Create a Collapse Supply List Based on the Things They Ran Out of in Venezuela

(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you'll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)

By Daisy Luther

Sometimes a cautionary tale is more motivating than any amount of positive reinforcement every could be, and the horrifying reports from Venezuela are a perfect example. If you’re paying attention to the things they’ve run out of, you can put together a collapse supply list to see you through the crisis in the event of a breakdown in our own country. The time to prepare is now, well before the situation devolves to one that is similar.

Every day, there is more dire news out of Venezuela.  It’s so bad there that even the mainstream news can no longer ignore that the country is in the midst of an economic collapse. Thousands have turned to looting in order to feed their families. Even their soldiers have been stealing food. Long lines, empty stores, and hospitals without electricity are the norm instead of an unusual occurrence.

It wasn’t always like that. Life before Venezuela devolved into socialism looked a whole lot like our lives do today. In fact, as recently as the 1970s, Venezuela was one of the top 20 richest countries in the world.

 

So, today, our financial situation certainly looks far brighter than that of Venezuela, but according to a lot of experts, that is a glossy veneer over a crumbling foundation.  Obama calls it “peddling fiction” but the outlook here is not good. Financial statistics are massaged and many of them hidden to keep us in the dark. Jobs are nearly impossible to find, and heaven help you if you lose one.  The price of living is going up, but financial solvency is going down as personal debt outstrips the ability to pay it. Pension funds that people rely on are going bankrupt, one after another.

It really isn’t a question of if, but when.

Economic collapse starts out as “going through hard times.” It isn’t mobs on the streets or regression to Third World status initially. Before it ever gets to that, you have time to prepare. So let’s get started.

Pay Attention to What They’re Out of in Venezuela

The best way to make your supply list is to figure out what they’ve run out of in Venezuela.  Below, you can find a list of the things they do not have, along with suggestions for stocking up or educating yourself.

If we never have a problem in the United States, you can rest assured that none of these supplies are crazy things you’ll never use. Most are the most basic of necessities and you’ll find it’s very convenient to be able to “shop in your pantry” whenever you need something. As well, learning to be more self-reliant is a great way to save money, live simpler, and often be healthier than those who depend on the store to meet all their needs.

Food

The first thing we saw as Venezuela began going down was that the government cracked down on the ability to stock up on food.  They instituted a fingerprint registry for buying food, made prepping illegal, and began to dole out supplies. The government took over most of the stores, then forced farmers to hand over the majority of their crops at the price the government chose to pay. These crops were then marked up extravagantly and sold to people who suddenly found they could no longer afford to eat. Eventually, the government announced that the country was out of food and that if people wanted to eat, they’d better grow their own.

Supplies mentioned in articles that people have stolen and waited all day in line for are milk, bread, chicken, rice, and flour.

Here’s a list of food and related supplies you should stock up on.

  • Long-term emergency food buckets: I never used to stockpile these because most of them have horrible ingredients. However, Preppers Market products are non-GMO, have few additives, and even have gluten free buckets. They’re packed in square containers for easy stacking at the back of your closet, and each container is a month of food for one person. You can build up quite a stockpile this way that doesn’t take up a lot of space. As well, it’s packaged to last for up to 30 years, so you can get it and forget it. (ORDER HERE)
  • Build a pantry: Purchase things on sale to build your first line of defense against food instability. The pantry you build today can help you weather difficult times in the future. Stock up on shelf-stable versions of the things you generally consume in your family. You want to create at least a couple of months’ supply where you can supplement what you get at the store with what you have in your kitchen cupboards. Check out my book The Pantry Primer: A Prepper’s Guide to Whole Food on a  Half Price Budget for details on building your short-term supply. Be sure to focus on pantry staples (here’s a list) so that you can combine ingredients for delicious, from scratch meals.
  • Gardening Supplies: Once everyone wants them, the price will skyrocket. Stock up now on seeds, tools, compost bins, soil amendments, and testing kits.These books can help for those who want to start a small-scale homestead:

Also, check out this article: The Self-Reliance Manifesto: More Than 300 Resources to Guide You on the Path to Radical Freedom

  • Ways to Garden in an Apartment: I frequently suggest that people take more steps toward self-reliance and there are always folks who say, “That’s fine for you – you live in the country. I can’t grow food in an apartment.”  Well, you’d better figure out how to grow food in an apartment, because I can tell you quite clearly, President Maduro’s suggestion that people grow food didn’t have the caveat of “if it’s convenient and you live in the country.”  I understand that you can’t raise all of your food in a tiny apartment with a postage stamp balcony. But you can raise something. Lettuce for salads, sprouts that can be used in many different ways, or if you’re really industrious you could try aquaponics and/or rabbits. Everything you do produce can help to supplement the meager rations you may be forced to live on. These books and supplies can help:
  • Milk: One of the first things people run out of is milk. If your family regularly drinks milk, or if you add it to your coffee, the lack of it is something that will be immediately evident and make them feel deprived in an already unsettling situation. You can freeze milk when it’s on sale, and you should also stock up on shelf-stable dry milk. That’s the best way to have it on hand for the long haul. (Order Hormone-free dry milk HERE)

Hygiene Items

It’s important to be able to remain clean if you want to stay healthy. Following are some of the supplies that have been in shortage in Venezuela for months now.

  • Soap
  • Laundry detergent
  • Toilet paper
  • Diapers
  • Feminine hygiene supplies

For some of these items, you can learn to make them yourself. For others, you can make or purchase reusable versions.

Public Utilities

The country is rationing electricity and has been for quite some time. Currently, there are mandatory rolling blackouts. This is affecting everyday life, in that food can’t be kept in freezers, they are dealing with the hot humid weather without air conditioning, and they must use alternative lighting.

Stock up now on ways to deal with those concerns. These articles, books, and supplies can help you make your plan.

Medicine and Medical Care

Your heart will break into a million pieces, but this article from the front page of the NY Times (hat tip to Mary) tells you the real nitty gritty of the situation in Venezuela. A hospital is just as likely to kill you as make you better now, due to terrible sanitation and a lack of supplies.

They’re out of antibiotics, cancer medicine, and equipment. They can’t do dialysis or other life-saving treatments. They have no running water so they’re doing operations on a table still covered with blood from the last patient. The rolling blackouts mean that every single days, babies and other patients dependent on respirators are dying. Doctors are making lists of supplies for the families of patients to go out and attempt to procure from the black market.

It is essential that you keep some supplies on hand and that you begin learning all you can about survival medicine.

The best book for that is Cat Ellis’s book, Prepper’s Natural Medicine. It isn’t dependent on expensive, difficult-to-find supplies, but on things you can find in your area. This book is something you absolutely must add to your stockpile. If you can treat most ailments at home and stay away from hospitals, you’re far more likely to survive in a scenario like the one described above. A trip to the hospital in that situation is probably more likely to result in your death than avoiding it altogether.

  • Stock up on over the counter medications for pain relief, allergies, colds, diarrhea, and inflammation.
  • Some people purchase veterinary antibiotics like this.
  • Create a kit of wound treatment supplies to help prevent infection. (This fantastic article can help you decide what you need.)
  • I’m a huge fan of Vetricyn. We spray it on human wounds as well as animal ones.
  • Besides Cat’s book of natural medicine, look into adding other guides to your stash. I like the field manuals from the US military, which are available on Amazon.

Now is the time.

Be watching for a comprehensive 3-month program that is coming soon to help you get prepared with one-on-one help from some of the most popular preparedness authors around. More details are coming soon.

If you wait until a crisis is already occurring, you’ve waited too long, which is exactly what the people of Venezuela are learning. By preparing ahead of time and filling your collapse supply list, while you may still experience difficult times, your struggle will not be as extreme as the ones we’re seeing.

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

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  • Daisy, you have outdone yourself with this excellent article. Thanks for this information. Be well.

  • We love Vetricyn too. We have treated all our pets wounds with it and have not had to take to the vet for abscess or anything like that since using it. Once was talking to a deputy sheriff that said he sprays himself down with it and rubs his hands with it after coming out of a particularly gross house or crime scene. Good article. Have been closely following Venezuela as my friend has kids there teaching that are trying to survive until they can get out of there in a week. Very scary unsafe place to be and not that far from the US frankly.

  • MOST of my friends & even FAMILY tell me Im… Whacko for prepping! YES, true! My own FAMILY is soooooo tired of me “wasting money on food that no one will ever eat” – they complain incessantly…

    I say:

    1) Its FOOD! IT WILL BE EATEN – one way r the other. Hence: NO WASTE HERE!!
    2) ALWAYS – PLAN FOR THE WORST; HOPE FOR THE BEST! IN LIFE: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS… HAVE A PLAN B.

    Lets hope, then, we ALL look bak one day, while Im serving our EMERGENCY FOOD at a Picnic, with some cold beer, music, laughter – instead of hunkered down, trying to feed my family because WE LOOK LIKE VENEZUELA! RiGHT?!! OF COURSE! Who doesnt want that.

    *** BUT THIS IS WHERE O’ IS TAKING US TOO, PEOPLE!! IF U DONT WANT TO SEE IT…

    TURN THE CHANNEL.
    : /

  • I’m a single senior citizen with 2 cats, and I’ve decided to just store nutritional drinks, soups and juices. That’s about it for me. I’ve got dental issues that I can’t afford to fix, so this plan will work for me. If I’ve got any solid food on hand when the SHTF, I will certainly use it as best I can.

    I’ve been through a major quake, so I know how I react to very stressful situations. Cooking is not on my list of things to do. I don’t think that trying to maintain a semblance of normal is necessary for everyone. My cats will be provided for and I’ll lose some weight.

    Scary times are ahead, and since I am at the bottom economically, I’m already feeling it.

    These days when I hear that someone has died, I think about how lucky they are. They’re safe. No harm can be done to them. Let’s not forget to prepare spiritually as well.

    • Augason Farms sells a mix of dehydrated vegetables that is very light to lift in the container but is actually good tasting and nutritious. I often throw in a cup or two when making a pot of soup to quickly bulk it out. The ingredients are nothing but vegetables, no weird chemicals. It’s called Augason Farms – Vegetable Stew Blend. It’s expensive on their website, but at Walmart it’s about $12.50 for a #10 can, and at my local store it’s $13. Just add water and let sit for a little while, instant vegetables that won’t go bad for years if unopened.

      Oats are another good one. There is not a single GMO oat in the country because oats are such a cheap crop it’s not economical to Monsanto to invest in them. A 10lb box in a store generally runs $10-$16. Rolled oats (Old Fashioned) last for years and again only take a little water to cook. Of course they taste better with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, but that’s my personal preference.

      I just wanted to throw those options out there because they are easy on the teeth, cheap to buy, and last for years. They also are very easy to cook, you don’t have to repackage them at all if you don’t want to, they aren’t too heavy to lift, and they provide solid nutrition. Good luck to you.

    • Hi Susan, I also am a single senior citizen..3 cats, live in the country, heat with wood, nice size garden, chickens. Just wanted to encourage you that although there are scary times ahead, as long as we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Although I do prep, I am not “fanatical” about it. When my kids say something about it, I just reply that I will be in heaven and someone will be happy to have the food and supplies that are here. Don’t know where you are located but if you would like, perhaps we can correspond and encourage one another. [email protected] Lori

  • Daisy: Excellent article! I’m looking forward to the ones to come….you are right on. You put into words my growing fears. I’ve been prepping for a while but still have a long way to go. Btw, our local hospital now has patients register with their index fingerprint. Makes me wonder what’s next.

  • Daisy –

    Great article. I have been and still am working on much of the list.

    I have bought some of the “vet medicine” and today I clicked on your link to see if it is the same as I have. It isn’t, but similar. But – this link says it is out of stock and they don’t know when or IF they will get it back.

    Very scary. Maybe this is a sign that more and more people are getting prepared.

    Keep up the good work of keeping people informed.

  • Thank you, Garden Nut. I have eaten plenty of food from Augason Farms, and oatmeal is handy to have. I’m more likely to consume and rotate the stored drinks on a regular basis than some canned foods that sit and sit and sit without being used because although they could be eaten singly, you really should use them as part of a meal. The drinks are easy to share and there’s plenty of variety. No preparation needed except a straw.

    The bottles and cans can be vacuum sealed and then they’ll float. In my area, the dangers are flooding, fires and an occasional tornado. When being evacuated it’s easy to grab a BOB with some drinks because wherever you’re going to be sheltered, there will be food. And your preps? They’ve floated down the river, are floating in your house because of flash flooding, been burned to ash in a wildfire or blown away by the twister.

    I’ve seen it many times were people can’t get back to their homes after an event for days. Sometimes the homes are condemned and they can’t go back at all. Rescuers go in to try and get your pets and that’s it. If you didn’t carry it with you when you left, there’s no guarantee you’ll have access later or that it’s even useable.

    So, that’s why I’m choosing the drinks. I can carry one with me when doing errands and on those hot, humid summer days that we have, a liquid meal is better than nothing at all.

  • I prefer Cut-Heal Multi+Care wound care. I had 9 meat chickens attacked thru their cage by a raccoon and it tore up their skin leaving 4-8 inch rips of their skin. I applied the Cut-Heal once to their injuries and when we went to butcher 3 weeks later, there was no sign of any injury. It is made of linseed oil, fish oil and balsam fir oil.
    Great article. Very timely and an excellent idea. I’ve been watching all news reports about Venezuela with the idea of seeing what a slow collapse is like but this was a pointed article about using what is happening there to prepare ourselves for our looming problems.
    Thanks

  • Waiting anxiously for the three month program. Is this your program and is it going to be featured on your website? Do NOT want to miss it! How long before it comes out?

    “Be watching for a comprehensive 3-month program that is coming soon to help you get prepared with one-on-one help from some of the most popular preparedness authors around. More details are coming soon.”

    • It will begin in mid-June. Do you subscribe to the newsletter? There will be an invitation there. 🙂 If not, you can sign up on the right hand side of the page or on the home page. We’re going to have lots of fun!

  • I am a disabled single mom of 4 kids. Finally we’re at bottom of the pile, well not totally we were in a domestic violence shelter last year. I am terrified. I taught high school and college level government, economics and history. This situation in Venezuela is just the start. I am prepping as much as I can with an already tapped out budget. I take 14 prescriptions a day and worry about that. Great article Daisy!

  • Great article! I loved it! Being married to someone from Colombia (the country that neighbours Venezuela) I can tell you this economic collapse is completely contained within their borders. They can’t even leave to go into other countries to relieve their suffering.
    However, it’s not just the fault of their government – their entire culture is focused entirely on “this moment” (hedonistic). They do not plan, they do not prep, and I bet 99% of them don’t garden, even though I would KILL to be able to plant year-round. It’s just not how they do things, but now they’re suffering for it and that is sad.

  • I take high blood pressure medicine. What I did was go to a new doctor and ask for a checkup. Naturally he found my high blood pressure and prescribed medication. Therefore now I’m able to double up and have medicine to take now and medicine to store from my old doctor’s prescription. It’s nice to be able to fill two prescriptions as a prep.

  • Daisy, I too have been following what is happening. As my food and water preps grow, I have read many times from many different sources the possibility of our government, if we get to that level of crisis, declaring food “hoarding” illegal and perhaps confiscation from individual homes. Is that just fear mongering?

  • Vitamins,Minerals, protein powder, nutritional yeast, baking soda, vinegar with mother, Distilled white vinegar, wine, vodka, beer, hydrogen peroxide, borax, pure Castile soap, bars of Ivory soap, zinc oxide, calamine lotion, thermometer, sanitary pads, tampons, tooth paste, dental floss, battery run tooth brushes and manual tooth brushes, tweezers, razors, hair clips, bobby pins, elastic bands cloth covered and regular, pens, ink, paper, note books, hundred(s) dollars in postage stamps (forever), envelopes, cardboard boxes (flattened) tape and tape dispensers, raid insect killer, hammer(s), screw driver(s), nails, screws, nuts, wood, clothes line. Screws to hold ends and/or pulls, metal and plastic tubs, laundry soap, bleach, sewing needles, sewing thread, buttons, zippers, sewing supplies, yarn, string, twine, cooking utensils, pots, knives, canning supplies, seeds, trees, fruit and nut trees that are already bearing fruit, start collecting seeds from organic fruit and plant them in little pots for future bartering or if you move to larger space. Buy a solid American made shovel and a hoe, pure magnesium Epsom Salt, Sea salt, canning salt, local honey, organic sugar. Plant a food forest with a variety of trees and shrubs, herbs, edible flowers, grape vines, Rosemary hedges, English lavender, rabbits, chickens, goats, bee hives, stock up on staples like rice and beans and pasta in variety(ten pounds of ten different kinds of beans is one hundred pounds of beans., then buy in bulk, get food grade buckets and other containers to protect your investment., buy high quality vacuum sealer, buy your children’s shoes from birth to adult and store according to size (shop for quality on sale). Buy everything you regularly use and shop from year to year rather than paycheck to paycheck.! Pay off debt. Live wisely. Spend wisely. Perhaps consider signing up for a course or two. Invest in books and education.

      • Thank you. Me and mine are well and best wishes to you and yours. I’ve been busy preparing for I don’t know what since I don’t know when. Your site is great. I get a lot from it. So, thank you, again.

        • B. Great post. I,too, have stocked for the children’s clothes. Although my children are my great grandchildren. Yes, I have had many comments about trying to get a little ahead, but no one has a problem with it when there is no work or when someone is ill. Thanks for the post.

  • Good article and so timely. We are doing exactly the same thing here. My daughter is an RN and is guiding us on wound care and what to stock. She says they have been warned that the influenza strain that they see coming this fall is along the lines of the Spanish flu. That is pretty scary. Just that can keep you at home if it gets pretty bad.

  • Daisy once again what a wonderful article. You have provided me with several important take-aways. BTW I just ordered your book – The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide: Harvest, Treat, and Store Your Most Vital Resource via Amazon. I am certain it will be one of my most valued books. I did post a question in response to the article in regards to what are the perfect long term food storage conditions (sunlight/temperature/humidity/etc.)? That was really the only question I had in my mind after reading the article.

    • Hi Milo! Thank you for ordering the book and for your kind words. I’m sorry I missed your question. The perfect storage conditions are cool but not freezing, dry, and dark. 🙂

  • Thank you Daisy for what you are doing for humanity. It shows you care. I’ve been a prepper for about five years now and started a library of books to help me in the future. I hope you and your loved ones survive events that are coming and stay safe.

  • This is a very good article, and I appreciate all the advice. I have noticed that most of the dates for replies were in 2016. It is now August 2017. What has been happening just in the last week or so is very scary. I just watched the news, and the latest thing, today, is that the main stream media is saying that Trump is unhinged, and not mentally competent . Soros and his ilk are not trying to hide anything any more. It is out and out frontal attack—–and so many people are buying it. it is impossible to get the truth on the news.
    I have been a prepper for years, and have quite a bit of food, medicine, toilet paper, etc. I don’t know if a person is ever totally prepared, but I try my best. There is always something new to learn.
    God bless you and thank you for your efforts.

  • I think the mental preparation is just as important. To know the truth of what faces us and this article touches on that.

  • More resources:

    10 Things people in Venezuela are bartering for it will give you ideas on what to stock up on.

    in this 13:26 minute video, from preppernurse1 on 15 Sept 2020:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lO18RNahE0

    AND

    Creating A Venezuela Collapse Supply List

    in this 18:55 minute video, from Iridium242 on 22 May 2016:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvT5Ui7v64s

    AND

    SHTF bartering dos and don’ts, October 07, 2020 by: Virgilio Marin

    https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-10-07-shtf-bartering-dos-and-donts.html

    –Lewis

  • The Amer. Economy is more diversified than Venezuela. There’s is mainly financed by oil production and sales of it.
    But Americans need to learn to learn to live within their means once more. Our grand parents owned cars for ten years or more. When they bought a house; they usually lived in it for twenty years or more. Many also did not care about who designed their clothes.

  • The odds of an economic meltdown as bad as Venezuela happening in the U.S. are about 1,000,000,000 — 1. Our economy is more diversified.

  • You Need More Than Food to Survive
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    In the event of a long-term disaster, there are non-food essentials that can be vital to your survival and well-being. Make certain you have these 50 non-food stockpile essentials. Sign up for your FREE report and get prepared.

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