New England B.S. Thread

I keep my place at 75°+ in the winter. My heater does a good job of heating the place without costing me a ton of money.

 

I'm 34. And I don't have kids, which is why I can afford fun toys like a boat, tractor, antique truck, a boomstick collection, etc. I grew up on a 100+/- hobby farm in Western Maine that my parents and kid brother still run (it's developing into more than just a hobby farm now that my dad's retired), but I moved away (not far; less than an hour) and I work a 9-5 (actually, a 7:30-5:30) job and sort of 'homestead' on just under 3 acres. I've got a big vegetable garden ( https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gardening-thread-show-me-your-gardens.322242/ ) that somehow keeps expanding I'm also a bit of a 'prepper' so I've got my house set up to be almost (two chest freezers) capable of functioning electricity-free, which has practical advantages since we're on a dead-end road and lose power semi-regularly during bad weather. I heat almost entirely with wood that I get delivered tree-length and split by hand, both because I enjoy it and because it's a lot cheaper than heating with oil. I have a fairly dim outlook on 'people' in general (as groups) and tend to avoid them where possible, but I typically get along well with individuals. I've got a middling-high IQ but still do stupid things sometimes, lol. I'm pretty much useless with electronics, but mechanical things 'speak' to me, so if it's mechanical I can probably fix it (which is part of why I have some of my cool stuff; I buy things that aren't currently working for cheap and fix them for my own use)
I grow/raise a lot of my own food, can/freeze/dehydrate it myself, and mostly just buy stuff I can't grow at the store (dry goods, paper products, dairy, fresh veggies in winter, etc).
I've done a lot of different jobs, everything from throwing hay on a farm, working in the medical field, writing service for a couple of repair shops, and building construction. I read a lot and don't watch much TV, wake up early (generally around 4:30-5:00) and usually crash by 10 or so.
I also tend to be a sarcastic SOB and more than a bit of a dick, as I'm sure you've noticed.


So, that's the Bio, more or less. And probably more information than you were looking for

 

More info than I would have asked for, but not more than I wanted I'm pretty big on personal privacy and so I felt even bad asking what I did! Thanks for that. I think we would actually get along pretty well if we ever see each other at some sort of taco event. Sounds like we have some similar interests but you are hands down more of a prepper than I am. I like to think about it, but never have managed to make myself actually get a stash going. Best I have is a couple thousand rounds of ammo. But no garden or canned goods.

 

Just sayin.

Let the zombie apocalypse begin!!!!!!!!

 

Is this a freaking dating site now?

 

Food's cheaper than ammo, lol. You just need to get a rotation system going or you have a lot of waste. The easiest way to build up a stockpile is to just spend an extra $10 on non-perishables or shelf-stable stuff when you go the grocery store, and make sure you keep replacing everything that you use. The trick is to only purchase stuff that you use anyway, otherwise it just sits uselessly until it's gone bad. (no point in spending $100 on canned tuna, for instance, if you only eat PB&J's)
Here's what mine typically looks like by fall (with apologies to everyone who's seen it before)









Everything except the store-purchased stuff is a bit more depleted by the time spring rolls around, though, haha!

 

Good Lord. I thought @Bruce988jl was bad

 

Looks like I know where I’m heading to when shit hits the fan. Does your family prep too or just you?

 

mmm I'll take those pickled onions and I think i see garlic next to it. got any peppers? I just ran out of my pickled hot peppers

 

In the event of an apocalypse, I know where I'm going...

 

Several thousand is more betterer...just saying for a friend.

 

Ehhhh....Yes and no. They come from the same school of thought on growing/storing your own food and keeping a lot of extra on hand, but I wouldn't call them preppers. More of a 'we live in the country and can be self-sufficient when we need to'
They've got oil lamps and fuel, a generator, a good supply of food come fall, etc. but aren't set up for long-term power outages. I keep enough canning supplies on hand to convert everything in the freezers to canned goods during a prolonged grid-down, for instance, and they just keep spare fuel for the generator. Stuff like that.

I usually convert most of my peppers into spicy jelly, since the GF isn't crazy about hot things but she loves Jalapeno jelly. But I'll usually can up a dozen 1/2 pints or so of a vegetable medley for myself. Carrots, hot peppers, garlic, sliced cukes, and cherry tomatoes. Pickled. I also do a 50/50 split of garlic and regular dills, the pickled garlic that you see (great for cooking!), and some pickled onions.
Edit- OH! And dilly beans. Mmmmm....

 

Tacomaharmony?

Hopefully not, though. If any of these yoyos show up with amorous intent I'll just have to show them some selections from one of my other collections. The noisy, reach-out-and-touch-someone kind, lol.

Except maybe Rebecca, obvs.

 

@Noelie84 The one canned food item I was thinking about was baked beans and low and behold that was the only item of your canned goods I could make out. Lol

 

excuse me... I horde non-important things like brake cleaner, motor oil, oil filters, spare parts and LCA's....
Not to mention enough to build a second evo....

 

Yep. I usually make my own from scratch with dry beans (Maine Yellow Eyes), but sometimes there just isn't time to soak them overnight and then let them simmer for 6-8 hours.

 

Now you sound sort of like me

 

It's bad enough that I put a set of LCA's up for New England loaners - @tacobell007 has them right now if anyone needs a set - they need work but hey beats having the truck down.

 

Nothing wrong with some good ole B&M Baked Beans though!

 

Absolutely. As far as canned beans go, they're great. But it's tough to beat homemade, with some home-cured salt pork thrown in for flavor.

I keep a good amount of canned black beans & red kidneys on hand, too, because I use them for chili. And the GF and I do rice & bean burritos about once a week, so they're handy for that, too.