Don't necessarily think that a minimum wage job will give you the free time you're expecting. I can think of at least one single mother who works three minimum wage jobs to make a decent living.

You should be looking for something that can offer a balance between free time and provides a suitable wage. Getting a first aid certificate can open up a lot of job opportunities, pays well, and can take you to some really great places. When I started with the ambulance service in 1987, I did a lot of flights in a single engine Beaver (float plane) to isolated communities and covered a range from Prince George in the south, to Kitimat in the north, Takla Landing in the east, and Princess Royal Island on the west coast. Can't say enough about how much I loved those flights.

More recently, I get fifty bucks an hour setting up and updating web sites. I work any time of day/night I wish and can do it at home or at a coffee shop or at the beach on a hot day if I chose. That offsets the fact that I do free tech work for volunteer fire departments, search and rescue, women's shelters, and any other group that helps others on a shoestring budget. In the end, I'm actually getting less than minimum wage after the work I do. The bonus is that I'm often invited to participate in training or weekend courses such as the PEP disaster management course I took several years ago.

The minimum wage job I have at nights has the perk that I can bring home the food that wasn't used during the day so I need less money for day to day living and can continue helping groups in the community.

I'm trying to do some basic math to try to understand the fantasy behind minimum wage jobs with 'perks' as opposed to getting a profession/trade without perks.

Using some quick reference numbers based on NOCs here:

Plumber makes an average of $27/hr across Canada;
Mechanic makes an average of $21/hr across Canada;
EMT makes an average of $24/hr across Canada;
Registered Nurse makes an average of $35/hr across Canada...

These are all trades that are quite suitable as a prepper, used for quick argument sake.

So why would you think that working at $10/hr - but get maybe $20 worth of Subway veggies and buns left overs - is a great deal?

8 hour shift at $10 = $80 + say $20 of free stuff = ~ $100 / day minus say $25 for taxes, CPP and work expenses (car gas for example) = ~ $75 take home.
8 hour shift as an EMT = $192 / day minus taxes, expenses etc (say $70) = ~ $122 take home. Everyday, I don't get to have free subway, but I get $47 to spend on any prepping stuff (or any stuff) I want as opposed to working minimum wage.

If you want to work minimum wage job hey, go right ahead, especially if it makes you happy. But please don't tell me this is a good deal of a job for a prepper.

There's no fantasy involved. I have 3 chronic back injuries from the time I worked ambulance that leaves me in various stages of pain on a daily basis. I don't want to medicate to get through the day so I do jobs that I can tolerate without inflicting further pain on myself. I'm not alone in this as I know a couple veterans who do the same.

EMT's and Registered Nurses do a lot of patient lifting which is something I can no longer physically do without causing further injury to myself. You'd probably be surprised to learn how many of them use codeine based pain relievers to keep them going through the job. Mechanics and plumbers do a lot of bending and crawling underneath things, which is something I can do for short periods of time only.

Not everyone who does prepping is young and in perfect health but I get the message and won't post anything to the forum again.

Incidentally, I never suggested working at Subway as a job for a prepper, I merely commented that it was something I did. And, as I stated previously, I give away most of my time to community groups such as SAR and volunteer fire departments so I really have no idea who you think you are to judge.

OutAndAbout,

I hear you on back pains, I was an EMT too and the people we put on those stretchers are not getting lighter. For more backpain fun, I became a helicopter pilot after, another job known for causing lower back pain. We could start another thread in "health" over back pains and non-medication coping strategies, but this isn't the point here.

My comments were not directed at you nor were they meant to be disrespectful or judgemental; just part of a healthy forum discussion, so please, continue to contribute your experiences to this forum.

My argument was is tied to the OP's comment that perhaps working at Walmart was a good prepper job since you get employee discounts. This was followed by other posters suggesting other minimum wage jobs with side benefits as being good opportunities. I don't belittle people working minimum wage jobs, but if someone poses the question "what is a good job for a prepper?", I can't say in good faith I believe that store clerk is ideal in my opinion. Again, this is an opinion and I don't pretend to be a career counsellor in prepper career.

The jobs I put in my previous post were just examples quickly pulled from a Canadian job stats website and I acknowledge that these jobs can be a bit physically demanding. That said, standing at a till at walmart moving goods right to left over a scanner can cause repetitive-stress-injuries and even sitting at a desk typing can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, etc etc etc. I don't think there is a perfect job out there, but from a prepper minded's perspective, I would say that there should be some characteristics for the "ideal job" :

- useful skill that can be used in an emergency or after a life changing event (medical, security, repair, reconstruction...),
- best hourly wage possible that doesn't require overtime,
- no travel outside of own's geographical location.

safety coordinator for oilfield company fits for me near perfectly

If your job allows you to live somewhere you can be self sufficient then it is a good prepper job. You can always learn and develop trades and skills like first aid on your own time. I'd rather have a nonskilled job that keeps me close to home at my bugout location rather than a trade that keeps me away from my family or trapped in a major city. I know we all gotta work so my outlook is likely unrealistic for many.

I agree with you totally, glasshouse. We are retired now, and on pension, so we don't have to work, but when we did have to, we either worked for ourselves, or had low paying jobs that we could do together that were close to home and our bug out location (which is our home full time now.) By the way, we are in the Kootenays also, up the Slocan Valley. Where are you?

We live in the Kootenay Lake area. I have a long time till I can collect my pension - and that's assuming there will be one for me when I retire 🙂 how did you like the transition of making your BOL your full time home?

i like the past three answers ,Preeping is not how much you make and can buy its how much you know ,thank you kootenay kid and glasshouse

We bought here prior to Y2K, with the hopes of completing a shelter before the event. Well, we got a small, all metal cabin built in time, and got a bunch of supplies laid in, but luckily we didn't need it then. Come spring, we were able yo make it more comfortable, but that came with a large price tag. We had a bad run of luck i town and lost everything...when all was said and done, we ended up out of debt, but nothing to sell . We were not able to build our "dream home", or anything even close. So, we threw together a storage shed, and moved into the cabin. You know, living there was quite relaxing,as I was forced to be tidy. Living in a 12 x 24 cabin with a 5 x 5 addition for a shower and toilet is tight quarters, especially with 4 house cats. We took on traffic control jobs that we could work together, The pay was rotten, but we survived. Then, DH got a steady job, that paid quite well. He did that until his disability hit too bad to work any longer. When that hit, we saw the disability people, and they told us how much he would get a month, with an adder for a housing allowance . We said we were debt free. We were then told to get a mortgage. We then bought an old trailer (double wide) and moved it here and are fixing it up as we afford it.......We love our life out here, and the freedoms that come with it.....Except for the fact that we can not graze any animals as we are up against the mountain, and the only real flat spot is drain field for the septic system. We do buy mostly locally raised meat and eggs, etc, from neighbours. Being as we were thrown in the deep end so to speak, the transition was easy. Are you associated with The Glass House on the lake? KK

We bought here prior to Y2K, with the hopes of completing a shelter before the event. Well, we got a small, all metal cabin built in time, and got a bunch of supplies laid in, but luckily we didn't need it then. Come spring, we were able yo make it more comfortable, but that came with a large price tag. We had a bad run of luck i town and lost everything...when all was said and done, we ended up out of debt, but nothing to sell . We were not able to build our "dream home", or anything even close. So, we threw together a storage shed, and moved into the cabin. You know, living there was quite relaxing,as I was forced to be tidy. Living in a 12 x 24 cabin with a 5 x 5 addition for a shower and toilet is tight quarters, especially with 4 house cats. We took on traffic control jobs that we could work together, The pay was rotten, but we survived. Then, DH got a steady job, that paid quite well. He did that until his disability hit too bad to work any longer. When that hit, we saw the disability people, and they told us how much he would get a month, with an adder for a housing allowance . We said we were debt free. We were then told to get a mortgage. We then bought an old trailer (double wide) and moved it here and are fixing it up as we afford it.......We love our life out here, and the freedoms that come with it.....Except for the fact that we can not graze any animals as we are up against the mountain, and the only real flat spot is drain field for the septic system. We do buy mostly locally raised meat and eggs, etc, from neighbours. Being as we were thrown in the deep end so to speak, the transition was easy. Are you associated with The Glass House on the lake? KK

no i dont know who glasshouse is ,but those are he stories i wanted to here because you earned what you have you know what is like to be cold and hungry .

thanks so much for sharing KK. I'm sure that many will find your story inspirational. We aren't affiliated with the Glass House on Kootenay Lake but I have often marvelled at the ingenious use of repurposed embalming bottles as an alternative building material. It kinda has a fortress feel to it. Maybe the builder was a prepper?

glasshouse: I was thinking along those lines as well. It is a really neat structure.....just love driving by on a bright day and seeing the sun reflect off those bottles.
It's rainy and miserable outside today, so will complete another small prepper money making project today. I crochet water bottle covers. They fit the 500 ml bottles. The one I am working on now is for a lady who has a large metal water bottle.....her problem is there are 4 other people where she works with the exact same bottle, so she wants a cover to identify hers. I'd post pictures, but haven't figured out how as I'm a techno-idiot!

Very cool. Someday I might have to commission you to make one for me. We sell eggs and some honey from our beehive. Really just enough to supplement the cost of feed and help us eat cheaper.

glasshouse: Just let me know what size water bottle you would like a cover for, and your favorite colour, and I will custom make you one. I also open to barter, so keep me posted, ok? KK