PREP Are You Prepared?

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
A lot more than most, nowhere near as much as some. Hard not to feel that sense of dread the author describes.

Here's one guy getting after it. See where you are compared to him!

Fair use cited so on and so forth.


Are You Prepared?​


Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog,

I’ve had an unsettled feeling about what is going on in this country and around the world for the last month. More unsettled than normal.

I know that is what has spurred me to write multiple short articles over the last couple weeks as my outlet for dealing with my increasing feeling of dread.



But I’ve also begun to take some action steps to be better prepared for whatever is coming.


I’m not a true doomstead prepper. I would say I’m more prepped than the average person, less prepped than many
of the people who read TBP, and certainly not prepped enough to survive what could be headed our way. During the time frame from 2009 through 2012 I bought a significant amount of equipment, firearms, and food for what I thought was an imminent SHTF moment coming our way. As usual, my timing was off by a mile. But still, the supplies are in my storage area, awaiting the day that will come.

My location isn’t ideal, but it isn’t terrible. It is basically a suburban community nestled among numerous farms, far from any urban ghetto shithole. Most of my neighborhood is occupied by liberals, Karens, and vaccine supporters. I know of three or four neighbors who I could count on as support, if things go sideways. Two of them are engineers who have skills I do not have. I would trust them in a crisis situation.

I had a backup natural gas generator installed a couple years ago, which came in handy a few weeks ago when a transformer blew up the road.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been methodically taking small steps to get better prepared.

I’ve been withdrawing cash from my credit union.

My old propane grill has rusted away and ignition has been iffy for a while. I bought a new one last week.

In the near future, I’ll be getting rid of our 13 year old Honda Insight with 250,000 miles and replacing it with a used Honda HRV with under 40,000 miles. Converting fiat into useful things seems like a good idea at this point.

Yesterday we bought a new firearm and ammo.
What a fascinating process. It is pretty clear to me that all gun dealer employees and their customers are of the same mindset as TBPers. We got to know the gentleman helping us select the gun pretty well because the goddamn state of PA makes it as difficult as possible to legally purchase a firearm. After filling out pages of paperwork and answering questions online, it took the state drones about an hour and half to approve the purchase, even though I’ve never had anything more than a speeding ticket in my entire life.

Not only did the guy selling us the gun have to triple check the paperwork, he had to get the owner’s wife to double check all of his work. I asked why they had to go through such a tedious process. They said the ATF is crawling up their butts and will shut them down in a split second if any paperwork is slightly off. He said they have been harassing every gun dealer in Bucks and Montgomery County with surprise audits, trying to put them out of business. So, Philly and every other urban shithole is experiencing massive gun violence from illegal guns used by black men, but the ATF harasses legal gun shops selling legal guns to white people for protection. This is how it rolls in Biden’s America.

I’m a little more prepared than I was a month ago, but surely not enough...
 

Anti-Liberal

Veteran Member
I've got what I got and I'm too broke to do anything about it. I got a little bit of everything but holes do exist. Working on a generator right now. God has provided for my family and He's the only one who can provide for us when it all goes to hell. Everyone else, family and friends, have their head up their ass with no clue. So I have no other choice but to hide behind God clutching my rifle.
 

Dobbin

Faithful Steed
Owner has said it.

"We live like the wolf is at the door. Well now the wolf is coming up the front path - and its a day like usual - as long as you don't answer the door."

Owner remembers the oil shocks of the 1970s. Owning his first house, he made sure of a wood stove and immediately ordered six cords of wood from his supplier.

And he has pretty much lived this way for the last 40 years. Now he has the wood heat covered between me and the "5 acre wood." (His play on Winnie the Pooh.)

The garden is not the "put up" garden it used to be - more a "summer garden" and support for the "Honor Wagon/Farmstand." And those 700 canning jars he used to brag about now pretty much go unused. But the freezer is full.

More importantly - the things which may go "south" in a long term event have mostly been dealt with.

He just recently put $2400 into his now 12 year old truck. He paid $12K for the truck back in 2015 and hasn't done much to it. Now at slightly over 100K miles "I'm good for another 50K miles."

To replace that truck today with a 12 year old truck with similar 100K miles would be about 10K. So he feels pretty good about "keeping it going."

His concern at the moment with snow not far off is "Rusty." My podiatrist is not getting any younger - and each time he comes he's threatening it will be "the last time."

Loss of "antique technology" and those who do it is much on Owner's mind.

Dobbin
 

bracketquant

Veteran Member
A lot more than most, nowhere near as much as some. Hard not to feel that sense of dread the author describes.

Here's one guy getting after it. See where you are compared to him!

Fair use cited so on and so forth.


Are You Prepared?​


Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog,

I’ve had an unsettled feeling about what is going on in this country and around the world for the last month. More unsettled than normal.

I know that is what has spurred me to write multiple short articles over the last couple weeks as my outlet for dealing with my increasing feeling of dread.



But I’ve also begun to take some action steps to be better prepared for whatever is coming.


I’m not a true doomstead prepper. I would say I’m more prepped than the average person, less prepped than many
of the people who read TBP, and certainly not prepped enough to survive what could be headed our way. During the time frame from 2009 through 2012 I bought a significant amount of equipment, firearms, and food for what I thought was an imminent SHTF moment coming our way. As usual, my timing was off by a mile. But still, the supplies are in my storage area, awaiting the day that will come.

My location isn’t ideal, but it isn’t terrible. It is basically a suburban community nestled among numerous farms, far from any urban ghetto shithole. Most of my neighborhood is occupied by liberals, Karens, and vaccine supporters. I know of three or four neighbors who I could count on as support, if things go sideways. Two of them are engineers who have skills I do not have. I would trust them in a crisis situation.

I had a backup natural gas generator installed a couple years ago, which came in handy a few weeks ago when a transformer blew up the road.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been methodically taking small steps to get better prepared.

I’ve been withdrawing cash from my credit union.

My old propane grill has rusted away and ignition has been iffy for a while. I bought a new one last week.

In the near future, I’ll be getting rid of our 13 year old Honda Insight with 250,000 miles and replacing it with a used Honda HRV with under 40,000 miles. Converting fiat into useful things seems like a good idea at this point.

Yesterday we bought a new firearm and ammo.
What a fascinating process. It is pretty clear to me that all gun dealer employees and their customers are of the same mindset as TBPers. We got to know the gentleman helping us select the gun pretty well because the goddamn state of PA makes it as difficult as possible to legally purchase a firearm. After filling out pages of paperwork and answering questions online, it took the state drones about an hour and half to approve the purchase, even though I’ve never had anything more than a speeding ticket in my entire life.

Not only did the guy selling us the gun have to triple check the paperwork, he had to get the owner’s wife to double check all of his work. I asked why they had to go through such a tedious process. They said the ATF is crawling up their butts and will shut them down in a split second if any paperwork is slightly off. He said they have been harassing every gun dealer in Bucks and Montgomery County with surprise audits, trying to put them out of business. So, Philly and every other urban shithole is experiencing massive gun violence from illegal guns used by black men, but the ATF harasses legal gun shops selling legal guns to white people for protection. This is how it rolls in Biden’s America.

I’m a little more prepared than I was a month ago, but surely not enough...
Get over that sense of dread. It is not healthy.
 

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
there's a gun store in the Chicago area that sells primarily to the Southside & ghetto burbs - they have a quadruple paperwork check - and management double up on the ID sign off >>>> store is so full of FEDs, State and Chicago PD on Mondays after shoot-up-weekends that there's no room for customers - and the store gets zinged for absolutely anything one of them finds the slightest faulty - customer's handwriting & legibility is their responsibility - God help their license if there's actually something wrong ......
 

Hfcomms

EN66iq
What Quinn is also feeling is regret at a lot of lost time on his part. He has had his blog (The burning platform) for years and has talked the scope of issues that we discuss on this forum since it‘s inception. But now he regrets not taking things more seriously and is realizing not only the time squandered but how close to midnight the clock is.

He is taking things much more seriously but recognizes how late in the game it is and how unprepared he is just like some other people on this forum that have read and talked about these issues but haven’t done much else. And yes, I realize that for many its a lack of resources but for others they’ve really never thought that the hard core preppers just might be on to something and now the worrying sets in.

It’s late in the game but not too late to make some progress while you can.
 

Sacajawea

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Are you prepped for mutiny from those adult kids? A challenge to your leadership? LOL.... it's a real thing even when you both agree on the basics of "what's going on" and what the threat profile around you is like.

It's good my D has skills she picked up helping build the first homestead and in her own life. She's added some more since settling here permanently... and still learning, too.

I noticed the OP focused on things he could acquire, rather than things he could grow or make. That requires TOOLS, and that's where I'm putting a great deal of fiat. Some of those tools require things like tires, oil, filters, and thingamabobs to keep functioning. Sweetie knows how to do that.
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Agreed, Sacajawea. The OP needs to be focusing on skills, such as how to cook anything from scratch, or how to turn raw materials into what is needed.

It's great to have a well-stocked pantry! But one also needs the ability to stretch what is there and to replenish it.
 

Loretta Van Riet

Trying to hang out with the cool kids.
I believe I have more preps than neighbors. Yes, there are big holes. Food I have stored I will actually eat!

After having 2 freezer failures in one year (several years ago) I learned that canned and freeze dried food was the better option for me.

Still need to put together a "Honey Pot". Would love to have a whole house generator, some day.

Have also done some major maintenance on my 2008 Nissan Altima that has about 111,200 miles.

When have y'all last changed your Serpentine belts?
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My pantry is wide and deep, along with knowledge and skill sets. Survival tactics are a major skill set for us. What we've concentrated on over the last few months is taking paper assets and turning them into hard tangible assets. There will be other needs, not just food.
 
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20Gauge

TB Fanatic
there's a gun store in the Chicago area that sells primarily to the Southside & ghetto burbs - they have a quadruple paperwork check - and management double up on the ID sign off >>>> store is so full of FEDs, State and Chicago PD on Mondays after shoot-up-weekends that there's no room for customers - and the store gets zinged for absolutely anything one of them finds the slightest faulty - customer's handwriting & legibility is their responsibility - God help their license if there's actually something wrong ......
The new generation of Obama's operation choke hold..... targeting guns / porn and anything they didn't like
 

Bps1691

Veteran Member
The shit storm that may be/could be getting ready to smack the USA isn’t going to be easy for anyone.

No matter how well you are prepared risks exists that none of us can foresee.

The best you can do is—- Ta-da do the best you can do today for more tomorrows.

Having been at this since Y2K, we’ve finally learned that as we’ve aged we can no longer do what we once could. Oh we’ve changed and we’ve changed our plans and preps.

At this point in my life there is no way I can heft a full pack and hard hump 20 miles quick marching, but I can put up one hell of a holding action while my kids do the fast humping to safely.
 

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I guess everyone on this forum has had up to 20+ years hearing the message.

So, I'd have to assume we're all as "prepared" as we were prepared - or able - to get.

Not that it's ever enough, of course.
 

Bps1691

Veteran Member
Any bet the author of the OP article doesn’t raise his own garden, hasn’t inventoried his seeds and ordered next years seeds yet, let alone harvested his own open pollinated seeds from this past summer’s corps?
 

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
A whole house generator (sounds like run on city natural gas) will only hold up as long as the infrastructure and city services hold up. Also, he's probably on city water/sewer, and I notice no mention of heat. I planned things so not to NEED a generator, city water or sewer and to always have backup light, heat and decent cooking options. A gas grill is workable, but marginal for cooking. Anyway...he's apparently missing some of the real basics, (water, sewer/sanitary, heat, light, efficient cooking) or didn't think them important enough to mention (?).

Other stuff compared to the OP? About as good as it's going to get, and better than most including the writer of the article.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Any bet the author of the OP article doesn’t raise his own garden, hasn’t inventoried his seeds and ordered next years seeds yet, let alone harvested his own open pollinated seeds from this past summer’s corps?

Lots of people, including some on this forum aren't able to grow a large enough garden to sustain them. I know we can't, so we lay in supplies, instead of depending on a garden. I sure wouldn't want to have to depend on a garden in a SHTF event.
 

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
We are fairly ready. There will be no backpacking into the hills. I still hike a lot now but my wife cannot and so I would stay with her in our home. We are in a pretty good Very rural place. Our neighbors are mostly Mormons and the ones I have seen are indeed prepped.
 

Hfcomms

EN66iq
My pantry is wide and deep, along with knowledge and skill sets. Survival tactics are a major skill set for us. What we've concentrated on over the last few months is taking paper assets and turning them into hard tangible assets. There will be other needs, not just food.

That is really the biggest thing for me which is food storage and it is something that has driven me for a long time. We need everything and need skills to do almost anything on your own but food is going to be a primary issue going forward for a lot of different reasons.

There is the solar minimum of course and the fact that most of our food comes not locally but from large companies located a long distance away. Being single I've focused more on food storage than food production but I also have my laying hens with a lot of feed put away and then a very deep larder.

And I've also put away stuff that I can shuttle off to the neighbors or anyone who God sends my way. I'm just trying to figure out a way to get food to them without them knowing that it comes from me. Being single I have to use the gray man approach and blend in as much as possible. Other than the solar panels and radio antennas my place looks rather spartan and ordinary. You don't want anyone to think that you are better off than they are or you might have unwelcome vistors.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Are you prepped for mutiny from those adult kids? A challenge to your leadership? LOL.... it's a real thing even when you both agree on the basics of "what's going on" and what the threat profile around you is like.

It's good my D has skills she picked up helping build the first homestead and in her own life. She's added some more since settling here permanently... and still learning, too.

I noticed the OP focused on things he could acquire, rather than things he could grow or make. That requires TOOLS, and that's where I'm putting a great deal of fiat. Some of those tools require things like tires, oil, filters, and thingamabobs to keep functioning. Sweetie knows how to do that.

On
My phone. If you have tractor type equipment and you pull things like mowers, trailers, etc make sure you have extra of those pins and stuff
 

ChetekTech

Veteran Member
I am not as prepared today as well as I will be tomorrow. That's just the way I think and have been prepping since 1984.

I do not stress about having enough of whatever, as I trust in God to guide me. I try to do as much as I can but at the same time balance the simpler things in life that He has provided!

I might find out all my physical preps were for naught. Enjoy what good times you have...time is running short for all of us!
 

Txkstew

Veteran Member
I sold one of my 30' x 100' hoop greenhouses the other day. Sold it as is, where is for $1000 cash.

I've been having those feelings tickling the hairs on the back of my neck, that something might be coming. This was before the world blew up two weeks ago.

Why, after all the money I've spent prepping for the last 20 years, I've not spent a single dollar on solar power. That changed with this windfall from the greenhouse sale.

I'm in about $1200 so far on a minimal system. I plan on adding two more 100 w panels to the two I've mounted on top of my metal carport outside of my bedroom wall. Maybe a total of 6 eventually. Two more 100 AH LiFepo4 batteries would be prudent as well, but that's another $500 I don't have at the moment. Might have to sell something else.

On a single battery the other night, I ran my 5000 btu window a/c unit, along with my Cpap machine, for over 8 hours. I slept like a baby in more ways than one.

20231015_083404.jpg
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Other than the solar panels and radio antennas my place looks rather spartan and ordinary. You don't want anyone to think that you are better off than they are or you might have unwelcome vistors.

We don't have solar panels or radio antennas. We already stay as gray as possible in our community. No one suspects us of anything out of the ordinary, except we like to target shoot in the backyard, and use wood to heat with. There is a lot of that going on in the community, anyway.
 

bracketquant

Veteran Member
Lots of people, including some on this forum aren't able to grow a large enough garden to sustain them. I know we can't, so we lay in supplies, instead of depending on a garden. I sure wouldn't want to have to depend on a garden in a SHTF event.
Been gardening for almost two decades. This season, a typical week had four days of wind and rain. The garden was battered, and produced almost nothing. I never had any previous year like this one.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Been gardening for almost two decades. This season, a typical week had four days of wind and rain. The garden was battered, and produced almost nothing. I never had any previous year like this one.

Yeah. That's the chance you're taking when depending solely on a garden for survival. I'm not going to take the chance of the weather cooperating when it comes to my family having food to eat. We live in a small farming community. Growers of soybeans, corn, and cotton. I've seen too many years of bad weather causing almost total losses on these crops, not to mention everyone's gardens, including ours.
 

closet squirrel

Veteran Member
And I've also put away stuff that I can shuttle off to the neighbors or anyone who God sends my way. I'm just trying to figure out a way to get food to them without them knowing that it comes from me. You don't want anyone to think that you are better off than they are or you might have unwelcome vistors.

I think about this all the time. I have a few neighbors that I think would be helpful in a SHTF situation, but I doubt they have enough food. Sometimes I think about ways to "give" them food without them knowing it came from me. All of my ideas involve leaving the same type of "food gift" on my porch too so we call all go out and talk about this surprise food that just appeared ;)
 

bbbuddy

DEPLORABLE ME
Prepped as possible. Off grid, solar well, solar everything (two of everything), new tractor/ backhoe, welding machines, tools out the kazoo, goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, pew pews and ammo,
You name it, we got it.

HOWEVER, time has marched on and we have too many chores we would like to do but can't do anymore.
I'm thinking of selling off what goats we don't butcher, same with pigs. Downsize most of the chickens to freezer camp.
What we are seriously lacking is younger people to help out, and then take over.
I just offered it to a nephew, if he would come out and live here, do the harder work, he could inherit it. Nope.
Wish there was a younger couple that wanted to live off grid, but they are rare as hens teeth these days...
 

Wildwood

Veteran Member
This thread speaks to me more than any I've read in a long time. It's not a running around with your hair on fire thread but an honest "here's where I am and it may or may not be all I can do but I'm doing my best". That's where I am.
 
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