Starting Over---Intellectual prepping

[Hovannes]

Consider if consequinces were such that you needed to start over---disaister strikes and you're left without a home, job, or savings?
How do you prep?
I'll offer these suggestions
:
Never pass up the opportunity to earn a vocational certificate. Knowing several trades increases your chances of finding employment should future calamities prevail. Instead of watching the brain drain, attend an adult school course and learn something new.

Family and friends are more valuable than gold. Look after them and they'll look after you (you hope!) In the Army we called it "check your six."

Humility will get you farther than resentment. If the best you can afford is a bus pass to go job hunting, thats a most excellent thing, isn't it?

Take joy in little things. Don't waste money you don't have going to the movies, take a walk instead and feast your eyes not on some silicon injected babe, but blossoms, dew forming on the grasses, theawesum elegance of trees.
Taking your lunch on a park bench is more rewarding for your soul than five martinis in a big city bistro.

Get along with less. You can get by just fine with a single extra change of clothes, or a couple of plates and mugs in the china closet rather than 20 place settings (assuming you won't be hosting any posh social functions in the near future). We often surround ourselves with way too much "stuff."

Good health is to be guarded. Regular exercise and cleanliness will make you feel good and look good,

Keep music and art in your life. They are gifts that show us God's love for humanity. You don't need an app to learn to whistle or sing a new song, and old style churches are a bounty of visual art with no fee for admission.

More important, stay focused on God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Faith will see you through tough times better than money will see you through times where faith is lacking.

My 2-cents anyway.

[Walter Maxey]

Originally Posted by Hovannes

Never pass up the opportunity to earn a vocational certificate. Knowing several trades increases your chances of finding employment should future calamities prevail. Instead of watching the brain drain, attend an adult school course and learn something new.

What a great idea! Auto repair, maybe. Although that probably requires a lot of schooling these days. Cars are a little more complicated these days. Still, I always wanted to learn more about auto repair.

[Hovannes]

I try to jump on anything that comes my way---blacksmithing, professional restraunt management, ski instructor---you never know when either a skill will come in handy or you find an opportunity to pick up some extra $$ working for someone else.

[KnitNut]

This is a great thread.

The "one big thing" I would add is, just do SOMETHING every day...each & every day, without fail.

Instead of stopping at Starbucks, pay that $5 toward debt. Write the check or make the transfer right then...don't wait!

At the grocery store, pick up one extra item to put in a storage box for emergency...a can of tuna, a pop-top hearty soup, a 1lb bag of lentils, a bottle of juice, an extra case of water (Aldi in my area has 24-count water bottles for $2.29...that's just over 3 gallons of water, neatly & conveniently stored). When you get home, put it in a box separate from your everyday pantry and slowly add to it with each trip to the store.

Inventory your pantry and identify long-term storage foods that you would like to buy in the future.

Visit a prepper's forum and read some of the "how to" posts for ideas.

Check all the smoke detectors in your home.

Discuss the family fire response plan and drill it.

Start keeping shoes and a flashlight beside your bed.

Try to set aside a little cash in an envelope every week or month, even if it's just a dollar or two. Save it for TRUE emergencies - practice discipline!

Research online - identify a new skill to learn, visit your state's emergency management page to review their preparation recommendations.

Take a class - the Red Cross offers all kinds of first aid classes, FEMA offers a lot of free online classes for citizens...loads of opportunities!

Brainstorm a list of potential disasters you might encounter - weather? natural hazards like earthquakes or coastal flooding? spouse possibly losing a job? family medical emergency (falls, existing medical conditions)? evacuation (what about pets)? fire (home, wildfire)? civil unrest? This list gives you starting points for your planning & research.

Start an emergency binder - print off checklists, instructions, resource lists...and get copies of important documents, account numbers, contact addresses/phone numbers.

Finally, keep a little notebook or journal and write down what you did each day. It helps to see the progress you're making, especially since prepareness covers such a huge spectrum of needs. Each baby step is one more thing you have/did/learned towards protecting yourself & your loved ones....each step COUNTS!

If you start feeling overwhelmed, step away from the keyboard! Continue with your daily baby steps, but try not to dwell on things! Enjoy life!

[Hovannes]

God tips!