[Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.

charliebrownout · Heavy Crude Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 195

I'm new, and I truly hope doomsday will not be the end result (although I can see it on the horizon), so bear with me.

Here are my five:

DO become deeply involved in positive, workable, social networks (church for me, could be something else for others). Strengthen ties with good people interested in community, and capable/commited to a better future.

DO invest in your mind. Dump your pocketbook into your head (Franklin) buy books to help you learn HOW to do things (survival, medicine, agriculture, science, etc).

DO NOT buy useless crap. If you must buy, buy things that will last (sturdy clothes/shoes and tools).

DO move to a place that suits your needs (urban or rural...but forget the suburbs alltogether).

DO get rid of ALL debt and don't take on any more.

That's what I can see. I'm sure there are better ones, but that's what I'm able to do at the moment. God help us all if I ever got a firearm or weapons. I'm accident prone enough as it is! :razz

Pops

Pops

Ive already mentioned somewhere else that I've disproven portions of my rule #3, and events are disproving portions of #4 so here is my new and improved Five:

Pops Five Don’ts:

Don't buy - Quit buying crap and learn to live on less.

Don't borrow - Get out of debt and stay out, things will go waay downhill before your creditors will quit looking for you - they will need income too and will always have the upper hand.

Don't specialize - Diversify your sources of income, ~~it's easy to tell if your job will be hurt, but~~ it's hard to be certain it won't be affected no matter how much you study or think you know.

Don't go hungry – Stock up and rotate necessities and grow and preserve as much food as you can– ~~not because they will become unavailable but because~~ at some point (hopefully temporarily) you may not be able to afford them or they may be unavailable.

Don't be dependent - Try to become more independent from infrastructures of all kinds – especially those for which you have to pay.
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Make a plan and work it:

sdcoyote · Tar Sands Joined: May 24, 2005 Posts: 56

My 5 might be a bit different than other folks, or maybe not so much...

1. Invest in my SO and my kids. This is a scary time. The kids feel it too, even tho I might not be talking to them about it (they are 3 and 5 - we adopted them 2 years ago). I need to make them more of a part of the overall plan. Teach them how to tell a weed from a potato. The wife knows it too - she understands in some ways better than I (grew up with a single mom - very poor). Anyway, I need to invest as much time, energy, love, etc into this family unit as I possibly can.

2. Always be wary of things that "look pretty" but are not sound - buy the things that are sound - no matter how they look. Humans are attracted to pretty paint. I don't know why.

3. Build a library of essentials. Even if society blows apart - if I know "how" the rest is easy.

4. Have enough supplies for 1 year. This is a personal fetish. Again, if it all disintegrates, give me a year and I can start over. The only caveat to this rule is medical stuff - the more the merrier. Some it may be irreplaceable.

5. People are fine in moderation. We have purposely developed hard friendships with 2 seperate couples who also are quite self-sufficient. We will need those couples in the future and they will need us.

Pops

I split off the posts about guns to Here.

Lets keep this thread for 5 rules only and debates details elsewhere, OK?

Smile

_________________
Make a plan and work it:

katkinkate

mikeh433 · Heavy Crude Joined: Jan 25, 2006 Posts: 201

1) If you do buy supplies, tools, etc. DO NOT buy Chinese manufactured stuff. I have gone through maybe 4 bicycles in 4 years - inexpensive and for a reason - they use the shoddiest metal and components. Other items break after 1 or 2 uses. Between money (gold) and useful items, get useful items, because when they become scarce, you will have a heck of a time finding it, nevermind bargaining for it, just finding it anywhere.

2) Rely on infrastructure - family, friends, community - the government won't be there. Also the cosmic infrastructure is good.

3) Technology will bail us out - eventually. For me, spiritual technology and anything of interest. If you are like stuck in a prison cell somewhere (might be similar) have things of interest.

4) This tough period is for cleansing the earth of undesirables - mainly the ruling class government/corporate and other negative entities. What follows is a golden age of Aquarius - inventions galore and peace will rule the earth. (I got this from an "enlightened guy" whose lectures I attended a few in the 1980's. http://maharishiphotos.com/lecture1.html . He would open a lecture sometimes "Is there ANYTHING that anyone here would like to know". Or he might say "I remember this president from Atlantis", "Never ever board on a cigar shaped vessel (space craft)".

5) You WILL learn to do without, or with what you can make on your own. Whether you wish to or not. Economic collapse is in the cards and in one month I suspect.

dolem98 · Coal Joined: Oct 25, 2005 Posts: 7

1. Emotionally: Keep practical and don't despair. Keep a normal routine and don't spend all day obsessing over peak oil.

2. Economically: Invest wisely and be prepared to pull out in advance of problems. Become a have instead of a have-not (if you can). Live like a have-not.

3. Mentally: Keep learning new things. Nobody here or anywhere can predict exactly what PO will be like, so you want to be a quick thinker with a repertoire of skills, able to handle any situation.

4. Physically: Exercise outside the gym. Your body quickly gets used to a routine workout, so mix it up constantly. Learn to eat a simple, healthy diet.

5. Socially: Choose a unit of size that works for you. If it's a unit of one, prepare yourself to the utmost- be a ninja. If it's your family, do anything in your power to keep your family healthy, happy, loving and prepared. If it is your friends, start talking about your ideas and plans. If it is your neighborhood or community - organize.

AnIowan · Last edited by AnIowan on Thu May 08, 2008 1:20 pm; edited 2 times in total

I have found this thread absolutely fascinating on many levels. To see what people truly think is important is scary, yet enlightening on the mind set that must be in place when changes start coming.

As I've lost a little bit of sleep these last few nights, here are my rough five, which are certainly open to change as I continue to grapple with this whole idea:

1) Education: Of course you'd expect that from a teacher like myself, but learning from the past will make what could happen in the future slightly easier to handle. Education also in the terms of educate yourself with a skill. I'm looking at our local community schedule, and am trying to find time to fit in a small engine repair class, a skill that can come in handy now, but will be increasingly needed later on.

2) Creating Connections: This is a big "fad phrase" with our current administration, but it certainly finds a home here! Whether to your SO, your family, your community, neighbors, whatever, having those connections made now will help your cause later. My wife and I plan on volunteering at our local Habitat for Humanity house not only to advance our own skills (see #1) but to make other connections with those in our surrounding community.

3) Be safe: Safety in numbers, safety at your home, learning how to take care of wounds, injuries, whatever. It all comes back to being able to protect yourself and the ones you love (See #1 and #2). That physical safety is the one that has me rolling around in bed right now because while we live in a fairly rural area, we are less then a quarter mile from a connector blacktop, and very visible from the road. How do I do that, while not going over board?

4) Creating what you need: This is our area of weakness, because neither my wife nor I have those skills to be able to create "things" (new buildings, something metal, etc.) which is why I'll also be taking a woodworking class at the community college. Not that it will suddenly make me a great carpenter, but because it will give the basics, and those basics can be worked with, or skills traded for something else. We will have the ability to garden, to preserve, and to make food, and hopefully these skills will translate into bartering power of some sort.

5) Staying sane: As I drove to work this morning, all the things that I saw that relate to oil, to easy energy, or to something that is not possible in our area just seemed to jump out at me. Finding that outlet, whether it be hunting, gathering, gardening, leading, or something all together different to keep your own sanity will be key. Things will change, there's no doubt about that, but how that change is dealt with is the key to your own sanity, and that of those people around you.

A rough list no doubt, but a starting point on what looks to be a long winding road......

Pops

ohcomeon · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 10, 2006 Posts: 69 Location: USA

I searched this thread out because I am feeling a sense of urgency in preparing for something that I am not sure how to define. Anyway, I am really learning from your answers. Thanks, Pops, for starting this.

Here are mine. I still feel like I am on the first steps and a little behind the 8 ball even though I have been a member here for a while. So far the only thing I've done is collect knowledge and all the tangible, practical things are still left to do.

1. Start practicing the things I have been learning so much about like gardening, canning, food storage, etc. I am still only able to container garden, but I am utilizing farmer's market to can a lot this year. Trying to have at least a year's storage of most items.

2. Get out of debt -take no new debt. Slow, slow going, but we're making progress. Unfortunately, don't think we'll get it all done before it's too late.

3. Learn new skills that will be useful and make a name for myself with my skills now. My chosen ones are spinning, sewing, weaving. I know those aren't survival skills, but may give me something to barter with. Until we are all going around naked, at least. Shocked

Also, want to learn to make soap. While the sewing/spinning business is now getting off the ground, soap making is still just an idea for me.

4. Start keeping small animals that will provide food for my family like chickens, goats, rabbits (also great for wool!).

5. Continue building my library of information that may be helpful later.

Pops

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1006

I don't remember if I've posted my five here yet; if I have, maybe they've changed a little. Here is what we're doing now (what seems most important to us):

1. Pay down debt, as quickly as we can.

2. Get what we need. This includes some backup food and water supplies, extra blankets, shoes, boots, coats, tools, miscellaneous. Replace old/broken things for good quality. We're in the process of replacing our fridge/stove, washer/drier, one at a time.

3. Fix the house. Our goal is to have our roof, windows, insulation, etc. upgraded and in good condition. We want to do everything possible to reduce the cost of heating bills and also to increase the security of our home. God forbid anything should happen to our home!

4. Learn and Do. This includes careful purchase of books we figure will come in handy. Also includes vegetable and fruit growing, increasing the size of our planting areas and building up our soil. Books on green cleaning, repairing everything. On my list of to-do's in the next few months: upgrading my first aid/CPR, and learning how to do wood/furniture refinishing.

5. Work in the community. We're getting the kids (and ourselves) involved in community projects, also helping relatives and neighbors wherever we can. These projects, in addition to building community, are also really good learning experiences.

WildRose

joeltrout

My 5 Rules in simple form:

1) Profit off peak oil by investing in oil or working in oil industry.

2) Buy land and know how to use it for veggies and animals.

3) Buy books. Lots of books.

4) Don't panic now. Don't panic then. Don't panic ever.

5) Enjoy life no matter what happens.

joeltrout
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ENERGY is the basis of our industrial civilization and sustains our standard of living. It is the foundation stone of our national wealth. A nation starved of energy.....will be a nation of starving people.

chris-h · Heavy Crude Joined: Oct 11, 2004 Posts: 441

1) Do not get married but if you want to do it desperately find a submissive woman from a poor country to marry. She must have all the skills that poor women have ability to cook , repair clothes , farm a small garden raise rabbits , raise children and everything else.

2) Smaller house , smaller car or even better get a scooter or live close to the job.

3) Get a security job Police , army or an energy job engineer or a job repairing things . Do not become a farmer they will be taxed to death.

4) Buy at least 4 on line 1000 va ups manufactured by a reliable company like mge or apc or socomec and use 2 of them to have electrical power available when the rolling blackouts happen . Store the other 2 somewhere.

5) Learn martial arts and make friends with a lot of people that know martial arts .
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IMHO great war will happen soon.
Start preparing now.