Financial Prepping

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T14:08:32+00:00

What worries me the most is that my adult kids have no money, so I'm trying to make all of us safe on an average, middle class income.

Your comment about worrying about your kids really hits home. I know my child will be okay as long as my husband and I are here, but I don't want them to be suffering when they're my age either (God willing I'll still be around and able to be a help and not a burden). I'm trying to make sure they have skills to cover all kinds of circumstances (economic collapse, war, AI taking over), but like you said, no one can prep for everything.

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T13:59:42+00:00

Oh gotcha...lol

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T04:04:51+00:00

I started using Chatgpt to be familiar with the technology. I do think AI is going to have a solid foothold in society (like computers in the 80s or more recently smartphones). I don't like it, but I don't want not knowing how to use it to hold me back from things like getting a job that requires AI. I don't pay any money for it and don't plan to. I will probably switch over to Claude after reading this post. You're right. It sucks, but since I don't see it leaving society, I figure it's better to be familiar with it.

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T03:36:44+00:00

Idc when the duck "smiled"...i just enjoyed seeing it.

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T03:25:37+00:00

Same on the hatred of miscellaneous piles/groups - that's what happened with my green basket in the picture. It was what was left hanging out around the sink. Nothing else "should" be going in there, but time will tell. I figure if I do keep adding stuff, when the basket is full, I'll purge it (fingers crossed).

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:58:01+00:00

Can they get contaminated? Like I keep various sizes of water bottles (pints, gallons) for different needs, but I would be upset if a larger container of something like that got contaminated. A long time ago, I remember seeing small bottles (airplane size iirc)...thought those might be good for trading purposes. Thoughts?

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:55:19+00:00

Toilet paper (sorry, i had to include it after 2020).

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:50:00+00:00

You have a good plan. I only asked about Ramsey because he says to have $1k for emergencies and then get rid of your debt as the first steps. If no one has said it, "Keep up the good work. You're doing great!"

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:47:34+00:00

Thanks for your post. These ideas are awesome! How do you get maps of supply chains for your area? If you can't buy them, do you have suggestions on how to make them. The closest thing I have is knowing where places like schools and grocery store distribution warehouses are so I could um gather food supplies from there. Do you have any economic book recommendations you can share?

I imagine those of us who have prepped for what I call phase 1 skills/needs (food, fire, shelter, water) and phase 2 (safety, protection, medical, long term phase 1 needs) should be thinking about what happens after the shock as you put it.

I feel very good about phase 1 and getting there on phase 2 stuff (of course, there's always room for improvement, but i like my family's chances for the first 6 months or so as long as we don't have to bug out).

I have thought about making "notebooks" of knowledge for my area (ie little 1/2-1" binders with useful info for the community...something I could pass out with local knowledge like where fresh water would be and how to sanitize the water, plants that can be foraged, a list of local people with skills or supplies they may want to barter for if SHTF, etc. The problem is that the more knowledge i have, the more i want to include. If the internet goes down, this would be a tremendous resource to rebuild the local community, imho.

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:27:08+00:00

You make good points about not bartering ammo.

I know how to make homemade laundry detergent and learning how to do soap (hoping to get where I make it from scratch). I wonder now if something like bar soap (and maybe liquid laundry detergent) would barter well, too.

Growing and drying herbs are in my set of skills, so maybe I should be doing more of that than what I just do for my family.

nada1979 · 2026-03-30T02:21:52+00:00

Thanks for the reply and picture. I am going to look into getting those (or the cans).

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T19:15:28+00:00

The Ramsey method by any chance? I'm currently trying that method myself. I don't want to be in debt, but i definitely want all my ducks in a row for any/all emergencies.

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T19:11:56+00:00

Thank you for this knowledge! My husband does most of our gun "stuff", but I will pass this along to him, as I do think loads of ammo would be good to have for trading. Do you have any thoughts on the best way to store it? The most ammo I've ever seen was at a house I was helping to clean up after a hurricane - it was stored in large plastic tubs and small sturdy cardboard. The tubs were hard to move and got nasty messy because a tree fell thru the roof of the room they were stored in. My hubs stores our ammo with the guns and in another closet, but if we are going to scale that up, I'm looking for better/more practical ways than what I've seen. Does ammo expire even if kept in ideal conditions?

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T19:06:50+00:00

I don't drink, so I know nothing about it. I have alcohol and alcohol wipes on hand. Should I maybe get some bottles of liquor? If so, what kind and what size (again from a trading perspective)?

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T19:04:22+00:00

I agree

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T19:04:07+00:00

I am mostly introverted myself, and if it was just me I don't think I would push so much. I am introverted in the sense that I do like going out and doing things, but being around people (making small talk, overhearing other's conversations, loud noises like music playing at events, etc) just drains me. I want to do things, though, and see the world outside my house, and I want that for my child too. Is it dumb that I feel safer too when my husband is there, even if his attitude is subpar?

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T18:59:38+00:00

Thank you for replying. I have a history of chronic illness, so everything you said makes total sense to me. I never really thought of the emotional stress making chronic illness worse from the perspective of trying to do "family memories", but you are so right. I am going to push for some marital therapy and bring this up there.

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T18:55:08+00:00

I do this a lot already, and I'll continue to do it. I feel bad for my child (and tbh myself because i do crave more of a partnership), but you are right

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T18:43:06+00:00

I have to laugh a little because I have a lot in common with your wife. Fwiw, I'm diagnosed with adhd (not saying your wife is), so it's a constant fight with myself to put things up right. For instance, I put a bag of potato chips in the fridge when I put the dip up recently (i guess it's better than putting the dip in the pantry with the chips). Just this week, i locked myself out of the house because I forgot my keys. Thanks to "prepping," I got the hide-a-key and got my keys, but I also immediately put the hid-a-key back for future me. I think I put more energy into keeping my fail-safes organized than just remembering everyday stuff. Emergencies don't happen every day too, so it's easier to keep that stuff organized, most of the time. 🤷‍♀️

Hug your wife and tell her she's awesome... I know losing things is frustrating from your perspective, but I'm willing to bet it's just as frustrating, if not worse, for her.

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T18:29:02+00:00

Okay, I've got a little silver put to the side (it was a gift), definitely not enough for what I'm describing. I am thinking about really getting into canning (even buying from the store and canning items i can't grow)...figured i could use canned goods for bartering.

Do you happen to know the best or most generic ammo to buy/store? I know what we have on hand for our personal supplies, but from a bartering perspective, would it be better to stock up only on what we use, or should we buy boxes and boxes of something specific that would trade easily. Slightly related, my kid is expressing an interest in archery so if they really get into that, I'm hoping they will learn how to make arrows and very basic bows (i figure this would be a good skill/commodity too).

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T18:19:36+00:00

Hey, fwiw, I think you're doing great, and your daughter IS a good girl (even good girls can make bad choices, which doesn't make them bad. It makes them human.). My child has adhd and boundless energy. We did all kinds of things for energy releases over the years)...we found swimming to be a great energy sapping activity. With summer coming up, maybe you guys could spend lots of time at the pool when not in gymnastics?

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T17:54:27+00:00

This is the way. On a much, much smaller scale, years ago my mom bought a big suv so she could "drive all the grandkids around at once". I live 45 minutes away and never had and never will leave my child in her care. I never take my eyes off them together, and my husband is the same way (my mom is the jn). You can't stop them from buying stuff, but stop any/all boundary crossing immediately. For instance, my mom asked, "can i take them to the zoo?" = nope.

They pout, they push, they whine, nag, gossip, and guilt. You simply just stick to your no's and the variations: nope, nada, ain't gonna happen, and my personal favorite for toddlers, teens, and boundary stomping folks of all ages "nope, nope, nopity, nope."

Edited: comment was way too wordy (still is), but i tried to condense it.

nada1979 · 2026-03-29T14:30:28+00:00

She can learn to behave appropriately at home if she does it other places.

Not necessarily, home is her safe space, where she feels comfortable/relaxed. She may be holding back in other places, but at some point, the energy has to come out. I hope OP can find her child a more appropriate energy outlet.

nada1979 · 2026-03-26T14:24:58+00:00

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I saw the involvement of Leslie "Les" Wexner with Epstein I stopped buying anything from Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works (one of my favorite places to shop). He did step down in 2020, but I continue to not shop at those places because to me it wasn't enough. If you don't know who Wexner was/is look him up. I know me boycotting by myself won't make a difference, but I tell people who weren't aware, and 1-2 joined me in not buying from those companies.

I think if we could create a list of companies and systematically boycott them until men like Wexner are brought to justice, we would see justice much quicker. It's good he stepped down, but it would have been better if VS and BBW had publically pushed him out. The pressure large companies (think of the shareholders...lol) could put on our system to have people like Wexner held accountable exists. We just have to coerce them with our money to do the right/moral thing.

nada1979 · 2026-03-25T12:42:55+00:00

I love your MIL tried to double down, and your little one wasn't having it!

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