I need a water distiller to make pure drinking water as my well water has too much hard calcium in it.
Cheryl Nelson said:
Synchronicity! I just received my new distiller yesterday. I got it for making my own essential oils, but it can also distill water, and alcoholic beverages. Being alcohol intolerant, I don't indulge, but others in the house will probably want to try making their own beer and wine.
Synchronicity! I just received my new distiller yesterday. I got it for making my own essential oils, but it can also distill water, and alcoholic beverages. Being alcohol intolerant, I don't indulge, but others in the house will probably want to try making their own beer and wine.
Bible – This actually isn’t a luxury item, it’s a necessity in my book, but for some…
Toilet paper – LOTS OF IT! Like my brother told me recently, before he would want to take a soiled rag and clean it by hand he would rather go Fido and ass drag himself across the lawn! Sorry for the language, but that’s funny! This would be on his survival list!
Chocolate
Crossword puzzles
Rubix cube – This will provide adequate frustration to the survival group.
A new outfit to store away for each kid for their next 10 birthdays. If next year’s birthday comes to pass without a collapse, you already have a present purchased!
Board games – Lots of them
Playing cards (both regular and pinochle)
New pairs of shoes – Priceless in a SHTF scenario when the old ones wear out.
Make up – Kids or womens…unless you are in California! (Sorry Mac!)
Cap gun – This can also be very handy teaching the little ones to handle a sidearm.
Magnifying glass – fun for kids, but can also start a fire.
Boxes of color crayons
Tablets/notebooks/construction paper
A photo album (Make sure you print off whatever pictures you want to have access to!)
Scrapbooking supplies
A basketball/football/baseball with baseball mitts and bats
Telescope – It’s fun to look up at the stars and moon when there aren’t the lights of the city to hide them. Get a star chart to pick out the constellations for your area of the globe.
Pens/markers/pencils (don’t forget a pencil sharpener!)
Books – kids/history/romance/survival/fiction/biography’s (check out local garage sales)
Mountain House (or other) dehydrated ice cream.
Tonka trucks or Matchbox cars
Ipod touch preloaded with game apps, music, movies (You need to have the ability to recharge them)
A globe – To describe to the next generation that the world isn’t really flat
Dolls – Barbie or other
A small mirror – Could be used for fun or for signaling
Gloves – Working, gardening, warming…imagine 2 years in to get a new set of gloves?
Bug catchers – Nets and the screened containers to put them in. Kids love it.
Fishing equipment – Fun and can provide food.
Long underwear – Watch the episode of M*A*S*H* where a pair of long underwear were being stolen and bartered across the compound to understand their value.
Kites – If your mother in law moves in, wait until there is a storm and….nevermind. Kids love em!
Musical instruments – harmonica, guitar, fiddle. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to play, you will have time to learn!
Sheet music – Easier than trying to remember all of the words and chords!
Puzzles
Model cars/boats with model paint
Wax and wicks to make candles. If you want, add colors and fragrances.
Spices – I’m sure these are already on everyone’s list, but they are a luxury.
Coffee – Again, this may seem necessary, but it is a luxury.
Scissors and razors – for crafts, hair cutting, shaving. When the power runs out and everyone’s electric razor runs out of juice, a disposable razor will be great for barter.
Sewing kit with material and a book on how to sew. Don’t forget a measuring tape and patterns for different sizes. When we all lose weight because the fast food joints are boarded up, the ability to hem and take in existing clothes will be quite handy.
Rechargeable vacuum cleaner (assuming you have the ability to charge it). Carpet will become very dirty.
Fresh sheets and blankets
Dice
Hammer, nails, saws, wood. Survival stuff I know, but have enough extra to make a tree fort (Listening post to the prepper)
Short wave radio with rechargeable batteries. This could be important to get news from around the world as well as regionally, but imagine being able to turn on a radio instead of the dead silence.
Plastic Easter eggs – An Easter egg hunt would be huge fun for the kids. Think of little toys/things to stuff in them.
Sleds – If there is a hill and snow there is fun.
Kid pool – Capture some rainwater in it and let the sun heat it up for some fun in the pool.
Alcohol – I’m not talking for sterilizing a wound. I’m talking a glass of wine or the spirit of your choice to open on an anniversary or something. A few bottles of wine in the basement can make for a nice get away. Great barter item as well if you remember Selco’s story from surviving Sarajevo.
Condoms – This goes well with #49 and let’s face it, an EMP isn’t going to stop this from being a very useful item! Great barter item as well.
Joke books – Is there anything that can lift the spirit of a fellow more than a good laugh?
Toothbrushes – Eventually yours will wear out. Have a lot of these on hand.
Small cooler that can be plugged in to the solar power. I once took a trip by myself in to the boundary waters in northern Minnesota. Had a great time, caught lots of fish, did plenty of reading and hiking, but left two days early because the one thing I missed most was drinking something cold.
Flower seeds – Nothing herbal or edible as those are survival seeds. These are for growing a few flowers to put on the table to add some color to what may be an otherwise gray world.
Hankerchiefs – Tons of uses.
Yard games – Horse shoes, yard darts…etc.
Domino’s – Not the pizza!! There won’t be a lot of delivery going when SHTF! J
Hard candy
Dental floss
Shoe laces – many applications with the main one being the ability to lace your shoes/boots.
Fireworks – Can be used for fun as well as survival applications.
Targets – If you have enough ammo to spare for target practice it is loads of fun. (Pun intended) I realize ammo will be at a premium, so will the ability to shoot it accurately.
Wood carving tools – Great hobby, creates kindling and if you screw up, hide the evidence by heating your house.
Pets – Great companions as well as security. Even a little yapper like my neighbor’s can save your life. Make sure your preps include food for them as well!
Socks and underwear – Feet smell and socks get worn out. A new pair of socks will be a huge luxury. Shouldn’t have to tell you the benefits of fresh underwear.
Solar charger with USB port – Apps on your mobile phones will still work, music, pictures and videos from the past not lost.
Bow and arrows – Again, target practicing is fun and it is extremely useful for providing food. Make sure you have a lot of target arrows as well as your broadheads.
Home schooling materials – educate your kids to be able to read and do math.
Walkie talkies – Kids love playing with them (Don’t forget your rechargeable batteries)
Food coloring – Purple rice tonight? Now the kids like it!
Binoculars – It’s amazing how much fun looking at things closer can be. For example, people climb to the top of the Sears Tower so that they can look through binoculars at the ground where they just were. This is proof that it is really fun to look through them! (that might have been an old George Carlin joke…not sure)
Yo yo’s, Slinkies, jacks, etch-a-sketch…think of the non battery operated toys of days past.
Magazines – Get a subscription to your favorites and don’t throw them away. Ask friends and relatives if you can have theirs when they are done with them.
Flash cards – You can get them on many different subjects from math to reading to picture recognition. You can use recipe cards to customize them to whatever you want.
Christmas ornaments – If you celebrate Christmas, there is a lot of fun in decorating a tree. Ask your parents and grandparents if you can have a few of theirs. These end up being precious heirlooms and may remind you of stories to tell of Christmas past around a campfire.
BB guns – Fun for the kids, cheap ammo and great for getting them used to handling a rifle. Can’t tell you how many hours of fun my old Daisy provided.
Balloons – Nothing says birthday like a balloon. If you have young kids that can’t walk yet, but can roll over, put a red balloon on the floor and watch them go to work.
Polaroid camera and film (don’t forget your rechargeable batteries!). Yes, they still exist and are available to buy on Ebay. You can capture a precious moment on film and it will print out the picture for you.
Knitting supplies – Provides scarves, blankets to newborns and can be a good hobby.
Written stories from grandparents and parents about their past to read to the group over a campfire.
Ammo reloading supplies – It is a fun hobby to reload ammo and a useful skill to know. Saves money on ammo as well. This could also be a skill used for bartering for goods.
Metal detector – If you have the ability to recharge the batteries it uses, it can be fun to go on a search for things buried from the past.
Rakes for the leaf piles in the fall. If your mother in law moves in with you, cover a fire hydrant with a pile of leaves and….nevermind. The kids love jumping in them!!
Skip ropes/hula hoops/frisbee’s
Set of golf clubs and golf balls – Have chipping contests in the yard.
Snorkels and fins if you live near a lake or the ocean. Grab a spear and you can even provide a shore lunch!
Microscope – If seeing things close up from behind a set of binoculars isn’t fun enough, you wouldn’t believe how much fun it is for kids to look at some things through a microscope.
Rope – Make a swing from a tree or a hundred other fun uses.
Bird feeders with bird seed and bird houses. I’ve never gotten in to watching birds that much, but people love it.
Sling shot – Give a sling shot and a few rocks to a 10 year old and they would be in heaven! When they get good enough, they may just put a rabbit in the kettle too. (Don’t forget plywood for over your windows!)
Snowshoes – When there is 2’ of snow on the ground going for a nature walk or hunting trip will be much easier.
Solar shower – A hot shower can make a world of difference and really lift spirits when everything is dirty.
Hand held back massager – People are going to be working hard and using muscles that normally don’t get used too hard. This will lead to knots in muscles and back aches.
Hand crank radio – If any local station is still broadcasting the ability to listen to local news or music will be critical.
Reading glasses – Maybe you can see well now, but when you and others grow older, eventually a set of reading glasses will be a priceless gift.
Sunglasses – Sunglasses get broken and scratched. A good pair of sunglasses can provide light protection as well as eye protection.
Nintendo DS or other battery operated hand held games. Again, you need to have the ability to recharge the batteries.
Skateboard, rollerblades or bikes
Letters from loved ones – Just think, it’s 3 years after the collapse. Mom and dad in laws live in Florida and who knows if they are even alive. Ask them if they would write a personal letter to your wife or husband and kids telling them about themselves and how much they are loved. I can’t think of a greater present than a hand written letter to give on a birthday.
Bible – All things including this list in my opinion should begin and end with God. His grace is truly the only thing that can really save us all.
I just checked and it goes to a godaddy.com advertisement, site's for sale?
That's kind of scary with talk about prepper sites and outspoken anti-gov't sites being shut down, including Facebook accounts.
The list included what Jim said and also included games for kids, sports equipment, cards, sewing tools and book and patterns, chocolate, solar power to keep ipads and other small appliances that need electricity that you want to keep running, books, magazines, etc. Maybe Jim remembers more.
I'd argue condoms being a necessity, not a luxury... why bring children into a very messed up world too soon?
The site works for me. It realy is a good site with lots of links. It is just that in that artical he is saveing too much junk. But that is only how I see it, you may like some of that stuff!
Replies
I need a water distiller to make pure drinking water as my well water has too much hard calcium in it.
Cheryl Nelson said:
Cheryl, I have been looking for a good and cheap distiller for water for many years. Where did you get yours and what was the price?
Synchronicity! I just received my new distiller yesterday. I got it for making my own essential oils, but it can also distill water, and alcoholic beverages. Being alcohol intolerant, I don't indulge, but others in the house will probably want to try making their own beer and wine.
Wm said:
How to Make Beer
How to Make Wine at Home
Thanks, Jim! The link is good again. Guess someone forgot to pay their domain fee.
Here ya go Cheryl.
Bible – This actually isn’t a luxury item, it’s a necessity in my book, but for some…
I just checked and it goes to a godaddy.com advertisement, site's for sale?
That's kind of scary with talk about prepper sites and outspoken anti-gov't sites being shut down, including Facebook accounts.
The list included what Jim said and also included games for kids, sports equipment, cards, sewing tools and book and patterns, chocolate, solar power to keep ipads and other small appliances that need electricity that you want to keep running, books, magazines, etc. Maybe Jim remembers more.
I'd argue condoms being a necessity, not a luxury... why bring children into a very messed up world too soon?
His point is trying to preserve normalcy, at least during the transition. I would pick and choose what works for me, but I couldn't do it all.
The site works for me. It realy is a good site with lots of links. It is just that in that artical he is saveing too much junk. But that is only how I see it, you may like some of that stuff!