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Survival and Preparations Long and short term survival and 'prepping'.

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  #41  
Old 03-05-2014, 9:07 AM
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Originally Posted by lasbrg View Post
My own working theory is that if I have guns and ammo, I don't NEED other supplies ............................... because I can always barter the ammo.
I am of the thought of bartering ammo one round at a time but there will be a point where you are outgunned no matter what. It all depends on the situation.
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  #42  
Old 03-05-2014, 9:22 AM
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^ True.
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  #43  
Old 03-05-2014, 3:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Sojournertruth View Post
prepping is a hobby like any other.....beats gambling I suppose but not really...you're making a bet by buying all this stuff that a very improbable series of events will take place

of course preppers just die with a closet full of gear and 100lbs of "rations" all of it completely useless....but you can die with guns, golf clubs, grandfather clocks, whatever it is you spent a lot of money on for no reason...other than as entertainment

so, like any hobby, you need to remember its not real life..its entertainment and distraction, so keep it in perspective.....don;t "prep" and ignore real needs financially
I always like to point out that my dad was a prepper, and went through the 60's waiting for nukes, went through the 70's waiting for some environmental collapse, went through the 80's waiting for nukes again, and spent the 90's worrying about China deliberately collapsing the US economy. And he died having spent his whole life worrying about all these "possible" things, that might have happened, but they did not happen. So you have to keep that attitude, when you think about how you balance your prepping hobby, and how much money you spend on it. Most of your money should go into your 401k/IRA, etc. I'd say we probably have a 10% chance of something *really* big happening in our lifetimes. But that means a 90% chance that nothing big happens. So I'm willing to do some prepping, in case that 10% chance does happen. But don't neglect the things you need to do to have a good retirement if everything stays the same for the next 40-50 years....
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Old 03-05-2014, 7:25 PM
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I always like to point out that my dad was a prepper, and went through the 60's waiting for nukes, went through the 70's waiting for some environmental collapse, went through the 80's waiting for nukes again, and spent the 90's worrying about China deliberately collapsing the US economy. And he died having spent his whole life worrying about all these "possible" things, that might have happened, but they did not happen. So you have to keep that attitude, when you think about how you balance your prepping hobby, and how much money you spend on it. Most of your money should go into your 401k/IRA, etc. I'd say we probably have a 10% chance of something *really* big happening in our lifetimes. But that means a 90% chance that nothing big happens. So I'm willing to do some prepping, in case that 10% chance does happen. But don't neglect the things you need to do to have a good retirement if everything stays the same for the next 40-50 years....
While the "Big One" never occurred, I'm sure your dad still had occasion to utilize at least some of his preps during natural disasters and/or power outages didn't he?

In my life, while the "Big One" hasn't happened yet, I have been through several things in which preps definitely came in handy.
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  #45  
Old 03-06-2014, 4:02 PM
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sdkevin, create a new thread with that title.
I'm game.
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  #46  
Old 03-06-2014, 4:32 PM
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I got bottled water, Hormel Spam, guns and ammo. The rest I'll just take from the anti-gun libtards in my neighborhood.

Just kiddin'...
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  #47  
Old 03-06-2014, 5:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve_In_29 View Post
While the "Big One" never occurred, I'm sure your dad still had occasion to utilize at least some of his preps during natural disasters and/or power outages didn't he?

In my life, while the "Big One" hasn't happened yet, I have been through several things in which preps definitely came in handy.
Certainly his preps came in handy. But because he put *all* of his money into preps and gold, he didn't have any kind of IRA, or normal investments, so he ended up in pretty bad financial circumstances because of that. Close to being homeless, etc. So I like to encourage people to think of prepping as a "hobby". Just like shooting, or hot rods, or golf. You can spend a decent amount on your hobbies, but they should not get in the way of paying your bills, or saving for retirement, or any of the normal stuff.
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  #48  
Old 03-07-2014, 1:26 AM
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Most of your money should go into your 401k/IRA, etc.
Collapse of the Dollar/US financial system due to the $17 Trillion rapidly expanding debt could make the 401K losses in '08 look like a drop in the bucket.

You are playing right into the Banksters con game if you are thinking that a 401k is the place to put "most of your money".
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  #49  
Old 03-07-2014, 7:16 AM
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.. Here's a current days reminder..

Ukraine. When you are cut off - what do you have?
Actually this whole Ukraine thing was a reminder to get some more of my preps done. Which prompted this post
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  #50  
Old 03-07-2014, 7:38 AM
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Collapse of the Dollar/US financial system due to the $17 Trillion rapidly expanding debt could make the 401K losses in '08 look like a drop in the bucket.

You are playing right into the Banksters con game if you are thinking that a 401k is the place to put "most of your money".
But you will be fully funded when they nationalize 401K and IRA - thank you comrade!

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  #51  
Old 03-07-2014, 12:42 PM
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Actually this whole Ukraine thing was a reminder to get some more of my preps done. Which prompted this post
I hear ya, a couple of my to-do's is a crosbow and some bulk tobacco. Knowing the area, maybe I should be splitting the stocks 50/50 with MJ would be smarter, I don't smoke so holding these barter tools is low on the list.
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  #52  
Old 03-07-2014, 1:13 PM
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Certainly his preps came in handy. But because he put *all* of his money into preps and gold, he didn't have any kind of IRA, or normal investments, so he ended up in pretty bad financial circumstances because of that. Close to being homeless, etc. So I like to encourage people to think of prepping as a "hobby". Just like shooting, or hot rods, or golf. You can spend a decent amount on your hobbies, but they should not get in the way of paying your bills, or saving for retirement, or any of the normal stuff.
I have heard of this before and it always saddens me.

I also hear of people who prep with such maniacal frenzy they end up alienating friends, family, wives and children.

First, ask yourself why you are prepping. If the way you go about prepping counters one of the why's, then you are on the wrong track. Don't tell yourself "It's for my wife and kids" and then move your wife out to Podunk Creek, Idaho where she is miserable all the time. Because she will end up leaving you and taking the kids. So ask "why" first and then act in accordance with your motivations.

The other aspect is, as pointed out, what if nothing major happens? It seems this is an eventuality that most preppers seem to forget about. If you haven't prepped for THAT event, then you haven't done a great job of prepping. This isn't much different than the doomsayers who sell everything and go sit on a mountain top waiting for 7m on a certain day when they have been assured that the end will come and they will be ready to meet the aliens or their maker.

It seems to me that a person who cannot see this, has limited vision or has a fixation. You need insurance, you need a career plan, you need a retirement plan. Be balanced and flexible in how you go about things. PM's are good, tangibles are good, but an IRA or 401k are good too. You cannot become too invested in one specific vision of the future because if time has proven anything, it is that we are frequently, maybe even usually, WRONG.

I have an air bag in my car, but I also wear a seat belt and practice defensive driving. Because I'm paranoid about driving? No, because they are simple things I can do to reduce my risk. Having a retirement plan and some life insurance are simple and common sense things you can do. Having a year of supplies to get you through tough times seems pretty simple and easy too. I'm not going to go crawl in a hole somewhere and pull the hole in after me. Life is here to be lived.

Here's another point... I don't plan to live forever. I've known that I won't for about half a century and I've become comforatble with that concept. But my life is not just something selfish for me to squander on self-indulgence. I care about my family and friends, and what's more, I care about making the world a better place. So a lot of my preps are about what I can do to help those concerns, and not just so I can keep drawing breath and live another day. I'm comfortable with the idea of dying, but as it's something I only get to do once, I'm coming to understand the concept of the Viking or Celtic idea of what a "good death" is. Such a precious commodity is a shame to waste.

So - I will try to live as long as I can, waiting for that opportunity should it ever come my way. If one is only prepping because they are afraid to die, then I think that indicates they have some personal soul-searching to do.
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  #53  
Old 03-07-2014, 3:23 PM
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I hear ya, a couple of my to-do's is a crosbow and some bulk tobacco. Knowing the area, maybe I should be splitting the stocks 50/50 with MJ would be smarter, I don't smoke so holding these barter tools is low on the list.

I was thinking a pistol crossbow to easily store in a backpack and not be noticeable at all
I used to have one that had decent accuracy out to maybe 30ft


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  #54  
Old 03-08-2014, 4:30 AM
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From a Thread I started about this some time ago...

keep reading here all the posts about what to do in the future. Well, I started doing this in the late 70s by first purchasing Mel Tappans Book, "Survival Guns" and back when the common worry was MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). And when the Eco Nut worry was Global COOLING (the next Ice Age was THE big Idea) I thought I'd post some long term things I did and some general thoughts...

I did the simple things we all can do to prep for anything and this was not some big idea that occurred to me, but how I was raised by Depression and Holocaust survivors.

Get debt free, I have no fixed debt after this year, no house payment, truck/car payment,credit card debt etc.

This is not an economic strategy this is how we used to live!

My dad paid cash for his cars not some gimmicky financing. We lived within our budget and if you couldn't afford it you saved up for it...I had lost sight of that idea and had humongous credit card debt like everyone else at one time.

Save! Save money even if interest rates suck. I have 3 years of my gross salary in savings, it took forever but I can at least weather any short or medium term problem. If your employer offers any kind of Retirement plan take it! Even a minimal donation will add up. I put in 10 percent and built it quickly, you can do less and still see some real savings. The interest rate to me is a bonus, liquidity is key.

I did buy Silver way back when it was cheap, I never did understand how a silver quarter was going to be worth anything in a real disaster. But if that time came when you had to try to trade a hunk of metal for a chicken or ammo I'd rather have the chicken. But I bought some anyway. Now real world situations (Bosnia 92-95, etc) shows that useful assets seem to be worth bartering more. I hope to never have to live when it comes to that, trapped in some kind of Swap meet/bazaar along with everybody else trying to trade to make ends meet...

I saw the craphole that LA was becoming 30 years ago, When I realized I would never be able to afford the middle class home my father had due to continuously rising prices just ahead of my slower rising income I knew I had to move out of SoCal.

So I moved to where my stable job allowed me to pick. Bakersfield. Much smaller then, but even now, friendly, small enough for the semi rural flavor and much much safer in any kind of meltdown since we are completely self sufficient for water, oil and food...And big enough to repel anything short of a real army.

And then I moved outside of Bako itself. At one time surrounded by farmland, now houses, but still outside of the city central itself.

Learn to reload, stock pile components, learn to amateur gunsmith, learn to shoot WELL not just plink or play army man. This was a 20 year process. I can now shoot any kind of firearm, adequately. Not going to make the top finals of any sport but I have firearms to shoot anything from Cowboy action Shooting, Sporting Clays, Steel Challenge, Tactical. All with real life applications and the fun was in getting there. So as a side effect of acquiring these hobbies and stockpiling lead, molds, primers, powder, etc, I have watched from the sidelines the ammo crazes of 92,94, 2008 and 2012 without a need to join in.

And related to above, when the prices are down, stock up in bulk! Sounds easy, but too many of my friends were too cheap to buy when prices were down, assuming that prices would always be that way. Now they are only able to load just enough to meet current shooting needs with hardly anything set aside for long term.

Get healthy. Don't put off that root canal, eye exam, or physical. Lose the weight now rather then while actually starving! I was in great shape till this year when health reasons beyond my control shattered all my ideas. A long slow process back to achieve even average health. But I took the lesson to heart with a complete diet and lifestyle redo. Now no longer doing just my bodybuilding weightlifting for ego, but a diet to make sure the inside matches the outside.

Have a plan. Mine is to Shelter is place for almost anything. A bugout plan to a local lake is secondary (water trumps all here due to seasonal conditions) and a new RV is on the shopping list for next year. Make sure all of your loved ones are on in on the ideas, don't spring a Bug Out on your wife or you may be going alone to your secret hideaway.

Lastly, live life. This in the only one you got, I started into this Survivalist idea 30 years ago (Back then we were not called Preppers) and have watched every wacky and not so wacky prediction fail. All the good planning and stockpiles mean nothing if a SHTF scenario is all you live for. I put all my preps and plans in place, and then went on with my everyday life. I can't plan for every emergency nor would I want to. I learned with the passing of friends and family that the mark you make now is what's important. I don't want to live in some Mad Max Wasteland and question those that seem to eagerly wait for it to happen. I like hot showers, cold ice cream, modern dentistry and Medicine. I don't need to live it for real to imagine how crappy it would be if the grid went down and we had to live grubbing in the dirt for a hard scrabble existence.

Enjoy the good times we have, We happen to be lucky enough to live in the most Diverse Rich Country on Earth, by accident of birth I made it here without having to swim the Rio Grande or wait years for my Papers. I appreciate what Freedoms I have and indulge myself in the decadent treats a First World Country has to offer. They may not last forever but then again, neither will I!
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  #55  
Old 03-08-2014, 4:56 AM
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Certainly his preps came in handy. But because he put *all* of his money into preps and gold, he didn't have any kind of IRA, or normal investments, so he ended up in pretty bad financial circumstances because of that. Close to being homeless, etc. So I like to encourage people to think of prepping as a "hobby". Just like shooting, or hot rods, or golf. You can spend a decent amount on your hobbies, but they should not get in the way of paying your bills, or saving for retirement, or any of the normal stuff.
You failed to mention this little tit-bit of info in your other post and my reply to it certainly wasn't meant as an endorsement of prepping to the exclusion of all else.
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  #56  
Old 03-08-2014, 8:44 AM
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Dear god please do not spend money you dont have on preps. You are better servered getting a 401k and other investments in order before spending money on somthing may never need. But you will retire and will get old and you will need money. Thats a fact unless you die soon or we reverse the aging process.

Start small such as enough food and water to survive a week. Then 2 then 1 month. At this point you are ahead of most of the USA.
The most likely disaster for an adult in this country is prolonged unemployment. Prepare for that. The next likely disaster is retirement without sufficient income. Prepare for that also by having adequate cash reserves - not gold or silver. Spending buckets of money on stuff with expiration dates that you will never consume is foolish. Buying gadgets that you will never use is almost as foolish. Buy stuff that you will really eat, drink, wear, or use in your daily life. Just buy a bit more each time but keep an eye on your stock on hand and don't let it get old. Eat what you buy and rotate your stock. The goal is to not get caught out if a Katrina or Northridge event happens. You can survive those events with what you have in your house for your daily life or your hobbies like hiking or camping. If it is the end of the world as we know it, you can't store enough stuff.
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Old 03-08-2014, 8:59 AM
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Umm I'm pretty sure the guy that initially mentioned something to the effect of taking a loan to buy prep stuff was being felicitous, but everyone sure has pounded on that, gosh




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Old 03-08-2014, 4:17 PM
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Dear god please do not spend money you dont have on preps. You are better servered getting a 401k and other investments in order before spending money on somthing may never need. But you will retire and will get old and you will need money. Thats a fact unless you die soon or we reverse the aging process.

Start small such as enough food and water to survive a week. Then 2 then 1 month. At this point you are ahead of most of the USA.
Sound advise. I cringe reading posts like the OPs.

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Old 03-09-2014, 1:56 PM
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That's my plan for the more extreme SHTF events. Max credit cards on perishables and w/e else I need. Economy collapses, debt doesn't matter.
what about the other 10,000 locals in your area that had the same idea?
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Old 03-09-2014, 3:30 PM
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what about the other 10,000 locals in your area that had the same idea?
And they will, but many people will be in shock or disbelief. If nothing happens... return it all!
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Old 03-09-2014, 3:37 PM
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Sound advise. I cringe reading posts like the OPs.

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Just to throw it out there, I have quite a bit in retirement. My trick is auto transferring money every week to a retirement account. A little bit over a long period of time and you never really notice just how much it is until you look. Plus a 5k IRA each year. Was looking into a gold IRA this year, but wasn't what I thought.

The point of the post was really, there is way too much prep gear and things to do that almost no one can afford to buy all at once. To protect yourself from every circumstance imaginable... that seems pretty daunting to me. Plus I thought the idea of pan handling for prep gear is ridiculous.
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Old 03-09-2014, 7:25 PM
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And they will, but many people will be in shock or disbelief. If nothing happens... return it all!
dont count on that. you prob wont get squat.
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Old 03-09-2014, 7:36 PM
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Get a paypal put donate button lol
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Old 03-10-2014, 1:18 PM
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Dear god please do not spend money you dont have on preps. You are better servered getting a 401k and other investments in order before spending money on somthing may never need.
I'll agree with this sentiment but I'll throw out this caveat as food for thought:

Prepping is not for people who are afraid to die. Prepping is for people who need to live.

Now think about that for a minute.

When I'm 80 years old, how badly will I need to live? Not very badly. I'll have done all my living in my earlier years. My health will likely not permit me to have a vigorous, active existence and I have no desire to end up in a retirement home where I can't do any of the things that make my life worth living. Will I have the eyesight and reflexes necessary for hunting and shooting? The physical stamina for going out fishing, hiking, climbing? the focus and vision to drive myself around? It's great that we can extend the human life span but there is such a thing as diminishing returns.

Now, I can see a young guy needing to live to take care of his wife and kids. That guy actually needs to live, to provide, and guide, and be a role model. His family needs his strength and his support. When I'm 80, my wife will get my SS check every month whether I live or die, and will have the money I've saved whether I live or die. In fact, there's more for her if I kick off and stop spending money on myself for medical care, food, clothes and diapers.

Am I afraid to die? I've had a long time to get used to the idea. It doesn't scare me any more. Sure, I've got the normal instinct for self-preservation. I'd like to avoid pain and suffering too. But afraid to check out? What's the point of being afraid of something that is an eventual certainty?

Yes, certainly, do put something aside for retirement. I endorse and contribute to Social Security, and to my pension, and to my retirement account. I try to take care of my health in the interest of being able to live my life fully even as the years advance. But be that as it may... you're not going to outsmart father time. By the time you're in your 70's and 80's if you've done a good job at this thing we call life, you will be able to get around and savor some of the rewards... but even that gets old after a while. How much is enough? That's going to depend on a lot of things that are very individual, so I won't spit out a specific number. But yeah, after a certain point, it's just not worth it anymore.

So if you need to put a generator or two on a credit card and then pay it off over a year or two... not a big deal. putting a second mortgage on the house, and having nothing put by for the day that your job says goodbye for the last time, kind of a big deal. Don't ruin your life with debt. But using a little debt strategicly as a tool is useful at times, as long as you are using debt instead of debt using you.
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Old 03-10-2014, 3:07 PM
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getting onboard with preparing for potential SHTF of various types is not done in a week, or a month. knowledge is the most powerful asset you can take with you in search of the tools for survival, and imho the most effective tool of all is knowledge.

consider alternative methods of obtaining items you want for SHTF preparation. i have found items at very low cost at thrift stores, swap meets, yard sales, online auctions and antiques flea markets. these are frequently items that would cost substantially more if i made purchases at retail stores, surplus stores and through all the other traditional sources. obtaining anything that is wanted 'now' will typically cost more money than if you chanced upon it during a search for items that fall under an umbrella with the central theme of 'survival in adverse conditions.' because i have long been a collector of many things, searching for things that may assist in a SHTF scenario is not an unpleasant activity for me.
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Old 03-11-2014, 9:55 AM
Jack Daniels Jack Daniels is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smle-man View Post
The most likely disaster for an adult in this country is prolonged unemployment. Prepare for that. The next likely disaster is retirement without sufficient income. Prepare for that also by having adequate cash reserves - not gold or silver. Spending buckets of money on stuff with expiration dates that you will never consume is foolish. Buying gadgets that you will never use is almost as foolish. Buy stuff that you will really eat, drink, wear, or use in your daily life. Just buy a bit more each time but keep an eye on your stock on hand and don't let it get old. Eat what you buy and rotate your stock. The goal is to not get caught out if a Katrina or Northridge event happens. You can survive those events with what you have in your house for your daily life or your hobbies like hiking or camping. If it is the end of the world as we know it, you can't store enough stuff.
I retired from the Marine Corps in Dec 2013 and have been waiting for my back ground to clear so I can start working, so I am living the unemployment (California denied my Unemployment compensation), so I have been living off some of my "preps". I'm not hurting for money, I have my retirement check and savings, before I retired I had planned to be out of work for at least six months, so I started building up "prepping" my emergency fund. I have been rotating canned and storable food for several years now, so me and the wife go food shopping because we want to, not because we have to. While I have not been "prepping" for any particular event/issue, I have used the little bit here and there method, if I think of something or read/hear about an Idea I write it down and prioritize it, then when I can afford it I get it, I never use credit for my preps, in fact when I retired I was pretty much debt free. I have been "prepping" my savings/ investments since I was a Sgt. I think it's important to be diversified and if you don't know much about it educate yourself or talk to a pro. Ultimately my few "preps" and the fact that I have done something help me sleep better.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:04 AM
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lasbrg lasbrg is offline
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^ Interesting. Have their been any threads on this concept of "retirement prepping"? Links? With a 30-year shelf life, it should be possible to plan your retirement food consumption such that you only had to spend a minimal amount on groceries, if necessary, and not worry about running out of money.

That is, don't retire until you've put aside the food for it.
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