frugal survivalist digest 9 of 10

FRUGAL SURVIVALIST DIGEST VERSION 9

 

LIGHTING

Way back in the day when Tappan gave advice live ( as opposed to from the grave ) and the Evil Empire was thought to be ready to Push The Button at any time, off grid illumination blew rabid monkey balls.  You had a couple of choices, neither good.  You could stockpile fifty gallon metal drums of kerosene, mantels and lanterns, producing heat in the summer and carbon monoxide all the time.  Or you could jerry rig a Rube Goldburg windmill to charge a few batteries to run a 12v auto bulb for an anemic pathetic source of illumination for a short period of time.  And of course you remember those next to worthless flashlights of yesteryear that got minutes rather than hours of light, when the bulbs weren’t breaking.  Well, we never got flying cars or dinner in a pill, and certainly not the Magic Of The Atom For Un-metered Power, we at least got great off grid lighting and better battery powered everything. 

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I have clear memories of life before popularly disseminated computers and I think I much prefer Then, which would be wonderful if for no other reason than Bill Gates could kiss my ass.  But I would miss LED’s.  They are wonderful sources of illumination, using almost no electricity and costly less every year even as they increase in power ( Moore’s Law seems to still be alive and well in computers but much more noticeable in LED lights ).  Pre-Y2k I could only find them in bicycle lamps, they cost $35 and they used up a set of batteries in around ten hours or so ( if memory serves me, which it might not ).  It was still cheaper than a $1 flashlight using a regular bulb which I zip-tied to my bike to avoid the Florida constables harassing me.  Now, LED’s are everywhere, even replacing street lights.  They are offering LED tubes to replace fluorescents!  Obviously I haven’t lost my enthusing for them over twenty years. 

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If you are really poor, buy the $1 garden lights.  You know the ones, you stick the stake in the ground and the thing charges all day and gives off some light at night.  You put enough of them out and you can see burglars in your yard.  They are, however, usually an anemic 1 lumen.  Better than nothing.  Charge all day and bring in at night and you put them around so you can at least not trip over crap.  I find they last around two or three years-not too shabby.  Just buy spares.  If you ramp up in power you’ll need to buy a solar battery charger.  The small book size one costs around $25 and a bunch of rechargeable AA’s and AAA’s ( standardize to those two sizes.  Others are too expensive ) about the same.  Now you can buy more powerful flashlights and lanterns.  If you want the power but not the expense, Wal-Mart has brand name garden lights in a four pack, and they get 7 lumens.  $20 for the set. 

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Another option is the Tooblite.  Those are the rechargeable green sticks.  They last, literally, forever.  They are NOT illumination but rather light markers.  But you can read by one when fully charged.  Leaving in the sun and then using after doesn’t work except the first five minutes, so you need to recharge its light artificially.  I have some 600 lumen LED flashlights and if you hold them next to the Tube for ten seconds it is fully charged.  Just build a box to hold both so as not to ruin your night vision.  Now place the Tube under the line of text you are reading.  They aren’t necessary, having limited utility, but a nice additional toy. 

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BUGGING OUT OR STAYING PUT

Bugging out is stupid, but so is staying in place in a large population center.  I would strongly advise you downsizing where you live, regardless.  Less people means safety ( relatively speaking of course.  A Podunk town of 100 is just as dangerous if they turn on you ).  If you have to bug out you are doing something wrong, IF there are safer places you already should be.  Bugging out itself is fine, going from a small city or large town and arriving at your bug out location less than a day later.  Living in a smaller place NOW, is far better than living in the big city.  I don’t care who you are or how much money you have, big city living is bad. 

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I’ve been in your shoes-staying out of loyalty for family.  But notice how it is all on their terms?  They expect giving from you.  Would they consider leaving to still be close to you?  Of course not, that is why they are staying in the big city and are guilting you to stay also.  They dismiss your fears as groundless.  Since they don’t agree with your worries, by definition they can’t be legitimate.  Sound familiar?  As far as you are concerned, they are placing your life in danger with their expectations.  What happened to letting the hatchlings leave the nest?  I know there are other legitimate reasons.  In this economy, forget finding another job.  Right?  Have you noticed the economy getting better?  Not me-I’ve only noticed it devolving less quick, and now picking up the pace.  It will only be a matter of time before that job of yours is toast.  With an employer, again, the loyalty is all one way.  From you to them.  They will pink slip your ass in a heartbeat.  Move while you have the resources to do so, and take any job once there.

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Of course you don’t want to hear that-I imagine you thought for a mere grand your life would be middle class luxurious after the apocalypse?  Survivalism used to be serious business when nuclear holocausts were imminent.  Then it kind of lost its way, playing at Militia Porn, worried our power would go out, bleating painfully if any deprivations were in store for us.  Time to get serious again.  Time to Cowboy Up, yo!  Grow a pair and embrace The Suck, learning how to do without the Girly Man soft life.  John Wayne should be turning in his radioactive grave ( it is thought his cancer was from filming at location down wind from a test site ) right about now.

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