1. A lot of the “experts” out there are urging people to get rid of all of their cash. That is a huge mistake. You are going to need cash to pay your bills - especially during the initial phases of the coming crisis. Today, 63 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and millions of them will be severely hurting almost immediately once they lose their jobs or their businesses go under during this new economic downturn.
2. Get to know your neighbors. As the coming time of trouble unfolds, you are going to want to have people around you that you can trust and depend on.
3. Learn how to grow a garden. Food costs will continue to rise and our food distribution system is far more vulnerable than most people would dare to imagine. Any way that you can become more “food independent” would be a good thing.
4. At this point, you should already have several years of emergency food stored up for each member of your family. And don’t forget to store additional food for friends and family members that haven’t prepared and will need to come stay with you.
5. Make a “bug out plan” for your family, and make certain that every member of your family knows what the rally points are in case you all get separated.
6. Every member of your family should have a “bug out bag”. These should contain everything that they will need in the event of a major emergency.
7. If you are going to “strategically relocate” before things get really bad in this country, hopefully you have already done so by now. If not, you are working on borrowed time.
8. When civil unrest starts really spiraling out of control, it would be in your interest to avoid “America’s death zones” if possible.
9. Always have the gas tanks in your vehicles at least halfway full. You never know when you will need to hit the road in an emergency situation.
10. Put away some extra fuel for your generator while fuel costs are low.
11. Think ahead about what medicines and medical supplies you and your family will need during a major crisis.
12. Try to stock up on things that will make good barter items when the overall economy begins to totally break down.
13. There are non-electric versions of various appliances. Some examples include washing machines and coffee makers.
14. How are you going to cook your food when the power goes out for an extended period of time? You may want to consider a sun oven if you don’t have one already.
15. Don’t have all of your eggs in one basket. That includes not having all of your money in one location. If you have a bank account, consider spreading that money around to two or three different bank accounts.
16. You will want to keep at least some cash at home in case you are not able to access ATM machines during a major crisis.
17. If you can get out of debt without jeopardizing your other preparations, you should consider doing so. Those that are “lean and mean” financially will be in much better shape - especially during the initial stages of the coming crisis.
18. Physical gold and silver are good ways to protect your wealth over the long-term. As I have warned repeatedly, we will continue to see big ups and big downs for precious metals, so if you are going to invest you have got to be able to handle the ride.
19. Reduce your expenses and get accustomed to a more minimal standard of living. Now is not the time to be spending lots of money on fancy new toys.
20. If you have the time and energy, starting a side business may not be a bad idea. That way if you lose your job, you still have some income coming in.
21. You need to have a plan for fresh water in the event of a major emergency. Without water none of us can survive, and is imperative that you have a plan to provide clean drinking water for your family when disaster strikes.
22. If you can afford to get partially or totally “off the grid”, that would be a very good thing. Many preppers are discovering that they can do amazing things with wind, solar and water power.
23. Anyone that has spent more than a few hours without power knows how frustrating this can be. You need to have a plan for how you are going to provide power to your home that is independent of the power company.
24. Rotate your food supplies. Eat your oldest stuff first even though it may be tempting to dig into the stuff that you just purchased.
25. If you have a baby, don’t forget the special things that your baby will need during a major crisis.
26. Many preppers totally forget about their pets. You should store the food and supplies that they will need during an extended emergency.
27. This may sound trivial, but the truth is that our entertainment-addicted society would become very bored and very frustrated if the grid suddenly went down for an extended period of time. Card games and other basic forms of entertainment can make enduring a crisis much easier.
28. In the years ahead, being able to defend your home is going to become increasingly important. When the economy crashes, people are going to start to become very desperate. And desperate people do desperate things.
29. No plan ever unfolds perfectly. When your plan is disrupted, what will you do? It will be imperative for all of us to have a back-up plan and to be flexible during the years ahead.
30. Do not go around and tell everyone in the area where you live about your prepping. If you do, then you may find yourself overwhelmed with “visitors” when everything falls apart.
The following are items that are commonly recommended by survivalist experts that you may want to consider storing in case they are needed during a major crisis or emergency...
31. Blankets
32. Warm Clothing
33. Gloves
34. Extra Flashlights
35. First Aid Kits
36. Lighters
37. Matches
38. Duct Tape
39. A Shovel
40. A Tent
41. Knives
42. Mylar Blankets
43. Body Armor
44. Salt
45. Propane
46. Vitamins
47. An Axe
48. A Can Opener
49. A Battery-Powered Radio
50. Extra Batteries
51. A Fire Extinguisher
52. A Sewing Kit
53. A Tool Kit
54. Comfortable Shoes Or Hiking Boots
55. A Map Of Your Area
56. A Compass
57. Sleeping Bags
58. Candles
59. A Camp Stove
60. An LED Headlamp
61. Lightsticks
62. Heirloom Seeds
63. Clorox
64. Wood Socks, Sweaters And Mittens
65. Personal Hygiene Items
66. Ziplock Bags
67. A Watch Or Some Other Way To Tell Time
68. Extra Copies Of Your Financial Records
69. Spare Glasses
70. Prescription Medications
Great list, LL.
Man, I bet those wood socks really hurt!
If you have any repairable medical issues get them fixed now.
I just copied your list to Word, deleted the items that are completed or not applicable, and looked at what was left. 24 items left - much more manageable.
Next I listed ten easy fix items (Duct Tape, Salt, Vitamins, Extra Batteries, A Fire Extinguisher, A Map Of Your Area, etc.) that I want or want more of, wrote them down, and put them in my wallet. Within a week, I’ll be down to 14 items. That’s even more manageable. At that point, I can consider them one by one, and either work on them, dismiss them, or plan when to start on them. (No, I don’t have “several years” of food stored, but that strikes me as over the top unless everything else is perfect.)
My basic plan: Be able to stay in my home with my family, even if things go badly. Be able to protect my home against reasonable threats. Outlast perhaps a few weeks of total chaos, where government is part of the problem, followed by perhaps a few months of risk from two-legged predators. Then help to rebuild America as a free country.
Oh, way to make me feel like crap.
I am so screwed.
A guy could have a pretty good time in Dallas with all that,