Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Walked into Albertsons and figured I’d pick up another couple packages of Idahoans since thats what ive been doing each time im in there. I pick up one or two pacakges, take em home and add ‘em to the stockpile. But, when I got to the aisle they had case boxes of them sitting there on the floor. So, I figured I may as well just buy them by the case. So I did. Fits rather nicely in the bunker with the other boxes of stockpiled food. Case lots….mmmmmmmm.

Walked into Albertsons and figured I’d pick up another couple packages of Idahoans since thats what ive been doing each time im in there. I pick up one or two pacakges, take em home and add ’em to the stockpile. But, when I got to the aisle they had case boxes of them sitting there on the floor. So, I figured I may as well just buy them by the case. So I did. Fits rather nicely in the bunker with the other boxes of stockpiled food. Case lots….mmmmmmmm.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

The military-surplus version of Sportsmans Guide is sitting here in front of me and theres a pile of stuff I want/need/must have. Lotsa nice cold weather gear..including lined Austrian pants, with suspenders, for $15. One of the LMI’s purchased a couple pair and brought one by for me to try and they are *nice*. Quilted lining on the inside so these babies are gonna be nice and warm. Just the ticket for slow stalks and walks through the cold. They also had a nice deal on gloves, ski masks, some more first aid gear, parkas, H&K flare guns and a few other goodies that I simply must procure for the bunker.

I love military surplus…someone spends $5 million to desing pants that are comfortable, practical, wear well and cost $4 to make. Who wouldnt take advantage of that?????

The military-surplus version of Sportsmans Guide is sitting here in front of me and theres a pile of stuff I want/need/must have. Lotsa nice cold weather gear..including lined Austrian pants, with suspenders, for $15. One of the LMI’s purchased a couple pair and brought one by for me to try and they are *nice*. Quilted lining on the inside so these babies are gonna be nice and warm. Just the ticket for slow stalks and walks through the cold. They also had a nice deal on gloves, ski masks, some more first aid gear, parkas, H&K flare guns and a few other goodies that I simply must procure for the bunker.

I love military surplus…someone spends $5 million to desing pants that are comfortable, practical, wear well and cost $4 to make. Who wouldnt take advantage of that?????

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hmmm…new Major Surplus catalog showed up today and theres some good deals to be had…as opposed to the usual 35 pages of crap they offer.

Very good deal on battle dressings, rolled gauze, elastic bandages and a buncha other first aid gear. Although I have enough first aid gear for myself and the immediate group of LMIs, it might be nice to have plenty of extra for offsite caching and in case I decide to feel generous and help the sheeple.

Also some good deals on winter clothes including the usual olive watchcaps that I never seem to have enough of.

Hmmm…new Major Surplus catalog showed up today and theres some good deals to be had…as opposed to the usual 35 pages of crap they offer.

Very good deal on battle dressings, rolled gauze, elastic bandages and a buncha other first aid gear. Although I have enough first aid gear for myself and the immediate group of LMIs, it might be nice to have plenty of extra for offsite caching and in case I decide to feel generous and help the sheeple.

Also some good deals on winter clothes including the usual olive watchcaps that I never seem to have enough of.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Today im going to sit my armored ass down and work on spreadsheet lists of things to buy. Resource management is the biggest skill/talent any would-be post-apocalyptic hero can have. Simply put, you’ve a limited amount of resources ($$$) and you need to make the most of them and that means *smart* purchasing. Hence, a spreadsheet with everything listed, prioritized, price shopped, etc.
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That reminds me, I need razor ribbon. (adds to spreadsheet)
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Man, I love eBay. Love it, love it, love it. The truly odd military stuff that you cant find anywhere else is there on eBay.
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Wal-Mart has 5-gallon plastic gas containers on sale for $4.50 ea. (And, bonus!, theyre made in the US!) I want metal ones but a few plastic ones will be usefull, not for long term storage but for temporary storage and for riding around in the back of a truck without scuffing the paint. And, at 2/$9.oo why not?
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Still having my love affair with Idahoan flavored instant potatoes. I have half of one package (one cup) when I get home at midnight after walking half a mile in 7 degree weather. Yummy. And, oddly, rather satisfying. I really like this particular food product.
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Looks like the economy may be getting better. Changes nothing for the Commander, though. All it means is that pricing of gear may go up since more people will have the money to spend on it. On the other hand, if gold starts to drop a bit I’ll pick up some more.
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Cold today. The flectar surplus parka and liner are fantastic though…best $18 I ever spent.

Today im going to sit my armored ass down and work on spreadsheet lists of things to buy. Resource management is the biggest skill/talent any would-be post-apocalyptic hero can have. Simply put, you’ve a limited amount of resources ($$$) and you need to make the most of them and that means *smart* purchasing. Hence, a spreadsheet with everything listed, prioritized, price shopped, etc.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
That reminds me, I need razor ribbon. (adds to spreadsheet)
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Man, I love eBay. Love it, love it, love it. The truly odd military stuff that you cant find anywhere else is there on eBay.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Wal-Mart has 5-gallon plastic gas containers on sale for $4.50 ea. (And, bonus!, theyre made in the US!) I want metal ones but a few plastic ones will be usefull, not for long term storage but for temporary storage and for riding around in the back of a truck without scuffing the paint. And, at 2/$9.oo why not?
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Still having my love affair with Idahoan flavored instant potatoes. I have half of one package (one cup) when I get home at midnight after walking half a mile in 7 degree weather. Yummy. And, oddly, rather satisfying. I really like this particular food product.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Looks like the economy may be getting better. Changes nothing for the Commander, though. All it means is that pricing of gear may go up since more people will have the money to spend on it. On the other hand, if gold starts to drop a bit I’ll pick up some more.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Cold today. The flectar surplus parka and liner are fantastic though…best $18 I ever spent.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

As it turns out, Wal-Mart had a lower price on the Idahoan potatoes I liked so I’ll be getting a bunch from there, putting the individual packages into a plastic box to protect them, and add them to the stockpile. Im quite pleased….
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I’ve been slacking on keeping track of inventory. I need to sit down with the laptop and go over the spreadsheets of whats what. On the other hand, the spreadsheet of tings to buy is progressing nicely, albeit expensively. Its amazing how one item can require so much support material. For instance, lets say I wanna keep a few gallons of gasoline on hand for that sudden panicked rush to safety,easy enough until you start thinking of everything (and this isnt even a complete list) of what you need to achieve that goal….the list looks like this:
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can, rack
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can, nozzle
Fuel, Gasoline, Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer
Fuel, Gasoline, Fire Extinguisher
etc, etc….and that doesnt include the quantities of each. Then theres the logistics involved in handling the materials (whenever handling gasoline a fire extinguisher must be within reach at all times, the area is to be inspected prior for ignition sources, etc, etc.) But at the same time, it saves alot of effort and money in the long run. Ideally. I hope.
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Was in Wal-mart yesterday and on a whim picked up two 550-rd boxes of .22LR ammo. $18 for 1100 rounds. Really, why wouldnt you buy a box or two every trip at that price? When people need ammo it’ll be worth its weight in silver. Literally.
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Still working on post-apocalyptic menu planning. So far I can guarantee a decent breakfast, a light but filling lunch, but dinner is tough..dont want it to be the same as lunch. Needs variety. Breakfast is a walk in the park though:
– Fruit cup of mixed fruit, peaches, or pears.
– Beverage of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, low-fat milk, orange drink (Tang)
– Cereal of either grits, oatmeal, cornmeal mush or cream of wheat
– Bread product from stored wheat
– Honey, jam, jelly, sugar, creamer, salt to taste
– Hash browns (from dehydrated)
– Small steak or other meat as available.
Even without the meat, its still clocking in at around 650 calories which is around 1/3 of the RDA. Nutritionally, it could use some work but using vitamin enriched cereals will help. The fruit and orange drink handle the vitamin C needs pretty well, though. Theres ’shelf’ bacon available but the price and reltively short shelf life of a year is prohibitive. I’ve also got #10 cans of the Mountain House freeze dried eggs-n-bacon but Im not factoring that in in this example. However it beats the hell out of the MRE omlettes….

As it turns out, Wal-Mart had a lower price on the Idahoan potatoes I liked so I’ll be getting a bunch from there, putting the individual packages into a plastic box to protect them, and add them to the stockpile. Im quite pleased….
———–
I’ve been slacking on keeping track of inventory. I need to sit down with the laptop and go over the spreadsheets of whats what. On the other hand, the spreadsheet of tings to buy is progressing nicely, albeit expensively. Its amazing how one item can require so much support material. For instance, lets say I wanna keep a few gallons of gasoline on hand for that sudden panicked rush to safety,easy enough until you start thinking of everything (and this isnt even a complete list) of what you need to achieve that goal….the list looks like this:
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can, rack
Fuel, Gasoline, 5-gallon can, nozzle
Fuel, Gasoline, Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer
Fuel, Gasoline, Fire Extinguisher
etc, etc….and that doesnt include the quantities of each. Then theres the logistics involved in handling the materials (whenever handling gasoline a fire extinguisher must be within reach at all times, the area is to be inspected prior for ignition sources, etc, etc.) But at the same time, it saves alot of effort and money in the long run. Ideally. I hope.
————-
Was in Wal-mart yesterday and on a whim picked up two 550-rd boxes of .22LR ammo. $18 for 1100 rounds. Really, why wouldnt you buy a box or two every trip at that price? When people need ammo it’ll be worth its weight in silver. Literally.
————-
Still working on post-apocalyptic menu planning. So far I can guarantee a decent breakfast, a light but filling lunch, but dinner is tough..dont want it to be the same as lunch. Needs variety. Breakfast is a walk in the park though:
– Fruit cup of mixed fruit, peaches, or pears.
– Beverage of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, low-fat milk, orange drink (Tang)
– Cereal of either grits, oatmeal, cornmeal mush or cream of wheat
– Bread product from stored wheat
– Honey, jam, jelly, sugar, creamer, salt to taste
– Hash browns (from dehydrated)
– Small steak or other meat as available.
Even without the meat, its still clocking in at around 650 calories which is around 1/3 of the RDA. Nutritionally, it could use some work but using vitamin enriched cereals will help. The fruit and orange drink handle the vitamin C needs pretty well, though. Theres ‘shelf’ bacon available but the price and reltively short shelf life of a year is prohibitive. I’ve also got #10 cans of the Mountain House freeze dried eggs-n-bacon but Im not factoring that in in this example. However it beats the hell out of the MRE omlettes….