This may not be the best location for this but fighting is about survival and so is this topic.
SHTF is more than just a paranoid way of thinking, it is a reality of the world we live in. Being prepared is your best option. Im breaking this up into sections and not really going into a lot of detail but just covering the basics to get you all thinking about what you need to do to survive.

Food and water:
Water is gold when the SHTF. You can't live with out it and if its dirty you may die from drinking it. You will need a way to store large amounts of water.
Water storage drums can be purchased on line for reasonable prices and you will also need water purification systems and filters to treat the water. Each person in your family will need a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day. More depending on level of activity performed during each day. So if you have 4 people you will need to store a minimum of 120 gallons of water for just 30 days.

Water for cooking will also have to be factored in to your needs.

Water for bathing and sanitation can be stored in clean,never used trash cans . Camp shower bags along with spray bottles cut down on the amount of water used to clean yourself with but still get the job done. Camp shower bags are great because they can be placed in direct sun light and the water heats so you can still have a warm shower.

Canned and dried foods are going to be very hard to find in SHTF conditions so stocking up now is key. Shelf life varies especially in items with high acidic content like fruits and tomato sauce. They still last a long time though. You can find out how long items last on line. Rotate out your stock so nothing goes to waste. If you have an item thats going to expire in 2 months, replace it with new and eat the item now. Those of you that have the land and skill to grow food are better off. Everyone can get something of use from what little land they have to grow on. Learn and experiment now. That small little harvest may save your life one day.

Cooking is something most of you can figure out. If you can grill out you can cook to survive.

Weapons and Ammo:

I don't wanna get in to a debate on which weapon is best so lets just say get whatever you like best and have at least 5,000 rounds of ammo and plenty of magazines and replacement parts. You will also need cleaning supplies.

Here are some items you will need on a daily basis:
Candles
Oil lamps and lamp oil
Matches and lighters
Lighter fluid
Fire extinguishers
Flash lights and batteries
First Aid kits
Medications





This is just the basics. There's a lot more to this but I hope this gets you thinking about your situation. If your gonna have the "we are all fucked so why bother" attitude please don't post those comments here cause they do nothing for this thread. Any ideas you have that you think will help please do post.

Do some research on survival and preparedness and you will see it is possible to be ready and survive.

I went into a gun store last week and asked for prices on magazines, I finally had to say clips before they understood what I wanted. This was at an actual gun store.

With dollar marts stocking up on things like flashlights, candles and first aid supplies are becoming much easier and cheaper. I have a few really good flashlights I use and some cheap ones I keep around for emergency use or in case of a power outage they are handy because they were everywhere around here.

Stocking up on gold and silver is counting that people will place a value on that stuff. In a desert alone if I had my choice between water and gold I would take the water. Gold is only valuable if someone else thinks it is. Buy the actual supplies and cut out the middleman. In a survival situation that is what one will do with gold so why not have the supplies and get gold from other people?

I buy silver coins when I can get a good deal. Around here people pawn them for a bit more than face value when they run out of cigarettes.

Which is another thing that is coming with the crackdown. They are raising prices on cigarettes and during a crash that will be a valuable commodity. Smokers can do without food and clothing or even family needs when it comes to getting a pack of cigs.

I have over a dozen truckloads of dry tobacco and a cigarette tobacco grinder (old cast iron from the turn of the century). I also bought a bunch of papers very cheap so I am set although I hate smoking.