Jul 2010 Personal Preps

[Watchman]

Personal preps for July.

[whitewolf]

JUL...PREP...no luck involved here....

Was fortunate enough to run into a guy retiring from the worm farming business and He was willing to sell me an industrial composter and worm raising unit for about a fifth of what they cost him and when TSHTF we will be able to produce our own miracle grow liquid for sale and personal use and a composter I've been praying for for some time..........

Whitewolf

[Watchman]

No fancy gas-fired grill for us! A plain old four-legged charcoal grill for summer and/or emergency cooking outside. Our local China-Mart was overstocked on Kingsford charcoal (17-Lb bags; they used to be 25-Lb bags) - 2 for $9.50 and wife and I decided to go for broke and bought 14 bags which stack nice in the garage for whatever use we have for them. We also do not use petroleum to start the fires. I have a "chimney" and stuff two sheets of newspaper in the bottom, fill the top with charcoal and light the bottom. No fuss and no muss and using up the newspaper. It will usually start with one sheet.

[whitewolf]

Thats how My wife and I do it the only variation being that we did buy a big enough charcoal grill that our dutch oven will barely fit in it and we can cook dutch even in january, and the chimney is the way to go (works for wood or charcoal which I want to learn to make

Whitewolf

[WillyPete]

Charcoal grills are a great idea. I will likely be getting one soon and a hibachi as well. It's a lot smaller but concentrates the heat to do the cooking and, it used less fuel than a large circular grill.
I'll pick up a charcoal grill at one of my favorite stores, they're discounting summer merchandise now by about 20% to 30% so I can get it for a good price.
I've also decided to purchase a few pounds of sugar and salt and store it safely away. Can't purchase a lot but some is better than none.
Now charcoal, I'll be making my own later but buying a few bags for now and storing them for later.
Making charcoal is only slightly difficult, it's done by baking hardwood under a cover. Basically, build a fire, let it burn down to low flames then lay on all the hardwood you can on top of the fire then covering the pile with dirt but, leave a few small openings to keep the fire going to cook the hardwood into charcoal. Keep close watch as it is easy to just burn up all the wood leaving nothing but ash.

[fern]

Finally went to an almost local Sunday morning flea market. I was truly surprised! There were a group of eastern folks selling cheap junk from line and lines of boxes and everything was $1. Picked up 200 new clothes pins and clothesline. Got a variety of scrub brushes, hair clips, back scratchers, and more than I can think of. There was one elderly fellow selling off his antique collection. I purchased a beautiful coffee grinder (he had 3 styles) that works well and easily! I purchased a ton of cotton socks at 5 for $1 in all sizes that may be needed. There was a lot more that I am going to keep my eye on.

Our back door neighbor is the preacher of one of the local churches and also works for the coast guard. He gardens at his home and behind the church. He came to ask how our garden grows so much better than his. Although I wrote it all down for him including websites, he lost interest once he heard the word organic. But he came back last night with more interest and questions. Not sure if this counts as a personal prep but I have now spent two evenings talking gardening with him!

[Watchman]

You bet your sweet bippy it counts as a personal prep. Especially since the guy lives so near you. If he becomes of 'the mindset' it increases YOUR security.

[fern]

We will not be here if the SHTF. I share only to help him and perhaps some in his church congregation. Whether we have a retreat lined up or not, we will be heading out of this area. We do not want to be stuck on this side of the river and with a community of elderly. It makes me sick to think of what it would be like. I would pack them up and take them with me if I could. There are two that I may be able to...maybe. One has no family left...wife died a few years ago, son died in Viet Nam, and grandson in Iraq. He is bent in half and walks everywhere. I haul him every morning and go look for him every night since he goes places to stay cool in this heat. He cannot afford to run his ac. He did 20 in the service and then 30 in the steel mill. Been retired 20 years so you can do the math. He stinks up my truck but is full of knowledge, heart, kindness and spirit. And is quite wary of the path of our nation.

If anyone has an Ollies, they have a lot of very large candles, scented and unscented, for $1 to $2. I bought a lot of them today. Also the Dollar Tree has the canned candles for $1 too. They are scented though.

We have a house on the other side of the river that I store a lot of our supplies in and a covered trailer here that I have almost overflowing. All that and I have barely touched my list of the most important items.

[whitewolf]

Touched on something here close to my heart...

For some reason I have found people in the church seem to be the last ones to recieve the preparedness message, they (in general) have got the salvation message down pat , but cannot seem to fathom the latter , seems they think they dont need to prepare because God will interviene, I hope you are successfull with this Pastor because from His plattform He could be very instrumental in helping loads of people in hard times, even if He just had a couple of british Berkfield water purifiers, and the ability to help organize people in a community...putting the church back in the center of the answer to the escalating problem ...can you imagine what a MINISTRY could be molded from a situation where people would come from miles around to not only get moral and spiritual support, but meet physically meet the needs of their family ...what could be a more Honorable proposition for a Pastor than that ...?

Whitewolf

[whitewolf]

Touched on something here close to my heart...

For some reason I have found people in the church seem to be the last ones to recieve the preparedness message, they (in general) have got the salvation message down pat , but cannot seem to fathom the latter , seems they think they dont need to prepare because God will interviene, I hope you are successfull with this Pastor because from His plattform He could be very instrumental in helping loads of people in hard times, even if He just had a couple of british Berkfield water purifiers, and the ability to help organize people in a community...putting the church back in the center of the answer to the escalating problem ...can you imagine what a MINISTRY could be molded from a situation where people would come from miles around to not only get moral and spiritual support, but meet physically meet the needs of their family ...what could be a more Honorable proposition for a Pastor than that ...?

Whitewolf

[fern]

I just purchased another Patriots. When it arrives, I will give it to him. They would need the biggest Berkey and that would not be expensive if this preacher had the mindset to approach his congregation. Heck...I would donate to that till, too. Okay Whitewolf, you have put me on a challenging path. First I am going to peek and see what kind of church it is. We are surrounded by 3 churches on 3 sides just one block away. They play great bells everyday and the holidays are very special. This one is literally out my back door. I may put one of the books at the other two churches too as I can. If anyone has a better idea/approach, let me know. I am not one to go to a church though...do all my church duties in Mother Nature's Church where there are no walls or interpretations.

[SS5R]

This week we purchased 50 lbs of rice, 20 lbs of flour, 10 lbs of sugar, 6 lbs of whey protein powder, and 10 lbs of oats. These are all things we use on a regular basis and we try to keep at least half this much on hand at all times. We keep it stored in food grade containers in the basement and rotate stock. With that I have stocked 10 gals of regular gas, 10 gals of propane, 4 gals of white gas for a Coleman stove and lantern and 20 lbs of charcoal.
I have also been working on some reloading for the 308, 223, and 45 ACP.

[fern]

This morning was an unexpected surprise! Found one of the old tire changer machines with all the different parts with it for $20!! Unfortunately my better half and myself thoroughly remember how to use them. That is part of growing up on a farm and now it is sitting in our garage! Got a camera at a flea market exactly like the one I had that someone stole. I bought a nice old vise for $8 and had two men offer me $20 and $25 for it. Guess that was a good buy. Got a round 10 tray dehydrator for $2. It is still in its box so I am hoping that means it works...fingers crossed.

Harbor Freight in this area has a package deal of (3) 15W solar panels with the LED indicator box, two lights, all the different type of connections, wiring for the lights and the battery connectors for $200. Since I know little about solar...is that a good buy? They only have one left and said they sold out more than a dozen of these packages this week. Not sure if they are getting any more. Still have to buy an inverter and battery/ies. I have an inverter but do not remember the size. Not sure what it would take if I keep adding panels.

[WillyPete]

That solar package seems like a good deal, does it also have the charge controller with the kit?
I went looking around online at both Harbor Freight and Northern Tool and both of those have some decent solar panel kits at not totally outrageous prices. I plan to invest in one of those at some point as well.
You can also order merchandise to be shipped to the closest Harbor Freight store to you for pickup, Northern Tools will do this as well, check their websites.
I stumbled onto a bit of a deal today. I had seen yesterday at another website a coupon for 20% off of any purchase at the Big Lots chain of stores. I didn't think about it as I had not planned to be at one of those stores today. I ended up stopping at one I go to occasionally and bought a few prep items I found there, 6-packs of RAMEN noodles for $1, couldn't pass it up, and a few other items I could use at some point in time. When I got my purchase tallied, before i could swipe my debit card the cashier told me to hold on for a second and he gave me the 20% coupon discount anyway!
I have also decided that since this weekend's coupon is an internet coupon, I'm going to be checking back at their website for whatever coupons they may be offering. Harbor Freight does this every month and I make good use of those coupons so, Big Lots will be on the list to check as well.

Anyway, I picked up a few pounds of salt and sugar, iodized and not, those RAMEN noodles and I found cross-bow bolts as Wally-World for $4 a piece. I bought all they had at the time and will check for more later. At the end of hunting season all of the leftover supplies will be discounted so I'll pick up broadheads for the bolts then. I have more than enough now as I shoot a regular bow too but, more is good.

[fern]

It does have the charge controller with it. Really did not know what it was called or I would have listed it. The salesman told me it would stop the reverse draining of the batteries. I am going to take a look at HF's website and see if I can't get any more of these. Did not know if it was a good deal but did not want to pass it up. Figured I could return it but if it was gone, there would be no buying it.

We have a Big Lots here and a Gabriels but I have never gone in them. Guess I will give it a try. Did not think about buying salt there! Thanks for the tip! My husband commented today that I have gone from a gal that will not go to stores to a shopper. He also was joking with the cashier at HF that it is pretty bad when your wife spends more at Harbor Freight than the husband does. That comment made me think and he is totally correct. I would rather clean the bathroom 40 times than go to a store and I will not enter a mall. I have found through this forum...the ability to go to garage and flea markets, love Tractor Supplies/Agways, and today I even knocked on a door cuz someone was tossing something that we could use when it is time to get outta dodge. This is trailblazing times for me! That is probably my biggest prep this year.

There is a store here called Aldi's. They sell the full case of Ramen noodles for $1.50. Do you have them there? I never heard of them until moving to this area so it may be a local thing. I went in there last year. They supply no bags and it is pretty barren overall. The only thing I bought was 3 cased of the noodles. I may have hit on a bad day though.

[Watchman]

Although I (and wifey) used to like Ramen noodles, we no longer buy them because they contain MSG. And we have determined through trial and error that it affects her asthma.

[WillyPete]

Yes, we have Aldi's in several locations around here. I haven't been in one but I may do so just to take a look.
Big Lots has also surprised me with the range of products they sell. When I first found them 25-30 years ago all they carried was basically junk stuff, really cheap shabby products and I rarely went into them. They disappeared for a few years then came back to what they are today. I returned to them about 15 years ago and keep going back. What I started with first was stumbling into a sale on outdoor products, everything was being sold at 70% off. That is not a typo, 70% off. I bought hundreds of dollars of outdoor gear for camping and mostly fishing and I definitely got my money's worth, I still have most of the gear in the garage and still use it when I'm fishing, camping or hunting.
Foods and food products got added about 10 years ago at the stores I use and the selection was not great at first, they've gotten considerably better since then and I buy foods from them occasionally. When I was out yesterday I saw pretty much anything you could buy in a grocery store at reasonable prices. They did try refrigerated products for a few years but decided against it for some reason, it's all bagged, boxed and canned merchandise presently.
I did find this item and bought one of those folding workbenches that has a build in clamping system.,. I have an older one with a slightly damaged work surface, here's an example: http://www.stanleytoolparts.com/11fowo1.html
Regular retail price is a lot more than you see here and the one I bought was $20 at the Big Lots and seems to be just as good. It'll come in handy for the various trades I'll practice after the fall.
I was also looking for a small charcoal grill, and/or a hibachi, and couldn't find anything worth what the stores were asking for them, around $40 and more for cheap, stamped, thin, flimsy steel. I go to other discount stores and maybe I'll find what I'm looking for at one of them. I had found an 18" tripod grill at a Family Dollar store for less than $10, a good one too, and that's what I was looking for yesterday, no luck where I went. I'll hit the Family Dollars and Dollar Generals this weekend maybe and see what they have.
Family Dollar stores are another good discount store, used to be known as "dime" stores. I know this one is practically everywhere in the USA swo there may be one near you. Take a look in one if you can, it might turn into another good resource for you.

[fern]

I buy a lot at Dollar General! I can get 3 lbs bags of pintos for $1.50! They also send out $15 off $50 of purchase coupons every month so I take advantage of those. Almost have a 55 gal barrel full now. They are the only place I can find Ranch beans and we love those. For years I had to order them on line and pay the shipping but no longer! There is a Family Dollar in the town my Mom lives in. I will visit it next week. Haven't been there yet. I have put up a lot of dish clothes and towels from Dollar General and plenty of other misc items. I swing through there once a month or so. After Christmas, I bought up 36 canned candles for 50 cents each and they were not smelly. I do not like smelly candles.

Will watch out for one of those work benches. I know my better half would use one! Right now he is happy with his old tire changer. I remember using one in my Dad's shop. That was work!! No air...just effort.

[WillyPete]

Family Dollar is very similar to the Dollar General stores, they both have similar merchandise at similar prices and it's all decent products.
I go to a Dollar General once in awhile and it has a little bit of what I look for, not a lot but some. Family Dollar has a better selection of foodstuffs and a much larger selection of houseware items. Both have refrigerated and frozen foods but the product variety isn't the best, it'll do if you need it but you can't get real creative with what they have.
Between the two I usually go to Family Dollar first but truthfully, I go to Fred's before any of them. Huge selection, range and variety of products, I bought my oil lamps there and the oil for them at good prices and they're always in stock. At least my stores have them all the time.
Definitely check out Family Dollar, I imagine you'll be pleased.
Almost forgot, I know about those tire changing stations too, I'll use spoons thank you very much.

[Watchman]

Here in Free Wyoming we have Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and there are a couple of Dollar Generals.

[fern]

We have a Dollar Tree too. Went in there over the weekend with LG. They have a lot of usable items for $1. I plan on going there each month too to stock up on general items. I guess I should have shopped more all these years. Could never see further than farm stores, K-Mart or Penneys and have been thankful for the ability to buy on line. I still get irritated with parking and people in my way now though. That has always been the reason why I did not shop.

[WillyPete]

I hear you on that, I tend to park far out and walk in because all those who really should not possess a driver's license are often there fighting for the space right next to the door or making their own space in the fire lane out front.
I go to the Dollar Tree stores sometimes too. You have to be vigilant in there because a lot of what they have isn't even worth a dollar. I've seen some products at other stores for less than a dollar where at Dollar Tree, a smaller package of the same thing costs that dollar so, I don't buy that one.
It just takes some looking around to find the deals.

[WillyPete]

After due diligence and a lot of looking around, I found and purchased some inexpensive charcoal grills. I had been looking at several different stores and found the only one among maybe 6 that had any that I wanted.
I bought the 18" circular tripod grill, 2 of them since they were $10 apiece at this Family Dollar. This store has about ten or so left so they won't run out too quickly but, there were none to be found at the other Family Dollars I looked at. They sell charcoal too but, $5 for a 9 pound bag when I've found 2 13+ pound bags for $10 is a bit much to buy it there, I'll go to the other one and get a better deal, it's a Fred's by the way.
Just have to shop around, I know you don't really cotton to that fern, but it can be necessary to get the most value for your money. But you know that already anyway.
I've been looking for a hibachi as well but, I have only found any of them online, none at any of the stores in my area. I'd rather buy local but, you do what you gotta.

[fern]

My better half purchased the best hibachi somewhere in NM and brought it here. I LOVE this thing! It even has a snap on lid with a wood handle to carry it with. There is a smokestack built into the lid. I have never seen anything like it but I can get two smaller rib-eyes and a can of ranch beans on it when we are hiking!! Yes...I will haul steaks when hiking because it puts a big smile on my husband's face. I will ask him where he bought this grill. It is a good one for sure and I would like a couple more myself. I have not seen any of the charcoal deals like you all write about. Charcoal here is just plain expensive. As WillyPete said even at Dollar General. But I am going to go check out Big Lots and Gabriels this weekend. We do have a tons of coal here laying around the road sides and such. Would that work as charcoal?

[WillyPete]

Coal has a little too much heat energy locked up in those rocks, it can and has burned through furnaces and stoves. I did that to mine once not knowing what would happen with coal and I spent an inordinate amount of money and time welding my landlord's wood stove back together. That's why coal is a blacksmith's favorite fuel, it can produce enough heat to melt steel. For cooking, you're better off just eating the coal straight. Thinking about it, gather up all of that coal that you can and keep it stored. After the fall, some enterprising blacksmith, or smith wanabe, will trade you what you want to get what you have. That and you can use it for heat if you don't overload your stove/furnace.
Thank you, I'd like to know where he got y'alls hibachi. I saw several online at various retailers and I'll get one or two that way if I can't find one local., still have some hardware stores to check out in various locations.
I think Family Dollar may be a nationwide retailer, you can find locations through their website with the store finder at http://www.familydollar.com/stores.aspx
Fill in the blanks and find a store.
Most of these dime stores have coupons available to use there. Just click the coupon link and print the ones you can use. Haven't found a dime store online yet that didn't have coupons you could use in the stores.