Having a seven-year supply of healthy foods and saving money sounds like an oxymoron, but I want to explain how I did it in hopes it will help others. First, “7 years” is arbitrary. I had just finished reading the biblical story of Joseph and how God directed him to store up grain for 7 years because famine would come upon the land. Because of his obedience to God, he was rewarded both professionally by the Egyptian Pharaoh, and personally as the Lord brought his estranged family to him in need of grain. The story struck a chord in my heart and so I settled on a 7-year plan. I had no prophetic insight and claim none – this was something I chose to do. Whether God “laid it on my heart” or not, I do not know, but it became an urgent goal for me. This is my story and methods.
- Part 1 is a review of possible reasons for the shortages of seemingly Everything and discussion of basic areas of preparedness.
- Part 2 is a review of the basics: Water, Shelter, Tools, Energy.
- Part 3 is a review of Food in particular.
- Part 4 is a review of the Costs associated with a 7-year food plan and how to avoid inflationary costs.
Shortages of Everything!
Many of you have been surprised when you couldn’t find something simple, something common, something that has always been in plentiful supply here in these United States of America. Others of us shake our heads and mutter to ourselves about how devious The Powers That Be (TPTB) are, by creating shortages of almost everything. We remember the outsourcing to other countries, mainly China, over time, until suddenly we made almost nothing in our own country. We remember the job losses associated with outsourcing. We remember the shutting down of mills that made fabric, plants that made cars, and steel. We remember when technology jobs were outsourced to India, Puerto Rico, and other countries. We remember when California was turned into a wasteland after enjoying decades of oranges, apricots, walnuts, artichokes, and avocados. So many sad memories of what our Country was and how it has become. There are many more stories of the changes we’ve seen. So while we hear that “climate change” is the boogeyman, I see political policies as the culprit. I see multinational conglomerates manipulating markets to their advantage. I see politicians becoming millionaires after taking office. I see the ability of the common man or woman to provide for themselves and their families jeopardized.
Depending upon your lifestyle and where you come from, you’ve experienced a shortage of Something in the past couple of years. At first, the blame was placed on the “Pandemic”, but as we peeled back the layers of the onion, we found that it had little to do with the “Pandemic”. The “Pandemic” was just an excuse to implement an agenda, and to transfer wealth from all the little guys (us) to the big guys (globalists). Why is it that everything is available on Amazon, but not in the local store? Why is it that Walmart dominates? Why is it that Costco shelves are full, but not the local grocery store, and in some cases, not even Walmart? Why? Questions I ponder, but I have my suspicions as to why small businesses were devastated the last two years and big business saw record profits.
I had a couple of electricians out to the farm recently and I got to talking to them. They told me that I was lucky that they had the parts in hand needed to fix the problem. It was explained that they are having a very difficult time sourcing basic parts needed to do their jobs. I’ve heard this story time and again, especially in the construction trades. Some contractors have taken to visiting the large big box stores and buying up their inventory, as much as they can without raising too much ire, because they can’t get what they need from their normal suppliers. The big box stores have more buying power and often are given priority. They can also “afford” to pay premiums on supplies, whereas a smaller company cannot. Mutter, mutter.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the “shortage” of fertilizer recently and therefore, the giant leap in cost if it can be sourced. What the shortage effectively does is put smaller farmers out of business and those farms, in many cases, go bankrupt and are gobbled up by conglomerates. Maybe you’ve heard about the shortage of paper – paper needed to print books on for cryin’ out loud! Oh, but you can download an electronic version which forces you into the online world where what you read can more easily be controlled.
Shortages in processed foods is most notable. Hence, the phrase and memes for “Bare Shelves Biden”. Looking for frozen potato products? You are out of luck. Fries with that burger? How about a side of fried grasshopper next to your “Beyond Meat” mishmash of lab concoctions? I remember when millions upon millions of potatoes were dumped, or given away for free at the beginning of the “pandemic” because there weren’t workers and truckers that could get them moved out to the processing centers or grocery stores. Not to mention that processing plants were shut down due to the “pandemic”. I recall a farmer in southern Idaho that invited people to the farm to get as many potatoes as they could carry, for free. It must have been painful and devastating to that farmer to see his hard work destroyed. What a waste, and frankly, what a crime.
The conspiracy theories aren’t conspiracy nor theory anymore.
I assert that the shortages of almost Everything are manufactured as part of “The Great Reset”, which is ostensibly about “net zero”, “climate change”, and the like. Whether or not you want to believe that there is a noble goal behind the agenda is up to you. If you even do a cursory study of the goals of The Great Reset, you will find that there are a group of people who believe that they know what’s best for Planet Earth. And they are rich enough, and powerful enough, to force their vision upon the peoples of the earth. At least, they think they are. But, no never mind because we are Here. Here, in this place in time, where shortages of Everything have become common in a country blessed with abundance. It boggles the mind.
They tell us it’s going to get worse and to “lower your expectations”. They tell us that we’re a bunch of spoiled and privileged people and that we owe it to the world to lower our standard of living. They tell us we didn’t build this country into the success it was. They tell us that our desire for freedom is selfish, and that freedom itself comes from a privileged position of supremacy. It’s all hogwash and an effort to guilt us into giving up what we have and therein bow to their globalist demands. I’m not ceding an inch and I’ve withdrawn my consent to be governed by a bunch of people who think they know better than me. That’s where I am.
I may not be the most spiritual person, but I am generous to a fault, as most Americans are. We won’t have the ability to be generous in the future, if the globalists have their way, because they will own Everything. In this context, I began to think about surviving for the long haul while shunning government intervention. In fact, their demands have solidified my resistance to their plans, which I think are wholly ungodly. Do your own research. You will find that their vision for the future is rather sick and includes transhumanism (part man – part robot – part artificial intelligence). Until, of course, they can dispense with the “man” part.
In my pursuit of long-haul sustainability, I realized that I couldn’t possibly afford to have spares of Everything. How many well pump motors do I need to outlast these shortages? Lightbulbs? Automobile tires? How does one even prepare for a shortage of Everything?
Here’s what I’m doing, knowing full well that I cannot cover all the bases. This means that I must choose which “bases” I can cover and let the rest go. Once the basics are covered for me and my family, I can coordinate with my Community to trade/barter what we each may need. For now, it’s back to basics: water, food, shelter, tools, and energy. Firstly, as I go through my day filled with conveniences, like electricity and running water, I ask myself: What if this was not available tomorrow? How would I function? What are my options? Which leads me to identify what’s most important to me, and what might be important to others in the household. You will need to do this for yourself and your families. Our needs will be different.
I recall JWR’s “List of Lists” that I think was published around 2006. I created a spreadsheet at that time with the major categories of necessary things should the Stuff Hit The Fan (SHTF). I still have a copy of that original spreadsheet and reference it often, having created new and different lists over time depending upon my circumstances. The main thing is that the concept of necessary things was drilled into my brain and caused me to think differently about Everything. If you haven’t reviewed the List of Lists, then I encourage you to do that.
I’ll give you some ideas of the things I do, in order to help stimulate your thinking about some of the things you can do. We are all different and live in various circumstances, but the primary thing I did last year was to buy a small farm that is allowing me to live more independently. That required moving out of Idaho due to the incredible rising costs of land there. Idaho was my preference and if you can afford to move there, definitely consider it. I could not expand the way I wanted to there. There are many places across the country that offer space, low crime, a long growing season, and the opportunity for self-sufficiency at an affordable cost of living. Getting out of the cities should be everyone’s top priority. Having said that, and knowing full well all the reasons why people are afraid, or unwilling, to move out of a larger urban area, I offer these ideas that can be implemented anywhere you live.
(To be continued tomorrow, in Part 2.)