Planning a Survival Budget

One of the most frequent complaints that I hear from survivalists and preppers is that they simply do not have the extra cash to properly purchase needed emergency supplies. This is simply an excuse as far as I am concerned. Every one of us can establish a sufficient supply of food and necessities over a period of time if we only plan our budgets accordingly.

Granted creating a monthly budget may not appeal to everyone, but thousands of people do just that each and every month. Keeping proper records is not only essential to your financial well being, but in certain cases may be required by the various levels of government to prove your financial position.

Prior to starting any sort of budget you will need to find out exactly where you stand in regards to your monthly income and expenses. At this point in time detailed analysis is critical and you will need to provide yourself with as much detailed information as you possible can. Your ultimate goal here is to see what money is actually available and where it is going.

When I say you will need to gather all your financial data, I include such items as your monthly bank statements, any investment reports that you get on a monthly basis, your recent utility bills, and any additional information of a financial nature. Next, you will want to review these records to see what you are spending your dollars on needlessly. Keep in mind that lost dollars such as these can be better used in purchasing survival equipment and supplies.

Make a note of all your income. If the wife is also employed use that as well. If you have outside income other then your wages make a note of these amounts also. Add up all your sources of income and record this total as one monthly amount.

You now will have to make a list of all your normal monthly expenses. Be very specific if you can in these amounts. Include such items as your mortgage payment, auto payment and insurance, groceries, entertainment, utilities, and other essentially expenses that you may have. Now the fun part begins. Break all these expenses down into fixed and variable categories. The fixed expenses are naturally those which remain the same month after month while the variables may change monthly. Examples of your fixed expenses include rent, auto payments or cable bill while the variable expenses would encompass groceries, entertainment and related types of variable expenses. This is the category we will be examining carefully in order to compensate for obtaining our emergency supplies. Variable expenses are a rich source of funds when money is in short demand.

Now total both the income and subtract the expenses and this is your usable money each month. If it's to the plus you are already doing well however, if it is negative major changes may be necessary to your lifestyle.

We can now make what ever adjustments are needed to the variable expenses. Perhaps an extra meal of beans and rice several times per week may help or possibly you could cut out the morning coffee stop on the way to work. In either case you will have to trim expenses somewhere.

Determine how much you would like to spend on your survival plans each month. Make this figure as part of your fixed expenses. Then merely modify the variables to accommodate the fixed. You should review your budget on a monthly basis. Changes are inevitable and will need to be reviewed regularly. After your first month you will have a much better idea of where you are sitting financially. As you can see there are ways to get the funds for your emergency supplies and equipment.

For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info

Copyright @2009 Joseph Parish

http://www.survival-training.info

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Common Terminology Used by Survivalists In Disaster Planning

Below are some basic terms that a person may come across when researching survival awareness and preparedness. Some of these words and others may appear from time to time in articles and other information sources commonly used by survival experts or self proclaimed 'preppers'.

Big One - see TEOTWAWKI. The "big one".

BOB - Bugout Bag. Used to store a supply of readily available supplies that you can grab at a moments notice if you need to leave your home in a hurry, as in right now!

Channelized Areas - In the case of an event where an entire city was to be evacuated, channelized areas are the most likely routes people would take; major roadways, railways, riverways, etc...

EMP - Electromagnetic Pulse. Capable of knocking out electronic equipment permanently.

Event - A catastrophe, big or small, that may require you to use some of the knowledge and supplies you have acquired through being a prepper. Green events last 1-10 days, yellow events last 10-90 days, and red events last 90 days to years in duration.

FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency. A Federal Government organization that responds to disasters. It usually takes FEMA a minimum of 72 hours to respond to a disaster emergency with the very basic of supplies (water and rations).

FIFO - First In First Out. A method of organizing perishable goods.

Golden Horde - The anticipated large horde of refugees and looters that will pour out of metropolitan regions when things like food, water, and civil order start to become non-existent.

G.O.O.D. - Get out of Dodge. Abbreviated slang term that describes the need to get out of town in a hurry.

GPS - Global positioning system.

Grid Down - An extended period of time when the power system is not available. (1989 Quebec power outage - small solar storm struck earth, lasted only 12 hours but knocked out power in the entire province of Quebec).

MRE - Meals Ready to Eat. U.S. military rations.

Prepper - A person who plans for the worse, but hopes for the best.

Retreat - A privately owned property where you can go in case your home becomes unsafe to reside within. A retreat in most cases is someplace away from large cities where you can find safety and survive on the basics such as hunting, foraging and farming.

TEOTWAWKI - The end of the world as we know it. Basically this is an event that spells the end of world society, including a large drop in the world's population and a massive loss of technical skills/knowledge. The entire world will never be the same as it was.

For more information on survival planning and preparedness, check out Biff Brannon's web page at http://www.survivalawareness.net.

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Planning for 2012 and City Water Supplies

Assuming you know anything with regards to "urban survival," you know it is not about gun toting, camouflage wearing end-of-the-world types. Rather, it is about learning and practicing a skill set of urban survival techniques that will help you get through the rough times ahead.

Municipal water is something that people take for granted, can't live without, and are accustomed to see flowing freely from the tap. However, history shows us that during periods of great economic upheaval, a reliable water source for city dwellers is not something you will be able to take for granted.

2 Ways Your Water Supply is Insecure

The two most significant threats to your endless supply of clean drinking water are an interruption of the electrical power grid and a supply disruption that affects the water purification chemicals. An electric power failure means that the pumps won't be able to fill the water towers to keep up water pressure. A supply disruption, due to civil unrest or extreme price instability, will mean that the quality of the municipal water flowing from your tap will be unreliable.

In Argentina after the financial collapse of 2001, the Buenos Aires municipal water supply started to become much less reliable. Plain tap water that once was pure and clean suddenly developed black spots, smells and off colors. The citizens of the former wealthiest country in South America were forced to learn quickly how to deal with guaranteeing their safe water, which almost all did by beginning to depend on bottled water.

The terrible thing in regards to the water supply is that we just believe that "they" (whoever they are) will always make sure that we are taken care of. What we do not understand is the fact that "they" are just a small number of individuals operating municipal water treatment facilities that are super-automated and totally dependent upon both the electrical power grid as well as their judgment.

We trust that "they" will do the right thing when systems break down and treatment chemicals are impossible to come by, but the perilous times of financial upheaval we are experiencing will stress "them" just as they will stress everyone else. It's best not to have your life rely completely upon these systems, but to also have a "Plan B."

Learning methods to purify water as a city dweller, store extra drinking water in case of an emergency, and learning how to get the remaining drinkable water from your system once your pressure shuts off are typically things that will probably be top priority of any urban survival manual.

Besides guaranteeing a "Plan B" for a drinking water supply, there are plenty of other urban survival techniques including home defense, emergency power, food storage, etc. that should be mastered in order to be ready for the next Great Depression. As the signs of the economic storm on the horizon become clearer and clearer, the time for practical preventative measures is growing short.

To learn about all of the urban survival techniques you will need to get through the tough times ahead, you should consult a practical urban survival manual.

You may be surprised at how little preparation it takes to give yourself a great deal of peace of mind as you are positioned to meet disaster head on.

By Mike Kuykendall, Urban Survival Techniques Expert at Survive2day.

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Shelter-In-Place VS Evacuation for Personal Emergency Planning

When preparing an emergency plan you must consider the differences and merits to both sheltering-in-place and evacuation. Being prepared for both of these scenarios will greatly increase your chance of survival.

What is SIP?

Shelter-in-place is the concepts of taking refuge were you are to weather an emergency situation. There are several schools of thought on SIP planning depending on what the particular emergency is but the most common definition is contingent on the practice of preparing supplies and fortifying your home so it serves as shelter.

What emergencies call for SIP?

Some emergencies like tornados, pandemics minor hurricanes, severe blizzards, and even certain terrorist attacks could require you to take refuge in your home. The list of emergencies that would require you to take shelter in your home is nearly endless but it is important to remember that if your local government or emergency agency asks that you evacuate your home, DO SO!

Evacuation orders are planned and examined over and over by highly trained and qualified safety professionals and these orders are not given out lightly. It is very hard to stress this enough.

What to consider about SIP

Preparing for SIP scenarios is an extremely important practice and must be taken very seriously. Most emergency aid agencies suggest that you stockpile food, water, and medical supplies to last you at least three or four days; this is to tide you over until emergency crews can get to you.

Preparing your supplies is important but do not bind yourself to the three day suggestion. You will be much better served to prepare at least weeks worth of emergency supplies as some disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, can leave you stranded in your home for several days.

What is EVAC?

When your local government or public safety entity calls for an evacuation of an area, as mentioned before, it is important that you head their call. Evacuating, however, is often even more daunting of a challenge that SIP.

What emergencies call for EVAC

Any emergency that would make your home unsafe for occupancy will call for you to evacuate. The list is nearly endless but a few examples are major hurricanes, flooding, and even gas main leaks. Your local government will advise you on what to do.

What you need consider about EVAC?

You should plan on bringing some emergency supplies with you even if you are headed to a shelter. Emergency shelters are often neglected by city planners and government agencies and the resources available at these facilities can be quickly exhausted by a sudden demand. It is important that you bring some supplies, like food, water, and medicine, to sustain yourself.

You also need to make sure that whatever you bring with you can be easily transported on foot and without anyone's assistance. Many evacuations are directed by the local government and require that people are transported on government vehicles so as to not inundate the roadways with evacuees; being able to bring your supplies on a bus or truck will require a very mobile kit.

Don't forget about your pets when evacuating. Many cities are now taking steps to evacuate pets during an emergency, but not all do and you will most likely not be able to bring your pet with you during an evacuation via public transportation. If you have to leave your pets at home, be sure to leave them in a safe place in your home with enough food and water for several days.

Which is better?

Asking whether SIP or EVAC is a better course of action is really dictated by the situation you are facing. You should prepare for either contingency when preparing your emergency supplies and plan for both as each has its own merits.

You should relay on the wisdom of your local government when deciding which course of action to take during an emergency. The government employs professional public safety specialists that have training and experience that will allow them to make the right choice follow their instructions.

When you are preparing for both EVAC and SIP, it is important to remember that you will never be able to prepare for every emergency and trying to do so is not only inefficient but could prove dangerous. Preparing a basic emergency kit is your best course of action and it may, one day, save your life.

Mark R. Seme studied political science in college, is a veteran of several campaigns, and is a life long student of politics. In 2011 Mark founded the website Saturday Night Politics, a political commentary site that takes the spin out of politics by focusing on pragmatism instead of partisanship.

SNP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saturday-Night-Politics/194650163906116

SNP homepage: http://saturdaynightpolitics.com/blog/

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