frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 6, 2020 16:17:39 GMT 10
So at the moment we have uncontained Corona virus, a massive shutdown of many Chinese factories with possible major shortages of manufactured goods around the world, a bird flu and swine flu outbreak, a plague of locusts destroying crops in Africa and the Middle East, drought and bushfires affecting food production in Australia, world climate doing really weird things, and Nasa warning that we are about to enter 30 years of mimimal sun activity, possibly causing a mini ice age.
Will we look back at this time in a year or two and think why the f%@k didn't we stock up when the writing was so clearly on the wall?
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bce1
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Post by bce1 on Feb 6, 2020 16:40:16 GMT 10
Completely agree. Continue to quietly store. I do have to watch I don't become a chronic hoarder !!
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Feb 6, 2020 16:47:41 GMT 10
Agreed, you left out the economy on a knife edge with sky high debt, and political instability in numerous countries across the planet.
People should take these events as a warning, thinking it won't happen here is a fool's paradise.
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Post by SA Hunter on Feb 6, 2020 18:25:01 GMT 10
Great thread - yes, I'll look back and go " I think I did all I could to be prepared, but I wish I had done more. "
These events are a boost for my preps, and I am picking up the slack where I thought I was doing ok. One can never be 100% prepared, but even 5-10% prepared is better than most of the population. Your point of seeing the writing on the wall is spot on - most either ignore the writing, or think that the gruberment (norseman quote so all credit to him) will take care of them. Even with all the talk of the coronavirus atm, most people I talk to are very ignorant, and just hoping it doesn't come to our neck of the woods. So I said "what if it does", and the most common response is " I won't know what to do" or " I hope I'll be ok".
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fei
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Post by fei on Feb 6, 2020 22:00:39 GMT 10
Great thread - yes, I'll look back and go " I think I did all I could to be prepared, but I wish I had done more. " These events are a boost for my preps, and I am picking up the slack where I thought I was doing ok. One can never be 100% prepared, but even 5-10% prepared is better than most of the population. Your point of seeing the writing on the wall is spot on - most either ignore the writing, or think that the gruberment (norseman quote so all credit to him) will take care of them. Even with all the talk of the coronavirus atm, most people I talk to are very ignorant, and just hoping it doesn't come to our neck of the woods. So I said "what if it does", and the most common response is " I won't know what to do" or " I hope I'll be ok". Have been seeing a lot of posts on Chinese social media lately around the "world is going to hell" type of theme. Always get lots of comments too, but very few actually mention taking individual action. Its pretty much always along the lines of "China is so good, the rest of the world is at fault" (although that has lessened since the coronavirus kicked off), or "the government will take care of it". Maybe as the days drag by with a lot of people not at work, unpaid, not much food etc, we will finally see people's ideas shifting.
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Post by Joey on Feb 6, 2020 22:26:02 GMT 10
I'm glad that my progress with getting a newer better paying job is just around the corner of getting the letter of offer so that I can get back to getting some stores happening as the last 2 years I haven't had the spare cash to be buying any store foods/other goods and will get an extra steel cupboard or 2 for the garage to store them in so they are rat/mouse proof, then I'll also be able to afford another tub of powder so I can do some more reloading
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wanderer
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Post by wanderer on Feb 7, 2020 0:06:39 GMT 10
Might be time to start taking hard earned out of the savings account. A run on the banks will be next if economy starts to flail around because of not enough people consuming plastic shit from china.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 7, 2020 4:00:43 GMT 10
In the last 5 weeks I've:
bought 4 large trunks (2 from Bunnings to keep at home for our bushfire evac and 2 ex-RAAF to go to the retreat to store non food preps),
A grain mill, an initial 10kg of wheat and 2 drums for storage
Added $3k to my on hand cash preps
Bought 2 pure wool fire blankets to keep in my car
Bought a year's supply of razor blades for 7 people (only operators wear beards and hairy legs/armpits is only acceptable on Eastern European grandmothers)
And for some reason I still have this gut feeling I need to get serious and really step up my prepping.
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Feb 7, 2020 5:48:22 GMT 10
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Post by milspec on Feb 7, 2020 6:04:43 GMT 10
In recent weeks I've touched base with a wide4 circle of people in order to mske them conscious of risks they face. They just nod and say oh yeah but few of them have taken any action to prepare themselves. ... you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.
I like these people but their actions are disappointing. When SHTF they will be the welfare cases and I dont think there is a positive catchy saying about survival of the welfare cases.
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Post by spinifex on Feb 7, 2020 7:58:12 GMT 10
Sometimes you can't even lead a horse to water. Or get it into the same paddock as a trough.
And then there are those who will sit at a large trough, drink it until it runs out and then perish anyway. Some of those might try to push onto the next trough and find that its already stocked with tough ferals who put up stiff resistance.
In every case of serious upheaval I've ever read about or talked through with someone who's actually lived through it; the situation has dragged on for years and those that got through best were those with the experience and tools to develop their own food production/acquisition and improvise solutions to all the unforseen problems that arise in daily life.
Its just not possible to hoard oneself out of serious strife. Great as a short term bridge for sure. But When it comes to securing ones own food supply beyond a year it takes years of experience and experimenting to do it reliably and in sufficient quantity. Perhaps what people will be thinking a few years from now is that they wished they had moved to a small country town, learnt to grow stuff reliably and in quantity and invested in excellent hand tools to make and fix stuff.
Other people might wish they found better solutions for their needs than stocking up on disposable/consumable items. E.g. I own a cut-throat razor made in 1910. I'm 4th generation to use it and it hardly looks worn. It takes up hardly any space. Doubles as a sausage slicer. Recently bought a second one as spare.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 7, 2020 8:57:52 GMT 10
Or do both. Have the acres in the country as an option, as well as the place in the city where the well paid jobs are, the tools, water and knowledge to grow your own food as well as a large stockpile of food and other consumerables.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 7, 2020 9:22:05 GMT 10
Ps: can ladies shave under their arms with a cutthroat razor, or do they need one of those disposables?
After all, number 1 lesson in survival is to keep your wife happy. Nobody can spoil your day as well as they can.
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Post by milspec on Feb 7, 2020 9:47:13 GMT 10
@spinifex as I have said previously, i envy your gardening skills, especially since starting my gardens a year or so ago.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Feb 7, 2020 13:12:15 GMT 10
If you have a mini ice age.... I guess that means we are doomed... eh....
We probably are doomed anyway. Or at least the Pacific coast here.. There is a short fault along with the whole Pacific rim fault thing. The short one goes northern California US to mid BC to the pan handle of Alaska US.. It is said to be overdue, and when it does go, it is quite violent..
I guess our "plan" will be to keep stocking up on heating, cooking fuels... Food stuffs that won't freeze and consumables.. You can never have too much toilet paper on hand...
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norseman
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Post by norseman on Feb 7, 2020 13:50:41 GMT 10
Several times in my life I have been exposed to serious arse pukker level fear as in the type where you really do think you are going to die! It is the absolute scariest shit but in a weird way once it passes you pretty much wire it all back together sit down, process it as best you can, then move on. However I will say this time around events (bad shit) really is compounding and building bigtime! Folks time now to be really farken vigilant!
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bce1
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Post by bce1 on Feb 7, 2020 14:20:52 GMT 10
Several times in my life I have been exposed to serious arse pukker level fear as in the type where you really do think you are going to die! At the time it is the absolute scariest shit but in a weird way once it passes you pretty much wire your shit back together, settle down and more or less analyse "like what the fukk just happened"?? I'm no one special and certainly not any kind of hero but I am saying this stuff for me is just chickenshit level stuff! BUT WITH THE COMPOUNDING EFFECT TO GO ABSOLUTELY FULL RETARD IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO!! You are not wrong !!
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 7, 2020 14:28:53 GMT 10
I've only been truly scared twice in my life. Once when the tinny I was in sunk mid-river in the NT, forcing me to swim to the river bank and try to climb out over these really slippery tree roots, before I became croc food.
The other time was when Mrs Frostbite, a brunette, asked me why there were long blonde hairs on the back seat of my car.
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Post by spinifex on Feb 7, 2020 17:47:02 GMT 10
Was she holding a carving knife when she asked?
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Feb 7, 2020 17:53:09 GMT 10
Was she holding a carving knife when she asked? No, but she has an AB licence and is a very good shot. Because I like to live on the very edge (perhaps not a good trait for a prepper), I told her the blonde hair belonged to her best girlfriend. Which they did. Edit to clarify: I'm still living because blondie was only in the back seat of my car because I'm usually the dedicated driver on night's out.
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