Feb 27 - Mar 5 ... what did you do to prep this week?

[8greenbeans]

So how is this week going for you prep wise? Any strides made ~ big or small?

[Vina8]

Great picture, 8greenbeans!

[samme98]

Botted butter, and dehydrated bananas and apples. vacum seal 50 lb rice and 50 lb flour. Payed off two bills. And check our inventory and made a list of what else we need. It's a big list...... but, we are working on it. Got my seeds for garden.

[8greenbeans]

Thanks MtM Just realized I didn't answer my own question, but technically I did it yesterday ... got some seeds that I really should have gotten in the ground Friday or today - but I'm always a step behind in my gardening it seems. Trying to get better.

Need to get some more seeds and start some seeds inside. Still working on my window farm... wound up with a migraine yesterday and had residual headache today plus had less time than I thought to get things done today. It's been a long day with the kids as it always seems to be when I have a headache ... I just can't take their bickering and excessive playing cause I hurt so bad. I really wish I could find the cause of these blasted headaches.

OH, today I did get some extra stuff at the grocery store. Got a few extra bananas and apples to dehydrate and extra pack of tortillas. Considering shopping got cut in half I think I did well.

[valponder1]

made a grocery list that included prep items... reviewed my go bag list and discussed it with my husband... working on getting going again. Will probably plant garden next week, hoping we don't have too much cold weather left, but everyone else in my area of the country is planting, so I'm gonna follow their lead... they have much more experience than I do!

[Vina8]

8greenbeans, too bad about those headaches. I know several members here suffer from them. There are so many different causes, it is hard telling why you get them. For a few years I got bad headaches every couple of months. First, I would get very tired and fall asleep in my chair which I never do otherwise. Within a few hours I would have a headache that would last 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 days and didn't feel like doing anything. I think it was related to my sinuses. As the headache started getting better, I would start getting some drainage. I read about a doctor who said he believed that sinus headaches are caused by a fungal infection which is the reason antibiotics don't do anything to relieve them and recur. I started taking some probiotics a couple of months ago which reportedly help control any kind of fungal infections. They worked like magic on a skin thing I had that prescriptions did not help, and so far no headaches. I will wait and see... I know, I am off topic.

[MrDanB]

Went to the dollar stores and stocked up on trivial items. Found a solar powered flashlight with radio for 7.99! Looked into B.O.L. here in Washington state. Ordered a few more books. added to the master list. Talked girlfriend into purchasing a deep freezer for the garage! Now we can go buy some meat and I will have a place to store more vac pac. items! Woohoo. Worked a ton of OT. (better grab it while I can.lol
Dano

[Empress]

Found a killer sale on Apple sauce, Apple juice, and Dried Apricots, oh and Potatoes were 49 CENTS per 10lb BAG not per LB WAHOO. had limits though, went in and out a few times... till the kids were freaking out. ended up w/ 8 bottle each of sauce and juice (kids broke one of the sauce jars though) and about 25-30 LBS of Apricots. wish I have a good way to store them long term. (I doubt Zip-lock will work for too long.) got some more first aide stuff also... shifted shelves around so I can start loading them up. Think that's it so far.

[MrDanB]

Empress, handsome tyke you got there!
Dano

[Empress]

thanks I like 'im

[Lee Enfield]

Still early in the week but I'll jump in.

I found 5-gallon gas cans on sale at the hardware store and purchased two. I traded in my credit card points for $75.00 in gift cards. I will use the gift cards to pay for gas for three gas cans (two new and one other). The best time to buy gas for storage is winter. I'll add Sta-bil to the cans and store it for my generator or rotate it next year this time. (The gennie is to protect our three deep freezes not for long term off-grid living.)

I won a mini-mag flashlight on the weekend. This will go on my keychain.

Last but not least I just had my yearly dental work completed. I'd hate to have a toothache during a TEOTWAWKI situation.

[juju_mommy]

Botted butter, and dehydrated bananas and apples. vacum seal 50 lb rice and 50 lb flour. Payed off two bills. And check our inventory and made a list of what else we need. It's a big list...... but, we are working on it. Got my seeds for garden.

Sorry to go off topic. But quick question... when you vacum seal the rice and flour, how do you do it? Meaning, do you put an oxygen obsorber in each pack? Or do you just freee the packs for a few days to "kill" any buggies in there? Just curious.....

[valponder1]

I bought doubles of all of the Pantry style items on my grocery list. If I needed one box of noodles for a recipe, I bought two. I also bought 6 lbs of salt. Each time I go grocery shopping, that's what I plan to do!

[IceFire]

Got 38 pounds of various types of flours--semolina, spelt, and 7-grain mix, as well as a metal canning funnel. The flour is in the freezer now to kill off any "critters", and will be vacuum sealed later. Also vacuum-sealed two 5+ pound bags of wheat, and two of unbleached flour that had been purchased, frozen, and thawed previously.

[valponder1]

Hadn't thought about freezing before vacuum sealing stuff like flour. What all would you treat that way, IceFire? Any other suggestions on preserving the food I purchase, such as boxes of macaroni, yeast, boullion cubes, oats, etc?