My philosophy on "making it" vs. "stocking up cheap stuff"

[Lowdown3]

Just posting to RR's thread on "Stocking up, the cheap stuff" my mind wandered to all the folks you see talk about- and a small FEW are doing it- that talk about not stockpiling soap because they make their own.

Well that's dandy. I've made soap a couple times. It was a major PITA. It also took up a lot of TIME.

Just like clothes washing by hand, splitting next years wood pile by hand, turning over an acre of garden by hand, etc. takes a boat load of TIME.

The question is - will you REALLY have that kind of time in the PAW?

I still contend that we will NOT be sitting around playing Yahtzee in the PAW. Even if stuck in a fallout shelter for a few weeks, their is ALWAYS something to do.

Around the homestead here, we eat breakfast, have 30 minutes to an hour of work just with the animals every morning before our day of other work even begins. Then when that part of the day is over, then we are usually back out there- building, repairing, replacing, upgrading- fencing, chicken sheds, trimming grapes, hauling manure to the garden....... and there is that almost ever present stack of wood that needs to be split.

The washing machine ran off our AE system means the wife isn't scrubbing clothes on rocks or via a plunger and washboard for hours daily. The log splitter means the family can chain gang the rounds get them split and stacked so much faster, the tractor means we can disk up an acre of garden area and about the same in pasture in a short period of time.

Will we use these in the PAW? If security permits YES. Why? Cause of the time and labor savings.

Same reason we will continue to stockpile the "cheap stuff" like bar soap. After Y2K it was six years or so before the bar soap that was in one bathroom ran out. 10 years worth of good bar soap wouldn't go bad and would go a helluva long way towards keeping good health and save a boatload of time trying to make soap a couple times a year. Also, although we've done it, I don't kid myself that it's something I could do easily.


So some of the "cheap stuff" to stockpile like listed in that other thread, to me, are major labor savers and time savers. That extra person it frees up is an extra set of eyes on the perimeter. An extra set of hands processing food, and extra set of feet to patrol with.

That's worth a helluva lot more than a few bucks investment to me.

[protus]

like i explained to guy at work once. time vs effort vs reward.....the less time and effort spent to achieve the same reward is key...what and how you stock should be no different.
while back i was moving some LTS storage stuff from a secondary location..one person commented on how many shoes i had and how many bags/totes of socks.
while i can sew a pair of socks up..and make sandals...a 3$ 6-10 pack of tube socks or last years work boots/running shoes is worth storing vs the time it would take to sew/mend/make footwear....then again you see everyone talking about russian foot wraps so why store socks.
imho i think it falls back to excuses and trying to cut corners. stepping over a dollar to nab a dime.


good thread topic!!!!

[Matt In Oklahoma]

We stock up as well but we also make stuff and ensure we know how in case all we can get/grow/find/trade or make is the ingredients. The folks that I know that are proficient in making soap make large quantities and use their skill to stock up by making large batches of actually a better product than can be had in the store. I hope thats what the ones that can make it are doing because time is available now but as LD3 states it will be on short supply later.
The time and resource issue is one that many here have stated. One of the places I stated it was in the caltrop post. There is time now but won't be later. Resources to cook soap may get scarce later so don't wait.
Wood for cooking and heating is definitely a chore that requires time, muscle, protein and other things that can be in real short supply if it all goes to pot so I have been encouraging everyone here to get some cut now even though they don't use it regularly. It's too much work to try and do afterwards like they plan to do.
You also need to make sure you can use what you make or stock after grid down. I have a friend at work that makes their own detergent and they have had issues with the soap actually not washing out of the clothes with a machine. They made large batches for post SHTF and now don't know of they can get it to wash out by hand. So test what you stock before you stock.
My list of stock ups is much more narrow than whats on the other post for several reasons such as money, space and mostly beliefs.
I'm more of a skipbo player myself LOL

[justanothergunnut]

Thats a fact, One of the things we should remind ourselves is that the things we stock have other values beyond their intended purpose and associated costs beyond what we payed for them. We are pretty good at thinking about what multiple uses a item has to justify its inclusion into our stocks but often don't consider the non tangible value of a item. Your example of the simple bar of soap is a perfect example of how a very small investment in cash now can pay huge dividends later in labor costs. Im not sure about your place but it always appeared to me when living on the ranch that anytime something needed to get done there always seemed to be 3 or 4 other things that needed to be completed before you could even get started on the first project. So Labor banking now is a fantastic idea that will pay back big time later when you just dont have the man power or CALORIES to spare. I may be wrong but my personal belief is that many "preppers" or even survivalists make the mistake of getting caught in the fantasy aspects of survival and imagine a world not unlike 17th century America where everything in our lives will be primitive. That we will be reduced to spinning our own thread to make clothing and the black powder flintlock will reign supreme because that conjures up a very romantic and simple image in the mind. The problem is most people just don't realize how busy those people were.. Thanks RH,, get's one to thinkin

[WiseOwl]

We tried that homemade laundry detergent because we thought we could save money and be uber cool.

Yeah, it doenst get stains out and for that time I wasted and $8 in supplies we just went back to buying the $15 target brand detergent and it lasts 20 days.


I also am a hotel soap collector. I have 3 buckets worth. You can actually buy lots of soap/shampoo on ebay or amazon and get a good deal.


Being self sufficient is a great lifestyle and becoming a growing movement but being reasonable has its rewards,


One of the Wise Owl's famous quotes:

" You give the laziest man the hardest job and he will find the easiest way to do it."

[Tackleberry]

Just my two cents. I am a proponent of working smarter, not harder. Stocking up now on the cheap is critical because it saves time that can be used to learn other skills and will allow you to barter later on down the line. That being said, in a PAW situation long forgotten skills will become the difference between "thriving" and just "surviving". Learning how to make stuff like soap is fine but I think skills such as tanning, woodworking, blacksmithing/metal working/machinist, etc are more valuable in a PAW situation. Before the industrial revolution a good blacksmith was worth his weight in gold to a town/community. The same thing goes for doctors and vets. Trades/skills such as bankers, lawyers, and insurance salesmen will be useless. I think getting a solid foundation in farming, raising livestock, canning, hunting, food storage is important but so is learning a meaningful skill such as tanning, woodworking, blacksmithing/metal working/machinist will allow you to trade out work things you do not have or may just want.

[610Alpha]

" You give the laziest man the hardest job and he will find the easiest way to do it."

That is what is called a good Server Administrator. In my field I try to automate as much of the daily tasks as possible by writing scripts/programs to monitor and check files and email me any issues. This leaves me to look into the more complex issues.

Log splitter is to my script...saves me the time and reserves my energy for something else...same for the tractor and plow.

[rockriver]

i think this thread needs about 5 yellow stars...
and i need a plunger or two!!!

[protus]

i think this thread needs about 5 yellow stars...
and i need a plunger or two!!!

toliet auger works faster and less mess...29$..though plungers help in many ways...

[Jeep]

I think both ways are important. Stock up on the cheap stuff while you can, and also learn to make what you may need for yourself and barter. We buy candles when we find them on sale, but on the other hand, I make candles in my spare time. I buy candle making supplies when they are on sale and that way if my store bought supplies run out, I know how to make more to replace them. Not bragging, but my homemade candles last a lot longer than the one's I buy in the store.

[Hiram]

In prepping as in life, you are much better off doing the things you do well, and paying / trading for those that you do not. If you have spare time, learn new things or practice to get better at things you don't do well.