Thinking back to my early days in survival. I was 14 years old and saw a TV show talking about “peak oil.” Shortly after that, I saw the TV movie, “The Day After“. I was hooked. I spent hours thinking about what would happen if oil ran out or became extremely expensive. Thoughts of nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States brought me to making lists of things I needed to get to make sure my family would be prepared. Things we would need to survive.
My mom and I would go to the grocery store and I would sneak an extra can of Bean & Bacon soup in the cart. An extra pack of wooden matches “for the grill” would be added as well as some Dinty Moores Beef Stew. In just a couple months my bedroom closet top shelf showed a hell of a collection of extra food and supplies.
I was a survivalist.
Reflecting back, this got me thinking about folks today who are looking around at all the craziness and feel like maybe there’s something to this prepping they’ve heard about. Where do they start? How do they bring up the idea to take precautions and prep to their spouse? Are they crazy for thinking such things?
Just investing $10-$20 per week will add up. Basic steps towards being better positioned to deal with food shortages, power outages, crime, etc. is not rocket science. A little extra food. Extra water. Flashlights. Batteries. Blankets. Extra propane for the grill. A good first aid kit. A cash stash.
I should write a No BS Survival Plan.
Hmmmm……… Maybe.
Rourke
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Rourke- I always vote for you for number one in prepping sites.
It is pretty amazi
ng that you began prepping as a teen .You have been faithful to your values -thanks !!!Good title for your new book.
According to the Farmers Almanac ( and the signs of nature here) it is going to be a colder than usual winter with about average snow -at least here in the Northeast region.
For those of us who need to it is time to start winterizing the home- putting up plastic and caulking and cleaning woodstoves and chimneys etc.
Happy Autumn everyone . Arlene
I don’t know if it’s the fear of becoming a hoarder or just the Pollyanna approach that everything will always be fine, but it irritates me when I hear about people tossing good things in the trash just because they haven’t used it in a while. One of the simplest ways of prepping is to just keep the decent things you have. Find suitable storage space for them. Figure out the ways you could repurpose them in a dire situation. One of these days you might not have the time or money to run out and buy a new one, and you’ll regret that you emptied all your cupboards just for the sake of being able to brag about your massive Spring cleaning.
When I bought my dream house a few years ago, I also acquired an old man’s treasures: a small wood cookstove in the cellar with a neat box of newspapers; Carhartt overalls; heavy-duty rain gear; a wide assortment of hand & garden tools; miscellaneous pipes and fittings; new suspenders; a small supply of firewood stacked off the ground; a pile of lumber under the garage roof; a case of motor oil; multiple steel and plastic drums; sturdy wooden crates. And nearly everyone who saw those things was horrified that they hadn’t been removed before the sale and was adamant that I hire a dumpster and get rid of “all that trash”. My kids just stood back and smiled. They knew I’d found my goldmine.
John, write the book, education is an ongoing process. My father used to tell me when you know everything about the job you do, find another one as familiarization breeds content and you get lazy an sloppy.