Is This The Time to Prep? Former Gordon Brown Adviser Tweets YES

I’ve been watching collapse, hyperinflation, and imminent doom reports for over 15 years while other people frolicked. The truth is, if I could go back I’d engage in a little more levity too because I braced myself over every collapse warning and felt sick to my stomach as each fall and winter passed into spring. Watch, this will be the year for a September or “October Surprise.” But if so, not exactly surprising given the steady dipping nature of the American economy for some years. I don’t give predictions but the weather forecasts says…more decline. As for the speed, your guess is as good as mine.

Unless some kind of miraculous solution manifests, but that is doubtful because of the multi-generational and painstaking steps it took to set up an oligarchical and janked-up monetary system. But Wall St needs to be unfettered and continue receiving bailouts from us because they produce so mu….oh wait, that’s us. We produce stuff, or at least we try in the face of more free trade – you see what we’re up against.

So, would this be a good time to stock up on some basic and emergency needs? Absolutely! Why? Because it’s always a rational thing to do in any event. Damian McBride has started an online discussion in a friendly way. We can too. I don’t know why people poo-poo this notion like it’s greedy or scare-mongery if you save for emergencies. Probably because of television programming. But if you’ve ever experienced job loss or your wages just couldn’t keep up with rising living costs, then you know what I mean about rational preparedness. Our great-grandparents worked toward preparedness every day – mainly due to necessity, but you know what? The current economic situation doesn’t contrast with the 1930s too much, especially if you dig into real unemployment percentages. Some of them wish they could have read the writing on the wall too.

This brings up one of my favorite creeds which actually is a slogan to a small financial planning company: “We can’t predict, but we can prepare.” I think they have the right idea and if I had anything bordering on investment funds, I’d sooner trust them than a bloated company that uses your money like a t-shirt cannon and says “trust the market – it’s always safe.”

Someone once told me – why should I grab an extra can of ravioli or a jug of water, so I can prolong my life for six hours? (This was during Y2K so I’m sure this person has enjoyed a good laugh for 15 years, but I’m pretty sure they prep now.) I think that’s the average person’s thought process, but to me this is akin to saying why should I have any winter/emergency gear while driving up north in the winter, so I can prolong my life an extra six hours? Yes – and get home safely and live life. Who would really want to withstand thirst and hunger during a potentially temporary event?

Life does go on – your life is important and you need to remember that. So you are worth the time it takes to plan for you and your family. It’s not the end of the world until it’s the end of your world – so the “why bother?” attitude really has no place here. It doesn’t hurt to start the discussion about disaster preparation, economic insulation from inflation, job loss preparation and emergency first aid – at least not with those you love the most. It can be overwhelming at first but not if it’s “one day at a time.” Yes, more levity and merriment would have been good, but daily preparation would have been wise all those years too. Why not have both?

Two recommended books on the topic (still reading both):

When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes

When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency, 2nd Ed…

The photo “Pantry” is by Robert Benner and is published under Creative Commons Licence