Posted on 07/24/2011 1:08:37 PM PDT by Mamzelle
All of my usual stores are rearranging and changing what they put on their shelves. I'm sensing that the big uptick in prices will start to arrive shortly, maybe before Christmas. I'm interested to hear what the impressions of FRugal Freepers. What are you seeing? What will you be buying in quanity before TSHTF?
The last time we had a Hurricane which knocked all the power out, it stayed off for 9 days hers This was in September and it was still hot. Gas was available, probably because the stations had generators.
My Father was 88 and in failing health. I was able to keep water in his house because he had wired the pump many years previously to run on a 220 volt generator. Not enough to run the AC but we could keep his freezer and refrigerator cool enough to get by. We opened all the windows and I was surprised how well he held up to it.
I faired OK even though my central AC was also down. I had a little window ac unit and could run it for several hours before the fuel ran out.
Two things which came in handy and the stores kept in stock some how were baby wipes and larger moistened wipes. You could take a fair bath with them, especially if you finished up with the antiseptic ones.
I like where you’re going here. I haven’t considered vacuum-sealing rice due to the cost of the bags - but if the rice is then good for decades, it might just be worth it.
I live in Texas and shop at H.E.B...never heard of that brand.
I’ve tried Bumblebee and a few other brands. It says on the can ‘chunk white’ but when you open it, it is just a can of mush. What a rip-off.
I complained to BumbleBee once, and they sent me some coupons for cans. They were all the same- mush.
How can they get away with that?
And how can I find a can of tuna that is really in chunks and not soup?
“Even in Canada I’ve been telling my family to do this. Sadly, I don’t have the funds currently to build anything up...”
I can understand that, being Canada. Here in Texas, I make a decent amount of money, but my marginal tax rate is only 26.45% (federal only), so I keep nearly three quarters of every extra dollar that I earn (it’s much worse in other parts of the States). So if I’m offered overtime, you bet I take it - as much as possible.
think that we are at the very least in for a collapse much like that of Argentina’s ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yerKMQc7-w&feature=grec_index), but as a armed society with a very large entitlement minded population our collapse will be much more violent and I see many many small business wiped out by flash mob looting, and large scale violence (look at what happened just this past Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends)we are seeing these mobs grow bolder and bolder like:
Chicago’s CBS 2’s Jim Williams reports, the problem of mob attacks downtown is much bigger than the weekend beatings, according to beat cops who wanted to remain anonymous.”
And it’s not just Chicago, but Washington DC, Las Vegas, St Paul, Philadelphia and on most major big ‘Blue’ cities are increasingly reporting such flash mobs and gang muggings. Look what happened just this past weekend in Peoria, Il:
http://peoriachronicle.com/2011/06/25/peorians-living-in-fear/
Teenage Flash Mob Robberies on the Rise:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/18/top-five-most-brazen-flash-mob-robberies/
Rash of violence isn’t flash mobs, it’s wilding
http://www.suntimes.com/news/roeper/5826624-417/rash-of-violence-isnt-flash-mobs-its-wilding.html
Teens in a mob assault and rob Center City patrons
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110629_Teens_in_a_mob_assault_and_rob_Center_City_patrons.html
Milwaukee Police Go Barney Fife On Mob Attacks
http://www.620wtmj.com/blogs/jeffwagner/125017329.html
Milwaukee Mob Victim Recalls Beating ... ‘Oh, White Girl Bleeds a Lot’
I see what I call ‘Pocket Pogroms’ taking place in many big ‘Blue’ cities and if you aren’t a ‘0bamamite yute’ or one of ‘Holder’s People’ it’s going to get Reginald Denny bad for you very quickly.
For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:
http://www.tomeaker.com/kart/preparedness1i.pdf
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
are they looking for electricians/instrumentation guys down there? heh
“are they looking for electricians/instrumentation guys down there? heh”
Sure. But Spanish is a must. Otherwise they’ll think you’re another spoiled, lazy, US high school ‘graduate’, and they won’t hire you. If you look legal, you’ll have two strikes against you at the start.
Regarding butter. You can also can your own...in mason jars. I buy butter on sale, in bulk, and can. Use smaller jars, since once you open a jar you have to use it within the week.
haha, I’m Canadian, I come from Alberta (world’s best electricians and other trades), according to international sites, and I speak english, and can get by with french and I’m as white as they get. Dang, I guess Texas is out, shame.. I like the right to self defense heh.
There is a way to make your tuna go further when you make tuna salad. Mix in a third of a cup of dry oatmeal. You won’t be able to taste the oats, the texture is the same, and it will increase the volume of salad by a lot. It’s cheaper and healthier for you too.
Darn, you should have a boatload of work up there, with the tar sands and whatnot. Bummer.
I keep at least 50 lbs. of flour on hand. Generally can buy 25 lb. bags for $6-7 In years past I could find it for $4.29 for 25 lbs.
Also keep a lb. of dried yeast in the refrig. in a tupperware container. It will keep 1-year if you only take it out of the refrig to spoon out and then immediately back inside. This keeps condensation to a minimum. Moisture is the killer for dried yeast.
Actually, the more brazen and shameless these people get, the less they bother me. It merely proves that the branches on the devil's money tree unloaded their fruit on the most deserving freeloaders. The payback will be eternal servitude. They are the miserable donkeys on Pleasure Island, or the rich man in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
They might as well enjoy their lovely manicures, heh.
Just curious ... Is your powdered milk low fat or whole?
I’m trying to find a reasonably priced supplier for whole dried milk.
Evaporated will do in a pinch but it has only about a 2 year shelf life. (Stuff like Parmalat is irradiated - and tastes weird - I won’t buy it.)
I have a bunch of stuff written up that I have to put on my very neglected blog and when it’s up I’ll post a link on my profile page. A compendium of home remedies, from scratch simple recipes from bulk foods, first aid, hygiene, alternative toilets, herb stuff, super nutrition without supplements or expensive ingredients, and so on. Survival stuff for the poor! :-) But it’s not on this computer right now, so here goes.
The best online or regular book is Humanure, do a search and it’s for sale on Amazon and all online as well.
1. Pit outhouse - dig a pit, put an out house on the top. The very worst just about since a big pit filled with excrement does not compost well at all, takes a long, long time, and stinks.
2. Trench latrine - works very well, composts quickly. Dig long trenches, by hand if necessary, or with trencher. About 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep I’d say, and not so wide that you can’t squat over it, or for non-squatters, a movable box with a toilet seat on it. Sometimes we’ve shored up the sides with boards or something similar. Or you can put two boards crosswise and just move them along.
After each deposit, put some dirt on it - use the dirt that came out of the trench, with a trowel kept nearby. Usually a few deposits can be put on top of each other, then move along a few inches to the next spot. As long as the excrement is covered with dirt, there is absolutely no smell at all. In non freezing weather, it composts in a few weeks to a couple of months.
For privacy a movable booth can be constructed, say of tarps, and roof if it’s rainy. Actually trench latrines are one of my favorite alternative toilets because they are so easy.
3. Composting toilet that can be used inside the house - described in detail in Humanure. Simply put, make a box with an open front (three sides and an top with a hole the size of a toilet seat, or you could get those portable commodes often used for invalids). Get several 5 gallon buckets to use underneath.
The trick is to get composting material and first put a layer on the bottom, and after each deposit. It also helps to put a layer of paper on the bottom, helps with cleaning.
Some composting materials - leaf mould, dry leaves, dirt, sawdust (only from raw lumber or wood, NOT kiln dried lumber, the microbes are dead), even chipper shredded materials. Have a bucket of such materials and scoop next to the toilet and cover each deposit.
When the bucket is full, take it outside and compost it. When we did this, we had about 10 buckets, and let them sit for sometime with a lid on but not tight, a bit ajar for air. Then hub dumped them all at once, and many were quite composted already. If dumping one by one, or any way, make sure plenty of composting material covers everything well. Have a pile of dirt next to the outside composting bin or pile to add as needed.
It’s good to have two bins to dump everything in. That way, the pile that is all composted completely can be used on ornamentals or fruit trees, they say not to use on food plants, but IMO if you know that no one has parasites or diseases and is not taking drugs legal or illegal, then once it’s composted it’s safe. YMMV. And then you can be adding to the other pile.
Then wash buckets well, and use again. This method can be used inside the house or in an outbuilding. If outside (or for any other outside toilet) it’s important to have a handwashing station right next to the toilet. In any kind of hardship/collapse situation good hygiene is absolutely imperative to avoid disease and parasites.
3. Simplest of all - individual holes dug with a trowel. This works if you have a lot of property with plenty of privacy. Still it’s a good idea to have an area set aside for this, and make holes in rows or whatever. I’ve used this method and it’s amazing how fast it composts. Someone needs to “go” - just hand them a trowel and TP and water if needed. Voila.
4. On some disaster sites they say to put a plastic bag into the toilet, or get a camping toilet and put the deposits in plastic bags. I think this is the very worst thing in the world. If the situation is so bad that there is no water, for sure there will be no garbage pickup. Can you imagine piled up bags full of non-composting ****????!!!!
It has been noted that lime or ashes can be used in outhouses to cover the smell. I don’t like these as the smell isn’t really diminished that well, and they don’t help to compost the excrement. Dirt, leaf mould, leaves, saw dust and chipper shredded stuff work very well, you just have to have a lot.
There is a sawmill not far from here and we got a big load of sawdust when we did the composting toilet thing. Lasted a long time. Or rake up leaves in the fall and use them. Or just regular old dirt.
When composting toilets using the bucket method are done right (and it’s very easy), there is virtually no bad odor at all, as long as the deposits are covered each time.
It is best to urinate separately when feasible, as too much liquid inhibits the composting process. Urine is easy to dispose of. If poured consistently in the same place it will smell bad, so it’s best to have a few places to dump it, and put some dirt on it.
It’s important not to dispose of human waste anywhere near any bodies of water or shallow wells, or any wells if possible.
We usually get low fat due to health conditions. But I did see some whole powdered milk as well as cheese when I did a search on the internet. I just don’t remember and of course did not mark it because we have what we need pretty cheap locally.
Thank you. I’m copying this.
You know even in the bible there are methods explained for hygiene. The problem, if it gets bad, will be with the idiots that don’t have a clue. I live in a small town and even though I’m in the city limits, my lot backs up to woods so that is where, if we were stuck here, this would be.
Thx alot lj. I learned alot.
Also, when you post the link to your blog would you mind (if you do it in the near future and can remember) pinging me? Thx
Thanks for the coffee tip.
I see good prices online for Nam robusto and arabica, and a species I’d never heard of- liberica from Phillipines
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