Posted on 08/10/2014 3:21:11 AM PDT by EC1
Waste not, want not. We've heard it a billion times. It's one of the contributions to literature of my native county, which also coined the phrase "Where there's muck, there's brass" - brass being slang for money. A common insult in the UK is to say someone has Yorkshire pockets. Pockets too deep to easily get money out of.
Yet frugal is not miserly, a common mistake among the newer to the prepper community. It's an unwillingness to spend money on what you don't need. If you do need it, you buy the best. I have pots and pans that were my grandmother's. Screwdrivers, rasps, planes, and hammers from my great grandfather. They understood. Saved to buy the good stuff, and I'll be able to pass them on to my own grandkids. 6 generations for a single outlay is what anyone would consider frugal.
Which brings us to the vexed problem of prepping supplies. For none food, there are two considerations. Build quality and can you actually fix it when it inevitably breaks? For example, my favorite camping / work tool is a dry wall hammer. Hammer on one side, axe on the other, with a nail pulling notch that can be easily sharpened to do everything from opening cans to stripping wire. I went for a wooden handle. Not because I have a wood fetish, but because when it breaks I can quite easily replace it with half an hour's knife work on a green hardwood branch. Easy to fix, and the head will last out several life times.
That emergency flashlight you picked up from the 99 cent impulse buy bin? Dump it and go out and get a maglight. Cops carry them for a reason - they are pretty much indestructible (and apparently make pretty good clubs in a pinch, so I been told. Not that I would know :whistle: ). Lighters - one of the blessings of the Lord, as long as they have fuel. Even stale gas works in a Zippo style lighter, so all you need do is make sure you have enough flints and wicks to see you through.
Batteries can be a problem though. Rechargeable ones are good. A little on the pricey side, but you are paying 3 times the price up front for batteries that last 20 times as long. My definition of frugal. Buy a few extra - and vacuum pack them at once. Preferably on a dry day with low humidity, otherwise throw a silica gel packet in before you seal to stop them rotting.
The vacuum sealer is another frugal purchase. While there are as many ways of storing food as there are people, I prefer to bulk dry food in the drier when there are special offers (or bulk buy in the case of dried milk and potatoes) and vacuum pack them in double portions. It means I'm wasting less in the long run. Opening a 5 gallon container of wheat means you better use it fast. Opening a 5 gallon container of wheat and taking out a vacuum packed amount for one loaf of bread means the rest of your stock stays nice and fresh. Tins of food? Seal them. If the moisture's at bay, rust can't play.
Just some thoughts on how being frugal can sometimes mean shelling out a little cash.
I'm interested more in the experienced preppers here and their take on the matter.
Lamps? Oil? Wicks?
Long outdated.
I’m more interested in cheap Yorkshiremen. A good friend of mine lives in York and is she ever stingy. Must be its proximity to Scotland!
I know they are one shots - but I like candles.
5 bucks gets you a month or so of lighting and they never go off. They don’t take a lot of room, either.
I have two oil lamps. The oil is a pain. It will eventually “go bad.” Whereas candles, you can remould the dripping wax back into new ones, as long as you have wicks.
Prefer the convenience of electric light, of course. Don’t we all! But a candle with a reflector is a pretty adequate substitute.
There is frugal reality, and fake frugality.
My wife is mentality geared toward frugality. She buys only items when they are discounted, otherwise, she walks away. From fruit to coffee, from bottled water to beer....it has to be on sale or it just won’t be bought.
Every light in the house has been flipped to LED type....lower electrical usage. The dish washer is only used when completely full. You buy only four-star name-brand products because of their maintenance and reliability, but only if they are discounted or priced-down at the right season.
Trips? Always possible but cannot be done unless they are discounted and done in the off-season.
Careful....its a slippery slope to niggardly.
Bump for later.
We do have that reputation.
It’s for a reason. We are both one of the poorest areas of the UK and - at the same time - one of the richest for many centuries. It just didn’t filter down. So most Yorkshire people are a touch canny with their cash.
Love the place. Love the people. But they can be tighter than a bull’s backside in fly season :)
How are those LED’s?
I avoid them, the earlier versions tended to trigger migraines for me.
It’s very beautiful. I’ve visited several times. My hero, King Richard the Third, was devoted to Yorkshire. I actually have a copy of the Dalesman sitting on my desk as we speak.
Totally off topic - but have you read James Herriot? He writes of Yorkshire like I can only dream of doing.
Of course! I bought all his books when they were first published back in the 1970s. He was an amazing storyteller. I also have a picture book he wrote about Yorkshire.
:D
Have a peek at Ken Wilson. The Wreck of the Rohilla. Two of my second/third cousins were involved in the rescue attempt. I think you’d enjoy it.
Current LEDs are fine. I’m replacing all bulbs with them.
Thank you!
I am a touch cautious when it comes to setting off migraines. Those things should be on the torture list.
Very hard to get information about this - Amazon had no description. Where did the wreck occur?
Ping.
5.56mm
‘Lamps? Oil? Wicks?’
Candles and any good hand pumps you can get. Don’t depend on electricity being available.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.