Maximizing Your Personal Resources / Surviving the Future

[Broomstick]

Clothing

Buy quality - Well made clothes last longer. They are invariably more expensive than cheaply made clothes, but since they do not need to be replaced as often over time it is cheaper to buy high quality. This is known as Vimes' Boots (scroll down to that heading) or the "ghetto tax".

Price is not always an indicator of quality - Just because something is more expensive does not mean it is better. There is a lot of shit clothing sold at inflated prices. You will need to learn how to determine quality in your purchases (and if someone wishes to write that post please feel free to do so). Generally, the best buy is at median prices but there are exceptions

Don't be afraid to buy second hand - OK, some things are scary - used underwear, for example. But if you're having hard times do go to thrift shops, yard sales, and flea markets. You will need to spend time looking for a good purchase, and you will need to look items over carefully for damage and stains, but this can be a very cost-effective way to obtain quality garments. It's also a form of recycling and keeps good clothing out of landfills.

Take care of your clothing - launder or clean according to instructions. If you bought something second hand and they label is off you will need to determine what it is made of and clean accordingly. Mend any damage promptly, before it gets worse.

Learn basic sewing - a needle and a spool each of black, grey, and white thread will take care of many clothing repairs. You should know how to sew on a button or mend a ripped seam or hem

Re-use and recycle - When garments are too worn/stained/whatever for work use them for messy house chores or gardening or the like. Convert clothes too worn for that to rags. If you have clothing in good condition that you no longer want donate it to charity, send off to second hand stores, or hold a yard sale.

[Darth Wong]

I have to wonder about some of those reduced food budget claims when it comes to adolescents. My older boy is hitting a growth spurt and he's chowing down food like there's no tomorrow.

[Simplicius]

A big factor in keeping food consumption down for someone who isn't actually hungry all the time is seeing the cupboards slowly empty with indiscriminate snacking and recognizing that one's self will have to pay to replenish the supply. Obviously that doesn't apply to a growing youngster who is hungry more often than not, and who is a dependent member of a household rather than a self-supporting individual. To get the point across to myself, I actually think of it in terms of rationing out what I buy, so I don't eat when I don't need to.

However, it seems perfectly reasonable to ask someone in his late teens to chip in for groceries if he has the means to do so, as a way to establish that connection and maybe encourage him to ease up on the snacking a bit.

[Junghalli]

Here's one trick we do in my household. We don't buy garbage bags. Instead we use plastic grocery bags from when we go shopping. We do it to save money, but it has the added advantage of making that piece of plastic do "double-duty" and so reducing your plastic consumption a bit. For small loads they work more-or-less just as well as long as you remember to tie them shut by the handles when you take them out.

May not be very practical if you generate big loads of garbage or have it picked up infrequently. Obviously actual recycling's friendlier to the environment.

[Broomstick]

The thing is, you have to be careful about limiting the intake of adolescents. Yes, many are overweight, but at that point the body is growing faster than any time other than infancy and laying the final touches on things like the skeleton.

While I might be able to eat on $10 a day an active adolescent boy may require more. Adolescent girls aren't quite the same sort of eating machine but they, too, need more calories than, say, a 40+ semi-sedentary woman. Adolescents also need quality food, foods high in nutrients, to build their body's and their body's reserves.

I am not a parent, so if the following doesn't jibe with what parents here know please correct me, but I'd think involving adolescents in food buying (either contributing money or helping with shopping) and preparation might instill in them a better appreciation for what's on the table, as well as teaching them skills for the future like meal planning, shopping lists, budgets, cooking, and so forth.

Even aside from adolescents, I question the long term healthiness of some of the extreme low food budgets mentioned here. While rice, beans, and butter will provide protein, fats, and carbohydrates that is not an adequate diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive some or part of the year. There's a point at which you should spend more on food for better quality stuff.

[Broomstick]

May not be very practical if you generate big loads of garbage or have it picked up infrequently. Obviously actual recycling's friendlier to the environment.

The problem is that actual recycling isn't always practical or likely to happen. In my neighborhood, for example, what goes in the dumpster goes in the landfill, there is NO curbside recycling. If you want to recycle, fine, but YOU have to haul it to recycling point and, frankly the cost of doing that won't even pay for the gas you burn in getting there.

Which means you reduce and reuse. One of the more obvious manifestations of that are the canvas shopping bags appearing in stores everywhere, intended to be used over and over again. Aldi's has long encouraged people to bring their own bags (canvas or some other store's) and one of my local grocer's takes $0.05 off your bill for every bag YOU bring in to haul your groceries home.

Personally, I favor paper grocery bags. Before someone pops up to argue about the environmental wisdom, or lack of it, in using those, let me explain the lifecycle of paper grocery bags at the Broomstick household:

1) Acquire new bag with load of groceries.
2) Save bag, and double up with another brown paper grocery bag. Use double bags to haul groceries and/or other things until they start to fall apart.
3) Cut tattered bags down to make liners for birdcages. (We no longer get newspapers, so we have to use something).
4) Shred poo-splattered cage liners and put in compost heap (bird shit is good fertilizer).
5) Use compost to generate more food (which also means I'll need fewer new bags because I won't be buying so many groceries).

So, you see, those paper grocery bags play multiple roles at my house. More than plastic bags, which I pretty much use as trash can liners in the bathroom and then throw out.

This is in keeping with thoughtful use of resources, and also analysis of individual situations. There is no facility that recycles brown paper grocery bags in my area, but that doesn't stop me from reusing/recycling in my own household

[Junghalli]

The problem is that actual recycling isn't always practical or likely to happen. In my neighborhood, for example, what goes in the dumpster goes in the landfill, there is NO curbside recycling.

Same here. My apartment building just has some big bins in a closet for garbage.

[Broomstick]

What You Need To Know About Food

I'm going to try to make this as easy as possible. Many of you already know this, but for the young adults starting out in the world some of it may be new, they may need some myths dispelled, and it never hurts to review

Lesson One: What Should I Eat?

1) Eat food
2) Mostly plants
3) Not too much

1) Eat food: if someone from 1900 AD wouldn't recognize it, arguably it's not food. It may be edible, but it's not something we evolved to eat. Now, that other stuff won't kill you if you have an occasional bite, and it will sustain life, but it's not the best stuff for your body.

2) Mostly plants: we're omnivores, we eat just about everything other than grass and wood. Most edible things are plants. Plants include vegetables, fruits, and grains. There are other things, like fungi/mushrooms and meat, but those should not be the focus of your existence. I will also add that things identifiable as "plants" generally have not been overly processed.

3) Not too much: portion control! Don't make it a habit to eat until you are stuffed. Eat slowly. Either two or three meals a day is the ideal. Snacks should be small.


Lesson Two: More About What I Should Eat

1) Eat lots of different food
2) Eat colorful food
3) Eat fresh or frozen food

1) Eat lots of different food: Again, we're omnivores. Strive for variety in your diet. Try new things. Many supermarkets have cooking information on those weird vegetables in the produce aisle, and if they don't, there's the internet for research. If you're eating a lot of apples this week because they're on sale eat different varieties of apples. Farmer's markets are good places to find "heirloom" and other varieties of common vegetables. Eat different kinds of grains. If you eat meat, eat different kinds of meat (but in moderation)

2) Eat colorful food: see lesson one for definition of "food". Multi-colored fruit leather that is 50% high-fructose corn syrup is not food - it's sweet and entertaining, but it's not food. It's candy. I'm talking about food. Don't buy one color of bell pepper, buy them all. This year I planted "green beans" that, in addition to green, are two different yellows and a red. Even stuff like bread - buy different varieties, which are typically different colors. Look for bright colors (bell peppers, fruits, etc.) and dark colors (eggplant, whole grains, etc.)

3) Eat fresh or frozen food: but don't go crazy - yes, vegetables and fruits picked 5 minutes before eating are wonderful but not practical all the time. Some foods, in fact, require a little time to be at their best, such as meat. Some foods, such as pickles, beer, and wine require significant aging, so consider what you are eating as well as how old it is. Vegetables and fruits should be consumed as soon after picking as practical, but a few days or a week is still fresh in most cases. Meat, fish, and dairy have a sharply limited shelf life. Cheese, however, stays fresh longer (one reason for making cheese is that it stays fresh longer than milk) so while a month old bottle of milk may be toxic a month old wheel of cheese is still fresh by our definition. Properly stored grains and nuts stay fresh for months... but a loaf of bread only stays fresh for a week at best. All foods have a shelf life, try to eat only things that have not yet expired. Preservatives of various sorts will extend edibility (that's why we have salty pickles) but that's not really fresh. There's nothing wrong with eating preserved foods, and they can certainly sustain life and health, but ideally you want most of your diet to be fresh.

If you can't get fresh, get frozen. Proper freezing is the least destructive method of preservation the average person has access to. Properly frozen vegetables and meat frozen just after harvest retain more nutrition than "fresh" that takes a week or weeks to get to market. Locally produced frozen green beans eaten mid-winter are better food than unfrozen ones shipped in from half way around the world. Both are food, both are good for you, but in this case the frozen ones are better. Freezing does not stop time - eventually frozen foods deteriorate - but it slows down the aging process considerably.


Lesson Three: Nutrients

1) Macronutrients
2) Vitamins/minerals/micronutrients
3) Don't be afraid of the other stuff
4) The six days out of seven rule

1) Macronutrients: the big three are protein, fats, and carbohydrates. You really do need all three, but not to much of any one of them because an excess of any is bad for you.

Protein builds muscles as well as other body structures, but too much can put a strain on your kidneys. Your body can turn protein into energy instead of using it to build things but it's not really the best fuel. There are two major options for protein: animals/meat, and legume+grains. Note that I have a "+" in the second choice. While both legumes/beans and grains by themselves have protein, much of this is "incomplete" so (without getting too complicated) you body doesn't get to use all of it. As it happens, though, each of the those two possess much of what the other lacks so by combining them you body better utilizes them both. This is reflected in many ethnic cuisines in dishes incorporating beans and rice, beans and maize, wheat and lentils, and so on. So, either eat animal flesh, or else eat a bean+grain combination.

I didn't mention dairy - while dairy is also a good source of protein it is not digestible by most human adults. If, however, you retain the ability to digest dairy into adulthood this is a third option for you and by all means take advantage of it.

Fat gets a bad rap but you really do need some - it's used to build cell membranes, it's used to make hormones, it's used to cushion the bottom of your feet and your internal organs. It is essential in absorbing, transporting, storing, and using the "fat-soluble" vitamins. The problem is too much fat. Fats are very concentrated energy sources, and also something your body stores and recycles very readily. In accordance with Lesson 2:1 - "eat lots of different things" eat different kinds of fats. Vegetables oils, olive oils, butter, animal fats... these are all usable by your body, and all have slightly different compositions. Rather than worry about omega 3 vs. omega 6 and poly vs un-saturated and all that, just eat different fats/oils. If you eat a large variety of foods (as you are supposed to) this will not be difficult. If you eat mostly plants it will be very hard too eat too many fats.

Carbohydrates are your body's major source of ready energy. That's sugar and starch. You do need calories, just not an excess of them. Natural sugars that occur in food are bound up with other stuff we need, so that's the best way to get them, but a moderate amount of pure, refined sugar or starch isn't going to hurt you, particularly when used to make some bitter or sour tasting foods more palatable. If you're eating mostly plants and a lot of different foods (as our earlier lessons taught us) you'll be getting these without too much problem.

All three macronutrients can be burned for energy, but only protein is protein - neither fat nor carbs can be converted to it. Likewise, while your body burns both fat and carbs for fuel, carbs can not do the job that fats do outside of providing energy.

Vitamins/minerals/micronutrients: all those other things we need beyond the Big Three. This can get very complicated, so much so you might wonder how our distant ancestors pre-agriculture lived long enough to reproduce. Simple - they ate food, mostly plants, and a lot of different stuff, and they mostly ate it fresh. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have lots of the above. Eat a wide variety and eat them fresh and you won't have to worry (much). What one food lacks another will have, which is another reason for variety.

However, women of childbearing age can lack iron even with a balanced diet. Women of childbearing age must also be careful to get enough folic acid. People with dark skin living at high latitudes (near the poles) can lack vitamin D, especially in winter. People with pale skin living at low latitudes can lack folate. Vegans have to be careful to get enough B12. Everybody, but especially adolescents and women, need calcium AND the vitamin D to use it. Oh, no, this is getting complicated again! What do we do?

A single multi-vitamin a day is a good insurance against such worries. Do NOT consume megadoses or even exceed the recommended daily allowances since, if you're eating a good diet, you'll be getting lots of what you need anyway, and certain nutrients are not good in excess. You don't need an expensive brand, a basic "house brand" vitamin is quite sufficient for most people. Heck, you probably don't even need it every day, every other day would be OK. There are different formulations for children, men, women, pregnant/lactating women, and the old folks (over 50 for men, post-menopausal for women) and appropriate selection on that level will help optimize what you're getting, but it's not essential. Let's be honest here, if you're eating right a multi-vitamin isn't essential either, it's just a way of making sure you're filling in any gaps in your diet for whatever reason they may occur. Getting what you need from food is best, but in reality diets aren't perfect. A basic multi-vitamin is damn cheap and it's good insurance.

3) Don't be afraid of the other stuff: OK, what about candy, booze, preservatives and all that other stuff? The truth is: a little won't hurt you. In fact, a little bit might be good for you. A LITTLE bit. Alcohol - assuming you don't have addiction or medical issues with it - can be beneficial, particularly things like wine and beer which retain some food qualities. Pure ethanol... not so much. It's not required, but if it enhances your enjoyment of food it won't hurt you either - in moderation. Likewise, you don't need candy, but a little bit won't hurt and candy with stuff like nuts or chocolate may provide some benefit - in moderation. Even jelly beans, gummi bears, and other "pure sugar" goodies won't hurt you - in moderation. Just remember, these aren't really "food" in the sense of something you need. These are luxury items and entertainment that you happen to ingest rather than look at, fondle, listen to, or otherwise enjoy. They are like food dye - they can make eating more attractive, but they aren't the essential part of the meal. There is nothing wrong with entertainment and luxury foods - just don't try to live on them. As for preservatives and other additives - realistically, we can't always get fresh food 100% of the time. A well preserved meal is better than a rotten one. And some preservation methods alter the taste of food in ways we come to enjoy. There's nothing wrong with pickles, MRE's, and so on, they all serve important roles. They just aren't the best stuff we could be eating. You can eat all that other stuff - all the stuff that isn't fresh food - and still be healthy as long as you don't eat too much. How much is too much? See below.

4) The six days out of seven rule: in other words, be good most of the time. If six days out of seven you eat the way you're supposed to - food, mostly plants, not too much, fresh, colorful, etc. - and you eat pizza and candy bars the seventh you'll still be alright. Not every meal has to be wonder of carefully balanced foods, just most of them. Stuff like plants and whole grains are "six days" food - eat lots. Stuff like booze and candy are "seventh day" foods - eat little. The human body has the capacity to handle brief shortages (you won't die or even get scurvy if you don't get vitamin C for one day) and transient overabundances. Want to have a meal that's just ice cream and cookies? OK - just make sure every other meal that week is proper eating.

[Surlethe]

Broomstick, you are awesome.

Habits

Habits are ingrained patterns of behavior which we follow without conscious thought. They play a major role in living life. Therefore, to make sure that you can maximize your resources and successfully compete in a post-oil depression world, you need to make sure that you have habits that contribute to your success. There are a couple of important habits you should probably work toward assuming if you want to do well. They are: time management and self-discipline.

What I call Time Management is the habit of organizing the tasks which you want to do and the tasks which you need to do, prioritizing them, planning your time use so that you meet your priorities, and then executing your plans. It's a habit of thoughts: if you practice consciously thinking in terms of your priorities and planning your time around them, you will eventually do it unconsciously, just like adding, say, brushing your teeth into your evening routine.

Self-Discipline is the habit of "just doing it and getting it done". It's closely related to time management, in that it is required to execute the plans you make; they can't just exist as abstract potential flitting around in your head if you want to be productive. And, being a habit, it requires practice: if you do it day in and day out, you will eventually be able to easily force yourself to accomplish tasks when you'd rather be doing something else.

[Kanastrous]

Does anyone have experience with residential solar panels? I appreciate the energy independence, but by my calculations they don't really add up financially.

I find some other considerations regarding solar-electric, besides up-front cost...

1) Even if they take you 5-6 years to pay off, with the right system that's 5-6 years during which your are not paying the utility, for their power, which is mostly going to have been generated using much less eco-friendly methods. And since utility rates are rising here - and, I suspect, most everywhere - the savings will multiply over time as you don't pay the ever-rising rate.

2) You can sell surplus power back to the grid (once again assuming that you install a system that leaves you a surplus, to sell). This used to be problematic; power companies made what might or might not have been safety-based arguments against it. But from what I read, with advancing system technology that's no longer the case. Whether or not you make much $$$ off that, is another matter, but for me personally the idea of the utility paying me for something, at their rates, is so appealing that I almost don't care what the figure turns out to be.

3) Power interruptions - if a line goes down or a bird nests in a transformer or seventy million people all turn their AC to "high" at once, what do you care? So long as your power draw doesn't exceed your system's output, it's not particularly your immediate problem. And sometimes, I find that I need to keep a render farm running and prefer not to lose $$$ because everyone else has to have their air conditioning.

Of course there are drawbacks, too, but for my requirements they're offset by the advantages.


On another note...if you are fortunate enough to have some swift-running or dropping-level water on your property, you could also outfit yourself with a generator connected to a water wheel.

[The Grim Squeaker]

One problem with solar is taking the risk that you'll miss out on future tax credits or rebates, as well as constantly improving technology. (Solar is leapgrogging ahead these days).

[Broomstick]

I stocked up on canned goods today, which got me thinking about emergency supplies. Between flood, fire, and the upcoming hurricane season it really wouldn't hurt to have a short discussion on the topic.

As we learned during Katrina, you can't depend on outside help to save your ass. It's nice when the helicopter plucks you off the roof of your flooded house, but having your own boat may enable you to rescue yourself.

I'm not going to give you a definitive list. For one thing, everyone's situation is different so no one list is going to work for all people in all situations. More importantly, you need to learn to think for yourself.

This post I'm going to talk about in-home emergency supplies.

Water - you MUST have water. You might be able to go a day or two without consuming fluids but you will feel like shit. You will be thirsty to the point of pain at the very least. Your ability to do things will be negatively impacted.

The most important use of water is for drinking. Being dirty isn't going to kill you. Being dehydrated can. A very general rule of thumb is 1 gallon/4 liters of water per person per day, however, with a normal diet consisting of moist and/or wet food up to half of that amount may come from food. If you aren't eating (due to whatever reason) you will have to drink that fluid. Now, the human body is adaptable - people can get by on much less than a gallon/4 liters for a short period of time, particularly if they have the luxury of not being in a hot climate or not needing to perform heavy labor. On the other hand, high heat, extreme cold (due to its dehydrating effects), and heavy labor will increase fluid needs considerably. So will illness.

For emergency stores, drinkable fluids other than pure water also count, including soft drinks, bottle teas/coffee, and juices. Alcohol, however, does not, particularly not distilled liquor. A bottle of vodka might be better used for cleaning than drinking unless you have a very ample source of water.

Non-potable water can, in some circumstances, be rendered safe to drink by the simple expedient of boiling it, but if you're thinking about being prepared for emergencies think of storing water and drinkables.

As it happens, the well that provides water to my building has a 50 gallon reserve tank. That's a potential 50 days of water for one person, 25 days for two, 10 days for everyone in the building. It's a two story building - by opening a tap on the second floor you can use a lower tap on the first floor to drain several gallons out of the piping. In addition, I know at least one of my neighbors has a fondness for bottle water and probably has several days to a week's worth in her place. A week of reserve water per person might be a good start - that 7 gallons or 28 liters per person. Supplies should be rotated on a regular basis as no storage container is perfect.

Food - You can go several days or even a week (or longer) without food but you won't like it. If you're needing to do manual labor as part of whatever situation you find yourself in this will be even more unpleasant.

Short term, calories, belly-filling, and morale are more important than perfect nutrition. Dry/dehydrated goods need to be stored to prevent moisture and vermin out - they also need water to be used. Instant soup means combining your drinking water with food, which is perfectly acceptable. Dry goods, however, will not survive flood and their packing can often be violated with relative ease. Canned goods can be salvaged from floodwaters by cleaning prior to opening provided the seal is intact. They also invariably contain fluid, which counts towards your daily needs. The canning water from vegetables and meats can be used to make soup broth. Lower sodium canned goods are usually better, very few people have salt deficiencies these days. Buy canned goods that you will actually eat - I know this seems obvious, but really, keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that you will need to rotate your canned goods so if it's something you eat that will be relatively easy. Buy in bulk from warehouse or other stores. However - only buy those huge cans if you plan on feeding hordes of people. While single-servings are more expensive per unit, if it's just you or one other person then you need only open what you will eat immediately without needing to worry about storing open cans. Canned goods should include both vegetables and meats/beans of some sort. Heat-and-eat meals like stew are also a good idea. Enough canned/dried goods for a week of meals is not a bad idea, even if those meals will be redundant or non-spectacular.

If you lose power eat what's perishable first - that might mean steak and ice cream the first day or night of an emergency. If you can't keep it you might as well eat it. Share it with the neighbors - in an emergency you need community support so start working on those social bonds early.

Clothing - If you're at home you should have no problem outfitting yourself for the local climate. However, for emergencies, work gloves and sturdy footwear are a necessity. May I remind you that clothing does not have to be washed every time you wear it, and for most of history people wore clothes multiple times between washings. If your washing facilities are limited concentrate them on underwear and socks. If you can't wash stuff air-dry it thoroughly between wearings.

Cleaning - well, that's nice if you have ample water supplies but if you don't you'll have to cut back. That means either you restrict washing your body to face/armpits/groin once a day or, if really in bad straits, learn to stink. Alcohol, wet wipes, and waterless hand cleaner can substitute for using precious water. Washing hands is more important than washing almost anything else.

Toiletries and Other Sanitation Supplies - ah, yes, the bathroom. If your toilet is still working that's great. If it's not, line a bucket (very much preferably one with a lid) with a heavy duty garbage bag and use that. Yes, it's gross, but it works. For these purposes, keeping around a bucket, bags, and a stock of toilet paper is a good idea. A stock of paper towels is a good idea. Household bleach is a good idea - it's a good disinfectant, although it may need to be watered down for many purposes (you could always stock pre-diluted bleach). Women will need a stock of menstrual supplies. Rubbing alcohol is also useful for cleaning and sanitation, as is that waterless hand cleaner stuff.

First Aid and Medication - If you require daily medication keep some on hand at all times. If you use contact lenses keep a supply of cleaning/maintenance supplies on hand. Basic first aid stuff should include painkillers, bandages - you will want a variety, as well as some much larger than the small ones used for cuts, antibiotic ointments and other basic kit stuff. A first aid manual wouldn't hurt, and you should read it at least once before putting it on a shelf. In a pinch when water is short you can clean wounds with other fluids such as unopened soda - it will be cleaner than leaving a wound full of dirt. Anti-diarrheal medication might not be a bad idea. Anti-rash stuff, and antihistamines are also good. There is lots of stuff out there about what you need/should have/might want in home first aid supplies. Multi-use supplies are the best, and multiple items for the same thing as well. For example, aspirin is good for pain, fever control, and inflammation BUT it can cause problems when given to children for viral illnesses, increase bleeding, and some people are allergic to it (don't assume you won't have visitors when the emergency hits), so keeping acetaminophen/paracetamol on hand as well will also work for fever control. An antihistamine like dephenhydramine (best known brand name is Benedryl) is good for allergies/hayfever, but also helps with bugbites, rashes from things like poison ivy, and can act as an aid to sleep. An ointment that has antibiotics and/or numbs pain suitable for treating cold and canker sores in the mouth can be used on scrapes elsewhere on the body - but an ointment for external use can not be used in the mouth.

Light, Warmth, Cooking, Cooling, and Power - If it's cold you need to stay warm. You can bundle up in lots of clothes, but there are other things you can do. For example, if you lack powered heat you can close off all but one or two rooms and live in those, letting the others chill down behind closed doors. If necessary, hang blankets across doorways to keep in heat and keep out chill. Body heat can keep an insulated/closed off room above freezing.

Keeping cool in a warm climate means opening up doors and windows. These should be screened if at all possible to keep out things like mosquitoes.

You don't have to eat hot food, but doing so improves morale (and often taste). Alternative cooking can be a grill, but there are other options from budget to gourmet but must be done carefully as many of these methods will need to be done outside living quarters.

Light is needed for both safety at night and for morale. You should have off-grid light sources such as flashlights/hand torches. Candles and oil lamps should be used with extreme caution, as in an emergency situation the local authorities may or may not be able to respond to an alarm in time to save your home. If you have a fireplace it can be used for heating, lighting, and cooking.

You can, of course, purchase an emergency generator but you will need a means to keep it fueled. You also need to consider that it probably will not substitute for the power grid. So... maybe you'll choose to power 1 light or perhaps your refrigerator rather than your entire home. If you have a well you might prefer to power that, for a water supply. Keep in mind these generators have limits.

You can also utilize autos and trucks as power sources but, again, you will need to consider how to fuel them, as well as limited power production.

Communication - you need to know what's going on. If you have no power you can't use your TV (unless you have a battery-powered one). A battery or crank-powered radio is a good investment. You can also get battery-powered CB radios at least in the US. Walky-talky type items can facilitate communication in your group. Cellphones may or may not work in an emergency, depending on whether or not the system is working, or if it is glutted with too many calls, or if things go on for several days, how long the charge on it lasts.

Your Pets - if you have pets make sure you have supplies for them. Also, keep handy a secure travel cage for them.

Entertainment - not all emergencies require heavy labor, in some cases you sit around for days at a time with no electric power. Entertainment is important. To some extent, sitting around bullshitting will pass the time but that gets old quickly. Non-power requiring entertainment is important to morale. What that might be depends a lot upon you and those in your household.

Rest, Stress, and Illness - people get sick and they get stressed out. When planning, keep in mind you might wind up with sick or injured people. Mental injuries also occur from stress, and that can result in apathy, agitation, or lack of sleep. Rest is vital - you need extra rest to deal with stress or illness, and you need rest if you're doing physical labor. Extra rest is vital.

Transportation - being able to get around is important. For this reason, keeping fuel in your vehicles is a good idea, especially if supplies are interrupted. This is one reason I try to go no lower than a half tank. Whether for local transportation to get supplies or for evacuation, having a supply of fuel on hand is a good idea. Alternative transportation should also be considered, such as bicycles. If floods are a concern a small boat might be a good idea. If you have to worry about winter storm a small sled can be used for towing supplies or injured people. Be creative.

Navigation is part of transportation - if you lack power you will not have access to Google Maps. Keeping paper maps of your local area is not a bad idea.

However, the most basic transportation is your feet. You need good walking shoes and socks. Heavy workboots are a good idea for post-storm or similar clean up where you might be exposed to potentially dangerous debris. You also need treatments for blisters and other foot injuries.

Money - ATM's don't work without power. There are issues with checks and credit cards (but hang onto them anyway). A small stash of cash can be extremely helpful.

Tools: - basic tools such as scissors, knives (kitchen and utility), hammers, screwdrivers, etc. are usually available in homes, but if you're just starting out getting basic tools is not a bad idea.

And that's it for right now - please feel free to add or expand upon this.

[Broomstick]

My little town has just experienced a devastating tornado.

Of course, that doesn't mean everyone lost their house, but we were all inconvenienced. It missed us by about three blocks - the worst we got were some water leaks through a damaged skylight, but just down the road it looks like a row of houses exploded. One garage was found nearly a kilometer down the road from where it was supposed to be - the tornado picked it up and threw it that far. Very messy.

Remarkably, the worst injury reported was a broken ankle.

Anyhow - lessons learned, what went right, what didn't, etc:

First lesson: when the weather gets shitty get prepared. You don't have to wait for officialdom to talk to you - when our lights started blinking we got out the flashlights. The tornado warning system in town didn't function as it should have, but one reason no one was severely injured was that people heeded their instincts and went for cover when it got bad, whether that meant ducking into a basement storm shelter or just ducking under a bed or piece of furniture when the roof fell in and the windows blew out. Don't be one of those dumb assholes who videotapes the end of the world, protect yourself.

The authorities were cautioning against using candles and such because the tornado took out the local fire station, too - of course, the firemen would still respond to an alarm, and neighboring communities are willing to help out, but obviously their ability to cope with a fire was somewhat impaired with damaged/destroyed equipment.

The good stuff: As it happened, we had ample battery-powered lighting. We also have a hurricane oil lamp which can light up an entire room well enough to walk around safely. Our radio-powered CB radio also receives the weather service broadcast, so we had storm updates on a regular basis. We had buckets available to catch ceiling leaks.

For next time: Put some buckets outside. Flushing the toilet consumes much water. We had enough buckets to "capture" four or five flushes of rain water. After the Other Half and I took our morning shit just after sunrise we realized we didn't have sufficient water for flushing and... well, just ew. Hot, humid weather and a toilet full of shit. Ew. Thank goodness the bathroom door closes fairly securely. Gag. (We did manage to scrounge a few buckets of water by early afternoon).

The Day After: As it happened, I had to be somewhere the next morning and it wasn't a situation where I could cancel if I could get there at all, which I could. Traveling anywhere was time-consuming and involved many detours. Needless to say, all those handy on-line schedules and helpful references were useless because with no power we had no internet access. In the case of the train station no one was answering the phone - too early? No power? Who knows? Allow ample time, that's for sure. There were backups, traffic jams, and some very, very cranky people.

There was also a distinct lack of open gas stations. Well, of course - if they have no power their gas pumps don't work. Probably in some cases employees either ran for cover and didn't come back, or hadn't made it in to work yet. What few stations were open were swamped, with lines around the block. This is why I keep my vehicles at least half full - I didn't have to worry about fueling.

However, we didn't get ice until I got back from my appointment. We lost some of what was in the refrigerator, although the freezer stuff stayed frozen for the 24 hours we didn't have power.

The good stuff: Because I know my local area and the train schedules I was able to make my appointment despite the lack of communications/reference/on-line maps. This is a good reason not to wait until the last minute to get directions to someplace. We had ample fuel in the vehicles. I keep my cellphone charged, so people were able to contact me and I could reassure them I was alright. I have a phone charger in my car, so I could recharge my phone as I traveled. We have several coolers, so when we got ice we had space to put stuff on ice. We also wrapped the coolers in mylar "space blankets" to help insulate them. Although we did not run a definitive test, most of the ice inside them stayed ice despite 30 C heat for 9 hours and they clearly would have been good for at least another night. We also had ample food and drinks that did not require either cooking or chilling, although we could have used the stove if we had to - it just would have made things hotter.

For next time: Get ice earlier. Not only did the delay cost us some groceries, there was also a two-bag limit because folks were running out of supplies. We also picked up two portable, battery-powered camps fans that can run a small fan for (supposedly) 300 hours on 6 D cell batteries. They also have an attached light (although running it with the fan will, of course, shorten battery life). Keeping the air moving, even on a small scale, makes a big difference.

The Weather Gods Pissed on my Cornflakes, and I'm Not Happy - and Neither Are You: While disasters can bring out the best in people, people hot, tired, lacking sleep, your routine disrupted, your home and possessions damaged, and so on can make even a saint cranky. Can you say stress? Over the past few days there has been a lot of swearing, throwing of things, and emotional displays. I was in a check out line this morning getting a new gallon of milk and the lady in front of me just broke down crying (hers was one of the homes destroyed and her family is currently living in a shelter while they try to sort things out). People are not going to be rational. Try to cut others slack. Cut yourself some slack.

You WILL be stressed. Even if you're not in the worst situation you will be stressed by frustration in going anywhere, getting anything, and the disruption in your routine. Rest whenever you have a chance. I spent a couple hours outside reading. My Other Half took naps. We played with some very frantic, stressed-out pet birds who simply could not understand what the hell was happening, which probably calmed everyone down a little bit.

The Good Stuff: I picked a bunch of stuff from my garden and did some weeding. I made some phone calls and caught up with people. I have books to read and knitting and other stuff that requires no power to keep me entertained. Unfortunately, being an Old Fart with Old People Eyes I can no longer do much of this by flashlight, but the extra hours of sleep did me good, I'm sure.

For next time: I dunno... this part went pretty well. Maybe strive for more patience, you can't have too much of that in these circumstances.

Aftermath: Well, clean up. I have to toss some stuff out of the fridge just to be on the safe side. We didn't wash any dishes so there's that to be done. I might purge my closets again because I suspect, with some homes destroyed, the local thrift shops might need to be resupplied in the near future.

The local butcher shop is still without power, as is the post office, laundromat, and numerous other businesses. Life is not yet back to normal even if we have power.

The good stuff: Well, we had ample clean clothes, ample food, ample fuel... we weren't too bad off at all, if occasionally bored and/or stressed. The bills are paid, which is good, because I depend on the mail to deliver some of my income and mail service is not yet back to normal. The checks are in the mail, but the mail may not be in the box until next week. Don't put stuff off to last minute is all I'm saying here. Those were worries we didn't have.

Next time: We have very little cash on hand. As it happens, travel to an area with working ATM's and credit card machines would have been done easily, but if that had not been the case purchasing a needed item would have been problematic. However, we just don't have a lot of money right now, so a "cash reserve" is somewhat difficult.

[lance]

I hear that if you take an old giant satellite dish cover it in tinfoil with elmers glue and reflect the sun into your house you can save a decent amount of money during the winter.

[Rogue 9]

It's been said, but it cannot be said enough. Learn to cook, and not (just) the fun stuff like pies and so forth, but staples. Baking bread is the single thing that most saves on my food budget; if I wait for a sale I can pick up fifteen pounds of flour for less than $10 and turn it into bread for months. Flour freezes just fine, so don't be afraid to stock up. Baking in the winter has an added benefit as well; running the oven works to heat the house. I'll post some basic bread recipes in the recipe thread in a little bit.

Keep as large and varied a garden as is practical; even window boxes are better than nothing. We grow everything from corn to tomatoes to spices. In an emergency we could live off of our yard (or the frozen/canned/otherwise stored surplus thereof if it's winter) for weeks. If you live in a rural area, learn what sorts of fruit and nut trees will grow in your climate and plant them if there's none around.

Keep a savings account. Put away some set amount of money out of every paycheck and pretend it doesn't exist when spending money. For me that amount is $100 per paycheck, but for people with dependents or otherwise with more expenses than I have the amount will obviously have to be less. Just try to find some amount and regularly save it and don't touch it unless there is genuine need. You'll be surprised how much you have after a few months. Conversely, if you're saving a small amount, reflect on the fact that the amount you've saved in the account is reflective of how much you'd save if you cut some seemingly small but unnecessary recurring expense. If you buy a package of cookies when you go to the grocery store, it might not seem like much, but if you do it every time it adds up quickly. Remember this, and learn how to bake cookies.

[Broomstick]

There is already a basic bread recipe in the recipe thread - but I'd be interested in comparing yours to mine.

I can't emphasize BASIC cooking enough. Sure, the fancy stuff is fun but simple, with minimal ingredients is usually where you save the most money.

[Rogue 9]

I work as a baker; I have several. I'll post up some more; I have a French bread recipe that calls for egg whites for brushing the crust, which I usually make at the same time as the baguette recipe I've already posted so as not to waste half the egg.

[The Spartan]

On the bread: is there a particular resource you would recommend to help one learn? I'm mostly concerned about not having to learn by too much trial and error so that I don't end up wasting flour and what not. Also, are bread makers worth the trouble (and expense) or is the oven sufficient?

On a related note, I'm pretty sure you can do much the same with pasta. Make it fresh and then set it out to dry.

Edit: damn punctuation.

[Rogue 9]

The one I posted is dead easy. The hardest part is easily shaping the loaves, and it doesn't really matter if they're not pretty; it'll still taste fine. As long as the ingredients are measured correctly, the dough should be the right consistency. Adding flour if its too wet and water if its too dry is fairly basic, but as long as the flour and water are measured out well then you shouldn't even have to worry about that. Something I should have noted in the recipe: It's easier to mix in the dry ingredients, yeast included, before adding the water, so that they're thoroughly stirred together before the whole thing turns to paste.

As for bread makers, I've never used one. I suppose bread machines could be handy, but I wouldn't know. Mixing bowls and an oven have always worked fine for me. If you're going to bake a lot of bread I'd suggest acquiring a baking stone (it isn't really necessary; it just helps the bread bake more evenly), but other than that I don't bother with special equipment for home baking.

At work, of course, we have all sorts of commercial large mixers and so forth, but we're talking about personal use.

[Broomstick]

For baking bread at home I use a large pastry board for rolling and forming the bread - it has the advantage over a countertop in that I can pick it up and clean it thoroughly.

I've never used a bread machine, either, but they can work nicely. One thing our baker friend did not mention is that kneading bread is some work, particularly if you're not used to it. If you have a hand, wrist or strength problem then either a mixer with a dough hook or a bread machine may be a good thing for you.

I bake 3 to 4 loaves at a time, and I've yet to see a bread machine with that capacity so I still do it all the old fashioned way.

[The Spartan]

Looking at a cookbook I tried a couple things out of, it reminds me of the two problems I seemed to have at the time.

The first was yeast. It told me to dissolve a package of dry active yeast in warm milk (or water depending on the recipe). So, how exactly do you figure if the water is warm? What I mean is, when is it too warm and when is it not warm enough? How do you tell that it's bloomed? How do you tell if you killed it? What happens if the water isn't warm enough; can you redo it or do you have to start over.

The second was kneading the dough. I know that you can overwork dough but I know you also have to work it enough to develop the gluten as well as shape it, though I don't care about pretty as long as it cooks right.

(Rogue, I already know that method, it's "The Muffin Method" espoused by Alton Brown and I do the same thing when I'm making a pie crust or, well, just about anything that mixes wet and dry ingredients )

[Broomstick]

Looking at a cookbook I tried a couple things out of, it reminds me of the two problems I seemed to have at the time.

The first was yeast. It told me to dissolve a package of dry active yeast in warm milk (or water depending on the recipe).

Rogue and I both posted recipes in the recipe thread where the yeast is added to the dry ingredients. I don't know about Rogue, but I find that to be easier than getting the yeast wet before mixing.

So, how exactly do you figure if the water is warm? What I mean is, when is it too warm and when is it not warm enough?

Yeast is a living thing, just like you are - the method I was taught was that if the water is too hot for you to hold your finger in it, it's too hot for the yeast

However, for greater accuracy I went out and purchased a cooking thermometer. Every package of yeast I've ever bought lists temperature ranges for either "wet" or "dry" yeast mixing methods. Following the directions usually yields good results.

How do you tell that it's bloomed?

If you use the dry mix method you won't have to worry about that. Unless you want to make sourdough with a starter (you have to feed the damn thing daily, like a pet), but I don't suggest starting with that. I suggest starting your bread baking with standard wheat breads and getting some experience before trying more advanced recipes.

I took a ten-year hiatus in bread baking and I made a couple dozen wheat-based loaves before getting back to grain blends and rye bread, just to get my "feel" back for the baking. As I said, yeast is a living thing and ambient temperature and humidity can affect it so you need to get some experience with a relatively easy recipe first.

How do you tell if you killed it?

Living yeast smells like yeast - if the smell goes away, or abruptly diminishes, it's a bad sign.

What happens if the water isn't warm enough; can you redo it or do you have to start over.

Um... possibly you can salvage it, but in most cases I would suggest starting over. This is why a thermometer is a good investment - they aren't that expensive and help you avoid these tragedies.

The second was kneading the dough. I know that you can overwork dough but I know you also have to work it enough to develop the gluten as well as shape it, though I don't care about pretty as long as it cooks right.

I knead the dough during the initial mix and I work it until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. After the first rising I don't knead it again, and simply roll and shape it efficiently. Again, this is where experience is helpful. I made some loaves underkneaded and overkneaded when I first started. (Also, too much and too little flour, too) All were edible, it's just that some were better than others. When baking bread (or, as a friend recently reminded me, brewing beer) you must realize that when you start out you will make some mistakes and you have to go through that learning curve. This is one reason it's a good idea to get some cooking experience before you are in such straits that you MUST cook. Cooking is chemistry, and approached with careful measurement and procedure you will typically get good results but you are working with materials of organic origin that are quite variable and thus you need a good experience base so you can make judgments and on-the-fly adjustments for maximum results. Working with yeast is a bit more complicated than some other forms of cooking because you have to grow it, but well worth the initial trepidation and effort. As I said, I'll do 3-4 loaves at once, or divide a batch of dough and make a loaf of bread, a dozen rolls, and a dozen cinnamon rolls out of the batch all at once. (Bread freezes very nicely, by the way, which is why I do it in batches). The most difficult thing from my viewpoint is finding three hours in which I can be in/near the kitchen to get it done.

That said - I've been cooking for, oh, about 35 years (I started young, with parental supervision) and I still have an occasional disaster I throw out rather than eat. It happens to the best of cooks. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and you'll be more comfortable and learn more. Yet another reason to start with inexpensive flours before getting specialty ingredients that cost more.

[The Spartan]

How well does bread thaw? How fresh is it when thawed? Supposing that I made up a batch of rolls, say a couple dozen, and used them daily for sandwiches, how would I go about thawing them so that they'd be usable but not go stale while sitting out?

I may as well ask while I'm here: how do you get rid of whatever you would call the opposite of a green thumb? I'm already looking towards building and planting a garden for next year and I'd like to do a mix of herbs and perennial vegetables as well as seasonal produce but well, I didn't inherit my dad's green thumb. Unfortunately, my dad doesn't know how to teach these sort of things since he learned them mostly by feel.

(It's like his gravy or my mustard smothered onions, we both just... know how to do them but when we try to teach them to someone else we just have show them and hope they pick them up. It's probably similar with bread...)

[Surlethe]

How well does bread thaw? How fresh is it when thawed? Supposing that I made up a batch of rolls, say a couple dozen, and used them daily for sandwiches, how would I go about thawing them so that they'd be usable but not go stale while sitting out?

Consider freezing the dough and then cooking it in batches when you need it. Bread will keep in a refrigerator for a while -- my wife and I cook a loaf about once a week, slice it, and then refrigerate it until it's used up. It's a tad stale after being in the fridge for so long, but it's worth it in time and convenience.

[Broomstick]

Storing bread in the refrigerator is not the best solution. I really do recommend keeping it either fully frozen or thawed at room temperature.

Cooked bread freezes just fine. I usually allow 24 hours to thaw, but 12 hours is usually quite sufficient. If you're making toast or otherwise heating it up you can start from frozen, just remember it takes a little longer than starting from room temperature and if it's a thick slice be careful not to burn the exterior while trying to heat up the interior (which explains why I prefer to thaw it out first). I find that frozen loaves when thawed taste almost or completely indistinguishable from fresh baked cooled to room temperature, and will keep as long as any other fresh bread with no preservatives. I also keep bread wrapped in a plastic bag and put in a bread box for further protection.

Some doughs freeze better than others - there are recipes out there designed to be frozen prior to cooking and if that's the route you want to take I suggest you use one of them for best results.