Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
September prepping |
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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Posted: September 01 2008 at 7:51am |
What is everybody working on this month? I am going to focus on food preps again. Last night I went shopping and got 15 jars/cans of Ragu and other spaghetti type sauces, 8 lbs. of pasta, 10 of the individual containers of mac & cheese, 4 brownie mixes. I picked up another 4 lbs of sugar, but I think I will pick up some more because after I got home and was watching the hurricane news they were saying the price of sugar will be going up because of the hurricane.
Jacksdad, thanks for the tip on the handcrank radio at Walmart marked down to $10, I will have to look for one when I drive into town tomorrow.
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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You're more than welcome - glad to help. For me, this month's emphasis is on water preps. As I've mentioned before, I intend building at least one solar still to supplement what I plan on storing in containers. It's perfect weather for it here in So Cal, and I have a source of salt water maybe half a mile from here. While the sun shines (and apparently to a certain extent, even on cloudy days) a still will produce pure drinking water from just about anything. I'm also reading a great little book I ordered from a group in Oregon called the Aprovecho Research Center that has plans for solar ovens, rocket stoves and haybox ovens. They all allow you to cook with a minimum of fuel (or, in the case of the solar oven, no fuel at all). |
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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I'm focusing on basics for any emergency. I want to get some people together to buy solar equip as a group and firgure out how to set it up...ie. a few roof panels. It may be less daunting if done as a group, everyone will have something different to add. Labor is such a killer $$$. So that's one problem eliminated :)
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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If I can get some spare cash together, I'm thinking of investing in a small solar panel set up. Harbor Freight has one for less than $200. If I remember rightly, it's about 50 watts and it comes with all the wiring and electronics. I'm thinking of something that would keep a couple of deep cycle marine batteries topped up for lighting when it gets dark, or maybe running household stuff through an inverter. As the technology improves, solar power keeps getting cheaper, and it's silent so it wouldn't attract unwanted attention as would be the case with a generator.
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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Is part of the expense and complication of the solar outfit... the bit about hooking it up to the grid and having your meter run forwar or backwards?
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Tadeo
V.I.P. Member Joined: October 23 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 193 |
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This week (starting Wednesday) Smith's Food King is doing their case sell. You can buy all kinds of canned food, flour, sugar, honey, etc... by the case real cheap! For instance, Hormel chili case of 12 cans will sell for like .60 cents a can, or $7.20 for a case.
This is where I really doing my buying and stocking up on stuff. Every day after work I will stop by and load up a cart.
Anyone else get this type of sale by their Smith's or other grocery?
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"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure." -Thomas Jefferson.
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MelodyAtHome
Valued Member Joined: May 16 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2018 |
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Tadeo we aren't so lucky to have Smith's Food king. We are in the boonies with just one local grocery store...I have to drive a bit to get to a Wal-Mart, Super K or an Aldi's...but that is all we have here. Topps closed around here so we are left with few choices. I like the idea of buying by the case for less. Great idea.
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Melody
Emergency Preparedness 911 http://emergencypreparedness911.blogspot.com/ |
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edprof
V.I.P. Member Joined: October 16 2006 Status: Offline Points: 308 |
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We are finally getting into the disciplined use of our preps and into rotating and replacing those. It took awhile!
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Oftentimes the Lord helps those who help themselves.
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Dijoy
Adviser Group Joined: March 16 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 161 |
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I am coming over the pond to see you on the Norwegian Jewel so I will not be doing much more than my packing this month
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Diane
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I am going to get a Royal Berkey ordered this month...I hope. If I get this my preps are for the most part ready.
I purchased a Solar Oven but not tried it yet. I will soon. I really want to bake bread in it and try a roast. I will always be adding items as I run out and rotate. I can never resist to add one or two more of items to put in my stash. Keep prepping no matter what if you purchase preps that you use every day you will always have food when in need. |
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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Which port(s) are you heading for, Diane?
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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Dijoy
Adviser Group Joined: March 16 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 161 |
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Shetlands,Iceland, St Johns, Halifax and New York
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Diane
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Littleraven
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 10 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 438 |
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Thought I'd share a neat idea on prepping for cheap---for this time of year anyway. For those of you who live rural, this is a great time of the year for gleaning. I ask field owners who own tomato, peach etc if after their workers are through if I can glean their fields for a few leftovers (and there are literally tons of food that goes to waste rotting in the fields every year). For example, this last weekend I gleaned a tomato field which only ships their green tomatoes to market and leaves all of their ripe ones. I put up 3 bushels of dried tomatos like I did last year. I dehydrate them and then vacuum seal them in canning jars. They keep beautifully for well over two years in a cool dark area. I make anything that you can use tomatoes for from catsup to soups for almost free. Last year I planted one of my dried tomato slices and the seeds from it sprouted--even though these were hybrids, I got several very passable plants and fruit. So dehydrating doesn't kill the seeds, it,simply dries them out and vacuum sealing them keeps them nice and dry. This year I will put up my best heirlooms the same way so as to have nice seeds for next year.
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There's a Bad Moon on the Rise
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Dijoy
Adviser Group Joined: March 16 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 161 |
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You sound like my Grandmother 100 years ago. I think the doctor organised all of those who lost a child with the animals but I am not actually certain who the people were. They dried ,pickled made jam and bottled things . Also they salted half a lamb or a piece of beef
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Diane
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Littleraven
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 10 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 438 |
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It's also really just good sense regardless of what you are prepping for--Of course it has the added plus of teaching young ones the values of not wasting resources--that we should not ever subscribe to the "disposable, throw away society" that so many have been taught. "Waste not want not" as they say. .
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There's a Bad Moon on the Rise
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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Yesterday I picked up 6 more jars of spaghetti sauce, 6 lbs. of pasta, 4 -3liters of the stackable Ozarka water, 6 bottles of shampoo, 6 deodorants. I need to do some more re-organizing. |
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FluMom... I had no idea what a Royal Berkey is. :)
Is it basically a gravity type charcaol filter? I mean for those of us who can't afford that is there a way to get the same job done. Is it like a giant britta filter?
very nice looking.
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I save my money and then purchase stuff. The Berkey is not like a britta filter. A Berkey filters out much more...many people on missions around the world use this filter in very primitive places.
I have to have the arsnic filter also because I live in Colorado and due to the Gold mines we have arsnic is in the water. I know you can build your own but I will not take a chance with water and it's safety. Glad you liked it Mary08! |
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arsenic? be careful...
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coming over the pond ....on the Norwegian Jewel
I hear the food on Norwegian ships is excellent.
how pricey is that?
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FluMom.... Is the filter something like diatamaceous earth? that filters to about 1 micron.
It's like a white powder. People use it to filter pools.
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Dijoy
Adviser Group Joined: March 16 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 161 |
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The Atlantic cruises are cheap compared to ours but yours in America are cheaper than ours. It used to be as cheap to fly over and take a cruise over there as to cruise here. I bid for the flight back on the Skyauction and my husband said it is not running now.Hopefully they have transferred us to another flight. The airline is still running anyway! |
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Diane
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Here's a prep item that I purchased today at Home Depot. It's a 750 Watt Power Inverter for only $79.99. It hooks up to your car battery and it can power up to 750 watts of household appliances, such as tv's,dvd players, computers, lights, and yes, even a refrigerator, which I believe takes around 720 watts.
750 Watt Power is ETL approved. Powers household equipment from vehicle. Runs equipment up to 6.2 amps. 1500 watt peak to start heavy loads.
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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Good timing Albert - I've just started thinking about getting an inverter. Are they on sale or is that the regular price? I have some marine deep cycle batteries, and a few ideas to keep them charged (solar panels, a wind generator, and even a bicycle hooked up to an alternator).
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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It's their regular price, although I did get the last one today. |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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I probably haven't prepped, as they say, in the last couple of years. Call it a hunch, but I think we could be close during this next flu season. I'm not worried about if I'm wrong, and I hope I am. Anyway, here's a good prep item for anyone looking for long lasting lights. The Pak-Lite is a small powerful long lasting flashlight (cap) that attaches directly to a 9volt battery, and it provides around 600 hours of continuous light. It's a small powerful flashlight that lasts a very long time. http://www.9voltlight.com/home |
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coyote
Admin Group Joined: April 25 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8395 |
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Post by Albert Here's a prep item that I purchased today at Home Depot. It's a 750 Watt Power Inverter for only $79.99. It hooks up to your car battery and it can power up to 750 watts of household appliances, such as tv's,dvd players, computers, lights, and yes, even a refrigerator, which I believe takes around 720 watts. Thanks Albert! Good idea! I think that I'm going to go right down and get one! Good to have it in my truck anyway, since I do occasional construction work.. Why didn't I think of this before?? O well. thanks again! Great Idea! |
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Long time lurker since day one to Member.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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I bought an inverter a couple of years ago, but mine is a smaller version, just runs a small appliance. A couple of us have asthma and I wanted it in case we needed to use the nebuliazer. Mine runs off a car battery (which I have a seperate one) or has an adapter that plugs into the cigarette/lighter of the vehicle. It works for what we needed it for. I can't remember the watts, I will have to check late today to see what it is. A very good thing to have!
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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I am finding with the higher cost of groceries that I have been using more of my preps and I had used most of the sugar I had stocked up on, so today I purchased 20 more pounds of sugar, more pasta, more sauce. I have really been stocked back up on pasta and sauces this month.
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I have a question. Can the heavy wall pavers bought from home Depot etc. be used to make a kind of bread or pizza oven? I bought a lot of flour and yeast and wonder if I could make pizza outside with a wood fire? I would have to take the wall apart though...
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Littleraven
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 10 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 438 |
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With close to 50% of my husbands' business lost due to people panicking and holding onto their money tightly in our small town and with my part time teaching position only bringing us a minimun salary, I would say that we are now using our preps at a faster rate than I can replace them. Thank God that I put them aside when all were thinking that I had lost my mind two years ago. I have gone to a very minimum --kind of rationing approach. Everything is from scratch and there are no extras except from what I can make or grow from our dry stocks. It's a bit like when I was young and my mother had to get us by on way less than a poverty level salary. We also qualified for what was called "commodities" --pretty much what one might be using for preps (this was before food stamps and the like) you stood in long lines in the cold and took off a day from your glorious job to do it-canned chicken or ham, powdered eggs, canned butter and peanutbutter, tinned jelly, flour and meal, maybe rice, cheese (well maybe) and some sort of powdered gravy. We learned not to ever complain. I figured it was some sort of army ration without the cigarretts and chocolate. We learned the value of a dollar the hard way. If you went to bed with a full stomach and a reason to get up the next day then it was a good day. Thankfulness was something we learned way before Thanksgiving and Santa Clause was a good guy that left us one nice something that my mother had saved many months of "green stamps" to give us. Our entertainment was playing football or some other game we had invented with the other children in the neighborhood. Somehow we were OK and that was all that we needed--well we told ourselves that anyway. We will be Ok again but it will take a resiliant and strong people to see us all through--that would be us. Our administration has abandonded us and we stand at the precipace--don't ask the same embiciles that got us here to tell us where to go from here. History has a nasty way of repeating itself--mainly by those who will have their own personal chef, unlimited gas, will not worry as to what school their children will go to and are not that concerned if they have to change their choice of islands that they will be vacationing to this summer.---Just a thought
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There's a Bad Moon on the Rise
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seeing a lot more solar products being offered. Some must be better than others. I'm looking for reviews on them before I buy. http://www.global-merchants.com/home/solars.htm http://store.sundancesolar.com/ |
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Is anyone experiencing hoarding in their area. Some other preppers noted an upswing in bulk buying and was not sure if it was due to economy gas etc.
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hi, not here, yet. There is always a crowd at the SuperWalmart, we like Sam's and stock up because then we don't have to go out in the snow to get large items. The only thing they said one per customer on was the Basmati rice...but all is calm on that now.
Water is heavy so we get about 8 weeks or more of that but we drink it no matter what, it is hard to keep it ahead. We have huge storage for food banks, the grocery stores give to them. And people donate each time they shop, 5.00 buys 30.00 worth of food for a family. |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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It seems as though "Prepping" is in the air once again. Not sure why that is. I'm doing some fine tuning on getting some extra supplies myself. Perhaps our subconscious-sniffers are sensing that something is coming.
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coyote
Admin Group Joined: April 25 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8395 |
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I hear you Albert..something is in the air & it doesn't smell good.It's a ideal time for a terror attack against us...It would be the final straw that breaks our back. Market crash / attacking Iran and panflu a great possibility also..
On that note, I think i'm heading out today to buy a 50lb sack of potatoes & onions |
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Long time lurker since day one to Member.
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Well Coyote, did you get your 50# sack of potatoes and onions? I saw your post today and I'm making a list to hit the stores to restock early for the winter. The election is nearly upon us and October 7th is at our backdoor. I want to be ready for any problems so I can stay home and out of the commotions.
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coyote
Admin Group Joined: April 25 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8395 |
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Hey there Annie! Nice to here from you.. I sure did get those potatoes and onions!
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Long time lurker since day one to Member.
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That is a neat item Albert. I had not seen it before you posting it here.
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Hi BG, are you refering to the Pak-lite or inverter?
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Inverter...its a good idea.
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Penham
Chief Moderator Moderator Joined: February 09 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14913 |
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For some reason this month I have felt a new urgency to get things done and increase the amount of preps being purchased. I'm am not sure if it's the economy or some other reason, something just has me feeling uneasy.
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Mississippi Mama
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Hi Coyote, what method will you use to store your 50lbs of potatoes and onions? Or will you eat them befor they go bad.
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Mississippi Mama
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I was wondering that too.... I can't seem to keep them very long. I know in the old days they had root cellars? Is it something they dug or was it actually under the house?
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coyote
Admin Group Joined: April 25 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 8395 |
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A rootrootroot cellar is a structure which is designed to keep vegetables and some fruits at a stable, cool temperature which will prevent them from rotting or otherwise going bad. RootRootRoot cellarscellarscellars were once a necessary fixture in any home where people wanted to be able to eat vegetables and fruits during the winter, and they are often present in older homes built through the early 20th century. In addition to being used to store fruit and vegetables, a rootrootroot cellar can also be a useful place to store dairy products, grains, and a variety of other foodstuffs.
RootRootRoot cellarscellarscellars take advantage of the earth as a natural source of insulation and coolness. A typical rootrootroot cellar can either be dug as a pit independent of a house or another structure, or it may be built under a home, barn, or similar structure. Since deep holes are naturally cooler than the area around the surface of the earth, a rootrootroot cellar will be cooler than the ambient air temperature by design, and several features can make a rootrootroot cellar even colder. Classically, a rootrootroot cellar is installed in an area which is already cold, such as a north-facing hill in the Northern Hemisphere, and it may be shaded by trees and buildings. Thick insulation such as stone, brick, and straw may be used to keep a rootrootroot cellar's temperature stable, while ventilation shafts pull cold air up, keeping a constant flow of cool air going through the rootrootroot cellar. Before the advent of refrigeration, the rootrootroot cellar would have been the place to find everything from potatoes to bacon. Preserved foods like cured meats and pickled vegetables were often stored in the rootrootroot cellar to ensure that their temperatures stayed stable during storage, while potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, apples, and so forth were put into the rootrootroot cellar as is and carefully packed to prevent sprouting or rotting. RootRootRoot cellarscellarscellars have also historically been used to age cheese, store dairy products, and so forth. On farms, rootrootroot cellarscellarscellars ensured that people had steady access to a balanced diet throughout the year, even in areas where snow covered the ground during the winter, making farming impossible. The rootrootroot cellar could also be used to store animal feed. In urban areas, people stored excess food in their rootrootroot cellarscellarscellars so that they could eat well even during lean periods without paying stratospheric grocery bills for out of season foods. Modern day rootrootroot cellarscellarscellars continue to be used for the storage of fruits and vegetables, and a growing interest in natural preservation techniques and small scale farming in the early 21st century led to a revival of the rootrootroot cellar in some communities. A well designed rootrootroot cellar can entirely replace a refrigerator for the storage of food, saving a substantial amount of money in utility bills. Hi everyone! We don't have a basement but we do have a small barn, so we are doing this..I found this article on another website. We fashioned a quickie, straw bale root cellar in one of our un-used tie stalls in our barn. The R-value of straw bale construction is said to be between 35 and 50 depending on what size of bale. The temperature and humidity are ideal for storing the potatoes, all we have to do is provide frost protection and keep them in total darkness. When I need potatoes for the house, I just remove a bale, and take out what I need. These are just now starting to break dormancy. We have no real need for a root cellar, since our climate is ideal for storing our other root crops right in the row where they grew. http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/what-were-eating-the-transitio... We may also try this method: How to Make a Deep-Freeze Root Cellar By eHow Home & Garden Editor No way to store some of your extra vegetables for winter? Then turn an old refrigerator or deep freeze into a root cellar. Instructions Difficulty: Moderate Things You’ll Need: * Straws Bales * Clear Plastic Sheeting * Plastic Sheeting * Shovels * Old Deep-freeze Or Refrigerator Step1 Remove motor, shelves and lock from door (so no child can get locked inside). Step2 Dig a hole large enough to hold the deep freeze where the top of the freezer is ground level or slightly below ground level. Step3 Place some rocks in bottom of the hole for drainage. Step4 Place the freezer into hole on its back. The door will open like a lid. Step5 Fill around freezer with soil. Step6 Place vegetables in freezer. Follow storage guidelines for vegetables just as if you were using a cellar. Step7 Cover freezer with a sheet of plastic to keep water from freezing the lid shut. Step8 Place bags of leaves or bales of hay or straw on top of the freezer to help with cold weather. Hope all this answers your questions. Penhams post For some reason this month I have felt a new urgency to get things done and increase the amount of preps being purchased. I'm am not sure if it's the economy or some other reason, something just has me feeling uneasy. I HEAR YOU PENHAM... I FEEL THE SAME WAY! |
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Long time lurker since day one to Member.
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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For only $79.99 at Home Depot, you can't beat it. You can keep all of the essentials running if you get creative enough with it.
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thank you... very good info. A freezer came with this house, never have used it. Imagine me trying to find someone to dig a hole for it ... :)
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