I wanted to start this post on 'preparedness' for anyone who wants to contribute....times are changing daily and we all need to be prepared for things to come. I feel there's some absolutes that we should keep in mind for the times ahead. I know we've discussed this topic before but I'd like to have a central point here to collect all our ideas & info because I feel the dollar is gonna fall soon and our enconomy is gonna take a tumble........We need to be as ready as posible anyway.
Firstly, we all have to eat, have water & power of some kind or just for cooking anyway and there's hygiene needs. I'd like to start postings on any tips that can help in thes categories.
Buy seeds NOW. We all may be planting some kind of food, in our yards or even in containers. Collect seeds from Walmart or any other store you see them. Know where you may be planting them. If in containers be looking for inexpensive things to use and get them filled with soil from somewhere....either from the ground or buy potting soil.
When to plant:
The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the dark of the Moon; that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. The Moon Favorable column below gives these days, which are based on the Moon's phases for 2009 and the safe periods for planting in areas that receive frost.
We are going to buy and install black coiled hoses to our roof and pipe down into our water heater to heat our water with the sun. We have one propane camp stove but have to buy more propane bottles. I'm going to research some outdoor cooking ovens and see if we can build something along that line from brick or something. Anyone have a good blueprint of an outdoor oven?
I'm also gonna stock up on the Clorox 'wipes' for times that water may be short. Bleach is good thing to have around too. You know the UN is talking about making a world energy TAX! So we're gonna have to look for ways to conserve in some areas now to be prepared if this comes around.
Can't hurt to have vitamins & supplements stocked up too. Here's a good company for that:
I have collected old sparklets water bottles I found around, I have about 6-8....I keep them filled with water at all times, a little bleach keeps the water clean. Here's another idea I found online....
Our family garden is our food source. This year we have made it even bigger. I can everything I get my hands on and my two grown kids know if they need anything they can come shopping free at mama's house for food.
I have been saving all my milk jugs and juice jugs for water. Plastic jars and so on.
I have not bought any seed to put up for later use but now I think I will.
Another way we save money is by hunting every season. We have deer, wild hog, turkey. And now we are raising our on chicken's and rabbit's.
Honey Man does not know this but I have been buying up things like shampoo, dish soap, bath soap tissue paper.
We have cooking grills, gas and for wood burner for smoking so we are okay on the cooking part.
I do how ever worry about the power. We have well water, and we could pull the water if we needed to with out power. But there's nothing like a hot shower.
We have cut down on trips to town and only buy what we need not want. I buy second hand clothes for everyone in our house now.
We took our income taxes money to build on to our house this year. So that money was not pissed away it was put to good use. We talked about what if one of our kids needed to come back home or what if my mama & daddy needed to come live with us because they rent they have never owned there on home before which is crazy at their age.
I try to find cheap ways for cooking meals. Which having a garden is the best.
I'm up for any other ideas anyone has. Share them with me, I'm all ear's.
We garden and hunt, so I'm already doing those things, but am already pinching pennies around here, don't know how much I can stock up on when I'm on such a tight budget. I'm in breezy's situation too, when we added it up it didn't make sense for me to work outside the home, we are now raising rabbits & have cows coiming next week.
I have seeds already stocked up for this year, but I did want to point out that the seeds will loose their fertility the longer you keep them, they will keep longer in the fridge, or you can gather and dry your own seeds from your harvest this year, it will save money and you know what you will be getting. You also need to start stocking up on canning jars, we can't wait till harvest time and just expect there to be enough to go around with alot of people having gardens this year.
I'd also suggest collecting rain water, when our well was low a few years ago, we had to conserve by going to the laundry mat, only using our well for cooking and hygien needs, so nothing outside got wattered, I quickly found out ways to conserve water around here for the plants, like placing cover under my tomatoes to hold the moisture in longer and collecting all the rain I could.
You also need to think about alternative heat this winter...what will you do if you have no power in the winter or if we have another winter storm?
All great things to think about!
In addition to gardening I also make alot of my hygine items. Breast pads, diapers and menstural pads. I do need to find a way to have alturnative energy, especially heating. But living in a townhome in the center of town makes things tough. My husband and I are thinking of moving to Minnesota so that we can be closer to family and have some land since its becoming hard to come by and expensive here in Colorado.
I need to learn to better use my dehydrator and learn to can this year so that I can have more of a stock pile. But I'm also finding it more important to have my pantry stocked.
I am finding a wealth of information from all of you! Thanks a ton!
Was doing some research on recycling grey water (washing machine) for use on gardens and this is what I've found so far.
http://www.greywaterguerrillas.com/
Also note that a laundry detergent with NO salt or Phosphates must be used:
http://www.yourguidetogreen.com/store/oasis-soaps/cat_39.html
Haven't found any other NO Salt-Phosphate detergents other than the one above. Seems there are more in Australia than there are here.....
"It's easy to observe all over the world, and throughout history, the use of ammo in a complete economic collapse because:
1) In a complete collapse people tend to riot and loot, and people are forced to defend their homes and family in violent ways - not a pleasant thought, but it happens (who remembers LA in the 90's?).
2) In a complete collapse ammo has a high trading value. In post WW2 Germany, one round of 22 could get you an entire loaf of bread."
My family all hunts and the ammo prices are actually getting so high it's rediculous, the prices of metals are going up (copper, brass, lead) so it's being passed right along to these products. One of the reasons people are buying up ammo is to get it at a cheaper prices, another is so they will have it if they have trouble getting to a store or finding it in the store later.
Quoting mogencreative:
This is a snippit of a journal I did about why so many people are buying up so much ammo these days:
"It's easy to observe all over the world, and throughout history, the use of ammo in a complete economic collapse because:
1) In a complete collapse people tend to riot and loot, and people are forced to defend their homes and family in violent ways - not a pleasant thought, but it happens (who remembers LA in the 90's?).
2) In a complete collapse ammo has a high trading value. In post WW2 Germany, one round of 22 could get you an entire loaf of bread."
your right on this we have done the same thing at our house be ready for any thing these days........ and we are trying to get ready .. WE are praying JESUS comes soon.. we are putting tracts around the home to witness after we are gone.... I found out you own this and that is why I joined thanks ... we put in lots more insolation and the furnace runs less ... they are going to tax more on electric used look at this sad stuff....... does any one have solar heat or use it in any way???.... http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=solar+power&search_type=&aq=8s&oq=solor. 
.... Isaiah 40 31 .......
Give & Get Advice
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Want a tasty way to sneak more fruits and veggies into your kids' snacks? Try these healthy muffins!
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If you're a little (or a lot!) stressed, you'll appreciate these easy tips for sneaking a little relaxation into your day.
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Do you feel like you're always saying "No" to your kids? Maybe it's time to have a "Yes" day instead.
- desertrat4evr
on Apr. 5, 2009 at 5:48 AM