Collapse now and avoid the rush

[MrsBobtonTrent]

I've been interested in catabolic collapse for a while and it makes a lot of sense for me. John Michael Greer writes about the concept of "collapse now and avoid the rush" as a way of being prepared to weather future uncertainty and decline. I like this idea and have tried to futureproof and de-complicate our lives to make things less of a shock should our lifestyles take a hit.

For example we have tried to live in places (and in ways) that mean our lives would be only minorly inconvenienced by the loss of a car (or inability to fuel it):- so living within easy walking distance of work, schools, shops, library etc. We use the freezer a lot for preserving food and we're trying to slowly learn and move towards ambient storage methods (bottling, drying, pickling) so that we would be less inconvenienced by power cuts (or the price of electricity to run a chest freezer). Both of these things are doable without madly drawing attention to ourselves as nutters, but will ease our lives in times of financial or other instability.

Does anyone else do similar and, if so, what are your ideas?

Built in resilience?

Gardening veg plot? Fruit trees and bushes?

Learning skills?

Hand cranked sewing machine and hand powered woodworking tools and kitchen equipment?

That sort of thing?

Maybe in part, but I think I'm coming at it from a different angle. Here's an excerpt from a longer piece on the subject.

"The way to avoid the rush is simple enough: figure out how you will be able to live after the next wave of crisis hits, and to the extent that you can, start living that way now. If you’re worried about the long-term prospects for your job—and you probably should be, no matter what you do for a living—now is the time to figure out how you will get by if the job goes away and you have to make do on much less money. For most people, that means getting out of debt, making sure the place you live costs you much less than you can afford, and picking up some practical skills that will allow you to meet some of your own needs and have opportunities for barter and informal employment. It can mean quite a bit more, depending on your situation, needs, and existing skills. It should certainly involve spending less money—and that money, once it isn’t needed to pay off any debts you have, can go to weatherizing your home and making other sensible preparations that will make life easier for you later on. "

So yes, maybe some of the things you've listed. But more choosing to avoid certain necessities (or arrange life so that they are disposable luxuries rather than essential) in preparation for them not being readily available for whatever reason (extreme price, scarcity, or simply not portable in the event of desired/compulsory evacuation).

That's a really interesting concept and not one I have seen much of on prepping forums etc. I think it is perhaps a direction I am unconsciously moving towards. I started prepping over 10 years ago and I think like most people who pick it up as a kind of hobby - it was very much focused on acquisition.... extra food, means to cook it, alternative light sources etc, etc. But I think as time has gone on I've moved away from prepping in a traditional sense and moved towards a new lifestyle which looks at 'voluntary simplicity' self-reliance and dialing back on living in a consumer economy. I have become much more interested in traditional self-sufficiency and what is now considered 'homesteading' along with sustainability and trying to tread more lightly on our planet.

To this end the changes in my lifestyle include, yes, growing as much of my own food as possible (still very small scale) although at this time of year I think I grow 25% of what we eat. I also use heirloom or heritage seeds so I can save my own seed for future use (on one of the gardening forums on MN I read the other day that seed shortage may be a thing next year???). We also plant fruits trees and bushes and always forage whatever the season as wild food id possibly the most nutrient dense you can have! So very much trying to live with the wheel of the year.

I have also been interested in the concept of 'neo-peasantry' - so moving towards how things were done in pre-industrial times. As @BlackeyedSusan mentioned - I buy mechanical hand tools for both garden and kitchen whenever possible. The last 2 days I have been processing 100s of apples from our fruit trees with a hand winding apple peeler and corer. Same goes for our apple press!
We do use a chest freezer but I also have a dehydrator (electrical though!) so have been making dried apple rings to store (as you mention) ambiantly.

I try and learn new crafts and skills... I have 20L of mead stored made last winter which should be ready by Christmas and I have just tried my hand at dipping my own candles which has worked really well.

I think I'm lucky in that I'm semi-retired and no kids - so I have time which is the most precious commodity of all.
It's a really interesting concept - I'll go back and read the whole linked article! Thanks!

Thanks for explaining it more.

Living within your means with additional buffer. (I do that as much as possible as I've had difficult times regularly) rare concept nowadays. Didn't used to be.

I think we lost this value in the 80s possibly. Possibly earlier post war.

My parents were brought up in the thirties and forties by parents born before or after the turn of the last century. (Late 1890s/early 1900s) My values are different. We saved for things. We lived within our means, we had savings as a buffer. We grew our own veg. Made do and mended, turned their hand to all sorts of tasks DIY related. Made own clothes etc.

I think this is what we have been doing. We are future proofing our house, just about to pay off the mortgage. We live in what I would call a 'Goldilocks' town. 40 mins from three major cities, airport within 30 mins - can get there by train. Drs, dentist and shops within walking distance. We have a productive allotment. Both DH and I can make things. I can cook from scratch. I have bought a wind up radio and light. Also water purification tablets.
We have some savings.

@PrimalScreaming That all sounds so good. Love the term neo-peasant. I much prefer hand tools - quieter and often more effective, plus they are easier to repair and cheaper to buy. We've been keeping an eye out for older tools in car boot sales, as these seem to be much better made than modern ones. But being able to use them is key - no point in having a large collection, but no skills. It is immensely satisfying to be able to make and repair things and to be able to help other people.

Good luck with your mead - I made a ton of it, but we don't really like it! I bought a bottle to see if I had failed, but it turns out that I just don't like it. Diluted like a spirit in tonic it is ok, but it's not really for us. We gave nearly all of it away, but I am definitely interested in another homebrew experiment. It's a winter project really. Booze is a real social lubricant and will always be barterable for things or goodwill.

@BlackeyedSusan Living below your means is a great expression. Creating a buffer is so valuable - not just because it creates monetary savings, but also because future downward changes in circumstances will be less of a shock. If you earn and spend £60k a year household income, a job loss or industry failure will hit you hard. If you have a £60k household income, but only live on £30k, then losing one income will have less of an effect on your lifestyle.

In an era of decline, having a planned "lower standard of living" will be less chaotic than a sudden lurch downwards.

@ColinRobinsonsFart Water purification tablets are always useful. We've put in a greywater system - so bathtub water and washing machine water are diverted into a tank which flushes our toilets. But I wonder whether we could clean grey or rain water sufficiently for household use. We collect a lot of rainwater for the garden, but there is always more rain here! I like to think of loops going around our home instead of straight lines coming in and then going straight out.

Congrats on nearly clearing the mortgage. We have done similar and it is wonderfully freeing.

I think the key with mead is to find an added flavour you like... I have wild blackberry mead, dandelion mead - and my personal favourite, spiced maple mead... using maple syrup as well as honey and lots of 'Christmassy' spices - cloves, cinnamon etc. Also makes great Christmas gifts without having to buy into all the Christmas consumer merry-go-round!

I'm going to try nettle beer next I think! I love the creating of 'something from nothing' (a few ingredients aside of course!)

I also use boot sales widely... I have found some lovely old kitchenalia in the past. I have a great old cast iron 'Spong' grater and slicer - hand cranked and in perfect working order for the grand sum of £4! I much prefer it to the Kenwood Chef food processor handed down by my mum.

There are some great books out there where people choose to simplify their lives and give up tech / live below their means etc.Marc Boyle's books are very interesting... 'The Moneyless Man' and 'The Way Home'

I'm loving this thread! I have been working on getting stuff out of my freezer and canning (aka bottling) or pressure canning it (in the case of low acid foods). I've been learning about foraging, planting fruit and nut trees, this week I picked 8lbs of blackberries and have processed them, some frozen, some into a preserve.

For my own enjoyment in prepping, my approach is to embrace the "old ways" really. I've got things in case the grid goes down, (e.g. a washboard and mangle, oil lanterns, lots of propane) but just overall trying in everyday life to reduce reliance on modern convenience, buy tools that are hand powered, I've have been trying out haybox cooking, washing smalls by hand, and really want to learn more non electricity ways of doing things, just in case.

The idea of pressure canning scares me a bit @ConspiracyTheory Too worried something might blow up!!
We make crab apple jelly most years but just sterilise the jars first and it seems to last years like that!
My latest investment has been in a hand operated grinder. I have a place I go to collect chestnuts every Autumn and being able to grind them into a usable state for all sorts of recipes... pancakes, nut roasts etc, will be great.

I'm also contemplating trying working with acorns again this year. I made acorn coffee after having been on a foraging course a few years ago and it was recommended. It was a VERY labour intensive process and the result was awful! Coffee is one thing I won't compromise on!! But I have been reading about making acorn flour and mixing it with ordinary flour. Still labour intensive but a more appropriate use for it I think!

While all these things are in themselves very small and often just a case of trial and error, some work, some don't, I do feel that combined they give me skills and a lack of fear about working with limited resources. Should I ever find that they are no longer something I can choose to do but are a necessity, I hope they would stand me in good stead!

@PrimalScreaming if you want to try small scale pressure canning, you can with the instant pot pro plus. You can fit about 4 x 500ml jars and it has a button for canning. I am never going to have the space for an enormous canner, or want to do the sort of volume that people buy the big stove top canners for. Caveat that this works when there are no issues with electricity.

Long term, skills are the most essential prep. All stores of food, water etc will run out, so can you grow more? Purify water without chemicals etc.

Hello. Can I ask what you're all prepping for? War, climate change? Another pandemic? What worries you?

A friend has bought a pressure canner thing. Probably more sensible than freezing as they spent a week without electricity the other year after a storm.

The birds have eaten everything and what they missed the slugs nibbled. I hope the farmers have had a better year.

When we moved house in 2002, part of our search criteria was to be on public transport routes and walking distance to good services. So there was a decent supermarket, library, bank, post office, dry cleaners and chipper all a 20 minute walk away, newsagent and post office 5 minutes another direction, and a town centre 25 minutes another direction.

While we currently have 2 cars, we have done long periods with only 1 and use public transport and our bikes a lot instead of the cars.

When Covid was threatening, I looked for shelf stable options so discovered oat and almond milks as alternatives for coffee, we still use those, so while we drink a lot of cows milk, we can switch.

I have been experimenting with semi drying tomatoes in the oven and jarring them in olive oil, when I get a glut. I tend to make jam or things like raspberry liqueur/ sloe gin with any excess fruit from the garden or foraging, along with some in the freezer, rather than freezing it all.

Apart from our mortgage (now paid off), the last loan we took out was when I left Uni to get me started (and paid off within a couple of months) - our cars have been bought with cash since before we got married, we have an emergency fund for gas boilers or washing machines going kaput, and holidays/gifts have always been paid for with cash or handmade (crafting for gifts - camping or self catering or using family homes for holidays when we had less money). We do still take some holidays involving flights and/or hotels, but only when it's affordable and not always even then as we like SC and the family house.

We buy hardwearing clothes and I repair those before buying new. I send my shoes to be reheeled/resoled. We do a lot of our own DIY and maintenance, and we pay professionals to keep on top of maintenance generally. I grow veg in the back garden - I had an allotment but it was too far away to be practical but I could make our garden more productive if needed. We've improved the energy efficiency of the house over the years with insulation, double glazing, solar panels, efficient boiler, wood burning stove as alternative heating etc. We live below our means - I still use coupons and stick to a grocery budget even though I could spend a lot more - we eat well, it's not a tiny frugal budget, I occasionally will get more expensive options, but I also want to have savings in case they are needed and so we can support ourselves in the future.

So we enjoy life now with the money we have and what's available, but keep an eye on the future both in how we do things now (future proof the house not just a nice new paint job, having 2 good electric bikes that we're comfortable using and knowing the public transport routes in case there's a problem with the car, living well but not ridiculously so we have emergency funds available...). And we also do our best to look after our health in general, stay (relatively!) fit and healthy, and get problems sorted sooner than later. Although we could always do better on that last point.

Pressure canning is safe - honest! It's a very controlled process, pressure canners have release valves (like pressure cookers). It allows you to preserve meat, chicken, carrots, greens, etc., in jars, which are shelf stable and keep for years!

I've canned venison mince, Swiss chard from my garden, okra and tomatoes, made apple pie filling from my apple trees, canned my glut of pears in a light syrup, carrots from my garden, made salsa and spaghetti sauce with my tomatoes, etc. (Some of that, the salsa and pasta sauce, were only "water bath" canned as they are high acid foods).

Jams and jellies are great and I make those as well, but the art of pressure canning is a huge part of prepping for me as it enables me to keep food out of the freezer (which is only as good as the electric supply).

Nothing singular worries me per se, but a few years ago, when I looked around and realised how topsy turvy everything is, environmentally, climate extremes, energy supply, looming wars, financial and government and social instability, pandemics that can affect the supply chain, I decided to put a plan in action for peace of mind.

At first I worked at covering the basics: clean water and the knowledge and ability to make water drinkable, having shelf stable food, future proofing the house, getting rid of debt, increasing my ability to grow and preserve food, a way to light and heat my home without electricity or gas.

Most of this is just enjoyable! I find living in a more resilient way is very satisfying - to be able to pick wild blackberries for free, for example, and preserve all that vitamin C, manganese, antioxidants in a compote or preserves for the winter with a bit of sugar, cinnamon and some hot jars, is so fulfilling.

I really like that word neo-peasant.

@menopausalmare my last response was in answer to your question of what people were prepping for

Catabolic collapse. So throughout history, civilzations have risen and fallen. I agree with the theory that we are currently in a decline and fall phase - probably connected with peak oil. The evidence is everywhere - society is fraying about the edges, our standard of living has declined compared to our parents, and our children's lives will be a bit harder than ours. It's not some apocalyptic max mad scenario, just a gradual decline. Something happens (a financial crash, a pandemic, a far off war) and life gets a bit shitter for a while. Things slowly get better, but never seem to reach the heights of before. Then another event heads us downhill again. Over the course of a century or so our current civilization declines, like a staircase going down. To cushion this decline for myself and my family (and others around me) I am taking steps to mitigate these steps downwards and make us less vulnerable. To expect the declines and plan ahead for them while resources are relatively abundant. To get used to living without certain things (a salary, reliable electricity supply, industrial healthcare etc. etc. ) so that I have the skills in place when/if these things fail.

I haven't done any pressure canning, but have bottled various things in syrup or brine. I make sure things are very clean, the jars and contents are very hot and that I get a good vacuum seal on the container. Anything without a strong seal I fridge and use first. I am intrigued by canning, but the gadgets are expensive and need electric, so I am little deterred.

I've had a lot of sucess with drying. DH wants to try smoking which might be fun.

I have noticed a lot more people picking blackberries this year - I have still managed to gather plenty as I have my hidden spots. Nice to see people doing it, even if it will eventually lead to more competition. The garden has been less than productive this year, but I have enough.

This sounds like 'live in a miserable way now so that if you have to live in a miserable way in the future you'll be used to it'. If there's some horrible disaster in the future and life is ruined as we know it then I want to look back and know I experienced and did as much as could when I could. I don't want to look back and have spent my time pickling yams in preparation.

I think the thing is @Beth216, what is miserable for some is very satisfying for others. I love spending time in nature forging, I love trying new skills and I get great self-satisfaction from doing thing by and for myself.
I don't wear sackcloth and eat gruel... I eat a hugely varied diet which includes foraged foods as well as the odd treat from M&S! It's about balance for me. And it's about taking from the earth, using what is provided for us - and then giving back. Personally that is why I feel we are here on this planet - to look after it... and it will look after us.

Very interesting thread! Interestingly I have bought an Instant Pot canner and have 4 jars of organic mince and onions cooling as we speak. I will do 4 more jars this evening, so that is 8 off grid meals I could rustle up with a jar of tomatoes and some pasta or rice.
We are gradually getting into bulk buying, so have bought grain and flour in bulk that we vacuum seal. I have an electric grinder and a hand cranked one too. I am trying to get to grips with sourdough (not always successfully). My DH would like a year of food/ provisions to mitigate price rises and shortages that potentially could happen.

It's really not miserable. I have a very nice life. I live in a lovely part of the country, in a decent sized home which is lovely and warm in the winter despite the rising cost of gas/electric (because we worked hard to make it really energy efficient) . We have a fairly fancy car, but ensured that we bought a house that was easily walkable to the things we need to access so that if we couldn't have a car our lives would carry on as before. I enjoy gardening and give over a good percentage of the space (about 35%ish) to low maintenance fruit and veg, but we have several areas to sit about in, plenty of space for the kids to play and lots of flowers. The skills I am learning mean that I could (if necessary) increase food production at home. We like cooking (and eating!) and learning different methods of processing and preserving food is an enjoyable (as well as useful!) hobby. A rootle about a car boot sale for quality hand tools is more enjoyable to me than clothes shopping, but I would imagine it gives a similar buzz if that is your thing. I keep bees which is a fascinating hobby and I enjoy handcrafts, especially things that stop me snacking in the evenings.

Friends in real life are often surprised by my collapse-aware stance, as outwardly my life does not look especially preppy or fringe and I don't talk about it unless someone brings the topic up. However not only is my life very pleasurable and enjoyable, but I have a feeling of calm that always stays with me whatever is going on in the outside world. Doing and learning gives me a sense of agency so that I am not passively shaken about by outside forces. This is real luxury.