True, but I don’t think that saving your money and maintaining at least a minimum level of income is merely a survival strategy. It’s a good way to live well.
Agreed. I was using that as an illustration of the all or nothing sort of thinking that usually comes into these discussions.
A family can dramatically improve their odds without going to off the charts extremes.
Am I preparing for 10 years of chaos? Nope, I'm not going to think that far ahead. But $1000 will buy a surprisingly large quantity of canned goods that will not spoil for 5-10 years. Throw in a couple of good firearms and several thousand rounds of ammo (again not a great expense, and certainly not perishable). Another $500 for basic, non perishable necessities like TP, toothbrushes, personal hygiene needs. Buy ahead on important prescription medications and first aid materials. Keep $1000 of cash on hand. All of a sudden for maybe $4K you have now put your family into the top 5% in terms of survivability for the critical 3 months. We all know how quickly most middle class families squander $4000. It's a simple $4k insurance policy. Spend the money and forget it.
Insurance against the gov...a good thing!