# How much is enough?



## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

gypsysue "Canning lids and jars...one of my favorite subjects! If you're going to can your harvest from your survival garden you'll need enough jars for at least one jar of food a day...365 jars in a year. 365 lids divided by 12 lids in a box...about 30 dozen boxes. Each year, since you're not supposed to re-use the lids."

So that made me think about all of the items I am prepping?

Ammo: 500 rounds .380, 500 rounds 7.62 x 39, 1200 rounds 22LR, 500 rounds 9mm.

Food: Maybe a year.

Canning: 24 pint bottles and 12 boxs of lids, 3 gallons of vinegar and 4 boxes salt

Water: 4 gallons of bleach for purification

Seeds: 300,000 Heirloom non GMO 

Toilet Paper: 4 rolls

Beer: Can make up to 50 gallons

So how much is really enough? Can you have enough:dunno:


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

RevWC said:


> If you're going to can your harvest from your survival garden you'll need enough jars for at least one jar of food a day...365 jars in a year. 365 lids divided by 12 lids in a box...about 30 dozen boxes. Each year, since you're not supposed to re-use the lids."
> 
> So how much is really enough? Can you have enough:dunno:


OUCH!!! 365 Jars? nope - maybe somewhere close to 200...maybe...and some of those are little jelly jars - not much food in those!

Now that's a reality check for me.  Thanks...I think.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

Canning jars: I have a 'collection' started.  10 boxes of Tattler lids...not sure how many regular lids.

Ammo: probably 200 9MM, 500 .22, 20 or so rounds 20 gauge

Seeds: Survival seed bank from My Patriot supply

Water: lots of empty 5 gallon buckets to use to catch rain water

Toilet Paper: family cloth

Food: I have a bunch of kids that inhale everything I bring into the house...so...not sure

No such thing as enough or to much in my house on all of those items.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Maybe 150 jars and lids.Not prepping as much as trying to set up to grow food.I have 2 4x25 old raised beds.Just finished a 5x30' R-bed.Working on double diggign 4 more,the new garden is closer to the house and out from the greenhouse half way built.
Also plan to use Excalbur dehydrator more.Bags are not cheap though!
Have my chickens for eggs.
Buy extra rice,flour,sugar,salt ,etc.
Need more non hybrid or bio seeds though.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

RevWC said:


> gypsysue "Canning lids and jars...one of my favorite subjects! If you're going to can your harvest from your survival garden you'll need enough jars for at least one jar of food a day...365 jars in a year. 365 lids divided by 12 lids in a box...about 30 dozen boxes. Each year, since you're not supposed to re-use the lids."
> 
> So that made me think about all of the items I am prepping?
> 
> ...


I doubt you need 2700 rounds of ammo. 4 rolls of toilet paper is a problem. We plan on having about 200 rounds of ammo. We have over 200 rolls of TP now and plan on having another 200 in the next month.

I don't understand why non GMO seeds are preferred. Who wouldn't want corn plants that have immunity from the corn borer? That doesn't make sense to me.

We have about 900 gallons of water right now for 4 people. We buy 24 gallons every week day. We plan on having at least 1500 gallons. Possibly 2000. I'm very concerned that even going outside to get water would be dangerous.

Another thing you could use: night vision goggles. I need to search online for them myself.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I keep about 1000 lids and 300 jars (mostly quart size). The garden is just starting the harvest season and I've already canned over 90 quarts. I'm thinking I'll do 2-300 quarts this year.

I don't think there's such a thing as "too much", if the item isn't perishable. Ammo, TP... last forever if stored correctly. Bleach doesn't have a very long shelf life.

For water, I have city water, a well, a creek in the back yard and enough already stored to last more then a year.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

A serious gardener,canner and prepper will have no less than 1400 jars for a family of four. having 200 jars is what pre korean war country people used for canning pickles. when you have to put up your own food, you had to do it for a full yr or til the garden grew the following yrs, PS, no freezers back then either so we planned on 300 qts of canned meat,900 jars of different veges, a couple hundred jars of fruit--berries, apples ect.some pt jars of jams-jellies, Plus the root celler filled and nuts stored in the attic.

you also always have to plan and prep for a bad yr,a wet yr, a hot yr, animals stealing a crop, insects ruining a crop ect.


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## Ur5hittingMe (May 1, 2011)

BillS said:


> I don't understand why non GMO seeds are preferred. Who wouldn't want corn plants that have immunity from the corn borer? That doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> Another thing you could use: night vision goggles. I need to search online for them myself.


Non GMO seeds can be harvested and reused to plant next years crop. Try that with a Monsanto seed and you will MAYBE get beautiful looking plants with not ears or maybe nothing at all or MAYBE who the hell knows what you will get when you F*&k with Gods creations. Not all things in the world can be improved upon. 
If you ever have a need to know what evil is, Research the above mentioned company and learn just how and what they do. They will never steal a penny from me.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

@Bill--why are GMOs so dangerous-well for one they haven't been proven to be safe for consumption-2-they are spreading their nasty GMO genes all over the place and ruining real-good food crops-3-they usually are not open pollinated so will not breed true and will revert back to one or the other of parents(which is not always a bad thing but sometimes it is)-4-the flavor is totally lacking and so far the older heirloom/open pollinated have not only better flavors but a bit better nutrition. Sure you will see comparisons between GMO and Heirlooms and even between organic and non organic-they say that they are usually the same... well sure they are-they are taking them from the grocery store where most of the produce is probably 7 days old to begin with.
They have also done studies about "gmo's " saving the world by having better production amounts-well guess what? They don't produce more than conventional crops that are not gmo.
Being "round up ready" has now spread to the weeds that it was supposed kill and made them super weeds now... 
Do you really want to eat something that has been repeatedly sprayed by round up-a known gene disruptor?:nuts:

Okay-I'll step down from the ol' soap box now.. just giving ya something to think about when it comes to Monsatano and their GMO sickness.:rantoff:

We need to love our Mother :earthhug:


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Meerkat said:


> Bags are not cheap though!


We buy qt, pt, and rolls off ebay.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

partdeux said:


> We buy qt, pt, and rolls off ebay.


If you are talking foodsaver plastic- I get the big box of 6 rolls at Sams club for about $38.99-four wide rolls and 2 of the slimmer rolls.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

here's the link
50 foot Rolls, Premade Bags items in Christian's Cabinet of Curiosities store on eBay!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

partdeux said:


> here's the link
> 50 foot Rolls, Premade Bags items in Christian's Cabinet of Curiosities store on eBay!


Wow that is some good prices for the bag rolls-you've tried them? I used to buy the ones from walmart(their brand) but they discontinued them.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

Around 1800 jars. Pints and quarts. Regular and Wide mouth.
Close to 3000 canning lids.
LOTS of TP!
Food for 2 for 5 years
5000 .22 rounds
2000 7.62x39
1400 shotgun of various load.

Can't really have enough. Bartering will be a way life. 
3000 .45
500 9mm
2000 .40
Finally ordering 2000 rounds of .308 168gr.Bthp MATCH tonight.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Emerald said:


> Wow that is some good prices for the bag rolls-you've tried them? I used to buy the ones from walmart(their brand) but they discontinued them.


yes, and they work great


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

lotsoflead said:


> A serious gardener and canner and prepper will have no less than 1400 jars for a family of four.


That's a good figure. The last time I took an inventory we had about 1200 for the 2 of us but I add a box or 2 every time we go to an auction. I've never had them all filled at once. Lids on hand; about 150 dozen.
I like to keep 40-50 qt jars of meat on hand all the time. Right now we're down to 20-25. I need to get busy. About 20qts of peaches and pears still left from last year but fruit season is upon us so I'll put put up another 60-80qts. 
Scores of bags of seed, 80 rolls of TP. 1500 tea bags, 30# of freeze-dried coffee, 400# of sugar, 60# of honey, 500# of wheat, 200# of whole oats and about 50# of rolled, 16-3# jars of PB 30 chickens, 10 goats, a 10,000sf garden and ammo in the 5 digit range.

If we could never go to the store again, it would be an inconvenience but not catastrophic.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Uncle Joe, that is some serious stores


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

partdeux said:


> Uncle Joe, that is some serious stores


That's just a partial list. We've been at this for 4 years.  Things add up when done a little at a time.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> That's just a partial list. We've been at this for 4 years.  Things add up when done a little at a time.


 I would say that you're in great shape and have the knowledge and supplies to get very serious over night.we're just biding our time as the trucks are still rolling and the stores are still open but we keep enough to last til the gardens grow next yr.


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## Fn/Form (Nov 6, 2008)

RevWC said:


> ...So how much is really enough? Can you have enough:dunno:


"Enough" in my planning involves enough to sustain a rudimentary, secure life for myself and several friends (who did not prep). I need those people, and I know I can count on them even if I can't convince them to seriously prep right now.

I doubt I can meet the worst-case scenario in every category, but there are a few areas of preps that I strive to.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

stop and think for canning you need about 2-3 jars of food per day per person. that would be 365 x 2 = 730 per person per year. how many people do you have. I have a max of 5 730 x 5=3650 jars/cans of food. what do others think of my calcs.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Those numbers are excellent guidelines. For us, however, I prefer to use a count-the-meals method (instead of counting jars). Because it also depends on what else you have in storage, such as dehydrated foods.

For example, to make a spaghetti dinner I'll only use one jar (quart) of tomato sauce - the rest is all dehydrated foods (ground beef, herbs, pasta). So for a family of four I've only used one jar that meal. And if my tomato sauce is dehydrated into a powder, I won't use any jars at all. And if breakfast that day was cereal made with powdered milk, then no canning jars are used in that meal, either. So even if I use a jar a person for the lunch meal, that's only 5 jars used that day, not 8-12 (as would be suggested by the 2-3 jars per person per day).

I think the large numbers of canning jars are a good guideline - because it can really be hard to wrap our brains around just how many items of any supply that we need. But I think adding things up based on the meals my family eats works better for us.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

Holy carp batman!  By the 2 per person per day estimate I should have 5,840 canning jars for 8 people! Ok, collecting that many jars would be a phenomenal task. Storing that many jars is unthinkable. Filling that many jars is IMPOSSIBLE!!! :surrender: 
The thought that I would only have the food that I could produce and can... :gaah: 
It is really the thought of producing that much food and canning it that stresses me out! I have just under 2 acres. I mean, maybe if I had 10 or 15 acres I could produce enough food to feed all 8 of us for a year....but I don't know. 
We could eat spaghetti twice a week...8 times a month. That would be 2 quarts of sauce, 3 pounds of noodles (12 cups of flour...so I would need to grow wheat!), then a quart of applesauce (or pears), and a quart of beans (or corn) to go with it. Potatoes would be ate a LOT more, but then again I need the garden space for them. Every square inch of my yard would be planted with something edible! Our diet would not have as much variety either.
Eggs and goat milk would be the breakfast staple food here. Lunch would be cold sandwiches or maybe not at all. 

Ok, I am off to pull more weeds in my garden.....


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I like going by meal planning. We expect to have Beef Stew once a week. I think 3 cans for 4 people will be enough. We plan on having chili once a week for a year so we have enough tomato sauce, chili beans, and 12 oz cans of chicken to do that. We also plan on having Spaghetti Hamburger Helper once a week for a year so we have enough canned chicken to do that too.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

you will not be using jars every meal, breakfast there's usually no need for anything in a jar. Lunch is usually a sandwich,cake and something to drink, the evening meal will be where the jars will get used up unless you use dry beans, lentils ect.we usually use about 16 jars a week but that would change if we were in a survival mode and there were no stores open. that's for five grown ups.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Know what? In my example I totally forgot about the fact that much of my dehydrated food is in mason jars (vac sealed). I'm a goober. 

I keep collecting mason jars any way I can, anyways - because whatever the number should be for our family, I know I still have a long way to go. Much of what I find on c-list around here is the old fashioned wire-top jars, and I don't use those. Or they're 'antiques' so they charge higher for them. So I keep an eye out for sales on new ones, and buy a dozen here and there whenever I can...


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

This weekend will be a jar buying, lid buying (that's canning lids), and perhaps some more rice and ammo buying! :thumbraise:


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

the word "jars" is used more as a mark than for the word. if you use dry food such as beans you will still use X amount. while a pound of beans physically takes up less space, you will be adding water to it that is not "drinking water". besides this was just a guess of the type of numbers you need to feed a person. one jar equaling one meal. Not counting breakfast. cans count as jars in this too.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

I'm with Goshengirl and lotsolead - I don't expect to have to use home canned food for every meal, every day. Breakfast will probably be eggs, pancakes or oatmeal, lunch would likely be a bean burrito or some kind of sandwich. We've already hashed out some of our meals (like spaghetti - only one jar). Also, I believe that we'll be eating what we're harvesting (hopefully 9 -10 mos) outta the year. Plus, there's always home harvested chicken, venison, and boar (thinking about rabbits/quail.) We've a few goats, but I think we'll need them for milking.

On a lighter note - I was pleasantly surprised (and wrong) - we have more jars than I thought! :2thumb: Over 300 - but will keep shopping, and hopefully filling them.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

stayingthegame said:


> the word "jars" is used more as a mark than for the word. if you use dry food such as beans you will still use X amount. while a pound of beans physically takes up less space, you will be adding water to it that is not "drinking water". besides this was just a guess of the type of numbers you need to feed a person. one jar equaling one meal. Not counting breakfast. cans count as jars in this too.


Okay, with THIS definition, we fair much better. We have much more rice, wheat, beans, pasta, etc... that I didn't factor in the "JAR" count. If we're counting store bought cans as well, we're doing better still. I was kinda just figuring what I have personally done, and what supplies I would have on hand to refill.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Personally, I don't ever see us havin to much.

Always be family ta help out cause they ain't doin much. So we just keep preppin.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

I count meals. That's the only way I can even begin to wrap my head around what we have & what we need. Trying to think of it in any other way makes me :nuts: :gaah: :surrender:.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Personally, I don't ever see us havin to much.
> 
> Always be family ta help out cause they ain't doin much. So we just keep preppin.


Why you Old Coot no good Hillbilly you got it right! :beercheer: I have been giving seeds, food, and guns to my family and friends! It will never be enough!!!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I've only got about 8 doz. of the quart jars and about 6 doz. of the pints- about 2 doz of the pint and 1/2s(really odd size wide mouths that I just love and want more of) but I have in home over 200 jelly jars of all shapes and sizes that were given to me by a sister in law who was moving and couldn't take them with her. She has been collecting them for years... they are all proper canning jars but they are some of the prettiest and strangest shapes ever. I put my jelly and jams in them for holiday gift giving and most of the folks I give them to actually give them back to me to "refill" and regift back to them! How nice is that.
I also have about 30 glass gallon jars that my brother in law saves for me from the restaurant-but I may have to figure out where to get more good lids as they tend to rust out after about 10 years. If I need them he can get me more... better than chucking them in the bin.

OH and I have about 8 of the 1/2 gallon mason jars that the Amish around here use for juice canning..


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

About the time I think I finally got things figured out and stores/preps in good shape, something else comes up and makes me think about more stuff.

I have about 500# of rice
Over 600# of various dried beans and peas.
100# of honey
500# of sugar.
Over 500 cans of veggies, meats and fruit.
Salt, salt and more salt....
Had to stop with the TP, storing becoming an issue....
Don't know for sure, but enough heirloom and hybrid seeds to plant 15 acres, 3 times. I know I have over 200# of just corn seed. i plant so much now I can't use it all, but the soup kitchens around here love me....
Only have 4 different caliber weapons, but have "plenty" stocked for each.
600 assortted jars, pints and quarts. Probably need to stock a few more lids.
Quit keeping bottled bleach, it loses strengh pretty quickly. Have pool shock now.
15 gals of vinager
Lots of pectin.....
LOTS of pepper and other spices...I can make an old shoe taste good...:ignore:

Some stuff anyway....

Jimmy


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Ur5hittingMe said:


> Non GMO seeds can be harvested and reused to plant next years crop. Try that with a Monsanto seed and you will MAYBE get beautiful looking plants with not ears or maybe nothing at all or MAYBE who the hell knows what you will get when you F*&k with Gods creations. Not all things in the world can be improved upon.
> If you ever have a need to know what evil is, Research the above mentioned company and learn just how and what they do. They will never steal a penny from me.


If this is a repost--so be it...

A circuit court just ruled GMO farmers CAN be sued by other farmers for 'trespassing' insecticides ....oh, yeah...ready for this GMO farmers??


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> That's just a partial list. We've been at this for 4 years.  Things add up when done a little at a time.


Uncle JOe is right---I've been storing for 3 years and am amazed at what I have.

4 and 1/2 years of bath tissue is just a start; 500 lbs of rice--we spent every available $20 on preps. Over 100 cases of vegetables/fruit= 1200 cans .

Am I blue??

Nahhh...I can survive here for 4 years without going anywhere!!!!:congrat:

And goshengirl, I too calculated my stores by meals per person(just two of us) and I have some serious stores...
Work intensive?? yes.
Costly?? yes.
But, I can't depend on a garden for food WTSHTF...after my stores are gone?? I will have to barter or work someone's garden.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

JayJay said:


> And goshengirl, I too calculated my stores by meals per person(just two of us) and I have some serious stores...
> Work intensive?? yes.
> Costly?? yes.
> But, I can't depend on a garden for food WTSHTF...after my stores are gone?? I will have to barter or work someone's garden.


No doubt! :2thumb:
I'm learning the hard way about not being able to depend on a garden for food... (I know you can't grow a garden - in our case it's just rookie-ness  ) Hopefully DH and I have learned enough this year to have a better next year.


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

LOL WC, how about 1,750 rolls of tp hahahahaaha........let's see now.

Getting ready for the past 11 years.......in stock......Mountain house for 2.5 years...1,200 lbs of rice, 600 lbs of blk beans, 350 lbs of pinto beans, 450 lbs.
550 of sugar, 400 lbs of salt around 150 5 gallons bucket full of cans and so on, seeds 175 packs........I won't list the whole thing of I'll never finish.

Six generators (three for me and three for trading, three sets of solar from "Harbor Freight" of three pannels each.......bought them three months ago and got them working 24/7 (two sets, one in reserve), one 120W solar pannel...........anyway, you can only get an idea of the rest of what I have.

"To be ready is not"... Ponce, the reason for this is that there is always something else to do or buy.

PS: The lbs of food are + or - 50 Lbs :scratch


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