What did you do to prepare today?

Twas Not · 03-08-2014 1:01pm

theemigrant wrote: »

Continuing to store info on the usb.
Also bought some books on farming

USB may be useless in the event of a magnetic event. Natural or man made

Recondite49 · 03-08-2014 4:19pm

Started a small urban bottle garden at my new apartment with the help of my darling girl.(please see pic attached).

Currently just growing some coriander but have plans for garlic, mint and onions.

BreadnBuddha · 03-08-2014 8:20pm

Learned to gut, skin and butcher a rabbit. I wouldn't make a hobby of it,
But SFA use in being able to shoot, trap or snare if you can't/won't do the rest. It's the difference between pointless killing and providing.

aaakev · 06-08-2014 4:38pm

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

Learned to gut, skin and butcher a rabbit. I wouldn't make a hobby of it,
But SFA use in being able to shoot, trap or snare if you can't/won't do the rest. It's the difference between pointless killing and providing.

I've thought loads of people how to do it, defiantly a skill we should all know! Taking the shot is the easy part, the hard work starts after you pull the trigger

Recondite49 · 12-08-2014 3:36pm

Planted some rosemary in my urban bottle garden.

Also my darling girl and I have bought two gold fish (please see pic attached). Hers is called Bullet. I have named my own "Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un" (there's an uncanny resemblance.)

The Supreme Commander and Bullet are going to be helping my bottle garden by donating their used water to feed the plants.

Goldfish in particular are relatively messy creatures, so all their leftover food, faeces and ammonia will hopefully make it possible to grow large amounts of herbs and vegetables using my mini bottle garden for the coming Apocalypse.

This is an immense relief as my better half really wasn't looking forward to having Guano (dried bat droppings) in the house.

BreadnBuddha · 13-08-2014 10:18pm

I photocopied ALL my important paperwork today onto a bloody brilliant plastic laserjet paper. It's waterproof, tear proof and fade proof for 10 years in UV light. 100 sheets cost 20 quid. Printed double sided, I've two full duplicate sets of paperwork and some leftovers. One set go into a locked cash box in my office desk tomorrow, the second go into a safe at the in-laws.

Now, anything happens to my car or home, I can at least retrieve copies of everything to make replacements easier to apply for. The missus knows where these document pouches are to be kept also so if the worst ever comes to it such as fatal accidents and whatnot, at least she can pull those documents to help make sense of everything as the situation may demand. She had a pack of that paper and will do the same in turn.

Khannie · 14-08-2014 10:00am

So riddle me this - what did you classify as important paperwork? (just out of interest, like)

BreadnBuddha · 14-08-2014 10:36am

Passport
Driving License
ID Card
Car Registration Cert
Car Insurance Cert
Health Insurance Cert
Birth Certificate, computer readable type
Printout of medical history from GP
Repeat prescription for some asthma meds
Firearms certs
Tax paperwork
Some important receipts and policies related to some property.

I also have a list of pins and passwords for everything from online banking to email accounts in those same places. Each pin or password has a deliberate substitute character swapped. I know which one, as does my wife. Nobody else would ever know, and they're not labelled as anything except what look like random number/character strings.

I know two people who have ended up in trouble because their husbands had bad things happen. One has 'locked in syndrom' after a workplace accident, the other was in a coma after a bad car accident and eventually died.

In both situations the men looked after all the bills, policies, money and all that. They were the breadwinners. Can you picture how terrible it was for their wives to have to cope with their grief, try to understand what way things were managed around keeping a home and all the rest, while having trouble accessing bank accounts and finding communications with insurers, brokers and all that.

It struck me at the time how people should prepare. Older folks do, but bad things can happen to anyone at any time. Could be wrong but I think putting stuff together when you have a responsibility to another person like a wife or husband or whatever is a good idea. Even if you're single, make it possible for a parent or sibling to take care of things in the aftermath.

Kevhog1988 · 14-08-2014 3:11pm

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

Passport
Driving License
ID Card
Car Registration Cert
Car Insurance Cert
Health Insurance Cert
Birth Certificate, computer readable type
Printout of medical history from GP
Repeat prescription for some asthma meds
Firearms certs
Tax paperwork
Some important receipts and policies related to some property.

I also have a list of pins and passwords for everything from online banking to email accounts in those same places. Each pin or password has a deliberate substitute character swapped. I know which one, as does my wife. Nobody else would ever know, and they're not labelled as anything except what look like random number/character strings.

I know two people who have ended up in trouble because their husbands had bad things happen. One has 'locked in syndrom' after a workplace accident, the other was in a coma after a bad car accident and eventually died.

In both situations the men looked after all the bills, policies, money and all that. They were the breadwinners. Can you picture how terrible it was for their wives to have to cope with their grief, try to understand what way things were managed around keeping a home and all the rest, while having trouble accessing bank accounts and finding communications with insurers, brokers and all that.

It struck me at the time how people should prepare. Older folks do, but bad things can happen to anyone at any time. Could be wrong but I think putting stuff together when you have a responsibility to another person like a wife or husband or whatever is a good idea. Even if you're single, make it possible for a parent or sibling to take care of things in the aftermath.

Actually an excellent idea. I do serious hours and loads of driving so I'm constantly at risk of fatigue etc. I must do something similar. I have a life assurance policy that will make sure my son is looked after in the event of anything bad happening.

Pat Mustard · 16-08-2014 2:09am

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

I photocopied ALL my important paperwork today onto a bloody brilliant plastic laserjet paper. It's waterproof, tear proof and fade proof for 10 years in UV light. 100 sheets cost 20 quid. Printed double sided, I've two full duplicate sets of paperwork and some leftovers. One set go into a locked cash box in my office desk tomorrow, the second go into a safe at the in-laws.

Now, anything happens to my car or home, I can at least retrieve copies of everything to make replacements easier to apply for. The missus knows where these document pouches are to be kept also so if the worst ever comes to it such as fatal accidents and whatnot, at least she can pull those documents to help make sense of everything as the situation may demand. She had a pack of that paper and will do the same in turn.

This is not anywhere near as foolproof as your idea, but it can be handy.

There is a useful free android app called CamScanner. This app gives a much sharper image than a simple photo, and you can save documents in .pdf format.

For me, it has two uses:

First, if I come across some document, I scan it with this app and either read it later, or email it, etc.

Secondly, I can keep copies of important documents. If I lose the originals, I can still have a scanned copy my phone, easily backed up on Dropbox or Google Drive. Might be handy if I ever forget my driver's licence and get stopped by a Garda.

If you travel and lose your bags, this could be a useful document backup, especially of passport and insurance.

It's also handy to be able to email copies of documents easily. Photos can be more awkward to deal with than .pdfs.

I find this handy for work as well. If I get a letter that I need to send into work, I can scan and email a copy.

hexosan · 16-08-2014 7:39am

Cam scanner is also available in iTunes App Store

dazed+confused · 19-08-2014 10:18am

Today I setup a great app pre-installed on my Galaxy S5. It gives a report on natural disasters in your area.

Tabnabs · 09-10-2014 11:52am

1922017_937003049649763_4258108012685793947_n.jpg?oh=d09e014ce1a3423eab5428fb7038f9cf&oe=54B3E337

My next winter project.

lostboy75 · 10-10-2014 1:22pm

nice idea,
this is also in the same vein
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Candle-Wick/

lostboy75 · 13-10-2014 1:44pm

I decided that the weekend gone by would be “made candle in tin weekend”. It didn't exactly work out like that though.
Friday evening went at making wicks. didn't try the soak in salt method, thought first attempt let’s see what happens, had an old Azera coffee tin lying about, cut up some tea light candles, cut up some cotton string, put the tin in the fire place (not in the actual fire though) wax melted. string in, few minute's soak. out and let dry. tested it and all worked fine. I had also threaded a thin wire (taken from a tie wrap) through one to see what difference that would make (very little, but may be important when adding the wax when making the candle?).
The next day was think about the candle making, and decided the haphazard method of using a tongues to take the can from the fire would not work very well with enough wax for a candle, so decided needed to make something a little better. First idea was to just wire wrap it, and I did that. was then thinking about this getting hot, easy to deal with, but my brain does not accept easy too well. So ended up thinking now is the time to try making a proper handle. And so I did, it ain't perfect, and its way over kill for this idea (and also too heavy as the tin tips, but that’s not too big a deal) but first try, and was really just toying about.

Also, all was made using items that I had in the garage, and all with hand tool as well, no electricity.

chopper6 · 14-10-2014 5:56pm

dazed+confused wrote: »

Today I setup a great app pre-installed on my Galaxy S5. It gives a report on natural disasters in your area.

And what if the natural disaster knocks out elctricity for a couple of days?

Where will you charge your (by then useless) Galaxy S5?

You simply cannot mix survivalism in any real sense with electronic and computer hardware.

BreadnBuddha · 14-10-2014 6:01pm

chopper6 wrote: »

And what if the natural disaster knocks out elctricity for a couple of days?

Where will you charge your (by then useless) Galaxy S5?

You simply cannot mix survivalism in any real sense with electronic and computer hardware.

You've some fairly extreme stuff in mind, don't you? I'm getting the feeling you're watching a little too much Revolution the way it seems to be shaping your thoughts on these matters.

chopper6 · 14-10-2014 6:14pm

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

You've some fairly extreme stuff in mind, don't you? I'm getting the feeling you're watching a little too much Revolution the way it seems to be shaping your thoughts on these matters.

Never watched it...but i know enough about what to expect if society actually does break down to know that electronic gadgetry will be useless.

thehippychippy · 14-10-2014 9:44pm

chopper6 wrote: »

Never watched it...but i know enough about what to expect if society actually does break down to know that electronic gadgetry will be useless.

Electronic gadgetry will be useless? Granted, you might not be able to phone anyone but there are countless ways to charge your "gadgets" if society breaks down. Your car, van, jeep, solar power, even stuff like the biolite stoves and generators will charge your "gadgets", so I wouldn't think they'd be useless.
What would you describe as "electronic gadgets" anyway? Walkie talkies? Torches? E - readers? Smart phones? There are many parts of the world that society has pretty much broken down yet people can still use twitter to get messages out. Even if there was an EMP, many Irish preppers would have spare electronic gadgets stored in simple homemade Faraday cages. My Galaxy tablet might not get wifi if the shtf but the info stored on it will be available as long as I can charge it, and not drop it.

aaakev · 14-10-2014 9:56pm

chopper6 wrote: »

And what if the natural disaster knocks out elctricity for a couple of days?

Where will you charge your (by then useless) Galaxy S5?

You simply cannot mix survivalism in any real sense with electronic and computer hardware.

Solar charger, a friend of mine traveled cross country on a paddle board over 10 days camping all the way and always had his phone charged.

Battery bank in the house charged by solar or wind energy

A stove with a USB charger

Small petrol generator to keep the fridge and freezer going and charge small electronics

There is 4 simple ways....

Of course most people's phones will be useless but not everyones. I agree in some part with your last sentence but these items are very useful now and can be during and after a disaster.

You seem very negative, are you having an off day or are you always like this?

tommy2bad · 15-10-2014 9:53am

Yeas a lot of preppers seem to be preparing for the zombie apocalypse, most likely thing to happen is a storm leaves yo without power for a few days, a week at most.
It might be an idea to make a list of things that could go wrong in order of likelihood, Prepare for them in that order.
It's no good being ready for EOTWAWKI if you ase flumoxed bu some simple emergency like a flat wheel.

Tabnabs · 15-10-2014 10:02am

http://www.ie.screwfix.com/

Screw Fix have an Irish website now, handy to have easy access to a good range of tools and spares.

BreadnBuddha · 15-10-2014 10:13am

You're right. Instead of just saying "I want a few knives, an axe or two and it'd be nice to have some stuff in the pantry for bad times", it's as though it's a necessity to wrap it all up in some rubbish about total collapse of society and it being every man for himself stuff.

Load of bollox. My generations grandparents would get a good laugh out of it. All the prepping crap people go on with now used to be called common sense out of necessity. Being self sufficient IS being prepared. Prepping for the apocalypse is about macho nonsense that has no place in the mind of the intelligent man.

Everyone should simply strive to be able to provide for themselves and their families, in any practical way they can. Learn to grow your own fruit and veg, no matter how little space you think you have. Learn to keep warm, without just hitting the boost button on the central heating. Learn to fix the things around you that you're reliant on in your self sufficient life. Learn to save for a rainy day, in monetary and objective terms. Put a few extra tins or packets of whatever you use as staple supplements to growing your own veg and food in the shopping and build a buffer in the pantry, the bottom of the wardrobe, under the sink or whatever.

Be good with your hands. Try things that you know your grandparents would have done themselves. If they could, you can too. The only thing missing is the knowledge and the confidence to give it a shot.

Nobody in Ireland should think that any of that macho crap with guns and crossbows and every man needing to be prepared to defend himself will apply in the sense that TV shows and forum clowns think. If somebody tries to take what's mine, I'll hurt them one way of the other if the situation demands it. Otherwise, I'll live peacefully and focus on the day to day side of keeping warm, fed and occupied in body and mind. I won't be planning on waging a one man war on anyone who approaches (unless in a quarantine lockdown type situation) or scavenging/raiding. That's a fools errand and will get you badly hurt or killed. Planning to do that kind of thing is also wasted time and energy, expense and effort that you'd be as well off putting into building self sufficiency.

dazed+confused · 15-10-2014 10:54pm

chopper6 wrote:

And what if the natural disaster knocks out elctricity for a couple of days.

Where will you charge your (by then useless) Galaxy S5?

You simply cannot mix survivalism in any real sense with electronic and computer hardware.

Handy to get a pre-warning of impending bad weather nonetheless. I never said it would keep me safe for weeks on end, nor that it would replace my trusty pen knife.

It's just another string in my bow.

Kevhog1988 · 16-10-2014 1:58pm

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

You're right. Instead of just saying "I want a few knives, an axe or two and it'd be nice to have some stuff in the pantry for bad times", it's as though it's a necessity to wrap it all up in some rubbish about total collapse of society and it being every man for himself stuff.

Load of bollox. My generations grandparents would get a good laugh out of it. All the prepping crap people go on with now used to be called common sense out of necessity. Being self sufficient IS being prepared. Prepping for the apocalypse is about macho nonsense that has no place in the mind of the intelligent man.

Everyone should simply strive to be able to provide for themselves and their families, in any practical way they can. Learn to grow your own fruit and veg, no matter how little space you think you have. Learn to keep warm, without just hitting the boost button on the central heating. Learn to fix the things around you that you're reliant on in your self sufficient life. Learn to save for a rainy day, in monetary and objective terms. Put a few extra tins or packets of whatever you use as staple supplements to growing your own veg and food in the shopping and build a buffer in the pantry, the bottom of the wardrobe, under the sink or whatever.

Be good with your hands. Try things that you know your grandparents would have done themselves. If they could, you can too. The only thing missing is the knowledge and the confidence to give it a shot.

Nobody in Ireland should think that any of that macho crap with guns and crossbows and every man needing to be prepared to defend himself will apply in the sense that TV shows and forum clowns think. If somebody tries to take what's mine, I'll hurt them one way of the other if the situation demands it. Otherwise, I'll live peacefully and focus on the day to day side of keeping warm, fed and occupied in body and mind. I won't be planning on waging a one man war on anyone who approaches (unless in a quarantine lockdown type situation) or scavenging/raiding. That's a fools errand and will get you badly hurt or killed. Planning to do that kind of thing is also wasted time and energy, expense and effort that you'd be as well off putting into building self sufficiency.

Excellent post…. i posted on the what have you done today thread that id stored info on a usb and then was blasted that it wouldn't work if there was a magnetic explosion or some craic…. It'd drive you away from bothering to reply on here.

I see self sufficiency and being prepared for bad weather etc as the worst thing that can happen to us realistically.

Markcheese · 18-10-2014 5:49pm

I suppose it's kind of human nature to be competitive verging on the obsessive , some people obsess over a sports team , some prep ...
I suppose a little of what you fancy does you good...don't get carried away..

hexosan · 22-10-2014 8:13am

While not your typical prep but still preparing for the future I created a will and filled out these two forms

"think ahead"
www.thinkahead.ie

&

"where my possessions are kept"
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/docs/form-where-my-possessions-are-kept-pdf.pdf

LoganRice · 29-10-2014 3:33pm

Soon some friends and I (if it happens) will be going on a hiking trip, climbing Carrantuohill which is exciting

(If it happens) so earlier on today I bought:
A Halfords Advanced CREE LED 2AA Torch
New wet gear in case of bad weather conditions

And I'll probably need some more stuff as well.

Recondite49 · 29-10-2014 6:07pm

Well guys, the other half has called me to say that services have managed to burst a water main in our street.

This means we've running water but it's not suitable for drinking.

She's broken out my purification tablets and pack of condoms (I can tell you that took some explaining when she found them last year...).

So today the name of the game is water purification.

At the moment she's straining the dirty water through an old cotton T-shirt of mine and then putting one of the purification tablets in the condom.

Those of you who are familiar with my published works will know we did something similar earlier this month when we visited her sister and "went dark" for the weekend, eschewing the joys of electricity and running water to practise our survival skills.

Will let you know how the chlorinated water tastes!

aaakev · 30-10-2014 10:28am

That time of the year again where I stock up the van with a few extra bits just incase we get a bad snow fall or the weather gets too bad to drive and I get stuck somewhere!

Boots
extra trousers, fleece, gloves, hat and jacket
camping stove, cuttlery and mess tins
Extra 5 ltr water to go with the 2 I always have
cuppa soup
noodles
2 tins tuna
2 tins mackerel
nutrigrain bars
Tea
coffee

This is all in a nice neat bag and goes with the tow rope, torch, multitool ect which I always have in there.

Also this time of year I always keep the tank at least half full, yas might remember the bad snow in 2010 when there were alot of cars stuck on the m50 and other roads and couldn't move for hours or more! Imagine having your kids with you and not having anything to keep them warm then running out of petrol and your car cutting out......

Of all the things we talk about in here this is a very likely scenario In comparrison to happen if we get bad snow again because ireland is just not used to it!

What did you do to prepare today?

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