Over the weekend I decided to store some gasoline, in case I needed to haul ass somewhere if I had too. I'm not sure what the difference is between storing gas in a metal or poly container, but since the steel containers are ~$40 and the poly ones are ~$5 I bought two 5 gallon poly containers and some fuel stabilizer. I have not had a chance to fill them yet, I will tonight on the way home when I gas up the jeep.
While I was out I stopped by Wally World and bought two 7 gallon water storage containers. Think they were $8 each, and have a spigot you can use with a little vent. Not too shabby. Filled them up and added 50 drops of bleach to each to keep them fresh. I did forget to date them, but I'll do that tonight.
I have a nice spot in my basement that I might be able to rig into a "hidden closet." It gets no sunlight, and already has shelves. It's about 10' from the furnace, and 15' from the oil tank so I should be good to go there. I'll devise some way of camouflaging the door. I need to hide my stores because I'm away from home a lot, and just need some meatball to shoot my dogs and rummage through the house, stealing all my preps. At least this way, I have a chance of keeping my stuff. I should be able to get a gun safe in there too, which is perfect. I'll snap some photos when I'm done.
A while ago I got my shipment of dehydrated food for the BOB. It's a lot bulkier than I thought, but it is lighter than expected. I think I'll take one of those compression sacks I got for $3, put 1/2 the food in there, and the other 1/2 inside the BOB, and eat the stuff in the sack first.
So I took the night off last night to watch the Celtics whup on the Lakers. I mean beat them like a red-headed step child. Feels good to be in the City of Champions. Now so long as Jeremy Jacobs sells the Bruins so we can get the Stanley Cup here I can die a happy man.
I have revised my plans for my Bug-Out-Bag System™ I cannot fit the minimum I feel I need into the camelback-clone I have, so I am going to use a fannypack I had in my paintball stuff. This is big enough to conceal a handgun, which was a big issue. Tonight I'll go through my Bug-Out-Bag System™ and get everything squared away. I'll do another post tonight with what I have in there. Guess I need to clean off the kitchen table though, and clean up the house a little.
I'm feeling better, but there is no rest for the wicked, no rest for the prepper either. I can confidently say I have 2 weeks of food and water in my home, excluding the dehydrated stuff. I also bought some salt, sugar, and cooking oil because I found it on sale. I do need to buy a bunch of baking soda though, haven't seen it on sale yet - next time I'm at BJ's I'll buy a big package.
There is a feed store in town, which is odd because there are no farms in 10 miles... I keep forgetting to swing by and see what they got. Next on my food prep list is wheat.
I also need to look at alternative energy. I'll be getting a generator, but I also want to get some deep cycle marine batteries, and a solar panel. Alternative power is expensive, so I'd like to have three months of food squared away before pursuing it. I am planning on using part of my bread and circus (i.e. economic stimulus) check for the genny. The rest is for a good shotgun.
I also need to keep an eye out for a cheap wood stove, if it gets too bad I could connect it to the chimney in the basement and heat the house with wood. Although a cord of wood is over $200 and climbing.
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5 comments:
You seem to have a good idea of what you will be needing but I cannot abide with your location. Massachsetts? or however you spell it? And Indiana contributed Larry Bird to your area and I am for Boston myself. But to live there? Gimme a break.
Your idea of a cheap woodstove shows a lack of experience in living with one of the beasts. The best wood stove I ever saw, bought 25 years ago for $750, was a little small thing hardly worth paying attention to. But it was air tight and heated like you would not believe. One big chunk of wood would last all night in the damn thing and keep a family nice and cozy. Didn't use much wood at all for the amount of heat is supplied. A cheap woodstove is usually cheap for a reason and that reason is generally because you have to feed it would all the time and wood is getting expensive. Be very hesitant about buying a "cheap" woodstove. It can cost you your ass in fuel bills! You want an air-tight with a flat top that swings open to let you load easy. The flat top also allows you to cook on the damn thing. That is why they have Dutch Ovens.
Get out of Boston.
Michael
fyi... any solvent like gasoline will eventually eat (read melt) thru a poly container. Especially if you are considering storing the gasoline for over 3 months. Its wise to get a metal drum to store the gas or other petroleum based solvents.
Your fellow People's Republic of Massachusetts resident.
Poly containers are good enough. I got one over 15 years old I keep my lawnmower gas in. Go with poly, unless you find a yard sale deal on a jerry can. And I'm with Micheal, get the hell outta Mass!!!! Any you better have access to a lot of free wood to feed a wood stove up there. Get yourself to a more temperate climate! And away from the commie hoardes in the northeast!
I'd leave Mass, but I'm stuck with family and friends. Plus I'm stuck with the house, I doubt I'd be able to sell it for anywhere near what I owe on it. Complicating matters, I have an awesome interest rate, so I'm not sure it's best to leave right now.
I've had gas for my lawnmower in a poly container for two years with no trouble, the gas is still good without stabilizer too.
For free wood in the city, collect and cut up pallets. It's pretty easy to bring home a big box full a day if you have a cordless recip or circ saw. Or if you want to forgo getting cordless tools, since you want to get a DC setup, put your inverter in the car for the time being and run the saw off that. While on the subject of DC, if you can avoid it don't go with Marine batteries as they aren't true deep discharge, most of them anyways, go with pairs of 6volt golf cart batteries available at Sams, or Costco. The price per amp hour is better and they'll last longer.
As to the woodstove, yup you get what you pay for, but a cheap wood stove is better than an open fireplace any day.
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