Posted: 7/21/2011 8:02:35 AM EDT
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We all talk about what we will and will not do when it’s here. But what will trigger your SHTF plan in the scene that it will be a slower than thought decline.
As in its not something like the dollar just went belly up. Something more along the lines that gas has gone form $3.50 to $75 in a year period. The gas situation is just one of many that can happen. So what is you limit on different situation that would put your plan into work? |
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This is going to be based on the individual's ability to ADAPT to the rolling poop.
Folks who've had a lot of practice employing contingencies as a given situation deteriorates may (or may not) have the upper hand depending on the actual circumstances. My SHTF plan is in effect now I guess. If gas went to $75 a gallon, I'd offer to provide security for the storage facility 2 miles away, and take payment in gas. 
I try to live in such a way that makes today as good or better than yesterday. And do everything I can to ensure tomorrow's as good or even better than today. |
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My SHTF plan has been up and running for quite a few years now. My expenses are minimal, my mental state is already geared toward living outside the consumer culture, and my skills are adequate to survive most scenarios. If gas hits $75 a gallon, it's not much skin off my nose.
Not much would change. |
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I'd say a good SHTF plan is one that is constantly evolving. As others have said, with each day I'm moving further down the road to self sufficiency. Every day that I can I am working on my home, livestock, and garden preps. Having talents that can be bartered for what you need is also a plus IMO.
For example, after Hurricane Katrina: I evacuated with a friend to his Dad's place miles away. I was one of the first guys there to start clearing the yard of downed trees with the chainsaw after the storm passed. A couple weeks later power was back up. I also had brought a couple gang boxes of tools with me and jumped right in to repairs on hs father's home (storm related and pre-existing). In return I had a sofa to sleep on with a clear conscience that I earned it until we were able to return home (2 months later). Most of the other family there were shitting their pants that we were living in someone elses home, and their life was momentarily upside down. |
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Already in progress. After I lost my last job I found one close to the BOL. Now the wife and kids are packing the house to move and sell the old house. Found out the school system is much better in this small town than in city we lived in. Once the house is sold off we will use the proceeds to set up the BOL and house in the small town. Looking at an irrigation well for the place to grow crops and hay for cattle. This drought is really hard on the animals. Deer are grazing on the side of the road in broad daylight. Can't wait for the rain to show up.
We should do well once we get everything settled. Then I can quit my day job and drive a school bus or something. Best thing is I am effectively cutting my taxable income by having a ranch. Plus I can get off road diesel for the pickup and tractor. Wife will be getting a diesel car, pickup or van soon. (She doesn't know it yet.) 
I look forward to living a simpler life and getting out of the rat race.
That's my bug out plan. Thanks Halffast. |
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For me, the SHTF plan goes into effect as soon as the shit hits the fan. For example: if my electricity goes off because of some issue, I’ll fire up the generator for lights and refrigeration. I’ll fire up the propane refr too, for leftovers. If it’s hot, I’ll put the little room unit in the window. If it’s cold, I grab the heaters. If it’s dinnertime, we will cook on the Camp Chef, RV range/over, gas grill, or Coleman. If the lights go out we get out the flashlights and lanterns. If people are slithering down my lane, I’ll keep an eye on them and so will our mutt dog. There are plenty of guns in the house that are either loaded or almost loaded if anything escalates.
We prep for the tough times. The likelihood of the end of the world as we know it is remote. If that happens, we will take it a step at a time. Before we had some goods and food I really worried about things a lot. Having some things set aside and a basic plan took a lot of worry away. |
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Depends on the S...
Winter storm? We're setting up to switchover from wood to coal, we stock both for emergency heating. Power outage? Hook up the kubota and run the generatoror laternatively, use the kero lamps. Financial SHTF? that already happened a decade ago. Sudden illness? medical insurance. house fire? We have the travel trailer in the barn 100' from the house, fire extinguishers in strategic locations. and I need to finish the sprinkler system.. Anything else? We will improvise, adapt, and overcome... Ops |
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Quoted:
This is going to be based on the individual's ability to ADAPT to the rolling poop. Folks who've had a lot of practice employing contingencies as a given situation deteriorates may (or may not) have the upper hand depending on the actual circumstances. My SHTF plan is in effect now I guess. If gas went to $75 a gallon, I'd offer to provide security for the storage facility 2 miles away, and take payment in gas.
I try to live in such a way that makes today as good or better than yesterday. And do everything I can to ensure tomorrow's as good or even better than today. Similar here. If gas goes through the roof I'll probably be helping keep a propane business safe. That's assuming things haven't gone so far that we're all living at the somewhat isolated warehouse/storage facility for security. I'd still be keeping it safe, but the context is different. That scenario is one we've discussed, and made some adjustments for. The facility got a few tweaks, some planning was done in terms of relocating people and supplies. Another key factor would be coordination with local emergency services and the city. The company is a major supplier of medical O2 and other gasses as well as propane. |
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for myself, i would stop going to work if my pay was not increased to compensate for the price rise of goods or
paid in other means that i would see as acceptable. i also would most likely be keeping one of the few stores that would become high value targets (IMO: hardware store, gas-stations, any food store, Rx, etc..) a few of them i know the owners and i few i dont and would offer my services to. mind you that if gas is 75/g most everything else will be up the same % or close to it so most of us i would think will be triggered into SHTF plan much sooner then 75/g gas. other thing would be civil unrest and how close/fast it gets to my town. i would also assume that it will also happen before gas gets to 75/g. i only know of a few people that own firearms in my area and being in NJ and in a peaceful town may or may not be good in a SHTF situation as i think most people will have next to nothing preped. |
| Guys, If gas hits $75 a gallon think of all the other increases. Food, water, electricity, transportation of goods. you will be in a full blown nightmare. If gas is $10 it will still be bad but not as bad as $75. Peoples savings will vanish crime will increase dramatically, public services will be cut back. The sheep will freak and you had already be on high alert. As for me I am already watching the news constantly and it has gotten steadily worse over the last year. I am not saying its starting but you got to be worried. If you plan ahead, Plan for more bad news. |
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My SHTF plan went into effect long ago. I moved to property, started raising chickens, goats, and other fowl, learned to harvest the animals, planted a garden - try to expand the garden yearly, we've learned to can, we've learned to use our long term food stores, we've learned to live extremely frugally, I'm picking up new skills that will be helpful in the future, home repair, auto/tractor/equipment repair, learning to weld. We're attempting to reduce our debt load as much as possible. Trying, in general, to reduce our dependence on external systems, as much as possible.
In other words being a survivalist isn't a post SHTF plan, it's a lifestyle. To quote Spirko (more or less), learning to live a better life if things get tough, or even if they don't. |
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I think that most of us have already activated the plan to some degree or another.
Planning for events, and being proactive in those preparations is a form of activation. Last week we prepaid for 5 black Angus spring calves to be delivered next May 1st. This past year we only bought 2 that early on. I want them sooner to reduce the amount of time I have them in pasture before they are at a weight I can sell 3 of them and reseed the coffee can for the beef we keep. This way our beef costs us nothing and I make a few bucks for other needs around the place. I suspect that the price of beef, both on the hoof and in the market is going to continue to go way up, so making these arrangements with a local guy I've been doing business with seemed wise. It also gives him some info to work with to determine his actions, and i get a better price. Looking for a single trigger mechanism to fully activate everything is tactically unsound, IMHO. I prefer to constantly evaluate the totality of the circumstances, adjust, evaluate the adjustment and reconsider the situation on a continuous basis. This is one of the things that brings me here regularly, to see what we are all seeing across the country and consider the different responses as I evaluate my needs.. |