How Far to Take Things

[MaryN]

I am always interested in the differing approaches to "prepping" or "survivalism" taken by the members of the Forum. I think we are all aiming for the same things - being able to cope or survive the various life events or disasters that could impact on our lives. But just how far are you going with your arrangements? Are you stocking up on clothing, spare tools, odd bits of wood or interesting pieces of metal - just in case they could have uses? Or do you stick to stocking up on the basic foods, loo rolls, medicaments and suchlike?

My own approach to things was brought sharply into focus over the weekend whenm, clearing out a cupboard, I paused over a couple of old torn pillowcases and thought....ooh, yes, better keep those just in case. Just in case of what? A world shortage of pillowcases? Material that I could turn into handkerchiefs if there was an epidemic of sneezing? And I realise I may be getting a teensy bit paranoid. It's not as if my storage cupboards don't already contain a goodly supply of linen, but I am starting to feel a bit weighed down by my own pre-planning. I need to streamline things a bit and start to deal with relevant items. I'm certainly not nearly old enough to even remember the World War II soap shortages, but I still hoard the stuff. Can you be genetically affected by this? Am I pre-programmed to hoard and gloat over piles of things I might "possibly" need?

I can see how I am getting to this stage; the news everyday is pretty horrible and it would be a natural thing to try and haul up the drawbridge and man the battlements, but I think I need to have a holiday and stand down (just a bit). I think I may throw out just one of those pillowcases - I'll keep the rest (just in case).

[Mortblanc]

I see a very big difference between having 15 bars of bath soap on the shelf and six tubes of toothpaste and having so much old newspaper stacked around that one can not walk through the house.

Just about the only thing I own that would not be in the house if I were not a "prepper" is the long term food stocks. That fills a 2 foot deep shelf 8 feet long and the same area of floor space in the utility room. It is neatly stacked and has no tendency to overflow into the rest of the house and take over my life.

Everything else I use as a "prepper" I would own anyway. It has its place and remains there unless it is in use.

However, my workshop is a disaster! Can't keep that mess in order no matter how much I try!

[Steve]

I am a self-confessed hoarder. At work they think I'm a Womble, because I'll take anything that looks useful rather than see it thrown away. The trouble is, life keeps on rewarding me for saving things - a couple of weeks ago my LPG boiler packed up, it's obsolete, an exchange circuit board is minimum £250 if you can find someone who has one, and a replacement boiler is £1500. I have experience of component level repairs so I dived in and traced the fault to an opto-isolator on the circuit board, and I ordered a replacement for pennies online. The part arrived and I replaced it - still didn't work, although I was sure the opto-isolator was the fault. The part was a modern "equivalent" by a different manufacturer, but same part number and supposedly identical.

So, I looked through some old power supplies I had "wombled" some years ago, and found the same part by the original manufacturer, replaced it and bingo - heating working again.

I'm incurable.

[T-oddity]

I'm a bit like Steve a bit of a womble, skip diver and hoarder, but not to the level of the house being chock full! I'm also have to be very strict with myself and fairly organised, most things are boxed and marked up and I go through once or twice a year to get rid of any surplus and stuff that really isn't worth keeping.
I think it's in the genes I'm from a long line of make do and menders.
Worst feeling in the world though is to get rid of something then a few weeks later find you needed it, Bugger!

[bigpaul]

I was brought up with the "that looks useful" kind of attitude having had parents that went through WW2 when you threw nothing away. I have been a hoarder of bits of wood, metal, plastic tubs and tins,bricks, carpets, pallets, a skip diver, for most of my life.

[Steve]

(3 March 2015, 09:43)bigpaul Wrote: I was brought up with the "that looks useful" kind of attitude having had parents that went through WW2 when you threw nothing away. I have been a hoarder of bits of wood, metal, plastic tubs and tins,bricks, carpets, pallets, a skip diver, for most of my life.

Out of interest, were your parents ( or one of them ) from a large family ?

My Dad was the youngest of 9 kids, by the time anything was handed down to him it was worn out, so he had a very strong make-do-and-mend attitude, which he has passed to me, he could also make things many wouldn't have tried. I have fond memories of home-made toys, but he also made 3-piece suites, tables, cabinets etc., etc..

[Midnitemo]

all my bicycles as a child came from the tip/skips but I'm not a hoarder as lack of space precludes it infact I'm quite rutheless....if anything remains unboxed/untouched/unseen/unworn for 6 months after a move it gets disposed off.

[Mortblanc]

(4 March 2015, 02:03)Midnitemo Wrote: ....if anything remains unboxed/untouched/unseen/unworn for 6 months after a move it gets disposed off.

Are you saying that you have no preps and/or have no intent of accumulating any?

[Steve]

Some things that I have accumulated aren't available cheaply now. Some years ago I noticed that carbide insert tips for lathe and milling machine work were selling for pennies on eBay, literally 99p for a pack of 10, so I started checking regularly and bought the bargains. Now they've gone up considerably, I assume some bright sparks have started buying them for export to India like so much of our redundant machinery, or perhaps the surplus caused by our factories closing is exhausted.

So, if you see something useful, and it's a bargain, buy it while you can.

[bigpaul]

(3 March 2015, 22:52)Steve Wrote: Out of interest, were your parents ( or one of them ) from a large family ?

Mother was a farmers daughter with 5 brothers, Father had 3 siblings, both were born just before WW1 and married just before WW2.