30 Days of Prepping - 2023

[EBuff75]

There used to be a yearly event every September (for National Preparedness Month) called 30 Days 30 Ways, where anyone who was participating had a daily task / challenge to complete.  It was designed to be a social activity, with people sharing how they responded to the daily task so that others could learn from it and interact.  Obviously, the goal was to have improved your preparedness by the end of the month.  I would occasionally do some of the tasks, but wasn't always able to do them (on the specified days) due to other commitments and/or lack of interest in doing that specific topic.

Last year they didn't have the event and so far this year there hasn't been anything posted about holding the event (there is a UK version which is still active).  So I've decided to undertake my own version, albeit with less specific planning involved!

My goal is to undertake at least one preparedness activity every day of September, and post about them here each day.  Me being me, I've already scratched out a list of well over a hundred ideas to pick from, anything from posting a product review here on UFoZS, to reorganizing bags, to a range trip, to writing up specific response plans for local events, or even just checking your smoke alarm batteries.  Some items in my list are small, others are larger.  Recognizing that it's a "daily" task, most of them are on the smaller side to allow me to complete them without it having to take up all of my free time (after all, I do still have other things going on).  There may be a few days where I'm unable to do a task that day and in those cases I'm hoping to double-up the day before/after to make up for it. 

Anyone else interested in doing this?  Because it's not a structured thing, what you do each day is up to you, but I'd encourage you to share what you do.  That helps the rest of us to get ideas and to share input.  So who's up for some prepping? 

[majorhavoc]

Sign me up! When do we start? Sept 1st?

[EBuff75]

Sign me up! When do we start? Sept 1st?

That's the idea, although you can start doing some planning now if you'd like.  Of course, if you want to start doing something RIGHT NOW, that's up to you too!  Can't hurt to do more than 30 things!

[majorhavoc]

But so far I've only come up with about 10 daily tasks. I'm sure I'll come up with more but I want full credit during the actual 30 day challenge, and not waste any of those ideas, lol.

Yeah, I'm weird that way. So Sept 1 - the official start date for the first annual UFOZS 30 Days of Preparedness Challenge^TM ?

[EBuff75]

Yeah, I'm weird that way. So Sept 1 - the official start date for the first annual UFOZS 30 Days of Preparedness Challenge^TM ?

Sounds like a plan to me!

I'll see about typing out my idea list and posting it here, just in case people need some suggestions. 

[EBuff75]

Okay, some of these are quite specific to me, but there are a bunch of different ideas in there, so maybe something will work for you as well.  And no, they're not in any particular order.  I'd been brainstorming a list and every so often over the past week or so I'd think of something and add it.  There might also be a few duplicates too, although I did catch and remove some of those as I went. 

Here are some ideas:
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[majorhavoc]

Had to search "Preparedness Mind Map" because I wasn't familiar with that term. Interesting. 

[Rednex]

Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.

Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.

Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what  did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.

[majorhavoc]

Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.

Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.

Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what  did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.

Those definitely count.  Especially the song.  

Day 1 for me:
Changed the cartridge in my household water filter
Gassed up the motorcycle
Finished photography for Part 3 of the Surviveware 72-hour Emergency Preparedness Survival Backpack review.

[EBuff75]

Day 1 - smoke / CO / explosive gas / high water alarm batteries

Despite getting an early release from work, it's been a very long day and I didn't have much time to spend, so I went with one of the easiest items on the list.  Rather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year.  They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.  

It was bugging me that I don't have any spares right now (they're all in use in the alarms), so I ordered more of them in order to have some in reserve.  Plus, the explosive gas detector and a high water alarm are both using disposables and it would be nice to switch them over as well.  The battery in the high water alarm (which sits in my sump pump crock) was low, but I'd just replaced the one in the explosive gas detector last month and it pegged out as fully charged, so I left that one alone.  New batteries will arrive Sunday. 

There is also a CO detector in my truck that I'd gotten for camping.  Amusingly, I'm sure that it has a good battery in it, because the alarm went off while I was having the truck rustproofed this week!  The guys working there thought it was an anti-theft alarm and were cycling the ignition when my memory kicked in and I explained it to them.  We all had a laugh and fortunately it turned off fairly quickly.  Apparently, the dust/vapors from the oil spray were enough to trigger it.  For such a little thing (it's about the size of a hockey puck) it's damned loud!

[EBuff75]

Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.

Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.

Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what  did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.

I demand the full lyrics of the song! 

[majorhavoc]

Rather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year.  They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves. 

Linky, please!  

[Rednex]

We

Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.

Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.

Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what  did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.

I demand the full lyrics of the song! 

Well its going to take 30 days to write it.

I been using the Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries for my alarms, lights, everything. Not sure which i got some have black ring, some have green ring, some have grey ring.

[EBuff75]

Rather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year.  They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.

Linky, please! 

The ones that I bought initially were Powerowl brand and came with a 4-station charger.  Since I've got a charger, the new ones that I ordered are just batteries and are EBL branded.  What I forgot to do yesterday was test those rechargeable batteries to see how far down they were before putting them on the charger.  Given that the longest any of them took to recharge was only 45 mins, I think they still had quite a bit of juice left.

The only drawback to the Powerowl batteries is that they're just slightly larger than a regular 9v, so it's a bit hard to get them in/out.  They'll fit, but there's quite a bit of friction and I had to use a screwdriver to lever them out of the CO detectors.  Maybe the EBLs will be better. 

[EBuff75]

We

Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.

Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.

Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what  did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.

I demand the full lyrics of the song! 

Well its going to take 30 days to write it.

I been using the Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries for my alarms, lights, everything. Not sure which i got some have black ring, some have green ring, some have grey ring.

Drat!  I was hoping that you had all the lyrics ready to go as a guide for us! 

Supposedly, some of those Amazon Basics batteries are rebranded Eneloops.  I like the Eneloops (and the Ikea, 'Ladda' rebrands which I have quite a few of).  I've got a bunch of older EBL AA batteries that I'm not a fan of because they have a really high rate of self-discharge.  (They're seriously bad, like charge them up to today and a month from now they'll only have about 50% left!)

A few years ago I won (back when Amazon used to have those daily giveaways that you could just click to enter) a 24-count box of Tenergy NiCd rechargeable AA batteries that I've never even bothered to open up.  They're meant as replacements for cheap solar landscape lights, but I don't have any of those lights that use AA (mine are all 18650) and I've never felt the need to open the box up, since I've got plenty of AA rechargeables.  Maybe I should break those out and see if they're any better than the EBLs.  Sounds like a possible head-to-head test opportunity for a future thread! 

[majorhavoc]

Rather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year.  They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.

Linky, please! 

The ones that I bought initially were Powerowl brand and came with a 4-station charger.  Since I've got a charger, the new ones that I ordered are just batteries and are EBL branded.  What I forgot to do yesterday was test those rechargeable batteries to see how far down they were before putting them on the charger.  Given that the longest any of them took to recharge was only 45 mins, I think they still had quite a bit of juice left.

The only drawback to the Powerowl batteries is that they're just slightly larger than a regular 9v, so it's a bit hard to get them in/out.  They'll fit, but there's quite a bit of friction and I had to use a screwdriver to lever them out of the CO detectors.  Maybe the EBLs will be better. 

Thanks!  I'll start with the Powerowl brand because it comes with a charger.

You gotta love the product descriptions found on Amazon.  The EBL offering is:

EBL 9 Volt Batteries 600mAh Li-ion Rechargeable 9V Battery Lithium-ion, 6 Packs

Which matches the 6 batteries pictured.  But then the product description says:

Number of Batteries: 4 9V batteries required. (included)

[Rednex]

On the Second day of Preparedness What I did for me, redid my EDC bag.

See here for the topic.
https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1697.new#new

[majorhavoc]

Day 2:
Went through my get home bag (GHB), which lives in my car and did a full inventory.  Things I discovered:

• Oh, so that's where my Sawyer Mini water filter was.  With the Seychelle filtration water bottle visible in the outside mesh pocket, I had completely forgotten I also had the Sawyer filter stowed inside the main compartment.
• All my lights worked except for a small, cheap keychain light in my FAK.  It was my back up to my back up to my back up.  The 3 button cells were beginning to corrode.  Enough that it wouldn't work, so I replaced those.
• The alcohol prep pads in the IFAK were fine, but the BZK antiseptic towelettes had dried out.  Replaced those and the alcohol pad I tested.
• The food stores were rough - I'll definitely be shopping for replacements tomorrow.  Not worried about the two Mountain House freeze dried meals or the dry goods (hot chocolate, coffee and powdered drink mixes, etc).  But the tuna packets, Belvita breakfast biscuits, Jif to Go peanut butter packs and the Clif bars need to be replaced.  There's a package of flour tortillas with a July 2021 best buy date that still feels nice and soft. But I'll get a fresh package just to be safe.  I sampled one of the the Belvita biscuit packs (Best buy Oct 2020) and it was still quite edible.  But I could sort of tell they were nearing the end of their shelf life.  The tuna, tortillas and peanut better may appear in the Near Death Experiments with Food thread. But not the dried cranberries - they looked frightening.  What the hell was I thinking?  Those went straight into the compost bin.

[EBuff75]

Day 2 - Vehicle checkup - tires, wipers, battery, fluids, air filter

The new tires are good on the truck (they've got about 100 miles on them so far) and holding air well.  The tires on the car are still in good condition, but the left front tire is slowly losing air, to the tune of about 4 psi since I filled them two weeks ago.  Probably just needs to be re-sealed, as a puncture would likely lose air faster.  The rims on that car have a fair amount of corrosion and sometimes it's hard to get a good seal. 

Topped off the washer fluid in both vehicles, but all other fluids were full.  The trans fluid on the truck is pretty dirty though, so I'll have to take that in and have it flushed.  I'll see if I can talk the shop into either adding a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix, or leaving the fluid level a bit low so that I can add it myself (I've got one ready to go).  It helped the shift quality a lot on both my car and my old truck. I'll also ask my mechanic about changing the fluid in the front & rear differentials and the transfer case, since all of the maintenance on the truck is unknown. 

The air filter in the truck is a bit dirty too, so I put that on my shopping list, along with new wipers for the car (the ones on it are okay, but I'll probably replace them before winter arrives).  Both vehicles could use batteries, but I've been limping them along via battery tenders for the time being (I carry jumper cables and jump boxes in both, just in case).

And a teaser shot of a new battery-powered work light that I picked up recently.  Worked great for doing these checks at night!  I would've taken it off the tripod to use the magnetic base, but hoods on vehicles have so many bumps on them now that it's hard to find a flat spot to attach it!  I'll put up a review sometime for this and for a few others as a sort of head-to-head comparison.
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UPDATE:  Wipers and air filter ordered, along with an interior LED light kit for the truck.

[majorhavoc]

Day 3:
Shopped for, and stowed all-new food supplies in my GHB.

Going through the GHB top to bottom was such a good exercise.  I've picked away at it periodically, but this is the first time in years I've given it a thorough evaluation.  It was/is my original emergency bag.  There's a lot of old gear there purchased when I was pretty unsophisticated prepping-wise.  Not the stuff that I'd buy today, but I must admit it all remains functional.  Some of the lighting options are pretty out of date performance wise, but I'm having a hard time rationalizing buying replacements.  Back in the day, 100 lumens was plenty of light to do what you need around the camp after dark.  Turns out it still is. 

Here's the GHB next to the Surviveware 72-hour Preparedness Survival Backpack I recently reviewed.  Along with a spare set of boots I always keep in my car.  In case an emergency situation catches me wearing inappropriate footwear.