Today I though I would give sort of a mile high view of taking your home from grass hopper fields of green to organized ant hill. Or if you are on the journey already from disorganized ant hill to organized ant fortification. Getting prepared seems tough, it seems beyond reach and on some levels it is. One can never be fully prepared for everything but getting to well prepared for most things is doable in steps.
Join me today as we discuss…
- Another look at the old story, The Grasshopper and the Ant
- Taking an inventory
- Journaling items used on a regular basis
- Committing to copy canning
- Develop a black out kit
- Install emergency lighting
- Set up some sort or back up power
- Develop a documentation package
- Set up at least 2 weeks to 1 month of long term storables
- Install a back flow preventer on your water heater
- Store at least 25 gallons of water, more is better
- Journal your spending – EVERY PENNY
- Form a debt elimination plan and DO IT
- Define your lifestyle vision and WORK ON IT
- Create a get out – get home plan
- Own and know how to use a grill
- Teach yourself at least 2 food preservation methods
- Visit farmers markets
- Talk to your neighbors
- Believe you can get it done, because you can
- Focus on the results, not the battle
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
Monday I responded to a listener who asked a question about planning and he was hoping for a checklist. My response was that I can’t really give you a hard check list because you must develop your own plan (Tenet Ten of Modern Survival Philosophy). From the beginning of TSP I have stated that to be the case, I also realized that it has been a long time since I did a show on planning and that I have never really dissected the personal aspect of planning for the needs of the individual and their immediate family. So today we are going to do just that.
Join me today as we discuss…
- First we must define survival and preparedness
- Next we should consider the meaning of self sufficient and self reliant
- It is important to acknowledge that you need a plan in the first place
- Before we assess threats we need to delineate between acute and long term effects
- Next examine threat probability and the commonality of disaster
- Now define your self sufficient and self reliant time lines (“wealth” according to Buckminster Fuller)
- Then define your primary and secondary priorities
- Determine your weakest points and assign future resources based on your most urgent needs
- Journal your progress, successes, failures, the weather, everything
- A plan is designed to be fluid but you must have a basis and changes need documenting
- As you shore up weaknesses you will find new ones emerging, prioritize them accordingly
- Be sure to test yourself both voluntarily and involuntarily
- Remember no one cares about you as much as you do
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
Today’s show will not be an exhuasting inventory of what I keep in my bug out bag or even what you should keep in yours. Instead we will cover a few often over looked and ignored items that you may want to consider adding to your 72 hour emergency kit.
Tune in today to hear…
- The origin of the orginal concept of a bug out bag (at least according to online forums)
- Understanding bug out vs. battle pack or even survival kit
- The most over looked item in a bug out bag documentation, procedure and contact documentation
- The GPS, why many choose not to include one, why that choice is a mistake
- The good old fashioned compass, do you have one, if not why
- Why a written plan is a good idea, the psychology of crisis and how it effects you
- Both maintenance and OTC meds are a good idea, don’t leave them out
- A trick with benadryl that can help with toothache or mouth injuries
- A simple bug out bag drill to evaluate what you might be missing
- Thoughts on what makes good bag for your bug out kit
- Thoughts on back up solar charging and additional methods of communications
Resources for Today’s Show
Today we discuss why survivalists are "preparing" in the first place. Starting out with an old fable we tell the original version of The Lesson of the Grasshopper and the Ant and move on to seven threats and how the prepping for them all is quite similar.
Tune in today to hear…
- How we have changed the classic tale of the Ant and the Grasshopper and how it has impacted America
- The real threat of depression or recession
- The reality of a true eventual economic collapse
- The impact of "climate change" independent of man’s part in it
- The fact that "normal climate" is a myth and the little "perfect bubble" we have had for two centuries
- The impact potential of pandemic flu or some other form of pandemic
- The impact of regional weather disasters
- The threat of a Tsunami on both our east and west coasts
- The eventuality of "peak oil"
- How "Preppers" are not crazy and why what we do makes sense
- The contributions of the "tin foil hat brigade" and how even they are not totally crazy
- The reality that preparing for all the above threats is very similar
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.
The key to getting truly prepared for anything is planning, today’s show is two lessons in one with prioritizing goals to a get a mission accomplished. To get on track and explain the logic of my system of planning I first go over the “debt snowball” which has been made popular by syndicated radio personality Dave Ramsey.
Tune in today as we discuss
- The mentality behind the debt snowball and how that same mentality can be applied to survival planning
- Ranking and listing the threats that are most likely to impact your life
- How to do a personal threat assessment and rank your biggest needs
- Finding the top five needs for your top five threats
- How to build momentum and motivation as you move toward full preparedness
- The reality that will lead both the out and out fringe survivalist and the basic boyscout to very similar plans
The goal of this show is to move beyond analysis paralisis into a real meaningful level of action and avoid feeling overwhelmed by all there is to do. Please add in your own comments and suggestions, remember our show is one man’s opinion not a lecture. Your input is not just welcome but a necessary part of making our show a little better every day.
Also make sure to enter and participate in our listener appreciation contest.
I believe many people shy away from becoming more self sufficient and prepared for uncertain times because they are under the impression that survivalism and survivalists are by nature radical and part of a fringe movement. They tend to see any planning for disaster or emergency preparedness as something best left to militia members or members of the “tin foil hat brigade”. Nothing could be further from the truth, modern survivalism and tactics such as survival gardening are mostly just a set of smart ways to live your live, save and invest your money and stay informed about risks.
This podcast evaluates 15 common survival tactics that
- Are positive ways to live even if nothing ever goes wrong
- Will provide you insurance against uncertain times
- Will improve your lifestyle and possibly your retirement
- Are easy to implement
- Can be done by anyone
- And most importantly have no downside or risk regardless of what does or does not occur
