There are many people in the U.S. planning for hard times these days but even those numbers are just a small percentage of the entire population. Most people still believe the government line that everything is getting better. They want to believe life will go on as always because the alternative is too much for them to think about.
Those that are preparing have made the mental leap required to prepare themselves for a future that is less than normal. They have reduced their spending on normal consumer items and reallocated those resources to items that will help their families cope with disruptions in the future. They are preparing for the uncertain times ahead.
Most of these people are imagining a time when resources are cut off or hard to find for a period of time. They are trying to imagine the worst case scenario and prepare to get through those times in tact. They are storing supplies to meet their needs for this period of time. While that is a good idea and will benefit them greatly when the time comes, it may not be enough.
The future that stands before us will be a period of catastrophic change. Things will not be as they once were and they may never be that way again in our lifetimes. It is for this reason that planning for a period of disruption may not be enough. A longer term plan may be required to ensure sufficient resources for the rest of your life.
This will require you to think bigger than you have and develop a plan that goes far beyond your current stores. It does not have to be a big plan or an expensive one, it merely has to provide you with a road map to help you maintain a reasonable standard of living.
Your first reaction to this may be, I don’t have the resources to prep now so that is just not possible. You need to keep in mind that any plan of action starts out as a written plan to act as a guide. It will cost you nothing but some of your time to think about possible actions you can take in the future and write them down. That is always the first step to solving problems that seem too big to handle by yourself. As you write them down and address problems one at a time the bigger problem will become many smaller problems you can easily solve.
Word of the day: Prepare! And do it the old fashion way, like our fore-fathers did it and succeed long before us, because what lies ahead of us will require all the help we can get. Watch this video and learn the 3 skills that ensured our ancestors survival in hard times of famine and war.
There are no guarantees for the future. The way you live today will likely change in the near future. When those changes happen you may not have the ability to live as you do now. Your income and living situation may change and when they do you will have to come up with solutions. If you have already come up with solutions and planned a course of action when it is necessary, it will be easier for you to remain calm and confident as you change your lifestyle to cope with the changing conditions. Here are some questions you will need to answer to get you started in your long term planning.
How will you feed yourself?
Where will you live and what kind of shelter will you have?
How will you provide clean water to drink and cook?
What will you do for clothing?
What kind of sanitation will you have?
How will you stay healthy and provide medical care?
What will you do for transportation?
What kind of communications will you have to stay informed?
What kind of security will you have to stay safe?
What energy resources will you need and how will you provide them?
What will you do to earn money or trade for goods?
What special equipment will you need to live and prosper in the future?
These are some of the questions you must be able to answer to insure your living conditions are sufficient in the long term. Simply answering these questions now will provoke you into thinking about possible solutions to future problems that you may not want to think about right now. Keep in mind that your living conditions will likely change radically in the future whether you plan for it or not so you will make it much easier on yourself if you think about it now.
When answering questions about the future keep in mind that you must be thinking about providing resources for years and not just a few months. This will mean you must have a plan to produce or procure resources in some sustainable way. The more resources you can produce yourself the easier time you will have procuring them. Any production you have will also provide you with goods to sell or trade. Thinking through this type of situation will many times provide you with solutions to problems simply by solving other problems. The more thinking you do now, the less you will suffer in the future.
Final Word
We are straying away from our roots on a dangerous road from which there will be no turning back. And the good and bad news is that we are the last generation that can truly do something about it.
We no longer know how to live without refrigerators, without cars, without phones or without supermarkets.
What will you do tomorrow if you simply are unable to buy things?
Find all the answers in this great book ‘The Lost Ways‘ . Learn the lost ways of our ancestors!
By: Tom Chatham, Project Chesapeake
Don’t think in which simply because it will be free would not necessarily suggest that must be good! Anytime you are searching for the numerous different choices around people, will not disregard this place.
I would not trust the government for anything. Why would you trust an organization that lives off of your back? So funny!