image by ST33VO

Over on The Survival Mom Facebook page, we’ve had a discussion about the perception of most Americans that this is all one big party that will never end, in spite of warnings that the cops are on their way.  But there are hundreds of thousands of us, millions around the world, who view it differently and realize that this party can’t go on forever.  Some of us have moved away from cities to smaller towns and rural areas, believing it’s the safest place to be when the party ends.  Others are stocking up on all kinds of life’s necessities and learning how to be their own doctor.

This Survival Survey asks the question, “If everyone else around you is pretty much oblivious, then what was your trigger point that made you start preparing?”

Mine was the decline of the economy about three  years ago.  It was more of a gut feeling that this time something was really wrong and there was no going back.  I don’t want the party to end.  It’s been a fun ride, but more than that, I don’t want my family digging through garbage bins and sleeping in our Tahoe.

Your trigger point?  And, if you feel like adding to your answer, why do you think so many people are still oblivious?

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Sugar Pond

In the prepper world, skills are just about everything, even surpassing buckets of beans in importance.  As one writer pointed out, what if everyone in your “survival group” is a computer programmer?  Yep, you’re pretty much zombie bait.

So during the last 12 months, what has been the most important and helpful skill you’ve learned?

Sewing?

Baking homemade bread?

Learning different ways to start a fire?

For me, it was re-learning camping skills that had become rusty over the years.  I think the most helpful thing we did as a family, was take a road trip through the northwest states, pitching our tent at a different location every night.  In just a matter of a few days we were pros at setting up and taking down camp, fixing outdoor meals, and enjoying a completely different lifestyle, albeit temporarily.  Now I know that our family is capable of living life unplugged from electronics, thinking on our feet, and quickly adapting to changes in weather, environment, and location.  We also learned to work together as a team.  Those are not only important survival skills, they’re also important attitudes.

How about you?  What was the most significant skill you learned last year?

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by CarbonNYC

This question was Tweeted last night by @GettingPrepped, and it’s something I’ve often thought about myself.

If a disaster or emergency situation were to strike without warning, what three things you would grab?

Assuming my kids and husband aren’t included in those ’3 things’, I would grab our Bug Out Bags (already equipped with clothing, flashlights, water, snacks, etc.), cash, and a handgun.  What about you?

As a side note, blogger Survivor Jane has started a daily Prepper Talk on Twitter, and it’s become more and more popular over the past couple of months.  Just sign on to Twitter, do a search for #preppertalk and join in.  Keep in mind that your responses (Tweets) must contain #preppertalk in the body of the Tweet in order to be viewed by everyone in Prepper Talk.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

The news has been stressing me out pretty badly, and I know I’m not alone. One of my friends has started watching old Cary Grant movies. I recently watched Gidget and I’m following it up with Season One of The Flying Nun. These shows are all unrealistic, happy-happy, sugar plums and sweetness, but when real life is, well, not happy-happy, it’s nice to have a distraction.

What do you and your family watch, read or do to help relax or just mentally get away when life gets too stressful?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Don Hankins

Let’s face it.  We may say we’re preparing for winter blizzards or freak hurricanes, but down deep, if you’re a prepper, what you’re really preparing for is a collapse of America’s economy.  It may happen within a few days or it may be a continual downward slide over many years.  Its causes may include numerous Katrina-size natural disasters, a toppling federal government, chaos on Main Street, and the odd meteor or two, but regardless of the causes, we want our families to be as secure as possible for the long haul.

So, the question that naturally arises is: How do you prepare for a Greatest Depression?  Is it even possible to prepare for something that may last a decade or much, much longer?  Is it better to be a homeowner, even if someday you’re unable to make your mortgage payments or is it better to have mobility and rent?  Should you leave your life savings and retirement funds where they are or take the tax and penalty hit and invest in land, or gold, or a year’s worth of food?

If we could talk with survivors of the first Great Depression and ask them, “If you could go back to 1925, how would you have prepared for the Great Depression,” I wonder what they would say.  We’re preparing for something on a world-wide scale, so my question to you is, how should we prepare for a Greatest Depression?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by whatleydude

It seems everyone has a plan for having a supply of meat for the future.  Some intend to do a lot of hunting and fishing.  Others are canning beef and chicken like there’s no tomorrow, and a growing number of families are raising chickens and rabbits.  I can’t help but wonder, though, what’s wrong with planning on eating vegetarian when the S hits the fan?

People have lived on little or no meat for thousands of years.  Yes, most of us eat poultry, fish, and meat, but we’re already stocking up on a lot of the same foods vegetarians eat, such as beans, legumes, rice, etc.  Most preppers have gardens or, at least, have plans to garden and grown some of their own produce, and you can buy freeze-dried and dehydrated versions of just about anything that will stand still long enough!

I’m not trying to pick a fight with carnivores!  Just wondering why more preppers aren’t making plans to eat mostly or all vegetarian in the future.  What about you?  Would you go vegetarian or are you honing your hunting skills?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Dumpster diving for fun AND food! Image by Lunauna.

In just about any end-of-the-world conversation, someone invariably makes this statement.  “I wouldn’t want to survive in that kind of scenario.”  That may be true when spoken on a full stomach in the comfort of our 21st century, modern world, but in a world short of food, just what would you do to stay alive?  What would you be willing to eat or to feed your kids?

My friend David Michaud of Survival-Goods has put together a list of foods you would never want to eat but could if your life depended on it.  From his list:

1. Animal Food

With any luck the architect of your incarceration is an animal lover and thus in some dusty cupboard you’ll find food fit for a beast. Both dog and cat food contain most of the essential vitamins and minerals required to sustain life. However if you hit upon a few fish flakes, which are high in fatty acids and phospholipids, garnish your dog meat with them and your survival is assured!

2. Waste

In the majority of households the largest stockpile of underutilized nutrients will be found amongst the refuse, old apple cores, half eaten cup cakes, and perhaps even a potato peeling or two. Any tangerine skin you find be sure to keep.  Nibbling it helps to alleviate nausea, something you’ll no doubt experience as your ordeal continues.

Of course if cultural currency of this Freegan trend continues to rise it seems that all of us be rifling through the bin sooner rather than later. Oh joy.

AACK!  You can read David’s entire list here.

Be sure to report back and let us know what you would be willing to eat if there was nothing to eat!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by JD Hancock

My family is very much into watching Star Trek, all five series.  We each have our favorite captain, favorite medical officer, favorite episode, and on and on.  Even as I write this, we’re watching an episode of Star  Trek: Voyager.

As I’ve been watching Star Trek over the years, I’ve always noticed how the captains adjust immediately to new realities, no matter how bizarre.  I’ve yet to see Captain Picard mutter to himself in a daze, “I can’t believe this is happening!”  When Captain Janeway notices that her ship has been transported 70 light years away, she immediately adjusts to the new reality, delegates tasks, begins collecting information and then goes into action.  (Yes, I understand that their lines are written for them, but still!)

It’s been said that in a crisis, 10% of people do the wrong thing.  Their words and/or actions manage to make things worse.  I actually know someone like that.  He was once pulled over because a brake light was out and ended up spending the night in the pokey because of his bad attitude.  He wasn’t capable of dealing with a new reality in an intelligent, helpful way.

Another 80%, by far the majority, do nothing.  They can’t process the sudden change.  They wait for, “someone” to come along and help.  Are they immobilized by fear?  Denial?  The inability to adapt?  Whatever the case, they do nothing to solve the problem or improve the situation.

Thank goodness for the last 10% who take helpful, correct action.  For example, this could be rushing over to a heart attack victim, beginning CPR, directing someone to call 911, and calling out for a doctor or nurse…while others watch helplessly or continue on their way.

My question for you is this.  What qualities might cause someone to be part of this minority?  What steps could a Survival Mom take to increase her chances of being part of this somewhat elite group that includes the Star Trek captains?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Kirti Poddar

There have been more than a couple of times that people have posted here about stocking up on 5 Hour Energy drinks, chocolate, coffee and other similar “luxury” items only to have one or more people give a rather withering reply about how foolish they are to even think about anything beyond water, wheat, and bullets. I’m going to guess those folks don’t have young children at home.

If you’re a single guy who isn’t looking out for anyone but yourself, that approach might work. You would still probably end up with taste bud fatigue, but that’s your business. However, a lot of those “frivolous” items have very real value in a SHTF situation, and not just for barter. If you are forced to stay up all night driving to get to a safe place or doing guard duty, wouldn’t a 5 Hour Energy drink come in handy? Chocolate has been proven to be calming in stress-filled situations, among other things, and that can be invaluable. (Besides, it really does rock as a barter item.) If I have to get my kids to drink powdered milk, I really don’t want to try it without adding some Hershey’s Chocolate (or Strawberry) Syrup. Besides, my stockpile of Teriyaki sauce buys me some time in the event that my sons favorite brand should ever (please NOOOOO!!!!) change the recipe.

So, what “frivolous” items do you have, and what is your defense of them?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by alancleaver_2000

Mike said, “That said, a statement like this just doesn’t make 100% sense. If our economy experiences hyperinflation or a complete meltdown shouldn’t I feel a bit like a fool for working my butt off the next six months to pay some credit card companies $2,000 when two years from now I might be able to sell a banana for $2,000 or if the credit card companies no longer even exist?”

Then Sierra Dave chimed in, “I chose having the food, debt be damned. Any argument otherwise is to leave you unprepared.”

There were a handful of comments who supported my position.  Master Po said, “Don’t fall for the idea that debt will disappear if TSHTF in the economy!! Unless our nation literally falls apart into a Mad Max world, I assure you someone somewhere WILL eventually come looking for repayment of that debt. And don’t be surprised if the full weight of law and government is behind them!”

image by MENE TEKEL

And Mary kind of stradles the fence, “Mike makes a point that I have pondered myself. From a stand point of my principles, I couldn’t do it, because I believe in making good on what I owe. For me, it’s my “word and credibility” that would keep me from taking on debt for tangibles and hoping the credit card companies wouldn’t be around to collect.  On the other hand, having a small amount of debt that I would still pay off, even if the dollar wasn’t worth as much probably wouldn’t bother me, after all, it would be the boat we were all in.”

So, this Survival Survey asks, “Where do you stand on debt in the face of a coming economic collapse, be it hyperinflation, deflation, whatever?  Do you rack up debt buying food and other supplies and not worry about paying off the debt?  Do you pay off all debt, except for maybe the mortgage, as quickly as possible?  What should you do about debt in today’s very uncertain world?”

Mike and Sierra Dave have made some very compelling points, and I’m considering making the minimum payment on that last bit of Visa debt this month!  What say you?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.