[Opinion] 5 Rules for PO Prep.

patrick_b · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 11, 2007 Posts: 47

I don't think the number of rules are important, but here are mine.

1) Avoid debts, specially debts on things that loose value due to peak oil. If you have a debt on your car, sell it rapidly while it has value and if you really need a car buy an inexpensive (10 years old), reliable, fuel efficient and manual one. Only small, 4 seaters, fuel efficient cars will have some value after the peak. SUVs and sport cars are expensive and will be the first kind of vehicules to become totally worthless. Manuals need less maintenance, are easier to repair, more fuel efficient and harder to drive (so less likely to be stolen, specially in the US Smile

). With the money saved by this car swap, pay back eventual other debts, specially credit cards and high interest debts.

2) Locate in a small city. (3000 to 30000 inhabitants). Big cities will be a nightmare because of blackouts, high crime rate, police/military brutality and massive unemployment. Big cities are also the most likely target of mass bombing and (nuclear) war. I also think that survivalism is a very bad idea and unlikely to be sustainable beyond a few weeks. It's illusory to think that anyone can survive in the long run alone.
In a small city, there is everything that is needed.
2.1) Not far from a food source, since fields are typically outside of small cities.
2.2) Community, possibilities of exchange with neighbours. Someone can make clothes, the other shoes, the other bread, someone can repair a water system...
2.3) In a small city, trade can work directly using tangible goods instead of money, which is very important in case of hyperinflation or deflation. (There may be also a local money system introduced by the local authorities)
2.4) The pressure of the community makes people behave. In big cities, noone knows anyone so people are not afraid to commit crimes and loot (Think about the black outs and lootings in Los Angeles or the recent events in New Orleans). Lone survivalists are likely to be trigger-happy paranoids thus noone will trust them. A small city seem to provide the right compromise and is likely to be a decent place to live with a working local economy even if it's completely cut off the rest of the world.
2.5) In a small city everything and everyone can be reached by walking or biking. A farmer could easily sell his production to people in the city instead of Wal-Mart.
2.6) A small city can provide a place where the economy works based on trust instead of the threat of law enforcement. It means that the economy will continue to work even without attorneys, judges, policemen, foreclosures, etc... Someone who defrauds other people will loose their trust and be excluded... Integration in a small/medium community is the key to survival.

3) A rule that has not been cited in this thread but is very important IMHO during a time of decline: Learn to repair and reuse things and stop throwing away. Most people are not able to repair the simplest appliances and items and throw everything away. People who know how to repair things will be a valuable person and will much more easily get other things in return. The flow of cheap chinese clothes will probably be interrupted rapidly in case of a crisis, typically by protectionist measures, hyperinflation, (trade) wars, etc... Someone able to repair schoes, clothes and eventually make them will be valuable. Someone able to make things work by taking parts of cars will be valuable. Someone able to make bread will be valuable. Someone who knows how to repair bikes will be useful. It doesn't matter what you do but you must know how to work with your hands. Paper-shuffling-office-workers will be the worst off because their skills will be the least useful.

4) Don't trust the govnerment, big corporations or religious leaders - solutions will come from inventive small companies, individuals and communities. In a time of crisis the govnerments, specially imperial ones, tend to be much more brutal in order to ensure its power and income allegedly to ensure order and enforce laws. (But don't count on laws to be enforced) Big companies collude with the govnerment and in time of crisis and become the economic part of the govt. There will be mass layoffs at the worst times, except perhaps in the weaponry industry... So the best is to work in a small local company that makes something useful even if no oil and no electricity is available.

5) Avoid violence. Let the stupid people kill each other and don't take part in it, stay neutral. Don't attach to much importance to your properties. Looting will happen and it's much better to loose objects than your life. What really counts is your skills, specially your skills to do manual work and solution-oriented and practice-oriented intellectual work.

6) When a crisis unfolds, help your neighbours and relatives. Make them small services, help them, repair one of their objects, exchange some things with them. There is nothing better to be integrated in the community and to obtain a job from someone at a time where lots of people could have lost theirs. Show that you're a useful, dependable person and people will come to you. A small service given a the beginning of the crisis can generate very important returns later, not necessarily in the sense of goods, but in the sense of a service, a useful information, etc... Helping others should be seen from an egoist point of view as an investment.

Pops · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

Thanks Pat, good ideas and I hope more new folks will chime in – we need fresh thoughts.

I think thuja is right on to a point - lIke they said in my day:

Life is like a sh!t sandwich: the more bread you have, the less sh!t you have to eat.

Of course that depends on where you get your wheat and how many sacks of beans are in your larder to get you through till the next job comes along…
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Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5431 Location: Oklahoma

Posts discussing jobs split by me to preserve integrity of this excellent thread (which I was responsible for derailing Embarassed

). That discussion may be found here.
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thuja · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 1:58 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

Thanks Shannymara and sorry Pops- yes very good thread...no more hijacking here.

Judgie · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 5:04 am Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

I won't bother putting down my 5, since they've already been covered in here 20+ times.

I have one to add though:

Learn the lay of the land, water resources, orchards, back roads, the whole kit and caboodle in your local area, and up to and beyond a 70km radius of that area if necessary and possible. Get maps, LAMINATE THEM, and if you can take them with you, do so. If you need to bug out, it will help to know the routes that will allow you to get the hell out of dodge while avoiding populated areas, that is, the pissed off-starving masses who will take anything they can get.

Pops · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:55 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

I really thought there would be some different ideas than what has been posted on this Forum - to the Nth degree, by folks who post here a lot.

Maybe no one even looks at this forum that isn’t some type of Back-to-the-Land’er, Bunkerite, Energy Fairy Groupie or Transitionalist.

Better put up yer ideas before this thread goes down to the depths of Planning Hell - along with your good idea….
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Madpaddy · Expert Joined: Jun 25, 2004 Posts: 2085

Is this what you were looking for.

1. Remortgage your house up to 100% of the value and top it up with as many personal unsecured loans you can.

2. Spend 20% of your borrowed money snorting coke with hookers in Vegas.

3. Go to your place of work, photocopy your ass and send it to everyone in the office and an original signed copy to your boss. (take care not to rest your ass on the copy machine to avoid getting splinters in your rectum).

4. Write letters to every newspaper, journal and politician in your state telling them how you know that you are the one true god.

5. Go to Cuba or Venezuela with the 80% of money left over and buy a large land holding complete with servants and it's own oil well. Swear allegiance to the incumbent dictator.
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Pops · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:13 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

Pops · Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

BTW, can I save that for prosperity as your 1,500th post?
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Hawkcreek · Expert Joined: Aug 15, 2004 Posts: 967

Madpaddy · Expert Joined: Jun 25, 2004 Posts: 2085

Pops,

Feel free to use any of my insightful and frequently witty posts. I hope that at least 10% of them have been useful but I admit that many have been base, discriminatory, rude, unhelpful and downright unfunny.

You win some, you lose some.

Actually, I would give my alternative 5 rules for PO preparation some thought.
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IslandCrow · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 5:47 am Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

As with the pirates' code the following are more guidelines than rules, and reflect how I have tried to prepare for PO. Note my planning has been for a 'slow slide' not a major collapse happening quickly (say within a one to two month period).

1. Reduce direct oil use
1.1 Ignore anything ever written about Jevon's paradox

2. Build community

3. Reduce likelihood of future expenses
3.1 Food will become more expensive, so start growing your own
3.2 All energy will become expensive, so conserve as much as possible
3.3 Debt means giving money to others, so get out of debt
3.4 Buy long lasting tools and equipment, you may not be able to afford them in the future

4. Locate to where you have a reasonable chance for the basics of life considering:
4.1 Food, either grow your own, or an area with farms around, or where you are reasonably sure supplies will continue (ie. old market towns)
4.2 Water, near a stream or lake, or sink a well, or harvest rain water
4.3 Shelter and heat (if in a cold location) and the ability to cook food.
4.4 Waste disposal. (Remember in refugee camps this is one of the major problems contributing to spread of disease)

5. Work out plans to keep job/source of income as long as possible.
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We should teach our children the 4-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice.

Chuck · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:43 am Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation

OK, I will tiptoe in the water and expect to be ridiculed.... here it comes;

1. Do not pay of your debt (esp. if it is a relatively low interest fixed mortgage) and invest in a crash proof asset like silver. If we get into a hyper inflationary situation (very likely imo) your debt will evaporate and your silver will go sky high. Did you know that we are at peak silver, peak gold, peak almost everything (look at wheat prices)? And yes, silver is money. But of course most people prefer federal reserve notes/euro's or whatever. As long as it is paper backed by nothing.
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Pops · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: 5 Rules for PO Preperation