My most "MASSIVE" prepping mistake......."EVER". Way-Way-Way out in front of my other prepping screw-ups.

[Hardcalibres]

The way time flies- I’ll be 60 tomorrow. But the hard facts of aging hit me about 3 years ago with work related shoulder injuries. Both shoulders healed will enough without surgery, but I had to cut-back on the physical work I was doing. Work has always been my exercise, cutting back meant loss of arm strength. Now I have new limitations and the old phrase “work smarter, not harder” has a new meaning.

I’m saying I relate to the posts here, and reading this thread is another learning experience for me. Thanks.

It’s been said that if you’re not fully prepared today- you’re screwed. Paraphrasing. Well… seems that prepping without consideration of ‘aging’ is almost as bad.

I’ve always had the mindset of preppers, but never followed through to any meaningful extent. Today… with what I’ve been learning here- I figure it’s not too late for me to do it right.

It is never too late.....until the day when the balloon goes up.......

But seriously, the most likely thing to happen from now on is slow decline.....with some step collapse along the way......and probably a world war.....but I digress.

So....by all means.....start prepping seriously now.......by way of real actions and real resources/capabilities.

 

[Tirediron]

but if it isn't a slow decline then what, electricity and electronics are relitivley new, money is pretty much just data these days, a balance would be kind of Ideal , but end electricity , you nice securuity blanket ends, my pedal saw still works.

 

[Hardcalibres]

but if it isn't a slow decline then what, electricity and electronics are relitivley new, money is pretty much just data these days, a balance would be kind of Ideal , but end electricity , you nice securuity blanket ends, my pedal saw still works.

Diversify.....

Have modern style 401K or whatever......for if nothing happens......but have hard assets too.

Have town or city real estate.....but have land too.

Have machines, vehicles and mobility aids....but pick appreciating assets to do those jobs.

Have primitive skills......but understand that the physical capability to do those things has a use by date earlier than many other survivalism capabilities.

 

[Amish Heart]

My favorite "Happy song" that is also my favorite Sad song. "Twenty years now, where did they go....Twenty years I don't know".

Like A Rock​

Song by​

Bob Seger
Stood there boldly, sweatin' in the Sun
Felt like a million, felt like number one
The height of summer, I'd never felt that strong
Like a rock
I was 18, didn't have a care
Working for peanuts, not a dime to spare
But I was lean and solid everywhere
Like a rock
My hands were steady, my eyes were clear and bright
My walk had purpose, my steps were quick and light
And I held firmly to what I felt was right
Like a rock
Like a rock, I was strong as I could be
Like a rock, nothin' ever got to me
Like a rock, I was something to see
Like a rock
And I stood arrow straight
Unencumbered by the weight of all these hustlers and their schemes
I stood proud, I stood tall
High above it all
I still believed in my dreams
20 years now, where'd they go?
20 years, I don't know
I sit and I wonder sometimes
Where they've gone
And sometimes late at night
Oh, when I'm bathed in the firelight
The moon comes callin' a ghostly white
And I recall, I recall
Like a rock, standin' arrow straight
Like a rock, chargin' from the gate
Like a rock, carryin' the weight
Like a rock
Oh, like a rock, the sun upon my skin
Like a rock, hard against the wind
Like a rock, I see myself again
Like a rock
Oh, like a rock

I hope I'm not going to wreck your favorite song for you, but when Obama was running for Prez, his intro song was "Like a Rock", but changed to "Like Barack".

 

[Haertig]

This thread started off a great discussion about something many of us have avoided, or put on the back burner. I rate it as probably @Sourdough's #1 best thread. We all have different ideas of what it takes to be a "good prepper". We get into arguments about that sometimes. But every last one of us - no exceptions - are going to get old (unless we die accidentally first). We are going to experience vision loss, hearing loss, loss of strength, loss of balance, declining mental sharpness. Loss of mobility. Increasing health issues. Drawing down our financial reserves as we spend more with less income. It's coming for all of us. And any of these things could throw a real wrench into our current plans prepping for the future. Not a one of us has figured out a way to prep away the results of aging. No primadonnas here. Just a bunch of sad old farts in the same damn boat in this thread.

 

[Dave V]

I have five children. They got my back. I don't know what more to say.

Our 2 kids are all grown, our daughter is here, and our son is building his own community in NC. He took over 20 people with him, so he has a great start.
This is related to who is going to take care of us when we lose it?!
Our daughter, yes, but also our friends.

On the prepping forum, maybe a couple of years ago (?) we had a discussion (Jim Costa et al.) about the pros and cons of staying in place vs "having a place" (sometimes far away) to go to if SHTF. Some had great homesteads already, some remote and some closer to towns. Some plan to hole up in homes or apartments, while others are versatile enough to stay or leave.
We choose to stay in town where our families, friends, homes, jobs, and schools are, but at the same time, we have a large-scale place to retreat to in town if things go bad. Most of our kids go to a school that is just a minute or two away from safety which seems to be an almost universal concern for our members. So, while I do personally worry about being a burden at some point, I don't worry so much about who is going to look after us because our community of friends is large and continuous. We have members who are in their eighties now and they still live in their own homes. Someone's kid does their lawns, and their meals and fellowship are taken care of by someone volunteering...it's a wonderful and large group of friends.
But at the point where it requires skilled nursing, we fail.
We have nurses in our community, but they have their own jobs and families. There is a decent skilled nursing facility in the next town over. Better that's it's close, but again, I am at a loss as to how to keep families together in this situation. Sometimes the spouse that's left behind dies from the anxiety of the situation before the spouse in the nursing facility.
I would prefer to just not wake up someday.

 

[Hardcalibres]

getting back on topic......as I mentioned, old folks around here use gear to extend their working life.

I bought quads first, then tractors, then XUVs .....and now a Tractor Loader Backhoe (TLB).

No more digging holes with a shovel for me........

 

[OldSchool]

It would be hard to realize that all your prepping efforts were for not… having to change-up the game, so to speak, and move on knowing that some time and effort was essentially lost. But, from that comes learning and wisdom. Sharing that with others is priceless.

 

[Hardcalibres]

It would be hard to realize that all your prepping efforts were for not… having to change-up the game, so to speak, and move on knowing that some time and effort was essentially lost. But, from that comes learning and wisdom. Sharing that with others is priceless.

I doubt that any of us hardcore types feel that way.

I know that I have really enjoyed the lifestyle that goes along with survivalism.

I don't assess that I have gone "overboard" prepping either or that any of my "time and effort was essentially lost".......and I have done better financially than most of my contemporaries/friends (even though they are all thoroughly "normal").

 

[OldSchool]

I doubt that any of us hardcore types feel that way.

I know that I have really enjoyed the lifestyle that goes along with survivalism.

I don't assess that I have gone "overboard" prepping either.......and I have done better financially than most of my contemporaries/friends (even though they are all thoroughly "normal".

It is a lifestyle and the optimal way to live, IMO. Thanks for saying

 

[Sourdough]

Some of y'all are being JERKS! Maybe the thread should be locked!! Differing opinions should be welcome!!

Different opinions are very welcome, assuming they are relevant to the thread subject. But there are members of this forum for whom prepping is their primary interest. They are interested in learning and hearing the opinions of other members.

But constantly belittling and intentional humiliating members simply because he thinks prepping is fundamentally stupid, and that preppers should only invest in the stock markets. It is just disruptive, and not appreciated.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Yes about your first paragraph. That was the beginning of the dismal decline of this thread.

It has happened a bunch of times......so don't blame yourself for triggering this or whatever.

 

[OldSchool]

It has happened a bunch of times......so don't blame yourself for triggering this or whatever.

Thanks, I was seriously beginning to regret saying anything.

 

[OldSchool]

In ‘trying’ to get more on track:

I see prepping, or survivalism, to be a rewarding lifestyle. It asserts an individual’s independence. If strength truly does come from within… they are stronger than most, and definitely more independent. They are an inspiration to me.

 

[OldSchool]

When it comes to “changing-up the game” with age… that’s part of the lifestyle.

Any helpful hints to avoid huge changes, due to foresee or unforeseen circumstances, is welcome insight.

 

[Swing]

I have just deleted 33 posts that were not in the theme of the thread that was happening. I've deleted the posts about a member, I've deleted posts about someone calling the rest JERKS. Really, some pots in this thread have been calling various other members a kettle.

Now if you could continue with the prepping and obstacles consideration talks.

 

[Swing]

Also. If a particular member is annoying to you, and while I check things out, we have a WONDERFUL feature called ignore. You can put a member on ignore and not see their posts. You can put an annoying or tempting thread on ignore. And if you really don't like a forum of the list of forums, you can put it on ignore and not see content from it. Please consider using that. Especially while I search other posts in the forums by various members, etc.

 

[Dave V]

As @Hardcalibres said:
Diversify.....
Have modern style 401K or whatever......for if nothing happens

Plan for all possibilities, including just getting old and needing assistance.
If you are still working and it's available, consider contributing to an HSA (Health Savings Account) - you can deduct contributions from your gross income AND it can grow tax free with no minimum distribution AND you can choose investments for it as safe or risky as you want (probably just a good index fund would be smart?) Withdrawing at ANY time is tax free for any medical/health expense, but like an IRA or 401K, you pay the tax on non-medical withdrawals. It can also be passed on to a spouse etc.
I.E. the money won't just disappear when you die !
All information found here, including any ideas, opinions, views, predictions, forecasts, commentaries, suggestions, or stock picks, expressed or implied herein, are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only and should not be construed as personal investment advice. While the information provided is believed to be accurate, it may include errors or inaccuracies.

 

[Hardcalibres]

For people who want to keep living in remote locations, there are some great new technologies to call for help (if you chainsaw your leg or something).

Garmin make a series of products called InReach.....that use the Iridium satellite network to communicate distress (and your exact location).....or just so you can send a text or email out.

They don't need any cell network or terrestrial infrastructure at your end.

Here is mine (a Garmin Montana 750i) with the solar panel that makes it grid independent too.

 

[Swing]

A comment here about financial information, - it would be really great to start a thread about it in the financial forum.

But at the level of conversation on this thread, the currency, stock market, and buying power may have gone kaput.

So this is living, with conditions you have now. So, lets keep this more to the theme this thread has been taking. And financial advice would be really good in the Dollars and Cents (a financial forum)..

 

[Tommyice]

As @Hardcalibres said:
Diversify.....
Have modern style 401K or whatever......for if nothing happens

Plan for all possibilities, including just getting old and needing assistance.
If you are still working and it's available, consider contributing to an HSA (Health Savings Account) - you can deduct contributions from your gross income AND it can grow tax free with no minimum distribution AND you can choose investments for it as safe or risky as you want (probably just a good index fund would be smart?) Withdrawing at ANY time is tax free for any medical/health expense, but like an IRA or 401K, you pay the tax on non-medical withdrawals. It can also be passed on to a spouse etc.
I.E. the money won't just disappear when you die !
All information found here, including any ideas, opinions, views, predictions, forecasts, commentaries, suggestions, or stock picks, expressed or implied herein, are for informational, entertainment or educational purposes only and should not be construed as personal investment advice. While the information provided is believed to be accurate, it may include errors or inaccuracies.

I’m doing that right now. The company I work for contributes and so do I. I also don’t have to invest the whole thing—it allows me to allocate an amount to invest.

 

[SoulSeeker]

I'll be 66 here in a short while and missed the mark. I tried to get started but life just kept getting in the way. My plan now is to get my generator running, no fuel, no wind, water or sun needed. Buy a big van or if I can a step van, get some acreage in west Texas and live out of the van until I can get a shack with shop put up. I'd like to have a basement but that means more money. I think maybe a small block pit to put the water in, empty veggie oil containers are 255 gallons so 3-4 of those with a Pex water system and pump. I hate using an air conditioner in arid places preferring a swamp cooler but water is like gold there and a swamp cooler would use too much. Find things to keep me busy like fixing lawn tractors and such. Not many lawns but they do come in handy for other stuff. Might try to start a community on the property so I'd have help but I don't know about that. I used to be a people person but people messed it up. Maybe an underground greenhouse to grow year round.

 

[Hooch]

What a great thread!

 

[12icemaker]

I am gonna be 73, have a cuz 2 years older than me with a 1/2 section farm about 8 miles from me as the crow flies, now 12 by the road.

We worked on it a lot in the years from about 10 to 16 when I was around to go, He is the best type of prepper, been there when there was no money he turned over a tricycle AC tractor and nearly ripped himself in half at 12 years old and came back like a champ, his dad was killed when he was about 18 in a car truck wreck they said from just not seeing a truck he turned in front of from exhaustion.

They had about 60 cattle 30 or so chickens. a few goats a, lot of crops too and bees. he had his mom a young brother and two sisters younger and a few of us to do things we knew to and could do But they grabbed the edge of the cliff, climbed up and they made it work still have the place Mom is gone sisters gone, brother moved to california and became a californian lib.

THAT IS THE REAL PREPPING, no matter what comes you plan, adjust, work, scratch, bite and hang by the last string.

It is a state of mind and a gathering of any type of edge you and/or the ones you choose to protect can to survive for the next minute.

Any plan is better than just riding the clock as age comes your choice can be taken by many things and diversity of choice is a good thing it gives you a lot more for problems to take before they reach you.

I see It as like having many weapons and tool and being proficient with them all.

 

[sonya123]

Around here.....it is common for farmers to keep working into their seventies or even eighties.

I assess that most of those just run grazing stock, maximize their use of quads, ATVs and tractors.....and get in contractors to do the big fencing jobs.

I also assess that mild climates allow older people to keep working longer.....very hot and cold places are not kind to older folks.

As the movie title goes "No country for old men".

Even when people do fully retire, they have the option of agisting out their land for a neighbor to farm, while they live out their remaining life in their rural dwelling.

That is all a ways down the road for me.....I haven't even retired from my day jobs yet......and won't do that for at least several years.

most of the farmers around here are older than we are and still working. Sometimes they get sick and then there is an emergency sale of livestock

our plan: if son gets a job somewhere else ( he wants to stay here but is just starting to look for a job graduated this spring) and it is just husband and me, we will downsize our herd of animals some so we don't need as much hay and have more time for fence repairs if one is down ( will move them to a different pasture)
we are already buying a lot of our firewood now
We don't go to the doctor unless its something most likely fixable or needs some medication ( like husband just got some medication and lotion for his bad knee, and will get a steroid shot soon if it doesn't improve)
If we live long enough to get so old and decrepid that we can't do anything anymore I suppose we could sell all the animals
We probably won't live that long, don't go to the doctor for all these checkups and stuff and long way from any hospital, so any heart attack or stroke will most likely be fatal
personally, my plan for anything really bad alzheimer, parkinson, oxygen tank, wheelchair, or any other 100% disability, there is a 9mm with my name on it

 

[Mountain trapper]

A few years ago my appendix burst while I was building our new working corral. I was in a lot of pain, but I figured it would go away. It didn't and only got worse. The wife was at work in Alaska at the time so I drove myself the 75+ miles to the hospital. The doctor wanted to medi vac me to a larger hospital but figured I wouldn't survive the trip. After several hours of cutting and removing part of my colon, some intestines and something else, he stuffed everything back inside and sewed me up. It took a couple years to heal up, still not 100%. Anyway, it got me to thinking that we might need to move closer to civilization some day. Not looking forward to leaving here, but that's life.

 

[UserNameTaken]

I'll be 66 here in a short while and missed the mark. I tried to get started but life just kept getting in the way. My plan now is to get my generator running, no fuel, no wind, water or sun needed. Buy a big van or if I can a step van, get some acreage in west Texas and live out of the van until I can get a shack with shop put up. I'd like to have a basement but that means more money. I think maybe a small block pit to put the water in, empty veggie oil containers are 255 gallons so 3-4 of those with a Pex water system and pump. I hate using an air conditioner in arid places preferring a swamp cooler but water is like gold there and a swamp cooler would use too much. Find things to keep me busy like fixing lawn tractors and such. Not many lawns but they do come in handy for other stuff. Might try to start a community on the property so I'd have help but I don't know about that. I used to be a people person but people messed it up. Maybe an underground greenhouse to grow year round.

There is a guy in NE AZ, somewhere out around Steve in 29's area, but waaaay off grid. He is building a hard scrabble dry homestead on almost nothing. He has a youtube chanel, I think it's "Frugal Off Grid" or something like that. Quiet spoken guy with a big red beard. Seems like a cool dude. Anyway he lives in a van, has some sheds, an underground greenhouse, water catchment, etc.

I think one day he will have a pretty nice homestead.

 

[sonya123]

A few years ago my appendix burst while I was building our new working corral. I was in a lot of pain, but I figured it would go away. It didn't and only got worse. The wife was at work in Alaska at the time so I drove myself the 75+ miles to the hospital. The doctor wanted to medi vac me to a larger hospital but figured I wouldn't survive the trip. After several hours of cutting and removing part of my colon, some intestines and something else, he stuffed everything back inside and sewed me up. It took a couple years to heal up, still not 100%. Anyway, it got me to thinking that we might need to move closer to civilization some day. Not looking forward to leaving here, but that's life.

You know what I just personally can't understand? Why people want to live THAT long in the first place. If you can't do anything anymore, and can't live where you want to live, wouldn't it be better to just die? That's my thinking. Life isn't that great that I need to hang on to it at all cost. I have no intention ever to go to a nursing home or make weekly trips to the hospital and doctor and have a suitcase full of medications

 

[OldSchool]

What a great thread!

You should have been here last night: the 33 deleted post were great too. Lol

I guess the cleanup on isle 3 was successful. Thanks, Swing.

 

[UserNameTaken]

A few years ago my appendix burst while I was building our new working corral. I was in a lot of pain, but I figured it would go away. It didn't and only got worse. The wife was at work in Alaska at the time so I drove myself the 75+ miles to the hospital. The doctor wanted to medi vac me to a larger hospital but figured I wouldn't survive the trip. After several hours of cutting and removing part of my colon, some intestines and something else, he stuffed everything back inside and sewed me up. It took a couple years to heal up, still not 100%. Anyway, it got me to thinking that we might need to move closer to civilization some day. Not looking forward to leaving here, but that's life.

I can relate, mine burst when I was about 20, the summer I worked at Catalina. The local quack in Avalon said I had "colonitis" - I was a pain in his azz. I ended up being sent to the mainland, the doc there said another 12 hours I'd have been dead. Ten days in the hospital, a month at my mom's recovering. I was forced to stop smoking because nobody would buy me cigarettes for a month. Best thing ever! Had it been 100 years before I'd have been another early death.

There's a lot I don't like about living where I do, but it's nice having a hospital ten minutes away - and here they life-flight you to Vegas for a hangnail anyway.