Prep Genrl What RANDOM or “out of the box” prep do you have?

briches

briches

Veteran Member
This thread title is exactly what it sounds like. What random or often not thought of (over the typical replies) do you have prepped or think others should consider?

For me, I realized that we are on our last bottle of Terro ant killer. I stopped and thought “I’d hate to not have that readily available”. I ordered another to have.

This all got me thinking, what is a “random item” you keep an extra of to have one hand if need be?
 
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nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
light bulbs, I've ordered them twice since I thought of that last year. There are other things that I can't think of right now.

I read there is going to be a mustard shortage, so I ordered 4 $1 bottles from walmart.
 
oops

oops

Veteran Member
My most off the wall prep?...has to be my brain...I never know where it's headed...where I'll end up...or how I'll get there...but it can follow a trail of bread crumbs leadin to an outcome I can't begin to explain...hubby just calmly goes along with the ride...n just shakes his head when it gets where it's goin...course...I taught the boys the best weapon on earth is their brain...with it...they'll never be defenseless...it's the choice of weapon that makes most shake their heads...effective...but unorthodox...
 
TerriHaute

TerriHaute

Hoosier Gardener
Fermentation supplies. I make my own kombucha and sauerkraut and also occasionally ferment extra garden vegetables like cherry tomatoes. I have a couple of sun-tea sized glass jars and several swing-top bottles as well as an extra SCOBY for the kombucha. I use pickle pipes and glass weights for the sauerkraut and for fermenting other vegetables. I also have a back-up supply of dehydrated sourdough starter, which can be easily reconstituted. Sourdough uses the fermentation process too. Fermented foods are good natural probiotics.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
excellent, I just stocked up last month myself, and on fly strips and mouse poison!

something else new to my prepping is different sized boxes for the storage. I'm moving towards everything packed in neatly stacked boxes, labeled outside, and recorded on a master list.
..It may not be recorded accurately, though, as a wee lil road bump in a thiefs efforts- but mostly it is an organization and easy accessiblity issue for me. It also, theoretically helps keep products clean and free of insect/rodent/curious cat dangers.

oh, and of course the tape and tape guns to affix the boxes and labels.
briches said:
This thread title is exactly what it sounds like. What random or often not thought of (over the typical replies) do you have prepped or think others should consider?

For me, I realized that we are on our last bottle of Terro ant killer. I stopped and thought “I’d hate to not have that readily available”. I ordered another to have.

This all got me thinking, what is a “random item” you keep an extra of to have one hand if need be?
Click to expand...
 
phloydius

phloydius

Veteran Member
briches said:
I thought of something else - I saw someone mentioned fixing eyeglasses. I know I have one of those kits somewhere, but I think we’ve used parts from it. I think I will go double check it.
Click to expand...

I have really bad vision.

Although I have 3 backup sets of prescription eye glasses, and a few of the fixing kits, I consider that normal.

On the unusual side I have: (1) several of the hard clam shells to keep them in (for BOB's, at the night stand, etc.) when not on my face to protect them from damage; (2) a large stack of eyeglass microfiber cleaning cloths to help keep from scratching the lenses when they may not be able to be replaced.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
phloydius said:
I have really bad vision.

Although I have 3 backup sets of prescription eye glasses, and a few of the fixing kits, I consider that normal.

On the unusual side I have: (1) several of the hard clam shells to keep them in (for BOB's, at the night stand, etc.) when not on my face to protect them from damage; (2) a large stack of eyeglass microfiber cleaning cloths to help keep from scratching the lenses when they may not be able to be replaced.
Click to expand...

Im working on getting another backup pair of prescription glasses before my benefits renew July 1. While I’m at it, I might get two - one now and one after July 1 when insurance starts over.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
jward said:
excellent, I just stocked up last month myself, and on fly strips and mouse poison!

something else new to my prepping is different sized boxes for the storage. I'm moving towards everything packed in neatly stacked boxes, labeled outside, and recorded on a master list.
..It may not be recorded accurately, though, as a wee lil road bump in a thiefs efforts- but mostly it is an organization and easy accessiblity issue for me. It also, theoretically helps keep products clean and free of insect/rodent/curious cat dangers.

oh, and of course the tape and tape guns to affix the boxes and labels.
Click to expand...
I started doing that years ago and then it got away from me. DH has put two shelving units in my walk in closed to accomodate the totes, I mostly use 6 Qt shoe box totes. And he is also building shelves on one wall in the bedroom for them. These shelves will be exclusively for the shoe boxes but the shelves in the closet have other things on them, like towels and extra clothes.
 
West

West

Senior
winston said:
What all do you do with DE, we have used it to fight fleas
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Yes, we use it for bug control in our gardens, around the house inside and out, chicken coop, anti-caking agent for our stored chicken and goat feed. And mix it in the live stock water tanks and water troughs.

Plus me and mine mix a teaspoon of it in our morning coffee or water. And the dogs eat it too.
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
briches said:
Im working on getting another backup pair of prescription glasses before my benefits renew July 1. While I’m at it, I might get two - one now and one after July 1 when insurance starts over.
Click to expand...

just did something stupid to my reading cheaters - reading a car repair manual and then closed the hood on the pair >>> found out that I didn't like any of the backup glasses I had in my stockpile for replacement ....

went online found a bulk buy of 8 pair at a 1/3 cost of store retail $$$ - already had a supply of hard cases for glasses protection & storage >> now have 8 pairs spread around in likely usage areas ....
 
hiwall

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have a fair stock of things to build with. Lumber, metal of all kinds, nuts, bolts, screws, nails, hinges, etc.
I like to make things, useful things. Also I made sure I have plenty to make an outhouse if that ever becomes required. I have some extra coal for my coal forge and several tanks of propane for my gas forge.
 
thompson

thompson

Certa Bonum Certamen
jward said:
something else new to my prepping is different sized boxes for the storage. I'm moving towards everything packed in neatly stacked boxes, labeled outside, and recorded on a master list.
..It may not be recorded accurately, though, as a wee lil road bump in a thiefs efforts- but mostly it is an organization and easy accessiblity issue for me. It also, theoretically helps keep products clean and free of insect/rodent/curious cat dangers.
Click to expand...
I've found the banker's boxes sold at Sam's are great. They hold a lot of weight, they can be stacked to a total of 650lbs. (at least the ones we got can), they also have handle cut-outs which makes them very easy to pick up and move. The lids easily lift right off. I don't always punch down the flap that creates the 'insert hand here' part, because it's more secure against unwanted bugs/critters.

I devised a system of using colored index cards cut in thirds the long way. (5 X 8) Those strips go on the side edge of the box top and are color-coded. Use one color for proteins - all kinds, all varieties, ie., beef, pork, spam, tuna, salmon, canned shrimp, cheese, etc. Depending on your stash, you might have several boxes full of beef, the same for chicken, etc. You might have mixed boxes of chili/ravioli or similar. You might have full boxes of tuna and salmon or they might be mixed. But you know at a glance it's protein. I label the contents of the box on the colored card strip so we know what's in each box. A quick glance at the color on the box, I know it contains protein; look at the label and it's canned salmon.

I use one color (green) for vegetables and fruit both. I keep the fruit in separate boxes from the veggies. Use a different color for spices/condiments, including pickles, etc. At some point as things from the stash get used more often instead of having fresh or frozen available, the contents of the boxes will necessarily need to be mixed, ie., fruits AND veggies. But you can change the listing on the colored tab and you'll still know what's where. The key is to keep it simple but recognizable at a quick glance, that's why I limited the colors to 5.

It makes it SO much easier for me to know what we've got and I can easily put my hands on something when needed, or decide if I want to add to a category. The list on the colored card doesn't have to be in huge letters written in Sharpie, either, you can use pencil so it doesn't obviously advertise the contents. I have a similar system for my stashed art and sewing supplies, toiletries, etc.

Another benefit to using these boxes is if for whatever reason, they would be much easier to pick up and load in a vehicle.
 
B

Barry Natchitoches

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have read all of your replies above, and realize that I have alot of the things you all mentioned above.

I have the jars and things needed to do fermentation. I even bought a beginner’s fermentation kit. I want to begin fermenting some food for my chickens.

I have alot of small, rechargeable fans to carry in the car when I have a long wait in a mobile pantry line, or at the cancer center when my wife gets chemo, if they are not allowing family to come into the clinic on that day. There are days I have to sit in the car for four hours while my wife is getting her treatment. Though lately, they have been allowing one family member in again, which is good given the excessive heat. But all last summer, I had to sit in the hot car while she went in. Those rechargeable fans were a lifesaver.

And I have a bunch of other things listed above.

so, what do I have to contribute to this list, that nobody else mentioned?

Let me think…

I have two rechargeable iPods with the old fashioned, wired ear plugs, bought back around 2013.

They are loaded with music that me and my DW like. Plus, the iPods can pick up FM radio signals, too, so the iPods double as an emergency, battery powered radio receiver.

If power goes down for an extended period of time, iPods can run 24 hours on a single charge, and do not draw much energy when they do finally have to be recharged. I have a solar powered phone recharger that can fully recharge the iPods in under an hour, and leave plenty of stored energy to recharge my iPhone.

iPhones can be loaded with music, too, and music can be quite soothing in an emergency situation.

But I figure my iPhone will be needed for other things, so I will not want to waste my limited iPhone power on something like music. Besides, most iPhones today require wireless ear pods, and that is just one more thing that would have to be powered up in an extended power outage.

My iPods, on the other hand, can provide all the soothing music we need, and the old fashioned wired earphones will not require any additional recharging (above and beyond recharging the iPod itself.)

Plus, the iPod is so small and lightweight - not like current iPhones - and can be carried and listened to even when engaged in hard labor.

I originally bought my iPods to use when I ran marathons.

If you can enjoy good music on an iPod while you run 26.2 miles, the little musical powerhouses should handle hard labor as well
 
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Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Good qtips, not the cheap kind but the good ones.

Seabreeze astringent that I use to clean my face or disinfect scratches, scrapes, and bug bites.

The kinds of tweezers that can remove both ticks and stingers. I also have several really good facial hair tweezers.

I must have just about every kind of scissors known to man ... all shapes, all sizes, all purposes.

I could open my own do-it-yourself-pest-control store.

I have two cases of wasp spray because they also make dead useful flame throwers.

I have an "emergency" trunk that has lots of odds and ends to make things like smoke bombs, stink bombs, and other "office warfare" type things. Because I'm ... creative ... in my defenses.

I have the necessary supplies to make potato cannons, flame throwers, rockets ... and, um ... lots of other stuff.

I have drawing board plans for catapults, trebuchets, moats, and man traps of every sort.
 
Cag3db1rd

Cag3db1rd

Paranoid Pagan
My weird items are the rare digital preps. I have an e-reader that I am stocking. I put the biggest memory card I could find in it to store as many books as possible. I plan to get a faraday bag for it. The other thing is a mp3 player with the biggest card I could find as well. I have already put every cd I have on it, and am working on purchasing, downloading, and transferring as many songs by classical composers as I can. With it goes a usb battery pack, aux cord, and a rechargeable puck speaker. Gotta have music and reading material for the end of the world.
 
H

hd5574

Veteran Member
Needles...every type and size available. Lots of needles
And lots of thread and embroidery thread which you can use to darn with also an old wooden darning egg
I also have some darning thread but more difficult to find.
Socks and gloves ..both are very difficult to make. Mending will become important even critical
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
phloydius said:
A large stack of ruled notebooks (like children use in middle/high school), pens of many colors, pencils, erasers, map colors, and pencil sharpeners.
Click to expand...

load up on the "back to school" giveaways - besides the paper & pens - make an effort on the "Elmers" white glue and the "Scotch" tape ....

the white glue is good for woodworking besides any paper pasting you might have .....

transparent tape is the first step in prepping your windows in a SHTF - it holds the window shards together in case of breakage - you can apply the tape without affecting any visibility and creating any notice from the outside .....
 
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