Urban Survival Scenario

Coldwood said:
There ya go Kevin, you can drape some plastic over your dining room table and live under it. Happy Days, good times! Burn a candle for me.

Seriously, folks, I think I would pick up the gun and go look for a better place to live.

We're talking about survival, not Martha Stewart's ten tips for throwing a blackout party!
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No, there is nothing wrong with the apartment in this scenario. No need to leave it. Just a safe way to be comfortable while enjoying passive heat from your neighbors, and keeping your own heating bill to a bare minimum. Besides, home is where your chit is. This is a temporary situation, it just happens to be during winter, and we might even call it "bare bones" survival. Or "Dollar a day living". The idea is to NOT have to leave an established residence, or spend a small fortune on makeshift equipment, and at the same time to not trash the place, or draw attention leading to eviction. Like setting up a barrel stove in the living room with a rickety vent pipe out the window billowing noxious smoke.

A good link, Clint. There are a few ideas presented there that are adaptable.

COdger
 
Covering the windows with clear plastic is good. If one of the windows gets sunshine, you can get some solar heat gain during the day, then, at night, you need some old covers to cover the opening. While the plastic helps with cold air infiltration, it still only has an R-value of about 1. the old covers or blankets will help curb heatloss at night.
Find some dark green or bown beer bottles (40's would do) , fill them with water, and they too can collect solar heat, when the sun sets, move them to the center of the room. If you got industrious, you could find one of those 50 gallon plastic barrels, fill it, wrap it in an industrial garbage bag so it's a dark color. Again, you'll get some nice solar heat gain. You could even use the warmed water for bathing and dishes.

Standard residential electric usage has been studied.
6% of total load is for lighting. So, if you normally run a $100 elec bill, and you turn of ever stinkin light , for 30 days, you save a grand total of $6. whoopie. The cost of re-bulbing with lower wattage may even be a wash. It would literally take years to recoupe the cost of those fancy energy efficient bulbs.

OK, Coldwood can make an ethical decision on this one, but, how is this for out of the box thinking?
Each Apt. evidently has it's own elec. meter, therefor it's own wiring. While the neighbors are at work, find some of their electric wire on a common wall. Splice ito it. Use it very sparingly! (you'll have to re-spackle the drywall so the landlord doesn't catch you on a surprise inspection).
Their electric bill might spike by $10 or $15 bucks, but, if you are careful, and use it judiciously, you'll probably get away with it. :)
Less sneaky would be an extension cord, as long as you knew their patterns for being away, you could "sneak" some power, a little here and a little there.

I liked the false ceiling idea from Longbow, how about just use the clear plastic again, one or two layers, taped, bring ceiling hight down to 7 feet from the 8 feet standard. You have now reduced the heated space by about 12.5% , and are keeping the heat lower, closer to you.

Sealing off unused space is another good one. Keep space on the South side, seal up the North side (and hope the pipes don't freeze in January).

Visit friends, a lot. Their place is warm. :)

There is no reason a healthy individual couldn't find some kind of work?
Shovel snow for the neighbors or landlord? Make some scratch here and there, day laborer, tax free stuff.
Oh ,crap, pile snow up to window sill for more insulation value, don't comrpess it, leave it as fluffy as possible.

Being sandwiched in between those other units would be life saver.

Food: Rice is cheap. Get a PT job at a restaurant, you can typically eat for free while working. Take a ziplok bag to work and bring leftovers home.

Dumpster dive. Lots of cool stuff to be had, sell it on Ebay. :)
 
Ya know a hobo stove may be good for a meal or two on the road.
Do you honestly think someone can cook say a cup of rice with a candle powered stove? I,m sure scaring up a bunch of candles isn,t the real issue.

I can see heating up a snack. As soon as you get more complicated than a can of beans its gonna get real complicated real fast.

How much would you save cooking one meal a day with this system? Theorising that the candles are more or less free.
 
Holy crap, Skunk, you want ME to make an ethical decision :D ? If push came to shove, I would just force my way into the apartment, bang the old lady, eat their food, drink their booze, dial 911 and leave. Head for Alberta. Maybe shop for some nice knives and survival equipment along the way ;)
 
Codger_64 said:
I’m going to lay out a survival scenario, and see how creative we can be.

Location: Cold climate in winter...Michigan, North Dakota, Colorado, Alaska, Canada.

Shelter: Small modern apartment, ground floor, heated apartments on each side and above.

Situation: Job loss due to health/injury prevents working, finances prevent moving. Rent can be paid, but electric use must be kept to the very barest minimum. Water availability and conservation no problem, food storage taken care of.

Persons involved: One adult male in reasonable health with no dependants.

Object: Survive the winter with minimum heat, minimum electrical usage. Food, we have already discussed at some length, so creative but economical meals are expected.

Let’s hear your suggestions guys. Since I am the director of this movie, if you need clarification of the scenario, just ask and I'll do so.

Codger
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I'm not seeing the problem:confused: I've got food and water, heat is minimal(open the stove a crack and turn in ON to take off the chill in the morn) otherwise the rent can be paid and I have no one else to worry about?:yawn:
 
mewolf1 said:
I'm not seeing the problem:confused: I've got food and water, heat is minimal(open the stove a crack and turn in ON to take off the chill in the morn) otherwise the rent can be paid and I have no one else to worry about?:yawn:
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I'm with mewolf1. I also don't see the problem, in fact, except for the job loss, it describes my situation to a T - ground floor apartment, single male, winter coming, located in Canada. (Geez, I hope this isn't prophetic :( ). With the aid of a sleeping bag and/or some extra clothes, you would be warm enough. Besides, the human body is very adaptable in regards to cold tolerance.

As far as cooking in your apartment, why bother - that could just get you evicted and further exacerbate your problem, not to mention the Carbon Monoxide considerations. Head outdoors, where you can snare some food and otherwise poach the local wildlife (hey cats and dogs are edible, not to mention the available pigeons, squirrels, etc.) and cook it over a fire without losing your accomodations. Also, unless a major societal breakdown takes place, there's no shortage of soup kitchens and the like, available (at least up here in major citites).

As far as a part time job, Codger specified that work wasn't a possibility.

With regards to lighting, modify your living habits to those of our ancestors - get up at sunup and go to bed at sundown - no lighting necessary.

Doc
 
Sounds much like Depression Era existence. Ingenuity is a bonus- but unless you get ill, "survival" is not an issue. Just comfort.
Bill
 
Coldwood said:
We will wash clothes in hot water only, no expensive soap. Run the wash water into the bathtub with a garden hose, where the water will radiate warmth until cold. Pull the exhaust vent on the clothes dryer so the heat will warm the living quarters.
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A dryer will use more electricity then a washing machine.
Use cold water wash with cheap washing machine powder. Will save u heaps.
 
modalnot said:
i was thinking something along these lines for hobo stove http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/emergencyplanning/a/blcstove.htm

But i admit i havent tried it.
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A gentleman from Bushcraft UK who lives in Sweden and does a lot of winter camping, uses something like that, called a Yucan stove which comes from a book:Winter Wise, Montague "Monty" Alford, Heritage House, 1999, ISBN# 1-895811-95-3

He uses it for a steady supply of drinking water in his snow shelter. I tried to find his website but it's not coming up, so here is a couple of pictures.

candlelamp02.jpg


Basically, it is a smaller can, into which the snow is placed, inserted in a larger can. The smaller can may be held up with wires inserted through the larger can, or in this case, the flaps that are cut and bent in, support the smaller can (above the tea light candles). In this example, 4 tea light candles fit into the base of the larger can.

candlelamp01.jpg


More information can be read here (about 1/2 way down the page) entitled: "Equipped to Spend a Forced Night Out During the Winter"
http://www.backpacking.net/hikerdude1.html

I haven't really used it much, up to now, but am planning on getting out in another couple of weeks, for about 4 days, and this is one of the things I plan on experimenting with. If I do, I'll post the results.

Doc
 
O:K: we have the hobo stove to at least cut down on electricity consumption for cooking . How about what takes less electricity to cook something? A large microwave or a large toaster oven . How about heating a quart of water for various purposes . The hobo stove certainly is up there if the candles do not cost much . What about heating water in an automatic drip coffee maker? I betcha you could even cook ramen noodles in one . Not in the carafe of course . I imagine there are other heatproof containers that would fit right under one. It might not get boiling hot . The minimum temperature warmer plate underneath would serve to maintain a decent temperature for the couple of minutes noodles need to cook.

So what do you think? What are the economics involved?
 
What do you guys think of styrofoam insulation inbetween windows as increased insulation? Notwithstanding the plastic painters dropcloth as a substitute for an expensive store bought window insulating kit.

If the window gets minimal ambient light anyway would there be much of a saving by putting styrofoam inbetween the inner and outer windows?

Most times white styrofoam sheets can be found discarded from packing crates.
If the foam insulation was incomplete is there enough gain to make it worth the minimum of work involved. Say it was a tall window and you could just reach the bottom half. Would covering that have a good effect if the top half were still bare glass due to inaccessibility and to also allow a little light in.

Must it be tight in the window or would its just being placed as two overlapping sheets loosely hung in the window work well enough?
 
Out of work and a victim of hit and run. Assuming you have the rent paid up a month in advance and a real nice landlord that will buy your sob story. (you may have to break out the violins)

Modern apartments have double paned glass windows. Leave a window open at least 4" so there is no moisture built up on the walls (bio can grow there). Turn the thermostat way down. Tents build up too much moisture in the cold and is very bad for your health (good place for asthma sufferers).

Assuming electric heat, range, water heater. Shut the water heater off just before you take a shower at the circuit breaker. Turn it on an hour before taking next shower and turn it off right before shower. (I cut my electric bill way down in the winter this way) Forget washing dishes in the dishwasher (makes nice storage place). If you dont have a toaster oven you may find one at a thrift store. Either way dont use the oven. Potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes (eggs too in the soup). Use a personal heater as needed.

Wear lots of wool and down (gore-tex if you have it). Use many blankets, comforters, etc. Open regular bags for comforter and use mummy bag when it gets real cold.
 
Kevin the grey said:
What do you guys think of styrofoam insulation inbetween windows as increased insulation? Notwithstanding the plastic painters dropcloth as a substitute for an expensive store bought window insulating kit.

If the window gets minimal ambient light anyway would there be much of a saving by putting styrofoam inbetween the inner and outer windows?

Most times white styrofoam sheets can be found discarded from packing crates.
If the foam insulation was incomplete is there enough gain to make it worth the minimum of work involved. Say it was a tall window and you could just reach the bottom half. Would covering that have a good effect if the top half were still bare glass due to inaccessibility and to also allow a little light in.

Must it be tight in the window or would its just being placed as two overlapping sheets loosely hung in the window work well enough?
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Styro insulation board of various thicknesses can be bought inexpensively at most building supply stores. Yes, they have to fit tight enough to stop cold air from dropping down the glass and falling into the room. I had an older mobile home and made panels to fit inside the windows. I covered them with cloth so they looked like curtains from the outside. Even thermal curtains can help. Resistance heath=ers (toasters, ovens etc.) are expensive ways to cook and heat. It generally takes more BTU's to heat water than to maintain the heat. You can set some water heater thermostats very low though. Temps in the 80's-90's are comfortable enough. Just conserve by turning off the shower while soaping, back on for rinsing. Conservation showerheads are also available.

Codger
 
Igloos have a tier system where the sleeping is done on the top level, and cold air sinks to the lowest level. also they had warm animal skins, but I believe Inuit were pretty toasty in there. Maybe try sleeping on a table or even higher.

Boil water and put it in a nalgene, then put this in a sweater at the bottom of your sleeping bag.

Old doughnuts get tossed out at bakeries and coffee shops often.
 
Liam Ryan said:
Old doughnuts get tossed out at bakeries and coffee shops often.
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I tried that but got in trouble with the cops. They said I took all the best ones.:eek:

That sounds like an interesting idea about shutting down the water heater except for near shower times. Do you think there would be that much savings?
 
I have gotten by on sponge baths, waiting for water to be turned on in the apartment. You can get surprisingly clean.
 
First shut off the heat and find out if you have a leak and plug them. Then go down to the thrift store and find either a nice wool blanket or old sleeping bag. Rubbing alcohol and a wash rag can clean your stinky parts. While your at the thrift store look for a hot plate or even get one new they only go for 15bux most places. Food banks are everywhere and some churches have food they keep for homeless and poor. This is survival so ditch your pride if it gets in your way. I'm sure in your state theres orginizations to help you pay your heating bills and feed you maybe help you with rent and finding a job dont feel bad about asking you paid for them with your taxes you have more right to them than the people thats been on it for thier whole life.
 
Any kind of insulation over the windows, the tighter the better, is a good thing. In fact, blacking out your windows would probably be a good idea, for safety's sake.

Electrical power is either going to be on or it's going to be off. While it's on, may as well use it to maximum advantage, because it's going to be off soon. Conservation at this point doesn't make a lot of sense.
 
I'd sleep under wool blankets, live and sleepwearing fingerless gloves and a wool hat, wear a thin and thick sweater combo and jeams, wrap up with a blanket when sitting down. Wash dishes once a week or when i ran out (whichever came last...), light isnt a prob since its cheep enugh to run a bulb or the PC, and a head lamp when bed (dont need to get up to turn off lights...)
Food wise i'd live on cabbage stews and pasta salad, buying up loose 'ends' of meat frm the deli to add. Now i know better i'd also add BEANS to the diet- pinto, chick peas, split peas....all prettty cheep and healthy.
Sounds more like my life before i got married...wash cloths onece a month in the laudromat and walk 1 hour too and 1 hour from work...
No wonder i gained 15 pounds in 2 yrs...
 
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