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I never shop at the big box stores like walmart for clothing (except outdoor stores), I have 2 co-op stores I shop in, I get my Rustler blue jeans for $8.99 ea at Bi-Mart, they generally last me 2-3 years and Carhartts at Wilco for $20 ea on sale and Winter clothes for dry and wet cold at Cabelas outdoor store. For heavy duty clothes I go to a local river rigging place, some things one can't go cheap on like boots, footware will make or break you in short order, in a wet cold I don't wear cotton, in a wet cold cotton kills!
 
bigpaul said:
I don't think walking barefoot in a typical city is doable or even recommended, too much filth, refuse and muck to make it okay.
now walking barefoot in the countryside is another matter entirely.
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Thanx, even tho you are right, the town where I live is still clean enough to walk barefooted. The countryside also, except for where the dog owners who do not clean up after their four-legged children as they do for their two-legged ones...To use a play with words, there is one sort of dirt which easily washes off, and another which never washes off. I avoid the unwashable dirt in life and enjoy the washable sort. Live free, GP
 
Maverick said:
I never shop at the big box stores like walmart for clothing (except outdoor stores), I have 2 co-op stores I shop in, I get my Rustler blue jeans for $8.99 ea at Bi-Mart, they generally last me 2-3 years and Carhartts at Wilco for $20 ea on sale and Winter clothes for dry and wet cold at Cabelas outdoor store. For heavy duty clothes I go to a local river rigging place, some things one can't go cheap on like boots, footware will make or break you in short order, in a wet cold I don't wear cotton, in a wet cold cotton kills!
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I usually get work jeans at Walmart. I order about ten pairs at a time in my size and it’s shipped free to my door for about 8.00 a pair. The shopping I just did was for personal wear, not work, so I wanted something a little better. The outlet I went to was a Lee wrangler outlet in commerce Georgia. There is one of the tanger outlets there. Don’t know if stuff is really any cheaper there but most of what I got was on sale at least. Good point on only buying good footwear. I usually buy more for comfort than durability now days, but if being able to replace things becomes impossible having some good leather ware is smart.
 
DrHenley said:
The blacktop ("tarmac" for y'all across the pond) can reach 160° F (71° C) here in the summer.
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MAN; I must sound really dumb on the internet. But your blacktop has kicked my ass a few times in the parking lots...wanna see how fast a 61 year old can run in the direction of the shade?? Just watch for the dust cloud and you'll know it's me!
 
DrHenley said:
The blacktop ("tarmac" for y'all across the pond) can reach 160° F (71° C) here in the summer.
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Chiggers, lice, tics, spiders, litter like glass and discarded syringes and other druggie stuff, dry blood, urine, rat piss containing lepto spirosis , dog ****, HUMAN **** in some cities etc ensure I NEVER go barefoot anywhere, even on the beaches in the UK where druggies and drunks think its funny to bury broken booze bottles and needles point upwards in the sand. Even walking barefoot in the UK country is now a no go because Tick bites spreading disease.
 
Silent Earth said:
Chiggers, lice, tics, spiders, litter like glass and discarded syringes and other druggie stuff, dry blood, urine, rat piss containing lepto spirosis , dog ****, HUMAN **** in some cities etc ensure I NEVER go barefoot anywhere, even on the beaches in the UK where druggies and drunks think its funny to bury broken booze bottles and needles point upwards in the sand. Even walking barefoot in the UK country is now a no go because Tick bites spreading disease.
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Sorry if I do not "like" this one SE. Really sucks, tie them to the trailer hitch and use their asses (XR also) to rake the beaches clean...only takes once to make them a believer. Come visit, clean streets, rarely glass, maybe dogshit. Got ticks too but, me and the dog both got our shots....ha ha! GP
 
Maverick said:
We deal with ticks all the time, it is what it is living out here, if you checked yourself everyday it's not a big deal, as long as the tick hasn't been latched on to you for more than 36hrs it's no issue. Not all ticks carry diseases.
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In the last 4 years living here I've found 2 ticks on the dog. I've also only seen 3 mosquitoes here too. I think keeping the livestock tanks stocked with fish keep the skeeters down.
 
I worked on some wine tonight. I had 4 5gal buckets of crushed grapes that had been in their initial fermentation for a week. I filtered out all the skins and seeds and poured the juice into 4 5gallon jugs with airlocks on them. They will continue to ferment for another month or so. As the sediment falls to the bottom I siphon the clear wine out into a new 5 gallon container, doing this several times over the next year. I then bottle it and it’s best to wait another year, or so they say. Needless to say it is a hobby that requires patience. And lots of scrubbing of utensils and containers! Oh, and by the way, while wine is fermenting it gives off a distinctive yeasty smell. I actually kind of like it, but most wives wouldn’t put up with it in the house....
 
Brent S said:
I worked on some wine tonight. I had 4 5gal buckets of crushed grapes that had been in their initial fermentation for a week. I filtered out all the skins and seeds and poured the juice into 4 5gallon jugs with airlocks on them. They will continue to ferment for another month or so. As the sediment falls to the bottom I siphon the clear wine out into a new 5 gallon container, doing this several times over the next year. I then bottle it and it’s best to wait another year, or so they say. Needless to say it is a hobby that requires patience. And lots of scrubbing of utensils and containers! Oh, and by the way, while wine is fermenting it gives off a distinctive yeasty smell. I actually kind of like it, but most wives wouldn’t put up with it in the house....
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This sounds pretty cool. At least you'll have plenty of fun after SHTF.
 
Didn't do so much work as you described BrentS, but we managed to get 19 bottles of rosé wine last year. Everybody told me to put at least some sugar in since the grapes were not sweet enough, but the wife likes it a bit dry.
 
GaRp58 said:
Didn't do so much work as you described BrentS, but we managed to get 19 bottles of rosé wine last year. Everybody told me to put at least some sugar in since the grapes were not sweet enough, but the wife likes it a bit dry.
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Doing twenty gallons at a time is about a full day of work for about three days during the different stages. I froze most of the grapes and will make 5 or 10 gallon batches with them over the next few months. Most people that drink wine start out liking it sweet and progress towards the dryer ones with time. I like it a little sweet, but on the dryer side. It’s a decent hobby, and everyone loves when I show up to a gathering with a few bottles. I just enjoyed half a glass with dinner moments ago.
 
I decided to take a long weekend and take the camper back up to the mountains tomorrow. The first trial run went fine, but I did some minor modifications inside the camper for this trip. Still want to add a few more shelves as storage is the hardest thing in a 12’ camper. Everything is perspective though, compared to a tent this is the ritz. It’s going to be close to freezing at night so am excited about seeing how comfortable it is overnight. It has both gas and electric heat sources so I’m confident it won’t be roughing it. Not sure exactly where I’m heading but probably going to explore gatlinburg, pigeon forge and that area north of the Smokey mountain park.
 
401 K ...Don't have anything like that, left everything in CA at 17, left everything in TX at 19, left lots in Germany at 24, left everything in OK in 1983, back in Ger. bought a condo, Company stole my $ and left everything again 1985, back to OK; working for my father. Arguments, left everything and back to Germany in 1987, bought a condo in 1989, Croatian war 1991 lost everything, 2 1/2 years separated. Back together in 1993, 2 years training as a driving instructor. Own Driving school till 2001, switch from the German Mark to the European EURO. School destroyed financially. Bankrupt. Test driver for Mercedes, Translator, Survival trainer, Bus and Truck driving all over Europe. Rebuilt a few older driving schools til I hit my head so hard climbing into the school truck that I went deaf in the left ear, had epilepsie for 9 months lost all driving licenses and am still today waiting for the ruling from the courts that I get a retirement from the Union and payment from my Private Insurance plan.....I only have my house in Hungary and an unbelievable wife who has stayed with me through all this BS for 41 years now...I'm doing quite well. Live free people, GP
 
as I have been "out of active duty" due to my knee injury,it has given me time for other activities,such as order more first-aid stuff like turniquets and Israeli bandages, materials from which I can sew stuff, like inserts for IFAK and more...
seems like I'm not ment to be on sick leave,it kinda drives me nuts...gives me too much time to worry over things I can do nothing about ;)
 
jontte said:
as I have been "out of active duty" due to my knee injury,it has given me time for other activities,such as order more first-aid stuff like turniquets and Israeli bandages, materials from which I can sew stuff, like inserts for IFAK and more...
seems like I'm not ment to be on sick leave,it kinda drives me nuts...gives me too much time to worry over things I can do nothing about ;)
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Hey Jontte, I go to the local junk yard and pick up all the first aid kits from the wrecked cars for cheap. European law makes us all have one and not everybody takes it out when they wreck the car. Even if the "sterile" stuff may be dated, it is better to have -old- stuff than NO stuff for first aid. Gary
 
Look for spare 12 V batteries, fuses, mirrors, lost money and light bulbs also, do not buy at the store...flea markets and e-bay has 1 euro things, walking sticks, sleeping bags, tents, gas and alcohol stoves, winter boots, wool socks, diabolos for you air gun...look close, bargain and stock up. Gary
 
Brent S said:
So does the company match the extra 3% too? Maxing out the employer match is basically free money, my favorite kind.
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Yes they do. I am passed what they match. I just keep adding every year what I can. I am not sure what I will do for my next goal once I max out. I should probably look into some ideas.
 
DrPrepper said:
Yes they do. I am passed what they match. I just keep adding every year what I can. I am not sure what I will do for my next goal once I max out. I should probably look into some ideas.
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Everyone has different ideas of what they consider acceptable risks. I can’t advise anything for anyone other than myself, other than the general rule of diversifying. It sounds like you’ve got the stock market covered, congrats on your dedication and sacrifice. I firmly believe in the old saying of not putting all of your eggs in one basket though. Gold and silver are a good idea, and I don’t believe 10% of your savings in it is overboard. I don’t look at physical metals as an investment though, even though they can be. I really look at them as a safe hedge against the value of the dollar dropping. Real estate is still a good bet, even if values are up at historical highs right now. I honestly think freeze dried food is an investment in my opinion. After all, what are we saving for in our retirement years if not the security of eating? There are tangible assets too. I bought a camper and a 4wheel drive To pull it, which are both toys, but also can be looked at as an investments in security. If there is a disaster where I need to bug out I can go comfortably. Ok that last one is a stretch.... back to the moral of the story, which was to diversify so if something tanks, not all your investments go down.
 
Brent S said:
Everyone has different ideas of what they consider acceptable risks. I can’t advise anything for anyone other than myself, other than the general rule of diversifying. It sounds like you’ve got the stock market covered, congrats on your dedication and sacrifice. I firmly believe in the old saying of not putting all of your eggs in one basket though. Gold and silver are a good idea, and I don’t believe 10% of your savings in it is overboard. I don’t look at physical metals as an investment though, even though they can be. I really look at them as a safe hedge against the value of the dollar dropping. Real estate is still a good bet, even if values are up at historical highs right now. I honestly think freeze dried food is an investment in my opinion. After all, what are we saving for in our retirement years if not the security of eating? There are tangible assets too. I bought a camper and a 4wheel drive To pull it, which are both toys, but also can be looked at as an investments in security. If there is a disaster where I need to bug out I can go comfortably. Ok that last one is a stretch.... back to the moral of the story, which was to diversify so if something tanks, not all your investments go down.
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Thanks! I do have some freeze dried food. A bit more wouldn’t hurt. I don’t think I could ever afford gold, the prices are right up there with Bitcoin :) but maybe some junk silver coins wouldn’t be too bad.
 
Hard cash, hard metal for hard times. Never again will I try to save money, make more or invest. Saw too many losses in my life that taught me to hold onto that which I ALREADY HAVE IN MY HAND. Lost $320,000 back in 1985 when the company owner tried to run and got drug back by the German cops. Co. Bankrupt. $ 10,000 loss in a Cellphone Co. in Spain, changed their name according to Spanish laws and I could not sue the new Co.
I have what I have and if I got any to spare, I fill the daily use cellar of 3 months food, and top off the SHTF pantry with something I pushed into the daily use rotation...or just scam the internet for cheap tools, arrows, freezedried, new ideas and Prepper stuff. GP
 
The next batch of hardtack if finished and boxed up in the cellar. 2/3 of the beef jerky is also, the kids wanted to "test" it and see if it up to standards for human consumption...Now I have a load of --parasol-- mushrooms in the dehydrator. They are coming up fast after the rains lately. As big as a dinner plate and 2 inches thick. Another 15 kilos of sugar, 15 kg flour, 20 packs of baking powder and yeast, 5 kg. salt, 10 boxes of instant mashed potatos, worchester sauce, soya sauce, pepper corns, canned peas, corn, tomatoes, pickles and peanut butter rounds off the shopping tour for the month... AND WHAT DID YOU DO YESTERDAY?? GP
 
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