Adjusting your own future

Well we have seen the way that things are going and we can see what the stasi is doing as well. Both of these paths end in chaos and despair. We should always remember that our species is very adaptable and there is still the possibility that things can get back on the right track but considering that it is unlikely you can do anything about it what if it does go pear shaped and what can you do to shape the future very slightly in your favour at the least?

The answer to any question like this as always the same; You prepare and you practise.

Chance favours the prepared mind.
Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895)

Simply put although there are no guarantees in life and a societal breakdown changes the situation so that many more of us will be in dire situations on a regular basis. No law means that simply going out for some food will put you at risk. Chance becomes a much more significant part of the equation than it is now.

So improve your chances by preparing. Prepare for the eventuality of something happening that will mark TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) and improve you and yours chances of survival. TEOTWAWKI can be many thing, Societal Collapse which is very high risk now down to Impact Event, SuperVolcanos like Yellowstone, Pandemics, even a limited Nuclear War, if nuclear weapons can be called limited, are just a few of the serious scenarios that could easily occur and leave us without societal support never mind the endless list of events that are minor to us as a species but significant to those caught up in them such as terrorist attack, chemical factory fire and other local like events that effect a small area but if that area includes where you are then you are in trouble.

So whatever event you are preparing for there are certain things that are universal for our species to survive; Air, Water, Food and Shelter. We must have those to survive in the climate of the UK year round. Although we do not have extreme temperatures during winter it can fall to -15 and in summer rise to 40+. So we must take that into consideration.

Let us look at the basics we would need for a societal collapse.

Air

Air is pretty much a gimme unless you are preparing for a nuclear exchange so for our societal collapse we can work on the basis that we don’t have to do anything here.

Water

Water falls freely from the sky on a regular basis throughout the year here and so far they have not found a way to tax or control that at this time. So it is currently free to use. However, we don’t want to be seen outside setting up tarps and sheets to collect this water too early on as this will attract predators. Plus if it is in the summer there might not be rain for several days. We could go to streams or a river but again we don’t want to be seen out. That is where the predators wait in Africa, by watering holes, for prey. You don’t want to be prey so we should ensure we have plenty of water for those initial days where you wait inside till it quietens down. Recommended is 2L per day per person just for drinking. So work out what you want to store and find somewhere for it. Water is heavy. Then once things have quietened down we can collect water from outside. The only issue must consider is that all our current water is filtered before we get it and that includes tap water. We have lost the ability to handle the harmful organisms and can easily get stomach upsets from drinking the water without treatment. There are several filter types available on the web to filter out these harmful organisms whilst you await a return to normality or build a longer lasting filter. Make sure you have at least two filters available just in case. Instructions on How to build long term water treatment filters are in the Water section of the Files Site.

We are making the decision here that we won’t bother getting washed for a while although I would recommend that you simply have a few packs of baby wipes and use them instead of your precious water.

Food

There is a saying that you store what you eat and eat what you store. It makes a lot of sense. You don’t get stomach upsets, you know that you can eat it and it is something that you don’t have to put aside. Simply buy more of what you eat so you have several months worth of food in the house. It has several advantages you can buy in bulk, providing you don’t let it dip below your prepping amount, and you only have to go shopping for the perishables, milk, bread, etc. All of which you can do without if it came down to it. Of course, it isn’t as simple as just doubling up on everything till you have enough. After all we can’t make the assumption the electrickery is on and so we will not have a fridge, a freezer or even a cooker unless we make sure we have those items either running on gas, solar or something else. My advice is to have enough basics dried so you don’t need to cook or keep refrigerated and rough it for a while. Cooking gives off smells that hungry people could detect. Of course if you have the funds and the space stock up on gas and something like a camping stove for when things are better.

Shelter

I don’t see Shelter being an issue unless you are really unfortunate. You should simply hole up in your own home and keep your head down using your own bedclothes, clothes etc. to keep warm. If the electrickery is out then just put more blankets, clothes, etc. on. Don’t have any then buy them now.

One major issue you may have depending on where you live is that if you live right next to a bunch of youths or in a block of flats then your chances drop dramatically because they will be more than happy to break in to your place and steal everything you have stabbing you in the process. If you don’t think that is the case read the papers, the society we had in the Blitz is long gone and now it is every man for themselves where people can get stabbed to death just for looking someone in the eye. This is a difficult one as you are tied by your job and families to certain locations. They may be high risk but you need to live. One option is to consider moving to another location at the onset of an event. Read more about Bugging Out here if you can’t move beforehand.

I’m planning on staying at home and have looked around my neighbours gardens for items I can use; Who has a raised bed, pond, rain harvesting system, ham radio aerials, solar panels on the roof. Get a local map and mark these places on it for when you can get out and about and scavenging. Don’t forget to mark when the local bikers den is.

Extras

Of course once you have the basics there are many other items you should consider adding to your preps. Here are some in my order of priority;

• Sanitation – Composting toilet pref or at the minimum a chemical toilet for the first few months. Soaps. You could get away for a while in a remote location or storing but you must be careful of contamination. Read more about Sanitation here.
• Medical Gear – Basic medical supplies. Bleach. Bandages. First Aid Book.
• Seeds – To ensure that when the preps run out you have the seeds to grown next years crops. You may already have a decent garden but you can’t count on there being anything being left there. I have recommended that as soon as it is clear there is trouble you cut down everything in your garden. At least that way they have a chance to grow back.
• Defence tools – At the least a machete. Some knives and something like a pike.
• Cooking gear – Camping Stove and Gas. Wood burner. Kelly Kettle.
• Hunting gear – Get yourself a shotgun for pigeon and rabbit shooting. Bow and arrow or crossbow. Some traps, etc. If by the sea or a well stocked body of open water then some fishing gear.
• Power – Solar or Wind power may not be good enough now but it will be great after an event. You can use this to get a radio going or power a computer to access some PDFs from the library.

Once you have the minimum level of basics then you can start building up the rest which imo are nice to haves and not necessities. Add more basics then extras while you can. Rotate so you don’t end up with a lifetime supply of mints and no medical gear. Buy a little of something then next time a little of something else when you have free funds. Browse the rest of the site for some suggestions.

Practise

Having the goods is one thing, a very important thing, but it is not everything. Practise living off your preps every now and again. Use you camping gear, switch off the electrickery and try living without it. You don’t want to find out after an event that the cooker you bought needs a special gas canister, one you don’t have. Learn how to start fire from flint, how to skin a rabbit, how to use a bow and arrow. Remember that the most important thing you have to aid your survival is your mind. Use it and practise with it.

Practise makes Perfect.

Be the Grey Man

In our highly monitored and restricted society, one we call the free world ironically, you need to ensure that the funds and effort you put into prepping are not wasted. It is almost impossible for us to live off the grid. The stasi will always want a cut of everything you do so the best you can do is keep your head down and hide within the other 60M plus on this island. While they have 60M people on the radar you don’t rate high enough for an investigation.

This could simply be as simple as your neighbours knowing that you have food simply come around and take it. In our society I would not rule out Plod coming around and taking it either. Keep you head down and be the Grey Man. The man nobody sees or remembers. Don’t buy everything in one store, use cash. Remember that in this mickey mouse country you can’t defend yourself or you are the one carted away by Plod so you want to avoid having to defend yourself by making yourself invisible.

Finally, remember OPSEC (Operational Security). Always consider what you are sharing with others. Ensure you read more about OPSEC here as a high priority. It is well worth knowing about right at the start.