MGTOWPreparing for Winter – MGTOW https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/feed/ Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:22:40 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=2.5.14-6684 en-US https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/page/170/#post-120031 <![CDATA[Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/page/170/#post-120031 Thu, 24 Sep 2015 15:27:47 +0000 Jon the Ex-Squid Gentlemen,

I work for several large insurance companies as a technical consultant. Winter last year was brutal, with record breaking snowfalls across the northern part of the US and several ice storms down south. Both resulted in loss of power and highway closures. Insurance companies have their own weather studies done without the political or social influence of what’s read in the news. They’re not trying to hype of fear or address global climate change, they just want to know what this winter will cost them. The weather forecast for this winter is projected to be equal to or worse than last year.

As a single man living alone, I take my precautions seriously. After witnessing some of the damage done by Superstorm Sandy firsthand, I gear my preps towards being as self sufficient as possible. I don’t prep for the end of the world. I prep for a month-long lack of power/heat due to a storm or series of storms.

I enjoyed a cup of coffee outside this morning, watching the sun rise, as I often do and noted the sparkling twinkle of frost along the tree tops. Its not even October. This spurred me to share some thoughts with you on preparing yourself for cold dark nights without power, heat, and water.

The rule of 3: In any extreme situation you cannot survive for more than:
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.

Based on the above, and assuming air isn’t a problem, we can see an hierarchy of necessity. -> warmth, water, and then food.

Fortunately, there are some relatively inexpensive means to prepare yourself.

Heat
$85.00 (Amazon) – Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater
$5.00 for 16oz (1 pound) Coleman Propane tanks
I own two. They’re safe to run indoors and you can pick up the fuel at Wal-Mart or any big box home improvement store. They’re great for camping and you can put a soup can in front of one for half an hour and have warm soup. The main thing is you can get the fuel cheap, store it, and break it out when you need it without a lot of fuss. The last time I used mine, I used 1 tank during a 2 day period. No need to run it 24-7.

Blankets
Stock up on a few thick blankets. No need to heat the whole house while you’re sleeping. I have a sleeping bag rated to -20 if things get extreme.

Oil Heat
The cost for oil is really low right now so if you have oil heat, I highly recommend you bite the bullet and fill up your tank. Cost will increase as winter demand rises.

Thermal Underwear
They’re cheap and make a huge difference. Clothing is always your first level of shelter.

Your vehicle
Naturally you want to winterize your vehicle and make sure your ties are in good shape. But there are some other things to consider if there’s a long term power outage. You can use your vehicle to charge your cell phone and other electronic devices, get warm with its heater, and listen to news updates on its radio. I highly recommend you get an adapter for your car that lets you plug small electronics into it, either via USB or a power outlet. You can find them online for less than $50.00. Top off the gas before a major storm. I make it a habit to never let the gas tank get below half during the winter.

Water
$5.64 each for 5 gallon of water storage: http://www.containerandpackaging.com/item/H020
I have about a dozen of these and they’re great to fill up in the tub before a storm. They sell 1 gallon sizes too. Easier to haul around the smaller ones and they store flat after you’re done using them. Keeping them in the tub makes it easier to flush the toilet if you don’t have running water.

Paper plates, cups and plastic utensils
I put this under the water section because washing dishes can use up an extraordinary amount of water. Its better, in my opinion, to avoid generating dirty dishes by using disposable plates, cups and utensils during a power outage. If you have to do dishes, immediately soak them after you’re done eating so the food doesn’t dry/crush, which requires more water.

Food
Store what you eat. A lot of preppers have tons of food stored away that they would never eat on a day to day basis. I store stuff I’ll eat anytime, not just during an emergency. When I first started, I simply bought an extra can or bag of whatever I was buying normally. I like clam chowder and chicken noodle soup, so I’d pick up an extra can of each whenever I went shopping. When I got home, I’d rotate out the older cans and eat them first so they wouldn’t go to waste. The goal is longer term storage of food you already like that can be cooked with little effort or, worst case, eaten cold. Tuna. Peanut-butter. Pork and beans. Pasta and jars of red sauce. Great options. Skip the rice and beans unless you already have that frequently in your diet. Nothing worse than a bad case of diarrhea or constipation when there’s no running water because you’ve made an abrupt change in your diet.

Don’t forget your pets! Make sure you have enough food for a few weeks stored up for your dog or cat. Just keep an extra bag tucked away and rotate it out whenever you buy a bag for your pet. Cat litter too.

Get a good bottle of multivitamins. I also recommend a six pack of nutritional shakes (shelf stable, not refrigerated). The kind that are meant as a meal replacer. They help make up for some lost nutritional intake.

Cooking
If you don’t have a fireplace, then I would highly recommend you get a cheap sterno stove. You can get the stove for $7.00 and a 6-pack of sterno cans for $23.00 off Amazon (link: http://www.amazon.com/Sterno-70146-Outdoor-Folding-Stove/dp/B00OBA6X9M). Works well enough to boil water or heat up a can of soup but you won’t be frying chicken on it. You can, however, cook eggs, bacon, slices of ham, etc.

You can also use a camping stove outdoors and there are a ton of different models available for less than $50.00. If you go with the Mr. Heater I listed above, then you can also get a camping stove that uses the same fuel canisters to make storage easier.

Lighting
Buy batteries now, before the first storm hits and wipes them out. I usually buy in July, and then again in early December when they go on sale for Christmas gadgets. I don’t recommend rechargeable batteries, though some people I know have had good success. You can get good LED flashlights, camping lights, and whatnot fairly cheap these days. Tea-light candles are useful but I don’t recommend them if you have pets. I also recommend you get a head lamp LED flashlight. They let you keep your hands free. I have a few of these: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWHT70440-Jobsite-Touch-Headlamp/dp/B00A992NV6

Medicines
If you have prescription medication, ask your doctor for an emergency 30 day script. Be honest and tell him you’re concerned about the weather this winter based on how bad it was last year and you’d like to have an extra 15-30 day supply. It shouldn’t be a problem for non-narcotic prescriptions, though you may have to pay out of pocket if the insurance company won’t cover it. I always keep a spare bottle of aspirin, ibuprofen, and stomach meds (ex-lax, pepto bismol, and Imodium AD) in the house, and sample or travel sized bottles in the car. I can’t really speak much about first aid stuff as I’m no expert but generally speaking, if you’d needed to take something in the last year, odds are you’ll likely need it again in the next year. Not something you want to try to drive through a foot of snow to get.

Toilet Paper
Folks talk about alternatives to toilet paper. I’m dubious. So I keep a month’s worth in the house at all times. This is really not something I want to run out of at any time, not to mention during a blizzard or ice storm. My tombstone will not read: “Died while driving in the snow to buy toilet paper.” That would be pretty s~~~ty. (Ha!)

Baby Wipes
I have a six pack of flush-able baby wipes for use during a storm. Not gonna waste the water on a shower or bath. These will do in a pinch. I got a metal pencil box, put a pack inside, and then I can leave them next to the portable heater to warm up.

Summary
The way you prepare differs based on where you live (house vs. apartment) and in what region (north vs. south). I tried to keep the above suggestions pretty neutral and easy to incorporate, even if you’re renting a basement studio in Manhattan. Generally speaking, its unlikely you’d be without power AND water for more than a few days except in the case of a pretty large event. So the main thing is to take a look at your current situation and ask yourself, “How can I get through something like this, on my own, for several days?” For most of us single guys, we’re on our own, so we need to be as self sufficient and independent as possible.

There’s obviously a ton of different things I didn’t cover, like first aid and defense, and I’m happy to answer specific questions, but my goal here was to hopefully provide some inexpensive solutions to a loss of electricity and water for the winter ahead. Get a way to keep yourself warm, heat food, store water, and ride out a storm’s aftermath for several days.

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120262 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120262 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 01:56:56 +0000 Wally Jon, awesome list, thanks for sharing

"what a waste of a life, to marry, give up your freedom, just for the hope of not dying alone. Don't get married Son."

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120267 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120267 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 02:07:25 +0000 Russky I heard of people making s~~~loads of money buying shovels by trailer loads and selling them in areas hit by unusual winter weather

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120268 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120268 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 02:14:02 +0000 Robert Hallam Thanks for the heads up. I’m actually going to do something about it. Normally I wouldn’t bother, but we have just had a 10-year recurrence wind storm that downed power for two days. No TV, no fridge (freezer melting), no computer, no lights, —- a real pain. Even the traffic lights were out most everywhere and traffic at intersections was horrendous,

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120321 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120321 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 04:40:33 +0000 uchibenkei winter and gynocentrism are why i left canada for thailand.

I bathe in the tears of single moms.

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120415 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120415 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 11:40:39 +0000 Jon the Ex-Squid Yeah normally I wouldn’t post something like this but all the weather predictions are looking pretty brutal. You can stay warm and fed for less than $200.00 and I’d hate to see one of my brothers suffering when there’s the slightest chance I can help.

Be glad to hear anyone else’s advice on the subject, or share a story about an extended loss of power if you have one.

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120494 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120494 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:33:16 +0000 Scandinavian I’ve been prepping for quite some time. I probably spent somewhere around $15 000 on gear. I have enough to keep a whole camp clothed and sheltered. I still laugh my ass off when the power is gone half a day (I live in a town of 250 000 inhabitants so it’s never gone for long) and I cook on my MSR whisperlite and creep into my Carinthia defence 6 and sleep like a baby even in -20 Celsius. I usually use this stuff for hiking/camping so it’s not only prepping.

Anyhow; just wanted to thank you for a great post Jon! I would love to see more of this here; hands-on advice. From how to survive a winter offgrid to pretty much anything that can interest or be useful to a single MGHOW.

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120499 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120499 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:37:57 +0000 MattNYC Jon this is great advice, thanks for sharing. I live in NYC so people don’t really do any sort of reasonable precautions here, aside from buying out the gallon jugs of water at their corner store. Good to have some solid steps for waiting out a couple-day-long s~~~show of a snowstorm.

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120500 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120500 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:43:07 +0000 MattNYC

i left canada for thailand

Uchibenkei, do you mind if i ask how you managed the relo to Thailand? I mean, from a financial/employment standpoint, i know most people do it with one of the following options:

1) Retire/semi-retire – building enough of a nest egg to support you in a lower-cost of living geography
2) Work remotely – Having a business or employment that you can do location-independent (research/authorship seems popular, as is skype-tutoring and i know some guys do remote consulting, etc.)
3) Work in Country – Tutoring English is popular in many places. I don’t know of a “standard wage” for this, depending on where you are, but can work out as supplemental income to options 1 or 2 above.

I’m working on a financial plan to do a combination of #1 and #3, with a possible stepping stone as #2 for a few years (if i could be paid an NYC salary in a developing country it’d be easy street!).

Still other guys will go the “marry a foreigner route & live in her country” but obviously not a credible option here.

Thanks!

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https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120551 <![CDATA[Reply To: Preparing for Winter]]> https://www.mgtow.com/forums/topic/preparing-for-winter/#post-120551 Fri, 25 Sep 2015 17:58:35 +0000 IGMOW (I Go My Own Way) Pardon the interuption. Game of Thrones just entered my mind…

Winter is Coming...

Now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

"I am my own thang. Any questions?" - Davis S Pumpkins.

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