DU Survival Primer for the Mean Times

[Skidmore]

A concept begging to be fleshed out. We need a how-to guide for these times and the hard ones that are still ahead. How to better take care of you and yours as the floor crumbles away.

Anyone want to help out with this? We have a wide range of expertise on this board.

[Big Kahuna]

1. Stock up on canned goods and water,

buy a gun and find a defensible position :(

[nashville_brook]

2. maybe start a DU group?

i've been working on a concept too. i'm working in the area of "things that are good to do regardless."

[SteppingRazor]

3. Buy oil stocks. Sell oil stocks after Peak Oil hits...

but before the situation becomes so dire that oil companies have to close.

Then, with the money you've made, buy guns and canned food, deisel fuel and a heavy-duty generator.

Good luck! :evilgrin:

[MisterP]

4. first we have to discuss WHAT to prepare for:

it won't be Mad Max: a Gatling will get you nowhere in a disaster
each region will also have different problems: we'll need tree farms in the Northwest and the Northeast for fuel and to ease the pressure on old-growth forests which keep our ecosystems running in good condition
mains of all sorts will blow in earthquake zones as well

[dcfirefighter]

5. If you've got the yard space

start a permaculture forest garden and
a sustainable vegetable garden
If you've got the money, insulate the crap out of your house & windows,
buy a corn pellet stove furnace
get a solar hot water heater
a camp style water filter
keep on hand: 7 gallons of water per person, 7 days of food per person, and a 'go' kit: clothes, medication, blankets, etc.

[MissB]

8. Permaculture forest garden?

Could you give me a brief description on what this is?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Network

Whether you live in the city or country, get to know your neighbors. Know who has the skills, who has the space, etc. etc. Out in the rural area where I live, I can count on my nearest neighbor for mutton, goat's milk, and computer parts and advice if my computer crashes. The neighbor further down the road has a greenhouse and raises open pollinated vegetables and flowers, and is a member of Seed Savers. Another neighbor, who farms with mules, has great eggs and cheese and vegetables to trade. My husband is a mechanic, and can fix just about anything, and often does-in exchange for goods and services.

We often find out who is going "to town" to the food co-op, and make a group order. If someone has more room in their house, others know they can use it. One neighbor's freezer went out (problems with their solar power inverter), and they brought their frozen goods over to our house, sharing some really good duck sausage with us.

I create and maintain websites and sew everything from rice bags to quilts, and trade these skills and items as well.

We might not have much money, but I think our community is such that we can work together to make it through.

[porphyrian]

10. Exactly, network and barter.

Poor people have been doing this forever. Ask anyone from the ghetto or trailer park.

[natrat]

7. country folks got a leg up on this issue

my neighbor is good at keeping their lawn perfectly manicured and the volvo is spotless

[bain_sidhe]

9. Been thinking about this myself

I'll post my thoughts later... this is just a "findagain" post. (I.e., it'll show up in my "my posts" lists. Gotta go make dinner.