Welcome to the new MutuallyAssuredSurvival forums

[Atash Hagmahani]

These forums have been performing nicely. I'll send a contribution to the folks at Simple Machines who wrote them. Welcome, guests!

These forums do have notifications features (unlike previous), so if you want to know when you have a new reply to a topic you are interested in, you can set that up in your profile.

We just got a flood of new members, too many to filter them all, so we might get spammers or other troublemakers. I will be on the alert and will deal with same as quickly as possible, if indeed it gets to be a problem.

It is possible to post pix, for those who are already wondering. We have a post about it somewhere. Click on "Additional Options", and then you can attack a reasonable sized (256KB) file. If it is a picture, a thumbnail will display in your message. You can also link to pix on the internet using the IMG tag (see the buttons above the edit field)...preferably on your own webspace as some websites don't like deep-linking.

Have a lot of fun, and thank you for visiting!

[Unconventionalideas]

I saw the MSNBC video report, and determined this was right up my alley.

So I look forward to sharing ideas, and learning from all of you.


John Andersen
http://www.unconventionalideas.com

[Lady Lilya]

Where can I see this report?

[Unconventionalideas]

It was the one on Atash and his lifestyle.  Not sure where to find it now.

[Decomposed]

Aw, you guys.  I found this site as a result of the article. I'm sure I can dig it up.  Here you go:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27244465/

Introduction?  I'm Decomposed.  I've been in Northern Virginia for the past three years after fleeing California in terror in 2005.  I usually hang out on AtomicBobs.com and run the ROUND board http://www.atomicbobs.com/index.php?mode=read&id=346807 - where I'm apparently viewed as similar enough to Atash that folks there dedicated the MSNBC article to me.

It sounds as if Atash and I have nearly identical thoughts, though I think he's well ahead of me in his preparations.  I've got 6 months worth of food for my family, mostly in the form of Costco dried food buckets.  The attraction is that they're cheap and last for up to 20 years.  You can get them here:  http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?ec=BC-EC15297-ProdID11224550&pos=1&whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11219554&lang=en-US

I've been recommending physical gold since $320/oz, and silver since $4.80/oz, to everyone I know.  Do I own any myself?  *ahem*  Not saying.  What do YOU think?

I sold my paid off CA home in 2005, and have been renting these past three years, but during that time built a small house on a ten acre wooded lot in New Hampshire.  It'll be there when I need it.  Meanwhile, it's a nice 11 hour drive that I've been doing several times a year as the family's vacation.  Beautiful state.  HIGHLY recommended as the place to be when TEOTWAWKI hits.

I started buying guns this year and now have six:  A .22 semiautomatic rifle, another that can be either a single shot .22 rifle or a .410 gauge shotgun depending on which barrel is attached, a Swiss K31 bolt action rifle, an AR-15, a Mossburg shotgun and a S&W "Ladysmith" .357 Magnum revolver.  I may not know how to shoot, but I'm learning.  I'm going hunting this Saturday for the first time.  By the end of the day, I presume I will have eaten my first squirrel.

How much trouble do I think the dollar is in?  I think it is reverting to its inherent value:  ZERO.  When?  It could take a couple of decades, but I see it crashing severely from today's levels within three years.  I expect the bailout efforts to lead to a recovery, but it will be a much weaker recovery than occurred in 2001 when housing was pillaged.  And when it turns down AGAIN in a few years, I think that'll be it for the United States.  I wish everyone the best of luck.  Nobody else I know is really getting ready - even though I've been preaching the same story for five years and nearly everything I've been saying would happen HAS happened... pretty much on schedule, too.

That's enough about me.  I like what I've seen of the forum and appreciate your giving me a place to hang out with like-minded individuals!

[JD]

I would like to say hello to everyone on the forum. I'm in the BlueRidge mountains of North Carolina

[beentheredonethat]

Hello everyone,
Usually give a read on the MSM homepage when I sign out of my Hotmail acct and noticed the article. "I've got to read this" I said.
I am the "better half" of a retired couple (now) who left the Sacramento valley of CA and headed for the "hills" back in '99 with storage for 2 years. Ah, those 1999 prices!  I have much info and experience in prepping which I hope to share as opportunity presents. 

[Malone Laveigh]

Hello everyone, glad to be here with y'all.   

I, like many others, also found this Forum via the MSNBC story.  Atash, it's looks like you've done a great job setting this up for like-minded people to exchange their thoughts and ideas about the upcoming "unpleasantries", and how best to prepare themselves and their loved ones.

Thanks for all your hard work.   


Malone

[drjvm]

Hi everyone. I'm happy to see a lot of like minded people here. I'm from NY & have been preping hard the last few months. Seems like we have more problems out there then at any time in the last 20 years. You never seem to have enough stuff, so keep on prepping!

Joe

[opsec]

BeenThereDoneThat,
     When you got to the hills and were living with the preps, what did you find that you had forgotten or that you needed most? In other words, what were the holes in your preps?

[Lady Lilya]

Decomposed, thanks for the link.

[Meee2]

Hey Everybody...I too found this site via MSN...I am looking forward to yacking with everyone. Finally...Like Minded Folks!

[beentheredonethat]

Opsec,
I can honestly say that Using the Making the Best of Basics-Family Preparedness Handbook really takes the guesswork out of prepping. It lists everything so you don't forget something or overbuy. Back then, a lot of us were able to use the Mormon cannery in Sacramento to can wheat, dried onions, carrots, potato flakes and anything else we brought in ourselves. The LDS potato buds really are a nutritional nightmare, so I have not used a lot of it figuring I'll save them for when things are really bleak. The canned butter I bought was a bust, but will serve its purpose in a pinch. Made a batch of cookies and was disappointed, but they were edible.

Being a cooking-from-scratch homemaker, I only bought basic ingredients rather than freeze-dried meals. Just too pricey for us, even back then. I even bought powdered whole eggs, which have really come in handy for baking, otherwise we raised our own eggs which we will be restarting next spring, God willing.

With that said, the only thing I can think of that we wish we could do would be some form of alternative power. Still working on that. But, from emergency supplies, to food and cold-steel protection, we have it all. My husband had all the necessary tools, being a general all-round fixit guy. We are planning on buying more gas and diesel as we our power usually goes out at least once during the winter when it snows (which is at least once during the season). We did find a much bigger generator after we moved in which really helped and our wood stove has a large enough top that I can cook on (which I have).

Hope this has been helpful.

[justamom]

Hi.  I'm new here too and also found the site from the MSN article.  I hope to learn an alot from everyone here before it's too late to learn how to survive.  We bought a year supply of food back during the Y2K scare and now have to pretty much start all over again, and really think about the essentials now that we have children.  I still have the original stockpile, but it is aging.  I read on Emegency Essential's site that some of the food storage can last up to 20 years or more.  Anyone know?

[offdalip]

Depends on the quality,

I would at least test some of it now see how it is deteriorating , if any . and if continuing to build a stockpile, use FIFO accounting techniques. First in First out in consumption