If you happen to be a person who plans on having an emergency, then there are many fine firearms to have in such a situation. A strong argument could be made for the 12 gauge shotgun as being the best survival gun. I would agree with that statement if you’re the type of person who does not practice with your firearm enough to be proficient.

The reasons I like the Marlin 30-30 are many. Here is a list of my reasons why the Marlin gets my nod as the best survival gun.

1. They’re cheap. I see them in the local classifieds for under $200
2. They’re reliable and durable. The lever action is a strong and reliable mechanism
3. They’re easy to use. Just about anyone can be shown how to load and shoot one. This will be helpful if you ever find yourself in a survival situation with people who are not firearms savvy
4. They can put a fair amount of lead down range in a short amount of time. Most rifles hold 6 rounds and these can be cycled and fired rather quickly with just a little amount of practice.
5. The ammo is readily available. Next to the 22 long rifle, I’d say that the 30-30 is the ammo you’ll find the most of when you really need it.
6. The ammo is inexpensive. Recently, I just bought 20 boxes of ammo from Cabela’s during one of their sales for $10.99 a box
7. The 30-30 can be very accurate. Much more accurate than the AK-47 and SKS type of semi-auto’s (as well as many AR’s). Also, the round delivers more of a punch than the .223’s and the AK rounds.

And those are the ones that come off the top of my head.

Now if you’re a die hard firearms person, one who practices on a regular basis, then you probably have a lot of guns to choose from. But for the Average Joe, the Marlin 30-30 is hard to be for your one gun arsenal. (okay, you should have a shotgun and a .22 also!)

The 30-30 has enough energy to take any Big Game animal walking North America. In a pinch, it will double as a good defensive weapon with enough power to penetrate thin metal and other materials. It’s easy enough to learn to use that your Wife or Children can be taught how to operate one safely and become proficient with it.

So if you’re just beginning your arsenal and don’t have a boat load of money to buy every type of assault weapon the so called “survival guru’s” say you must have, then give the 30-30 Winchester cartridge a look. While you’re at it, take a look at the Gun Shows or Classifieds and pick up an cheap and reliable survival gun!

Buying and storing seeds for survival is not hard and not expensive, certainly not as expensive as some of the survival seed packs being offered on the Internet.

How To Make Your Own Survival Seed Bank

First off, you want to use only heirloom seeds, not hybrid seeds. Heirloom seeds are open pollinated. You will get the same type of plant year after year by saving the seeds. With hybrid seeds, the plants are derived from two different plant varieties. The problem with seeds from hybrids is that when you save the seeds and replant them, you typically get one variety and not the other. That is, if you even get anything from the hybrid seeds.

You can find good quality heirloom seeds on the Internet. Several places that I re3commend are Heirloom Seeds, Baker Creek and Victory Seeds. Another good source of heirloom seeds is Seed Savers. Seed Savers is an exchange where people can share and trade heirloom seeds.

Before you start ordering any kind of seeds, sit down and figure out which varieties you want to plant and which ones you may want to plant in the future. Make a list before you start shopping for seeds.

For example, here are the seeds I buy, plant and put back in my seed bank.

• Corn (sweet and field varieties)
• Beans (pole, green and pinto)
• Tomatoes (southern varieties that do well in the heat)
• Onions (bulb and green type)
• Potatoes (I prefer the red and Yukon golds)
• Okra
• Radish
• Peas
• Cucumbers (pickling and slicers)
• Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe)
• Peppers
• Greens (spinach, turnip, etc)

The seeds that you’ll want to fit your situation will probably be different, but at least this will give you an idea of what types I put back. Make sure that you’ve actually grown the variety in your area to ensure that it grows well in your local climate. Here in the South, many Tomato varieties don’t handle our heat well, so we have to be selective in what we plant. For example, the heirloom variety Brandywines are great tomatoes but they don’t tolerate the heat near as well as Arkansas Travelers. So which one do you think I plant and put back the most of? You guessed it, the Travelers!

Now that you have your own list of heirloom seeds made out, go shopping. Depending on the variety, I try to buy all my seeds in bulk. I like to have at least several hundred seeds of each type in my bank at any one time. I will also add seeds throughout the early Spring as they become available and I also add some of my own seeds that I saved.

By saving seeds this way, you’ll soon find out that your survival seed bank grows quickly!

How To Make a Survival Seed Bank

Now let’s say that you have your survival seeds and you want to start your seed bank. I personally do not like to store seeds in the packets they come in, but I have done it without any ill effects. I normally put them into a plastic bag, put a label into the bag with the name of the plant and date I put them in and then vacuum seal the bag. Once I have a good variety of seeds, I will then store them in several manners.

My favorite way is to put all the vacuum packed seeds into a mylar bag and seal it. Once that bag is sealed, I then put it into a plastic bucket (2 gallon or larger) or a PVC pipe sealed at both ends (one end with a threaded cap seal).

Another way I store my seeds after I’ve vacuumed packed them is in a surplus ammo can with a good tight seal. These are normally seeds stored away from my home in remote locations that I can retrieve at a later date if I need them.

If this all seems over kill, just remember, moisture and air are your seeds enemy. Once your seeds get soaked, you’ll need to plant them right away or risk damage. Some may be okay by drying them quickly, but then again, you’re not generally around when your stored seeds become water logged!

Why Store Survival Seeds?

Many people question why anyone needs to store seeds for survival. If you find yourself asking this, you need to do some more research on hybrid seeds. I’ll just quickly give you my opinion here.

First, many genetically enhanced hybrid seeds produce great food. But I’m not real big on genetically enhanced anything and I prefer food from good ole heirloom seeds.

Some will argue that food from genetically enhanced food is not as good for you as food grown from heirloom seeds. I don’t know this to be true and have never read any hardcore evidence supporting this theory.

I know this to be true of many varieties. Heirloom seeds produced vegetables taste better than vegetables grown from hybrid seeds. This is true for Tomatoes, Melons, Corn and others.

Some also point out the controversy behind the so called Terminator Seeds or GURT seeds. These seeds are designed to be sterile and not reproduce. Although I can find nothing saying these seeds have ever been sold commercially, there’s always the thought in the back of some people’s mind.

So before you shell out big money for a survival seed bank or small packets of vacuum packed survival seeds, save yourself a lot of money and do it yourself. You’ll save money and come away with a lot more seeds for the money!

How Are Solar Generators Different From Traditional Solar Systems?

The main difference between a solar generator and a solar system is that the solar generator is generally more portable. Your standard solar generator will consist of solar panels, deep cell batteries and a converter/controller. This is a highly portable unit since the batteries and controller will generally be attached in a single unit.

The smaller of the solar generators will generally be capable of running things such as laptops, small fridges, microwaves, lights, etc. The larger units will power regular household appliances such as refrigerators and large TV’s.

In addition to the all-in-one controller/battery box, the solar generator obviously comes with a solar panel. This makes the entire unit very portable and is one reason this smaller systems are so popular with those living off the grid.

The traditional solar system is generally permanently mounted to either the home or a supports system. It’s not unusual to have an entire room to store huge industrial deep cell batteries with a controller costing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Solar Generators?

Well, in my opinion, what some people may consider disadvantages of solar generators are another person advantages. Some people point out that solar generators are too small to power an entire home. In most cases they are correct. But you have to remember, solar generators are designed to supply emergency power when the main power goes out. Just like your gas powered generators.

Others point out the smaller batteries that most solar generators use. Again, this could be an advantage. These batteries generally last around 5 years or so and they are easily replaceable. If you’ve ever tried replacing the industrial sized batteries of a traditional solar system, then you’ll definitely see the advantage of the smaller batteries.

When used properly, I really don’t see any disadvantages of the smaller, portable solar generators unless you have several large appliances to run when the power goes out.

Gas vs Solar

When comparing a traditional gas powered generators to solar generators, there’s really no comparison at all. To run your gas powered generator, you’ll have to have a supply of gas. As stated earlier, if you have no electric after a natural disaster, chances are good that the store that carries gas will not have power to pump it. And let’s not forget about the price of gas these days!

Also, once your supply of gas runs out, you’re out of power.

With the solar generator, you’re able to store power for a few days if you plan well. A few days without sun light will not affect you unless you run to many appliances and fail to plan well.

When it’s all said and done, I feel a solar generator will be far more useful for supplying your home power after a natural disaster or blackout than a gas or diesel powered generators.

One thing that the Holidays did make me think about is what will happen to my friends and family (those outside my immediate family). They all know that I practice emergency preparedness. Many think I’ve lost my rocker, some are curious while others understand and envy me. Those who envy me are mostly men who have wives who do not understand the importance of preparing for times of unrest or emergencies.

The one exception is my Sister who has a husband that thinks I’m a wacko. He works in insurance in a high-rise office building in KC. They do very well and live in a gated subdivision. I often tease him that if it’s so unsafe that they have to put a fence and gates around the place, then they need to move to a safer location! He doesn’t laugh. He’s one of these people who takes his self way too serious.

My Brother-In-Law believes that the Government will take care of us and provide us all the things we need in an emergency. Whenever he spouts that crap on me and just remind him of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. For some reason the thinks that just because he makes a lot of money, him and his like will be cared for first. Luckily my Sister knows better and she has become a closet Survivalist. Basically she practices emergency preparedness under his nose without him knowing about it! At least, the best she can without being too obvious.

I have other relatives who live out in the Country. For many of them, the see no need in prepping. They believe that they can survive anything simply because they can hunt, fish and grow a garden. I’ll agree with them to a point, but you can’t have everything you need in an instant if you’re not putting back.

One of my Uncles loves telling me that he’ll just grab his gun and go take what he needs away from people like me should TSHTF. I love telling him that he’ll be one of the first ones to go if TSHTF! That kind of thinking is foolish. I’m surprised at how many idiots in our world still think like that!

Okay, I’ve rambled on long enough. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you that I had over the Holidays while spending time with my family and friends. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish each of you a profitable and health 2010. May God bless you and your family richly.

If you’re looking to move into rural America or you planning on staying put where you are in the suburbs, there are a few skills that will become very helpful to you should the SHTF.

These skills can be learned rather easily and may provide beneficial to you beyond your dreams. Some can be learned by reading a book or watching a video while others will require you attending a few classes at your local community college. Here’s my list of skills every survivalist should learn.

#1. Stick Welding

Learning to stick weld is not that hard. You just want to get proficient enough to be able to know which rods to use or which amp setting to use so you can join two pieces of metal. It’s not like you’re planning on making welds on the Alaskan Pipeline. Are you?

Many community colleges now give classes on Welding. And they are very reasonable. Once you own a welder, you’ll find a million and one uses for it. Not to mention should you ever need some extra cash, you can barter or start your own small welding business on the side.

The little Lincoln cracker boxes are 220V welders that can be picked up cheap in a lot of places such as Pawn Shops or Craigslist. These are great for nearly any situation you’ll find yourself needing a welder in a survival situation. But they require a 220V power source. A better choise for the Self Reliant family is a portable generator/welder combo. This way you can take your welder with you plus have the convienance of a portable generator. Honda, Lincoln and Hobart as well as others all make excellent combo units. Just stay away from the cheapies, especially if they’re from China or Indonesia. They may be fine or they may leave you swearing.

#2 Small Engine Repair

Knowing how to repair your generator motor or any other small engine (such as Garden tractors, pumps, etc) is a must. Sure, you could either take it into town or call a repair guy out to your place, but in a crisis situation, do you really want to put yourself at that risk? Once again your local community college will come to the rescue. Many have classes over basic and advanced small engine repair. Once you’ve learned the basics, the rest is a piece of cake.

So the next time your butterfly sticks closed or your magneto isn’t firing, you’ll know why and more importantly, you’ll know how to fix it!

#3 How To Fish

No, I’m not talking about grabbing a can of worms and heading off to a stream. I’m talking about putting up a ton of fish quickly. If you even live remotely close to a large body of water such as a lake, river or pond, you should learn how to catch a lot of fish and do it quickly.

Learn how to make fish traps, nets and trotlines. Then learn how to use them properly.

Many fish have seasonal spawns where they will congregate in schools and move in mass to spawning areas. Most everyone knows that Salmon do this, but fish that live in lakes and rivers do this as well. Stripers, White Bass, Crappie, Walleye and many others spawn this way.

There are many fine books on the market that will teach you these skills. Memphis Net and Twine has a wonderful catelog that includes trawl and gill nets plus many supplies to help you achieve this goal.

Be warned, many of these techniques are illegal in a lot of States. Be sure to read the regulations for your area before trying any of these techniques out. Of course, in a survival or emergency situation, you’ll probably be more worried about eating than getting a fine!

#4 How To Butcher Animals

This skill will come in very handy for those of you who wish to raise your own livestock and to take advantage of the Wild Game in your area. You may need to connect with another like minded individual who already knows how to do this and convince them to show you as well. Learning how to properly cut up an animal, whether it’s a Deer, Cow or Chicken, is a valuable skill that every survivalist or person wanting to be self sufficient should learn.

Many butchers in my area charge 50 cents per pound on the hoof to kill, butcher and package a Steer. If you’ve got a 800 pound steer to put up, that can add up to a lot of money. I’ve even heard some butchers charging 75 cents per pound or more to do this!

Deer typically cost at least $50 and many times more to have processed.

Save yourself some money and learn to do it yourself!

#5 Learn To Trap

Trapping gives the self sufficient person or survivalist a whole other avenue for procuring fresh meat.  Unlike hunting, traps that you set are working for you around the clock. You can also set a lot of traps in order to cover a wide area. This increases your chance of catching something for the Supper table.

What’s more important is knowing what type of trap to use in order to catch your intended target. If you’re wanting to catch a Wolf, then you’ll be sorely disappointed if you use a trap or snare intended for a Mink.

The Survivalist needs to know how to use Snares, Live/Box traps, leg hold traps and body gripper traps. All have their use in the Survivalist tool shed!

Snares can be used in a survival situation to catch everything from Rabbits to big game animals like Deer and Bear.

Most States have a Trappers Association. They routinely have meetings or weekend get-togethers where there are seminars on basic and advanced trapping. There’s always something for beginners. Look yours up and get on the list today.

#5 Gunsmithing – Learn To Repair Guns

If you’re living the Self Reliant lifestyle or you’re a Survivalist, then chances are good you have some firearms around, or you should! But do you know how to fix those guns if they break? Can you disassemble your guns, clean them and reassemble them and have them work properly? Sadly, from what I’ve seen, most people can’t. Some believe they can, but their idea of cleaning is spraying a half can of WD-40 into the action and calling it clean.

Do you keep spare parts around for your guns? Probably not. But you should and you should learn how to fix a firearm if it breaks, especially the military type firearms.

Brownell’s has a huge library of Video’s and Books on Gunsmithing. Grab yourself some that cover your type of guns and learn how to clean and repair them.

#6 Learn Basic Carpentry Skills

Can you plumb a wall, build a barn, square up walls or plumb a house? If not, these skills are easily learned. Your local community college may come to your rescue again. If you’re the type that can learn from a book, then you can find many fine books on building and carpentry at Amazon.com. If you live near a Barnes and Noble, they have a decent list of books as well.

These skills are necessary should we face a long term crisis. Carpentry, Electrical and Plumbing skills will all be in demand and you could make a lot of friends quickly if you the one in your area who knows how to fix things.

#7 Auto Repair

This is close to the Small Engine repair skills you’ll need, but on a much larger scale. You’ll need to learn basic maintenance and repair skills and obtain some advance skills like possibly being able to rebuild an engine or transmission. If you have a newer computer controlled vehickle, then these skills will be more important. Older, non-computer controlled vehicles are much easier to work on than those built today.

Also, depending on who you listen too, these older vehicles may give you some protection from EMP attacks. No sensitive electronics to be fried in case of an attack.

At the very least, you should be able to change a tire, break a tire down and repair it with basic hand tools, change out starters, alternators, water and fuel pups. If you can’t do these simple chores, you’d better have money or another vehicle to rely upon should one go down.

You should also be able to tune an engine and adjust carbs and troubleshoot your vehicle. This may all sound intimidating, but all are easily learned skills.

#8 Operate a HAM Radio

I have to confess. This is one skill I don’t have right now, but I’m certainly going to work on it very soon. In the case of a disaster, a HAM radio will allow you to communicate with the outside World to find out what’s going on.

There are plenty of books and courses on operating a HAM radio, all that is required is a little time and effort.

After Hurricane Ike struck, we were without power for two weeks. At the end of this time, I was really getting use to not having a TV blaring every day or phones ringing. I was very content to hang around my home while cleaning up the debris left by the Hurricane. Once we got power back on, I was amazed at how much news I’d missed out on. I was also amazed at how much useless information we have coming at us everyday without realizing it!

Learn to use a HAM radio. Get your license, find out what type of equipment you really need and get going!

#9 Hunting Skills

It’s easy to assume that all self reliant families or survivalist know how to hunt. But that isn’t the case. Many don’t even have the skills to find and harvest squirrels or rabbits, not to mention big game. To be successful on a regular basis, these skills will have to be learned and will usually take some time. It’s not as easy as going out to the City park and pot shooting city squirrels.

You can bet that when the SHTF, others will be out putting food on the table. The same food that should be headed to your table!

Most hunting skills can’t  be learned from a book or video. Your best bet is to find someone who is successful and tag along. have them show you what to look for and specifics on each game animal. At the very least, you’ll need to get out in the woods and watch how animals exist in their part of the World. Once you understand how animals move and use the woods, you’ll be on the right path to being a good hunter.

#10 Advanced First Aid

Yeah, there are other important skills I could have used at #10, or any number for that matter, but knowing advanced life saving first aid skills should be the goal of every person who is prepping for the worse. It’s just good common sense that you should know these skills. And I’m talking about skills that go above and beyond those taught in basic first aid classes.

You should know how to treat major wounds, such as a sucking chest wound, until help can arrive. Could you set a broken bone? How about removing a bullet? It’s not as simple as some macho guy on TV makes it look. You’ll have to assume at one point during a crisis, you’re first aid skills will be needed. If not by you, then possibly by a family member or friend. You may be their only hope for surviving.

This is my top 10 list. If you don’t know these, then you should be working on learning them. If you do know these skills, then start your own top 10! Remember, these are only the skills you’ll need to start if you want to be truly self sufficient or become a true survivor.

Have a Food Storage Plan. Work Your Plan

Yeah, I know the word ‘Plan’ is just about as bad as the word ‘Budget’ but having a food storage plan may save you from going hungry in a crisis. And it’s not that hard.

This is the way I work my food storage plan.

First up, I make sure I have 3 months of food on hand for short term emergencies. This is the normal food my family and I eat every day. I just make sure I have enough of it to last 3 months. You don’t need fancy or expensive freeze dried food for your 3 month plan. Most food on your Supermarket shelf has a life span of a few months. Just make sure you check the date before buying. Also keep in mind that once you open the container, the clock starts clicking on the shelf life of the food inside.

I rotate this food out, fist in, first out. Here’s just a sample of the things I put in my 3 month storage.

• Normal canned goods we eat on a regular basis, ie; Corn, Peas, Tomatoes, Soups, Stews, etc.
• Frozen foods such as Meat (bought on sale), vegetables, Jerky, Prepared Dinners (we fix up large meals of food like Gumbo, Stew, Pasta, etc and freeze the rest in meal size containers or bags).
• Flour, Sugar, Box of Salt, Spices
• Pasta, Pancake/Flour mixes
• Drink mixes, ie; Kool-Aid, Gatoraide, Coffee, Tea
• Cooking oil, Crisco
• Desert/Cake mixes

You get the idea. Stuff you normally eat, just buy more of. Don’t scrimp. Even if you think you’ve done well on your 3 month storage plans, put some more back. You never know when you’ll have unexpected company. Plus in stress situations, you’re likely to burn more calories and require more food.

Longer than 3 Months

If a crisis last longer than 3 months, you’ll soon find the weak spots in your plan. A crisis lasting longer than three months is a real crisis! This is where my long term storage plan comes into play.

For long term storage, we’re going to need food that stores well for long periods of time. This should go without saying, but you’d be surprised at how many people never look at the dates on their food.

Here’s a partial list of my long term food storage.

• Buckets of dried grain stored in sealed mylar bags, ie; Wheat, Beans, Rice, Corn, etc. Don’t forget to use oxygen absorbers and remember to have a grain mill on hand that will ground up Wheat as well as Beans and Corn. This has a shelf life of 10 years or more.
• Freeze dried food. I have a good supply of freeze dried food such as the Mountain House food that comes in #10 cans. This food varies from dinner entrees to powdered eggs and deserts. Shelf life on most is at least 15 to 20 years, sometimes longer.
• Canned goods. This is canned food like you’d buy at a Supermarket. Most canned goods will last at least a year and half, most last 2 years or more. This includes staples like vegetables, stews and fish.
• Home canned goods. This is stuff I’ve canned from our Garden. This has a shelf life of 2 years or more most of the time, depending on what it is that has been canned. We put up things like Corn, tomatoes, meats, stews, sauces, etc.
• MRE’s. Yeah, I have several cases of MRE’s. Most of these have a shelf life of 5 + years, most around 7 years or longer.

These items keep for a long time so I’m don’t have to worry about rotating them out for a while.

Variety Is The Spice of Life

This is really hammered home in a survival situation. I laugh every time I read some easy chair survivalist state that he/she has buckets and buckets of beans and rice stored up and that’s all they need. Hey, I love beans and rice also but after about a week, it’s going to get old real quick!

Instead, try to plan on storing a variety of foods to keep your meals interesting. As stated above, I put up a lot of ready to eat meals. Sometimes my Wife and I just don’t feel like cooking. It’s really nice to be able to take a bag of precooked food from the freezer and whip up a quick meal of Homemade Gumbo or Beef Stew.

Recently I found a site that has freeze dried food that contains deserts and mixes of all types. I bought some powdered pudding mix, brownie mix as well as cans of other sweet stuff. This goes in the long term pile because I already have the everyday mixes in my short term pile. These came in #2.5 and #10 cans and will keep years until opened!

The best thing you can do is write down everything on your short term storage and your long term storage. Then each week when you go to the store, but extra and mark it off your list. Read the dates and get the one furthest out. Many times if you’ll reach back in your stores shelves and get the cans or boxes at the very back, you’ll get the fresher food.

You should work on your short term storage about 75% of the time and buy stuff for your long term storage the remaining time (this is the plan I follow, your mileage may vary). This way you’re putting back for both. However, if you run out of your short term food inside of 3 months, you won’t hesitate to dive into your long term provisions. This should be avoided by making sure you have enough on hand. You can do this by writing down your food storage plans!

Take my neighborhood for example. There are eleven homes on the street. I’ve talked with the homeowners of all except 3. I know the answers to the questions above on all of these neighbors. Even from the 3 I haven’t got to talk to. (thanks to the other neighbors who were ‘willing to share’ this information about them.

In an emergency, knowing this information could mean the difference between life and death.

By getting to know, really know, your neighbors, you can start to sort out the ones that might cause a problem during an emergency, those who are more likely to think the way you think or perhaps those who have skills that may helpful to you should the need arise. For example, one of my neighbors is a retired nurse. When visiting their home recently, I noticed she had more certificates on the wall than you could shake a stick at. This told me two things right off.

1. That she had the drive to obtain additional education to achieve some nursig goal she had. People who do this generally are not slackers.
2. That she was probably a pretty darn good Nurse.

My Wife confirmed most of that later on in follow up conversations with her. So if someone around my home gets hurt bad, I know who I’m calling right after I dial 911.

Now if you have no social skills, then trying to find this information out isn’t going to be easy. If you can’t hold a conversation with someone then don’t even think about digging a little deeper into their personal life.

How to go about collecting information on your neighbors

I’ve actually started files on each house in my neighborhood. I also have maps of the subdivision plus Google Earth pictures I printed off of the area.

But the real meat of the files comes from talking with my neighbors. Like I said above, you have to have some socials skills or you’ll come off as a nosy sociopath! You don’t walk up to them and start firing questions at them. You should honestly be trying to make friends with them at first. You can get the info you need a little bit later.

If you ring their doorbell and start off by saying “Hey, I’m Sam down the street. Do you have any guns? How much food do you have stored? If the SHTF, are you bugging out or staying behind?, don’t be surprised if the slam the door in your face.

Through general conversation, I’ve been able to collect all the data I need for the immediate households in my area.

I get my foot in the door by taking them some vegetables from my Garden, just waving and saying “HI” if I’m out in the yard while I am, being helpful when I can or at neighborhood get-together. In fact, throwing a party at your house is one of the best ways to get to know the people who live around you. It will cost you a little bit of money, but the information you can obtain from an informal backyard BBQ can be invaluable.

People like to talk about their self. All you have to do is be a good listener and guide the conversation with your questions without being obvious.

As mentioned above, a neighborhood BBQ is another way of meeting and greeting your neighbors. Everyone loves free food and I can’t think of a way to get people talking faster than giving them some good ole ribs and a cold beer. Heck, after a couple beers some people will give you their SS number, CC number along with the PIN!!!

Your goal should be to constantly keep in touch with your neighbors. If a new family moves in, take them a cake, cookies, fresh Garden produce – anything to welcome them into the neighborhood. Make them feel welcomed and they’ll soon be trusting you with information you need for your new file.

STFU = Shut The F&%k Up

If you’re the type that likes to blow and go about everything you have or you have that know-it-all mentality, you’re best off staying to yourself. The goal here is to find out all you can about your neighbors, not go blabbing about what all you have or what you’re planning. There are a lot of things that you should not want some of your neighbors to know about yourself but if you can’t keep your mouth shut, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by staying home and counting your ammo again.

This also goes for your Wife and/or Kids. Recently, the head of MI 5 of Britan ended up with a lot of personal information about his personal and professional life on Facebook. All thanks to his Wife who posted this information on her Facebook page. Things like his job title, their address, photo’s of the couple and their family and other stuff that could have been used against him or his family had it got into the wrong hands.

Remember, loose lips sinks ships! You and your family should practice STFU when you’re around others. Sure, you can give them some vague or non important informaton, but keep the important stuff to yourelf.

Blend In, Don’t Stand Out

This is a pet peeve of mine. Depending on who you listen too, there is a Japanese (some say Chinese) saying that goes “The nail that sticks out the furthest gets hammered down”.

Part of your urban survival plan should be to blend in.  You want everyone to think you’re just like them. That you think like them, that you live like them.

If you run off at the mouth telling everyone in the neighborhood that you’re a “Survivalist” (or you write on a survivalist blog) and that you have weapons and food cached, who do you think will get the finger pointed at them when the SHTF? Or when there’s any trouble in the neighborhood? If you can’t help but show off your M1a, M16 or your Custom Sniper Rifle, do it at the range, not in your neighborhood.

This also goes for what you wear. Whenever I see some wanabe badass wearing a SOF or “Kill ‘Em All Let God Sort Them Out” T-shirt, I immediately think what a easy target they’ll be. You’re telling people that at the very least, you may have guns and ammo at your place should they need it.

If you also drive a lifted 4×4 with all kinds of bumber stickers or other graphics on it portraying guns or anti-Government sayings, consider yourself as sticking out.

It’s my goal to blend in to my surroundings. ‘Hide in plain site’ as they say. I want to look, act and be thought of as the average Joe Taxpayer.

I’m nothing special Uncle Sam, go get the guy wearing the SOF T-Shirt and driving the Hummer with the picture of a M16 with the catch phrase of “Come and Get It” below. Yeah, he’s the badass you want to take down Uncle Sam…not me, I’m just your average Joe…

I hope this has given you people living in the Cities or towns some food for thought. Sure, we don’t live in the ideal area to survive, so we have to make the most of it!

Can you imagine how many Americans would fall by the way side if/when such a collapse were to happen here? It’s a very good read and one that will open your eyes and let you in on what to expect if our system ever collapses. It will certainly make you re-think your survival and preparedness plans! This will be the end of the world as we know it for many, if not all of us.

I’d like to thank that Author for giving us an in-depth insite on what to expect in such a crisis. I’ve always believed that this is a more realistic scenario than the picture that most of the so called “Survivalist Guru’s” have been painting. Yeah, I’m more inclined to prepare against a threat from within than look for an invasion from U.N. or Chinese troops! What do you think?

For those who never watched the show, Jericho was a two season series on CBS about what people went through after a Nuclear terrorist attack on 23 major U.S. cities. The setting takes place in a fictional town of Jericho Kansas, but if you watched the show it wasn’t hard to tell that it was shot in California. Central Kansas doesn’t have those types of mountains!! By the way, the picture is from an opening shot of the show. Pretty awesome if you saw it.

The series had a number of sub plots, including a CIA agent that knew what happened, a rival town that plotted to take over Jericho, a Government sponsored private military company with renegade operatives, a crooked politician in the upper reaches of the U.S. Government who helped plot the whole deal. Plus a few others. Sound familiar?

I’m not saying TEOTWAWKI will come about because of a Nuclear terrorist attack, although it could happen. I don’t have an idea what will trigger it. Here’s a few things I think will be very much similar to the show Jericho if the SHTF.

• I think the larger cities will be ruled by Gangs and a mob mentality. Hell, look what happens when their favorite team either wins or loses a playoff game? They don’t need a good reason to start rioting and burning down their neighborhoods, just imagine what will happen when these thugs get hungry. I imagine you’ll have your “Green” areas where the Police and or private Security companies control, but the rest will be Gang ruled. It’s not the United Nations or even Uncle Sam I worry about, it’s Gangs or roving bands of ruthless people looking to take whatever they can get a hold of.
• You’ll see people who will try and benefit from such a disaster any way they can. You’ll have those who try and profit from it, as well as the thugs who want to rule and control. Then you’ll have those who just want to survive any way they can.
• I think you’ll see communities come together, at least the smaller ones, in an effort to secure their towns. They’ll probably throw together some “defense force” of one type or another. You may even see neighborhoods do this.
• You’ll see shortages of the basic necessities; food, water and fuel. I’m sure that many things we take for granted today will be in short supply or unobtainable in such a situation. How much toilet paper or firewood do you have stored up?
• I imagine they’ll be many refugees looking for some place to hole up. Hey, you’re place looks nice!
• I have no doubt there will be private Security companies hired to “keep the peace”.
• Just as with any war or uprising, you’ll have those that will give up their freedom’s for security. It’s these people you must be on the watch for. They’re the really dangerous ones.
• I can see “Neutral zones” where people come and trade goods, supplies and services. What would you have to trade or use for currency?

These are just a few of the things that I believe could go down when the SHTF that were portrayed on the show. In fact, I found it pretty darn eerie how it closely it resembled my theory of how life would be like after such an event.

So how do you think life would be like after a catastrophic event such as a nuclear attack on our major cities?

I felt like this video was appropriate for this post..enjoy

If you’re like me, I’m sure you thought about this many times. You’ve run the scenario of a financial collapse or other National emergency through your mind. That’s what people who are preparing for an emergency do.

I’ve bet you’ve thought about these questions more than once; What would happen to our financial markets? How about our currency? Would it still be worth something…anything? What should you use as currency in case of a financial crisis? One where our money is worthless and is not being accepted for goods and supplies.

I don’t know the answers to these questions anymore than anyone else does. Oh, I can speculate with the best of them and that’s what I’m doing in this blog post. There are too many variables involved to say what would happen in the case of a Global or National financial meltdown.

Should a situation like that arise, here are a few things I thought could be bartered or sold for things you need should we wake up one morning and find that our Greenbacks are worthless and your local Grocer wants something besides the Almighty Dollar in exchange for a sack of potato’s.

So besides the obvious alternatives to dollars such as Gold and Silver, here are a few extra items I’m putting back in case I need to barter for something down the road.

Food

Food is always a good bartering item. Especially to those who have none! However, keep in mind that those who don’t have food can get a little testy when they’re hungry. Canned goods as well as MRE type foods could be worth their weight in Gold in such situations. Just make sure you don’t cut yourself short.

Don’t forget water. Remember, there will be people who have not prepared for such a crisis as well as you have. Water can be a great bartering tool, especially in arid regions.

Booze

Have you ever noticed, that people who drink but are broke always find a way to get their fix. I doubt things will change much after a collapse. A bottle of JB could go a long ways in getting you the supplies you need in a dollar-less World. I don’t drink, but I keep several different sizes and brands of booze available for a precaution. You never know, and isn’t preparedness and survival the name of the game.

Cigarettes

Just like booze, people will have to have their smokes should they wake up one day and find their money worthless. It wouldn’t be a bad idea in my mind to grab a few cheap cartons of smokes and keep them around for just such an occasion. Cigarettes don’t go bad if they’re kept sealed. They may become stale, but they’re still smokable! Take it from a smoker, smokers will trade valuable items, often much more valuable than the smokes their self, for one cigarette when they want one!

Medical Supplies

I keep several first aid kits around. A couple in the house, one in each vehicle, in the boat, etc. You just never know when you’ll need one. But I’ve also put back some over the counter pain killers such as Ibuprofen, aspirin and Tylenol. Along with those items I’ve made sure I have on hand some other medical supplies like alcohol, peroxide as well as a general list of things to help one feel better should they be on the outs. Pepto, Tums and like should not be overlooked and neither should clean, sterile bandages. Military type medical kits could become good trading items for those who don’t have none.

Just make sure you rotate out items with a “use by” date on them.

Guns & Ammo

Okay, guns & ammo is listed in nearly every ‘what to use for currency wtshtf’ article you read. I have a problem with this though. I don’t want to be trading guns & ammo to people who may turn around in the future and use them against me. This is one of those things you’ll really have to think about before doing it. Unless I trusted the person I was dealing with, I think I’d pass on giving them some ammo or a gun unless it was the last straw. I’m sure I could come up with something else or find another person to deal with.

Tools

I’m ‘tool poor’ as they say. I probably have 3 or 4 of everything, so tools make a perfect item for me to trade. If you’re not a tool type of person, then you could probably start by throwing back a few of those cheap tool kits you see at Harbor Freight or in the Dollar store. You just never know what people will need.

If you’re a tool junkie like myself, then you can sit and think of things you’ll need and try to figure out what others may need if the stuff gets deep. I already keep my older hand tools separate from my newer tools. These will be the first to go if someone ever needs a 9/16 combination wrench in a bad way!

Crafts

No, I’m not talking about toilet paper covers or birdhouses here, I’m talking about your ability to make things from scratch. People who are good at sewing and making clothes and other items will be in need. Those quilts will be in high demand from those who didn’t put back come Winter time. Same thing goes for clothes.

If you’re handy or mechanically inclined, your skills could be in great need when someones vehicle or generator goes out. Keep an open mind and you’ll see there are a lot of things you can do and trade to help you get by in an emergency.

Health & Beauty

The few times I ever watched the show “Survivor”, one thing that kept surprising me was how some of the contestants kept whining about needing a shower or wanting clean clothes or soap. They would trade nearly anything for those items, they as much said so. As I understand the show, they’re only out there like 30 days or so. Imagine how desperate they’d be after 6 months!

I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised though, my Wife and Daughter complain after a few days of Camping! It’s a good idea to keep some of those toiletries sets handy to trade off. (or pacify your Wife in a Survival situation!)

Toilet paper should also be added to that list!

Make Your Own List

This isn’t a hard and fast list. You can make your own list of items you think people will need should all hell break loose. I’ve heard of people stockpiling things like toilet paper and writing tablets.

Here are a few more items that you may be able to barter should the worse happen.

* Traps and Snares
* Fishing Equipment, ie; rods, reels, tackle, nets, twine, etc
* Containers. Glass, plastic and metal
* Old clothing
* Shoes
* Cordage
* All types of batteries
* Knives (see Guns & Ammo)
* Fasteners. Nails, screws, hooks, bolts, etc
* Vehicle/generator parts
* Tarps
* Camping Gear

Obviously you don’t have to run out and start buying everything on this list. On your trips to the store just pick up an extra this or that when you’re buying something for yourself. You’ll soon find yourself with plenty of items to barter with should the need arise.

So what type of things can you think of to use for trading should you dollar bills ever become worthless?