Posted on 03/08/2009 9:01:08 PM PDT by Perseverando
Booming preparedness industry says Americans are stockpiling
To some, the term "survivalist" conjures images of camouflage-clad men stockpiling freeze-dried food in a mountain cabin, but in the current economic crisis, the people quietly preparing to survive catastrophe may just be your next-door neighbors.
In his column in last month's Financial Times, business and technology expert Ade McCormack writes, "The world is in crisis and with it the world of business. Many of us have two plans. Plan A involves President Barack Obama performing some economic magic. Plan B involves a revolver, a vegetable patch and a subscription to Survivalist Monthly."
And while McCormack was writing with a hint of jest, dissent over the president's trillion-dollar spending approach to the economy has left many average, everyday Americans considering something looking suspiciously like plan B.
Discover the shocking truth about the U.S. economy – and what you can and must do – with "Black Hole," the most recent edition of WND's acclaimed Whistleblower magazine!
Bill Heid of Survival Seeds, a company that sells "banks" of high-yielding vegetable seeds sealed for long-term storage and awaiting a family's need to grow its own food, says business is skyrocketing.
"It's been dramatic, nothing short of dramatic," Heid told WND. "The survivalist mentality used to be considered a fringe element, but now that economic times are such as they are, many more average, regular folks are adopting the same set of preparations."
Heid told WND what's most notable is that his boom in sales isn't coming from just the usual survivalists stocking up for a Y2K-like event.
"Ninety percent of our increase in business is new business," Heid said, "people who have never thought about surviving in case of emergency before."
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
“Can you survive?”
For a decent amount of time, financially, anyway. Anyone who was paying attention should have been moving investment assets to “Safer” places in about mid-May...
As for anything else:
Decent foodstocks, rural area (but near a major Interstate), and friendly farmer neighbors.
If everything REALLY goes to crap, I have our reasonably defensible small town (small rivers on 3 sides, and two elevated rail right-of ways on two sides.)just a few miles away with it’s own (TINY) police force, a small Guard Armouy, a small, currently-mothballed hydro-electric plant, a large elevator, a town well system within it, and a decently organized Civil Defense. Arms would be fairly easy to come by, if you really needed them, around here. The only thing we would lack in a real breakdown of civl order would be decent medical facilities. The closest would be the county seat, some 13 miles away, and across that major Interstate.
It’s also far enough out of the city to NOT attract suburbanite Commuters. The few we do have (like me!) are out here for a REASON.
Being slammed by tornados every decade or so teaches us to be prepared for about anything.
Funny enough, we gamed a nuclear attack on Indianapolis and Chicago for local CD back in 1979, and part of that was how (And IF) we would deal with the human outflow...
Until 9/11 those plans sat on a shelf, and “Emergency Management was just a buzzword for a local political appointment. That changed after 9/11, and the plan was updated in 2002 after 9/11.
Sadly, I’m probably the only guy alive in town that actually knows how to use and read a dosimeter.
“You aren’t Rambo”
No we aren’t...
But the leftists screaming “DEATH TO REPUBLICANS!!” always seem to forget that most LEGAL gun-owners are trained in thier usage, at least to a rudimentary point.
While thier thugs are street-sweeping, we are “two to center-of-mass”, and moving on to the next target. Even just a few trained people can be more than a much for an untrained mob of “them”...
This video has been posted before but if you think it can’t happen here you need to see it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH6_i8zuffs
Ask the people of Argentina and Icland if it can happen.
I have some now, just want to add some more to the flock. I'll be there bright and early on Tuesday when the next shipment arrives.
Mayo is good on chicken salad too.
Are you from the AR15 Armory site?
Hello my friend... I came across your post and wondered who Ferfal was.
I’m spending about $200 a month for as long as I can on supplies. I’m getting about a month’s worth of food (for 4 people) and some medical supplies out of that. Here’s my shopping list:
Ingredients for “Plumpynut”
- large can of peanut butter
- powdered sugar
- powdered milk (large can)
- 180 ct. multi-vitamin
- gallon veg oil
8 large cans diced tomatoes
15 lbs assorted dry beans
4 large cans tuna or salmon
2 containers of grits
4 cans chicken
gateraid
coffee
tea
v-8
every month I’m buying different spices and seasonings (to make life more bearable)
I’m also getting:
vinegar
baking soda
dog food (cheap stuff)
cat food (cheap stuff)
bleach
coffee filters
lighters
alcohol
peroxide
salt
cheap sheets
toilet paper
aspirin
ibuprophen
toilet paper
OK, it’s not perfect, but it’s cheap and we’d have a nutritionally complete life for awhile. Once we get the garden, chickens and goats up and running, I’ll feel better.
As of right now, I have 3 months worth of provisions and I do feel more secure.
And what if we don’t suffer hyperinflation, war, economic collapse?
Well, my grocery bill will be *very* low for a long time! :-)
BTTT!
A paid off truck may be of more value to you by keeping it.
If the shtf I know I am not worrying about debt because everyone will be in the same situation. I guess it depends on the debt, how much, and what it is for. i don’t think the bill collector will be knocking on our doors when there is anarchy on the streets.
the paid off truck may be good if you need to load up some things and bug out. Again, depends on the value and the age.
I wish I had my truck paid off.
Just my opinion.
Ferfal is a Argentinian bloger and survivalits who writes a first hand account of life in a nation that has undergone a exonomic collapse. He has a lot of good practical information most of which is not theory, but is put to use everyday. You can read his blog at:
I agree keep the truck, you may need it to ‘bug out’ and it it could be a good to barter with later. As far as debt if it goes sour I not worrying about paying anyone other than the doctor and anything I have goes under the mattress or into anything still left to buy.
I wonder sometimes if I shouldn’t just stop paying my mortgage now and not wait! :-)
What breaks my heart the most about the situation in Argentina, is that the LEOs sided with the government and not with the people they had sworn to protect.
One key thing you are missing. Water.
It’s very hard to cook dry beans and rice without water.
This is in addition to drinking water. You should have cooking water.
In addition
I have in my kit water purification tablets.
I have large amounts of sugar and salt. Can be used for curing meats.
Rice and beans.
seasonings and spices.
Spare batterys and lamp oil. Lantern wicks.
Full 20 pound propane tanks plus the 16 oz propane for the lanterns and cook stoves.
Camp stove fuel for the old coleman camp stove.
guns and ammo
Army surplus first aid kit.
ibuprofin tablets.
Jim Beam, Captain Morgan, gin, vodka, wine, crown royal
several varieties of schnapps
That’s what the bleach and coffee filters are for. Run out of filters, you still have the sheets. :-)
"The world is in crisis and with it the world of business. Many of us have two plans. Plan A involves President Barack Obama performing some economic magic. Plan B involves a revolver, a vegetable patch and a subscription to Survivalist Monthly."
Good post....pinging for future reference.
Enjoyed your perspective. Thanks for posting.
I live in the Southeast, and when we had a temporary gas outage/shortage in September that was all the panic I needed to see. It really opened my eyes as to how people could behave in a more serious situation.
People fighting at the pumps, cussing each other out, honking horns all when they still had 1/2 a tank but were afraid they would never get another drop.
Not a friendly or “pull together” type attitude in the air.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2181392/posts
s Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an Ongoing Thread #2]
4500 posts and going strong!
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