James,
The sheeple‘s fear is now electric. You can feel it bristle on your skin whenever you are in a public space. It is on the lips and in the hearts of any news-watching human.
What about our retirement fund? How will we afford our regular bills? How will we feed and clothe the kids?
There is a little warm spot inside me. The part of me that feels confident in our preparations. Tucked in every nook of our tiny, modest house, an ATM, a grocery store, pharmacy, garden supply plus clothing, shoe, sporting goods stores and all around trading post.
We can grow, can, spin, knit, sew, cook over fire, fish, hunt, protect ourselves.
However, if by some miracle, the economy magically rights itself, nothing was wasted. My son will still need sturdy boots in every size. We can have a blizzard without facing the “french toast” crowd (milk, eggs, bread buyers.) We can spontaneously go on an extended camping trip or entertain at a moments notice.
The best part of being prepared is falling asleep without any worry bigger than, “Did I turn off the kitchen light?”
Here is one of my favorite quotes: “Hope doesn’t come from calculating whether the good news is winning out over the bad. It’s simply a choice to take action.”- Anna Lappe
Hey, BTW, our preparations were all accomplished while surviving without outside help, living way under the poverty level. You can do it. Start by recording every penny you spend, budget, cut costs, get creative and prepare. Hints: barter, Craig’s List, Freecycle, the smash and dent section of your grocery store, store sale cycles, library book sales, yard sales, church sales, demolition sites (with permission, naturally), Salvation Army stores (especially near affluent neighborhoods), and “unlimited pickup” clean up days (ditto).
Thanks for the site and sharing the insights of others. – The Accidental Survivalist