Neo-Survivalist

I’ve recently developed a fear of travel.  No, I’m not afraid of flying or anything.  I used to work a job that required me flying every single week, so that isn’t the issue.  The concern that has developed is a major disaster happening while I’m away from my family.

For example, my wife and I are traveling from Florida to Alaska later this year.  We have a little girl that we are leaving behind with her grandparents.  What if the transportation grid completely goes down while we’re away?  This is a thought that keeps me up at night.  It’s one thing to be unable to drive home from work and have to walk 10 miles, but Alaska to Florida?  It’s nearly impossible.

Thus is the mentality and thought process of someone who has recently awakened to the dangers and realities of our world.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t wake up.  To plan for such risks takes well thought out plans.  Communication with family members is crucial.  If I’m away and something happens, there should be a clear plan in place in order what to do and where to meet in case transportation and/or communication is down.

Putting plans in writing for various emergencies is a big task that I need to take care of with my family.  There should be a clear understanding of what to do for a range of emergencies that could happen.  This is hugely important.

General Preparedness

Most survival blogs are built around the idea of preparing for TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It).  Well, what about preparing for tough times, tough circumstances or outright disaster within the context of the world as we know it still functioning at least somewhat?  If you think about it, this is more realistic, and is probably worth planning for and preparing for at least as much as TEOTWAWKI.

So, what are some realistic scenarios that we should prep for?

Prolonged Economic Depression

A prolonged economic depression is a near certainty in my mind.  There will be much economic pain associated with it and some very nasty ramifications, but with that said, I believe the country will still operate and have some level of economic order to it.  Think about the Great Depression.  Horrendous unemployment in the 25% range.  Realize as bad as that is, 75% still were employed.  It was far from a total societal collapse.

With a major economic depression, there are definitely nasty side effects so I don’t wish to downplan the ugliness here.  First, crime will likely shoot up significantly as people without jobs turn to crime.  Throw in the fact that most municipalities are in terrible fiscal shape which will likely mean reduced police forces, and you’ll see that this is not a pleasant scenario.  You should plan to be able to protect yourself, your home and your family.

Work on building significant reserves of cash, supplies and definitely food & water.  Supply disruptions might be common in a major depression so make sure you have things you need.  In case of the situation where you lose your job, work on building reserves to get you through.

Terrorist Attacks

The world changed on 9/11.  With the United States still engaged in the “war on terror” there are plenty of terrorist out there plotting to attack America.  This is a very possible and maybe even likely event at some point in the future.  Major disruptions to normal systems that we rely on such as power, food supply, gas supply, etc. can occur in such an event.  Another reason to stock up on certain items.

Natural Disasters

As we’ve seen recently over the years, events like Hurricane Katrina, Asian tsunamis, earthquakes (Haiti, Chili) and now even Icelandic volcanos are happening all the time.  We need to prepare for a variety of disasters.  As a Floridian, much of my survival preps can double as hurricane preparation as hurricanes are pretty common here.  Power, water, food, first-aid, and other supplies are all good to have on hand for natural disaster preparation.

Inflation

Inflation has been happening underneath the surface (and sometimes right in our face) over the last 100 years.  Since the Federal Reserve was created in the early 1900′s, the U.S. dollar has lost over 97% of its purchasing power.  Encouraging, huh?

Well with recent policy of printing money to paper over massive debt losses, inflation seems like a very possible scenario down the road.  Stocking up on usable consumer goods as well as “sound money” like precious metals is a good plan to prepare for inflation.  With this said, don’t jump on board the inflation train 100%.  There are real deflationary forces in the economy and putting all your eggs in one basket isn’t smart anyways.

What scenarios are you prepping for?

General Preparedness

I’m a regular American with a mortgage, bills to pay, etc.  As such, I don’t have a great deal of extra spending money to allocate towards my “preps”.  The good thing is that you don’t need millions of dollars to take significant steps towards preparedness and self reliance.

For me, currently, I typically allocate $100 a month right now to build up my supplies.  This money might be allocated towards some bulk quantities of freeze dried foods or maybe some equipment such as candles, water purification tablets or maybe it goes towards ammunition.  Either way, as month after month goes by, you’ll quickly realize that you can build up a nice supply store with your set monthly budget.  The items will accumulate and you’ll start to feel fairly ready for some uncertain circumstances.

What is your monthly budget?  How do you determine how much to spend on your supplies each month?

Not mentioned here is allocating money toward gold and silver and other precious metals.  I believe this is also a big part of preparing.

Financial Preparation, General Preparedness

When it comes to getting prepared, it’s tough to identify what exactly we’re preparing for.  As such, it’s important to make preparations in a number of areas and in a number of ways.  The following is my high level plan that I’m working towards incrementally over the coming months and years (assuming we have years).

Financial Preparation

With the disastrous economy that we’re currently in plus the inevitable future crashes that I believe are coming, it is necessary to make a range of financial preparations.  I believe there is evidence of both deflation and inflation in the economy, so I don’t believe in putting all of your eggs in one of these two baskets.  Instead, you need to be prepared for either.

Some of the things I’m doing include:

1. Working to get out of debt
2. Building up alternative income streams
3. Boosting my savings
4. Accumulating physical gold & silver
5. Building up some cash to keep on property (not in a bank account)
6. Tweaking my investments accordingly

Food & Water Supplies

As any survivalist knows, it doesn’t matter how prepared you are financially, if you run out of water, you’re dead in a few days.  Thus, it’s crucial to build a supply of food & water.  My goal is to have a few weeks of water stored in addition to sources like neighbor’s pools, water heater, etc.  Also, my goal is to have six months of food stored in addition to my typical pantry items.

Other things I’m looking to accumulate:

1. Water purification tablets
2. Water Filter(s)

Self Defense

I’m a 20-something with very minimal firearm experience.  I’ve shot a few handguns and a few shotguns in my life, but nothing major.  I recently purchased my first firearm, a 9mm hand gun, and I’m working to become an expert at it.  I’m also working to accumulate bulk ammunition for long term use.

Additionally, I’m looking to continue to increase my skill set with a variety of firearms.  My next purchase will likely be a shotgun.  Will keep you posted on this.

Sustainability

This is an interesting, long term goal.  The reality is that no matter how much food & water you store, eventually you’ll run out.  I’m looking to gain some skills on gardening so that I can possibly grow some of my own food.  I have a small backyard but living in Florida, I can grow a wide range of plants.

Other sustainability goals may involve the areas of energy and also building up general skills that are useful.

I will continue to document my progress in these areas on this blog including additional details.

General Preparedness