Prudent Prepping: The Taste Test

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

When I wrote about my friend the Master Chief ordering freeze-dried long term store-able food, our esteemed Editrix asked the obvious question, "But how do they taste?"

Here is my answer.

Wise Emergency Food
I opened both buckets and chose one item from each that I am reasonably certain of how they should taste: Apple Cinnamon Cereal and Noodle Soup.

Easy Choices

Preparation
This was straightforward: read the label, boil the correct amount of water and taste. The cereal uses 3.5 cups of water which I nuked in a microwave.

WARNING! 

REMOVE THE OXYGEN ABSORBENT PACK

 BEFORE ADDING WATER!

Too much water

Apple Cinnamon Cereal
This is an instant cereal most of us have eaten. I take instant cereal with me every day, in case I didn't eat breakfast or get hungry before lunch.

Wise doesn't break down the ingredients, nutritional values or serving sizes for their multi-serving packages in an easily copied format, so here is the page for the entire contents of a bucket, with the cereal towards the bottom.

The flavor is very good with enough cinnamon to make things flavorful and not just sugary, and the texture is different from the single-serving oatmeal I've eaten; this is closer to slow-cooked whole oats. As is my normal way to try new items, I followed the directions as shown. Also as is usual, the amount of water listed is more than I feel is needed to mix or cook the test items: the cereal is runnier than I like, and I'm tempted to use at least 1/2 cup less water or add the cereal to the pot while still on the fire to cook off some of the water and possibly speed up absorption.

Noodle Soup
Another item most people have eaten in the past, and another favorite from my earlier days, before Ramen became popular. This product's information is also on the page mentioned above.

This package recommends 4 cups of water, which I'm going to use, because this is actual soup!

Noodle soup

The texture came out better than I expected, with the curly noodles cooked enough to be firm but not chewy. What did not come out better was the taste: salty.

Lots and LOTS of salt in the soup, to the point that the other flavors seem sharp tasting; I don't know and other way to describe the 'taste'. I've eaten instant soup exactly like this in the past and wasn't a fan then; I still don't like it.With water filtration systems available, something this salty might not be a problem if you have enough plain water to drink in an emergency.

The vegetables reconstituted as expected and you could tell you were chewing something other than a noodle, but that was all. Did I mention salt?






The Recap

• Wise freeze dried long-term storeable meals, first mentioned in this post. Available from Amazon
• As with most things, the more money you spend (to a point), the better off you are in quality. The Master Chief and I both think Mountain House is better tasting, butat a higher price point that neither one of us can afford at the moment.

The Takeaway

• Buy what you can afford and upgrade when you can. Nothing is perfect, but in an emergency the calories you have now are better than the ones still on a store shelf.
• Wise Foods gets my recommendation for emergency food, even with the minor flavor/salt issue.

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Know Your Electrical Panel

We've talked about the basic electrical tools used to diagnose issues; now let's look at your electrical panel, which is what distributes all the electrical power for your home. If you have outbuildings with power, these may have their own sub-panels that distribute power just to that building. Knowing the location of these panels is critically important to being able to safely work on the electrical circuits in your home.

Inside your panel, you'll find either circuit breakers or fuses. Resettable circuit breakers are used in all modern construction projects; fuses are found in much older homes, usually dating to the 1950s or earlier. Some of these buildings have had update and refit work done, however, and if so they will have modern circuit breakers. I discussed the basics of fuses and circuit breakers here and here, and they're worth a quick review.

A residential breaker panel, pictured closed.

Breakers inside a panel.

The pictured panel is the one in my own home. Notice that there are both single and two-handle breakers: the single-space breakers supply 120V power to lights and normal outlets, and the two-space breakers supply 240V power to things like ovens, clothes dryers, and electric HVAC systems. There should be a schematic inside the panel door listing what each circuit powers, but these are sometimes out of date or inaccurate.

Knowing a few things about your panel can help you isolate which circuit you need to disconnect:

• Breakers marked as 15 amps are almost always lighting. 
• 20 amp breakers can be lights or outlets. 
• As mentioned above, two-space breakers (referred to in the trade as two-pole breakers) power high-draw items like ovens and clothes dryers. These breakers are the top two breakers in my panel as pictured. 
• Some panels will also have a breaker marked as "Main." This breaker kills all power to the entire house, and will be labeled with a higher amperage than any of the other breakers, almost always 100 amps or more. If the main breaker isn't in the panel, it will be located near the electrical meter, as noted here.

Find your own panel and take a look inside. Be familiar with your breakers so that when you need to flip one, you've got nothing to be afraid of.

Lokidude

Cheap Gear Review: Electrical Conduit Walking Staff

I like to walk. If you have seen my author photo, you may have noticed that I am a little bit heavy. Because of that, I like to have a selection of walking sticks made of electrical conduit pipe at hand.

They function as a way to keep my balance when I am having balance issues or dealing with knee and ankle injuries, help me get over rough terrain, and even serve as a dandy impromptu weapon should ever come to it. I have even been known to use one as a way to carry multiple bags across my shoulders instead of in my hands. What I am carrying is, in effect, a short quarter staff made from steel.

5'5" walking staff.
Model: Joe Vasicek

Now if a walking stick or cane is not your style this article may not be for you, but hopefully it will help you if you ever decide to get one as a gift for a friend. They are surprisingly inexpensive to purchase, and it's surprisingly easy to personalize them.

1. First, the staff itself. I purchase ten foot lengths of pipe and cut them down, since it is cheaper per foot, but you can buy pre-cut five foot (and in some places four foot) lengths. I like to purchase mine from Home Depot, but any hardware store should carry it. 
• I prefer to get 0.5" diameter pipe, but I have purchased 0.75" in the past. The half inch is lighter, but not quite as strong, which I have never had an issue with. I know someone who uses one inch, but I find that to be uncomfortable in my hand as I hold it and I do have some fairly large mitts.
• The total cost for a pre-cut (so more expensive), 5 foot long, ½ inch diameter galvanized steel electrical conduit at the time of this writing is less than $3 US.
2. I prefer to put Great Stuff Expanding Foam on the interior of the staff. This gives it just a bit more weight, and prevents crud from getting in. If you have some sitting around from a project and need to finish a can off, this is a great way to do it; just make sure to spray it in from both ends, to get better coverage. Loctite makes an excellent similar product that actually works better than Great Stuff for projects like these.
3. Then I put on a rubber ferrule. It protects the bottom and provides traction when I'm walking around. I couldn’t find a single one on Amazon, so this link is for a multi-pack, which is nice since these tips eventually wear out.
4. Finally, I put on grip tape. I use 3M electrical tape and re-apply after a couple of years, but your mileage may vary. The neat bit is that it comes in a bunch of interesting colors, making customization is easy.
5. Your electrical conduit walking staff is done. Have fun with it!

3'5" walking stick.
Model: Joe Vasicek

(Regular readers may ask if I have run my staff through the dishwasher. The answer is no, because it will not fit. If I ever purchase an industrial dishwasher I will remedy this.)

Don’t forget to practice.

Get Home Bag(s) pt 1: the Get Home Vehicle

Bigger is better, and Soccer Moms know it.

Prudent Prepping: RE(I)-placing Gear

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. 

I like to see, feel, and try on my clothing before paying out my hard-earned Blue Collar Prepping budgeted cash. Doing this is harder and harder with so many stores closing or expanding their Online Only offerings. In the past I have shopped at REI, since they carried a wide selection of camping and rugged outdoor clothes. Nowadays I'm spending little money and less time in their stores, which is a shame since I need to buy some replacement items that REI has and I really like them. So why am I doing that?

REI statement on relationship with Vista Outdoor

03.01.2018
REI does not sell guns. We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month. In the last few days, we’ve seen such action from companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart and we applaud their leadership.

This week, we have been in active discussions with Vista Outdoor, which has recently acquired several companies that are longtime partners of REI. These include Giro, Bell, Camelbak, Camp Chef and Blackburn. Vista also owns Savage Arms, which manufactures guns including “modern sporting rifles.”

This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds.

Companies are showing they can contribute if they are willing to lead. We encourage Vista to do just that.

I believe that companies have the right to choose to do business with whomever they choose, for whatever reasons they choose. To do otherwise would be poor business and possibly un-American. I believe this decision is wrong for many different reasons, but it is their choice.

This puts me in a bit of a dilemma, since I need to replace some socks I've worn for the better part of ten years (no, not the same socks!) first purchased from REI and reviewed in this post a year and a half ago. I too have a right to shop where I want and spend my money however I choose, because the opposite would definitely be un-American.

I really like this sock, since it fits well and keeps my feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I'm now looking at websites for companies selling what appear to be the same sock, but I need to order and wait to see if in fact they really are the same. If not, I have to get an RGA, mail the items back, wait for a credit back to my card and then try a different company. Many of you younger people have no problem ordering and returning item after item until you get it correct. I have only one thing to say:

Get Off My Lawn!

Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino (2008)

I like these socks. I really, REALLY like them, and if the heel and ball of the big toe area weren't getting thin, we would not be having this conversation about capitalism, rights guaranteed (not given!) in our foundational documents, and socks. Especially socks.

I'll keep everyone up to date on how the search is going. Until then, Sourpuss McGrumpyface is signing off.

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Electrical Troubleshooting: Tools

I have returned from my hiatus. Short answer to expected questions: my family is good and things are getting back to as normal as they ever are. Thanks to everyone who expressed concern about it.

During my absence, questions about basic home electrical maintenance came up among the staff, and I was asked to do a series on the topic since that's how I pay my bills and buy my toys. I'm more than happy to do this, both in the interest of helping folks be more self-sufficient, and also in the hopes that some of our bolder readers will have an eye towards doing this kind of work safely and properly.

Electrical work requires some tools that other tasks do not, and since these tools will help prevent accidents and injuries, this is a very good place to being my series. Basic variants of these tools can be obtained very economically, while fancier versions have almost no ceiling to their cost. For homeowner purposes, those basic devices will work just fine, without the added expense of features that rarely if ever will get used.

Non-Contact Voltage Detector
The non-contact voltage detector is the first line of protection from electrical shock. It detects the presence of voltage in a wire, switch, or outlet without requiring that bare metal be exposed. Every professional electrician I know carries one daily. Shocks hurt, and this is cheap insurance.

Outlet Tester
A huge number of the electrical issues that crop up in a home involve wall outlets. This device plugs into a standard outlet and diagnoses any wiring problems affecting it. It is a very quick way to find trouble points.

Multimeter
The multimeter is the ultimate diagnostic tool. Basic units test for the presence of AC and DC voltage, amperage, and electrical continuity; fancier ones can test electronic components, measure temperature, and a host of other things. An auto-ranging meter is far simpler, but adds a large amount to the cost. If possible, look for a meter that lists a feature of "audible continuity," meaning it will sound a tone when a circuit is electrically continuous. This is useful when trying to identify wires or locate a broken wire.

Amazon has three very affordable kits that have these tools for all your basic electrical diagnostic needs. You could purchase them separately, but with the pricing and quality of these kits, there isn't a reason to unless you're looking for a very specific feature.

All of them are quality brands, carry the same basic features, and cost less than a date to the movies. You could pick from the Klein, Amprobe, or Extech kits based solely on your favorite color (yellow, red, and green respectively) and not make a wrong choice.

Next week, I'll show you how to use these tools to perform a variety of common household electrical tasks.

Lokidude

Prepping for Asthma

As any prepper knows, preparedness is key.

And as anyone with chronic health conditions knows, emergency preparedness for those conditions can be nearly impossible at times.

I have lived with chronic, severe allergies for the last 20 years plus, but they have only notably impacted my life over the last 10. The most significant day to day impact of this has been asthma, specifically allergy-induced asthma that has made interacting with the general public difficult... such as when I have an allergic reaction to most kinds of soap. In addition to soap, I am badly allergic to mold, such as orange mold, various plants, and dust mites.

(I am aware that there will are those of you who claim that it is impossible to be allergic to soap. Feel free to convince my allergist, and my body, of that. When the in double-blind testing I have the same reaction, I promise you that it is not “attention seeking”).

Non-Medicinal Preps
In an emergency, I don't expect frequent access to allergy medication so I can restock what I typically keep on hand. This means that for whatever emergency I am planning against, I have to keep enough on hand to last me for quite some time. To that end, I specifically look for things that will last for a long time.

• Instead of just getting medication, I try to control the environment. Medication tends to expire much more quickly then filters for your furnace or a facemask.
• When I do get medication, I try to keep a stock of individually foil packed pills, so that if there is an emergency, I don’t have to open an entire container of them and risk contamination or expiration.
• When I do stock up on medication, it's easier to do it in stages. The rule that I have is one – two – five. I try to get a one month supply, and then a two month supply, and then a five month supply, and then a year's supply, and so on. If I cannot afford a month's supply at a time of whatever it may be, I start with a day or week.

Over the Counter Preps
As to the specifics of what preps I keep on hand:

• I keep a year's supply in bottles of three different over-the-counter allergy medications. I buy mine from Costco, but it does not especially matter where you purchase yours from as long as they work and have a basic minimum level quality packaging. I use, sometimes more than one at once, generic/store brand versions of Allegra, Claritin, and Zyrtec. 
• I also keep a two-week supply of each of these in foil-wrapped packets. I actually buy name brand for these, because in my experience the packaging tends to be more waterproof. The Claritin and Zyrtec are even available as a dissolving tablet, which means you don't need water to take them. 
• I keep a two week supply of Mucinex on hand. I'm still working up to a full year's supply, but the supply that I do have is all foil wrapped.
• I keep chlorpheniramine (an alternative to benadryl) on hand. I buy this in bulk, since it is cheap, and I know people who are allergic to Benadryl.
• As far as controlling the environment, I use a good spray sanitizer when I clean, and then I use a power fan style HEPA filter.
• To supplement that, I use a box fan with a 20” x 20”  filter on it.
• I even use a face-mask respirator on occasion. It has excellent filtration, and on days like today (where the air smells like barbecue) it ends up being a practical method to be able to breathe outside. I tried to keep between four and six filter replacements for it on hand, because I occasionally use the respirator for work reasons.

Prescription Preps
Everything I have mentioned so far is not a controlled substance, requires no prescription, and can be purchased over-the-counter at any drugstore with no problem. Everything else on my list is still legal, but may be more difficult to obtain in case of power outages or loss of infrastructure.

• Sudafed and other decongestant medications require identification (such as a driver's license) to purchase in the USA. Pharmacies scan your ID, and to enssure that you’re not making methamphetamine with it they monitor and restrict how much you're allowed to purchase in a given month. I try to keep a one-month supply on hand, which is thankfully not very much. I do not use it often, but when I need it, I have to have some on hand.
• I try to keep an inhaler on hand in my backpack, in my desk, and on my person. When I am in public a lot I end up going through an inhaler every 3 to 4 months, averaged over the several that I keep on hand. I also try to keep a foil-wrapped inhaler in my bug out bag, my roadside emergency kit, my primary toolbox, and one to three in the long term food storage. I know that sounds like a lot, but inhalers are inexpensive, (less than $10 each at Walmart without insurance), will be very difficult to get a hold of in a real emergency, and are something I will quite literally die without. I feel that overkill is a far smarter way to go then underkill.
• Finally there is the EpiPen. I've never had to use one, and I hope I never do, but if I have to it will be there. I keep one in my backpack and my first aid kit. I would like to keep one in several other places, but they are quite expensive. I hope to remedy this with an EpiPencil.

It's possible to prep for asthma. I did it, so you can do it too. I know it sounds like a lot, and in some ways it is, but it's entirely doable.

Good luck, and don’t forget to practice.