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Vanity Makes House Calls

For all my years of preparedness, I’ve cast my net far and stood toe to toe with trading a once spoiled consumer-crazed lifestyle for that of a penny-pincher in order to fill empty storage shelves. But even then, I can’t conceive of a time when bathing, or doing laundry, or washing dishes would be considered a luxury.

The fault, I’ve decided, lies with Hollywood. Do you recall even a B-movie of apocalyptic proportions panning in on an actor whose hair has turned to dreadlocks, wearing filthy clothing with dirt embedded under their nails? Well, neither do I!

But the reality is, if we don’t plan ahead, that’s where we’ll find ourselves. Arrange for a makeshift tub for bathing because unless you have a well with a manual hand pump and a septic system, once the battery backup gives out at the municipal water station, it’s likely your tub and sinks won’t drain when pumps become inoperable in a grid-down situation. Tuff Stuff makes tubs that work well for bathing that are relatively cheap. While you’re purchasing the tub, pick up a clothesline and clothes pegs. At the end of this chapter, I have listed the link for a do-it-yourself washing machine made out of a 5-gallon bucket and a toilet plunger. No, I’m not kidding!