Many beers ago I mentioned I was writing a book titled “The No BS Survival Plan”. It’s a painfully slow process and much of it at this early stage is brainstorming, more brainstorming – with a few words typed on my Mac. As you may know, I moved to northern Kentucky in May to take on a much bigger facility with a lot more responsibility and time has been lacking ever since. Recently I’ve been putting more time into the book project and will be putting together chapters soon. Once I complete the Introduction I’ll publish it for you to take a gander and give some feedback. If it sucks – tell me it sucks. If it is the best thing since Genesis – well, give me a thumbs up.

“Getting Back to Basics” is often a saying used in manufacturing as well as preparedness. Sometimes we get lost in the details and veer off the path toward recognized goals. For preparedness, we usually start the journey as if we are planning on going on an extended camping trip. We think about shelter, food, cooking, water, light, sleeping arrangements, and maybe even some marshmallows on the end of a stick. Next up comes defense. Oh lordy, do we often think of defense with all the tactical armament and ammunition and magazines and optics and……the list goes on and on and the money PILES up. That will definitely be a chapter.

Our imagination often causes us to head off to an emotional place where facts and logic sometimes are hard to find. Look at the current times today. Millions are struggling to make ends meet as inflation reduces the buying power of their dollars. People have found new ways of living to exist on less money. The number of people who live full-time in campers, RVs, and modified cargo trailers is at an all-time high. What many once thought was NEEDED for housing turns out not to be the case. There are multi-family households where expenses are divided in order to reduce costs and live as much of a normal life as possible.

Times have definitely changed….and 2023 is right around the corner.

There are things that are a certainty. People cannot survive without food and water. Shelter ranks right up there. Those on life-sustaining medicines have to maintain a supply. In areas where frigid temperatures are common warmth is necessary. Some means of commerce must be maintained as very few are truly self-reliant. Yes – if things got really bad defensive tools certainly should be included.

I’ve seen this mentioned a few times as I travel around the Interweb – “Right now a $50 bill is much more valuable than a couple of boxes of 5.56”. The point behind this little bit of philosophy is in these troubled economic times those who have stockpiled MONEY are in a better position than those who have stockpiled ammunition. Those that did both – congrats. Some made the wrong decision.

Of course, Monday morning quarterbacking is pretty easy to do. Oh, and next Monday the results may be quite different.

Take care all –

Rourke