Prepping, or not?

[Cyclonesteve]

I was chatting with someone last weekend and we were talking about fuel.

Now some "prepare" for shortages and price spikes by making sure that they never have less that 1/4 of a tank. 
And others have a shed filled with 5 gallon cans that they use fill their truck from to make sure the fuel doesn't get old. 

This guy had a third way. Great for concerned people like me that don't have unlimited time and organizational skills.

First, get six cheap 5gal plastic fuel cans and mark them 1 thru 6. ($80)
Next get one of those easy funnels and a 32oz bottle of Stabilizer. ($40)

Every month, on or about the first, you look at your fuel gauge and when it will take 5gal you take the appropriate container (1 is Jan/July, 2 is Feb/Aug, etc...) and fuel up your vehicle. Put some stabilizer in the empty can and fill it up the next time your at the station. If you do this it will mean that, with very little drama or work, you will always have 25-30 gallons of fuel with at least 6 months of "life" left in it. Of course you should make sure having that much fuel in the garage doesn't void your insurance or HOA rules, but what I love about this is that it's not much work. You get a lot of extra fuel for a little extra work. The 2oz. of per container of stabilizer costs less that $1 per month so it's very affordable.

Anyone else have a better system? Is there anything glaringly wrong with this plan?

[colonial shooter]

Actually that is a plan that I have seen suggested on a couple of prepping forums. I have used Stabil, but everyone suggests Pri G for gas and Pri D for diesel. It cost a bit more, but the results seem to make the cost worth it.

[Freedog]

Thank you, both, for this solid advice. Have any of the admins considered creating a separate section for prepping recommendations, instead of sticking them in "everything else," given the importance of preparing for various disasters/shtf situations?

[Paul Bonneau]

That way is a little too much fussing for me.

First, I work with diesel rather than gasoline. I believe diesel is naturally going to last longer (correct me if I'm wrong). I have a little diesel stabilizer in each can. I have 5 5-gallon cans, with a date marked on them. After they have been sitting a year, I just start putting them in my car when the fuel guage is low (there is room for 10 gallons each time). After they are empty I immediately get them all refilled at once and mark the next date on them.

Ah, I see the point of that guy's method. He always has 25 gallons available. I should add one 5-gallon can and then I will never have less than 10 gallons at any one time. For my car that is a range of 500 miles, plus whatever is still in the tank. Most of the time (by far) I will have 30 gallons available, for a range of 1500 miles. I only have to go to the gas station to fill cans once a year.

[Cyclonesteve]

I guess it depends on what you consider a fuss. 

I've also heard that diesel tends to last longer than gas, but I don't know how long you can store it before you have issues. I can see a few small potential points of failure for your plan. The first is if you forget. If I put some fuel cans in the corner of the shed where I don't look at them and don't see the "use by" date on them I could see me waiting to long to use them. This would not be as big an issue with diesel if it has a longer life, but it could be an issue with gas.

Second, if you're just refilling the cans once a year then you are subject to two risks. First, the price risk and second the bad batch risk. What I mean is if you buy 30 gallons of fuel all at the same time if the fuel you purchase is already a little older than usual or has any other quality control issues it means your whole backup supply is at risk. (and you won't know it until you try to use it) If you use 5 gallons a month it's unlikely that all 30 gallons would all be of questionable quality.

BTW: I could see using the fuel for transport or to generate power. I have a generator that uses about 3 gallons a day used 24/7. If I used it 8 hours a day, that's a 30 day supply.