Chilly and clear, then colder and colder until we all freeze to death. Or not. In any case, the forecast calls for more cold until the vortex hits, or the sun winks out, and it’s all because of global warming, or something. Not “winter” because that’s not climate… Yesterday started nice, but got pretty chilly in the afternoon. Colder after dark too.
I did some of my auction stuff. Then headed to my rent house to address the tenant’s issues. Cleared the slow bathroom drain. Found a hairball about 6 feet in. Looked at the security door not locking, and found that the house had shifted enough that the door frame was 1/2 inch out of square. There isn’t enough adjustment in the locking mechanism, so we’ll just wait for the house to shift back. The actual entry door still locks. Then I took a look at the clothes washer, which wasn’t agitating properly- mainly because the bolt holding it in place on the mechanism broke off and vanished. Unfortunately, after some more research, what is normally a straightforward and quick repair isn’t in this case. The bolt shaft seems to be still in the splined drive shaft, and that isn’t going to be quick or easy to fix. I don’t need a project either, so I’ll be shopping for another machine. Maybe one of the used appliance guys will give me some money for this one as all the other parts are still in good shape and worth money. It’s a Whirlpool and I am pretty sure we bought it used, so we got our money’s worth. I’ll swap it out soon enough.
Today I’ve got my non-prepping hobby meeting, then a couple of auction pickups, then I’ll be doing work around the house. I still have a couple of Christmas things up, and I need to properly store the stuff I took down already. As a point of reference, a nylon suit bag makes a pretty good storage bag for a medium sized artificial Christmas tree. Goodwill normally has them very cheap too. No need for a fancy-schmancy red tree storage bag… at least not for a $10 tree. It does look a bit more suspicious when you are carrying it.
On my way home from the rent house, I stopped in the Goodwill store in the Heights part of Houston. Nice tony area, with a younger, boho vibe… so the Goodwill gets some nice stuff. It’s worth a look when I’m in the area. I got lucky and picked up a pair of logger style Red Wing steel toe boots (4420), in my size, and in good shape with lots of wear left in them. All leather, with heavy rubber Vibram soles. Interior in great shape too. $15. Boots in similar size and condition are selling for around $100 on ebay, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, but I’ll probably rehab them and keep them. Good sturdy footwear is an essential prep, and real rubber soles are hard to find. It’d be better if they were vintage and made in the USA, but they will make a nice backup to my other pair of logger boots. They are VERY heavy. They’ll live at the BOL. Duplication solves the issue of what to keep where 😉
I know that buying used isn’t everyone’s cuppa, but consider… do you really want to have or wear something obviously brand new when the economy is collapsing around you? Or does being the grey man mean wearing stuff that looks like it’s well used and not marking you out as different from everyone else. Consider the money savings too. Saving money means more preps, and more of the other things you’d like to buy. Consider that it might be a ‘nice to have’ or a backup, or duplicate of your existing preps, and not high enough priority that it makes sense to spend the money for new. Or consider that the new versions might be inferior to the older versions in terms of materials or workmanship. A lot of old tools are built much better than new ones.
There are things that make sense to buy new. If the hassle of replacing it is large, then getting the longest lifetime of use makes sense, IF the new will last longer than old. Things like HVAC units, and other infrastructure fall into this category. If features or capabilities are only available on new, and those things are important to you, then buy new. Sawstop technology on a tablesaw is an excellent example. There isn’t any real reason NOT to buy the Sawstop (for most woodworkers), the additional cost is far less than your insurance deductible even if they can save your fingers in the event of an accident. Imagine being maimed and thinking, I could be whole if I’d spent the extra money. Sometimes you want to be sure you aren’t buying someone else’s problems. Won’t guarantee you aren’t buying your OWN problems though.
The world is changing around us. Acknowledge that, embrace the good changes, reject the bad, and do the best you can with what you have.
Stack if you can, and do it in a way that is an efficient use of your resources.
nick