It will be a shame if you all spent so much time and money preparing and doomsday never arrives!

We can only hope.

I love the scene in Tremors where some one tells Burt, "You are loving this". And you can see he is.

 

Tempest,
You said MUCH! Recall, only 2% of Americans are farmers and feed this nation and much of the world. Most urban and suburban residents NEVER raised a carrot. Most do not own a firearm, never shot a rabbit and never gutted small game or deer. They are the "Consumer Generation." Yes, they can work a computer daily, but can they eat their computer printouts?

I live on a 60-acre farm. I have tractors, plows, etc., and 100+ seed packets to plant next season's crops in the big garden. I was stunned in a recent discussion with a very prepped survivor. I asked him, "What crops will you plant to support all your arms, ammo, and MUCH other stuff?" He looked at me like I was talking Chinese! He assumed normal food distribution would CONTINUE to the grocery store down the street. DAH!

He asked me for advice. I told him to get a few firearms, a thousand rounds (or more) of .22 ammo, a shotgun and 200+ rounds and a rifle capable of big game, a knife and "smarts" to butucher your own meat. Survivalists have all the kit but few edibles in the PLAN!

Webley

 

There wont be any game left in the woods. No electric, no gas and no diesel. Forget the truck and tractors. I do suggest rabbits. That is a symbiotic relationship with the garden. Eating the waste and providing fertilizer back. Somehting else would be wax for preserving fruit and veggies. An old style well or year round fresh water. Maybe think Amish with guns in a COMMUNITY. You know I am not worried but covid was an eye opener. That was a joke and look what happened.

 

You don't know very many Amish do you? They are VERY well armed and not with just deer rifles. Amish hardware stores are well stock with ammo too. I wish I had closer Amish neighbors.

We do a bunch of dealing with the Amish. Milk, eggs, chickens, maple syrup and probably beef this year also. I think they are great. They love God, dislike the govt. of any kind, are hard working, most have a side hustle for extra cash. Unlike the stereotypes, I find them to be rather friendly. The women are a bit shy but the kids are great.

 

Learn to grow your own food and then learn to can it. Canning material is still cheap and abundant (but not for long). Learn you area and what veggies grow well in your climate. Play to those strengths.

Food in the grocery stores will still be present, just more expensive and there might be less of a selection, but putting in a garden can supplement the lack of what is found in stores.

More and more people will not be able to pay for food, shelter, utilities and meds. Install a good camera/alarm system if you are not in a rural area. People will steal.

Water, have it or nothing else matters.

 

For me, I have embraced the 'for Tuesday'. That I have just extra food, material, ammo, for a couple of months.
The doomsdayers have said things are going to heck since I was a kid, but natural disasters and such as always around the corner.

 

@ Webley and Fourbore: Do look at recipe found in my The Deep Pantry post and thread. It's directed at getting you through a chaotic first-year of a worldwide calamity. The long-term approaches you focus on are likely more important in the end, but you have to survive the traumatic events of the first year to get there.

 

Plenty of rabbits (actually hares) around here. I wouldn't eat one. When I was a kid, a Russian family I stayed with raised and butchered them, cooked them. Thinking about it, I can feel the heat from the fire on my eyes even today. I didn't like the taste.

 

I'm fortunate enough to have spent time around most of the " Old Timers " in the family that were around during the great depression . Here in Tennessee you would be surprised how people adapt .
But I don't see such a event happening anytime soon .

 

I'm fortunate enough to have spent time around most of the " Old Timers " in the family that were around during the great depression . Here in Tennessee you would be surprised how people adapt .
But I don't see such a event happening anytime soon .

Why not? Not because people have grown any wiser.

It would still look different, but as Mark Twain said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

 

I think food will be available and unless the economy really goes into the toilet, people will be able to afford it. People may prioritize buying food over buying toys. Or not. We don’t like to let go of our luxuries and I include myself in that category. The responsible way to spend money now would be on strategic investments. Instead I’m looking at what toys on the list I should buy before tariffs might make them dramatically more expensive.

During the Depression it was said that “America will be the first country in history to go to the poor house… in an Automobile.” Such is even more necessary now, and our temperament has not changed in the slightest. Maybe it could be restated “America will be the first country in history to go to the poor house… with a designer handbag, a luxury watch, and a collection of firearms.”

I do think that chickens, rabbits, and a vegetable garden are really good ways that average folks can lessen the impact of higher grocery bills and probably eat better too…. If they’re willing to put in the work. A little coordination with the neighbors or like-minded friends makes this better yet.

My wife keeps pestering me about a chicken coop. This is the girl who won’t go camping with me because she “was raised in a third world country and has lived like that.” But now egg prices have her thinking a few birds in the backyard might not be such a bad idea after all.

 

My wife and I used to go deep in the woods for several days, sometimes longer with just what we could carry on our backs. We always stayed by the river and that was our "extra" food source. Fish and crawdads. Edible mushrooms in the late summer/early fall. Anybody who thinks they can just walk off into the wilderness during any collapse and happily live off the land by hunting are in for a very unpleasant surprise. Things do appear in a totally different perspective when there is no cell phone or a cooler full of food at your disposal. As far as what to eat during "depression", talk to someone who lived through it. The closest one to us is an economic, political and cultural collapse of the Soviet Union. It started in the late '80s and continued on for several years. That was a life changing experience for most adult population involved; I don't think that this Country would come out of a full-blown economic crisis as well as the USSR did. Just a personal opinion, nothing more...

 

Anybody who thinks they can just walk off into the wilderness during any collapse and happily live off the land by hunting are in for a very unpleasant surprise.

So true. I am lucky enough to get out about a dozen times a year. I love it, but am amazed at how often I come home with not much to show!

However, as hunters we have to follow the rules…as survivors a turkey is always in season!

 

IF the end times descend, there will nothing in the grocery stores. What was not looted would be destroyed underfoot by the mob; with no fuel, there would be NO replenishment. Money will have no value, a gun and ammo will be worth more than gold. A few boxes of matches, a kit of medical supplies, etc., will prolong the end.

I have a farm, five nice springs and several fellow, farmer veteran neighbors who will all pull together in gravest extreme for food, security and health issues. One neighbor is a doctor, another a dentist and another an eye doctor. All are country folks who live mostly off the land. We have cows, horses, deer and rabbits in great plenty. We have harness, horses and several single plows used on these farms 200 years ago. We also have seeds.

The urban folks living in town houses, apartments, etc. will be at a great loss. It is a tough scenario. My community does not obcess on end times, but we do have a community plan. Be well.

Webley

 

If you are a city dweller, consider a windowsill garden. Excellent source of vitamins, especially in the winter. Easy to do and cost very little.

 

IF the end times descend, there will nothing in the grocery stores. What was not looted would be destroyed underfoot by the mob; with no fuel, there would be NO replenishment. Money will have no value, a gun and ammo will be worth more than gold...

Response -

From the OP: Most survivalist conversations revolve around violence erupting in the face of social collapse. The focus leans toward guns and off-the-grid survival retreats.

Today, something resembling the Great Depression of the 1930s might present different challenges. I'm picturing a slow strangulation of commerce that leads to very thinly stocked store shelves - including grocery shelves.

IOW, different kinds of extended disaster are possible, and the well-rounded survivalist whacko is prepared for the most prominent possibilities. In my case, for violence erupting in the face of social collapse I have a gun collection that will curl your hair, with ammo and magazines to match. Plus living in a rural/small town locale (almost) a full gas tank from big population centers.

For a slow strangulation of commerce that leads to very thinly stocked store shelves, something resembling the Great Depression of the 1930s, I've got a year's supply of calories stashed away. Not necessarily balanced meals, but with a little swapping I'll be good.

In short, we can't predict what kind of disasters may occur, so it's prudent to prep for the leading suspects. This thread is focused on the second type, a Great-Depression type event on steroids. This website is fully-loaded with threads about preps for the other variety, the shoot-'em-up kind.

Frankly, the hard-times variety seems more likely than wholesale societal collapse into violence, so ignoring the former and focusing all your preps on the bang-bang version doesn't seem like very well-rounded prepping.

 

Response -

From the OP: Most survivalist conversations revolve around violence erupting in the face of social collapse. The focus leans toward guns and off-the-grid survival retreats.

Today, something resembling the Great Depression of the 1930s might present different challenges. I'm picturing a slow strangulation of commerce that leads to very thinly stocked store shelves - including grocery shelves.

IOW, different kinds of extended disaster are possible, and the well-rounded survivalist whacko is prepared for the most prominent possibilities. In my case, for violence erupting in the face of social collapse I have a gun collection that will curl your hair, with ammo and magazines to match. Plus living in a rural/small town locale (almost) a full gas tank from big population centers.

For a slow strangulation of commerce that leads to very thinly stocked store shelves, something resembling the Great Depression of the 1930s, I've got a year's supply of calories stashed away. Not necessarily balanced meals, but with a little swapping I'll be good.

In short, we can't predict what kind of disasters may occur, so it's prudent to prep for the leading suspects. This thread is focused on the second type, a Great-Depression type event on steroids. This website is fully-loaded with threads about preps for the other variety, the shoot-'em-up kind.

Frankly, the hard-times variety seems more likely than wholesale societal collapse into violence, so ignoring the former and focusing all your preps on the bang-bang version doesn't seem like very well-rounded prepping.

Tempest2,

Yessir, point well taken; we may ONLY have a 1930s type depression down the road. But, what if several different scenarios occur at once? I prefer to prep for any, and all, scenarios. Be well.

Webley

 

What would happen if US dollar loses its reserve currency status? That's the biggest difference between the '30s depression and now. The dollar was backed by gold then, what is it tied to now? Good faith and promises?

 

Remember the YTK 2000 hoax? I knew people that went way overboard buying freeze dried food and other stuff. I bought a 8 shot Mossberg shotgun and called it my YTK shotgun.

 

I have had a good life, a long life, and I don't fear death so doomsday scenarios don't dictate how I live. If everything goes to hell it will be because we made it so by our actions and lack of actions. You get the world that you deserve. No, I will not prep for the end of civilized society, but I will fight to preserve it.

 

Yes and no. Most likely and the unavoidable scenarios are natural. Meteor, Yellowstone a virus that was not man made ... to name a few. Some once in 1000 year storm might isolate an area for months. Or once in 1000 or 10,000 year anything you can think of. I am with you on the fear and pre panic mode of thought. Just lets not be to quick to jump on the Global XYZ bs beating up on humanity. It maybe true, but not the only or even major consideration. Stuff just happens and it was not my automobile that had anything to do with it. There are too many people but eventually one way or another that will play itself out. That is the "yes" piece of my reply.

 

I just need a couple more cans of SpaghettiOs, and I'll be ready to face YTK.

 

Haha if things get bad I'm going to my mother inlaws I'm sure she has months supply of canned spaghetti , beans, spam and a freezer full of pork chops. Not because she's worried but because she forgets what she has so she keeps buying. She's my ace in the hole

 

Yes, the world is vastly overpopulated---there's not really enough food to feed the starving poor around the world! As has been pointed out, meds will disappear and simply will not be restocked, this will make us "Old Folks" some of the first to go because when the meds dry up, we stop living! And that's a fact! Growing your own food takes time (and skill) that many city folk just will not have---even if they can just get safe water supplies... I've lived thru four major riots, and three major earthquakes, plus the recent China Virus (that was a real eye opener) and know all the guns and ammo in the world won't save your arse if you don't have enough food or clean water to weather the first 6-7 months... The grand plan of shooting the hungry mobs of your fellow city dwellers as they try to steal your stuff or just kill you and take it probably won't pan out like you think it will...
Yeah, some neighbors will band together and form survival groups, this will extend their time of being alive, but things will run out and bickering will have them at each others throats sooner or later...! Myself and my wife are reasonably prepared for things like riots, EQs, etc.---Viruses will be trickier---but we're already older and have lived our lives well, so the satisfaction of surviving this long will probably be enough for us---good luck to the rest of you...!

 

Yes, the world is vastly overpopulated---there's not really enough food to feed the starving poor around the world! As has been pointed out, meds will disappear and simply will not be restocked, this will make us "Old Folks" some of the first to go because when the meds dry up, we stop living! And that's a fact! Growing your own food takes time (and skill) that many city folk just will not have---even if they can just get safe water supplies... I've lived thru four major riots, and three major earthquakes, plus the recent China Virus (that was a real eye opener) and know all the guns and ammo in the world won't save your arse if you don't have enough food or clean water to weather the first 6-7 months... The grand plan of shooting the hungry mobs of your fellow city dwellers as they try to steal your stuff or just kill you and take it probably won't pan out like you think it will...
Yeah, some neighbors will band together and form survival groups, this will extend their time of being alive, but things will run out and bickering will have them at each others throats sooner or later...! Myself and my wife are reasonably prepared for things like riots, EQs, etc.---Viruses will be trickier---but we're already older and have lived our lives well, so the satisfaction of surviving this long will probably be enough for us---good luck to the rest of you...!

Roger-that on the fantasy of "shooting the hungry mobs of your fellow city dwellers."

Nearly 50 years ago I learned the basics of survivalism from Mel Tappan's "Survive!" column that ran briefly in Guns & Ammo. His basic recipe began with this: "Live more than one full gas tank distant from major population areas."

I was then a young city boy who since childhood had been attracted to living in the country, and reading this confirmation pretty much defined my agenda for the coming years and decades.

One minor mod on "not really enough food to feed the starving poor around the world": That's really a political/governance problem in a small number of political hellholes around the world, more than a population problem.

 

Back in the late 60s and early 70s, when I was a young man, and hanging around motorcycle shops (real motorcycle shops, not bike shops that look like a new car dealership), there was one old guy who used to sit at one of my favorite shops who was known simply as "Old Jack"---he was a very young man during the Great Depression---he lived on a farm in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles (the SFV was ALL farms back in those days) and told tales of growing their own food, trading their neighbors for different foods that other farmers grew, etc. They had little to no cash money, and most everything was done by barter with other locals---meat of any sort was very scarce---his father had a single-shot 22 rifle (he recalled it was a cheapie Savage rifle) and his father would buy a box of 50 22 shorts (they were cheaper than 22 LR) and he took this little rifle to school with him every day (!), so that after school he could hunt small game---his dad expected 50 meat small animals for 50 rds of ammo! Squirrels, rabbits, etc. were the expected targets (even rattlesnakes!) and he would bring this meat home and then watch his mom clean and prep the animals for dinner! He said this was the ONLY meat the large family (no birth control in those days!) ate for years with the rare exception of a farm grown chicken that no longer gave eggs... Those were hard times... Are we better off today? I'd like to think so, but who really knows until the sewage hits the fan...?

 

My parents told me things along the same line, nobody had money, barter was huge. My dad was a young teenager. One summer he worked for a local farmer all summer. He was to be paid in the fall after the harvest as it was understood there was no money until then. After harvest that farmer told him he had no money. Whether he did or not my dad never knew, but he got nothing.

 

 

Biggest prep you can do is getting to know your neighbors and finding out their skills.
Within yelling distance we've got multiple small cattle farms, a diary and butcher and our nearest neighbor grows produce. We've got chickens, fish and of course lead for all the deer, bear, turkey, squirrel and so on.. "More tucker than you could poke a stick at." - Crocodile Dundee.

With all of our resources pooled, I think our community would survive well.

The lone preppers who "don't need anybody" are the low hanging fruit for the hoards from the city. There's power in numbers.

If we truly get a "the road" type situation, which I don't want to live through. You'll have Cavalera gang types(the magnificent seven) who let other people grow the food that they then come and exchange lead for.. With enough lead, you don't even need to exchange, you just take. And for the slow folks in the crowd, exchange = death.

 

If you have a strong enough gang to allow other people to do the work of production and then demand the results of their production for yourself and your gang, I don't think you would want to kill anyone because who would be left then to keep doing the work? Also, there are way more peaceful victims than warlords and eventually the victims will combine forces and overwhelm the warlords.

 

Their goal is to always intimidate into getting what they want. They may make a couple of examples but that's usually how these gangs operate. Not unlike the gangsters in 20s Chicago.. pay up or else. A couple bars got burned because they didn't and the rest seeing that decided to pay up for protection or carry the booze the mobsters demanded.

 

Do not mess with people that provide your food. Producers can poison the food.

 

 

Interesting comments here.

What I've noticed is the ignorant young (20's or so) that have no clue as to life without modern things.

However, ignorance is easily overcome with learning that I've also found most of them will accept. The rest will be gone in short order if the balloon goes up.

Stupidity is another matter altogether. Most of them are not young, rather in their 40's to 60's and being at odds with everything and everyone.

I'm not sure just what could please them in life, and fixing stupid is impossible.