So, have you given up that American citizenship yet? No need to keep it if you are gone for good is it? I would really have much
more respect for your convictions if you did.
I seem to recall you were living the phat life in Italy the last I heard of you. Did that not work out so well for you? It’s crazy what can happen when the government runs out of good credit no matter where you live, isn’t it?
Speaking of money, you don’t have all of your wealth in US dollars do you? That could be a problem for you in a couple of years. That cheap rent which you currently pay could get awfully expensive. Or maybe you truly believe in your heart of hearts that the debt bomb that is coming for all of us in this country will somehow not devalue “your dollars” like it will mine. Oh, wait, I began to convert mine years ago, I don’t have a lot of dollars anymore.
What I do have is a place out in the country that is completely paid for along with everything else, I owe money to no one. We have 2 horses, a milk cow, a few sheep and goats. We keep chickens and raise meat rabbits which we butcher for our own use and sell for a small flow of cash. A 5 lb. rabbit currently brings $10 live, no need to process. We sell every one we don’t use ourselves,typically around 100 to 125 per month.
I plant a half acre of garden. I keep crops growing through the fall, there are some root veggies and Brussels Sprouts that we are still harvesting now. I built a small greenhouse where we will start the plants for our gardens in a couple of weeks and yes, we plant heirloom varieties in order to save the seeds.
Other places I allocated all of those USD$ were in tools and equipment, lots of tools and equipment, and spare parts for everything. Lots of books, manuals, and instructional DVD’s (for as long as we have electricity) teaching everything from how to deliver a baby to how to repair the diesel engine in my tractor. I bought welding equipment, gas and electric ( requires gas but generates electricity) and took classes at the local community college to learn how to use it. My wife will finish her classes in nursing this summer.
I’ve been heavily investing in food storage the last 4 years and I currently have enough provisions stored, not counting what we preserve ourselves, to supply the 8 people who will shelter here 2500 calories per day for 5 years. The inventory gets increased every month, bi-annually, and annually. I have been grinding wheat for flour for 3 years now.
We have been practicing living without electricity for a couple years now. Once a month, we go for anywhere from a few days to a week without turning on anything. No TV or computer, clothes are washed in a machine that doesn’t require electric. Meals are cooked and bread is baked in a wood cookstove. We already heat a very large ( 3 stories, 5000+ sf) house and all of our hot water with an outdoor wood furnace we burn year round. It helps having a 20 acre woodlot.
So, you may well ask, how am I prepared to defend all of what I have from the hoards who currently reside in the condo canyons that surround cities such as Washington, D.C., Phila., NYC, and all the rest. Well, we have guns, lots and lots of guns. And ammo, lots of it. We have a lot of powder, ball, and cap to reload all the empty brass. I am the resident armorer and keep all of our weapons running well. There is a weapon which is appropriate for everyone in our sheltering group and I insist on monthly practice. My oldest son is currently learning the art of repairing firearms.
We started construction on some defensive fighting positions on our property as well as the property of our like minded neighbors. Each neighbor is responsible for sheltering their own group, but we will act jointly in defense of property, i.e., I won’t stand by and watch their homes be looted and burned.
All of this must sound terribly dreary to an international citizen such as yourself, after all, milking a cow and tending a garden ain’t life on the beach, but my family has come to enjoy this life very much. We have all been to the beach, it has sand and lots of salt water. One thing that we do have which you will never have though. We live on our own property, provide for ourselves by our own labor, and live unafraid in the greatest country on Earth, the United States of America. that is something by your own admission which you will never do again.
You will try and rationalize your decision, spin it like a politician, lie to all of us as well as yourself, but every morning when you look out at the ocean there is one thing that must lay in your gut like a ball of ice; you are no longer an American.
“I have been grinding wheat for flour for 3 years now.”
Whether you live in the bush or find big city life great, I would recommend everyone to buy a wheat grinder and make your own flour. Flour you grind yourself makes the best bread you will ever eat. It is delicious, packed with nutrients and different varieties of bread can be made.
A good flour grinder will run about $200. Red wheat berries are my choice for grinding. These berries in #10 cans will last for decades.
>> clothes are washed in a machine that doesn’t require electric <<
Could you elaborate on this a bit more? Sounds interesting and useful.
I’m very impressed with your preps. Nice job. How in the world did you get your family and friends to take prepping so seriously?
I’ve spoken with my friends and while there are interesting in talking about it, they aren’t as enthusiastic when it comes to taking specific actions, i.e. - going without electricity for a week.