Without gasoline... * How would you get food? * How would you get to medical care? * How would you get to work? * How would you get items to maintain your home and household?
Well, I don't use gasoline (or petrol, since I'm in England) now as I don't drive. I have never been able to afford it. I know I won't run out, I guess ;)
However, I am not immune to problems with fuel supply. I live in a city. My local food stores get their stock delivered by truck; so does the pharmacist if I need medication. My doctor takes the train to work I think, but I'm not entirely sure. For that matter, most agricultural produce these days involves machines that run on petrol, so a permanent problem with fuel supply will mean food problems too; there will be less of it and it will be more expensive.
I take the train to work, but my job is teaching piano. I suspect that if people were having difficulty putting food on the table, having Little Johnny take piano lessons would be a low priority, so I'd have to find other work. I'm also currently in full-time education; I can walk to that, but many of my lecturers and other staff do drive. I have another job, answering questions online for a text message service, but again I forsee that demand for that particular service would dwindle when people are struggling to buy enough food to eat.
Items to maintain my home and household are basically in the same category as food - if the petrol-based transport network crashes, they will be harder to get.
Things I can do: -ride a bicycle - this increases my self-powered range quite a bit. It also means I may be able to get out of the city in case of civil disorder (cars don't really stand a chance here). -grow some of my own food -forage in local parks -stockpile things that might be handy for trade (chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes perhaps), and things that are cheap now but may become much harder to find later (this is harder, but having some food put by is a good start, and buying good hand tools I can maintain myself is always going to be a good investment).
I do all of these things except buying the cigarettes. I'd like to improve my stockpiles of chocolate and alcohol significantly.
I'm in pretty good shape in a help-we've-run-out-of-fuel-for-a-few-weeks scenario, because in that situation the public transport would probably keep working (though it would be more crowded), and I'm unlikely to run out of food. Longer-term, I'm not so good. I have medical issues which require medication, I don't own any land so if I'm evicted I have nowhere to grow food (or prepare or store foraged foods; and most foraged food requires at least a good wash and is only in season for a few weeks), and the main skills I use to earn money now are things that will be useless in a less indulgent economic climate. I am trying to learn more skills, but it does take time and effort.
Gasoline is one issue, but electricity concerns me even more.
My family would be in bad shape if the electric grid went down. Our only heat source is a propane furnace, and that won't work without the electric blower fan. No fireplace in the house. No way to cook without electricity.
That is probably why one of my goals in the next few weeks is to purchase and have installed a home sized electric generator that can run on propane. At least we'll be able to go a month or two if the electric grid starts acting up.
* How would you get food?
* How would you get to medical care?
* How would you get to work?
* How would you get items to maintain your home and household?
Well, I don't use gasoline (or petrol, since I'm in England) now as I don't drive. I have never been able to afford it. I know I won't run out, I guess ;)
However, I am not immune to problems with fuel supply. I live in a city. My local food stores get their stock delivered by truck; so does the pharmacist if I need medication. My doctor takes the train to work I think, but I'm not entirely sure. For that matter, most agricultural produce these days involves machines that run on petrol, so a permanent problem with fuel supply will mean food problems too; there will be less of it and it will be more expensive.
I take the train to work, but my job is teaching piano. I suspect that if people were having difficulty putting food on the table, having Little Johnny take piano lessons would be a low priority, so I'd have to find other work. I'm also currently in full-time education; I can walk to that, but many of my lecturers and other staff do drive. I have another job, answering questions online for a text message service, but again I forsee that demand for that particular service would dwindle when people are struggling to buy enough food to eat.
Items to maintain my home and household are basically in the same category as food - if the petrol-based transport network crashes, they will be harder to get.
Things I can do:
-ride a bicycle - this increases my self-powered range quite a bit. It also means I may be able to get out of the city in case of civil disorder (cars don't really stand a chance here).
-grow some of my own food
-forage in local parks
-stockpile things that might be handy for trade (chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes perhaps), and things that are cheap now but may become much harder to find later (this is harder, but having some food put by is a good start, and buying good hand tools I can maintain myself is always going to be a good investment).
I do all of these things except buying the cigarettes. I'd like to improve my stockpiles of chocolate and alcohol significantly.
I'm in pretty good shape in a help-we've-run-out-of-fuel-for-a-few-weeks scenario, because in that situation the public transport would probably keep working (though it would be more crowded), and I'm unlikely to run out of food. Longer-term, I'm not so good. I have medical issues which require medication, I don't own any land so if I'm evicted I have nowhere to grow food (or prepare or store foraged foods; and most foraged food requires at least a good wash and is only in season for a few weeks), and the main skills I use to earn money now are things that will be useless in a less indulgent economic climate. I am trying to learn more skills, but it does take time and effort.
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My family would be in bad shape if the electric grid went down. Our only heat source is a propane furnace, and that won't work without the electric blower fan. No fireplace in the house. No way to cook without electricity.
That is probably why one of my goals in the next few weeks is to purchase and have installed a home sized electric generator that can run on propane. At least we'll be able to go a month or two if the electric grid starts acting up.
Reply
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