Top 10 Ways to Prepare for the Total Breakdown of Society Without Looking Like a (Complete) Lunatic

Mother Nature Network ^ | September, 2010 | Shea Gunther

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It's been a crazy past few years. We've seen gas prices hit all-time highs, been hit by major and catastrophic weather disasters, and watched as banks and major financial institutions disappear overnight in the midst of what appears to be an actual, real-life economic depression. Our stable, comfortable lives suddenly don't seem so stable any more.

Here are 10 things you can do to improve your chances of riding out a major disaster without looking like a total lunatic. If you get all 10 of these items checked off, let me know so I can come crash at your place when aliens attack.

[fruser1]

I figured I’d just go around and take every body else’s stuff.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oops! I meant shortest. I think? It’s still dark out; I can’t tell, LOL!

[Renegade]

Don’t forget to build that “smoker” for all that venison you will harvest ( without a license)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Somebody just needed X number of words for an article.”

Yep. It’s from a hippy-dippy site, but there is some good advice here. Anyone I can turn on to gardening is one less *I* have to feed. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! My machine gun turret in the attic was built to dissuade you and others like you. :)

[palmer]

$300 is practically free for something like that. I am reading the passive solar greenhouse book (like all good energy conscious books was written in the 70’s) and will build a passive solar greenhouse someday.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We ‘Real Women’ just eat it raw, right off the bone!

Actually, learning to butcher is another thing we should add to the list. It ain’t hard, but you do need some upper-body strength to hang ‘em.

I’d better add a ‘Cabana Boy’ to my ‘stockpile.’ Tee-Hee! :)

[Calvin Locke]

And where you gonna get all the old cooking oil for the biodiesel?

From the source. Grow your own rapeseed or whatever, and press the oil yourself.

Low in cholesterol too...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My ‘dream’ is a 3-season porch off the west-facing living room. My ex tore the deck off five years ago...and then just never did get around to finishing that project...or any others for that matter. *ROLLEYES*

[My hearts in London - Everett]

It seems that going solar on a smaller scale is more practical. You can buy solar chargers that will charge/power small electronics, cell phone, laptop, iPods, e-readers, etc. There are solar lamps for reading/lighting. Solar ovens for cooking. If you purchased a small solar panel it might power your fridge possibly to at least save your food. That is my planning.

[MsLady]

The feds are trying to regulate that :( Gee, ma, I’m in jail cause I was growing broccoli.

[MsLady]

Wood burning stove

[palmer]

Very few people are off the grid. Most doing solar are getting two subsidies, the first one when they buy it. Second, they get a continuous subsidy because the power company buys the power during the day when nobody needs it. In the evening when power demand peaks, the same people get to buy power generated with gas or coal at that same price (instead of a peak price). In Germany it is much worse. There the power company is forced to buy anyone's solar power at 50 cents per kWh (actual value about 2 cents). That has created a large pool of small dollar middle class welfare recipients in a cloudy, northerly country where solar electric makes no sense.

Getting back to your situation, there is no requirement to tie into the grid, unless you want power when there is no sun and don't have your own storage. I have some solar plus batteries and that system is not tied to the grid power which runs most things in my house (hot water, A/C, etc).

[palmer]

Wood burning stove

Agree, see post 9. Nobody should be using anything else for heat unless they live in a high rise and in that case they need to move.

[MsLady]

We live way up north, solar panels would be a HUGE was of money up here. Go for the wood stove, candles and some solar powered lanterns. They work pretty well, course I'm not so sure in the winter they would get enough sun light to work though. We've had exactly 2 sunny days in the past 3 weeks.

If you live out in the country get some livestock. We are buying chickens again next year. We have them once, big pain, but, all purpose chickens are a good thing to have around.

Find out which wild plants are edible, that grow in your area.

[palmer]

I agree, my small solar/battery system is for running incidentals like the laptop/internet and powering the fridge in an emergency.

[MsLady]

Hey cousin, we live way up north too. About 8ish we get sun. We’ve had about 50” of snow. Usually get 200+ a year.

[ml/nj]

If a meteor strikes the nation's capital and we're cast into anarchy

If a meteor destroyed Washington, it could lead to a new birth of freedom. The State governments would still be here, not that they're so great, but at least they would be supreme again as they were at the Founding.

ML/NJ

[MsLady]

Yep, we have two. A newer very efficient stove and one in the basement that’s pretty old. We only use that one when it’s super cold.

[verity]

Get to know your neighbors' pantry.