TOTM for July 2015 - Be a thrifty prepper

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by ghrit, Jun 30, 2015.


  1. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    Isn't this pretty much the same thing an O2 absorber does ? foosed
    When I take an O2 absorber out of its sealed packet it begins to heat up.

    FWIW I always use desiccant packs with O2 absorbers; No O2, no moisture.[coo]
     
  2. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Alot of the loggers my father worked around in Wash. State used to take a gallon of used motor oil and mix in a can of STP for their bar oil. The STP helps the oil cling to the bar better than just the used oil (too thin). It works great and I've been doing it for many years.
     
  3. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    No. In hand warmers, moisture is added to the package, and the only thing missing from the equation, is oxy. When you tear and shake. You expose the contents to oxy. (And you can stop the reaction, by placing in a baggie and sucking out the air).
    I have not used the O2 absorbers, so I can't tell you how they work, but I do know hand warmers well. Read the contents.
     
  4. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    You forgot old water beds:D
     
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  5. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey


    I vac seal ours into useable size bags and store in tins.
     
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  6. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    I do the same, although most of mine come from the pawn shops. Small town,small shops are best I feel. I can't tell you when I last bought a new Coleman anything. Like new, in the box-yes and from the pawn shops:) The propane ones are easy, but my favs are dual fuel and the old green two mantles. I still have my first red single mantle from boy scout days. To the base of every lantern I have a 4 pack of mantles taped. In the case of the propane ones the mantles are taped to the inside of the plastic case.
     
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  7. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    For me, I had to relearn how to be thrifty.
    After my 1st business became established I got in the habit of just buying whatever it was I wanted. I carried that over into everything. While I still do that at times, @Sassenach got me to see just how far she could stretch a dollar by going to the right stores at the right time-and by shopping online. There are several grocery stores in the area that we now go to instead of the big name ones-huge difference. By store hopping on a sunday we can get all we want and save A LOT over Safeway, Publix,ect. When I would go to Sam's (alone) I would drop 5-600 bux a pop. We don't do that now:rolleyes: I now research major purchases before we buy. The Dollar type stores and knowing the generic equivalent to something is a prepper's friend. Sometimes name brand is the best way, but not always.
     
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  8. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Never had a problem using old 1 or 2 liter soda bottles for storage. whether it's extra water/ice in the freezer or dry goods on the shelf. We also use old juice bottles.
    I would not use milk jugs of any kind.
    hand warmers are the same as O2 absorbers. The thing about the heat is it really doesn't matter. They should only get mildly warm, not hot when put in your container. As long as you don't leave them exposed to air too long, they should have minimal oxygen.

    Dollar stores are awesome! Especially for things that really don't have an expire date (bandages, gauze, etc.)

    My wife and I hit the "managers special" section in the meat dept at our kroger store every time we go in. Meat purchased from that section is used or frozen within 24 hours.

    When shopping at a local farmers market, ask about "canning veggies". I've posted before about how I've come home with a hundred or so lbs of tomatoes for less than $30.00. Make our own tomato juice and diced tomatos (along with seasoned tomato juice, no added sugar/salt).

    I've just started dry canning. Using a vacuum designed for removing the air from AC lines I can get about 26 - 28 mBar (right term?) of vacuum. Put dry contents in mason jar, apply lid and ring lightly and vacuum. when the vacuum is release the contents are sealed.
     
  9. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    What now? I've got one of these,how do you use it to draw down the vacuum in a mason jar?
    Explain in detail or pics please? This sounds very interesting.
     
  10. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member


    I got the AC vacuum for my woodworking (wood stabilization) so it's become a dual use item :)
     
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  11. Tully Mars

    Tully Mars Metal weldin' monkey

    Thanks @kckndrgn!
    That's pretty interesting, and would be a snap to convert one of ours for this.
     
  12. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    Our Foodsaver has that little mason jar air sucker thingy. Pretty cool.

    One thing I can't live without is Neosporin... ten million rabbit scratches, paper cuts, razor slip-ups, etc.... but it's pricey. Dollar Tree has basically the same thing but $1 a tube. I buy 4-5 a few times a month to squirrel away. Works just as well.
     
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  13. BlueDuck

    BlueDuck Monkey+++

    Yep. I do a lot of ice fishing in the winter and I use hand warmers inside my gloves all the time. They are usually good for 8 hours or so. I use them for an hour or so and put them in a small zip lock bag and they shut down. Take them out of the bag and they work again. I think if you used them as oxy absorbers they would simply shut down as soon as they were sealed up.
     
  14. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Leaving unused moisture behind. Mold.
     
  15. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

    Here's a pic of that "little mason jar air sucker thingy" for those who've never seen one.

    [​IMG]

    Available on Amazon. [coo]
     
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  16. NotSoSneaky

    NotSoSneaky former supporter

  17. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Here is a list of 99 things to buy from the dollar store-
    Follow the link for the rest. At the end of the article is what not to buy from the dollar store then I found this article-

    What NOT to buy at a Dollar Store | Prepper-Resources.com - The Ultimate Prepper & Survivalist Blog.

    I have drawn the conclusion when shopping at the dollar store to read the label for expiration and where it came from. One article I read said not to get bleach from the dollar store yet IMO that is where you can get normal bleach.

    Also- from my experience the solar lights sold at the dollar store are not worth a dollar. IMO something you should buy quality.
     
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  18. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I get my solar lights for penny's on the dollar from Bargain Hunt stores. The longer something sits on their shelf the cheaper it is.
    My wife found a katadyn water filter (Products - Katadyn Products Inc. on the shelf for 80% their price, which was already reduced from the normal price. I think OTD it was around $20.00.
    Some of the solar lights I get at bargain hunt are the good expensive ones but something is broken on it (lens, body, steak, etc.) Sometimes I repurpose the light assembly and sometimes I just use a little 5 min expoxy to put it back together.
     
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