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If you have the proper connections, you can buy 100% ethanol from a chemical/laboratory supplier. Way cheaper than buying "alcohol" because you don't pay all the alcohol tax. It's completely safe to drink (it's slightly stronger than everclear).


You can't get alcohol distillation above 95% without using benzene. Which causes cancer. However for non drinking it's probably a good choice.
 
I am going to stock up on whiskeys...Jack and WIld Turkey and Jim Beam. My thinking is that in the long run people will begin to make there own ethanol/vodka but people will be yearning for some good whiskey. It can still be used for cleaning wounds etc,
 
In my humble opinion alcohol has almost zero use in SHTF planning, with one large exception. Vodka is useful for making medicinal tinctures, of course you need to have a herb garden as well :s0155:
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WHY MAKE TINCTURES?

Tinctures are more powerful and last longer than dried herbs.
It is much cheaper than buying ready made herbal products. You can make about a quart of your own tincture for the price of a few ounces of tincture at retail stores.
You can control the quality of the product you are making by starting with herbs you collect yourself or purchase through a reputable source. You are also ensured of the purity of the final product. You can make special combination formulas.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TINCTURES

THE ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:

Dried or fresh herbs in powdered or cut form.
80 -100 proof vodka
Wide-mouthed glass jars with lids (mason jar or equivalent).
Unbleached cheesecloth or muslin.
Labels and markers.

STEP BY STEP

You should plan to start your tinctures on the day of the new moon and let them sit at least 2 weeks until the full moon - this adds a natural drawing power.

Pour the amount of herb you desire into the glass jar and slowly pour the alcohol until the herbs are entirely covered. Then add an inch or two of additional liquid.
Seal the jar tightly so that the liquid cannot leak or evaporate. Put the jar in a dark area or inside a paper bag.
Shake the jar every day.
When ready to bottle, pour the tincture through a cheesecloth into another jar or dark colored tincture bottle. Squeeze the saturated herbs, extracting the remaining liquid until no more drips appear.
Close the storage container with a stopper or cap and label.
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I like making a tincture of feverfew for my migraines, it sure does help! I found it helps better than the prescriptions given by the doctor.
 
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I am going to stock up on whiskeys...Jack and WIld Turkey and Jim Beam. My thinking is that in the long run people will begin to make there own ethanol/vodka but people will be yearning for some good whiskey. It can still be used for cleaning wounds etc,


well, don't buy much in Oregon or Washington..... these two stupid states seem to think they belong in the retail sales business... and area also great fans of "sin-tax" (not to be confused with syntax, at which they are also miserable).

California's liquor control system is a lot better than ours (one of the very few areas they've bested us) but I've heard there are some states out there who tax liquor very little..... maybe someone who knows such, or could research it, maybe Wyoming, Kentucky, Texas.....

then, if you can figure out a way to travel through one of those states, plan to buy a few cases. No laws against interstate transport of liquor purchased at retail.... that I know of.

to bad the Indians in WA and OR don't sell Indian hootch on the res... like they do smokes. Ah, but the states would be on that like stink on two week old fish. A few years ago Washington got all in a knicker twist when someone at the Marble Zoo realised non-indian folk were buying huge quantities of smokes on the res, and the Department of Robbing You wanted the state taxes being avoided. They planted some "enforcers" (revenooers, I guess...) to watch the larger smoke shops, and would follow a car just making a large purchase.... as soon as they'd leave the res, here come the bubblegum machine, lights and all. The fees and penalties and civil violations were, uhm, rather nasty...... word got out, and it pretty much stopped. They'd do the same with on-res sales of potcheen to non-tribal folk......

but, some states have tax structures so differrent than ours, that if one were buying a large quantity it would be profitable to plan such a purchase to coincide with a road trip.....
 
I just came across this blog post and thought of this thread.

My Grandmother...lived through the Depression as an adult...

One impression was that you could count on whiskey. It did not go bad. If you wanted, you could drink it. But more importantly you could always spend it. In some ways, it was better than money. It was inflation proof. It did not suffer from devaluation or inflation. There were always people who would trade you for whiskey. They would fix your car, paint your house, doctors would look at your kids, people would sell you food, all for that wonderful commodity-whiskey. So, the Old Crow in the basement was just another example of frugality and preparation by a generation who learned that it was important. Kind of like having money in a coffee can in the pantry, Grandma always had whiskey in the basement to pay for things if that became necessary.
 
I use Everclear to:

Get pitch off
Refill the fondue pot
Sterilize needles for getting slivers out.
Make "players punch"

..and oh yeah Jello-shots for drawing in the zombies.
 
Don't use hydrogen peroxide on wounds. It does sterilize, but it damages tissue and slows healing.

Use alcohol but not rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol contains oils to soften skin against the drying effects of the alcohol - thus the rubbing designation.

Use denatured alcohol. It's pure alcohol with a poison (not common anymore) or bitter taste added so people won't drink it. It lacks the liquor tax and is the cheapest way to get pure alcohol for sterilization.
 
Regarding expire medications, almost all are generally safe past the expiration date, they just start to lose effectiveness. The one exception is the antibiotic tetracycline. Taking it after it expires can cause Fanconi syndrome.

And whoever mentioned absinthe... Just plant wormwood. I picked up a plant from the nursery on stark and se 50th and that thing absolutely loves the pnw climate (it's survived the past two winters without any help from me). ****, if anyone wants to come by and cull my plant for drying, PM me, it's seriously outta control!
 
Regarding expire medications, almost all are generally safe past the expiration date, they just start to lose effectiveness. The one exception is the antibiotic tetracycline. Taking it after it expires can cause Fanconi syndrome.


this is true... I've gotten meds for a situation, the expiry date is exactly one year from the date the scrop was written. two months later, a refill.... same large bottle at the chemist's shop.... espiry date.. yes, one year from date of filling the seconde bottle with the same batch of pills that filled the first bottle.

Its a sort of "gotcha" thing.. strictly speaking no one is to have any current prescription drugs without a prescription for them. Make them expire in a year, they are no longer current, and thus technically illegal to even possess.

one more instance of our Nannies taking care lest we should actually THINK and/or take responsibility for managing our own lives.

Iinteresting, absinthe is wormwood..... and that it grows like a weed hereabouts.

I would think that, if one had even a bit of land, growing a wide variety of healing and medicinal herbs would be wise..... and have a book on hand that gives some clues as to how to use them, what conditions which herb helps..... back when I was a dirt poor character I never could afford medical care.... a copy of Jethro Kloss' crazy (but helpful) book "Back to Eden" and trips to the local happy hippie health food store (back when they had open bins of this and that, and one could bring your own container, weigh it, and put in as much or little as desired) cured many ailments.... for less than ten bucks, and less time than getting to the doc and seeing him. Kloss became my healthcare insurance..... a one time premium payment of less than ten bucks, with occasional co-pays (the health food store) of typically five bucks or less. Just think... if I had most of it growing in my own garden......... no copays. and I've still got the fusty old book.. somewhere.
 
I work in a pharmacy but I'm not a pharmacist and yes legally prescriptions are only good for up to a year after they are written that's why the date on them is never longer than that. If you ask the pharmacist or technician they will usually let you know the actual expiration date. The comments about drugs slowly losing potency are correct too, some faster than others though. Heat and moisture are the biggest killer of prescriptions and your medicine cabinet in the bathroom is the worst place for them. I keep a small emergency supply of my meds vacuum sealed with small desiccant containers, store them in the fridge and rotate them once a year.
 
but I've heard there are some states out there who tax liquor very little.....
but, some states have tax structures so differrent than ours, that if one were buying a large quantity it would be profitable to plan such a purchase to coincide with a road trip.....

Nevada from what I have seen has the best prices if you are buying it. I however had a proper upbringing. My Grandaddy use to run shine in the old days and all us kids learned to make it.
 
Nevada from what I have seen has the best prices

Arizona is cheaper on some things. I had a shopping list from my uncle and his friends for things that were quite a bit cheaper that they found in Reno.

Both put the prices up here to shame.
 

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