Maximizing Your Personal Resources / Surviving the Future

[Starglider]

This is (one reason) why my shed is made out of solid reinforced concrete. If everything in it catches fire the worst that will happen is the window shattering (nowhere near enough fuel to make it hot enough to spall the rendering off). I don't know why people bother with those flimsy flammable wooden things.

[MrDakka]

This is (one reason) why my shed is made out of solid reinforced concrete. If everything in it catches fire the worst that will happen is the window shattering (nowhere near enough fuel to make it hot enough to spall the rendering off). I don't know why people bother with those flimsy flammable wooden things.

Aren't the wooden sheds cheaper?

[Broomstick]

Around here they are.

There might be some cultural inertia - the US has long built stuff out of wood that in Europe is more often brick or stone due to the abundance of wood and the ease of harvesting it vs. starting a new quarry.

Some areas might also have building codes that require no permits or fewer permits/costs to putting up a wood shed rather than a brick/stone/concrete structure.

[Zaune]

I've a hazy idea that there might be a loophole in British planning laws that treat a wooden garden shed as a temporary structure, and therefore exempt from the trial by ordeal that is getting planning permission as a private citizen in this country.

[Kanastrous]

Ran power out to the garage from the house on Saturday, with a second conduit placed for the eventual return of power from the solar-electric panels planned for the garage roof.

One step at a time...

[amigocabal]

Remember the mantra "Reduce, reuse, recycle"? Well, people seem to be forgetting the "reuse" part of it. Much of the stuff you throw away or even recycle can be reused somewhere in your life. Look around for it. Reusing is free and in most cases very easy.

Yes, I have. But does recycling actually save the recycler money? There is a reason why less gold is thrown into the trash than paper.

[Broomstick]

I was recently directed to this short how-to on making a slow drip irrigator for your garden by utilizing old soda bottles, that is, by recycling them. Added for interest.

Not planning this for my garden this year, but for some places this might be very useful.

[Aaron MkII]

What are you guys doing about backing up prescriptions?

I've been calling them in a week early and putting that week in bottles for emergencies, but it's fairly slow.

[Irbis]

Yes, I have. But does recycling actually save the recycler money? There is a reason why less gold is thrown into the trash than paper.

It looks differently in USA with wast, empty land that can be filled with trash without poisoning people, plus cheap extraction of resources without much care for sustainability or environment, and different in, say, EU or China with much denser populations, lot less free land, and all easy resources already exploited.

Plus, his rant how Big Brother can't force you to recycle seems both anti-government and false, yes, proper incentives can force people to change habits and unlike what he says are beneficent to environment even if they look iffy at first, uninformed glance. He acts like new resource extraction didn't require transport or as new jobs in recycling were bad

[Broomstick]

Yes, I have. But does recycling actually save the recycler money? There is a reason why less gold is thrown into the trash than paper.

It looks differently in USA with wast, empty land that can be filled with trash without poisoning people, plus cheap extraction of resources without much care for sustainability or environment, and different in, say, EU or China with much denser populations, lot less free land, and all easy resources already exploited.

The former residents of Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York and Times Beach, Missouri might disagree with your assessment.

The US started cleaning up its act in the late 1960's. Unfortunately, a lot of damage was done but considering we started from a point of flaming rivers we've actually made significant progress. Certainly, the US east of the Mississippi has a population density comparable to Europe's.

Jacoby is also ignoring that a lot of recycling occurs preconsumer - businesses practice reduce and re-use because it saves them money. They'll sell their waste when they can - that's why, with interest rising in biodiesel, fast food franchises are selling their used fry oil instead of paying to have it hauled it away, in some cases needing to lock it up because in some areas it has sufficient value for scavengers to steal.

Third - it isn't just about saving money for the recycler, it can also be saving money for society. It's a hell of a lot easier to incentivize proper disposal than to have to clean up contaminated water tables. The Superfund has spent over 8 billion USD on clean up and the job is far, far from done.

Plus, his rant how Big Brother can't force you to recycle seems both anti-government and false, yes, proper incentives can force people to change habits and unlike what he says are beneficent to environment even if they look iffy at first, uninformed glance. He acts like new resource extraction didn't require transport or as new jobs in recycling were bad

The government - at all levels - has a duty to protect the public welfare. That seems forgotten at times, but it's right there in the preamble to US Constitution. No, the government can't FORCE you to recycle, but they can give you incentives to do so. There's nothing wrong with that, unless you're anti-government from the get-go.

[Thanas]

Destickified due to abundance of stickies in this forum. A thread like this should not need stickies to survive.

[Kanastrous]

Yeah. Let it maximize its own resources, and survive the future on its own.

[Broomstick]

So if it goes dormant for a time would reposting offend the zombie rules, or should we start a new thread with reference to this one? Quite a bit of time can by between posts here. I'd prefer to return to this thread even if a couple months have gone by but other might feel differently.

[Broomstick]

The Drought of 2012 and You

Just in case you haven't heard, several major agricultural regions of the world have suffered a drought this year as well as record-breaking heat. Living in the US Midwest I'm most familiar with that one, but Russia, Europe, India and others have also been affected, and China is currently in the third year of drought. This is a global problem.

Food is going to get more expensive. Yes, I know food prices have been rising of late but listen to me: food is going to get more expensive. The places that have historically produced enough to make up shortfalls in other areas are also losing crops this year. Couple that with rising fuel prices and shuffling food supplies around to even out local shortfalls will only drive the prices higher. So, what to do?

Well, if you put in a garden this year you might be a little ahead - might. After all, gardens are also affected by drought. Mine certainly was - I lost over half of what I planted, some items wiped out entirely. There is still time to get fall vegetables in, but realistically, this is the sort of thing that impacts the backyard grower as well as the professional farmer.

This is the sort of situation where having the means to put up and store food is a very good thing. Assuming you have that capacity, here are some suggestions:

If you can find a deal on vegetables at your local farmer's market or grocery store buy them and can or freeze them. Likewise, stock up on any frozen or canned foods that go on sale.

If you find grain products on sale stock up on them. The US corn crop is half gone already, and more may be lost. Russia's wheat has been slammed. Asia is also in drought, so the rice crop is in danger. Last year's crop is what is on the shelf right now, and there is some impetus to move old stock, but once it's gone the next crop, half of what it would normally be, is going to get expensive.

Farmers who raise livestock are going to reduce their holdings. This will mean a "pulse" of relatively low-cost meat will hit the shelves as slaughter produces a temporary glut, after which prices will rise sharply. If you're a meat eater, that dip in price coinciding with the slaughter is the time to buy.

Of course, if you do stock up you need to take care of your larder, lest you lose it to time and decay. The problem is, most of us urban or quasi-urban dwellers don't usually plan to store copious amounts of food at one time. The average freezer can only hold so much. There are several alternatives. You can obtain a chest or upright dedicated freezing unit. This enables you to preserve food as close to fresh as possible for a considerable time period and take advantage of sales to stock up in bulk. You can buy canned goods, which can be stacked, stored under beds, and so forth. It's not the best nutrition, but it lasts years and is resistant to deterioration. Finally, you can purchase dry goods like pasta, which if kept dry and stored in vermin proof containers can last months or years. If they get wet or chewed they're no good, though.

Finally, even if you can't do a lot of storing, doing some will help out with your own food bill. If, for example, you stock up on vegetables when they're cheap and freeze them it will leave more of your food budget for, say, milk when it gets pricey (and milk will cost more in the near future).

[Thanas]

So if it goes dormant for a time would reposting offend the zombie rules, or should we start a new thread with reference to this one? Quite a bit of time can by between posts here.

Keep posting in here, replying to a thread with new information has never violated the necromancy rules.

[Zaune]

I probably should have thought of doing this a bit sooner, but this seems like it might be a valuable addition to the thread.

1 Invest in an impact-resistant garage door (these are indicated by a special sticker), or reinforce your existing door at minimal cost by nailing planks of plywood or steel to the door's back. A garage is often the primary point where wind enters and damages a home, and garage doors are often made from flimsy materials.

2 Reinforce your home by installing storm-resistant windows, especially if severe storms are a regular part of life in your region. If you live in calmer areas, you can consider cheaper options such as installing storm shutters, which you can nail into your window frames.

3 Keep a close eye on the trees in your yard to make sure they are disease-free, strong and upright. If a tree seems to be rotting, dead or starting to lean to one side, you should consider having the tree cut down or removed entirely. A diseased or weak tree can mean major damage to your home in the event of a severe storm, whether by falling into the house itself or by tree branches breaking off and flying into windows.

4 Check the ground around your foundation. To prevent water from entering your home during severe rainstorms or even hurricanes, it's important that the ground slopes down from around the foundation. If the ground surrounding your home slopes toward your foundation, that is a problem. You can fix this issue easily yourself---simply fill the downward sloping area with some dirt and plant grass seed, elevating your lawn around your home and keeping water out of your basement (or other floors, should the entering water rise).


Read more: How to Storm Proof Your Home | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7150072_storm-p ... z2AoTzzd88

[Broomstick]

On a related note: I'm a big fan of hurricane straps for your roof. The link shows a variety of these straps and how they attach to the roof, as well as a link to a supplier site with more information.

If you are building new construction have these added, even if you're not in a hurricane-prone area. When added during construction they are relatively cheap but it can mean the difference between riding out a high-wind storm safe and snug with only shingles lost vs. having the roof peel off your house and your residence being a total loss. They're becoming more common in my area, despite our location 2200 km from the ocean because we get winds equivalent to those of a Cat 2 hurricane from time to time even if we don't get the full hurricane. A roof with this can even stay on the house during a lower-end tornado, the EF0 through the lower end of EF1 on the Fujita scale.

If you bought an already built home find out if you have these or not. As the link says, installing them may or may not be practical. If you can get them installed at an affordable price then do so. If not, use that knowledge when deciding whether or not to evacuate in extreme weather.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't feel like reading all 6 pages of this thread right now, but a useful resource for DIY projects/recycling and all that fun stuff is

instructables.com

Like any site filled with contributions by anonymous internet goers, you should use your own discretion at what projects you choose to take on, but there is a lot of good stuff on here. Admittedly, the site architecture can be a bit clumsy and difficult to navigate. Good sections to check are "Outdoors," "Survival", "Gardening," "Finances," "Life Hacks/Life Skills", etc.

[Aaron MkII]

I know there are other firearms owners here, Hodgdon has put up a website with lots of reloading data for free:

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

It doesn't cover everything but it will save you some dollars. I used it to get into reloading and that may be a consideration for others like me who intend to hunt. Reloading also saves you money in the long run, depending on the calibre.

HDS also clued me into a great beginners guide to casting your own:

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

[Broomstick]

Thought I'd chime in with an unforeseen instance where our household stockpile became useful.

Starting in March, my (now former) employer stopped paying my wages. Now, there are legal remedies for that, but they take time and meanwhile our income stopped coming in. While I was marshaling my other resources like my social network ("Hello, dad, can you loan me some money so I can pay my rent...?") we temporarily went to a VERY small food budget. Like, scary small.

But, because I had pre-made frozen meals (home-made, not storebought) and basic ingredients in the freezer, and a variety of canned and dry goods in the pantry, we continued to eat sufficiently and well for the three weeks our finances were in chaos. Whether or not we would have sufficient fuel for the car was somewhat in question (at one point we were seriously considering siphoning the truck to keep the car running), but never a question that we'd have enough to eat.

Oh - and a very good thing when thing sort of thing happens that family and friends reassure you they can help you out (and do so) whether it's a monetary loan or just a sympathetic ear where you can blow off some steam before getting back to tackling the problem(s) at hand.

So... mission accomplished.

The past week I was able to restock everything. I find it very reassuring to see a full pantry.

[Broomstick]

Book Review: The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley, 2008

Just what it says on the tin: this is about who survive when disaster strikes and (hypothetically) why. Unlike some books on the topic this is not a huge stack of many disasters, rather, it concentrates on just a few of various different types. The focus really is more on a discussion of who survived and why, rather than details of what, exactly happened in great detail.

There were some interesting items I wasn't aware of regarding the science of people who go through disasters. For example, having a smaller than usual hippocampus seems to predispose people to post-traumatic stress disorder, though I hasten to add it's not inevitable that such a person would suffer it, just that they're more susceptible. The military, not surprisingly, is interested in pre-determining who can handle stress like that found in combat and who can't, and some of the work has either been done in the military or funded by them. The blood chemistry of special forces soldiers and spies differs from that of the normal population in regards to levels of stress hormones.

The bulk of the book, though, is about how real people react to real disasters. It's not prescriptive, but rather observation. For example, the author never says "don't take your carry-ons with you when evacuating a burning airplane" but rather points out that, over and over, a sizable percentage of passengers will always to take the personal belongings with them. Why do they do that? Well, there are no definitive answers but one hypothesis is that it is related to our hunter-gather past, where when fleeing there was both time to grab what few items you owned and doing so greatly enhanced survival post-crisis. Freezing up/denial of emergency is also a perfectly normal reaction, one that is almost or entirely impossible to eliminate, although training can reduce the time involved in that state to a minimum. Freezing to the point of paralysis is another common reaction to emergencies, and it's not always counterproductive - and possibly a hold-over reaction to being hunted by predators in the distant past, as it's a reaction common throughout the animal kingdom.

Finally, if I had to sum up survival strategies to bullet points, here's how I'd do it:
1) Know where the exits are
2) Have a plan
3) Practice your emergency drills - fire, tornado, flood, tsunami, whatever

It's not a book on how to make a go-bag or disaster-proof your home, but I'd recommend it to anyone concerned with survival in emergencies because it contains interesting information and will make you think about how mentally approach disaster-planning and emergencies.

[Broomstick]

I recently found a new website that I think is an improvement on a prior website. Both are rather US-centric in some respect although I believe anyone can glean useful information from either.

The first website is Ready.gov produced and maintained by the US Department of Homeland Security. The improvement is ReallyReady.org which is the response of the Federation of American Scientists to Ready.gov. The linked page has a further link to their criticisms of Ready.gov. Now, to be honest, Ready.gov isn't completely useless and it has improved over the years, but ReallyReady.org does have some issues they address better, such as what to do if you have reason to believe a nuclear bomb has just gone off near enough to be a problem for you (and in today's increasingly nuclear world, that's a concern of more than just the US, Russia, and China).

Now, there's a lot of "America" on that page, but don't let it put you off - their pages on prepping and dealing with various natural disasters have much that is applicable anywhere in the world.

One thing to remember in any emergency is that initially you WILL be on your own. It takes time for those "first responders" to arrive. That's why you, personally, need a plan, need to have supplies, and need to know what to do whether it's first aid or leaving an area or just keeping fed and hydrated for a few days until help arrives.

[Broomstick]

Increasing your resilience

I recently saw a TED Talk called The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Life which, yes, does talk about gaming but also how you can build up resilience, happiness despite adversity, and possibly extend your life.

It covers some means of combating adversity that I've long been aware of, but puts them in a new (at least to me) context. Things like physical activity, goal setting, social bonds, and doing things to increase the positive emotions in your life. I'd figured out some of this just through living, and some relates to things I've often seen as advice for getting through hard times.

I particularly liked the concept of post-traumatic growth, as opposed to stress.

[Broomstick]

Do It Yourself Pet Food, Laundry Soap, and Dishwasher Detergent

I was actually looking for information on DIY bird food, but found a few other things along the way.

DIY Dog Food. There are actually a number of these on line, even at places like Allreceipes usually associated with people food. There are also home made cat food recipes and I found a bunch of parrot food recipes.

Also found DIY Laundry Detergent, DIY Dishwasher Detergent, and DIY window cleaner.

I have not yet used any of the recipes listed, but I am intrigued by the idea. Some of the basic ingredients are used in several of these recipes and are relatively low cost so it could be a way to really save some money.

[amigocabal]

Do It Yourself Pet Food, Laundry Soap, and Dishwasher Detergent

I was actually looking for information on DIY bird food, but found a few other things along the way.

DIY Dog Food. There are actually a number of these on line, even at places like Allreceipes usually associated with people food. There are also home made cat food recipes and I found a bunch of parrot food recipes.

Also found DIY Laundry Detergent, DIY Dishwasher Detergent, and DIY window cleaner.

I have not yet used any of the recipes listed, but I am intrigued by the idea. Some of the basic ingredients are used in several of these recipes and are relatively low cost so it could be a way to really save some money.

Was Broomstick's account hacked? this looks like spam.