What I/we/you did/bought/built this week/month to improve my/your survivability.

[goldie40]

I just picked up my monthly refill of my migraine-preventive. I've now got a full three years worth of my medicine stockpiled. For those of you who want to follow a similar approach as I am with non-controlled prescription meds:

http://survivalprepdotnet.blogspot.c...ore-tshtf.html

I use no meds at all but for others who may be reading, how do you store them and is the shelf life good? PS I was on Lipitor for a couple yrs when i was in my early 60s, but walking a few miles a day and watching the fat cals took care of that.My Dr is still upset because he can't find anything wrong to milk medicare and my supplemental insurance.

[goldie40]

Picked two more Nubian goats for milking. That makes six now with each producing one to one and a half gallons per day. I make cheese out of most of it and sell it at farmer's markets on weekends, but it's nice to know that I will never lack fresh milk. Could be useful as a bartering tool as well since many people can only drink goat's milk for whatever reason.

how much were the beans in WM? I stopped in a SAV-A-LOT about 100 miles from where I live and the dry beans there were all .99#. I bought most of mine a few yrs ago for under .50# so it has been a 100% increase in 3 years.

[AceNZ]

My wife borrowed an apple peeling and coring device from a friend, and we used it tonight to prepare apples from the garden for the dehydrator. All I can say is: Awesome!

Here's the one we're using:

http://www.ezipeelers.co.nz/

[Ozark]

Bought 1,000 rounds of 223/556 at a gun show. Also picked up some more magazines for a couple of other weapons. Bought some canned goods on sale. Got in 10 cases of wheat that I ordered from the LDS and three cases of powdered milk from Emergency Essentials. Getting ready ASAP. I really don't see a way out of the financial mess the fools in Washington have gotten us into. Still looking for land for a BOL

[Nickelless]

I use no meds at all but for others who may be reading, how do you store them and is the shelf life good? PS I was on Lipitor for a couple yrs when i was in my early 60s, but walking a few miles a day and watching the fat cals took care of that.My Dr is still upset because he can't find anything wrong to milk medicare and my supplemental insurance.

I keep my stockpiled meds in a cabinet in a dark corner of the homestead where I have some of my preps. It's a constant 60 degrees in that area, so the conditions are conducive for long-term storage. I had a pharmacist tell me that I could expect at least an effective two-year shelf life, but I'm willing to hold them as long as possible and see if they still prevent me from getting migraines.

[GodspeedMetals]

today... I bought a portable propane generator (5000w)

A small fire pit

stocked up on extra supplies - multiple boxes of...
plastic spoons, knives, forks
paper plates and bowls
toilet paper / paper towels
boxes of aluminum foil
Trash bags
bleach
vinegar
boxes of sardines
Cans of Tuna fish
some firewood

[GodspeedMetals]

and I bought propane tanks today.

today... I bought a portable propane generator (5000w)

A small fire pit

stocked up on extra supplies - multiple boxes of...
plastic spoons, knives, forks
paper plates and bowls
toilet paper / paper towels
boxes of aluminum foil
Trash bags
bleach
vinegar
boxes of sardines
Cans of Tuna fish
some firewood

[Barrettone]

Just added (30) 5 gallon food grade buckets with gamma lids/mylar bags/absorber packets. Bought the following to stuff them with:

400 lbs long cut white rice
150 lbs flour (50# with high gluten)
200 lbs granulated sugar
50 lbs Act II Popcorn
50 lbs lentils
50 lbs kidney beans
50 lbs pinto beans
5 gallons vegetable oil
2 cases of morton salt (12 large cannisters)
2 gallons black pepper
70 lbs Sea Salt
Case of Honey (18#)
1 gallon dehydrated onion
1 gallon powdered garlic
1 gallon seasoning salt
1 Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer + 6 rolls of bagging material

Figure I am sitting at about a years worth of reserves now coupled with my other preps.

[Barrettone]

Added 50# of powdered milk, 6 gallons of Vinegar and 6 gallons of Bleach. Just got done mylar bagging all of the stuff and putting it in marked buckets...man I am tired...need to get some shuteye now...

[GodspeedMetals]

Added 50# of powdered milk, 6 gallons of Vinegar and 6 gallons of Bleach. Just got done mylar bagging all of the stuff and putting it in marked buckets...man I am tired...need to get some shuteye now...

what brand powdered milk?

[CiscoKid]

Now that's what I call being prepared!

Just added (30) 5 gallon food grade buckets with gamma lids/mylar bags/absorber packets. Bought the following to stuff them with:

400 lbs long cut white rice
150 lbs flour (50# with high gluten)
200 lbs granulated sugar
50 lbs Act II Popcorn
50 lbs lentils
50 lbs kidney beans
50 lbs pinto beans
5 gallons vegetable oil
2 cases of morton salt (12 large cannisters)
2 gallons black pepper
70 lbs Sea Salt
Case of Honey (18#)
1 gallon dehydrated onion
1 gallon powdered garlic
1 gallon seasoning salt
1 Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer + 6 rolls of bagging material

Figure I am sitting at about a years worth of reserves now coupled with my other preps.

[TnAndy]

Hey, for those storing bleach......you might not want to store TOO much ahead.

My understanding of liquid bleach is over time ( like a year or so ), the stuff breaks down and weakens to the point it's no longer "bleach", but some soluble salt in water. The advice I've always heard is store pool chlorine tablets or powder in good, tight containers, and you can mix up your own "fresh" bleach at any time.

That said, I don't have any pool stuff yet, but it's on my "to do" list for this year.

[GodspeedMetals]

I'm quite surprised by this... rotate stored chlorine every 3 months???

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2011/...cy-situations/

"Does Chlorine Bleach Ever Expire or Go Bad? The answer is Yes, absolutely. If you are keeping chlorine bleach on hand for an emergency situation, you need to be aware of this expiration problem and you need to be refreshing your bleach supply every 3 months or so.

Chlorine dissipates rapidly, and if you have an aquarium you understand this. Tap water will kill fish in aquarium if you use it fresh. But if you boil the water or you simply let tap water sit on the counter for a day or two, the chlorine disappears.

Chlorine from the store is usually 5% to 6% sodium hypochlorite mixed in water. Its chemical formula is NaClO. With time, the NaClO releases the oxygen and a bottle of bleach turns into a bottle of salt water.

How long does it take? Less than a year in many cases – about 3 months if using the bleach as a disinfectant – especially if the bottle of bleach is kept in a garage that gets warm in the summer."

[TnAndy]

Yeah.....that's what I've read also......from several different sources over the years. I'd think a closed jug would get a little more life, but not too much.

Only keep enough in liquid form for immediate needs.

[Bocephus]

I pull the generators out from the back of the garage. Took some time but got the 5800 watt one running good, the smaller 2-cycle 1000 watt one woundn't start. I may have to clean the carb on it. Also filled up six 5 gallon gas cans.

[90%RealMoney]

Finally getting around to getting a vegetable garden going this year. I have the room for a full acre garden, but don't have the funds right now to set it up properly to fend off gophers, deer, etc. So, I decided to grow some on my balcony in pots. I built this planter box and was just going to have the broccoli in it, since they say these get two feet high. After spending 45 bucks on soil (it will be re-used next year, with home made compost mixed in) I figured I'd better stuff some more things in there. The Jalapenos are looking okay, but the Anaheim peppers look anemic. I think the cold weather snap we had might have done it. I'm learning as I go here, so if someone knows of something better to add to the box, that is compatible, I'm all ears. I put the box on rollers, so I can get 8 full hours of sun for the entire box. Otherwise, part of the box will only get 6 hours. Materials used for the box, 1-2X12-8' pressure treated for the bottom, one sheet of OSB (or plywood), 5- 2X4-8', about a gallon of Henry's asphalt emulsion, and I had some house paint kicking around for the outside. Drain holes drilled in the bottom as well.

[GodspeedMetals]

So, I decided to grow some on my balcony in pots.

That's excellent. I'm working on a similar project.

[Ronnie Mexico]

Bought a tin of canned ham a few days ago. Unfortunately I was hungry and I made a toastada with canned ham. Other than that, there are plenty of chestnut trees in a park near my home nobody cares about.

[CiscoKid]

So, I decided to grow some on my balcony in pots.

Nicely done. I decided to grow some pot on my balcony. Same thing really. Just how you look at it.

[Nickelless]

Hey, for those storing bleach......you might not want to store TOO much ahead.

My understanding of liquid bleach is over time ( like a year or so ), the stuff breaks down and weakens to the point it's no longer "bleach", but some soluble salt in water. The advice I've always heard is store pool chlorine tablets or powder in good, tight containers, and you can mix up your own "fresh" bleach at any time.

That said, I don't have any pool stuff yet, but it's on my "to do" list for this year.

Rawles had a letter mentioning pool shock recently. Here are several links from a Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?q=survivalblog+pool+shock

[minimus]

Chlorine bleach is made by passing an electric current thru saltwater.

Even low voltage battery current works.

Salt + water + battery = bleach

[90%RealMoney]

Nicely done. I decided to grow some pot on my balcony. Same thing really. Just how you look at it.

So we both have pot(s) on our balcony!

[skyvike]

Well, when I received the news of Bin Ladin's death, I went out and added to the stock of diesel fuel I'm storing and made sure both the car and the pickup were full.

Geez, it cost about $250!

[TnAndy]

Yeah....day will come when that's 5 gallons.

[Fatboy]

Yeah....day will come when that's 5 gallons.

Or hopefully a small handfull of those 90% dimes.

[Nickelless]

I got my final check today from my now-former employer, and I didn't INTEND to go on a protein-buying binge--it just turned out that way. I bought another 30 pounds of black beans and the last 19 jars of almond butter because I'm allergic to peanuts, but I can eat almonds. I'm so allergic to peanuts, in fact, that Snoopy makes me break out in a rash.

[Merlin]

I'm not a big spender these days. But I did ride my bicycle over to the local Italian grocer and buy 2 liters of extra virgin olive oil to store in the basement. I've been eating chef's salads for lunch every day for a couple of months now and going through a lot of vinegar and oil. I now have about 4 liters of olive oil stored; but that is definitely less than 2 years worth at the rate I'm consuming it. I paid more than I "should have" because I want to support the local small store rather than Kroger's. In the long run, the little guy will be my friend if he survives.

[newmisty]

That sucks. At least you aren't allergic to bananas like me!

[Nickelless]

That sucks. At least you aren't allergic to bananas like me!

That's a bummer, Newmisty. I think bananas are appealing.

[CiscoKid]

Just picked up another 20.7 cu. ft. upright freezer from Lowe's. It was on sale for $611 and it's a Fridgedaire which I've had pretty good luck with in the past. I pick up another steer from the slaughter house tomorrow and needed the additional storage space. My other three freezers are full of beef and pork. Vacuum sealed and kept below 0 degrees F meat will keep for up to two years with no signs of freezer burn. I've had success keeping meat for longer than two years at 15 to 20 below zero. I buy thermometers from the hardware store and keep them in my freezers so that I can check the temps every time I pull something out. Since I just packed two more six month old hogs away, I am now nicely set for a while. This also gives me room to store any chicken that I may buy on sale since I do not raise my own chickens.

[Westfalia]

New bike helmet from ProTec.
http://www.pro-tec.net/helmets.php#all

4Sevens Preon 1 AAA Flashlight. Compact format and multiple outputs, highly recommend for Every Day Carry.
http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297_332

Light Weight Hiking Shoes from Merrell, intended for summer use and as pack-up shoes during summer hikes.

[GodspeedMetals]

I hold my preps in my walk-in closet - it's the only place I can store it. So I bought a DE-humidifier this weekend to take some of the moisture out once the climate gets hot and sticky.

[Zilver]

I picked up a non-running 1970's era Troy Bilt Horse tiller at an estate sale for $150.
and
spent the last few days rebuilding and repainting the beast.
This tiller has a 6hp Tecumseh H60 cast iron block engine,
all tolerances and the compression are up to snuff
it had the typical Tecumseh ignition issues (good looking spark when pulling it over, but not enough to run off idle)
Replaced the coil, condenser and points, new belts, carb rebuilt, added electric start, changed the gear box oil... etc
I Just finished tilling the garden with it, this beast really fluffs up the soil and tills it extra deep
I am pleased with it, it was worth the effort and cussing

[CiscoKid]

I picked up a non-running 1970's era Troy Bilt Horse tiller at an estate sale for $150.
and
spent the last few days rebuilding and repainting the beast.
This tiller has a 6hp Tecumseh H60 cast iron block engine,
all tolerances and the compression are up to snuff
it had the typical Tecumseh ignition issues (good looking spark when pulling it over, but not enough to run off idle)
Replaced the coil, condenser and points, new belts, carb rebuilt, added electric start, changed the gear box oil... etc
I Just finished tilling the garden with it, this beast really fluffs up the soil and tills it extra deep
I am pleased with it, it was worth the effort and cussing

Nicely done. A far better fate for it than the scrap pile.

[Barrettone]

Just acquired a new planter for my berry farm. I already had a corn/soybean planter, but needed this little baby (Tomato/Strawberry Planter) to plant this springs seedlings. It's newly refurbished, and I got her for just $199. Can't wait to put her to the test in 2 weeks at the 21 acre parcel I just bought for the berry farm. If all goes well, I will have fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries next summer!!! Time to put the kiddies to work...

[Nickelless]

Looks like I hit the trifecta: On my way home from my job orientation, I decided to stop at a yard sale along the highway and snagged a like-new propane grill AND a full propane tank for $50. Then I decided to stop in at a local doughnut shop to see if they had any buckets--they didn't have buckets today, but I got six lids for free. So as I was walking out of the doughnut shop, I notice a truck in the parking lot advertising a rabbitry operation in the next county, so I went back inside to find out who was running it. An older gentleman in overalls said it was his operation, and we stood and chatted for several minutes. He said that in about 10 weeks, he should have quite a bit of rabbit meat ready to be butchered!

[TnAndy]

Just acquired a new planter for my berry farm. I already had a corn/soybean planter, but needed this little baby (Tomato/Strawberry Planter) to plant this springs seedlings. It's newly refurbished, and I got her for just $199. Can't wait to put her to the test in 2 weeks at the 21 acre parcel I just bought for the berry farm. If all goes well, I will have fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries next summer!!! Time to put the kiddies to work...

Tobacco planter is what they are called here.

[ttazzman]

Intresting planter........what is the round barrel(tank) on it for Ballast, fertilizer????

[Barrettone]

Tobacco planter is what they are called here.

Yep Andy, I've seen them listed as such in the south. Up here, we don't plant tobacco, so they are named for other plants that are more indiginous to the northern states...I know...damn yankees.

[Barrettone]

Intresting planter........what is the round barrel(tank) on it for Ballast, fertilizer????

Watering or fertilizer...good guess.

[Usury]

After my power outage fiasco, I've stepped up and ordered a 10,000 watt dual fuel generator. I plan to stockpile propane to burn in it and I'm calling an electrician tomorrow to install a transfer switch for me. Next time the power goes out, I WON'T HAVE TO TAKE NO DAMN COLD SHOWERS!!!

[Mongrel]

Started water prepping with 2-30 gal water barrels, 8-7 gal Aqua-tainers, Purogene to make it last 5 years and Pool Shock to make fresh bleach anytime I want!!

[Nickelless]

I'd been setting aside $40 per week the past several months for shelving for my deep pantry, and tonight I jumped on sale prices (25 percent off) for heavy-duty steel shelves at Menards. I'm going to have 9 of the shelves in about a 7-by-26-foot strip of floor space in my bunker, set up at right angles (alternating lengthwise and horizontally) so I can bolt the shelves together for greater stability. I'll post a photo of my shelving configuration once I get it set up.

[Nickelless]

I picked up another 25 pounds of small red beans last night at Kroger for 96 cents a pound. I'm planning on getting another 50 pounds of rice tomorrow at Sam's Club.

[Uglytruth]

Got a 6 month SHTF supply of prescription meds from my doctor. He was very understanding & loves talking G&S.

I can't survive here by myself but am prepping & have a place to move to. It will be a commune with 15-18 people so we can protect & defend it.

[northfarmer]

Couple thousand paper silver ounces,ya,ya,i know,but i figure if the futures market seizes to exist,we all seize to exist.(sp?)

[minimus]

Got in a Sturmey Archer 3 sp hub for a 26" beach cruiser bike, doing an old school street conversion. Need to get it laced up this week. The big tires (2" Kevlar) ought to handle gravel roads.

This is an example of the conversion without the rear hub. Mines a dark blue Huffy, same steel frame. Only cable will be the shifter. No cable brakes, no clutter. 12 Gage spokes.

Good ratrod bike. Very comfy.

[Nickelless]

Got a 6 month SHTF supply of prescription meds from my doctor. He was very understanding & loves talking G&S.

I can't survive here by myself but am prepping & have a place to move to. It will be a commune with 15-18 people so we can protect & defend it.

This might also help those of you trying to obtain prescription meds. I have a 3-1/2-year supply of my migraine medicine at the moment:

http://survivalprepdotnet.blogspot.c...ore-tshtf.html

Couple thousand paper silver ounces,ya,ya,i know,but i figure if the futures market seizes to exist,we all seize to exist.(sp?)

Let us know when you take delivery of that silver!

[Merkin]

This has not been in the last thirty days but this is how we have been and are preparing.

We bought 25 acres way out in the country. It has a house, a barn and a shop.

We are surrounded by state land. The only neighbor was foreclosed so they're gone.

I bought a 40' insulated container and have camouflaged it with foliage.

The shop and container is filled with about 20 guerrilla racks for storage. Great shelving.

I've garnered many five gallon food grade buckets and have filled them with pinto beans, rice, flour and freeze dried foods.

We've purchased a dehydrator but haven't tried it yet.

I have cases of canned food, bleach, shampoo and soap.

We have military first aid kits and books. I have two silver generators for making colloidal silver.

I've put in a 65K solar system dedicated to running the well and a shop with refrigerators.

I have a wine cellar and have tucked away few bottles of single malt scotch and then few bottles of swill for barter.

Beer has a shelf life of one year max. Do not store beer.

We are now raising goats for milk, meat and barter. I am also training them to pack supplies and pull a cart.

Training goats is not easy but they bond and stay with you. Most fun I ever had.

We have two bicycles.

I am learning to cook with outside equipment; mainly Dutch Oven, and with wood. Goat meat is delicious.

We are armed.

I have set up a pistol range on our land and have taught my wife how to shoot. Accurately. We practice frequently.

I buy a little ammo every couple of months for protection and for barter if needed. 7.62x39, .45. 9mm and .22

We own and frequently refer to the Foxfire series of books; vol. 1 through 8. Buy them on eBay

We pick up items as we can afford it. Lots of thrift store shopping.

We put our savings into this project.

The wife was heavily vested in the stock market and lost everything about 12 years ago.

That's when I withdrew my savings and put it into silver coins and bars.

This prep thing is not a weekly or monthly. We Live It.

Word of warning. Don't plan visiting when the SHTF. We don't anticipate being friendly.

With all this preparation I'm still freaked because I don't feel ready.

and the FDA is raiding farms that have fresh milk, eggs and veges for sale.

We have rabbits, free range chickens, milk and meat goats.

The FDA is led by Monsanto and I'm sure my wife and I are labeled as anti something

Go Gimmers

[Nickelless]

Merkin, what brand of dehydrator did you buy? I've got 10 Nescos that still work, and I'd like to get an Excalibur at some point.


My survivability stash this week has been increased by 8 ozs. Ag, 100 pounds of rice, 25 pounds of small red kidney beans and beaucoup steel shelving for my bunker pantry.