What if any signs are you seeing going on around you, that would confirm your beliefs for emergency prepardness...? If none, and you come here for self sufficiency only,( which is a good thing) you need not reply to this thread.This thread is for those who see what happening and are preparing accordingly for emergencies.One sign i've seen in my surrounding area are more people, taking control of there food supply.Not because they want to be more self sufficient, but because they are afraid of and don't like what they see going on, there is a difference...
Reading The Signs, Awareness Around You..
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Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
I do a little of both. Trying to take control of our food supply, because Australia has suffered quite a lot of damage to it's crops over the last months. First I think it was a large percentage of the wheat crop (if not all of it) due to untimely weather. Someone poisoned the irrigation systems for many fields of produce (namely tomatoes, but I think others were involved). Cyclone Yasi, wiping out the banana groves and sugar cane in Queensland. A regular bunch of bananas which, at .79 cents a pound in CA, are like, 15-20 bucks per kilo (approximately two pounds) here now. My FIL says potatoes are going up in price as well. Garlic here is very expensive, unless you buy the stuff from China, and who wants that? It's been a tough year for Aussie farming industry, and food prices are high.
Fortunately though, the loss of life during the recent local natural disasters was extremely low, maybe a couple of people (and ironically, the deaths were made up by at least three births!), and Australia is handling the damages well. Totally not like the aftermath of Katrina, which, from what I understand, is still looking terrible.
Which is why I have been focusing so much on trying to find and utilize garden space. I got a late start, so the first year is going to be kind of pricey, since we'll have to buy supplement veggies, but next year I'm hoping to make it an entirely different story. Once I can provide most of our own veggies, buying the occassional bunch of bananas won't bite so hard (even though I can do without them, and it's mostly hubby who eats them now).
I also have started bottling my own foods (spaghetti sauce, chutney, rosehip jam, and soon to be, regular tomato sauce, or possibly diced tomatoes). It's a start, but it's an important beginning, and hopefully helps to cut down on spending in the long run.
Fortunately though, the loss of life during the recent local natural disasters was extremely low, maybe a couple of people (and ironically, the deaths were made up by at least three births!), and Australia is handling the damages well. Totally not like the aftermath of Katrina, which, from what I understand, is still looking terrible.
Which is why I have been focusing so much on trying to find and utilize garden space. I got a late start, so the first year is going to be kind of pricey, since we'll have to buy supplement veggies, but next year I'm hoping to make it an entirely different story. Once I can provide most of our own veggies, buying the occassional bunch of bananas won't bite so hard (even though I can do without them, and it's mostly hubby who eats them now).
I also have started bottling my own foods (spaghetti sauce, chutney, rosehip jam, and soon to be, regular tomato sauce, or possibly diced tomatoes). It's a start, but it's an important beginning, and hopefully helps to cut down on spending in the long run.
Wifezilla
Low-Carb Queen - RIP: 1963-2021
Holy Guacamole!
POISONING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS?!?!?!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...able-prices-to-rise-after-mass-poisoning.html
POISONING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS?!?!?!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...able-prices-to-rise-after-mass-poisoning.html
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
I prepare for emergencies. Because emergencies always happen. And it is the nature of emergencies that you can't always predict when or what kind.
Sort of a generic feature of life, no matter when or where you live, seems to me.
Pat
Sort of a generic feature of life, no matter when or where you live, seems to me.
Pat
FarmerChick
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I see signs of financial distress around my area.
Word of mouth at people are out of work, laid off and all that. In the store I see less stuff in carts. People with coupons in hand. At the pumps those who would fill up are getting 'only' $40 in the tank.....that kind of thing.
I don't really see anyone preparing for 'anything' other than financial distress and being way more worried where and how their dollar is being spent.
Around here gardens are everywhere anyway...being country everyone gardens to some extent. Everyone preserves and cans their harvest etc. Everyone hunts for meat on the plate (well alot do...at least the type I know and hunting is huge in my area along with fish fry nights.)
So I guess it is an economy disaster basically. The paycheck does not go as far and hopefully those that have jobs will keep them!
Word of mouth at people are out of work, laid off and all that. In the store I see less stuff in carts. People with coupons in hand. At the pumps those who would fill up are getting 'only' $40 in the tank.....that kind of thing.
I don't really see anyone preparing for 'anything' other than financial distress and being way more worried where and how their dollar is being spent.
Around here gardens are everywhere anyway...being country everyone gardens to some extent. Everyone preserves and cans their harvest etc. Everyone hunts for meat on the plate (well alot do...at least the type I know and hunting is huge in my area along with fish fry nights.)
So I guess it is an economy disaster basically. The paycheck does not go as far and hopefully those that have jobs will keep them!
chickenone
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Sometimes times are good, sometimes they are bad. This has been going on forever. There is nothing new "going on". It is a cycle.
Neko-chan
Lovin' The Homestead
Aye, that's the one. I didn't know it had happen a few times before though. :O No wonder so many people I know here are gardening.Wifezilla said:
FarmerChick
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I agree with this because regardless of 'what our times are now' they happened before to some extent.chickenone said:
chickenone
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I mean, it's never fun being in a down cycle; but keep in mind that what goes down, comes up. It always has.FarmerChick said:
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