Most essential items in your home you couldnt live without

[Aklogcabin]

I thought about what we have at our remote cabin. Refrigeration is the most important. Food preparation usually depends on refrigeration.
I can bring a computer out but when you don't have all the convenience of home it takes a bit of work to get by. Not a lot of time to sit down.

 

[dunewalker]

I forgot to include a knife in my list of essentials. Anyone see the movie about Croc Dundee?

 

[jazzy]

ive got a couple stainless thermos im hooked on for my morning coffee or tea and stainless mugs. keeps things perfect especially in the winter. i use a french press for coffee so i dont have to deal with a percolator, just heat water. im kinda lazy, i fill one thermos with my coffee and another with t4ea. my tea thermos stays hot all day and night even. its great to have ready when i want a cup in the afternoons and evenings. get one3 of those neoprene bottle sleeves for insulation and your beverage will stay hot for hours longer. they are gworth it, especially in winter, camping or hunting. .

 

[viking]

Never underestimate the need for water, it's certainly at the top of my list.

 

[joel]

dunewalker
I love the movie.
Any blade weapon over eleven & one half inches is classed as a short sword by some people. I like the machete for a middle size blade.

 

[SoJer]

..Any blade weapon over eleven & one half inches is classed as a short sword by some people...

STUNNING CUSTOM MADE HAND FORGED D2 TOOL STEEL, COMBAT, FANCY BOWIE KNIFE | eBay ..Must.. Not... Clickkkk!! Now That's a 'noife'..

jd

 

[jazzy]

sorry, not sure if its been added---but get some dollar sotre reading glasses of all strengths. for some 1.50 or 2.00 is good help but get some 3.0, 3.5. 4.0, 4.5---get the big magnifiers while you still can.

our eyes aint getting any younger

and if one can afford some extra pairs of glasses of different strengths, would be a darn good barter item down the road.

also some lighted magnifiers--5X and even 10X

 

[Jerry D Young]

It is apparent very quickly that I did not read the thread title very well, not the posts to it after I was asked to post here. I hope this is taken as I intended. The things I would want on a homestead, not necessarily things in the house.


I no longer live on a homestead (though possibly again in the future), but I will try to answer the question based on when I did and how I would like to live on one again.

A quality walk behind rotary tiller. Just about any good tiller would work for most of what I am inclined to do with them. BCS brand is probably my favorite. If possible I would also like to have a medium size rear tine tiller. Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, or DR Power.

If only one, though, a medium/large BCS with attachments. The tiller can do all kinds of things besides just tilling a garden. One of the reasons I want one is for digging trenches, pits, and other types of earth work. If the ground is worked it is far easier to shovel into a transport of some type.

A large polymer panel greenhouse with keyhole raised beds using a vertical grow aquaponics system with fish tanks installed with just the upper portion above ground. Worm beds to help feed the fish and rabbit hutches to feed the worms.

I would want a comprehensive outdoor harvest kitchen that can be enclosed in inclement weather to process the harvest of plants and animals. Freeze dryers, dehydrators, pressure canners, vacuum sealers, and independent-environmental-condition insulated root cellars.

To provide heat for the various buildings and structures, including a home and set of barns and storage buildings, I would want one or more multi-fuel outside furnaces with solar blowers, pumps, and automatic fuel feed systems. Firewood, coal, waste oil, propane, natural gas, pellets, corn, weed bundles, and just about any other liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel. Each would have a forced air heat output, hydronic hot water heat output for de-icing sidewalks, roofs, driveways, and so on. Any that would be used for residential or food processing would have domestic hot water heating as well.

A multimode power house incorporating vertical axis wind turbines, low-to-the-ground specialty horizontal wind turbines, spiral drop pit micro hydro, PV solar panels, hot air solar panels, hot water solar panels, minimum of three high capacity battery banks. The building would be built as a Faraday cage with most of the other components protected from EMP and HEMP using grounded metal conduit and protection devices on all entry/exit power points.

With those systems I could have an excellent start on a homestead. The orchards, vineyards, pastures, barns, woodlands, ponds, perennial beds, and the rest would be added.

If initial money was available one or more each of a Bobcat skid steer/all-wheel-steer machine with many attachments and a Unimog U500 multipurpose truck with full options and a complete set of applicable attachments. These can be used for gardening in the case of the Bobcat and farming in the case of the Unimog, given the right attachments in each case.


They would be the start of a full-fledged farm, ranch, homestead, and family estate.

I could add so many more things, but I know this is supposed to be just the primary items.

Just my opinion.

 

[Neb]

It is apparent very quickly that I did not read the thread title very well, not the posts to it after I was asked to post here. I hope this is taken as I intended. The things I would want on a homestead, not necessarily things in the house.


I no longer live on a homestead (though possibly again in the future), but I will try to answer the question based on when I did and how I would like to live on one again.

A quality walk behind rotary tiller. Just about any good tiller would work for most of what I am inclined to do with them. BCS brand is probably my favorite. If possible I would also like to have a medium size rear tine tiller. Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, or DR Power.

If only one, though, a medium/large BCS with attachments. The tiller can do all kinds of things besides just tilling a garden. One of the reasons I want one is for digging trenches, pits, and other types of earth work. If the ground is worked it is far easier to shovel into a transport of some type.

A large polymer panel greenhouse with keyhole raised beds using a vertical grow aquaponics system with fish tanks installed with just the upper portion above ground. Worm beds to help feed the fish and rabbit hutches to feed the worms.

I would want a comprehensive outdoor harvest kitchen that can be enclosed in inclement weather to process the harvest of plants and animals. Freeze dryers, dehydrators, pressure canners, vacuum sealers, and independent-environmental-condition insulated root cellars.

To provide heat for the various buildings and structures, including a home and set of barns and storage buildings, I would want one or more multi-fuel outside furnaces with solar blowers, pumps, and automatic fuel feed systems. Firewood, coal, waste oil, propane, natural gas, pellets, corn, weed bundles, and just about any other liquid, solid, or gaseous fuel. Each would have a forced air heat output, hydronic hot water heat output for de-icing sidewalks, roofs, driveways, and so on. Any that would be used for residential or food processing would have domestic hot water heating as well.

A multimode power house incorporating vertical axis wind turbines, low-to-the-ground specialty horizontal wind turbines, spiral drop pit micro hydro, PV solar panels, hot air solar panels, hot water solar panels, minimum of three high capacity battery banks. The building would be built as a Faraday cage with most of the other components protected from EMP and HEMP using grounded metal conduit and protection devices on all entry/exit power points.

With those systems I could have an excellent start on a homestead. The orchards, vineyards, pastures, barns, woodlands, ponds, perennial beds, and the rest would be added.

If initial money was available one or more each of a Bobcat skid steer/all-wheel-steer machine with many attachments and a Unimog U500 multipurpose truck with full options and a complete set of applicable attachments. These can be used for gardening in the case of the Bobcat and farming in the case of the Unimog, given the right attachments in each case.


They would be the start of a full-fledged farm, ranch, homestead, and family estate.

I could add so many more things, but I know this is supposed to be just the primary items.

Just my opinion.

Most excellent first post!

Much agree.

Ben

 

[elkhound]

Hey Jerry...very glad you posted.

Would love to read a post from you in this thread.

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/in-500-years.19451/#post-591048

 

[PopPopT]

BCS brand is probably my favorite.

I powered through the sticker shock and bought a BCS a couple of years ago. Wow! That is one NICE machine. It does everything I ask of it and sometimes I ask it to do some pretty rough stuff. Would like to have a few more attachments but I am definitely not sorry I bought it.

 

[SoJer]

...Just my opinion.

Great to See you Here, Sir! Welcome, and will - as always - stay keenly tuned to yer posts, Always appreciated and choc-full of Wisdom.

jd

 

[Aerindel]

Most excellent first post!

Much agree.

Ben

JDY is......a fixture of the prepping community.....if we had ranks.....a grandmaster of the art. His first post here, I wouldn't be surprised if it was his 200,000th on the subject.

Awesome to see him here.

 

[Caribou]

JDY is......a fixture of the prepping community.....if we had ranks.....a grandmaster of the art. His first post here, I wouldn't be surprised if it was his 200,000th on the subject.

Awesome to see him here.

Jerry is also a prolific author of note. I have almost 40 of his books, mostly PAW fiction. I had booked passage on a ship that broke down at the port before my destination. I was stuck for three weeks. I only had around 150 books on my Kindle back then. Those books were my only source of entertainment. Thanks Jerry.

 

[ssonb]

I was gonna say septic tank but now that I think on it it's not in my house.
So I'll go with basement.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Without a doubt, my Wife!

 

[sonya123]

A quality walk behind rotary tiller. Just about any good tiller would work for most of what I am inclined to do with them. BCS brand is probably my favorite. If possible I would also like to have a medium size rear tine tiller. Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, or DR Power.

Hi Jerry, didn't know you were on this list too

Don't get me started on the tiller thing.....
WE need a real tiller or disc , an impossible thing to find used or inexpensive and then there is transporting and moving the 500 some pound thing....
We have a tractor and the homestead, but no tiller attachment, and our neighbors that tilled for us moved a few years ago so now there is a problem) . I just bought an expensive and good hand tiller and it does not work on the plowed up pasture at all. We wanted to plow up, till and reseed

And while we are at it, if anyone ever buys a tractor, buy one with a loader attached! Another mistake we made

 

[Jerry D Young]

Thank you everyone.

One of the reasons I like forums like this is because everyone can learn from not just others' mistakes, but also their successes.

Just my opiinion.

 

[elkhound]

Hi Jerry, didn't know you were on this list too

Don't get me started on the tiller thing.....
WE need a real tiller or disc , an impossible thing to find used or inexpensive and then there is transporting and moving the 500 some pound thing....
We have a tractor and the homestead, but no tiller attachment, and our neighbors that tilled for us moved a few years ago so now there is a problem) . I just bought an expensive and good hand tiller and it does not work on the plowed up pasture at all. We wanted to plow up, till and reseed

And while we are at it, if anyone ever buys a tractor, buy one with a loader attached! Another mistake we made

when i become emperor i will sign into law all tractors sold will be 4x4 and have front end loader....! and half need to be hydra stat transmission. they work circles around geared tractors in repetitive back and forth work.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

All hail Emperor Elkhound the Wise!

 

[Weedygarden]

Thank you everyone.

One of the reasons I like forums like this is because everyone can learn from not just others' mistakes, but also their successes.

Just my opiinion.

I hope you are well! Good to see you here!

 

[OldSchool]

Considering that all the basics are covered, a radio is one of my essentials. This one in particular would be the one to keep, if I had to give-up all others.

Compact yet good sound quality and excellent radio station reception in AM & FM. Can also be connected to a computer for sound quality that tops most computer speaker systems.

If SHTF... it would need its own bugout bag, and it's a bit power hungry at 13 watts... but do-able... it's my 'camper special' radio.

JVC FS-7000
https://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.jsp?modelId=MODL023035&pathId=16&page=1&archive=true

ETA: Might be 30 watt power consumption, that's what's listed on the rear tag. It's 13 watts per channel to speakers. I'm gonna have to learn more about power consumption for off-the-grid situations.

 

[Haertig]

I'm gonna have to learn more about power consumption for off-the-grid situations.

That power usage you're looking at is for audio output (loudness) driving the speakers. A radio receiver does not take much power (a transmitter on the other hand, is a different beast). An amplifier (what drives the speakers) can take a good amount of power too (if the speakers are large, you are playing them loudly, yada, ydad, yada). That radios power usage would go down if you used headphones. If it has a lighted dial (especially if it is lighted with inefficient incandescent bulbs) that will take some power too (not a terrible amount, but some). Turn off the dial light if the radio has a switch to do that.

 

[OldSchool]

That power usage you're looking at is for audio output (loudness) driving the speakers. A radio receiver does not take much power (a transmitter on the other hand, is a different beast). An amplifier (what drives the speakers) can take a good amount of power too (if the speakers are large, you are playing them loudly, yada, ydad, yada). That radios power usage would go down if you used headphones. If it has a lighted dial (especially if it is lighted with inefficient incandescent bulbs) that will take some power too (not a terrible amount, but some). Turn off the dial light if the radio has a switch to do that.

I do hear you about that. I actually took electronics engineering technology classes way back in the early 80s. This particular system has 4ohm speakers... increasing power consumption over the average 8 ohm speakers.. The tech era this system uses isn't exactly power consumption friendly... I'm curious about how the power consumption of this unit compares to other household items. Being that it has a tag saying 120V at 60hz and 30 watts.... probably means 30 watt max power consumption.

 

[OldSchool]

I have an old 70s era Panasonic (and yes they built good quality items back then) tabletop radio rated 120v 60hz 10 watts... it's good but sound quality is poor. I suppose 3x the power consumption for good quality sound is a fair compromise.

 

[Haertig]

Being that it has a tag saying 120V at 60hz and 30 watts.... probably means 30 watt max power consumption.

Yes, product labeling like this is always MAX power draw. 30 watts is nothing for a household appliance running on AC power normally. But if you're looking at a grid down situation where every watt counts - just turn the output power (volume) down and use only when needed. That goes for everything actually, not just a radio. Your propane stove will use a lot less gas on low than it will on high, same goes for radio volume.

 

[OldSchool]

Yes, product labeling like this is always MAX power draw. 30 watts is nothing for a household appliance running on AC power normally. But if you're looking at a grid down situation where every watt counts - just turn the output power (volume) down and use only when needed. That goes for everything actually, not just a radio. Your propane stove will use a lot less gas on low than it will on high, same goes for radio volume.

Just talking about and thinking about this.... is a learning experience. Thanks.

 

[Haertig]

I have an old 70s era Panasonic (and yes they built good quality items back then) tabletop radio rated 120v 60hz 10 watts... it's good but sound quality is poor. I suppose 3x the power consumption for good quality sound is a fair compromise.

Sound quality is more the result of a quality speaker and good amplifier design. Not power output. Yes, you will need a baseline of power for something to sound good, but 10 watts is well above that baseline. Unless you're trying to amplify something to fill a large room with sound. For sitting next to a radio listening to voice broadcasts, 10 watts is plenty for good sound - given quality components and good design.

 

[OldSchool]

Sound quality is more the result of a quality speaker and good amplifier design. Not power output. Yes, you will need a baseline of power for something to sound good, but 10 watts is well above that baseline. Unless you're trying to amplify something to fill a large room with sound. For sitting next to a radio listening to voice broadcasts, 10 watts is plenty for good sound - given quality components and good design.

I just checked a Harman Kardon 330c for power consumption.... 180 watts. Yikes! In ideal situation or not.... I'd have to crank it once in a while.

 

[OldSchool]

Thinking about this in the picture of things... and considering that a 100 watt incandescent light bulb actually uses 100 watts.... 30 watts for a good sound system ain't bad.