So what did you put away this week?

Got another 500 cases of .308 brass, a and 1,000 bullets for each of 9mm and .40. Put together my first level backup power bin: 800W inverter, AA charger, extension cord, 12V power socket, voltage meter, and USB power adapter. Plus the Exide AGM deep cycle battery and smart charger.

A small start to mainly keep batteries charged for flashlights, radio, FRS, laptop, cordless tool charger, cell phones. Later this year will get a generator to power the fridge and corded tools. I plan to add more batteries over the next two years. And rig up some RV LED lights to run directly off the batteries.

 

Won a 7mm-08 rifle with a raffle ticket, makes a good addition to my bunker.

 

looking for a good low light scope for the rifle, say a 3x9 any recommendations.

 

And then there are no light scopes. Those are really expensive.

 

More G3 surplus mags! They are $4 each now and eventhough I haven't got the rifle in question it feels like a good investment, specially since todays newspaper said there's a proposal to criminalize them.

 

A few Maple Leaf silver coins. Just to make it more fun for my grandkids I am going to start giving them each a silver dollar coin on their birthdays, and give from different countries. So my own stash of Silver Eagles and 90% coins will be added to in the same way.

 

135 rolls of TP, 1000 fabric softener dryer sheets

 

Right now I'm drying the first 3 bolete 'shrooms I picked today from a neighbor's yard. They don't want them. They are under the impression that unless it comes from the store, it isn't safe. Which is ironic because one of them has said a few times as a kid their family would go out foraging and get buckets of 'shrooms. Oh well, I ain't complaining, I got 2 or 3 pounds of the 'shrooms today. First batch is almost dry, then I can prepare the biggest 2 for drying. Can't beat the price!

 

I've been stocking food a little at a time, and finally have about a month to six week's worth for the wife & I. But I've not really been comfortable with the water situation for here in hurricane country. So I finally picked up a couple of ceramic water filter kits and some 5 gallon BPA-free buckets. Combine this with our 50 gallon roof-water harvesting setup, and while still not ideal, it's probably about the best I can do with our current living arrangements. Now, I need to get some container gardens going. I've tried a miniature raised bed for the last two years, and I keep killing my crops. Time to scale back and find some way to at least grow something. LOL.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, BT. Unfortunately, my problem isn't just a matter of whether or not I have enough storage. For me, it's a matter of not having enough room for storage. I live in the suburbs with a back yard the size of a shoe box.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure doesn't seem like it sometimes. We actually have a standard sized lot, but when we moved into the house twelve years ago, it was my wife and I, three kids, and my mother in law. We moved MIL in at her request. She was getting older and had a bad back that kept getting worse, and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to share in her grandkids' lives for much longer. She helped us with the house, requesting that we get one large enough that we could combine a couple of rooms upstairs into a "suite" for her to stay in. So we got a huge house (by my standards, anyway), but put it on a regular sized lot. The end result was a backyard that measures less than twenty feet from the back door to the fence, and about twice that in width. Combine that with the fact that we have two dogs back there, and I think you'll see that storage space is a serious problem.

Now it's twelve years later. The kids have grown and moved out, and MIL passed away a few years ago. So my wife and I (along with the two dogs) are alone in a 4k sq. ft house that is just too big for us. We've thought about moving, but we refinanced the house at 3% and dropped to a 15 yr note and we're paying ahead on it. We've looked, and downsizing to another home really wouldn't save us anything, monetarily speaking. And this house is almost paid off. Plus, now my parents aren't doing well, and we figure we may end up needing the room again for them in another year or two. So we're torn.

But believe me, if we do finally decide to make a move, having some acreage is definitely going to be a requirement.

 

@Jeff Brackett , so you have no exterior room to spare. Do you have basement space to store more water? You could add an light based purification system as well and let the rain water feed through the filter, then UV, before before being sealed for storage. Pretty easy to plumb it through the wall.

 

Basements aren't really an option in the Houston area, located as we are on the Gulf Coastal plain. The only spare space I have is closet space. I am in the process of clearing out a closet that I have used for computer equipment storage (I work in IT for a living, so have gathered up several old computers, monitors, parts, and tools). I recently acquired some Elfa style shelving from a home office, so I'm going to adapt that to put in the storage closet, and create some storage room that way. But it's going to be a limited amount of space. I'm also looking at reorganizing my garage, but I plan to use that extra room for additional fuel storage, and eventually a battery backup system for the house.

 

and why then, do you not have a well? restricted area?

 

Yep. Houston has a choke hold on most of the water and mineral rights for miles around.

 

even if a basement is out of the question, you could still store underground. you could go duel use, and store under a porch, or picknick table. Or under a platform for the dog house. It does not need to be a full blown basement, not everything needs to be what it appears. nor does it need to be deep, to be of value.

 

Rice (standard long grain white) - 100 lbs (not Primal but when it all comes unglued, needs must)
Pinto Beans - 25 lbs
Black Beans (navy) - 25 lbs
Taco seasoning (something to season the rice and beans with) - 2 lbs (2x1 lb containers)
.223 - 200 rounds
.45 - 200 rounds
9mm - 350 rounds
Ammo Can for above - 1