Awhile back, I read a very good article entitled “The Danger that there will not be a Big Event”.  In the article, it describes that America is a frog being slowly cooked to death in a pot of hot water.  In reality, although a BIG event may be probable in the near future, it doesn’t need to happen for the The People of America to be run into ruins.  Americans are continually being enslaved and impoverished through a tyrannical government and corrupt banking system…call it death by a thousand cuts if you will.  How is preparation for the slow grind different than the BIG event?

This about this…

Even if we had a “BIG Event”, would it lead to Mad Max SHTF?

• If there is global war and foreign soldiers show up on our soil…perhaps.
• If there is a nuclear or regional EMP strike…more than likely, yes.
• Civil war….yes, in certain parts of the country.
• Or maybe an astronomical/geological event like the San Andreas fault, New Madrid fault, asteroid or Yellowstone volcano erupting.

However, the US has had a fair number of “big” events in the past decade which have not yielded the SHTF scenario that many survivalists speak of (2008 crash, 9/11, riots, etc.).  Think about if a 9/11 happened today…Many preppers would consider that a big event and would bug out to their bug out locations.  However, after a week’s passing, stores are still open and jobs are still continuing.  Are you going to report off work indefinitely thinking that martial law has to be coming soon?  More than likely, no.  You’ll drag your sorry butt back to the daily grind, and you will continue to be impoverished and enslaved by the tyrannical government and banking system.

Now at some point, the downturn that follows a big event may creep up on your front law.  Perhaps there are shootings or riots that are too close for comfort, but it’s localized within a portion of a state or states.  Again, do you bug out indefinitely?  Or do you follow the path like many Detroit folks, and simply move far away from the violence and pick up jobs elsewhere in the country?  My guess is the latter…

How to Prepare for the Slow Decline

This advice is not glorious and macho.  You will not strapping on your camo BDUs and AR-15 and marching your family to safety.  In fact, it’s actually pretty  monotone.  However, it is the most real and practical advice for your survival.

Have means to retain your wealth

Some say gold and silver are stupid.  Rather, beans, bullets and bandaids are where it’s at.  In SHTF, gold and silver may not immediately play a role.  However, in a slow decline, they will retain your wealth and are portable.  Sit down and honestly think about how you can retain your wealth in this ponzi scheme debt based monetary system.  Gold and silver are not the only answers as you may consider property, real estate, collectables, or other hard asset items.  When you consider what hard assets to focus on, consider these few questions:

• Will it be of value in the future?  In order to determine this, there are several other sub-questions.  For example, think of whether the item you has deteriorates over time and loses value;  think of whether the item will be desired by others and how fast (liquid) you can sell it.
• If I need to get out of an area, can I escape with it (e.g. – property and real estate will be destroyed if a local event happens)?
• If it’s not physically in my possession, can I get to it (e.g. – don’t store in banks or safe deposit boxes)?

Diversify skills and have a family travel plan

Let’ say you are one of the unfortunate ones where violence is washing up on your front doorstep, and it’s no longer safe to live in a particular area.  Honestly consider safer areas to live, even if you have to go from home ownership to rental.  If it’s so bad that you need to move out of state, do some research and find areas of the state or country that would be less prone to violence and support your work or trade.

Keep your resume updated, and always look for opportunity to diversify your skill set!  Try to achieve on the job learning or paid courses from your work.  DO NOT go further into debt by taking higher learning credits.

Keep Yourself Groomed & Clean

This article I wrote some time ago is a must read!  If there are still jobs available, you need to look your best when interviewing.  In that article, I have pictures of the great depression job lines.  Men put on their best hats and suits to interview for jobs and were clean shaven.  I give tips on how to be frugal and keep your appearance clean (e.g. – buying a straight edge razor vs. spending money on disposables).

Get out of Debt

I’ve asked myself the question…”If a SHTF event happened, I would not need to worry about my debt because the country would collapse.”  However, in real life, the bankers are using debt to control the people and I doubt they will let that slide off your plate.

Another thought I’ve had is, “Why make more than the minimum payment on my house when that extra bit can go into preparations?”  This is a very grey area that you will need to determine yourself.  By all means, I think you need to get hard assets of food, water, shelter, security, etc.  By that account, don’t be wildly paying off your debt if you do not have enough left over to secure survival assets.  However, on the flip side of the coin, debt can be used to control you and destroy your life.  If you have any opportunity to get out of smaller debts like credit cards, school loans and car payments – do so!  Again, you’ll need to find the right balance.

Be Frugal

What if we have massive inflation?  What if we go to war and the government secures a large majority of assets like gasoline?  Expect that the price of things today will not be the price of tomorrow.  Using gasoline as an example, will you be able to afford the trip to work even if you car is paid off?  Perhaps you should start thinking of being closer to work or investing in a bicycle.  Similarly, can you spare the gasoline to cut your grass?  Perhaps you should invest in a manual human-power mower so that the city does not come down on your for an unfit property.  In addition, you don’t want snakes and other critters using tall grass to get right up on your property.

Generally think about homesteading and self-sufficiency to reach your goals of being frugal and independent.  Gardening, rain collection, chicken coops and a multitude of other areas can help you to live off the product of your own two hands.

Be Secure

Remember, I said we need to be prepared for a big event as well as a slow decline.  With that in mind, I’m totally for arming yourself with a battle rifle and other associated gear.  However, in the slow decline, there are some practical measures we can take.

• Secure your home.  In this article I wrote about how you can bombproof your door security with less than $5!
• In this article, I show a cheap way of putting audible home alarms on your windows or doors.
• If you have the money, go ahead and get some surveillance cameras on your property.
• Get your concealed carry and carry where ever possible.

Summary

I and many others think a big event could happen fall of 2015.  However, there is no telling whether or not it will actually happen.  What we know for sure is that our quality of life (life, liberty & happiness) is being quickly eroded by the system.  Whether or not it comes hard and fast, or painfully slow, we need to prepare.  Do not let failed timings or false predictions dissuade your pursuit of prepping.

Prepare for both situations and think of it as insurance.  Some of us pay decades into home and car insurance and never get a return on our investment…it’s money down the hole.  Money spent on preparedness goods almost never goes to waste!