What if the last time you went to the store was the LAST TIME FOREVER?

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Biggkidd

Biggkidd

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Just think about that for a minute. If there was no more trips out to buy what you need, would you / your family make it?

Might want to start thinking along those lines considering the times we are living in.

It might be time to concentrate on getting the things to make mend fix or repair whatever it is you may need in the future. Expendables are going to be key here. All the tools in the world will not do you a bit of good if you have no nails, screws, saw blades, drill bits, bullets, nuts, bolts ETC.. Oil grease filters and fuel are big ones and so are things like chains for saws, tires, brakes. This could be a nearly endless list.............
 
I always get a bit ichy just before it is time to go fill up my Gas tanks. When the big oils shortage hit early in Covid I bought extra oil, lots. stocked up on filters last time there was a big sale. I always keep my old saw chains and have a couple of spares. The big thing I would miss would be thick cream for my coffee. I am not ready for a milk cow, unless I really need one, Most stuff I think I would be good on. automotive batteries might get to be a problem but they can be sort of re conditioned, Ie de glue the case and clean out the crap. Toilet paper? how much is enough
 
Tirediron said:
I always get a bit ichy just before it is time to go fill up my Gas tanks. When the big oils shortage hit early in Covid I bought extra oil, lots. stocked up on filters last time there was a big sale. I always keep my old saw chains and have a couple of spares. The big thing I would miss would be thick cream for my coffee. I am not ready for a milk cow, unless I really need one, Most stuff I think I would be good on. automotive batteries might get to be a problem but they can be sort of re conditioned, Ie de glue the case and clean out the crap. Toilet paper? how much is enough
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I bought a couple thousand cheap shop rags to use and wash reuse. Like diapers are done. It was the best alternative I could come up with for a reasonable cost.
 
Learning how to stretch things like tea is also good. When I make tea I make 2-3 gallons with one gallon tea bag. Steep the first pot for about 2-3 minutes and the second for about ten and if you do a third about an hour. You can't hardly tell any difference from the first batch to the last. Steeping time changes so you'll have to figure what works for your water and pan size / amount your steeping it in.
 
Biggkidd said:
Junk is also a very useful thing to have. IE broken lawn & garden equipment old appliances & cars, old parts. All sorts of things can be repurposed in to something you might need one day.
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Now you are talking my language. one junk vehicle is a gold mine of useful stuff to the inventive mind
 
Biggkidd said:
Just think about that for a minute. If there was no more trips out to buy what you need, would you / your family make it?

Might want to start thinking along those lines considering the times we are living in.

It might be time to concentrate on getting the things to make mend fix or repair whatever it is you may need in the future. Expendables are going to be key here. All the tools in the world will not do you a bit of good if you have no nails, screws, saw blades, drill bits, bullets, nuts, bolts ETC.. Oil grease filters and fuel are big ones and so are things like chains for saws, tires, brakes. This could be a nearly endless list.............
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Promises promises 😂 (I don't like going to the store.)

Now for the reality of it: great topic. This is how I've been working for the past year anyways. From things like spices and coffee to fuel filters and windshield wipers. I try to live so that my needs are not many, but reality is that our rigs in particular are very important since we don't have horses.
 
I'm pretty well set. If it was my last time to the store, I'd get beer and cashews.

I have a well stocked shop. My friends call me "Brian Depot" because if they need something, I probably have it.

As it relates to "junk", I've gotten rid of mine. I spent 6 months last year working every day on going through all my shops and buildings. If it's truly scrap, it went away. If it needed repair, it was fixed/done. This was more for the family. If/when I die, I don't want them dealing with crap.

I have enough stuff, be it clothing, oil, spare tires, whatever to last the rest of my life and then some.
 
We have enough food and paper products stocked up to last at least a year. Two freezers are full of beef, chicken, pork, vegetables etc.
I keep around 1200 gallons of propane on hand, 350 gallons of diesel, and 300 gallons of non ethanol premium gasoline, at least a years worth of motor oil and filters for every vehicle and equipment I have. Plus a good supply of extra spare parts and enough tools for any repair that may come up. This spring we're going to add a couple breeding pairs of Idaho Pasture pigs, a milk cow and a couple more horses. The wife is thinking about getting some sheep and maybe some goats too.
 
I hardly ever go to the store. Amish would be looking in my cart and wondering how much I don't have at home.

We were in town today for a dump run and couldn't think of anything we needed. If I buy anything, it might be a couple weiner pigs in the spring. They are the easiest way to start a new garden on packed clay.
 
Ha, yes they are. I've got tons of the basics, too. Flour, wheat berries, sugar, honey, beans, rice....I'm hoping that if all goes badly, I'll be feeding extra people here. We might all be senior citizens with pew pews, but that's ok. So I just add whatever. Fill a cart each week.
So, why 60 ish days, Sourdough? What happens then?
 
I went and bought all the hss lathe bits the tool store had, they are cheap and work well IF you know what you are doing
 
Buying things where I live is hard unless you don't mind a 4 hour drive to decent access. For okay to fair access you can just drive 2 hours anything closer likely doesn't have what you need and if they do they want an arm and both legs.
 
ClemKadiddlehopper said:
I am thinking the snow melts and he is able to get back to his cabin for some ID and a change of underwear and to cache some canned salmon in a few trees above the 10' mark. I drool hearing about his salmon stash.
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Yes.......This.

I am going to "try" to restart in 49 days.

Mother nature finally beat me.
 
Count me in with well stocked hardware store. Any time I but something I purchase 2 or 3 times what I need. Remodeling projects do demand trips because I don't have space to store drywall. I do have 2 spare water heaters though.

Re: groceries

The Princess asked me "When was the last time you were in a grocery store?"

Ben
 
Biggkidd said:
Just think about that for a minute...
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Been there / Doing that since ~2015, bettering every year Since. :cool: Just Love 'going shopping' in our pantry / hallway closet / the 'LTS vault'.. So Convenient, and ya Can't Beat the 'gas mileage'.. ;)

Still a few areas I'd Love to 'shore up' (ie: Not-yet found a good way to stash more Gas / Diesel than the ~60 gals (across both fuels) we Have - safely / "legally" in a quazi-residential 'hood (55 gal Drums of each in the backyard or Garage of a Rented home is generally a No-No...) but I guess that's where the 'Brains over Preps' will come in. (ie: Tri-fuel genny, etc)

..Besides, IF we have to 'bug out', can't carry much more in the Rig than those several 5 Gal 'jerrys', anyway (besides full-tank, of course..) Would have to ditch 55 Gal drums, anyway, so..

Ehh, Confident we'll get thru the First Year, at least / go from there..

jd
 
zoomzoom said:
I'm pretty well set. If it was my last time to the store, I'd get beer and cashews.

I have a well stocked shop. My friends call me "Brian Depot" because if they need something, I probably have it.

As it relates to "junk", I've gotten rid of mine. I spent 6 months last year working every day on going through all my shops and buildings. If it's truly scrap, it went away. If it needed repair, it was fixed/done. This was more for the family. If/when I die, I don't want them dealing with crap.

I have enough stuff, be it clothing, oil, spare tires, whatever to last the rest of my life and then some.
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Me too!
...The trailer parked next to our house would be leaning to one side from all the cases of beer I would pile in it. :D
62288-Toast.gif
 
ClemKadiddlehopper said:
I bought some beer once, for a first time sow who was farrowing and going nuts. One can of beer was all it took to mellow her out. I ended up chucking the rest.

It sounds like you would have enough beer to pickle a whole barn full of hogs. Good hunting strategy.
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Knew a fella in HS who’s parents owned a bar. He was in ffa and fed his hog the sludge at the bottom of the barrels. (Along with pig feed). Folks who bought it said it was the best pig they ever ate.
Sorry- back on topic- stores.
 
So we haven’t been to a straight up grocery store in well over 5 years for anything except odds and ends around the holidays for dishes we don’t make all the time. We do hit up Costco to replenish bulk goods as we use up older stock and rotate in new like flour and sugar. Milk and butter is the only fresh stuff we might run low on in a real emergency situation, but with the community we live in and my previous life skills from living on a dairy, we could remedy that pretty easily. I have enough food supplies to feed us for more than a year, and probably two years if we did light rationing. Our garden and orchard are set up to grow enough food for constant consumption and preserving more than we would need in a year. I even have seed for both corn and wheat flour and both electric and non electric grinders. Chickens are free range and we have good feed storage for them. We have cooking surfaces, heat, water, and equipment that doesn’t require electricity. Fire arms, archery supplies, and ammunition all covered. Tools, fluids, and some fuel storage onsite. Defensible space with solid fencing and securable gates with limited direct vehicle access points. It wouldn’t be much fun, but I think we would be better off than most in any situation where we weren’t wiped out right off.
 
one last trip would be one pulling trailer....get pallets of various things from feed store,grains,fertilizer and more. then by whatever grocery store and farm store for goods.
 
I say I wouldn't go to the store, but our town of 600 has a small amish grocery bulk store and a feed store, and I would go there. I think when the Walmart and Kroger and Aldi are wiped out about 20 miles away, then our stores would be raided. And both those stores operate fine without electricity. Actually, if you're a local, you can load up at the feed store, and log what you took on the clipboard, and pay later. Hardware store is the same way.
 
elkhound said:
one last trip would be one pulling trailer....get pallets of various things from feed store,grains,fertilizer and more. then by whatever grocery store and farm store for goods.
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Elk I'm saying with no notice suddenly you can no longer go to the store for whatever reason. Not a case where you have sudden warning to stock up now or else.
 
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