Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for
independent minded people…
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2161-5543
A Digest of Urban
Survival Resources
Prepare
for Coming Shortages
Over
the years I have heard preppers lumped into the same boat as Hoarders. This is
always with a negative connotation but I think that the connection, while it
makes a certain amount of sense if viewed in the proper context, is
instead almost always linked to the more severe and unrelated Psychological
condition of Compulsive Hoarding. The conflation of these two terms takes
the very real, natural instincts of preppers and equates them to people with
psychological issues who live in squalor. We have seen in the news even now how
the label of ‘hoarder’ is used to demean and even criminalize what should be
considered rational behavior in my opinion.
Hoarding
is normal by humans during times of scarcity. It is how the smart survive while
the foolish perish. You accumulate or store additional provisions that you
likely will need later but due to forces beyond your control, are unable to
get. Hoarding by preppers is usually associated with food because if you can’t
get food you die. It makes perfect sense to me that if I know there will be a
shortage of food and I won’t be able to go down to the local grocery store to
purchase more, that I should make plans before the scarcity arrives to obtain
more food. My children still need to eat regardless of what is available for me
on the shelves. To not plan for their needs when I have the ability and
foreknowledge to do so would seem to be a type of willful neglect.
Animals
hoard food all the time and we don’t look at them as having some type of mental
deformity do we? Animals certainly don’t have access to grocery stores or
shopping malls, but that doesn’t mean they don’t consider the very real fact
that they have to provide for themselves in times when food is less plentiful.
Compulsive
hoarding is completely different and has been the subject of at least one
reality TV Show. Compulsive hoarders aren’t stocking up on food because the
supply is inconsistent and prone to rationing. The compulsive hoarders simply
don’t throw anything away. They feel attached to certain items and the space
these items take up in their homes eventually cause health issues. To compare a
father stocking up food because the lines at the grocery store stretch on for
blocks and rationing has begun to someone who is living in a house of useless
items they purchased on the Home Shopping Network, but can’t bear to throw
away, is logically fallacious.
Why should I worry about
hoarding anything
Preppers
have a very real and valid reason of stockpiling basic supplies in my
opinion. We stock up food and water for just the very possibility that we will
need them and be unable to acquire them. This could be due to a disaster or
sickness that forces everyone to stay inside until conditions are safe. It
could be for something like the beginnings of an economic collapse where food
supplies simply aren’t reliable as they once were.
Today
in Venezuela they are experiencing this very thing. Venezuela is heavily
dependent on imports for their food and medicine but their economy is in such
bad shape that all of their supply lines are being disrupted. Things are so bad
already that they are arresting store managers under the charge that
they have been hoarding food. In this case, the managers allegedly were holding
back supplies and selling them at higher prices.
They
are also taking steps to prevent people from buying more food and stocking up
by installing fingerprint scanners in grocery stores. This is done
directly to enforce the policy of government rationing that is currently in
place. They are demonizing people who want to store extra for their families
and in the process they are creating less stability.
Can you envision a scenario like this in the
United States? Venezuela’s inflation rate is expected to rise from 270% to
over 720% this year alone. Earlier in the year, there were shortages
of toilet paper and daily the citizens of Venezuela are already forced by
rationing policies to limit their shopping to one day a week where
they are only able to get what is available and have to stand in line all day.
Even the electricity is being rationed.
No, the economic condition in the U.S. is not
the same as in Venezuela. We aren’t as dependent on selling our oil to other
countries and we don’t import a majority of our food. We actually export our
food to countries like Venezuela. But the factors that lead to shortages and
rationing don’t have to be the same for the threat to be realized. There are
any number of reasons why in our future, events could conspire to cause
shortages at the grocery store. We could be forced to abide by rationing
policies on certain items or even shopping in general. We could be faced with
electricity rationing or outages due to terrorist actions or even failures
in fragile grid systems.
What items should I be
hoarding now?
If
you don’t want to be that poor mother who has to lock her children in doors as
she goes down to the store to wait in line for hours for a chance to purchase
the few remaining items on the shelf you can do something about that.
- Take
stock of items that you use every day that your family depends
on for survival. The categories are pretty basic: Food, Water, and
Medicine. You can use our Food Storage Calculator to figure out how much
you need to store. The foods you regularly eat are the best, but long-term
storable freeze-dried foods give you more flexibility.
- Identify
storage locations in
your home and develop a good food storage rotation plan for the
items you eat every day. Long-term storage is your back up.
- Consider
items that might sell out first or your family needs a little more
urgently. Baby formula and diapers come to mind although both can be
supplemented or even replaced by nursing and cloth diapers. Medicines
your children or older loved ones need are more difficult. Try to
gain additional supplies from your doctor by saying you will be traveling
soon.
- Firearms
and ammunition usually
seem to be confiscated at some point in a collapsing/tyrannical
government. Venezuela instituted mandatory gun disarmament
centers after they declared private ownership of firearms illegal.
This was done they said to ‘make cities safer’ which they always
conveniently forget to say that criminals don’t obey laws (hence the name
criminal) and won’t turn in their illegal guns. In spite of every citizen
turning in their legal firearms, Venezuela has the highest murder
rate in the world. So if you don’t want to go quietly into the night make
sure you have some firearms and enough ammunition stored safely away
before this happens.
- Backup
Power Options –
If the electric grid is compromised, having a backup solar power
system could have multiple benefits. Obviously, with the means to
provide yourself with power in the absence of grid-based options you can
power electric devices like refrigerators to keep medicine cool or fans to
offset the effects of a heat wave. You can charge your portable
electronics like cell phones and tablets, recharge batteries for hand
radios and if you have enough capacity you can also barter your electric
charging ability for other items. You may be able to trade recharging a
battery for food, medicine or ammunition.
- Precious
metals and extra cash –
Banks around the world are already charging negative interest rates.
They charge you to keep your money which they turn around and lend out at
interest. Eventually they will limit the amount of money you can take out.
Make sure you have alternate sources to purchase the supplies you need. It
may eventually be on a black market type of system.
- Have
a backup plan to leave –
You may find in the worst type of situation that leaving is your only
option. Do you have passports for your entire family? Do you have bug out
bags if you are forced to leave on foot? Do you have suitable
transportation?
Prepping
is about foreseeing bad situations and planning ahead so your family will be
safe. Venezuela is only one example where the habits and traits of preppers
could be helpful for survival. Let’s hope we never have to worry about that
here, but prepare anyway in case we do. Your family will appreciate your
efforts if you are forced into this type of scenario.
You can also access the latest news at this address: www.whatfinger.com
To Many Americans, It Already Feels
Like We Are in a Deep Recession
SIDEBAR
SMART Ways to Save at the Pump
Here are several smart ways to reduce gas consumption so you can
gas up less. And you could benefit in other ways as well...
12 Places To Hide Your Survival Supplies During Martial Law
If and when the government declares martial law after a
disaster, it will be under the pretense of safety and security for the general
public. And I'm sure that for many authorities, that will be their sole
intention.
However, if the disaster is something that causes severe food
and water shortages, the government could start confiscating supplies from
"hoarders." They will demonize people who have stockpiled lots of
food and call them "selfish" or "unpatriotic." They could
even go door to door looking for hidden food stockpiles.
So you have to ask yourself: If the authorities searched my
home, how quickly would they find my emergency supplies? Would they find them
right away, or would it take a while? Would they find everything, or would they
overlook a few things...?
12 Places To Hide Your Survival Supplies During Martial Law
Why Today’s Shortages Are a Sign of Worse to Come
Why do we STILL have shortages after Covid-19!?!
As well as rising prices and the threat of empty
stores. That could soon ruin your life…
Or turn the US into a “Soviet Economy”.
And Why Are Our Politicians to Blame for It
<<
Why do you need an
emergency radio?
·
. Just
60 seconds of hand cranking provides more than 45 minutes of radio
Radios: Having a couple small, portable radios
on hand is going to be a must. If there’s a disaster, you’ll
need to listen to the radio to get news about what is happening around you….grab
a TacRight Emergency Radio:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185665101473
4Patriots Patriot Power Cell Solar
Phone Charger
USE THIS solar gadget to survive an emergency!
In 2022 alone there have been
over 70 attacks on the power grid with reports of six in Florida, five in
Oregon and Washington.
And according to national
security experts, this trend is only going to continue.
As America's power grid comes
under increasing attack and/or disruption…
THIS is your lifeline
in a crisis.
It's peace of mind that you can...
·
Call
family and friends in an emergency
·
Signal
for help from first responders
·
Stay
connected to critical weather updates
·
https://www.bonanza.com/listings/4Patriots-Patriot-Power-Cell-Solar-Phone-Charger/1419398891
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government, individual freedom!
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That's Bad News...
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Buy Life Insurance After You’re Dead-Prepare NOW for Emergencies…
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3 comments:
We've followed you content & suggestions for years & have been storing up well for the hard times just as in the Bible too!
All boils down to our biggest threat-our own government.
I don't trust either party in DC-they crap on citizens each time they're in session!
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