Stash

[tortoise]

I remembered water for the dogs, but forgot for the rabbits! They go through 2 gallons per day.

So I went through what I have around here and started moving some to the stash. I have A LOT of nuts, so I put them in glass jars and moved them down.

I put some cans of fruit and veggies, those can be eaten cold.

I have one gallon of water, a case and a half of water bottles. I have an empty gallon jug. Can I just fill it with water, put the lid on and put it on the shelf?? Dump and refill every 6 months? I don't want to get sick from bad water! If I can do this, I will start saving milk jugs. We go through 2 a week with a toddler in the house!

Right now, I am just thinking about food and water. These are things I can worry about by myself and do something about without my fiance's help.

Heat should be fine. I think we have enough blankets and winter coats we could all huddle up together and not freeze. But laying there together for a few days would be incredibly boring! lol

Water for the rabbits, I can fill jugs and store them out in the shed. The basement stays about 46 - 48 degrees in winter, so they would thaw S.L.O.W.L.Y. down there. Of course, if we use a propane heater, they can thaw quickly in front of it.

Human waste?? It takes how many gallons of water to flush a toilet?

For 5 days, I need 25 gallons of drinking water?!

 

[Bettacreek]

Bettacreek--If you look at tag sales/yard sales/thrift stores etc... you can find the older solar path lights and some of them used two AA sized batteries or some of the ones I have now have one AAA battery- depending on what size your boy's turtle light needs you can get these path lights for next to nothing due to the fact that the batteries that came with them died. I buy them up and then get good new AAA or AA batteries and then use them as chargers - Just charge them all day long then pop those good batteries out and put them in my little things that need them...
Great way to keep good batteries when you have no power to charge them normally or when you run out of regular batteries.
I have also just taken them in the house when we have lost power too-they might not be the brightest, but they are safer than candles for kids, and they charge right back up the next day(well if you have sun that is lol) Some of the brand new ones that I got this year from the kids for Mother's day even charge on cloudy days! Sure they don't stay lit that long but still a little is better than none..

Hmm. If you take the batteries out at night, and back in during the day, without using them, will they fully charge back up? This is incredible thinking.

 

[FarmerChick]

there kinda isn't "no bad drinking water" you can boil it

and remember you don't have to flush on pee time as much

my toilet is a low water flush type it actually takes very little and a bathtub full of water easily gets me many days of no power

plus I have a pool outside tons of water there lol

 

[k0xxx]

I have one gallon of water, a case and a half of water bottles. I have an empty gallon jug. Can I just fill it with water, put the lid on and put it on the shelf?? Dump and refill every 6 months? I don't want to get sick from bad water! If I can do this, I will start saving milk jugs. We go through 2 a week with a toddler in the house!

Plastic milk bottles should be avoided for drinking water, because it is difficult to remove protein and fat residues, which may allow bacteria to grow during storage.

For times that you have warning that there may be a loss of power, like ice storms, etc., you can fill the tub and use a bucket to flush with. Also, you can use a heavy plastic garbage bag to line a trash can for additional "non-drinking" water.

For my wife, daughter and myself, we currently keep two 55 gallon drums, and quite a few smaller containers with drinking water. We also have three 375 gallon storage tanks (1125 gallons total) for flushing, cleaning, and the animals. If needed, we have a small pond to draw from. Of course in the winter you can always melt snow or ice.

 

[FarmerChick]

K0xxx the trash bag liner is a great idea
duh never thought of it
thks

 

[tortoise]

Plastic milk bottles should be avoided for drinking water, because it is difficult to remove protein and fat residues, which may allow bacteria to grow during storage.

For times that you have warning that there may be a loss of power, like ice storms, etc., you can fill the tub and use a bucket to flush with. Also, you can use a heavy plastic garbage bag to line a trash can for additional "non-drinking" water.

Thank you for the information! I should purchase jugs of water then. I wonder if I can just get the empty bottles? Does anyone know about this?

 

[Bettacreek]

Plastic milk bottles should be avoided for drinking water, because it is difficult to remove protein and fat residues, which may allow bacteria to grow during storage.

For times that you have warning that there may be a loss of power, like ice storms, etc., you can fill the tub and use a bucket to flush with. Also, you can use a heavy plastic garbage bag to line a trash can for additional "non-drinking" water.

Thank you for the information! I should purchase jugs of water then. I wonder if I can just get the empty bottles? Does anyone know about this?

I'm sure you could find bottles. If this is the route you want to take, I'd honestly say to collect 2l bottles and fill them. You can stack these more easily than milk jugs anyways.

 

[Emerald]

Bettacreek--If you look at tag sales/yard sales/thrift stores etc... you can find the older solar path lights and some of them used two AA sized batteries or some of the ones I have now have one AAA battery- depending on what size your boy's turtle light needs you can get these path lights for next to nothing due to the fact that the batteries that came with them died. I buy them up and then get good new AAA or AA batteries and then use them as chargers - Just charge them all day long then pop those good batteries out and put them in my little things that need them...
Great way to keep good batteries when you have no power to charge them normally or when you run out of regular batteries.
I have also just taken them in the house when we have lost power too-they might not be the brightest, but they are safer than candles for kids, and they charge right back up the next day(well if you have sun that is lol) Some of the brand new ones that I got this year from the kids for Mother's day even charge on cloudy days! Sure they don't stay lit that long but still a little is better than none..

Hmm. If you take the batteries out at night, and back in during the day, without using them, will they fully charge back up? This is incredible thinking.

I never thought about how charged up they are? I'm sure if you need them to 'fully' charge that would be ideal! I have also not wasted candles on windy Halloweens by taking just the top part of my solar path lights and put them in the carved pumpkins upside down- they stayed on almost all night and then no stinky burned pumpkin smell and the chickens chowed them pumpkins right up!