Issue #029
Fifteen minutes of engine an hour charges every phone in the house
Plus the September pharmacy shift that empties shelves by October.
Monday, September 7, 2026 · Emergency Gear
Your car is a power plant parked in the driveway. Most people never use it because the inverter is still sitting in the package.
Today’s Skill
The driveway power plant
A small inverter plugs into the 12V outlet and turns your car into a charging station. Stick with a 150 watt unit. That covers phones, tablets, a headlamp, a radio. Big loads will pop the fuse. Run the engine about fifteen minutes each hour so you do not flatten the starting battery. Park outside, well clear of the house, and never idle in a garage. Exhaust kills quietly.
On The Radar
September moves the pharmacy shelves
Flu shipments arrive at pharmacies this month and respiratory season builds from here. The same weeks bring refill backlogs and thin stock on common items. Do this now. Ask your pharmacist about scheduling and about moving refills to a 90 day supply. Restock fever reducer, rehydration powder, cough drops, tissues, and a working thermometer. Write the expiration dates on the boxes with a marker.
The Drill
One inverter, one dead phone, tonight
Tonight, put the inverter in your vehicle and plug in a phone that is under twenty percentage points of charge. Yes, actually drain one. Start the engine outside, run it fifteen minutes, and see how much came back. Write that number on a piece of tape stuck to the inverter. Then leave the inverter in the glove box, not on the workbench.
Ready beats lucky.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Tomorrow: the pantry item that goes bad first once the heat breaks.