What did you do today to prep...

[mike77]

Defrosted and cleaned out the chest freezer. While doing so I thought of some improvements to try. If they work I'll write up a post about them.

[nafterize]

The best news in months:

I finally got a steady job! I'm now working as a "Studio Assistant" at the college, essentially helping teach new video students how to use the equipment and troubleshooting their problems.

It's 19 hours a week @ $11.25/hr. Not awesome money but it's great knowing that as long as I'm at least a part-time student I'll have a job and, as a bonus, it's doing something I love! And they work with my school schedule and freelance gigs that pop up.

Hooray!

 

[Greywolf27]

The best news in months:

I finally got a steady job! I'm now working as a "Studio Assistant" at the college, essentially helping teach new video students how to use the equipment and troubleshooting their problems.

It's 19 hours a week @ $11.25/hr. Not awesome money but it's great knowing that as long as I'm at least a part-time student I'll have a job and, as a bonus, it's doing something I love! And they work with my school schedule and freelance gigs that pop up.

Hooray!

 

Wooohooo!!! Yay for jobs

[Bear999]

Busy weekend with regard to food storage.  Dehydrated several trays of excess tomatoes and peppers.  Also canned 10 pints of home-made salsa.  Finally, planted several rows of Fall crop of spinach.

[swoods]

Got lots accomplished this weekend. From my CSA basket, I made 3 qts of succotash to freeze. Six cups of shredded zucchini in the fridge in handy 2 cup containers. From my farmer's market haul, I canned 5 qts of pickled carrots/cauliflower/onions using Hare's recipe for Fireballs. Can't wait to taste them! Dehydrated apples sprinkled (well more like coated) with cinn/sugar........discovered I put way too much cinn/sugar on them. Lesson learned. They will make a dang nice pie I think!

Thanks to all the fruit and veggies, I created an Eden for gnats. Hooray for very teeny flying insects..............NOT.

[ncjeeper]

Picked a real gas can at a swap meet over the weekend. Its a 2.5 gallon metal can with the old style spout on it. Paid 5 dollars for it.

[conservative01]

Read up on changing spark plugs. I will try to tackle this later this week. Iam tried of paying for stuff I could really do myself. Tried the salsa I canned this past weekend it was pretty good.

[Dawgus]

 I spent yesterday and half of today putting up privacy fence in front of my greens beds and chickens. (another CL freebie) I like the idea more and more of people not seeing everything we have here on the place. While I was working on the fence today, a friend stopped by and gave me two more young laying hens. She got 4 freebies but only wanted 2.
 Tomorrow somhow amongst a day of garden work and canning, I have to run out for more goodies. My uncle is giving me my grandmothers 10 gallon kraut crock, and I'm getting more cast iron cookware from a friends wife that belonged to her grandmother.

[chezrad]

Dehydrated 6 pounds of corn, 4 pounds of peas, and three apples. Put all of this and a couple boxes of minute rice in canning jars and vacuum sealed them for some longer term storage. Studied Biltong and have some hanging tonight. Got my pool chemistry straightened out after a battle with green algae. Listened to several podcasts on BOB and then looked into Pelton wheel mini hydro generators.

[BatonRouge Bill]

Got some fresh basic medical supplies, Peroxide, Iodine, Alcohol. bandages, Alergy meds, and mild earache drops and earwax kit ect. Thru out a bunch of stuff yesterday and really need to gather it all up and thow out all the expired stuff and get new, still have a lot of really old stuff lurking around here!

[maxhedroom]

I picked up an apple slicer and peeler. Apple seasons coming and I love my excalibur. The Roma tomatoes i have just done are great.

[Heavy G]

Got some fresh basic medical supplies ....Alcohol.

That could come in super handy.  Being able to sterilize wounds and instruments.  Costco has a two pack of one-quart rubbing alcohol for, like, $4.00.  I got a couple. 

[sacramentosurvival]

Downloaded 40 back episodes of TSP to listen to while at work cleaning windows in Sacramento. Thanks jack for the survival education!

[Peacekeeper1029]

Got to the Range late.  Mama and I fired the Glock 19 a little, got the laser sight on it dialed in and then went to the rifle range.  By the time the AR was zeroed, the range was closing for the night.  Took me 9 shots and it is now dead on with the BUIS.  Didn't have enough time to sight in the EOTech, next time. 

[Jackncoke]

I tried making some biltong... Hope it turns out ok cause I'm a bit nervous about it.

[Heavy G]

Got 500 rounds of 7.62 x 39.  Prices are waaayyy down from a year ago.

[jakematic]

Put another 6 lbs of corn and 4 lbs of peppers in the dehydrator to process.

Picked up another case of water at BJ's while using up coupons that expire today for more opportunity buys. Saved $12.50 - enough to offset both the high and low taxes on my purchases.

Noticed much to my alarm that all 4 of my UPSes are underneath windows and now need to be moved with the impending hurricane weather.
3 are for lights and comm and 1 is for my Mac, so I mistakenly placed them out of convenience instead of considering incoming water if windows break.

[Imperial Goat]

Still taking care of acute needs for Earl. Got 25 gallons of fresh gas for the generator, cleaned the gutters, called my widowed mom to make sure she was securing her porch furniture (she's far enough inland, she should have no major trouble), facebooked my step sister in Chesapeake, Va. to make sure she was paying attention to the weather, and did another blog post on the above topics.

I've been signed up for email alerts from Christopher Newport University since I work near their campus.  Today they sent an alert telling students to be ready to evacuate campus with two hours notice.

BTW, if you live or work near a college campus, I'd encourage you to sign up for their alerts.  They keep you updated on the major campus SHTF stuff like active shooters or campus crime, plus weather, traffic jams, and other good things to be aware of.  Most have sign up on the public safety or campus police pages on their websites.

[paleo_prep]

I own a food dehydrator.

It was a gift.

I have owned this dehydrator for so long, the equipment itself is probably dry, dessicated, and perhaps even mummified.

I intend to resurrect it! Or perhaps just "surrect" it, since it was never used in the first place.

To wit: tonight, I learned how to dehydrate eggs. I want to store dehydrated organic eggs, but the only source of these gems I've found (we're not talking egg powder; we're talking eggs that could be cooked up and taste/feel like bona fide scrambled eggs) was by way of Backpacker's Pantry at a cost of approximately $3.00 per egg. Ouch. Needless to say, I'm motivated to do this on my own!

[bartsdad]

BTW, if you live or work near a college campus, I'd encourage you to sign up for their alerts.  They keep you updated on the major campus SHTF stuff like active shooters or campus crime, plus weather, traffic jams, and other good things to be aware of.  Most have sign up on the public safety or campus police pages on their websites.

+1

I wanted to make sure everyone saw this.

[Imperial Goat]

facebooked my step sister in Chesapeake, Va. to make sure she was paying attention to the weather

Sadly, her response was that they really couldn't do anything because where they live, once they know for sure that the storm will affect them, it will be too late. 

I casually mentioned that I had secured patio furniture, cleaned up yard debris and got gas for the generator that I could use in the car if I didn't need to run the genny.  ou know, stuff that helps me live a better life if things get tough or even if the don't.    I doubt she'll "get it."

[LvsChant]

I own a food dehydrator.

It was a gift.

I have owned this dehydrator for so long, the equipment itself is probably dry, dessicated, and perhaps even mummified.

I intend to resurrect it! Or perhaps just "surrect" it, since it was never used in the first place.

To wit: tonight, I learned how to dehydrate eggs. I want to store dehydrated organic eggs, but the only source of these gems I've found (we're not talking egg powder; we're talking eggs that could be cooked up and taste/feel like bona fide scrambled eggs) was by way of Backpacker's Pantry at a cost of approximately $3.00 per egg. Ouch. Needless to say, I'm motivated to do this on my own!

I think there was a thread on this somewhere on the forum on storing eggs: http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=10526.0

I bought a can of powdered eggs from honeyville and don't think it was that expensive...

Here's another link about egg preservation: http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=5709.0

Another link on eggs with a link to instructions on drying eggs: http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=6046.0

Good luck with your dehydrating... there is so much information about it on here... try veges, too. They have great results and are really easy.

[daved]

My middle daughter starts school today.
How is this a prep? It saves me $500 a month in daycare!!!!!
That will pay some debt nicely.

[hobbs67]

I own a food dehydrator.

It was a gift.

I have owned this dehydrator for so long, the equipment itself is probably dry, dessicated, and perhaps even mummified.

I intend to resurrect it! Or perhaps just "surrect" it, since it was never used in the first place.

To wit: tonight, I learned how to dehydrate eggs. I want to store dehydrated organic eggs, but the only source of these gems I've found (we're not talking egg powder; we're talking eggs that could be cooked up and taste/feel like bona fide scrambled eggs) was by way of Backpacker's Pantry at a cost of approximately $3.00 per egg. Ouch. Needless to say, I'm motivated to do this on my own!

Appreciating my morning giggle -- I shall now go around today surrecting things and saying to wit, likely in an inappropriate way.

Does fixing a completely unexpected plumbing leak that occurred at midnight count as preparing?  It was in the main cast iron waste pipe too, all sorts of odors involved, so that has to count for something.
 

[Dawgus]

 Working on peach butter and peach jam, should end up being around 10-12 pints each. Also doing pickled green beans at the same time. Earlier this morning I culled 4 of the old laying hens that were 4-5 years old to save on feed costs. later today I'm looking at a set of discs for behind the farm tractor at my uncles place so we can get started on areas for spring planting. It's another barter item with the neighbor. I have a call to make about 50-60 more quart canning jars through a friend, which will be perfect timing for the applesauce we'll be starting next week.
 Tomorrow I'm starting a cash job; laying a cinderblock foundation for a shed. Yea, it's total overkill for a backyard shed, but this guy over-engineers everything he does, and I can't say no to an easy $200. We'll use that cash to replenish a few food items, and restock the battery cabinet since the local drug chain has a BOGO sale.

[mesta26]

Laid away some small bills in the safe, and a roll of silver half dollars.  Cut out some coupons to try and be able to afford more food to store.

[Alpha Mike]

Made some soap from scratch last week, and this week I am trying my first batch of biltong.  (I think I over did it on the coriander)

[jdaniels517]

Found a great deal on a rabbit hutch and cages on Craigslist.  A little more studying on the subject and I'm going into the rabbit business.

[TexDaddy]

I just got back from a couple of days of gardening at the BOL. Cantaloupe fresh from the garden is the greatest!

[Greenneck]

I ordered my girlfriend (for her birthday, and at her request) a nice REI backpack for multi-day backpacking trips.  She has been using my old external frame all summer.  This girl can hike!  Just did a 15 mile dayhike at elevation last weekend...and caught a couple trout!

Also bought her an REI +15 mummy bag to replace her crappy childhood one.

Paid bills...credit card is near zero and working on the truck payment...slowly but surely.

You stay classy TSP!