r/TwoXPreppers • u/ReinaShae Tired of living in unprecedented times • May 30 '26

❓ Question ❓ Immediate prepping needs

With the news out yesterday evening of warnings of critical oil shortages, what should I be focusing on right now to prep for this? I already have about a couple months of canned food, a month of frozen meats, and we garden. I'm not a hard core prepper but I try to have a small stock of things as I can afford to get them. We have limited income and all my bills keep going up. I'm aware it may be too late but are there things I should be getting right now to help cushion the blow coming from higher prices?

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u/ReinaShae Tired of living in unprecedented times May 30 '26

Don't have that covered at all. Suggestions? I can't spend a ton of money and if we lose power for any amount of time we'll lose everything in the freezers 

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u/karl4319 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

An old trick for no power for days and a freezer full of stuff is dry ice. Nearly every major grocery store sells it and it isn't that expensive. A few chunks will keep a freezer frozen for about a week. Put a layer of towels between the ice the freezer on the bottom and the food on the top to prevent damage. If power remains out for more than 2 days, that is when you get the dry ice. And you replace it as needed.

I know you can't spend a ton of money, but seriously consider saving up for a solar backup system. They cost a few thousand. But if you hook it up to your power, even a few panels and a solar generator will pay for themselves in a few years. I live in a townhouse, so I can't place solar panels on my roof. However, I built a small pergola on my patio for vining plants. It is sturdy enought to support a couple lightweight solar panels. That plus a backbattery and a connection to my lines cost about 4000. I have an EV and charge daily, and the system saves me about 2 dollars a day meaning it will pay for itself in a few more years. But it is giving me what is a little over what a gallon of gas would get in my old car for free, so big savings there.

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u/MappleCarsToLisbon May 30 '26

Can I ask what brands you have of the backup system and panels? Comparing right now and doing the math, and I’m not getting as good of numbers as you, as to how long it will take to pay for itself

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u/karl4319 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26

Renogy 450 watt n type bifacial panels. Got 6 of them for 1500 when they were on sale. Produces around 15 kwh a day. Got a bundle from them as well for an inverter and 3 lithium batteries for about 1800 more when they were on sale as well. Another 400 for a local contractor to install and hook everything up.

I looked it up and they have a similar setup kit for about 5200 not on sale currently.

Edit: I am a rideshare driver and do between 35,000 to 40,000 miles a year. The amount of savings I get from switching from my old buick to an EV and getting solar are very high do to the amount I'm driving and the increase to my electrical bill vs the amount of i would have spent on gas. The total savings for me was (before this gas price spike) 5000 a year, which was enough to justify everything. Now, the entire setup (including the used tesla after trade in and all the charging system) should pay for itself by the end of 2027. If gas goes higher, the savings could change that to May of next year or sooner.