What Preps are you doing this week

[FEISTY]

Adding to the two Kingfisher heaters (green, Amazon, just over £17 each), bought camping stove in case (£9.99 in discount store), together with 4 pack of Butane camping gas, which I think fits both stove and heaters (£3.99). Trial packing of rice into Mylar bag (c5lbs/gallon bag) with oxygen absorber seems to have worked fine (used home iron dry) - needed daughter to support the weight of the bag while I held the edges together and ironed - not as easy as it looks. Tempted to try the hair straighteners next time if I have to do it myself. Still have a lingering worry about moisture. I freeze rice first and I then left it out to "air" after wiping the outside of the packets. When I opened them the rice seemed as dry as ever. I didn't have any of the food safe silica sachets in the house, so didn't want to risk putting one of mine in. Will it be OK? Also bought 4 adult, outdoor ponchos (£1.29 each) - they can also be used as groundsheets. If DH is curious, I will explain they're for DofE and family hillwalking . One Mylar pack of rice isn't a great loss, but don't want to package up a whole lot and it turns out it's inedible if we ever need it. Bought two cans of beef stew, one own brand, on branded, to try (DD and I will do taste testing) and, if they're OK, I'll buy them for the store. Bought cans of butter beans. Was going to give away old duvets as we have recent replacements, but, instead have had them washed and bought vacuum storage bags - these can go in a box in the attic - just in case. Bought two extra disposable BBQs at £2 each and kicked myself when I saw them at £1.49 each in the discount store. Guess where I'll be guying mine from now on. Bought 36 loo rolls and extra feminine hygiene products.

[nickdutch]

Learning how to cook Okara, the pulp left over from Tofu making. If I take this seriously, both the Tofu and the Okara cooking, I sure could cut down the cost my foods substantially over the course of the next few years. Cutting costs and maintaining health at the same time makes a lot of sense to me.

The cost of the soya beans for making the tofu and the okara for one days worth of eating well could be as low as £0:36 if I buy in bulk. Add to that the cost of vegetables and rice (or potatoes), plus my oatmeal for breakfast, that would still probably work out around £2 a day sometimes less, but definitely below £4.

The extra cost would be taken up by broccoli, carrots, olive oil, linseed (for a breakfast topping), stock, spices (which I don't use that much of anyway), sweetener and other junk to add to the main meals.

Beginning to think that learning about Soy beans, Tofu, Okara and Soy milk is probably one of the best things that I could do for my long term economic survival and a useful skill to have when times get hard.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Had a a battle on tonight to wire my inverter box to accept solar charging what a absolute night mare that was I installed a special relay to charge both battery's evenly (sending the current to the most depleated battery first so they charge at the same rate and don't boil one whilst the other is charging well after about 3 hours i'd built a circuit to do it

[jansman]

The pantry is full, the logpile is stacked for next Winter. The polytunnel is producing lettuce, radish and new potatoes. My 3 doe rabbits have litters each and the fowls are laying. Plenty of homebrew stocked.
Life is good. I think I will go fishing in the morning.
Times like this I realise that prepping is good, but the idea of a catastrophe is not. I love a steady, peaceful life.

[Briggs 2.0]

I've got several jobs to do.

1) Split log rounds into firewood
2) Fit the final filter in my rainwater collection system
3) Put up antenna
4) Recharge 12v batteries and refit solar panel

However, I'm still in bed and can't muster the enthusiasm to do any of them. I'm considering buying a PS4 instead of prepping....what is happening to me? Is this early onset Sheeple-ism?

[lonewolf]

I'm considering buying a PS4 instead of prepping....what is happening to me? Is this early onset Sheeple-ism?

yep, looks like you've been infected by some sheeple

[rik_uk3]

Buying PS4 is a great idea. Home entertainment is often overlooked by preppers. I've around 4TB of films stored which would be a moral booster in hard times.

[lonewolf]

oh for crying out loud.

[rik_uk3]

Paul, does your comment mean you don't see home entertainment as a prepping necessity? IMHO its a major psychological booster and I have not just my films but board games, several thousand ebooks, packs of cards et al. Hard drives are backed up to two or more disks, we have several laptops, an excess of PC base units, four Kindle's etc.

Perhaps this is vital area of prepping you've overlooked?

[lonewolf]

Paul, does your comment mean you don't see home entertainment as a prepping necessity? IMHO its a major psychological booster and I have not just my films but board games, several thousand ebooks, packs of cards et al. Hard drives are backed up to two or more disks, we have several laptops, an excess of PC base units, four Kindle's etc.

Perhaps this is vital area of prepping you've overlooked?

your right I don't see home entertainment as a prepping necessity apart from the fact that post SHTF the power will be off, I will be far too busy doing other things necessary for every day survival to be bothered with it.