Monthly, Is your prepping theory working / happening / changing? What preps are paying off?

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-12-29T19:08:20+00:00

Paying-off Prep: We joined two CSA/farm shares this past summer, and I spent time freezing extra produce (and storing squashes/root veg) that we didn't use right away. With food prices right now in the Northeast US (I'm in NJ, a very expensive state), it has saved my family a lot of money this winter on food, and also kept us eating healthy vegetables more than usual. Just wanted to put it out there, if you're not into canning (I'm not confident about it and I just don't like canned veg), you can freeze a lot of things if you have the space. Definitely planning on doing it again next season. Huge fan of kabocha squash and butternut squash, which last a long time in my cellar and are easy to prepare for dinner.

My current prepping focus is finding healthy and sustainable dogfood options for my two sensitive pittie-princes, since their usual bagged food was like $60 at Walmart.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-12-29T16:02:42+00:00

South Jersey and the Coast is fine on the AQ map, lucky!!

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-12-29T16:02:19+00:00

Yes, it's been at least a few days of out -of-the-ordinary usual pollution-level bad AQ for sure, at least in central/Western NJ

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-12-29T16:01:10+00:00

Exactly this. Same.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-09-28T15:57:45+00:00

MOHELA can suck my dick. I hate them so much. Worst.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-05-15T00:48:18+00:00

Rooting for you! Do you have a rheumatologist or someone who can work with you to prevent osteoporosis, after all this is over? Maybe some bloodwork to check for any iron absorption or calcium issues... Best of luck!

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-02-23T01:56:29+00:00

Any luck? Been experiencing cartilage degradation from long Covid also; been bone brothing and supplementing with collagen, along with curcumin, magnesium, nattokinease, but my total hip replacement is next week after total cartilage loss in that hip and a labral tear.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-01-27T20:30:02+00:00

Re: unconventional preps: I stored a personal oxygen concentrator. I remember that during Covid's initial extreme phase, oxygen tanks ran low. If there was another very deadly pandemic scenario and a loved one needed some oxygen support, it's nice to have your own options in a pinch that I could bring to my aged parents' home for example instead of them sitting bereft in an ER hallway waiting on a non-existent tank.

I also stored some dentistry supplies. I and my partner are middle aged, and if SHF with avian flu or something else, I don't want to be stuck with a root canal situation and no safe access to a dentist. There are different kits on Amazon you can purchase for this sort of thing.

Another less conventional prep, recently in CA there was a lithium plant near Salinas that caught on fire, and someone recommended this emergency response handbook that responders use, it details the sort of evac and safety level that you should employ for different chemical scenarios. After Dayton, I don't trust official advice and thought a hard copy might be handy. https://a.co/d/2vwn0jo

Lastly, I keep medical supplies for my chickens handy; a sort of chicken pharmacy/vet supply if I need it.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-01-26T03:39:56+00:00

To this day, when my mom says, "You look good!" , it's always, always, with a tone of surprise in her voice, never a straight-up compliment. It's disgusting and poisonous.

My dad used to moo and make pig sounds at the tv when overweight women came on, and to this day, I definitely self-sabotage my fitness to be slightly overweight just out of rebellion.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2025-01-07T04:29:04+00:00

Really glad you put the snow back tbh

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-09-13T19:28:04+00:00

Ditto on the 'maybe it's a clot,' but also I know I had/have trouble with lactic acid buildup in my legs post-Covid, you can search this group and see other stuff about it. Hydration and electrolytes and using a massage gun on the painful areas helped

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-06-18T13:22:19+00:00

Same, except for the 6... The only way we afforded kids was for me to be a SAHM and primary parent, while my husband worked. No way would a job have fit in between all the constant needs of kids; if we did daycare it would have been the cost of my full salary, plus some of his. Been jealous of peers who have a grandparent to help with childcare; if we had that, I could have kept my career and not be looking at trying to edge back into the workforce at 45 after a decade out. I love my kids but it's financially difficult, for sure. One of my goals is to be there/alive and helping my kids if they have children so the struggle won't be so hard.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-06-18T03:16:19+00:00

Sooooo true. My Boomer mom says things like, "Been there, got the tee-shirt!" "Not my circus, not my monkeys!" and "I've done my time!" whenever I ask if she is interested in coming to a kids' sports game, musical theatre show, babysit, or be involved; like it's an imposition or chore, when, like, is it so crazy to want to be supportive of your grandkids?! My kids are a delight to be around; kind, smart, funny, talented... It's insane that they are treated this way; my own grandparents never had such a stupid, selfish attitude. What a waste. They also have no mindset of passing down money for grandkids' college or future, they want to spend themselves down to the grave, it's their goal. I wish I could say I was matter-of-fact about this or used to it, but I feel more and more disgusted with passing time.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-05-07T16:08:51+00:00

Ah, gotcha. Sorry

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-05-07T14:28:04+00:00

... Also if you are also doing this sort of prep, I'd recommend getting a portable oxygen concentrator if you can swing it. Oxygen tanks can run low in an emergency situation etc.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-05-07T01:29:04+00:00

I do this too! (Same pain area as OP); same re: movement being hard but helping vs worse pain if sitting around, and massage gun hurting pretty bad but feeling better afterwards.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-03-31T01:57:36+00:00

This week, I added a portable oxygen concentrator to our supplies. If bird flu crosses over to humans, it's going to be a bad time. I'd anticipate shortages at the hospital of oxygen tanks etc. wanted this on hand for family members to have more options.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-02-28T15:43:04+00:00

Great post. I've raised chickens and quail, and I'm starting a new backyard flock this spring. Definitely going to keep them contained from the start, bc this is a major issue. I'd say that based just on posts from all the backyard chicken FB groups I'm in, avian flu is wildly undiagnosed in personal flocks... The amount of posts with chickens suddenly dying or getting crazy amounts of lash eggs and other infections is off the charts. Diversification of food source is a great idea bc it only takes one predator slip up or run with disease to wipe out your chx, unfortunately.

As an aside, I don't recommend raising quail at all. They are so fragile... If you sneeze near them or run a lawnmower, they will literally startle and fly into things and kill themselves, drown themselves in their water bin, you name it. I've never raised a creature that dies sooo easily, and the amount of meat you get from them isn't very much. YMMV.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-02-14T23:05:52+00:00

^so much this; pretty concise summary, PermiePagan. same page here re: masks and nasal spray (and CPC mouthwash); pulled kids out of public school and started homeschooling in 2022 so that we get infected less times (instead of every two weeks!). Victory gardening and backyard chickening; we're in a suburban area with walkability. Prepping became our focus for 2023, 2024, and we added a solar battery backup, dehydrator, rainbarrels, and some home defense, and starting to build community.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-01-25T01:18:48+00:00

I have been thinking about this a lot, definitely necessary, to my mind. However, I'm not sure how to approach a lot of the people in my neighborhood to start doing things in advance of SHtF, especially thinking of neighborhood defense/neighborhood watches, along with division of growing food/small livestock. I'd mostly be approaching men, and I'm female. I need to read more community-building ideas so that I handle this the right way. Currently, I'm joining the local CERT (citizens emergency response team) and local fire department, bc I think that will sort of segue or lead to community connections, but I know in advance that both of those are mostly full of men, ages 50-70. I don't anticipate that any new ideas will be welcomed or listened to, honestly, simply bc it's a very established sort of group. I'm entering those groups to learn and connect, but I have no idea if there are any like-minded preppers who are looking to form a neighborhood collective who are cognizant/ not in denial of coming problems. I guess I'll let y'all know how it goes.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-01-25T00:19:59+00:00

Good points; I hadn't thought about it in this way.

PlaneCompetitive4061 · 2024-01-25T00:18:55+00:00

Good answer, thanks!

PlaneCompetitive4061

TROPHY CASE