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[@Wenowknow]

I couple of years ago, during COVID I sold it all and moved to a fixer upper cabin in the woods. I'm 70 now and I am prepped with food, a propane and kerosene heat. I might also recommend books on natural plants and their use in treating sickness, injuries. I was amazed to find an abundance of these plants within 200 yards of my front door. I have yet to learn the art of canning. 😊

[@virginiadodgen2787]

Canning is not difficult. I am 74 and learned in late 2020. I now teach canning to people from my church. You can do it.

[@MakeBelieve-u5k]

I admire you! Some use age as an excuse to not make adventurous changes. You didn't! I hope to buy property and build a home there as well. I agree about learning herbalism, gardening, and wild crafting/harvesting. I learned to can just by watching homesteading videos. It was intimidating at first, but I got over it with practice.

[@tebethblaker777]

Freeze-drying, salting, & other forms of preservation retain more of the nutrition than canning. I gave up canning except for jams & jellies. Also have a bit of the 'professional' freeze-dried food, some of which is THRIVE through this couple. Water filter!!!

[@Wenowknow]

@tebethblaker777 Ah yes! Dehydration! I better get moving on that. My motorhome has a nice 5500 generator in case trouble heats up.

[@Wenowknow]

@@virginiadodgen2787 excellent!

[@bettyboop7738]

Prepping is biblical... remember Joseph in Egypt..the Lord told him to prepare during seven years of plenty in the land , for the seven years of famine that was coming! I have prepped because I BELIEVE in God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ...and He told me in 2021 to prepare...and as I was in prayer about these things ,He said don't delay!...now it's a lifestyle , and I'm NOT afraid I see where I'm loved and cared for by a mighty Savior Jesus Christ 😔 love to all BB from somewhere in Louisiana USA 🤠

[@RetiredLovingIt]

We absolutely agree! It’s Biblical to prepare that way when the unexpected happens we are in a position to then help others

[@richardrybicki749]

I'm now 68 I was raised by war and depression survivors.They survived due to preping a head for whatever.Im good for a year.Also preps are scattered not all in one place.I have backups for the back ups.

[@BradfordHomestead]

I spent a week in the hospital in May, and 3 weeks in a hotel back in January, due to a small fire. Both times i was relieved to know i had an unaffected stash of food and supplies for when i arrived home. Not having to rush out and buy a bunch of food, was so comforting.

[@nesadcruz7840]

I felt the same way when I got chicken pox.

[@lifeonthedivide]

Hello Bill and Elizabeth. I was a huge fan of yours and a prepper as well. A huge prepper. I spent years prepping and storing a lot of things. We had a water distiller as well. We had a fire which destroyed all our prepping and lost our house. All that seems to matter is our lives. I am still a prepper at heart. Back stocking up food and living in a trailer on my property. I am back building a garden and clearing property. All that prepping and stressing is second to my family being fine and my community pulling together for my family. I love your messages and back rebuilding my life. You both are appreciated. Take care. I bought Thrive Life because of you!

[@richardrybicki749]

I was hit by Helene, and my preps made life easier.My thrive fdfoods are in water tight boxes just because.My home near A beach community got minor damage from Followup Hurricane Milton.

[@juliahanson7499]

I was "Prep'd" from childhood. I learned how to care for animals, live with wood stoves, store food, build shelter and survive blizzards: thank you parents.

[@marlenecardinahl9346]

We in the north prep and always have for winter so we got something to eat- fuel for heating etc

[@morningwatch9740]

Bill and Elizabeth, you are a blessing, more than you know. Love your channel ❤

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Thank you. 😀

[@seameology]

Times when being prepared came in handy for me. Unemployment, a small tornado hit our town. Only took trees but we had no electricity for two days. Back in the day, I breastfed because WAS worried about affording formula. I always kept cloth diapers.

[@papajeff5486]

Helene, really brought this preparation issue forward here in the foothills of east Tennessee. Thank you for posting your lifestyle and rationale…from an old vet, retired in the foothills of the east Tennessee Smokies.

[@RetiredLovingIt]

It’s so heartbreaking 💔 and such unbelievable devastation

[@debibrown5568]

We too are peppers. Going through 3 hurricanes in 2004 woke us up! We cut our vacation short by a week and went to our other house in Georgia ( avoiding Tennessee) to get away from Helene,but that night it came to our place in Georgia. No power and water for 5 1/2 days. We were so glad we were prepared with things we take with us wherever we go…. We are very prepared in Florida ,but we used the things we traveled with to help us in our Georgia house ( and fed some neighbors) God protected us from the few trees that fell….away from the house - watching from Lake Wales, Florida

[@CarolMains-dy7zh]

🤠 If one is stoing up dried beans, rice etc. Place in freezer for a good week to freeze kill any unseen insect larva, then can put into regular storage

[@BWell247]

The information you freely share is so important, thank you. I had no power for a full week after hurricane winds knocked out power all over Cincinnati in 2008. I lived at the end of a street, so was one of the last to get power. I had warm water because my house had natural gas, but lost ALL of my food in fridge and freezer. For that reason, I have invested in Thrive Life as my food prep - no fridge required. I also have written notes from your rocket stove build. When there’s no WiFi, I can’t watch videos. I have do-it yourself books & paper maps now as well!

[@singerjo5791]

A young lady at my church calls me a doomsday prepper. I am not. However, I do have extra food, water and the very important paper!

[@libby2012]

Y’all are such lovely people. Thank you and God Bless you.

[@nancyh2378]

I’m glad your home came through well. Milton brought four massive trees down on my husband’s property. It is not our main home and is a fixer upper, but we still use it since we have family in nearby counties. The roof took some damage, but not devastating. It had been tarped because he has been reinforcing trusses and replacing plywood, which he plans to finish in January. He was thrilled the tarp all held during the storm 😃, but he added another layer and more stones to hold it. One branch dented the roof, but didn’t puncture the tarp 😂. It took five days to cut and haul those trees. We were thankful for his neighbor’s help. The electric company took out the most dangerous tree and restored power, which was a huge help. We ran out of curb, so we had a burn pile going for five days and still have logs left. He plans to remove three other trees too close to the house. They aren’t as pretty any more and too close for comfort. They held this storm, but might not for the next. Insurance dropped him because of the trees. A house in another area had a giant live oak fall in such a way that the house was pushed off its foundation. Thankfully, no one was in it. The ones that fell, fell by the roots leaving giant holes in the ground and what looks like a wall of dirt standing up.

[@virgilrodriguez8113]

Living thru Hurricane Helene here in Virginia, on gen power for 12 days, teaches you to be prepared for anything at anytime!

[@janet5992]

People in western NC are still suffering. It’ll take years to rebuild and it’ll never be the same. Many will never be able to rebuild because they didn’t have flood insurance because they didn’t live in a designated flood zone. Hundreds (or more) are still missing. Please bring awareness that these people still need help. The govt has abandoned them. Donations are dwindling because people aren’t aware how bad things still are.

[@kaythegardener]

Why aren't the state govts allocating extra relief aid to their citizens?? Most Blue states do it as a routine matter!!

[@margaretvillalpando7722]

We live in Asheville, NC and our city water is still not drinkable and we are under a "boil water advisory" and it's not really good for washing clothes and taking showers even though the water people say we can, but they also say not to shower in it if you have open cuts or wounds. It's also very dirty and full of chorine. It has so much you can smell it when you run the water. They say if we are lucky the water situation will be fixed in mid-December. 😓😓We have been using public showers near us provided by Red Cross and FEMA (the also wash clothes for folks). Also been going to our son's house and my mom's (who has a well) to shower and wash clothes. Son lives 25 minutes away and my mom lives 40 minutes away. We were without power for 14 days and without water about 25 days. 😟😟 Suck in place for three days - Trees were across both roads to our house so we couldn't go anywhere. Thankfully we had prepped for emergencies. Using the toilet - I had prepped for a power outage and a water outage situation. I had purchased cedar shavings that are for pet cages and had tall 5-gallon buckets. These things came in very handy for "dry toilets". If you aren't aware of what "dry toilets" are look it up. It takes several gallons of water to flush a toilet so that was not a sustainable option in our situation. Carrying large amounts of water if you can find it isn't easy. Prior to the storm I had also drew up water in our 2 bathtubs and in every container I could find that would hold water. That served us very well along with the bottled water that we already had on hand. I always keep canned food, peanut butter and crackers on hand. Instant coffee is good to have. COOKING - We have 3 butane stoves that we cooked and heated water on. Generator - We didn't have one, but our son let us use one of his generators since he got power back on day two of the storm as well at water since he has a well. GAS - right after the storm we heard finding gas was an issue along with finding food since stores were closed due to power outage. We had plenty of gas in our cars so that wasn't a problem for us for traveling but was for running a generator. We were able to find gas but we needed another gas can and finally found one at ACE Hardware but needed cash to pay for it. CASH - make sure you keep CASH on hand - most places (when they opened) could only accept CASH due to power and internet issues. Internet and CELL signal - That was a BIG issue for about 2 weeks or so. It gradually got better. We relied on a battery-operated RADIO for local information and updates. Thank GOD we had two of them and batteries to operate them. BATTERIES - very important to keep all sizes on hand. We had to emergency battery operated lanterns that needed Size D. Flashlights, Headlamps and candles - Very, very important in an extended power outage. PAPER PRODUCTS - must have items! I had some on hand thankfully because stores got out of them fast. Medicine - We try to keep our medications (prescription/OTC) socked up so that wasn't a problem for us, but it was for a lot of folks since roads were washed out and pharmacies were closed or flooded. Ours was flooded.

[@marthatroyer3021]

When hurricane Ivan hit our small town about 20 years ago, the first time I drove into town it seemed so bright. Then I realized it was because so many trees were down. 😢 Thankful you have no damage to your home.

[@JoyfulHope115]

Let’s see . . . We were in Maine for three months before we were in an ice storm! a week-long, no power event. I bought the house because of the wood stove and gas cook stove, so we were able to cook our food and our neighbors’ as well. Our house was a warm place. So we didn’t expect the ice storm, but by the grace of God, we were prepared and safe and able to help others in a small way.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

That's what being prepared for the unexpected is all about!

[@BettyKoehler-zg5sv]

So glad your damage was minimal, but prayers go up for those not so fortunate, both in Florida, and those north. I have always had a small pantry, but have recently started to expand food stuffs. Things are so uncertain in the world, one just never knows. Thanks for all the helpful info! Love from Pennsylvania 💕🌷🐻

[@DG20556]

Your channel was the first prepper channel I subscribed to back when you were Tiny House Prepper.

[@SharonG-ip3ll]

North Carolina was hit hard. But I live in northeast Tennessee and we were hit just as hard. Two regional hospitals were forced to shut down due to flooding. At one point 54 people were stranded on the roof due to the rushing water throughout the hospital. Fortunately the National Guard, Tennessee and Virginia State Troopers were able to rescue these people and all were safe. Many people were without power, water and cell service for days. So not only were they cut off, but didn't even have a way to call for help. Some major roadways are still just gone. US Highway 58 into Damascus Virginia was completely washed away. Now after the clean up efforts are winding down, the business of rebuilding roads has commenced. Here in Appalachia, we are a resilient people who have rallied together in times of trouble. We will get through this. Things will never be like it was, but just like 9/11 and the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, we will adjust to a new normal and go on with life. God Bless us all.

[@lisalo3011]

Using my Vesta to heat up my little bedroom. You can cook on it too. Thanks for y'alls wisdom.

[@sharenbrewer9611]

Hello to my favorite simple couple ! How do you reconcile your heart to the fact that your neighbors may have not prepped, and your prepping may be the only food they have ? I’ve always thought I’d like to prep but I could not turn away neighbors who were in need. Love y’all ❤. Sharen

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

We would ask Jesus to show us how to wisely share. There is a difference between generosity and being mugged. I’m trusting Jesus to help us navigate through those difficult times. (Elizabeth)

[@Parakeetfriend4215]

My favorite of your trees is still standing, that huge one with the Spanish, moss😊

[@chandrasutton4669]

Good information, as always!!!😊🎉❤

[@sharlynebeach2786]

I was happy to see the big black double truck stop in front of my home on Monday to pickup some of the debris/ trees. I still have some debris that was not picked up but at this point, you will take whatever help you can get. 😊

[@joyogilvie3639]

I'm almost prepared. I think that I am always preparing. Its a way of life for us. Our church has had a philosophy of a 2 year supply. We try to live by that. It is hard to be prepared in every area but at least you can try. Just start and practice. Try for 3 months and build from there. Praying for those so affected by the storms. We are all brothers and sisters.

[@vickipadavic6643]

I lived in Clearwater during those two hurricanes Helene and Milton. Milton scared me to death. I moved to Ocala Florida last month. I know we will still get storms but that was terrifying. The beaches were just devastated. I could hear the palm trees snapping. I could see the trees were torn up here in Ocala also. I love my Colman stove. I had no power for 5 days. I was fine. I have prepped for a long time.

[@meganlalli5450]

I live in a place that gets a pretty good winter, so it makes sense to go into the cold season with stores on hand.

[@jaygirlization]

Our SOLAR oven is packed away. Our berkey for water purification is ready too. Food is stored as well.

[@imahick5723]

Life has many twists and turns. I have found that being prepared, helps me deal with unexpected expenditures, natural disasters, unexpected guests, unemployment etc. I also can put together a bag of food for someone who needs it in a few minutes. I once read that people of the Mormon faith are required to have a year'ssupply of food and a year's supply of money. This is to get them through whatever might occur such a sickness, fires, floods etc. A reminder that our ancestors always put aside food so they could eat until the next crops came in. Prepping is a good way to save money, too

[@KodeyWhiteWolf]

Thank you for being you & sharing all your information with us

[@LindaLaGarce]

We have an emergency management department in our county and on heir website it has a list of hinges everyone should always have and per family member for at least three months. I’ve always tried to follow this guidelines as well as canning, and stocking up on essentials which has always paid off when we had ice storms or hurricanes. When I was a young adult newly married, Alicia came through and left us without electricity and it affected our water for three weeks. We all came to father and made it despite the price gauging and no help from the government. People trucked in water and mores but it was limited. Lesson well learned and never forgotten. Hugs from Texas.

[@ÀmyLinkous-b9i]

I love watching your videos since I always feel better after watching them. Your calmness & positivity are so welcome in these trying times! Thank you!

[@staciesstuff2]

Totally agree. Being prepared is comforting

[@christinestephenson1742]

During the toilet paper shortage, we had just gone to Sam's Club before it started snd bought one of their huge packages of toilet paper. We had lots of toilet paper and didn't have to worry about it. When toilet paper began to come available in our WalMart, my daughter 100 miles east still couldn't get any so I bought it for her at our store and took it over to her. She was so grateful! She had chickens so that's where I got my eggs. Didn't have to buy any at the grocery store.

[@paulac1315]

I've had people laugh at me and call me paranoid because i "prep". I grew up where we went to town only once a week. In the winter it could be for a lot longer. We even got snowed in for days. We always had enough food and other items on hand for at least a month. Most items would get us through the winter. We worked all summer like squirrels packing away everything we harvested. As an adult this practice saved us many many times. Job losses, floods, blizzards and such. While most around us were panicking we just rode the tide. Every day prepping takes away a lot of worry. By the way we don't think of it as prepping, it's just life.❤

[@melindahawkins9311]

Hi Bill and Elizabeth glad y’all are back here in Florida just a heads up keep an eye on the gulf they are calling for another possible hurricane maybe next Wednesday stay safe

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

We watch the weather closely!

[@leigh7776]

One thing you guys said along time ago that really got me thinking. You said you don’t just prep for a disaster but do you want to stock up food because it’s never going to be cheaper than it is today. No truer words have ever been spoken when it comes to prepping! You said that a few years ago and look at the price of food now, our grocery bill has more than doubled I’m just thankful that we can still afford to buy the food because one day we may be eating our preps to survive the high prices. Very thankful for your channel and love you guys!

[@teresaellis7088]

I urge young to prep for retirement.Life still cost a lot of money after you quit working.Since husband retired last fall we had to replace the refrigerator,hot water heater and a toilet,and shower door.Vehicles still need repaired,tires.Our home owners doubled.We had money back so we were fine.It is shocking though how much it cost to live being debt free.

[@Denise_CircularGrace]

Having a good buffer of food and other essentials has become a way of life for us now and we thoroughly enjoy not being reliant on the shops short to medium term. We live better and eat better. We're still on grid for electricity but have enough solar to cope well completely off grid. In the meantime we save a heap of money on partial solar. We have rain capture and a Berkey as well as being on grid for water. We're set for the water being turned off and have a septic system for waste. We started gradually with food prepping and it's surprising how soon you build up a good pantry. We eat what we prep every day, so it's really just getting ahead so you eat from the pantry and replace to keep the reserve up. I learnt to can, dehydrate and cook completely from scratch. If we eat it we make it. We set up a greenhouse and polytunnel to grow food too. Buying in bulk, saves so much money. Although it's more upfront, eventually it evens out because you're not spending money weekly on what you need immediately. Instead it's a few fresh items and replenishing, leaving a budget for grain or oil or whatever is on our bulk list. Next step for us is communication, we've just purchased a CB radio set up, just in case we find ourselves without a phone (it's fun too). Watching your channel and a few others was a huge help when we first got going, so thank you both very much for the encouragement ❤

[@CarolMains-dy7zh]

🤠 PREPPING. Few years back encouraged a friend to prep for a potential shut down of supplies, (the majority of public was not aware, until an insider confided in a friend.) My friend said there was no way he could prep for the proposed 3-9 months. "Do what you can, our forefathers had to lay up for a winter to a year supply, lay up what you know you do use, encourage your wife, whatever she needs to replace, as can get 2, then as you use the one item, keep replacing with 2 more, making certain you rotate, until you have a goodly supply" When "covid" hit, they were in much better shape than most

[@HoneyandMe]

Because we have always 'stocked up' we rode the TP shortage without running out. Same with food stuffs. We just always stock up. We are at our off grid remote cabin in the Yukon and keep canned and dry goods here a few years ahead. As well as Thrive food. It just makes sense here as we are many miles away from a grocery store and weather can strand us here. We have to haul all of our supplies in over miles of rough trail with a quad or skidoo. We have a lake and Berkey we use daily. At this time of year we have to chop the ice to get o the water. I do not have any electric appliances here and the outdoors is our fridge/freezer. My husband hunts and we have a ready supply of game as we are the only ones here. We love watching the moose across our lake, but also know if needed, we can easily harvest one and either can it in jars or if it's winter, butcher and freeze it. We keep an old freezer on the back porch for storing food in that keeps critters out in the warm months and freezes then in the winter. We have solar and a solar battery as well as a 12 volt system for lights and charging. We heat with wood and cook on propane. We also have a wood cookstove we can set up if we ever couldn't get propane. It's basic. It comfortable and we love living this lifestyle. But, we also have a regular house which is also stocked up and can be comfortable year round without outside 'help.' It's just smart to be prepared for any uncertainty.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

That sounds like a hard life. But it also sounds like the best life. I would love it!

[@RetiredLovingIt]

We do the same

[@peggybachler5952]

During my lifetime I’ve always heard what a sin it was to gather a store house of food like the Mormons and Amish do. I never believed that it was a sin, I think it’s a great idea to put stuff back, not for anything major, but if someone looses a job or if there is something major that happens, you’re prepared for things. I think the canned food that you sell it’s amazing. 😊

[@jerseygirl4736]

You refreshed my memory of the notorious TP shortage of 2020. I chuckle when I think about it because I was super-duper paper prepared. For a few months prior to the event, I picked up a "6-pack" every time I went shopping . I'm convinced the Holy Spirit had something to do with it. When it HIT, I didn't have to restock for months. God really cares about the little things!

[@mammamia200]

Wow! God is great ☝️ Your home is fine and still standing. What a blessing. The Lord even trimmed those street trees for you. 😊 Always a prepper 👍 you never know. God bless you both❤️

[@bethmichaud3209]

Thank you for this proper reminder. If only for hours or a couple days, have needs and usefuls handy !

[@letsbefrank6269]

I remember people prepping back in the 70s, that’s a long time to prep.

[@robertneville2022]

Your piano music reminds me of the music from pnuts 😊

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

It is kind of like that! 😄

[@johndaugherty1920]

My comment doesn't mean much,but let's give praise too the people that reset electricle power to our homes, thanks to all of you that provide electrical service, the importance is godly.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Oh, it means a lot! The linemen worked tirelessly for 20 hours/day for weeks (months?) getting the power back on for us!

[@barbarajohnson6556]

Love you from South Georgia ❤

[@ginaroberts2964]

Prepping is what you do over time before an major event happens (insert event), hoarding is what can happen just before the event (like a hurricane), and lack and desparation is what happens after the event for the unprepared - relying on the generosity of others and the government. The time to think through what you need to get by on a daily basis is before a tragedy, not after! I for one am happy I have thought things out, and have Thrive Life foods, among other things in case of any unexpected event happens. Glad your Live Oak is still standing, I have a huge one in my front yard and I was also concerned about losing, but mine is safe also. Love your channel as always!

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Well said!

[@carolkimbell5174]

I love you both!

[@TG-zw6rw]

I like the oil lamps you have on the wall and the mini wood stove you had before

[@greggclarke7510]

It wasn't too long ago that "prepping" was just a normal part of life. People canned food, stored up on items, etc. Now it's like some foreign concept to have supplies on hand.

[@barbarab8469]

That was our parents way because they remembered WW2, and the Depression.

[@NancyMorse]

Thank you for a very common sense video.

[@crazycritterlady6620]

The toilet paper crisis never bothered me, I had a bag of 18 double rolls that had 4 rolls used out of the bag when covid hit. Since then last year I bought another 18 roll bag. 1 bag lasts me about a year and a half. My family calls me a pack rat/horder, I call myself prepared for anything. I don't have an alt. Power source but working on that. I have food, water, clothes, pet food pre stacked, that I rotate out on a daily basis. I have emergency food with a 25 yr life span. I plan to add some thrive life items here and there to enhance what I do have. And to add a generator and a wood stove. Thanks for all your videos on all the how to do something the right way and to code. H ow to be self sufficient. Love you guys you br blessed.

[@RetiredLovingIt]

We had a to stockpile as well so didn’t faze us either

[@singerjo5791]

You only use 18 rolls of toilet paper in a year and a half?

[@crazycritterlady6620]

@singerjo5791 they are really big rolls won't even fit in any paper roller I have till their half gone. And I live alone and don't need to use wads and wads when I go so yeah. I don't know how much you use but I sure wouldn't want to be your septic guy.

[@karencheek7518]

As erll, Helene still had an eye when it hit Asheville 800 miles inland. And it stalled out here. That's what caused such devastation.

[@retiredandpreppingquilting2350]

I have a sun oven I set on the front porch to cook in. Just in case and I use it sometimes instead of using my stove in my house.

[@WanderingDaysWithMertzs]

I really admire you guys. You stand up and move forward from zero after losing your all assets. By the way, toilet Bidets can save a lot of toilet paper!

[@haroldbevins393]

I have friends who live in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina. I don't think they were affected by the storm as many other people did. They were truly blessed and our Church along with many others around here were praying for safety for all those people. As far as covid, we could have probably gotten through it without going to the store except for milk, and a few items like that. Even those things never became a threat. We were more ready that we even though we were. God has really blessed us beyond measure.

[@vernhedeen9807]

I totally agree the rocket stove is a great item to have access to for prepping. Maybe tell us what are the basic thrive life selections to get started with like a starter type kit would be good to know. Your videos are always helpful educational and very enjoyable. Thanks for all your prayers for our NC Hurricane Helene victims they are much needed and sadly still are needed as their restoration will be lengthy. God Bless you both and thanks so much for your chanel. NC Granny.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Where do I start? This is a common question. Here’s what I recommend. For daily use of Thrive Life, start with Pantry cans rather than Family cans. They are smaller, and thus cost less. (Family cans are one gallon, Pantry cans are one quart.) It will give you the opportunity to try a greater variety of different things with less overall cost. Start with a few items that you use all the time in your cooking. (For Elizabeth, that was onions, peppers, and mushrooms). You don’t have to cook a meal from 100% Thrive Life ingredients. Just start to incorporate a few of your favorite FD items into your meals. Once you are using those freeze dried items, you can start to expand into other items that you like, whether that be veggies, or meat, or fruit (for smoothies). For long-term storage, you've got to have a plan. Here's our video about that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJWnXoBprM9neJI

[@leigh7776]

I live in South Carolina and when Helene came through we were one of the lucky ones who only lost electricity for four days… We have been prepping for many years however with Helene it definitely showed us quite a few ways that we were lacking in our preps. Basically the most important thing I believe is to have food preps that are very easy to prepare. That was our downfall.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Yes, that's why we believe in testing your prepping systems. Do not prepare for your test ahead a time. Just go in one random morning and turn off the main circuit breaker to your house so you have no power. Don't turn it back on for a week (or 2, if you're brave). That test will point out every area that you need to work on to be more prepared!

[@pattilinton7396]

Welcome to Florida weather. Prayer and prepping help the most.

[@bestlife8709]

Something all prepper channels NEVER talk about is prepping for their death expenses/estate planning- so many families, children get saddled with thousands of dollars in funeral expenses and other debts- its awful. You should estate plan in your 20s

[@ziggymoon]

I'm not too far from your Florida home. I'm over on the Suwannee River, closer to Live Oak. Maybe I'll see y'all over here in Wal Mart some day. Florida Boy, Born and Raised - Also, Go Navy!

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

blessed

[@maryloubahr4744]

I lived in Loveland, Colorado in the mid-70's when much rain built up in the mountains,, and washed out homes, cars, trees etc down the canyon from Estes Park. My husband and I lived in a trailer park just at the point where the land leveled out. There was little to no damage to our area, but we were evacuated. A field next to the trailer park where emergency services were set up.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Big Thompson Canyon flood. Yes, we were actually in Greeley at the time!

[@willymags123]

I love your optimism, Bill, lol with the tree no longer scraping your truck. I don't understand why so many are against being prepared. As u say,there is no downside to it. Being prepared can only be beneficial. Till next time, God bless.

[@davidcamacho3513]

Having window protection by means of accordion shutters or better yet, impact windows/doors, pruning trees close to your home, and having all exterior doors swing outwards, are great ways to protect your home.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Yes, we are planning to add storm shutters somehow.

[@haroldbevins393]

By the way, Not everyone may know this, but if you have a gas range that has to have electricity to light it, it is very possible to use it without electric. Just use a match to light it and it works just like normal.

[@BradfordHomestead]

There were Deaf families up in the mountains, who had no information, no way to communicate with wifi and phones out, and several perished. My parents are Deaf, that the deaf weren’t looked for, hit me pretty hard. Have people helping now.

[@shirleynelson1183]

I’ve got a story and I’m in no way suggesting anyone do this. I knew an elderly man once who at one time lived in western South Dakota. It was a remote area. He purposely left his home unlocked with plenty of food in refrigerator and freezer in case anyone was stranded and needed shelter.

[@seameology]

The ice storm of '98 in northern NY and Canada is what really got me into prepping. I was caught with nothing. Luckily, everyone in our small town pooled our resources. We were cut off from the rest of the US due to downed power lines. We could go into Canada but that was headed into the same devastation. That hurricane damage looks just like the ice storm devastation.

[@jodiplock4784]

So true and inspiring

[@beardedgranny6190]

Hope you have better luck than we have had with the disaster relief tree debris pickup... we have approx 90 feet of debris piled on the sidewalk a long our fence that forces children to walk in the road to the school across the street daily and at night other people in the hood are continuing to add more to the pile so it isn't in front of their homes. Disaster relief shows up 2 weeks ago and removes about 10 feet of it and haven't been back they did the same to a few piles down the street took a little off those pile and haven't been back.

[@Douglas-b8t]

Elizabeth looks good 🙏

[@thelifeandtimesofcrazypatr699]

Might be a good idea to see if you can get solar powered cameras to watch your house. Maybe even board up the windows when you leave for the season.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Our security cameras ARE solar powered, as far as running the cameras. But MONITORING the cameras from our phone requires an internet connection, which requires electricity for the Internet Service Provider. And we want to get storm shutters, but closing them before we leave for the summer would “advertise” that the house is vacant. We don’t want to do that. We do everything we can to make it looked lived in.

[@tobymeade3222]

❤ Always good to have Back ups when you go shopping, because Tomorrow never seems to get better! We have to cut things all the time! Thank you for all your info! 🙏🙌✌️🤞👌👍🤩🌞🌻Love watching your Adventures! 🤩✨🌠🌅🌄🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@anitatenney1975]

Im not a big time prepper but i always have enough to get me through a few weeks or a month. I do have several cans of thrive life food also. I have a small stove and kerosene lamp. I think of those people who were preppers that had all there stuff washed away in an instant, heart breaking 😖

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Even just a month’s worth of supplies can make all the difference!

[@Parakeetfriend4215]

The shortage was at least in part due to shipping issues. We had no shipping on the ocean for some time. This could very easily happen again.

[@nshaver24]

Do you have your Florida home prepared with extra medicine, food & water & toilet paper?

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Not as much as VA, but we’re working on it.

[@janebray9392]

Hi❤🙋🚗🇨🇦♥️‼️ we were prepared for covid bcuz of your videos! And we r in WV, landing in Virginia today, with NC on our agenda to go volunteer and give somebody a generator(hubby got it prepped to run (initial oil change/break in), hubby is also handy with a chainsaw. Anyhoo, we were excited about the Meet Up but now we wont make it - would have been nice to meet our fellow subscribers and youse🎉❤

[@cherylsmith-bell6509]

To me the big thing to prep for is loss of power. Almost all emergencies will envolve loss of electricity. So gas stove and batteries /candles for lights are important. This is on top of food and water, and shelter. and yes a rocket stove is great!

[@kathylenn9153]

I believe it is the nature of many seniors to buy ahead #1 less trips to the store, #2 we have many years of life happenstances like being snowed in or unexpected weather conditions No power, we know how to make tallow candles. & know how to can food, & we know how to conserve. The unexpected may happen any time, sickness, loss of income , auto & other accidents . Thus we stay prepared.

[@mikewinn1484]

I didn't think you still had that small blue car.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

We don’t. We gave it to our granddaughter. She let her dad and grandpa use it. That footage was when Bill and our son drove the car to Florida from Virginia.

[@pamhutzell8268]

I always buy stuff a head so I don't have to go out in winter. It doesn't hurt , and when covid was I had about 45 rolls of T paper. My husband doesn't say anything to me for buying a head.

[@suelowther5104]

I lived through the Johnstown Pennsylvania flood of 1977. The water followed the valley and killed whole families. We bragged about being the “Flood-free city” after the Army Corps of Engineers built flood walls along the walls of three rivers that flow through town. We were living with the FALSE DELUSION that we would never be affected again by flooding. WE WERE WRONG! All need to be prepared, no matter where you live!

[@janet5992]

I can live off of my fat for awhile. I just need to stock pile water. And booze. Booze you can use to barter and you can use it medicinally. Whiskey and water.

[@janet5992]

I’m joking

[@Martipenny]

It didn’t hit the house!! God is good!! All the time!!!

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

Yes ❤️

[@marthareedy]

We live in the city, and we are elderly. Since property tax went up big time, we can't afford to prepare much.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

I completely understand. But just adding an extra $10 per week for some long-term food when grocery shopping can make a difference in the long run.

[@stevengoshey6600]

We are also on a prepping journey and the process has awakened the reality that there are millions of Americans who simply can't afford to be prepared. For example: if at the end of the month after meeting all your obligations you don't have money to put in a savings account, how could you possibly afford to stockpile food and other necessities. I worry for these folks.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

I completely understand. But just adding an extra $10 per week for some long-term food when grocery shopping can make a difference in the long run.

[@wr6178]

I sure believe in prepping

[@Mys.Teri67]

In 2019 we were getting ready to move from Idaho to Arizona in 2020. I was working through our home storage. We decided we didn't need to try to squeeze toilet paper into a Uhaul. We went through our storage and started buying as needed. We had started the home storage depletion about August 2019. Toilet Paper crisis hit and I suddenly had sympathy with those I used to judge for not having any backup. Judge not lest ye be judged. Heavenly Father sure let me learn that one. DH makes sure we never have less than 3-6 months toilet paper. I will happily share with others without sarcasm in the back of my mind.😊

[@marilynb8136]

I've always been a prepper

[@FrugalGal]

Some great info here. The shutdowns a couple years ago taught us to be prepared for TP always. Now our Stock of TP will never run dry. Pun intended. I loved the rocket stove idea and am glad it helped someone. I always have it on file, just in case. We were affected by Helene, thankfully only a few days without electricity. But we learned a few things. One is to keep cash on hand. We were fortunate to have cash when we finally found a location where we could buy gasoline, but they were taking cash only and limiting it for everyone. We were thankful to have cash on hand, which we don't normally. We (thankfully) had a generator, which we needed to keep our refrigerator cold so that we could keep my husband's insulin cool. We only ran it periodically to save on gasoline since it was hard to come by. We would like an extra alternative for keeping meds cool in an emergency if anyone has ideas. (When we would run the generator for the fridge, we also had a standup fan to enjoy the cool air, as the weather was pretty warm.) I love these informative videos. Thank you!

[@singerjo5791]

Small solar generator.

[@FrugalGal]

@@singerjo5791 Thank you. We've been thinking about it. Have seen several youtubers mention those. Thanks again.

[@LiveSimpleLiveFree]

We highly recommend a solar generator. Here's the one we use, kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3iQq2SonruErNE

[@beverlymichael5830]

I don’t understand why people do t at least get a few extra cans of food each time they go to the store. And will provide emergency food. I worked asset protection at a big box store. (Not Walmart) for 25 years. Every time we would get a winter advisory of snow people would come out and panic drive. Mild bread and other things cleaned off the shelf. Lines longer than Christmas time. Then a few weeks later another advisory and again panic buy. People know we live in cold climate and get snow storms. Yet they wait til the storm on they way. And then during the storm they are coming our risking their lives to get supplies.

[@susanrodriguez1982]

im a prepper also. its something that needs to be done. ive about talked my aunt into starting prepping. even 5 or 10 dollars every grocery run helps tremendously.