Post by Gaz on Oct 20, 2014 21:50:45 GMT 10
Getting Started
So, perhaps you're convinced that you should make some preparations at some level, but you don't want to look like a nut-job and you don't want to waste a penny of your hard-earned money on worthless junk sold by fear-mongers.
What should you prepare for? How long should you be prepared? Which things do you need to get to be prepared? When should you start preparing? What do you do first - what's the order of priorities?
I can't answer the specifics of those questions for your personal situations as your finances and savings play a large part. I can give you this general advice: prepare for as many different negative possibilities as you can (looking for ways in which one action can address multiple possibilities), assume they could last a long duration, and prepare as quickly as you reasonably can. There is nothing I suggest on this site that is a waste of money - some are less useful than others and I mention my opinions about that on each discussion.
Let's look at toilet paper as an example. Have you ever been without TP? You know that helpless feeling when you call out “Honey, could you get me a new roll?” while stuck in the bathroom? Tell me - do you plan on using toilet paper next month? How about the month after that? Will you be using toilet paper three months from now? Six months? My guess is the answer to all these is “Of course I will”. If you plan on using toilet paper a year from now, then sometime between now and a year from now you will have to spend the money on those TP rolls. let's say your family uses 3 rolls a week. That's 156 rolls a year. If you buy a week's worth at a time you'll have 1 weeks worth. If you get one 36-roll mega-pack from Sams or Costco once every week or two, within 6 trips you'll have bought a years supply (plus the TP you've used). Let's look at this from a financial investing standpoint. You'll spend less money (things are cheaper in bulk) so you've already gained cash in pocket at the end of the year. Plus, you bought with pre-inflation dollars, so you also gained the same value in savings from that standpoint. At the end of the year you will have spent less money than if you would have spent buying the “normal” week at a time way. I do not know of a single stock you can purchase that is GUARANTEED to beat the rate of inflation, but buying bulk groceries like toilet paper as commodities guarantees this - unless you believe that inflation will go down and that grocery prices will drop; if the past is any indicator of the future, that is very unlikely. Buying in bulk and keeping a stockpile of necessary commodities which will be consumed is an exercise in good stewardship over the resources you have been blessed with.
I know - you want a list. Surviving Armageddon In 10 Easy Steps. OK, here's my prioritized list - it's incomplete, more than 10 steps, and please understand that yours may be different. Don't wait to finish one thing before beginning on another you can complete quickly. Let's assume you're starting from scratch and you are staying put in your home (typically the best choice for TEOTWAWKI, maybe not for Level 1 phenomena). Instructions/links for everything are on this site. Along with the actual items, purchase books as needed in the same priority. Obviously, if you already have enough of any item, say guns, you don't need to buy more. Silver and gold are great to have, but in a true SHTF scenario, I think bread & bullets will be worth their weight in silver and gold. Plus, you can't eat silver and you can't protect yourself by throwing gold coins. Silver and gold are inflation-hedge havens for excess funds you have left over after acquiring the necessities below. Note that the list contains about 10 things that you purchase. Those can all be purchased in about a month, including a years supply of food storage, assuming you have the funds in your savings and are willing to spend them.
Study (what you're doing now on The Basic Life), read books, make actionable task list.
Buy/make a gravity fed water purifier. Water is critical for survival.
Buy mid-term canned (wet) food storage. And buy cheap manual (non-electric) can openers.
Buy sanitation/hygiene supplies and medical supplies. Poor sanitation can kill you.
Buy an additional 5 gal gas can every time you go to WalMart, fill with StaBIL/Gas mixture & store in garage.
Buy long-term (dry) food storage. Grains and dehydrated/freeze dried foods can store for decades.
Buy a grain mill. You need to grind grain into flour.
Buy one or more water storage barrel(s) or used food-grade IBC Tote(s).
Start a garden - even if it's winter (& there's no permafrost), start soil preparations, grow mulched root crops under a floating cover
Get manual tools for gardening and basic carpentry and mechanics. Electricity may be out, gasoline may be depleted. Get sweat powered tools.
Buy a pistol for each adult and at least one tactical shotgun and one rifle w/ good scope, and a min. of 500-1000 rnds of ammo for each gun
Buy a framed backpack for each person, assemble 3-7 day "bug out bag" for fleeing Level 1 disasters
Buy Spring chicks and/or rabbits for backyards, quail for apartment balconies
Practice with your firearms regularly
Buy homeschooling supplies - first for the next year, then next two years, then next three...
To get started, first start doing what you're doing right now. Study! Determine which of the Level 1 and Level 2 scenarios are most likely for you, given your family situation and your regional location. Take inventory of your financial resources. If you can immediately prepare for Level 2 calamities, you can effectively bypass preparations for Level 1 emergencies (as Level 2 encompasses Level 1).
Next, assuming your funds or current commitment are limited, start gathering those things you decide you should have on hand for Level 1 short-term preparedness. What would happen if you lost all electricity across your entire region for a week, and hotels in surrounding counties were completely booked due to the emergency? (Google Hurricane Katrina). No electricity would mean the water pumps filling your community water towers would no longer work! What would you need to survive a week in your house without electricity in the summer? How about the winter?
What should you prepare for? How long should you be prepared? Which things do you need to get to be prepared? When should you start preparing? What do you do first - what's the order of priorities?
I can't answer the specifics of those questions for your personal situations as your finances and savings play a large part. I can give you this general advice: prepare for as many different negative possibilities as you can (looking for ways in which one action can address multiple possibilities), assume they could last a long duration, and prepare as quickly as you reasonably can. There is nothing I suggest on this site that is a waste of money - some are less useful than others and I mention my opinions about that on each discussion.
Let's look at toilet paper as an example. Have you ever been without TP? You know that helpless feeling when you call out “Honey, could you get me a new roll?” while stuck in the bathroom? Tell me - do you plan on using toilet paper next month? How about the month after that? Will you be using toilet paper three months from now? Six months? My guess is the answer to all these is “Of course I will”. If you plan on using toilet paper a year from now, then sometime between now and a year from now you will have to spend the money on those TP rolls. let's say your family uses 3 rolls a week. That's 156 rolls a year. If you buy a week's worth at a time you'll have 1 weeks worth. If you get one 36-roll mega-pack from Sams or Costco once every week or two, within 6 trips you'll have bought a years supply (plus the TP you've used). Let's look at this from a financial investing standpoint. You'll spend less money (things are cheaper in bulk) so you've already gained cash in pocket at the end of the year. Plus, you bought with pre-inflation dollars, so you also gained the same value in savings from that standpoint. At the end of the year you will have spent less money than if you would have spent buying the “normal” week at a time way. I do not know of a single stock you can purchase that is GUARANTEED to beat the rate of inflation, but buying bulk groceries like toilet paper as commodities guarantees this - unless you believe that inflation will go down and that grocery prices will drop; if the past is any indicator of the future, that is very unlikely. Buying in bulk and keeping a stockpile of necessary commodities which will be consumed is an exercise in good stewardship over the resources you have been blessed with.
I know - you want a list. Surviving Armageddon In 10 Easy Steps. OK, here's my prioritized list - it's incomplete, more than 10 steps, and please understand that yours may be different. Don't wait to finish one thing before beginning on another you can complete quickly. Let's assume you're starting from scratch and you are staying put in your home (typically the best choice for TEOTWAWKI, maybe not for Level 1 phenomena). Instructions/links for everything are on this site. Along with the actual items, purchase books as needed in the same priority. Obviously, if you already have enough of any item, say guns, you don't need to buy more. Silver and gold are great to have, but in a true SHTF scenario, I think bread & bullets will be worth their weight in silver and gold. Plus, you can't eat silver and you can't protect yourself by throwing gold coins. Silver and gold are inflation-hedge havens for excess funds you have left over after acquiring the necessities below. Note that the list contains about 10 things that you purchase. Those can all be purchased in about a month, including a years supply of food storage, assuming you have the funds in your savings and are willing to spend them.
Study (what you're doing now on The Basic Life), read books, make actionable task list.
Buy/make a gravity fed water purifier. Water is critical for survival.
Buy mid-term canned (wet) food storage. And buy cheap manual (non-electric) can openers.
Buy sanitation/hygiene supplies and medical supplies. Poor sanitation can kill you.
Buy an additional 5 gal gas can every time you go to WalMart, fill with StaBIL/Gas mixture & store in garage.
Buy long-term (dry) food storage. Grains and dehydrated/freeze dried foods can store for decades.
Buy a grain mill. You need to grind grain into flour.
Buy one or more water storage barrel(s) or used food-grade IBC Tote(s).
Start a garden - even if it's winter (& there's no permafrost), start soil preparations, grow mulched root crops under a floating cover
Get manual tools for gardening and basic carpentry and mechanics. Electricity may be out, gasoline may be depleted. Get sweat powered tools.
Buy a pistol for each adult and at least one tactical shotgun and one rifle w/ good scope, and a min. of 500-1000 rnds of ammo for each gun
Buy a framed backpack for each person, assemble 3-7 day "bug out bag" for fleeing Level 1 disasters
Buy Spring chicks and/or rabbits for backyards, quail for apartment balconies
Practice with your firearms regularly
Buy homeschooling supplies - first for the next year, then next two years, then next three...
To get started, first start doing what you're doing right now. Study! Determine which of the Level 1 and Level 2 scenarios are most likely for you, given your family situation and your regional location. Take inventory of your financial resources. If you can immediately prepare for Level 2 calamities, you can effectively bypass preparations for Level 1 emergencies (as Level 2 encompasses Level 1).
Next, assuming your funds or current commitment are limited, start gathering those things you decide you should have on hand for Level 1 short-term preparedness. What would happen if you lost all electricity across your entire region for a week, and hotels in surrounding counties were completely booked due to the emergency? (Google Hurricane Katrina). No electricity would mean the water pumps filling your community water towers would no longer work! What would you need to survive a week in your house without electricity in the summer? How about the winter?