Day 5: Fill Up Gas Tanks (15 Minute Prepping Projects)

Welcome to DAY 5 of our 15 Minute Prepping Projects series. Today we are going to fill up all our cars with gas and any spare gas cans too.

Every day for the month of September we will celebrate National Preparedness Month by undertaking a small task to help us get more prepared. Do as few or as many days as you want. Jump in at any time. Do them out of order, or more than one in a day. And feel free to share what you are doing!

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the post to view all the past days’ projects.

Today is a holiday in the United States so I wanted to give you a task that is pretty easy but still important to think about and prepare for … and you might be on the road a bit today anyway so it’s perfect!

Something we are often taught but also often neglect to do is keep our gas tanks above half full at all times. There are many reasons that this is a good idea, especially in the wintertime. My friend Linda over at Food Storage Moms did an entire blog post covering this topic (click here to read it). It’s also a good idea to have some spare gas cans at home in case of emergency.

Your project for today is pretty simple, top off the gas tanks in all of your vehicles. And while you’re at it, fill any containers you have at home that may not be full. You may also want to consider additional ways to store more gas. Bonus points if you share a picture of how much gas costs in your area right now. It would be fun to see pics of prices around the country/world.

Tips for Storing Gasoline:

Make sure to look at the legal limitations with how much you can store on your property, your local fire department is a great place for this.
Metal gas containers are ideal, but plastic containers seem to work well for most people.
Store gas in a safe place, a detached garage is ideal but typically small amounts in an attached garage will be fine.
Keep gas containers away from heaters, fireplaces, sources of sparks, sunny windows, etc.
Make a plan for rotating your gas, it will only be good for several months unless you add a fuel stabilizer like sta-bil to the container.
Store enough fuel to at least fill up one of your household vehicles (if you always keep your tanks half-full this should significantly reduce how much you need to store)

Remember you can do anything for fifteen minutes! And if you stop by a gas station don’t forget to grab a delicious diet coke while you’re at it 😉

Share Your Results

Did you complete your project today? Did you have to buy any extra gas cans? I want to see pictures of your gas prices and hear all about your experiences! Here are some ways you can share:

Instagram: Use #15minuteprep and tag @jodi_foodstoragemadeeasy on any post or story you do featuring your project. You can follow the hashtag to see everyone’s projects and if you tag me I will repost in my stories throughout the day (if your account is public).

Facebook: Comment on the PINNED posts in my Facebook Group (If you are not a member yet I will try to get you added within 24 hours so you can play along). The most recent day should show up at the top and you can scroll to the right to see past days. I will try to share some of these to Facebook stories as well (no names will be used, don’t worry!)

Text me: If you are not already signed up to get the daily challenges via text just text 15minuteprep to 717-788-3663. You can always reply to the daily text with your “report” so I can cheer you on.