(The Economic Collapse Blog)—What would you do if a great cataclysm brought a sudden end to our society and you were forced to survive on what you currently have on hand? When I was growing up, very few people thought of such things. In fact, I never heard the words “prepper” or “prepping” until I became an adult. But now everything has changed. Millions of Americans are spending enormous amounts of money to prepare for apocalyptic scenarios that they believe are quite likely to play out in our near future. According to Investopedia, approximately 20 million Americans now consider themselves to be preppers…
Doomsday prepping has become a bona fide area of investing, with experts putting the average annual growth of the survivalist sector at over 7% until 2030 and some 20 million Americans now identifying as “preppers”—about the size of entire states like New York.
That is a significant portion of our population.
And they are spending a ton of money.
One recent survey discovered that spending on prepping supplies reached about 11 billion dollars during one recent 12 month period…
The survey found that, collectively, preppers spent around $11 billion within a 12-month period. According to the survey, preppers tend to live in the Western part of the U.S. and spent the most money on basics like food, water and toilet paper.
As our society comes apart at the seams all around us, more Americans than ever are determined to achieve at least some level of self-sufficiency while they still can.
People from all across the political spectrum and that come from all walks of life are feverishly preparing for a very bleak future.
Of course there is not a general consensus about what that very bleak future will look like.
In this article, I am going to specifically address how to prepare for life in a post-apocalyptic world. Many preppers are preparing for scenarios that are far less extreme. The type of scenario that I am talking about in this piece is a situation where all of our major institutions are no longer functioning and society as we have known it has totally broken down.
What this means is that the items in the list that I am about to share with you will not be needed right now. But if an apocalyptic event or a series of apocalyptic events suddenly brings our society to an end, you will definitely need them.
I am imagining a time when there will be no functioning supply chains, and so there will be nothing to buy in the stores.
And since there will be no functioning supply chains, you will not have access to gasoline or propane.
So I have not included any items that are dependent on gasoline or propane in my list.
Also, please keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive and is only intended to represent the bare minimum that you will need.
There are countless other items that you could add to this list, but for this article I wanted to focus on the basics.
With all of that being said, the following is a list of 24 things that you will desperately need in a post-apocalyptic world…
- Emergency food to feed your family
- A water filtration system to clean your water
- A ferro rod for starting a fire
- An extensive first aid kit for health emergencies
- An emergency supply of antibiotics
- A multitool that has pliers, a knife, a saw and a screwdriver
- A solar-powered generator
- A solar flashlight
- An emergency shortwave radio so that you can stay informed
- Fishing gear
- Seeds for planting a garden
- A wood stove
- An axe for cutting wood
- A quality shovel
- Paracord
- Duct tape
- A hand-crank can opener
- A very warm winter jacket for every member of your family
- A durable backpack for every member of your family
- A compass
- A good pair of binoculars
- Wool blankets
- A Bible
- A way to protect everything that you have stockpiled from the marauding hordes that will be desperate to take all of it away from you
In a post-apocalyptic scenario, how long do you think that you would last?
In any survival situation, there are four big areas that always must be addressed: food, water, power and shelter.
Of course many would add security to that list.
In a world that has gone completely mad, there will be many that will be willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive.
If you live in an area that has a high population density, it may become nearly impossible to survive no matter how much preparation work you have done in advance. When things hit the fan, you will want to flee to a less densely populated area if at all possible.
Many people ask me for prepping advice, and so I have tried to cover some of the most essential basics in this article.
But of course what I have shared here is just the tip of the iceberg. Properly preparing for what is coming takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy, and the clock is ticking…
Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
