I’m old enough to make some “senior citizen” comments, since I’ll soon be 73 and my wife is one year my junior. Fortunately, both my wife and I are relatively healthy. My wife does have some pain issues, though, and we’ve tried to plan for those when the SHTF.
Why This Senior Citizen Prepper Started Stocking Up
I’m a little weary of all the gloom and doom predictions. Still, I do feel that a total financial collapse could happen anytime. There’s one point people miss when they try to convince others that being prepared makes sense: inflation is on an upward spiral, especially in fuel and groceries.
Most anything you buy today will cost more tomorrow, so why not stock up today and save the money? A few years back, three jars of mayonnaise cost us $8. Not long after, the same mayonnaise cost $16. Most mayonnaise can sit on the shelf for well over a year in a controlled environment. I don’t know about most folks, but we use more than three jars a year.
Stocking the Pantry Without Breaking the Bank
When we can go to Big Lots and get name-brand stewed tomatoes for 50 cents a can, we buy a dozen cans. This ain’t rocket science. Thanks to my wife – who works the two-for-one sales, coupons, and special buys – we’ve managed to accumulate a considerable survival food list.
This may not qualify as survival food, but why pay 50 cents for a bag of Lay’s reduced-fat potato chips when you can get two bags for that price on sale? I have bags of chips that expired back in December. When I open them, they’re as fresh as the day I put them away.
To supplement our canned food, we’ve bought long-term storage food too. We also have an electric/hand-operated wheat grinder – my wife knows how to use it as well. We store water in used grape juice bottles. We also keep a stock of toilet paper, coffee, tea, pain relievers, wipes, and soap.
We also can some things from the garden.
Defense, Cash, and a Little Gold and Silver
At my age I can’t run a marathon, but I can fire a weapon. I will without hesitation, should that ever become necessary to protect my family or property. We’ll most likely live to see a threatening period, so based on that, I bought a Glock 19 handgun and a Mini-14 with an excellent scope. I already owned a pump 12-gauge shotgun. I have several hundred rounds for each. If I can’t fend off intruders with several hundred rounds, 10,000 rounds won’t do me any good either.
We keep some cash at home and own a little gold and silver. Still, food and clean water will be the most valuable things to have on hand.
One huge advantage we have: my wife is a retired nurse practitioner. Besides having the medical knowledge, she’s assembled a first aid/trauma kit that might save a life in any emergency.
What This Senior Citizen Prepper Will Never Bother With
I will never be interested in night vision equipment, acquiring knowledge on the applications of thermite, or traveling to a bug-out location. This is where we live, and here we will die if it ever comes to that. I’ve learned many interesting and helpful things on this site and other survival-oriented websites. I still feel I have lots to learn. We are, however, much better prepared for challenging times than most anyone we know.
We sleep better at night knowing that when the lights go out, we can break out the little propane burner, build a fire in the stove, and light the oil lamps. I sure am going to miss fresh milk, bananas, and a hot shower.
Bunker Billy