Toilet Paper and Beyond

On the weekends, I'm able to spend more time reading all of the blogs and sites I follow, and ran into a very interesting article on toilet paper.  I don't know about you, but the thought of being without TP is daunting.  I always have a good stock on hand, but let's face it, who has room for a year's supply of toilet paper, let alone a month's supply.  It takes up a lot of space.  Survival News Online has an interesting article on the topic.

I have actually given it some thought and I believe that a supply of wash cloths from the dollar store would be a good thing to have on hand, assuming you have a good water supply to wash them out with. 

There have been times in my life where an outhouse was the only place to go for that 20 minute read, and regular paper does work, once it's been "softened".  There's a trick to working the paper so that it doesn't rip, but nevertheless still be able to do the job without causing an injury, if you know what I mean.  You definitely need to practice this skill.  The first step is to crumple the paper and unfold it several times.  Then, using both hands, just start working it in circular motions.  I do not recommend using paper in a regular toilet, as there is no real way to soften it sufficiently to allow it to flush cleanly.

For the short term emergency, a bucket and plastic bags, and some sort of disinfectant can work for emergency sanitation.  For the longer term, a composting toilet seems like a good thing to have.  Heck, as an environmentally friendly technology, it seems like a good thing to have.

The Survivalist Blog Dot Net

If you don't already have a subscription to this fantastic blog, The Survivalist Blog Dot Net, I highly recommend it.  I find that I frequently go back and re-read his blogs because they are so full of intelligent comments that often give voice to nebulous thoughts I've had myself.

This morning, I re-read a post from October about minimalism, or not getting carried away.  He talks about not spending too much time and money on gear just for the sake of having gear.  Skills, and multi-purpose tools are more useful.  I particularly related to his having to clean out an overstuffed shed and just get rid of the excess because in practical terms, the money invested could better be used elsewhere.

I can relate to that.  I moved across the country from one end to the other, and I had to do some serious down-sizing, but it was ultimately worthwhile.  Sometimes your possessions start to own you, and they might even get in the way of surviving a serious situation.  How many people have died trying to save some possession from a burning building?  Was it really worth dying for?

Take care to think about what you are buying and why you are buying it.  Do you already have something that could fulfill the purpose of the thing you are thinking of buying?  If so, then maybe your money would be better spent elsewhere.

What Has Encouraged Me to Keep On with My Prepping

Sometimes, with hubby being such an ostrich, I feel pretty discouraged about carrying on with my food storage rotation.  I try to gently discuss preparedness with him, and my family, and encourage them to have a realistic viewpoint about future developments.  You probably do the same.  And maybe they think you are nuts for preparing for the worst.  What I have found with my family is that over time, I have seen quite a few of them start "prepping" without even consciously realizing that is what they are doing.  My favourite cousin and his wife just put together bug out bags, after years of him ribbing me.

When I heard about that, I had to give him a call, and I ribbed him about the bug out bags, of course (payback).  He told me that now that he had a family, he started worrying about things a lot more, and having a nice full pantry made him feel more secure that they would be able to manage if one of them lost his or her job, or their hours got cut back.  I asked him why he got the bug out bags, and he was kind of sheepish about that.  Apparently at his work, the boss had purchased "get home" bags for each of the employees, and so he took it home to show his wife. Well then, she wanted one too, and one thing lead to another.

It's nice to know I'm not the only nut out there on the preparedness tree!  And what a great boss my cousin has!  Seriously, I'm jealous...