SS challenge! - 100+ steps to self-sufficiency

[frustratedearthmother]

Great ideas - thankfully we're good pretty good on water storage. We have several of the big (300 gallon I think) totes, large water troughs, and heck our clay ground holds lots of water and the animals drink out of whatever is closest - usually a puddle or the pond. We do the bathtub thing to flush the toilets, but I caulked around the plug, lol. It's easy to do and easy to remove when you don't need it anymore.

I like the trash can idea, and may do that too. But, our best bet for water is the generator to run the water well. We're not on city water, but without electricity the well won't pump water - hence the generator. Our 'wish list' is to back up the water well with solar - then it wouldn't even matter if we had gas for the generator.

Some of the most peaceful days in my life were the days after Hurricane Ike - no electricity for nearly two weeks. But, it was quiet...so nice and quiet. And, you could see the stars - ALL the stars without all the lights to drown them out. Thankfully, a cool front came in a day after Ike and the temps were bearable. Plus - BONUS - a window AC unit in the bedroom that the generator could handle.

I need to dig through the garage and see if I still have a big ol' roll of plastic. At one time I had one, but not sure if it's still there or still useable.

Great tip on putting the boards vertically, Bay. But, I gotta say that the last thing I want to do is climb on the roof of this two story house - EEEEK!

 

[baymule]

We had no power for 3 1/2 weeks after Ike. We had an old oak tree fall on the house and had a lot of damage. That's how I know about the heavy plastic and vertical boards LOL. I never missed a day of work, the owner had a 1947 locomotive engine for a generator and I think it would have run the whole town! And yes, the cool front was a welcome blessing. Hurricane Rita brought in a heat wave, we had tons of people sheltering in our house and the heat added to the misery.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My workplace was closed for several weeks because of damage...so, I got a couple weeks off - with pay!

 

[ducks4you]

78. Stock up on natural blankets, wool and cotton and turn your heat on late, off early, and use open window and fans as often as possible during hot weather. If your house is old, like mine, you might not even need any fans.

 

[Mini Horses]

Reminder that you do not need to run generator 24/7. Freezers/frig will do fine with 4 hrs day....just stay out of them

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Reminder that you do not need to run generator 24/7. Freezers/frig will do fine with 4 hrs day....just stay out of them

Absolutely right! No reason to run it more than a few hours at a time.... a couple of times a day. Makes no sense to use more fuel than absolutely necessary. Mine has a smallish tank anyway... it's forced gasoline conservation, lol.

For night time sleeping I'd just fill up the tank and go to bed...it would run a few hours and cool off the bedroom. Once cool - it would stay a decent temp until morning.

 

[Mini Horses]

#79 Keep some water jugs/bottles frozen. They help keep freezer from over working day to day because a full freezer uses less electric. Can be thawed and drank. Can be used instead of ice in a chest to keep things cold, without using refer so much.

#80 They sell solar generators (pricey!) but can be used whenever to run things and keep electric down to help offset cost.

#81 Own a washboard, or know how to wash by hand for clothes, etc.

#82 Have a list of alternatives in case you run out of something -- meds, first aid, cleaning, etc.

#83 keep waterproof matches on hand. I have small propane cans for my weed torch, generally have 4-5 cans available. Fire can be a necessity.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@Mini Horses
Thanks for the reminder about those small propane tanks. I had already mentioned filling up any larger tanks, but the small ones are awesome for so many other things.

82. Stock up on those small propane canisters!
83. If you're in an all electric house, like me, a camp stove is a good investment. Runs a long time on those small propane canisters that MH referenced.

 

[CJ1]

This isn't an addition. Just reinforcing keeping stuff frozen. Years ago when we moved from NC back to iowa daddy loaded his deepfreezes with ice to make sure his meat kept during the two day haul in July. But when we got back the power to our house still hadn't been turned on. Took two more days before they finally got it turned on. That's 4 days without his deep freezes running. And the ice he packed all around the meat had just started to melt. There wasn't more than a quart of water in the bottom.

A good deep freeze will keep cold a lot longer than most people would think.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

84. Learn to milk a mammal
85. Learn to candle eggs