How well are you prepared for life's most likely minor emergencies?

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sear	How well are you prepared for life's most likely minor emergencies?	Lead	[-]
Posts: 49534 (07/11/08 10:45 AM) CoAdmin.w/Grace06 Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Is the spare tire in your automobile inflated to the manufacturer's specifications? Who was the U.S. President the last time you checked it? Taft? When you drive, do you carry a cell-phone, in case you need emergency rescue? Do you have a cigarette lighter outlet charger for it, so, when you need it most in your car, it'll work? Do you have at least two credit cards, connected to two different banks, in case you have sudden emergency payments to make? Why two? Any credit card may be subject to having a hold put on it. And you may not learn of the hold until you try to use the card. Many credit cards are free, no annual fee. It may make sense for you to have two or three, provided you don't use them unless it's an emergency, and you don't spend more than you can afford. What else? Do you have any useful tips? The seven deadly sins are: 1. Gluttony 2. Anger 3. Envy 4. Greed 5. Lust 6. Pride 7. Sloth
SecretSimian		#1	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 154 (07/11/08 12:06 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I haven't checked my spare tire in months. I have a cell phone for emergency use but no in-car charger. I have no credit cards just a debit card. I keep about 200 plastic bags in my trunk for dog walking purposes. I have an emergency kit with road flares and first aid stuff in my trunk. We have a list of emergency numbers on the fridge. We have, but are going to be replacing, fire extinguishers all around the house (they are currently non-functional unfortunately). I keep Lact-Aid and activated charcoal in my backpack in case I unexpectedly encounter a dairy product which I can't avoid.
sear		#2	[-]
Posts: 49546 (07/11/08 03:52 PM) CoAdmin.w/Grace06 Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	"I haven't checked my spare tire in months." SS I drive a pickem up truck. The spare tire as kept underneath the bed of the truck, on a cable hoist. The hoist was frozen when I last tried to operate it, perhaps 5 years ago or so. So I cut the cable, dropped the spare, and rolled the spare into the shed, where it's been ever since. I carry a 12V operated compressor. And I have a tire patching tool kit. That's basically about 10 lengths of rubber impregnated rope, with an insertion tool. That tool looks a little like a huge sewing needle (eye end) with a screwdriver-like handle on what would be the pointy end. If I get a nail in the tire, I've got pliers (in the truck) to yank out the nail. Then the patching kit to plug the hole. Then the compressor to reinflate the tire. If that doesn't work, I'm walkin'. I put a dry chemical fire distinguisher in there about a dozen years ago. I assume the dry chemical (powder) sits in a hardened lump at the bottom of the canister. I bought two halon fire extinguishers; superb for extinguishing fires, terrible for the ozone layer. I've never used either. But it's quite obvious in the ~25 years I've owned them, they've gone empty. SS, As you probably know, a lighter car is (other things being equal) a more fuel efficient car. So it's risky either way. Skip the emergency kit, and get better fuel economy. But risk being unprepared for an emergency. The seven deadly sins are: 1. Gluttony 2. Anger 3. Envy 4. Greed 5. Lust 6. Pride 7. Sloth
Naturyl		#3	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 49 (07/11/08 04:56 PM) had weird-@#%$ déjàvu Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Well, due to a plumbing mishap, I haven't had running water for three days and counting - so I guess I'm finding out. But is that true of a mud loach?
SouthernLadyGA		#4	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 171 (07/11/08 05:25 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I have a cell phone charger in my car. One of those itty bitty spare tires. If I have a flat...I have to call someone. A little flashlight Golf Clubs "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. " "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. " "You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. " "You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred." "You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence." "You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves". ---Abraham Lincoln--- __________________________________ "You are not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on."
axolotls		#5	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1589 (07/11/08 05:44 PM) Runs with Scissors Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	i need a portable air conditioner.
Cassakay		#6	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1532 (07/11/08 06:02 PM) Smart Student Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Is the spare tire in your automobile inflated to the manufacturer's specifications? Who was the U.S. President the last time you checked it? Taft? When you drive, do you carry a cell-phone, in case you need emergency rescue? Do you have a cigarette lighter outlet charger for it, so, when you need it most in your car, it'll work? Do you have at least two credit cards, connected to two different banks, in case you have sudden emergency payments to make? Why two? Any credit card may be subject to having a hold put on it. And you may not learn of the hold until you try to use the card. Many credit cards are free, no annual fee. It may make sense for you to have two or three, provided you don't use them unless it's an emergency, and you don't spend more than you can afford. What else? Do you have any useful tips? I don't carry a spare tire. I should probably remedy that. But even if I carried one, I don't know how to change it. ...That might be pathetic. I do carry jumper cables and yes, I even know how to use them! I always carry my cell phone and on extended outings I usually carry my charger, because if I plan on going anywhere alone for more than six hours or so, I bring my bookbag with my laptop/charger/entire life packed into it, and I can also charge my phone with my PC. I do have a debit/credit card connected to one bank and a credit card connected to another. Things that have come in handy? I always tuck one large bill into the recesses of my wallet and one into the lining of my bag, as my emergency money. Usually, they'll stay there for months if not years, but I have needed to pull them out once or twice for unexpected things. I also keep a change of clothes and shoes in my car, in addition to an umbrella, a can of bug spray, and the can of stuff you use to patch a tire for a few hours. (Fix a flat, I believe it's called) As well as a few books for things like DMV lines! "The symmetry of form attainable in pure fiction cannot so readily be achieved in a narration essentially having less to do with fable than with fact. Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges; hence the conclusion of such a narration is apt to be less finished than an architectual finial." -Herman Melville
Dannytoro		#7	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 451 (07/11/08 06:13 PM) Lebanese Inuit Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Is the spare tire in your automobile inflated to the manufacturer's specifications? Kinda Who was the U.S. President the last time you checked it? Taft? Dubya When you drive, do you carry a cell-phone, in case you need emergency rescue? Yes Do you have a cigarette lighter outlet charger for it, so, when you need it most in your car, it'll work? yes Do you have at least two credit cards, connected to two different banks, in case you have sudden emergency payments to make? Why two? I only use debit cards. Any credit card may be subject to having a hold put on it. And you may not learn of the hold until you try to use the card. one of the reasons I don't use them Many credit cards are free, no annual fee. It may make sense for you to have two or three, provided you don't use them unless it's an emergency, and you don't spend more than you can afford. What else? I always stock a small pack of useful tools, a but of chow and water in my cars, but thw flashlights always seem to walk off. Do you have any useful tips? I keep a large stock of storable foods and a modest supply of ammo on hand. "40 years of economic chaos brought to you by the two party system"
Luck of the Draw		#8	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1986 (07/11/08 07:58 PM) Beat the odds! Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	My honey....they/we joke....call him "Mr Safety." but love him for looking out for us. C-phone/check....charger/check... Ladies you can purchase portable compressor that connects into cigarette lighter for flats. Also road service. Also jumper cables, extra window wash fluid. Flashing latern. In winter....3lb coffee can/candle/matches and granola bars. Spare blankets. Smoke detectors and extinguishers in the home....and checked every 6 months. Emergency first aid kit including necessities for suturing. Naturyl....can so relate. Lost the point on our well one summer and hauling water isn't a fun picinic. Oh, forgot to mention we live in that which is considered "hinter land/THE BOONIES" Last for snow plow and fire dept....ah....rather dicey. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away... Last Edited By: Luck of the Draw 07/11/08 08:03 PM. Edited 1 times.
Grace06		#9	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 25586 (07/11/08 08:04 PM) Earth Spirit Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	LotD how lucky you are. I'm happy for you. I can change a tire, but why? I can't begin to lossen the nuts put on by a machine. It is useless to even try. I try to do my best to keep what I may need. Oh Six Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb
Luck of the Draw		#10	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1987 (07/11/08 08:14 PM) Beat the odds! Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Grace you could check out the portable compressor. It's helped/worked in the past. Push comes to shove, I can change a tire. The girls can change tire, oil, and the youngest even changed bad wheel bearings with assistance. When the girls were about to get there license to drive their father showed them/had them change the tires before they could get behind the wheel. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away...
sear		#11	[-]
Posts: 49561 (07/12/08 09:55 AM) CoAdmin.w/Grace06 Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	"a plumbing mishap" Nat I can't imagine that's too much fun. I hope it doesn't involve broken bones, or a paternity suit. "Golf Clubs" SLGA SLGA! You're soooo resourceful! "portable air conditioner" axol Better get a few. You might need a spare. "I do carry jumper cables and yes, I even know how to use them!" Cass Cass, When I was your age, I used to pray that someone would invent the automobile. But when they finally did, as long as I didn't reverse the polarity and blow out the alternator / regulator diodes, I was OK. But these days, there's so much voltage surge sensitive stuff in the circuit, I'd be afraid of doing more damage than I could afford to pay for. Is it tricky, on a late model car? "My honey....they/we joke....call him "Mr Safety." but love him for looking out for us." LotD Tell him "safety is no accident". You might just get a nice big sloppy wet kiss for it. The seven deadly sins are: 1. Gluttony 2. Anger 3. Envy 4. Greed 5. Lust 6. Pride 7. Sloth
Macaroo		#12	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 2192 (07/12/08 12:27 PM) Magnificent Mac Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Is the spare tire in your automobile inflated to the manufacturer's specifications? I don't take my car out of the city anymore. It's too expensive. I don't even have a spare tire. Who was the U.S. President the last time you checked it? Taft? I wish! However, I'm not sure what that has to do with minor emergencies. When you drive, do you carry a cell-phone, in case you need emergency rescue? No. We're probably one of the last people in the known world who don't have a cell phone. We don't understand why it's advantageous to allow everyone we know to have 24/7 access to us for nearly triple the price we pay now for our land line. Do you have at least two credit cards, connected to two different banks, in case you have sudden emergency payments to make? Yay! Yes, I do. I have three as a matter of fact. That's largely accidental, though, since I opened two accounts to take advantage of in-store discounts and have used only one other besides my main card, which I use for gasoline and online access. Do you have any useful tips? Yes. carry several bottles of water, a couple of packages of crackers and cheese or energy bars, a good first-aid kit, a detailed map, an approved gas can, a blanket, and a twenty dollar bill tucked into the glove compartment. Mac "So... let me get this straight. You want to fly on a magic carpet to see the king of the potato people and you're telling me you're completely sane?"~ Arnold Rimmer
Errol Grey		#13	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1850 (07/12/08 12:33 PM) Minister Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I keep two botles of wine, a cork screw and a few plastic glasses in my car at all times. I'm set. "A world without string is chaos" Rudolf Smuntz
Elkhorn2		#14	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1176 (07/12/08 12:54 PM) Buckheads Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	When I was in college I worked for a guy who had a variety of trucks and vans. Each one had a tool kit in it for emergencies, always including a six-pack of Busch beer.
axolotls		#15	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1590 (07/12/08 05:03 PM) Runs with Scissors Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Jumper cables are old tech. You need another vehicle to use it. I carry something similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Solar-BOOSTER-PACK-CHARGER-CORD-VOLT/dp/B000KL0NWE Used it many times and saved my #%$ when I was in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery!
Cassakay		#16	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1533 (07/12/08 09:14 PM) Smart Student Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Cass, When I was your age, I used to pray that someone would invent the automobile. But when they finally did, as long as I didn't reverse the polarity and blow out the alternator / regulator diodes, I was OK. But these days, there's so much voltage surge sensitive stuff in the circuit, I'd be afraid of doing more damage than I could afford to pay for. Is it tricky, on a late model car? -sear Well, you have to make sure you know which ends to match up, otherwise you might kill the batteries to both cars and who knows what else. But at least on Ford late model cars, it's usually pretty well marked and prominent in the engine. My car is a 2006 Ford, and I'm pretty car incompetent, but looking at the engine can jog my memory pretty quickly. Jumper cables are old tech. You need another vehicle to use it. I carry something similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Solar-BOOSTER-PACK-CHARGER-CORD-VOLT/dp/B000KL0NWE Used it many times and saved my #%$ when I was in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery! -axol My mom bought something like this about three years ago, but it could never hold a charge. The one time I wanted to put it to use, about three weeks after we bought it, it had lost all of its charge. I'm still a little peeved. Is this one better? "The symmetry of form attainable in pure fiction cannot so readily be achieved in a narration essentially having less to do with fable than with fact. Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges; hence the conclusion of such a narration is apt to be less finished than an architectual finial." -Herman Melville
sear		#17	[-]
Posts: 49574 (07/13/08 09:36 AM) CoAdmin.w/Grace06 Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	"I keep two botles of wine, a cork screw and a few plastic glasses in my car at all times. I'm set." EG Reminds me of the doctor / lawyer joke. 2 automobiles, one winding mountainous rural road. A terrible metal mangling collision results. Both drivers shaken up, but not seriously injured. One driver offers the other a drink from his whiskey flask. The doctor accepts willingly, but asks why the other driver isn't joining in. The other driver explains: "I'm a lawyer. I'll have mine after the police show up, and find me sober." The seven deadly sins are: 1. Gluttony 2. Anger 3. Envy 4. Greed 5. Lust 6. Pride 7. Sloth
axolotls		#18	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1591 (07/13/08 11:48 PM) Runs with Scissors Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Cass: It's always charged. You can't charge it and leave it idle. I keep it plugged into the 'cigarette lighter' in the car 24/7. Just like a car, if you don't use it for a month or so, the battery will slowly lose it's charge. I bought one, cuz my car got stuck on a boat ramp once and I walked up to the park headquarters and they had three of these things plugged into the wall waiting to be used on people like me! Next day, I bought one.
sear		#19	[-]
Posts: 49609 (07/14/08 09:36 AM) CoAdmin.w/Grace06 Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	axol, I'm curious about that. One of the problems older NiCad batteries were famous for was "memory" problems. If left on constant charge, they would fairly quickly lose their capacity to hold a charge. The solution to this was allegedly to charge, and then (at least partially) discharge them. This seemed to teach them a range of function, and they then would hold a better charge, for a longer useful lifetime. Whether they've solved that, or perhaps if they're using lithium or some other type rechargeable, perhaps that's not a problem. Am I talkin' like an old guy? The seven deadly sins are: 1. Gluttony 2. Anger 3. Envy 4. Greed 5. Lust 6. Pride 7. Sloth
axolotls		#20	[-]
Full-Fledged Member Posts: 1594 (07/15/08 01:05 PM) Runs with Scissors Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Hopefully everyone will finally stop producing ni-cads (like a lot of those cheap handheld appliances and tools). I assume the biggest problem is with lower capacity batteries. Look at car-batteries (lead? not sure what they are made of now since they are sealed), they last about five years+ for the standard ones.