I am seeing a lot of talk about preparedness all over the place, and I approve. From good spare mags to gardening to the “four freedoms” and how bloodyminded that (partially)is, to what are your “minimum” guns?

I’m certainly not the best prepared individual in the world, but I have a good handle on what it takes to survive.

The predominant issue, at present, is making the house payment. I know a lot of folks out there who have stocked up canned goods and shotgun shells and boxes of ammo, but how the hell will they make the house payment?

There’s a long stretch of hard times between being laid off and living in a cabin out in the woods, hunting and fishing for food. I have always got side jobs lined up that I can work to make sure I can get tbe bills paid. And that’s a big deal. Long before you have to worry about jerking deer meat and splitting wood for the winter, you will have to worry about whether or not the gas bill is gonna get paid on time, or if they’re gonna shut it off.

There are plenty of things that can be done to be prepared in the meantime, of course. Vegetable gardening is a great one because if you have expereince doing it when you don’t need it, you’ll be better suited when you do need it. Knowing what to plant and how to plant and maintain it is a good preparedness skill. Reloading is another. Doing your own atuo repairs- this boggles my mind, because I see the “Preppies” loading up all their gear in vehicles they obviously don’t -or can’t- maintain. If you cannot change the oil, spark plugs, wires, etc. in your car, what the hell will you do if it dies and you can’t afford to have someone fix it for you? Home repairs are similarly important- have any idea how to patch a hole in the roof? glaze a window?

I’m all about doing things cheaply, making things last, and getting the most out of everything. Those things in themselves are good preparedness skills, because they allow you to catch anything thrown at you, and throw it back with equal force. Like most things, the best preparedness is to be able to adapt. You may have a basement full of canned goods, shotshells, and bottled water; can you adapt to the bullshit we’re about to endure?