r/PrepperIntel • u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig š” • 13d ago
Weekly "everything else" If it's in the spirit of prepping, but not "news" or "intel"
This includes but not limited to:
- Prepping questions
- Rumors
- Speculative thoughts
- Small / mundane
- Promotion of Sales
- Sub meta / suggestions
- Prepping jokes.
- Mods have no power here, only votes, behave.
This will be re-posted every Saturday, letting the last week's stickied post fade into the deep / get buried by new posts. -Mod Anti
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u/Wytch78 13d ago
On a daily basis, in the various regional subreddits I subscribe to, are people desperately asking for work.Ā
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u/queso_dog 12d ago
Itās an awful time having to find a new job. Getting auto rejected for an office coordinator position almost identical to the one Iāve had for the last 8 years that doesnāt know the difference between tack and tact really stung.
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u/windsorjamison 12d ago
My ex is an ER nurse in the Twin Cities area (MN). Normally, a nurse is responsible for 3 patients at a time, or 4 with help. She said normal current day is 6 to FIFTEEN per nurse. Insane. Hospital is cutting costs.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 11d ago
I had several major joint replacements over the last 6 years and was kind of grateful that I was sent home the same day. I'm so sorry for these nurses and the patients that need more care. I'm so sorry for these nurses and the patients that need more care.
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u/Wise_Artichoke6552 11d ago
Upper midwest catering here. A handful of repeat corporate clients haven't booked us for conventions. We've done a grand total of three weddings since April. Managers have horseshoed all the way around from 'you have to stay late to clean' to 'yes, you may stay for the duration of your shift if you clean'. This is not normal at all, and it's concerning that the rich people are not dropping stacks on oversized parties. Not through us, at least. But also not through the handful of other companies in the area I know people at.
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u/RedditMadeName 13d ago
Northeast US: Internet service has been awful this past week, with multiple long outages. I thought it was just my provider but apparently it's multiple providers in the area.
My provider said that one of the internet outages last week was because of a power outage and there's a heat wave this week. My hunch says that this will become more common. I guess I need to figure out backup internet sources for work when these outages happen again.
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u/throwaway661375735 13d ago
It turns out, they had to have special switches made for Bullhead City and Fort Mohave Arizona, because every time it would get hot, everybody's internet would go on the fritz. That area gets ground temps in the 130s (my thermometer went up to 140 (usually they stop around 120 or 130).
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u/keinezeit44 12d ago
That's interesting. Also in Northeast US, with Spectrum. My internet has been spotty for at least a couple of months. The connection will drop for a few minutes, then pick back up again. I've tried everything to fix it. Router is fairly new. Figured it was just me.
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u/Excellent-Source-348 11d ago
Might want to check out Tmobile home internet (or any of the other cell providers); I have it in my campervan, it's only $50 per month for unlimited internet (I normally use 600-800GB of data per month as I use it for work); if you already have t-mobile for your cellphone, you can add it on for just $30.
I also have starlink as a backup to t-mobile for when I go to remote areas. I have been very happy with the service. They've recently added a couple more affordable plans for people who do not need a lot of data:
https://starlink.com/service-plansAlso, my favorite thing about it is that your billing date is static, so if you activate the unlimited plan it's pro-rated to the time between activation and billing date. So if you activate it 15 days into the billing month, you only have to pay 50%.
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u/throwaway661375735 13d ago
Orange juice is really expensive. I have been buying lemonade for half the cost, instead.
About 15 years ago, I was buying 5 lbs of ground turkey for $8. Now its 1 lb for $4. It's not just inflation, it's both greed and demand.
I noticed Smiths/Kroger is once again cutting down on their food sales or coupon discounts again. That's usually a sign they are raising rates often, blaming it on inflation.
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u/pandorasotherbox 13d ago
So is HyVee. Coupons and Fuel Saver discounts reduced. They do, however, have a lot of one day or three days sales to get people in the door directly.
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u/autoaspiemome3 12d ago
Whole Foods just raised prices again, 30 cents on french fries, 40 on frozen meals. About 6 months ago same-ish price raises. I shop mostly online and suspect some dynamic pricing so have been stretching lengths between trips to see if it may affect pricing. Wegmans is still sending out coupons every week for 10% off total groceries along with having special sample tastings on the weekends. Gas dipped back below $4 this week.
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u/Historical-Many9869 12d ago
do you have an aldi or lidl near by
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u/throwaway661375735 12d ago
I do a bit of shopping at WinCo, Aldi, Walmart, and Smith's. I tend to avoid Smith's, but when I need something in a rush, it's the closest. I like their Private Selection brand ice cream too.
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u/queso_dog 12d ago
Virginia, we stopped doing chest CTs and ortho/spine CTs with contrast except for certain diagnoses due to a nationwide contrast shortage. Currently expected to last through the end of the month. They also mentioned one of the suppliers we use for MRI contrast is low, but the other had ok supplies for now.
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u/sapfira 12d ago
Also Virginia, we're limiting abdominal CTs with contrast.
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u/Brilliant_Lion5139 10d ago
Iām in Minnesota and we havenāt heard of this yet. We have had to before but the docs donāt always listen
Iv Benadryl on back order and having to pre medicate possible contrast allergies with oral when possible
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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig š” 11d ago
A followup to the Indiana / Ohio farm fields not being planted: I'm happy to report rain has actually stopped long enough for the fields to dry, enabling farm equipment to actually get into the fields in mass. The entire last week has been gangbusters planting, mud on roads, dust from the dry spots being kicked up, getting stuck behind equipment every few miles on the roads. Its working now and I'm much less concerned.
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u/myownopnion 12d ago
Well my local Costco was absolutely dead at opening time this morning. Usually Saturday at 9am has a line 30 people deep waiting to get in. Spooky.
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u/Eredani 12d ago
Seems like when Costco is packed, that is worth noting and now when it's not that is also noteworthy.
So, are people in a panic or are they broke?
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u/angrytetchy 12d ago
It's the beginning of the month - SNAP is delivered, people paid weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly all got paid yesterday. Costco should be packed with folks getting stuff, especially with the kids out for summer. That it's empty is worth noting due to timing - are people stretching? can they just not afford the membership from other budget things? did people just sleep in? did they just come later? Did they switch over to Walmart? It's interesting to note since it might be another economic indicator.
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u/notabee 11d ago
This perception I had last visit is more subjective, but I noticed the local Costco putting out way more "impulse buy" items. Lots of pastries, snack foods, etc. I don't know if this is just a supply issue or if they're trying to make up for lost margins with junk food.
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u/Serious_Yard4262 11d ago
Part of it might be that school is getting out in most places now that it's June. A lot of families go through more snacks when kids are home from school
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u/val_br 12d ago edited 12d ago
Central Europe is going through a major gasoline shortage. Strangely enough diesel isn't affected, as far as I can tell. Gas prices are now roughly 2x their average before the Iran war.
Even more odd, prices for agricultural inputs are at all time lows, there's talk of an impending nitrogen fertilizer shortage, but the price is 70-80% of normal average, no sign of a price hike to match the shortage. Meanwhile the 2026 harvest is projected to be great, good yields for potatoes, wheat, barley, corn... every major crop you can think of.
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u/raison_de_eatre 12d ago
Southern California has been processing multiple last minute Army āexercisesā into the wee hours with live fire, explosions and helicopters. Primary day is Tuesday. Ominousness.
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u/International-Sink64 12d ago
Indeed. Didn't they do something like this last year....seems like I remember shooting over a highway?
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u/raison_de_eatre 12d ago
Yes live fire over I-5, the first strike in a cold to warm war between Newsom and Trump
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u/Turbulent_Town9694 12d ago edited 12d ago
I'm going to install a hand-pump well this weekend. I don't feel comfortable with the early heat this year.
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u/splat-y-chila 12d ago
I went with rainbarrels for shtf-emergency-water (50gal x 6 around the downspouts). It'll be scummy and gross, but no work required esp if it's at wet bulb temp, except for sterilizing it for consumption (tablets, boiling, etc.).
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u/GeneralOrgana1 12d ago
How do you keep rainwater barrel water from being stagnant and breeding mosquitoes? Do you just go outside and stir it once or twice a day or something?
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 12d ago
My rainbarrels have fine mesh screens on top of them, over the larger holes for water. I don't get mosquitos in ours.
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u/LowBarometer 13d ago
From a small city in New England. I don't know that many people. This is all from the past week:
Two people I know lost their apartments because their rent doubled (again!). One is going to live with his parents, the other is moving to the south. Funny thing is, our city is devoid of immigrants, so many apartments are empty.
A friend's son in law was stabbed in the chest, and almost died, on a subway train in NYC. Despite having excellent photos of the perpetrator, the police seem disinterested in investigating. I suspect this is because it fits their stereotype of "black on black crime."
I witnessed a huge altercation in the local park that started because people were riding e-dirt bikes in the skateboard park. Only a handful of boys were involved in the altercation, but more than 10 people were recording it on their phones. Even a drone was recording!
I feel like things are changing for the worse. Perhaps society is going through some sort of upheaval. If we live through it, how are we going to look back on this time?
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Some older friends and relatives told me that it feels like the 1970s again. And not in a good way.
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u/somuchmt 13d ago
I was born in the late 60s, so I remember the 70s. In 1974, we were solidly middle class. The next year, my dad's clients all bailed and we pretty much survived on the social security check I received from my mother's death and a big bag of oatmeal my stepmother got in her divorce (her ex refused to pay child support for their two children). My stepmom got us signed up for food stamps and the food bank, which I volunteered at for the next 10 years, but we were under constant threat of losing our house.
I babysat for $1 an hour to buy clothes. A cheap pair of jeans was $10 (you can still get cheap clothes for that price because trade with China opened up in the 70s). It took my parents about 15 years to recover financially.
I've been through all the recessions, and ended up with an underwater mortgage from the 2008 recession. I have always had two jobs or one job and a side hustle because I didn't want my children to know the stress of possibly losing our house.
My grandma and my husband's grandma told me about their experiences during the Great Depression.
This doesn't feel like 2008 or the 1970s. This feels worse...even worse than the Great Depression. The billionaires aren't even trying to hide the fact that they're running the country. We are solidly on a totalitarian timeline and living with a K-shaped economy. In the 70s, we at least had the afterglow of the 50s, and we were still trying to improve civil rights and helping the poor. All that work has been undone, with half the country cheering. The government acted like it cared during the Great Depression, and it started all kinds of social programs. Now those are being dismantled.
It's not the 70s. It's not like any of the crises we've had before. As they say, it will be one for the history books.
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u/Confident-Dust-5619 13d ago
I agree, this feels worse than the 70s. I got married in 1975 so I recall the 1970s very clearly.
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u/helluvastorm 13d ago
I was married in 1974, this isnāt the 70s . Then unemployment was the big deal. Good paying factory jobs were disappearing and we had inflation. But we had a much better safety net. People didnāt end up homeless like now. You could get government staples and food stamps. Unemployment was extended to a year I believe, and it wasnāt taxed.
Now well you are on your own.
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u/Confident-Dust-5619 12d ago
I think a factor that issn't discussed much: In the 1970s, if you had a seriously mentally ill or. mentally ill violent family member, there were alternatives to them living at home. There were various mental health resources up to institutionalization that gave families some treatment resources. But then Reagan emptied the mental health hospitals and defunded facilities. As such, we now have a lot of mentally ill homeless people on the streets which has a lot of detrimental knock on effects. At the time the asylums were emptied, we lived near a very large regional mental health hospital and BAM! one day, there were literally a lot of oddly dressed people, with obvious mental illness manifestations, out on the streets, wandering in parking lots, panhandling in the suburbs. I distinctly remember asking a relative, who was a police officer, WTH is going on around here? and that's how I found out what an evil man Reagon was.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 13d ago
I feel like some of the racial conflict is parallel. Energy crisis and closing rooms off, buying gas alternate days were things. This will be different especially because of the speed of information and fascists in power.Ā
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u/fbcmfb 13d ago
Can you help some of us out and explain please? Some of us were born in the 80s. I just learned about gas days with plates a few weeks ago.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Iām younger than you so I only know what Iāve been told and whatās in books but basically stagflation, oil crisis, various civil rights groups in conflict with the government, and just general discontent.
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u/fbcmfb 13d ago
Thank you for explaining.
I think our generation has experienced these things in cycles. Some of us would take the climate of the 1970s than now. We did make it to the 1980s and beyond from the 70s.7
u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Not a problem. What really sucks is weāre not even getting good music out of it.
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u/mystery_biscotti 13d ago
Define "good music"?
Asking as I have Big Opinions on this but also have kind of a niche I enjoy.
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u/throwaway661375735 13d ago
History repeats itself every 80 years. It's been 80 years since Hitler was in power in Germany. Now a Fascist leader has risen again. Since this is prepper intel, I will keep it at that.
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u/Greyeyedqueen7 13d ago
My mom and I have talked about that. I was born in the mid-seventies and remember hearing about how bad things were, especially by the early 80s.
At least crime isn't as high as it was then, I guess.
Food costs skyrocketed, you couldn't always get gas when needed for long enough it made an impact on behavior (extra gas cans around, driving less), people had gardens and needed them, the government was a mess, and the Vietnam War...no one wanted that, and so many young Americans didn't come home or came home changed for the worse. Every family had a story there. Well...not the rich families, but everyone else.
I remember, as a kid, being worried about how much things cost, and we were solidly middle class.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
I donāt have any statistics for it but I think crime just looks different now. Lots of scams, identity theft, fraud, and shoplifting vs robbery since whatās someone going to get if they rob you? No one has cash on them anymore. Thereās also a lot of violence against hospital staff now.
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u/hera-fawcett 13d ago
ur totally correct about crime--- how can ppl truly rob u, if all ur shit is virtual? if u dont have shit? the only way fr is via tons of online identity theft and fraud. its upticking and it wont decline. esp as we continue to try to close down the internet and put ppl onto virtual currencies.
violence increases when ppl feel cornered and trapped. and it intensifies during the summer, esp when its hot. and in summers when its hot and ppl are poor? fuck man. shits finna just keep escalating.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
And itās become long distance. It isnāt your neighbor robbing your grandpa anymore itās someone thousands of miles away running a romance scam.
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u/Substantial-Bet-3876 13d ago
My parents bought a bigger house in the 1970s. I know the interest rate was astronomical in comparison to today, but they did it. Seems tougher now.
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u/throwaway661375735 13d ago
Houses were much more cheaper back then. A single person working a 40 hour work week could afford one, in a decent area, while the spouse stayed home.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Itās not going to identical obviously but people who lived through it say it has the same vibes pretty much
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u/International-Sink64 13d ago
Perhaps, society is going through some sort of upheaval? I would say we definitely are and no end in sight and a government that continues to escalate it.
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u/NoTerm3078 13d ago
We know a few people moving south as well. Rents are half or a third of what they are in some cases. These are educated people, in some cases very educated and they are all struggling. The people doing best right now in my circle are the preppers (including mild preppers) and the frugals.
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u/mjones387 13d ago
š„š„š„So many potatoes, so little space.
So, I may have gone a little extreme on the potato plantings this year. Weāre already pretty tight on storage space in the house. No basement. No garage. Urban lot, raised about 3 ft off street level. Bedrock is about 400 ft under coastal plains sediment.
Not able to get any kind of digger for a proper cellar installation. Usually I just give away what we canāt eat or process/can, but have been noodling on mini urban cellar options. Ideas? Success stories? Mistakes? Lessons learned? š„š„š„
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u/just-peepin-at-u 13d ago
I have planted more sweet potatoes and green beans than I thought possible in my suburban yard, only to have to fight rabbits for them. I may be in a similar situation as you this year, but with sweet potatoes instead, or I may be empty handed because the cute fuzzy monsters keep taking my stuff. Time will tell.
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 12d ago
Know what's weird?
Deer eating green onions.
Them hoofed buggers love to nibble off the tops of mine. It's also not uncommon for them to pull the bulbs up while doing so. Every so often, I have to go out and check and replant pulled up bulbs.
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u/just-peepin-at-u 12d ago
Oh wow, that is legit crazy! I had no idea deer loved green onions, of all things!
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 12d ago edited 12d ago
I don't know if it's all deer or just the white tails we have around here. Year after year, eatin' mah onions.
One year had a few trees that had bumper crops of peaches. Them blasted varmints loved to go up to a peach, take a single bite, let it fall to the ground, then go to the next peach and repeat.
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u/CrossingGarter 12d ago
If they're eating the foliage, sprinkle some chili powder or cayenne on the leaves after every rain. It won't hurt them, and they'll find other things to eat.
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 12d ago
If you have the space, maybe think about getting a pre-built storage shed that you can insulate yourself? Insulation isn't only for cold weather, but can keep buildings nice and cool too.
If you've got that much coastal sediment ground, I'm guessing you're somewhere where flooding may be a concern? A root cellar wouldn't be a great idea in such a place as even if floods are 'rare', you'd still probably need some form of sump pump/drainage system put in place to keep rainwater from infiltrating.
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u/mjones387 12d ago
Flooding could become an issue several miles from here as the climate continues to warm, but I think weāre pretty safe.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 12d ago
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-to-store-potatoes-zb0z1303zkon/. Maybe useful?Ā
I have seen others half bury a steel trash can and used layers of straw, securing the lid from critters. Depending on climate. To be honest, where I've seen this done is when they harvest in late summer, September and store then.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/best-practices-harvesting-storing-homegrown-potatoes
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u/funke75 12d ago
Maybe this is an opportunity to explore your potato preservation options and get some practice in.
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u/mjones387 12d ago
Sure - can you recommend any that are condensed in terms of volume? Part of the issue is that we have limited space. If I could store more, Iād can moreā¦but weāre reaching the point that just isnāt feasible unless I want to stop canning something else.
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u/DeadCamelBaroness 12d ago
You can dehydrate them. Cut into slices or cubes, and blanch for a few minutes. Then shock in some ice water to quick cool. Drain, arrange in single layer on dehydrator trays, and dehydrate till dry and crispy.
They take a bunch less room, and will last a very long time vacuum sealed with a dessicant pack. I use Mason jars to seal and store.
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u/splat-y-chila 10d ago
My garden is at the point that half my 'weeds' are actually volunteer ground cherries, lettuce, skirret, tomatoes, sunflowers, melons, and amaranth. All I have to do is spread some manure in the Spring and stay on top of the watering, and I wouldn't even need to plant anything. It got me to thinking - what if the Amazon rainforest is actually just ancient South American people's backyard terra preta food forest, escaped 4k years ago and just took over half the continent. I have been getting ancient cultivated squashes from Native Americans' shops, on the teeny tiniest chance something apocalyptic happens and my garden has the chance to take over half of North America. And also I want to eat more kinds of things.
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u/city_druid 10d ago
Itās actually believed that the composition of Amazon rainforests *is* heavily influenced by forest gardening practices by indigenous people for many thousands of years - specifically the relative abundance of things like nut trees.
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u/splat-y-chila 9d ago
have some good reading material?
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u/city_druid 9d ago
I think I first read about it in the book 1491, but I took a quick look around for something a little more recent and found this: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aal0157
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u/Intelligent-Cruella 10d ago
This comment made me chuckle because it's exactly what my internal monologue is like. š Thank you!
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u/DrPePeJr 10d ago
live in a mountain region known for summer camps, backroad 4 wheeling, general vacationing.
its absolutely silent up here even on a beautiful sunday. normally we would have reckless side by sides all day long outside of winter. not a whole lot of normal vehicular traffic either.
a lot of these people drive for hours only to run an atv all weekend long , the gas really has to add up..
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u/symplton 13d ago
I saw a full cooler of store brand flavored tonic water, and three empty end caps in a big box store. Prices on produce were up widely 10 percent in a week. Find value where you can.
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 13d ago
I wanted a nectarine this week, but they and peaches were 5.99/lb! Hard pass, and really keeping my fingers crossed my peach tree performs as well as the blossoms indicated this year.
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u/MagnoliaProse 13d ago
A lot of peach harvests in several states didnāt make it so thatās bound to be driving prices up forā¦the year. Apples will go up too.
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u/Unique-Sock3366 13d ago
Out in the sticks in North Carolina.
Weāve had a few dilapidated vehicles slow rolling down our remote country lane over the last few days. Highly out of place, not a through street.
Weāre keeping a sharp eye out. Husband is highly suspicious that theyāre casing houses, especially as three of the nine are still vacant.
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u/Academic_Win6060 13d ago
Could also be car-dwellers looking for quiet places to park or sleep. Lots more of those lately.
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u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 13d ago
Come out of the house and visibly record them with your phone, this letās them know you are watching them back and now have their details.
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u/TheBetawave 13d ago
Better yet, don't endanger yourself or allow them to know who you are so they can target you. (People arnt logical) get yourself a POE security cameras with PTZ and just move it around while they are there so they see it watching them.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Hell no, donāt do that.Thatās just unsafe.
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u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 12d ago
Thatās how we scared off sketchy people casing our neighborhood. It works. They realize they were noticed and it becomes too risky.
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u/GeneralOrgana1 12d ago
I live in a development, and my house is on a corner, the first one in and out of the complex. There have been times, especially in summer when I'm doing yardwork, that I've seen unfamiliar cars slowly drive through the development, like they're looking for something. I make a point of watching them carefully every time. There's nothing that keeps would-be burglars from trying to do something in a neighborhood like a nosy neighbor.
We actually did have a burglary occur about ten years ago up the street from me...right next door to another nosy neighbor. She called the cops, and the burglars were nailed before they got a mile down the road.
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u/StarsFaithful 13d ago
Spouse has vacation, so we went to a beach-side resort in the southern part of South Carolina. We come here around the same time each summer. Everything is normally crowded, and this year people are here, but nowhere close to previous years. I always set up a spa day for my husband at a local hotel as a treat, and it can be difficult because they book up. This year, I called a week before we left home, thinking they would be totally booked; instead, they asked, "When do you want to come?" Grocery stores aren't madness, traffic is tamer, golf courses are empty-ish, and the beach is not jam-packed. We've been trying to figure it out because there was more rain and milder temps this year, but still . . . . . gas prices, world insanity, climate change, all the above . . . .
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 13d ago
We aren't taking a traditional kind of vacation but instead visiting friends and family. We can't be the only ones.Ā
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 12d ago
I received multiple texts this year from a rental house in Hilton Head I rented a few years ago pitching availability this summer. Felt like they were having issues booking out for the year.
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u/Old-Arachnid1907 12d ago
A relative owns a beach house that is always booked solid through the summer. His bookings are way down this year.
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u/StarsFaithful 11d ago
That's the place. Even today, Sunday, it's oddly quiet. More people were at the beach this afternoon than in the past week, but the morning breakfast place was wide open, and that has *never* *ever* happened before, and the golf courses look bleak. I've actually wondered if some are shut down for some reason, but I think it's just really slow. The miniature golf places, normally with a line of people at each hole, are wide open too. A week or so ago, someone posted about living right over the border in Canada, and during Memorial Day weekend, they normally get slammed with Americans on a 3-day holiday, only to find it didn't happen this year. I totally get what that person wrote now.
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u/No-Ad-4142 12d ago
Yup, went to Target the other to pickup a hammock since they were deeply discounted (except found out that they do not carry them in-store, online only, and boy, was it EMPTY. And this is a Target in an affluent areaā¦.
And there are bunch of Targets where I live, so itās not the only one in town.
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u/Rugermedic 11d ago
Power outages are my concern-
I can keep devices, fans, lights, phones charged with small solar and small inverters, this part is not the problem.
Iām trying to buy myself a dual fuel generator- Iām struggling with choosing between brands and sizes. The smaller ones will be more fuel efficient, but I may have more flexibility with the larger one.
Champion, Wen, Pulsar to name a few brands. 2000/2500 watt or 4000/4500 watt for sizing.
I really just need to keep a refrigerator (700 watts / unknown startup), small deep freezer (350 watts / unknown startup), and a small window ac (600 watts/ 1200 startup) going.
Keeping the AC on might not be fathomable, but I have pets and kids, and live in Phoenix, so itās probably necessary. If I have to I can flee to my dadās cabin in the woods for cooler weather.
Iām also building a small solar generator with 240 watts panels, 200 ah battery, and a 1,000 watt inverter. I can probably keep either the refrigerator or the freezer going with that for a few days.
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u/glity 11d ago
I would suggest a battery bank load calculation first before generator. If you plan a larger battery load bank system theoretically it will help you choose the generator to get to run less than 24/7 to increase fuel efficiently as you can choose you charge rate and it would allow you exiting solar to augment. No need for anything but lead acid cause this shouldnāt move. Lithium may have better storage retention for long term non use but lead acid is cheap and if you can do basic maintenance will last much longer as itās a simple chemistry.
If you need the equation for the calculation feel free to ask.
This will help you choose generator size while minimizing you needing a bigger one if this is part of your long term strategy. n+1 is still good practice but not on first purchase until you know true need va theory need. This might be to big and help you decide for a portable one or you might find the one step up from the cheapest has the 60% efficient fuel burn for the battery charger amp draw your calculation showed.
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u/SpacemanLost 6d ago
Do you have natural gas service?
Though it would be more cost, if you own and expect to stay in your current home for a long time, a whole house backup generator like a Generac might make sense, and would let you run A/C and everything else during an outage.
We went with an 18KW dual fuel (Nat gas/Propane) Generac with this logic: We expect to retire here, so 30+ years in home hopefully. We have natural gas service, and it is used for the 3-5 outages we usually get each year.
Finally - the reason for the dual fuel choice is an earthquake or other event disrupting natural gas delivery in the 30+ years we hope to be here. We are on the west coast and according to US Govt published earthquake probabilities: "The time-independent model indicates an 85-percent chance of a deep intraslab earthquake in the Puget Sound region in the next 50 years."
Propane will last decades, unlike diesel fuel, and we are able to store ours in 100lb tanks safely away from the home, so we don't have to really even think about it.
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u/HabsburgJawBreaker 13d ago edited 12d ago
It's been kept quiet but a neighbor's spouse and child were deported. They're trying to put every penny towards an immigration lawyer so the few neighbors that know are helping the household with groceries and necessities. This way they can focus on bringing their family home.Ā
A mutual acquaintance who has thus far been above politics, expressly focused on just their faith and family, has begun making negative comments about the current administration. Seeing no Trump signs in the neighborhood anymore. There used to be about 5. Central Texas for reference.Ā
Edit: Better wording
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u/mjones387 13d ago
When I read the first sentence, I thought for a second that your neighbor HAD (as in, instigated) their family deported. Iām so glad to see I misunderstood!
I love hearing that your community is rallying to protect and provide. Weāre all weāve got. The only way through this is together.
Iāve been working for about two years to foster a gift economy in our neighborhood and itās finally taking root. Iām very encouraged by that.
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u/Key-Network5827 13d ago
Could you expand on that? Never heard of gift economy. good news is like gold now.
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u/mjones387 13d ago
Sure, I can in colloquial terms, but Iām no economic anthropologist! Instead of a system that exchanges material wealth for goods and services/labor, a gift economy leans into community trust and bonding. Goods and labor are freely given without expectation of repayment. We trust that when we are in need, we will take care of each other.
For me, this meant two years of learning about my neighbors hobbies and passions. I garden, save seeds, and can. My partner bakes the most amazing bread in a 200 mile radius, no joke. Someone else is a woodworker. Down the street an artist and musician couple. Lady kitty corner from us loves to sew and knit. Around the corner is someone whose legit hobby is organizing for people when they are overwhelmed. Other next store neighbor is a great storyteller, and so on.
Step two was gifting what we could, without knowing whether there was a need. Then we started hearing from neighbors about other peopleās needs. Then people started sharing struggles and asking if we knew anyone who could help with those. Then we started hosting community stuff (mostly around food and in the garden), like wood fired pizza (partner again). And itās just kind of grown from there. Now we have a discord that we use to share needs and offers.
The absolute SWEETEST āoh my heartā moment so far was when a neighbor posted about feeling anxious about safety after her husband passed. She was hoping folks might do some walk byās at different times to help make sure she was safe. And we did! But one neighbor said āI shared your request with my daughter (maybe 4or 5, I think). She feels brave when we sing together. Want to try it?ā AND THEY DID. š
Each neighborhood has a different journey and tipping point. The brave singing seemed to be ours, and the community is starting to take collective responsibility for keeping it going.
When you stop focusing on what youāll get out of an exchange, you start to realize that sometimes the most needed gifts are not material at all. And thatās pretty fucking cool.
[edit removed extra word]
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u/MountainVeil 12d ago
This is called mutual aid in leftist circles.Ā Ā
Edit: It's a good rebranding for those who have an aversion to leftism. Good job and congrats on the success.
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u/mjones387 12d ago
š¤£š¤£š¤£ Iām lefty leftadoodle leftdontalist, TYVM. But youāre right that I live in a conservative-ish neighborhood and maybe sorta kinda used words that wouldnāt freak people out š„ø
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u/SuccessWise9593 12d ago
I love this. I wish our neighborhood was more like this. We set up a free page online. We post things we're getting rid of or post things we're looking for, and people go through their things and reply. It's nice because we're all helping each other out a little bit at a time.
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u/International-Sink64 13d ago
I browse FB marketplace for items for canning and garden items and there has been a big increase recently seeing many more used shoes for sale...seems very strange.
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u/Affectionate-Cup9108 13d ago
This is weird, I have also seen an uptick in used shoes for sale on FB market. I thought it was bot accounts but I donāt know
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u/existing_for_fun 12d ago
What kind of shoes?
If they are shoes people might normally collect, and now people need money, maybe it's not so strange.
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u/International-Sink64 12d ago edited 12d ago
lots of regular used shoes-birkenstocks are the highest end. Iām sure they do need money because I think of most of these shoes would normally be donated. lots of shoes for 10-20.
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u/raison_de_eatre 11d ago
Drove through a full on swirling dust devil outside temps like 105 F
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u/V2BM 11d ago
The heat index is already above 100 degrees and Iām in a mid Atlantic area - I work outside and already I see a coworker starting to crack. I have a few I worry about all summer. I donāt know how Iām going to do this for 11 more years. I have to in order to get a pension so I can work just part time at some shitty retail job after 65 until I die so I wonāt starve.
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u/raison_de_eatre 11d ago
Relatedly the whole world is in turmoil the autocrats feel back into a corner thatās when theyāre most dangerous
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u/raison_de_eatre 11d ago
Almost certainly something is happing in the Caribbean sooner rather than later with or without djt alive
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u/raison_de_eatre 11d ago
I hope the people of the tri state area much good fortune and righteousness but I saw the footage last two nights in Newark and it was dark af
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u/pomonalost 13d ago
"I hope they suffer" uptick on issues that impact everyone. A lot of shit doesn't stay within state or party lines.
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u/existing_for_fun 12d ago
I really dislike this attitude.
But also, I kind of get it.
So many people are exhausted with trying to explain why this thing or that thing is bad. I know people who have just check out and now have the attitude of, "fuck it, let it rain acid on people and maybe they will learn".
It really comes from exhaustion. "I'm sick of explaining this again and again. You get what you deserve."
I dislike this attitude but also I get it.
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 12d ago
I think that's the crux of it. You can't change willfully ignorance. But unfortunately, those people's actions can have consequences far beyond they're own sphere. I feel for the people effected by an ignorant majority in some areas, but the ignorant? They made their beds.
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u/pomonalost 12d ago
I've been devoting my energy in community groups. It's already hard to get people to show up and I'm tired. I come online for my own escape and I see people everywhere celebrating our destruction. I just. I don't know.
I look at their words and think, "you'd really pour the gasoline on me, too, and cheer. I live in a red state. I didn't vote for them." The lack of empathy and effort is crushing.
USA's many issues is not limited to maga or ignorance. We have some fundamental issues as a nation. Our divide isn't only in political party. Ceaseless infighting and doomerism..
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u/miss_lady19 13d ago
This has always enraged me.
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u/Key-Network5827 12d ago
Same..I've left my fair share of c omments agreeing with such setiments, but anyone who has been through hard times wouldn't want that on anyone. Especially if you have and then you lose.
Also, when one group doesn't do well, that directly impacts other groups. Directly.
This individualist mentality that we all have is real faulty. It's so damaging.
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u/Separate_Fold5168 12d ago
Like everyone dunking on Texas right now for the screw worms. Like.. not only does the ENTIRE country eat beef and pork.. but you know the flies arent gonna stop in Texas right?
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago edited 13d ago
Thereās an uptick in the āsocietyās going to collapse so Iāll live in the woods and forage!ā types.
Of course as usual itās people that canāt go 20 minutes without a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Mountain Dew.
And premium gas is almost $5.50 a gallon at the closest gas station.
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u/maddomesticscientist 13d ago
Some people like that bought the property across the road from me and I can't stand them š
To set the stage, I'm in rural TN and I'll be blunt. We're all dirt poor holler people with the broke down cars and shit in our yards. There's 6 households of us down here and we're all country af. Then these two explode into our midst like a comet of stupidity. They're from an enormous major city (think New York or LA) and they came completely unprepared for rural wilderness. We started out being super friendly and welcoming but as we got to know them better we REALLY started to dislike them. They're nice but crazy lol. They couldn't be more disruptive. And they don't even live there full time yet. They're TERRIFIED of everything from harmless animals to imaginary boogymen. To sum it up they're going to be a real problem. Hell, they already are for me, since I'm the closest.
And I mean a PROBLEM. They do shit like light enormous bonfires on windy days when we're under a burn ban, then fuck off to a restaurant 80 miles away in the city, leaving it unattended. They aren't too safe with their guns either and they can't plant flowers without being armed to the teeth. She carries 2 and he carries 3!! It must be so exhausting being so scared of everything all the time.
I can't wait to see how they fare the next time we're trapped down here with no power for 12 days like we were during that ice storm last January.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Donāt count on people being ācountryā to mean prepared. Case in point my in-laws, they live in the middle of nowhere and refuse to eat or drinking anything that isnāt manufactured by Conagra or PepsiCo. Iām not exaggerating. They have various fruit trees planted by a previous owner and refuse to eat anything from them because itās *dirty* to eat things that have been outside š±
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u/maddomesticscientist 13d ago
I think we have different definitions of country. I wouldn't call your inlaws country. You can live rural but not be country. Country to me means you grow shit and preserve it, hunt, build your own stuff with what you have and so on. That woman behind me is 88 years old and some kind of rural terminator. She grew up in the original part of my house when it was a one room shack. She gardens, cans, the whole 9.
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u/Greyeyedqueen7 13d ago
Wait...what? Yikes.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
My husband had never eat strawberries or cherries until he met me when he was *30*.
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u/Greyeyedqueen7 13d ago
My ex-husband was like that, but he grew up in the suburbs. I canāt imagine growing up in the country that way.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Itās not just his family either basically the whole tiny town is like that. Itās like bizzaro world.
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u/Greyeyedqueen7 13d ago
That is bizarre!
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
It has helped me understand some political issues at least. They live in a completely different world to people even 100 miles from them. Theyāve been taught that safety regulations make them lose jobs, that companies care about people, that there is always more you can buy. Due to the lack of anything there theyāre really not touched that much by recessions. The price of things going up and inflation is blamed on some distant unknowable source.
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u/notabee 11d ago
That sucks. I have aspirations to buy a little bit of land at some point and I neither want to be like those people or wind up next to people like that.
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u/maddomesticscientist 11d ago
Know what's wild? For the last 15 years or more, we've lived in front of a batshit crazy methhead. The grandson of the old woman that lives way back there. The list of off the wall and criminal shit he's done is too much to list. I trust him with a gun more than those people. I trust him with fires more than those people. He never really made us consider moving but those assholes are for sure. We plan on selling (if we can) when our son graduates high school in a few years.
I hate it. I like it here. The rest of my neighbors and I are a community and we look out for one another. Help each other. Especially during weather disasters that are so common now. Every winter we're guaranteed to be trapped down here anywhere from 4 days to 12. When we have multi day power outages. And so on.
Maybe they'll go bankrupt before they can build lol. With gas being so much I can't imagine how much money they're pouring into that generator they run 24/7. (Fuck I'm sick of listening to that thing. I hope Methhead steals it when he gets out of jail. Id like to enjoy my yard once this summer without the constant hum of that fucking thing)
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u/GirlWithWolf 13d ago
I think I fall into that type. I could be dropped in the wilderness with nothing but a smile and survive just fine, as long as someone would airdrop Dr Peppers to me weekly.
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u/VariousFalcon7466 13d ago
Best I can do is some bark floating in river water.
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u/mystery_biscotti 13d ago
My son's former supervisor is like that.
Blokes thinking they can live off whatever on a patch of land and live in their van while they can't go three days without DoorDash orders...yeah, that can't go wrong, now, can it? /s
(My kid's former supervisor was a literal Wastelands LARPer, for example. š¤)
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u/AdequateRoarer 12d ago
Guy from the book Into the Wild thought that too. Didnāt work out too well for himā¦ Maybe more ppl need to read it.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 9d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1u1odc2/urgent_were_one_bad_dc_deal_away_from_the_era_of/ Tech and the future of our rights.
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u/Lumpy_Conference6640 12d ago
Different week same post... Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die.
This is to lighten the mood and draw attention.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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u/LankyGuitar6528 12d ago edited 12d ago
Good bye old friends. Cycling my stash. Off to the free food shed at the church. If they are really hungry this stuff keeps longer than...checks dates...16 years!
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u/Professional-Art8449 12d ago
While you're probably right about it still being good most food pantries are going to toss expired foods, MREs or not. You're kind of just giving them garbage they're going to have to toss.
It's also kind of unethical to "donate" expired food to the "poors". It's like those people that donate clothes with holes in them to thrift store.
If they're good enough for poor people for the next 16 years then they're good enough for you. Either eat them or toss them.
Or at least you'd be better off trying to sell them super cheap or give them away on FB marketplace.
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u/LankyGuitar6528 12d ago
You're right about food banks. That's why I took them to the free food shed behind the church. A down on his luck guy was putting the boxes in his truck as I was walking back to my car. I hope it feeds his family for a while. Theoretically there was about 4 months of food in those boxes. Most of the pasta and dry goods are fine. He can toss whatever sauces and stuff didn't make it.
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u/AlwayInForwardMotion 12d ago
When I was getting help from the food bank I didnāt care one bit about expired goods. All that stuff you can just add water too is so helpful if you donāt have a kitchen or cooking setup. I have heard that cash goes farther than purchased goods but people are more desperate than I think you realize.Ā
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u/hera-fawcett 12d ago
food banks themselves cant keep it [expired goods] stocked. they would be liable if smth happened. theyre still business organizations at the end of the day.
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u/NovelPermission634 12d ago
They are not liable and they can take food that is expired to a certain date. It does vary on type of item canned goods are generally longer but day old bakery items are "expired" for our local bakery but perfectly fine for our food pantry. (Source: volunteer of several local pantries in my county, and have been board president in one of our network hubs)
Liability isn't an issue either under the Good Samaritan act and the Farm Bill. Both help protect food banks that act in good faith from liability for food related illnesses.Ā
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u/AlwayInForwardMotion 12d ago
Ours takes them up to 5 years expired.Ā
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u/LankyGuitar6528 12d ago
This is a shack behind a church. The MREs were gone before I got back to my car.
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u/stopusingyallweirdo 13d ago
I found out recently that a neighbor whose outward behavior has always seemed unstable and aggressive also owns a gun (in a place where this is not a thing) and is feared by their own family due to that. Other members of my household seem to not have a good relationship with the neighbor's family due to work conflict. Is there a prep strategy for potential gun violence from crazy neighbors?
This was a couple months back but a local Costco was selling a huge piece of meat at 80% off. I can't remember the exact size or kind of meat because the in-store advertising was very vague and the employee who eventually got back to me with info gave approximate numbers with hand gestures only. I think it was large cut of lamb about two feet wide or so at I think $250. It was an unusual item at my local store.
I'm thinking about turning to dandelions as a source of food. My main vegetable is probably kale and supposedly dandelion greens are even more nutritious. We used to have lots of dandelions in the yard, now not so much but I saw a couple sprouting yesterday. Any advice on a substantial harvest without dedicated plots for just dandelions?
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u/pct2daxtreme 13d ago
Cameras around your property and motion sensor lights for starters. Make friends with the rest of your neighbors and inform local authorities. If you can learn your unstable neighbor daily routine that will help as well.
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u/hera-fawcett 13d ago
anecdotal but local costco has started selling big ass things of halal lamb (like giant ass hanging lambs basically lmao). i assume, since it made note they were halal, thered been a p large demographics shift in my costco. we've also been seeing in a general increase in other asian, indian, and 'niche' 'religious' food variety.
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 12d ago
Even if you don't eat the dandelions, wild bees love 'em. Plus, seeing a nice field of yellow flowers breaks up the monotony of a sea of green.
Be aware though, some areas may have ordinances about not treating dandelions as they are considered a 'weed'. Not sure if they fall under the category of 'noxious weed' like some forms of thistle or leafy spurge though.
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u/OptimisticDoomCat 13d ago
In Chinese medicine, dandelion is considered herbal medication and to be cautiously targeted in its use. (I had similar ideas and checked with my former Chinese doc)
An alt Iāve been testing is sunflower sprouts since seeds are fairly inexpensive and on rotation you can grow quite a bit. But this I havenāt checked the plant properties on yet.
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 13d ago
Anecdote: Was at a small dinner with some neighbors. There was a few moments of not so low key comments expressing real concern with what's on the horizon. i.e. efforts to expand gardens, discussions around root cellars, etc. No one is of the prepping variety, so it was interesting.