M14 Forum

huntinghawk

This thread is intended to be about things that can be purchased at yard sales to help in prepping. I don't include flea markets in this as most of those people are buy & sale for a living.

First, you need to know the value of things. What are you willing to pay for certain things. What things to avoid.

Mason jars are a good item. But I stay with only buying Ball or Kerr. Rings I will buy but lids I will not. Some people will put used lids among new ones & you should not reuse lids.

Cast iron fry pans & pots are another but again I only purchase certain brand names like Franklin & Lincoln. Take the time to inspect for hairline cracks.

Silverware I will buy in a heartbeat even if its cheaper stainless steel stuff if the price is right & that normally means buying in bulk. Teaspoons I've no use for & no use for 3 tine forks. But altered knife, fork, & spoon set can be very handy for survival. Fork you can flatten the curve out of it, sharpen the ends of the tines, & alternating bend the tines up & down. Tied to a pole its a great gig for frogging & such. Now, something I like doing with all three items, is drilling a hole toward the end & adding some cord. Knife can be sharpened & lashed to a pole. This mostly is used for taking care of snared items. Spoon, you take a file & sharpen from the outside on one side. This gives you a great tool for scaling fish.

Stainless steel wire I purchase in a heartbeat also. Its the best snare wire there is. I prefer making my snares with a fishing barrel swivel.

Stainless steel dog bowls I jump on also. Those things are really tough but there are cheap ones. Once you have had a good one in one hand & a cheap in the other you will forever know the difference. But even the cheap ones are worth buying at the right price.

Coleman lanterns & stoves that use white gas or LP gas are worth buying if at the right price. If you buy a lantern you can figure yoiu will need a new generator for it.

Heavy duty plastic plates & bowls I will buy as their lightness makes them portable.

Who else has yard sale prepper purchase ideas & items?

HH

SOCOM42

Hand axes, 2 man saws, any logging items. pioneer tools such as shovels and picks.

broylz

i have picked up kerosene heaters for $5 and i always ask about miltary gear or guns as this is a military town but not everybody will advertise guns and such.

i usually spend more of my time and money in the auction houses locally. deal im happiest with still was a shopping cart full of fake flowers my wife bought for $7. in the bottm of it hidden was a Presto pressure canner i kept and she resold the fake flowers for a profit of $75 plus the canner. also got a couple military sleep systems and a marine corps combat tent for $6 each, all as new. molle ruck sack complete for $4, boxes of tools for pennies on the dollar, compound bow with new carbon fiber arrows for $20, etc...

i buy and resell quite a bit at the auction. it really helps learn the values of used items, draws a profit and i get some great deals on what i want some times as well.

mrmark99

Candles, Axes, shovels, hammers, machetes, military gas cans, military water cans, canteens, old time stove coffee pots, gas grills, Tape all kinds (There is a 3M guy two blocks over and I have tons of tape now (Duct, electrical, etc)), manually operated drills and Hand saws. And ammo cans, these are usually not at garage sales, more like flea markets. Propane Tanks. Large metal wash tubs.

Also look for stuff on Craig's list too, many give away items, I picked up "camping gear" that included a stove, and a high dollar tent for free.

Now for candles you can use as is, or with sawdust you make them into fire starters. A 50%/50% mix - melt candle in a metal coffee can over fire, add mix in sawdust, pour in mold(s) lined with wd-40. (Add a wick for easier starting)

The molds that I use are cast iron ones that resemble corn on cobbs X 6 or 8 per pan.

Axes, shovels, hammers, machetes, hand saws, hand drills should be stored in basement. - Storage of such items should not be in a garage, as it permits rust to form from temp cycling. Also - stick tools (as I refer to them) are cheap at garage sales, generally a buck or two.

I have picked up all of these things last year, at garage sales.

Ammo cans - .30 cal and .50 cal cans are a OK size, but the big 20mm cans are the shit for storing larger items for long term storage. Mark on outside as what is in the cans - with tape, as it is removable.

USGI Water cans, I only have 5 right now, I think I really need 5 more. Store empty, fill when needed. (Drain hot water tank if needed) (Pre-rig a short 3 foot garden hose so that it can be quickly done.)

USGI gas cans, I only have three of them, I don't think I need more, as if you have more you may become a target.

Propane tanks - I have 5 full ones, and a propane light stalk (mounts on propane tank). Make sure that they are of the modern type.

And a tow behind the truck trailer, if you have stuff you want to take with you. (I have a M415 trailer.) Craigs list.

5 gallon buckets with lids - Walmart has them cheap. Once on sale for a buck apiece. Bucket of a buck, lid for a buck, (2 years ago)
Most useful item, keep clean for potable, mark other buckets as used (Toilet, gray water, etc.)

USGI Wool blankets, I own a dozen of them. Roll up and store in 20mm ammo can.

Now for the stupid stuff -

An AM/FM Radio, store in a ammo can (EMP) along with batteries, a cheap 9 volt would be great, but they do make them any more, so find a nice one at a garage sale. I replace batteries yearly. Also a metal tape measure can be used as a adjustable longer antenna.

Can openers - sounds stupid, but alot of people have only electrical can openers, I have 4 or 5 manually operated ones plus a hand full of P-38s)

Surefire lights with LEDs - I have three of them mounted on weapons. Extra batteries, two 12 packs.
Mag lights, I have quite of few of them, get the LED replacement bulbs, as the batteries with last 10 times longer.

As for the 5 gallon buckets you need to store food stuff in them, such as: rice, noodles, beans, etc. in them. Buy them when the go on sale, or in bulk.

Paper Map(s) - again sounds stupid, but in a world with out electricity, it may aid in getting there.

A mechanical wind up clock, It's nice to know the time.

Bleach - for water purification. A gallon will go a long way. Use wash tubs to catch water from rain. Use tarps as a way to funnel water into said tubs.
Use water as only necessary, as there may always be a shortage. If you use up all of you water for laundry one day, it maybe 4 or 5 days or longer before it rains again.

A large metal tub may also serve as a burn barrel, or A laundry tub.

Ceramic crock pot, useful for making any home made stuff. As a mixing center, fermentation, gradual settling tank, water storage, etc.
10, 15, 20 gallon size are useful, watch out for cracks.
A dust top can be made from a pillow case. Just slip over the top.

Trash bags - large contractor sizes. Thick ones, can be used with duct tape to protect broken windows, holes in roof, etc.

Nails, as stupid as it sounds, a large box (Bucket)of nails goes along way for "emergency repairs".

Rope, again sounds stupid but would be useful in emergencies. Same for chains and paddle locks. Ratching straps too. I have 6 of these, and I store them in a five gallon bucket along with the chains, rope and locks.

Ideal projects (To make in the spare time before the big event happens)
A solar trickle charger, (12 volt solar cell) a few battery post adapters to 1/4 bolt lug) and a car 12V female adapter or two for charging cell phones, etc., a generic radio shack switch selectable charger - 5, 7,5, 9,12 volt.

A led based lighting system for the above system, with a master on off switch, and fuse. Look a a mechanical timer (0 to 2 hours) for this too.

Or even stupider lighting idea, pick up some solar yard lights, and when the time comes - bring them inside for light, and take them outside during the day light to charge. Simple, effective light. Wife will not care, but you will be a hero when the time comes.

Fireplace - Keep maintained, for heat, boiling water, and cooking. Keep burning at all times, but can give your position away.

huntinghawk

I'm not sure about finding fireplaces at yard sales.

HH

mrmark99

Clay Mexican firepot ones, metal patio burners

Philz M1A

Great post, good information to know. For cheap prepping I have also found that true dollar stores (where everything really only costs $1) are great for hygiene products and cleaning supplies...and sometimes other misc items.

dozier

You never can tell what you will find at a garage sale. Item prices are usually pennies on the dollar, from the original cost. I really like it finding a sale where the family used to camp out, but now don't do it because the kids are grown up. Some sweet deals on stuff. dozier

GCBurner

Hand tools, big ice chests, cast iron dutch oven, dual-fuel Coleman stove (burns regular gasoline or Coleman fuel), a folding camp stove oven, fishing gear, a non-electric coffee percolator, reloading equipment, compound bow and archery stuff.

hero4you69

another great name brand of cast iron is LODGE. any hand tools or farm tools, any old dairy equipment or horse mule /tack, any fishing/hunting gear.
2nd hand boots if serviceable. also remember to stock barter items for later
.25 cent to 1 $ items now may be worth alot soon for cash or trade !

S-R-S

Sweets

I try to be on the lookout for traditional rural tools and household items that are now considered obsolete but would be useful in hard times, for tools think handsaws, bit braces and/or bits, right up to big lumber tools like peaveys and such. The trouble is that in the areas where these turn up in an undestroyed condition they are also very popular with other buyers, perhaps showing that folks ain't so dumb after all.

CAVman

Me Too!

And I Especially look for old HBC-Hudson Bay Company-Type Wool Blankets...
They are easy to spot...grab them before somebody else does...
They can be worth a lot!
But even if they're just 'copies'...if they're All Wool, and in good condition...they still are worth something...and if you can get them for a few bucks, they make good cabin/camping blankets, good trading material, and good 'shtf' stock because you can stay warm under ENOUGH Wool Blankets even if the heat and electricity is off!
And, the large sizes can be made into wool pull-overs,capotes, mittens, slippers, etc!


CAVman in WYoming

Sweets

As I found out the hard way one time, when storing wool in any quantity you have to take strict (not just casual) precautions against MOTHS.

huntinghawk

Using up gasoline checking out yard sales isn't cost effective. But going past one it could be worth your time to stop.

Leather items are also a good choice depending on price. Most leather items can be repurposed. Leather belts are worth the leather & buckle.

Alternative is stopping by places like salvation army store, good will store, & humane society stores. If you are 55 or older don't hesitate to ask for a senior citizen discount. Need an extra bed, refrigerator, freezer, furniture, etc these places can save you a wad of cash.

HH

m14nm

One of my daughters, manages the good will store in town and is somewhat like minded. You know the rest.