0 Real Life Survival - When All Else Fails

There will be times when your best efforts and planning will not be able to get you safely through a crisis. This is when you will need to be ready to improvise alternate plans and adapt them to the current situation. This is when experiences and skills will become your most valuable resource.

In a crisis, we all like to believe we’ve covered all our bases but unfortunately this doesn’t always hold true in a survival situation. We sometimes get blown away by any number of little kinks that develop in our plans and we need to be ready to improvise and adapt to the current situation to solve these problems.

Haste Makes Waste

Normally, it won’t be necessary to scrap your plans entirely. Sometimes a simple modification will get you back on track. A good example of this is your bug out plan. Sometimes a minor adjustment is all that is needed before you need to switch to your alternate bug out plan. Don’t abandon a perfectly good plan if it only requires a simple modification. Weigh your options before you change to a totally different plan. This will also cause less disruption and confusion for everyone involved. Remember, a good plan is a terrible thing to waste.

He Who Hesitates Is Lost

Waiting too long to decide if a change is necessary can have severe or even deadly consequences. Sometimes you will have to adapt quickly to a change in your circumstances to avoid a small problem becoming a major catastrophe. This is where the leader of your group must be ready to act decisively to maintain the safety and security of everyone involved.

Being prepared to adapt to changing circumstances should be a crucial part of your plans. When all else fails...find another solution by improvising and adapting to the change.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: Real Life Survival - When All Else Fails

0 Financial Survival - Stuffing the Mattress

With an economy that has been on artificial life support for the last five years, it looks like the government is finally going to pull the plug. We are probably going to be in for the ride of our lives on this financial rollercoaster and you may need a mattress to cushion the fall if you get thrown off.

Many of the benchmarks that are being considered to mark the need for the “taper” of stimulus to our economy may actually be false indicators of our true economic status. The jobless rate shows a decrease but is lead by an increase of part-time workers which is probably due in large part to the upcoming effects of the Affordable Care Act, many of which are probably as yet undetermined.

Artificially low interest rates are probably going to increase significantly and good luck in finding a bank that is willing to loan you money. Most banks are still fundamentally under capitalized and even with a rise in interest rates may be hesitant to loan money to the average individual who is likely to be reduced to part-time status in their job.

The low rate of inflation is also considerably inaccurate when you consider that food and fuel costs aren’t included in government statistics. It is hard to believe that the inflation rate can be considered to be under control when fuel prices have nearly doubled in the last few years and food costs are also significantly higher.

Let’s not forget about the significant increase of the number of individuals that now rely on some form of government assistance in order to merely survive. Many individuals have even dropped out of the workforce because the amounts of government benefits are greater that can be obtained from what used to be characterized as “gainful employment”.

The decrease in the median income of most families is not likely to improve, especially if they suddenly find themselves working part-time. A further reduction in income won’t offset the higher costs of individual healthcare that are also likely to occur. Unfortunately, it appears that our economy is still in a coma and has yet to wake up. It may turn out to be a very rude awakening for everyone.

Essentially, like any individual once removed from life support, you will be on your own and your survival will be at stake. It may be time to start stuffing the mattress to cushion the fall.

Got mattress?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Disclaimer: This is not to be considered financial advice of any kind and is only an opinion of this author.

Detail: Financial Survival - Stuffing the Mattress

0 Gambling with Nature - The Uninsured Loss

Life is a gamble. Sometimes you win but eventually you will lose if given enough time.  The cost sometimes out weighs the risks and you will need to be prepared if your gamble doesn't pay off. You need to be prepared for the consequences and accept the fact that your attempt to beat nature has failed.

For a decade and a half my gamble with nature has finally resulted in a big loss. There have been minor setbacks over the years but nature has finally won the battle. A recent storm has damaged my bug-out retreat beyond repair. Having lost more than sixty percent of the roof and close to 100 percent of the contents due to heavy rains that accompanied the storm, there is little left to do other than a salvage operation.

The overall dollar value of the place was fairly insignificant but is still hard to accept. Realizing that the cost of insurance would have been way more than the structure was actually worth, a decision was made to save the extra cost and take a chance. The cost of insurance would have doubled the cost of the structure and now the place is just an uninsured loss.

All my time and savings will now have to be focused on replacing the damaged structure and restoring my bug-out retreat to a usable state. Even though it wasn't a huge investment, it is still hard to accept the consequences of my actions by gambling with nature.

Got uninsured loss?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: Gambling with Nature - The Uninsured Loss

0 Paranoia or Prepping - Maintaining a Proper Balance

Everyone prepares to a certain degree but there are those that sometimes let their prepping activities go to extremes. Try as you might, it is almost impossible to prepare for every possible scenario. If you maintain a proper balance in your prepping activities, you will have a better state of preparedness than you might think. Sometimes the simplest things are overlooked because we don’t see them as obstacles until it is too late.

You’ve got a bug-out bag, a bug-out vehicle and a bug-out location but do you have the skills to put your bug-out plan into action. Can you change a flat tire? It’s a simple process but it is also one which many people have never done. Can you change a drive belt on the motor if it breaks? These are simple skills that are easy to practice and develop but which can leave you stranded and vulnerable at the worst possible time if you lack these simple skills. Simple skills can go a long way in helping you be better prepared.

A box of survival seeds won’t do you much good if you lack the gardening skills to make them grow. A stockpile of canned goods and freeze-dried foods won’t last forever and you will need gardening skills to properly balance your food storage program. You will also need to stock your food items accordingly. Excess food storage can increase your chances of having items that expire or go bad before you can use them. Simple gardening skills can help you be better prepared.

Don’t forget to have a plan to maintain the safety and security of your family. Don’t sacrifice your family’s safety or security because simple items were left unattended. Realize that maintaining security should also be a part of your preparedness plans.

Include plenty of family activities that can help to strengthen the trust and loyalty among your group or family members. Make sure to include both younger and older members of your group in your activities. While their knowledge and skills may vary, they can only help to strengthen your efforts. Remember that everyone is capable of making a contribution to your preparedness efforts.

There are numerous aspects to proper prepping and maintaining a proper balance will be critical. You may be unknowingly increasing your costs and utilizing resources you may need elsewhere if you don’t maintain a proper balance in your preps. Know how many in your family or group you are preparing for and adjust your preparedness plans accordingly. Know which skills you are lacking and make an effort to learn them and continue to practice those skills you already have. Balance your prepping efforts with the actual needs of your family or group.

Got balance?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: Paranoia or Prepping - Maintaining a Proper Balance

0 Using Your Sixth Sense for Survival

In the world of survival there is a simple truth that reveals itself. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts if you want to survive. Many times it is a matter of how we react to our environment that helps us to survive. If you can learn to trust your “sixth sense”, you may just survive a bad situation before it happens.

Our sixth sense may be due to the fact that our subconscious mind realizes the danger before we are even consciously aware of impending disaster. It may be that we sense things through our subconscious mind that aren’t readily apparent to our conscious mind. Have you ever hesitated at a green light for just a moment only to look up and see a speeding motorist pass in front of where you might have been? You then realize that your hesitation (sixth sense?) prevented a possible accident where you may have been an unwilling victim. Perhaps it may have been a strange sound that caused you to pause your stride for a moment and take a closer look at your surroundings. This simple action may have helped you to avoid a step in the wrong direction that might have led to a dangerous fall or perhaps even stepping in the wrong place on the wrong thing.

Listening to that inner sense that sometimes tells you something is wrong or isn’t quite right is a challenge for all of us. We may often fail to heed those simple “gut feelings” that are trying to tell us something. Our subconscious mind may hear, smell or see things before we are actually aware of the importance of the message our subconscious mind is trying to tell our conscious mind. If we consciously ignore these feelings, we may be risking more than we realize. Trust is a difficult thing to establish in many cases. Learning to trust your “sixth sense” should be a practice that everyone should endeavor to enhance in their daily lives.

Many of us have experienced those moments where a slight hesitation or a simple pause has had a profound effect on our circumstances. We may have averted a probable disaster. It may just be luck is sometimes with us but I don’t want to put too much trust in luck being with me at the right time. I prefer to believe that it is our innate ability to sense danger through our subconscious mind, even before we are consciously aware of the danger that will quite often make the difference in our circumstances and our survival.

An instinctive reaction may be the only thing that saves you.

Got “sixth sense” for survival?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: Using Your Sixth Sense for Survival

0 We’re gonna need more bullets.

In light of recent events, all the talk about new gun control measures has sparked the sale of firearms to all-time, record high levels. Unfortunately, with an increase in firearms purchases comes an increased need for ammunition for those firearms. It is important to remember that a rifle without ammunition is little more than a fancy stick and can quickly become little more than a club and a pistol becomes a poor substitute for a hammer.

A quick check of almost any outlet selling ammunition will show that the stock of ammunition seems to be drying up faster than a stock pond in the August heat. It is extremely unfortunate that responsible gun ownership may be crippled by the simple fact decent supplies of ammunition are quickly disappearing off the shelves. 

The simple truth of the matter is quite plain...

We’re gonna need more bullets.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: We’re gonna need more bullets.

0 FEMA to the rescue?

Just in case you haven’t made up your mind about being prepared ahead of time, you might want to consider the kind of help that may be available to you from your government in a crisis.

Check this out.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121107/tottenville/staten-island-fema-disaster-center-shuts-doors-due-weather

They could have sent in the military. At least they wouldn't let a little bad weather stop them.

The best thing you can do to avert the effects of a major crisis is to spend a little of your time and some of your resources in advance in order to deal with a crisis when it happens. You may not want to rely too heavily on someone else to show up with a helping hand.

On a more personal note, I don’t care for bad weather either and prefer to stay home when the weather is bad.

Got FEMA?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

Detail: FEMA to the rescue?