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Just wondering if the new year brought on any fires to get things done with preps. I decided that I need to get a list of things I am missing and really get to work on filling the gaps. I need to get my bob in my car better prepared. I have no sleeping bag or tent. I need more hygiene items etc. Since I am the only one working 44 miles from home I figure it will be a little easier for us to spend the money on one person's preps for vehicle. The kids are rarely with me nowadays. Happy prepping.
I need to take a good inventory of what we have and then fill in on things we are missing too! I know water is a big concern for me, need to really stock up on that! I'm also working on adding items to the kitchen that don't require electricity in the event we don't have it. Dh is also trying to find a few basic but very needed tools that won't require electricity as well. One of our big purchases for this year will be a generator. I'm also working on 72 hour kits for my kids that they can keep in their cars.
I need to start from scratch...basically I need to stock up on basics first...food, toiletries, etc....my stockpile is depleted, money has been tight and we only have what we need for right now...my goal is once things loosen up with the money situation, to get a good stockpile in place...then go from there on emergency supplies, such as candles, extra water and things of that nature. We actually have a store about 15 minutes from our house that is a emergency supply/preppers store...I have yet to visit it
I've got way too much prep in my car. I seriously have to go through it and get it organized. In the house, we're working on tornado prep - getting together a bin of basics we need if a siren goes off - water, leashes for the dogs, helmets, gloves, coats, sturdy shoes, etc.
Food storage is going well. I'm doing the "when I need one, buy two" system so that is helping. I'm still lacking organization but I'm working on that this month.
I've never really had a designated survival kits before but this fall I got my act together and made one for my home and one for each of my young adult children. I still need to add to the kits but at least we have a lot of the basics including 3 days worth of food, cooking bags so we can heat water and canned food without fire, glow sticks, a solar/crank radio, flashlight and cellphone charger combo, a thermos, can opener, utensils, plastic dinnerware, emergency blankets, and much more. There are still a few more things that I want to add to each kit. Many of these items can be stocking stuffers. I also want to work on smaller bags for in each of our cars.
Ok another new year and time to work on preps again. Our finances are doing a little better this year. (Keeping my fingers crossed) I should be able to work on getting everything done with my car preps the way I want to. Then I will move on to the house preps. I need a bag that I would actually be able to haul home (44miles) if I wouldn't be able to drive my car for some reason.
We've been expecting a power failure for a while. Three major blizzards on one week, and another foot of snow with no wind today! Luckily, the power stayed on. But we have lots of bottled water in the pantry, as well as a couple of full buckets on hand for flushing. Once they are used, we'll melt snow. We have a full winter's supply of firewood in the attached garage, so heat is no problem. There's lots of food in the house.
We are starting to run low on dog food. Normally, we keep more on hand, but we've been trying to transition the hound to a different food, and we don't want to stock up too much yet until we know she will tolerate it. It looks like we might have a break in the weather soon, with a couple of backup opportunities, to go get some more.The supplier is an hour's drive away, over a road that is bad in winter.
Getting out of the driveway was looking dicey for a while: our plowing contractor let us down. We have switched to a different contractor, and he is keeping up with the snow.
Got my snow rakes and 36 gallons of drinking water for us. I need to dump and refill the dogs water storage.The generator is primed. We have some cash-bills and coin. And DH did an overhaul for winter on the snow blower. We have been blessed w/no outs too.
The van goes in tomorrow.
I live in a milder climate than most of you. We don't get snow, but we do have to prepared for earthquakes and flooding. Today I will refill my five gallon water jugs. I have two of them. I also keep recycled juice bottles filled with water for the dogs. I use a Britta pitcher with a filter.
I keep plenty of food in the house, but I am running low on dog food. My boyfriend and I will stop at Costco tomorrow and pick up a large bag of it. They had milk bone dog biscuits on sale last time I was there. I bought a huge box of them, so we're set with those.
I've got a freezer full of persimmons, and my citrus trees are loaded with fruit. I try to keep plenty of cash on hand, as well.
We're pretty good but for medical. I realized I need supplies for feminine issues. Not pads (done with that!) but other issues.
Just rampaged Aldis.
Got about 12 cases of asst. veg and some fruit. I am dieting and am going for the fruit and veg more. Plus winter soups.
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my preps have preps at this point. We eat out of the pantry/freezer almost exclusively.
Still no new upright freezer but the cube is tweaked and full.
Still rotating/tossing/cleaning the shelves of the big pantry.
:wave::bump:
I have a bin in the basement, not much, I know, but a bin in the basement with some canned food, a first aid kit, batteries, a lantern, etc.
I'm wondering...should I swap out those canned goods for fresher ones? Use the ones I have down there?
Do you guys rotate your stockpiles/prep materials? How often? Same goes for batteries, I suppose.
Mormon families have tilted shelves in their store room. A canned goods shelf would be about 6 inches deep, go the length of the room, and one end is 4 to 8 inches lower than the high end. The cans all lay on their sides - when you pull a can from the bottom, the whole row of cans rolls down one can. Then when you go shopping, you put new cans at the top of the row.Quote:
I'm wondering...should I swap out those canned goods for fresher ones? Use the ones I have down there?
Amy-my pantry isnt a stash. It is the work center for food all thru the year. So I rotate when new things come in. Also like I am right now I go thru everything and tag things coming close to date. Meals are planned around these things to use them up. If I find quite a lot of 1 thing i know i cant use I may donate it to the food pantry. Tuna is overstocked. .50 sale and I have 50 cans that were bought purposely to donate periodically.
You can safely eat past best buy dated canned food..if its bulging, rusted or doesn't look or smell right then throw it out.
I have been doing this for years..
FYI..I learned this from my nurse that is a Registered Nurse that OTC meds never expire just lose their potency over time as in pain reliever meds like Tylenol, Motrin, Advil etc...
I remember hearing about how antibiotic's that were several years old were tested and proved to still be good.. EXCEPT for one particular antibiotic that I can't remember the name of that IS FATAL if used after the expiration date.
Here's a situation that happened to me along time ago..I was a hour away from home with my dh at a gun store when all of a sudden I was hit with a gawd awful headache out of the blue..I went out to our vehicle and found a bottle of Tylenol that ended up being over 5 yrs old but, I was desperate so I took 2-tablets and just closed my eyes while my dh was still in the Gun store..within a 1/2 hr my headache was gone so....I know for a fact that expired Tylenol was just as effective as it was before the expiration date...I can't tell you how much money I threw away because of best buy and expiration dates.
This is just my experience so use your own judgment.
I just went through my pantry not to long ago and got rid of the older stuff. AmyBoyz you should check the expiry and change them out if need be. I organized my car some more, but still have to get some of the major stuff I am looking for. Hmm... Maybe I need to add a prep account to my savings list.
Best if used by (or before)" date. This refers strictly to quality, not safety. This date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. Sour cream, for instance, is already sour, but can have a zippier, fresh taste when freshly sour (if that's not an oxymoron!)
FYI..Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?
•"Sell by" date. The labeling "sell by" tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires. This is basically a guide for the retailer, so the store knows when to pull the item. This is not mandatory, so reach in back and get the freshest. The issue is quality of the item (freshness, taste, and consistency) rather than whether it is on the verge of spoiling. Paul VanLandingham, EdD, a senior faculty member at the Center for Food and Beverage Management of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., tells WebMD the "sell by" date is the last day the item is at its highest level of quality, but it will still be dible for some time after.
Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?
I hope this helps answer some questions you might have.
well,your already preaching to the choir brenda but i like to have the longest dates in there possible. Say something happened tomorrow-whatever job loss/end of the world if you prefer.lol I would like more things to be 2018 than 2013 right. And the pantries around here are desperate. Also I was hearing about metal leaching into the food so yummy but pass. And i want to know they are good not think I have 12 cans of peaches and find out 2 are off color,1 smells funny and the 3 last cans are rusted. When my kids were little we battled rim dents all the time. Shhh dont tell mom I dinged the can just sneak it back,yikes.
So new prep I am thinking of is a siphon kit. Whether HM or bought that way.
I understand what you mean but, dates are just that dates like I said prior use your own judgment.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2
I feel good that I have the skills to use a pressure canner & water bath canner to preserve some of my homegrown goods. I'm going to try to go full force this year to break away from buying the "store bought cans" by growing my own fruits and veggies and buying meat on sale to can...
I don't ever see myself canning spinach, tuna fish or chopped clams so I will be buying them... so other then that this is my goal this year..
Also.... how you store stuff whether it's packaged, canned or whatever ... storage condition has a lot to do with how long it will stay good.
Heat more so than cold. Light. Temperature of the room or storage area.
Believe me. Been there and doing that goat rodeo right now. Darker is better. Cold ( not freezing ) is better. Also dampness. No dampness.
Ugh... in my case do NOT put storage pantry/stockpile shelves in the same room as washer and dryer with no air conditioning and 2 windows with light coming in in close proximity.
Hugs..Quote:
Originally Posted by NikoSan999
Yes, Yes & Yes ALWAYS store your canned goods whether it be home canned or store bought cans in a cool dark place..I have mine in my basement where the windows have been painted black so not much light..I unfortunately don't have a controlled climate to regulate the temperature at all times but, this is planned in the near future.
I put the all purpose flour (100lbs plus) & pasta's ( also 100lbs plus) in 6-gallon pails some w/gamma lids..on top of cinderblocks also in my basement..
Agreed most hardily. I have the heat duct blocked in the pantry and towel up over the blinds at the door and window. All the shelving units have a gap so air flow still occurs. I used to hang bags of garlic and onions on S hooks and quit because when they bloom w/ bugs they head for the oatmeal and pasta. I vaccumn seal the sugar and flour and store in tubs w/o light. Light ages things as well as heat and humidity.
The pantry has a bifold door also to block more light and heat. I have a great shade tree on that corner of the house too.
Anyone beefing up their preps again? I organized my pantry last night when I got home. It's pretty bare compared to what it used to be. The only prepping I have been doing is keeping one of hand to use and one extra on the shelf.
I've been stocking up on the basics for the freezer, trying to pare down or use up dry goods. My 2nd pantry is going away for a while and I've nowhere else to store extra cans and boxes right now. I recently picked up ground beef and turkey on sale, chicken breasts on sale, pasta and sauce for quick meals, and extra bacon on sale. I plan to pick up more ground meat, and when it goes on sale, more sausage and fish. This is all stuff we eat on a weekly basis, and I was out of nearly everything. I'm not a prepper, and I don't think the end times are coming, but I like to have enough for a couple week's worth of varied meals. I had a lot left in the freezer from last year and have been eating it down to almost nothing. I'm hoping for some good fish sales, what with Lent coming up.
Added more to the freezer today. 4lbs bacon on manager special 1.99 ea. ~6lbs boneless chicken 1.69/lb, and 1 pack sausage patties. They were on sale, but it was not their lowest price sale. Got a raincheck for frozen veg, they had been cleaned out.
Still waiting on a good fish sale.
Stockpile not nearly what it was back in the day. My main stock items I have right now are regular and decaf coffee, tomatoes and tomato sauce, corn and green beans. I still want more of those veggies though. I'm working on coffee creamer when it's on sale for $5 at $General and get on Sat with the $5 off 25. We go thu a lot of creamer... and coffee. We probably have 10 of each reg and decaf. It won't go bad. Drink to much of it.
I'm doing more taxables now. Tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap.
My two fridge freezers are full.
I guess mainly I'm going for taxables as they don't go bad. Then I'll refill food items but nothing like I did before.
I don't know that I would necessarily fill it with huge inventory of foods/paper products right away but this is a good incentive for me to de-clutter and have some empty cabinet space.
Last night I saw some videos about using tea lights/candles and inverted ceramic flower pots to heat a room. Anyone tried that? Looked interesting and I have the materials.
You will have a hard time heating a room more than a few degrees. The flower pot will retain some warmth from the candle, enough to keep your hands warm for a short period. A candle flame produces about as much heat as a small light bulb.
When our power was out for a week during a big ice storm I was able to use candles to keep the bathroom "warm"
(above freezing) and lit for use.
If you have the materials, try it. I would do it in an emergency, for a very small room. Would not expect it to work in a living room or a house with an open concept floor plan.
My dog food order arrived today. I got 2 cases of canned food (vs 1 case) to meet the free shipping $$. It turns out these cans are about 50% bigger than the cans I've been buying. So now storage problem....:vs_laugh:
This seems to be a very good topic for this time in history. Looking for others working on doing as much as we can for ourselves right now.
Donna
Gosh..years have went by looking back on this thread..I’m in good shape just filling back in what I used and adding to my home canned meats..I recently canned sweet n hot sausage links and loose sausage (not FDA approved ) these are new to me and found out we love it..I will be canning butter (not approved method) as I have lots of baking supplies but I really don’t want to use my fresh butter for recipes..Will be adding a lot more home canned and store bought meat..I know another lockdown is coming along with worse food shortages and much higher prices ..I’m so thankful to learn so many skills just by watching YouTube..I learned to forage wild apple trees 9 my Apple trees are finally producing this year) that have unbelievable flavor even though they are not perfect looking apples..just from that I canned up apple butter, cinnamon applesauce, applesauce, apple pie filling, apple juice and all peels and cores are turned into apple cider vinegar..I mention this because there is many wild edibles all around us depending on where you live..I will be foraging blackcaps and blackberries pretty soon can’t wait..I bought 5-baby chicks 1 of them being a rooster so I fertilized eggs and can have a steady supply of eggs.although these chickens are dual purpose meaning egg and meat birds plus I purchased a incubator years ago for the just in case like we are in now..Anyhow, I continue to add and learn skills that just might help bring in a side income for our very unstable world we live in..
Our preps are still good. We could lock down for a very long time but I do try to re-stock what items we use. For meat, even if it's not the same item, like beef, I try to sub with something else like chicken or pork to keep the freezers stocked. I'm still looking for more cleaners and sanitizers/germ killers (have tons of hand gel) but want some Lysol spray, alcohol, peroxide and wipes. I've been being patient because I still have some on hand but wanted to lay in deep for fall and winter. However, looks like my time frame might be moved up. Our virus cases have been going nuts the last month and today the state health department says if we can't get our cases down to 200 a day they will recommend another shutdown by July 1 because hospital ICU's are already running at capacity. I don't see a decrease happening that soon with our current numbers so I think I'll make a Costco run tomorrow. Last time I was there they at least had alcohol and peroxide. Will also grab a few more odds and ends.