The more I learn, the reality is

[Dagar]

I realize how little I have, while working on food and water, fuel alternatives are really lacking for us. We will not be bugging out to a retreat if anything happens. But not having enough fuel for even a doggone rocket stove is sending me up a wall.

[GreatUsername]

Do you have anything made of wood in your house? Is your house made of wood? You'd be surprised what you are willing to burn for warmth when the occasion calls for it. If memory serves, there was a distinct lack of furniture (and interior walls) in much of eastern Europe after the Balkan wars.

[pete lynch]

Climb down from the wall and take a deep breath. There.
What kind of fuel do you regularly use in your place? Be sure you have enough of that type.
Don't burn the furniture.
You must be expecting some bad things to happen...

[Wildthang]

Get a cheap propane camp stove and at least 10 bottles of propane. You will be able to cook for a long time and it will also serve as an emergency heater in a pinch. Maybe you are not learning, but simply waking up!

[jfeatherjohn]

One step at a time equals time to learn to priortize.
One year from now you will be way ahead of where you are now.

[kyratshooter]

It is sort of difficult to advise you since there is no information in your profile concerning your climate, rescources or abilities.

You might just wind up being one of those casulties that died while abundant rescources lay about unused because you did not see them for what they were. Fuel is not alwasy a liquid or gas, and it sometimes is not in a form we are used to utilizing.

We also are culturized to think our homes must be heated to a level where we are comfortable walking around nearly naked. Other parts of the world do not heat their homes to the level we do, or even heat their homes at all. The little fuel that is available is reserved for cooking.

I am certain that many people will die in a crisis due to thinking they have to maintain their present comfort level at the cost of long term survival. Save the fuel to cook with and put on more clothes, run the generator just long enought to charge all the batteries and turn it off, then go to bed when dark comes instead of staying up wishing J. Leno was still on.

[BENESSE]

I think most people adjust sooner or later because the strong, hard wired survival instinct eventually kicks in before expiration. Examples through history abound, and it's not always luck that saves them. Now, some of us prefer not to learn the hard way (if we can help it) but if you survive in the end, you've passed the test, IMO.

[Rick]

This is the time of year you should be looking at Craigslist and the For Sale ads in the paper for camping gear. Two years ago I picked up a two burner Coleman stove, brand new in the box, and a gallon of white gas for $20. Oh yeah, and a cute little funnel. That was a complete stove setup. Regular gas will work just fine in a Coleman stove by the way.

[hunter63]

Picked these up as a prep, complete with bottel of gas......for $3 bucks....had a new glass made rfor the oven.
I do like the hose set up, so as to use a bigger tank.....

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back before electric to "The Place" (original trailer) I would burn off the 100# tanks as a yard light, Colman lantern on pole.

[Pale E O]

I realize how little I have, while working on food and water, fuel alternatives are really lacking for us. We will not be bugging out to a retreat if anything happens. But not having enough fuel for even a doggone rocket stove is sending me up a wall.

Yes, survival post disaster is not a "retreat". But you are getting lots of good advice from others posting under your thread. I think you will find you really do have options, and time to learn. It is important that you approach the subject of survival with at least some sense of delight. Otherwise you will not open your mind enough to see beyond the kits and gadgets that must be purchased and soon run out. Look to all the marvelous ways your species has used its environment to survive over the years. And take heart in the fact that as a species we have met many disasters in the past, and thrived.

[Echo2]

One piece at a time....but a general SIT-REP would go a long way to getting some valid advice.

[gohammergo]

It can certainly be frustrating, thinking you don't have enough! I think the key to this, as well as other survival issues, is being versatile and able to adapt. As others have mentioned, we are used to having very warm homes, and cooking appliances that run at the touch of a button. You'd be surprised at how many fuel sources you may have right in front of you that can be used in an emergency. Rubbing alcohol. Vegetable oil. Colognes and after shaves. Anything made of wood. Even clothing. Rolled up newspaper. They may not be the most desirable, but in an emergency what we may WANT will go out the window and what we HAVE will be what we have to concentrate on.

Mindset also plays a big part. Don't fret about what you don't have, but be thankful for what you DO have.

[WolfVanZandt]

Hmmm....what about alcohol. There's a book called Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes And Processes that has all kinds of how-to cook it up information. In fact, it's on the web right here:

http://chestofbooks.com/reference/He...ol1/index.html

Well, that one has had the alcohol section removed but it has lots of other stuff.

Okay, try this one:

http://archive.org/details/cu31924004933945

I think it has the section on alcohol in tact.

It's also amazing to see what people used to put on and in their bodies (brrrrrrr.......

[Geek]

If you've made progress on Food and Water allow yourself to feel good about that progress. Some of us are more prepped than others, but nobody is prepared for all contingencies, or for an indefinite period of time. However, if you have some food and water stored, you're ahead of 99 percent of the population. That's something to feel good about. It's easier to keep progressing if you feel good about your progress instead of overwhelmed by what's not done yet.

[HumansAreAnimals]

Staying active will keep your blood flowing and body heat up as well as take your mind off the cold, but also you'd be surprised at how warm good breathing exercises can get you. Here's a video of a heating breath used in yoga (I know the video is a little ridiculous, but try it out. You'll be warm in just a few minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYFf0KE1o8E

Also one addition to the list of fuel alternatives others have already posted: A lot of saps tend to burn long.