Spending your money - on what?

Angelburst, tobacco if stored properly should improve for years. Pipe tobacco twenty or more years old in unopened cans fetch high prices. What I think may have happened with your American Spirit is that because it's additive free they don't add propylene glycol to it. What PG does in keep it moist and inhibit mold. If you don't use PG then water is added to keep it nicely moist. But you don't want to store it that moist for long periods. So in the future it would be a good idea to open the cans, let the tobacco dry out, then store it in canning jars.
 
Have a look at that article for some good ideas:

http://www.sott.net/article/147683-Survival-in-Times-of-Uncertainty-Growing-Up-in-Russia-in-the-1990s
 
Mr. Premise said:
Angelburst, tobacco if stored properly should improve for years. Pipe tobacco twenty or more years old in unopened cans fetch high prices. What I think may have happened with your American Spirit is that because it's additive free they don't add propylene glycol to it. What PG does in keep it moist and inhibit mold. If you don't use PG then water is added to keep it nicely moist. But you don't want to store it that moist for long periods. So in the future it would be a good idea to open the cans, let the tobacco dry out, then store it in canning jars.
Click to expand...

Was it pipe tobacco? Does it apply to American Spirit in small plastic bags too? :scared: :cool2:
 
Sugar can be a good investment, not for us because we don't eat sugar but for them. ;) During the last big war people were really tired of taking honey instead of sugar so sugar can become like gold for people that are addicted to it. Sugar plus flour!
 
Thanks for this thread. Since I got my first job in January, my bank account has been accumulating, and the more that goes in, the more nervous I get. My initial plan was to try and keep my account relatively low - spend it as I get it to invest in my self and my situation, and thus improve my ability to adapt to what comes. The issue is that I haven't "had time" (or haven't made it) to plan out what all I want/need to do and prioritize.

This thread will serve as a good "seed" for my planning, and is a reminder to do so.
 
Have focused some attention to heat and removed a 20 year old fireplace/stove for something much more efficient. Assuming there is some sunlight in the future, this idea below was designed by a guy in Newfoundland, Canada for $300.00 (if you've an inkling to do it yourself) seems worth considering to augment heat.


One other thing aside from the many suggestions above, is when discussing fuel, as in gasoline/generators, they really are not efficient or long lasting i.e. the fuel degrades quickly unless stabilizers are added, and even then it has a relative short shelf life (diesel is a little different). As an alternative, if you have the space, burring a couple of 1500 lt propane tanks will last a very long time hooked to a propane generator. If not used exclusively for heat; just lights and cooking etc., this arrangement could be useful.

If you are lucky enough to have a creek, there are some inexpensive little turbines that do a good job; conversely, if you can pipe water from a supply via a gravity system, the same applies.
 
angelburst29 said:
On the topic of an extra supply of tobacco, I've come across a slight problem. Our family gets together - once a year for a group yard sale. I invested my proceeds towards buying extra cans of American Spirit and added extra cans in the preceeding months until I had a dozen stored away in the bottom of my closet in a heavy cardboard box. They sat there for a year. About three months ago, finances were tight, so I dug into the box to get one of the cans, only to discover that it had spoiled. As soon as I removed the inner Al seal, the smell was awful strong - like when mowed grass drys and then gets saturated by a heavy rain storm. I spread some of it out on a glass plate, thinking maybe if I "air it out" it would be OK but after lightng up a rolled cig, the taste was strong and off and my lips burning like it was made of black pepper. I opened another can - same problem. I contacted American Spirit Corp in NM and they said they couldn't exchange product due to some Law, not able to send Tobacco through the mail. They advised, contacting distributes in my area. Out of the three, not one will exchange 10 unopened cans and 2 opened. The Shop where I purchase my American Spirit refuses to exchange even one can, for it's a mark against his business if it looks like he's selling bad product (or so he claims). I tryed two other suppliers in my area, they won't exchange them either. So I'm stuck with a dozen cans - that raises my blood pressure every time I think of the investment ..... that went sour.
Click to expand...

I store tobacco in the freezer which keeps it fresh for a long time. Also my dad gave me an advice to moisten tobacco that has dried out; put a slice or two of raw potato in the tobacco for a few hours. fwiw
 
There was a discussion about similar topics following SOTT show "Surviving the End of the World (as we Know it):
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,32605.0.html

Link to the show:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sottnet/2013/09/29/surviving-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it
 
Soap is also essential in bad times. During famine it is early to disappear because you need fat to make it, and fat will be eaten rather then chemically processed. So you could buy some equipment and start experimenting! I make soap regularly since I started this topic (How to make Soap), and I use old bacon fat for it. It works perfectly and soap should store forever!
 
Maybe is a good thing to learn some marketable skills :such as first aid: disinfection, dressing a wound, lowering blood pressure and stopping hemorrhage. I also learned about acupressure for reestablishing energy flow, stimulation of organ function, all which can be done with bare hands ( we might and up with nothing else).

I even think that learning the ancient technologies like making Baghdad batteries or ignition with crystals, or water disinfection with silver, baking soda, sand-rock layer filtration, could come handy.
Filters are OK for awhile, but who's going to provide replacement cartridges?

Also, learning about medicinal plants, minerals, health potions. There are techniques such as the Tibetan tumo to keep oneself warm. I even witnessed a case of a homeless who could simply do it, without being taught.

There are techniques to disconnect the conscious mind when it comes to pain control, fatigue, hunger - not to deny them, but to avoid being overwhelmed by the learned helplessness, i.e. to find new approaches to certain situations.

I think learning is more important than storing.

My mite
Joy
 
voyageur said:
Have focused some attention to heat and removed a 20 year old fireplace/stove for something much more efficient. Assuming there is some sunlight in the future, this idea below was designed by a guy in Newfoundland, Canada for $300.00 (if you've an inkling to do it yourself) seems worth considering to augment heat.


One other thing aside from the many suggestions above, is when discussing fuel, as in gasoline/generators, they really are not efficient or long lasting i.e. the fuel degrades quickly unless stabilizers are added, and even then it has a relative short shelf life (diesel is a little different). As an alternative, if you have the space, burring a couple of 1500 lt propane tanks will last a very long time hooked to a propane generator. If not used exclusively for heat; just lights and cooking etc., this arrangement could be useful.

If you are lucky enough to have a creek, there are some inexpensive little turbines that do a good job; conversely, if you can pipe water from a supply via a gravity system, the same applies.
Click to expand...

Some great ideas. I've seen a few variations on the can theme. I've also heard propane generators are a little quieter than gasoline but unfortunately I don't have much experience with either.

Even without a generator, keeping a few 5 gallon cans of gasoline handy would not be such a bad idea if you can find a relatively safe place to store it. Once the pumps stop running you may still want to take a few regional trips to get things organized before it becomes impossible, checkpoints put in place, etc. I've heard between 6 months to 2 years is the time when untreated gasoline becomes unusable. You can buy fuel stabilizer at an auto parts shop that is supposed to add another year, and I've seen some that could be ordered online that was supposed to add as much as 5 years. But without going to all that trouble, you can just rotate a can at a time with your current automobile usage. Just fill up at home then take the can to the gas station. If it doesn't get older than 6 months it should be fine.

Photovoltaic solar is also a good idea, as LQB outlined on the last page, but to get enough wattage to run a refrigerator or more, plus the batteries to store it, it becomes a rather serious investment. Anything is better than nothing, though (unless it makes you a target...) even just a few battery charging panels.
 
LED battery-powered lanterns seem like a neat portable lighting solution. Just remember to get plenty of batteries!

_http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=led+lanterns&rh=n%3A228013%2Ck%3Aled+lanterns
 
It would also be a good idea to get any car repairs/maintenance done while money still has some value. Maybe buy some winter tires now and save them for winter.

If there is a class on any prepping type of subject or learning a useful skill, it would be worth it to take it now.

I was listening to some financial podcast where the guy said to treat everything you buy now as if it is on sale. Prices for everything will skyrocket in the future.
 
Ennio said:
LED battery-powered lanterns seem like a neat portable lighting solution. Just remember to get plenty of batteries!

_http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=led+lanterns&rh=n%3A228013%2Ck%3Aled+lanterns
Click to expand...

Great suggestion, Ennio! Along those lines, I see on that search page in the 5th row down the Energizer Weather Ready Folding lantern:
_http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Weather-Ready-Folding-Lantern/dp/B001D937SY/
listed for $18.80. I've often seen this model near the check-out lanes at hardware stores. If you look at the related products from that page, you'll find this:
_http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Solar-Rechargeable-9-LED-Lantern/dp/B003JIP8VG/
for $27.44, similar to the first model but it has a built-in solar panel that charges a small Ni-MH battery pack similar to what you'd find in household cordless phones, plus it also runs on standard D batteries. The hardware stores do not seem to have picked up on this model as much and you'd probably have to go to more of a camping store to find it in retail.

Related is this solar and crank powered Energizer flashlight:
_http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Solar-Rechargeable-3-LED-Carabiner/dp/B003JILY9G/
I've seen the crank powered only model at Walgreen's-type drugstores but the solar model seems to be more of a camping store item. Incidentally, do not leave the solar model in the rear window of your car over the summer or it will likely fry the battery pack :-[ and the battery pack is not modular/replaceable without soldering as it is with the lantern :mad:
 
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