How would you spend $1000 Contest Winner

Last week UrbanSurvivalSkills.com hosted a contest on how would your spend $1000 on the day of the collapse, putting it in the context of what would you advise your un-prepared neighbor to buy with his $1000 in cash. To read that previous post, click here.

The winner is seigelscott. He wins a Maxpedition Gearslinger bag and a CK M4 cleaning Tool.  His entry is posted below:

Hey UrbanMan,

I posed the original question on nobullshitsurvival. My original list sucked and I’ve learned a lot spending $1000 (at least) over the past few weeks. This reflects a lot of that education and from what I’ve learned on the web and in the homestead and other books I’ve read.

This is my list, but as important, what I am trying to accomplish. This is not a BO situation, but BI. I’ll try to list locations of where I’d buy it so you know the cost is realistic, because I’ve actually purchased these items at these places:

Basic Strategy:

Food: Since I’m not BO, rely on existing food in the home at first and then switch to supplies. Rice and Beans to supply main food supply for near future. Start to raise free range livestock (chickens) to produce eggs and meat – additional forms of protein. Grow vegetables when spring comes and trade excess Chickens for gardening tools beyond the basics listed. Collect rainwater and reuse as much gray water as possible with makeshift distillation tools.

Clothes: I’ll have plenty of clothes on hand, but I need to get some heavy duty for the outdoor work. Nearly indestructible pants, great boots and a change of shirts and socks to stay warm and dry.

Medical: Good first aid kit with all the basics to help patch up any minor injuries.

Anything else comes by way of shotgun, unfortunately, if I need it bad enough.

Ability to use flashlight radio by relying on solar power to recharge daily.

The List:

Food ($220):

Costco: 6x25lbs of Rice ($45)

Costco: 3x25lbs of Black Beans ($60)

Costco: 5x5 Gal Spring Water ($15) – 25 gal of water is enough until you locate a river, or until you collect some rainfall.

Costco: 25 lbs of Salt ($5) – seasoning or at least for curing food if I happen to get a deer to wander on my land which is actually quite common.

Local Farmer: Live Chickens, 6 Hens, 1 Rooster, ($35) - now I have plenty of eggs to eat and can start breeding eating chickens as well

Costco: 3x25lbs Corn Meal ($60) = chicken feed supplement to whatever they can otherwise peck.

Protection ($350):

Bass Pro Remington 870 12 Gauge Shotgun ($300) – wouldn’t be the police/swat model, but pump action sufficient to hunt, protect yourself or do some looting if all else failed.

Bass Pro 12 Gauge Shells – Remington Buck Shot 50 shells, ($50). Keep 5 for protection, but the rest for opportunistic hunting when a big animal wanders too close to my gardens.

Hardware Store Items/Gardening: ($160)

½ Set of Heirloom Seeds Set ($50) Ideally I’d want more, but I am on a budget and am looking to supplement the chickens/eggs and hopefully utilize the first harvest to double or triple output in the future

Small bag of Fertilizer ($20) – at least the first year, you cant risk making mistakes growing food. You just don’t have enough to live on. This will help grow bigger veggies until you learn to compost.

Hand Axe ($25) – firewood will be really important

Kettle, pipe fitting and 25ft 3/8” copper tubing in a spiral (like a water line for your fridge) – use kettle to boil water and copper tubing to act as a radiator to cool and condense steam as a makeshift distillation tool ($35)

Several Tarps ($30) – tents, to catch rainwater, or a million other uses.

Misc. Items: ($118)

Adventure Medical Kit (Day Tripper, $33)

Maglite with LED bulb ($20) – long battery life

Small handheld radio ($15)

Rechargable batteries ($10)

Solar Cell to charge batteries $30 http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3039813&cmss=solar+battery+charger

A good lighter ($10) or if not good, a hell of a lot of disposable ones.

Clothes/Personal Items: ($151)

Decent hiking boots ($75)

Canvas Pants ($35)

6 Pack Hanes t-shits (light weight and cheap) ($6)

6 Pack Crew Socks and Underwear ($12) but why wouldn’t you already have socks and underwear I suppose?

Tooth brush and 3 tooth pastes ($8) – no sense being an animal. Good hygiene is important

At least 5 books, just to read to relax ($15 from used book store)

$1 in quarters for the soda machine. A nice birthday treat if there are still any working.

siegelscott