Why prepare?
Grocery stores only have about a 3 day's supply of food. We have seen supply chains disrupted many times in the last 2.5 years. There are still items that are disrupting the supply chain these days. There is the Bird flu that is hitting the US right now. You may have gone to the store and seen that pasta is running low or some other flour-based food product is scarce. You can thank the war in Ukraine for that. Then the fact that Russia produces 40% of the fertilizer for the world and now the other crops are going to not be as plentiful. SO there is a lot of uncertainty going on in the world.
Then there is other problems that could crop up that could cause lots of problems for folks. Therefore it is a good idea to take the lessons learned from our great grandparents and those who went through the great depression and get prepared for something.
What do you need?
- Food
- As mentioned before there is only a 3-day supply of food in a city. So it is good if you can have a garden. But if it is too late in the season to do that, then stock up on caned goods. IF you normally buy 2 cans of green beans then buy 3 and just store the extra. You want to have at least a 10-day supply or if you have the space aim for a 30 day. If there is ever a problem these cans will become valuable. So you can use them to trade. You can also help your neighbors if needed.
- Fuel.
- Your car doesn't run on hugs and kisses and if the grid were to ever go down then your electric car is screwed. Gas is still the best way to get from place a to place b in a relatively good amount of time. You may also need fuel for other things fuel is good to have.
- money
- How much money do you have saved up? It never hurts to have some greenbacks at the ready. If you have old coins that are valuable those can come in handy too. Have as much as you can stand free from the banks because they may one day lock you out of your accounts because you don't see their policies as right. There is a thing called ESG scores that banks are starting to slowly implement, and if our congress doesn't wake up to the dangers of it you may find that you have money but you are allowed to spend it anywhere. This is a delicate balance because if you have too much money the police will do a civil asset forfeiture. otherwise, known as legal theft. There are lots of stories of people who had 10,000 dollars of cash in a bag and the police took it and they never got it back.
- Network of friends
- This is huge. If you find yourself without a home a friend is often a good place to find shelter. They also have skills that you may not have.
- Know how to do basic repairs
- There may be a time that the plumber isn't able to get to your house. So you will have to learn how to repair that problem yourself. What if your car doesn't run? how do you get it to the mechanic?
- Know how to garden
- This is a great way to make money and help others all at the same time. Farmers' markets are rich in great healthy veggies and other items. So you could easily trade for some beef or other meat if you don't have any.