Posted on 08/09/2012 5:57:27 PM PDT by Kartographer
I've got an adapter pole that attaches to a 20# tank. It allows me to mount a lantern plus run 2 other devices that would normally take the one pounders.
I am saving small change myself for two reasons. First the metal value and two if the SHTF and I do have the chance to make any last minute purchases I can pay cash, but anyone watch would figure I am paying with ‘piggy bank’ money and I wouldn’t be worth the trouble to rob or extort money from.
I got out of the habit of spending change decades ago, and have ended up with coffee cans full of the stuff - which has stood me in good stead through a couple of ‘poverty periods’ through my life...
In terms of SHTF philosophy, I question whether small bills would be useful, but coinage in fractional denominations can be useful as barter-tokens, if we can break ourselves away from thinking in terms of ‘money’ whose value is fixed or assigned by some outside source...
/End ‘early-morning-not-enough-coffee’ ramble
In no particular order...
Cigarettes
Pints of whiskey/alcohol
Lighters
.22 shells
Toilet paper
Eggs(from my own hens)
Various OTC medicines
Carpentry skills
Firewood
Vegetables(from my garden)
Actually, I'm doing a little prepping, myself -- there is a lot of over-hype, but you never know....
I'm on a limited income that doesn't stretch so I try to add a few inexpensive items here and there. As someone else said, get out of the "got to buy" mind set and look at what you already have. Do a major spring cleaning and get everything organized. Before you trash or get rid of something consider if it can be used in preps. Clean out the garage, the basement, the attic, the closets and the kitchen (find all those recently expired foods and eat them now before you have to toss them and your money out). It might not be fun but it'll give you great satisfaction and you'll be surprised at how much you already have. Have a garage sale with what you don't need and pay off a few bills with the proceeds or put it toward your preps. Ask the grocery store for a big empty TP box and make a solar oven. The sun doesn't require a fuel purchase so all you're out is tape and foil. http://solarcooking.org/plans/ Start a garden inside or outside if you have the space. Seeds can cost as little as 25 cents a package or free if you know a gardener.
We have never had a black president before, and in their eyes he can do no wrong. God only knows what’s going to happen when he loses the election. Homeland security is buying riot gear so it looks like they are getting ready for something.
You’re right, you never know.
Excellent idea with that “piggy bank” money.
The thing with people wanting to point to Y2K as an example of why there’s no need to prepare is a misnomer, yes nothing happened, but not because there was no problem. Nothing happened because companies and governments spent millions of dollars and IT people spend thousand of man hours fixing the problem before it could occur.
Taking heed of a problem and preventing a disaster does not prove disasters can not happen.
If a farmer stores bails of sand bags and water pumps in case of flooding and one spring the Weather Service announces a river crest that’s 6” over the levee that protects his farm, and then he and his neighbors work together and raise the levee a foot. And between the sand bags and the water pumps the farm which is below the river’s crest doesn’t flood.
Does that mean the farm was never in any danger of flooding. Was the farmer and his neighbors fools for working so hard to sand bag the levee and keep the pumps running? Hell was it foolish for the farmer to store the sand bags and the pumps to begin with? And since the farm didn’t flood was the Weather Service wrong in issuing their Flood Warning?
Pointing to a disaster averted is NO PROOF that disasters can not and will not occur.
” Pointing to a disaster averted is NO PROOF that disasters can not and will not occur. “
The forgotten lesson in the parable, “The Boy Who Cried ‘WOLF’”, is that, in the end, there really *was* a wolf....
“The thing with people wanting to point to Y2K as an example of why there’s no need to prepare is a misnomer, yes nothing happened, but not because there was no problem. Nothing happened because companies and governments spent millions of dollars and IT people spend thousand of man hours fixing the problem before it could occur.”
I don’t recall hearing of anything anywhere that failed because of the y2k bug. I know that there could not have been 100% universal mitigation. Are there any examples one can point to ?
I know the locable cable company in Birmingham showed the date of 1/1/1900 on their screen for a day or so, but I am certain that would have caused something big enough to note would have been address as the warnings where far in advance of the event.
But I say each to their own, but I am betting those who don’t prep will be amoung the first to turn on the preppers either take direct action against them of ‘rat’ them out to the government as ‘hoarders’.
My experience is the such people hate being shown that they were wrong and will need to punish thoose who they seem as being foolish for being right.
Your comment reminded me of this semi-applicable joke:
A flood was coming and Bob a man of faith was watching the water come past his house. Bob prayed for God to rescue him.
A neighbor came by on a raft and said “get in I’ll save you!” Bob said “No I am waiting on God to save me!” His neighbor went past, now the water was raising fast! The water was rushing past his second story window! A ship came by and offered help but Bob refused saying, “I have faith God will save me!” Finely as Bob stood on his roof a helicopter came and shouted down “Grab the ladder!” Bob said “No God will save me!” They left and Bob was washed away.
Bob meets Jesus judgement day and says “What happened I waited for you to save me?” Jesus responded “Bob I sent you a raft, a ship and a helicopter! What more did you want? The coast guard?”
Well, that is the first Y2K-related incident I can ever remember hearing.
And I am making my only feeble preps as best I can in my circumstances. If things hold on for a few more years I will be in a much better position.
I know that this happened because I called it in to the local news and they came out to my house and took some shots of my TV screen.
I bought four empty 20 pound (Blue Rhino) propane tanks this morning for twenty dollars.(Garage sale)
I agree...you can't have to much.
I have a shed full too...I generally pay more...about five bucks each, some full some not.
When refilling the small propane bottles, place them in ice or the frig before and between two or three fill efforts per bottle. This will get them much closer to full.
Even a damp rag in a breeze and shade helps.
I have not been able to get them more than about 80% to 90% as full as new purchased. My guess is they vent/bleed them while filling at the factory.
I’ve refilled dozens, many three & four times.
I found this:
That does look better than my Harbor Freight set up. I may do that at the house to fill off my 250 gallon tank.
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