GAS RATIONING IS HERE: How to Store Gas

“I’d rather prepare 2 years too early, than 1 day too late,” is something I’ve been saying for a couple of years. We’re getting pretty close to it being “1 day too late.”

Three people within an hour, Monday morning, told me that they were rationed at the gas pump. They said the pump just clicked off, and wouldn’t come back on, at $75, $99, and $127, respectively, the three said, all of them from different states.

With Flying J announcing this month that they’ve been ordered to curtail their gas sales to half of what they were previously selling, it’s a matter of time before even mainstream media will start officially telling you that your gas purchases will be limited.

I moved to a no-HOA piece of land with a home on it, and a utility building, well, and whole-home generator, in 2021. I realize this is not possible for most people. So, what can you do, short of “going rural,” and homesteading, at this point?

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(Personally, I think beginning to shop for a more rural home isn’t a wise idea currently, as there’s a lot to purchase and prepare for, if and when you make that move, all of which are now difficult to get–and 2020 and 2021 were better years to do that. So, for most people, hunkering down and doing what they can to prepare, right where you are, is probably your best bet.)

If you have no HOA, you could invest in a larger gas tank, like this one, which is bigger but similar to what we got. (What we got in 2021–actually we got two, and both times we waited 4 months for the tank to arrive, and the one we got is no longer available, to show you. This was possible only because we live in a rural area, and have an enclosed and secured utility building. What we did is stash gas by using 10-gal jerricans, and we went back and forth from the gas station until the tank was full.)

A simple jerrican, or 10-gal container of gas, is in most people’s garages anyway, to fuel the lawnmower. You can get them at Uline, Home Depot, Walmart, or Amazon.

A few jerricans are likely acceptable even in a community governed by an HOA, and easy enough to put in a garage. You may also have a relative you trust, who can more easily store gas, so think of alternative locations besides your own home or garage. (Don’t try to rent a storage unit. Storing gas in them is expressly prohibited.)

Just make sure that the appliance that comes off the jerrican actually connects to your gas tank, so you can use the gas.

You’ll want to store whatever kind of gas your generator uses, and/or your car uses. Another thing to consider is that if you use regular gas, adding fuel extender is part of a long-term storage plan. One ounce of fuel extender added to 2.5 gallons of gas is needed every 2 years. So, a 32-oz bottle like this one will treat up to 80 gallons of gas.

The fuel extender itself has a 2-year shelf life once you’ve opened it. So, having an extra bottle refrigerated at the back of your fridge may be appropriate, if you’re trying to store gas to last longer than 2 years.

Diesel stores much longer. The fuel extender for it is necessary only every few years, and it’s more expensive. But a bottle of it should also be part of your preparedness plans if you’re storing diesel for a long period of time.

So, try to keep 10 or 20 gallons on hand, in jerricans, if storing more isn’t possible due to HOA concerns.

Some call this “hoarding” rather than “prepping” – and they may have an argument for that, during fuel rationing. Right now, there is no OFFICIAL fuel rationing, but some gas stations have set limits at the pumps.

So, as I’ve been saying since 2020, many items will be worth far more than the money you paid for them, and with gas at $5 or $6+, that may be hard to imagine, but fuel is one of those things.

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, intends to bring inflation down (with interest-rate hikes, which have negative consequences of their own, such as decreasing demand in the real estate market and tanking the stock market). I think it’s possible that we may hit a price ceiling and see gas prices come down. However, scarcity is another issue altogether. The Fed can’t money-print us out of scarcity.

Don’t panic. Fear narrows our ability to plan and see all the options. Just take one action every day, to get yourself more prepared to survive and thrive in the changing economy. Remember, most of the world lives on less than the poorest in America, and we can and will survive this. We just can’t do it by sticking our heads in the sand!

My upcoming post will share 16 Ways to Prepare Yourself For The Future.

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