Dumped 15 gallons of stored gas into my vehicle and will fill the cans later.  Ethanol containing gas and it was stored for over 2 years in MFCs.  Smelled and looked good when I poured it in.  I thought that was impossible......

As long as the seals were good so volatile fractions couldn't escape and you didn't add snake oils to keep the snake oil co owners in luxury...  

The fuel will prolly last longer than both of us.

bought some life straws.

Did some gun trading by trading my seldom used .40 S&W  Glock 27 for a new .45 auto  Glock 21 Gen 4. Bought 200 rds of FMJ .45 auto and 40 rds of Federal Hydra shocks. Bought a case of Mountain house Lasagna with meat sauce and a case of Mountain house chicken with noodles.

Moved some stuff up to the ranch.

Applied and was approved for a personal line of credit so that cash will be available in an emergency.

Picked up a MEP 802A 5KW genset needs some work
Added a GSD, so I think I have a small pack of them now, gotta love working dogs.
Picked peas, gave up on my greenbean crop. Still holding hope the cucumbers come up right. My garden sucks but its a learning curve.
Still tractor shopping and working on debt. :/

Last Friday I pulled the trigger on some of those FD sirloin steaks in #10 cans that MRE Depot has on hand. Damn expensive; it practically hurt to commit to the quantity I did. Ouch.


But on the other hand..... I'm almost looking forward to a SHTF event so that I can BBQ me some steak!

Working on setting up security cam system.

Just placed an order for 6 #10 cans of freeze dried entrees from Emergency Essentials.  They are have a big sale right now and it was the best deal I have seen on their products.  My wife has put me on "restriction" so I had it shipped to my office and used a credit card she doesn't know about!

Menards has B&S powered generators on sale. 3500 watt running, 5200 watt starting for $299. RV ready outlet, no 240 option (for us, we don't need it).













 

Tested out the Harbor Freight Cen-Tech 12V power pack and Powerwerx Cigbuddy that I bought for powering my Icom 7200 in the field.

We're right there with you OP.

This morning I ordered a Baofeng UV5RA VHF/UHF radio and some accessories from Amazon. I already have a Yaesu VX5R2 2M/70cm/6M radio, but the Baofeng provides me with a cheap backup and has some extended xmit and receive capabilites cf. the Yaesu. Plus, one of my buddies is a new ham and ordered the same radio. I figure having common radios could be handy.

Been working on this for some time now - the recent gun/ammo panic put a slow down on my plan.

Each of my kids will be given a Colt 6920 and a Glock 19 - the guns are already in my possession. Each kid has 5 NIW P-Mags and 5 NIW Glock 17 mags (yeah, I know they will be given G19's), an ammo can w/510 RDS. XM193 on strippers, 250 RDS. 147 gr. 9mm Gold Dots and 100 RDS. Win 9mm NATO.

Still need to get more 9mm NATO and some MK 262 for them.

I've been trying to do a similar thing. Before the Nov elections, I want to have an AR for each kid, a case of pmags (done) and 1k of ammo for each one.

 

It's a good feeling; I reached that point a while back. Not bragging, just an old fart who's been at it a while. Just be sure to not forget the non-cool prep things as well. Conumables, food, financial stability, etc. My dad was in the european theater in WW2, and there were a lot of non-combatants there that would have traded their guns for food or medicine in a heartbeat. It would suck to die of malnutrition or non-purified water, surrounded by ammo cans or not.

I can't speak for everyone, but lets just say I won't go down w/o food and clean water .

Re-established the satellite comms at my house. I now have reliable Internet again, with it I have S-2 and S-4 functionality again. Trying to do all that off my phone sucked.

Finished building an AR-15 set up for long range, reloaded about 200  rounds of 308 using brass from my last couple of range trips.  Yesterday canned 9 jars of cucumber pickles with squash and collards getting canned this weekend.

Mounted a winch on the front of my Jeep.
Worked on a Jon boat project some.
Scored a free IBC tote. I haven't measured it so I'm not sure if it's the 275 or the 330 gallon but it was free.
Made the final payment on my credit card today.

Hiked up a mountain with my wife on our 28th anniversary. She got banged up in a car wreck several months ago in which her suv was totaled, and has had numerous medical issues ever since. A couple weeks ago she could barely walk around a store, and today she made it all the way up a smallish (maybe 1300-ft..?) mountain, admittedly along good trails and with several rests along the way. Tough chicks are sexy.

Awesome!

Got my sailboat in the water after six years.  Skills and equipment are both in need of work.  So far this is the third place that I have sailed that the locals have said, "If you can sail here, you can sail anywhere."  This time I think that they are right.

Thanks goes out to TravisMcGee for the encouragement to get back to the water.

mostly been working on my new( to me ) tractor, and getting it ready for some work at my farm. i took it out today and mowed approx 2-3 acres with it, working on getting used to it, and getting myself familiar with all the do's and donts, as its been a long time since iv used a tractor... iv never used a loader before, so theres a learning curve there as well. . everything for the last 45 days has went into either the tractor, the new trailer, or my bov/ tow vehicle. ( although im picking up a good like new used g-17 september 1st).

1. radiator repair.
2. bucket rebuilt, and reinforced.
3. new hubs for rear tires
4. straightened out some bent 3 point hitch parts.
5. new seat
6. new coat of paint
7. replaced some broken / clogged grease zerks
8. changed engine oil
9. changed hydrolic / transmission  oil
10. changed front hub and front axle oil
11. bushing for steering wheel.
12. fixed a dent in the hood
13. new antifreeze.
14. straightened out bent steering bar.
15. replaced broken speed / throttle control lever

also...
1. heavy duty cargo straps. ( for securing tractor to trailer)
2. new battery for bov/ tow vehicle
3. new trailer plug, that will connect the trailer to the tow vehicle.

all together iv spent around $1000.00 on repairs and parts, BUT, its in great shape now ( engine, transmission everything etc) my last parts will be
1. a set of brake pads,
2.  new headlights.
3. build a tooth bar
4. set of chains for front end loader, tow chain, and a logging chain.

  im putting those on the first of august, and then ill be ready to do some decent work with the little tractor. iv got about $7500.00 invested in it at the moment. that includes a 5' finishing mower, and a 4' grader box.  so probably just $6000.00 invested in the tractor alone.

i also traded my atv trailer for a 16' car hauler to haul my tractor, and implements. a bush hog, tiller, and logging hitch are coming soon as well. i will be able to clean up. and work on my land with it. make a garden, clear brush, haul logs / firewood. im pretty excited.



i used it for the first time today mowing.  iv used a slightly smaller tractor like this before, and was AMAZED at the things they can do. hauling telephone pole sized logs is nothing, you can mow, log, till/ plow a garden, haul gravel / dirt, dig, level land, grade driveway, fill holes, drill post holes, load dirt, carry loads with a chain off the loader, run a generator with the pto, run wood chippers and all kinds of pto powered equipment, clear snow,  etc, etc, etc, etc.

i am planning on catching a few of the sales going on at the moment, for magazines, and ammo soon.



new 16' trailer.

Received another 9,000 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39 in HP and SP.

UPS driver wasn't happy.  

Hey Buck19, sweet tractor. I have mostly been building up food supplies and just working on the homestead. I now have a year of wheat and over 6 months of meat, one serving a day for the family. Ammo is plenty for decades, Time to get the property and garden ready.

thanks !  its coming along nicely. its in MUCH better shape now, than when i brought it home last month.

its taking me forever, but im slowly getting things done to my land. seems like a thousand small things need to be done, to just get to the next big  item on the list. but im making progress.  might actually make a garden next summer. definately planning on planting a bunch of fruit trees.

unfortunately, i am not planning on building anything really on my land, until the land is paid for. FORTUNATELY... i expect to have the land paid off in about 3 more years, so, thats not too bad. i will just keep busy with food plots, driveways, utilities, fruit trees and things like that until im ready to build something. im just not comfortable investing the money to build, until the land is mine free and clear...

There is always something to do. As for waiting to build, if you are going to use a mortgage on the building, the land even paid off will be in the mortgage. Can you live there and get to work? Don't wait too long

there will be no mortgage. everything will be cash as its done.

Good for you, my mortgage will be gone with my lawsuit, but te injuries were not worth it

We ordered more dog food and treats.
Sierratradingpost.com sent me another silly coupon so we now have more Mora knives, base layer shirts, socks and such.
I accessed the basement pantry and filled some gaps.
Rotated fuel cans through the work truck.

Wifey and I both worked today so there's a bit more cash coming in.

Today I replaced all the water in all my water barrels with fresh water. Some say to replace  all your water after 6 months but I have been replacing it every year. My wife and I did a taste test of the water that had been in the barrels for a year and it tasted like the day it was put in the barrel with no plastic taste coming from the plastic barrels. Dumped all the old water in our flower beds and did not waste any down the drain. I can store about 500 gallons for my wife and I along with our cats but I wish I had more room for more water barrels.

Got some beef and chicken to can. Most of my canned meat is venison but I've decided to put more meat in jars, since I have so many jars. It's not going to get any cheaper. Probably going to do it again Wednesday when I'm off work.

Today I picked up 200 rds of Federal American Eagle .45 FMJ at Sportsman's Warehouse and when I got home I ran my generator for an hour to blow the cobwebs out. Purred like a kitten.

Just discovered our property is filled with wild grape (still need to confirm, but damn sure). Here I have been trying to kill those damn vines since we got the place! My mother was out yesterday and said as she was leaving: "You know, this vine by where I parked is a wild grape, right?" I said "Really?". I knew we had more around the property (besides the ones I keep trying to kill) and sure enough, just a quick stroll through the front yard I found a bunch and I KNOW the grove is filled with them.

Young wild grape leaves are super nutritious and taste great when stuffed with rice and meat (lamb or pork is best). Enjoy!

Added 500 rds Win 9MM NATO, 150 rds BH 77 gr. 5.56mm OTM seconds to be delivered any day, mylar water pouches for the vehicles. taking some of the kids shooting this weekend, been excercising regularly

Curing a jaw infection (wisdom tooth needs to be pulled) with tea trea oil. Infection drastically reduced in 6 hours of treatment. This is NOT medical advise.

Stopped by Sportsman's Warehouse this morning and picked up a brick of 325 rds of Federal .22 LR and a box of Hornady Critical Defense .45 auto.. .

Not all today, but this week. Ran another 300 rounds thru my newish RIA 1911 strictly for trust level & comfort-zone reasons. Will probably swap out the top end with the .22LR unit, and keep it as primarily a .22 plinker, with the .45 upper in reserve to back up my other 1911's if need be. Ordered a handful of magazines and 600 rounds of 7.62x39 softpoint.

Got my youngest kid re-enrolled in college. Wasn't sure he'd want to go back, but he seems ready now. I'm hoping this turns out to be a good 'prep' investment for his life. (It's not always about guns & gas masks... )

Bought 6 cans of Mountain house freeze dried meat that was on sale at Emergency Essentials. Hell of a sale. I also bought more ammo.one 20 rds box of .45 Auto Federal Hydra Shocks and a 500 rd brick of Remington .22LR.

Sealed 50lbs white rice, sugar, and AP flour in mylar and buckets yesterday. This was my first attempt at do-it-yourself long term storage. Feels good.

Restocked my gloves and bought another box of mask to add to the pile.....EBOLA and all....


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015TBCY8/ref=ox_ya_os_product_refresh_T1



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BZ1OFO/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Totaled  $41.64, which is cheaper than what I would have spent eating out tonight. Call me paranoid, but I sleep better at night this way.

Bought another ripcord small sized duffle from Cabelas to add more capacity to my first aid supplies. Also got some new first aid supplies via Amazon this week so will reorganize & repack all my supplies in three small duffles.

Picked up another 100 lb propane tank and will take it and another 100 lb tank to be filled next week.  Winter fuel for a small propane fireplace (supplement heat) and the other will be for a small propane backup generator.

I made a spreadsheet to track all of my expenditures!



Sounds like a little thing but that past couple years haven't been that great. In addition to things costing more, I have mounting medical bills. I've exhausted my emergency account because of all this.



I still contribute a lot to my retirement funds and was thinking about lowering that but I don't want to give uncle sam more money. I've decided to keep more tabs on what I spend and work harder to building up my emergency funds.



I have excel on my table which will make it easy to keep up with. I made categories for everything I'm apt to spend money on. I have hotlinks to all the bills I pay online and on another sheet I have paycheck deposits.



I did this in the past only not on computer and it really helped me see where I piddled money away and enabled me to pay off my student loans quicker and save for a house.



Also, actually seeing how some of my expenses have gone up will emphasize them in my mind so I will be more apt to take them into account when I think I need something I can do without.



The nice thing is I have enough of some things to last the rest of my life and beyond. Ammo for instance. I have spare parts for all the important things, like my glocks, my canning supplies, ect. I have acquired tools to fix most routine household repairs, and books on how to do that.



I stock up on necessities and things I don't want to run out of, like coffee, food, water, toiletries, etc.     I can track this as well so I don't stock up on something I don't need to, and neglect to put that money in my savings account.



Prepping is a balancing act, luckily I started years ago so my needs are much less than they would be otherwise. Overprepping for future needs will hinder my present needs. Just by doing this I can see areas I can cut back on painlessly.



I feel more organized now.     I didn't do this before because I didn't have to. oh, and FBHO

Check on those gloves every now and then. They can all stick together and oxidize, making them useless.



That's the same brand we use in the lab!

Thanks for the info, any brands that store better?

I think it's just the nature of that rubbery stuff. I got a bag of those grippy gloves from someone and put them in the mudroom and forgot about them. They were all stuck together when I remembered them. Not sure how long it took.



I think it also depends on where and how they  are stored. I have had latex gloves in the garage deteriorated pretty quick, while ones in the kitchen drawer last.



I think my nitrile ones last longer than latex ones. Part of my bug out stuff includes a few latex or nitrile gloves, I've found deteriorated ones, and I've found ones that are fine.



I just keep in mind that they are prone to deterioration and check them every now and then. They last at least a couple years regardless, it seems.