Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Poor Mans Preparedness


Preparedness would be so fun if one had unlimited funds.  Bulk food, night vision, seismic intrusion devises, massive medical supplies, threat IV stand-alone ceramic plates with carriers, cases of ammunition, a more complete alternative energy system and the perfect retreat would all be at the top of my wish list.  But, life being what it is, it shall remain just that, a wish list

I do find a certain satisfaction in "Poor Mans Preparedness".  Poor Mans Preparedness is what the majority of we preper types do on a daily basis.  We pick up a little of this and a little of that until we have a whole lot of this and a heaping pile of that.  We squirrel away food and supplies we think we will need in order to minister to our families and those God brings into our circle of influence in the uncertain days ahead.  We choose to use our resources, however meager they may be, to provide for our future so that we don't have to depend on a three or four letter agency to protect and provide for us in the inevitable storms that will come our way.



In a way, I think we humble participants of Poor Mans Preparedness are actually the fortunate ones.  Rather than just accumulating things, we PMP'ers are actively engaging in our preparedness plan.  We can't afford to make mistakes, so we have to think every purchase through.  We have limited funds, so rather than throwing money at the problem, we identify the potential scenarios and cultivate solutions using what we have at our disposal.  We gather skills as readily as we gather equipment.  We think outside of the box.  Pity the person who has a years supply of dehydrated food and no idea how to use it and no way to protect it.  They may have had the money to spend, but because they weren't engaged in the preparedness lifestyle, they will be nearly as vulnerable as those who didn't prepare at all.



Chip away, a little at a time.  A can of coffee here, a few extra toothbrushes there.  Know what specific things really minister to your soul (in our case tea) and pay extra attention to squirreling away a nice supply.  Little by little, bit by bit.  Your perseverance and dogged determination will be rewarded.  Not only will you have the physical necessities that you need, you will have the knowledge and skills to see you through whatever life throws your way.

8 comments:

  1. Good morning, Just thought I would drop a line and suggest that if anyone can talk to anyone that lived through the collapse of 29 and ask how they lived day to day. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to my grandmother quiet often about the depression and their day to day lives. They lived on a small farm in the panhandle of Florida and made it through better than most. Even someone that was an adult through the 40's can help with the daily living challenges.
    mwp

    ReplyDelete
  2. PMP is what we practice. For those still unsure, when you go to the shop to get more of something - be it tuna, toothpaste, tea, coffee, toiletpaper, milk (longlife), tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta, etc - just buy two of them. Then put the extra away and pretend you don't have it. After a few weeks you should have a tidy pile of everyday things and you can start rotating properly (if you haven't already).
    Make sure you just buy what you usually eat and use.
    Try to pay attention to how long it takes to get through something - perhaps write it down. Then you'll get an idea of how long the things you've stored will last you.
    If there is a good special on something you regularly buy then get as much as you can!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We're another PMP family!

    When I'm getting frustrated at how long it takes us to acquire equipment and specialized clothing I instead focus on skill acquisition.

    It's great to read about others in our boat. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Save the Canning JarsAugust 4, 2010 at 7:34 PM

    When I was fresh out of nursing school, I worked a medical/surgical floor and we had many elderly patients. I noticed something interesting... many of the elderly ladies would hang on to their kleenex tissues and would not toss them in the trash can placed next to the bed. Upon asking the more experienced staff, it was explained to me that folks who had gone through the depression were not quick to throw ANYTHING out. As for tissues, they really did wear them out.

    On a different note, my husband and I just got back from a mini vacation. While 400 miles from home (up in the Ozark Mountains) we talked about what we would do if an EMP device were launched and electricity was gone and cars would not run. We formulated a plan on how we could get home. IF we could acquire bikes and a stroller contraption that hooks up behind the bike (to hold food and water), it would still have taken us 20 days to get home, and that is provided we could have covered 20 miles per day. We were vulnerable, so for any future trip we will plan better. You should have heard my prayers to God for MERCY for leaving home so unprepared. God did give us mercy and a safe return home. I've learned my lesson.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was in Cabela's today and wanted to buy cases of ammo, a -20 degree sleeping bag, and 100 other things - but settled for what I could afford (a couple of binding straps and a small cordura gear bag that was on sale). My fixed income allows me to buy a little each month, and my age means I don't need to plan for 40 years - age has its benefits.

    I don't plan for all the possible disaster scenarios. I can't - my mind won't handle all the things that could happen (they are legion). Instead, I plan for earthquakes, fires, floods, snowstorms, riots, rampaging youth, and invasion.

    Here's the biggest disaster we face, in my opinion, the oppresive government that is growing by leaps and bounds every year. We will soon be serfs in a Marxist state. That's the main focus of my preps. That's what will do more damage than anything else, and that's what must change if we want to avoid most of the other worst-case scenarios. Think about it - a republic, as envisioned by our Founding Fathers, would necessarily eliminate many of the potentials for disaster merely by not encouraging them in the first place. EMP? No problem if we stop the bad guys in their tracks in their own lands. Invasion? Not likely if we secure our borders. Pandemic? Not if we are careful who we allow into our country. Rioting? Not going to happen if we put a stop to political correctness. Food shortages? Not gonna happen if we encourage capitalism. Hyperinflation? Impossible if we control the Fed.

    Maybe we are planning for the wrong things. Maybe we should plan for taking back our country, not for losing it.

    NoCal Gal
    temporarily in Post Falls, ID

    ReplyDelete
  6. Save the Canning JarsAugust 5, 2010 at 7:30 PM

    Today my daughter and I went to the Bass Pro parking lot to pick up our DARP organic chickens (free ranged from 1/2 way across the state). The producers drive a freezer truck to the metro and you pick up your order there. I picked up 100 lbs. of thigh meat. (I need to can it as I already have 100 lbs. in the freezer). They have excess dark meat and there was a price drop from $1 to 75 cents/lb...thank you God for this blessing!!!

    Anyway, sissy was listening to a man in line talking with someone he knew very well but had not seen in a few years. They were catching up with each others life. The man was talking about having gotten married, has a new baby, wife stays home and they bought 160 acres, are debt free, he is a web developer, and he wants to grow crops organically on this land that has not been farmed since the 1960's.

    He started talking survival and he said he has a good friend who is in food distribution who says that the staples are getting harder to come by but one can easily get strange foods like unique foods which are still plentiful. (Made me think of Basmati rice as an example). He was explaining how fragile our food distribution system is and food could easily become a problem if there is any kind of disruption. We picked up our bird parts and went home and in the car sissy was telling me what she overheard. Wish I could have been a part of that conversation both to glean info and to ad info. As I keep telling my ladies group, "If you need to see the crisis with your own eyes before you are willing to make a run for what you need, you've waited too late. Get what you need NOW while there is no panic and while it is still available.

    Yep, when perfect strangers are openly talking about survival...well, It really is time to get ready.

    ReplyDelete
  7. First time visitor, and just wanted to say that I found this entry incredibly inspiring and encouraging!!! It truly validated everything that could have been said about the simple ordinary, folks, attempting to wade their way through, and prepare for, these very uncertain times. Thank you for giving credence to us all!!!
    Donna in New Mexico

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello I am new here also just wanted to say Thank You for putting this info out there for ppl to glean from.. I ask a prayer for you n yours that God richly Bless you...
    I have been trying to "Prep" for a yr now and I have a few things ahead but not near enough!! I have noticed that at the grocery store just in the last month or so that the prices are creeping up and not slowly!
    Well thank you again
    Blessings
    GG

    ReplyDelete