Preparation Plans for Sprin/Summer 2008

1) I've got to update my inventory of Emergency Food Supplies, identify any gaps, and round out my stores.

Areas that I know that I am short in is: canned meats, instant potatoes, spices, & baking powder.

2) Get my bicycle stable equipped for cross country use.

That includes racks, panniers, water bottles, air pumps, 1 or 2 trailers, etc, for a single off road and a bicycle built for two.

3) Have a tree removed from the back yard.

Have the tree cut into firewood and stacked along 1 fence line.

No real plans at this point, just waiting for a grandkid to be born in CA, then moving to the Pacific northwest for the season...

Preparing to move from Ok to NY. I will need to make kits up for each car.

We've just bought a month's supply of canned goods. Expiration dates are a couple of years off. Someone posted on the forum that Mountainhouse #10 cans have expiration dates of 25 or 30 years, so I went to the REI sale last weekend and saw that Mountainhouse plastic packs have expiration dates of 5 years and more.

I hate freeze-dried food, but it seems to last longer than conventional canning in unopened containers. Do I buy canned stuff I like and try to keep current on frequent rotation, or start buying freeze-dried stuff I don't like but which has much longer rotations for keeping fresh stock? Decisions, decisions.

At the advice of people here, I keep the month's supply of food in an automobile outside my house for access after house collapse, so it's not like the food turns up under my view as I cook. C'est la vie. Everything has plusses and minuses. (Why does plus have two ses but minus only one when plural?

continue to increase my supplies of dry and canned foods, tealights, recharageable batteries, boots and tarps. if budget allows afew thousand meters of rope and cordage as well. hopefully my order for 120 food grade hdpe 10LT Stackable drums will be delivered so i can increase my stored water.

Rotate my water.
Check the BOB.
Increase water storage.
Purchase some Freeze Dried chow to add to long term food supply.
Purchase honey for the same purpose.
Increase the Dog food supply.

BigDaddyTX i have a pdf manual of the HS2000 if you are interested

Likely different languages of origin (too lazy to look it up), although doubled consonants are always problematic. I went back and forth with "modeling" the other day. Brits and Canucks write it as "modelling."

Preps:
- Increase water storage ($9 Aqua-Tainers at Wally World!)
- Add a rain barrel to the gutters as a trial. If it works well, add at least one more.
- Start using more wheat and beans in everyday cooking (hand grinder is on the way).
- Try new sourdough recipes.
- Buy more ammo. Get to range.
- More dog food.

Longer term:
- Add a generator and hard-wired switch for a few critical circuits.

With much still to do,


* We have added to our bulk supplies - wheat, rice, olive and canola oils, plus many other sundries.
* Spend large amounts of time in the garden getting the spring seeds and plantings on their way.
* Ran the portable generator to keep the battery fresh & rotated fuel.
* Been grinding our own wheat & spelt flour for the past two months (created a sourdough starter and bake two loaves of bread each weekend - not to mention making some amazing pancakes)

Even with our garden being pretty extensive, I feel compelled to add a case or two of canned veggies - any thoughts here?

One question I would add here is: What are you doing to reduce your energy consumption/costs? and general cost of living expenses?

Of course we are trying to limit our trips to town - make one trip of multiple stops instead of two or three trips in a day.

We have started line drying our clothes - with atleast 6 loads a week, we figure the propane ($3.07 gal.) savings should start adding up pretty quickly, not to mention the electrical savings.

In another simple cost cutting move we just made was to cut our Dish Satelite package from $65.00 a month to $27.00 a month - that will save us almost $500 a year to not have a bunch of channels we weren't watching anyway.

We are trying not to use our Air Conditioner this year as well. When the compressor kicks on the change in Kw per hour on our meter jumps by about 4.25KPH - that adds up real quick.

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Jackal, could you post a link to those stackable drums or maybe give a quick review when you receive them? Thanks.

LED the supplier is uk based i found them on ebay dread to think what shipping would be

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150140458122&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

HEIGHT: 320mm.
WIDTH: 190mm.
DEPTH: 225mm.
WEIGHT: 550gm.
CAPACITY: 10LT ( 2.2 GAL Imp)

i already have 60 of them i chose the 10lt size for ease of carrying and stacking. i have them stacked 3 high without any problems, stacking 4 high causes the bottom one to bulge abit.

edit
maybe this link will be more helpful
http://www.yankeecontainers.com/Plastic-Drums-All.html

* just restocked water supplies today
* continue exercising - hiking/biking
* stock up on more dry goods
* beef up the FAK's with additional items

ahhhh..... good morning yes prep time is year round at least as far as i go.... hurricane season coming waters gettin warmer time to go thru supplies.... get the fak,bob,edc,and psk checkem out

That's my primary challenge right now, Dennis. I've just changed my primary vehicle from a newer mini-van to an older, and drastically smaller, honda civic. The reasons are many: no more monthly lease payment, lower insurance, better fuel efficiency, and cheaper, do-it-ourselves repairs. It's going to be much better for our bank account but it's quite a challenge to streamline and rethink what gear you store in your vehicle, not to mention where and how.

Other spring prep plans include:

*Planting the backyard veggie garden
*Tune-up family bicycles
*Buy more candles
*Increase water supplies
*First Aid/CPR Recertification for my husband and I
*Increase supply of meat in the freezer
*Buy a couple of window fans for the house

Ah, okay. Thanks for the info.

Any tips for someone wanting to get a garden going up here?

We are using 1 window AC unit and it will use < 50/month if ran 24/7 but running only 12hrs a day or less makes it even cheaper Keeps it tolerable in here (the office) during the 100+ days when the house is sitting at 88 or 90. We too are starting to line dry some clothes we use *gasp* electric dryer [For Now]

We are trying to do the biggest prep this year, buy a house with at least 1 acre.

I tried the indoor hydroponic growing a few years ago and it was such a large initial expense than I dont think the system is worth it. The specialized lights are very expensive and require alot of energy to run plus should be on for 12+ hours a day for optimal growth.

The prices should have come down since i tried it but they still are going to be expensive.

* Go through old/expired meds and check kits.
* Update kits and add new items.
* Get some long-term survival food (MREs, freeze dried).

I am now up to 30 gals of gas stored and I've added meat and tuna to the Emergency Stores, along with more beans, spaghetti sauce, and pasta.

Remember that gas has a shelf life so you need to rotate it.

That's why I am staggering out my purchases now (that and the price). I use enough Stabil to keep it for a year.

I've gotten my inventory of food supplies updated. I am filling in my gaps to have well-rounded menu's.

I am still looking at equipment for my bicycle stable.

I am putting off removing the tree as long as I can, cause I am being lazy.

I will be going home soon and I will increase my stock of 6 volt batteries along with 6vdc screw post light bulbs for my pigtails. I will also be increasing my supply of candles, white gas, and propane.

I will continue adding to my food supplies like always, I pick up 1 or 2 extra items everytime I go to the store.

I will continue to cultivate the habit of riding my bicycle to the local "Mom & Pop Grocery Store" around the corner from my home to save gas and get more exercise.