Low to no cost preps one should start?

[Domeguy]

I guess I’m lucky here. My wife’s bakery goes through around 8 food grade buckets a week. I can get as many as I need. Unfortunately, I only get them when they’re empty, rather than full of icing. I keep telling her every home needs 5-10 gallons of chocolate icing for an SHTF emergency situation.

[Illini Warrior]

Menards seems to be an Ohio based store and not found down here in Coastal Virginia.

I did however begin scanning the Home Depot site and found this ....will be investigating further.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite...H020/300197644


Thanks for bringing it to my attention...and also need to now investigate the proper food safe lid as well.

Orangetom

Menards is based in Wisconsin - and limits their stores to a dozen states in the Upper Midwest ....

in regard to Home Depot and food grade - watch for any product switching in the stores - two white buckets in their internet inventory - both being described as "food safe" ... the retail food grade should be OEM stenciled with the FDA qualifications ....

https://www.menards.com/main/mainten...3126457&ipos=1

https://www.homedepot.com/p/United-S...0111/300233661

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leaktite...H020/300197644

[orangetom1999]

Ahh...ok...I think I have it here now..


Some of these buckets say only Food Safe and others seem to say FDA approved Food Safe.

Do I have this correct Illinois Warrior?? Is this the crux of that to which you are attempting to make clear here now??

If so I shall have to remember that as this seems to be in the "Details " here.


Also food grade buckets seem to be about 10 mils thicker. It was so too with the bakery Icing buckets as well as the pickle buckets years ago...noticeably thicker.


Thanks,
Orangetom

[Illini Warrior]

Ahh...ok...I think I have it here now..


Some of these buckets say only Food Safe and others seem to say FDA approved Food Safe.

Do I have this correct Illinois Warrior?? Is this the crux of that to which you are attempting to make clear here now??

If so I shall have to remember that as this seems to be in the "Details " here.


Also food grade buckets seem to be about 10 mils thicker. It was so too with the bakery Icing buckets as well as the pickle buckets years ago...noticeably thicker.


Thanks,
Orangetom

no - not all the bucket manufacturers screen in the FDA info like they should when selling to retailers - they just take stock from their regular food grade inventory and ship - especially when the purchase $$$$ isn't worth the run ....

with Home Depot having those two SKUs for white buckets - be willing to bet you'll find some substituting going on in the stores .....

what Lowes was doing was just slapping a "BPA Free" label on their buckets and claiming food grade - that'll get you in trouble with the FEDs ....

[Domeguy]

I guess this falls under low cost preps, and this may have been mentioned somewhere before on here, but I just bought a good quality pencil sharpener from eBay for about $6. It has a magnesium frame, and has the large pencil hole, and comes with 2 extra changeable blades. I figure it might help to make sharper sticks to stab or spear something, to aide with making an arrow, and also should help making tender shavings. It will also help to keep my #2 pencils sharp for that important test.

[2die4]

"Freebies: wherever you are, find out the days that the garbage is picked up. go cruise around the night before, or the morning before pickup. You'd be surprised at how much stuff you can get, and how much money you can earn by doing this. "

I can attest to that. Not prep related but tripped over a quasi-good Keurig while taking the trash out to the communal dumpster. I say quasi because it sounded like a A-10 making a run in the Afghani mountains but it still brewed coffee.Didn't have enough money at the time to buy one so it was a decent find until I had enough to buy a much quieter one.

[Kesephist]

Dome:
If the frame is thick enough, and is magnesium, putting shavings off the frame onto the tinder will help greatly. I hadn't thought about the notion of using sharpener shavings as tinder. Hm... old school crank pencil sharpener, have it chew up 1/4" doweling, bag the shavings.

The spare blades might be nice for any needful small fine cutting or carving needed. I mind this, as somewhere in the depths I recall seeing a pencil sharpener specifically designed to run on X-acto knife blades.

All this on small cutting tools.... even double bagged in Ziplocs, a 10-pack of Gem or other single edged razor blade wouldn't be taking up much space.

[Illini Warrior]

I guess this falls under low cost preps, and this may have been mentioned somewhere before on here, but I just bought a good quality pencil sharpener from eBay for about $6. It has a magnesium frame, and has the large pencil hole, and comes with 2 extra changeable blades. I figure it might help to make sharper sticks to stab or spear something, to aide with making an arrow, and also should help making tender shavings. It will also help to keep my #2 pencils sharp for that important test.

the best ones are German made by the GUM company - make kindling shavings from small twigs - put it together with your sparker ....