# Where do I begin?!?



## sgtlito (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm freshly out of the Military, and one thing that had been 'beaten' into us is train/ prep for the worst and hope for the best. So with that after reviewing this forum for awhile, I've noticed that there's just do much out there to prep for. Can anyone point out a good place to start getting my family ready. We don't have an endless budget, nor want all the fancy 'shiny' new gear. Just some down and dirty advice.

-Sgt Lito


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

sgtlito said:


> I'm freshly out of the Military, and one thing that had been 'beaten' into us is train/ prep for the worst and hope for the best. So with that after reviewing this forum for awhile, I've noticed that there's just do much out there to prep for. Can anyone point out a good place to start getting my family ready. We don't have an endless budget, nor want all the fancy 'shiny' new gear. Just some down and dirty advice.
> 
> -Sgt Lito


Good day to you sarge,
As always I'd start out with what you do have, its alot less daunting to take an inventory and see what you have already and the start filling the holes and worry about the upgrading the stuff you already kind of have later.

Personally , and this is just me here , I'd start with bug out kits if i lived in Boston proper , if your in the burbs though bugging in might be an option, so you're location does play a part in coming up with a plan .

That said there are tons of budget dyi type things on here that have very little startup costs and will help carry you through a shtf scenario.

Let us know what sort of space your working with here and if you own or rent , sort of neighborhood ect, if your in an apartment lots of things won't work for you and so on and so forth....

The best place to start really is either planting a garden or simply buying an extra couple packs of pasta and spam next time it happens to be on sale, lol , just go slow and add little by little.

Welcome to the forum and look forward to hearing your take on things :beercheer:


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

Sarge...one of the main questions I asked myself (and still am to some degree) was WHERE should I hunker down and defend- my home or a bug out location...when you have an answer you can start to fortify, etc that location..storing food is always a good thing to begin early on..
DB


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

sgtlito said:


> I'm freshly out of the Military, and one thing that had been 'beaten' into us is train/ prep for the worst and hope for the best. So with that after reviewing this forum for awhile, I've noticed that there's just do much out there to prep for. Can anyone point out a good place to start getting my family ready. We don't have an endless budget, nor want all the fancy 'shiny' new gear. Just some down and dirty advice.
> 
> -Sgt Lito


You need food and water, guns and ammo, a way to cook your food and heat your home, and something to use for a toilet. If you have a basement you can get used 55 gallon plastic barrels that were used to ship food. You can clean them out and use them to store water. You need a certain amount of bleach per barrel of water. I forget what it is. I prefer kerosene heaters and kerosene stoves. I bought my kerosene stoves at:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/

You need to get food you're going to eat and that will keep. We got a lot of canned vegetables, canned soup, canned chicken, canned fruit, tomato sauce, baked beans. Things that you can make meals out of. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me but I'm not big on just buying 50 pounds each of rice, macaroni, flour, and dried beans. You have to think about how you're going to cook that stuff and what you're going to make out of it. We're going to have baked beans twice a week with boiled rice, a canned vegetable, and a can of fruit. It's not the greatest but we'll have some variety so we won't get too sick of the same things.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

Well dude deal with what will kill or inconvenience you first. 

Essential meds first. 

Now ask yourself what do you think is most likely to happen? Your a lot more likely to be snowed in for a week, lose power for a while, or be flooded. Deal with those first before you start thinking about fleeing form any kind of crazy SH1T situation.

The most basic suggestion is plan for two weeks unable to go to the stores. Have all food, water, ways to heat (food and people), cooking supplies, and other stuff you'll need. Building two weeks on a budget will take a while. Figure out what you think your threats are and plan for them during that time.


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## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

This is what I posted on another prep forum regarding getting started. I hope it helps:

Preparing your home for emergencies should not be a daunting task. You may already have many of the things you need at home. They are just in the back of a drawer, needing new batteries or scattered throughout the house. Take a look at the suggestions, below for various areas of home preparedness.

This will be your starting point:




Take stock of your community. Assess what are the most common emergency situations that may affect your community such as floods, weather, terror due to military installations, etc.







AND






Take stock in what you may already have on hand. Gather those items and put them in a box in one place where you can get to them easily.



If you have never considered home preparation before, any start that you have, any items that you gather and have EASILY accessible is going to help you, in the event of an emergency. Read over some of the suggestions that you find on this site and fill in as you are financially able. Check out your local dollar store. You will find a LOT of the items you need to get started there!

The agencies mentioned, above, have recommended a least 3 days up to a minimum of 2 weeks worth of household preparations in hand. Since the scope of a given emergency situation is unknown our _American Preppers Network_ recommends that a household be prepared for a MINIMUM of two weeks.




Two weeks = Having a well stocked pantry of AT LEAST two-weeks of ADDITIONAL groceries and supplies. This means ABOVE and BEYOND what you already have in your house on a given day.



These household preparations would include:

*Water: * Store at LEAST 1 gallon (preferably 3 gallons) per person per day. One gallon would be for consumption the rest for cooking and sanitation). Don't forget your pets! NOTE: You could die after THREE (3) days without water! Water storage can be completed in a 'three-tier' system:


•	*Store bought water* you purchase and have on hand, ahead of time
•	*Clean, empty containers* that you store and fill up when you have advance warning of an emergency situation.
•	*The ability to filter and purify water* that you may need to collect after the first two water sources are used up. Coffee filters (to filter) and bleach (to purify) are the simplest methods.

*Food:* "Stock what you eat. Eat what you stock"-To get started, include canned goods, rice, beans & other non-perishable food items. Add a few extra items on each shopping trip. Use store sales and COUPONS. Look for sales and bulk dry goods. (Don't forget your infants/toddlers and pets!)

*Alternate Electric Options*-To prepare for possible essential services such as gas & electric being disrupted, stock battery operated items, wind-up items and manual items such as hand mixers and manual can openers. If you have solar lights in your yard, you have an alternate light source already!

*Alternate Cooking Options*-Consider other ways to cook, if your electric stove is not working. You probably already have an alternate already in place: Gas grills & camp stoves use propane. Barbecue grills use charcoal. (Is there one of these in your back yard? On your deck? You can be a Prepper!)

*Alternate Communications*-Most homes now have cordless phones that require electric to charge the handset. Consider a 'land-line' phone that makes use of the telephone jacks in your home. Have a cell phone? Consider a solar charger to keep that line of communication open.

*Alternate Sanitation*- If trash removal is disrupted you will need plenty of extra LARGE/STRONG trash bags. Disruption of water may affect toilet flushing. Store a 5 gallon bucket with lid (you can get them for FREE from the bakery department of your local grocery store or Walmart!), plenty of plastic bag liners and you have an 'emergency pottie'. (Get a spare toilet seat or just use one out of your bathroom). Have some kitty litter on hand to put in the bottom of the bag for absorption. OR &#8230; you can use the toilet in your bathroom, line it with a bag/kitty litter (Make sure the bag is secure and won't slip into the toilet!) Or if you are financially able, you can purchase a camping-style potty.

*Medical:* Prepare a first aid kit. One that is BIGGER than the band-aids and antibiotic ointment that you probably already have in your bathroom or kitchen! If possible, obtain a 1-3 month supply of any necessary prescriptions and over-the-counter medications (allergy, pain relief, cough & cold, etc) for all family members. Don't forget to prepare for any elderly or disabled members of your household. Get a GOOD first aid AND medical book. They will be valuable if you can't get to your local hospital or doctor.

*Personal Documents & Records:* In the event of an emergency, and we loose power, whatever is stored on your computer may not be accessible. If you have to leave your house during an event, you may not be able to return unless you have proof of residence. Make copies of Certificates of Birth, Wedding & Citizenship; Driver's License, passport, misc. ID documents, deeds, Automobile titles, etc. Don't forget to include medical records, a list of all relaltives with names, addresses & phone numbers for emergency contact. Store in a waterproof package like a large zip lock bag.

*Make a Plan*- Your family may be together or you may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance. Ready.Gov has good information on pulling a plan together: http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/index.html .

*Remember: This is NOT to be an overwhelming task. Take baby steps.*




If you have NO preparedness plans or supplies in place ANYTHING that you do from here on out is going to be a step forward. It will be a step for helping your family through an unexpected emergency situation.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

:welcome: to the forum and thank you for your service :usaflag:

Start with the basics. Water, food, shelter, heat. 

I started with a cheap 2 week meal plan and bought double of what I needed. That way I had 2 weeks worth of food put back. I just continued to do that as often as I could afford to until I had managed to have a 3 month supply. Make sure you have any special need items stored too (formula, diapers, etc).

First aid supplies can be had cheaply at Dollar stores, etc.

When you start looking at being prepared it can be overwhelming deciding what to prepare for. The "basics" are going to be the same for most things. Look at your area, what are the risks there? Flooding, blizzard, power outages, wild fire, hurricanes? Once you know your greatest risk, it will be easier to tailor your preps to fit the need.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Start with water, either a way ta store it er purify it.

Food, start buyin extra canned goods, rice, beans, noodles an such. Ya don't need ta buy it all at once, just add ta it ever week. 

Get a vac sealer, makes storin some a them extra groceries easier.

The start in on gear.

Bags ta hall stuff if ya gotta leave.
Emergency lightin.
Sleepin gear.
Shelter.
Medical.

Lots more, buy yall just sorta look round here an you'll see what other folks been doin. Build a plan what workd fer yer area an yalls life style.

Thanks fer servin.


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## lucaspm98 (Apr 23, 2012)

The first things you should acquire is food, water, and bugout bags.
For water you can buy 50 gallon barrels (more expensive) or just buy some extra gallons of water the next time you go to the grocery store.
For food freeze dried food is the more expensive option but it has the longest shelf life by many years. Other more cost effective choices could be dehydrated or canned foods.
Bug out bags should contain food, water, shelter, first aid, and defense for every member of your family for at least three days if you are forced out of your house
Also you can brush up on your survival skills by reading books, taking classes, or just browsing the forum 
Best of luck!


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

The best advice I can suggest is: take a breath, relax, organize your thoughts. Starting on a prepping path is intimidating. Do not compare yourself against some people that have been at this for a long time. The military has taught you to evaluate the situation, formulate a plan then act.

Do not "react" to stimuli, rather, assimilate data and act accordingly. Water, shelter, food and sanity are all on my wish list. If a situation were to develop and you bugged in.....do you have water, heat and food? If you bug out....why, where, how long, weather conditions etc.

I have wasted more money buying the "ultimate" this or that kind of thimmajig. A garage sale hatchet is better than a Wetterlings when you ain't got a Wetterlings. Just use common sense and concentrate on the most important items first. This is an enjoyable road you are going down. Each new aquisition will reap great rewards in the sense of well being. Remember the fable of the Tourtise and the Hare. Slow, steady and measured steps will win the race.

Thank you for your service.

Tugs


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## surviving (Jun 5, 2012)

*start with food!*

the first thing you need is food, and this is important..... start eating your storage foods now..... its best to get used to what you'll have to eat now rather than later. This way your diet will not be placed in to chaos when you will be in great stress (like when you bug out) .

This is also important buy food that you will eat!!! if you don't like rice and beans don't buy rice and beans. I know that this sounds crazy but we have seen many people stock pile rice and beans and they will not eat them.

Well at least start with food, the Greeks are finding out what it is to be hungry.
The 3 biggest food distributors in Europe have refused to fill orders from Greek companies. People in Athens are beginning to slowly starve. If you want to know what TPTB are going to do to you soon just take a look at what they are doing to others around the world now.

Get Food

Sheila
www.survivingsurvivalism.com


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## PFCHAWK (Jun 16, 2012)

I am new to this forum as well great stuff in here. SGT thanks for the service. From what little research I have done, I personally feel canned food an MRE'S are the way to go. As for the medical/first aids supply my wife is a nurse and I am an EMT so we already have lots of medical including IV kits, AED etc. I'm going to read this forum a lot. And to end with a question what about protein shakes that you just add water too, they are full meals????


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## surviving (Jun 5, 2012)

PFCHAWK said:


> I am new to this forum as well great stuff in here. SGT thanks for the service. From what little research I have done, I personally feel canned food an MRE'S are the way to go. As for the medical/first aids supply my wife is a nurse and I am an EMT so we already have lots of medical including IV kits, AED etc. I'm going to read this forum a lot. And to end with a question what about protein shakes that you just add water too, they are full meals????


From what we have researched AND put into practice, you'd be better off learning a new way of eating. MREs are full of MSG, HFCS and other things that are detrimental to good health. Maybe you won't feel hungry, but will you be getting good nutrition?

Here is a list of the very basics that will keep you going and surprisingly, offer many menu choices once you learn to experiment with them.

Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat - now, this will mean that you also need a grain mill to grind the wheat berries into flour. We recommend the Wondermill Junior Deluxe Hand Grain Mill. It's about in the middle as far as price ranges go, Just over $200, but it does an excellent job from cutting corn to making fine flour. It comes with both stone and steel burrs, and can be used for peanuts and coffee as well.

Organic Short Grain Brown Rice - we use short grain brown rice instead of long grain because it is much easier to cook in that you don't have to soak it overnight and is just as nutritious. And by the way, rice actually has a wonderful flavor - as long as it's brown rice with all the germ and bran still on it.

Dehydrated vegetables from San Francisco Herb Company, www.sfherb.com.

Legumes of your choice - that's beans, lentils, split peas...

Turbinado Sugar (Raw) This is natural, unrefined sugar, still contains nutrients that white sugar doesn't.

Sea Salt - The reason for sea salt is that it contains minerals that your body needs, and it does not contain sugar which many commercial salts do!

Baking Soda - with baking soda you can make quick breads, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pancakes

Cooking Oil - we use EVOO exclusively - as a matter of fact, it's pretty much the only fat we use.

Learn to use these foods now, before TSHTF and you have to learn a new way of eating when you're under tremendous stress!

Peace,
Sheila
http://survivingsurvivalism.com


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## PFCHAWK (Jun 16, 2012)

Thank you for the information.


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## paguy (Jun 8, 2012)

Ok so where to start out. Crawl, walk, then run. If you jump in nose first and ankle deep you will drown. Start with assessing what your hazards are and how likely you are to be affected by it. That is a starting point that you can base your plan to protect in place or evac.


A get home bag should be your first prep. Even if you only have a few days of preps at home your get home bag will get you "back home". That will provide a safe base to start from.


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## SimpleJoys (Apr 28, 2012)

When you get up to long term prepping, you can worry about the 5-gallon buckets and all that. For shorter term food preps, I like half-gallon glass canning jars to hold rice, sugar, beans, cornmeal, pasta, oatmeal, etc. You can get them at Ace hardware stores in the summer. One jar holds about 2-1/2 pounds of flour or a bit over 3 pounds of sugar, they're reuseable, and they're moisture, odor, and vermin proof. Pint canning jars are good for things like salt and peppercorns.

A lot of people find canning jars for cheap or free on Craigslist.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

PFCHAWK said:


> I am new to this forum as well great stuff in here. SGT thanks for the service. From what little research I have done, I personally feel canned food an MRE'S are the way to go. As for the medical/first aids supply my wife is a nurse and I am an EMT so we already have lots of medical including IV kits, AED etc. I'm going to read this forum a lot. And to end with a question what about protein shakes that you just add water too, they are full meals????


I've been drinking protein shakes for at least 10 years for my breakfast and I plan on drinking them when the SHTF....most mix easily with water shaken in a shaker container if one has no blender...I put some form of powdered fiber in mine as well...many have expiration dates of only a year or two but I'm going to keep looking for those with a longer shelf life..
DB


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## PFCHAWK (Jun 16, 2012)

The shakes I use I get from GNC. It's called lean shake. It has a two year shelf life. And the taste pretty damn good.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

sgtlito said:


> I'm freshly out of the Military, and one thing that had been 'beaten' into us is train/ prep for the worst and hope for the best. So with that after reviewing this forum for awhile, I've noticed that there's just do much out there to prep for. Can anyone point out a good place to start getting my family ready. We don't have an endless budget, nor want all the fancy 'shiny' new gear. Just some down and dirty advice.
> 
> -Sgt Lito


Hello Sagre first of welcome home and thanks for serving. I didn't read all the other posts so forgive me if I repeat others advice.

Your basic needs will pretty well cover any scenerio. They are food, water, shelter, medical, defense.

Food while many of us have over the years built up long term stored foods 
(dehyds) that last 15+ years I at least try to keep what we eat on hand. If your family will eat it spam (not treet) has a long shelf life every time you go to the grocery pick up a couple of cans to store, keystone foods also has a line of canned chicken, beef, and turkey that tastes very good and also store very well. Beans and rice as well as things like ramen noodles are also good ideas.

Water could be depending on where you live a bit of an issue. I'm lucky as we have a well for water if you can store at least 10 gallons per family member and rotate it as you can.

Shelter could be a tent, camper whatever as a fall back if you need to leave your home.

Hit you local dollar store and stock up on hygeine and first aid supplies, at a buck and sometimes two for a buck IMHO you can't stock to many first aid supplies.

As for defense well your like me Ex-military so you'll know how to cover that.

Most omportant is read and study to expand your skill knowledge. Don't get discouraged if things take time. I've been preppng seriously for 10 years and still am not close to where I want to be. Just take it one step at a time.

If I can be of any help with advice, places i've found to get good deals or whatever feel free to let me know.


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## oldvet (Jun 29, 2010)

tugboats said:


> The best advice I can suggest is: take a breath, relax, organize your thoughts. Starting on a prepping path is intimidating. Do not compare yourself against some people that have been at this for a long time. The military has taught you to evaluate the situation, formulate a plan then act.
> 
> Do not "react" to stimuli, rather, assimilate data and act accordingly. Water, shelter, food and sanity are all on my wish list. If a situation were to develop and you bugged in.....do you have water, heat and food? If you bug out....why, where, how long, weather conditions etc.
> 
> ...


There have been many excellent replies to the Sarges question, but Tugs I really think you nailed it sweet and simple, and Sarge I teetotally agree to put that "Military Mindset" to work for you. This oldvet also thanks you for your service and sacrifice. So just remember to K.I.S.S. it and again put verything in a military perspective and you won't go wrong. Think self logistics. :2thumb:


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

I started right after the military as well. Thanks for your service. The way I started was simply buying an extra $10 of rice, beans and chicken bullion everytime I went to the grocery store. Food piled up quickly and then I started collecting other necessities. Of course I already had my defense squared away before I started. Good luck


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## tragerjs (May 22, 2012)

First, thank you for your service. Second, i would start with knowledge and skills, which are free. Can you build a fire? How many ways can you build a fire? I have heard to do things in 3s,mso for every skill, be able to do it 3 different ways. Learn the ways to purify water. Learn first aid(if you don't already know). Also, see if your city has a local CERT class.

And all the stuff everyone else said.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

sgtlito said:


> I'm freshly out of the Military, and one thing that had been 'beaten' into us is train/ prep for the worst and hope for the best. So with that after reviewing this forum for awhile, I've noticed that there's just do much out there to prep for. Can anyone point out a good place to start getting my family ready. We don't have an endless budget, nor want all the fancy 'shiny' new gear. Just some down and dirty advice.
> 
> -Sgt Lito


I have a few articles stickeyed by the admins under kits and how to that'll get you started. 

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f39/newbie-kit-10578/


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

My number one piece of advice is to get your financial ducks in a row. Pay off the credit cards, start tracking every penny of your income and cut the fat! I highly recommend Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. My husband and I put it into practice about two years before he retired (Navy), and we were both amazed at how quickly we were able to pay down our debt, and how much peace can be had once you've re-trained yourself to stop considering credit as if it were cash.

As for stocking up on food, check your local PX or commissary (assuming you live near a military installation) for their annual case lot sale. Budget a couple of twenties each pay day, stick them in an envelope marked "case lot sale" and when it comes around again (our commissary has theirs each June), you'll have a decent amount of cash to allow you to take advantage of the unusually low prices. Be warned, however, not all case lot sales are created equal! Some years it's fantastic, others, not so much. Whatever the case lot sale lacks, you can use the cash to go to the nearest restaurant supply or warehouse store and spend it there.

Welcome to the Society, and thank you for your service!


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

If I could throw a nugget of "wisdom" out there, I would say that it's a good idea to learn as much as you can. It may seem simple and obvious, but your knowledge is the one prep that you will always have with you and can never be taken away from you. Work on building skillsets. 

I was talking with a few guys at work about this very topic, when one of the guys poked fun at one of the sergeants (who is a little overweight), "And what do you have to offer, Tubby?" The sergeant replied that he can brew beer (he's really good at it) and is a great chef, can grow crops and butcher animals. The other officer made a comment to the effect that he would be more useful due to his combat experience, and the sergeant pointed out that there are lots of people than can pull a trigger (himself included, obviously), but how many can grow everything you need to feed and brew for a small army? Who would YOU rather have around: a guy who can pull a trigger or a guy who can pull a trigger and make beef stew and a nice India Pale Ale?


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*You realize*



Turtle said:


> If I could throw a nugget of "wisdom" out there, I would say that it's a good idea to learn as much as you can. It may seem simple and obvious, but your knowledge is the one prep that you will always have with you and can never be taken away from you. Work on building skillsets.
> 
> I was talking with a few guys at work about this very topic, when one of the guys poked fun at one of the sergeants (who is a little overweight), "And what do you have to offer, Tubby?" The sergeant replied that he can brew beer (he's really good at it) and is a great chef, can grow crops and butcher animals. The other officer made a comment to the effect that he would be more useful due to his combat experience, and the sergeant pointed out that there are lots of people than can pull a trigger (himself included, obviously), but how many can grow everything you need to feed and brew for a small army? Who would YOU rather have around: a guy who can pull a trigger or a guy who can pull a trigger and make beef stew and a nice India Pale Ale?


You realize you just described the perfict wife minus one small atribute ?
:2thumb:


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

BillM said:


> You realize you just described the perfict wife minus one small atribute ?
> :2thumb:


Hahaha, I'll tell him you said that!


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