Weekly "everything else" If it's in the spirit of prepping, but not "news" or "intel"
Posted by AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit | PrepperIntel | View on Reddit | 62 comments
This includes but not limited to:
- Prepping questions
- Rumors
- Speculative thoughts
- Small / mundane
- Promotion of Sales
- Sub meta / suggestions
- Prepping jokes.
- Mods have no power here, only votes, behave.
This will be re-posted every Saturday, letting the last week's stickied post fade into the deep / get buried by new posts. -Mod Anti
1759@reddit
We have a closet where we store hurricane supplies. With prime season upon us, we checked on these supplies. We noticed that of the 8 buckets with Gamma Seals (name brand), all the blue seals were cracked and broken while all of the other ones (red and black) were fine. Anyone else seen this happen?
All the buckets contain freeze dried food so they’re not especially heavy.
GuiltyYams@reddit
Were they stacked up? Stuff on top of them?
Potential-Freedom909@reddit
🤔 what potentialities are you hinting at here?
Pontiacsentinel@reddit
Not the person you asked, but many people store this food to rotate in and use as well as have in an emergency when food is hard to get/buy. It is simply part of people's food storage. I like it because it is easy to store, stays fresh and we like the food we store.
1759@reddit
I’m asking a question.
iridescent-shimmer@reddit
Did they dry rot?
1759@reddit
They were in a closet in an air conditioned room. Ask the other items are fine, only the blue lids were cracked.
iridescent-shimmer@reddit
I'm thinking maybe something is defective with the blue seals for some reason. Can you call the manufacturer and ask about it?
IDKijustdrinkhere@reddit
Do the buckets get exposed to extreme cold or hot? That could cause them to crack?
1759@reddit
No, they have been in a closet in an air conditioned room. Ask the items were in this same closet and only the blue seals cracked, none of the other colors, and am the buckets are fine. It’s strange.
ltpko@reddit
I don’t have any blue, but my black one isn’t holding up as well as all the white ones.
EastTyne1191@reddit
My kids think I'm nuts for harvesting as much fruit as I can while it's in season. I've picked and frozen or canned probably 50 pounds of fruit. With the exception of 9 lbs of blueberries, all of that is free and/or native to my region. I'm in the PNW and we have a crap ton of blackberries but also salal and Oregon grape. I grew raspberries, strawberries, and cherries this year. My apples will be ready in a month or so then applesauce and apple cider will be my life for each weekend till they're done.
I remember when canning jars were a decent price, now it's almost $20 per 12 pack to buy them new. I reuse what I can, but sometimes you just need new jars.
U-pick fruits seem to be catching on, peaches will be available up here within the next week or two.
splat-y-chila@reddit
Yeah I'm upset pint and a half widemouth jars got discontinued by Ball so I just bought some off-brand ones for way too much on Amazon. They didn't shatter in the water bath canner, but man... I guess I shoulda bought a year or two ago. I held off because the okra didn't do well then, but I'm having a great year this year in the garden. Good thing I did clean up on Braggs cider vinegar when gallon jugs went on clearance back then though.
GuiltyYams@reddit
Oh damn, 1 pint wide is my preferred size.
EastTyne1191@reddit
Oh, geez, the vinegar was picked over at the store yesterday! It was available in smaller sizes but if I'm buying white vinegar I need more than 4 oz.
iloveschnauzers@reddit
Good for you! The more free fruit the better! On another note, I was curious what a years worth of apples was. Color me surprised to see we easily ate 200 lbs of apples a year! So keep on putting food away for winter - it’s a little taste of summer in the dariver cold months.
Vegetable-Board-5547@reddit
I'm also in the PNW. I started planting perennials 15 years ago and have five raised beds on less than a quarter acre. I spend less than $50/month on meat, eggs and condiments.
himateo@reddit
I am mildly depressed and buying lots of ice cream bars. Does ice cream count as a prep?
pinecamper@reddit
If you read about the Holodomor or the Siege of Leningrad, yes. It does.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit (OP)
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
I live in a tiny town in North Carolina. Our population is only 1,500 people.
There are MANY houses that have been placed on the market recently. There are three that were just listed for sale in the last week on our road alone.
I’m thinking that our uncertain economy and job market is starting to take its toll.
retrojoe@reddit
From central Seattle, we're seeing lots of homes go on the market and stay on the market, which is a big difference from recent years, even during the COVID exodus. It's to the point that many builders are offering +-3% interest loans for the first year, with several steps up to market rate over the following years.
My point being that you may also be seeing a lack of demand vs particularly high supply.
SunLillyFairy@reddit
In OR here, market is stable. Has been for a couple of years after a spike in prices after COVID that stabilized around Fall If 2022. There are a few more homes in inventory, but so far it's not bringing down prices.
What would a home go for in your tiny town? I think prices are absurd here and in most of the nation. My parents bought their first teeny little home in a small town in far northern CA for $8,000 in 1962. Their second home (much larger) in the same town for $53,000 in 1977. I remember them talking about how crazy high that price was. I bought my first home (same area, but now a little city - typical 3/2, 1800 sq ft) for $175,000 in 2003. Just a little over 20 years later... median cost for a home here (coincidentally, almost identical prices to my home town) is $447,000. The value of an 1800 sq ft 3/2 home about $480,000 in a suburb or $600,000 a few miles out with a few acres of land attached. I don't know how young families (let alone single households) can even buy today... It seems like a good prep would be buying land to build on when your kids or grandkids are still babies.
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
Excellent questions!
We just bought our house in 2023. We have a beautiful little Cape Cod, 3/2, with a finished “prep room” in the basement/garage/shop, on five mostly timbered acres. We have 1980 square feet in the main house. Little homestead, way out in the country. It’s paradise and exactly what we wanted.
We paid just under $350k. The previous owners had paid $180k in 2017. Interestingly, we had sold our last house, also in a hot real estate market, for $280k in ‘23, after purchasing it for $150k in 2017. The prices in my town range from $140-425k for a 3/2, depending upon many different factors.
I’m hopeful that we leave a small but lasting homestead in a temperate climate for our son.
SunLillyFairy@reddit
It sounds just lovely. 😊
RedditMadeName@reddit
Would you know where people are moving to?
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
I don’t. We’re already in a low cost of living area, so I don’t know where they can go that would be better.
spinningcolours@reddit
Unhoused is always a possibility if they couldn't pay their mortgage and were underwater on the loan. :-(
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
That fear certainly crossed my mind.
Snark_Connoisseur@reddit
That's fewer people than my high school, and if 15 students left between junior and senior year, there absence would be noticed and felt. Crazy to think of it on the scale of homes and entire family's leaving between two years, basically.
That's going to be noticed and felt for sure. That's a wild percentage.
Are the homes selling? Are people moving from somewhere nearby? Also, are you far, like 30 minutes or more, from things like major retailers or grocery stores, a near city?
That last part is kind of irrelevant. I'm just curious about if there are jobs and resources nearish and if people from the nearest larger area will transfer over.
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
Hi! There are two local grocery stores that, somehow, do thriving business, one more than the other. We have a great gas station and a local sheriff’s station, and fire department. We even have a library and a bank!
There are several small towns nearby and I suspect that we help one another stay afloat. One has a doctor and optometrist, another a vet, and a third has a drug store.
The local employment opportunities are not great. We are only 16 miles from a midsized city, however. I have a fantastic nursing job that pays more than I have ever earned during my career. People with skills who are able to commute for 20-30 minutes each way have many options. I used to drive an hour each way to work, so my little 23 minute commute is a breeze.
horsemayo@reddit
User name checks out
Snark_Connoisseur@reddit
It sounds lovely! The nearest place to me like that is getting gentrified currently, and it's weird because that normally happens in urban areas here. Branching out, I suppose!
Congrats on your nursing job! That is a difficult course and a big accomplishment along with being a great career. Wooo hoooo! Way to go!
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
Thank you, kind internet friend!
I really lucked into my position. I applied to both hospitals in the city, knowing nothing about them. Very grateful that I was very quickly offered the perfect job for me! I’ve been a nurse for 30 years and this is, by far, the best I’ve been compensated and treated.
Snark_Connoisseur@reddit
Ooohhh I totally misunderstood! I thought when you said better compensation than you'd had in your career that you did a later in life career change! You are a seasoned and experienced veteran! I'm so sorry; I completely misunderstood!
Lucking into fortunate circumstances is the best, and after 30 years you deserve all the good things!
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
No worries, kind friend! My discourse is often clear as mud! 🤣
DEverett0913@reddit
Did your town see a large influx during COVID? The RTO push is really driving an exodus from rural areas back to suburbs/cities here.
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
Excellent point! I’m truly unsure, although we just moved here ourselves in 2023. You may be on to a good possibility here.
RhythmQueenTX@reddit
Houston also has a lot more houses on the market. Five in my neighborhood. Traditionally Summer is busiest time, but I read we are at a high for inventory. Insurance and property taxes keep going up.
Unique-Sock3366@reddit
Thank you for sharing this information! I have been curious as to whether this seems to be happening all over.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
If you are in the tourism industry... well... let's just say this is NOT NORMAL for Fremont Street Vegas on a Friday night. Plan accordingly.
FethB@reddit
Holy smoke, I’ve been there on weeknights and it was hopping! (Been there in the past, obviously not this year.)
FlatEvent2597@reddit
What is happening there? That is more than just Canadians not showing up. Is the weather off? Pricing?
pumpkinspiceftm@reddit
My guess is domestic travel is down as well - between job losses and funding uncertainties, people are probably doing less regular vacation travel and conference type stuff. That's just a guess on my part. More than a guess is the fact that many casinos have jacked prices way up - resort fees, parking fees, food prices, etc. That means a lot of people aren't going to be able to make a Vegas trip happen, period.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
The Vegas economy is entirely tourist driven. Only 20% of vegas tourists are international and international tourism is almost entirely shut down. Canadians account for only 1/3 of those international tourists. The remaining 80% of tourists to Vegas are domestic. I can't speak to domestic tourism. Are Americans going on fewer vacations? No idea.
No-Language6720@reddit
Yeah same at Disney World, I don't have a picture it's very very slow and they've been offering discounts and a ton of perks for passholders to get them into the gat. I think some of it is the extreme heat here at the moment(it's been in the low to mid 80's at 11pm for a few weeks).
kitty60s@reddit
Oh wow it’s truly a ghost town!
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
All the hotels in Vegas and Casinos in Vegas are taking a massive hit. Almost as if somebody with a history of bankrupting Casinos was running the entire country.
Informal-Sea-6047@reddit
What time was that taken ? I have never been to Vegas but have seen videos of that street being packed.
LankyGuitar6528@reddit
Not my photo (I'm not going to the USA!). I was told around 10pm.
TwoFarNorth@reddit
Wow!
fionarz@reddit
I work in pharmacy. Hospital orders for meds were down almost 50% last few weeks. ICE scaring people away from accessing healthcare.
Retail pharmacy copays have gone up significantly 3-5x for some insurance plans. Many plans also limiting dispense to 30-day supplies rather than 90. Back orders or low stock for certain medications from distributors. Mind you most of our medications are from overseas.
TrekRider911@reddit
I'm confused. President Trump says drug costs down are 1500% as of this morning... Is that not true?
demonslayercorpp@reddit
Did yall know that in December in Austrilia, to access any part of the internet including search engines and social media, they want you to upload a ID and link it to your IP address. No VPNs or you can be arrested. Knowing europe is going the same direction, we can assume the US will follow suit soon. They started with ID verification to access age restricted sites, but watch how it expands to all of the internet. We can probably estimate a rollout of this mandatory ID access by between 2027-2030
ItsAllAboutThatDirt@reddit
I mean... I scanned the article. It may or may not go through. And I only say that because the article was on that provision just coming to light and no one knowing about it previously. It was slipped in, and now it will get press.
The social media part is that kids under (16?) can't use social.
The upcoming provision is that if you are signed into your Google account then you need the age verification.
But there's also a list of like 10 options on how that age verification might work. One being just that Google uses all of the information it already has about you to guestimate your age. Which they do anyways.
And if you're not signed in, then there's nothing about it.
It's not setup good at all, even if you wanted it to be what it's supposed to be. Seems like it was just some dumb group or other who slipped it into something. Idk Australian politics. But I see it getting shot down now that it's in the open.
At the same time, it's not the Boogeyman that it's described to be. At least in my reading of it. And no, this is not me endorsing this concept in any way, shape, or form.
TheDaveStrider@reddit
Do you have a source for the no VPNs thing in Australia? It was not mentioned in the ABC article posted to this subreddit earlier.
sojayn@reddit
I also want to learn about VPN’s. That was going to be my move, im old as fk but its the principle
TheDaveStrider@reddit
never too late to learn
throwawayt44c@reddit
Had chat GPT illustrate this thought I had about the recent nuke bluster:
RedditMadeName@reddit
I've been trying to grow zucchini in my (landlord's) yard but the zucchini that I get are very very small (about 2 in at most) before they start dying off of the plant.
Also someone cut two male flowers off the zucchini plants, wtf.
TwoFarNorth@reddit
The rot is so frustrating, isn't it? That's a common problem with zucchini that can be caused by watering issues, temperature fluctuations, and/or possibly lack of pollination. Some also say it is due to lack of calcium in the soil. I have a zucchini plant that is popping with fruits right now, but about 1/5 of them still have the staying small/starting to rot issue. At the beginning, all the fruits were rotting but the problem has largely resolved itself without intervention on my part.
Hopefully your zucchini plant figures it out soon! How often do you water?
RedditMadeName@reddit
I check the soil about every three days or so to see if they need watering. I haven't had to water often since it's been raining a lot this year. It's probably temperature fluctuations that's messing with them since there have been a bunch of nasty heatwaves this summer. Lessons learned, I guess!
Thank you for the information!