There comes a point when you try to work out if you can afford to do everything you are trying to do. It's a simple enough idea: keep $incoming>$outgoing.
Except - there are always outgoings. And new outgoings. And outgoings that suddenly jump up in price. And outgoings that really should be gotten. And outgoings that aren't, strictly speaking, necessary, but are a good idea.
And yet - usually only one incoming, which never seems quite enough. Especially once you pay the strictly necessary bills, deal with things which suddenly pop up.
So... solar (electric) panels are on the back-burner, even though they would probably make a dent in the electricity bill. Solar thermal (hot water) isn't necessary (we have one), but could be experimental. Likewise, water tanks would be nice to get, even small ones for watering the garden, but... Of course, I'd rather putting in some underground tanks, but that would definitely shoot the price up, if I didn't want to break my back digging a couple of cubic metres of soil out.
Of course, there are a couple of ways to do things... a) Get a bank loan, or apply it to the mortgage... it doesn't get rid of the bill, but at least it means that it doesn't have to be all found right away. b) Find another, better paying job. c) Partake in... less... legal activities, which would mean more hassles - both from the enforcers of law, and those who actively break it. Not to mention the ethical qualms in doing so.
If I could find... customers interested in my knowledge on setting them up for cataclysms, that would help.
A lot of costs would lower if we moved further out into the countryside - yet other costs (such as fuel) jump up... And costs wouldn't lower if we moved closer to the city. Not that moving closer to the city would be pro-survival, anyway. Especially when a lot of houses are built not far above sea-level, or even on flood-plains.
Loading up the credit card preemptively isn't the answer, either. Apart from the fact that it's getting that way. When you aren't sure when things will happen, you have to ensure you have contingency plans... you'd be mad to spend everything in belief of the world ending next week when a big bill is due the following one - and things might continue on for a few months. Plus, as the recent economic problems in the US showed, an emergency doesn't mean the bills stop.