, it’s a work in progress. I have seen some diesel versions that “need engine work” with starting bids listed at $1,000. (New ones are in the $240,000 range) I’m not affiliated, but check out AmbulanceTrader.com.

Disclaimer – I felt I needed to have a disclaimer, but you’re all grown adults and know what you need to do to take care of things. I imagine a working pumper fire-truck next to your property with a large size water tank nearby would make a invaluable addition to your home in the case of a forest fire. I imagine one may be able to put the lights back on after TEOTWAWKI and have some kinds of respect, but maybe it’ll attract marauders to the potential of medicine. Who knows?

They are of course not always on sale, or cheap enough to buy, but when they are, buy ’em! And then try to figure out how to park them in your driveway. 🙂

Letter Re: Limitations of Square Foot Gardening

James;
I like Square Foot Gardening. It’s a great way to get started for newbies, with its recipe approach. I think it’s great for busy individuals.

But it has several severe TEOTWAWKI limitations; the author assumes access to building materials for raised beds, hard-to-find vermiculite and peat moss shipped from thousands of miles away.

I live in a large (one million plus people) city and had to call all over town for vermiculite, and then I had to buy it in small bags. I can’t imagine the difficulties of obtaining this limited material in a grid-down situation.

And forget about getting peat moss once local supplies are exhausted, as the majority is found in Canada.

Square Foot Gardening generally assumes annual plants, which die every year and must be re-planted. Though there’s nothing which prevents low-maintenance perennials (which stay alive for years).

Once you graduate from the Square Foot school, check out permaculture. A permaculture garden is self-supporting; you can’t leave a Square Foot Garden for weeks and expect food at the end, but a properly-designed permaculture garden can take care of itself.

The concepts are rich but because of that, they are also very technical. Browsing web sites will leave you confused and frustrated.

The very best resource I’ve found which helps navigate the permaculture world is the book “Gaia’s Garden.” Christians, don’t let the title put you off (I had at first refused to read it for that reason). There are also some YouTube videos which should show you the potential of this method.

So, start with a small Square Foot bed to get your feet wet. Then check out “Gaia’s Garden” from your library. See how much you can grow! – C.D.V.

Letter Re: A Strange Assortment of Weapons in Rio

Dear Editor:
In a 28 November post in Survival Blog, you observed:

“Rio de Janeiro shaken by fresh gang violence. There were 15 deaths in one day. Notice that one of the photographs shows a policeman carrying a scoped FN-FAL. Things must be serious. Please pray for the city’s residents.”

As a journalist I encountered a wide variety of weapons in use by the Rio de Janeiro Policia, including Imbel FALs, Ruger Mini-14s, various M16/M4 family weapons, Kalashnikovs and many examples of handguns. If the equipment–including tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles–tactics and appearance of the policia appears to be that of a military force under fire, that is because they often are.

A few of their weapons are pictured from various sources below. I saved the best three [IMHO] for last:

FALs, from a Xinhua article

FALs and G3, from The Australian newspaper

FALs, M4s and Galil, from Todayszaman.com

Mini-14 and AK variants, from Grind365.com. [JWR’s comment: The guy wielding two handguns must have been playing too many video games.]

And here are the ones of a weapon that was introduced circa 1902 [no, not the M4!] You don’t often see in use any more–except in Rio:

Madsen LMG

Another Madsen

Regards, – George S.

JWR Replies: Thanks for sending your observations and those fascinating photo links. Seeing those old warhorse Madsen light machineguns still in use made me chuckle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see those Madsens updated with Picatinny rails! FWIW, in Nepal, a few police were still toting Martini-Henry rifles up until the early 1980s. (And I must mention that I still have a few quasi-antique gems designed by the genius John Moses Browning in my gun vault, so I mustn’t denigrate the Nepalese. Just because a great design is a hundred years old doesn’t make it ineffective.)

Economics and Investing:

John R. sent this: Currency Crisis! So What Happens if the Dollar and the Euro Both Collapse? [JWR Notes: I predict that both will collapse, but that the Euro will tank first. This will mean a brief upswing in the value of the U.S. Dollar. As I’ve noted before, that brief interim will likely provide a window of opportunity to buy precious metals.]

Number of the Week: 492 Days From Default to Foreclosure. (Thanks to John R. for the the link.)

Another from John R.: Starve the Beast: Just Bull, not Good Economics.

World at a Boil with War and Economic Crisis (An excerpt from Bob Chapman’s weekly International Forecaster.)

Randy F. sent this: The Great Copper Heist.

Items from The Economatrix:

The Stench of Growing Economic Decay Grows Stronger  

Spain Could Be Forced to Seek a Bailout Within Months, Says Barclays  

EU Rescue Costs Start to Threaten Germany Itself  

Spain, Portugal and Belgium to Follow Ireland into the Abyss  

Odds ‘n Sods:

The 25 Most Dangerous Cities In America. Note how population density creates an inverse relationship with my Recommended Retreat Areas. These are the proverbial “Opposite ends of the spectrum.”

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RFJ mentioned that Murphy’s Laws of TEOTWAWKI from the Survival Cache gear site got re-posted to Lew Rockwell’s site.

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The Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course is only rarely offered at a discounted price. Until Monday December 13th, the publisher is running a special sale. Don’t miss out on the chance to get a copy for yourself, or to give one as a Christmas gift.

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Medusahead: An Inedible Grass Threatens Western Rangeland  

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Brian S. suggested this fascinating YouTube clip: Space Station Crew Uses Ham Radio to Call Earth

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. Of course, this makes me forever ineligible for public office." – H.L. Mencken

Notes from JWR:

Today I’m posting the first column written by my new bride, Avalanche Lily.

—

I’m also presenting the final two entries for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 32 of the contest begins on November 1st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Truth About Your Local Grocery Store, By Jay M.

I’ve been reading your Blog for a little over a year now and find it very interesting.  Not long ago there was an entry about trying to convince your family about the need to get prepared.  I to have the same issue when trying to get others on board.  They always seem to give me the “RCA dog look” — like I’ve lost my mind.
However, I do have the advantage of some work experience that helps.  I’ve worked for a major grocer / big box retailer for the last 25 years.   In that time things have changed an unbelievable amount.  Twenty or even ten years ago we stored tons of merchandise in the back room and restocked throughout the day.  Now due to the wishes of Wall Street all retailers are required to very closely monitor their inventory levels.  If you want your share price to go up then you had to greatly reduce the amount of inventory you kept in the stores.  This resulted in the Just in Time (JIT) inventory craze.  Basically this means that instead of a store employee knowing what sold when and ordering each day/week to keep the store stocked with what was selling or what they knew would sell based on their experience it is now done by computers.  Now this “computer” knows how long it takes to get each item from the vendor to the store.  Then it takes information from the registers each day based on how much of an item is sold and/or sales trends and orders just enough as not to run out.  The goal is that as a customer is buying the last item off the shelf that a stocker is coming down the aisle with a new case to restock. 

Of course any of you who do any shopping understand this is not a perfect science.  As people go shopping now they take for granted that what they want will be on the shelf.  Most of the time this process does work as planned.  When you consider that most stores carry 70,000 plus items there is a very small percent that are actually out each day. 

The problem occurs when some outside factors come into play.  This can be as little as the weather man predicting a snow or ice store.  If that happens people go nuts buying everything they can get their hands on.  The system is not set up for this.  If the situation only affects a few locations then they can get back in stock within 2-3 days on most of the basic supplies.  However if it affects a large region such as half a state then the warehouses run out fast also.  They are on the JIT program as well and aren’t stocked in a way to restock 100 stores all at once.    Many areas of the country are primed to be affected by an earthquake.  If that were to happen the shelves would be cleaned out within hours and wouldn’t be restocked for who knows how long.  Even if the stores local area wasn’t affected, most likely the roads between the store and the warehouses would have bridges that if not destroyed would certainly be shut down for a time in order for inspectors to clear them as safe before trucks were allowed to cross.

The other factor I explain to folks is that when they shop day in and day out it looks like a ton of merchandise on the shelf.  For example a store may stock 60 propane bottles for camp stoves on a regular basis.  But in an emergency situation whether it has happened or only predicted the customers who get there first to buy some don’t just buy one or two.  They will buy at least 10 so then only the first six customers get any.    Many of the big box and grocery stores you shop in every day average between 3,000 and 6,000 customers a day.  Do the math.

As far as food most stores get 2-to-5 trucks a day of some type of food.   Thus the store you shop at each day/week really only has about 1-½ to 2 days worth of food on the shelf any given day during normal conditions.  If an emergency happens they will be cleaned out in a matter of hours.  Then the question becomes how they will restock.  Remember roads may be closed.  The warehouse workers who normally load the trucks may have situations where they don’t show up to work due to taking care of their own family.  The same would be true with the truck drivers who would bring it to the stores and the folks who stock and run the local store as well.

What I try to make people understand it that they need to have a stock of what they need at their own house or somewhere.  That they can’t just assume the local store will have what they want.  A lot of discussion goes on about food but you can’t just think about food.  Of course that is important for sure but also think about other things you would want.  Such items might be batteries, candles, matches, charcoal, lighter fluid, Coleman fuel, propane, lamp oil, water carriers, and toilet paper (very important), etc.  I also try to keep at least an extra 6-to-8  of such items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, paper plates, paper towels, medicine, etc.  Think of things that you use every day but won’t be able to drive to the store and pick up if TSHTF .  

Assuming that you could buy gas or kerosene how many cans to you have to transport it in?  A couple of years ago there was a major ice storm where I live.  The stores were closed for 2-3 days in most cases.  When they did open you couldn’t find a gas can for days.  Due to the storm everyone needed to run chain saws to clear roads, yards, or trees off their house.  However like I said earlier the stores only replenish to rate of sale.  Since a store doesn’t normally sell 100 gas cans a day they don’t keep that many in stock.  Some items that became major needs but were not available that no one ever thinks about were two cycle oil and bar and chain oil for the chain saws, extra chains, files for sharpening, etc.

Another thing to consider is how you will pay of things if you can actually find them.  Many times I’ve seen where some construction company digging a trench 100 miles away cut a fiber optic line and totally shut down all credit / debit card transactions and many check purchases.  How much cash do you have on hand to buy things in an emergency?  Be sure you don’t keep $100 bills.  Keep small bills and maybe some quarters.  Even if the stores are able to stay open or reopen after a few days chances are they won’t be able to get their change orders from the bank as they normally do 5-6 days a week.  Thus if you walk in there with big bills they may not be able to make change.

The next time you go shopping take time to look around and think about what you would do if when you walked in the shelves were empty.  What would you feed your family when you got home if you couldn’t buy what you came to get.  Go home and look at your cabinets.  How long could you feed your family if you couldn’t get to the store?

Many of you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving for the challenge of getting what you want to give for Christmas presents.  Many of you won’t go anywhere near a store that day because of the chaos.  However, think about if you had to fight crowds like that who were fighting for food to feed their kids vs. just presents.  If you had a proper store of supplies that you needed already you would certainly rest better knowing you didn’t have to go and ‘fight’ in this dangerous environment.
I’ve said all this to simply say don’t take for granted that what you run to the store for will always be there in a crisis.  Make plans now and stock up on the basis as you see fit for your family.  Remember to watch the sale ads and take advantage when stores run the items you use on sale.  Also this holiday season is a great time to stock up on basic grocery items.  Many stores have marked down items to attract customers for their holiday cooking needs.  For example many stores have basic cans goods (beans, corn, etc) for 30-50% off their regular prices.

There are tons of list out there of what you need to have.  Be sure to think about what you already use all the time and stock up on that as well.  Life will be much more pleasant if live changes due to a major SHTF situation or even a temporary situation such as an earthquake if you don’t have to drastically modify your life.  Simple things like having your regular shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc will be appreciated.