Prepping for the short term

Yesterday I wrote about all of the Black Swans that we are collectively facing as a nation. All of the potential problems which lie ahead, some sooner than others, which by themselves or combined will have a destructive impact on the world as we know it. In addition to those Black Swans we have just experienced a re-election of the current administration and while I’m convinced the two candidates were more alike than they were different, this still does not bode well for those of us who enjoy maximum freedom and minimum government. Recognizing all of this what should some of our short term goals be as preppers? Instead of sitting around pouting and crying woe is me after the election, what should we focus on in order to increase our level preparedness with respect to the immediate challenges we face? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

1 Year’s Supply of Food. If you do not already have a 1 year supply of food for your family this should be near the top of your list. It doesn’t have to all be freeze dried food in Mountain House #10 cans either, any combination of food will work. You should have 2,000 calories on hand for each person in your family, per day. Be wary of “1 year supplies” which only list out servings, calorie count is king. Variety should also be considered in your plan when picking up food. Nobody wants to survive on macaroni and cheese and beef jerky for a year, food fatigue is very real consideration. Lastly make sure to buy food that you will eat, or can rotate through if the SHTF doesn’t happen in the near term. There is no need to pick up 25 cans of potted meat at the store simply because it was on sale if you have no desire to eat the stuff.

Water, Water, Water. Arguably the most important factor when it comes to prepping, even more so than food or guns. Just ask the people who went through Hurricane Sandy how tough it was without fresh water to drink. I recommend having at minimum a month’s supply on hand at your home. Just for consumption (drinking, mixing with food, hygiene) purposes you can figure at minimum 2 gallons per person, per day. That means for a family of four you will need 240 gallons on site, or a little more than 4 of these 55 gallon water containers. That puts a bit of a damper on the ten or so 1 gallon jugs and a couple cases of water you have in your basement doesn’t it. One way to lessen the requirement for having all of that water stored on site is to have a good way to filter water. There are plenty of good water filters out there, and of course there are other ways (boiling, bleach) to purify water. The bottom line is you need to have a self sustainable water source on hand if your access to potable drinking water is lost over an extended period of time.

Cash Money. I recommend having at minimum $500 cash on hand, if possible a few thousand dollars. I know what you are thinking and it has something to do with paper money losing value and eventually becoming worthless if we are hit with a hyperinflation scenario. While this is true that could take time and (in my opinion) initially paper money could retain *some* value. Additionally if the grid does down for any reason cash will be king, especially if your Debit card doesn’t work and the ATMs are off (or out of cash). You might need to pick up some additional supplies and it will be comforting to know that you can just pull a few hundred bucks out of your stash at home. I’m sure many of those who just went through Hurricane Sandy can vouch for this rationale.

Winter Preps. I recently wrote about how winter is coming and that we need to prepare. Warm clothes, ways to deal with extended power outages, extra supplies on hand, vehicles prepped and ready to go. All of these factors and more should be considered when preparing for what is looking to be a very harsh winter.

Firearms and Ammo. With the re-election we are sure to see some sort of new gun control measures enacted (or at minimum proposed). Be it in the form of a new Assault Weapons Ban, or restrictions on ammunition purchases or high capacity magazines there is no doubt in my mind there are lawmakers out there who are salivating at the thought of pushing these agendas through. Most likely the fallout from this will be nothing more than an inconvenience for those who have chosen to prepare long ago, but for individuals who are just now contemplating stocking up THE TIME IS NOW. If you were waiting to see what the results of the election would be prior to making your decision you should stop procrastinating and take action. Prices are certain to surge to ridiculous levels on guns and ammo with shortages for just about everything out there being the norm. I’m tracking a few items for fun just to see how much prices rise, and it has already started. If you have the means I suggest taking a look at an AR15, or AK47 and a couple thousand rounds to go with each. Don’t forget 6 to 8 magazines for each gun as well.

Holiday Spending Restraint. Last week I listed out a few gifts that preppers might enjoy receiving this Christmas. While we all like to enjoy the Holiday season and the gift giving that goes along with it I suggest exercising a bit of restraint. Do not buy anything on credit, don’t empty your savings account because you are counting on that tax return or Holiday bonus to make up the difference. There are quite a few black swans in the water and assuming you have all of the above priorities taken care of it would be wise to hold on to as much liquid capital as possible. You never know when you might need it.

Stay informed. If you asked 5 people what the implications of the Fiscal Cliff happening would be, most likely 3 out of those 5 would say: “what’s the fiscal cliff?” It’s our duty as preppers to stay informed as to what is going on around us, to look for the signs that the situation is escalating to a point where we need to take more action (depending on the situation). This could be bugging out prior to a storm, picking up extra food because the drought is sure to have an impact on food prices, or converting many of our “investments” into tangible assets because the economy is about to take a dive. We cannot go through life simply allowing things to happen to us, rather we should go through life influencing as much as we can and taking the initiative so that we can stay prepared and remain one step ahead of the system.