Last week I
shared with you the food I stock up on
and the reasons behind what I do. This
week I thought I’d expand a bit and share with you the nonfood items I stock up
on too. There are many areas that this
encompasses.
Pet food & supply area in my garage
Once my food
needs are met my next area of focus is my pets.
I make sure to keep plenty of food and supplies on hand to take care of
my two kitties, my backyard chickens and a bunny rabbit. This includes their food, but also medicine
and bedding supplies.
I keep a few of these on hand
Water is another
important item to have on hand. I keep a
variety of water on hand which includes a few flats of water bottles and
several one gallon jugs. I also keep bottles
of water in my deep freezer that can be used as ice in a cooler and then drank
when they thaw. I reuse my empty gallon
size vinegar and bleach bottles to store water that can be used for washing my
hands or flushing a toilet. I also have
a 50 gallon hot water heater that can be drained in an emergency situation.
Batteries for smoke detectors and flashlights are also very helpful.
Next on my list
are the household supplies. Everything I
need to keep me and my home clean and well maintained. This is a huge category as it includes
medication and first aid supplies, cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and of
course paper supplies. After the great
TP shortage of 2020 I do keep a good stock of toilet paper on hand because
people got a little bit crazy over the TP situation. I also keep a supply of tissues and some
paper towels on hand.
My little grill can be easily set up on my deck
I keep a small
supply of alternate fuel in my garage for cooking and a five gallon can of
gasoline. I have a small BBQ, charcoal
and some lighter fluid to use as well as some small propane cylinders for my
camp stove. I keep the gasoline on hand
because in a long term power outage situation you cannot pump fuel at the
service station. Typically, I don’t let
my fuel tank get below half and I don’t have to drive very much so a five
gallon can of backup fuel is more than enough for me.
Other things I
keep on hand that are less important would be items I use around the house to
maintain things. Nails and screws, oil,
lubricants, tools, a variety of tapes, an extra electrical outlet, caulks &
glues, paint, sandpaper, some wood scraps, etc.
It is very helpful to be able to make a quick repair without needing to
go to the store for supplies.
I recently added this to my arsenal and it has come in very handy
What are some of
the things you stock up on in preparation for winter? Or anytime for that matter?
This is changing some because 1) we're moving to an area that doesn't have easy access to big grocery stores, and 2) I'll have STOR-AGE!!! (whoo hoo) But I am stocking up on Krusteaz pancake mix (by far my favorite), shortening, 50 lb of flour, 20 lb or so of sugar. (So I can bake bread and cookies whenever.) Plus 25 lb of popcorn. I already have nuts (walnuts, pecans - and mixed nuts for snacking), rice and beans, plus canned chicken and corned beef. Not buying as many canned soups as I used to -- except for clam chowder.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to move away from as much processed canned foods as possible and do more home canning instead. I like you plan! Let me know how it all works out. :)
DeleteWhat all can you plug into the Jackery?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the wattage of the unit. My small Jackery runs lights, charges laptops and phones and you can plug in a router or small appliance like a slow cooker. My larger VTOMAN can power much more and for longer like a freezer.
DeleteA good trick for using a gallon or a two liter bottle for water storage to wash your hands: poke a hole with a nail near the bottom of the filled bottle and stick the nail, or a golf tee in the hole. You can then place the bottle at your sink and, when washing hands, pull out the ‘plug’. It provides a steady stream of water without overdoing it. I learned this years ago and it has served us well, especially with children in the home.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea. Adding that to my tickler file.
DeleteJust a reminder that gasoline needs to have a stabilizer. It is an organic product and will begin to break down in three to six months especially in the winter. Non ethanol will last longer than the kind with ethanol. A bummer to have it on hand and have it unusable when you might need it. Maybe add it to your tank and get fresh every few months. Nancy in Vancouver WA
ReplyDeleteShoot! I was going to mention that in this post. Thank you for bringing it up! :o)
Delete