The dreaded power outage.

We get those a few times a year on average, living rural, on an island. For one, our power is carried over not one, but TWO islands, on extremely tall poles, that sweep across the water. A good wind storm, like we had Tuesday night this week, can take out the power in a blink. All you need are trees falling. And in our area, we have far too much forest that isn’t healthy, so the wind does the work the humans should have done.

So when the power goes out, so does the water, if one has a well. In town and cities, the water is pressurized in tanks, but you only have the water pulled up, unless the water company (or PUD) has generators to pull more. And while towns/cities you might have water to flush toilets, if the power fails at the sewage treatment plant, eventually sewage can back up, so beware. Long-term power outages can go bad, even in populated areas.

If you are like us, and have your own well and septic system, you have options. We have a gravity septic, meaning we don’t need power to use it. This is good. We can keep pouring water into it and it functions. (What is called a Chamber Septic) If you have a Mound Septic, this can be an issue if yours has a pump. If so, read up on how to use it with no power. Tread carefully!

The biggest thing is to have a water supply on hand, outside, at all times. We run water tanks off our roof, to ensure we have backup water, as well as using it for irrigation in summer for our garden beds.

With that, we go outside, fill up clean buckets with water and come back inside, and pour the water into the tank, then flush, and refill it up, for the next use. Having said that, I highly encourage everyone to pee outside during the day. Save the water hauling for shall we say, other needs, and for at night. Problem with using a toilet to pee in, is within a day the bathroom reeks of urine, and it gets worse quickly. So keep it flushed.

Even if you live in an urban area, having back up water is essential. Have at least a 55 gallon barrel of rain water. A toilet flush will take 1 to 3 gallons water, and plan for each person once a day, at minimum, will need a bucket of water. For us, that means 5 people times 2 gallons, well, that is 10 gallons a day. I plan for 15 gallons, as I like to flush the toilets clean of urine in the morning as well.

I prefer a 2 gallon bucket over a 5 gallon bucket, as it is light enough to haul by most people (though that is still over 16 pounds!), where as a 5 gallon bucket is over 40 pounds! The small 2 gallon buckets we have, we found at The Home Depot. It is easy to tip it to pour, where as a 5 gallon isn’t.

There is something satisfying listening to water running……

House rule is once you have used the water, you go refill the bucket and leave it on the front porch for the next person.

This method lets you have a sanitary bathroom, no unpleasant brewing in the toilet and no need to go dig a latrine in your back yard. And you get a bonus workout.

Looking for how to do water tanks? I have written a couple articles in the past years on it here.

~Sarah

I was chatting with a friend recently about their prepping plans for pantry stocking. It brought up a few items that are often overlooked, but are not expensive. Some of these items you might recognize sold out during the early pandemic months and were out of stock for months in stores. Each item listed has a “why” you should stock it and what type of containers to buy it in. While most can be bought at grocery stores, restaurant supply stores offer larger sizes, often for a lot less money. For us, in the PNW, we shop at Smart Food Service (used to be known as Cash and Carry) which unlike Costco, has no membership.

• Baking Soda: Buy it in the round containers, not paper boxes for long term storage. Have at least a few cans in stock. (If you cannot find that, then buy in paper boxes or bags, but transfer to mason jars and seal) Baking soda is used for leavening in baking, but is a great toothpaste, has first aid uses (stings and heartburn) and for cleaning. Mix with white vinegar for a natural cleaner.
• Baking Powder: Buy in small round containers. Baking powder does lose strength in rising power over time, once opened, so it is better to buy in small containers, even though it will cost more. Have a couple on hand.
• Dry Activated Yeast: Buy in glass jars or for long-term, the 1 pound bags that are vacuum sealed. You may not bake. But you can bet others do, so the trade/bartering capability is high. It can also be used to make wine. Store in a mason jar once opened, and if you have refrigeration, keep it chilled once opened.
• Salt: It is cheap. Very cheap. Buy a couple types. It stored properly, it will last forever. We keep fine sea salt and kosher salt for cooking. Himalayan pink can be ground easily. If worried about iodine, keep a container or two of table salt on hand. If your salt comes in paper, transfer into mason jars to protect it. Salt is used in canning/food preservation, so important to have plenty on hand. Consider having a large box (or three) of pickling salt/rock salt.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Buy it in gallon jugs. ACV is used in canning, to preserve/pickle food. It is also used in many foods. Can be made into a hot toddy with honey to help settle upset stomachs. Used as a rinse on dark hair to clean it.
• White Vinegar: Buy it in gallon jugs. Use it for cleaning, adding it to rinse water for berries/fruit/vegetables. Used in preserving food, such as pickling. Is used to clean metal from hard water buildup (coffee makers, washing machines).
• Lemon Juice: Buy it in large bottles or gallon jugs (restaurant supply stores). Yes, you can make lemonade with it, but the real reason to have a large stock on hand is for food preservation. When canning home grown tomatoes due to some tomatoes being sweeter now (from breeding), bottled lemon juice ensures that your acidity is proper. All you need is a Tablespoon of lemon juice per jar.
• Corn Starch: While it is normally used for thickening sauces (and which it does well!). cornstarch can be used to remove moisture on a body (as long as they are not allergic to corn). If you have to walk for example, and it is hot and humid out, you run the risk of painful areas (or as it is called horribly….”chub rub”) such as between thighs, where underwear pinches, and under stomach areas or in women, under the bust. Corn starch and a puff to apply can go far. It can also be used on dogs, shake on and brushed off (outside) to remove oil from their coats.
• Canning Mixes: Having dry mixes to can with goes far. I suggest buying online, as many stores have still not restocked. Salsa mixes mean no chopping or sourcing peppers. make your own pasta sauce. Pickle mixes as well as a many other mixes.
• Pectin: For making jam, jelly and even gelatin (it’s vegan), buy Pomona’s Pectin. You can make lower sugar, honey, stevia and even use fruit juice instead of sugar, as with most other brands of pectin. Using pectin means less cooking of your jam, ensuring your jam tastes it the freshest.

~Sarah

You might not consider yourself a prepper, but if you homestead, you will eventually find that you are one, or that you are becoming one, because you need life skills. This is a collection of posts we have done over the years of various things that are part of how we gained skills. The homesteading methods and ideas here might further you as well!

One area of prepping is how do you cook food, easily and safely, without power. Knowing what to do with all the base ingredients you bought, and have stored. Outdoor Cooking Methods.

Setting Up Water Tanks, Part 1.

Setting Up Water Tanks, Part 2.

Using winter storms to assess your setups.

Mama’s Lil’ Fireballs. Make your own fire starters to get going quickly.

A forgotten area of prepping? Making sure you have canning supplies. Many learned this the hard way this year.

There’s An Oil For that – building an essential oil kit for first aid at home.

Pondering an EDC. I was very good at it for years, then when we moved I wasn’t so good at it. I need to repeat it often!

Powering medical devices in power outages.

That’s the plan! Get the sticker.

~Sarah