What Did You Prep This Week

Great deal on soup, large cans of coffee, tea, sugar at a local store so loaded up! Working away on my forage and medical/herb/home remedy notebooks, ready to start on my windowsill herb garden now finally.

This week I started packing for our move, which is coming up in a few weeks. I'm moving my stockpiles the week before the movers come for the big stuff. I don't want anyone seeing all of our food storage. I got a bunch of windshield washer fluid boxes from work to move the canned goods over in.

I also ordered a few magazine subscriptions as my "Christmas present": Mother Earth News, Canadian Gardener, and Urban Farm. I will get more info out of those monthly that I will from some new books for the same amount of money.

I'm not adding anything else to the stockpile until after the move.

Congratulations on your move Daisy - hoping all goes smoothly for you.

Paintergirl - take some pictures of your herb garden when you get it going - pretty please - I would love to see it!

I have had company once again so besides buying an egg beater at an antique shop - I NEEDED it - really 🙂 ! - I haven't done much in the way of prepping. With Christmas in full swing this month and all my kids coming home I will feel fortunate to keep my house and my head together.

Went to the Prepper/Survivalist Meeting that I posted about. It was good and there were another two new people there, we sat around in the TeePee by the portable woodstove, chatted about the economy, politics and what we do or have for prepping / survivalism. Good evening sitting under the stars and the teepee at the same time.

Daisy good luck on the move

Cycled food from storage and replaced.

Bought a very large, four wick candle for heat and light.

Bought road salt to keep in the trunks of the cars.

Updated home budget and paid off all Christmas expenses from the Christmas fund ( my wife got us started on a weekly Xmas savings plan that runs from January 1 to November 30 and she has a budget line for everything related to Xmas from the cost of postage, to baking supply costs, gifts, Xmas tree, etc.). Have done this for three years now and sure like starting the year with no holiday debt. 😀

Good luck on the move Daisy!

That meeting sounds like it was a good one Wilderness, hope we can get something similar going out here on the Island.

Anita, I will post a pic when it is underway...( I asked "Santa" for more seeds in our family stocking stuffer exchange as well)

Bought up large quantity of 7 grain cereal, wheat germ, more bulk seasonings, olive oil and vinegar. Still experimenting as time allows with more fire starters and hobo stoves. I have an infatuation with cheap free or almost free preps so this kind of experimenting is fun.

Anyone think preps might be super cheap in January when everyone is doing their clearance? We should see some good grocery sales at that time ( bring em' in the door loss leaders) and household things...

My notebook on foraging/home remedies and medicinal herbs is really starting to grow. I am thrilled at how many medicinal things are right at our fingertips and this is one project that keeps me busy in fits and spurts. I would still like to stock up on some OTC medicines but if more common ailments can be dealt with through herbs and home remedies, better!

Anita, I will post a pic when it is underway...( I asked "Santa" for more seeds in our family stocking stuffer exchange as well)

My notebook on foraging/home remedies and medicinal herbs is really starting to grow. I am thrilled at how many medicinal things are right at our fingertips and this is one project that keeps me busy in fits and spurts. I would still like to stock up on some OTC medicines but if more common ailments can be dealt with through herbs and home remedies, better!

Thanks Paintergirl!

Your notebook also sounds interesting. I've started one as well hoping to harvest some "weeds" this year and dehydrate them for storage. I didn't get to it - next year!!

2 oil lamps and lamp oil
reviewed garage contents and will be reorganizing items most likely to be needed in areas closest to the door.
Purchased another refillable 18 L water container
Lots of food items on sale this week to stock up on, canned goods. sugar, oil.

Reviewed with spouse possible locations to meet if there was a local disaster, or to retreat to, if we had to leave home for any reason. For the latter selected a location in a small community where my spouse has family ties. Combined skills of all the possible people that might also come to stay there includes hunting, gardening, camping, cooking, baking, sewing, fishing, canning, metal work, ham radio operator, and there is a generator, wood pile and enough room to house 10 of us. Worse case scenario but good to have a plan. 😉

As far as material prepping goes, not much got done this week. The big move is in 6 days, so we have been busy packing and organizing. (It sucks.) I've started a few writing projects just to get stuff down so I don't forget them when I have time to actually sit down and work on them. 🙂

I also had "prepper movie night" last night. National Geographic Channel aired "Doomsday Preppers" and "2210: Economic Collapse?" I fell asleep halfway through the second one, but the concept delighted my prepping little heart!

Picked up 16 Kg parboiled white rice, about 30 cans misc. foodstufs, and started scanning the boxing day flyers for deals..a bit disappointing this year. It's a busy time of year, but we still try to fit in some time for prepping.

I heat my home with wood, and electricity. I have an oil furnace in the basement that we do not use, only in emergencies. So, that means that I have a 1000L oil tank in my basement that was never very full. So I filled the tank this week, let me tell you, it is comforting to know that I have 1000L of heating oil stored that can be used in my tractors, or any diesel vehicle.

Santa was a kind old gent! ( via my family!)

He brought me a 5 tray food dehydrator, a 79 pc camping first aid kit and 'The Homesteading Handbook' by Abigail R Gehring.
Other preps included canned milk ( a great buy at this time of year) and a 10 lb bag of rice.

I am looking for boxing week small prep deals, January will bring on a few. Traditionally in Jan, grocery retailers go hard on promoting great loss leaders to get people in their store so I am keeping my eyes open.

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday!
(Now I am about to see what can be done with this seasoned cooked beef tip in the food dehydrator! 😀 )

Picked up a Martin portable butane cook stove for a great deal...$12.00 (vendor was liquidating them). Can't wait to get some canisters and give it a try!
Also, stored up 18 2l bottles of water, adding to our store bought stuff...should be good for about 3 days now.
I noticed that even with generous amounts of plumbing antifreeze in it, my outdoor rain barrel is frozen solid, so will work on moving it into the heated crawlspace this summer. We have this strictly for toilet flushing as the barrel is not food grade.
In any case, there is an abundance of water for washing & toilets falling to the ground right now, so not really concerned for this winter. The barrel idea was more for convenience.

1 gallon K1, 2 butane refills for the Martin Stove, 1 small can of naptha to test out an old heater I came accross.

This week, our Maxi had a sale on dish soap, the big bottles for $1.99. So I got myself 10 bottles, which I figure would last my year.