Personal Peak Prep - Clothing & Skill Sets

This guest post is about the personal activities and preparations of someone who’s name you might recognize, but who wishes to remain nameless here. I’ve separated it into multiple posts based on topic.

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Clothing:

Like most Americans, we own way too many clothes, but preparing for
TEOTWAWKI requires a slightly different wardrobe, and here Army & Navy stores, farmer’s supply stores and ‘Good Will’ and other used clothing stores come in handy. When you can get woolen coats for $15, it is difficult to imagine why we’d need to pay $250. for the same high quality coat. Same for sweaters, pants, & shirts. Underwear, socks, shoes and boots we still buy new. I’m gonna knit my hats and mittens!

I also gave away 8 trashbags full of clothes to the same used clothing stores, because they just weren’t the types of things that I can imagine
wearing anymore. They weren’t warm, they weren’t durable, and they weren’t useful, but I’m sure someone else will think they are swell. I
sure think their stuff is.

Not drying stuff, also, I imagine, will help them to last longer.

Skill-sets:

In addition to the fishing, knitting, and canning we learned this year, I took up woodworking. I started the project by putting up wainscoting, shelving, bug-proofing and insulating a porch. There is a reason why they call them ‘power tools.’ I really did feel powerful using them, and I have not the slightest hesitation learning on the rechargeable battery-type tools. I’m fully aware it is for the short-term, but the skills I’m learning in how to attach things, nail things together, measuring things to fit, and just the confidence in DOING something with wood is fully worth the investment in time and temporarily useful equipment. If I have to run alternative energy for a few items, the
power tools will get recharged, the VitaMix blender will run, and maybe the blower on the wood furnace on the coldest days, and a few other things.

I also got a lesson on using a chainsaw and cutting down small trees, as well as learned to make apple cider from the apples that fell unwanted at a local school (we asked permission). It was a group project, and all of us chipped in on the grinding and churning. It was delicious! Afterward, we shared a pot-luck dinner.

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