What influenced you to start prepping?
Let me start by quoting from one of my favorite web sites
that I'm "not whack job crazy". In fact, I'd like to think that my
reasons for prepping are far more calculated. Prepping is actually something that's been on my mind
literally for years. I've discussed prepping with friends as far back as 2006. Lately, having Cole
in my life has given me a heightened awareness of my need to try and protect my
family from anything I realistically can. But it's more than that - my
reading list over the past few years has consisted of a lot of historically
fiction (John Jakes, Patrick O'Brian), some alternate reality fiction
set in times that didn't have a lot of our current technologies, and of
course some apocalyptic doomsday fiction. All good stuff I assure
you. But a common theme in all of the novels is how the characters
dealt with not having
computers, electricity, etc. Essentially, life 100 years ago. In
addition, this past summer, Barb, Cole, and I visited the Museum of the
Rockies. One of the really cool exhibits is a turn of the century
(1900) farmhouse. In the exhibit, there are people wearing clothes and
doing tasks from that era - blacksmithing, weaving, farming, etc. These
kinds of chores/hobbies interest me.
What events do you really think will occur to make all this work worthwhile?
Let
me quote Jack Spirko and say "Everything you do to “prepare” for
emergencies, disasters or economic
turmoil should be blended into your life in a way that improves your
life even if nothing disastrous ever occurs." This is 1 of his 10 core
values as to why to prep. In fact, it's the very first one. Read about
them here:
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/articles-by-jack/modern-survival-philosophy-2.
I
have a ranking of events that I think are possible to happen to my
family. I developed this ranking based on Jack Spirko's 6th core value,
which is "Plan for disaster in the following order of priority –
Personal-Localized-Regional-State-National-Global."
1. Personal: I think it's likely that Barb or I could experience a vehicle
breakdown of some sort in the next 10 years. Therefore, my preps include having gear
stored in the vehicles to help us if we are stuck on the road. We
subscribe to AAA as our first line of defense against vehicle
breakdown. We keep cell phones with us when we go somewhere in a
vehicle. We insure that we do all the required maintenance on our
vehicles. We fill up the car with gas when the tank gets half
full.
I think it's possible that either Barb or
I could lose our job sometime in the next 10 years. I think it's
possible that either Barb, Cole, or I could be very sick sometime in the
next 10 years, possibly to the extent of partial loss of income or
extremely high medical expenses. Therefore, my preps include having a
store of extra food that could
sustain us for 6 mos to lower our monthly costs. We are starting to
grow some of our own food for the same reason. We are putting
money into savings to help cover living expenses for such an
eventuality. We are paying off our credit cards every month to keep our
credit clear as a secondary line of defense. We are paying off our
house and car loans as quickly as we can to lower our monthly
expenditures.
2. Localized: I think it's
highly likely that we will lose power in the house sometime in the next
year. I think it's likely that the power outage will occur concurrently
with cold weather. Therefore, my preps include food storage, alternate
sources of heat, alternate sources of light, and alternate sources for
cooking.
I think it's possible
that we could have a house fire sometime in the next 10 years.
Therefore, my preps include keeping important documents and extra cash
in a fire-proof safe. We have smoke detectors in each bedroom and the
kitchen. I'm going to install a smoke detector in the garage. I have
fire extinguishers located in the linen closet upstairs, kitchen
downstairs, in the garage, and each of the cars. We have roll down
escape ladders stored in each bedroom on the 2nd floor. We talk about
what to do in the event of a grease fire. We keep supplies in each car
that can help us in the short term. We are developing a network of
friends that can help us in the event of a loss of the house.
3.
Regional/State: I think it's highly likely that there will be a large
snow storm that will shut down this area for several days in the next
year. Therefore, my preps include storing extra food in the house. We
intend to always own at least 1 4-wheel drive vehicle. We have chains
for each of the vehicles. We have warm clothing and boots in case we
have to leave the house on foot.
I
think it's possible that we'll experience a large magnitude earthquake
in the next 10 years. Therefore, my preps include storing supplies in a
location external to the house to make them readily accessible. We
keep tools that can help us gain access to certain areas of the house in
the event of a collapse to reach more supplies. We keep a store of
water external to the house. We keep spare gear in the vehicles.
4.
National/Gobal: I think it's possible that an economic disaster could
occur in my lifetime. This could include the loss of goods coming into
the city and the ability of the government to respond. This could
result in no food, water, power, energy available in the city.
Therefore, my preps include being able to leave the city to a known
remote location. We can do this primarily in a vehicle or if necessary
on foot. We are teaching ourselves skills that can help us survive in
the wilderness around us.
As you can see, a lot my preps for the more local emergencies dovetail well into the large scale emergencies.
What are your short term prepper goals?
I
think it makes the most sense to prepare for the personal and localized
events first. As I stated, there are highly likely scenarios that I
think will occur within the next year. I maintain a list of prepper
tasks that I prioritize in terms of cost, effort, and necessity. I'm
also working to build a network of preppers to become a safety net in
the event of a personal tragedy that may require the help of others to
overcome. I'm learning to grow things in my own yard. I'm constantly
learning new skills to add to my personal skill "toolbox".
What are your long term prepper goals?
Eventually, I'd like to purchase a bug out location. This would be used in the event of a national/global crisis. I'd like to stock it with equipment and make it defensible. At the same time, I'd like it to become a recreation area where I can camp, shoot, grow food, play paint ball, or experiment with coming "off the grid." I think of prepping as a hobby as much as I think of it as useful tool to help keep my family safe.
Why blog about prepping?
I think it puts subject matter out for people to discuss ideas and to talk about what the best approaches might be to solve a given problem. I think it's a great way to build a network of friends. I think it's a great way to learn and to teach. I think on a prepper blog, there can be something that will strike a chord with anyone who reads it, no matter how serious they are about prepping. Most of all, I think it gets people to think, which is a skill we seem to lack all to often in our modern world.
What 1 question would you ask of anyone reading this post?
What does prepping mean to you?
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