Well holiday season is here again, and this year I’m back at Prepping 101. By all means I don’t want to bring anyone down or anything, and most of us are not searching for things to expend our resources upon. But if you in the process of preparing for the shit show that is surely headed our way, here are some ideas.

#1 in my book is always food, and I have covered this topic at great length. Do not waste your money on “survival food.” Even the most affordable companies are absolute scammers for how much you get for what you spend. Usually they work out to 100 to 200 calories per dollar.

My repeated advice has always been to expect many many times that, and I will re-cover this topic again soon, but for now, if you are looking for true “survival food” that is cost effective, the Mormons are the best source. They sell cases of #10 cans. But instead of it being a little bit of cheese powder mixed with pasta, like say an Auguson farms cough cough, at 50 to 100 calories per dollar, you receive cans of flour, beans, rice, pasta, potato flakes, and other realistic survival foods at roughly 1,000 calories per dollar.

If you are more of a do it yourself’er, Walmart flour is, right now, about 5,000 calories per dollar. Their 20lb bags of pinto beans are about 2,000, and their rice and pasta are over 1,500. Even Dinty Moore Beef Stew is over 400. For the dry foods, if you want to preserve them for decades, you can get giant mylar bags with ziplocks from Uline, and an impulse sealer on Ebay. I think time is getting short though.

Here are some products you could also grab. Some I have covered and some I have not.

Perimeter trip alarm uses 22 cal blanks

500 Lumen Kerosene/Diesel Lantern (review and instructions coming soon)

Plastic Knuckles at NoMetalKnucks

Biolite Camp Stove 2+ Rocket Stove

The Sun Oven (I reviewed this many years ago and it works)

Lehman’s Grilltop/Stovetop Oven (also reviewed)

Wood/Coal Full Size Cook Stove (big sale right now and I did cover but not review this)

All of this stuff appears to be available right now, and I can’t say that of all the things I intended to put on this list.

So have a nice Christmas, Chanuka, Quanza, or whatever you choose to celebrate this time of year, and don’t get the shot ok. Or if you did, don’t get more. It’s all kinds of bad news. The next thing we probably face is a worldwide fertilizer shortage that is simply not being reported here.

Buckle up, and enjoy as much free and easy happiness in our current world of plenty for now.