After reading the archives and all that people did to prepare for the possible Y2K scenarios I wonder if people have continued to remain prepared? This isn't a sarcastic question, I am simply curious. It seems that current events are even more intimidating than Y2K was...rolling brown outs in CA. The upsurge in the cost of utilities. ( our price for natural gas nearly tripled in the last 3 months and electric is going up too.) Ironically I live in WY where we produce the gas....go figure. I am on a very limited income...$600 per month for my son and I. We currently live in an old DW trailer. Any low cost suggestions for improving the insulation etc.? Any help would be appreciated. We do have 2 goats, both due to kid and about a dozen geese. Have some chicks coming too. Garden plot is tilled but waiting abit to plant due to weather here. Thanks, Sorry I kinda got off the original question..... Deborah

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), April 05, 2001

Answers

I agree there's more scarey stuff happening now than a bunch of computers not recognising 1999 into 2000. What with wierd weather patterns, genetic modification, rampant foot and mouth, a tuberculosis epidemic (announced today) looming, we have possibly already experienced TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) here in England. I not only still have all my Y2K preps, but have replenished all that I used. I have also used the time to build a home made wind turbine, loads of bio-powered tools and develop various IADs (Imediate Action Drills) for many possible worst case scenarios. I hope I don't have to put any into practice, but they're there in case. One thing the extra year has given me is the time to replenish many tinned store bought foods with home made, home canned foods. When you think about it, this (2001) is the true milennium and more shit has happened this year than last year..... worth thinking about eh?

-- Eric J Methven (e_methven@btinternet.com), April 05, 2001.

We were prepared in 1992, and have never stopped being prepared. When y2k stuff started, we thought that was what we were getting ready for and just didn't know it. Now, well, I guess all we have to do is look around and anyone of a number of things could happen, are happening etc.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 05, 2001.

Hi Deborah, I used up a lot of my y.2.k.things, But have started to restock,Things are not well for this country. There"s foot and mouth sickness that could very well come here. There could be a war in the middle east that could effect us. Also china is not to nice, Who is to say they didnt fix all the computors right,, after all they sent men from all over the world to bring the computors up to date.They may have a way to shut them down. Do I sound like a nut, Well I am not,Just a old couple liveing on a farm, retired,and worked hard all our lives. Go to americanfreedomnews.com and you will see for your self whats really going on that the regular news don"t tell us. Irene

-- Irene orsborn (tkorsborn@cs.com), April 05, 2001.

Hi Deborah,

We started in a camper trailer, with 3 kids while we built our house out of pocket, it took 3 years, which was forever!! We have always religously believed in a 5 month supply, so the Y2K thing for us was the excuse to expand on that, plus great stuff like a platform high above the well for gravity fed hand pumped water for the house and stock. Even now when we are without electricty, which happens lots in the woods, I can use it to fill all the goats waterers! I also got my summer kitchen, the best! I also will not have to purchase seeds this year, planting this weekend, though I am cheating with lots of plants from the feed store. Our sundries storage has dwindled but we have picked up some really great food bargins of stuff we really use. That was really the difference between how we did Y2K and others we talked to, we stocked stuff we used everyday. Some of the stuff we bought strictly for long term storage, we still have not used. I also started with one goat and a handful of ducks and some layers. Boy how things change! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Dear Deborah,

The answer is yes- and we have moved more and more to cutting expenses and planting more garden, more fruit and berry bushes etc. I just got ducklings, too, 11 little khaki campbells. They are so cute!

I think the world is getting terminally wierd, and that any sane kind of natural life as Countryside tries to promote is important- seeds for the future. Speaking of seeds, this is a good time to look for sales in big stores as they are now trying to stock for summer!

Regarding insulating your trailer, two thoughts come to mind- 1. hay bales make a good trailer skirt, and perhaps you could even make that area under the trailer a cold cellar for your root veggies.

2. Do you need a windbreak? If so, you might make a shelterbelt sort of planting with mixed plantings at different heights to stop the wind. Some of those plantings could be edible like berries.

Good luck to you, and keep listening to your intuition- its right on!

-- seraphima (djones@kodiak.alaska.edu), April 05, 2001.

I always believed in being prepared, but it took Y2K to get me moving and actually BE prepared. We still plan ahead because 1) we don't have much money, and 2) we don't know what is going to happen in the future. It's quite liberating to not be so dependent on manufactured goods, or at the mercy of the weather.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 05, 2001.

I always tried to be prepared for snow in, unemployment and such. Y2k took us a little farther, but we still have all the supplies. With the current U.S. economic conditions, they may be put to use.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 05, 2001.

Y2K gave us the incentive to work towards being more prepared than we had been in the past. We are still not at the level that we want to be in all areas but continue to work at it. So our answer is most definately.,yes.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Put bubble wrap on the windows, it is great, and you still get the sun light. Also, if you go to auctions and flea markets and such get all the books you can put some old boards up and stack books...also gives that primitive look if you can get some old, old barn boards. Love in Christ,

-- Judy (inhishand65@yahoo.com), April 05, 2001.

I think it is good to be prepared. Look at Noah, he made sure that ark was built and stocked with food supplies for his family and animals just in time. I always can, and love bargains. You never no what is going to happen. After the depression it was not uncommon to set back extras. In our country we have everything, we are so spoiled, there will be a lot of scared people when it happens.

-- Judy (inhishand65@yahoo.com), April 05, 2001.

Hello Deborah, It was hurricane Andrew and Hugo that prompted us to keep a surplus of emergency supplies and equipment available at all times. The Y2K melodrama was icing on the cake and we stocked up our supplies to having over six months of food plus additional kerosene lamps with fuel, plus ammo for our rifles and handguns. (As avid outdoorsmen, we have plenty of camping supplies at all times also). Since then we have moved to the country (Ozarks) and we still have all the supplies plus we have added canned food from our garden that we harvested from last fall. We are still out of debt and have a living simply/pay as you go attitude lifestyle. We paid cash for our land and are building our home with cash as well. With all this in mind plus our seasonal plans of expanding the garden regularly and continuing to raise chickens, rabbits and goats we believe that we would be ready for just about any economic upheaval. Jobs are scarce in Ozark County so we do not rely on a 9 to 5 to keep us. We are both self employed. My wife sells the crafts that we make plus yard sale finds on Ebay and I adverstise in the local paper as a handyman. I think self employment is another important key of surviving a change in the economy as the result of recession/depression. Overall, we have expanded our "survivalablity" since Y2K, as we know that these are uncertain times and are looking forward to maintaining our way of life despite adversity. Sincerely, Ernest http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks

-- Ernest in the Ozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), April 05, 2001.

Hi Deborah and everyone,

I was brought up on a farm in Tenn. and we raised everything that we ate. Our parents taught us to can and put back supplies for two years, as one season may not be as good as the next and I have found that to be very true. One year we may have a very good tomato crop and the next year, it may not be as good and so on. When the Y2K thing came a long we put back some more and we regulary maintain it. You never know when you may need this extra stuff, it could be a lay off from your job or an injury, it is always smart to be prepared!

Vickie, what is the hand pump set up that you have, we are on a well and that sounds like something that we need!! Sorry to ask a question on your question Deborah !

-- Mary in Idaho (oseancess@aol.com), April 06, 2001.

The Y2K craze simply was the spark that light the fire, for me. (that and a book called last hours of ancient sunlight). I am not as stocked on food as I was for y2k, but now I have the knowledge that is more important than food, or ammo. plus, now I have a means to supply most or all of my food right here at home, come hell or high water. Plus, the electricity useage is low low, at the point where a wind mill or two would supply all my power needs. I actually enjoyed stocking up for y2k & learning a new way of doing things that led me to go "homesteader" when it didnt happen, it was almost a dissapointment- it would have a change for the better, perhaps.

-- Kevin in NC (vantravlrs@aol.com), April 06, 2001.

Mary, our well has a submersable pump. The platform, which we call the gallows :) is about 14 feet tall. The handpump (not the small pitcher pump type, but the 3 foot tall one with the large handle) is mounted up on the platform along with 3 holding tanks. The hand pump is piped with PVC into the well, the 3 inch casing was enough room for both pipes. When you pump the handle you can either pump water into the holding tank or connect a hose or bucket. Connecting the hose allows us to fill toilets or to fill all the water for the goats. It is alot of work, but does work quite well. We hauled water to our property for almost a year, so the value of running water, no matter how slowly it runs :) is so important! We would have better pressure :) if our water table wasn't so deep. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 06, 2001.

I thought I was prepared for y2k, well last Christmas an ice storm came through this area and we went 13 days without electricity. Canning and food up to date and no problem, freezer, well in a real life time emergency you'll have to eat that up. We had a generator that was shared and used for an hour or so a day just to keep the freezer going. Personally, I am not into freezers anymore. We are now building a ultility, summertype kitchen to the side of this house, entrance into the kitchen, it will have a oval cookstove. That was the hardes part was keeping warm, the fireplace doesn't do it and I did most of my cooking outside dutch oven style. Took a class in dutch oven a few years ago so that came in handy. We also are on a well and could get only a quart at a time of clean water out of it. We used out stream water for the tolets and watering the animals. I am going to look into what Vicky did, my husband says he will have a water pump in place soon! I hope!

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), April 06, 2001.

Like a lot of the rest of you, we used Y2K as a kick in the pants. We got a lot of food stocked up, wired up a generator conversion kit to the power box so we could use the generator to run the water, oil furnace, all lights and fridge and freezers. What Y2k did teach me is that I wasn't able to prepare for the next year if it had happened because my seeds were hybreds and I didn't have farm animals nor fruit or nut trees. Soooo... Now we have a greenhouse built, we have planted fruit and nut trees, I have bought non-hybrid seeds and we are working on getting the stable set up to house chickens and the in-ground swimming pool to raise fish. Once these are all in place which will be some time this year, I will feel more comfortable about the ability to be self-reliant over a longer period of time. I was worried that once the stored food ran out I would not be able to replenish it easily if everything had really turned sour. Luckily, it didn't and I am more prepared now. Still have a ways to go to get the perfect set up but feel I could survive anyway if something drastic happened. Still need to get a woodstove put in but hubby isn't convinced yet on that one but if gasoline became impossible to get, along with the electricity being off, we would be a little chilly in winter. We could probably survive it since we live in Virginia where the winters are tolerable and we don't have children and could move to the cellar and bundle up real good but it certainly wouldn't be fun to try to survive a winter without heat. I think Y2k was the best thing that happpened as far as getting me much more prepared and I don't intend to forget that lesson. You don't have to tell me twice.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 06, 2001.

Hi! We still maintain our "preparedness" supplies and it's good we did! We had a REALLY UNEXPECTED snow storm in north 'bama on the first day of spring and we lost electricity and were snowed in. So I pulled out my little propane stove and we cooked on that, and we had heat from the propane wall unit. we were snug and warm and I just enjoyed being snowed in! we had kerosene for the lamps and plenty of huge candles.

by next winter I plan to have another wood heater. hope to have other things too!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

Living in the NE area has necessitated a certain amount of preparedness constantly. When I first moved here from central Virginia I was convienced winter would be one long cold snow storm after another. To me, having food in the house is like having money in the bank. When all the talk about y2K came along, that fit quite nicely in my plans.

We live in an old house and use wood stoves for heat. My husband and I always cut and stack enough firewood to see us through. We have a good well in the cellar that could be used if necessary. We also have an assortment of oil lamps and lanterns plus plenty of candles. We have a dozen chickens and I stocked up on enough feed to take care of them. I've learned as a child, how to can, pickle, bake bread, cook from scratch, etc. We have a large enough garden to provide plenty of fresh vegetables plus enough to can, dry, freeze and pickle. Prior to y2K we invested in a generator mainly to handle the well in the cellar and freezer if the electricity should go out.

I buy non-perishables on sale and keep these items stocked up. (At one time, I had over 100 rolls of toilet paper.) I plan meals one month at a time based of what I have on hand. I manage to use almost all leftovers in casseroles, stews, etc. I date all canned goods before putting them away and rotate my supplies. I also date everything that goes in the freezer using the date I'm going to use things(based on my monthly menus). I find this helps me not to forget what I've put in the freezer. We eat very little junk food and I make most everything from scratch. We live a very conservative lifestyle and enjoy the security of being prepared. The joke around here is if the weather forecast shows a storm approaching, it's against the rules to run to the store for milk and bread.

I didn't feel stupid being ready for Y2K. I felt secure in the knowledge that we could handle whatever came along, whether it was Y2K, a major storm, a job loss, or whatever. I know I can provide for my family for at least six months without worry.

Thanks for reading.

-- Dianne in Mass (dianne.bone@usa.net), April 08, 2001.

I agree with Eric. There are a lot more scary things than computers. Mad Cow etc. What if China or somebody else sent a big bomb. It's maybe not likely but not impossible either. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), April 10, 2001.