Easy and Economical ways to be prepared in case of emergency or power outages. Simple tricks, tips and quick prep

These are some great tips submitted to TheAwakening board on Voat.

This post submitted with excellent info from poster ObamasPinkSock

I asked permission to share his tips.

His post was titled,

Cheap and easy ways to prepare for long periods of martial law or civil war without power or water.

Are you and your family prepared for a lengthy period of martial law or civil war without power or water?

During such times, the difference between a helpless family and one that thrives can be a matter of $100, a bit more if you don't already own a gun.

Buy a gun and learn how to use it. Here's a great guide for cheap and reliable guns. If you can't afford a gun, buy an aluminum baseball bat.JPG

Have an agreed meeting place for your loved ones if the power and mobile phone network fails.

Do you have an emergency first aid survival kit? You can make one for about $28 if you buy all of this stuff separatelyJPG and it will be far superior than most $300 kits!JPG

Bottled water lasts foreverJPG and large water containersJPG can be filled from the river or rainwater.JPG Treat river and rainwater with pure iodine - just enough so you can start to taste it and leave it to work for an hour. Add food coloring to your iodine so you can easily see what water has already been treated. Iodine is far superior to chlorine water purification tablets.

Do you have plenty of long-life rations? You don't need fancy stuff, just food with very long expiry dates that you'll use anyway is perfect. These non-perishable foods will last forever...PNG just make sure you have a non-powered can opener!

Do you have plenty of extra blankets to keep warm on cold nights if the power is out? Camping sleeping bags are great when it's cold!

Are you stocked-up on meds that you or your family depend on, such as diabetic medication or heart pills? If not, get extra - you'll use it so the peace of mind won't cost you a cent.

Do you have candles, matches, stove-lightersJPG and a couple of $5 LED hand-crank torches?JPG I have a few hundred little tealights because one of those costs about 20 cents and can provide eight hours of lightJPG - which is much nicer than sitting in the dark with your family. Use a mirror to cast extra light in one direction.JPG Put 'em in a glass cup for safety. Solar powered Christmas lights can be cheap and effective too - just leave them outside to charge during the day and bring them in at night.JPG

Do you have a full BBQ gas tank and a cooker to fit it?JPG

Hand-crank or solar USB chargers or even a hand-crank or solar radioJPG will allow you to listen to President Trump's emergency broadcasts if the power is out. Use ear-buds to extend the length of the battery charge and note that not all emergency radios come with headphone jacks. Be warned that "cheap" USB chargers likely won't work with the newer smartphones because even though they provide 5 volt, the newer smartphones require a full ampere of charge which the cheaper solar and hand-crank USB chargers do not provide.

These are just some of the bare basics that will help you to survive.

Just for fun, I bought some low-powered iPhone speakers and filled my old iPod with 2,000 hours of Penguin classic, award winning short stories, Doctor Who and classic horror audio books and all of Art Bell's paranormal, cryptid, UFO and conspiracy theory radio shows because my kids love sci-fi and creepy stuff. I can host at least one hour of before bedtime candle-lit, creepy radio shows each evening for about 5 years or until by iPod batteries stop charging. :-)

Anther poster states,

You can buy a "water bob" for $20 bucks online. It goes in the bathtub and holds 100 gallons of water, keeps it clean, and has a nice dispenser. You can also buy a bucket of food at Costco for $100. It provides 30 days worth of dehydrated meals for a family of 4, and has a 20 year shelf life. =) A couple of giant jugs of peanut butter is also really affordable. Also, bleach is essential for cleaning... at 10 parts per million of water a gallon goes a long, long way.

Before the '16 election, for less than $400, (i already had ammo) I literally got everything we would need for 2 months of staying put at home, and put it all in 2 big plastic tubs, in case we needed to hit the road fast. My mom said I was crazy, and I told her I'd rather have it and never need it...

More advice from another poster on battery power banks.

To power phones, one can also buy portable battery banks (10,000+ mAh capacity is ideal) and optionally a 12V car USB adapter rated for 1A or greater output. That combo is pretty powerful and convenient. Solar's great but it's nice having a pre-charged battery bank ready to charge your phone 5x over.

This one fro JeepersGypsy,

t is wonderful that you shared this information! I was raised by an Amish Grandmother, so I have always known how to live simply and prep. I got my family into doing more about eight years ago, and we have all continued and probably always will. The one thing I will tell everyone here is; you absolutely do not need electricity at all. It may be difficult at first if it goes out, but you will find it isn't needed. You will also become much closer as a family without it. You'll find a lot of awesome fun things to do, it will surprise you. We have a library of books and games to play, and we find when the power is out we have the most fun making our own games and telling stories. Properly preserved foods are key, I've canned and dried and smoked my own, but buying canned food items from Aldi or any cheaper store is fine. Also, canned food items last a lot longer than the use by date on the can, so if it isn't discolored or stinky it's usually safe to eat. Everyone should be just fine, just don't panic and follow the curfews, and have a way to defend yourself from those who may wish to take what is yours. God Bless ♡

This great idea from another poster,

Thanks for list.....Solar powered sidewalk lights work great too ($2-4 @ Walmart or dollar genera)l..take them off ground spikes a put them in window sills during day and they last long time. .saves $ on batteries and less chance of fires than candles. .

Original poster also posted,

Some preppers buy cheap solar powered Christmas lights that they leave outside during the day and bring in to light their rooms in the evening.

I've got two solar cookers which are fantastic too, providing you plan ahead a little to ensure they have time to work. I wouldn't rely on them to boil water for morning coffee unless my gas tanks were dry, but they are great for everything else.

Farmerberry says this,

All these ideas are good, but remember that a retired mountaineer is one who has spent his entire life collecting light weight equipment and cannot carry it any more. Have a back pack light enough to be able to run a short distance with it.

edit: Remember the small camera so you can bore your Grandchildren with your bravery!

Other great sources,

Survival and preparedness here,

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/

Videos, Podcasts, articles here,

https://www.prepperwebsite.com/

https://topprepperwebsites.com/