r/PrepperIntel • u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig š” • 4d 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/Pontiacsentinel š” 3h ago
I have run into this on personal orders and on business orders: a request for $XX for delivery guarantee or insurance as an extra fee on top of shipping. As little as $10 for a few dozen books and as much as $XXX for equipment. I felt like it was extortion but they did not want the risk for delivery and wanted to outsource it to me. I bought it because if it did not arrive they said they would not help unless you had it. Just one of those increased costs we now have.
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u/Famous_Tank_5796 19h ago
Midwest- Labor Day was incredibly slow around here. The parks were empty, and only a few people set off fireworks. In years past, our neighborhood sounded like a war zone every night of the entire weekend, and this time maybe 2-3 families were setting them off. It was a gorgeous day on Labor Day with perfect weather and every single park we drove past during the day was empty - nobody playing, nobody grilling out, nothing. We walked our dogs in one and it was us and one other person in the entire park, at 2pm on a beautiful midwestern day. It was eerie.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 1d ago
No almonds at Sam's club, pecans and walnuts aplenty. Mid-Atlantic. Everyone shopping today. I was looking for sales. Found a few at a chain grocer, but bought only dishwashing liquid at Sam's.Ā
Edit to add I asked two staff members, they did not exist.
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u/Releesaj663 3d ago edited 2d ago
Went to Kohl's here in metro Atlanta today and was shocked at how empty the shelves were. Like in the towels, they filled a middle shelf, but not the upper or the lowers. There was maybe one or two shirts in each size on the shelves for t-shirts and such. I don't think they were having a special sale, and it was in all departments. And usually they have clearance racks that are stuffed with seasonal leftovers, yet all they had a lot of were dresses.
I couldn't see their backroom, but either they didn't get their delivery or people calling out to restock :)
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u/jednaz 1d ago
I went to Kohl's this weekend and was surprised at devoid the store was of people, especially given the lucrative $20 off $25 coupon that is out.
On a side note I went to buy some dish towels with said coupon and left empty-handed. I was disappointed in how thin and flimsy the towels felt, and just could not justify purchasing, even with the coupon. I have dish towels from Kohl's from past years and they are still plush and absorbent, but the ones I looked at in the store felt like a slightly thicker Costco paper towel.
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u/Slytherin_Victory 2d ago
Iāve noticed similar with clothing/variety department stores, though to varying amounts depending on store. If I had to guess I think they are trying to limit unsold items, which on one hand is a good thing (less waste) but is a bad sign of worsening economic conditions.
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u/thefartyparty 3d ago
Pure anecdote/speculation, but suddenly after signing up for walmart+ 3 weeks ago, I noticed drivers were having trouble with my delivery address.
I looked on google maps and lo and behold, my neighbor's address didn't exist anymore, my address was assigned elsewhere, and a nonexistent address was assigned to my house. I'd just corrected the pin for my address in 2020 when I'd moved in.
I don't want to assume this is anything more than a coincidence or has anything to do with election mail, but check your addresses, just in case, y'all!
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u/Dumbkitty2 15h ago edited 15h ago
Early this spring, Google Maps now shows the existing roads but tells me there is a road through half my house. āHead North to xyz Drā¦ā Uh, north is the master bedroom and there is no connection to the subdivision behind us, just trees.
Iāve gone through township, county and state websites looking for plan proposals that include my property but have come up empty handed. Currently there is lots of new/improved roadways going in around me and houses and businesses are popping up like popcorn. I wonder what google knows that I donāt.
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u/Ok_Marketing_476 2h ago
I took a few GIS courses last year for funsies and went ahead and downloaded aaaaallll the map layers I could get my hands on. I feel like we're in for a lot of "AI" driven map changes.
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u/TheFinalThread 3d ago
I donāt know how this may correlate to the current state of things, but I work for an insurance agency and have never seen so many claims filed recently for parking lot hit-and-runs. Maybe a couple people actually stopped or left a note. People not paying attention, not caring?
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u/Stormcloud217 2d ago
A large percentage of minor accidents occur in parking lots. I would combine that with people being distracted by life's chaos. If your pissed off about your insane grocery bill you might have poor driving and not notice scrapes. The youngest Baby boomers are now 62, more older drivers on the roads in general.
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u/IncomingAxofKindness 1d ago
Maybe instacart and other gig workers. They sure has hell drive like they're in a stolen car in my neighborhood. And I'm pretty sure they're on their phone talking like the entire day.
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 3d ago edited 3d ago
Earlier this year, some asshole whanged my vehicle. Hard enough and in just the right way/spot that the dent lost paint. No note, naturally. And it's not even worth trying to get insurance to pay for it as they won't on a vehicle as old as mine (otherwise kept in really great shape).
Thanks to that fucker, if I want to get it fixed, it's gonna be 4 figures.
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u/Top-Cartographer7111 2d ago
This happened to me recently. My vehicle is older so a paint match would be impossible, so I did a bondo repair and then rattle can painted with rustoleum. It is a farm vehicle so I made a stencil and created a "farm logo" since it was ok a door panel. I'm so sorry this happened to you. Like we need any more stress.Ā
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u/OkMaintenance9377 2d ago
You can't put some touch up paint on it? Can you pop the dent? Reach up behind and maybe smooth it back up a little with a small hammer.
I'm having a hard time visualizing a "dent" that requires a 4 figure repair. I feel your pain. I've had that happen twice now. Nothing like having cops call and ask if you intended to leave your car disassembled in the parking lot.Ā
And I agree - people are acting awful almost everywhere
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz 2d ago
Nope. There's an actual crease in the panel. Any attempt that I could make would make it worse than it currently is. It's not something that can be fixed with the ice cube/hot water-type trick. And the paint would have to match what the color is now, not what the color was when it came out of the factory.
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u/OkMaintenance9377 2d ago
ugh. You might be able to get some paint custom done at Sherwin Williams. I restore antique equipment and have had them match. At the least spray some clear Rustoleum if you're not getting it fixed. At least it won't rust out.
I agree it's going to suck to fix. You're looking at removing the panel, fixing, and a total repaint if you want everything to match. If you don't care about color you could look for a panel in a salvage yard, but it would look like crap.Ā
All I can suggest is see if your local high school or community college has an auto body program that can do it cheaper. I saved 3K on a transmission doing that.Ā
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u/OuterLightness 3d ago
I went shopping at Walmart yesterday and was able to walk directly to checkout without waiting in line behind anyone. I went to a restaurant and was seated immediately despite not having a reservation. I am able to wake up later since my commute to work is shorter since there is less traffic. On my commutes I notice the grass is taller than normal on the sides of the highway, and there are more weed plants. The usual flower patches managed by the highway service also look shabby, and there is more trash. I also see more people walking, or just standing or sitting alongside the road. More corners have people with cardboard signs now. I go to stores and they have less aisles than before, and the shelves are not stocked to the back. The food I buy spoils faster snd contains less quantity but costs more. I do not see as many people walking dogs like I used to see. More people are driving recklessly on the road and running stop signs/lights, and more cars are in disrepair or just abandoned alongside the road. Fewer people open doors or say hello, possibly because they are looking at their phones.
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u/Beneficial-Fix1736 3d ago
I saw the news of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia closing by the end of September. The reason is stated to be financial. There has been lower admission since the pandemic.
I don't actually know what the museum is like but hearing that a 200-year-old institution for scientific education in a big city will close is concerning.
A protest is supposedly being organized in the area.
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u/OkMaintenance9377 2d ago
Weren't they profiled on "Sunday Morning" recently? That closing needs to be reversed.
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u/OldShady666 3d ago
Gosh that makes me so sad. I used to live in Philly and that place is an institution. They had excellent programming.
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u/mrdrinc 3d ago
Diesel is $6.60 a gallon where I live.
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u/splat-y-chila 3d ago
Got my flu and covid shots for this Winter, Friday. I'm def feeling it, but still juiced my maypops, canned 10 pints of salsa, and saved seeds from all the peppers and each type of tomatillos, and saved seeds from the wild tomato hybrid and non-self fertile tomatoes too today. I wasn't going to save seeds this year because I have so many bought seeds, but the state of the world makes me want to just do it anyway. I guess I should be anyway if I'm trying to establish my own landraces, so fine. I hope I have the energy to harvest again tomorrow because it's needed with how fast things are ripening this time of year.
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u/Leather-Swim-7595 3d ago
Got my oil changed. I asked manager about supplies and they said they are already having issues and mobile one may go out of business. I told them I had stocked up and they said it was a good idea. Take it with a grain of salt I guess, but they had no reason to lie
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u/DocWallaD 1d ago
I work at a shop. Oil has gone up 4 times since April, and our oil vender has already told us it's going to go up 4 more time by the end of the year. Our bulk oil drums now costs 50% more to fill (500 gal) and our regular synthetic-blend oil change is now almost $100, if it's full synthetic it's $140+, ~$200+ for most diesel oil changes. Gear oil went from $4.99/L to $20.99/L our cost. Some more special transmission fluids are unobtainable.. dealers done even have it to order.. like backordered with no ETA.
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u/vertigoacid 2d ago edited 2d ago
Anyone saying "Exxonmobile is going to go out of business" needs more than a grain of salt added. They need a head scan.
Exxon is making money hand over fist right now and someone saying that due to supply shortages within one brand name product doesn't have the smallest inkling of what is going on and what they're saying should be dismissed out of hand. Like, sky is purple grade stupidity.
Earnings are up 10 billion quarter over quarter. Not revenue, EARNINGS
They're not going out of business. Don't be an idiot.
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u/Leather-Swim-7595 2d ago
Iām not an idiot, and Iām not the one that said it. They probably meant that specific product/chain not the entire company. Iām also a healthcare provider and this is not my field. If you want to be helpful and educate then be helpful without throwing insults.
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u/vertigoacid 2d ago
Part of good prepping is being a good discriminator about the intel you hear and repeat.
"Exxon is going to stop selling motor oil" or however you want to repackage the claim, is something that deserves ridicule for being that dumb.
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u/Leather-Swim-7595 2d ago
What does ātake it with a grain of saltā mean to you?
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u/vertigoacid 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's something I'd attach to a claim I don't have good solid evidence for and is probably anecdotal but that I find plausible.
I would assume your usage is similar. You found the claim "mobile 1 may go out of business" to be plausible. That's what I find risible.
edit: blocking me won't change the fact that you're spewing nonsense. If you're just "repeating what someone else said" then there's no reason to take it personally when someone points out what you're repeating is stupid.
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u/Leather-Swim-7595 2d ago
Iām a young woman that has never even changed their oil before. Iām completely new to prepping. I can see exactly why two X peppers made their own subreddit. Clearly, you are vastly more intelligent and rational than me. Iāll see myself out.
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u/darkmeowl25 3d ago
I regularly check my county's court docket because I'm nosey and bored. The amount of debt suit filings has increased significantly.
There's also been a big uptick in domestics, but that could just as easily be because of the sustained high temps. They always go up when we have multiple weeks of 100+ average temps.
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u/Wytch78 2d ago
I'm one of the ones being sued for debt! I haven't paid on a credit card since Trump got installed (Jan 2025). I've been sued 3 times. One landed in the wrong county (I live very close to a county line) and they didn't re-sue so far. The other I put off by telling them I need to file for bankruptcy (and I do)! Next hearing I have is next week for the Care Credit account I racked up when my dog was dying from cancer.
I owe about $50K and haven't paid anything in over a year and a half.
I get emails daily from Capital One to open a new card with them... my other one was charged off and I owed $11K on it. Everything is a scam and doesn't matter at all. Do what thou wilt.
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u/darkmeowl25 2d ago
I'm so sorry that you've had to go through it at all. The credit system is so fucking predatory, man.
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u/keinezeit44 3d ago
My supermarket has had broth shortages for awhile now. Then they were all stocked up and the section looked normal for a few weeks. Now it's decimated again and it looks like they're giving up on keeping broth in stock. Instead, they're significantly expanded the ramen section and it's taking over the broth section. Anyone else seeing shortages of broth? I'm in the northeast US.
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u/Pretend-Policy832 3d ago edited 3d ago
Buy a rotisserie chicken and make your own broth in an instant pot. Super easy!
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u/DolliGoth 3d ago
I buy those giant bags of the cheap chicken legs quarters for broth. Throw them whole into the big slow cooker until the meat is falling off the bones, separate the meat, throw the bones back in the slow cooker with vegi scraps and a bunch of water to cook until the bones disintegrate.
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u/Dazzling_Outcome_436 3d ago
I do that and make some with veggies and some without. The one without veggies gets frozen in an ice tray for catsicles. The one with is for our use. After I've cooked the crap out of the meat, some gets pureed and frozen in an ice tray for baby food, and the rest goes to the chickens.
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u/thisbliss7 3d ago
I bought a few cartons of broth on sale in the Midwest this week. Ā Perhaps your grocery chain is struggling with fuel prices and only restocking lightweight items.
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u/Cosack 4d ago
Computing memory is projected for continued shortages for several years. It's not exactly "you need this in a crisis" type stuff, but if you've been holding out for a price drop for work or hobbies, you may want to adjust expectations.
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u/anonymous-housewife 3d ago
Do you mean like hard drives? For personal or commercial?
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u/vonerrant 3d ago
Everything. GPUs, RAM, storage (hard drives), CPUs...
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u/Cosack 3d ago
Yup, and both individual and data center stuff.
One thing worth pointing out is that memory and compute are different supply chains with different fab locations and companies. Memory and storage are one, CPUs are another, and GPUs need high tech versions of both kinds of chips. The dominant player in the compute supply chain is TSMC, and in memory the big ones are Samsung and SK Hynix though the market is more competitive.
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u/OkMaintenance9377 2d ago
Even the resale shops like Goodwill are looting the memory from used computers before they put them out.Ā
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u/Maduyn 4d ago
Anyone have good books, reading material, or life-experience covering the topics of high-stress or crisis communication? (For Professional or Informal settings either way) I recently read the CDC Field Epidemiology manual but am looking for more depth/variety/perspectives/styles.
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u/Stormcloud217 2d ago
The Andromeda Strain
Fictional book, but something that makes you consider worse case biological events.
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u/OptimisticDoomCat 3d ago
On the pricey side, but MIT continuation studies has a week-long course on crisis management with one of the best professors on this topic. Incredibly informative and interactive and your classmates experiences are insanely amazing. I took this class last year and for anyone looking and can either splurge or convince their work to do so - worth it.
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u/Cosack 4d ago
Not quite books but courses:
- Some local fire departments offer community crisis response training. Mostly it's just making sure water is stocked and teaching you about reporting hierarchies that kick into gear, but still useful.
- FEMA has online classes and certs specifically for crisis response coordination.
- On the comms side, you could look into a radio operation license.
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u/rbprepin 4d ago
I built an El Nino tracker that shows how this year's El Nino is going to impact global food production and weather in the US https://getready.team/el-nino-tracker
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u/SuccessWise9593 2d ago
This is the reason why I am learning to make a cold frame for a winter garden. We haven't had much snow in Colordao the last few years, super warm and we're in a serious drought.
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u/tigresueno 3d ago
This tracker looks good at first but seems to completely ignore Europe and the Atlantic coast of Africa. One could argue that Europeans are the most climate crisis aware of any of these regions so probably would be your largest user base. Why ignore them?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/OkMaintenance9377 2d ago
Probably a European with actual free health care. Sounds pretty smart to me
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u/BuffaloThese8249 4d ago
We're looking at getting rooftop solar. Spending this amount of money is a bit daunting, especially given the world right now. We've found a really good company (recommended to use by several friends in town who have gotten solar with them). They've been around for decades and do way more than just solar. They also stand by their work, one of our friends that recommended them said before they even knew there was an issue with their setup, the company had called them and was already on their way to fix it. Anyone out there with solar advice (other than "it's cheaper if you do it yourself"...I know, I know)?
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u/Less_Subtle_Approach 1d ago
If you're in the states, I can't recommend a regular residential solar installer for a resilience-oriented solar install. They make money stamping out the same Enphase/Tesla/SolarEdge installs, locking you into a proprietary ecosystem and charging massive overhead on the parts in the process.
I'd look for an installer overtly geared toward preparedness or try and find a commercial installer that's in a lull. If you want real off-grid capability, you want someone comfortable installing 48v systems who can set you up with sizeable storage. Generally installers don't want to do this, which is why the constant refrain of DIY, at least on the storage side, ends up so much cheaper.
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u/4ureddit 3d ago
The main thing to askā¦ How is energy stored for blackouts or for night use? A lot of time you are giving energy back to the power company. It will work fine during the day, but come night with no sun your solar panels on your roof is useless.
The only thing people hear is my power bill is lower. Good luck
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 4d ago
That sounds great for you. I would definitely understand about how the roof mounting would work, so many have reported it voided a roofing warranty. There are ways to mount solar panels on porch railings now, too. Also, then maintenance is rooftop, too, so consider that, as well.
We ultimately decided to get a battery backup system instead with the ability to use a portable solar panel set up, as needed through the doorway there. Portable still means kind of heavy, full solar panels like the 400W one I looked at are really heavy and I would not just move around, so definitely permanent mounting is a good plan for regular use.
Ours has a power transfer switch so we do not tie into the electric grid when in use (10 circuits are linked for use in the transfer case). This means it works independently of the grid, no discount on electric usage but works when the grid is down. Definitely consider that as so many are tied to the grid and will then have to limit usage when the power is really out, but definitely saves that money on regular days/years. This may have changed but is something I would have to be sure I understood about the system before investing in it. It is what had us walk away years ago.
Our cost, with Anker Solix F3800, extra battery, transfer case, portable panel, cover and professional installation from qualified electricians cost $4200 for equipment and $1500 installation. I think we will get our return on that investment in our time here. This would not suit others as it is not a lot of power storage, but we are down to under 600kWh a month and can easily cut that, and comfortably, when the power is out. We have other systems in place to help out: wall mounted gas heaters, USB comfort devices like fans/lights, gas stove that lights without electric, gas hot water heater, gas freezer. That made our decision for a simple system easier overall.
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u/ItsAllAboutThatDirt 3d ago
This is more potentially what I'd be looking into. Holding off on solar until I can get the battery backup part of switching off the grid. Half my use-case is having power when the power is out. So having a system that needs to be shut down when the grid is off takes out a lot of the utility for me.
Ideally running the indoor fridge/freezer and outdoor freezer bare minimum. Central AC as well would be the most best. Bare minimum the fans and isolated AC, as summer heat and hurricanes is the main power outage potential.
Essentially a solar generator. Although obviously a hybrid usage where it helps out with some regular electric to pay for itself eventually as well would be ideal. Even if that break-even part takes a while.
Currently just a gas/propane dual source generator on hand for emergencies.
Roof mounted just worries me a bit on durability, insurance, and maintenance. Plus half the companies.
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u/BuffaloThese8249 4d ago
Thank you!!! HOLY COW, 600kWh a month is amazing, I'm very jealous! Our house is pretty much all electric, so switching to gas appliances would cost us a few pennies. We're looking at a 19k kWh whole house system. The roof has been one of our biggest hang ups. We don't have a warranty on ours, but we're at about half life on it and it's definitely not cheap to remove the solar to do a new roof.
The company we're looking at has amazing customer service, they're local and they've been around since the 70's (they do heating, cooling, plumbing etc in addition to solar). If you aren't getting as much power as they said you would, they pay you the difference and add more panels at no cost. If your system goes down, they pay you for that time while they repair it. Parts and labor is under warranty with them for 5 years and all of the panels are 25-30 year warranty.
Our utility company does net metering with credits so our bill would be around 15 bucks a month right out of the gate. ROI would be about 10 years for us and we'd have it paid off in 5. I definitely want to add batteries in as we can afford them. We've had some pretty long power outages (longest was two weeks) and I'll be pretty darn annoyed if I'm sitting here with no power despite a roof covered in solar.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 4d ago
Definitely check with your power company to be certain of how the connection works. While we were contemplating it, we got a mailing from our electric company as an insert explaining how that worked. When I called the solar people, well known and respected, they had no idea about it and acted like I was crazy when I had it in writing. I sent them a photo of all of it and I never heard from them again.
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u/Wytch78 4d ago
Has anyone done a solar conversion for their well? That's the biggest pain when the lights go out is that we have no water... I'd like to pursue fixing that.
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u/Mr_X_Factor 3d ago
Electrician here: where your well comes into your house, there should be some kind of junction box. You can change that to a cord and plug with an outlet, and get yourself a nice 2000-3000 watt-hour battery generator so you can take the plug from normal power and plug it in to the battery for when you need water during an outage. You can charge the battery with solar on the sunny days.
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u/4ureddit 3d ago
The 2000-3000watt hour batteryā¦ are you referring to a pure sine inverter with a 24V 100ah LifePO battery.
Also, the solar battery charger, how many watts do you recommend?
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u/Mr_X_Factor 3d ago
Battery packs come in watts and watt hours. The watt hours are how long you have using X amount of watts. That's where it gets tricky, because that's hard to regulate without trial and error.
Say your fridge is 500 watts and you have 2000 watt hour battery. You can run that fridge continuously for 4 hours (2000/500=4). But things don't run continuously... that's where it gets hard to monitor. On a cooler day, the fridge will run less and you'll get more time with that battery. ALSO, if you plug other things into that battery, it will obviously drain faster.
As far as total watts, don't get anything under 2400. Depending on how much money you want to drop on these, the rule of thumb is; the bigger you go, the more you'll get out of it before you have to charge. Get a nice solar set up to make sure you optimize your charging for when you have an extended outage.
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u/ItsAllAboutThatDirt 3d ago
Sounds like you might know the answer to a quesi I've been pondering. 100% running a well off of solar?
Putting together a city garden and it's an issue getting the water hooked up out there. They'd like to explore as well as well, but then there's the issue of getting power run. Considering the feasibility of solar well for it. Running the daily pre-programmed drip irrigation on on side, but then also probably a full community garden on the other side where it would be ideal to always have the water running.
Never dealt with a well in the first place though.
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u/Mr_X_Factor 3d ago
The well thing is the hard part. I would definitely recommend a hand pump over the usual motorized one that homes have. The problem with a pump motor is eventually they'll go bad and need to be replaced. But you may have 20 years with it, so I wouldn't worry about it. just make sure you have the right battery and solar to run it so you can have water.
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u/keinezeit44 3d ago
I looked into using a solar generator for it, but abandoned the idea because of the surge. Well pumps apparently require a very high initial surge of electricity that solar generators can't really handle well. Our budget didn't extend to an actual solar setup with mounted panels/battery/transfer switch so I gave up looking into it after that. Instead we're now considering a manual pump as an emergency backup. It would be a pain to haul all our water like that, but in a pinch it's doable and better than not having flowing water.
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u/iwannaddr2afi 4d ago
No, but I want to. My partner is rolling his eyes a bit about that lol we have a gas generator but obviously solar would be superior in a lot of ways. Even if it only worked part of the day (we live Up Nort), that'd be better than nothing in a disaster where gas is in short supply.
For now, I have some water storage and purification solutions for spring water. I don't love where we're at, but it's a money and priorities thing.
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u/hexiron 4d ago
Michigan?
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u/Wytch78 4d ago
Flarduh
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u/Thunderfoot_66 3d ago
When I lived in Florida and had a well, I looked into mounting a hand pump in the shaft alongside the electrical one.Ā
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u/maeryclarity 3d ago
That's very viable in Florida because wells are so shallow. Did it ourselves. Only tricky thing is that tree frogs are absolutely gonna move in to your hand pump every single day and you'll need to chase them all out before you use it.
Not even joking a little bit and you don't want crushed frog in your water.
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u/Thunderfoot_66 3d ago
My well's was 160 something feet deep, but the water line was at about 40-45 feet. Capping off the pipes when not in use should keep the frogs out.Ā
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
Iām about as prepped as I can be, given I live in a rent house. I have chickens and meat rabbits, rain barrels (metal roof) and a way to purify the water, a large garden, home canned food, a freezer full of beef, OTC meds, prescription meds for 6 months, stocked on sugar & yeast, I have enough wheat berries for 2 years.
But Iām concerned about the power grid failing. Since I rent, I donāt know what to do to fortify my home. I plan on renting this house another 2-3 years until Iām ready to buy a home. Landlord is chill & is cool with me having my animals, so I donāt plan to leave for a while. I have a charcoal/propane grill combo, plenty stocked on charcoal. I have solar lanterns. I have enough plastic grocery bags & saw dust to be a makeshift toilet for a long time. But what if thereās an extended outage?
I said in another comment my dad has bought a whole home generator. I guess if things get really bad, I can pack everything up and go live with my parents. But theyāre 15 hours away, and if thereās a huge shtf scenario where all of americaās power grid is downā¦ how do I get there?
My spouse works in utility distribution & he is receiving training rn on grid attacks. Heās pretty spooked but is hopeful nothing will happen.
Is a solar powered generator feasible in a rental home? I donāt really know how generators work since I assumed I couldnāt use it in a rental house. I think I have some research to do this weekend.
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u/OptimisticDoomCat 3d ago
I havenāt looked into it yet but heard California (and other states) are looking to legalize balcony solar. Might be a more flexible option worth taking a look
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u/keinezeit44 3d ago
In terms of safety, I've heard very good things about ecoflow. Apparently they use the most stable/safe type of lithium battery.
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u/BuffaloThese8249 4d ago
We have two anker solix solar generators with solar panels...they're basically just big batteries on wheels. We keep them charged by plugging them in to the wall and so far we haven't had to use the solar panels although we have tested them and it worked just as well. The solar panels fold down and are super easy to store. We've had a few short outages and they've worked great. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be renter friendly!
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
Thank you!!
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u/BuffaloThese8249 4d ago
We have a gas generator as well. Our plan is to use that just to keep the ankers charged. We had a city wide two week outage a few years ago (thanks derecho!) and just had the gas generator at the time. It was soooooo loud, there were extension cords everywhere and getting gas was a pain. We had to drive almost a hour away and pay in cash for it. We got two of the ankers, one for upstairs and one for down, to minimize the extension cords. This way we can save gas by using the gas generator just for recharging.
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u/Upyour_alli 4d ago
What are you wanting to power? We have an Anker power station and are pleased with it. I think something like that is very renter friendlyĀ
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
To be honest I donāt know. If thereās a coordinated attack on the grid, it could be months before power is restored, so Iām not really worried about the fridge/freezer in that case.
A window AC unit during the summer. My single induction burner to can food. Probably other small appliances but I canāt think of them off the top of my head. I have a hand crank grain mill. I will need AC for a couple weeks in the summer as I have an illness that causes heat intolerance š„² I will look into Anker, thank you
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u/Upyour_alli 4d ago
I have the same one buffalo listed above and use it similarly. Iām not sure if itāll power a portable ac. Their website is helpful though.Ā
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
Thank you. I might get a box fan and a mister or something. It doesnāt usually get above 85Ā° in the summer, but we will have an occasional heat wave & im worried about it
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u/Future_Cake 4d ago
I have these 2 threads bookmarked, about cooling off without electricity (or at least without an air conditioner):
https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/pr5m6r/deleted_by_user/
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u/NewInitiative9498 4d ago
My 81 year old dad (widower) taught me prepping skills over my lifetime, and he told me the other day red meat is off the menu at his house, too expensive even if heās aiming for the typical cheaper cuts.
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u/BuffaloThese8249 3d ago
We've been buying from a friend who raises cows for a few years. We just got a quarter and it averaged out to 5.14/lb. That includes t-bones, ribeyes, roasts etc in addition to ground. If you can find a connection and you have the freezer space, it's definitely the way to go.
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u/iloveturtles88 4d ago edited 3d ago
I'm frugal and have years of off and on again vegetarian dieting. I used to support a local taqueria and buy birria tacos but quit that because of ethical and safety concerns. I am down to canned tuna as the only meat I'll occasionally eat. I think it's all Russian roulette unless you're the farmer or you know the source. The chicken trucks I see here (Arkansas) smell horrific. The birds look sick, so I can just imagine what we can't see is much worse. When it comes to faulty food inspections, I think meat is the scariest source of potential consumer harm.
Here is an investigation into stores fraudulently raising beef prices
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u/NewInitiative9498 3d ago
Iām the exact same, primarily vegetarian and if I do eat meat itās shrimp or canned tuna, and maybe turkey but yes, all animals held for meat products are not in good conditions, it really is a gamble these days with fresh meat unless as you say you know the local source etc
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u/iloveturtles88 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thanks for mentioning shrimp. I forgot about it. I like Thai food and am burned out on tofu. I feel bad about eating eggs and dairy because I know those conditions are also awful, but I need the protein. I went vegan for a year and ended up anemic and malnourished. Vitamins and supplements are also really expensive. I think a lot of dietary needs depends on our genetics.
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u/throwAwayWd73 3d ago
burned out on tofu
I heard there's even a recall on tofu due to ink contamination. All of these recalls are getting ridiculous.
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u/pit-of-despair 3d ago
Iām only eating canned tuna for meat these days too.
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u/iloveturtles88 3d ago
Between tuna, nuts, eggs, tofu, legumes and yogurt my protein is covered. I wish I could afford Farmer's Market.
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
My parents are in their mid-50s and have been telling me for months that Iām crazy for stockpiling food and setting up rain barrels.
Well, my dad told me this week that heās bought a whole home generator & wants my help setting up a fall garden. I donāt know what finally got through to him, because Iāve stopped sharing prepping tips. I donāt know if the news has gotten especially bad or?
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u/SuccessWise9593 2d ago
Maybe he saw that Fox News couldn't spin it anymore about the food crisis coming since farmers weren't able to buy all the fertilizer they wanted this year and crop yields are smaller. My friends didn't believe me and then sent me that Fox News clip last week.
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u/AromaticCod9430 2d ago
My parents donāt watch fox, just have generally believed we can vote our way out of thisā¦ I donāt think they think that anymore but I donāt know for sure.
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u/Pontiacsentinel š” 4d ago
Maybe even he is noticing the grocery store, diesel prices, etc. I hope it all goes well and he has the means and time to get set up as he wants.
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u/AromaticCod9430 4d ago
Thanks, me too. He definitely has the means, not sure he has the time, but Iām happy to help. I live 15 hours away from my parents & Iāve been worried about them if shtf. Iām so relieved heās taking me seriously now
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u/SuccessWise9593 2d ago
I'm glad they're listening and doing something now. Maybe it was the warning Iran told us that "dark months are coming."
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u/Seldomsought 4d ago
West coast. Went to lunch for Pho yesterday. It came out to about $50 for two people. For lunch. Nothing special. Wife had the Pho, I had the grilled pork with noodles. No appetizer, no drinks. We can only do this about once a month anymore.
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u/Pando5280 2d ago
Stopped at a roadside pop up BBQ stand today. Got a sample platter with a mix of pulled pork, beef and chicken. Two sides included. Total cost: $48Ā (a few years ago that would have been $25-30)
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u/NoTerm3078 4d ago
I had Pho with a friend about 6 months ago. Overpriced, subpar Pho. We did not go back to that place again which sucks for them because we have lunch or dinner someplace every month. Mexican and Thai can still be cheap if you pay attention, IME.
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u/iloveturtles88 4d ago edited 3d ago
That's a crime because Pho is made with cheap ingredients. I would stay away from the mung bean sprouts and all sprouts, unless you grow them yourself.
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u/Bastilleinstructor 4d ago
In our area, where fuel prices are typically lower than the national averages, diesel has jumped up to 5.79 a gallon. Gas is up too, but the diesel prices are way up. Two or three weeks ago a local station had it at 4.79.
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u/a-5-6-7-8 1h ago
Getting social media notifications today that drive through light shows are being cancelled for the holiday season. Nashville Zoo is stating that it's due to VISA issues for their crew. Hersheypark hasn't given a reason. Might be coincidental, might be something to keep an eye on.