Preparations Update

[LadyLocust]

So my candle wicks area on the way :0)
Next on my list will be extra oil filters for each of the rigs. I was hoping to make that stop today, but was too busy running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Taking a step back today after putting up some spinach and I have a preparations question, don't know where it belongs so I'll put it here.

I am a firm believer continual preparation. The goes from gardening and food production to medical and first aid. I also think that if you don't practice things on a regular basis you will not have the skills you need when you really need them.

That being said how much time and resources ($) to you think are reasonable to put into prepping (including gardening, canning, hunting, survival skills, and first aid).

Looking back on things, I think I put in about 90 hours and $150 on these things every month, am I too extreme or should I be putting more into it?

 

[jazzy]

i got some lipton beefy onion soup miux and the onion mushroom mi for flavoring. i found a copycat recipe for the beefy onion mix--thats easy but got a few extra boxes. that and some old bay can make a real difference.

and i got a new set of bungee cords. it has several sizes, a box of 24 i think was under $15. they do come in pretty handy..

im seriously looking at a tub of M&Ms to repackage.

 

[LadyLocust]

i got some lipton beefy onion soup miux and the onion mushroom mi for flavoring. i found a copycat recipe for the beefy onion mix--thats easy but got a few extra boxes. that and some old bay can make a real difference.

and i got a new set of bungee cords. it has several sizes, a box of 24 i think was under $15. they do come in pretty handy..

im seriously looking at a tub of M&Ms to repackage.

Do it! Pretty sure M&Ms are essential

 

[LadyLocust]

Taking a step back today after putting up some spinach and I have a preparations question, don't know where it belongs so I'll put it here.

I am a firm believer continual preparation. The goes from gardening and food production to medical and first aid. I also think that if you don't practice things on a regular basis you will not have the skills you need when you really need them.

That being said how much time and resources ($) to you think are reasonable to put into prepping (including gardening, canning, hunting, survival skills, and first aid).

Looking back on things, I think I put in about 90 hours and $150 on these things every month, am I too extreme or should I be putting more into it?

UH that's a great question. Time wise, it varies by season - canning season I'm sure it's thousands of hours I will have to give it more thought in order to answer it accurately. As far as $$$, this past year I think I spent an extra $100-$150 per month just because of the circumstances. Several items that boosted that number were one time purchases like Tattler canning lids and a new chainsaw. That number has decreased over the past couple months as there is less I think we need. That said, I think the monetary resources depend upon where on life's (or preparedness) journey you are. Many things are one time purchases but things like seeds or fuel are periodic.

 

[Neb]

Taking a step back today after putting up some spinach and I have a preparations question, don't know where it belongs so I'll put it here.

I am a firm believer continual preparation. The goes from gardening and food production to medical and first aid. I also think that if you don't practice things on a regular basis you will not have the skills you need when you really need them.

That being said how much time and resources ($) to you think are reasonable to put into prepping (including gardening, canning, hunting, survival skills, and first aid).

Looking back on things, I think I put in about 90 hours and $150 on these things every month, am I too extreme or should I be putting more into it?

The answer is most likely going to be depends.

Growing our own food and storing it etc. comes out of our food budget and time budget. The Princess and I backed off of our gardens for food to the minimum required for us to maintain genetics. My time is better spent preparing for that big challenge called retirement.

Once we have the rental properties running and The Princess is retired (mayb July 1) she will have time to tend the gardens can food and bake our own bread.

Our focus as far as prepping is concerned is the long term projects like orchards and vineyard and stockpiling freeze dried food.

So the best thought I can share is do what you can as long as you don't burn out or spend all of your money on stuff you hope you will never need.

Ben

 

[jazzy]

Taking a step back today after putting up some spinach and I have a preparations question, don't know where it belongs so I'll put it here.

I am a firm believer continual preparation. The goes from gardening and food production to medical and first aid. I also think that if you don't practice things on a regular basis you will not have the skills you need when you really need them.

That being said how much time and resources ($) to you think are reasonable to put into prepping (including gardening, canning, hunting, survival skills, and first aid).

Looking back on things, I think I put in about 90 hours and $150 on these things every month, am I too extreme or should I be putting more into it?

you know, thats a good thing to look at. for me im thinking each person has to take a good look around and ask themselves, how long can i last if things go Poof for awhile.

about 12 yrs ago i started losing my vision, then finally could not drive or work anymore. about 9months before that i bought my house and had mortage and utilities. i had a small savings to keep up with basic monthly bills , app;lied for disability but had to wait a while for the paperwork to go thru the system. the wheels of bureaucracy grind slow.

my little savings helped pay for mortgage, electric and firewood , etc, but my preps saved me. i had enough simple basics to get me thru when i had no money for food or tp or soap, etc. i had been setting a little bit of this and that aside for some t ime for an emergency and it got me thru that hard time and greatly reduced my stress.

looking back on my prepp9ing adventures there sure were times i tohught i might be going overboard or look at sometibng and ask 'do i really need this', sometimes felt silly, but i tell you. the day came when i was grateful for every little thing and what it cost or how much work i put in to it all no longer mattered.

now as i watch the price of groceries and everything else go up and up, im really glad i put up and canned or dehydrated the stuff from my garden or things i bought last year. i see it as saving money when last year i got a 5lb bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $10 and now that same bag is $15, and now when able i will get that bag for $15 and can it cause its probably gonna be $18 this summer, who knows these days.

but yes its alot of work. summer is real busy and i get tired of the cutting, chopping, blanching, canning, drying. it doesnt get any easier the older you get, lol. for me, i am convinced its pretty smart.

 

[Caribou]

I contacted speakwithanmd.com, filled out their application, paid $60, they wrote a prescription for an antibiotic and one for hydroxychloroquin. The drugs, with freight, came close to $100. It was a very easy process and now I have the drugs I'll want if I come down with the China Flu.

 

[angie_nrs]

I contacted speakwithanmd.com, filled out their application, paid $60, they wrote a prescription for an antibiotic and one for hydroxychloroquin. The drugs, with freight, came close to $100. It was a very easy process and now I have the drugs I'll want if I come down with the China Flu.

Did you have to provide your SS number or insurance information? Insurance doesn't cover this, so I don't know why they would want it, but still wondering how much personal information they require.

 

[LadyLocust]

Picked up some files for sharpening the chainsaw. Glad I got ours back when I did. They had maybe half doz. left and the guy said they can't get anything in. I was glad they had the files I needed.

 

[Caribou]

Did you have to provide your SS number or insurance information? Insurance doesn't cover this, so I don't know why they would want it, but still wondering how much personal information they require.

None of that, they don't take insurance.

 

[Alaskajohn]

I contacted speakwithanmd.com, filled out their application, paid $60, they wrote a prescription for an antibiotic and one for hydroxychloroquin. The drugs, with freight, came close to $100. It was a very easy process and now I have the drugs I'll want if I come down with the China Flu.

I should probably do this for my antibiotic stash. Those I have stashed away have about another year of “use by” date. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Caribou]

The military did a study on drug effectiveness after use by date. They found that most drugs lasted for a long time. Liquids lasted the least. Capsules lasted pretty well. Tablets asked the longest. I'd feel confident with a liquid for a year past date. Capsules and tablets start at 12 years past but some are over 20 years. One drug may have become toxic, there is discussion on that. Most just start to loose efficacy.

 

[dademoss]

The military did a study on drug effectiveness after use by date. They found that most drugs lasted for a long time. Liquids lasted the least. Capsules lasted pretty well. Tablets asked the longest. I'd feel confident with a liquid for a year past date. Capsules and tablets start at 12 years past but some are over 20 years. One drug may have become toxic, there is discussion on that. Most just start to loose efficacy.

As always, you pays your money and takes your chances.

IIRC, Tetracycline is one that definitely should be disposed of after it expires.

Found it: Some antibiotics need to be disposed of when they reach their expiry date. Tetracycline, a popular broad-spectrum antibiotic, is one of them. Using expired tetracycline can cause fatal kidney damage.

https://www.askaprepper.com/what-re...-take-antibiotics-past-their-expiration-date/
The other veiwpoint:

Are Expired Antibiotics Toxic?
Decades ago, a handful of cases were reported with expired oral antibiotic tetracycline causing toxic reactions.

This is where a reversible form of kidney damage called Fanconi syndrome was identified in patients who took oral antibiotic tetracycline after it expired.

Many believe this toxicity could have resulted from tetracycline degradation products (epi-anhydrotetracycline or anhydrotetracycline).

These patients also suffered from nausea, vomiting, and metabolic acidosis within 2 to 8 days of taking the expired antibiotic. However, no such toxic cases with expired oral antibiotic tetracycline or related antibiotics, such as doxycycline, have been reported lately.

You can also read our other article on general medication expiry dates.

https://prescriptionhope.com/blog-can-you-take-expired-antibiotics/

 

[Caribou]

Thanks dademoss. I can't find the article I read. That article suggested that more drugs lasted longer than your article. Both articles point to longer shelf life, except for tetracycline.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today I picked up some OTCMs for the wife and I, got another 6 month supply of allergy pills for me and Tylenol for the wife.

 

[Biggkidd]

Taking a step back today after putting up some spinach and I have a preparations question, don't know where it belongs so I'll put it here.

I am a firm believer continual preparation. The goes from gardening and food production to medical and first aid. I also think that if you don't practice things on a regular basis you will not have the skills you need when you really need them.

That being said how much time and resources ($) to you think are reasonable to put into prepping (including gardening, canning, hunting, survival skills, and first aid).

Looking back on things, I think I put in about 90 hours and $150 on these things every month, am I too extreme or should I be putting more into it?

As much as your budget can handle. Far as time goes my question is what would you be doing otherwise? It's been a LONG time since I could put much cash in prepping but my time is virtually free. With all my health issues it takes me a lot longer to get things done but they get done as my body allows.

I will add when all this crap started our lives changed very little from then till now. We are in a fairly decent position to deal with everything going on. My biggest concern is my SSDI will stop and I won't be able to pay the mortgage, 7 years to go on it.

 

[UrbanHunter]

As much as your budget can handle. Far as time goes my question is what would you be doing otherwise? It's been a LONG time since I could put much cash in prepping but my time is virtually free. With all my health issues it takes me a lot longer to get things done but they get done as my body allows.

I will add when all this crap started our lives changed very little from then till now. We are in a fairly decent position to deal with everything going on. My biggest concern is my SSDI will stop and I won't be able to pay the mortgage, 7 years to go on it.

I don't think that SSDI, SSI, or SSA payments will stop (the government doesn't want to face all those pitchforks), but the buying power of those will be greatly diminished as the government takes actions that devalue the dollar and increase reliance on imported goods.... This will stress everyone's financial security. Good news is that fixed bills like mortgages can be paid using TP money..... The bad news is you may not be able to have lights or eat as the cost of everything else climbs....

 

[Biggkidd]

I don't think that SSDI, SSI, or SSA payments will stop (the government doesn't want to face all those pitchforks), but the buying power of those will be greatly diminished as the government takes actions that devalue the dollar and increase reliance on imported goods.... This will stress everyone's financial security. Good news is that fixed bills like mortgages can be paid using TP money..... The bad news is you may not be able to have lights or eat as the cost of everything else climbs....

I chuckled when I read this as I agree 100%. We are off grid and don't have much in the way of prepared food put away. We do however have crops and meat on the hoof and a greenhouse in the works. We are also WAY off the beaten path. Although a lot more people know where we live here than I'd like. Reason being we are kind of the hub of a wheel for a half dozen hunt clubs.

 

[Biggkidd]

One more thing I want to point out is we only have a few bills. I quit the credit game back in the 00's. Our recurring monthly bills are less than $500 not counting food. I don't count food because we can grow what we need one way or another.

 

[Amish Heart]

Prescription meds last way longer than what's on the bottle. A pharmacist will always put one year on the bottle from the month you picked it up, not what the manufacturers big bottle had on it

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today, I ordered some fishing equipment (line, hooks, ...) and some 1/16" cable, nichrome, and speaker wire. I guess they are not normal preps but I like keeping a few extra spools of stuff sitting where I can get it when I need it...

 

[Rebecca]

So this isn't so much a preparation update..as a preparation fail. An embarrassing but small one.
I got a flat tire. Annoying but should be no problem right. Well for all my vehicle preps and plans I forgot one tiny detail..lubricate the lock you have to remove in order to lower the spare tire. Fortunately I did have spray lubrication in the truck, but struggling with that lock turned what should have taken 20 minutes into over an hour. And please don't say "roadside assistance " I'd probably die of embarrassment if I had to call roadside assistance for a flat tire lol
Also super tempted not to put that stupid lock back on.

 

[LadyLocust]

Thought of something else y'all might be interested in. Today I picked up another pack of extra boot laces. It's not like there aren't other things that would suffice (uh-hem bailing twine) but laces don't seem to last as long as the boots so I got them while they are still available.

 

[Caribou]

My wireless bio-alarm got in on the plane last night with my SIL. Companion? Yes, but as a watch dog makes it her a prep. No, my wife wouldn't let me name her Timex, we settled on Chewie (Chewbacca) which fits as she chews on everything, especially me. The Dam is 40# and the Sire 35# so somewhere around that range, we expect. She should be small enough to get on a lap, large enough to cause damage to an intruder, and loud enough to give warning.

 

[kd4ulw]

When I go to Sam’s Club I’ll usually get a case or two of the beef stew packs (6 cans). I only use maybe 3 cans a month so they started to pile up. Got another plastic storage shelf for the basement so I thought I’d better go ahead and put them away. Thankful for the 2-wheel dolly!

 

[WVDragonlady]

Bought a backup air conditioner while they had them at Lowes and you could still get them

Also ordered and received another 30lb bag of worm castings to stock up

Bought more supplements. have enough for 6 months now

Dehydrating trays of strawberries and herbs ( oregano, basil and sage)

 

[lilmissy]

Bought a backup air conditioner while they had them at Lowes and you could still get them

Also ordered and received another 30lb bag of worm castings to stock up

Bought more supplements. have enough for 6 months now

Dehydrating trays of strawberries and herbs ( oregano, basil and sage)

What do you use the worm castings for? I know gardening but looking for some more insight.
also I see you are from WV. If you get the channel 620am, they have a lot of local holistic dr on and some will have sales on their vitamins with free shipping, jist a heads up when stocking up.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Bought a backup air conditioner while they had them at Lowes and you could still get them

How do you setup/use your backup AC? The wife does not handle heat well and I too have a small backup unit in the shed. I just wanted to compare notes, so I'll share how we are set up.

My backup AC unit sits in the shed, next to a door insert that has a cutout for the AC unit and bracing installed. The door insert connects with 4 bolts using 2 cross braces (nothing in the walls), I can install it in about 15 minutes and can run it off a 1000 Watt inverter. This is just enough to cool 1 room and keep the wife going on during summertime power outages.

 

[LadyLocust]

I'm not sure whether to put this here or in the supply shortages thread~
A couple other things we will be looking for this week is a pair or two of insulated coveralls for Hubby. He goes through a pair every couple years. Also a pair of riding (motorcycle) goggles and replacement lenses. In addition to the fact that they change them up every few years so you cannot get replacement lenses forcing you to get new goggles, current supply issues might make it even worse. So he will be looking and then getting plenty of extra lenses.