Post Apocalypse - what could you *not* live without?

I'm already experiencing the apocalypse... I recently had to move across country and in this area they don't have the kind of mexican food that I love... it sounds ridiculous but most places in the world have nothing quite like it.

I have heard the exact same from other people from that area too when they have to move away. Maybe they put coca leaves in it or something.. lol

reply to post by CIAGypsy


ouch that's a good one. Well in all honesty it's gonna be post apocalyse you'd better be preparing very seriously for the afterlife so I'd say a bible. good to have something to read at least

Most grocery and supply stores would be cleaned out in the first three days. Like most people, not being an outdoorsman or survivalist, I would want food, clean water and shelter. What would an outdoorsman/survivalist do anyway? Be a squatter on someone else's property.

If I had all the essentials of survival and those I care about safely with me the thing I would miss most would be a guitar. I could probably live without it but even if one of my acoustics survived I would miss the overdrive, multi effects, etc of an electric.

Electricity in general, would be pretty hard to come by. Just so many things are lost without it. Even most preppers would be hard-pressed to have a truly permanent solution for that problem at their home base....or at least would have a LOT less wattage to do things with.

So, all the things electricity gives us...that'd be hard to live without....(refrigeration, air conditioning, laundry machines, electric ovens, etc.) That's what would be hard to live without.

The biggest most important one though, is going to be prescription drugs, for those who take them. The scarcity of those is going to be horrible for those who need them.

We would find ways to survive without any 'thing', regardless of how much we'd miss it.

There are a lot of things we would/will find jarring to do without:

-Mass produced, durable footwear.


Sure, there'll be shoes in the stores that aren't looted for a while; but once the boats stop coming from China, and the trains quit running from the coast, there'll be no more shoes. Yes, you'll quickly learn to rig up your own moccasins. I have done it before. But without vibram soles, and super-strong nylon/dacron threads, stitches quickly pull through their holes, or fray through in a week or so.

It will seem like you are constantly 'doctoring' your footgear. I mean you'll be spending an hour or more per week out of your demanding post-apocalyptic schedule, sewing an old tire tread onto your old suede jacket with a piece of copper wire, trying to reduce your corns and blisters.


-Glycerin soaps.
We make our own soap. If you don't have glycerin from the pharmacy or health store, you're going to be using a mix of lye with some pig fat, probably. I hope you like the smell of bacon.

Barnes and Noble...

Hot showers...

Hadn't even thought about qtips...yeah, I'd miss those a lot.

Y'know? There's not a whole lot else I'd miss that I can't mostly replicate myself with a little effort. Though medical care would certainly be a concern...but taking care of ones self, and preventive care would alleviate much of that concern...

My family and friends are about the only thing I'd add to the list.

So...

Family/friends.
Q-tips.
Hot Showers.

My priorities are set, not to mention simple.

Originally posted by zonetripper2065
Ice cold coca cola...but Nuka Cola would suffice. I'd just need to make it ice cold some how.

I remember watching some post-apocalypse movie a while back where a guy and his son found a single can of Coke in a machine that hadn't had power in years. Have you ever had "aged," warm Coke???

But ice...yes, ice was definitely on my list. Tom Hanks had it right on in Castaway.

Originally posted by eManym
Most grocery and supply stores would be cleaned out in the first three days. Like most people, not being an outdoorsman or survivalist, I would want food, clean water and shelter. What would an outdoorsman/survivalist do anyway? Be a squatter on someone else's property.

Oh yeah....firearms and ammo would become premium items... Look at the Book of Eli or the show Revolution. Those who have guns are usually the ones in charge.

I truly could not live without my family or my gardens. Without them I would be just another refugee floating through the woods. Many other "things" have a substitute, or are really not necessary.

I would miss coffee and chocolate the most I think, followed closely by hot showers and TP. Q-tips would also be hard to replace, I would probably try to rig something up though, like cotton grass on a stick.

Some replacements for items already listed are: clove oil to kill tooth pain, oregano oil as antibiotic (as well as the colloidal silver someone mentioned), chicory, dandelion and even roasted Iris seeds for coffee ( I haven't tried any but chicory & it's close but not enough) goats milk makes an excellent ricotta cheese. There are also free plans available to build a wood fired hot tub, it's not the same as a shower, but it would at least be hot.

Footwear would also be tough to replace, though the skills to do so exist. Knowledge can fix a lot of discrepancies in any situation. You only have to seek it out in the first place.

Synthroid. The drug I take every day to keep me going now that they've killed off my malfunctioning thyroid. I'm not sure what I'd do or what would happen to me. Nothing good.

Beyond that my MP3 player and Kindle would be sorely missed.

So far I've noticed how often Q-tips have been mentioned, being British I had to Google the term to find out what on earth they were

I was surprised to find out they're just 'cotton buds' as we call them here in the UK. The only person I know uses these are my step-father, he's always gouging his ears out with these things.. So are they useful for anything else then? Just interested...

A decent pair of socks.

reply to post by TXTriker


You made me chuckle here...Poison Ivy and Oak are very easy to spot. Leaves in groupings of 3...and very shiny
. If you KNOW you have made contact with it, you can use other things to remove the oils, but you need to do so quickly.

Backpackers often use smooth small rocks as tp in the high country. Some swear by the practice. Think for a minute...most people don't know how to bury TP, leaving traces of it- and themselves in the area. If you are trying to avoid others, TP would be an easy way to spot you. Just offering an opinion. I've heard of pine cones being used also, but just remember, they only go "one way".

A comfortable bed and a shower, toilet paper, and internet access. Not forgetting the toilet paper.

Moved into a farmhouse that my parent's had bought. It didn't even have a shower, just a rusty bathtub in the basement with cold water, and an itty-bitty toilet-room inside the kitchen. My bed was an old sofa - ended up sleeping in all sorts of funny positions just to be able to sleep level. The only internet was a dial-up account via AOL that only worked when the weather was good.

Porn!? I think the real question is do you want to live in a world that has fallen to pieces. Raising a child in a world where a simple infection can kill them does not sound to appealing. Finding the will to live after losing so much would be the hard part for most i think..

reply to post by CIAGypsy


I drank a hot few year old crystal pepsi once.

Originally posted by SweetKarma
reply to post by TXTriker

 

You made me chuckle here...Poison Ivy and Oak are very easy to spot. Leaves in groupings of 3...and very shiny
. If you KNOW you have made contact with it, you can use other things to remove the oils, but you need to do so quickly.

Backpackers often use smooth small rocks as tp in the high country. Some swear by the practice. Think for a minute...most people don't know how to bury TP, leaving traces of it- and themselves in the area. If you are trying to avoid others, TP would be an easy way to spot you. Just offering an opinion. I've heard of pine cones being used also, but just remember, they only go "one way".

It was strictly meant for a chuckle. Hope newbies in the woods don't need an arrow painted on the pine cone.

I do know what the Poison ones look like. Got into it numerous times as a kid. Once I couldn't even wear shoes for a couple weeks. Seems to affect me a little more severely every time.

Originally posted by Malynn
Synthroid. The drug I take every day to keep me going now that they've killed off my malfunctioning thyroid. I'm not sure what I'd do or what would happen to me. Nothing good.

Beyond that my MP3 player and Kindle would be sorely missed.

I too take Synthroid and for the same reason. Since we've had some employment issues over the last 3 to 4 years I've learned that I can skip several days doses without a problem. Not sure what would happen if I didn't have it all. I do have a friend that is supposed to take it and doesn't. The only problem that is visible for her is weight gain. Otherwise she seems to function just fine. I think that would be the first thing I would loot. I don't think most people looting the pharmacy would take it since it has no "pleasant" effect.

I don't think I could live without my friends and family.

After that, my beer.