Prepping tweaks that should make your storage more useful....
Most prepping post are about rice and beans and bullets. I must assume that you've already done that. What I would like to post here is stuff around the edges of prepping, that should help you if the s h t f occurs.
First let me say that I hope none of us ever have to face that, and that we're just buying ahead to save some cash! That said, here are some things that I do that I haven't seen online
Some stuff is worth buying name brands:
What's interesting for prepping on these cans to note is that one can is a prepping can,and one can is a pantry pan. The can with the pop top, is the pantry can; because these don't last as long in storage! I bought these cans at the same place, for the same cost; but I put the pop top in my pantry and the regular can in my storage. Also anybody that knows me would know that both of these cans had a dozen or so, to go with them! If you have one you have none, so store enough to make a difference. Most people don't look at the cans or storing, they may end up with a big surprise when they pull out spoiled cans with a pop top.
Now let's talk brand names, sometimes they're not worth the extra money!
This picture shows how much aluminum foil I can get, buying generic, instead of brand name. I could buy four times as many boxes a foil if I just avoided the brand name. Be sure before you jump off this cliff, that what's affordable you're buying is a good quality. That said I bought a hundred and sixty feet of aluminum foil for what I could buy 30 feet of the brand name for. I use this foil to cook, and I've never had a failure with it.
Don't neglect things that are difficult to make that are easily acquired now:
I'm sure that I could make socks if I needed to, but I'm also sure that it would be a pain! So I found some socks that fit and felt good, and I bought 50 pair. I plan on going back next month and buying another 50 pair. If they wear as well as they seem to be wearing, some will end up as border stock.
Once you have a good Supply of the rice and beans and bullets; starts stalking in the stuff that will make life easier if things go bad. If they don't go bad, as we all hope; you just have extra.
Most of prepping is a combination of Common Sense and preparing for that which cannot be anticipated. It makes it an intellectual challenge at this point, but it may turn into a survival challenge on the other end. So use the brain God gave you, and whatever money you can scrape up; to make life easier later!
I think a lot of people forget the soap and toothpaste and such. Not to mention the toilet paper and paper towels!
They tend to wipe out the toilet paper, no pun intended. But anything that makes Modern Life more comfortable, should be included. Most people are desperately trying to just put in enough food to survive for a little while now oh, and it makes it hard for them to actually fill in all the holes.
When you get started late on this kind of stuff, you're going to have major issues. But starting late is better than not starting at all!
I just ordered the toilet paper online oh, it's almost the same cost and they deliver it to my front door. I was able put a recurring Buy in and save some money further so it's actually a little cheaper than that the store now. All I need do is stack it in the right place, LOL!
I found a gaylord of handmade soap that have been part of a broken truck run and put up about a hundred bars of some really nice homemade soap. And I've been buying toothpaste for sensitive teeth at the dollar store strangely enough. I also I'm making my own toothpaste now okay, when I get better at it I may not need what I bought.
Keep on prepping, and stay safe!
♡♡♡♡I bought about 20 gallons of that engineered fuel that lasts for 10 years. It's handy to have.
Good to have for sure! I'm working on a Browne gas generator (HHO), so I can burn water....
:)>Before you invest too much time or money in that I would implore you to do a simple experiment of taking a power cord and splitting it into the two electrodes and then immersing them both into a tray of salty water with jars above each electrode to capture the gasses that are produced. You will see that the volume of gas you produce even with house current is very small. I did a science fair project on electrolysis and you might be surprised how much energy it takes to produce very small volumes of hydrogen and oxygen. Then for fun take your electrodes and stick one in either end of a standard pickle. If you don't pop a fuse or breaker that sucker will light up like a florescent light.
I remember when I was on here a few years ago people pushing something they were calling a GEET engine that sounds like the same idea, it was total hogwash.
You can hook an electrolysis device to a generator or car engine and produce gas but the volume of gas you produce will never be anywhere near enough to actually power that generator or car engine.
If I was going to build an alternative generator for "free" energy I would build a gasifier unit. That's real technology that has been proven and in use since at least WW2. You can run a car or generator off of wood or other biomass material.
I may do the gasifier. I've been intending to do that to make biochar anyway, for my raised beds.
The HHO has to be done right to do any real gas generation. Most people use plates and drive them with a DC signal, but the amount of brown gas generated is a direct function of surface area. I have some stainless steel scouring pads that I've already bought in that should give me 20 to 30 times the surface area of any plates I've seen this far. Then I intend to drive the electrodes that I've made with a high-frequency AC signal.
I will be able to vary the frequency and watch the generation of gas. When I get the critical frequency dialed in, the efficiency should be considerably higher. I'm expecting a gain of about 10 times based on some experimentation of done with electropolishing versus frequency. Monitoring the load current will allow me to find the best frequency easily.
Since an AC signal will generate both hydrogen and oxygen on each electrode, it will also mitigate the corrosion damage most HHO cells experience. I also intend to use exhaust heat to prepare the water. This will use free energy to make the water molecules separate with less input electrical energy, to raise the efficiency.
I also am experimenting with Magnetic gating like they're using on the internet for Lego perpetual motion machines, to generate power directly. The number of people are trying this oh, but they don't know how to do the control feedback. There've been some pretty spectacular explosions with it from centrifugal force. Got to love dangerous stuff, LOL!
♡♡♡♡It seemed like it took a long time using house current to get even a cubic inch of gas.
True, it has to be done carefully to get any significant HHO delivery. Most builders are neophytes, copying someone else's design.
I do consulting engineering work, so I get to rebuild complex industrual systems. I get to do R&D including upgrades on their equipment for faster processing.
All I needed to do is to do the same to the HHO cell. I also decided that I would only use OTS ( off the shelf ) parts, to keep the cost down to a sane level. I have reviewed designs in the $8000.00 range for a single HHO cell, and I can't see where that can be cost effective.
I also wanted to keep the size down to allow easier placement in the engine compartment.
The first cell will be run on my bench, venting the gas outside for safety. That will allow me to peak the drive level and frequency using my test equipment. Heat shouldn't change these operating points, but simply increase the efficiency.
Life is never boring, LOL!
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