How Much is Enough?

Upon doing some research this morning, I found several "lists" of items scattered from website to website.  Lists are good in general and are even better to create and develop a prepardness mindset.  I've got several of them myself.   Understanding the writers intention may have simply been to provide some items to collect, one of the more important things that was missing were the quantities or amounts.  That got me thinking.

When a list has ammunition, obviously you want your preps to be in the caliber firearms you have, but how much do you need?  How much do you want?  These are two separate things and "a lot" is probably not the best answer.  Honestly, I am one of those people that can never have enough ammo, but back to the point.  Need? To answer this question, begin calculating how many people in your family will have firearms in a SHTF situation.  Then, how many guns will they have?  My son just got a new shotgun recently for Christmas, so now I have to add his 12 ga. as an extra and get the additional ammo to meet the need for another weapon.  Based on my training, round usage, fire discipline, and accuracy, my ammo starting point (Need) is in the 500 rounds per weapon at the minimum.  My "want" is closer to 2000+ rounds to practice and have a little fun with.

This exercise will work for just about every item in your SHTF supplies.  I recently conducted a burn test for my make shift oil lamps and candles I bought at a bargain.  Here's what I found....a 10" tapered candle has a burn time of about 50 minutes per inch, so I got 8-9 hours of light from one candle.  There are roughly four to five hours of darkness each night in which we are awake.  1 candle would last 2 nights; 15 candles would last 30 days; minimum light in a room requires about 4 candles per person; 4 people in my family, so approximately 240-250 candles would last 30 days at a minimum level.  So now you know the answer to how many candles do I need.  There's a much longer burn test for oil lamps, but the process is the same to determine how much oil (kerosene) do you need.

To get from a need amount to a want amount can involve using logic in the examples above, using estimates since I've never been in a SHTF situation,  and it also involves emotion.  This is what I refer to as the "I feel like I've got enough" amount.

The emotional piece of preparing can be an obstacle at times and get me distracted on one particular item or a single category.  We just have to recognize it and use it appropriately.  Experienced preppers know that well-rounded and diverse prep items and lists are much better than a swimming pool full of water but nothing to go with it.  So if you're prepping from an emotional standpoint, lose the tunnel vision and broaden your viewpoint by using some math and logic.

Final note, when calculating your "Need" and "Want" amounts, don't forget about potential barter.  A few extra candles, a quart of kerosene, a box of the cheap maccaroni/chees, or some extr 2-liter bottles of water can make a bad situation just a little better for you and others.