Weekly Prep Thread, February 12-18, 2006

[A.T.Hagan]

New week, folks, how are your preps coming?

Started my week off buying two more cases of half-gallon canning jars for dry packing storage foods. Got three flats of seeds planted for the Spring garden and a pan with sweet potatoes for sprouting slips in the greenhouse. Sure was a cold windy day today, so naturally we had an outdoor birthday party to go to!

.....Alan.

 

[alpha phi]

Well I went and did my grocery shopping tonight
Got the usual groceries for the week.
and added to the stash:
10 lbs. rice
various pastas
2 jars spaggetti sauce
a few cans of soup
oh!....and canned pinto beans w/ham was on sale
15 oz. can for $.45......yummy!
These won't last long here

 

[wasabell]

Filled out the paperwork for DH's VA medical benefits application. I count it as preps as it will help with his future medical needs.

Started looking (just looking, mind you... ) for a new (to us) house. Bigger house, smaller land. Something that will suit our needs.

Started studying for a CLEP exam so I can accumulate a few more credit hours towards a degree, so I can get a better a job soon.

Purchased more rice and beans... And got a buy one, get one free deal on all kinds of vitamins. Then I also had coupons for $1.00-2.00 on the ones I had to buy. I got about $45.00 worth of vitamins for 16.75....

 

[theoutlands]

Bought several fruit trees and berry vines. Planted some and marked area to clear to plant others.
Bought a few rechargeable batt's and charger.
Got some solar-panels - need to pick a spot to mount them and get them out into the sun.
Got a few minor hand-tools, too.

 

[Doc1]

This week

This week:
1.) More work on the utility trailer.
2.) Scored 120 gallons of free waste vegetable oil for our diesels.
3.) Bought an additional 55 gallons of dpetroleum diesel for fuel stores.
4.) Small amount of work on storage tankage.
5.) More canned goods in storage.

Best regards
Doc

 

[Roxann]

This week I Will be refilling all of my water containers.
I will also bei buyng more propane cylinders, matches , bleach
and batteries.

 

[prudentwatcher]

The big storage cabinet finally came in so I spent the weekend transferring all of the medical/first aid preps into it. It looked so empty after I had stocked it Stuff sure took up a lot more room in those two big rolling carts. This afternoon I did an inventory and my SO (a nurse) is reading it over to find any holes or shortages. I found some when I was unpacking--I didn't have any ace wraps, only 2 tubes of antibiotic ointment, and no real thermometer. I was also a lot lower on gloves than I thought. I've already done some shopping to restock.

We like the cabinet so much we ordered another one. This one will hold a lot of home canned stuff as well as some craft stuff. Part of the idea is to get this stuff out of sight and the cabinets can be locked when we are not there.

 

[Dinghy]

Stocking Velveeta

How many of you stock up on Velveeta? It's one of my favorite comfort foods, and I try to keep at least two in the house all the time. I really like that it doesn't have to be refrigerated until it's opened. I don't know how long it will keep because we never have it for long, but I do rotate when I buy more. It's never on sale around here, but there are .25 coupons out right now that our store will double. Every week that I have grocery money left over I'm going to buy a box till the coupons run out. One of our favorite ways to eat it is on english muffins. I put a little butter on each half and top with a slab of cheese. Then I put them in the oven until the cheese melts a little. Yummy! I like pieces of it dropped in tomoato soup too. It's one thing I really would hate to go without!

 

[blueberry]

Gonna make a trip to Sam's Club on Wednesday, and I have been making a list with everything from soap to pasta.

I probably should have waited until after the trip to Sams to post - because once I get there, I will see many more things I need / want, and end up hauling home much more than I intended to get.

 

[Simple Man]

The repair to kitchen floor has become a repair and remodel - more cabinets, new counter tops, new sink, new dishwasher, new gas cook top, new stools for the bar, and a water line finally run to the ice maker - so preps have been slow this week since I'm WAY WAY WAY over budget ($ and time). But DW is VERY VERY VERY happy!!!

I did manage to have the 500 gallon propane tank topped off, and I picked up another 100 rounds of .45 ACP. Also bought a bunch of onion sets to put out, though as soon as I did that it got down right C-O-L-D compared to what it's been all winter!

Paid off one of the credit cards today. Will have 1 more paid off next month, God willing. Then I'll just have 1 outstanding. Paid off a bunch of piddly little medical bills too that had come in this month.

DW has also been looking into what it'd take for her to get her nursing license. We figured the skills / knowledge would be a big plus no matter how we sliced it, not to mention the extra $ even if she just worked part time. Will see how this plays out, although she's talking about renewing her Social Worker license, and doing some part time counselling for now.

 

[okie medicvet]

Kept on storing water in 2litre containers, expressing on kids the importance of not throwing them away.

God some seeds from and made a friend offline as well as on.

Made plans to clear out and get ready to prep the storm cellar.

 

[Splicer205]

More gas, more toilet paper, paper towels, lamp oil, garbage bags, and sugar. Was reading, and don't remember where or what country, but a major sugar producer was using sugar to make ethanol or something, thus had less supply. Sugar has been increasing in price, and it would seem that it will go higher.

Bought a solid stainless steel pan with no plastic or things that melt on it, so it can be used over grill, campfire, or woodstove on those days we've worked too hard to hoist cast iron. Added to next years wood supply. Also more canning jar lids. Thanks to the heads up from Dinghy.

 

[gillmanNSF]

2/13, that's the last day anyone did anything to advance their prepping or is everyone still in the "after glow" of Valentine's day? (Come to think of it, was there even a Valentine's day thread? )

Anyway, I thought I'd finish off this week's thread by mentioning that I just ordered 6 tins of Red Feather canned butter and 6 tins of canned Kraft cheese from Internet-Grocer in TX., and, a 10 watt solar panel kit w/cigarette lighter adapter, 2 solar battery rechargers and some rechargeable NiMH batteries from C.Crane.

I'd been putting off getting started on my alternative energy preps aside from the few batteries from Costco I've accumulated. So now, I feel I have made a good leap forward in my prepping. I still got a whole list of items I want to get including the Weza Freeplay foot-powered generator a Thermoelectric cooler (12V DC) and a digital scanner, but these will soon follow.

Next week I plan on going to the East Bay (the provinces as we in SF call everywhere else) to an EQ preparedness store to see about getting a couple 55 gallon drums for water and a portable toilet (bucket with seat and lid), but I'll leave this until next week's thread.

Great job, Alan! Keep the subject of prepping in the fore and also to get us motivated! Course, I just blew 300 bucks......eh!



Edited to add that I just ordered 2 #10 cans of powdered whole eggs and 2 #10 cans of powdered whole milk from Mountain Brook Foods. This pretty much rounds out my food preps. I also started stocking canned carrots this week. These would have some uses in stews and soups when you don't want the entire canned vegie mix. I'll have to wait 'til they go on sale somewhere to get a larger supply.

http://www.ccrane.com/index.aspx

http://www.mountainbrookfoods.com/home.htm

http://www.internet-grocer.com/

 

[BerkshireGrl]

Haven't gotten too much done this week (I guess I am in a fog from Valentines Day ) but I did get some more cans of pasta sauce (10 for $10) and some more canned soup (B1G1). We did lose power for a while yesterday with such high winds so I did do a Kmart trip for some more cans of propane for the portable heater and camping stove. Power came back on after about an hour and a half, but hey, it just gets me a little more prepped, right?
Supermarket is having a good sale on store brand stuff this week including canned veggies and TP (can't have too much right?) so I'll be doing a nice sized trip on Monday.
Hey Gillman, thanks for the name C.Crane. A friend told me about this company, but told me it was C.C.Crane and I haven't been able to find site. I'll go find it now! Thanks a bunch.


BerkshireGrl

 

[Shooting Star]

I bought about 5 bottles of dishwashing liquid (I bought it from Dollar General for $1 per bottle), 5 containers of baby wipes for $2.50 per box, muffin mix (5 - just add water for .67/each) and more dog food....

 

[theoutlands]

2/13, that's the last day anyone did anything to advance their prepping or is everyone still in the "after glow" of Valentine's day? (Come to think of it, was there even a Valentine's day thread? )

Oooooooooooooooh, no. Thanks to tax-refund season, I did quite a bit this week. 3 plastic 55-gal barrels to use as rain-water collecting. A cream-separator (manual) and cheese-making kit. A few PM's. 4 blueberry bushes. Getting pickup repaired so we have a working vehicle for hauling large items. Don't remember when we got our longbows - not sure if I listed them or not, that was last saturday. Got another oil-lamp (portable, this time) and a 12LED lantern.

Should be a new week's thread getting started today...

 

[window2watcher]

Does making a list count?
Had a low income type program come to see if I qualified for rehab, mainly insulation and they said I didn't qualify, not enough needs to be done. I kinda figured that but wanted to give it a try. Soo I went ahead and put plastic up (at this late date) because it was to get very cold--and it did, right now it is -3 outside and I sure can tell the difference even though I have storm windows throughout the house. I plan to leave the plastic up year round though it just screams poverty to me---BUT on most windows I can keep it hidden behind curtains.

I attempted to seal the rice I have in jars and my sealer refuses to work, though it worked a few months ago. On another site they recommended using two lids to seal and that would make the sealer work but it didn't. Well, thats another
200 bucks down the prep drain. Makes me so mad as I got it specifically to seal glass jars and it is the one that everyone toots as being the best. I've used the pump and seal gizmo and the seal always broke after a few months.
Therefore the list. I just have to get positive about all this---

I spent $500 on medical supplies last month and need to organize them better into bug out bag, bugout carriers and household general use. If only I had a place to put a closet for alll this stuff, instead of trying to get it into what small spaces I have.

On the general front of conservation (thread drift a bit here) I hooked up power strips to my TV, radio and am using the one on the puter---shut them all off after use to save even more electricity(they are going to get a 10% raise in rates in order to help pay for this damned war)---if there is more than 10% savings it will make for more funds to go into preps I hope. ON the economy front, I simply don't know where else to cut or improve---on the prep side I am still in a quandry about relocating now, bugging out when the tiime comes or staying put. It all so depends on whatever is the threat, economic, viral or terrorism. On these decisions I need something besides hysteria or misinformation or misdirectionl. I need cut off dates set in my plans and I need to honor them. Right now my instincts say to stay put for now.

 

[gillmanNSF]

Oooooooooooooooh, no. Thanks to tax-refund season, I did quite a bit this week. 3 plastic 55-gal barrels to use as rain-water collecting. A cream-separator (manual) and cheese-making kit. A few PM's. 4 blueberry bushes. Getting pickup repaired so we have a working vehicle for hauling large items. Don't remember when we got our longbows - not sure if I listed them or not, that was last saturday. Got another oil-lamp (portable, this time) and a 12LED lantern.

Should be a new week's thread getting started today...

Ooooh, longbow huh? I recently received a tax credit from 2003 (had H&R redo it and they got my some money back) so I'm spending it on preps. Don't know where I'd go practice a longbow or with whom, but I've always had a fancy for bows and arrows (there's that kid popping up again, ) Prolly poke an eye out.

What kind did you get and where? Just curious.

 

[Dinghy]

Haven't done much this week. Bought a few cans of beans, a bag of dry beans and peas and some more canning jar lids. I also bought a jug of lamp oil. The Dollar Store isn't carrying it all year any more. I asked the clerk about it and she said it's considered to be "seasonal', from Thanksgiving till Christmas. I bought the odorless, smokeless stuff from our hardware store. It's easier to pour from than a big kerosene jug any way. I'm going to Big Lots today to see if they have any canning jars. I just bought a case at the hardware store and had to pay $8.99 for pints!!! I'll be picking up next week's grocery ad today. I sure hope there's something good in it for a change. Sales here have been terrible!

 

[theoutlands]

What kind did you get and where? Just curious.

They are "primitive flatbows" - 20# drawweight at 28" pull. They are 6' long, too. I got them from Bitter Root Bow Co. (http://www.stickbowworld.com) thru one of their ebay listings. They look great - haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. He offers a "war-bow" design called the Odysseus with a draw-weight up to TWO HUNDRED POUNDS!!! Maybe one of these days...

We got them for son's Archery merit-badge and for target-shoots at SCA events.

 

[Joey]

We made and canned 5 quarts and 18 pints of Italian sausage. Also made 3 jars of jam. Worked in the garden and planted beets and onions.

 

[barb43]

Rented the house we've been remodeling (yes, that's a really good thing!) so took the gal's money and spent it on canned goods, rice, some extra flour, and beans! It's been a while since there was any 'extra' cash to do anything with. My pantry now looks better.

 

[FloridaGirl]

I just got through organizing BOB's. I already have backpaks for everyone in the car, so I got to thinking, if I had to leave in a hurry and being in hurricane alley, that is always a possibility in the summer time, would I have time to gather everything I would need to carry and get out the door in a record amount of time.

I had three duffle bags that were empty so I gathered all my medicines, vitamins, sambucol, colloidial silver and other first aid supplies and put all of this in one duffel bag along side of the boxes of gloves and masks. The second duffle bag I put all our emergency/hurricane supplies, such as batteries, flashlights, duct tape, candles, tarps and blankets. The third bag I made a pet BOB with all their food and a couple of blankets. I already have several bags of dog food in my car, but I felt they needed their own BOB. With these bags packed with items that we will need, it will be much easier to just load these bags in the car along with food, water, toilet paper and bedding.

I sat down at my computer and made an emergency list of things not to forget if we have to leave our home and go to our BOP with the possibility that we will not be able to return and get something I may have forgotton. I will put this list with the duffle bags so that I will not have to run around the house trying to remember what we will need during a crisis when my brain will not be working normally.

 

[Mushroom]

Does making a list count?
Had a low income type program come to see if I qualified for rehab, mainly insulation and they said I didn't qualify, not enough needs to be done. I kinda figured that but wanted to give it a try. Soo I went ahead and put plastic up (at this late date) because it was to get very cold--and it did, right now it is -3 outside and I sure can tell the difference even though I have storm windows throughout the house. I plan to leave the plastic up year round though it just screams poverty to me---BUT on most windows I can keep it hidden behind curtains.

I attempted to seal the rice I have in jars and my sealer refuses to work, though it worked a few months ago. On another site they recommended using two lids to seal and that would make the sealer work but it didn't. Well, thats another
200 bucks down the prep drain. Makes me so mad as I got it specifically to seal glass jars and it is the one that everyone toots as being the best. I've used the pump and seal gizmo and the seal always broke after a few months.
Therefore the list. I just have to get positive about all this---


I spent $500 on medical supplies last month and need to organize them better into bug out bag, bugout carriers and household general use. If only I had a place to put a closet for alll this stuff, instead of trying to get it into what small spaces I have.

On the general front of conservation (thread drift a bit here) I hooked up power strips to my TV, radio and am using the one on the puter---shut them all off after use to save even more electricity(they are going to get a 10% raise in rates in order to help pay for this damned war)---if there is more than 10% savings it will make for more funds to go into preps I hope. ON the economy front, I simply don't know where else to cut or improve---on the prep side I am still in a quandry about relocating now, bugging out when the tiime comes or staying put. It all so depends on whatever is the threat, economic, viral or terrorism. On these decisions I need something besides hysteria or misinformation or misdirectionl. I need cut off dates set in my plans and I need to honor them. Right now my instincts say to stay put for now.

Window2Watcher,
If your jars refuse to seal, boil the lids and try again. You cannot use anything but regular canning jars or you have to jigger with it till you get them to seal. Your sealer is not really to blame. Kerr lids are the worst. They do need to be boiled to soften the sealant. Ball lids are better but they too need to have the sealant warmed and softened. Try it again and see if your frustration level doesn't go down.

Mushroom

 

[Deep Blue Dragon]

It's a cold, rainy weekend here, so I've been re-organizing the storage cupboards where I keep the store-bought prep items (typically grocery store loss leaders that I stocked up on). There was a lot of "fossil food" (open, half-consumed, ancient packages) that needed to be pitched, plus a lot of things at or just past their expiration date that we need to eat ASAP.

There are some great chicken sales on right now around here: legs for $.39/lb., whole chickens for $.59/lb., breasts for $.88/lb. I bought as much as our chest freezer would hold and vacuum sealed them for extended freezer storage.

 

[Dinghy]

After reading somebodys post about heating food in a fondue pot, I scoured all the Good Will stores in the 35 mile area on the way to our son's house. I couldn't find one I'm sure I'll eventually find one at a yard sale though. I did buy a bag of tea lights just in case. I found canning jars at Big Lots and boy was that a let down! All they had were wide mouth pints (Golden Harvest brand) for $6.99, and quarts for $7.99. That's a lot more than the last time I bought them. I didn't buy any. I can get the better brand at Walmart for about $1 more, unless they've gone up too. I didn't have time to stop there too, so I'll check it out on Monday when we take our Granddaughter back home. Shop and Save has chicken leg quarters on sale for .39# and I might get some of them. I hate canning them though, they're so much work!

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Well I went and did my grocery shopping tonight
Got the usual groceries for the week.
and added to the stash:
10 lbs. rice
various pastas
2 jars spaggetti sauce
a few cans of soup
oh!....and canned pinto beans w/ham was on sale
15 oz. can for $.45......yummy!
These won't last long here

Alpha Psi,


You sound like a beginning prepper. If so, welcome to the ranks!


Because you sound like a beginner, may I suggest that next week you consider getting a supply of good quality mulit-vitamins?


All of that rice, beans and pasta -- while it will fill your family's stomachs, these foods are low in vitamins and minerals. The paradox you will face with alot of these foods is that at the very time your family will need extra nutrient, the food you stored will not be providing even minimal nutrients.


So get those multi-vitamins in your stock, then get back to stocking up on the rice, beans and pasta....

Just my humble opinion....

 

[Splicer205]

Dinghy, thanks to your heads up on the jar lids, I checked jars at the same time, and they're up in price here too. They usually have a spring sale just before canning season, and I'm going to snare some more then. We're canning chicken this weekend too.

We got breasts for .99 a lb. They have bones, but it's not that much trouble to debone it, and the bones make good broth. It's a whole lot more work for the chicken leg quarters, but every once in a while I do them because of the price, and because they seem to make better dumplings or with noodles.

Splicer and DS got another cord of wood for next year stacked today and I'll hopefully get my recipes and files from the computer organized, printed and taken into Kinko's to have them bound. Splicer checked and they claim for 3 or 4.00, they'll bind them. Seems like it would be more, but we'll see.

Barry, you mentioned the vitamins. We get those 10 yr. vitamins and they are wonderful. You can sure tell a difference when you take them. They're supposed to have a long storage life (if left unopened) so we use them and store them. Some of the vitamins have a short storage life, especially if they aren't kept in optimum conditions.

All these busy people and the good things that are being done make me feel like a real slacker. Gotta get in gear here.

 

[Taz]

We get those 10 yr. vitamins and they are wonderful.

What is the brand name and where do you get them?

Taz

 

[Splicer205]

We usually get them at Survival Acres. The prices vary from place to place, but we've found Survival Acres to beat most prices. They're called Super Spectrim.

 

[JohnGaltfla]

Stocked up on more MRE's and canned goods. Adding water supplies and another water filter tommorrow. Ammo is on my list also as things are getting dicier, IMHO, on the world stage...

 

[cryhavoc]

The Ultimate 'Jaw-Dropper'....

I work with a young guy (29yrs old...) who bought a nice old home recently. It came up in casual conversation that I dig containers. All kinds. Doesn't matter.

So, as we're talking, he mentions that the lady he bought the house from left 'millions' of these things called 'Mason' jars.....

Come to find out, he'd thrown 'boxes and boxes' of the out. Y'know....to the dump...I just about started weeping uncontrollably, when he said he had 'tons' left he hadn't had time to toss yet....naturally, I graciously accepted them with open arms.

The lot of them(so far...) are wide-mouth pints, and standard quarts, with some real old looking ones in the mix.

I guess the old saying is true, that "even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile".

cryhavoc

Got Lids?

 

[alpha phi]

Alpha Phi,


You sound like a beginning prepper. If so, welcome to the ranks!


Because you sound like a beginner, may I suggest that next week you consider getting a supply of good quality mulit-vitamins?


All of that rice, beans and pasta -- while it will fill your family's stomachs, these foods are low in vitamins and minerals. The paradox you will face with alot of these foods is that at the very time your family will need extra nutrient, the food you stored will not be providing even minimal nutrients.


So get those multi-vitamins in your stock, then get back to stocking up on the rice, beans and pasta....

Just my humble opinion....

Thank you for the welcome
I'm both a beginner and not a beginner
I grew up in a family that tried to keep a years supply of food on hand
Not for TEOTWAWKI, but for the lean times (there were many)
After becoming an adult I strayed,
living day to day, ect.
Only recently have I realized how important it all is.
I am re-learning the things my parents did and more.
I have so much to learn.....I have never canned anything,
I don't even know how.
That is my next item to learn.
Things I stock are the things I eat
You are right about the vitamins
I probobly don't get enough even now.
My wife and I went out to eat for the first time in months Last friday
I don't know if it was vitamins or presertives, but I felt buzzed, and giddy.
What a strange feeling

I am happy to have found TB2K
I look foward to learning much from all of you

 

[FloridaGirl]

Welcome Alpha, I am also a new beginner with serious prepping. You are welcome to PM me if you have any questions I can answer. I have been prepping since YTK and now are trying to help my family to realize how serious this is. So far everyone just laughs ands changes the subject. My hope is that my family will take me seriously, and it will not be to late for them and us.

 

[blueberry]

I work with a young guy (29yrs old...) who bought a nice old home recently. It came up in casual conversation that I dig containers. All kinds. Doesn't matter.

So, as we're talking, he mentions that the lady he bought the house from left 'millions' of these things called 'Mason' jars.....

Come to find out, he'd thrown 'boxes and boxes' of the out. Y'know....to the dump...I just about started weeping uncontrollably, when he said he had 'tons' left he hadn't had time to toss yet....naturally, I graciously accepted them with open arms.

The lot of them(so far...) are wide-mouth pints, and standard quarts, with some real old looking ones in the mix.

I guess the old saying is true, that "even a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile".

cryhavoc

Got Lids?

Glad you got the rest of the before he threw them all out too!! So few young people today even know what a mason jar is - sometimes I wonder if home canning is becoming a dying art. And yep, I got lids