Survival Questions
Has anyone ever heard of Bright Fuel? I made some phone calls last week looking for white gas. One place told me they sell Bright Fuel to the Amish in the area instead of white gas. It works the same according to the guy on the phone. $4.65 a gallon, which is way cheaper than the $9.95 a gallon for Coleman fuel. The drawback for me is that it is half a state away and the smallest unit I can buy is 55 gallon drum. Based on the figures I have been able to come up with, my guess is that 25-30 gallons will last around a year for my family. It would be nice to have a 55 gallon barrel for trade and charity, but it also makes my family a target for those that want what I have stored so they don’t have to pay for it. Next time I am at my retreat/cabin I will ask the Amish in the area where they buy there white gas. I should just e-mail them…
I read a short blurb in the Parade Magazine about life in Zimbabwe. One of the “rules” that was passed by the dictator was that no one was allowed to plant a garden. It was felt that a garden would hurt the economy since you would be buying less food. In that country $4 US will get you 10 million dollar notes. You have to wonder several things at this point. If they passed that rule here, how would you hide a garden? Pot growers might be able to give some ideas here. How would that rule effect your survival plans if it was against the law to garden?
We all know we all read almost all the same blogs and magazines. Face it; we all see the same names mentioned in the comments. It is great we are a “close” community. Have you noticed that some/many of the sites have come up with different ways to produce food post SHTF? They are all good ideas too. Everything from smelt fishing, dumpster diving, hunting, trapping, gardening, and learning to live off the land. With so many different ways it just might be that we might not keep bumping into each other while getting the food we need.
Have you priced gas cans lately? I was in one of the big box stores the other day and saw that 5 gallon cans have jumped up to near $15 each. I asked the guy behind the counter why and he told me that it was because of the new law in California. The new cans are “spill proof”. A buddy of mine told me with the new push down nozzles that people are spilling more gas and bending tanks and equipment trying to fill them. When I told the guy behind the counter I was glad I had a bunch of the old gas he told me to “hold on to them, they are like gold”. I had been buying them at garage sales and flea markets over the last few years, cleaning them up and filling them. My gas storage is not near what I want, but at least I will be able to pour it into my truck or tractor as needed.
Am I the only one, or do you too have the feeling that the S hitting the Fan fluctuates? There are times I feel that I have mere days before something in going to bust loose and then things settle down and the S seems awhile away. I still am trying to get my priorities squared away as soon as I can so it will not matter, but I am sometimes surprised that the stress ebbs and flows.
This question comes up every time there is a spike in the price of gold and silver. Is it better to sell off junk/scrap gold and silver with the prices high and turn that cash into survival needs like food and ammo? I read some place that it is the junk stuff that barters best in a collapse. As much as I would like to take all the bracelets bent rings and other precious metal items and turn them into a pile of Mountain House food or cans of ammo, I wonder if I am better served having small trade/barter units of precious metals?
I did an experiment the other week. I sent my brother in law an e-mail giving him a SHTF scenario and asked him to list what items he would grab from his house if he had to bug out of town and come live with us at the farm. My brother in law is not totally survival minded, but he is not against the idea of having some plans either. I figure my brother in law is one of the people that will show up post SHTF. Giving him this exercise will open his mind a little and give me a chance to send him a priority list of stuff to bring, just in case. This might be a way to get your “maybe show up” people to start thinking about what to bring instead of just showing up. Tell them you are working on an article for the web so they will respond.
I just want to throw these out there and see if I can get some help puzzling them out.
Wolverine
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5 comments:
Good questions...good thoughts. I find it is easiest to simply keep plugging away to be prepared for whatever turn the world takes as we continue to watch natural disasters, economic uncertainty and more and more government regulation take away our peace of mind and the ability to care for ourselves.
The news does ebb and flow and this will drain you, stress you and can overwhelm you IF you let it.
Knowing we are taking active steps to learn different skills, be prepared to feed ourselves, provide water, shelter, etc should we get hit with a situation where we can't get out for days or weeks after a natural disaster or other emergency is the best we can do.
I agree people need to know different skills - which includes different ways to procure and gather food. "Gorilla" gardening - wherever you can may be your only and best bet. We must continue to focus on the skill set we need...it isn't as simple as throwing seeds in the ground and praying for rain any more!
Thanks for your hard work and posts to encourage, inspire and teach!
MaMaBear in the Mitten
Good Questions! It will be interesting what you come up with on the fuel. I am big on diversification of my revenue streams, resources and assets. It sounds good to be able to buy at the low and sell at the high. Yet, having nothing of one category of resources might prove to be a problem as well. Thanks for keeping me thinking!
Guerrilla gardening has been around for a long time, it's becoming more popular in urban areas where the ability to grow food is restrictive. One needs to plant items that would blend in or you need to become more familiar with wild edibles.
Bear, where's my email about priorities to being to the farm?!? I've given up sending out lists or items of priority to people - you know the list I have given out for if you show up at my door. Otherwise, best thing to do, is to get a metal trash can or closed lid barrel and hit some garage sales, Goodwill to pick up two or three changes of durable clothing including a winter jacket & boots. Put those items away for those who you think will show up because 9/10 they'll bring either no or inappropriate clothing.
I forgot about the name of that fuel for the lanterns/stoves. I thought it was Bryte lite or something similar.
Keep safe,
Tonto
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF BUILDING A GASIFIER, YOU CAN RUN ANYTHING ON IT BBQ GRILL ,CAR, TRUCK, GENERATOR. JUST SAYING IT'S WORTH A TRY
Ever consider a gasifier, you can run anything on wood, car, truck, bbq grill. I haven't seen a camp stove run on it but I think I will try it.
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