"I Need Backups -- FOR My Backups!" (What Things Do You Need Extras of to Feel Secure?)

[seoulsearch]

Hey Everyone,

This thread is inspired by:

1. Someone in one of the coffee threads who said they have 12 different ways to make coffee... We shall withhold any names to protect the person going to such awe-inspiring lengths to be prepared in any situation that might result in not having coffee!

And:

2. A friend who has backups for things I never even really thought of backing up (making it interesting to see how different -- and perhaps lame -- my priorities are compared to others!)

* What are the things you don't like going with out, and feel like a must to have extras of on hand?

As for me...

- I'm very particular about being on time -- before I ever got a smart phone, I had a clock in every room -- sometimes more than one, so I could see a clock from any angle.

- I have very dry, sensitive eyes that require single-vial, preservative-free eyedrops. It actually becomes painful if I go too long without them, so I always carry extra eyedrops everywhere: in my pockets, purse, backpack, and in every room.

- One of my bad habits has always been chewing on my lips, just as kind of a nervous reflex. But if I always wear lip balm, I'm able to resist -- I have an extra lip balm stored in all the places I have the eye drops.

- And even before the pandemic, I always kept a few backup packages of toilet paper!

What about you?

What are some things you need to have backups of in order to feel more comfortable?

* Food, health, beauty, and hygiene products? Food and water for weather emergencies? (In case of tornados, hurricanes, etc.)

* Electronics, machinery, generators, equipment and tools?

* Miscellaneous supplies (firewood?) survival gear, various forms of security? (Home cameras and monitoring, etc.)

* Things that humans in general won't die without (like coffee!), but you just might if you're caught with out it?

Whether it's silly or serious, I'd really like to hear about the things you need to surround yourself to feel more at ease.

 

[Lynx]

If losing it would put me up a creek without a paddle, I make sure I have a backup of it.

Never get down to the last row of toilet paper. Never have all your files on one flash drive that might fail at any moment. Always have some food and water stashed in the back of the pantry.

One thing I do that most people don't do, I have a backup vehicle. It's not much of a vehicle - The back left door is held shut by a ratchet strap, most of the interior is raggedy and I had to put new rims on it - but I'm driving it right now because my primary vehicle is in the shop.

See, I have seen way too many people have a vehicle fail on them, and they have to beg and plead for the mechanic to fix it RIGHT NOW, because they are kind of stuck until they get their vehicle back. I didn't want to have to badger him, or be in that position myself.

I also don't get rid of my old phone when I get a new phone. You never know when a phone might fail, and I might have to go back to that old phone for a bit. It may have a broken screen or a battery that swells up, but it might be all I have until my new phone gets here.

 

[NightTwister]

Hey Everyone,

This thread is inspired by:

1. Someone in one of the coffee threads who said they have 12 different ways to make coffee... We shall withhold any names to protect the person going to such awe-inspiring lengths to be prepared in any situation that might result in not having coffee!

Guilty...

2. A friend who has backups for things I never even really thought of backing up (making it interesting to see how different -- and perhaps lame -- my priorities are compared to others!)

* What are the things you don't like going with out, and feel like a must to have extras of on hand?

Besides coffee (duh), computer data (external hard drives [multiple] and cloud), canned goods, and of course due to COVID TP, paper towels, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer ;-)

 

[Lynx]

Oh yeah, about the phones...

They come in handy a lot more for other people than they do for me. See, most people don't seem to keep old phones, so they are always asking to borrow one of mine. My uncle, my cousin, people at work, somebody in Virginia...

Currently I have one out to my cousin's neighbor. It has both a cracked screen and a puffy battery. I warned her when I gave it to her, so if her house burns down it's all on her.

 

[Susanna]

Oh yeah, about the phones...

They come in handy a lot more for other people than they do for me. See, most people don't seem to keep old phones, so they are always asking to borrow one of mine. My uncle, my cousin, people at work, somebody in Virginia...

Currently I have one out to my cousin's neighbor. It has both a cracked screen and a puffy battery. I warned her when I gave it to her, so if her house burns down it's all on her.

I agree. I never toss a phone, so I have the entire series of iPhones from #4 to #14, and the XS. Also I have two backup cars, old ones of course, but they handle okay.

 

[Susanna]

I agree. I never toss a phone, so I have the entire series of iPhones from #4 to #14, and the XS. Also I have two backup cars, old ones of course, but they handle okay.

And 10-15 Nokia phones and a few Samsungs. 😂

 

[Lynx]

I agree. I never toss a phone, so I have the entire series of iPhones from #4 to #14, and the XS. Also I have two backup cars, old ones of course, but they handle okay.

Backup phones and backup vehicles? Maybe I should be asking Susanna out on a date...

Wait, iPhones?

Never mind! Anybody who can afford MULTIPLE iPhones is waaaaaaaaay out of my league!

 

[Susanna]

Backup phones and backup vehicles? Maybe I should be asking Susanna out on a date...

Wait, iPhones?

Never mind! Anybody who can afford MULTIPLE iPhones is waaaaaaaaay out of my league!

I get them from work. When there’s time for a change they don’t want the previous model back lol.

 

[seoulsearch]

[QUOTE="NightTwister, post: 5330455, member: 324732"] Guilty... Besides coffee (duh), computer data (external hard drives [multiple] and cloud), canned goods, and of course due to COVID TP, paper towels, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer ;-)[/QUOTE]


In all seriousness -- I think it's awesome that you know so many ways to make coffee and so much about it. It's part of what makes your answers so interesting.

You and others here have a gift for sharing your enthusiasm without being condescending, and those are some of my favorite posts to read.

And thanks so much for having such a great sense of humor regarding these threads!

I tend to stick with "picking" on the people I know I can get away with goading (99% of the time, at least,) but every now and then, I dare to branch out.

(Seriously. If I DO step over the lines, feel free to publicly tell me so!)

 

[Lynx]

Oh don't worry. We will. You can count on us for that at least.


Bwahaha and all that.

 

[seoulsearch]

Backup phones and backup vehicles? Maybe I should be asking Susanna out on a date...
Wait, iPhones? Never mind! Anybody who can afford MULTIPLE iPhones is waaaaaaaaay out of my league!

I was thinking this too...

Lynx -- Susanna sounds like your mechanical soul mate!!! 🚗📳☎️

Think of all the fun you two could be having, keeping each other guessing by trading out phones and vehicles for every date!

 

[Susanna]

I was thinking this too...

Lynx -- Susanna sounds like your mechanical soul mate!!! 🚗📳☎️

Think of all the fun you two could be having, keeping each other guessing by trading out phones and vehicles for every date!

You think I could finally get rid of my old phones?

 

[seoulsearch]

I tend to stick with "picking" on the people I know I can get away with goading (99% of the time, at least,) but every now and then, I dare to branch out. (Seriously. If I DO step over the lines, feel free to publicly tell me so!)

Oh don't worry. We will. You can count on us for that at least. Bwahaha and all that.

Stay in your lane, Cat!

For once (I know you're in shock,) I was picking on someone else besides you!

 

[seoulsearch]

You think I could finally get rid of my old phones?

If anyone could have a grand ol' time figuring out what to do with old phones, I'm sure it would be you and Lynx!

 

[RodB651]

Coffee, but yall know that one already.
Chapstick
TP
I'm sure there are others that I can't remember right now.

 

[seoulsearch]

And 10-15 Nokia phones and a few Samsungs. 😂

Does anyone know the best way to make sure your data is completely erased from a phone? I've read that factory resets sometimes aren't enough, which was why I held on to a few of my old ones.

I would soak them in vinegar or diluted bleach water for a week or two, then smash them up as best I could (scattering the pieces among different loads of trash.)

Surely there must be an easier way?

 

[Susanna]

Does anyone know the best way to make sure your data is completely erased from a phone? I've read that factory resets sometimes aren't enough, which was why I held on to a few of my old ones.

I would soak them in vinegar or diluted bleach water for a week or two, then smash them up as best I could (scattering the pieces among different loads of trash.)

Surely there must be an easier way?

Yeah, keep them in your drawer lol.

 

[seoulsearch]

I also don't get rid of my old phone when I get a new phone. You never know when a phone might fail, and I might have to go back to that old phone for a bit. It may have a broken screen or a battery that swells up, but it might be all I have until my new phone gets here.

Lynx has been my literal link to modern technology. I refused to get a phone, let alone a smart phone, for the longest time -- until he convinced me I would love it, and that he would teach me how to use it (thousands of voice texts later...) Let's just say I'm not the brightest bulb in the bunch, ESPECIALLY when it comes to tech.

And as much as I tease Lynx about having backups.... I have to say, he has me thinking a lot about getting a backup phone.

One of the biggest things I rely on my phone for is a sense of security. I live in an area where even the busiest places have homeless people who are often high and not in their right mind. Just this week I went to the dentist in a busy plaza, and the staff had to call the police to escort a gentleman away who was harassing patients as they went to their cars, which were not even 20 feet away.

The week before that, a woman with a camper parked right next to my car, only inches away, then banged on my window and wanted me to leave right away so she could access a side panel. Why on earth she parked next to me when there were plenty of wide-open spaces, I don't know. But I sure was glad to have my phone in hand, ready to call 911 if she did anything further. And this was just at a local grocery store.

People are nuts.

I always have my keys in one hand (as a makeshift weapon) and my phone in the other, in case I need to call for help.

 

[Susanna]

Lynx has been my literal link to modern technology. I refused to get a phone, let alone a smart phone, for the longest time -- until he convinced me I would love it, and that he would teach me how to use it (thousands of voice texts later...) Let's just say I'm not the brightest bulb in the bunch, ESPECIALLY when it comes to tech.

And as much as I tease Lynx about having backups.... I have to say, he has me thinking a lot about getting a backup phone.

One of the biggest things I rely on my phone for is a sense of security. I live in an area where even the busiest places have homeless people who are often high and not in their right mind. Just this week I went to the dentist in a busy plaza, and the staff had to call the police to escort a gentleman away who was harassing patients as they went to their cars, which were not even 20 feet away.

The week before that, a woman with a camper parked right next to my car, only inches away, then banged on my window and wanted me to leave right away so she could access a side panel. Why on earth she parked next to me when there were plenty of wide-open spaces, I don't know. But I sure was glad to have my phone in hand, ready to call 911 if she did anything further. And this was just at a local grocery store.

People are nuts.

I always have my keys in one hand (as a makeshift weapon) and my phone in the other, in case I need to call for help.

Sounds like you need to learn how to use a gun.

 

[seoulsearch]

Sounds like you need to learn how to use a gun.

I hope I won't ruin the mood of the thread but I feel an honest answer is in order.

I'm not sure if I would ever choose to be around a gun.

I've had lifelong problems with depression. For as much as I might seem "up" at times here in the threads, my mood and disposition can crash right through the floor in the blink of an eye -- and sometimes it lingers for a very long time. Because of this, I would not trust myself to be around guns.

I had a good friend several years ago and the only reason he's alive today is because he didn't have immediate access to a firearm, and we (his friends) were fortunately able to intervene before it was too late (because he was on his way to get one.)

Now, I fully believe in and support the right to protect oneself and one's family.

Maybe one day God will change my mind, and if I married someone who owns guns, I would surely support him in that, but, I would want to have a lot of extra precautions in place.

God bless you Susanna, for knowing how to defend yourself. ❤️I know it's a necessity in your work, and I think it's also a wonderful God-given gift. 🌹