Preparations Update

[Morgan101]

Stay ready, in my area the local news is starting in about the rising covid cases. I don't watch it but a fearful lady I clean for texts every morning to give me an update. ☹

You don't have to watch. You are getting daily updates without watching. I have a close friend as well as my wife who think it has become their sole purpose in life to keep track of Covid trends. I never have to pay attention. One of them will give me an update.

 

[hiwall]

Okay, maybe I'm a little off the deep end with the preps. We never really shop and order everything online and have it shipped here. I do all the ordering. My wife has gotten used to me ordering something very often. She is also surprised when a day or two goes past without a delivery.
Yesterday I mentioned I had placed yet another order.
"What did you order this time?"
"Nothing we needed."
She just smiled.

 

[Sourdough]

We never really shop and order everything online and have it shipped here. I do all the ordering.

Can you, or "will" you say where you order from.......??? I have yet to find a source other than Amazon. Thanks

 

[LadyLocust]

Can you, or "will" you say where you order from.......??? I have yet to find a source other than Amazon. Thanks

Are there certain areas of interest for you SD. Bulkfoods.com is an okay one for some food things.

 

[Sourdough]

Are there certain areas of interest for you SD. Bulkfoods.com is an okay one for some food things.

NO.......Nearly everything (for me) comes from Amazon. I sometimes have friends' pick-up things not available on Amazon, if they are coming near this direction.

Walmart.......does not ship to Alaska, or "WITH-in" Alaska. There are places that will ship to Alaska, BUT they think Alaska is a foreign country. I recently started to order a fuel filter from some company, the filter was $17.99 and when I got to the point where you place the order, I noticed the shipping was $66.00 I did not place the order.

 

[LadyLocust]

NO.......Nearly everything (for me) comes from Amazon. I sometimes have friends' pick-up things not available on Amazon, if they are coming near this direction.

Walmart.......does not ship to Alaska, or "WITH-in" Alaska. There are places that will ship to Alaska, BUT they think Alaska is a foreign country. I recently started to order a fuel filter from some company, the filter was $17.99 and when I got to the point where you place the order, I noticed the shipping was $66.00 I did not place the order.

I know you've mentioned shipping/delivering issues before. Not sure how Home Depot is for you. A couple others to at least look at:
MSC - mechanical bits and pieces, tool accessories etc.
LMC - auto parts
Also, as an FYI, I've recently purchased a couple books from the UK because shipping was cheaper than within the US.

 

[Sourdough]

Also, as an FYI, I've recently purchased a couple books from the UK because shipping was cheaper than within the US.

Yes, I have purchased early editions that are out of print, from UK and shipping was cheap. Even direct shipments from China are cheap, however it can take 5 or 7 weeks in transit.

 

[hiwall]

Can you, or "will" you say where you order from.......??? I have yet to find a source other than Amazon. Thanks

I never order from Amazon.
Mostly from Walmart (or through Walmart). They always ship FedEx which works the best for us. Others who ship either USPS or UPS does not work as well in this location.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I ended up ordering some nuts today.

I am trying to figure out what I "need" the next time I do major shopping. I am mostly thinking staples like cream of soups and such.

The wife made 4 casseroles and we put them in the freezer, we are reducing things like rice and adding things like spinach and broccoli, which I can grow.

 

[Amish Heart]

I COULD grow broccoli if the rabbits would stop eating it
I planted a mammoth sunflower border. I should of just planted a tomato border.

 

[LadyLocust]

Went and picked up another 80 lbs. of 99.8% salt. It's not only good for making icecream, it's good for curing meat in a SHTF situation

 

[Peanut]

I ordered some new 6gal buckets. In past years I got them from the US Plastic Corp, they manufacture all sorts of plastic buckets, containers etc. If you can imagine it they probably make it.

The shipping used to be free, not any more. I think I paid $70 shipping on 6 buckets. I didn’t realize it until my order was complete. Almost canceled but after checking other sites… all prices have gone up. Why not for buckets? (they also used to sell production over runs to the public, cheap).

But! I had this idea in my head since my last order of white buckets. Get black buckets instead. The black color acts as a solar heater. I can use the buckets for heating water, they absorb sunlight. They are also far easier to conceal in the woods compared to white ones. If I’m buying a bucket why not get the ones with extra advantages? Same price as the white ones.

I also bought a fermentation bucket from them, black. It comes with a hole, a plastic valve and lid. And it absorbs heat!

 

[Tank-Girl]

While I've been away the bugs have been at play.

I found my storage cupboard that has a very good seal was left open a crack. This cupboard was a linen closet so that would explain the good seal.
I was wondering what on earth the funky smell was every time I walked down the hallway and I was half worried it was another dead rodent decaying under the floor boards.
Nope.
It's ALL my wheat and grain product stockpile.
The culprit seems to be a small odd black beetle with a long nose and then the humidity.
There are cobwebs and mould inside the "sealed' dry pasta, Asian noodles, rice and flour.
And it seems a army of cockroaches have followed in behind.
The whole cupboard reeks.
Every single item will have to be removed, checked and put into a keep pile or a chickens pile.
Then it's going to have the scrubbed, defunked and fumigated with long lasting insecticidal surface spay before the good items are put back.

OH and the flick / mixer tap in the kitchen sink broke last night as well.
The join along the whole bottom length of the tap let go ..just like that rendering it unusable.

Everything is breaking, being destroyed or getting stole all at once.

I know who to blame and I know who can take the culprit by the scruff and put an end to his BS.
All I need do is stand back and leave room for the Lord's vengeance as we're suppose to even if we'd REALLY like to help him out....just a little. Please? I'll hold the torch and be quiet as a mouse! No!!! AWWWWW...Okkkkay!

 

[Morgan101]

I was shopping at Walgreens today, and made a very lucky find. In the travel section I found a "Cotton Variety Pack" A plastic bag about 4" x 6" with 30 Q-Tips, 10 cotton balls, and 10 cotton discs (round about 2" diameter). The bag is resealable with a zip lock top. I thought this would be a great fire starter kit. Add a Bic lighter, a chapstick, maybe a birthday candle, even a book of paper matches, and you are ready to go. All would fit easily. Compact, pretty water resistant. Light. The cotton variety pack was only $1.99. Sadly, I got the last one.

 

[Pearl]

I was shopping at Walgreens today, and made a very lucky find. In the travel section I found a "Cotton Variety Pack" A plastic bag about 4" x 6" with 30 Q-Tips, 10 cotton balls, and 10 cotton discs (round about 2" diameter). The bag is resealable with a zip lock top. I thought this would be a great fire starter kit. Add a Bic lighter, a chapstick, maybe a birthday candle, even a book of paper matches, and you are ready to go. All would fit easily. Compact, pretty water resistant. Light. The cotton variety pack was only $1.99. Sadly, I got the last one.

Some poor woman woke up with mascara all over her face because you bought the last makeup remover variety pack! Great grab though!!

 

[UrbanHunter]

We have been back filling canned goods and each week we find something else we want to add to our long term storage. Keeping bugs out are a PIA, in the kitchen the black ants keep finding the composting bin, I think it's the banana peels. My short term water storage was in 2 1/2 gallon jugs, you know the ones they sell at W-Mart, well they all developed pin hole leaks and created a mess for me to clean up. I don't have that problem with the big (30+ gallon) barrels or the smaller 1 gallon jugs, but I'm really disappointing by the performance of the 2 1/2 gallon containers. I guess it's just my day to complain.

 

[Morgan101]

I guess it's just my day to complain.

You earned it. I would not be happy if the water jugs I used developed pinhole leaks. I mean they were just sitting there, right? You weren't tossing them around the room. Why should they leak. We had a similar disaster, but we were using milk containers, and it was only a few that leaked. Still a mess.

 

[UrbanHunter]

You earned it. I would not be happy if the water jugs I used developed pinhole leaks. I mean they were just sitting there, right? You weren't tossing them around the room. Why should they leak. We had a similar disaster, but we were using milk containers, and it was only a few that leaked. Still a mess.

They were sitting on a wire shelf, no load on them, Just 1 layer of 10 jugs (2 deep by 5 wide) and I have 1 jug that didn't leak...... They set fine for about 2 months then I started finding puddles.....

 

[Morgan101]

They were sitting on a wire shelf, no load on them, Just 1 layer of 10 jugs (2 deep by 5 wide) and I have 1 jug that didn't leak...... They set fine for about 2 months then I started finding puddles.....

How annoying. I wouldn't buy that brand again. A liquid container that starts to leak after two months? I would expect it to last at least two years if not longer. Am I being unreasonable? I expect those things to last forever. The Greenies bust our chops every day for putting those in landfills, because they will last forever, and not degrade. Well, something must degrade. You didn't buy it with a hole in it.

 

[Neb]

They were sitting on a wire shelf, no load on them, Just 1 layer of 10 jugs (2 deep by 5 wide) and I have 1 jug that didn't leak...... They set fine for about 2 months then I started finding puddles.....

Did you examine the hole with a magnifying glass?

Ben

 

[Caribou]

They were sitting on a wire shelf, no load on them, Just 1 layer of 10 jugs (2 deep by 5 wide) and I have 1 jug that didn't leak...... They set fine for about 2 months then I started finding puddles.....

They are making biodegradable plastics now. Your jugs may be that type of plastic. If so I don't think I'd want to drink the water.

 

[lilmissy]

Can you, or "will" you say where you order from.......??? I have yet to find a source other than Amazon. Thanks

Vitacost.com we order a lot from there

 

[UrbanHunter]

Did you examine the hole with a magnifying glass?

Ben

In each case the whole was a very fine pin hole, in a corner or on a curve about 1 inch up from the bottom, the top of jugs would collapse from the vacuum formed and then another pin hole would form in a fold, once that happened the jug would empty out really fast (over a day or 2). The jugs were bio-degradable and I think they were never intended as a storage solution......

 

[Neb]

In each case the whole was a very fine pin hole, in a corner or on a curve about 1 inch up from the bottom, the top of jugs would collapse from the vacuum formed and then another pin hole would form in a fold, once that happened the jug would empty out really fast (over a day or 2). The jugs were bio-degradable and I think they were never intended as a storage solution......

Biodegradable.

Live and learn.

I was asking because The Princess delt with what I believe are called a tobacco beetle. Wee little fritted about the size ballpoint pen tip. Annoying swarming around the chandelier during family meals. Longer story shortened... The youngest granddaughter found a cake mix package in a plastic tote with a pin hole in it.

The infestation was most likely my fault dragging dirt in from the backyard to play garden games.

But you have a plausible answer.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today, I looked back at some of my old data and it surprised me in a positive way:

First some background, in 2012 (10 years ago) I did a series of prepper classes and in one of them I took the time to price different foods in terms of cost per 1000 calories. So tonight I got to thinking, I must have had the item price and I bet Recorded it someplace and sure enough I did! Product name, Price per item, size (oz and grs), calories, sodium content, and the calculated the $s/1000 Cals from that data.

So went on W-mart and started looking up today's prices and what I saw was not what I had expected.... In most cases prices have gone up, but not as much as I expected and I even found a couple of things that were less expensive! Raman noodles chicken flavor were $0.22 in 2012 and now they are $0.08 per 3 oz package. Over all the prices were about 25% higher, but that is much better than I had expected for a 10 year change (about a 3% per year change).

But, I did see some of the individual servings and convenience foods up by as much as 80%. My point is that prices are not so bad that you should just give up on getting prepared. There are still bargains out there like rice, but minute rice has gone up 12%. So you can beef up your supplies, you still have time.

Now don't go all crazy on me because most of these price increases actually happened in the last 2 years which does tend to give us all sticker shock, but it could be worse....

 

[Sourdough]

but it could be worse....

It WILL GET WORSE......MUCH WORSE.

 

[UrbanHunter]

While doing all this talk about stocking up and going down memory lane; I found an old picture of one of my Food storage shelves:
2012:

Same Shelves 2022:

So I have been taking my own advice and stocking up....

 

[Tank-Girl]

I still haven't done my clean out of my store cupboard but I know I'm up for a whole lot of new pasta, oatmeal, noodles, instant potato, beans and dried peas.
I'm worried about my 8 bags of powdered milk I have in there as well.

There are two beings in this household and both of 'em are "special needs" for dif reasons.
I'm worried sick I won't be able to get my Panacur and extremely expensive sups when the balloon goes up.
The Landshark needs grain free food and the brand she is used to eating hasn't been available in the feed stores
in town for months.

The feed store are getting in 80 sexed baby pullets on the 7th. Unfortunately my pension doesn't hit the bank until the 13th and they won't hold chicks that long.
I wanted to get another 6. The good thing about getting the baby pullets is they have to be brooded inside and if the RSPCA or other sticky beaks try to take my adult chickens they won't or can't legally access the baby chicks inside.

I've just done my dodgy maths and I have 8 pensions until the 28th of Sept.

Mathew 25:1-4 is not just the faithful holding onto their faith through trials waiting for the saviour to come.
I like to think it's a message to prep as well.

 

[Amish Heart]

I remember probably 2018 I was still finding bargains and also couponing. Now, no couponing, and bargains are few and far between. Take those Knorr Rice Mixes, used to be on sale for 88 cents. Would buy 10 at a time. Pretty tasty with a little meat added to them. I'd take them for lunch when I worked. Just saw them at Walmart for $1.28. Did find some good buys today, but I went to two salvage stores. Slightly dented canned food is 49cents. Doesn't matter what it is. Their 99 cent bins had Christmas wrap, cards, gift stuff. Little granddaughter went with me and she found some craft kits. They also had whole cream powdered whipping cream, but not for 99 cents. Our local amish salvage store had $1 cereal, and cases of Annie's cheesy rice, and a good buy on pure cane sugar. Our food storage is set, so I just buy sales now. And sugar. Focusing on that.

 

[SouthCentralUS]

Rite Aid Pharmacy had DAK Hams for $3, and if you spend $34.99, shipping is free. I ordered 10 hams and 2 bags of dried fruit. I should receive them Monday. I think the sale is still on. 10 is the limit on the hams.