Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Cents Sense


As Europe faces the inevitable collapse of the Euro, the entire world system, including the United States, also has to prepare for the crises.  Many turn a blind eye, shrugging the news off as another Y2K scare, but is it really? It is not just predicted, but anticipated, that by 2014 the United States economy which has already been in dire straits will take an even deeper economic nose dive that could cause civil unrest and chaos around the world.

2012 – The End of the World?

Apocalyptic fright has been around before Orson Well’s “War of the Worlds” hoax, which has made some in our society skeptical, while others paranoid in the preparation for the end. Most conspiracy theorists will tell you that they don’t believe that 2012 is the end of the world, but many in the spiritual community will confirm that 2012 is the end of the world as we know it, and this could be directly contributed to the collapse of world currency, which could create a domino effect into the end of international trade and a shortage in food.

Items for Preparation

So how do we prepare for a crisis without our relatives and friends wondering if you’ve watched “Hunger Games” too many times? There is a difference in being prepared and striking fear in your friends, family and community. Each household and community is different, but there are several key items that should be considered when putting together your crises stock.

·        Gold as currency
·        Staples – at least a month’s supply
·        Canned Foods – at least a month’s supply
·        Powder or condensed milk
·        Rice
·        Pasta
·        Seeds – to grow your own food.
o   By purchasing organic seeds/heritage seeds, this will help you continue to grow foods for years to come.
·        Cast iron pots, pans and kettles
·        Utensils
·        Livestock, with adequate feed.
o   Hens, chicken and even goats will be helpful.
·        Gardening tools
·        Fishing rods and nets
·        Storage jars for canning
·        Water
o   1 Gallon per person per day
·        Barrels (for rain)
·        Seasoned firewood
·        Saw and hatchet
·        Thermal wear – hats, vests, tops, leggings and socks
·        Blankets, scarves, warm coats, hats, gloves
·        Fruit trees
·        Matches
·        First aid kit
·        Soap
·        Toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash
·        Medication
·        Wind up radio
·        Wind up torches
·        Mouse and rat traps
·        Flashlights
·        Batteries
·        Fuses
·        Light bulbs
·        Bicycles and repair kits
·        Reading glasses
·        Manual can opener
·        Tinfoil
·        Water purification systems
·        Weapon
o   This doesn’t necessarily have to be a gun. A sword, a knife, a bow, etc.
·        Candles
·        Extra propane tank (filled)
·        Gas for the generator
·        Battery-operated radio
·        Satellite Telephone
·        Toilet Paper
·        Laundry Detergent/Bleach

What You Can Do Now to Prepare

·        Learn how to garden.
·        Plant a garden. If you are living in a city and don’t have the land, you can either garden with containers or start a community garden.
·        Plant fruit trees.
·        Take a first aid course.
·        Locate a natural remedy practitioner in your community and keep their details to hand.
·        Have a written list compiled of names and numbers of family and friends.
·        If you have the room, purchase livestock (hens, chickens, etc).
·        Get into shape with bicycle.
·        Practice starting a fire.
·        Get trained on your chose of weapon.
·        Be conservative with financial investments and further purchases.

Then What?

Many of the above items listed you can find your government preparation websites, but there are several things that they fail to mention. Although they may tell you to stay calm, you should also remain positive throughout the crises. Just as the Law of Attraction states that we receive what we put out, it is important to remain as positive as possible throughout the ordeal. The final important thing is to make friends. By creating an alliance of friends, you can create a village of sorts and share in crops, supplies, barter and assist one another in chores.  

We can only hope that the preparations are for naught, but if the predictions ring true, in some way all of your work will be beneficial in one way or another.  



How are you preparing? Or are you? Do you think this is hogwash? I would love to hear!

Believe,
Kristy
www.tangledwishes.com

1 comment:

  1. Kristy, I'm so glad you agree that this is an important topic to cover!

    I don't look at it as end of the world preparation. I view it as, how would I want *my* home, my personal reality, to look if things sudenly changed in a big way? I would want to feel like I could provide for my family and loved ones as much as possible. For me, that means being prepared for a crisis, even if that is "only" a large scale Mother Earth inspired event.

    Kristy gave a wonderful list to start with. For most people, I suspect water would be the biggest issue -- how do you store enough water without very quickly running out of room? Those lucky enough to have private wells for their rural homes might be able to install a hand pump outdoors in the event of power failure (and trust me, this does happen -- my brother's family was without power for over a week last year after a severe thunderstorm. No power, no water . . . no flushing toilets. Ugh.).

    A few more hints:

    *Buy white rice for storage purposes, not brown. Brown is much better for you in terms of nutrients, but white rice lasts forever on the shelf, while brown will go rancid. Bonus, it's also cheaper.

    *Store your foods in a cool, darkened space if at all possible. Light and heat breaks things down faster.

    *Store dry goods in glass jars if you can, rather than in original packaging. Canning jars make wonderful storage containers, but so do spaghetti sauce jars that have been washed and dried.

    *Flour -- put in your freezer for 3 days to kill any boll weavil eggs that might be interred within. Once the 3 days have passed, you can store the flour away in containers, and you'll never have to worry about

    *Learn how to make bread, or at least biscuits or cornbread.

    *Kerosene lamps are inexpensive and really light up a room. Remember replacement wicks and kerosene to fill them. They are wonderful for weather emergencies, too!

    *Make a list of family and friends phone numbers, yes -- but just in case the phones don't work (especially cellphones, i.e. in the case of satellites being taken out by any solar flares), please have their addresses recorded as well. Don't just rely on Facebook lists or email contact lists. Print those bad boys out. You might also want to consider having directions printed out. If cell phones don't work, it's likely tha neither will GPSs. Physical maps, too, are important to keep on hand.

    *Whatever you are able to stock up on, rotate it out (except for the rice and dried beans, those will last quite a long time). You wouldn't want your stores to pass their expiration date.

    *Flavor items are important -- spices, salt, pepper, bouillon (try the Mexican aisle for this, it's much less expensive than the small jars of cubes). Salsa. Vinegars. Chocolate (cocoa). Because, it's not just about survival, it's about living.

    *Peanut butter can be a godsend, and it's a powerful punch of protein, too.

    *An alliance of friends and neighbors, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Community.

    Above all, remember, if things do change, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Those who stay flexible in their minds and hearts will be better able to ride on top of the waves, rather than sinking beneath them or being battered against the shore. That applies equally as much for life in general. =)

    Love to all,

    Mad {madly!}

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