"Survivalism Lite

They call themselves 'preppers.' They are regular people with homes and families. But like the survivalists that came before them, they're preparing for the worst."



http://www.newsweek.com/id/228428

Really interesting article, thanks for posting the link. The increase in Red Cross volunteers is a positive trend:

"Emergency-supply retailers say they're seeing business boom; the Red Cross has had a surge in volunteers over the past year (up some 160,000 over 2008)

"Some preppers fear the complete breakdown of society, while others simply want to stock up on extra granola bars and lighter fluid in case of a blackout or a storm.

"We want people to understand that preparedness is an individual's job, too,' says Joseph Bruno, New York City’s commissioner of emergency management, where polling has shown that more than 50 percent of residents are thinking about preparedness—up from just 18 percent in 2004."


The economy's meltdown surely accounts for a lot of this. It's scary to see the macro spiral downward seemingly out of control, and comforting to control what you can about your individual situation through preparedness.

I'm thinking of writing a tome:

The Prepper Handbook

"...she's spent about $4,000 on food supplies, an amount that should keep her family going for at least three months."


Yowza!

Yowza is right.

In the early 1990s, I used to be given $7 per day per man to feed a crew on my boat. We had to take the money and go to grocery store and buy food. So, for four, we'd get $224 per week, or about $1,000 per month. The money varied with crew sizes, and there could be as many as ten or as few as three on board at any time. But for half of the money she spent, I could feed, and feed well, four men who all had big appetites. I realize there is some inflation, but inflation should not have doudbled those costs, esp. since she can buy in bulk and seems to from the images shown.

Moreover, a supply that is purportedly a "year" of food, all grain and legumes, is less than $1000.

Two adults, two children and four dogs covered for three months of food for $4,000...

That's pretty much the "Mountain House Ultimate Pak" (1 Year food supply for 1 person or 3 month for 4 people) plus a couple hundred dollars for dog food.

Most of us could probably do it much more cheaply by shopping around for bargains and doing things from scratch. I'm just glad that family is 3 months ahead of most others no matter what it cost them.

I could easily feed 4 hungry adults on less than $1,000 a month. I fed our family of four for even less.

It is a lot, but depending on what you are buying, entirely believable. Longer shelf life and ease of preperation both increase prices, as does variety. Hard red wheat lasts forever, but if you don't have the know how to use it properly (a) learn, and (b) start with something easier, even if it more expensive. Canned butter and cheese, those both add up fast, as do canned or irradiated and wet packed meats. Then add in a few treats (a few cases of people's favorite soda, quick bread mixes, chocolate, a few bottles of good scotch, one good cigar per week per adult), and while it is bulkier and more expensive, it is more "civilized". It also gives you trade goods.

And if we are factoring in things that aren't "food", but consumables, into that mix, $4K is even easier to believe. Fuel, batteries, medicines, matches, they start to add up and they are all things that I would count in with the food myself. Now we'd probably all reduce the cost with a couple bricks of .22, a box or ten of something in the range of .30-30 to .30-06, fishing gear and some rattraps, but even that adds up pretty quick.

maybe stocking up to carry a family thru the loss of employment with more than hand outs from a food bank is not a bad idea but i smell that Y2K panic buying here arranged by people with stuff to sell that people don't really need unless they live in earthquake or storm zones..what i read was lots of numbers.$1000-$4000 and not what the preppers would really do if a worse case played out.
having said that maybe its because i live someplace where things are not so bad that i don't appreciate the sense of panic in other parts of the country..

Yep, if the fare includes other essentials as well as food, it could be a lot more than $4k. I was only considering what I normally stock for food alone, with 90% or better having at least a 3 month shelf life.

When you throw in everything else it takes just to get by, it do add up.

Interesting article ... setting aside all the fine details - the essential point is that a growing number of Americans see the importance of aiming for greater self-sufficiency. Clearly there is a wider perception that the system is going to fail people ... that peoples' buying power for food & resources is going to be undermined, that the energy supply system (gasoline, heating oil & electricity) is going to be less available or less affordable, and maybe that there is going to be more "hostile competition" for daily survival in the cities.

There is a fundamental generational change that is starting to take place in America now. People are moving towards the notion that the political system is broken and unresponsive - and they need to take matters into their own hands.

the other Pete