Category: Survival Mindset

20 Reasons Why America’s Next Bank Holiday Will Be a Nightmare (Updated)

JWR’s Introductory Note: Today, in lieu of our regular bi-weekly Economics and Investing column, I’m presenting an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in June of 2012, titled:  20 Reasons Why America’s Next Bank Holiday Will Be a Nightmare. If anyone compares this with the original edition, you will see that I’m standing by the majority of my 2012 predictions and recommendations. If anything, nine years later, the threats that we’d face in a banking crisis will be even greater, because of increased reliance on electronic payment systems, power grid reliance, Internet reliance, and the larger …


Preparedness Principles – Part 2, by Old Bobbert

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Bobbert’s Principle #5 – Principles are never my personal possession I try daily to practice the principles regularly promoted on Sundays as being the right way to conduct my life, and as to how I should treat others, and what to teach my family, But I am also fully aware that these fundamental principles are not owned by any belief system. We can confidently look to any, and every, good and worthy example for enlightenment and information. Additionally, as preppers / leaders, we must never forget that “Being Wrong Does Not Make …


Living In The Age Of Deception And Betrayal

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For the past 12 years, I’ve been telling my readers that we are living in an age of deception and betrayal. My first use of that phrase in SurvivalBlog was In 2008. Here is a brief excerpt from that essay: “I urge all SurvivalBlog readers to redouble their efforts to keep a low profile in their communities and their presence on the Internet. If the Cold War reemerges with the same intensity as the Cuban Missile Crisis, we may very well soon enter an age of deception and betrayal that could sweep up innocents as well as malefactors. It is …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Today, on Christmas Day, in place of my normal Friday news column, I have this special bit of investing commentary for my readers: Investing In Your Children’s Future Today, December 25th, for most Americans, is a holiday of generous excess. We live in a still relatively prosperous nation, and we are a people known for our generosity. One end of your house is most likely strewn with bits of wrapping paper and ribbons. Your children or grandchildren are surely playing with their new toys, dolls, and games. A few of them are probably pouting, because they didn’t receive a Playstation …


Eight Ways to Make Your Days Count, by Elli O.

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With the global pandemic, the inconclusive election results, the weird weather, and pending winter, it seems that some people are in a shopping frenzy, trying to prepare for their uncertain future. I believe they call it “topping off their preps”. Others, still, are doing very little to prepare. If you are reading this article then the reason for your inactivity is probably not denial of the possibly “end times”. It is very likely that you are just overwhelmed with everything that you think needs to be done RIGHT NOW! How can we stay motivated? How can we look at our …


What Happens When You Get Old, by R.F.D.

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I have been blessed with good health and a clear mind these many years. I also have been blessed with inherited traits, or maybe they were learned, which have allowed me to pursue interesting (for me) activities outside my job during my working career. These activities have mainly revolved around becoming self-sufficient, physically capable, working with my hands, and clear thinking. Another trait that may be good or bad is, I tend to be quite obsessive when, I,m picking up a new skill. I was fortunate in being born late in the Great Depression and having parents who were brought …


Tips for Moving to the Country, by The Novice

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Civil unrest has rocked many American cities. Looting, arson, assault and murder are common. As a result, a growing flood of refugees is fleeing the cities and their surrounding suburbs in order to seek safety in more rural settings. For those of you who may be voting with your feet in this way, I have gathered some tips regarding moving to the country. These tips deal primarily with unfamiliar things you may experience in a rural setting, and how to best respond to them. SurvivalBlog readers with experience living in the country are encouraged to supplement my list in the …


Ready Yourself for a Turbulent 2021 and Beyond

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The year 2020 will be remembered as an exceptionally turbulent year, marked by multiple worldwide crises and massive urban protests and riots. It has been a year of significant drama and trauma. I do not expect that 2021 will mark a “return to normality.”  If anything, 2021 will be just as jarring to our collective psyche. Parenthetically, I should mention that I created a meme for that. In this essay, I’m posting my recommendations for SurvivalBlog readers on how to ready yourself and your family for any of the following in 2021: Economic Turmoil Sociopolitical Upheaval Global Military and Terrorism …


OPSEC Problems for Preppers, by The Lone Canadian

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The Problem The biggest problem that I see for preppers is that we talk a good game, and we know what needs to be done, but it goes against our basic nature. Now, before you all jump on me, hear me out. I’m not talking about stockpiling “The Three Bs” (Beans, Bullets, and Band-Aids.) We all know that in the event that TEOTWAWKI comes to pass that we will need to band together in groups for survival. The “lone wolf” has been much written about, but we all know that it’s not possible for one person, or even a couple, …


Guest Post: The Tripwire, by D. van Oort & J.F.A. Davidson

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Editor’s Introductory Note: The following essay on censorship was posted nearly 20 years ago, in The Resister. I miss that site. This article is re-posted with permission.  – JWR “How we burned in the prison camps later thinking: What would things have been like if every security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive?”– Alexander Solzhenitzyn, The Gulag Archipelago What would be the tripwire resulting in open rebellion? Examining the Bill of Rights, and considering existing laws only, and not failed attempts, you will find that every clause …


My Preparedness Evolution, by Melody Channel

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I was six, and there was very little food in the house that night. I rummaged around in a cupboard and pulled out a nearly empty peanut butter jar, and using a table knife and my finger, I scraped out every bit of it and went to bed early. Being young, I don’t remember if this time lasted days or weeks, but the gnawing feeling of hunger made a profound impact, and from the roots of that childhood experience came the mindset for preparedness and survival. Everyone has a story, and this is mine. It is hoped that by sharing …


Thoughts on Surviving Civil War, by 3AD Scout

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Author’s Introductory Note: I am not advocating for armed conflict; I am specifically writing this article to get people prepared for a different type of disaster than we normally have to be prepared for. I suspect that the majority of people just want to live their lives in peace but may be caught up in a civil conflict. This article is to help families be prepared should it occur. — Normally I am a very optimistic person, but we are not in normal times now, are we? As “Preppers”, “Survivalist”, “Homesteaders”, and others with a self-sufficient mindset, we strive to …


JWR’s 20 “S” Strategy for Tangible Investments

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I was recently asked to reiterate my philosophy on parlaying wealth into tangibles.  I emphasize tangibles in many of my writings because we need to be ready for times of inflation. Yes, inflation is coming.  With multi-trillion dollar bailouts, monetization of the national debt, and chronic Federal over-spending, mass inflation is inevitable. I must also state that I do not believe in heavily investing or any long-term investment in any “asset” that is just a piece of paper, a string of digits on a hard drive, or other abstractions that are mere promises. Promises and kind words don’t shelter and …


Our Daily Passive Battle, by H.G.

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I’m firmly in the “meek” category along with most of the attributes you would assume go with it: introverted, passive-aggressive, quiet, content, peace-loving, hard to anger, patient, etc.  I can put up with a lot, get along with anybody.  I have strong opinions but I know that nobody wants to hear them. My daily intake of news consists of scanning the mostly-local headlines of one of the city television stations, reading a couple stories of interest to get a deeper picture, and relying mostly on headlines for the gist of the national happenings.  I’m not completely head-in-the-sand but I know …


We Have a Major Problem, by Castle Circle

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We Have a major problem, and it isn’t going to just away. As I write this, we have multiple people shot in Kenosha, 80+ days of rioting in Portland, and the large major cities are powderkegs waiting to blow. Lack of leadership from city and state leaders nationwide has exacerbated the problem greatly while blaming everyone but those responsible for those places and people. I look at this from the standpoint of an amateur historian, and I see this getting far worse before or if it gets better, with winter coming, riots, Covid and all its ramifications, things are going …