The time to prep has passed

[jansman]

Now then, the predicament my family finds itself in is NOT unique. I am not posting this for sympathy or well-wishing. That time has gone. These are my meandering observations.
Last week I was laid off again. I am unemployed, and my Wife is facing redundancy too. Nothing unusual there at all. Since my first big redundancy (17 years same job), I have been working part time( because I can) and combining that with my (small) holding. That was working well. However, the work in my own trade has simply dried up. Therefore I am now looking outside of that-and I am confident of my future.
Where is this going? Well, I see a lot of forums where we have folks preparing for... Well everything really. I have to say that we should be prepping for Real World Events. Now if you(like me) have prepped for an income crash(that is how I see my situation), then you are still prepared for pretty much everything else. At least that is how I see it. I used to worry about social breakdown and zombies and all that. That has changed
Right now, here at Chez Jansman it is shtf time. No more prepping, that time has passed. We are not concerned with the future, it is right here and now. Bluntly, it can be easy to forget why you have been stashing all those resources. So how is it working for my tribe?
Well, we have an extensive food store, freezers etc. I realise many cannot stash to this extent, but if you are earning you ARE better off than you think. Waste is the biggest enemy of the efficient household. We have got on top of this. Lunch for Daughter and me is leftover pasta dish from last night, with salad from the polytunnel. Last week that pasta would have been binned. Perish the thought!All our meals are planned round the food on hand.
I burn wood/coal for heat, and the evenings as they are we are still lighting the stove. While it is burning we sling the kettle on top, and put the boiled water in a flask for later use( even if only for washing up),and the Kelly Kettle-thanks for the reminder I own one Nick Dutch!- is in use for the same reason. Lights turned off, nothing plugged in that does not need to be. The washing machine when it is full.
Now this could be considered overkill. Maybe. Jan, bless her, did a serious audit of our finances-and I MEAN serious. Quite a revelation , I can tell you. It is a case of what we don't need to earn when I land another job. This means we can eke out the emergency cash I put buy for this very scenario for 4 months. If I am awarded JSA in the meantime, it will stretch further. As I said earlier, in these tough times, not all can do it, but every little helps. Also your mindset. I am pleased to say that my survival * instinct* has really kicked in.
A spin off of all that prepping means I have lots of tools. My neighbour has a sycamore he wants taking down(KER-CHING!), me and my trusty chainsaw to the rescue. I get an enourmous amount of free fuel, and he pays me too! And he wants his garden tidying up. That is one weeks cash sorted.

Anyway, what I am saying is, if you are earning, no matter how little, you can put some by. You do not realise 'til it ain't there. Cut out the waste, I did not realise how much we did waste. And see those preps as the biggest and best insurance policy you will ever buy, I really mean that.

That is my little rant over( you can tell I have time on me hands ) keep prepping, and keep it real.

Best wishes to all, Jansman

[PreppingPingu]

I have always been impressed by your mindset Jansman, you always talk sense on these forums! With that in mind, I know you will be ok. Sorry to hear it's gone somewhat fubar for you right now. Last year when my hubby lost his job, I was reasonably calm even tho he is the main income bringer, as I knew I had enough food and the sense to eek out what we had, to last till any benefit started or we could find some work. We were lucky and work came his way again. Your ability to turn your hand to all sorts of jobs is what is important wether it's an global situation or a personal one. Good luck, be thinking of you and your family.

[TorNicho]

Well done Jan's man, and good luck.

[pseudonym]

Not a Rant at all.

A well thought outand written first hand experience, with some great insights for us all.

Many thanks for sharing it with us, and I hope employment isn't too far off.

[Arzosah]

Ditto from me on everyone's comments. Not a rant, and not an overkill either, Jansman. A very timely reminder.

Using the kelley kettle, using up leftovers rather than throwing them, using the existing heat from the stove to heat water - all of that is really important. I love your observation that you have loads of DIY tools now, so you're a bit of a go-to man locally for things like sycamore removal, thats great.

[triffid]

Well said, Sir!

It's always as well to remind ourselves we are 'Prepping' rather than 'prepping for a particular event'! There is a subtle difference.
Preps can be in many forms; food/water/fuel/shelter etc plus new skills, equpment (incl tools), building a financial reserve etc and above all a prepping mindset.

[nickdutch]

Yep, very well said.
I think its more likely that if the world comes to an end, it might happen after I lose my work, my agency decides not to pay and the like.
I might have a curiosity about survivalesque stuff, but that's not because I am hoping to end up naked among the heather with only a black widow catapult and a swiss army pen knife to help me get by.
The last time I had a problem with my pay, the thing that meant that I didn't have to sponge off anyone was the fact that I had food stored up.
I got fair selection of tins under the bed right now and the top cupboard above the stove is sooo full of dry goods that it alone could keep me going for ages.
And if things get really tricky, the tiny amount of silver (and I mean REALLY tiny) I have been buying could help me do two or more months of frugal food shopping if required. I consider it a kind of emergency savings account that doesn't rely on the banks.

I still need people, I am still a member of society. I have NO camouflage gear, but in the case of a powercut, a nasty dose of the flu, some basic injuries, problems with the agency (or whatever can screw up my financial survival), I will probably keep my head above water. If the bills cant get paid and I am cut off I can still have hot water, SOME heating and plenty of food.

I still have more to do, but I am on my way.

On top of that, the rest was just fun and more skill development.

[jansman]

Well done Nick. It is tough for all at the moment I think.
I saw an old friend today. His job is debt collecting-and business has never been better. He tells me his business is the direct result of the times we live in. He says he finds it sad, but his job is what feeds his family.

[ForgeCorvus]

.....And see those preps as the biggest and best insurance policy you will ever buy.......

This is really why we prep, the End Of The World isn't very likely (and would you really want to be the last man alive anyhow)

TEOTWAWKI has literally happened to you, your Zombies are now here......... And it could so easily be any of us

On the plus side, your head is in the right place and now the family can see that maybe you're not such a crank after all


Its amazing just how little we really need to live and thrive, let alone survive.

Please, keep us in the loop..... The one thing thats nearly as good as learning from experience is learning from someone else's experience

[jansman]

Thanks F C ! We went shopping today. Now my lovely Wife, bless her, can spend for England-what woman can't?
But what a Woman!!!
Since this all kicked off she has put the house on financial lockdown. She checked our stores and purchased accordingly. Did the usual Tesco shop, and boy, was she ruthless? Then off to the local market for fruit and veg.

Now if you all want a top tip, then use a streetmarket for fruit and veg. I would say HALF the price of a mainstream supermarket. Also places like Iceland and Farmfoods. Jan was onto it today.

All those years of gardening, interest in self sufficiency and livestock. Now it is going to pay off. I know a lot of preppers struggle with their OH. Never did with mine I have to say. OK, she did sometimes say I was OTT at times, but she did tell me last night she was glad I had stashed all that stuff.

Anyhow, I am staying away from e mail tonight. I am treating the jobhunt as a job. I will do a couple of hours a day on the computer, and do some old fashioned door knocking. Afternoons I will get jobs done at home and on the holding.

The weekend is coming, shopping time for many. Buy a bit extra and put it by. Hey! Why am O telling you lot that?