What I've done this week/month for Readiness

I made significant increases in readiness during the past few days and will assemble that which must be done, during the next few days. Upgraded my BOB to an ALICE pack which, if needed, will be much easier to hump across country (I mean swamps and marshes).

My vehicles have been checked and all discrepancies have been remedied.

My old BOB (pack) along with more MRE's, water, and basic equipment, went to my daughter's BF, and he will supplement that from his own equipment, so they will both be well equipped, and with primary and secondary transportation as well.

Tomorrow, I will renew my gasoline supplies and finish refilling a 5600 gal pool with fresh water and a new cover. I will also rescreen my back porch and this time I am making it capable of being sealed off with plastic sheeting (6ml - 10ml).

I made one of these paracord bracelets, with a fastex buckle from ITW Nexus that has a built in whistle. I don't like bracelets, so I made it large enough to fit around my calf just above the top of the 10" Matterhorn boots I normally wear. Gives me proabably 11 or 12 ft of paracord, and a whistle, all rolled into one...

Updating my BOB replaced most of the consumables, added a poncho liner, and a new candel lantern. Put my truck in the shop for some needed maitenance. Updated the map program on my computer. Last but not least bought a new AMK PSK

My March gear test, and some surprising things that I learned...

http://familydisasterplanning.blogspot.com/

(latest entry)

I bought a lightweight BOB/Truck/Camp firearm. Stainless Springfield M6 in .22Hornet/.410.

* I went for a bike ride and realized how out of shape I am. I did get to test the cargo rack I installed over the winter. Worked well with 10 lbs on the back.

* sharpened some knives

* oiled up the handguns

Rotated my gasoline supply (20+ gallon) and then built an outside storage locker (weather resistant) to get all of those gasoline cans out of the garage.

yesterday i went to my local wholesale store and stocked up on some food items and paper products.

I felt the need to:

Partially assemble some pieces of equipment such as the filter/mount for the air handling unit and some of the associated piping.

Rearranging the interior of my garage some more, to facilitate converting it to the shelter mode, quicker.

Getting the standby plywood covers cut and ready to be put up to seal up the garage.

Does anybody else feel the need to increase Readiness to DefCon 2?

What did you build that out of to make it weather resistant?

I did a little financial survival, paid off the remaining $12,000 on our home equity loan. It was a variable rate and had went up to over 10% and I had a nice bonus from work and we received a large tax refund because I forgot to withhold for our first child last year, so we took those and what we had saved up and knocked that one out. I had been working on it and paying $500 or more each month so that opened up that much in the budget so we should be able to move in a couple years. Our neighborhood isn't bad but since its part of the city we have to get into a suburb before my son has to start school since the city school is the worst in the state. That and the police response is 30 minutes which is why I started fending for myself years ago, but that is another long story.

I got to use a few things from my vehicle EDC tonight when the power went out due to the small tornado that touched down about 1/4 mi from my house. I plugged a flourescent bulb into my Campbell-Hausfeld "Power Pal", a portable jump starter/air compressor/DC inverter, and also my crank radio. That bulb lit up an entire room, but we ended up using some oil lanterns for the ambiance.

My wife got to use her Streanlight Key Mate flashlight on her keychain. I was a hero for buying it for her.

(this post duplicated on EDC forum)

I am tracking daily personal liquid consumptions this week. Will post results on Sunday night.

Added a whistle, 5 quarters, an ATT long distance phone card with 600+ minutes, a 10 dollar bill, and possibly a flash drive and other small pieces of gear to my new cell case .

"What did you build that out of to make it weather resistant?"

I used some scrap lumber I had around and covered it with some of that wavy (corrugated?) plastic greenhouse panel stuff. BTW, when did plywood get so doggone expensive? It is not completely sealed since it needs to vented due to the gas fumes, but I figure that as long as I keep the rain from falling directly on the (plastic) gas cans, then that's probably good enough. It also keeps the dogs out...

I've done with scanning of all of my papers, IDs, and even credit cards, photoshoped them and saved images to my PDA's memory stick. This PDA is always on me even on a trail, along with the HOLUX GPSlim240 piece of technology, and 1oz solar charger for both of them (the last one I've made from bare solar film sheets just a week ago).

I upgraded my GPS's memory to 2Gb, and uploaded topographic maps of the whole of the UK.

Bought 3 bandannas as upgrade for handkerchief, and started to learn about using same.

Tried to make some bread, by hand rather than with bread machine. Not 100% successful.

Tested new gear outside, worked on fitness, re-packing FAK*/survival kit (to be lighter.)

(FAK= First Aid Kit. Mine is combined with a personal survival kit--packed in the same bag. So meds and bandages plus fire starting gear, knife, etc.)

* bought additional MRE's for my BOB
* bought another first aid kit for my mountain bike
* in the process of setting up a 3-day trip to the Okefenokee Swamp...woo hoo!!

I purchased a Petzl e+light for my hiking-kit wich I really like.

1) most recently I perchased a number of 3M N100 masks. I put 3 (1 per person) in each car and the remainder with our other disaster supplies.

2) got a multi-tool for my wifes car

3) got a fire starter kit for my backpack for day hikes, etc.

I need to get some facemasks...

I did add some more food to the pantry, tossed a couple hundred rounds of ammo into the gun safe, and beefed up my wife's BOB with a new flashlight and fresh water.

We went to REI today (always a dangerous thing), my wife ended up with two new pair of "outdoorsie" shoes, I got a new Camelbak hydration pack, a double handfull of those neat little pocket sized flip-top plastic containers, and a packet of Micropur tablets...

did a 45 minute work-out. Fitness!

* I rode about 50 miles on my bike (not all at once)
* bought some ammo and a new holster
* got my spring to-do list together. way too long!!

I bought/filled four, five and seven gallon water jugs and treated the water with bleach. I also bought three cases of 500 ml water bottles and started a supply of canned foods for my 72 hour kit.

I have spent way too much time working on my PSK's, so this month I started working on my house kit.

Garrett

Execllent -- do you have a crank radio packed?

Traded for some new MREs for the BOBs. Used my REI rebate and 20% coupon off to buy the large JetBoil pot. Replaced water puri tabs in the BOBs. Got all the magazines accounted for and organized.

Dave

For this week....

• Picked up a box of 3M N95 fold flat respirators from redflarekits.com
• 3 Bloodstopper Trauma dressing rolls for my various first aid kits
• Scored a new Camelbak M.U.L.E hydration pack at a yard sale for $10
• Still need to empty,clean, and refill my 7 gallon water jugs

smitty

Bought 3 butane/propane lanterns + 1 mini-stove + a few gas canisters, to enhance my Bug-In possibilities.

Stored in the basement, half a dozen empty 5liters mineral water bottles replenished with tap water (+ a few drops of bleach). Next month, another half a dozen will join these.

Started to clean/tidy-up my "office"/guest/working... and for last 10 months .. junk room, which I had not done for a looooooooooooooong time ..
If I keep going at it, tomorrow I should be able to extricate my reloading bench from that jumble and next week, I'll be able to shoot my Colt .45ACP again !!

Also started my paracord project : a bottle holder.
Next I will "weave", still using Slatt's knot, some A4 sized "sheet" of paracord (like the crocheted one someone showed in another thread)

Finally got water storage barrels in place.
One month - drinking water for six is now in place.

That sounds like a great idea. Just out of curiosity for my planning - how many gallons did you consider to be adequate storage?

This week I've done nothing at all. And loved it!!

I dream of having a week like that and this week definitely never came close!!!

I threw a crawfish boil (party) for my wife's God-daughter's engagement. (stocked up on seasonings, propane, it worked partially as a shelter mobilization drill) It also served as "cold weather training" (sleet and rain).

Stocked up another 15 gals of gas ($2.61/gal), added some items to my dry goods stores (peas and dried beef)

For drinking water, we planned for two gallons per individual per day for 30 days.

That works out for us to be six - 55 gallon drums and the remaining 5 gallons per individual is stored as cases of individual-sized water bottles. The bottled water is stored in our pantry and our vehicles.

We also have three rain gutter barrels, a large hot tub, and a 100 gallon water tank in our RV for other water needs.

We have a septic system, and we have an ice-fishing tent that serves as an temporary outhouse to minimize water use with flushing during a water emergency.

If water problems persist longer than 30 days and we can't leave, we also have a stream that flows through our property year round. We just purchased equipment from Katadyn for filtering water from this source.

Sounds like a great plan. I like your storage plan as well as the collection and treatment ideas. Since you are presently using a septic system, you might be interested in this document from the Texas Cooperative Extension website for disaster recovery http://texashelp.tamu.edu/001a-hot-topics/web-2005-sept/wastewater-systems-blackouts-floods.php

Dumped my 8.5 lb custom Ruger Mini-30 for a 4.7 lb Kel-Tec SU-16C. Bought a Bushmaster extractor and Bushmaster 30 round magazine for it. Bought a 21" 7-30 Waters barrel for my 5 lb T/C Contender carbine.

EeeeeHaaaa!

Added a REI candle lantern to my BOB, rotated 7 gal water containers, but most importantly...I used my headlamp (Petzl Myo XP) for working around the house at night. Decided that this headlamp is the best purchase I have EVER made. I don't post here very often but lurk and learn. Thanks for all the great info.

I just contacted my local ARRL - ARES group to start the process to get assistance and guidance to begin my technical amateur radio license study.

Michael

Scored an old, cheap 20lb propane cylinder at a garage sale and exchanged it for a new full one. Bought an extension hose so I can run my Coleman 2-burner stove off of it. Hurricane season is right around the corner.

Finally got the chance to go to the REI store near where I live. I could have gone broke in there pretty quickly. I did pick up a few things but mostly just a recon mission.
Went to Wally World (I can afford stuff there) and got a few waterproof match cases that I've needed for a while. Also picked up a few Coleman propane cannisters to add to the supply I already have.
Yesterday I did an inventory on my GHB and added the match cases that I bought. Now my firestarting supply has 1 match case of strike anywhere matches, 1 of waterproof matches, a bic lighter and a film cannister of dryer lint. Inside of the lids of the match cases I put a couple of pieces of the match striker from match boxes, made each piece small enough to stay in the top tightly.

Buckeye,

good for you -- it'll be fun.

teacher

(I studied for my amateur license so long ago you had to learn code!)

Rotated/restocked water supplies, cleaned and detailed both vehicles, and took a nice long trail ride with my wife on our bikes.

Added some more food and batteries to the reserve.

Put my 72 hr. BOB into a large Alice pack, added some paracord, added a few MREs. Total of 3 types of food: canned, MRE, dehydrated Backpacker Pantry.

...Collecting 1 gal bottles for water storage...

I personally like using 2 liter soda bottles. I clean them as soon as the soda has been finished off & refill them with tap water. I change the water out every 6 months.

I use 3 liter soda bottles to store rice in and 2 liter juice bottles to store grains (beans, peas, etc) in.

I have found that 3 liter bottles are good for storing spaghetti in. The 2 liter botles are too short.

Took a side trip (1100 miles, one way) from where we had been to where we are gonna be, to our "home." Replaced the food and water in the kits in our car, and dug out a spare GI canteen cup, so I can try to make a cliffstove when time permits...

Bought a Steripen (found a local supplier).

Explored silk bandannas.

Got a Kel-Tec sling, Phantom flash suppressor and another Bushmaster 30 round magazine for the SU-16C. Now I need more ammo; might have to start reloading .223.

Started breaking in the 7-30 Waters barrel on the Contender Carbine. Fired one shot and thoroughly cleaned the barrel, ten times. Ten more rounds and it should be broken in. Then on to serious reloading for accuracy.

Bunch more MRE Crackers / PB packets. A new lantern (3 AA River Rock - very nice for the price and size).

I went out all day saturday to garage/moving sales and bought a bunch of gear.I got 3 kerosene lanterns for five bucks, 1 coleman pack-away lantern for a dollar, two sleeping bags (one coleman one moonstone ultra-lite) for a dollar a piece & 1 six gallon jerry can for 3 bucks.

Gotta love garage/yard sales. Ya done good!!!

Don't forget craigslist..you can get some pretty good deals there too.

Bravo... Ready and frugal. I higly reccomend bargin shopping to fill out a kit.

TRO

Repacked and refilled my truck BOB. Updated the meds, refilled the FAK (amazing how quick that stuff gets used. I work with kids at an afterschool program and have no qualms breaking it out for the run of the mill minor injuries.)Just ordered and received a new CPR faceshield, Waterjel for burns, and a couple packs of Life Boat Rations. Changed out the spare batteries and inspected the radio and flash light battery compartments for corrosion. Picked up some pouches from Sal Army to replace the Ziploc bags various gear was stored in. I'm still not sure that is the best thing for while the pouches are sturdy the contents is not available for quick viewing when trying to find a certain piece of gear. Moved the First Aid gear into a small seperate pack. Again time will tell if this is a good move or not.

A few friends and I finalized plans for a week long camping trip for late July during which we will be practicing primitive skills, survival skills, learning new skills and will be doing a "live" gear test as well.

I'll be taking my full BOB, small BOB and PSK to see how things work out under various conditions.

It should be fun, informative and interesting.

That sounds like fun.Wish i had friends that liked to do things like that.

Just had 5- extra 5 gallon jugs of water delivered for a total of 7. Maybe go paper goods shopping this afternoon.

Yesterday, I purchase (2) 55 gallon drums from Pepsi for $10 each. Rinsed them out last night. Will treat/store water in crawlspace. Hopefully never need to use.

Can you let us know how these work out for you? Its seems like a great solution to bulk water storage.

TRO

You have one of the greatest Survival/Primitive Schools in the US right in New Jersey, one that I would recommend wholeheartedly. It's Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School.

Thus far I've only been able to take the Standard Class, but I will be taking many more courses there as time goes on and as finances allow. It's a pricey endeavor, but without a doubt the best money I've ever spent in my life. I learned more in that week than I had over many years with a multitude of other resources. The tracking portion of the course alone was enough to blow my mind.

I look at the world in a completely different way now, not only with tracking in mind but with many of the other things I learned there as well.

One of the biggest reasons for this camping trip is that several of us who had gone to Tracker School previously couldn't work out going this year and will have to settle on practicing the skills we learned while there, on our own, and until such a time as we can get back. We're also going to throw a couple of new skills into the mix to see how we do.

You should also look for other Survival/Primitive Skills groups in your area. I've gone to and hooked up with a number of groups in my region, and have taken classes with them as well. If you find one of these groups, you'll meet people there that will love going on these types of trips!

Thanx for the info.I've heard of them before & as soon as i get some time off work i'm gonna take a class or two.It's really hard for me to meet like-minded people around here.Maybe i should post a wanted ad on craigslist asking to meet a survival buddy...lol

I just completed reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Medicine-Beyond-First-Aid/dp/076270490X

I feel I will be beter prepared in the event I need to perform some of the medical task that I may encounter.

I got a new cell phone the Casio G'zOne. It is supposed to be Mil spec, water resistant, shock resistant and dustproof. Seems pretty rugged. But if it can be broken i will probably accomplish it. Got some more paracord from countycomm one of their ferrocerium rods (I think it is a swedish firesteel) a micro and regular widgy pry bars, some 1$ lights, 2 fox 40 whistles, and some peanut lighters.

Bought a fuel spigot and (2) five gallon gas cans from http://www.majorsurplusnsurvival.com/index.htm, added (6) 12 oz. cans SPAM, 100 rounds of .40 S&W to my stash and worked a deal with my Dad to buy his older Garmin eTrex Legend (with other goodies) for $80. Was a good week I think.

Increased my dog food stockpile.

This might be kinda goofy sounding, but thanks to my current "job," I am (slowly) learning how to operate a Case backhoe/skiploader. Not sure exactly how that might figure into survival use, possibly digging one of those underground shelters we talk/hear about from time to time, or maybe digging someone/something out of the rubble of an earthquake/whatever. Who knows...

Added matches and a 9-hr candle to my car's emergency supplies. Added 2 more 9-hr candles to my 72hr bag. Ate some Vienna sausages out of my 72hr bag (blech! Hence the removal).

Learning a new skill is always a good thing.You'll never know if you'll be the only guy around that has a skill that will save the day, so to speak.

Passed my FCC technician test last weekend and received my Amateur License grant. Will start volunteering with the local ARES group.

Signed up for local CERT training.


Buckeye
KD8GIJ

I bought a Hennessy Hammock (Explorer Deluxe A-SYM) and Hennessy Supershelter Insulation 4 Season System (Overcover, Undercover and Underpad) for my BOB. Said goodbye to my 7 lb. 3 season tent and donated it to GoodWill.

Edited to add link.

Worked on fitness, did a unplanned test of my BOB,* updating my paper contact list (phone numbers), charged a searchlight, relaized I am way short on AA batteries, & repacked my EDC to be smaller and lighter.


Teacher

( *See other post.)

I am a few days late on the 6 month water rotation. Time to get busy.

basically? Not much to nothing. I spent the last month taking taking care of Mom and Dad, and the last 9 days dealing with Mom's passing away and estate issues. Puts a damper on doing prep work

Sorry to hear about your mom. Been there, done that, it is not a fun time...

Like OBG said.

Frank2135

thanks guys

- Bought 40 X 710 ml (24 oz) bottles of powerade @ .50 each which is a steal in my area. Although the best before date is April 2008, it lasts much longer then this. Just finished the last rotation this week which expired in Feburary with no side effects or taste differences.

- Bought another case (24 count) of water. Now have 11 gallons of bottled water on hand. Total drinking water on hand: 23 gallons.

- Bought 24 more rolls of TP. We now have 112 rolls on hand, the overall goal is 150 rolls not counting the packages already in use in the bathrooms.

- Cleaned out, sanitized and refilled kids pool (200 gallons). Good backup supply for non-drinking water.

- Added a small fishing kit to the BOB.

- Restocked the EDC after using several items over the weekend while out canoeing/hiking.


SD

Took a course on edible wild foods in my area(foraging). I also picked up a couple of emergency wind-up radios (Eton).

Bought some "stuff"...
* new fixed blade knife
* pocket sharpener for the BOB
* new set of binocs
* wool blanket for the wife's vehicle

Still need to hit Sam's Club to restock some food supplies

- Rotated expired OTC meds from home FAK.

- Added a few more band-aids, guaze rolls to home FAK.

- Rotated stored water where appropriate

- Switched some, but not all BOB summer clothing to fall/winter clothing, it's not that warm here at night anymore....

- Took inventory of all AA and AAA non-rechargeable batteries on hand (54).

- Did the 2x monthly re-charge of all rechargeable batteries (22 AA and 6 AAA)...Need to get a bigger charger(s) that will maintain the battery charge on a continuous basis.

We began buying a few extra food supplies with each trip to the grocery store this month - a few extra cans of soup and vegetables, a couple of extra packets of tuna, an extra package of pasta, etc. We do this every fall in case we get snowed in over the winter months. Ditto the water supply - time to top it off. Been working on the firewood situation all summer - still a ways to go. Next: look over winter clothing/footwear, buy alcohol for the emergency stove, winterize the vehicles.

Started the recovery of preps after Mom passed on - getting paperwork in order, making a costco run later today, first aid kit in house checked/restocked

Not all of Mom's bills paid - I'll give you a hint - the Feds have any bank accounts with the dead person's name on them locked - even if it's the ONLY bank account that the survivors have - be prepared for this

Went to a book store, where I picket up tons of ziplocks in different sizes and some credit-sized magnifying glasses!

I also bought a bottle of multi-vitamines for the BOB and a roll of duct-tape.

"...the Feds have any bank accounts with the dead person's name on them locked..."

That didn't happen with my folks. I had been on their checking account for years, and after they were gone I continued to us that account to clear up their affairs without a problem at all. To finally close the account I did need a death certificate...

Well lets see,I built a 10X12 ft concrete fallout/Storm Shelter in my basement,still have to buy shelves and install bunk beds and a small table. Bought more canned goods and MRE's, rotated water. Made a emergency kit for a friend,bought a GERBER LMF II A.S.E.K ASEK Military Survival Knife, rechecked all my gear and supplys, checked the generator. So far thats it.

Tested one of my generators. Changed oil on test generator.

Rotated my gas supply. Started investigating safer ways to store larger amounts of fuel.

Started working on replentishing my wood supply for next year.

Reviewed & updated our emergency storm procedures after test proved we were underprepared.

Reviewed our network systems energy requirements. Started consolidating servers and networking equipment to minimize our emergency power requirments.

Reviewed & updated our emergency supplies storage for quicker access after a test proved we were prepared, but a little disorganized.

- Local grocery store had 5" x 3/4" candles on sale. 6 for .50 cents. Bought one package, tested the burn times. Average burn of around 2 hours each. Went back a couple of days ago and bought another 15 packages.

- Picked up 3 dozen more canning jars and lids today. Time to can some more homemade soups and pasta sauce.

- Got another 4 lbs of pepperoni hung up to dry today. It usually takes 8-10 days to dry for our liking.

- Got 2 salmon, they are currently marinating and destined to the smoker tomorrow morning along with a couple of lbs of beef jerky.

- Stocked up more on bathroom/hygiene/health items. 3 large bootles of shampoo, 5 sticks antiperspirant, another package of disposable razors, one large bottle of Ibuprofen.

bought another aquatainer, bought a model 94 taurus 22 LR 9 shot capacity revolver (cheaper for me to go to the range and practice and someting for my 8 yr old girl to learn on and my 3 yr old boy to start with). 550 rds of 22 LR New magazine for my Marlin 22 LR. Need to look into my CCW permit requirements.

Built a headache rack for my truck, more places to tiedown things if i have to get up and go. Started a better family diet no more junk food snacks only fruits and vegetables for the most part.

I found at Tractor Supply Company sme knock off nalgene bottles for 2$ each and bought some rite in the rain small note pads there too those were 4$ each. But we've already broke one of the bottles when it fell out of the diaper bag at the fair today.

So far, a few small things - paid down some bills (I usually have NONE, but last month saw a BUNCH of Mom's final medical/funeral bills go on the credit card to be paid by the estate when settled). Repacked my backpack, rotated some water, finally put a rope on my folding stool so I can carry it on the outside of my pack, and worked on healing my leg

Spent most of my evenings, reading every word on KIFARU's web site, drooling over the Marauder pack (and my keyboard ... ).
Ordering is not done yet, but a sure thing anyway....

Went with the wife and purchased $300 worth of canned food storage at Sam's Club. It is enough for about a 2 weeks for the family.

One 50 more weeks of food to get!!!

Scanned in irreplaceable family photos and stored them on a DVD to be kept in the BOB. On the same disc went important documents and scanned copies of identifications. I first zipped, then password protected the archives and let several family members know about the location of the discs and a password for them.

Bought 5" hemostat, a pair of bandage scissors and a tiny tweezer with very sharp tips for FAK.

Bought a nesting pair of SS 1 qt and 3/4 qt pots to go with my mess kit.

Bought a couple of 2-packs of Sterno to go with my little square stove that folds flat.

Bought a 2-pack of "Howler" whistles - one for car, one for PSK. (I was very surprised at how much lung power it took to get any sound out of it - not a plus if the whistler is injured)

Made some firestarters with cotton balls and Vaseline. Bought "travel size" container of Vaseline, melted the contents on the stove, put in some cotton balls (7) and then packed them back in the same container. Being too big for a PSK, it will go in my BOB.

A little every week, every payday.....it adds up!

Finally upgraded my phone, to a Sony Ericsson P1i. This one has an FM radio, if you have the earphones which act as aerial, and I am currently carrying those.

from the ATT web site:

Will my AT&T PrePaid Phone Card ever expire?

No. AT&T PrePaid Phone Cards purchased on this web site do not expire. Cards purchased directly from a retailer may have an expiration date; please see Card or packaging for expiration policy.

Purchased a (old, but in good shape) Norlund Hudson Bay pattern hatchet for my kit.

Purchased a Becker BK7 knife for my kit.

I used to maintain calling cards from all three major long distance providers (AT&T, Sprint, and MCI). This gave me three different network options for busy phone times (Mother's day and post earthquakes). I always seem to get through with at least one card. They have traditionally maintained separate phone networks(Sprint-fiber, AT&T-copper, MCI-microwave) so I have true diversity in post crisis calling. If you choose some other calling card, try to find out which network they use so you don't have multiple cards using only one network. This is not to mention all the money I have saved by dropping regular long distance services from my home phone (monthly service charges and taxes).

In my experience, all the cards have expiration dates regardless of where purchased. In all cases I have been able to re-charge the calling card by contacting the company and using a credit card for payment. All unused minutes from before the expiration have always been rolled over.

Last year I dumped AT&T for charging me $6 to re-charge the card. The entire re-charge process was fully automated via the phone. There was no option to renegotiate price. It was only after the transaction was fully complete did the recording notify me that I would be charged $6 for the re-charge. Shame on AT&T! This should have been stated up front! Not only is this dishonest, but the lack of a renegotiated price + $6 made this a lousy deal for long distance. More than double what I pay with MCI and Sprint.

Whenever my sprint or MCI card expires I call their re-charge number. At some point in the conversation a live operator will intervene. They always try to talk about the total re-charge fee and not the per minute cost. I ask for a $20 recharge then ask them about the per minute cost. They will usually quote me a price between 5 and 6 cents a minute. I ask them to match their competitors price. In all cases they have met my request immediately and without quibble. I currently pay 2.85 cents per minute on my MCI and Sprint calling card. No recharge or monthly fees.

Hope this helps, TR

I purchased some more emergency rations, the book 'Survival Medicine' and a SAM-splint for my FAK

I'm going to order a cell phone charger tip for my eaton radio...

Put up 5 gals of water in bottles (inside a large cooler)
Didn't use any bleach, as an experient, to see how long the water will last.

teacher

I've never used bleach for stored water. But I store my water in darkness (fruit room, back of cabinets, etc), and algae usually won't grow in complete darkness.

Sue

Bought a toyota 4runner

Bought another firesteel and am working on assembling a survival kit in a Nalgene bottle.

Just checked the contents in one vehicle kit and replaced outdated meds & batteries; need to check the other soon.

I am paying off most of my credit card debt!!! Woo hoo, freedom! Speaking of which, I love the Chase "Freedom Card" commercials. Quite the contrary. Should be called the Slavery Card.

I also bought a new lockable storage chest for my vehicle kit. Everything fits nicely into it.

Ordered a Maxpedition M-2 Waistpack for EDC. Also "winterizing" my car kits.

Since it's a new month...within the past month, I've ordered a bag to experiment with to make a small BOB out of, ordered a clearance Spec Ops THE Pack for a full size BOB (sweet deal!), got some more paracord, and ordered battery holders that will go in BOBs.

I got a FAK/Emergency bag contents list from the child development center two of my kiddos go to...to suggest a few things.

I also discovered that certain kinds of canned chili really upset my stomach!

Well, lets see.....I bought a Camelbak Hawg in Foliage Green which will be my new hiking pack and a Maxpedition Condor ll in green which will be my new BOB and a Boker Plus Jim Wagner Reality-Based Blade Knife, One of those Kakadu Traveler Vest's in Olive Green, rotated my gasoline, a few Blackhawk pouches,a bunch of gear from County.com (battery holders, pry bar, pouches etc.) and also from TAD Gear(towel,compass etc.) Now I'm broke and will have to sit at home and play with and organize all my new gear

Feels good to be free of that load.

been there,

Teacher

We consolidated all our cards down a couple years ago and paid them off too. made everything easier, from not having to remember to pay a half dozen extra bills each month to the extra in the budget, etc.
I unloaded my summer gear from my truck last month. Took the new diaper bag we got free from the hospital with our second child and made up a baby BOB for each vehilce.
Re-organized our fireproof safe and a lot of important documents.

Went through my car thoroughly and found: missing flashlight, missing multi-tool (hooray!), missing multi-bit screwdriver, missing cell phone holster, and about $9 in change.

Confession: I had an accident. I'm fine, but the car is toast. That's why I was emptying it.

Interestingly, what they told us in physics class is correct: two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.

Frank2135

Frank2135,

Bummer. You/passengers okay?

To make this a learning experience, could you give us any details of the crash? Did a lot of loose stuff fly around inside the car? Could the doors open? Were the windows broken? Any bruises/burns from the airbag?

-Blast

Blast,
You raise a good question about stuff flying around in the car during an accident. Not to steal the thunder from what Frank2135 may post, but I can maybe shed a little light on this. I was in an accident almost two years ago, about 5am, driving a Ford Ranger with a cap on it. I was hit by a F-150 that ran the light, hit the passenger side of the bed of the truck and spun me around 2 1/2 times. I came to a stop facing the opposite direction of where I was going.

Now to the stuff flying around the vehicle. In the cab, I was now wearing my ice tea that had been in the cup holder. My cell phone and a number of papers had been thrown throughout the cab. Some items that used to be under the seat were no longer.

In the back I had two Rubber Maid type bins (about $4 each) tied in with bungee cords. One bin with papers, business cards etc., and one with vehicle needs - oil, anti-freeze, and other fluids. I also had a "Justin Case" car safety kit with a number of extras and a PSK.

In short, EVERYTHING WAS EVERYWHERE - outside of the truck. The cab was laying to the side of the road. The bins were of course destroyed and even the Justin Case kit had been ruined.
nearly 500 business cards and all sorts of paper work decorated the highway and anti-freeze that had been bottled was now flowing over the pavement. Truck was totaled. Some bruises, a little blood, lots of broken glass, no airbag deployment. Walked away from it - that makes it a good day.

Quick note to self - buy better bins and don't get hit.

Hope this may educate someone in at least a small way - it did me.
Tom

Thanks for asking, Blast. I was alone in my car. The young woman in the other car had her 18-month-old strapped properly in a car seat, and both of them are fine.

Long story short, she was ahead of me, talking on her cell phone, and she swung wide to the left to make a one-handed turn into her driveway to the right (without any signal that I saw). I was moving past her on the right, on the assumption (I know, I know) that she was getting into the left turn lane. When she swung in front of me, I cut the wheel and braked, but my left front fender hit her right front. That accelerated my turning motion, with the result that she came to a stop on the road with minor damage, and I came to a stop with a telephone pole embedded about 18" into my front end.

The car (1999 Subaru Forester) kept me safe, First, the shoulder belt reeled me in. Second, the crumple zones kept the passenger compartment intact. The air bag didn't deploy, though.

Most of my loose stuff was in the cargo area behind the rear seat, with the cover over it. All that stayed put. The stuff I found and mentioned in my first post appears to have been hiding under seats or behind seat cushions. The impact was slow enough (around 25-30 mph) that there were no lethal projectiles in the vehicle.

I had no trouble exiting the vehicle. I checked on the lady and her baby, who were shaken but otherwise OK, and then called 9-1-1 on my cell phone. Out of caution, I asked for an ambulance to check out the baby. No bumps, no bruises. Thank goodness.

In a rare show of compassion, the police decided that neither party's driving was all that hot, but that citations would not be issued.

Live and learn...

Frank2135

Thanks for the details. I'm concerned about flying projectiles as I'm bad about storing stuff in my car. I've started bunging it down but I don't know if that'll really help. My wife's Honda Pilot has a cargo cover so hopefully that'll help like your's did. I'm glad the cargo cover held stuff down. We have one for Honda Pilot.

You ended up with your front end wrapped around a telephone pole and your airbag didn't deploy? I wonder if the initial hit + spinning slowed you down enough that the mechanism decided it didn't need to deploy?

Thank God for crumple zones!

I'm glad no one was hurt and the police let everyone go. I think everyone learned a lesson. Thanks again for posting the details!

-Blast

LumpyJaw,

Do you know if the bungied-corded Rubbermaid conainers popped open at the original impact or from hitting the road afterwards? Bungie cords play a big role in my new attempts at tethering stuff down in my car.

Did your cellphone work after the crash?

Thanks for the information!

-Blast

Frank, a few months ago, there was an article in the newspaper about an accident very similar to yours, except for direction.

A guy was driving his pickup down the road, a sheriff's deputy was right behind him, lights and sirens going.

The pickup pulled to the right, the deputy thought he was doing the lawful thing and getting out of the way, put then the pickup pulled hard left into his driveway and creamed the deputy's vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle said he didn't hear the sirens nor see the flashing lights. He was cited for failure to yield.

I'm glad you weren't hurt, nor the baby. The driver.... well, a few bruises might have encouraged her to drive more cautiously.

Sue

The police officers on the scene were quite surprised that the air bag didn't deploy given the extent of the front-end damage. Personally I'm glad it didn't, because other than a slight bruise from the shoulder belt I'm fine.

Two things:
1. The ambulance crew warned me against crawling around in the vehicle retrieving my stuff, saying they had known air bags to suddenly deploy a few minutes after an impact.
2. A lady in our office has a son who recently completed the training to be a GM-certified mechanic. He told her in our area (lots of rain and snow, lots of road salt, etc.) it is not uncommon for corrosion to form on the contact points of the switch that actuates the air bag, rendering it useless.

Is it me, or is it a little annoying that the government says we have to pay an extra $1500 or so per vehicle for a mandatory safety feature that often doesn't work?

Frank2135

Good point about finding out about the preparations at your kid's school, Ors.

I'd suggest one other thing to find out about: We live close to 2 nuclear power plants and the school has a bug out plan in case there's a nuclear emergency. I was shocked that most of the parents without older kids in the school were clueless about this. Also, one of the school registration forms included the option of giving the school permission to administer KI pills. I was stunned at the number of parents who signed off without even knowing what it is!

I can't imagine living in this area without knowing this stuff - ESPECIALLY if you're depending on someone else to take care of your kids during such an emergency.

Blast,

You asked about the bungee cords and the Rubbermaid containers.
Most of what I found was outside the truck. I had tied the cords "around" the bins simply latching them to the wall of the truck bed. I'm sure that the impact just pushed them up and out of the truck. May have been different if I had run the straps over the top. After reading and writing on this thread, I am thinking of trying some straps to hold things in. One thing I learned is that $4 bins are okay in a storage unit but one should have something stronger in the car. The vehicle I drive now has a rear cover behind the seat so things are a little more secure.

As for the cell phone - yes it worked. However I had to find it first. My boss was behind me when the accident took place so he just offered his phone to me after the accident. 1st call to
9-1-1. 2nd call to DW.

Thanks for replying. A few more posts and I graduate from stranger to newbie. Time to get out the cap and gown!
-Lumpyjaw

A airbag can deploy up to half an hour after you've disconnected the car-battery because of the emergency-power in the airbag-control unit.

Picked up a pair of nice used Sorel Caribu boots for winter.
Worked 2 trades for AK mags. Picked up a large JetBoil pot, Ti cookset and a NorthFace Denali fleece vest at REI sale.

Dave

What I did this month: added a few things to our gear and; changed methods of transporting the gear.

Until this month, all of the gear was in a few rubbermaid containers. Fine idea, if we can get drive to where we want to get. However, if an when we are forced to move on foot, even perhaps after we get to someplace else we are staying, these containers will not be as easy to move around with gear as if I stored things in backpacks that we could simply grab. Now, we have two backpacks ready to go close by the front door. The rubbermaid containers will be restocked with with some of the same things as they held before and some other items too. Ideally we stay or move with all the gear. However, if we need to move on foot, we have a better option.

A significant addition was some cheap bic lighters. Living in NYC, we do not get a lot of opportunity to start fires. While we have tools to start fires (matches and strikers), it would be foolish to think we get enough practice with them to be able to count on them. Added the lighters, because one should be able to get thousands of fires started with one. During the time I was starting such fires, I can practice with the strikers. I'll practice anyway when I can, but now I have another option.

My other addition worth mentioning was a modification of a plastic spork, knife and razor knife. I did not want to carry a small scapel-like blade and no handle. The idea of trying to cut something with a sliver of metal pressed between my thumb and fingers seemed onerous. So, I took a plastic knife and a spork, drilled holes into the handle ends, and enlarged the hole on a a small exacto knife blade. Then I tooked a machine screw inserted it through all three holes, with the exacto blade sandwiched in the middle, and tightened a nut onto the screw. Now, if I should need it, I have an exacto blade with a handle. It will not my first choice in knife blades for almost any job, until it is the only one I have with me. But, I almost always have it with me.

One more thing, I joined this forum. So far it has beene ducational, and I think it will be shown to have been a wise choice in the future.

I finished our 6 month emergency fund (baby step 3 for all you Dave Ramsey discliples) and started rolling with a marine combat instructor. Marines are tough!

Red,

+1 on Dave Ramsey! Financial security is a must.

-Blast

I've never been a fan of Dave ramsey, I don't fine it very ethical to take freely available information, put it in a book, take credit for it, and make a big profit doing so.
There really is nothing in his book that isn't free knowlegde that can be founf repeated many times on various web sites, books, etc everywhere.

This month (December 2007) I stocked up on food. Kroger had a bunch of canned goods sales 20 for $10 which beats the Sam's club price on the cases (I'm starting to find that as I get stocked up enough to buy only itesm that are on sale I can beat the sams club prices on just about anything so I'm buying less and less there). I ended up buying several dozen cans of vegetables and had to buy two rubbermaid containers to store them in.

Added a winter travel box with more food, water, stove fuel, a pot, lighter and more clothes. Put a sleeping bag in the car.

Dave

Ordered a Fenix T1 today: http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-t1.html

added a few space pens?

I have been cleaning out and making some changes here and there.

all i did was sell a packpack and a big pile of survival equipment and put up another pack and a slightly smaller pile of survival equipment on sale. I need to clear out atleast another box of equipment and clothing after that.

You might think, how this is going to help me prepare. Not at all, but atleast i got more space left in mine room. Currently converting quantity in to a few quality items.

whatta ya got?

well not really the place to discuss this JIM, so see you on MSN.

This month I decided to get started on LTS. I've had a BOB at home and in each vehicle for years, but no solid storage plan. An icestorm that knocked out power for half a day reinforced my decision.

- Got "Making the Best of Basics" by James T. Stevens and began to inventory the little we have on hand. Began to buy extras of selected items on the grocery list, a few each trip depending upon the sale prices.

- Bought a 90-day supply of dehydrated food from Rainy Day Foods as a starting point.

- Asked for (and got) a bread machine for x-mas. A grain mill is next on the list.

- Updated the meds/perishables in the home BOB and made a list of wants/needs to improve it.

- Planning a winter backpacking trip for January. Fun, and useful practice at the same time.

- Ordered a survival necklace from Ranger Rick. How many personal kits are too many? :-]

Future plans: 1) join a local farm co-op next growing season and dehydrate the extras from each week's delivery, 2) get more firewood, 3) build a database of LTS that will help me rotate and keep things fresh, 4) locate and purchase our weekend/bug-out/retirement land farther out in the mountains.