Can you just imagine the stress of walking up to an ATM and it having no money? Can you imagine the shock of walking up to another ATM and it also having no money?  What about a third ATM having no money…that’s horror!  It could happen if the United States suffers the same tragic economical collapse that Argentina suffered back in the 1990’s.

Not only would and empty ATM be dreadful, what about grocers who are wiped completely out of inventory. Think of hospitals packed to the gill and turning away people. Living for days, weeks, and even months without electricity.  How horrible of a picture do we need to paint to make you see that you need to prepare for the worst?  Don’t be caught out and think it won’t happen to you or your family.  Don’t think the people of Argentina didn’t think that way.  I bet they are much better prepared for disaster having lived through such an ordeal.

Start making plans now to protect you loved ones. Make sure you start and maintain a good food and water storage which includes things like protein rich foods, dry goods, canned goods and much more. You will also need  first aid supplies, feminine protection, diapers, etc.   Don’t forget radios and lighting. What about self defense items?  Generators, fuel storage, optics to name a few.

If you are unsure where to start, spend some time on the internet. There are tons of articles and websites that will educate you and help you get started.  Many even sell survival products.  Don’t be overwhelmed though. Start by picking up some extra items when you make that weekly trip to the store. Throw an extra bag of pinto beans in the cart. Maybe a roll of gauze and some peroxide. A box or two of ammo. The most important thing is to just start doing it! Don’t be a victim of paralysis due to over analysis. This isn’t rocket science folks!

Don’t be in the 99% of Americans who probably won’t be ready. Take it from the Mormons who have been preparing with food storage for years. Many of them have even benefited from their food storage when they found themselves without jobs. You just never know what life may hand you and the best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to BE PREPARED!

Our First Survival Steps At Becoming Self Reliant – Eliminating Debt

It’s my belief that one sure way to prepare for any upcoming disaster or global crisis is to be as self reliant as possible. This means carrying as little or no debt as possible. Back in 2005 we got on the Dave Ramsey plan to become debt free. Now we have very little debt. That we do have will be paid off this year. We have no credit cards. We both have debit cards and only use them rarely. It’s cash for us. I’ve heard all the excuses for having a credit card. None are valid. I’ve been able to do anything with my debit card that I was able to do with my credit card. Plus, you simply get better deals when paying with cash. Like it or not, people will bargain with you when you’re holding a wad of cash, even the big box stores.

Part of our long term plan is to leave as little paper trail as we can. That trail is getting smaller all the time. There may come a day when we don’t want to be found. Having debt and other recurring bills along with all the accounts that go with them can lead anyone to you door. Plus, when you have debt, you have to have some way to pay for it and most of the time that’s called a JOB! A JOB is something that most of you go to each day. You have to go back and forth on a predictable route and generally at a predetermined time. Just another reason to become debt free and learn to live using cash and bartering as a means to obtain what you need.

Also, when you’re in debt, you’re basically a slave to whomever you owe money to. Why would you want that for yourself and your family? Especially in this day and age when uncertainty abounds? Get out of debt and stay out of debt. If you need a solid plan, get Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. It will teach you what you need to know. Just a reminder though, it won’t work if you don’t work at it!

Survivalism Is All About Becoming Self Reliant

When you’re self reliant, which should mean you’re prepared for any number of emergencies, you can handle just about any situation that comes up. Think about it. If your home is ran off of Solar or Wind power or you have a generator large enough to run your home and there’s a power outage, you’re sitting pretty with electric while others go without.

Not only will you be prepared in case of an emergency, but when you use alternative energy sources, you’re cutting your electric bill and eliminating another trail to your door step.

I’m not there quite yet, not in my current home. But I have been able to do things that have cut my electricl bill down to 30 or so dollars per month. I also have two generators I could use in a pinch if I have to. One is propane and the other is diesel. I have a small solar set up that runs my shop and in the event we ever lose power in Summer, we’ll be sleeping in there because the little window A/C unit cools my shop nicely!

When we find the land to build our next home, it will be Solar and Wind Powered. If it’s a mile from the nearest electrical line, more the better!

Just as survivalism is more than being armed to the teeth in a hardened bunker, being self reliant means more than just living off the land growing your own food and using the Sun and Wind to power your home. To me, being self reliant means not having to depend on anyone, or any government, for my basic needs. This includes food, water, power, finances and security. I’d love to tell you that I’m there, but I’m not. I’m working on it, but it may take a few more years. But I will eventually get there and you can to.

Do You Really Need All That “Stuff”?

I’m constantly amazed at all the material things people think they “need” in order to survive. When I talk to people about becoming self reliant and the things people can do without, I get that funny look from them. I’ve seen people horrified at the thought of giving up their credit cards, their big homes, new vehicles, toys such as jet ski’s, boats, big screen HDTV’s, monster sound systems and other stuff. They simply can not think of life without these items!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you need to move to the backwoods and live in a one room cabin like a Hermit. I like my toys also, but mine are paid for. If I had to leave them in a hurry, I could and would never look back. Granted, leaving the nicer things in life would be harder on my Wife and Daughter than it would me, but they would handle it.

I’m also not saying you have to give these things up and live miserably. But if you’re in debt because of these things, you need to get rid of them until you’re debt free.

As I’m reading the ‘back to the Earth’ and self reliant magazines, I find it funny the things people think they need in order to ‘live off the land’. It’s like they think you need a half million dollars worth of stuff just to begin. Of course, some of this is the magazines fault as they need the advertisers of these overpriced and worthless ‘must have’ items. The editors and writers for those magaiznes have sold out for the almighty dollar and have forgotten why their type of magazines were started for in the first place.

You don’t need a $500,000 home and land to start. You can get started where you live right now, even if it’s an apartment in the middle of Manhatten. You don’t need 100 guns. A $200 shotgun is a good start. You don’t need a $40,000 tractor or Utility Vehicle. A wheel barrow, shovel and pick work nicely.

Becoming self reliant means letting go as much of the material stuff that is dragging you down as it means living a simple life without having to depend on  others for the basics of life.

If the current state of the Government, both Nationally and the World, has you concerned and you’ve been thinking about “starting” to become self reliant and preparing your family in case of a National or Global crisis, then I challenge you to start now by taking a good long look at your situation to see what you can start cutting out and being less reliable on others. You don’t have to do it all at once, but you do have to start!

Because, it is my opinion (and has been quite some time), there is no difference between a Survivalism, Emergency Preparedness or self reliance. There all the same thing!