Category: Survival Mindset

Stuff Hits the Fan 101, by Mrs. S.

I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. I was raised by a single mother who didn’t have time for much besides working to pay bills. I wasn’t lucky enough to grow up on a farm or learn canning or learn any useful survival/life skills besides how to cook Hamburger Helper and I was doing that at the ripe old age of 10. I did become a pro at making stew though and I could probably tell you 101 ways to use pasta. And thanks to my grandmother I could even crochet you a scarf if you’re lucky and …


A Community Action Plan, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Introductory Note: I wrote this plan as the local Neighborhood Watch Captain and instructor for a nearby monthly Preparedness Workshop. I’m convinced of the value of having a written plan to follow in the immediate aftermath of a disaster or crisis. I’m sharing this for those sheepdogs who do not yet have a plan in hand – start with this and edit it. Make it your own. But have a plan. When it gets crazy this may help you get through it all. Be Prepared. Trust God. We can do both! FIRST 15 MINUTES Walk / bike / drive through …


Observations From a Rookie Prepper, by Silver

I am a rookie prepper, too bad for me. This underlying lump of fear of bad times coming has been residing in the pit of my stomach for a long time, ignored and deprived of the necessary attention it is well deserved of. Recently I have awakened to the call of cover your own ass or someone or something else will force me to become non-existent. So to heed the warning sign of government irresponsibility and bad times coming I let the monster of fear come to the surface, and so I have begun my journey of self-reliance. This is …


No Cost Preparedness, by B. George

Sure, it’d be nice to prepare for the rest of our lives on Bill Gates’ budget. (I would keep a fully-staffed Pizza Hut underground in my retreat group.)  But you can do a lot with what you’ve got. Plus, even the rich need to do important things that cost nothing. Rich or poor, this is for everyone. (If you’re reading this, be reminded you’re relatively rich simply because you have internet access) You know the list is going to start with cleaning, but don’t scroll too fast. SCOUR Clean your house. If your spouse is not on board with prepping, …


Long Term Preparedness: The Outer Limits of Public Health, by F.B.D.

Preparedness is on the periphery of public health. Many facets of local and federal public heath deal with disaster preparedness but almost never for preparations beyond 72 hrs. I have worked in public safety and healthcare administration in various capacities for over 20 years and the subject is almost taboo. However, it is the growing “pink elephant” in the corner of the room. Anyone who works or deals with disaster preparation in an official capacity knows that official disaster assistance is woefully inadequate and that there are many scenarios that could trigger a “collapse, or severe problem, extending beyond 72 …


Middle of the Road Family Embraces the Prepper Mindset by C.L.

So how does one start down this journey of becoming a prepper?  For me and eventually our family, it was a gradual transition, which included the convergence of medical, physical and political convictions.  This was not a planned journey but rather one, which we have come to embrace as our only path to survival. We are a typical family in one sense and atypical in another.  We have led a typical life of work, play and trying to get ahead.  Where our life has veered from this typical course is the support we must provide to one of our children …


Out of the Neighborhood and Into a Community, by J.N.

As a firearms enthusiast, I have spent far too much time reading gun-related forums.  The collective knowledge of the larger forums is amazing and far outweighs the poorly thought-out words of the few ignorant posters who have nothing to add.  Often, after catching up on my favorite firearm sections, I find myself checking out the survival/preparedness sub-forums that the major firearms forums all seem to have.  Limited on the depth of their information, I usually hop over and research a topic on survival-specific forums and blogs where the levels of knowledge and experience are at much higher standards. The topics …


The Life of the Wife of a Prepper, by Erica S.

I wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and head to the kitchen. There is a jar of seeds on the counter that have sprouted. They have little, white, hair like sprouts, with some sort of fuzzy little hairs covering them. I think to myself, “I agreed to eat this?” As I go about my day, I encounter various oddities from my husbands prepping. The above mentioned sprouted seeds are wheat sprouts, as many of you may have already guessed. I hear, from my husband, that they are packed with nutrients. He has quite a few mylar bags …


Generational Preparedness, by S.D.

Articles written as personal memoirs always have a special way of reinforcing why preparedness is so important to me. They inspire me to continue learning, and make me proud to call myself a prepper. Hopefully my story of growing up to live among the modern generation of preppers can do the same for you. I remember my high school shop teacher, and the day he wheeled a television into our room and turned it on. His face was flushed as he changed the channel to a news station, and we watched as thick smoke rolled out of the World Trade Center. …


My Vacation in War Torn Yugoslavia, by C.N.

My family is from the former Yugoslavia and it had been a family tradition to go back and visit the homeland of my grandparents. Unfortunately for me, by the time I could go, my father had passed and I found only one cousin willing to do it again. As luck would have it, it was the summer of 2000 and I thought the war had been long over. It was only recently I discovered that the horror continued right up until just before my arrival there.   After a short stopover in Frankfurt, we boarded a smaller plane to Zagreb. The …


The Mainstream Media’s Blatant Anti-Preparedness Bias

It seems that any time that there is a crime that involves someone who lives outside of city limits and that owns guns or that lives with any degree of self-sufficiency, then they are immediately branded as a “survivalist.” This label gets slapped on regardless of whether or not the perpetrator has had any training or inclinations toward survivalism. The outlaw Claude Dallas was a prime example. Dallas was an eccentric 19th Century anachronist rather than a survivalist. But the mainstream media uses the label “survivalist”, almost by default any time that a criminal flees into a National Forest, if …


Being Prepared is More Than Just Having a Bugout Bag, by Christine S.

When a SHTF moment happens, preparedness is everything. But it is more than just having a bugout bag and a meeting place for your family. It means being ready, economically, intellectually, and physically. I’m going to talk about three specific goals, why they are so important, and the techniques you can use to get yourself in the best position possible. Don’t wait to progress from one to the other – instead, look at each of the three goals and pick an idea from each to focus on, then continue to add and build as you go. Goal #1 – Economic …


Adjusting Survival Plans to Meet Your Unique Circumstances, by Thomas A.

So, first a quick rundown on my family circumstances.  I am a lawyer by training.  My spouse, a former teacher, is midway through dental school.  We own a (mortgaged) home in the Virginia suburbs of a large city.  My spouse is from a western state, having grown up around guns, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc.  By contrast, I grew up in a small city, in a house without guns.  I was in the Cub Scouts for a few years, but various other interests took over and I never got to do the majority of the important skill-building that being in …


Experiences Prepping in Florida and Texas, by Scott B.

I’ll start this by saying I’m a single 33 year old. I’ve been into preparedness long before I knew there was a word for it.  I don’t really know where it came from in the beginning, though my mother was my Cub Scout leader in elementary school. Some of my best memories were sitting on the floor underneath the dining room table tying knots around the table legs. I also remember reading The Hardy Boys Handbook: Seven Stories of Survival in elementary school, which was a mix of survival stories and information. It is worthwhile to find a copy for your …


Four Letters Re: Could America’s Farmers and Ranchers Face a Rhodesian Future?

Hi Jim,  Reading your article brought back many memories of the period in our land during the 1970s. We lived on the Eastern border and were regularly attacked at night and even during the day and the culprits ran back across the border into Mozambique. We attended many funerals of fellow farmers and their families. One point of interest that you do not mention is that groups of farmers (neighbouring) hired Militia groups of experienced soldiers. Normally about 10 people plus a leader who in some cases was a white man. They patrolled the farm area at night and set up …