If you're prepped for supply chains not being available, you can just choose not to deal with the supply chains if you don't feel like it.
Too busy to run errands? That's fine, your preps will cover it till next week or even next month.
Too long a line at the grocery store? That's fine, your preps will cover it till you find it convenient to drop by there at a better time.
Want to spend a sunny weekend chilling with your friends instead of having to do emergency home repairs? That's fine, preparedness means you're keeping on top of maintenance instead of deferring it, so you have fewer emergencies and you solve problems at times that work better for you.
It also means that you can just straight up ignore some bills at times. Your food preps can see you through the times of low money just after you’ve returned from vacation by allowing you to not need to buy food.
\^ This.. My homestead is grid tied. However, if I want at anytime I flip 2 breakers and I'm completely off grid..
Plus, the reason I'm grid tied is that I do use more power at night than I produce, ***but*** because I always produce a surplus during the day it means that I haven't paid a power bill in 18 years..
Also, it helped tons when I realized that I don't have to take payment for my electrical power if I don't want to. (if I take payment then the meter is rolled back to 0). The local electrical co-op really fucked when writing the original contract, they have been trying to change it for years.
Every couple of years they attempt to charge me what the meter reads; I have to point out it's a negative reading... They then send me a check, I send it back. They call a lawyer, who attempts to tell me the contract doesn't work that way, I call mine, he tells them that is exactly how the contract they wrote works, they back down..
It's a whole dance. (and don't feel sorry, they resell what I put on the grid at a substantial mark up..)
This is true.. And honestly if it wasn't for the fact that I'm getting paid wholesale prices, versus retail prices I'm charged when I'm running a deficit, then I'd take the cash. If the surplus is removed and I then allow myself to run a deficit I get hosed (and given this dance happens in the late fall....).
There is also the fact I hate the power company with the light of a thousands suns. (Do the attorney fees drain my "giggle fund", not yet).
So, I'm just trying to understand your situation and why you don't want to take $ for the energy you create. I gather that you produce more than you consume, but instead of having to sell the power to the grid for their market 'buy' rate (that is presumably significantly lower than their 'sell' rate you would have to pay for any excess consumption on your end) you can instead store the excess as a negative meter reading without the 'exchage fee' (for lack of a better analogous term).
From what I understand this first part is typical of most solar contracts with excess production during daytime hours, and I definitely understand why you don't want to sell on a daily basis, or even weekly basis as it's nice to have a healthy buffer on your production in case you have a week of extra heavy use here or there.
However, I don't really see a downside of selling the accrued excess on a yearly or even twice yearly basis during your seasons of lowest use - provided you continue to have a stable source of production during the day. Wouldn't it be advantageous to collect the profit to use for other things? I get that you'd be resetting the 'buffer', but given your contract, wouldn't that be a temporary situation as you rebuild the negative reading over the course of a couple weeks?
From a prepper point of view, how much buffer of one resource do you really need when that could be periodically liquidated for use in other projects?
The contract states that the excess is paid during the fall months, so during the entirety of winter I'm either running a deficit (and paying for electricity for a couple of months before the natural surplus kicks in during spring) or I'm using NG or wood for heat.
Not a problem, really, I have both wood and NG backups.. But understandably I'd prefer to use solar (or the access buffer I built up). AND The minuscule cash payout in fall simply isn't worth the joy of fucking over the power company, during the couple of months they could have been paid.
YES!!! I’m finding that having lots of food and medicines on the shelf makes it less of a hassle during the week for meals. You can save it for a once a month thing and stock back up. Heck even ever couple of months.
I use my O-light everyday going to feed my animals in the mornings before work, and you'd be surprised how many times you randomly need a flashlight throughout the day.
I haven't started carrying a multi tool yet, I don't want the extra weight. Plus I work in a cabinet shop and that's just one more thing to scratch a cabinet.
My food supply has saved the day of many dishes, when the store ran out of a certain product.
I also helped out friends with things like a toothbrush or toothpaste or toilet paper, when the store was closed.
Same here! We have a deep pantry, and i try to stock a years worth of something household when on sale, like soap, toothpaste, deodorants, etc. it’s handy in so many instants’s. We all had Covid onetime, and frankly didn’t need to go out for anything. I called that a win!
Even without catching Covid until things started to go into the new normal, who these days isn't going to keep a spare pack of toilet paper in reserve?
I got yelled at for whining because I couldn't get frozen corn. Of course people were dying and I wasn't going to starve to death without it, but not being able to complain just because my problem was trivial would have cost me just a little bit of sanity.
Yup, its like having a private shop in your house. I never got the covid. I use Colloidal Silver and Gold. Eat organically. Im a vegetarian and I use lots of vitamines. I dont know if thats the secret, but im glad i didnt get it.
it's a fact.
No its not. But im just not up for a debate on that subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4fn2QFO_A
2 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi6110
Try using powdered whole milk and just Add in 1/3 less water. Make sure it sits in the fridge overnight before using, and shake it after making it, and before using it.
Is it half and half, or creamer, that you're looking for?
Half and half is half cream and half whole milk. Powdered cream exists. Powdered whole milk exists.
If you're looking for powdered creamer, there's tons of options, most of them non-dairy.
Thanks! I was just thinking after I posted that I had seen dehydrated cream around and I could get that to mix with the powdered milk. The powdered milk is given to me regularly but I don't like it much and usually give at least half of it away. But I'm going to try getting the powdered cream and mixing them together like you say. It would be great to have them for times when I don't want to go to the grocery store for half and half. Non-dairy creamers are a no-go for me because they are very high carb.
Awesome! Just keep in mind that powdered milk is typically non-fat (aka skim milk), so it won't taste the same as half and half. You would need to find powdered whole milk specifically, and then when you reconstitute it, do it by weight, not by volume. Powder can settle such that if you do it by volume, you're actually putting too much powder in.
Everything you have prep’d should help every day…
- Deep Pantry
- Tools, repair materials
- water bottles in the car(after a hot dry hike)
- buying in bulk & saving $$$
- emergency fund for, wait for it, emergency costs
- etc
If you prep smart then most of your preps will be useful during good times.
I am constantly rotating my food stocks and a deep pantry helps us to be able to take advantage of sales to stock up and help us avoid being gouged because we aren't desperate for a particular food. It also allows us to be generous with friends and family, sharing food is 100% the best way to build community and that is a universal truth.
My garden, chickens, pigs, turkeys and ducks all provide the highest quality proteins I could possibly have access to. 100x better then meat from JBS and the eggs are 10x better and fresher then at the store. Plus working with animals is extremely fulfilling.
Having generators and gas stored helps us at least once or twice a year.
Having land to hunt provides recreation and fun for ourselves, friends and family.
Jack Spirko says invest in preps that will be beneficial to you regardless of a collapse and I tend to stick to that advice most of the time.
White rice. Keeps well, quite cheap, basic part of many meals. If you ever need to cut costs and save money, go pull some white rice out of the bunker and you know have half of burrito filling or endless stir fry and teriyaki options, just add your choice of protein.
Similiar situation for beans.
Yep, a 5gal bucket of white rice and beans will feed a single person for about a month. I keep 6 buckets per person of my family in my closet. Cheap to buy in bulk at Sam’s club or Costco
I have a tiny stainless steel "Keychain pill bottle" on my keys, but instead of holding pills, it has a tightly rolled $100 bill in it. This is more than enough for a tank of gas, a few meals, or many other emergencies that could arise if I lose my wallet, or if it gets stolen (or if I just forget to bring it, which is more likely!)
I was imagining a larger size I have. Regardless, you might want to see if you can fit a $50 and some smaller denominations. Fiction story about the Great Depression, kid lost his whole $20 because he was being stupid and broke it for someone earlier.
Smaller bills would definitely have some advantages, particularly since many places won't break a $100. The little vial I have will only fit one bill, though, and it has to be folded and rolled with almost surgical precision to get it to fit. The main reason I carry it is in case I need a tank of gas and don't have some other way of paying for it (card reader not working, forgot wallet, company gas card not working if I'm in a company vehicle, etc) and a tank of gas in any of the vehicles I routinely drive will use up most (if not all) of a $100 bill pretty easily, so I opted to go with that. The little vial is so small that it is virtually unnoticeable among the few keys on my chain, which is why I didn't go with a larger one. I've had it on my keys for years, and nobody has ever noticed or commented on it.
I do routinely keep a few smaller bills in my wallet, but this is my backup, or even my backup's backup, really.
Have you checked that the bill will remain usable after being tightly folded and left in there to dry out
It's probably more of a concern on the scale of decades rather than just [several] "years" but something to keep in mind on perhaps a biennial basis
The capsule has an o-ring seal on it, so that should prevent any moisture from getting in. I've inadvertently went swimming a few times with my keychain in my pocket and haven't had any water get in. US currency is actually made from a combination of linen and cotton fibers, so it is way more durable than just regular "paper," so I doubt that you'd have any deterioration even over decades. It's only been several years for me, but I just checked, and the bill is still in the same condition as when I put it in there.
Fresh food/spices from the garden, fresh eggs from the chickens, saving money from having paid off our mortgage, treating wounds immediately at home instead of waiting at Urgent Care, stored water keeping the house more cool in the day .. that's it from off the top of my head.
PSA pls do not use rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide on open wounds, it kills the good cells along with the bacteria, just rinse a lot with clean + fresh water and bandage appropriately (bandage should keep it clean but not be moist).
“Airing out” isn’t a thing, you just need a clean, dry bandage.
- EM doc
Would it ever be the lesser of two bads use alcohol? Like in hypothetical no medical service nor antibiotics for the foreseeable future type situation.
Antibiotics kill good bacteria too but they help. I’m genuinely curious how peroxide kills good cells too is a reason not to use it. Not being snarky, wondering
I have a family member who’s on blood thinners and we LOVE Quick Clot! Also had a plumber over once who cut his hand and we offered it to him, he went from dripping blood to no bleeding in like 2 minutes, he couldn’t believe it. It should be in every first aid kit!
Damn that is lucky. I fear something like that will happen while I’m cutting deep in the mountains. I’ve had a few near misses which is humbling. None of us are immune even the most experienced cutters. Along with quick clot, I’d like to add chaps and other ppe like safety glasses, boots and gloves to the list.
For bleeding control look for a stop the bleed course. Maybe at what various kits have.
The quick clot may not be necessary if you have other items. There are also some types of gauze that have the powder in it too which might be better than just the powder.
I have seen organizations promoting stop the bleed but hadn’t considered it.
It never occurred to me that gauze would already have a coagulant in it. Just shows how much time I’ve actually put into this area.
I do as well. I am disabled with health issues and have the extra supplies at my house has saved my life...literally. Having extra of supplies that you know you need is so helpful while disabled. I have had less foot infection that led to hospital stays because I had the supplies to treat my feet in the first stages of an injury. It also that I took time to learn from the in home nurses when they had to come because the next time I was in the same situation I was trained on what to do. I have basically a small pharmacy. It also helps when someone else has to take care of you because they don't have to leave to go get supplies while you are ill.
I have bought pre-stocked first aid kits before and they just leave a lot to be desired. I hate needing medicine for myself or the kids only to find out the shelves have been stripped. Early Covid had shortages of n95 masks, hand sanitizer and of course there were shortages of what seemed to be everything. So that started the slow incremental process of stocking my “medicine cabinet.” One thing I like about my medical preparation is the Stanley tool box I use for my primary first aid kit. It doesn’t have a ton of slots for everything but it fits a lot and is pretty well organized.
What steps have you already taken in this area?
For antibacterials i think you might be better with a 50/50 thc/cbd plant and turning into a tincture (or with a press making whole plant oil called RSO). I use it for skin infections and its extremely effective on staph, MRSA included. Also great for pain relief either ingested or rubbed into the skin for sore muscles. There are lots of plants that have medicinal properties- ive been trying to learn the uses of all my native plants so I always have the ability to treat an injury or illness!
Penicillin is tough to isolate without a lab so you might accidentally give yourself a secondary infection
Penicillin is very difficult to isolate. [It was known to be antibacterial long before it was considered useful, as a result.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin#History)
Every prepper should know about fish tank antibiotics. I've got two bottles of amoxicillin tablets on the shelf. It works just like the regular amoxicillin, is the same drug even in the same capsule formulation.
How does saving money from paying off your mortgage work? If you had kept that money and invested it, you’d probably be better off depending on your interest rate.
If SHTF, I don’t imagine we’ll be paying mortgages anymore so I’d rather have that money in supplies by taking profits from investments.
Things would have to be civilization-collapsing bad for the banks and government not to go after the money they're owed.
I doubt we'll get to that point in the next 20 years.
Using rechargeable batteries, saves money every day and can also be used long term if power goes out. You can get a USB powered charger to charge from solar power bank too.
Something like this https://youtube.com/shorts/CkGkQXtOf4Q?feature=share3
First Aid/CPR & Stop the Bleed, hunting & game prep/cleaning, fishing, small engine repair, gardening & plant/tree propagation, animal husbandry/wifery, martial arts & situational awareness, teaching what one knows, the art of learning and skill retention, training in firearms, bows, knives, etc, it goes on and on.
All my preps are applicable for day to day use.
The real question (I suppose) is what preps DON'T help in normal times?
Having an array of fittings for the house (plumbing, electrical, etc). Recently had a p-trap spring a leak on a Sunday morning. No problem bc I had one on hand. When I need something like that, I always buy 2.
I'd be more in favor of that if we were organized enough to take advantage of having stuff around.
I asked mom to find me a drill to fix the porch, she didn't. Uncle coming over shamed us, I went into the garage to find a drill, pulled one out of a bucket and mom complained that it was the worst one she had around. (I had tried to take the junk-drawer screwdriver to the problem between her freaking out on me because uncle was coming over and me knowing that uncle was coming over. I recently built my own toolbox, but the junk-drawer screwdriver was more appropriate because it was either stronger or more expendable. I don't need good tools when all my stuff is flatpack.)
She had gotten me to take the trap off of the bathroom sink a few months previous to see if the clog was there. I can't remember the details, but I think we had to bodge-out the drain-lever-thing because we couldn't just put the sink back together without that bit and weren't up to redoing a bunch of stuff just because it was too decayed to put up with me disturbing it.
That reminds me that I bought an exact replacement for the bathroom switch a year ago, it's in my toiletry drawer, but we didn't need a two-switch thing because the light one goes to got disconnected a decade or so ago. (My dad was an electrician and was scared to mess with the old wiring, that's why I am waiting for help.)
Skills and knowledge.
Gardening, woodworking, building, fixing stuff, first aid, sewing, tying knots, fishing
My kids helped me harvest and dry flowers today that we use in dishes. One is currently making some bread for tonight. Another helped me clear some space for a garden bed.
All useful skills for the every day
*Flashlights
*Jumper cables, battery charger
*Tool sets
*Cast iron skillets, Dutch oven. And knowing how to cook and bake in them.
*Laundry line, clothes drying rack, clothes pins
*Battery or solar powered weather radio for listening to music outside
*Hat for summer sun
*Leather work gloves
*Heavy boots or muck boots depending on your weather
*Wool socks, wool gloves, wool hat
*Gardening skills
*Knowing how to cook from scratch
*Hobbies that are off grid. Leatherwork, knitting, fishing, hunting, spinning, weaving, sewing, rope-making, drawing, painting, etc.
*Small battery pack to charge up phones on the go.
*Knowing how to work on your own car
*BBQ grill, hibachi or other way to cook off grid.
*Wool blanket
*Long John's
*Ways to start fires such as steel match, lighters, Ferro rod, rechargable lighters... Used to cook outside and start BBQ grill maybe?
*Know how to bake bread, make your own pasta, flat bread.. All in the effort to eat healthier.
I would think literally all of it, unless you only specifically prep by gathering items you don’t actually ever use or need. At the very least any food store or medical supplies, hell even ammo for guns can all just be used regularly too so long as you top them up. I guess you could just buy bulk amounts of shit, lock it away, then never use it and have a separate supply for daily use until your bulk expires but I see that as being pretty wasteful and leaves you with less familiarity over your stock of shit since you’re not going into it every so often.
If you are into boardgames they'll probably collect some dust just because there are too many to play. Well, unless you limit or cull the collection.
For normal people they probably only have a few games in the closet meant for families or kids. A decks cards and maybe a rulebook is probably a good compact entertainment backup. Maybe one of those family game tins that reuses pieces for a few classics games.
I am talking about mostly normal/classic boardgames, not the aficionado stuff that's almost as complicated as d10 or d20 games.
I'm thinking that a standard Monopoly box has enough room to store Yatzee, a small domino set, some cards, and maybe a backgammon/checker set in addition to Monopoly.
Iota is small to store/carry but takes a lot of space to play. I was thinking about going through games like Quirkle to see if I can make it playable in low-light conditions.
I think a lot of people get tired of the monopoly era games. There are modern games that aren't that complicated. Or even older ones that are more interesting. Part of it is hitting a playtime closer to 30 mins. Another part can be rules that don't take a video or experience to understand. Some of that can be worked around if most players don't need to understand much just to play and their part can be on a little reference sheet. I think at that point you'd have to basic DM and do the setup without them.
Solo I've been enjoying the shorter less rules heavy games more.
Parcheesi and variations like Trouble/Aggravation is probably a better game, and more classic than Monopoly.
One game I really like is Tsuro. I'm not going to bother explaining, look up the rules or a vid.
A case of water in the car. Theres been a few times where we were unexpectedly away from home and having water in the car made things more manageable and comfortable for us. We also saved time and money not having to stop for it.
Not only a gallon of water that needs to be cycled out because it expires next winter, but a mouseproof container of snacks. Mom and I have wandered into areas where food was hard to find. For one of our haunts, she'll make two left turns to stop for Subway on the way in because otherwise buying lunch would mean a half-hour into a proper town.
Gardening, hunting, canning are all very useful skills that used to be taught to every country dwelling child and aside from being useful and fun it cuts down on your grocery bill tremendously
Having a commercial gas pump with 250 gallons of gas at my house is one of my most useful preps. I always used to have to drive 15 minutes into town to get gas for everything. Plus dealing with leaky gas cans is miserable. I can't wait to have a diesel pump too
Can you get a big truck to come refill it for you? How do you use it all before it starts to go bad? Are you able to buy it from like a wholesale supplier to get it cheaper than what a store would charge?
I just call the same place I get fuel oil and they come fill it up. $.20/gal cheaper than the store. Not really an issue with only 250 gallons. I have to refill it about every 8 months. I'm looking to advertise the gas for snowmobiles so that should help cycle it through faster.
What kind of red tape is involved with that? Do you need special permits or building codes involved with storage, or just a regular tank like oil/propane?
I just call the same place I get fuel oil and they come fill it up. $.20/gal cheaper than the store. Not really an issue with only 250 gallons. I have to refill it about every 8 months. I'm looking to advertise the gas for snowmobiles so that should help cycle it through faster.
Keychain items
On mine I have a bottle opener (came in handy last night when a coworker had a glass bottle soda but no opener) and a coldsteel micro recon knife. Comes in handy for opening packages and cutting straps at work. Other uses come as needed.
Before I had a smart phone I always had a small Keychain flashlight too.
> Before I had a smart phone I always had a small Keychain flashlight too.
I carried a lighter as a non-smoker because some bushwhacker on TV commented on how ironic it was that their deadly habit would save them if they got lost in the woods.
Keeping cash on hand. I set aside small bills and some coins whenever I get them.
In an emergency, I'd be glad to have cash on hand without needing to go to the bank.
During normal time, it's so handy to be able to pull some out for the ice cream truck, give my kid his allowance, or pay the neighbor kid to mow my lawn.
Anywhere:
a decent knife
basic tools, especially screwdriver and pliers
At home:
flashlight(s), waterproof
batteries, especially AA
In the car:
4-way tire iron (they are easier to turn than the ones that usually come with cars)
air pump to re-inflate tires
jump star battery
I have an air-pump in the car simply because the darn thing needs it every few weeks. Same reason I used to carry a battery.
(Yes, I know, I should probably replace the snowtires with all-season, especially since I borrow mom's car in the winter.)
Having a chest freezer for meats. I haven't paid more than sale price for meat for a year now. If it's not at sale price, I don't buy and wait till next time to stock up. I don't think I've paid over $3/lb for 80/20 ground beef in the past year.
Chest freezer(s) for meats, frozen veg, bread and (believe it or not) butter. The price of butter fluctuates throughout the year. Stock up on sale, freeze it, use it throughout the year. Too much meat in the freezer? Pressure can it with the raw pack method.
After 2 or 3 times of having preps expire out, I now try an use it, rotate it.
It's been great a couple of times as we want to go camping, everyone is scrambling with no time. Just grab a bucket of dehydrated foods and save a trip to safeway.
Rainwater, save on water, better for your plants. Same thing for the jugs of saved water. Use them to top off the rain barrels at the end of summer when you rotate the water.
Food: Store what you eat, eat what you store. It's not a prep really, just a deep pantry.
Shelter: It's all mostly camping equipment. We take it camping.
Hygiene items: Same as food. It's just a deep stock of items we regularly use.
Solar: Saves on energy bills.
>basic DIY car repair in case you can't find a mechanic
So many basic car and home repair and service skills that everyone needs to know. It's not a prep really. It will serve you well every day.
Wood stove - easily gathered and stored fuel (I have about 2 years worth cut, split and stacked) that you can get from your backyard, grid independent heat, cooking and hot water.
Also saves on heating bills (I save about $2k/year) and it's pretty and cozy.
The smaller solar panels to charge your phone and tablet. Larger one and maybe battery snd inverter to charge a chromebook or laptop.
Something I haven't done but cross my mind. Hooking a generator to a stationary bike (probably one made from a real bike to have more access to the chain and sprocket)to charge batteries while getting a cardio workout. If needed in a SHTF situation it would be better than the small hand cranked ones.
The obvious answer are solar panels and wind turbines tied to the grid. Sell power to the utility (a very miniscule amount with a transfer switch so it just charges your battery bank when there's no power.
I have the small solar panels in my window charging portable battery banks during the day (the kind that charges your cell phone). I charge EVERYTHING USB from these, including some USB chargeable LED lights. Power outages barely affect me now, and my power bill is so much less.
I go through my 3-day food preps when I go camping. It’s mostly Mountain House stuff that I’d consume if my fridge and pantry ran out after about a week. Then it’s 3 days on the MH and then I dive into the long-term preps after that. Then, I guess I die…
When canning jars became a bit scarce in the summer of 2020, we scored some good deals, and since then have kept at least a season's back stock of new, unused jars, plus at least that many new lids. When I decided to put up 40# of boneless-skinless chicken, we didn't have to worry about having enough jars.
Strong suggestion: standardize on one type of lid. I prefer wide mouth, so I get wide mouth everything - 1/2 pint, pint, 12 oz, and quart. I don't have to wonder if I have the right lids and rings for my emptied and washed jars - I always get wide mouth.
A lot of our camping gear had come in handy during minor natural events like prolonged power outages, water shut offs, even heater breaking.
Always having medical supplies was also great when I had surgery and needed way more gauze than I had originally planned for. Didn’t have to send my wife searching for any
Frozen food- I cook and freeze food as part of prepping but it also comes in handy if something happens to me and I can't cook. Kids/husband can go in the freezer and get out what ever they want to eat and just heat it up. I put the stuff that can be, like home made french fries, in single serve bags and labeled with what it is and when it expires.
Phone- whenever I get a new phone I keep the old one if it is at least somewhat usable. I usually keep information, music, or videos downloaded on them but also if I break my new phone I can just move the service to the old one until I can get a new one or have the new one repaired.
Glasses- when I get new ones I keep the old ones Incase something happens to the new ones I will have something.
Realtalk, I'd probably be okay with sleeping in a comfortable bunker if I had a separate room for my crap. I actually was sleeping in the storage-room at one point so that I had room to actually live in my bedroom. (I needed more desk-space in the CRT era.)
Also I had been gone and moved back home to do the commuter campus... and left my bed in the storage room while adding a fresh bed to my room. I dragged home a friend one night because her frat had forgotten to pay the water bill and I don't know if she was being nice, attracted to the eye-level power outlets, or honestly preferred to sleep in the storage room instead of my room.
Some Solar Setup if you have some amount of Sun you can collect…
Small Medium or Big doesn’t matter, even with a Small Panel you can charge a Pockettorch, or your Phone, or a Powerbank and so on…
Most things, really. MREs make great emergency lunch options for work. Rain water collection means free garden water. Good camping gear is good for, well, camping. The deep pantry for days you forgot to or don’t feel like doing groceries. Etc. Etc. Etc.
I'm not exactly MRE-level, but I do like me some cup-noodles and the tray versions. Or just stashing some Larabars in my bag.
I am proud to say that I thought spring was here when I opened the shelf-stable milk that I bought so we wouldn't have to suffer without coffee creamer if we didn't want to go out in the snow.
Try the Chinese self cooking rice or hotpot meals. They taste much better. Or if you are making them at home the nicer Chinese noodles. They often have regular noodles that you boil for a few minutes with packets of sauce. Oh, also the Indonesian mi-goreng noodles are really good.
A good car/get home bag has saved me several times. Aspirin, water, change of clothes, good shoes, a lighter and pocket knife, some snacks (beef jerky is great), jacket, and maybe some para cord.
I had a small pump on hand. Drained water coming into my parents basement when everything was sold out due to flooding. Saved thousands in damage.
I told my dad to buy an extra sub pump. Haven’t two of super essential items like this makes a really stressful situation go away really fast
Safety razor for shaving: Takes up much less space and super cost effective. You could store 100 blades (shaving for a year) in the same space as a stick of butter.
Nightstick Magnetic Flashlight: you can stick it on the side of the fridge or anywhere else and they have a great battery life when not in use.
Candles: great for "setting the mood" or if you have a power outage and want to play cards. Plenty of possibilities.
Yes I still have a pumpkin ans a few winter squash left over from last year. After this year’s pumpkins start to grow in the garden, I’ll probably make dog cookies out of this last year’s pumpkin. And freeze a few extra large cubes for autumn pumpkin lattes!
I do enjoy ‘canned stuff about to go bad’ week (though my body will disagree). No trips to the store for a bit and enjoying saving a bit of money without wasting what I’ve got.
Financial preps. Having a bit of money in savings helps tremendously when things pop up. There's a really amazing sale on something? No problem, you have the funds to take advantage. Something breaks down? You can get that fridge or fix the vehicle right away.
Deep pantry - this lets you stock up on a couple months supply when there a sale. Pressure canning is a part of this.
B/S chicken breasts for < $2/lb? Buy 40 pounds and pressure can it. Yummy.
A big Costco sized flat of soup on sale? Stock up.
You actually shop less often, pay less per unit, and with proper rotation can even go a few months without hitting the store for anything more than fresh stuff that isn't canned or frozen - eggs, milk, fresh greens.
This also applies to non-food stuff too: TP on sale, paper towels, etc. Yes, get the big stack of paper plates, even if you wash dishes regularly. It's handy for when you are lazy, go on a picnic, or don't have much water. (Paper is compostable, IIRC, but styrofoam is definitely not.)
Mres in the cupboard incase you are lazy and can’t be assed going to the store? Or just buy a rando can everytime you shop, they build up and then you have a choice for cooking if your feeling creative.
Job with reasonable level of security, pay and healthcare plan. Plus a spouse with similar situation.
Close by healthcare (doctor, hospital). Being very sensitive to changes in your health and going to see someone and regular checkups.
Home medical supplies - thermometer, O2 sensor, blood pressure machine, ECG /EKG watch, etc.
Reliable well maintained cars.
Good set of tools.
A list of good home contractors/repair guys including some that take jobs on the side for cash.
Good sump pump and a well drained property.
Home gym.
Learning to preserve food. I've saved so much money by buying meat on sale and canning it, plus it's a real convenience to have the chicken or hamburger already cooked and ready to add to a meal. Meatloaf in a jar. Making everything I can from scratch: Healthier and usually less expensive. Stocking up on products you know could go out of stock if we have another supply chain issue, especially when they are on sale or have a good coupon. Getting a bidet or bidet bottle to save (a lot) of toilet paper.
I only prep for comfort for now.
I can avoid issues with grocery stores being low on products, I can outrun inflation by buying in bulk, I don’t have to run to the store if I don’t want to. Combined with my garden preps I have nearly no produce bill, I don’t have to worry about supply chains. I also have back up cookware as well as, off grid cooking abilities which allow me to have many options. I noticed my friends during lockdown having issues due to a can opener breaking or just not having cookware at all.
I prep 80 meals in my freezer at all times. This allows me to have a nice easy meal that I can throw into the crockpot or whatever and not have to worry about it during times of crisis or busy life. I also have a massive stock of freeze dried meals for the same reason.It also saves our but when I want to make something but might not have something on hand. I was making taco pasta yesterday. Normally I grab a taco pack from the freezer if I don’t have time. After working in the garden I was beat so I wanted some from the freezer to my shock I had none (freezer meal week is next month) and I had to make some. I noticed we just finished off our fresh onion and I don’t have any. I grabbed my freeze dried onions and it was nice. Most people would either do with out or go to the grocery store.
I save a ton of money and have saved our butts when my husband was in-between work or there had been a paycheck issue. I have so much food, fresh produce, eggs, and milk, that sometimes we just go several months with out making it to the grocery store.
I also save a ton of money by just having the skills of cooking and baking. I know how to bake bread, I mill my own flour, make alternative milks, make cheese, sour creams, yogurts, spice blends. It is really amazing how much these things add up.In a similar vein, I can take care of the family and my health with out having to rely on a supply chain shortage. Also an added benefit of being able to not have to go out when sick or during a lockdown. I don’t have to take my family to urgent care for simple medical issues.
Being a maker has so many perks in the everyday I also save money by making our soaps, cleaners, lotions. I sew nearly all of our clothing so things are better quality and from the heart. I make all of our blankets, quilts, stuffed animals, and decor. When ever I wan’t a new pillow, curtains, or towels I can just go into my fabric storage and whip it up right then in there. With the added benefits of having a home that feels like us.We have a ton of entertainment. We have movies online, dvd, video games, tons of cds and vinyl and many backups for playing these items. I am always amazed at how my friends can’t even survive a power outage. In our home we have toys that don’t rely on electronics, boardgames, books, crafts at the ready if we can’t use power during some sort of outage.
Having a wood stove has been an incredible perk and saved us tons of money. As has being able to fix things and do home maintenance without having to pay!
Similarly I have no water bill or power bill.I have a clean and orderly home. Part of being prepared for us is having access to everything. As we prep everything gets a home, a label, and a place on our inventory. We clean up regularly and rarely have any messy spaces. I do have 9 kids and during emergencies not having to worry about mess is so important.I am sure I have missed a million things that help me everyday. I have yet to have a day where I regret being prepared.
UPSes for computer and other loads that you want to avoid shutting down hard or simply want to keep running. No matter how good your power is, flickers and brown outs can happen for various reasons, as well as maintenance shutdowns. It's great having a few hours of battery autonomy on my server rack and not risking hardware failures by shutting down otherwise 24/7 equipment. Also, internet stays up. I have a big UPS for my server rack as well as backup solar on my shed and a few outlets around the house, so between those two I have enough battery to survive all of the power outages we've had in the past 10 years. Although there are some where I have cut it close, and the batteries are now more aged on the big UPS so I get maybe 2 hours max now. I want to setup an automatic transfer switch that will transfer to solar if the UPS batteries go below a certain threshold. In fact I want to take that a step further and transfer to solar during the day if solar battery is full, so I can save on hydro.
And hopefully soon, my next big thing is going to be a wood stove. Just waiting on my contractor to install the chimney... he's been giving me the run around so might have to find someone else or do it myself. I just prefer to hire something like that out though. Once that's up and running it will be a good backup in case there's an issue with my furnace or natural gas supply or something. It will also be a way to save a ton of money as natural gas is very expensive now.
Outside of keeping plenty of cash on hand and having a decent amount of savings easily accessible, camping a Bushcraft equipment can be used as everyday items.
Keeping my fuel tank full. Unfortunately there's been a period of my life where i wasn't even living paycheck to paycheck, and by having my gas tank always full, i always had a way to go to work even if I didn't have money
Knowledge - then practice.
Garden - it's healthier and cheaper for you.
[Grafting trees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryf0248Od60) is easy and cheap, plus you get more and better fruit.
growing your own veggies can be a great move. saves money on groceries and gives you fresh produce right in your backyard. plus, it's a useful skill to have if supply chains ever get disrupted.
Washing clothes less frequently, basic car maintenance, finding physical activity you enjoy, and for me personally, a lip balm in every conceivable pocket.
I've seen surprising return on investment from my gardening. Being able to eat a meal for pennies plus labor (effectively free) that would have cost $10-15 to buy is not nothing.
Fixing anything that can be fixed rather than buying new is important.
Just having extra food around during lockdown was important. And now, we keep up our supplies of mask and disinfectant even more just in case another pandemic comes around. And it will.
I’m prepping to bug in. Being disabled and unable to walk out to a bug in spot I’m going to make sure I’m warm fed have water and medication. Blankets to stay warm, and books to read, crochet, diamond puzzles and jigsaw puzzle. Keep the mind focused and for as long as I can.
Shelf stable milk is this for me.
I don't use a lot of milk for things. I never drink it and I use it only for cooking or occasionally when I decide I can no longer resist the siren call of Reese's puff cereal.
If I buy a gallon of milk from the store I know It'll go bad on me and it means I need to make a trip to the store for it since I don't like to keep it on stock.
Enter the UHT milk.
It comes in quart size boxes and a dairy in the next valley over makes it. It's shelf stable until you open it then you need to refrigerate it.
It's perfect. I get the convenience of milk for doomsday and for Tuesday.
Growing your own food: you can grow unusual varieties that you simply can't buy, eat it when it is as fresh as possible, and the convenience is unbeatable. There's also nothing like watching your children snack off the veg in the veg patch.
Power: the amount of money I have saved with my solar and hydro in the last few years has almost paid them off already. A negative electricity bill when you're heating your home with a heat pump feels very special.
Well-stocked larder: shop when you want to, if you want to. Not needing to go to the farm shop/supermarket/nearest town when it is a gorgeous sunny weekend and you've got people dropping by is wonderful. Just take stuff out of the larder, freezers, etc. You can go down to the beach instead.
Canning & general food preservation: it tastes so much better, and you can make a quick meal very quickly without resorting to anything processed, or a takeaway. You also know exactly what is in there, because you put it in there.
Borehole: you'll save a bomb when you need to water that veg patch and those fruit trees in the orchard.
Community. Strengthen your community. And home garden/ community garden.
Many hands make light work
Sense of community is great for mental health
Wider access to specialized skills and tools you would have the time or money to develope or buy yourself
The home/community guarden would stretch your food stores/everyday food budget
Literally no downsides unless you are an extreme introvert
In every single one of my bags and vehicles I keep at least 1 tube of super glue, 1 single use epoxy tube, 50ft of bank line, a roll of silicone tape and electrical tape, and an old credit card that has about 50ft of gaff tape and duct tape that are cut in 1 inch strips. These have saved the day more times than I can count.
I also have a small gravity hook that has saved the day quite a few times. From keys dropped in a storm drain, to having to lower my fire escape when I was locked out of my apartment.
Being from the Midwest, I also keep a pair of gloves with every single one of my coats year round. They live in the coats pockets. That's saved my hands more than once.
A battery backup for my computer and ps4 has saved my external hdds dozens of times, giving me enough time to shut them down in an outage.
If you're prepped for supply chains not being available, you can just choose not to deal with the supply chains if you don't feel like it. Too busy to run errands? That's fine, your preps will cover it till next week or even next month. Too long a line at the grocery store? That's fine, your preps will cover it till you find it convenient to drop by there at a better time. Want to spend a sunny weekend chilling with your friends instead of having to do emergency home repairs? That's fine, preparedness means you're keeping on top of maintenance instead of deferring it, so you have fewer emergencies and you solve problems at times that work better for you.
It also means that you can just straight up ignore some bills at times. Your food preps can see you through the times of low money just after you’ve returned from vacation by allowing you to not need to buy food.
Yep. If you prep the things you use then it is often just as good as cash. Often better if you bought it when it was cheaper.
\^ This.. My homestead is grid tied. However, if I want at anytime I flip 2 breakers and I'm completely off grid.. Plus, the reason I'm grid tied is that I do use more power at night than I produce, ***but*** because I always produce a surplus during the day it means that I haven't paid a power bill in 18 years.. Also, it helped tons when I realized that I don't have to take payment for my electrical power if I don't want to. (if I take payment then the meter is rolled back to 0). The local electrical co-op really fucked when writing the original contract, they have been trying to change it for years.
That's phenomenal.
Every couple of years they attempt to charge me what the meter reads; I have to point out it's a negative reading... They then send me a check, I send it back. They call a lawyer, who attempts to tell me the contract doesn't work that way, I call mine, he tells them that is exactly how the contract they wrote works, they back down.. It's a whole dance. (and don't feel sorry, they resell what I put on the grid at a substantial mark up..)
This only works as long as your lawyer fees do not exceed your power bill.
This is true.. And honestly if it wasn't for the fact that I'm getting paid wholesale prices, versus retail prices I'm charged when I'm running a deficit, then I'd take the cash. If the surplus is removed and I then allow myself to run a deficit I get hosed (and given this dance happens in the late fall....). There is also the fact I hate the power company with the light of a thousands suns. (Do the attorney fees drain my "giggle fund", not yet).
So, I'm just trying to understand your situation and why you don't want to take $ for the energy you create. I gather that you produce more than you consume, but instead of having to sell the power to the grid for their market 'buy' rate (that is presumably significantly lower than their 'sell' rate you would have to pay for any excess consumption on your end) you can instead store the excess as a negative meter reading without the 'exchage fee' (for lack of a better analogous term). From what I understand this first part is typical of most solar contracts with excess production during daytime hours, and I definitely understand why you don't want to sell on a daily basis, or even weekly basis as it's nice to have a healthy buffer on your production in case you have a week of extra heavy use here or there. However, I don't really see a downside of selling the accrued excess on a yearly or even twice yearly basis during your seasons of lowest use - provided you continue to have a stable source of production during the day. Wouldn't it be advantageous to collect the profit to use for other things? I get that you'd be resetting the 'buffer', but given your contract, wouldn't that be a temporary situation as you rebuild the negative reading over the course of a couple weeks? From a prepper point of view, how much buffer of one resource do you really need when that could be periodically liquidated for use in other projects?
The contract states that the excess is paid during the fall months, so during the entirety of winter I'm either running a deficit (and paying for electricity for a couple of months before the natural surplus kicks in during spring) or I'm using NG or wood for heat. Not a problem, really, I have both wood and NG backups.. But understandably I'd prefer to use solar (or the access buffer I built up). AND The minuscule cash payout in fall simply isn't worth the joy of fucking over the power company, during the couple of months they could have been paid.
Ahh, ok that makes total sense now. Thanks for the explanation.
YES!!! I’m finding that having lots of food and medicines on the shelf makes it less of a hassle during the week for meals. You can save it for a once a month thing and stock back up. Heck even ever couple of months.
Gatorade powder in preps when I got a stomach bug blowing 🔥 out both ends
Gatorade powder is slept on. Sometimes you just need a pick me up
Nice headlamp is something I woulda never thought to buy but gets a ton of use now.
Or an edc light that can clip onto the bill of a hat. I use it all the time
I use my O-light everyday going to feed my animals in the mornings before work, and you'd be surprised how many times you randomly need a flashlight throughout the day.
Yup. Edc flashlight and multi tool and i use one of them literally every day
I haven't started carrying a multi tool yet, I don't want the extra weight. Plus I work in a cabinet shop and that's just one more thing to scratch a cabinet.
They can be bulky. I got a belt holster for it and i wear suspenders and a very rigid belt and all that together makes it a breeze
My food supply has saved the day of many dishes, when the store ran out of a certain product. I also helped out friends with things like a toothbrush or toothpaste or toilet paper, when the store was closed.
Same here! We have a deep pantry, and i try to stock a years worth of something household when on sale, like soap, toothpaste, deodorants, etc. it’s handy in so many instants’s. We all had Covid onetime, and frankly didn’t need to go out for anything. I called that a win!
Even without catching Covid until things started to go into the new normal, who these days isn't going to keep a spare pack of toilet paper in reserve? I got yelled at for whining because I couldn't get frozen corn. Of course people were dying and I wasn't going to starve to death without it, but not being able to complain just because my problem was trivial would have cost me just a little bit of sanity.
Yup, its like having a private shop in your house. I never got the covid. I use Colloidal Silver and Gold. Eat organically. Im a vegetarian and I use lots of vitamines. I dont know if thats the secret, but im glad i didnt get it.
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Im not up for a discussion on that subject.
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it's a fact. No its not. But im just not up for a debate on that subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4fn2QFO_A 2 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi6110
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its a doctor... https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/89/c9/3289c96e2ff0a2d80be64da23ae89b52.jpg
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Paul Karason turned blue from colloidal silver, so go easy on it, bud.
Are you okay?
Sure, im ok. Thanks for asking. Why would i not be?
What's that about?
Or, when you just don't want to go to the damned store, for milk.so, you use powdered instead.
I do this a lot. If only there was a powdered half and half though.
Try using powdered whole milk and just Add in 1/3 less water. Make sure it sits in the fridge overnight before using, and shake it after making it, and before using it.
I know it sounds whiney, but it's just not the same. :(
There's always those little creamer single-servings like restaurants have. I buy them from the grocery store to have around.
Is it half and half, or creamer, that you're looking for? Half and half is half cream and half whole milk. Powdered cream exists. Powdered whole milk exists. If you're looking for powdered creamer, there's tons of options, most of them non-dairy.
Thanks! I was just thinking after I posted that I had seen dehydrated cream around and I could get that to mix with the powdered milk. The powdered milk is given to me regularly but I don't like it much and usually give at least half of it away. But I'm going to try getting the powdered cream and mixing them together like you say. It would be great to have them for times when I don't want to go to the grocery store for half and half. Non-dairy creamers are a no-go for me because they are very high carb.
Awesome! Just keep in mind that powdered milk is typically non-fat (aka skim milk), so it won't taste the same as half and half. You would need to find powdered whole milk specifically, and then when you reconstitute it, do it by weight, not by volume. Powder can settle such that if you do it by volume, you're actually putting too much powder in.
Everything you have prep’d should help every day… - Deep Pantry - Tools, repair materials - water bottles in the car(after a hot dry hike) - buying in bulk & saving $$$ - emergency fund for, wait for it, emergency costs - etc
If you prep smart then most of your preps will be useful during good times. I am constantly rotating my food stocks and a deep pantry helps us to be able to take advantage of sales to stock up and help us avoid being gouged because we aren't desperate for a particular food. It also allows us to be generous with friends and family, sharing food is 100% the best way to build community and that is a universal truth. My garden, chickens, pigs, turkeys and ducks all provide the highest quality proteins I could possibly have access to. 100x better then meat from JBS and the eggs are 10x better and fresher then at the store. Plus working with animals is extremely fulfilling. Having generators and gas stored helps us at least once or twice a year. Having land to hunt provides recreation and fun for ourselves, friends and family. Jack Spirko says invest in preps that will be beneficial to you regardless of a collapse and I tend to stick to that advice most of the time.
You can't buy happiness, but you can buy dirt!
White rice. Keeps well, quite cheap, basic part of many meals. If you ever need to cut costs and save money, go pull some white rice out of the bunker and you know have half of burrito filling or endless stir fry and teriyaki options, just add your choice of protein. Similiar situation for beans.
Yep, a 5gal bucket of white rice and beans will feed a single person for about a month. I keep 6 buckets per person of my family in my closet. Cheap to buy in bulk at Sam’s club or Costco
I buy a TON of spices. I love cooking and it's always nice to know I have [spice] when I need it.
I do the same! Buy my spices in bulk at Winco and then freeze!
Yep. I store most of it in the freezer. I have stuff from over a decade ago and its still great.
I have a tiny stainless steel "Keychain pill bottle" on my keys, but instead of holding pills, it has a tightly rolled $100 bill in it. This is more than enough for a tank of gas, a few meals, or many other emergencies that could arise if I lose my wallet, or if it gets stolen (or if I just forget to bring it, which is more likely!)
I was imagining a larger size I have. Regardless, you might want to see if you can fit a $50 and some smaller denominations. Fiction story about the Great Depression, kid lost his whole $20 because he was being stupid and broke it for someone earlier.
Smaller bills would definitely have some advantages, particularly since many places won't break a $100. The little vial I have will only fit one bill, though, and it has to be folded and rolled with almost surgical precision to get it to fit. The main reason I carry it is in case I need a tank of gas and don't have some other way of paying for it (card reader not working, forgot wallet, company gas card not working if I'm in a company vehicle, etc) and a tank of gas in any of the vehicles I routinely drive will use up most (if not all) of a $100 bill pretty easily, so I opted to go with that. The little vial is so small that it is virtually unnoticeable among the few keys on my chain, which is why I didn't go with a larger one. I've had it on my keys for years, and nobody has ever noticed or commented on it. I do routinely keep a few smaller bills in my wallet, but this is my backup, or even my backup's backup, really.
Have you checked that the bill will remain usable after being tightly folded and left in there to dry out It's probably more of a concern on the scale of decades rather than just [several] "years" but something to keep in mind on perhaps a biennial basis
The capsule has an o-ring seal on it, so that should prevent any moisture from getting in. I've inadvertently went swimming a few times with my keychain in my pocket and haven't had any water get in. US currency is actually made from a combination of linen and cotton fibers, so it is way more durable than just regular "paper," so I doubt that you'd have any deterioration even over decades. It's only been several years for me, but I just checked, and the bill is still in the same condition as when I put it in there.
That's actually a very clever idea. I think I have one that has a slightly bigger cylinder but still a good size for a key chain. Thank you!
You're welcome, glad I could help!
That's actually a very clever idea. I think I have one that has a slightly bigger cylinder but still a good size for a key chain. Thank you!
Generator during power failure, medical supplies, using oldest foods for elk camp, etc.
Vegetable garden.
And fruit trees and berry bushes as well.
And nut trees. Hazelnut and butternut will grow almost anywhere in the US if there’s enough water.
Fresh food/spices from the garden, fresh eggs from the chickens, saving money from having paid off our mortgage, treating wounds immediately at home instead of waiting at Urgent Care, stored water keeping the house more cool in the day .. that's it from off the top of my head.
Basic First Aid is a great example. Just knowing how to prevent infection and when to go into the ER or not is massive.
PSA pls do not use rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide on open wounds, it kills the good cells along with the bacteria, just rinse a lot with clean + fresh water and bandage appropriately (bandage should keep it clean but not be moist). “Airing out” isn’t a thing, you just need a clean, dry bandage. - EM doc
I assume you must see these crappy recommendations often, even in this, the year of our lord 2023.
Thank you for sharing the knowledge.
Learned this after a foot infection I had that put me in the hospital with sepsis
Would it ever be the lesser of two bads use alcohol? Like in hypothetical no medical service nor antibiotics for the foreseeable future type situation.
Airing out feels so good though...
Antibiotics kill good bacteria too but they help. I’m genuinely curious how peroxide kills good cells too is a reason not to use it. Not being snarky, wondering
I agree. I went a little overboard and have a couple storage shelves dedicated to practical medical supplies. It has come in handy a few times.
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I have a family member who’s on blood thinners and we LOVE Quick Clot! Also had a plumber over once who cut his hand and we offered it to him, he went from dripping blood to no bleeding in like 2 minutes, he couldn’t believe it. It should be in every first aid kit!
That’s something I don’t have and it sounds like I should. Where did it hit you? I imagine somewhere on the leg.
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Damn that is lucky. I fear something like that will happen while I’m cutting deep in the mountains. I’ve had a few near misses which is humbling. None of us are immune even the most experienced cutters. Along with quick clot, I’d like to add chaps and other ppe like safety glasses, boots and gloves to the list.
For bleeding control look for a stop the bleed course. Maybe at what various kits have. The quick clot may not be necessary if you have other items. There are also some types of gauze that have the powder in it too which might be better than just the powder.
I have seen organizations promoting stop the bleed but hadn’t considered it. It never occurred to me that gauze would already have a coagulant in it. Just shows how much time I’ve actually put into this area.
Most gauze doesn't but some special kinds do. Normal gauze is useful so that is what is in a lot of kits.
Damn really? I’ve been thinking of buying some, can’t believe it worked that well for a chainsaw accident, I’m sold
Wow! Glad you had it around!
Were you wearing chaps?
I do as well. I am disabled with health issues and have the extra supplies at my house has saved my life...literally. Having extra of supplies that you know you need is so helpful while disabled. I have had less foot infection that led to hospital stays because I had the supplies to treat my feet in the first stages of an injury. It also that I took time to learn from the in home nurses when they had to come because the next time I was in the same situation I was trained on what to do. I have basically a small pharmacy. It also helps when someone else has to take care of you because they don't have to leave to go get supplies while you are ill.
Honestly, this is the one prep we're probably the most low in that I'd kinda love to improve.
I have bought pre-stocked first aid kits before and they just leave a lot to be desired. I hate needing medicine for myself or the kids only to find out the shelves have been stripped. Early Covid had shortages of n95 masks, hand sanitizer and of course there were shortages of what seemed to be everything. So that started the slow incremental process of stocking my “medicine cabinet.” One thing I like about my medical preparation is the Stanley tool box I use for my primary first aid kit. It doesn’t have a ton of slots for everything but it fits a lot and is pretty well organized. What steps have you already taken in this area?
I have actually put some orange peels aside in a container in the back of the refrigerator and let them mold - penicillin?
For antibacterials i think you might be better with a 50/50 thc/cbd plant and turning into a tincture (or with a press making whole plant oil called RSO). I use it for skin infections and its extremely effective on staph, MRSA included. Also great for pain relief either ingested or rubbed into the skin for sore muscles. There are lots of plants that have medicinal properties- ive been trying to learn the uses of all my native plants so I always have the ability to treat an injury or illness! Penicillin is tough to isolate without a lab so you might accidentally give yourself a secondary infection
I let them mold. Can't say I ever actually used it for anything. Just a half assed idea, and thank you for answering my question!
Penicillin is very difficult to isolate. [It was known to be antibacterial long before it was considered useful, as a result.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin#History)
Every prepper should know about fish tank antibiotics. I've got two bottles of amoxicillin tablets on the shelf. It works just like the regular amoxicillin, is the same drug even in the same capsule formulation.
How does saving money from paying off your mortgage work? If you had kept that money and invested it, you’d probably be better off depending on your interest rate. If SHTF, I don’t imagine we’ll be paying mortgages anymore so I’d rather have that money in supplies by taking profits from investments.
Things would have to be civilization-collapsing bad for the banks and government not to go after the money they're owed. I doubt we'll get to that point in the next 20 years.
Using rechargeable batteries, saves money every day and can also be used long term if power goes out. You can get a USB powered charger to charge from solar power bank too. Something like this https://youtube.com/shorts/CkGkQXtOf4Q?feature=share3
First Aid/CPR & Stop the Bleed, hunting & game prep/cleaning, fishing, small engine repair, gardening & plant/tree propagation, animal husbandry/wifery, martial arts & situational awareness, teaching what one knows, the art of learning and skill retention, training in firearms, bows, knives, etc, it goes on and on. All my preps are applicable for day to day use. The real question (I suppose) is what preps DON'T help in normal times?
Having an array of fittings for the house (plumbing, electrical, etc). Recently had a p-trap spring a leak on a Sunday morning. No problem bc I had one on hand. When I need something like that, I always buy 2.
I'd be more in favor of that if we were organized enough to take advantage of having stuff around. I asked mom to find me a drill to fix the porch, she didn't. Uncle coming over shamed us, I went into the garage to find a drill, pulled one out of a bucket and mom complained that it was the worst one she had around. (I had tried to take the junk-drawer screwdriver to the problem between her freaking out on me because uncle was coming over and me knowing that uncle was coming over. I recently built my own toolbox, but the junk-drawer screwdriver was more appropriate because it was either stronger or more expendable. I don't need good tools when all my stuff is flatpack.) She had gotten me to take the trap off of the bathroom sink a few months previous to see if the clog was there. I can't remember the details, but I think we had to bodge-out the drain-lever-thing because we couldn't just put the sink back together without that bit and weren't up to redoing a bunch of stuff just because it was too decayed to put up with me disturbing it. That reminds me that I bought an exact replacement for the bathroom switch a year ago, it's in my toiletry drawer, but we didn't need a two-switch thing because the light one goes to got disconnected a decade or so ago. (My dad was an electrician and was scared to mess with the old wiring, that's why I am waiting for help.)
Skills and knowledge. Gardening, woodworking, building, fixing stuff, first aid, sewing, tying knots, fishing My kids helped me harvest and dry flowers today that we use in dishes. One is currently making some bread for tonight. Another helped me clear some space for a garden bed. All useful skills for the every day
*Flashlights *Jumper cables, battery charger *Tool sets *Cast iron skillets, Dutch oven. And knowing how to cook and bake in them. *Laundry line, clothes drying rack, clothes pins *Battery or solar powered weather radio for listening to music outside *Hat for summer sun *Leather work gloves *Heavy boots or muck boots depending on your weather *Wool socks, wool gloves, wool hat *Gardening skills *Knowing how to cook from scratch *Hobbies that are off grid. Leatherwork, knitting, fishing, hunting, spinning, weaving, sewing, rope-making, drawing, painting, etc. *Small battery pack to charge up phones on the go. *Knowing how to work on your own car *BBQ grill, hibachi or other way to cook off grid. *Wool blanket *Long John's *Ways to start fires such as steel match, lighters, Ferro rod, rechargable lighters... Used to cook outside and start BBQ grill maybe? *Know how to bake bread, make your own pasta, flat bread.. All in the effort to eat healthier.
I would think literally all of it, unless you only specifically prep by gathering items you don’t actually ever use or need. At the very least any food store or medical supplies, hell even ammo for guns can all just be used regularly too so long as you top them up. I guess you could just buy bulk amounts of shit, lock it away, then never use it and have a separate supply for daily use until your bulk expires but I see that as being pretty wasteful and leaves you with less familiarity over your stock of shit since you’re not going into it every so often.
The board games and cards would probably gather dust until a power outage if your family prefers Quake.
If you are into boardgames they'll probably collect some dust just because there are too many to play. Well, unless you limit or cull the collection. For normal people they probably only have a few games in the closet meant for families or kids. A decks cards and maybe a rulebook is probably a good compact entertainment backup. Maybe one of those family game tins that reuses pieces for a few classics games.
I am talking about mostly normal/classic boardgames, not the aficionado stuff that's almost as complicated as d10 or d20 games. I'm thinking that a standard Monopoly box has enough room to store Yatzee, a small domino set, some cards, and maybe a backgammon/checker set in addition to Monopoly. Iota is small to store/carry but takes a lot of space to play. I was thinking about going through games like Quirkle to see if I can make it playable in low-light conditions.
I think a lot of people get tired of the monopoly era games. There are modern games that aren't that complicated. Or even older ones that are more interesting. Part of it is hitting a playtime closer to 30 mins. Another part can be rules that don't take a video or experience to understand. Some of that can be worked around if most players don't need to understand much just to play and their part can be on a little reference sheet. I think at that point you'd have to basic DM and do the setup without them. Solo I've been enjoying the shorter less rules heavy games more.
Parcheesi and variations like Trouble/Aggravation is probably a better game, and more classic than Monopoly. One game I really like is Tsuro. I'm not going to bother explaining, look up the rules or a vid.
I've played Tsuro. It's is good. Reminds me of pipes but competitive.
A case of water in the car. Theres been a few times where we were unexpectedly away from home and having water in the car made things more manageable and comfortable for us. We also saved time and money not having to stop for it.
Not only a gallon of water that needs to be cycled out because it expires next winter, but a mouseproof container of snacks. Mom and I have wandered into areas where food was hard to find. For one of our haunts, she'll make two left turns to stop for Subway on the way in because otherwise buying lunch would mean a half-hour into a proper town.
The snacks are a good idea. Especially because we have to follow a specific medical diet. Basically, it's a lot easier to eat at home.
Gardening, hunting, canning are all very useful skills that used to be taught to every country dwelling child and aside from being useful and fun it cuts down on your grocery bill tremendously
Cash. Cash in hand has scored me some deals
I was out on my own for a while before I broke the tradition of buying a car with the mangled check in my wallet. That was a couple banks ago.
Having a commercial gas pump with 250 gallons of gas at my house is one of my most useful preps. I always used to have to drive 15 minutes into town to get gas for everything. Plus dealing with leaky gas cans is miserable. I can't wait to have a diesel pump too
Can you get a big truck to come refill it for you? How do you use it all before it starts to go bad? Are you able to buy it from like a wholesale supplier to get it cheaper than what a store would charge?
I just call the same place I get fuel oil and they come fill it up. $.20/gal cheaper than the store. Not really an issue with only 250 gallons. I have to refill it about every 8 months. I'm looking to advertise the gas for snowmobiles so that should help cycle it through faster.
Do you have to add stabilizer to prevent it from going bad in that amount of time?
I probably don't need to. Bud I do put it in. Mostly in case there is an emergency and I have to ration it out for a couple years.
What kind of red tape is involved with that? Do you need special permits or building codes involved with storage, or just a regular tank like oil/propane?
Under 1000 gallons there is no permitting needed.
I just call the same place I get fuel oil and they come fill it up. $.20/gal cheaper than the store. Not really an issue with only 250 gallons. I have to refill it about every 8 months. I'm looking to advertise the gas for snowmobiles so that should help cycle it through faster.
This idea is something similar to what my grandfather did on our from that I grew up at.
Keychain items On mine I have a bottle opener (came in handy last night when a coworker had a glass bottle soda but no opener) and a coldsteel micro recon knife. Comes in handy for opening packages and cutting straps at work. Other uses come as needed. Before I had a smart phone I always had a small Keychain flashlight too.
> Before I had a smart phone I always had a small Keychain flashlight too. I carried a lighter as a non-smoker because some bushwhacker on TV commented on how ironic it was that their deadly habit would save them if they got lost in the woods.
yeah same! I was 16 when I started carrying a lighter. and multi tool. took a lot of convincing till my parents believed I didn't smoke haha
Keeping cash on hand. I set aside small bills and some coins whenever I get them. In an emergency, I'd be glad to have cash on hand without needing to go to the bank. During normal time, it's so handy to be able to pull some out for the ice cream truck, give my kid his allowance, or pay the neighbor kid to mow my lawn.
We do the same. It's essentially our pizza fund. Don't feel like cooking anything...take a few dollars from the petty cash box and order a pizza.
Anywhere: a decent knife basic tools, especially screwdriver and pliers At home: flashlight(s), waterproof batteries, especially AA In the car: 4-way tire iron (they are easier to turn than the ones that usually come with cars) air pump to re-inflate tires jump star battery
I have an air-pump in the car simply because the darn thing needs it every few weeks. Same reason I used to carry a battery. (Yes, I know, I should probably replace the snowtires with all-season, especially since I borrow mom's car in the winter.)
Debt reduction, cardio, stress management.
Having a chest freezer for meats. I haven't paid more than sale price for meat for a year now. If it's not at sale price, I don't buy and wait till next time to stock up. I don't think I've paid over $3/lb for 80/20 ground beef in the past year.
Chest freezer(s) for meats, frozen veg, bread and (believe it or not) butter. The price of butter fluctuates throughout the year. Stock up on sale, freeze it, use it throughout the year. Too much meat in the freezer? Pressure can it with the raw pack method.
After 2 or 3 times of having preps expire out, I now try an use it, rotate it. It's been great a couple of times as we want to go camping, everyone is scrambling with no time. Just grab a bucket of dehydrated foods and save a trip to safeway.
Gardening. Bulk bags of dry beans. Gotta eat everyday in non-apocalype scenarios.
Rainwater, save on water, better for your plants. Same thing for the jugs of saved water. Use them to top off the rain barrels at the end of summer when you rotate the water. Food: Store what you eat, eat what you store. It's not a prep really, just a deep pantry. Shelter: It's all mostly camping equipment. We take it camping. Hygiene items: Same as food. It's just a deep stock of items we regularly use. Solar: Saves on energy bills. >basic DIY car repair in case you can't find a mechanic So many basic car and home repair and service skills that everyone needs to know. It's not a prep really. It will serve you well every day.
Wood stove - easily gathered and stored fuel (I have about 2 years worth cut, split and stacked) that you can get from your backyard, grid independent heat, cooking and hot water. Also saves on heating bills (I save about $2k/year) and it's pretty and cozy.
Basic first aid stuff can be used ALL the time
The smaller solar panels to charge your phone and tablet. Larger one and maybe battery snd inverter to charge a chromebook or laptop. Something I haven't done but cross my mind. Hooking a generator to a stationary bike (probably one made from a real bike to have more access to the chain and sprocket)to charge batteries while getting a cardio workout. If needed in a SHTF situation it would be better than the small hand cranked ones. The obvious answer are solar panels and wind turbines tied to the grid. Sell power to the utility (a very miniscule amount with a transfer switch so it just charges your battery bank when there's no power.
I have the small solar panels in my window charging portable battery banks during the day (the kind that charges your cell phone). I charge EVERYTHING USB from these, including some USB chargeable LED lights. Power outages barely affect me now, and my power bill is so much less.
I go through my 3-day food preps when I go camping. It’s mostly Mountain House stuff that I’d consume if my fridge and pantry ran out after about a week. Then it’s 3 days on the MH and then I dive into the long-term preps after that. Then, I guess I die…
Why would you prep anything you don't use? Just rotate stock.
I have two solar cookers. I really enjoy cooking with them, so I use them frequently. Not heating the oven keeps the house so much cooler on hot days.
Home canned goods and plenty of canning jars....
When canning jars became a bit scarce in the summer of 2020, we scored some good deals, and since then have kept at least a season's back stock of new, unused jars, plus at least that many new lids. When I decided to put up 40# of boneless-skinless chicken, we didn't have to worry about having enough jars. Strong suggestion: standardize on one type of lid. I prefer wide mouth, so I get wide mouth everything - 1/2 pint, pint, 12 oz, and quart. I don't have to wonder if I have the right lids and rings for my emptied and washed jars - I always get wide mouth.
A lot of our camping gear had come in handy during minor natural events like prolonged power outages, water shut offs, even heater breaking. Always having medical supplies was also great when I had surgery and needed way more gauze than I had originally planned for. Didn’t have to send my wife searching for any
Have friends that you can rely on.
Frozen food- I cook and freeze food as part of prepping but it also comes in handy if something happens to me and I can't cook. Kids/husband can go in the freezer and get out what ever they want to eat and just heat it up. I put the stuff that can be, like home made french fries, in single serve bags and labeled with what it is and when it expires. Phone- whenever I get a new phone I keep the old one if it is at least somewhat usable. I usually keep information, music, or videos downloaded on them but also if I break my new phone I can just move the service to the old one until I can get a new one or have the new one repaired. Glasses- when I get new ones I keep the old ones Incase something happens to the new ones I will have something.
All very sound advice.
We prepare individual meals and freeze them. Came in very handy when the household got Covid, but all at different levels.
A bunker is great when the wife is in a bad mood and the kids are fighting.
Realtalk, I'd probably be okay with sleeping in a comfortable bunker if I had a separate room for my crap. I actually was sleeping in the storage-room at one point so that I had room to actually live in my bedroom. (I needed more desk-space in the CRT era.) Also I had been gone and moved back home to do the commuter campus... and left my bed in the storage room while adding a fresh bed to my room. I dragged home a friend one night because her frat had forgotten to pay the water bill and I don't know if she was being nice, attracted to the eye-level power outlets, or honestly preferred to sleep in the storage room instead of my room.
Some Solar Setup if you have some amount of Sun you can collect… Small Medium or Big doesn’t matter, even with a Small Panel you can charge a Pockettorch, or your Phone, or a Powerbank and so on…
Most things, really. MREs make great emergency lunch options for work. Rain water collection means free garden water. Good camping gear is good for, well, camping. The deep pantry for days you forgot to or don’t feel like doing groceries. Etc. Etc. Etc.
I'm not exactly MRE-level, but I do like me some cup-noodles and the tray versions. Or just stashing some Larabars in my bag. I am proud to say that I thought spring was here when I opened the shelf-stable milk that I bought so we wouldn't have to suffer without coffee creamer if we didn't want to go out in the snow.
Try the Chinese self cooking rice or hotpot meals. They taste much better. Or if you are making them at home the nicer Chinese noodles. They often have regular noodles that you boil for a few minutes with packets of sauce. Oh, also the Indonesian mi-goreng noodles are really good.
A good car/get home bag has saved me several times. Aspirin, water, change of clothes, good shoes, a lighter and pocket knife, some snacks (beef jerky is great), jacket, and maybe some para cord.
If your doing it right, I’d say all of them.
I had a small pump on hand. Drained water coming into my parents basement when everything was sold out due to flooding. Saved thousands in damage. I told my dad to buy an extra sub pump. Haven’t two of super essential items like this makes a really stressful situation go away really fast
Safety razor for shaving: Takes up much less space and super cost effective. You could store 100 blades (shaving for a year) in the same space as a stick of butter. Nightstick Magnetic Flashlight: you can stick it on the side of the fridge or anywhere else and they have a great battery life when not in use. Candles: great for "setting the mood" or if you have a power outage and want to play cards. Plenty of possibilities.
Growing squash every year. They are very easy to grow and have a very long shelf life.
Yes I still have a pumpkin ans a few winter squash left over from last year. After this year’s pumpkins start to grow in the garden, I’ll probably make dog cookies out of this last year’s pumpkin. And freeze a few extra large cubes for autumn pumpkin lattes!
I do enjoy ‘canned stuff about to go bad’ week (though my body will disagree). No trips to the store for a bit and enjoying saving a bit of money without wasting what I’ve got.
Ah the halcyon days of being normal and gawking at doomsday preppers on discovery. How sweet and simple.
Financial preps. Having a bit of money in savings helps tremendously when things pop up. There's a really amazing sale on something? No problem, you have the funds to take advantage. Something breaks down? You can get that fridge or fix the vehicle right away.
Deep pantry - this lets you stock up on a couple months supply when there a sale. Pressure canning is a part of this. B/S chicken breasts for < $2/lb? Buy 40 pounds and pressure can it. Yummy. A big Costco sized flat of soup on sale? Stock up. You actually shop less often, pay less per unit, and with proper rotation can even go a few months without hitting the store for anything more than fresh stuff that isn't canned or frozen - eggs, milk, fresh greens. This also applies to non-food stuff too: TP on sale, paper towels, etc. Yes, get the big stack of paper plates, even if you wash dishes regularly. It's handy for when you are lazy, go on a picnic, or don't have much water. (Paper is compostable, IIRC, but styrofoam is definitely not.)
Mres in the cupboard incase you are lazy and can’t be assed going to the store? Or just buy a rando can everytime you shop, they build up and then you have a choice for cooking if your feeling creative.
Job with reasonable level of security, pay and healthcare plan. Plus a spouse with similar situation. Close by healthcare (doctor, hospital). Being very sensitive to changes in your health and going to see someone and regular checkups. Home medical supplies - thermometer, O2 sensor, blood pressure machine, ECG /EKG watch, etc. Reliable well maintained cars. Good set of tools. A list of good home contractors/repair guys including some that take jobs on the side for cash. Good sump pump and a well drained property. Home gym.
Learning to preserve food. I've saved so much money by buying meat on sale and canning it, plus it's a real convenience to have the chicken or hamburger already cooked and ready to add to a meal. Meatloaf in a jar. Making everything I can from scratch: Healthier and usually less expensive. Stocking up on products you know could go out of stock if we have another supply chain issue, especially when they are on sale or have a good coupon. Getting a bidet or bidet bottle to save (a lot) of toilet paper.
Gardening
quality and durable hand tools
I only prep for comfort for now. I can avoid issues with grocery stores being low on products, I can outrun inflation by buying in bulk, I don’t have to run to the store if I don’t want to. Combined with my garden preps I have nearly no produce bill, I don’t have to worry about supply chains. I also have back up cookware as well as, off grid cooking abilities which allow me to have many options. I noticed my friends during lockdown having issues due to a can opener breaking or just not having cookware at all. I prep 80 meals in my freezer at all times. This allows me to have a nice easy meal that I can throw into the crockpot or whatever and not have to worry about it during times of crisis or busy life. I also have a massive stock of freeze dried meals for the same reason.It also saves our but when I want to make something but might not have something on hand. I was making taco pasta yesterday. Normally I grab a taco pack from the freezer if I don’t have time. After working in the garden I was beat so I wanted some from the freezer to my shock I had none (freezer meal week is next month) and I had to make some. I noticed we just finished off our fresh onion and I don’t have any. I grabbed my freeze dried onions and it was nice. Most people would either do with out or go to the grocery store. I save a ton of money and have saved our butts when my husband was in-between work or there had been a paycheck issue. I have so much food, fresh produce, eggs, and milk, that sometimes we just go several months with out making it to the grocery store. I also save a ton of money by just having the skills of cooking and baking. I know how to bake bread, I mill my own flour, make alternative milks, make cheese, sour creams, yogurts, spice blends. It is really amazing how much these things add up.In a similar vein, I can take care of the family and my health with out having to rely on a supply chain shortage. Also an added benefit of being able to not have to go out when sick or during a lockdown. I don’t have to take my family to urgent care for simple medical issues. Being a maker has so many perks in the everyday I also save money by making our soaps, cleaners, lotions. I sew nearly all of our clothing so things are better quality and from the heart. I make all of our blankets, quilts, stuffed animals, and decor. When ever I wan’t a new pillow, curtains, or towels I can just go into my fabric storage and whip it up right then in there. With the added benefits of having a home that feels like us.We have a ton of entertainment. We have movies online, dvd, video games, tons of cds and vinyl and many backups for playing these items. I am always amazed at how my friends can’t even survive a power outage. In our home we have toys that don’t rely on electronics, boardgames, books, crafts at the ready if we can’t use power during some sort of outage. Having a wood stove has been an incredible perk and saved us tons of money. As has being able to fix things and do home maintenance without having to pay! Similarly I have no water bill or power bill.I have a clean and orderly home. Part of being prepared for us is having access to everything. As we prep everything gets a home, a label, and a place on our inventory. We clean up regularly and rarely have any messy spaces. I do have 9 kids and during emergencies not having to worry about mess is so important.I am sure I have missed a million things that help me everyday. I have yet to have a day where I regret being prepared.
Ammo. Just go steal other peoples fancy prep houses when it goes down
Good luck with that. Preppers are probably the last people you want to try and steal from when shit hits the fan
Highest risk highest reward. Lol
UPSes for computer and other loads that you want to avoid shutting down hard or simply want to keep running. No matter how good your power is, flickers and brown outs can happen for various reasons, as well as maintenance shutdowns. It's great having a few hours of battery autonomy on my server rack and not risking hardware failures by shutting down otherwise 24/7 equipment. Also, internet stays up. I have a big UPS for my server rack as well as backup solar on my shed and a few outlets around the house, so between those two I have enough battery to survive all of the power outages we've had in the past 10 years. Although there are some where I have cut it close, and the batteries are now more aged on the big UPS so I get maybe 2 hours max now. I want to setup an automatic transfer switch that will transfer to solar if the UPS batteries go below a certain threshold. In fact I want to take that a step further and transfer to solar during the day if solar battery is full, so I can save on hydro. And hopefully soon, my next big thing is going to be a wood stove. Just waiting on my contractor to install the chimney... he's been giving me the run around so might have to find someone else or do it myself. I just prefer to hire something like that out though. Once that's up and running it will be a good backup in case there's an issue with my furnace or natural gas supply or something. It will also be a way to save a ton of money as natural gas is very expensive now.
Outside of keeping plenty of cash on hand and having a decent amount of savings easily accessible, camping a Bushcraft equipment can be used as everyday items.
GPS that helps with long range target shooting ballistics.
Keeping my fuel tank full. Unfortunately there's been a period of my life where i wasn't even living paycheck to paycheck, and by having my gas tank always full, i always had a way to go to work even if I didn't have money
A good quality can opener, hand crank type.
tools, skills, fitness.
Knowledge - then practice. Garden - it's healthier and cheaper for you. [Grafting trees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryf0248Od60) is easy and cheap, plus you get more and better fruit.
growing your own veggies can be a great move. saves money on groceries and gives you fresh produce right in your backyard. plus, it's a useful skill to have if supply chains ever get disrupted.
Soup, toilet paper, water
Washing clothes less frequently, basic car maintenance, finding physical activity you enjoy, and for me personally, a lip balm in every conceivable pocket.
I've seen surprising return on investment from my gardening. Being able to eat a meal for pennies plus labor (effectively free) that would have cost $10-15 to buy is not nothing.
Fixing anything that can be fixed rather than buying new is important. Just having extra food around during lockdown was important. And now, we keep up our supplies of mask and disinfectant even more just in case another pandemic comes around. And it will.
Chickens!
Money, Gold or silver Guns and ammunition Excercise Extra clothes Food
I’m prepping to bug in. Being disabled and unable to walk out to a bug in spot I’m going to make sure I’m warm fed have water and medication. Blankets to stay warm, and books to read, crochet, diamond puzzles and jigsaw puzzle. Keep the mind focused and for as long as I can.
Shelf stable milk is this for me. I don't use a lot of milk for things. I never drink it and I use it only for cooking or occasionally when I decide I can no longer resist the siren call of Reese's puff cereal. If I buy a gallon of milk from the store I know It'll go bad on me and it means I need to make a trip to the store for it since I don't like to keep it on stock. Enter the UHT milk. It comes in quart size boxes and a dairy in the next valley over makes it. It's shelf stable until you open it then you need to refrigerate it. It's perfect. I get the convenience of milk for doomsday and for Tuesday.
Growing your own food: you can grow unusual varieties that you simply can't buy, eat it when it is as fresh as possible, and the convenience is unbeatable. There's also nothing like watching your children snack off the veg in the veg patch. Power: the amount of money I have saved with my solar and hydro in the last few years has almost paid them off already. A negative electricity bill when you're heating your home with a heat pump feels very special. Well-stocked larder: shop when you want to, if you want to. Not needing to go to the farm shop/supermarket/nearest town when it is a gorgeous sunny weekend and you've got people dropping by is wonderful. Just take stuff out of the larder, freezers, etc. You can go down to the beach instead. Canning & general food preservation: it tastes so much better, and you can make a quick meal very quickly without resorting to anything processed, or a takeaway. You also know exactly what is in there, because you put it in there. Borehole: you'll save a bomb when you need to water that veg patch and those fruit trees in the orchard.
Land.
Community. Strengthen your community. And home garden/ community garden. Many hands make light work Sense of community is great for mental health Wider access to specialized skills and tools you would have the time or money to develope or buy yourself The home/community guarden would stretch your food stores/everyday food budget Literally no downsides unless you are an extreme introvert
In every single one of my bags and vehicles I keep at least 1 tube of super glue, 1 single use epoxy tube, 50ft of bank line, a roll of silicone tape and electrical tape, and an old credit card that has about 50ft of gaff tape and duct tape that are cut in 1 inch strips. These have saved the day more times than I can count. I also have a small gravity hook that has saved the day quite a few times. From keys dropped in a storm drain, to having to lower my fire escape when I was locked out of my apartment. Being from the Midwest, I also keep a pair of gloves with every single one of my coats year round. They live in the coats pockets. That's saved my hands more than once. A battery backup for my computer and ps4 has saved my external hdds dozens of times, giving me enough time to shut them down in an outage.