Have You Started Getting Ready for Hard Times

Survival Blog ^ | 7/22/14 | LS

[Kartographer]

When Paul Revere’s alarm, “The Redcoats are coming!”, was sounded through the countryside centuries ago, it was made to people who were prepared to meet a challenge. Whether the coming challenge in our present day is one of economics or something else, will you be prepared to respond when the alarm is sounded? Here are some ideas you should consider as you get started in your preparations for whatever hard times might await:

[Kartographer]

Very basic article, but you might use it to get others to thinking about starting to prep.

Prepping seem daunting at first, but just remember start with the basic, take small steps and build from there.

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!!

[Kartographer]

It is your choice you can prep or you can stand around on a bridge waiting for FEMA to bring you a bottle of water, a MRE, a warm blanket and a kiss for your boo-boo and maybe you can even get your picture as you stand there on the national news.

The world is dry tinder just awaiting the right spark.

So listen to what the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. NIV Proverbs 22:3

Selco covers this in this article many times people just can not except that a breakdown is occurring even as they watch it happening before their eyes. Why don’t they realize it? It’s caused by a condition called ‘Normalcy Bias’ a mental state people enter when facing a disaster.

It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

A good article on ‘Normalcy Bias’ is on our own ChocChipCookies Blog The Survival Mom:

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/12/29/normalcy-bias/

You either prepare and stand on your own beholden to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become their ‘serf’. Me I don’t want to be beholden to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand, sit, eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be shut up in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.

For those of you who are just thinking of starting to prep, those just getting started or if you are old hand you might find my Preparedness Manual helpful. You can download the manual at:

http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!

For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, cash (I myself have been putting up change for the past few years both for the metal content and the fact that using change places to make what purchases you can will move you down the the list of possible marks during shtf), tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.

As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”

Again I like to recomend FReeper’s ChocoChipCookie Blog The Survival Mom (Please Blog Police let this one slide!) Where you can get lots of useful information like:

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2011/11/20/8-morale-boosters-for-any-worst-case-scenario/

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/02/02/survival-priorities-the-rule-of-three/

And More

Also there is Ferfal’s Blog a survivor of Argentina’s first collapse:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/

And there is Selco’s Blog a Bosnian War survivor at:

http://shtfschool.com/

“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger. Underestimation can be fatal.”

[mountainlion]

I think I have to find a help mate. Everything else seems in order.

[2ndDivisionVet]

That’d require money. Us poor folks are screwed before the gate opens.

[Jim from C-Town]

The last 5 1/2 years have been nothing but hard times. Hopefully the next will be significantly better.

[867V309]

Location, location, location.

[TMSuchman]

Since we are being watched, I say OPSEC Rules!

It is none of anyone’s business what I have as far as gear goes......

[yarddog]

I think pellet guns should be substituted for BB gun. I suspect that is what he meant anyway.

The Daisy model 880 is so cheap yet useful that everyone should have a couple. Also get a couple of the better quality springers. Also a couple of quarts of non detergent 30wt. motor oil for general lubrication of guns air guns etc.

[2ndDivisionVet]

It wasn’t “FEMA” that brought us hot meals, water, ice, MRE-type food, laundering, phones and so much more during Hurricane Katrina. It was the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Lutheran Social Services, BCFS (Baptists), LDS Social Services and dozens more...

[Big Red Badger]

I had one,
she split with my best friend.
I’m better off.

[Fungi]

What do mean “started?” These aren't hard times already with a real unemployment rate over 11 per cent and an invasion from the southern border, not to mention an all out assault against Christians from Wash. D.C? We are experiencing it now. But yes it will get worse at some point.

[tiki]

I just recently gained 12 lbs so my body must be getting ready.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I wish the unemployment rate was only 11% but I worked at the unemployment office way too long to buy that.

[Clump]

Pfl

[Fungi]

I thought I was being generous with that figure. Perhaps 14%?

[SamAdams76]

I'm something like 50 years old and I've been hearing these proclamations of impending doom and gloom ever since I was old enough to walk. Always with the drama, the "end is near" mantra and the constant refrain of "we are about to get our comeuppance."

Yet the end never seemed to happen. I still had to do my homework. These days, my mortgage still comes due each month and I have to pay it.

Instead, life just kept getting better. Food became cheaper and more plentiful. Whilst I only had a few entertainment options as a child, they abound today, to the point where there is not enough hours in the day to do all that I wish to do.

Now I'm not oblivious to the fact that we might see a setback at some point in time. I do keep a few extra batteries on hand. A fairly decent collection of canned good and a liquor cabinet to last me a month or two. A generator and fair supply of firewood.

So if a hurricane, earthquake or some other catastrophe was to hit, I'd be able to batten down those hatches and lie low for a spell.

But as for permanent hard times? Not going to happen. This economy continues to explode and our standard of living continues to increase year after year.

And guess what? Whoever happens to be "president" has nothing to do with it. We could put a mental derelict in the White House (in fact, we have!) and yet we continue to progress. Smartphones get smarter. Drilling for oil gets easier. Computers get faster. Food continues to get more plentiful - to the point where our major societal issue is...obesity.

So while I think it's a great idea to do a little "prepping" here and there (I now have three propane tanks filled), the notion that we are going to suddenly descend into a long term situation of hard times is unwarranted. If anything, we are on the cusp of a long boom that will make the current times seem like hard times.

[Kartographer]

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Proverbs 18:22

But you need be choosy just as not all males are men and capable of being Husbands not all women are ladies and capable of being Wives. My Pastor's advice; Look in church, you are bound to find a lot more Ladies even in a small church than you will find in any bar on the planet.

[American Constitutionalist]

You can say that again.
Us poor folk are screwed, but at least by being poor we are conditioned to live on meager means getting by.
Learned how to reuse the KFC ( I go to KFC when there is a sale or when I can afford it ) black bowls and plastic lids in the microwave instead of going out and buying paper plates.
Same thing about buying frozen dinners at Walmart and reusing the black plastic microwave dish instead of buying paper plates.
I go to the dollar store for a lot of my things, and dollar steak knifes, toilet paper, laundry detergent.

[Taffini]

bump*