Survival Chronicles of Jim - Chapter 22, Post Collapse Financial Planning

When I told UrbanMan what I have been doing the past month and wanted to write about it, at first he was a little skeptical but relented after I sent him some stuff to read. UrbanMan’s note: I took the liberty of editing Jim’s letter just a little before posting here. However, it is substantially the same as what he sent me. For the past two months I have been in crazy mode reading stacks of books and on-line information concerning economic collapse of nations as well as the predictions of the collapse of this country; and, historical information and data on currency failing, recessions and depressions; etc. I am sure most of you know that the life span on non-gold backed fiat currency is about 40 years. We are past that, and we (the U.S.) is heading for a reckoning.

Maybe you stop there in your research and study on economic collapses,...I didn't. There is no doubt that a currency collapse is coming. It doesn't matter if it is caused by the devaluation of the dollar or by other economic factors. This has taken place all throughout history. We (the United States ) set this course when we took the dollar off the Gold standard. This is an irreversible course now. What this generates, other than pain and suffering, is a giant
re-distribution of wealth......and benefits those who are prepared. Sure, the first order is to get prepared for a total collapse - this is the most dangerous scenario - where the infrastructure is gone and doesn't come back. The ability to protect yourself and your family; survive the hardest period of degradation; have the material and skills to live - grow your own food, etc., are essential,...and again the first order to business.

But what if the collapse is a gradual collapse and rebounds in some fashion, albeit with a different currency and maybe backed by precious metals?

I work as a computer programmer, on contract to the Government, and make a good salary. However, most of my wealth (currently about 65%) comes from my network marketing business. Since I have minimal expenses, other than buying survival equipment, gear, guns and food - ha ha the same boat we are all in, but I don’t have a wife I have to placate. I have taken much of my available money and have bought much more Gold and Silver.

Again, herein lies the rub,…most people are planning for a chaos; an end of the world scenario and are not planning for a rebound sometime in the future. I wasn’t prepared for anything previous to one year ago, now I am somewhat prepared for a worst case scenario. Like I said, I have bought quite a bit of Gold and Silver over the past month as well as long term survival food. I have also purchased a food saver and vacuum packed twelve buckets of food and counting. I am going to buy a couple more firearms and probably trade my old Toyota RAV in for a new and larger pickup or SUV.

The experts I have been reading,....R.G. Allen, Robert Kiyosaki, Gonzalo Lira, Mike Maloney, Mike Dillard, and more recently the National Inflation Association, Porter Stansberry, and Sandy Leeds,….all have great things to say about what you can do to prepare yourself to come out the next crisis (and it will be a big crisis) if, in fact, this coming collapse will have an upswing in the short or long term future. Most of the advisors and experts I read say to buy Gold and Silver (done, but I’m still buying); stocking food (done, but still I’m still buying and stocking); make a Survival plan (done, but still evaluating it and will changes if necessary); and, develop multiple streams of income (done, but still building my networking marketing business) – almost everyone has, or can develop or can sell a product, services or information (PSI) – a good book on this is “Cash in a Flash” by Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen. So I am expanding my multiple streams of income, not only to provide more near term income for survival preparation, but to position myself to come out of the giant redistribution of wealth on the high side.

I advise all of you reading this, who are obvious interested in planning and preparing to survive a collapse, to look at developing additional streams of income – this is the Multiple Streams of Income concept so you make your financial situation more stable and therefore better able to take the disruption of losing one or more streams of income. Again look at PSI (Product, Services and Income) as almost everyone has something they can do to create more income. Know the difference between linear income and residual income. Linear income is money earned for performing work for a period of time. Residual income is money generated time and time again from one period of work.

As an example, I know a lady who makes custom greeting cards. This is her passion. She is now marketing them to friends and to friends of her friends. I advised her to start a website or blog site to advertise her cards and generate more business. UrbanMan for instance, generates income from teaching firearms and related classes to private citizens. I know yet another person who does property inspections on the side to generate linear income. Many different ways, beside the network marketing business that I do, to create Multiple Streams of Income. Take a personal inventory of your skills and capabilities then look at your options. Get prepared, not just for the total collapse but prepare to come out of a collapse on the top side of the wealth redistribution curve. Good luck.

Survival Chronicles of Jim- Chapter 18

Back again. I haven't been as busy these past weeks as I'd like to have been. It seems that I have been one a long road...and there is no end in site.

Most of your preppers out there would have to admit that there really is no end in sight in getting prepared for TEOTWAWKI. There is always something to do, something to buy and ALWAYS another idea or tip out there.

When I start to get a little anxiety over the latest economic news I try to rationalize that I am much better off than I was nine months ago. At least I have a re-location plan, a Survival Bug Out Bag, some stored food - both the long term storage and more short term food,.....I have a growing cache near the cabin. I have some Silver coins (for their silver melt value) as well as some Silver bullion in the form of one ounce rounds. I have a Survival firearms battery of a 12 gauge shotgun, a .22 LR pistol and a Mosin-Nagant rifle. I also have a .22 LR up at the cabin in cache.

Again, haven't been as busy as I'd like. Still considering an AR type M-4 rifle or something similar. Urban Man also had me look at Ruger Mini-14's which I really like but they are only about $250-$300 cheaper than an M-4. Urban Man says the two disadvantages with the Ruger Mini-14, compared to the AR rifles, are the lack of magazine compatibility with the millions of M-4 and available magazines, and, the inherent inaccuracy versus the M-4. I'm not too concerned about the accuracy thing since I am not really a shooter, but I do intend to get better and maybe attend a shooting school.

These past weeks I did however get some 3/4 inch plywood and two by fours cut for the windows of my house. Found a couple picnic bench tables at a flea market which will form the basis of shooting platforms from my small basement windows.

I also picked up six rolls of duct tape, a roll of 3 mil black and clear plastic sheeting and some small hand tools: I bought a folding metric and standard allen wrench set and some small open/box wrenches; a hammer and several boxes of nails from 8D to 16D; plus a hacksaw and small hand rip saw.

This coming week I am supposed to go with Urban Man to the range and shoot my shotgun and handgun some more - so that means more ammunition. At the last couple range sessions Urban Man has been letting me shoot several handguns to see what I may be interested in. These include: a Glock 19 in 9mm; a Glock 22 in .40 S&W; a Smith and Wesson M&P in 9mm; two H&K handguns - a USP-C and a P2000 both in .40 S&W; and, a Smith and Wesson 586 .357 Magnum revolver.

Haven't heard from Neomi, probably better since she told me about having to include her mother and sister and children into any Survival plan she is a part of. Still I have to be prepared for people who show up at my place at the beginning or into a economic or other collapse asking for refuge. And undoubtedly Neomi and her relatives would be among the first, unless she gets a boyfriend first, ha ha.

Anyway, I think I am getting better, how about you?

Survival Chronicles of Jim – Chapter 16

Well my vegetable garden is kicking butt. My pomegranate tree, really a bush, is producing some small fruit. My tangerine tree is not producing yet.

I have harvested about 18 large squash fruit and several smaller egg plant fruits. I can see that if I needed to I could grow more produce. If everyone in the neighborhood also grew vegetables and fruit, a local farmer’s market type concern could be established for barter. I guess that’s probably asking for too much. There will be some people who did not prepare or procure in any shape or fashion,….God forbid them to have weapons and demand to be taken care of or given food. So yeah, I can to the conclusion that Bug Out at some point as the only option. Urban Survival is possible, but most likely only for a time, unless you very well planned and have prepared well, and, had a substantial Survival Group for mutually support.

More and more I see that an economic collapse is not only possible but probable. The article about the shrinking Middle Class hit home. I do really well financially and should be in the “haves” group, but worry about the “have nots” and what they may be capable of when the food runs out and the utilities stop. Plus I am not immune from losing my job – I am not a government employee.

I am making plans on heading back to my Safe Location, which is family cabin well North of my city, and emplace another cache. I last emplaced a cache near the cabin in February. This new trip will allow me to check out the first cache and see how it is faring,..if any animals or people uncovered it, or if water running off the hill threatens it.

The February cache has the following items:

Aqua Mira Bottle Water filter unit,

Frontier Pro Water Filter Straw,

Extra water purification tabs,

Pack of three butane lighters,

Six of the Three Day Main Stay bars,

Two small green ponchos spray painted sand color and brown,

Small camp hatchet,

100 foot roll of green parachute line (small diameter rope),

One set of long underwear plus four pair of extra socks,

25 rounds of 12 gauge buckshot,

450 rounds of .22 LR ammunition,

Six small cans of roast beef,

Twelve packs of Ramen noodles

Two large packs of Beef jerky and some freeze dried fruits

I bought the “Vegi-Max” collection of Heirloom seeds that come in a sealed #10 can from EarthWaveLiving. I traded a old computer, that I repaired and upgraded, for a .22 LR revolver as well (can anyone say barter society?). I am going to cache these items plus these additional items:

200 more rounds of .22 LR ammunition,

Sharpening device for my knife and hachet,

Pack of 8 “AA” batteries,

Pack of 8 boxes of wooden matches,

Small gun cleaning kit

Pair of Green 5.11 pants,

Extra t-shirt and Sweatshirt

Two small emergency ponchos

Rather than put this cache in od metal ammunition cans, I'm going to put all the items in a two lengths of PVC pipe, pop in an oxygen absorber then seal up the PVC cache container, using PVC glue, and conceal near the cabin. I'm going to glue some webbing straps from old M16 slings so I can carry these into the cache area. I remember that I need to emplace the cache in a location that I can get to if the cabin is occupied by unfriendly people if/when I Bug Out there.

I don’t know about Neomi anymore. I think I’m going to have to cut her out of my Urban Survival Plans, unless she just plain shows up after the collapse, as she was telling me she has to include her Mother and Sister, who will be a burden and won’t prepare. Hell, I can't stand to be in the same room with her sister. I don’t know if I’m being too hard or lacking humanity here, but to include people I have to care for places me and my son at risk. I just don’t know.

Have not found anymore coins for Silver Melt value, so I went and bought five more Silver one ounce rounds. I’m starting to get a collection of silver here and it makes me feel good to have the Silver rounds and Silver Melt coins on hand.

Oh, and I bought some more re-chargeable AA batteries and another flashlight that runs on AA batteries, as well as another box of 7.62x54mm ammunition for my Mosin-Nagant rifle. Note: I was eating lunch with a couple of shooters that work with UrbanMan and we were talking about Survival prepping and guns. I had to admit that I don't have anything other than a Mosin-Nagant rifle and a shotgun,...not counting my Walther .22 LR handgun. I got alot of jaw dropping stares, then alot of advice on buying AR riles. We'll see.

Haven’t yet order more food, but will do so soon. Planning on ordering a case of #10 of Chili Mac and Beef (60 servings) and a can of Scrambled Eggs with Ham (96 servings) from EarthWaveLiving.

be safe, Jim