DIY

When exciting times come there will be no one to call to come fix your plumbing, or vehicle, or roof, or build your fence, or add an addition to the house, or… You are going to have to do it yourself or go without. That could result in mild inconvenience or something much worse. Just as with darn near everything else I blog about, you can prepare in this area too. All you have to do is start doing some things yourself.

The reasons I hear (because I ask) for people not DIYing are: “I don’t have time”, “I don’t know how”, “I want it done right”. That’s from folks who would even consider stepping out on their own. Most Americans are consumers and I think we get some perverse satisfaction out of spending money. Granted, it will take you longer to do it yourself than letting a “pro” do it. I consider that time an investment in your preparedness education. And you’ll save money! You can learn how to do almost anything by conducting research via the internet and there are wonderful books out there also. If you think it out and follow through – you will do okay. Chances are good however that you will “mess something up”. This is actually a golden nugget of opportunity for it will force you to think your way through the problem and improvise. The “pros” do this all the time. The more you do this, the more you actually learn. Now, this is not carte blanche to start some project with no prior study or planning – that would be silly. Just don’t sweat it when you have to adjust something.

If one is of slightly above-average intelligence (and the fact you are reading this testifies to that) there is very little you cannot learn to do. As I said above, someday you may have to fend for yourself – and there may be no Internet or library. Best get started.

As you research and then work on things, you will discover that you need tools. If it’s a tool you will probably need to use several times again in the future – buy one. Buy a decent one. If it’s a tool you probably won’t use a whole lot down the road (my neighbor’s gas powered post hole digger comes to mind) then try to borrow one. You will probably end up with excess material from your projects – this could be as good as gold later on when the world falls apart. If it falls apart. If it doesn’t – well, your shed will start looking like mine – full!

In the past few years I have been forcing myself (and my wife) to DIY. I have started working on my vehicles. We have put up fencing (barbed, picket, chicken wire, and panels). We have gardened. We have added on to our barn. And dug a well by hand. And cleared woods, and fixed the tractor, and built a chicken coop and installed flooring and drywall and shelves and given IVs to goats and removed stitches and… the list goes on. Whenever a friend or neighbor is doing a project I offer to pitch in a bit. First it’s just neighborly. Secondly – I can learn on their project! But if, in the future, I need to get stuff like this done – I’ll be able to because I took the time to research it now while I could; I took the time to do it when mistakes would not be too terribly costly and I now have a good bit of experience.

I’ll say it again – it’s like going to school for preparedness.
I’ll see ya at the hardware store…or the lumber yard…or the co-op…or the vet supply store…or the car parts store…

.................................................................................
If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.
If they really interest me, I may even post them.
You can reach me at vikingservices@hotmail.com

Prepared Americans for a Strong America