Preparations Update

[joel]

I am running out of room, I may have to start stacking thing in the guest room.

 

[Bacpacker]

Our guest room has become a storage room

 

[LadyLocust]

I am running out of room, I may have to start stacking thing in the gust room.

Nope, you start with under the bed then in the closet theeeen you use the rest of the room. Don’t ask me how I know.

 

[SoJer]

Well, let's see.. Just closed out reeling-in: Moar Solar Capacity / 2 more Batts, Moar Canned Meat / Bega / Red Feather / Ghee, Moar 'Augason' (while we still 'Can', heh..) dried-goods, Moar Beans, Moar Oats, Moar Lead, and a better climbing-harness and Clothes 'press'.. Oh, and Moar LED-lamps..

..Gotta spend it on What Matters (and 'fiat IOUs' in "Bank Accounts" don't qualify over Preps, Imo..) while we still Can.. Just gotta get the 'MAG situ' sorted, and get the hella Outa this time bomb..

jd

 

[UrbanHunter]

I've actually been adding shelves, moving big batteries out of the house into vented wooden boxes, getting rid of stuff that is no longer relevant... but I may still need to get a storage unit to hold the kids stuff and old furniture. We have been boxing up old VCR tapes, not sure what to do with them... mostly Disney and musicals....

 

[LadyLocust]

I've actually been adding shelves, moving big batteries out of the house into vented wooden boxes, getting rid of stuff that is no longer relevant... but I may still need to get a storage unit to hold the kids stuff and old furniture. We have been boxing up old VCR tapes, not sure what to do with them... mostly Disney and musicals....

List them on Craigslist for cheap - there are some folks who still like them. Donation centers won't take them, but you might be able to get a few $$$ for them (seems ironic, I know.)

 

[Morgan101]

Last month I purchased a Coleman butane stove, which worked out just fine. I posted here complete with pictures. In fact it worked out so well I had to buy two more for two of my SIL's. How did that happen? Not that good ideas haven't cost me some money in the past but C'mon Man! I guess that is better than having them show up at my house if the power goes out.

 

[Jay]

Paid property taxes, got flu shot. filled truck with gas, and topped off my 50 gallon plastic barrel with dog food.

 

[angie_nrs]

I had an appt. in town, so I made an entire day of shopping. It's been a while.... I got a few more things, many of which I didn't really need, but thought I might as well spend some cash now before it's only good for TP and pack the car for the ride home. I got some deals, but barely even looked at prices on things since prices just seem to be so fluid anymore.

large plastic storage shelves - 2
cases of beer (on sale)
sleeping pills (on sale)
nausea pills (on sale)
several supplements (C, D, B12, L-lysine, etc) (BOGO)
anti-diarrheals (on sale) - more important than most people give them credit for
enemas (on sale) - don't need....but ya never know
aspirin (both regular and baby)
generic zyrtec (on sale)
body wash (on sale)
tomato paste for chili - case
freezer bags - on clearance (4)
black pepper - on clearance
cumin seed (not on sale, but was very hard to find)
parchment paper, saran wrap and tinfoil
paper towls & TP
bacon (3)
chunk cheese (7)
tin disposable pans
regular baking pans (6)
spray paint (6) on sale
tarps (2)
granola bars (10) boxes
pizza sauce 6 jars
pizza crust mix 4
peanut oil gallon
dish powder (4)
biscuit mix (8)
paper plates (2)

I also got an oil change done before coming home since I don't know if it will soon become difficult to find filters and who knows how much oil will increase in price? Plus, it was due and I wanted to get it done before snow flies.

At this point, I really don't know what more I should get. I thiought my med kit was stocked up pretty well, and I'm sure it is, but one instance of being ill will really put a spotlight on what things are most important in a med cabinet. Have a case of the runs, and then tell me how important immodium is. That will take the wind out of your sails for sure! I should have enough now to plug up a drain pipe! I already have enough electrolyte mix to last a good long time.

As I wandered through some isles, I bought things that inflation hasn't quite caught up to yet. I grabbed some baking pans and sauce pans just because prices haven't risen on those yet. If nothing else, I can give them to family members for gifts. It's the same reason I grabbed more dish powder b/c the store I went to hadn't increased the price on those yet but those prices have already risen at other stores. I sooooo HATE inflation!

 

[CalicoKatie]

I'm trying to go through and look at things from outside the US that might not be available much longer. I ordered another 5 lb. bag of dried apricots because who knows when they might disappear. Dear son got me a big bottle of vanilla from Mexico and is coming up this weekend. I don't do that much baking so one of those big bottles lasts me a long time. He still isn't going across the border but a young lady in his office lives in Acuna so she picked it up for him.

Oh, yeah, I need to get a couple of gallon size jugs of rum to make cakes.

 

[Amish Heart]

Filled a cart at Aldi today

 

[SoJer]

..ordered another 5 lb. bag of dried apricots because who knows when they might disappear. ..

Yeah, good one.. We just did the same with Prunes.. Ya know, to help ensure a 'Smooth Movement into the Apocalypse'.. Constipation is No crapping matter..

jd

 

[hiwall]

Ordered a snow roof rake to use to clean the solar panels this year.
Last year I used a ladder and a broom with an extended handle. This will be easier and safer.

 

[Terri9630]

Ordered a snow roof rake to use to clean the solar panels this year.
Last year I used a ladder and a broom with an extended handle. This will be easier and safer.

I did too. Last year we used a push broom to pull it down.

 

[joel]

Bought more tools at TSC.

 

[CalicoKatie]

If anybody needs a pressure canner, this is probably the best deal you'll find right now. Last year there wasn't a canner or dehydrator or freezer to be found for love or money. I'm getting ready for that to be the case this spring, too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-16-Quart-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker-01745/5913467

 

[Sourdough]

son got me a big bottle of vanilla from Mexico

"GREAT" Bear bait.

 

[CalicoKatie]

"GREAT" Bear bait.

Between that and the molasses I'd be in good shape if there were any bears around here. Prairie dogs just don't have the same impact.

 

[Sourdough]

Between that and the molasses I'd be in good shape if there were any bears around here. Prairie dogs just don't have the same impact.

I have been purchasing that Mexican Vanilla by the gallons this summer. About $30.00 a gallon on Amazon.

 

[SheepDog]

If anybody needs a pressure canner, this is probably the best deal you'll find right now. Last year there wasn't a canner or dehydrator or freezer to be found for love or money. I'm getting ready for that to be the case this spring, too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-16-Quart-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker-01745/5913467

If you buy that Presto canner you better order three extra seals because they don't last a year. After mine went bad I ordered two All American canners.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today I did a grocery run, wife wanted several specific no-salt seasonings (MRs Dash types), after visiting 4 stores I gave up... I ended up ordering from Amazon on line.

I've been using a presto canner for years, this year I ordered 4 extra seals w/over pressure plugs, an extra gauge, and another canner. I tend to wash the seal just before I close up the canner and each time when I finish canning and it seems to help. There isn't a lot of pressure between the lid and the seal so you need to make sure the sealing surfaces are clean.... I prefer the gauge type over the jiggler one because you know what you have, but we used the jiggler ones for years also....

 

[WVDragonlady]

Made a run to the local grocery. They have a good sale on meats this week.
Picked up some ham steaks, ground turkey and chicken and some chicken thighs
They had 5lbs of potatoes for only $2.99(less than a $1 a lb). That is very good price so I got 10lbs
Added some more canned veggies
Some canned spaghetti sauce
Boxed potatoes and pastas

Hubby picked a couple of metal shelving for more storage this morning.
I told him he should go back and get the other 2 that was there before they're gone. (but he's not listening lol)

 

[joel]

If anybody needs a pressure canner, this is probably the best deal you'll find right now. Last year there wasn't a canner or dehydrator or freezer to be found for love or money. I'm getting ready for that to be the case this spring, too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-16-Quart-Pressure-Canner-and-Cooker-01745/5913467

DW bought that last year, she had no problem with it.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Picked up CSA boxes Wednesday.

 

[UrbanHunter]

The wife brought up the Solar Generator that she saw advertised a program for $2,500 and she asked about if it could meet her Oxygen machine needs (it uses an average of 9000 watt-hours per day), I told her that the wattage was sufficient, but the 100 watts of solar and 60AH of energy storage was insufficient to cover anything more than 2 hours....
It totally threw her for a loop. I think she is typical of many people out there who see these adds or believe that having a grid-tied solar house means that they don't have to worry about the power going out....

I've come to the conclusion that for emergency power you would like to have a minimum 3 times the wattage in inverter and solar panels of the "average load" you want to cover and you need enough battery capacity (watt-hours) to cover 2 days without solar input. Or you need to build in some sort of powered charging equipment (gas generator) to maintain the batteries for a couple of days in a poor light environment.

 

[lilmissy]

I've actually been adding shelves, moving big batteries out of the house into vented wooden boxes, getting rid of stuff that is no longer relevant... but I may still need to get a storage unit to hold the kids stuff and old furniture. We have been boxing up old VCR tapes, not sure what to do with them... mostly Disney and musicals....

I use old vcr tapes to put around my garden. If you stretch the tape itself like a fence, it has a small vibration in no wind at all and bunnies and such hate it.

 

[SouthCentralUS]

I decided to have eye surgery to eliminate the need for prescription lenses. One eye done last Tuesday and the other will be done Nov 2.

We also arranged for our little acreage out in the boonies to be cleared. It has not been bush hogged in 12 years and it is a mess.

 

[Amish Heart]

It's always nice to get land cleared. We are slowly getting our acreage cleaned, it's been so many years. The barns came first...years of manure and junk in there. Now the land. The kids walk ahead of the tractor with a pole saw and cut and pick up, load the bucket. Then husband's been bush hogging. We had just one road to get out to our alfalfa field in our way back, and now we have two. Can easily drive our pickup truck out there. Our burn pile goes down, back up again....

 

[SoJer]

On top of 'stacking steel on steel, in cardboard boxes' (boxen of Tula atop boxen of 'Yoders' canned Pork & Turkey chunks, all into the 'vault'.. ..Just picked up a pair of these puppies..

..and I'm Thrilled with 'em, thus far.. These are old 'Nextel' i576's, which used to work as cel phones on the old Sprint / Nextel 'iDEN' networks (long-since shut down, ~2016, iirc..) - But...

..the answer to 'why in the world did you Get Those, SoJer, Lol!' is the Highly Secure (compared to 'typical walkies', in the FRS / GMRS / MURS-bands..) ISM band, using 'FHSS' (Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum - read about it, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency-hopping_spread_spectrum ...which, as I understand, operates at ~915 Mhz, so.. Not even 'snoopable' with the 'typical Baofengs' and such..

..Not even sure if even a good 'trunk-tracking Scanner', that Can monitor into the 900 Mhz range, would be able to eavesdrop on these (because of the FHSS (?) I need to do some more homework on that..) but, all in all - Two of these for ~ $75. - with chargers and 'iDEN sim' (so they Can use the 'Direct Talk' straight away, with no issues (vs a 'GSM-only' Sim, which is 'hit or miss', apparently..) is 'cheap insurance', methinks, for - When - not If, the Cel networks get downed..

(..and Yes, of course, 'HAMs w/ repeaters for longer-distances' etc, but I'm just talking as an 'Off-networks Local Talk option', that Appears to be more 'secure' than yer typical walkies, even the handheld-HAMs, etc..)

Will let ya's know how 'range is' (purportedly in excess of 3-5 miles (!) but we'll see..) in Suburbia / Woods, etc..

jd

 

[LadyLocust]

If you buy that Presto canner you better order three extra seals because they don't last a year. After mine went bad I ordered two All American canners.

I’ve had my presto canner at least 10 years (or longer). Seal is original and still doing fine. End of season or if I remember, I try to condition it with olive oil.