How to Thrive in Uncertain Times

Preparedness in a crazy world can provide peace of mind (to some extent)

Sourced via Wikimedia Commons: Leslie Seaton from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0

In response to my last article, a supporter of this newsletter, 

Jim the Geek

commented, "It's popular to laugh at "preppers," but damn I feel like I should become one!" Therefore, I thought I'd share an article I published on Medium in April 2022 that went largely unseen. I've removed the introduction as it tied in with multiple other pieces I had written on that platform, and I have since added more information. (The original article is no longer available.)

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With the world in its current state and the intensity of chaos ratcheting up, it makes sense to be at least a little prepared.

#1. Food. The most obvious starting point is having a substantial emergency supply of non-perishable foods and heaps of water on hand. Only you can decide what "substantial" means to you. This is one of those "securing your own oxygen mask before assisting others" situations. You're no good to anyone else if you have not already taken care of yourself.

Items to start with:

• Beans, rice, lentils, canned or dehydrated vegetables, cooking oil, vinegar, basic condiments, dried fruit, soup broth powder, powdered or UHT/long-life milk, freeze-dried meat, oats, ramen, pasta, pasta sauce, salt and pepper, herbs, spices, and any other condiments you prefer, etc. If you buy in bulk, store everything in sterilized, air-tight containers. Major hardware stores often sell food-grade 5 gallons bucks, which are excellent options.

• Bottled water, tea, coffee, your preferred sweetener

• Flour, starter, and any other baking supplies you may need if you're into baking bread.

When it comes to food, buy what you like, but avoid junk food. Instead, go for nourishment and calories. Consider getting at least a month's worth of food for each person in your household if that is within your means. If not, start with two weeks and add to your backstock bit by bit each time you go to the grocery store. This will help if money gets tight, and you have to scrimp on food to pay your electricity or gas bill that has gone through the roof.

#2. A cheap and natural way to get vitamins and minerals. One of the biggest hurdles people face during food shortages is getting enough vitamins and minerals year-round. If you’re not up for purchasing bulk vitamins and supplements, a good workaround is to sprout seeds or legumes — handy for those who live in areas with long winters or food deserts.

Fresh sprouts are living foods packed with energy, and mung beans and lentils are some of the easiest and fastest to sprout. You can have fresh sprouts within 24–48 hours with minimal effort. Here are some other ideas for sprouting. The great news is that you can do this using store-bought seeds and legumes. Avoid GMO products.

You can buy sprouting bags, but I prefer sterilized Ball/Mason jars with sprouting lids. For more information on the health benefits of sprouting and the how-tos, check out Ann Wigmore's The Sprouting Book.

Also, if you do not have land to grow food, consider growing a few potted herbs on a windowsill with plenty of natural light. They are great for cooking and making tisanes, both hot or iced. For example, Rosemary makes a refreshing chilled infusion, and it is known for having "antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties" and has plenty of manganese to support metabolic health. I clip a short stem (approximately 2"), steep it in a Ball jar, put the lid and ring on, and store it in the fridge for 12–24 hours before drinking.

Growing microgreens is another option, but it demands more time and resources. If you want to learn, check out Epic Gardening founder Kevin Espiritu's free crash course on YouTube.

Foraging is also another great way to get vitamins and minerals. You can find foraging books for your region online. Plants, nuts, berries, seeds, tree leaves, etc.

#3. Hygiene and other necessities. Other goods worth stocking:

• Basic First Aid supplies, especially bandages, povidone iodine, gauze, and wraps. Sports or medical tape may prove extra useful.

• Batteries (and flashlights, headlamps, battery-operated candles, solar lights. (Do not rely on your phones as your sole light source in a blackout. It drains your battery quickly.)

• Basic cleaning supplies. Vinegar and water make an excellent multi-purpose cleaner and will save you money. Dr. Bronner's castile soap is a great all-in-one used in the shower, for your laundry, and the dishes. Extra trash bags are helpful too.

• Paper goods: toilet paper. If you can replace paper towels, napkins, and tissues with cloth towels and handkerchiefs, do so.

• Personal hygiene: extra toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products (try a menstrual cup!), razors, haircutting scissors, a shampoo and body wash combo or a shampoo bar are the best options.

#4. Money. Inflation inherently diminishes our currency's buying power. The more inflation we experience, the less worth it it becomes to hold cash or keep our funny money in the system. History has shown that people living with significant inflation or hyperinflation tend to get rid of their paper currency (or our current-day "digits") as fast as possible before they become even more worthless. Combine this with a struggling supply chain and limited supplies — the US is culling millions of chickens and turkeys, people! — and we are being propelled down the road to hyperinflation faster than most grasp.

So, what do people do with their money? They only keep what they need in the bank to pay bills and buy fuel and food. And they use the rest fast — symbolizing a loss of faith in the currency.

I keep an emergency supply of cash and coins in case the internet goes down, banks suddenly close for "bank holidays," or ATMs "magically" stop working. If, as I have, you've ever spent time in a country where most ATMs were left empty, and capital controls were put in place, you would understand the importance of holding physical cash. Whatever you do, please store it safely.

Furthermore, most people swap their cash for more emergency supplies and useful items such as tools, growing supplies, solar/PV systems, solar generators (even small portable ones), etc.

Many even pour their funny money—government-issued currency, that is—into hard assets such as land, precious metals, and even cryptocurrencies. I am not a financial advisor, so please do your research before determining what best suits you and your needs.

Lastly, if you get into precious metals, remember the old saying: if you don't hold it, you don't own it. ("Paper silver," etc, is never really yours as banks rarely hold enough bullion to give investors if they call it in.) And for crypto, the #1 rule is that if you don't have the keys, you don't own any of it. (Proof being the Luna and FTX scams in 2022.)

#5. Transportation. Alternative modes of transportation are essential. Bicycles are a fantastic way to give yourself the freedom to run errands as you see fit, especially if public transportation stops working (or operates on a limited basis) or fueling your car becomes prohibitively expensive. If you live in a more rural area and are far from stores, most e-bikes can get anywhere from 40 to 50 miles per charge on their batteries and mopeds work well too. Baskets, saddlebags, and small bike trailers make transporting goods easier.

(Full disclosure: I'm no longer a fan of e-bikes after a great deal of research on the dangers associated with the batteries and the slave labor that goes into mining the raw materials necessary for producing them.)

#6. Cooking. It's always wise to have an alternative method for cooking your food. For those in the world moving into the warmer months, a grill is always helpful, but there are also camping stoves (propane), sun ovens (a pricier alternative), and rocket stoves. Rocket stoves (video) are easy and cheap to make. They are incredibly economical when it comes to the amount of wood required to boot. Picking up a small handful of twigs or sticks in your yard or local park will suffice. (Remember: crack a window if you decide to use a camping stove indoors!)

#7. Ground yourself. Aside from eating well and staying hydrated, there's much more to consider. It is common knowledge that stress affects our entire bodies and is one of the major causes of inflammation. Even if we may not seem stressed, taking in the news and the instability of civilization are enough to cause low-level stress that can have a negative compounding effect. Grounding can help you with this.

If you want to learn about the power of grounding your body, or 'earthing' as it also known, check out this short clip of an interview with Clint Ober, the man responsible for bringing this ancient wisdom back to the fore. I read Ober's Earthing book several years back and started integrating the practice into my life. If you prefer video, here are two full documentaries on it as well: The Earthing Movie and Grounding.

#8. Community. While it's all well and good to prepare on your own, you're only as strong as your community. Get to know your neighbors or the like-minded people around you. This is extremely important, even if you live in a city.

Where I am, there are about 3 roads that all connect. So, considering how the world is going, we compiled a list of residents' names, addresses, and phone numbers. We also included any special skills people have. We then photocopied it and delivered a copy to every resident of the three roads mentioned above.

This is great in emergencies, but we created this as a community safety net. Whether it's running errands for someone who's ill, helping someone put up a hoop house, repairing a roof, or more, the list is there to help us strengthen our connections and reduce the need to pay strangers to help us. Help is given without expectation of anything in return—a pay-it-forward system. And a handful of people regularly check on the most vulnerable. (Going back to the old days!)

Adapt this model as you see fit. It’s relatively new for us, but works well. If you decide to do something along these lines, don't be discouraged if not everyone you approach wants to be involved. Many people have yet to wake up to what's happening worldwide, but you may be surprised to see how many people are hungry for human connection.

Also, get to know any local, small-scale farmers and support them by directly buying their produce, dairy, eggs, and meat. These are valuable relationships to foster.

For those who live in urban areas but would like to move elsewhere and find a group of people with the same values, intentional communities (ICs) may be worth considering. The Foundation for Intentional Community has listings for such places all over the globe.

Each IC lays out its foundational values, what the current members seek in new members, and the infrastructure already in place. ICs are perfect for those not up for going it alone or with budget restrictions.

Many allow you to become a member by trading work in the garden, doing animal husbandry, meal preparation, etc., for accommodation. Most do not require you to have any of those skills either — just a willingness to learn and an eagerness to participate.

While this isn't everything I could put forth in this article, I'll draw it to a close for the sake of your eyes. Feel free to share your tips and tricks in the comments section, as I know some of you subscribers are homesteaders, gardeners, and preppers. You never know how many people you may help by doing so.

“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” ––Squire Bill Widener (often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt)

Note: Items mentioned in #1-3, plus other things like alcohol, tools, seeds, etc., are all perfect for bartering.

Useful Resources

Lehman’s Hardware Store (America’s biggest off-grid store.)

Finding Self Reliance (Great way to learn and develop life-sustaining skills.)

YouTube Channels

Star Path Academy (Insights from a man who lived in communist Romania under Ceaușescu and whose family suffered through hyper-inflation, amongst other things.)

Off-Grid with Doug & Stacy (These people do it all, and they don’t even have electricity.)

RoseRed Homestead (Self-sufficiency from a woman who knows how to garden and bake!)

Charles Dowding (One of my absolute favorite backyard farmers. He shows how to grow food simply and well.)

Jim Kovaleski (My other favorite farmer—front yard, though! He does not have his own YouTube channel, but Peter Kanaris GreenDreams features him often (follow the link on Jim’s name). Jim and Pete even collaborated to create a food-growing course.)

Note: There are no affiliate links in this article.

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Check out the articles you may have missed. (They are now officially unlocked. There was an error a reader notified me about.)

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The US Will Lose Its World Reserve Currency

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