Discussions
Reply to: Should I start with a bug out bag or preparing my home first? – New and need advice Posted December 23, 2021

In my immediate, regularly traveled area, there were regular protest/roadblock type events.  Near me (cities within a 30-60 minute drive), there were riots, fires, mass business thrashings, etc.  These incidents did not necessarily push me to the point of relocation, but certainly greatly heightened my awareness.  I say that they didn’t push me to the point of relocation because I was aware they were more common in the cities I traveled to/through regularly.  My wife worked daily in one of those cities, however, so they were a real threat, in my opinion. I had one incident that really opened my eyes to the world I was in the middle of.  I grew up in a small town, and worked on properties there almost daily.  It is an every day America small town of about 5,500 people.  While attempting to cross a 4-way stop intersection, I was intercepted and blocked in the intersection for a couple of minutes by an individual in another vehicle, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, as I went about my daily activity.  It was a race-based incident, no question.  It was also the first time that I have ever felt the need to put my weapon at the ready in my vehicle.  I chose not to brandish it, which likely allowed the situation to fizzle out, but I was being directly confronted at a time and in a place that this shouldn’t have happened, my opinion.  I was literally driving to a property to fix a leaky toilet, 1 block from the police station and 2 blocks from the house I grew up in. This particular incident happened unexpectedly and quickly.  I was sitting at the stop sign with the other vehicle approaching his stop sign from my right.  The “trigger” for the other driver, apparently, was a group of kids, escorted by a couple of adults, also approaching the intersection on a path that would put them in the crosswalk opposite me, crossing my would-be path.  The SUV approaching from my right, looked at me sitting there, rolled through the intersection, crossing toward me to stop across my front bumper, blocking me from any forward movement.  He moved his head between direct eye contact with me and the group now crossing the intersection.  After they crossed, he remained blocking me a short time longer, then rolled out of my way.  While this was going on, I moved my pistol to the ready and checked my mirrors to ensure that I still had the option to reverse direction in the intersection as a means to escape the situation without having to use my pistol, should the incident escalate any further.  Thankfully, it didn’t, in part I suspect because I kept a cool head while reviewing all available options in the moment. It took me a while to digest what happened and why I think it happened, a couple hours actually.  The most logical explanation for all of this finally came together for me after a lot of thought.  This was during all of the George Floyd rioting, cities nearby were still on fire.  I’m white, the group of kids were of all races, the other driver was black.  In “normal” times, none of the factors would have even meant anything to me.  I was already prepared to let the group of kids cross as well as let the SUV cross the intersection while I did so, he wouldn’t have crossed the kids path in his direction of travel.  Yet, given outside circumstances, this every day situation could very well have gone way sideways very quickly.  To be very frank and honest, as I went over this situation in my head repeatedly trying to figure out what and why it even happened, it wasn’t until I finally paused to even consider race of all involved that it even began to make any sense to me at all. This was not the only reason I chose to leave the area of rural NY where I was born and raised, but it contributed to it.  Had the situation escalated in the direction that I would have had to use my pistol to defend myself, I would have been ruined, financially and otherwise, due to the gun laws (I held a Concealed Carry Permit too) there.  I am thankful that it ended the way it did, it might not have. 

Reply to: Should I start with a bug out bag or preparing my home first? – New and need advice Posted December 21, 2021

Many great detailed answers here.  I wanted to comment on the 1,000 foot view in the original question – prepare to bug in or bug out first?  I think you already answered your question by commenting that your biggest concern is winter.  You know your situation better than anybody, so if that is your biggest concern, focus on that first, while remaining aware of other potential threats that may develop.  Preparedness is simply trying to be ready for things that may not go as planned, and knowing what to do when that happens. Offering my own preparedness journey over the last year and a half as an example may help a little bit.  I started in the spring of 2020 in earnest when I opened my eyes to how things can get out of hand in many different ways.  Economics, political, civil unrest, etc.  The state I lived in became really crazy politically speaking, a nearby city that I traveled to almost daily and my wife worked in was literally on fire with regular rioting.  My small businesses were being choked to death by government overreach, threatening my financial well-being severely.  Being very frank, this pushed my mental state to a very dark and very dangerous place.  Thankfully, I don’t quit easy, and I decided to take action for the sake of my loved ones. When I began my journey, my focus was largely bugging out because the threats around me were pretty close.  Defense for bugging in was also high on my list, in case I didn’t bug out soon enough.  My greatest immediate threat was physical.  I experienced a couple of physical threat confrontations in my daily activities that added to my concerns. Just a couple months in to my journey, I made a pretty radical decision, with the support of my wife.  We determined that the place we were both born and raised held nothing good/safe for us anymore.  Too many threats from too many directions.  We sold out the business assets, sold our home, and moved 800 miles to a small homestead in the mountains.  Thankfully, we jumped early enough and made decent decisions that we were able to clear all of a very substantial amount of mostly business debt in the process. In our new location, where we have been for a little over a year, our focus is on bugging in.  I have actually been giving a lot of thought lately about the bug out bags that sit mostly empty, waiting for me to complete putting them together.  It is still on my list, which is constantly being updated, but continues to be lower down the list.  My reasoning for that is my frequent review of what I consider to be threats to our situation.  These threats change from time to time, as does my focus on what to do next. One final “warning” perhaps – don’t drive yourself crazy trying to do everything to prepare for everything.  Think of this as more of a journey or a lifestyle.  Simply do a SWOT-analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) from time to time, adjust your OODA – loop (observe, orient, decide, act), and try to make a baby step forward weekly.  At the end of every weekend (I work full time, as does my wife), I look back and think I should have completed 100 more tasks than I actually did around our little homestead.  However, when I look back to when we first moved here to where we are right now, I realize that I’m not doing so bad after all at getting things accomplished. I will add – financial preparedness is critical!  We have a budget that tracks every dollar coming in and every dollar going out.  We have budget envelopes for prepping, livestock, gardening, along with the every day expenses.  We used Dave Ramsey’s very simple and practical envelope method to gain control of this part of our preparedness.  Reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey lead me to ask that my wife consider reading it as well, which she did.  You may possible find this approach helpful in winning the support of your husband too.  Financial stability is critical in helping become prepared for any number of threats.

Reply to: Neighbor wants us to cut down our privacy trees so they can install solar – what would you do? Posted April 22, 2021
Reply to: Made in the US vacuum sealer? Posted August 25, 2020
Reply to: Creating a prepping team Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: Creating a prepping team Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: Possible food/supply shortages… Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted August 3, 2020
Made in the US vacuum sealer?
5
14
Posted July 31, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted July 31, 2020

When you don’t feel safe in your home anymore, then your home is in the wrong place.  I am in the process of selling off 4 businesses and leaving NY state, which has been home for me my entire life, with the exception of when I was in the Air Force.  I started the process a little over a month ago and will be mostly done and out of here within a month or slightly longer.  The political climate and ideology here is drastically different than mine, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  I don’t feel it is safe for me to be here, nor for my family, so that was my trigger. In my case, I am moving to Tennessee, where I expect my ideals to be more in the majority.  I am moving from a village location in NY to a rural location in TN, with space for a garden and maybe some chickens, on a secondary road, near “the world”, but still out of the way a little bit, and a driveway long enough that nobody will accidentally drive up.  In short, it is a nice “just leave me the hell alone” spot. I’m glad I made the move.  It is a LOT of work to unwind 4 businesses, sell off properties, and pack up a household and move it 11 hours away.  However, doing so now gives me a lot more control and allows me to take more than just a backpack if things continue to go the wrong way here. You aren’t overwrought.  We all have different levels of comfort.  Life is short enough, make every day the best you can.  If you don’t feel safe in your current location, change locations.

Made in the US vacuum sealer?
5
14
Posted July 31, 2020
Reply to: Should I start with a bug out bag or preparing my home first? – New and need advice Posted December 23, 2021

In my immediate, regularly traveled area, there were regular protest/roadblock type events.  Near me (cities within a 30-60 minute drive), there were riots, fires, mass business thrashings, etc.  These incidents did not necessarily push me to the point of relocation, but certainly greatly heightened my awareness.  I say that they didn’t push me to the point of relocation because I was aware they were more common in the cities I traveled to/through regularly.  My wife worked daily in one of those cities, however, so they were a real threat, in my opinion. I had one incident that really opened my eyes to the world I was in the middle of.  I grew up in a small town, and worked on properties there almost daily.  It is an every day America small town of about 5,500 people.  While attempting to cross a 4-way stop intersection, I was intercepted and blocked in the intersection for a couple of minutes by an individual in another vehicle, in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, as I went about my daily activity.  It was a race-based incident, no question.  It was also the first time that I have ever felt the need to put my weapon at the ready in my vehicle.  I chose not to brandish it, which likely allowed the situation to fizzle out, but I was being directly confronted at a time and in a place that this shouldn’t have happened, my opinion.  I was literally driving to a property to fix a leaky toilet, 1 block from the police station and 2 blocks from the house I grew up in. This particular incident happened unexpectedly and quickly.  I was sitting at the stop sign with the other vehicle approaching his stop sign from my right.  The “trigger” for the other driver, apparently, was a group of kids, escorted by a couple of adults, also approaching the intersection on a path that would put them in the crosswalk opposite me, crossing my would-be path.  The SUV approaching from my right, looked at me sitting there, rolled through the intersection, crossing toward me to stop across my front bumper, blocking me from any forward movement.  He moved his head between direct eye contact with me and the group now crossing the intersection.  After they crossed, he remained blocking me a short time longer, then rolled out of my way.  While this was going on, I moved my pistol to the ready and checked my mirrors to ensure that I still had the option to reverse direction in the intersection as a means to escape the situation without having to use my pistol, should the incident escalate any further.  Thankfully, it didn’t, in part I suspect because I kept a cool head while reviewing all available options in the moment. It took me a while to digest what happened and why I think it happened, a couple hours actually.  The most logical explanation for all of this finally came together for me after a lot of thought.  This was during all of the George Floyd rioting, cities nearby were still on fire.  I’m white, the group of kids were of all races, the other driver was black.  In “normal” times, none of the factors would have even meant anything to me.  I was already prepared to let the group of kids cross as well as let the SUV cross the intersection while I did so, he wouldn’t have crossed the kids path in his direction of travel.  Yet, given outside circumstances, this every day situation could very well have gone way sideways very quickly.  To be very frank and honest, as I went over this situation in my head repeatedly trying to figure out what and why it even happened, it wasn’t until I finally paused to even consider race of all involved that it even began to make any sense to me at all. This was not the only reason I chose to leave the area of rural NY where I was born and raised, but it contributed to it.  Had the situation escalated in the direction that I would have had to use my pistol to defend myself, I would have been ruined, financially and otherwise, due to the gun laws (I held a Concealed Carry Permit too) there.  I am thankful that it ended the way it did, it might not have. 

Reply to: Should I start with a bug out bag or preparing my home first? – New and need advice Posted December 21, 2021

Many great detailed answers here.  I wanted to comment on the 1,000 foot view in the original question – prepare to bug in or bug out first?  I think you already answered your question by commenting that your biggest concern is winter.  You know your situation better than anybody, so if that is your biggest concern, focus on that first, while remaining aware of other potential threats that may develop.  Preparedness is simply trying to be ready for things that may not go as planned, and knowing what to do when that happens. Offering my own preparedness journey over the last year and a half as an example may help a little bit.  I started in the spring of 2020 in earnest when I opened my eyes to how things can get out of hand in many different ways.  Economics, political, civil unrest, etc.  The state I lived in became really crazy politically speaking, a nearby city that I traveled to almost daily and my wife worked in was literally on fire with regular rioting.  My small businesses were being choked to death by government overreach, threatening my financial well-being severely.  Being very frank, this pushed my mental state to a very dark and very dangerous place.  Thankfully, I don’t quit easy, and I decided to take action for the sake of my loved ones. When I began my journey, my focus was largely bugging out because the threats around me were pretty close.  Defense for bugging in was also high on my list, in case I didn’t bug out soon enough.  My greatest immediate threat was physical.  I experienced a couple of physical threat confrontations in my daily activities that added to my concerns. Just a couple months in to my journey, I made a pretty radical decision, with the support of my wife.  We determined that the place we were both born and raised held nothing good/safe for us anymore.  Too many threats from too many directions.  We sold out the business assets, sold our home, and moved 800 miles to a small homestead in the mountains.  Thankfully, we jumped early enough and made decent decisions that we were able to clear all of a very substantial amount of mostly business debt in the process. In our new location, where we have been for a little over a year, our focus is on bugging in.  I have actually been giving a lot of thought lately about the bug out bags that sit mostly empty, waiting for me to complete putting them together.  It is still on my list, which is constantly being updated, but continues to be lower down the list.  My reasoning for that is my frequent review of what I consider to be threats to our situation.  These threats change from time to time, as does my focus on what to do next. One final “warning” perhaps – don’t drive yourself crazy trying to do everything to prepare for everything.  Think of this as more of a journey or a lifestyle.  Simply do a SWOT-analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) from time to time, adjust your OODA – loop (observe, orient, decide, act), and try to make a baby step forward weekly.  At the end of every weekend (I work full time, as does my wife), I look back and think I should have completed 100 more tasks than I actually did around our little homestead.  However, when I look back to when we first moved here to where we are right now, I realize that I’m not doing so bad after all at getting things accomplished. I will add – financial preparedness is critical!  We have a budget that tracks every dollar coming in and every dollar going out.  We have budget envelopes for prepping, livestock, gardening, along with the every day expenses.  We used Dave Ramsey’s very simple and practical envelope method to gain control of this part of our preparedness.  Reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey lead me to ask that my wife consider reading it as well, which she did.  You may possible find this approach helpful in winning the support of your husband too.  Financial stability is critical in helping become prepared for any number of threats.

Reply to: Neighbor wants us to cut down our privacy trees so they can install solar – what would you do? Posted April 22, 2021
Reply to: Made in the US vacuum sealer? Posted August 25, 2020
Reply to: Creating a prepping team Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: Creating a prepping team Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: Possible food/supply shortages… Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted August 4, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted August 3, 2020
Reply to: When to bug out… and where? Posted July 31, 2020

When you don’t feel safe in your home anymore, then your home is in the wrong place.  I am in the process of selling off 4 businesses and leaving NY state, which has been home for me my entire life, with the exception of when I was in the Air Force.  I started the process a little over a month ago and will be mostly done and out of here within a month or slightly longer.  The political climate and ideology here is drastically different than mine, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  I don’t feel it is safe for me to be here, nor for my family, so that was my trigger. In my case, I am moving to Tennessee, where I expect my ideals to be more in the majority.  I am moving from a village location in NY to a rural location in TN, with space for a garden and maybe some chickens, on a secondary road, near “the world”, but still out of the way a little bit, and a driveway long enough that nobody will accidentally drive up.  In short, it is a nice “just leave me the hell alone” spot. I’m glad I made the move.  It is a LOT of work to unwind 4 businesses, sell off properties, and pack up a household and move it 11 hours away.  However, doing so now gives me a lot more control and allows me to take more than just a backpack if things continue to go the wrong way here. You aren’t overwrought.  We all have different levels of comfort.  Life is short enough, make every day the best you can.  If you don’t feel safe in your current location, change locations.