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I thank everyone for the advice, but I have no income coming in so a bug out location is out of the question. I still think we have quite a while until a true SHTF situation happens, so I will do little preps here and there for now.
Am I the only one having a hard time taking seriously an article from a site that pictures a mushroom cloud in the upper right hand corner, a column called "The Daily Sheeple" or an ad that depicts the Capitol building cracking into pieces against the backdrop of a blood-red sky?
It is an article from an alternative news website. You will not find any info like this from the MSM. Trust me, it is worth your time to read it. I will admit though it really did scare the hell out of me.
Here's the thing guys, "prepping" makes sense. (By the way, I feel stupid every time I use that word since it's associated with TEOTWAWKI-type people).
*I can my own produce because it's healthier and because my mom and grandma canned, not because I think the world is ending soon.
*I grow my own meat because it's cheaper, and again, healthier, not because I think the transport system in the US is nearing collapse.
*I grow my own eggs because my chickens are the grasshopper control for my garden.
*I sew because I like it. I mend because I'm cheap. I have a multitude of antique sewing machines, including a couple of treadles, because I'm a collector, not because I anticipate the loss of power. Though it HAS been nice to have the power out on a blustery winter day and be able to pedal along, working on a quilt.
*We tinker with "old junk" because it's interesting (and cheap) not because we might someday NEED it.
*I rely on and help my neighbors because that's the way I was raised, not because I'm creating a post-apocalypse support system.
*We have horses because my kids are in 4H and my husband cowboys for a living, not because an EMP is going to fry all automotive electronic modules.
*I keep a full-to-bursting pantry because my husband has been out of work for a couple of months in the past and that's what kept us cruising along with no hiccups. Not that I think societal collapse is looming on the horizon.
*We have an assortment of firearms because we like to hunt and live far enough off the beaten path we have to be self-sufficient in the defense against both four-legged and two-legged critters, not because I'm readying for a zombie siege.
*My first aid kit is really well stocked because we live 10 miles from pavement. (Where I live, you drive yourself to the hospital and if it's really bad, the ambulance will meet you part way.)
*We're working on getting our house off the grid because we want to save money, as well as do our part for the environment. Not because The Grid is going down when TSHTF.
Etc, etc, etc.
The likelihood that TEOTWAWKI will happen in any of our lifetimes is somewhere between slim and none. Preparing for such an event is kind of silly...particularly since there are so many possible scenarios! You'll make yourself crazy (not to mention convince those around you that you ARE) trying to "prep" for all the possibilities.
On the other hand, "prepping" for a job loss, a burglar, or failing health DOES make sense. Those things are normal occurrences and NOT prepping is foolish. And, in the event that something truly disastrous does happen, you'll be as ready as you can be.
I would suggest that posters here not bring up specific potential threats to our survival (whether it's very likely or not likely at all). The problem is that every single participant here has his/her own "barometer" that gauges what he/she feels could (or even will) happen and what he/she feels cannot happen. And every single "barometer" here is different. My claim is that nobody really knows what is going to happen in the future. Personally, I don't claim anything to be impossible. It's nearly impossible to win a lottery, yet someone wins, right?
I think this forum works best when it concentrates on how to deal with bad situations rather than naming a Situation. Because AS SOON as someone actually names one of the tens of thousands of potential future events, someone else out there is going to start braying about tinfoil hats. Even though they have 10 tons of grain in their basement. I'd have to say that although most of the folks here certainly prepare for "something," each has their own set of acceptable "somethings." Anything outside of that set is immediately branded as poppycock. Some think that only the power may go out for a few hours--that's their survival mode. Some think that a full out nuclear attack is eminent or "Yellerstone" is going to blow--that's what they are preparing for. I guess what I'm saying is that when you scoff at something you think is impossible, remember the larger world out there is scoffing at what you believe is possible. Do you really know where the line of the future between what can and what cannot be? If so, do share your crystal ball.
"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to ChrisC again."
Alas, you deserve one for this post.
I agree, don't even bother with saying what could happen as it will only turn off people from preparing for anything. I would much rather have more people prepared for things than not.
"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to ChrisC again."
Alas, you deserve one for this post.
I agree, don't even bother with saying what could happen as it will only turn off people from preparing for anything. I would much rather have more people prepared for things than not.
Thanks!
And the thing is, someone who stores years worth of food, gardens, and cooks from scratch (for example) because they "like to live that way," is also, by default, preparing for a nuclear strike, earthquake, EMP, drought, civil unrest, currency devaluation, government collapse, epidemic, terrorist attack, etc, whether they like it or not and whether they are willing to admit it or not.
Why would anyone store "years worth of food" unless they're preparing for the end of the world??
And I have to admit, I get a little nervous around TEOTWAKI-types.
They tend to be well-armed, and a half a bubble off plumb. Like I've said before, sanity is good.
I like sanity.
Why would anyone store "years worth of food" unless they're preparing for the end of the world??
And I have to admit, I get a little nervous around TEOTWAKI-types.
They tend to be well-armed, and a half a bubble off plumb. Like I've said before, sanity is good.
I like sanity.
Primarily because I seldom have to go to the store and food is cheaper in bulk. Secondarily, because most of my food keeps for 20 - 30 years and I don't have to worry about it wilting within a week. And third, because it's there in case the store ever closes for whatever reason. Fourth, because when I get too old to bust my ass on a job all day, I won't starve to death.
And I get nervous around people who think everything is rosy, nothing bad ever happens in the world, and would sell their liberty for a three halfpence. I like sanity as well. Sanity, however, is not synonymous with normalcy bias.
There are plenty of people out there who have lost their jobs and have been unemployed or underemployed for years. I bet they wish they started their lay-offs out with a couple of years worth of food in the house.
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