Best way to spend a few hundred dollars?

[BeauBailey]

I have just started into prepping and have very little accumulated. I am working some serious overtime this week and will have a few hundred extra (probly around $300-$350) and wondered what is the best way to spend it. Should I get something like a generator or maybe an extra freezer for meat stock up or get a bunch of the basic stuff? I really want to spend this money wisely because I don't get this much extra very often.

 

[LEaSH]

Do you have water filtration/purification/storage covered? Start there.

I know it's not as fun gadget and tactical wise. But clean water is most important for human life.

 

[BeauBailey]

The only thing I have for water is I save about 4 gallon jugs of tap water a week. What is the best thing to use for filtering and purification? Also is there anywhere that you know of close to Madison county where I can get a couple barrels?

 

[snapping turtle]

Food grade blue 55 gallon drums should run (Did run) about 75 dollars. I think a net search should find you something close.

As for the purification and filtering I just have a backpacking I think it is a MSR miniworks. I think it was around 90 dollars. For emergency or travel situations. A good old boil should work for maost everything else in the 55 drum.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Need to go beyond boiling.
C. botulinum toxin can survive well into the 230 F range. Call it 250 F to be sure.
There's that, bleach sterilization, all sorts of things. If you'll check the survival/prep area, there's lots of additional info on the subject. Mountains of it, in fact. Good luck.

 

[LEaSH]

I don't know where I'd get a barrel from. I use those blue Reliance brand 6 gallon cube looking things. I've had them for a long time when they were cheap. I think they're more than I'd spend nowadays.

Katydyn, Pur, many other brands to choose when it come to filtering. There are UV, chemical, and other treatments. I use a basic bacteriafilter that fits the spigot on my containers. I need to have something charcoal based.

 

[manwithnoname]

Does anybody know where to get food grade drums and do they work well for water storage?

Never thought of using them before.

Could they be vacuum sealed?

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Knowing what I know now I'd put $100 - $150 into water purification. You can get a hiking filter with nalgene bottle and a UV light purifier for that - all you'll need. The planet is like 70- 80% water. Unless you're going to that 20-30%, it's easier to treat water post SHTF than store it pre SHTF. The other $200 would go into used equipment of the following in order of my impression of most important to least: Canning supplies, Dehydrators, Vacuum sealer, meat grinder and sausage stuffer. All this equipment will allow you to make nonperishable supplies of everything you need.

 

[T-Bolt]

Water purification then tons of substance foods like rice and dried beans. Equiptment is nice but worthless if you starve to death before you get to use any of it.