Surviving The Final Bubble

Table of Contents
The Approach of a Financial Armageddon .............................................................................. 6
2015 Was the Worst Year for the Stock Market Since 2008 .................................................. 10
Chapter 1 - The three assets you do not have to report to the U.S. Government ................... 12
1.1 – Preparing for the Biggest Government Encroachment in U.S. History .............................. 12
1.2 – Dr. Eifrig’s Three Tips to Keep Your Wealth Out of the United States ..................................... 13
Chapter 2 – Silver Market Secrets ........................................................................................ 16
2.1 – The Best Decision You Can Make, Owning Silver ................................................................... 16
2.2 – A Silver Investment Created by the U.S. Government ........................................................... 18
2.3 Silver is a Far Better and Safer Business .................................................................................. 21
Chapter 3 – The Most Valuable Asset in Times of Crisis ........................................................ 23
3.1 – Protecting Yourself, and Even Earning a Profit, in the Face of a Crisis..................................... 23
Chapter 4 – What Will You Do When It Comes?.................................................................... 26
4.1 What is Your Plan? ................................................................................................................. 26
4.2 Bugging Out or Bugging In? ..................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 5 – Increase Your Net Worth ................................................................................... 31
5.1 – Your Mindset ....................................................................................................................... 32
5.2 – Your Debts........................................................................................................................... 33
5.3 – Alternatives to the U.S. Dollar .............................................................................................. 34
Surviving The Final Bubble Page 2

5.4 – Precious Metals ................................................................................................................... 35
5.5 – BitCoin – Good or Not? ........................................................................................................ 37
5.6 – Barter Goods ....................................................................................................................... 38
5.7 – Different Types of Currency.................................................................................................. 41
5.8 – Specific Investment Strategies to Employ ............................................................................. 41
5.9 – Buying Gold ......................................................................................................................... 41
5.10 – Short-Selling Stocks............................................................................................................ 42
5.11 – Put Options ....................................................................................................................... 42
5.12 – Play Defense ...................................................................................................................... 43
5.13– IEFTs................................................................................................................................... 43
5.14 – Broker or No Broker? ......................................................................................................... 44
5.15 – Other Tips.......................................................................................................................... 44
Chapter 6 – Preparing for Economic Meltdown .................................................................... 46
6.1 – What Changes Should You Make? ........................................................................................ 47
6.2 What Should You Learn? ......................................................................................................... 51
6.3 – What Should You Stockpile?................................................................................................. 54
6.4 Plan, Plan, Plan....................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter 7 – Survival Skills for Safely Hunkering Down .......................................................... 69
7.1 Maintaining Body Temperature .............................................................................................. 70
7.2 – Clean Water to Drink ........................................................................................................... 78

7.3 – The Unglamorous Outhouse ................................................................................................. 88
7.4 – What About Food?............................................................................................................... 89
Chapter 8 – Never Too Weak and Small to Prep ................................................................... 99
8.1 – Surviving as a Senior ............................................................................................................ 99
8.2 – Prepping with Kids ............................................................................................................. 102
Chapter 9 – First Aid .......................................................................................................... 104
9.1 – Medicine ........................................................................................................................... 104
9.2 – How to give first aid .......................................................................................................... 111
9.3 – Other Basic Necessities ..................................................................................................... 115
Chapter 10 – Surviving in the Wilderness ........................................................................... 118
10.1 – Shelter............................................................................................................................. 118
10.2 – Using Nature’s Water ....................................................................................................... 122
10.3 – Finding Food in the Wild .................................................................................................. 124
10.4 – Starting a Fire .................................................................................................................. 127
10.5 – Wilderness Safety ............................................................................................................ 129
Chapter 11 – Preparing for the New Normal ...................................................................... 132
11.1 – How Do You Know It’s Over? ............................................................................................ 132
Chapter 12- Making Yourself Valuable to the Community .................................................. 135
12.1 – Skills That Save Your Life .................................................................................................. 135
12.2 – Becoming that Valuable Person ........................................................................................ 138

12.3 – Bartering Your Skills ......................................................................................................... 139
Chapter 13 – The End of the World as We Know It ............................................................. 140
Chapter 14 – Introduction to the Barter System ................................................................. 141
Chapter 15 – In Conclusion ................................................................................................ 156

The Approach of a Financial Armageddon
Currently in the United States, there are five “too big to fail” banks that have exposure to
derivatives contracts that exceed 30 trillion dollars each. Collectively, these banks have more
than 247 trillion dollars of exposure to derivatives contracts. At more than 13 times the size of
the U.S. national debt, this ticking time bomb has the potential to set off a financial
Armageddon at any moment. What’s even more staggering is the notional value of the
outstanding derivatives contracts globally. According to the Bank for International Settlements,
the outstanding derivatives contracts globally are at a staggering 552.9 trillion dollars. While
the bankers are assuring the global market that these financial instruments aren’t as risky as
they sound because they have spread the risk around enough, decreasing the chances of the
entire system failing, the truth is the risk can never be eliminated. When the bubble finally
collapses, there won’t be enough money to recover.
The term “derivatives” sounds complicated and while the details of these types of
arrangements can be extremely complicated, the concept is fairly simple. A derivative is a
security with a price that is dependent upon or derived from one or more underlying asset. The
derivative is nothing more than a contract between two or more parties based upon the asset
or assets, and its value is determined by fluctuations in the underlying asset. Commonly, the
underlying asset comes in the forms of stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates,
and market indexes.
The derivatives marketplace can be looked at as a form of legalized gambling. When you
engage in derivative trading, you are simply betting that something will either happen or not
happen in the future. It is this type of trading that played a critical role in the financial crisis that
gripped this country in 2008, and will likely be the cause of this new, impending financial crisis.
Central banks and governments have not found an effective way to control or even monitor
these types of contracts, allowing them to multiply in variety and number. This will continue
until some type of event unveils their toxicity. Derivatives can be viewed as financial weapons
of mass destruction with dangers that are potentially lethal.

Since 2008, big banks have become even more reckless. This is a huge problem because our
economy has become more dependent on them in the years following the last financial crisis.
Currently, the four largest U.S. banks are approximately 40% larger than they were in 2008.
Approximately 42% of all loans in this country are owned by the five largest banks, while the six
largest banks account for approximately 67% of all assets in the U.S. financial system. If these
banks go under, the entire country will be in for a world of hurt.
Since the last financial crisis in 2008, the Federal Reserve has taken steps and implemented new
rules that limit the ability of the Fed to loan money to big banks during a financial crisis. If a
derivative crisis were to threaten the survival of these banks, the money to bail them out would
have to come from somewhere else. Could this be setting us up for a European-style “bail-in”
during the next crisis?
One of the fiercest critics of our current financial system and author of Web of Debt, Ellen
Brown believes so.
In its preamble, Dodd-Frank states the it will “protect the American taxpayer by ending
bailouts.” However, this is accomplished under Title II by imposing the losses of insolvent
financial companies onto their common and preferred stockholders, debt holders, and other
unsecured creditors, which includes the largest class of unsecured creditor of any bank,
depositors.
The purpose of Title II is to “ensure that payout to claimants is at least as much as the claimants
would have received under bankruptcy liquidation.” However, under both the Dodd-Frank Act
and the 2005 Bankruptcy Act, “derivative claims have super-priority over all other claims,” both
secured and unsecured, and insured and uninsured.
The largest market for derivatives, the over-the-counter (OTC) derivative market, consists of
banks and other highly sophisticated players, such as hedge funds. OTC derivatives are the bets
of these financial players against one another. Derivative claims are considered to be “secure”
because both parties are required to post collateral. Unfortunately, the money you deposit in
the bank is not considered “collateral” or “secure.” It is seen as a loan to the bank, leaving you

standing in line along with the rest of the creditors in hopes of getting your money back if the
bank fails.
Regular consumers do have some guarantee when it comes to getting their money back from a
failed bank. The FDIC guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks up to a certain
amount. The problem, however is that the FDIC only has a limited amount of money to cover
bank failures, approximately 70 billion. If hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars are needed
to bail out the banking system, where will the money come from?
It is difficult to overstate the danger that derivatives pose to the “too big to fail” banks in this
country. The most recent quarterly report created by the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency released the following numbers regarding the big banks.
Citigroup
Total Assets: more than 1.8 trillion dollars
Total Exposure to Derivatives: more than 53 trillion dollars
JPMorgan Chase
Total Assets: about 2.4 trillion dollars
Goldman Sachs
Total Assets: less than a trillion dollars
Bank of America
Total Assets: a little more than 2.1 trillion dollars

Morgan Stanley
Total Assets: less than a trillion dollars
Wells Fargo
Total Assets: more than 1.7 trillion dollars
Total Exposure to Derivatives: more than 31 trillion dollars.
As the “real economy” begins to crumble, major hedge funds continue to dissolve, and we head
into a new recession, there seems to be very little alarm among the general population. With
the help of the main stream media, the population believes that everything is under control.
However, trouble is brewing under the calm surface. A new financial crisis has already begun to
take hold and will only intensify as we head into the new year. As the new “financial
Armageddon” approaches, you want to listen for the word “derivative”, because they are going
to play a major roll in the new financial crisis.

2015 Was the Worst Year for the Stock
Market Since 2008
2015 was a horrible year for stocks. On the last day of the year, the Dow Jones fell another 178
points. Overall, 2015 was the worst year for the Dow since 2008. The Dow wasn’t the only
market that struggled during 2015, the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, and the Dow Transports also
had their worst years since 2008. However, compared to other investments like junk bonds, oil,
and industrial commodities, stocks had a relatively good year. Just like before the stock market
crashed in 2008, junk bonds, oil, and industrial commodities all crashed hard. According to CNN,
almost 70% of all investors lost money in 2015, and they are looking at even more financial
chaos in 2016.
Over the last 12 months, globally, we have seen shaky financial markets unlike anything we
have experienced since 2008. During the month of August, markets around the globe started to
go crazy. At one point, according to author Jonathan Cahn, approximately 11 trillion dollars of
financial wealth had been wiped out globally.
Since that time, U.S. stocks rebounded, but still ended down for the year. Other global markets
were not nearly as fortunate, with some major indexes finishing down 20% or more in 2015,
with stocks in Europe seeing their second worst December in history.
In 2015, the numbers clearly tell us that a new global, financial crisis has begun and is
threatening to quickly accelerate in the coming year. In fact, in 2015 five CEOs of companies in
the Russell 1000 index collectively lost 20 billion dollars last year. CEOs Nicholas Woodman of
GoPro, Sheldon Adelson of the Las Vegas Sands casino, and investor Warren Buffett of
Berkshire Hathaway $1 billion or more in 2015. Warren Buffet lost an astounding 7.8 billion, by
far the biggest loss of the group.

The collapse of hedge funds in 2015, is also a huge indicator that the financial markets aren’t as
stable as we’ve been lead to believe. During the first nine months of 2015, 674 hedge funds
were shut down. After the final three months of 2015, we may witness a total of 1,000 hedge
funds no longer in business, as the rate of closings has accelerated as the end of the calendar
year approaches. All of this is happening as underlying economic conditions continue to
deteriorate.
As corporate profits continue to fall, the bond distress ratio has hit the highest level since
September 2009, while corporate debt defaults continue to rise to the highest levels seen since
the last recession. Recently, new numbers were released that indicate that the U.S. economy is
slowing down at a much faster rate than initially anticipated.
For decades, society has been making foolish decisions and the consequences of those
decisions are quickly catching up to us. When the final numbers of the fourth quarter are
released, it will show that the U.S. economy has officially entered another recession. What’s
worse, many of the world’s largest economies have already started to enter into deep
recessions.

Chapter 1 - The three assets you do not have to report to
the U.S. Government
1.1 – Preparing for the Biggest Government Encroachment in U.S. History
While things may seem fine on the surface, the next few years are going to be a major shock for
the majority of Americans.
In the next few years, the debts our country owes are coming due, and we can’t afford the
interest payments for those debts. Defaulting on these debts will result in the largest
government encroachment in this country’s history, and most people will be caught completely
unprepared. We will begin to see much higher taxes, currency controls, and the loss of personal
freedoms this country has taken for granted for hundreds of years.
The good news, it’s not too late to do something about it. By taking a few simple steps,
everyone can protect their money and their family. Below, you will find the number one thing
you need to do to protect and grow your wealth.
Now is the Time to Protect Yourself
In 2009, Dr. David Eifrig addressed the issue of our national debt. While many believe that it is
unimaginable that the U.S. can pay off its debts in our lifetimes, what they may not know is that
they are going to try. The only way they can accomplish this is by significantly increasing taxes
for anyone that has a few assets to his name. This is not just a problem for the wealthy. Anyone
with a lifetime of savings will be impacted. On the current path, everyone who has something
will be forced to give it up to those that have nothing.
If you want to be the one to decide where your money goes, rather than having some
bureaucrat in D.C. telling you how kind you have to be, then you need to act now. The best way
to protect yourself from the government’s sticky fingers is to diversify your assets offshore. This
means moving a portion of your wealth out of the country.

The time to protect yourself is now. You need to protect you and your family before the
government restricts the flow of currency coming in and going out of this country, before it
outlaws your ability to move you and your assets around, before it starts confiscating things like
gold.
While pulling up stakes and moving your assets to an offshore account isn’t realistic for
everyone, it doesn’t mean you have to remain trapped by the government and accept what it
has in store for this country. Several editors at Stansberry Research have been trying to find out
a way to do this legally. It is important that this process is done legally so as to not jeopardize
your freedom.
Below are a few key steps Dr. Eifrig suggests that will allow you to move your assets offshore
without up-rooting you or your family. All of the steps listed below are perfectly legal, however
that doesn’t mean the government wants you to do them. In fact, if too many people start
talking about these things and taking these steps, the government could easily change the
rules.
1.2 – Dr. Eifrig’s Three Tips to Keep Your Wealth Out of the United States
Open a Foreign Bank Account – Soon

Opening a foreign financial account with lese then $10,000 allows you to forgo reporting the
asset to the U.S. government. This rule comes under the Foreign Bank and Financial Authority
(FBAR) regulations, and the IRS only requires you to report the asset if:
 You have financial interest in, signature authority, or other authority over one or more
account in a foreign country.
 The aggregate value of all foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during
the calendar year.
So, if you keep more than $10,000 in total overseas, you are required to report the asset to the
IRS or risk losing 50% of your assets and spending up to five years in prison.

If you open an interest earning account, you have to be careful. If at anytime during the
calendar year you earn enough interest to take you to more than $10,000 by the end of the
year, you must report the asset as income.
When opening a foreign financial account, be sure to open a holding account. A holding
account allows you to keep the account in the currency you choose.
It is also important to know that there is nothing preventing multiple family members from
doing the same. For example, a family of six could keep approximately $59,000 in account
overseas and not be required to report it. This is a great and legal way to diversify your
portfolio around the world.
For an easy and no hassle place to set up a foreign financial account head to Canada. Most large
banks in Canada allow U.S. citizens to set up Canadian bank accounts. You simply need to visit a
local branch office at one of the banks and present two acceptable forms of identification, like a
valid passport and driver’s license. You can even set up both U.S. and Canadian dollar accounts
to make things easier. Once you have set up your account, you can link your Canadian account
with your U.S. account and transfer money as you see fit. Stay mindful of reporting
requirements when opening overseas accounts. If you decide to open separate accounts in
both U.S. and Canadian dollars, you must report the asset to the U.S. Treasury Department if
the combined values exceed $10,000.
To fully understand wealth preservation and international diversification there are two U.S.
government concepts that you must learn about: income tax and reportable assets.
When you hold assets offshore, some of the assets are reportable to the government, while
others are not. However, if you make income while overseas, all of it is reportable, although
some of it is exempt. The first $97,000 a year, plus $15,616 housing allowance would fall under
this exemption. These tips list ways to legally avoid both reporting assets and paying income
taxes while your assets are overseas.

Buy Some Land
Perhaps the best way of keeping assets overseas is through real estate, simply because it is not
reportable. Also, if it generates no income, you don’t have to pay tax on it either. There are also
several countries that allow you to invest in real estate and even sustainable timber farms. With
enough money invested you can obtain a permanent visa or even citizenship after five years.
Real estate can also be made more liquid if you place it in a corporation or trust, making it
easier to sell or transfer your assets when needed.
Gold in the Bank
Bullion gold and silver, along with other metals, are not reportable. They also don’t generate
taxable income until you sell them. Keeping bullion in a private and secure place outside the
U.S. is a simple way to hold and move assets out of the country.
The simplest way to move bullion out of the country is to open a safe deposit box in Canada. To
do this you simply need to visit the bank in person and provide two forms of identification, like
a passport and driver’s license. Be sure to call the bank you’re interested in to find out what
their requirements are for opening a safe deposit box and any attached fees. You can use this
box to store precious metals, cash, and other items you want to keep from the U.S.
government.
Transporting the gold to Canada can pose problems in and of itself. If you plan on transporting
it yourself, you have to remember to declare it to customs. (You have to declare any amount
over $10,000). If you are not comfortable carrying large amounts of gold as you travel, you can
use a professional transport service to get your gold over the border. However, this can get a
bit expensive if you are only moving a small amount of money. A third option is to purchase
your gold and silver while you are in Canada. By doing this you don’t have to carry large
amounts of cash or precious metals while you travel.

Chapter 2 – Silver Market Secrets
2.1 – The Best Decision You Can Make, Owning Silver
We, as a country, are facing a major monetary crisis. With gold climbing from $700 per ounce in
December 2008 to $1,200 per ounce in March 2015, and the price of silver increasing 50%, we
are standing at a crossroad. You can’t create money at the rate the U.S. has and service this
much debt over the long term.
The good news, there is an easy and predictable way to make a lot of money. Yes, you should
own some gold and silver, but you should also know about one precious-metal stock that could
prove to be incredible lucrative over the next several years.
Why is silver an important asset to own? No other investment asset loves a monetary crisis like
silver. In May of 2006, Stansberry’s Investment Advisory explained in great detail the reasons
why silver prices tend to soar during a monetary crisis, as well as explaining the three phases of
a monetary crisis.
Back in 2006, the country was entering the second phase of a monetary crisis. This happens as
the government begins to take actions to halt rising prices through force.
Rather than address the genuine causes of inflation in the United States; the government not
cutting its own spending, not addressing the unsustainable nature of entitlement spending, and
the current value of its long-tail obligations, they will begin to tax, regulate, and imprison what
it considers to be the culprits.
This only serves to exacerbate and accelerate the rise in prices.
Once Phase II begins, more evidence is discovered pointing to something going horribly wrong
with the economy. People begin to hoard. Wealthy people begin to hoard gold and silver.
After 2006, when Phase II began, the annual government deficit soared from less than $300
billion to around $700 billion annually.

The government continues to cultivate a soak-the-rich, tax-and-regulate regime, causing a
dozen or more states to enact steeply progressive “millionaire” taxes.
The American people have been personally lobbied by Obama to increase taxes on the “rich”,
which has been used to justify the government’s increase in spending and ever-larger
government deficits.
At the same time, the inflation and joblessness that are caused by these types of policies have
led to a return to “misery index” conditions in the United States, along with more social unrest.
The political dynamic in this country – where criminals run wild on the streets (and in the halls
of Congress), while the government continues to print more money to pay its increasing debts –
will lead to a Phase III monetary crisis.
When we enter into a Phase III monetary crisis, people flee from the currency, and civil society
falls apart.
Cash savings are destroyed and other forms of savings that are dependent on a stable currency,
like insurance policies, are wiped out.
The monetary crisis makes it impossible for people to save and invest in America. Our standard
of living collapses, along with our stature in the world. To know how bad things are getting,
watch the Treasury markets.
We are safe as long as the world continues to buy our bonds. However, there will come a time
when investors simply refuse to own our government’s debt, no matter the price.
If you don’t take the steps now to protect yourself, you will be wiped out when the moment
arrives.
The best way to protect yourself from this is to own precious metals, especially silver. Owning
silver and gold provides you with real money that can’t be devalued or confiscated by
politicians, especially if you have it somewhere safe overseas.

Silver is a better choice over gold, and if you are going to buy silver, you must fully understand
the silver ratio.
There are two distinct phases of the silver market. The first is when silver trades alongside gold
as money.
During this phase, there is vast demand for silver around the world. When gold was the world’s
reserve currency and silver was also used as money, silver prices averaged around 1/16th the
price of gold.
The other side of this is when silver is not commonly used as money. During this period, when
silver is “demonetized”, the silver’s ratio to gold would become completely unpegged.
For example, in 1991, an ounce of silver traded for only 1/100 th the price of an ounce of gold.
There are a lot of ways to invest in silver. Dr. David Eifrig has found an excellent way that allows
individuals to take physical possession of silver without having to pay huge markups to the spot
price, like you do when you buy rare coins.
This method doesn’t require any risky leverage or buying of mining companies that may or may
not be around in a year.
2.2 – A Silver Investment Created by the U.S. Government
Over 200 years ago, Congress designated silver as the material for the U.S. first coin, giving birth
to the opportunity to own this type of silver. Congress based its new dollar on the Spanish
piaster.
In 1792, Congress passed the U.S. Coinage Act, which laid out the specifications for all new
coins of the country. It set the standards seen below.
The highlighted coins marked below are those that we’ve found hold the best value. However,
based on valuations from late 2014, none of these coins are trading at a discount to their silver
content.

Eagles 4/8 grain (16.0g) pure or 270 grain (17.5g) standard gold
Half Eagles 6/8 grain (8.02g) pure or 135 (8.75g) standard gold
Quarter Eagles 7/8 grain (4.01g) pure or 67 4/8 grain (4.37g) standard gold
Dollars or Units 4/16 grain (24.1g) pure or 416 grain (27.0g) standard silver
Half Dollars 10/16 grain (12.0g) pure or 206 grain (13.5g) standard silver
Quarter Dollars 13/16 grain (6.01g) pure or 104 grain (6.74g) standard silver
Dismes (dimes) 2/16 grain (2.41g) pure of 41 3/5 grain (2.70g) standard silver
Half Dismes (dimes) 9/16 grain (1.20g) pure or 20 4/5 grain (1.35g) standard silver
Cents 11 pennyweights (17.1g) of copper
Half Cents 5 pennyweights (8.55g) of copper
These compositions of U.S. coins were in place for nearly 200 years, until the Coinage Act of
1965 removed most of the silver from its coins. Half dollars changed from 90% silver to 40%
silver, while other coins were 75% copper and 25% nickel. Just five years later, in 1970,
Congress pulled the remaining silver from the coins.
Today, coins dated before 1965 are known as “junk silver”, because they have no value to
collectors. They tend to show a lot of wear, and it is estimated that there are more than 13
billion of these coins throughout the country.
What’s bad for collectors is actually great for investors. Since they don’t have a collectible
value, these coins can be purchased at just a few %age points above the spot price for an ounce
of silver.

This is significant. Since collectible and uncirculated silver coins often have premiums of 25% to
50% or more than the spot price, investing in junk silver gives an immediate 25% to 30%
discount over other types of silver coins.
How is junk silver bought? Junk silver comes in $1,000 face-value bags of either dimes,
quarters, or half-dollars. So a bag could be broken down into any of the following three
scenarios:
 10,000 dimes
 4,000 quarters
 2,000 half-dollars
No matter which denomination you choose, the amount of silver you are getting is the same,
about 715-720 ounces.
In 2014, the retail price for one of these $1,000 face value bags of dimes, quarters, or half-
dollars was about $16,800, plus shipping and insurance, which can vary depending where the
bag is being delivered. It usually ranges from $60-$120. This gives you a total cost of about
$16,900.
To calculate the cost for the silver you take $16,900 and divide it by 10,000 dimes and you are
getting real, hold-in-your-hand silver for just $1.69. You have to keep in mind however, that this
value can fluctuate daily with the price of silver and with demand. As the price and demand for
silver increases, so will the value of your “junk silver.” Plus, growing demand will help push up
dealer premiums, further multiplying your gains.
It is important to remember that silver is volatile. Any change in the price of silver could change
your total cost. For the most current price, you should call a reputable dealer in your area.
In addition to the 25% to 30% discount you receive by buying junk silver, there are four other
reasons to own these coins rather than bullion, exchange-traded funds, mining stocks, or
collectible coins.

1. 90% of silver coins are already well known. You rarely find them in day to day circulation
because people have already gone through their change looking for these coins. As the
demand for these precious-metals increase, even more people will recognize them.
2. 90% of silver coins are easily divisible. Unlike a silver bar or gold coin, junk silver coins are
already portioned in smaller amounts should you every need to use it in everyday
transactions.
3. 90% of silver coins are liquid. Demand for these types of coins has always been there.
Thanks to a dealer network and places like eBay, there are plenty of buyers available if you
ever want to cash in your gains.
4. 90% of silver coins don’t require verification. The silver content of these coins is widely
understood, leaving no question about their authenticity and value. Since there is no
collectible value, everyone understands they are 90 % silver.
2.3 Silver is a Far Better and Safer Business
As panicked investors rush to purchase bullion, you can capture greater gains by owning silver
companies. Silver companies following the movement of the underlying metal while also
providing leverage. Owning silver bullion makes the price of silver increase. However, owning a
silver company, can earn you much, much more.
The largest silver streamer in the world is Silver Wheaton.
A company that purchases the silver by-product from base-metal miners is known as a “silver
streamer.” When a copper miner (or zinc or iron miner) removes ore from his mine, it likely
includes a lot of minerals other than copper, including silver. The copper miner, rather than
hassling with the smelting and dealing of the silver from his mine, it sells it to a silver streamer.
This is how approximately 70% of the world’s silver is produced; as a byproduct of other metal
mines.
Companies like Silver Wheaton will make a deal with other metal miners for their silver. It’s a
good deal for the base-metal miner because he gets guaranteed income for his silver.

It’s also a good deal for companies like Silver Wheaton because they get a guaranteed supply
of silver, without having to mine it themselves.
Silver Wheaton has set up dozens of long-term agreements with companies like Barrick,
Goldcorp, Glencore Mining, and Lundin Mining. Silver Wheaton’s agreements produced
approximately 26.8 million ounces of silver equivalent in 2013. As other mines already covered
by agreements with Silver Wheaton are built, the company expects silver production to hit 48
million silver ounces by the year 2018.
To understand how these types of deals work, take a look at Silver Wheaton’s agreement at
Peñasquito, the second-largest mine in Mexico.
Silver Wheaton’s flagship deal is based on an agreement with Goldcorp. Silver Wheaton
receives 25% of the silver that the Peñasquito mine produces, for the life of the mine.
Peñasquito has the largest silver deposit in the world; even a mere 25% stake ranks among the
world’s top 20 silver deposits.
Silver Wheaton, in April of 2007, paid Goldcorp $485 million dollars for their agreement. At full
capacity, the Peñasquito mine expects to average 28 million ounces of silver, every year for the
next 13 years. That’s an average of 7 million ounces per year for Silver Wheaton.
In 2013, Silver Wheaton sold 5,317 ounces of silver they obtained from Peñasquito. They
received an average price of $23.81 per ounce. The average cash cost per ounce the company
paid was $4.12. This means that the company made a profit of $19.69 from each ounce of
silver.
Silver Wheaton’s fundamentals are nearly perfect. They have negligible debt, billions of ounces
of silver equivalent reserves, an operating margin of around 50%, and a secure cash flow from
the mines they own in ten countries. By 2017, it will produce about 53 million ounces of silver,
double 2014’s production.
Silver Wheaton’s strategy has paid off, and their results will only get better as the price of silver
rises. Since Silver Wheaton’s costs are fixed, any increase in the silver price goes straight to the

company’s net profit. According to their third-quarter filings in 2014, it pays an average price of
$4.16 per ounce of silver it receives. The company’s share price, compared to its earnings, show
a direct relationship to the price of silver. As the price of silver increases, people will pay more
for Silver Wheaton stock. It works the other way as well, when the metal sells off, so do the
shares in Silver Wheaton.
When you invest in a trophy-asset company like Silver Wheaton, you want to compare the
company’s market cap with the value of its tangible assets. Your aim should be to buy a
company when its market cap trades at a discount compared to its tangible assets. At least 25%
or higher if possible.
Chapter 3 – The Most Valuable Asset in Times of Crisis
3.1 – Protecting Yourself, and Even Earning a Profit, in the Face of a Crisis
In the coming years, most people are going to lose a lot of money, if things get as bad as
expected.
So, the question is, how can you protect yourself, and even potentially make a profit over the
next ten years?
The first thing is to own a significant amount of precious metals. Both silver and gold prices
have skyrocketed between 1992 and 2012.
In fact, gold has risen more than 450-% and silver has increased by nearly 800%. Both precious
metals have pulled back in recent months, but are still up over the long term.
However, there is one investment that might prove to be even better than gold or silver when
the currency crisis hits full tilt in America.

Since 1992, this particular investment has easily outpaced both gold and stocks, with an
appreciation of more than 1,000%. Going back to 1971, a year before the U.S. went completely
off the gold standard, the gains were even greater. Farmland.
According to the Ag Decision Maker, published by Iowa State University, roughly half of the
overall returns on farmland come from the appreciation of the actual land. While the other half
comes from “rent” you can get by farming the land, or hiring someone else to do it for you. By
adding these components together, it’s easy to see why the overall returns of farmland have
outpaced gold, stocks, and just about any other asset you can invest in.
Since you are able to book steady income from rents, while you wait for the value of the land to
grow, many people call farmland, “gold with yield.” So, why does farmland do so well?
When the price of food rises, the price of farmland goes up as well. There is never a shortage of
mouths to feed, either here or across the world. An added benefit of investing in farmland, the

returns have little correlation to the returns on stocks and bonds. During the financial
meltdown in 2008, farmland didn’t fall in price during a single quarter.
Take this into consideration. If you had invested your money in the stock market at the
beginning of the 1970s, you would have made about 16% on your investments, TOTAL, over the
course of the entire decade. When adjusted for inflation, you would have actually lost about
half your money. During the same time, the total returns on farmland in the U.S. were more
than 600%.
Inflation will be a major factor in the coming years, guaranteed, along with other factors that
are pushing the price of farmland higher. These include a tightening supply of farmland and
rising demand for crops, to name a few. Quiet simply put, farmland could be one of the best
investments you can make in the coming years.
There are other great benefits to investing in farmland. It can actually save your family during a
serious crisis. During World War II, in most occupied countries, if you owned a self-sufficient
farm, you had the ability to hunker down on it and with luck wait out the disaster. At the very
least you had access to food in a starving country.
An unostentatious farm, not a great estate, will serve you better. Bricks and mortar real estate
can be bombed or expropriated, but the land will always be there. The land can’t be plundered
or shipped off to somewhere else. A working farm can protect both your wealth and your life.
Most people don’t realize just how important the black earth of Iowa and its neighboring states
was to the formation of the American Empire. To this day, farmland in Middle America is a key
component of America’s geopolitical dominance.
This large area of land is crisscrossed by an extensive network of navigable waterways. These
waterways allow America to produce an inordinate amount of food and transport the food to
markets.
There is no other region in the world that can produce large amounts of food and transport it at
such low costs. The farming in this region allowed America to effectively develop a massive,

well-fed population. It allowed capital to flow into cities, factories, and railroads, and allowed
the building of the most powerful military on Earth.
The best way to capitalize on the booming farmland industry is to purchase it through a private
land deal. You should seriously investigate buying a plot of farmland.
Chapter 4 – What Will You Do When It Comes?
Since a financial collapse in this country is imminent, the next question you have to ask yourself
is “What are you going to do when it happens?” Those who are best prepared for facing any
crisis are the ones who make it through in good shape. That is why so many government
agencies spend time and money preparing a contingency plan for every conceivable disaster.
The idea behind a contingency plan is that you don’t have the time to think clearly in the time
of a crisis. Things happen so fast that the only thing you can do is react. At the same time, the
human brain has a tendency to become overwhelmed when things fall apart. So, at the time
you need to be thinking clearly, you are incapable of doing so.
4.1 What is Your Plan?
Contingency plans are created with the advantage of time. You have the luxury of thinking
through the different options before selecting the one that will provide you with the greatest
benefit. There is no pressure to come up with them. When a crisis does happen, you simply
have to pull out the plan you created and do what it says. Assuming that it is properly written
out, you should be able to get through the crisis.
However, because nobody has perfect foresight, there is no such thing as a perfect contingency
plan. Situations don’t present themselves in a perfect way which will fit our plans, but having a
plan gives you a series of actions to take and the information you need in order to know what
you need to do.

It is a whole lot easier to make changes to an existing plan, than to have to start from scratch.
So, what are you going to do? Do you have a plan to follow in the event of a financial
meltdown? If you don’t have a plan, you are in the same boat as 99% of the American
population.
The 99% of people who don’t have a plan are either depending on a bailout from the
government, or don’t believe anything bad could happen to them. If they had lived in the path
of Hurricane Sandy, they could have learned how poorly prepared the government is to help
anyone.
When the economy eventually melts down, the government will be even less prepared to deal
with the problems. If anything, they are going to be at the root of the problem, not a part of the
solution. FEMA has never been prepared to deal with a large-scale disaster, let alone one that
reaches across the nation. You and those who are close to you will be responsible for taking
care of yourself. Many people will suffer waiting for help that will never come. Those who will
survive and do the best will be those who have a plan and are able to put it into action.
In order to create a contingency plan, you will have to first decide what problem you are
looking to overcome. For our purposes it is the coming economic crash. Knowing the problem
exists is not enough, you also have to know what you will be confronted with when the
problem arrives. As discussed in the previous chapter, we can expect the financial collapse to
bring:
 High unemployment, which may include you

 High inflation
 Mob violence
 Ongoing increase in crime
 Potential home attacks
 Shortages of all types, especially for critically needed supplies
 Irregular utility services

With this knowledge, an effective plan must be complete enough to deal with all of these
problems. Analyze your situation and determine what the right thing is for you to do. Not every
plan will be the same, some people may need to take different action because of special needs
or circumstances.
4.2 Bugging Out or Bugging In?
You have two basic ways to deal with any crisis; bugging out or bugging in. When you leave
your home to go to an alternative location, you are bugging out. If you already have a location
prepared, bugging out is a great idea. This allows them to escape danger, which is associated
with their home location.
However, if you don’t have a prepared bug-out location, this requires leaving most of the
supplies and equipment you need to survive behind.
The Bug-Out Location
A prepared location is a cabin or bunker in the woods, mountains, or countryside. This location
will already be stockpiled with the necessary supplies and equipment you would need to
survive long-term. If you don’t have a location already prepared, the only time it will make
sense to bug-out is if the location of your home becomes too dangerous to stay. This happened
in Hurricane Katrina, and is likely to happen to people who live in the city in the case of a
breakdown of society accompanied by lawlessness. In these cases, staying at home could mean
death.
When you don’t have a bug-out location already prepared, making the decision to bug-out can
be extremely hard. These people are taking a great risk because living in the wild with only
what you can carry on your back is extremely difficult. This situation would only make sense if
staying at home was even riskier.
For many, land and a well-stocked retreat are beyond their financial means. In this case, choose
an alternative bug-out strategy such as joining or creating a survival group, entering into a
mutual aid agreement or caching supplies in a bug-out area. Whichever bug-out strategy you

decide upon, cache supplies along the route and at your destination. Having these along the
route will increase your odds of making it to the destination if you are forced to travel on foot.
When you create a survival group or join an existing one, you are able to pool your resources
for major purchase and receive discounts on bulk purchases. You are also ensured to have the
manpower to work at and defend your retreat. Doubling up also conserves precious resources
such as firewood and fuel. You can share a cook stove, and while procuring enough wood to
heat two entire homes may be out of the question, taking the chill off a single room is a more
reasonable goal.
A mutual aid agreement is a mutually beneficial arrangement between two groups or

individuals. It is up to you to determine what the agreement involves. It can be as simple as
allowing each other to cache supplies on each other’s property or as complex as merging two
groups should the other group’s home of retreat become untenable.
You can still choose a bug-out location if you can’t afford your own retreat, or if you haven’t
formed or joined a group. A bug-out location may not be a long-term solution depending on a
number of factors such as climate, available resources, and your survival skills, but it may buy
you some time to decide your next move. Consider your options.
A bug-out location or area, in order to support you, must be remote enough that you won’t
have an endless parade of people walking through your camp. But it has to be accessible
enough that you can get to it on foot if necessary. While you can cache some supplies, and
carry some with you, you want to chose a location that is rich in resources. If you want to last
more than a weak, you need to find a location that has a good, year-round supply of water.
Staying at Home
Based on the above information, most people plan to deal with a crisis is to stay at home, or
bug-in. There are risks associated with bugging-in, however they are often less than those
associated with leaving your home to live in the wilderness; especially if you are unprepared.

The greatest advantage of bugging-in is that you have all of your supplies and equipment with
you, as well as your home to use as a shelter.
Even bugging-in requires proper planning. The type

of crisis you have to face will determine how you
will have to do things. Many times, a crisis will cause
a disruption of services. This means that you will
either have to do without those services or find a
way of creating them yourself. Without this ability
you greatly diminish your chances of survival.
Stockpiling supplies will put you in a better place than 99% of the population. It will also
increase the danger for you; danger from your neighbors and society in general. While the
threat of mob violence will diminish after a while, the anger behind the mob violence may not.
There is a large percentage of the population that have an entitlement attitude. These people
are quick to take what they don’t get. As long as you have things that they want, you will always
be at risk for an attack.
When you develop a bug-in plan you must take into consideration every area of your life and
every need you have. Each aspect that is vulnerable to disruption, requires a plan for how you
will handle it. This may be as simple as getting water from your well rather than using water
from the city. A more complex scenario may be having to grow your own food when food
supplies are limited.
At the very least, your plan must include:
 Where you will get your water from.

 How you will purify your drinking water.
 What you will do with waste water.
 How you will function without electricity, or how you can produce your own.
 Where you will get food from.

 What you will do for purchasing or bartering.
 Will you continue to work, and if so how?
 If you are unable to continue working, what will you do to pay bills and get the things
you need?
 Will you work with others or go it alone?
 How you will defend your home and family from potential threats.
This list is not a complete list of everything you will need to consider. This simply provides you
with a starting point. You will find many other things that you have to think about or even sub-
questions that many of these questions will bring up. The more thorough your plan and the
more of it you are able to put into effect before the crisis strikes, the better prepared you will
be. The worst thing you can do is wait until the crisis is upon you to start figuring out how to
survive it.
Chapter 5 - Increase Your Net Worth
There are a number of different ways that you can increase your net worth. Sometimes, it
involves taking a look at the world in a way that you are not used to. You see, your goal is not to
merely increase your paper worth, but to invest in tangible assets that people will need and
recognize the value. If your goal was to simply increase your paper worth, all you would need to
do is build a diversified stock portfolio.
However, this won’t really work because the stock market will be the first thing to collapse in
the event of a financial fallout. When the collapse happens, you can expect to lose 80% or more
of your current value in the matter of days. This will of course destroy the net worth of millions
of average Americans, and allow the 1% to acquire everything for pennies on the dollar.
This is why, if you want to steadily increase your wealth during times of a financial crisis, you
have to invest in tangible assets. Items that people will need and recognize in value, and assets

that will increase in value over time. You will also want to invest in foreign currencies that will
be better able to weather the storm.
That is all you have to do to increase your net worth during, and in the months and years
following a financial collapse. Luckily, there are a staggering number of great investment
opportunities for you. Here we will break them into categories and explain, in detail, why you
need them.
5.1 Your Mindset
When it comes to investing, your mindset is everything. The most important thing you can do in
times of financial crisis is to develop a strong, sensible plan that will allow you to keep your
family safe and your assets growing. You will also need to keep your wits about you. As
everyone else panics, you will be able to remain calm and disciplined and continue to execute
your plan.
The single biggest thing that you can do regarding your mindset, is to think globally. The
following chapters will show you that much of the plan that we are revealing will revolve
around traveling the globe strategically. This will allow you to take advantage of opportunities
as they arise. Remember, global is good.
The last thing to do with your mindset is your lifestyle. When the shit hits the fan, your lifestyle
will change, make no doubt about it. You will have to adjust your lifestyle and your expectations
to the new economic reality you are going to find yourself in.
During the Great Depression, a number of fairly well-to-do families could have saved
themselves from financial ruin if only they had the right mindset. They had the resources to do
it, but they made a tragic mistake. Their mistake was that they continued to live their life like it
was 1929, (before the crash). They didn’t adjust their lifestyles at all, that is until it was too late
to matter.
So they wound up going to, or throwing lavish parties, buying expensive toys, while bemoaning
the fact that they didn’t have the money to pay for their bills. Things didn’t end up well for
these families. It also goes a long way toward explaining why so many fairly wealthy individuals

wound up committing suicide in the months following the onset of the Great Depression. They
didn’t know how to downshift their lifestyle in the face of a changing economy.
Compared to the vast majority of the people in the world, you will be much better off. This
doesn’t mean that your lifestyle won’t change. If you are not flexible, if you don’t make the
necessary adjustments, you will end up being your own worst enemy.
5.2 Your Debts
You need to focus on paying off your debts. The reason you need to do this is because you will
ultimately owe that money to the members of the 1%. If the government is still able to
function, they will be doing the bidding of the 1%. The punishments they will inflict on people
who fail to pay what they owe will become increasingly draconian and punitive.
Another reason to make sure your debts are paid off is that if you are currently paying 19.9%
(or higher) interest on a credit card, that number far exceeds any return you may likely get by
investing, no matter what it is you invest in. Paying that off means that you are no longer
paying that rate of interest. That is just as good as earning that rate of interest, which makes
them your first choice.
This also needs to be applied to paying off your car and home loans. However, these debts
contain a new wrinkle. Post-collapse, your home will be your castle. That is, provided that it is
your home and not the banks. This is just another way of saying that it belongs to the 1%.
This doesn’t mean that you have to pay off all of your debts before you begin investing, but the
one thing that you will want to do, especially when it comes to making the decision to invest
over paying off a debt, is to compare interest rates. If the bill that you are looking to pay off has
a higher interest charge than the rate of interest you could earn from investing, then you will
want to pay off the debt first. If you stand to earn more interest from the investment, do this
first.
Remember, at this point, this is a race. Normally, when it comes to investing, you have a
timeline that can be measured in decades, or perhaps generations. When a financial collapse is
looming, your have to change your priorities. You have to think in terms of immediacy. This

means that you have to make tactical moves, factoring strategic moves into your plans as
calculated risks when that makes more sense.
5.3 Alternatives to the U.S. Dollar
The dollar is a sinking ship. It is barely worth the paper that it is printed on. However, there are
currencies out there that are in much better shape. Offshore corporations and bank accounts
will be the vehicles you use to begin making strategic investments in currencies that are better
positioned to do well after the crash.
After the collapse, there will not be a single currency that will be in good shape. Having said
that, there are three currencies that are currently positioned to do well in the months and years
following the crash.
The national currencies in the overall best shape will wind up being strong regional currencies.
This will lead the way to a relatively faster regional recovery. This will plant the seeds that will
lead to a broader, deeper, global recover.
The top four currencies that are currently in the best shape to play those roles are:
 The Swiss Franc

 The British Pound Sterling
 The Indian Rupee
 The South Korean Won
The Swiss Franc – Switzerland’s holding position is strong enough to weather almost any
financial storm. With a long history of financial conservatism, along with their location in
Europe, make the Franc a natural choice for a flourishing regional European unit of trade after a
financial collapse.
The British Pound Sterling – While Great Britain is, at least on paper, not in much better shape
than the United States, it has already been down this road. At the height of the British Empire,
they were in the same position that the US has been in since the end of World War II.
Their empire, as well as their currency has suffered much of the same fate that the US is about
too, and they survived. This fact makes them uniquely qualified to recover more swiftly from

the economic collapse that the world will endure when the USD collapses. Britain will surprise
the world with their resiliency.
The Indian Rupee – Like Britain, India’s currency, at least on paper, isn’t in great shape.
However, India has an enormous advantage nationally, which makes the Indian Rupee stronger
than it would appear. To start, India will be the country, to China, to decide the economic fate
of Asia and the Middle East.
Within fifty years, India’s population will eclipse that of China, making it the most populous
nation on the planet. Their population will also be significantly younger and more vibrant than
China’s.
Another reason India will survive and recover quicker from a financial crisis is that they are
moving much more quickly toward sustainability and India’s middle class and wealthy citizens
love gold. They buy it in huge quantities. Much of the gold is currently in the hands of the
private citizens, (in amounts that dwarf India’s rather modest gold reserves). It is easy to
envision that the Indian government will do exactly what the US government has done in the
past, confiscate much of the private gold wealth in the country. This will position the country to
begin backing the Rupee with gold.
The South Korean Won – Out of all the “Asian Tiger” economies, South Korea is in the best
overall shape. They are not in a position to compete with India in terms of becoming the
dominant regional currency, but they will be a strong complimentary currency once we start
digging out from under the chaos of the collapse.
5.4 Precious Metals
You can’t discuss possible alternatives to the US Dollar without talking about precious metals.
You will definitely want to include these items in your plan. You should currently be devoting at
least 10%, preferably 15-20% of the money you have to invest into precious metals like gold
and silver.
Since humans first started using money, silver and gold have been reliable, globally recognized
stores of value. These metals will once again become the standard units of trade when the

collapse happens. When currency first begins to reemerge, they will be backed by these metals,
just as they were until Nixon took us off the gold standard.
The prices of these precious metals are being driven up by a number of exogenous factors,
especially gold. Since there is a limited supply of these metals in the world, many individuals are
unable to afford to invest in them. This means that bigger players, like whole countries, can
drive up the price of gold. Don’t let this discourage you from making the purchase, you simply
need to understand the major forces impacting the market today and in the future.
China’s Buying Spree
China has been busy buying up everything. Oil and mineral contracts in Africa and other parts of
the world, raw materials, and gold. They have been buying a lot of gold. If China wanted to hurt
their long time rival, the United States, one thing they might want to do is to buy and hold a
bunch of US debt and dollars, which they have already done, and then buy a lot of gold.
At just the right moment, they could dump all of the dollars they have on the market,
destroying the US currency, using those dollars to buy as much oil as they can afford. The losses
that other nations holding dollars would suffer would be much worse than what China might
see. They could then use their vast gold reserves to more quickly stabilize their country’s
economy.
The India Factor
The Indian government has a decent amount of gold in their reserves. However, unlike the
private reserves of India’s citizens, the government’s reserves are not noteworthy. Indian
citizens love gold. They buy more gold than any other group on the planet. This provides India’s
government with an unrecognized pool of gold that can easily be tapped into if things got bad.
Remember, that in World War II, the US government began confiscating coins for the precious
metal content in them. With the simple stroke of a pen, it became illegal for US citizens to own
precious metals.
This is why it is recommended you obtain an offshore bank account. Should that happen again
in the United States, it would be in your best interest to have money set aside in an offshore

account that the government can’t touch. The bottom line when it comes to the India Factor is
that much of the recent increase in gold prices can be attributed to the insatiable hunger for
gold in the Indian market that shows no signs of slowing.
There is more to precious metals than just silver and gold. You should take into consideration
platinum and palladium as well. Both of these metals have a monetary history and both have a
variety of uses as well.
Storage and Security
Where storage and security are concerned, there are two things you have to consider. The first
is physical, on-site security, where bullion or coins are kept securely on your property. The
second is remote storage.
When considering the former, something simple and elegant will work. You can purchase a 10’
x 40’ Conex Container, bury it, and turn it into a very effective storage bunker. These types of
international shipping containers are solid steel and virtually invulnerable. Coupled with good
security on your property, augmented by two large-breed dogs, you have the start to a great
security system for your precious metals and other durable and trade goods you want to keep
close.
When it comes to remote storage, you should already have that covered in the form of an
offshore bank account. There are many banks that will handle precious metals and secure
storage. These banks are well positioned to survive a collapse. Using these banks will also make
it easy for you to conduct transactions without interruption simply with their word regarding
the amount of gold or silver you have in your account.
5.5 BitCoin – Good or Not?
Here we are using the term BitCoin not just to talk about the BitCoin, but rather as a
representation of a broad range of internet-based currencies. While some are purely digital,
others, like the BitCoin, are actual, physical coins.
These alternative currencies have been generating a lot of buzz as of late. They represent a
large, global experiment; examining alternative ways for handling commerce and economic

matters that exist outside the control of the government. As grassroots, economic experiments,
they are still in their infancy. However, you would do well to begin to participate in these
experiments as a way to gain contacts and familiarity with them.
While it is still too soon to predict which ones will shake out and prove to be a viable, long term
solution, you will want to limit your participation in the experiment to no more than 5% of the
money you have set aside for investments.
5.6 Barter Goods
When the economic collapse happens, the first several months will be the worst. This will be
when a bulk of the deaths will occur. After the riots have subsided, what wasn’t killed will be
finished off with the first winter without grid-connected heat. America will likely have half to
one third its former population by the time the next spring rolls around.
To give yourself the best chance, you will need to stockpile enough food and have a water
catchment and filtration system in place for at least 4-6 months. After this amount of time has
passed, people will start reaching out to those around them to trade for things they may be
lacking.
Different people will prepare differently. While one person may stock up on medicinal supplies,
they may end up lacking in canned goods.
Someone else might have an abundance of ammunition but be low on medicine. After the
initial bloodletting, survivors will begin to reach out to one another. Since paper currency will
be useless during this time, people will begin to engage in a direct barter system to trade goods
with each other.
Bartering will be the first steps you will take toward putting the nation back together. In order
to participate in a barter system, you will need to have goods to trade.
The following is a short list of items that you should focus on. These will be the items that
people are most desperately in need of in the post-collapse world.
If you have these supplies on hand, you will put yourself in a powerful trading position.

Short Term Items: these items have a shelf life of 18-months or less.
 Alcohol, (use for both medicinal and trading purposes)

 Baby food
 Baking Powder
 Baking Soda
 Beef jerky
 Bottled water
 Cereal
 Coffee
 Cooking oils
 Crackers
 Diapers and wipes
 Dried fruit
 Hard candies
 Honey
 Powdered juice mix
 Pancake mix
 Pet food
 Popcorn
 Powdered milk
 Spices
The above list will be the essentials that you will want/need to get you through the first year or
year and a half. However, this list barely scratches the surface. For the longer term, here are the
items you will want to stock up on:
 Canned goods (they last for years)

 Guns and ammo
 Seeds
 Rechargeable batteries (all sizes, including 40v batteries for electric tools)

 Gas/oil
 Knives, hatchets, axes
 Duct Tape
 Toilet paper
 PVC pipe
 Water storage tanks and filtering equipment
 Matches
 Flashlights
 Oil lamps
 Medicines (antibiotics especially, but general pain relievers, and anything else you can
find)
 Needles/thread
 Compasses
 Backpacks
 Shoes
 Clothing
 Building supplies (shipping pallets, used tires, five gallon buckets, cinder blocks, etc.)
 Gardening tools (hoes, shovels, etc.)
You will need a lot of room to store all of these items. Again, it is recommended that you
purchase a 10’ x 40’ Conex container as these are durable and cheap to purchase.
This is the cheapest way for you to store the items that you are stockpiling. This is by no means
a comprehensive list, but it is enough to get you started. There are hundreds of items that you
will need to survive in the post-collapse world. The items on this list will give you a good
number of things to trade with and enough supplies to get you over the worst of the collapse.
After the collapse, you will need to start thinking in terms of what you will need to provide your
own food and power. You will no longer be able to run to the corner store and pickup what you
need.

When it comes to the building supplies, it may look like junk to you now, but after the collapse,
they will be as good as gold. This will enable you to build chicken coops, pens, or even shelter. A
single used truck tire can be packed with mud and used to create an impenetrable wall.
You can also go more high-tech and build a FabLab. This technology allows you to print almost
anything you could ever need.
5.7 Different Types of Currency
Previously, currency was discussed as having two masters. This doesn’t have to be the case. It is
possible to design currency in such a way that it only serves one master. You can design
currency that isn’t a store of value.
Local currency can make a big difference in the lives of the people who use it. You can make
literally anything into currency. People in a community simple have to agree on a given unit of
trade. As long as each participant agrees that the currency in question has value, then it has
value. As long as all of the participants agree that it can serve as a medium of exchange, then it
does. All it requires is an agreement between the people and confidence.
5.8 Specific Investment Strategies to Employ
When it comes down to it, while the above is well and good, you need specifics for it to be
successful. The following are specific investment strategies that you can employ to see the
value of your assets steadily rise, even during times of a financial crisis.
You can mix and match these strategies as you see fit and depending on your personal level of
expertise in investing. Right now, the important thing is momentum. The clock is ticking and if
you have started preparing yet, you need to, now.
5.9 Buying Gold
This is the easiest and probably the most straightforward strategy you can employ. In times of
financial distress, people go looking for the sure bet. Gold and other precious metals are the
sure bet. This is because gold has been a store of value and unit of exchange since the
beginning.

As a store of value, gold is about as safe as it gets. You know the financial collapse is coming and
when it gets here, everyone is going to start trying to buy gold in huge quantities. But with a
limited amount of gold to buy, the prices are going to go through the roof. If you start buying
gold now, ahead of the financial collapse, you’ll be buying it on the cheap. That is “cheap” in
terms of the relative price it will reach when more and more people try to buy it. The gold you
buy today will be worth a whole lot more in the future. This is how you use gold and other
precious metals to increase your assets during the times of financial turmoil.
When you combine the price pressures of China’s massive buying spree and the insatiable
market in India, with a looming financial crisis, and gold becomes a safe bet, no matter how
conservative you are with your investment strategy.
5.10 Short-Selling Stocks
When you think the price of a stock is going to fall in the future, you want to short-sell the
stock. This is a way to sell something that you don’t actually own. You can sell shares of a
company’s stock (even though you don’t technically own it), with a promise to buy it back at a
specified date in the future.
If the stock price happens to fall, you’ll be buying it back at a lower value than when you sold it.
This allows you to pocket the difference. If, however, the price of the stock rises between the
time you sold it and the time you have to buy it back, you’ll have to make up the difference out
of your own pocket.
Because you are reading this book, you will be able to spot the crash in advance, and in the
weeks leading up to the crash, you can identify companies that will be ruined by the coming
crisis. This will allow you to make a killing on the stock market.
5.11 Put Options
In a similar vein, you can use “put options” to your advantage. Here, you enter into a contract
that gives you the right, but specifically not the obligation, to sell a given stock at a
predetermined price.

This is how you would use this investment strategy. With a put option, you maintain the right to
sell that stock at an agreed upon price. During the life of the contract, if the price of the stock
falls below the agreed upon price, you can still sell the stock at the specified price by your put
option. This means you can still get the original amount out of the sell of the stock. Your profit
is the difference between the actual selling price and your option price.
Some people think that this will give you an unfair advantage because you know what’s coming.
However, that is what these kinds of markets are for. When you think about it, it is in a way, the
same as legalized gambling, but your advantage is you have all of the cards stacked in your
favor.
This allows you to gain tremendous profits. While it means that someone else loses, it is really
in the nature of the market itself and not something that you are doing. The bottom line is that
everybody who participates in this type of market knows the risks.
5.12 Play Defense
There are some companies that seem to thrive, even during financial turmoil. These are
companies that produce items that you see every day. When the collapse happens, those who
have managed to hold on to their jobs will probably forgo the five-dollar cup of coffee they
used to get from Starbucks. It is a luxury that most people will learn to give up. However,
people will still be buying toothpaste and toilet paper for as long as they are able to. These
types of companies will continue to be solid performers during times of financial turmoil.
5.13 IEFTs
Few people outside the investment world know what an IEFT is. The acronym stands for
“Inverse Exchange-Traded Fund.”
You may also see these called “Bear ETFs” or “Short ETFs” because they have many of the same
traits as short selling stocks.
The one difference is that you are actually investing in a whole fund, rather than an individual
company, which helps to mitigate your risks.

5.14 Broker or No Broker?
Investing can be scary for some people. They think that they don’t have the necessary expertise
to make a good investment decision. Because of this, they are dead set on using a broker.
When it comes to your profits, brokers charge a commission on every transaction, which ends
up eating into your profits.
While you may find value in having a broker for some instances, like when short-selling stocks,
you only want to use them until you learn the ropes. Once you gain a certain level of comfort in
investing, you will be better off going it alone. The good news is that there are some companies
that allow you to do just that. The two most popular are AmeriTrade and Scott Trade.
These companies charge a very small, flat fee for each transaction you make using their service.
This ends up being much cheaper than using a broker for your investing. These sites also have
some fairly robust investing tools that you can use to your benefit. The specifics vary from
service to service, but the bottom line is pretty much the same. There are millions of people
currently making a good living day trading through these sites.
5.15 Other Tips
One of the best things you can do for your own portfolio is to copy the moves of the big fish.
Set up Google alerts that will notify you of headlines concerning people like Warren Buffet and
George Soros.
As part of the elite 1%, they know when to make the necessary moves to not only survive the
crash, but to get richer from it. By doing literarily the same things as them, you can do the
same, just on a smaller scale. When you see an alert describing a financial activity taken by one
of the people you are following, copy their move to the best of your ability. It’s that simple.
When it comes to utilizing an offshore bank account, it is important to know that the US
Treasury Department has a transaction reporting rules for any transaction that is greater than
$10,000. This means that if you pull $10,000 or more out of one of your US accounts in a single
transaction, the Treasury Department files a report on it. It is important to understand this. It is
the Treasury Department’s policy to track all movement on large dollar amount transactions for

anyone that keeps their money in the United States. This gives you all the more reason to move
your money offshore.
You may be thinking that you will just keep your transactions to no bigger than $9,999.99,
Unfortunately, the Treasury Department is on to this idea. If you do that, and move more than
$100,000 in a given twelve-month period, you will be spending your time in jail. This happens
because you are a) violating their reporting rules, and b) you’re trying to keep them from
keeping tabs on you, which is something they don’t like.
Something else you may be thinking is that this would never apply to you because you don’t
have that kind of money. You may not have it right now, but if you follow the rules set out for
you in this book, that can easily change in the future.
Yes, a financial collapse is coming and yes, it is possible to increase your net worth, even in a
bearish economy. It is accomplished by the 1%ers all the time. There are many who believe that
the wealthiest among us intentionally engineer periodic financial crisis as a way to further their
own wealth. They do this by sending the economy into a tailspin, depressing prices, then buying
assets for pennies on the dollar, leaving everyone else to suffer.
If they can do it, so can you. You have to get into the right frame of thinking and make a habit
of being in the right mindset. You will need to get into the mindset that will be needed to thrive
in the post-collapse world.
There will be two kinds of people in a post-collapse society, those who thrive, and those who
die. Some will die quickly, while others will struggle in increasing despair before succumbing.
You want to do everything you can to make sure your family thrives. Formulating your
investment strategies both before and after an economic collapse is absolutely necessary for
you to thrive.

Chapter 6 – Preparing for Economic Meltdown
We’ve talked about the need to create a plan, but any plan is only as good as its execution.
You’ll need to be ready to put the plan you created into action. You will need to start preparing
for the economic meltdown now. If you wait until the economic meltdown to start
implementing your plan, it will be too late.
Knowledge is the single biggest thing you will need in the case of an economic meltdown. Just
like for any disaster. If the infrastructure we depend upon to live fails, you will nee to be able to
do things differently than you are used to; ways that aren’t common in modern society. Your
most useful asset will be knowing how to do things without the benefit of society’s
infrastructure.
This will become even more important than having guns to protect your family. While you will
still need firearms, however you will need to have the knowledge of how to use the firearm.
You may think you know how to do things like how to purify water, or raise chickens, or even
grow a vegetable garden. But, until you actually do it and do it well, you don’t know. Every new
skill will need to be practiced, in order to survive the economic meltdown, from purifying water,
to cooking over a fire.
When the economic meltdown hits, you will need to start doing things differently, which means
you will need to gather the necessary supplies and equipment to work with. The list of things
you will need will actually be rather lengthy considering all that can go wrong during this time.
It is best for you to start thinking about some lifestyle changes so you can be prepared when
the economic meltdown happens. Rather than waiting for the collapse to happen, you will want
to get started on some of things that you will do ahead of time.
An ideal example is growing a vegetable garden. If you start now, you not only have the benefit
of learning how to grow one effectively, but you are also able to eat the produce that you grow.

Making these types of changes will allow you to accomplish several things:
 Save money so that you can buy things you need to stockpile.
 Prepare you for living a more frugal lifestyle, reducing some of the shock when it comes.
 Learn new skills you will need to survive.
 Give your family the confidence it will need to survive.
 Teach your family how to work together in an emergency situation.
These are all skills you need to train on to prepare you and your family to survive at all cost.
6.1 – What Changes Should You Make?
The past economic collapse forced people to dramatically change their lifestyles. Even those
who were able to keep their jobs and businesses were forced to make radical adjustments in
their lives in order to survive. There is no reason to think that things will be any different here
than they were in Argentina. In fact, they could end up being worse.
The reason it could be worse is that there is nobody that can bail out the United States. The
2009 housing collapse showed us that when anything negative happens in the U.S. economy
affects the world as a whole. Since other countries will end up suffering as well, there is no way
that they will be able to bail us out.
Liberals have clung to the idea of redistributing the wealth of the wealthy in order to take care
of the country’s problems. If you were to take all the money from the 100 richest people in the
United States and add it together, it wouldn’t cover the government’s bills from January 1st till
tax day.
Another thing that could make the crash here in the United States worse is that most
Americans aren’t prepared to live without their comforts. People in other countries are more
accustomed to doing things themselves rather than relying on society to do it. They know how
to accomplish the basic things like slaughtering a pig and plucking a chicken. These are things
that the average American hasn’t had to do for generations.

The only people, in reality, who have the necessary skills to survive are farmers and the people
who have returned to homesteading. The rest of us could starve to death, sitting in the middle
of food simply because we don’t know how to harvest what nature provides.
Here are several lifestyle changes that may help your family be ready to survive the meltdown.
Pay off Your Home
During a financial crisis, home mortgages are dangerous. If you don’t have enough income
coming in to make the monthly mortgage payment, chances are high that you could easily lose
it. It doesn’t matter how prepared you are, if you don’t have your home, you are going to find
yourself in trouble.
There are a number of strategies around for paying off your mortgage early. You can find all of
the necessary information on how to pay off your home early through a number of sources.
You may also want to consider downsizing. Selling your existing home and moving into
something smaller can help you reduce your mortgage payments or even possibly the length of
your mortgage. This would make getting rid of your mortgage sooner, a lot easier. In the event
of the financial crash coming before you manage to pay your mortgage off, your payments will
be smaller, making it easier for you to keep making those payments.
Pay off All Other Debt
All debt is a liability. By paying off your outstanding debt, you eliminate the risk of lenders
coming to take what you have. While the most important debt to get rid of is your home
mortgage, paying off other debt can make it easier to pay off your mortgage quicker.
When you pay off your debt you effectively decrease your monthly cost of living. This can free
up more of your money to use toward preparing for the pending crash or some other activity
your family wants to do. The vast majority of Americans have limited options due to the debt
they hold, which limits the decisions they can make.

Learn to Do Things Without Electricity
So much of our lifestyle depends on electricity. We use it for everything, from preserving our
food to entertaining us. However, a common problem during times of financial crisis is the loss
of electricity, in the form of service interruptions.
When service is lost, many of the things we take for granted are lost as well. Our ability to store
and cook food is compromised, as well as our ability to work.
We also lose our lighting and most of our communications. You need to find an alternative for
everything you use in your life that is electric powered.
Should the power go out, this means having a replacement that can be used to do the same
job. There are some cases where you might be able to do without, but this needs to be
analyzed and a determination needs to be made.
Re-do Your Budget
One of the best things you can do to prepare for a financial meltdown is to establish a more
frugal lifestyle. This means re-doing your budget. This will be something that will carry over
when the economic collapse happens. Establishing this ahead of time helps train you and your
family to be more careful about how you spend money, but it also allows you to save money
that can be used to buy and stockpile necessary supplies.
Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, which doesn’t necessarily mean they are using
their money wisely. The may be eating out three times a week, or spending $400 per month on
their cell phones and another $300 per month on entertainment, always complaining that they
don’t have enough money to buy basic emergency supplies.
The average family typically spends more than they need to on things they don’t necessarily
need. Buying new cars is one example. Banks and the auto industry make a lot of money off of
families who are making payments on two cars at a time.

For some, their combined car payments are higher than their house payment. While it is
necessary to have a reliable vehicle, having two car payments every month isn’t necessary.
Buying older cars and avoiding the high monthly payments is a better option.
Eat Healthy
The most expensive things that most people eat is junk food. As a nation, we spend a fortune
on prepared foods, snack foods, and sweets. You probably won’t be able to afford all this junk
when the financial meltdown comes. You’ll end up eating much simpler foods, which carry
more nutrition.
Eating a lot of junk food also takes its toll on your health. Medical expenses can be extremely
high, especially for those who have avoided eating healthy. Eating healthy can make the
difference between life and death; helping to protect you from a life-threatening medical
problem.
Get in Shape
This goes hand-in-hand with eating healthy. Being in good physical health helps protect you
from common medical problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. All of
these conditions can become life-threatening. Getting in shape will also help prepare you for
the physical rigors of survival.
It requires much more physical work to live without all the modern conveniences we have
become accustom too. We have gotten used to letting machines do the things that we used to
do ourselves. Many of us can’t do the physical work necessary for surviving without modern
machines.
Find Like-Minded People
Many survival and preparedness experts recommend banding together with other like-minded
people and forming a prepping community. In the wake of a disaster, the community would

gather in one place to live and work together. Every member of the community would be
assigned an area of responsibility based on their unique skill set.
Working together in a prepping community has many advantages. Being in the right community
can increase your chances of surviving during an economic meltdown. However, the wrong one
can cause problems, with people leaving the group and taking their supplies with them. Be
careful selecting which group to join.
Take the time to investigate the morals and personalities of the others in order to make an
informed decision about whether the group will stay together to help each other out or
become selfish and steal from each other.
6.2 What Should You Learn?
Learn How to Do Things Yourself
Not too long ago, the average person knew how to do simple repairs on their car, home, and
lawn mower. Today, we depend on others to do all of that for us. While this helps the economy,
it doesn’t help your family. You are spending money to pay others to do things that you should
be able to do yourself.
Doing things, yourself can save you a ton of money. You will have to buy the tools, but these
tools will allow you to save even more money down the road. You will be living above your
income level because you won’t be paying others to do the things you can do yourself.
Learn How to Recycle Trash
Like during the financial collapse in Argentina, the need to recycle everything possible will result
in very little garbage. You can simplify this task by sorting waste into piles. You will need pile for
reuse/recycling, compost, combustibles, and a garbage pail.
With your new budget, you won’t be constantly bringing home shopping bags of food, clothing,
or other items, so most of the “waste” you generate will come in the form of cans, boxes or
buckets as you start consuming your food storage.

Most food waste will go in the compost pile. A compost pile is where microbes will aerate the
soil, break down organic waste and turn it into nutrient-rich humus.
The finished compost will improve the quality of the soil in your vegetable garden and replace
the nutrients that it would otherwise deplete.
You will be able to re-purpose the small amount of combustibles that you produce to heat your
home and cook your food.
These items will go into the burn pile. Be careful if you decide to burn plastics and other
materials as they give off toxic fumes.
Learn How to Defend Your Home and Property
Hopefully you will never be in a situation where you will need to defend your home. However,
with an increase in mob violence during the economic meltdown and a rise in crime, you are at
a higher risk for needing to defend your home.
Defending your home in such a situation will be much harder than defending it from thieves
during “normal” times. You may end up needing to protect your home from a hungry mob,
especially if that mob finds out that you have food stockpiled in your home.
If you live on a rural farm, or in an urban apartment, it is important to realize that after the
collapse other people will kill you and eat you if given the chance. As long as there is rule of law,
basic infrastructure is functioning and people aren’t starving, they are a completely different
animal to deal with when they are deprived of those things.
People are capable of doing terrible things, which are constantly splashed across the front page
of the online news outlets and featured on the daily news. For the most part, Americans have
chosen to insulate themselves from the darker side of mankind. When people display their dark
sides, we lock them up so we don’t have to deal with them. However, once the money runs out,
the local department of corrections will have no choice but to open the gates and let the

criminals out. These are criminals that you’ve probably never had to deal with and they will be
hungry and out on the streets.
When there are laws in effect, you are expected to only use the amount of force necessary to
protect against death or grievous bodily harm. When you defended yourself, you would also
have to defend yourself in court. Your actions would be measured against the “reasonable
person test,” meaning the jury would ask themselves what a reasonable person would have
done in your situation.
After the financial collapse, hesitating will get you looted, which won’t be much different than
killing you outright. Hunger is not a pleasant way to die. Overcoming hesitation is the key to
protecting your household.
Most people will experience denial when it happens. Since you now know about the coming
financial collapse you are able to consider which specific triggers will tell you when to
implement your defense plan.
Just knowing what is coming and how desperate people are going to get gives you an
advantage. You are afforded the time to prepare the battlefield. Knowing what triggers to
watch for will provide you with the foresight to avoid getting taken by surprise at the onset of
the crisis.
Learn Survival Skills
When the electricity goes out and we lose other services, we will be forced to revert back to a
more primitive level. You will find that survival skills we don’t use everyday will be needed. Like
purifying water and starting a fire can be the difference between life and death in a power-
down situation.
Just because you are at home, doesn’t mean that you will have reliable services. While you may
not use these skills everyday, there may be times when things go bad for a few days at a time.

When you are assessing your survival skills and deciding where you will need additional
training, you don’t want to overlook the important areas. You need to be sure to include all of
the following basic areas:
 Self defense, situational awareness & small unit tactics.

 First aid and emergency medical care.
 Shelter against the elements, fire, cordage & cold or hot weather survival.
 Water (how you will find it, transport it, and make it drinkable).
 Food production, procurement, preparation and storage.
 Transport, travel & land navigation (backpacking, maintenance & care of your
transportation, how to use a map & compass).
 Communications & signaling (shortwave, 2-way radio, amateur radio & signaling).
You need much more than simply understanding the principles at work when learning survival
skills. There is a learning curve involved and your first attempts at learning them should come
well before the economic collapse. Take the opportunity to go camping or backpacking.
Learning in a controlled environment void of panic, confusion, and adrenaline is much easier.
Skills like self-defense, making a fire, and tying knots gets easier with practice. Even basic tasks
can present obstacles under adverse conditions. Without training and practice, your chances of
survival will be slim at best. With practice you will develop confidence in your ability to survive
in any environment.
The most important skill you can have for your survival is a positive attitude. A positive mental
attitude will do more to help you survive, than anything else.
6.3 – What Should You Stockpile?
During the collapse in Argentina, everything was in short supply, especially the most basic
things needed to survive. While you might have been able to find a jewelry store that was well
stocked, nobody had money to buy the jewelry.

Food, fuel, ammunition, and medicines were difficult to
find. You want to have a good selection of basic
necessities and survival supplies if you are going to
survive an economic collapse.
Some parts of the infrastructure won’t totally disappear,

although they won’t be dependable.
City water service is a prime example; most preppers

expect the city water service to go down.
While this could happen during a number of different

disasters, it was not something that happened in the
Argentinean collapse. However, the quality of the water
they received was below par; it wasn’t safe to drink. So, even though you might not need a well,
you may still need a way to purify water so it will be safe to drink.
What was worse than the city water going out during the Argentinean collapse, was the loss of
the city’s water treatment system.
There were constant sewage backups, which created unsanitary living conditions. For those
who lived at lower elevations, it was worse, as they would have to deal with the worst backups.
However, it could hit anywhere.
The same thing happened with the Carnival cruise ship, the Triumph. When it lost power,
people were left without the ability to even flush their toilets. This caused the sewage system
to overflow and there was literally sewage running down the walls. This created an extreme
health risk, the same type of risk that could happen in any city during a disaster.
With an undependable sewage system, it was necessary for families to dig outhouses behind
their homes. Families not digging their outhouses correctly created another health issue.
Disease became rampant due to the unsanitary conditions.

For the most part, electrical power remained on in Argentina, although they did suffer through
periodic power outages.
They would come unexpectedly and they never knew how long they would last. Fortunately,
most of the outages only lasted a few days at a time. Nevertheless, trying to live a few days
without electricity can be difficult.
You must be prepared for services to go out, just as you would in any other disaster. The good
news is that even if it were to go down, it would probably be just a matter of a few days before
it was back up.
Examining all the things that went wrong in Argentina makes it clear that there’s an extensive
list of things that we should be stockpiling in order to be ready for the meltdown.
While the following list won’t be 100% complete, these are major items that you need to have
on hand.
Practical Tips to Stick to When Stockpiling
Think compact and maximize your space if you don’t have a lot of room for your stockpile. Store
dehydrated food instead of canned or boxed food.
Don’t tell anyone that you are preparing for the economic collapse. If they don’t know you are
stockpiling, you can always use plausible denial.
Hide and camouflage your stockpile. Non-perishable foods can be stored in your kitchen pantry
and the rest needs to be hidden from the eyes of neighbors and visitors.
Don’t hid your stockpile in the hallway closet or in the basement. These will be the first place
looters will look. Use a secret compartment/room inside your house.
You can mask it with a false wall. When stockpiling, do it inconspicuously. Don’t bring home big
items on Sunday morning when your neighbors are outside.

What You Need to Provide Your Food and Water
Food
One of the hardest things to get your hands on in a financial crisis is food. Although food is still
being produced, it doesn’t mean that it will get to the stores. Even if it does manage to find its
way to the store shelves, with runaway inflation there is no way you can be sure that you’ll
have the money to pay for it.
Before World War II, inflation was so rampant in Germany that people were taking
wheelbarrows full of money to go buy a loaf of bread. Employers would have to pay their
employees twice a day, allowing them to leave work to use the money they were paid to buy
food. If they didn’t spend the money right then, it would lose value.
As you are preparing your stockpile, you want to include foods that are easy to store for long
periods of time, without electricity. With electrical power being spotty during these times, you
don’t want to have food that can easily spoil. Canned and dry foods work well for long-term
storage. This is especially true for canned goods.
Dried foods like beef jerky and dried fruit are also good choices. You can rehydrate the beef
jerky to make soups and casseroles. These foods will store for a long time if they are properly
packaged to protect against bacteria, insects, and oxygen.
It is not recommended to start your stockpile off by buying prepackaged “survival food.” These
meals are very expensive for the amount of food you actually get. While they are excellent and
will provide you with the nutrition that you need, the cost per serving is much higher than what
you can do on your own.
Heirloom Seeds
During a financial crisis, food will be hard to come by; you may want to be ready to grow your
own. You can essentially grow enough in your own backyard to feed your entire family. Even if
you don’t have the gift for growing things, anything you do grow will help your family.

Heirloom seeds are different from other types of seeds that are available on the market. These
seeds are the old seeds, from before GMOs were invented. They not only provide you with
healthy crops, but their seeds can be harvested and replanted for the next year’s crops. You can
have an unending vegetable garden with a good supply of heirloom seeds.
Another bonus to using heirloom seeds is that the plants don’t mature all at the same rate.
Being able to pick your tomatoes and peppers over a few weeks is much better than having to
pick them all at the same time.
Water and Water Treatment
While you need to store some water for emergency use, it is more important that you have a
way to purify water.
There are a number of different ways to purify water, from mechanical filters to chemical
purifiers. They all provide a way for you to eliminate the bacteria and other microorganisms in
the water, which can make you sick.
A mechanical filter is a filter in which the water passes through it. The simple filters you can
buy for your home aren’t good enough. These filters typically are able to filter out all
impurities down to five or ten microns.
The problem, however, is that bacteria is smaller than that. They are usually about two
microns. Viruses are even smaller at about 0.2 microns.
Spend the money to invest in the better quality filters that meet these requirements. Some
of the best ones on the market can be back flushed, allowing the filter to be used forever.
These purifying systems don’t do much for chemicals or minerals that may be in the water,
however, the bigger risk to your health are the bacteria and microorganisms.

Having clean water during and after the meltdown is so important that you might want to
consider having a main water treatment system, along with an alternative system. The main
one might be one of the better mechanical filters, with iodine or chlorine bleach ready to be
used as the secondary one.
To ensure you always have a supply of clean water, store the following items:
 2% tincture of iodine
 6% sodium chloride unscented liquid bleach
 Chlorine Dioxide-based water purification tablets or Chlor-Floc powder
 Food grade calcium hypochlorite with approximately 70% Chlorine (store calcium
chloride pool shock if you can’t find the food grade product)
 Chlorine dioxide & phosphoric acid liquid
 Quality ceramic filter (gravity)
 Quality mechanical ceramic filter (hand pump)
 Water pasteurization indicator (WAPI) or super WAPI
 Cart or wagon (if you need to haul water to your home from a river or lake)
 Bulk water storage tanks
 New, food grade 55 gallon barrels, bung caps, bung wrench, siphon pump
 Hand pump
 Water containers of various sizes
 Potable water/drinking water hose (long enough to reach from the spigot to your main
water storage tanks)
 Measuring cups and measuring spoons
 Coffee filters
 Extra large stock pots
 New 5-gallon buckets
 Glass eye dropper bottles (darkly tinted instead of clear)
 Water purification instructions

What You Need to Provide Heat and Energy
A Generator
For the amount of money, you spend running one, generators don’t provide a lot of power.
They are terribly inefficient. However, having a generator may allow you to do things that you
otherwise couldn’t do, like running a refrigerator.
An inverter generator will produce as much power for much less fuel. While this type of
generator costs more to buy, you will save money in the long run and make your fuel stockpile
last longer.
Alternative Power Sources
We live in a society that is addicted to electricity. It is required for much of what we use on a
daily basis. When the electrical power goes down, many of the things that we use will stop
working. While having a generator will help with this, it is not a very efficient way to produce
electricity. Solar panels or wind generators are a good alternative to provide an ongoing source
of electrical power.
Both solar panels and wind generators use renewable resources that are almost always
available. Investing in this type of equipment can be expensive, but once it is purchased there is
virtually no maintenance cost.
Before purchasing either solar panels or wind generators, you have to consider the type of
climate you live in. Buying a wind generator when your location sees very little wind, isn’t going
to do you much good. If you live in a climate where both types of equipment will work, then
you would be better off investing in both.
Either of these power sources should be used to charge a battery bank. This allows you to store
the power you are producing for the time that you need it. These battery banks use 12-volt lead

acid batteries. The batteries are connected to a voltage inverter, which allows you to use the
power in your home.
Fuel
Even though you aren’t able to store enough fuel to last long-term, it is still important that you
store some.
You never know when you might have an emergency and need to get to a hospital. If you want
to run a generator to provide power to your home, run a lawn mower or a chain saw, you will
need to have some fuel stored.
Because gasoline doesn’t store well for long periods of time, there are additives you can buy to
put in the gasoline to prolong its useful storage life.
The easiest way to store it is to rotate your stock. Every week you can take a five-gallon can of
gas from your stockpile and burn it in your vehicle and replace it with new gas. This way you will
never have gas on hand that is more than a few months old.
Batteries
Many of the devices we use everyday require batteries. During a crisis, finding batteries can be
difficult. Stockpiling AA and AAA batteries will allow you to continue to use many of your
portable electronic devices. Also check to see what other kinds of batteries the equipment you
use requires and be sure to keep plenty of those kind around as well.
When it comes to bartering, batteries are a great tool to use because most people don’t keep a
good supply of them on hand. One of the leading battery manufactures has just reformulated
their alkaline batteries, claiming they now have a ten-year shelf life.
Alternative Heat Source
You may not have heat in your home with the power going out and other utilities being
unreliable. Depending on where you live this could be deadly.

You’ll need to find an alternative method for heating your home. If you have a fireplace, then
you are already ahead of the pack.
All you need is to stockpile good hardwood firewood and you’re set. If you don’t have a
fireplace, then you need to invest in a wood burning store or kerosene heater. Whichever you
choose you need to ensure you have a good supply of fuel to go with it.
If you’re caught in a situation where you are having to depend on the alternative heat source, it
is best to close off the majority of the house and keep everyone in one or two rooms. While this
might get a little crowded, at least everyone will be warm. Close off any doors to the rest of the
house and hang blankets over them for added insulation.
Candles and Oil Lamps
When the power goes out, you will lose the lights. Flashlights can be a great alternative source
for lights, however, unless they are the new LED flashlights, you will go through a lot of
batteries in a short amount of time. Candles and oil lamps are a great alternative to provide
excellent lighting at a very low cost.
If you are planning on using candles, the best ones to have are the fat white ones. These types
of candles burn all the wax, as the area that is melting will be smaller than the diameter of the
candle. Tall, thin ones, like tapers, waste too much wax dripping down the sides. Once the
candle has burned down to the quick, the leftover parts can be melted down to make new
candles.
You can also make candles in empty jars. The jar acts as a ready mold and they keep any wax
from dripping. The jars contain the heat better, allowing the wax to melt all the way out to the
edges of the jar. You can use the lid as a snuffer as well as a way to keep the wick dry during
storage. Using a clear glass will allow the light to be unimpeded, increasing the illumination to
the room.

Oil lamps are also a great light alternative. While they are intended to burn off of light mineral
oil, they will burn just about anything. Both mineral oil and cooking oil can be used. Just be
cautious, as some types of oil smell bad and put off a lot of smoke.
What You Need to Stay Healthy
Medical Supplies
During a crisis, medical services are always overwhelmed. Between this, the lack of finances,
and transportation difficulties, going to the doctor might be a bit of a challenge. There are a lot
of things you can take care of at home with a little knowhow and the right supplies.
The first thing you need to have is a good first-aid kit. One that you put together yourself will be
much more beneficial than one that you can purchase at the store for $9.95. These small
prepackaged kits can only take care of a few small wounds. Between having to do things that
you normally don’t do in order to survive, and defending your home, the chance of a major
wound or an injury from a gunshot are much greater.
At a minimum, you need to have the following in your kit:
 Bandages (various sizes)

 Larger bandages (sanitary napkins work very well for large wounds)
 Knuckle bandages
 Celox (a clotting agent)
 Elastic bandages
 Medical tape Antiseptics (to clean wounds)
 Antibiotic ointment
 Sutures (if you know how to use them)
 Splint material (there is a formable, padded aluminum splint material that works very
well)
 Disposable latex gloves
 Petroleum jelly

 Hand sanitizer
 Thermometer
 Sterile eyewash
 Bulb suction device for flushing out wounds (a turkey baster will work)
 Activated charcoal
 Aloe Vera gel
 Anti-diarrhea medication
 Antihistamine
 Pain relievers
 Calamine lotion
 Hydrocortisone cream
These items will allow you to take care of a variety of injuries and illnesses. You can buy
adhesive sutures if you don’t know how to suture a wound. You will also need to have stock of
any prescription medicines that members of your family need.
Personal Hygiene Items
Personal hygiene items will probably end up in short supply. Soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes,
deodorant, and shampoo may become extremely valuable because they are so hard to find.
Take an inventory of everything your family needs, not necessarily everything they use, and put
in a stock to last several months.
Toilet paper is another item that will be hard to find. This item may become one of the most
valuable things around when it becomes hard to find. Make sure you have a good stock of TP
on hand.
You will need to be sure to include feminine hygiene supplies if you have women in the family.
While there are other things they can do, they will be much more comfortable if they have the
right supplies on hand. Something as small as personal comfort will make a huge difference.

Keeping antibacterial hand cleanser on hand could prevent a lot of disease, especially if water is
in short supply or untrustworthy. Washing you hands in impure water won’t keep you from
getting you sick, but using an antibacterial hand cleanser might.
Cleaning Supplies
Social unrest is often accompanied by more filth, increasing disease. Being able to keep your
home clean will be important for keeping your family healthy.
What You Need for Your Defense & Long Term Survival
Guns & Ammo
In every case of an economic meltdown, there is an increase in social unrest, mob violence, and
increase crime rates.
There is no crisis that is more likely to cause a general breakdown in law and order, than an
economic crash. You need to be ready to protect your home and family.
In Argentina, the crash forced law-abiding citizens to go around armed all the time in order to
protect themselves. People wouldn’t answer the door at night, unless they knew who it was.
Theft, kidnapping and robbery became common place as people struggled to survive.
It is a lot easier to own guns in the United States than it is in Argentina. In order to own a
firearm, people had to have permits. Those who couldn’t afford to purchase firearms or obtain
the permits were at the mercy of the criminals. The only thing they could do was try to stay
hidden.
When the economic meltdown hits, it may become necessary for you to defend yourself form
desperate people. You need all the advantage you can get if that should happen. The only cure
for a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. You can’t just buy guns and ammo, you have
to learn how to use them and use them well. Shooting in a tactical situation is much harder
than shooting at a still target. You need to have the skills to shoot at moving targets, engage in

multiple enemies at once, shoot in low light situations, and shoot while you are on the move. If
you aren’t able to do all that, the bad guy may just win the battle.
Barter Good
While barter co-ops rose up in Argentina, there is no way of knowing if they will spring up here.
However, they aren’t a unique thing. When the economy collapsed in Russia, city squares
turned into marketplaces where people would bring what they had to sell or trade. This also
happened in Greece.
When monetary systems go down, people turn to bartering. Put yourself in the position to buy
things for your family that aren’t available at the market by stocking barter goods. Any of the
supplies that you need can be used as barter goods.
The best barter goods you can stockpile are the things that feed people’s vices. Even if you
don’t use them yourself, it’s a good idea to have them on hand for trading.
Others will trade you just about anything to be able to get their hands on these items;
especially cigarettes and alcohol.
Skills and Items for Bartering
Useful Skills
 Basic emergency and medical care (how to stabilize a broken limb, how to reduce or
stop traumatic bleeding, how to apply sutures to a wound etc.)
 Mechanical knowledge (how to repair generators, farm equipment, cars etc.)
 Gunsmithing, repair and ammunition loading
 Metalworking / blacksmithing
 Woodworking /carpentry
 Butchering animals
 Weaving, tailoring, sewing, mending

Useful Items
 Cigarettes, cigars, and loose tobacco

 Lighters, matches, and / or butane fuel, and other fire starters
 Alcohol (beer, wine, champagne, hard liquors, pure alcohol)
 Older (pre-1964) US silver coins
 Non-GMO, organic and heirloom seeds
 Sugar, salt, pepper, and other spices
 Tools and hardware (hammers, saws, wrenches, nails, screws, work gloves)
 Glasses
 Meds, syringes & insulin
 Condoms & personal hygiene items
It is more important to know how to use these supplies than it is to have these supplies. The
most important thing you can have to help your family survive is knowledge.
You could be sitting on a mountain of valuable, life-saving supplies. However, if you don’t know
what to do with them, there is still the possibility you’ll die. Imagine having the world’s best fire
starter, but not knowing how to use it.
You could freeze to death trying to start a fire. Even things that seem simple can be surprisingly
complex.
Don’t just stockpile items because someone tells you to. You have to make sure you know what
you are getting and how you are going to use it when it becomes necessary.
You have to figure out what works best for you and your family.
6.4 Plan, Plan, Plan
When it comes to preparing for a financial collapse, one of the biggest problems people have is
that there are just too many different things to do. Just looking over the list of things to

stockpile and prepare can be overwhelming. Everyone battles with these same feelings. With
the right plan you can accomplish your goals.
The single biggest mistake that you can make is trying to do everything at once. You don’t have
the time, energy, resources, or mental capacity to do everything at once. You’ll be much better
off, concentrating on one thing at a time.
Take the project and break it down into smaller objectives. This might require breaking some
tasks down into several separate tasks. One example is stockpiling food. You will have to spread
this task out over several months or even a couple of years, unless you have a lot of money
sitting around.
The best thing to do is break it down into manageable chunks and intersperse other tasks in
between. You will get more done and not become overwhelmed with the impossibility of
completing everything at once.
Once you have broken things down, you need to prioritize the tasks. Stockpiling supplies for
barter in no where near as important as building a stockpile of food to feed your family. Being
able to filter your water is high priority, finding a way to use the Internet when you have no
power isn’t. You have to base your priorities on how important the task is to your survival.
This concept is going to be even more critical when the financial crash happens. The survival
tasks you have to complete then will be even more critical. You won’t be used to doing these
tasks, making them more difficult for you to complete. If you don’t learn how to concentrate on
one task at a time, you will find yourself becoming overwhelmed and not completing any of
your tasks.

Chapter 7 – Survival Skills for Safely Hunkering Down
Most of the written materials about survival are written from the view point of wilderness
survival.
While some of these skills can be readily transferred to an urban setting, most of them can’t.
Urban survival is different in several key regards:
 You have shelter available, so you don’t have to make it.

 Lighting a fire in the middle of the floor is a good way to lose your shelter.
 You can’t trap small game to eat (the neighborhood cats and dogs don’t count).
 You probably don’t have a pristine mountain stream to get water out of.
 Your neighbors will get upset if you cut down their trees.
 There are a lot more people around, making it much more dangerous.
 Being at home, you have much more equipment available to you (assuming you actually
buy useful things with your money).
Even with the differences, urban survival consists of the same basis elements. You still need the
same things, but your manner of obtaining them and using them is different.
It is important that you understand what you will need to survive.
While you may believe that food, clothing, and shelter are the basic necessities of survival,
there are actually other things that are more important like:
 Maintaining body temperature

 Potable (clean) water
 Food
Clothing and shelter exist to help you take care of maintaining your body temperature. Since we
don’t have fur, we need clothing to help us keep our body heat inside our bodies. Shelter, like

clothing, protects us from the weather, which accomplishes the same thing. However, just
keeping wind and rain off of us won’t guarantee that we will be warm enough, we need to add
heat to our shelter as well.
This brings us to a fourth item we need to survive, fire. In and of itself, fire won’t keep you alive,
and might very well kill you. That’s why it wasn’t included on the previous list. However, fire
can be used to accomplish all three of those basic needs. You can use fire to maintain your body
temperature, to purify water, and to cook the food.
To survive in an urban environment, you have to manage to do those three things, while
keeping others from killing you for your shelter, water, and food. An urban environment can
make these things easier to some extent, but it can also make things much harder.
7.1 Maintaining Body Temperature
Out of the three things listed previously, not being able to maintain your body temperature is
the most important thing to consider because of the speed in which it can kill you.
When talking about body temperature, we’re talking about your core temperature; the center
of our body where our vital organs live. Your core temperature can’t drop very much without
causing serious health problems or even death.
Hypothermia, or the loss of body heat, can kill you in a matter of three minutes. One of the
really insidious things about hypothermia is that you can die from it without you ever realizing
that you are dying.
Even if you are so distracted by other things that you don’t notice that you’re cold, your body
will recognize it and cause you to shiver.
With hypothermia, you keep getting colder and reach a point where you can no longer feel
cold, but rather begin to feel warm again. This is where the real danger lies. This is a sign that
your body is starting to shut down and has given up reporting that you are cold. A loss or climb

of even a couple of degrees will greatly reduce your ability to function, which could ultimately
lead to death.
Being able to keep yourself warm is a very high priority when it comes to your survival. Clothing
and shelter both help to keep us warm. Our clothing creates a buffer zone between our body
and the outside temperature.
Air pockets in the insulation create a gradual shift from body temperature to ambient
temperature. The more air pockets, the better the insulation.
The second layer of protection we have against a falling body temperature is shelter. Everyone
has some sort of shelter. The shelter protects us from heat, cold, rain, and snow. Its main
purpose is to keep the weather out, even though most homes have some insulating capabilities.
In order to heat and cool our homes, we require electricity. Even if you have gas heat in your
home, electricity is still needed to control it. Without electricity to open the gas valve and start
the fire, your heater will just sit there taking up space.
While electrical power probably won’t be shut off completely, there is a good chance that there
will be service interruptions. We also have to remember that the country’s electrical grid is the
most fragile part of our infrastructure.
With the reduced maintenance that an economic crisis would cause, there is a good possibility
that the power outages will become the norm. In these cases, you will still need to find a way to
heat your home. Fortunately, there are a number of options to chose from.
Create a Micro-climate
It is a lot easier to heat a small space than it is to heat your entire home. If you have the
resources, you can double or triple up with family, trusted friends, or neighbors to create the
manpower needed to mount a watch in defense of your home, to work a garden and you will
use far less resources than running two or three separate homes.

To create a micro-climate, choose a room or two to seal off. Use rooms that don’t have vaulted
ceilings if you have them because heat rises and having a large volume of air to heat overhead
would be very inefficient. If you only have vaulted ceilings, set up a tent inside the house. You
are trying to create a smaller volume of air to have to heat since fuel of any kind may be in
short supply. If you only have one wood stove, then that’s the room you want to set up in.
Set up a battery powered carbon monoxide detector and give a fire extinguisher to whoever is
on guard duty. Hang sheets of plastic with duct tape to keep most of the air from escaping from
one of two rooms. If you have them, hang blankets with screws or nails. Use them to black out
your windows and keep any light form being seen from the outside of the house. You will need
some air to freely circulate and vents to provide you with fresh air since you will likely have
open flames in the room.
Everyone will need to sleep in sealed-off rooms in order to make use of the body heat and to
further conserve fuel. Don’t try to turn the area into a sauna, as this will create ice where the
air vents are, which will be a sure sign that someone is in the home. The idea is to take the edge
off the chill. Wearing more layers of clothing will keep everyone comfortable in a colder-than-
normal environment. In a small, well-insulated space, even a single oil lamp can make a big
difference in the temperature.
A wood stove will do a better job and will give you a reason to store up on cords and cords of
wood, and will also provide you the opportunity to obtain all the tools you would need to
harvest more firewood.
While any kind of wood will burn, some species will give off more heat than others and provide
food with more pleasant flavors. All firewood needs to be dried, cut to stove length and split in
order to get the most out of it.
Run Your Furnace Off a Generator
You can use a whole house or portable generator to power your furnace. If you decide to go
this way, you need to have a really good idea of the power consumption of your furnace,

refrigerator, and other critical items in your home. Those with gas heat will have a better
advantage in this case, as the only power that the furnace will require is for the controls and
blower motor.
Running your home off a generator can be very expensive. A portable generator might use a
gallon of gas per hour, while a whole house generator can cost you upwards of $200 per day to
operate. Whole house generators have an automatic switch that will disconnect the house form
the power grid in a power down situation. This same switch will start the generator, leaving you
to only experience a momentary power outage. With portable generators, you will have to use
extension cords. This means you will have to put a plug on your furnace, at the air handling
unit, so that it can be disconnected from your home power and connected to the generator.
Run Your Furnace Off Batteries
There is the possibility that you can run your furnace off of a battery backup system. You would
normally find these at major computer centers or even with connection to an off-the-grid
electrical system. You can install a battery backup system, without needing an alternative
power system. The batteries would get charged from the power grid and can be used when the
power grid is down.
A battery backup system consists of a bank of deep-cycle, 12-volt, lead-acid batteries. A charger
is need to charge and maintain the charge of the batteries. To use the power that is stored in
the batteries, you will need to have a voltage inverter. An inverter will take the 12-volt DC
battery power and convert it to 120-volts AC. Installing a battery backup system is expensive,
but the maintenance and operating costs are extremely low.
The problem with battery backup systems is that if the output of the system is connected to
your home’s power, it will draw all of the power out of the batteries without providing you with
any advantage. In order to effectively use a battery backup system, you will have to purchase a
whole house switch, like those used for whole house generators, or you will need to connect
everything via extension cords.

Use a Fireplace
One of the most common ways to heat a home without the use of electricity is a fireplace.
However, fireplaces aren’t extremely efficient in transferring the heat into the room. On the
other hand, they are extremely easy to use, relatively inexpensive to operate and will burn
almost anything flammable.
A fireplace only has the capacity to heat the room where it is located. Therefore, to make the
most use out of a fireplace, you need to close off the rest of the house and keep everyone in
that room as much as possible. You can hang blankets over doorways if there are no doors
between the room with the fireplace and other adjacent rooms.
To improve the efficiency of the fireplace, there are several types of inserts that you can install.
These inserts work by allowing the fireplace to warm air in a metal tube. The air is then
released back into the room, increasing the temperature. The problem with these is that they
require electricity to run the fan motors that are needed for them to operate. There are some,
however, that work purely by convection, drawing cooler air off the floor and returning it to the
room through outlets that are mounted higher up.
Cast-Iron Stoves
A cast-iron stove will provide you with much more heat than a fireplace and burn much less
wood. When cast-iron stoves first started being utilized, people ran the chimney of the stove
into the fireplace chimney. This works well if you already have a chimney in place. If you don’t
have a chimney, the cast-iron stove’s chimney can be routed directly up through the roof.
In an emergency situation, the chimney from a cast-iron stove can be run out through a
window. You simply have to remove one of the panes of glass and place a piece of plywood into
the space between the chimney pipe and the widow frame to keep the cold air outside.
You can also use a cast-iron stove that is designed to burn wood pellets, rather than normal
firewood. These types of stove are more efficient than the regular cast-iron stoves. However,

they will only work with pellets; you can’t use regular firewood with them. This means that you
would need a good supply of wood pellets to work with the stove. Or you can create your own.
Getting the Most Out of Your Firewood
Because of the sap, you want to burn as little pine as possible. Use hardwood for burning, as
they burn longer because the wood is denser. Elm, hickory, oak, beech, ash, mesquite, and
locust are all good woods to use.
Wet wood splits easier than dry wood. Split your wood so that it is no bigger than 3- to 6-
inches at its broadest width and short enough to fit in your burner with at least 3-inches to
spare.
Before burning make sure the wood is dry. Wet wood has up to 50% moisture, to burn
efficiently, it should have less than 25% moisture. Ready-to-burn wood will make a hollow
“thunk” when the pieces clank together and will be relatively light in weight and the ends will
be darkened.
Kerosene Heater, Portable Heat
Kerosene heaters are pretty efficient and provide abundant heat that can be moved from room
to room as needed.
However, you need to have a ready supply of kerosene to run them. Depending on your
location, kerosene may or may not be readily available.
Besides being portable, kerosene heaters are fairly cost effective. The heater is relatively
inexpensive and kerosene is inexpensive in areas where it is used for heating.
In other parts of the country, the only place where you can buy kerosene is from paint stores,
or the painting department of a home improvement centers.
If you live in these areas, you should consider using a different alternative to heat your home.

Miniature Do-It-Yourself Heaters
Heat can be created by anything that burns. This means you can make your own heater out of
whatever you have available to burn. Smaller heaters can be used to cut the chill in a room or
even at a table where you are working.
You can make a heater out of any can, like a tuna fish can and some cardboard. Cut a strip of
corrugated cardboard that is as wide as the depth of the can. Cut across the corrugations so
that you you have long strips where you can see through the holes in the corrugation.
Rub the strip of cardboard in fat or grease. The grease will actually work better as it covers the
cardboard with a thicker coating. Once the cardboard is greased, roll the piece as tightly as you
can so that it will fit into the can.
You need to have the entire can filled, without any open space in the middle, extra space
between layers, or space outside the cardboard coil. Your heater will work better when you are
able to fit in as much cardboard as you can. However, be careful not to crush the corrugations,
flattening the cardboard; you need the spaces for the heater to work properly.
You can have the same effect when you use oil instead of grease. Rather than coating the
cardboard before rolling it up, simply pour the oil into the can after you’ve put the cardboard
in. Fill the can about halfway, soaking all of the cardboard.
This heater can be lit with any fire starter. To extinguish the flame, put the lid on the can or put
a larger can over it.
This type of heater can be quickly converted into a stove, giving you a quick and easy means to
cook, as well as keep your hands warm. To make a stove you will need a larger can with the top
removed. Clean and dry the can.
Then, punch holes in the sides of the can near the top, so that there is a way for air to enter for
the fire. To use, the can must be placed upside-down over the heater.

DIY Project for Heating Off-Grid: The Candle Heater
Required Parts
 1 - 8” unglazed terra cotta flower pot (approx. $3.50)

 1 - 6“x 1/4” metal bolt (less than $1.00 each)
 9 - 1/4” metal nuts (approx. $2.00 for all 9)
 10 - 1 1/2” metal washers (less than $3.00 for all 10)
 1 metal basket large enough and strong enough to support weight of the candle heater
(ex: a bare metal corner shower holder - approx. $4.50)
 1 votive candle (approx. .50 cents)
 1 fireproof tray for candle drippings (less than $1.00)
TOTAL PRICE: approx. $20
How to Do It
1. Place one washer on the bolt. Place bolt through the 8“ flower pot so that the washer sits
on the outside of the pot.
2. Turn planter upside down and put one washer on the bolt at the bottom of the pot. Secure
the washers with one nut. The nut should be tight enough to keep the bolt in place, but not
so tight that the clay pot will crack when it expands during heating.
3. Place second nut on the bolt. Take 6“ pot and place in the 8“ planter so that bolt goes
through the hole. Adjust second nut so that rim of 6“ pot is even with the 8“ pot.
4. Remove 6“ pot and place washer on top of second nut. Place 6“ pot on top of washer.
5. Place another washer on bolt inside 6“ pot. Secure washers for 6“ pot with nut. Once again,
the nut should be tight enough to keep the pot in place, but not so tight that the clay pot
would crack upon heating.

6. Use similar steps for the next layer: take 4“ pot and place in the 6“ planter so that bolt goes
through the hole, adjust so that rim of 4“ pot is even with the 6“ pot.
7. Remove 4“ pot and place washer on top of second nut, then place 4“ pot on top of washer.
8. Place another washer on top of the nut securing the 4“ pot. Place a nut on top of the next
washer. Repeat placing nuts and washers to finish building the radiator assembly. You
should have 4 washer “fins” and approximately 3/4 inch of bolt left bare.
Operating the Candle Heater
1. Set basket or can on a fireproof surface and well away from anything else that might catch
fire.
2. Put candle on drip tray and place both inside the bottom of the basket.
3. Light the candle.
4. Turn the heater upside down and place on top of the basket.
7.2 – Clean Water to Drink
After heat, water is the next highest survival priority. Whereas losing your body heat will kill
you in as little as three minutes, not having enough water to drink will kill you in about three
days. Drinking water that is impure can kill you as well; it will just take a bit longer.
Many see water coming off a mountain stream as being safe to drink. However, we don’t know
if it is safe or not because the things that make it dangerous aren’t visible, except under a
microscope. Just because water may look clear, doesn’t mean that it is safe to drink.
The Unseen Danger Hidden in Water
There are a lot of waterborne pathogens that can make you extremely sick. Bacteria, protozoa,
viruses, and other parasites like to make their homes in water. Many of these things can make
you extremely sick.

For the most part, the sickness consists of vomiting, diarrhea, and intestinal cramping. The
problem with this is that all of these things can kill you. It is called dysentery, a common disease
in third-world countries and a common enemy during any time of social unrest.
It is possible to cure dysentery, as long as it is properly diagnosed and the right medicine is
administered. Because dysentery is not a common disease in the states, doctors can easily miss-
diagnose dysentery, for the simple fact that they lack familiarity with it.
While it may seem overly simple, diarrhea and vomiting can dehydrate you. This is done
because they take water that the cells need.
Once enough water is taken from the cells, the body’s functions stop working properly. While
there are many things that can go wrong, the most serious is that the heart has to work harder
to pump thick blood that doesn’t have enough water in it. This can ultimately cause a fatal
heart attack.
So, during the economic meltdown, you need to have both a source of water and a way to
purify the water so that it is safe to drink and cook with. It is best to have multiple sources and
multiple ways to purify it considering how important it is to your survival.
You will need quite a bit of water in order to survive. In a temperate climate, you need to figure
that each person will need a gallon of drinking and cooking water everyday. If you happen to
live in a hot climate, you will need to increase this number to two gallons of water per person
per day.
That is just for cooking and drinking. You will also need to have water to wash yourself, your
clothes, and your dishes.
Water Sources Near Your Home
Most people aren’t fortunate enough to have a naturally flowing stream or spring on our
property, which means you’ll have to work a little bit harder.

Sources of water at your home. Hopefully, you’ve stockpiled some water, but that clearly won’t
be enough. In addition to that obvious source of water, you also can use the water in your hot
water heater, the water in the tank of your toilet, not the bowl, or a fountain or swimming pool
if you have one. These sources will give you enough water to get through the first couple of
days.
Looking further away, there are probably ponds, stream, rivers and canals where you can get
water from. This will require you to have some way to carry the water back to your home, as
well as a way to purify it. Take the time now to map out which of these sources of water you
have near your home so that you have this information when the time comes.
It doesn’t really matter where it comes from, water is water. While clean looking water won’t
clog up your filters as fast as dirty water will, it doesn’t mean it is any safer to drink. You are
going to have to purify whatever water you get, so don’t turn up your nose at water sources
just because there are algae growing in it or it seems a little muddy.
Something else you can do is put in a well. Having your own well gives you a limitless supply of
free water. While having a well drilled is very expensive, there are ways you can put one in
yourself.
In some parts of the country, you can find water just 20 to 30 feet below the surface. Drilling
companies will tell you that you will have to go down a couple hundred feet in order to find
good water. While in one sense they are right, the water that deep will be better, when you are
looking for any water you can get, you aren’t necessarily looking for the best.
You can put in what is known as a “driven well” if you have soft ground to work with. This
process consists of pounding a well point into the ground until you get deep enough to get
water. The drill point is a metal rod with a point on it that is two inches in diameter and three
feet long. The sides of the drill point have screening so that it can work as your well screen also.
You literally pound the point into the ground with a sledge hammer, adding pieces of pipe as
you go.

If you live in an area where there is a lot of clay and rock, you would be able to use a driven
well, but rather you will have to drill a well. This means you will have to rent or buy a well drill
and drill a hole into the ground. There are a number of advantages to this method. You have
the ability to go much deeper and have a much larger diameter. This allows you to use a
submersible pump.
When it comes to well water, you always want to make sure you purify it before using it. Unless
you had your water tested and have a reliable way to monitor what’s in your water, you don’t
know what sorts of parasites it may contain. Just like with water from streams and ponds, you
need to be suspicious of it, taking the effort to purify can save your family from getting sick.
Purifying Water
When purifying water, there are a number of options at your disposal. Most options fall within
the following categories: filtration, UV disinfection, boiling, activated charcoal absorption, and
chemical disinfection.
There is no one solution that is perfect for disinfecting water of all contaminants and pollutants,
but understanding their strengths and weaknesses allows you to select a combination that will
work for the water you have available. Water purification is one of those things where some is
much better than none.
Before you use any of the methods, you have to allow the collected water to settle, particularly
turbid water.
Once solids have had the chance to settle, carefully decant the cleaner water off the top. Be
sure not to disturb the sludge that will form at the bottom of the container. If you use white,
clear or light-colored buckets you will be able to more easily see the suspended solids.
Use a coffee filter or cheesecloth as a pre-filter to run the settled water through. This will
lengthen the life of the filter and extend the time between cleanings. Doing this will also
improve the effectiveness of UV sterilization and chemical disinfection methods.

The easiest way to purify water is through mechanical filtration. Mechanical filtration counts on
a filter to remove all objects larger than a certain size. A 0.2-micron filter will remove almost all
bacteria. Some filters have special cartridges available that will kill viruses.
Spend the money on a quality filter if you plan on using mechanical filtration. A low cost filter
won’t be as consistent in removing deadly pathogens. Some of the best filters on the market
are back-flushable. This means that clean water can be run backward through the filter in order
to clean it out. This gives them the life expectancy of somewhere around 1,000,000 gallons of
water.
Bio-Filters
There are also bio-filters that you can make. These filters are used worldwide and are very
effective when it comes to removing pathogens and even some chemicals from water. It has
been used successfully in third-world countries for decades. It is essentially the same filtration
process that is used in city water treatment plants, just on a smaller scale.
There are three layers in a bio-filter. The first is a layer of gravel that removes large impurities.
The second layer consists of sand to remove smaller impurities. The third layer consists of
activated charcoal. The water first passes through the gravel layer where large foreign objects
are eliminated. Then it passes through the sand, which removes the small foreign objects.
Finally, the water passes through the activated charcoal, which removes bacteria from the
water and some chemicals. Activated charcoal is charcoal that has had air blown through it. This
opens the pores and gives it a massive surface area for its size. This is why it is so effective at
removing pathogens.
The larger the filter is, the more effectively it can work. You will be limited by the size
container(s) that you have available. Using a five-gallon bucket works quite well as a bio-filter,
taking naturally occurring water and converting it into potable water. To do this, fill the bucket
about 1/3 of the way with each ingredient; putting charcoal on the bottom, then sand, and
finally gravel. It is best to separate each layer with screening or cloth to keep the materials from
settling downward.

You can make your own activated charcoal by either breaking pieces of charcoal off an existing
wood fire or buying pieces of wood in a metal tin with a small hole pierced in the lid. Place the
tin in the fire and leave it. A small flame will appear at the hole. This is caused by the
hydrocarbons outgassing from the wood. Leave the tin in the fire until the small flame goes out.
You now have charcoal, but not activated charcoal yet.
The “activated” part is important. It means that the charcoal has been air-blown, opening up
the pores in its surface. It is these pores that capture the bacteria, making them a very
important part of the filter.
Break the charcoal into small chunks, about 1 mm to 5 mm in size. If you have an air
compressor, you can use it to blow air at the surface of the charcoal, opening up the pores. If
you don’t have an air compressor you can still accomplish the same thing with a straw and your
own air or by constructing a bellows.
Now that your charcoal is activated, you can use it to absorb heavy metals, such as you would
find in water collected from rooftops or in urban areas. It can also be used in your bio-filter to
capture bacteria. Clean out as much of the dust as possible by rinsing all your material several
times in water. Poke a hole in the bottom of your container so that the purified water can drain,
then layer the materials in the filter.
The first several gallons of water will still be high in sediment and will need to be thrown out.
Once the water starts coming though fairly clear, it will be safe to drink.
Chemical Disinfection
Adding chemicals to the water to kill any pathogens in it is called chemical disinfection. Iodine
and chlorine are the most common chemicals used in this method. Neither chemicals will work
100% on cryptosporidium in cyst form. Cities often use chlorine to kill bacteria in your water. At
times, this can be smelled when you open the faucet to get a glass of water.
Chlorine is the same chemical that is in ordinary household bleach, which is used to whiten
clothes and for cleaning. You don’t want to use the color-safe bleach, but rather the standard,

inexpensive bleach. This type of chlorine bleach is uniformly deadly to bacteria and other things
that can be found in water.
To use bleach for water purification, add 8-16 drops of bleach for every gallon of water. Stir the
water and let it sit for 20 minutes or turbid. This will give you the time needed for the chlorine
to kill the bacteria, making the water safe to drink.
Water that is purified chemically may still look nasty and dirty. All chemical disinfection is doing
is kill the bacteria in the water, not filtering out impurities. Let the water sit overnight, allowing
the impurities to either float to the top or settle at the bottom. Then you can either skim the
impurities off the top, or pour the water off.
To remove an excess chlorine taste, run the water through a layer of activated charcoal or allow
it to sit long enough to allow the strong chlorine taste to dissipate.
If you don’t have chlorine bleach, or the bleach that you have is more than six months old, use
calcium hypochlorite in granular form (pool shock) to improvise bleach. Pool shock, unlike
chlorine bleach, can be stored in excess of 10-year before its effectiveness begins to diminish.
Bleach degrades by about 20% a year after it is first produced and another 20% each year after
that. Mix two level tablespoons of pool shock with three cups of water to create improvised
bleach. Then you can use it just like you would the 6% sodium hypochlorite bleach. A one-
pound bag of pool shock can disinfect 10,000 gallons of water.
Chor-Floc
Chor-Floc is a chlorine dioxide-based water disinfectant chemical that comes in the form of
tablets or powder with the added benefit of flocculent. Flocculants bind to suspended
contaminants, causing them to settle as a layer of sediment at the bottom of the water
container. This helps to reduce turbidity, reduce the amount of time that is required for the
water to settle, and removes most of the larger organisms that other chemicals are not able to
kill. The longer the chor-floc is allowed to work before drinking the water, the more micro-
organisms in cyst form that it will kill.

Most companies selling water purification tablets use a combination of sodium chlorite and
sodium dichloroisocyanurate dehydrate. This allows the continual release of chlorine dioxide
over time as soon as it is removed from its foil wrapper.
The directions on the wrapper will instruct you to quickly put the tablet into the water to be
purified and allow it to sit for four hours before drinking. This has caused people to think that
they don’t have time for the tablets to work.
However, using this product in clear, room-temperature water will have it free of cysts in half
an hour. It is only cold, cloudy water that takes four hours to be completely disinfected.
Iodine
Iodine is used in much of the same way as bleach. Rather than adding eight drops per gallon of
water, you have to use 18 drops of 2% tincture of iodine to see the same results.
The biggest advantage that chlorine has over iodine is the availability of chlorine bleach.
Once you open the bottle, the iodine tablets will have a shelf life of three months. Iodine
crystals, if stored under water and not exposed to air for long periods of time have an unlimited
shelf life. You have to let the iodine sit in the water for at least 30-minutes for it to be effective.
If the water is cold a turbid you will have to let it sit for longer, since the iodine will be less
effective. To remove the taste after purification with iodine, use a vitamin C pill.
The ascorbic acid from the vitamin C pill, will precipitate the iodine out of the water. It will also
stop the disinfection of the water so be sure not to add it until the iodine has had plenty of time
to do its magic.
Keeping children properly hydrated using chemically disinfected water can be difficult because
of the strong aftertaste.
To mask the chemical aftertaste, utilize powdered drink mixes. It is also a good idea to keep
CeraLyte packets handy to help treat dehydration and diarrhea.

Boiling
Another common, but not entirely efficient method of water purification is boiling. Water boils
at 212ºF at sea level, which will kill most bacteria. Boiling is an effective way to kill
cryptosporidium and giardia, but in order to kill botulism, water has to be heated to 242ºF. A
pressure cooker has to be used to reach this temperature. Boiling the water will not remove the
chemicals that have boiling points of 212ºF or heavy metals. However, you can use a
combination of a rolling boil for one minute followed by filtering the water through an activated
charcoal absorption layer. This will neutralize most pathogens and pollutants.
Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI)
Another option for pasteurization is to check the temperature with a water pasteurization
indicator. A simple device that was developed to use in third world countries, it consists of a
plastic vial with a wax pellet. The WAPI is floated in water that is being pasteurized. When the
water reaches the required temperature of 149ºF, the wax pellet melts, dropping to the bottom
of the vial. When the pelt drops to the bottom it indicates that the water is safe to drink. Milk
and other foods must be heated to 160ºF. You can also use a black pot, jar or other vessel to
pasteurize the water. Whichever vessel you use, you need to make sure that the WAPI is
suspended in the deepest part of the venter of the vessel and that it isn’t touching any side.
The WAPI is inexpensive, compact, and can be used many times over.
Pasteurization
This is one of the easiest ways to purify water. Unlike boiling water on the stove, pasteurizing
water can be done using solar power.
To use solar power to pasteurize water, start with a clean soda bottle. This needs to be clear
plastic so that the sunlight isn’t blocked. Fill the bottle with water, and lay it somewhere in the
sun. To help the sun heat the water in the bottle, lay the bottle somewhere that will provide a
dark background. This will allow more of the sun’s light to be converted to heat.

You will need to leave the bottle of water in the sun for several hours in order for it to reach
149ºF. Allowing the water to sit for a short time at that temperature will allow the bacteria to
be killed, making the water safe to drink. After the bacteria has been killed, you can move the
water into the shade so that it can cool down before you drink it. As long as the bottle remains
sealed, the water inside will remain safe to drink.
You shouldn’t depend on just one method to purify your water. Any filter can eventually clog up
or break. Any chemical purifier can run out eventually. Make sure that you not only have extra
filters and chemical purifiers on hand, but also have more than one method available.
Practical Tips on How to Purify Water Naturally Using . . .
. . . Apple and tomato peels
Peel the apples and tomatoes and place them in rubbing alcohol. Allow them to soak for 20
minutes. Remove the peels and let them dry out. Place them in a container with the water that
you need purified. Wait a few hours before drinking the water.
. . . Sunlight
Fill a plastic bottle with water and place it in the sunlight for a least six hours. The ultraviolet
rays will kill the parasites in the water. This method of water purification works as long as the
water reaches 30ºC for a minimum of five hours.
. . . Citrus Juice
Put a squeeze of citrus in the water to clean it for drinking purposes. Speed up the process
using sunlight and lime for the best results.
. . . Charcoal
Cut off the end of a 2-liter soda bottle. Fill the smaller opening with a piece of fabric to prevent
the charcoal from falling out. Place the crushed charcoal into the container, creating a matrix

for the water. Place the DIY filter on top of another container and slowly pour in the untreated
water. The clean water will drip out of the bottom of the filter.
7.3 – The Unglamorous Outhouse
The breakdown of society that accompanies a financial crisis sets the perfect backdrop for an
outbreak of dysentery. Our modern sewage system and treatment of waste water is aimed
specifically at preventing such an outbreak to occur. Should anything happen to the sanitary
sewer system or the wastewater treatment plants, we could easily see an outbreak of
dysentery.
Dysentery has been around for a long time. Long before our modern flush toilets and
wastewater treatment plants. Had we not found a way to prevent it, our ancestors would have
all died off long ago. They found an effective way to deal with it that is still effective today, the
outhouse.
Simply put, an outhouse is a hole in the ground with a small building placed over it. There is no
fancy plumbing, it is just a seat with a hole in it. The waste falls into the hole, gradually filling it.
When the hole is almost full, it is filled in with dirt and another hole is dug.
There are some basic rules you need to follow when digging your outhouse. The bacteria that
accompany human waste can travel as far as 100 feet through the ground. This means that you
want the location of your outhouse to be far away from any water source. If you have a well,
the outhouse needs to be at least 100 feet away from it. You also need to be cognizant of what
is downhill of the outhouse. If water were to leak out of the outhouse hole, where will it go? If
there is a pond or stream downhill that people might be getting water out of, think of another
place to put the outhouse.
When it comes to creating an outhouse in an emergency, most people think that a shallow hole
will be adequate. However, if it rains there is the chance that the shallow hole will fill up with
water and overflow. While you may think that this is a good way to get rid of the waste, in
reality it is a good way to spread the bacteria around.

When digging a pit for an outhouse, it needs to be at least five feet deep. This allows for it to
rain without the fear of the hole filling you and running over. You need to take the dirt from the
hole and bank it around the outhouse, raising the ground level and making the outhouse a little
bit higher than the surrounding terrain. This will help keep standing water on the ground from
flowing into the outhouse pit.
If your outhouse does overflow, you will have to treat the entire area to be sure to kill all the
bacteria on the ground. This can be done by mixing bleach and water and spraying it on the
ground. Be sure to soak the entire area.
You also want to make sure that your outhouse is a least 30 feet from your home. You don’t
want the smell from the outhouse to permeate into your home. Be sure to mark at least 20 feet
around the outhouse as unsafe and don’t let children play there.
The building around the pit is there more for privacy. There are different designs that work
better than others. You will need to have some kind of seat over the pit with the pit blocked off,
except the hole under the seat. This will keep things from accidentally falling into the pit.
7.4 – What About Food?
The first thing we recommended was that you stockpile food. Grocery stores stock an average
of three days’ worth of merchandise.
When it comes to food, it’s even lower. Those shelves may very well be empty when the
meltdown comes. Just finding enough food to feed a family, and having the money to pay for
that food may become a real challenge.
The food you stock could very well be the difference between life and death for your family.
However, even the largest stock of food will eventually run out. There is no way that you can
realistically stockpile enough food to last you the rest of your life. Along with being financially
unrealistic, where would you store that much food?

For those of us that don’t have a ten-year stockpile of food, there are other options. Along with
the food that we can store, there is the food that we can grow.
Along with the items that have been suggested to stockpile, a supply of heirloom seeds can go a
long way to feeding your family.
You may not think that growing a vegetable garden in your backyard is fun, but it is definitely
preferable to starving. You can grow quite a bit of produce in the average backyard with the
proper care. You may have to cut into the children’s play space, but in place of that you can
teach them all about gardening.
If you aren’t used to growing your own vegetables, don’t wait until the crisis hits, start now.
Growing vegetables takes time to learn.
The time and money you spend learning how to grow a vegetable garden will be well worth it
when you are able to keep your family fed.
Another major issue to consider is the problem with GMO foods. These types of food are largely
untested, so you don’t really know if you are getting adequate nutrition when you consume
them. You also don’t know if they are slowly killing you.
There are currently a lot of rumors floating around as well as some scare stories. With your
own vegetable garden, you don’t have to feed your family food that you are unsure about.
Now, a vegetable garden isn’t going to bring you enough food to live off of, especially if you
were a carnivore before the collapse.
Creating an aquaponics system gives you the ability to eat meat as well as grow vegetables.

Practical Tips on What to Grow Using Aquaponics
Plant Name Light Light Soil pH and Ideal Grows Best with Avoid
Intensity Duration nutrients Temp planting
in Hours Ranges with
Basil Full 14-16 Acidic 70-80 Tomato, pepper, Sage

eggplant, broccoli,
Brussel sprouts,
grapes, parsley
Broccoli Full 8-10 Neutral to 65-75 Basil, lettuce, Grapes,

acidic, spearmint, onion, strawberrie
needs sage, thyme, s, cabbage,
calcium tomato, Echinacea cauliflower
Brussel Partial 10-18 Neutral 70+ Basil, spearmint, Strawberrie

Sprouts Echinacea, spinach s
Cabbage Full 10-18 Neutral 65-75 Onions, thyme, Strawberrie

sage, spinach, s, eggplant,
lettuce, rosemary, tomato,
spearmint, grape,
Echinacea pepper,
broccoli,
cauliflower
Cauliflower Partial 10-18 Neutral to 65-75 Sage, thyme, Cabbage,

acidic, Echinacea, spinach tomatoes,
needs strawberrie
nitrogen s, broccoli

Dandelion Shade 8-10 Alkaline 60-75 tomato Shade
makes
dandelions
more
competitiv
e
Echinacea Full 10-15 Alkaline 70-85 Peppers, tomato, None

broccoli, cabbage,
cauliflower, Brussel
sprouts, eggplant
Eggplant Full 8-10 Neutral to 70-85 Peppers, spinach, Cabbage

acidic thyme, basil,
lettuce, Echinacea
Grapes Full 10-15 Acidic, 65-85 Basil Cabbage,

needs iron broccoli
Lettuce Partial 10-18 Acidic 45-65 Brussel sprouts, Cabbage,

eggplant, onions, broccoli
spinach,
strawberries,
tomatoes
Muskmelons Full 8 Acidic to 70+ Pumpkin, squash, None

neutral watermelon
Onion Full 14-18 Neutral 65+ Broccoli, cabbage, Sage

lettuce, peppers,
rosemary, spinach,
tomatoes,

strawberries,
parsley squash
Parsley Full 8-10 Neutral 65+ Onion, tomato, Spearmint

basil, eggplant,
spinach, peppers
Pepper Partial 10-18 Neutral 70-80 Basil, onions, cabbage

spinach, tomatoes,
parsley, Echinacea,
eggplant
Pumpkin Partial 10-18 Any 65-90 Muskmelon, None

squash
Raspberry Full 10-15 Acidic, 65-90 none Strawberrie

needs iron s
Rosemary Full 10-15 Neutral 70-80 Cabbage, sage, None

onion
Sage Full 8-10 Neutral 70-80 Cabbage, broccoli, Onions,

rosemary, basil
cauliflower
Spearmint Full 8-10 Neutral 70-90 Cabbage, Rodent

tomatoes, squash, foods,
broccoli, Brussel parsley
sprouts
Spinach Full 14-18 Neutral 60-70 Cauliflower, None

cabbage, eggplant,

strawberries,
onion, Brussel
sprouts, lettuce,
pepper, tomato,
parsley
Squash Full 8-10 Neutral 70-90 Onion, spearmint, none

pumpkin,
muskmelon
Strawberries Full 8-10 Acidic, 75-85 Onion, lettuce, Broccoli,

needs iron thyme, spinach cauliflower,
cabbage,
Brussel
sprouts
Thyme Full 8-10 Broccoli, cabbage, None

strawberries,
cauliflower,
eggplant
Tomato Full 10-15 Acidic, 70-95 Basil, lettuce, Cauliflower

needs iron melons, onions, , broccoli,
parsley, peppers, Brussel
spinach, thyme, sprouts,
Echinacea cabbage
Watermelon Full 8-10 Acidic 70+ Tomato, pumpkin, none

squash, muskmelon

Cluck, Cluck
Even though you grow your own produce, it isn’t quite enough to survive on, but you can’t
really grow steaks in a garden. The most common meat in the world is chicken. There is a
reason for that.
It is easy to raise chickens. They grow fairly quickly and will eat just about anything. You are
able to let them loose in your backyard to “free range”, eating bugs and grass. You can also
feed them the table scraps, and they will still be content.
If you are going to have both chickens and a vegetable garden, you will need to have a fence as
well to keep the chickens from eating your vegetables. You want to be able to control what
your chickens are eating, either by keeping them in a pen or by placing a fence around your
garden.
Along with a pen, you will need to provide your chickens with a coop. This is essentially their
home and can be shaped in just about any way possible. Here are three essential things that a
coop has to do:
 Provide the chickens with a place to roost, so they can sleep

 Provide the chickens with a place to nest, so they can lay eggs
 Provide the chickens with protection from nocturnal predators
Chickens roost on branches to sleep, like many birds. A horizontal pole, like a closet rod or
broomstick will work just fine for this. Place a couple at different heights, so the chickens are
able to hop form one to another in order to pick their spot to sleep.
Nesting boxes are also an option and can be done in a number of different ways. You need to
make sure that they are accessible so you are able to gather the eggs. Chickens will share
nesting boxes, so you don’t need the same number as the chickens you have.

To keep nocturnal predators out, your chickens need to be placed in a coop with the door
closed at night. It is important that you have a good latch on the door, because certain
predators, like raccoons can open simple latches.
One last thing you need to consider is how you will clean the coop. While chickens aren’t picky
as to where they go to the bathroom, their excrement has an unpleasant odor that your
neighbors probably won’t appreciate. Being able to clean out your chicken coop it extremely
important. The easiest way to do this is with a draw that makes up the bottom of the chicken
coop. These make it easy to pull out and empty.
Raising chickens will provide you with protein in two different ways. First by laying eggs as well
as by killing them for meat. There are some breeds that are better for frying and some that are
better at laying eggs. Pick your chickens accordingly, keeping in mind what you want them for.
While it is possible to have both layers and fryers in your flock, if you introduce new chicks into
the pen with mature chickens, the older ones will peck the younger ones to death. For this
reason, you need to have a separate area for the chicks. In about six weeks, fryers will mature
to slaughter size, making them extremely easy to raise for meat.
On the other hand, layers won’t mature to the point of providing eggs until they are about six
months old. You can count on several years of production once they reach this age. A small
flock of six or seven will provide enough eggs for a family of four.
Practical Tips on how to Grow Birds for Your Survival
1. Chickens
You can keep two or three hens and a rooster right next to your home. Chickens will eat just
about anything, except avocados. Table scrapes and free ranging will give the birds a wider
range of nutrients that will contribute to an increase in egg production.
Chickens are easy to grow and legal to keep in most areas. Rooster can be very noisy and some
of your neighbors may not like that smell that comes from the chicken coop.

Chickens love to eat insects but can be poisoned by insects that were in contact with
insecticides.
2. Geese
Geese live outdoors in warmer climates. You will require a large bit of space if you want to
make a coop for them. For the best results, provide them a lake for swimming and a suitable
cover for hatching.
Geese will eat grass, grain, and corn. They can get fairly large and will produce a good bit of
meat in a short period of time. Mature geese have relatively few predators to worry about and
are not susceptible to diseases that are commonly found in other farm animals.
Geese are very territorial and are know to act like the farm sentries and guard. They are also
aggressive toward other animals.
3. Ducks
If you plan on collecting the eggs, you will need to have a duck house and fencing. Ducks will
eat seeds, grain, and insects.
Make sure the insects in the area are not consuming insecticides if you are going to allow your
ducks to roam free. Ducks are great in all kinds of weather and produce eggs and meat fairly
quickly. Ducks, like geese, are very territorial and will act as proper sentries.
Ducks have a tendency to be smelly and noisy. Male ducks are extremely aggressive, and all of
the male ducks, except one, must be slaughtered each year to preserve the flock coherence.
4. Turkeys
Turkeys are similar to chickens when it comes to their housing needs. However, they are larger
birds and will require more space. Turkey poults require more care than other birds, as they can
drown in everything form a deep water dish to the rain coming from the sky.

Turkeys like to eat seeds, nuts, worms, grains, insects, and small lizards. To supply all required
nutrients, you can purchase commercial turkey feed. Once they grow past the poultry size, you
won’t have to do much to care for the birds. They can forage for themselves and will keep the
insect population under control.
If you plan to have a sustainable flock, you will need to buy heritage turkeys.
Hunting & Fishing
Many people, should the economy collapse, talk about hunting and fishing for food. One
problem with this is that there won’t be enough fish and game animals for all the people that
want to do this. It is quite possible that the game animal population will be almost wiped out by
these people.
Living off the land is an American tradition. However, when it was originally practiced there
were far fewer people living in this country. It was easy to hunt for meat, as there were game
animals everywhere. Nowadays, game animals are scarce and you usually end up having to
travel quite a ways to get to a place where you can find them.
Don’t count on being able to hunt game animals for your survival. While it can be a great way
for you to supplement your food stocks, unless you live in an isolated area, you probably won’t
be able to live off it.
With an aquaponics system, you will already have a great source for fish. All you will have to do
is go out to your backyard and catch a few. A word of caution, don’t take so many fish out of
your system at one time as it can throw off the balance of your entire system. The plants that
you are growing need the fish there to provide them with nutrients, so just like you have to
carefully plan the harvesting of your produce, so to do you have to carefully plan the harvesting
of your fish.

Chapter 8 – Never Too Weak and Small to Prep
When it comes to surviving any sort of crisis, seniors face a special set of challenges. Their
bodies limit what they can do, making it a much harder task to survive. They are also seen as
easy prey by those who are looking to take advantage of other people.
8.1 – Surviving as a Senior
Even in normal times of crisis, seniors are often targets. Certain classes of criminals’ prey upon
the elderly. This is because most criminals are cowards and the limitations that elderly people
face make it harder for them to defend themselves. Purse snatchers love to go after the little
old lady that just cashed her Social Security check.
This is not to say that seniors are not able to defend themselves, there is just the perception
that they can’t. Just as with anyone else, seniors should get a gun and learn how to shoot it.
Even elderly people with health problems can learn to defend themselves with a gun.
The largest problem that seniors face when shooting is either related to their health or their
lack of strength. Both of these issues can be dealt with.
Their vision is another common health problem that makes it hard for seniors to use a firearm.
There are three different ways in which this problem can be dealt with.
The first is to put a larger sight on their guns. The second thing that can be done is to change
the prescription for their glasses.
Finally, laser sights can be installed on the guns. This way even they can still sight on the
targets.
For those that are not comfortable using guns, there are other options. While none of the
alternatives are as good as using a gun, they are better than not having anything to defend
yourself with. Some alternatives to consider are:

 Sonic weapons – these weapons produce a frequency of sound that causes nausea or
fear.
 Tasers – Tasers produce a high voltage, low amperage shock that is used to overload an
attacker’s nervous system. This prevents them from doing much and in most cases
causes them to fall to the ground.
 Pepper spray – because it isn’t as dangerous, pepper spray has replaced Chemical Mace.
Pepper spray, unlike mace, causes an instant reaction when used.
 Flashing light – most tactical lights have a flashing setting. When one that is 600 lumens
or more is pointed at an attacker, they can become temporarily stunned and blinded,
keeping them from continuing with their attack.
The effect of these weapons is temporary and require you to be able to move quickly to get
away. If you are unable to do this, they’re not going to do much good.
Health Issues
Health is the second big area of concern for seniors. Our bodies begin to break down the older
we get. This not only makes it harder for them to accomplish the physical tasks need for
survival, but it also puts them in the position of
needing medicine that might not be readily
available.
Seniors have access to many things that can

help them with their diet and exercise that will
help them to maintain their health.
However, people in the United States don’t take

care of their bodies and then expect the doctor
to fix them when issues arise.
By taking better care of ourselves, with the right diet and regular exercise, we won’t have to
visit the doctor as often and won’t have to take as many medicines.

If you do need medicines, you need to make sure that you have an ample stock of them on
hand. Accomplishing this can be difficult as most doctors won’t write you a prescription for
more than 30-days at a time. If you have been with your doctor for a while you may be able to
talk them into giving you enough of the prescription to last several months.
Besides your local pharmacy, there are other ways for you to purchase more of your
prescription. Both Canada and Mexico have different law pertaining to prescription
medications. Several Canadian pharmacies provide mail-order prescriptions to people here in
the United States. You want to carefully check out the pharmacy you are planning on using, as
there have been some cases where phony prescriptions were sold, even some of which were
poisonous.
Most of the prescription medications that are available here in the U.S. are also available in
Mexico. These high quality medications are either sold under a Mexican brand name or under
the American one. The prices for these medications are a fraction of what they cost in the
United States, unless it is a new medication. The difference is price is so extreme, that many of
the seniors are able to cover the cost of their travel with the savings.
You don’t have to worry about having a prescription if you head to Mexico for your medication.
The information the need to find the right medication can be taken from your empty pill bottle.
You can also copy the information off the label.
The Advantages the Elderly Have
One advantage that the elderly have over the rest of us is that they have grown up in times
when they had to do a lot of the things we will end up needing to do. They can be a
tremendous resource for everyone who is attempting to survive after an economic collapse.
An elderly couple can be a great asset to a survival community. They have the knowledge an
experience that other members in the group may be lacking. By joining a survival group, they
can help the others to survive and receive the help they need in order for them to survive.

8.2 – Prepping with Kids
Children learn by example. So, involving them in your family’s emergency preparations can be a
great benefit. Help them to create their own bug out bags. While they will have to be extremely
lightweight at first, they will feel as though they are helping. Their supplies will have to be
carried in the packs of other family members who are strong enough to carry them, they can at
least carry a toy or two in their bag. Once they grow a bit stronger, those toys can be replaced
with more useful items.
Your children must be figured into every aspect of your emergency plan, regardless of who
carries their supplies.
Your child’s growth has to be factored into your emergency plans. You can’t just plan for what
they will need today, but you will have to try and anticipate what they will need in a year or two
if they are growing up during the financial collapse.
When dealing with situations that are new to them, your children will look to you for clues on
how to respond. Children will mirror your fear. If you remain calm and confident, they will
believe that everything is going to be okay.
You need to try to retain as much structure as you can. Things like education will end up taking
a back seat when your family is in peril of starving to death. It is natural to be more concerned
with keeping your children alive than seeing that they are getting the proper education.
Mistakes to Avoid When Prepping with Kids
 Don’t Scare Them Much: Until your kids are old enough to understand what you’re
doing, treat your prepping as just another daily activity. “Mommy and Daddy are getting
ready for an emergency by making sure that we have enough food and that you know
what to do, just in case.” Some fear in this case is healthy. Stealing your kids’ sense of
safety isn’t, though.
 Don’t Assign Them Too Much Too Soon: If you started prepping before your kids were
born, introduce them to it as they grow into it. If they’re watching Rambo at 10 and can

identify the weapons mistakes throughout the movie, you probably may be moving a
little too fast. Let them be kids.
 Don’t Assume that They Know Something: Just because you’ve been adding to your
stockpile, don’t assume that they picked up on everything. They may know that your
magnesium stick is used to start fires, but you need to teach them the technical skill, so
start at step one with every new task.
 Don’t Force Your View of Prepping on Them: Though not prepping may not be an
option, there’s no reason why they can’t determine, at least in part, HOW they
participate. Be reasonable with them. If they can’t imagine an apocalyptic event,
approach it from the natural disaster angle. Even kids know that those happen.
 Kids Have Never Known a World Without Technology: Putting a compass into your
child’s bug-out bag won’t do a bit of good unless you teach him how to use it. The same
thing goes for fire kits, maps, or signal mirrors. Don’t make the mistake of not training
them in “old school” methods.
 Don’t Underestimate Your Kids: You’ve done your best as a parent; don’t underestimate
your kids. If you’ve taught them well, they’ll do whatever they need to do to help out, so
give them the tools and training that they need to do so.
Your first priority is providing your kids with shelter, food and water. Once you have food
storage, a way to collect, store, and purify water and have fuel for cooking and heating in place,
you can move onto more frivolous items like books, school supplies and other provisions for
your children’s education.
In order to protect your plans from falling into the hands of someone you didn’t want to know,
you need to teach your child what is okay to talk about and what isn’t. Teach them to be wary
of strangers and to stay put if they become lost.
When preparing for the economic meltdown it is imperative you teach your children about
firearm safety from a young age. Enroll your children in a firearm safety program. Instill in them
the need to tell an adult if they see a firearm and why it is important for them not to touch it.

Teaching your children about firearm safety will help to demystify firearms and satiate their
curiosity.
When you aren’t carrying your firearms be sure they are stored in safes or lock boxes, or use a
gun lock. There are many high-quality locks for firearms that still allow you to have quick access
to them in an emergency.
Chapter 9 - First Aid
9.1 Medicine
In the aftermath of an EMP attack, having enough medical supplies is going to be essential.
While you are preparing your house, gather supplies from your pharmacy during every visit, or
grab medical supplies when you do your grocery shopping.
You will need to have needles, suture kits, aspirin, over-the-counter medications, ointments,
and other medical supplies on hand in case of an EMP attack.
Any medical item that you might use in your everyday life as it is now will probably be needed
after an EMP as well.
If you haven't received training in first aid, you should take a class with the Red Cross. Your local
YMCA may offer classes, or they can be taken from private businesses in your community.
During these classes, you will gain valuable skills such as CPR, first aid, and disease
management.
You will also learn how to identify and treat three of the most common killers in an emergency:
obstructed airways, excessive blood loss, and shock. Alternative medicines such as medicinal
seeds and healing herbs can take care of certain medical conditions should the need arise.

Have books on hand to refer to in case you are not sure of what to do. Here are a few items you
may want to have on hand to use as alternative medicines:
 Garlic tea
 Cinnamon
 Eucalyptus
 Iodine meat tenderizer
 Cayenne pepper
 Cranberry juice
 Cloves
These are only a few items that you can use as alternative medicines. There are plenty of books
that provide in-depth information on the best plants and herbs to use and what they can treat.
Later in this section we will discuss these alternative medicines in a bit more detail.
Storage of Heat Sensitive Medicines
If you have medication that you need to store at a certain temperature, it is recommended you
invest in a Pot-in-a-Pot Refrigerator.
Making a Pot-in-a-Pot Refrigerator
A simple pot-in-a-pot refrigerator can be improvised by using a smaller clay pot within a larger
clay pot. Add sand and water in between the smaller and larger pot.
Cover the top of the small pot with a rag so the inside of the smaller pot will become cool,
allowing you to store heat sensitive medicines. The only maintenance that this device needs is
water to be added to the sand on a continuous basis to keep the inside of the small pot cool.
Antibiotics
Before you find yourself in a post-EMP world, learn how to store antibiotics properly. There is a
handful of antibiotics you will want to keep on hand to keep your family healthy. Antibiotics like

Amoxicillin, Flagyl, Cipro, Ampicillin, Keflex, and Doxycycline are all important antibiotics that
you will want to have on hand and readily available.
All of these antibiotics are ones that can only be prescribed by your doctor and you are always
given the instruction that you must "finish all of the medication." So how can you possibly store
as much of these antibiotics for an upcoming disaster? There are plenty of doctors who
advertise on-line that they are willing to provide extra prescriptions for these types of non-
controlled medications specifically for the purpose of emergency preparedness.
Many of the medicines that we are prescribed are the same ones that are given to animals.
They come off the same production lines at the manufacturers. You can purchase the same
antibiotic your doctor prescribes right off the shelf of your local veterinarian's office, and you
don't need a prescription to purchase these medications.
Doxycycline is labeled as "bird biotic," while Amoxicillin can be found under the name "fish-mox
forte." Many of the bottles are clearly labeled as Amoxicillin, making it easy for you to spot.
Take the time to do and Internet search for the description of the medication through a pill
identification site to make sure that the medication is also safe for human consumption.
If you've been under the impression that your unused medication that has passed its "use by"
date is no longer effective, you, like so many others, have been lead astray. All manufacturers
of medicines are required to put a date on their medications; however, very few of them lose
their effectiveness after this date. Take the time to research all of your medications carefully,
since a few of them, like the wide-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline become toxic after
expiration.
The US military has conducted some studies on the effectiveness of expired medication. They
found, with very few exceptions, the majority of medications retain their therapeutic value,
decades after the expiration dates printed on the labels. However, they warn you need to be
diligent in your research to be positive about the medications you are taking.

The key to getting the most out of your antibiotics is to keep them properly stored in a cool
environment out of direct sunlight. Heat can render an antibiotic useless, so don't leave the
medication in a room that is constantly hot. A good way to store them pre-EMP is to vacuum-
seal them and place them in the freezer. This will keep them from breaking down.
First Aid Kit
In any case of disaster, weather is an EMP attack or even a natural incident, the main concern
should the security and health of you and your family. As we know by now, following an EMP all
the communication systems will be down, so going to the hospital or calling for emergency
services will be an impossible task. With the electricity going down local services and officials
cannot reach everyone affected. Even if these services are trying their best.
A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the
event of an emergency. Try to assemble your kit very well in advance.
You will need to survive on your own after an EMP strike; this means having your crucial
supplies for a pretty long period of time.

A well-stocked first aid kit can help you respond immediately to common emergencies or
injuries. You should consider having one or even more supply kits: keep at least one first aid kit
in your home and one in your car or office. Store them in easy to retrieve locations.
The last thing you want to be doing during a medical emergency is familiarizing yourself with
your first aid kit. The pre-packaged first aid kits you can purchase at the store are put together
based on the idea that you will be using it under normal living conditions. If you do purchase a
pre-packaged kit from the store, be sure to pick one that says "survival first aid kit" on the
outside.
If you can't find a pre-packed kit made specifically for long-term survival, then you will want to
put one together yourself that includes everything you will need to survive after an EMP attack
or other disasters. The first thing you will need to purchase is a sturdy bag to store the supplies.
First aid kits are not intended for long-term treatment. If you have a single serious injury, it
could quickly deplete your first aid supplies. To survive after an EMP attack, you need to start
thinking in terms of weeks and months, not days. It is quite possible you will be changing
bandages and applying ointments long term.
When dealing with possible injuries, you want to have first aid training, as well as having first
aid manuals on hand. You can also pick up one-page laminated sheets that list all types of
injuries that you might face. If you are the only one in your group with first aid training, the
manuals and a laminated sheets can assist someone else in the chance you are the one who has
been injured.
Here is a list of supplies you will want to put in your first aid kit:
Basic supplies
 Adhesive bandages and cloth tape in assorted sizes

 Roller bandages in assorted sizes
 Triangular bandages
 Cotton swabs and pads

 Gauze pads
 Latex or synthetic gloves
 Antibiotic ointment packets
 Antiseptic solution and wipe packets
 Saline solution
 Soap or hand sanitizer
 Thermometer
 Adhesive tape
 Duct tape
 Plastic bags
 Scissors, tweezers and safety pins
 First aid manual
Emergency supplies
 Important paperwork and insurance documents

 Hand crank flashlights and radios
 Candles and matches
 Emergency space blanket
 Sunscreen
 Multi-purpose knife\tool
 Dust masks
 Needle and thread
 Area maps
 Sleeping bags
Medicines
 Aspirin and pain relievers

 Breathing barrier
 Activated charcoal

 Aloe Vera gel
 Alcohol
 Antihistamines for allergies
 Calamine lotion
 Personal medication
 Syringe and medicine cup or spoon
In any case, if your medicine supplies run out you might have to improvise and rely on what
nature has to offer or what other resources you have at your hand. It is very important to know
what to stockpile when preparing for emergency cases. Here are some of the most important
and common natural medicines you should stockpile:
Ginger can be used not only as medicine but as a spice, too. It can be
used fresh, dried, powdered or as juice or oil. Ginger is very useful to
treat various types of stomach problems, nausea, pain relief, muscles
soreness and many respiratory infections that can lead to cough and
bronchitis.
Cinnamon reduces the blood sugar levels; therefore it is very popular with
people with diabetes that take it to control their blood sugar variations.
Also, it has been found that cinnamon is an effective natural remedy for
eliminating headaches and migraine relief.
Peppermint is one of the nature’s most valuable herbal remedies. Its

therapeutic effects have been known since ancient times and it is used for
the common cold, cough and inflammation of throat, sinus infections and
respiratory infections.
Also, it is very useful for digestive problems including heartburn, nausea,

vomiting and many gastrointestinal problems.

Cayenne pepper is useful for a variety of ailments such as
heartburn, tremors, fever, and sore throat. It is a very good anti cold
and flu agent and also it can prevent the formation of the fungal
pathogens.
Moreover, cayenne pepper is an efficient pain reliever; just rub the

area affected but remember not to use it in open wounds.
Chicory root has a long history of providing support to liver problems. It

can also provide support for digestive problems such as constipation
and it is considered to be a rich source of antioxidants.
Basil is not only a very efficient antibiotic and antibacterial agent, but
interestingly, it can be used as a bug repellent, too.
Iodine tincture is not only good for cleansing the water, but it is a very useful antiseptic; it is a
wonderful wound cleaner. Moreover, iodine is a powerful antioxidant.
Baking soda can be used for treating insect bites and itchy skin. Make a paste out of baking
soda and water, and apply it onto affected skin. It can also be replaced with some of personal
care products such as toothpaste or deodorant. Baking soda is known for neutralizing odors.
9.2 How to give first aid?
After an EMP strike, all communication systems will be down, thus going to the hospitals or
even calling for ambulance is not a viable option.
So, in order to be fully prepared, it is recommended to take first aid courses and learn how to
correctly perform CPR.
Basic first aid means to asses and address the needs of someone who has been injured or is in
physiological distress due to a heart attack, choking, allergic reactions or other medical
emergencies.

It allows you to quickly determine a person’s physical conditions and the correct course of
treatment.
Learning how to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, saves lives. Basic CPR consists
of chest compression and rescue breathing.
Everyone in your family or group should take one of these courses and should have the CPR
skills tested at least every two years.
CPR is typically administered in cases of cardiac arrest. Signs of cardiac arrest include an
absence of heartbeats, blood flow and pulse. When blood stops flowing to the brain, the victim
becomes unconscious and stops regular breathing.
Remember that the rules of CPR are airway, breathing and circulation; these will help you
perform the correct cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
The first thing you should consider when performing CPR is the airway. If the person has
collapsed and lying flat on his or her back, roll him or her over moving the entire body at one
time.

Once the airways are open, check to see if the person is breathing. Take 5 to 10 seconds
to verify normal breathing. Pinch the person’s nose shut and keep your hand on the person’s
forehead to maintain the head tilt.
Once you do that, inhale normally before giving rescue breath to victim. Immediately give two
full breaths while maintaining air-tight seal with your mouth on the victim’s mouth.
Each breath should be one second in duration and should make the victim’s chest rise. Avoid
giving too many breaths or breaths that are large and forceful.
After giving two full breaths, immediately begin chest compressions. With one hand, locate the
notch where the bottom rims of the rib cage meet in the middle of the chest.
Place the other hand on top and press downward, keeping your arms straight by pushing hard
and fast.
Then, relax the pressure completely. Relaxation and compression should be of equal duration.
Use 30 chest compressions to every two breaths. It is recommended to compress at the rate of
about 100 times per minute.

In case of choking, it is very important to know the Heimlich maneuver by performing
abdominal thrusts.
Stand behind the person that is in distress, circle your arms around the abdomen and tip
the person forward slightly.
Make a fist with your dominant hand and place it slightly above the person’s navel and under
the breastbone.
Wrap the fist with the other hand and press hard into the abdomen with quick upward
thrusts, using good force as if trying to lift up the person.
If needed, perform a total of 5 abdominal thrusts and if the blockage still isn’t dislodged, repeat
the cycle.

9.3 Other Basic Necessities
Despite all the preparations you are making in case of EMP strike, you don’t forget about
toiletries. Even though, now they may seem like a luxury, in a survival situation they become a
real necessity.
As the main concern is keeping you and your family clean and healthy, sanitizing your entire
house will diminish the risk of developing allergies or other serious conditions like dysentery,
tetanus, cholera or typhus.
This is very useful in survival situations, when going to the drug store or procuring medication
seems like an impossible mission.
Thus, when prepping for a disaster you should always consider about basic necessity items.

Here is a checklist of toiletries that you might need:
 Cleansers
 Antiperspirant
 Razors
 Tissues
 Toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouth wash
 Soaps
 Disinfectant
 Children/baby care items
 Needle and thread
Tools
After an EMP attack, your power tools will be useless unless they are battery operated and can
be recharged with a solar charger or a generator and fuel. Hand tools, though harder to use,
never require electricity.
There are some basic tools that you will want to have on hand. This includes hammers,
screwdrivers - both flat head and Philips' head - wrenches, pliers, vice grips, tape measure,
saws, levels, utility knives, and a supply of hardware and fasteners. Home improvement stores
carry a variety of tool kits containing these tools. The important thing is to have these tools on
hand when the power goes out because your power driven tools will run out of power quickly.
Handheld tools that you use around your house will be especially helpful after an EMP attack. A
Swiss Army knife or multi-tool is portable enough to carry in your pocket or on your belt and
has several useful tools in a compact design.
If you need to fix an electronic device but your soldering iron was damaged in the EMP, you can
use a cordless soldering iron in its place. A butane torch comes in a plastic kit that includes a
butane torch, solder dispenser, cap, clean sponge, 8mm wrench, 7mm wrench, reflector, hot

blower, hot knife, chisel tip, and diagonal tip. The soldering iron will work for about an hour,
and the fuel is refillable.
When stocking up your supply of tools, you want to make sure you include tools you can use to
tend to your garden. For this, you will want smaller hand tools, as well as larger items such as
shovels, rakes, and a wheelbarrow.
Clothing
Most people have more than enough clothing to survive any situation for a long time. If you
take a close look at most closets, they are packed full.
Just remember, in a post-EMP world you will be participating in a variety of outside activities,
like working in a garden, gathering water or wood, so it is important to be mindful of what you
are wearing and what you will be required to do in a post-EMP world.
When it comes to preparing your clothing, it is important to remember that you will no longer
have central heat or air in your home, which means it will stay hotter or cooler depending on
where you live. You will need to have clothing for both extremes of temperature.
Make sure you have plenty of sleeping bags and blankets to keep warm after the sun goes
down because no matter where you live, once the sun goes down things will cool off.
If you live in an area with harsh winters, having extra blankets and sleeping bags will be even
more important for your survival. Make sure to have plenty of extreme cold weather clothing
and dress in loose-fitting layers.
Be cognizant of children, babies, and elders as their body temperatures vary from yours. Be
sure to keep the proper clothing handy to ensure they remain comfortable throughout the
situation.

Chapter 10 – Surviving in the Wilderness
There is no way that everything you need to survive in the wilderness can be covered in this
book. There are many books that have already been written on the subject, but no one book
covers the subject in its entirety. However, you should know at least a few basics if you are
going to have to bug-out.
Your attitude, to start, is the most important thing that you need to take into consideration if
you are going to bug-out. If you have a positive attitude about your survival and success, you
have a much greater chance of surviving. In fact, the most important part of survival is having a
positive attitude. Even the military manual on survival talks about how important a positive
attitude is to your survival. If you want to survive in the wilderness for a prolonged period of
time, you have to find a way to provide yourself with adequate shelter, water, food and heat.
The first thing you need to do is find a location in an area that includes these four things.
If you live in a part of the country where water is scarce, you need to make sure you locate a
water source that won’t dry up during dry spells. If there aren’t many trees, you might have
trouble finding enough wood to provide your shelter with heat. It is worth the extra effort it will
take to find a good location, rather than settling on a location that doesn’t provide you with the
minimum you need to survive.
10.1 – Shelter
When you are planning on living in the wild, the first thing you need to find is adequate shelter
to protect you from the elements so you can maintain your core temperature. It becomes much
harder for you to survive without shelter, as you will lose heat much faster in the open. There
are three different levels of shelter that you can find in the wild:
 Natural shelter
 Temporary shelter
 Long-term shelter

Natural Shelters
Natural shelters are anything that you can find in the wild that is naturally occurring that will
protect you from the elements. A classic natural shelter would be a cave. A cave can be a great
place to call home as they are great at holding in heat, protecting you from the wind and rain,
and even protecting you from enemy attack. Other natural shelters can be any rock
outcropping, unturned tree roots, fall trees, or undercut banks. All that protect you from the
rain and wind.
Natural shelters can be improved upon to make them more efficient. A rock outcropping may
provide you protection from the wind, but not the rain. You can solve this problem by adding a
roof made from a tarp. Creating a lean-to in front of the outcropping could prevent wind from
getting in from the other side.
Using naturally occurring elements to make your shelter will save you the work of producing
the ceiling or walls that the shelter is already providing. You can also make the shelter blend in
with the landscape, camouflaging it to look like it belongs there.
Temporary Shelters
Temporary shelters are those that you bring with you like a tent or a tarp. Naturally occurring
materials, like a debris shelter or a lean-to made out of tree branches, can also become
temporary shelters. While temporary shelters can provide you some protection from the
elements; it is limited. They are also not designed to last over the long-term.
You may need to use some sort of temporary shelter when you are traveling to your bug-out
location.
A tarp is a great way to make a temporary shelter if you don’t have a tent. It can be stretched
over a log and tied at one end to a tree, creating a tent. You should find a log that has one end
sitting on the ground so you can close off that end of the tent. You can cut tent stakes from
small branches, using the point of the branch to capture the grommet in the tarp to stake it
down.

If you only need protection from the rain, you can string the tarp between trees in order to
form a roof. You need to be sure to angle it in a way that allows the water to run off the roof,
without running into your bed.
Long-Term Shelters
Long-term shelters require a lot more work than a temporary one. The shelter you create will
be dependent upon the materials that you have available. A log cabin might be the most
practical if you are in an area with a lot for trees. If there aren’t many trees around, then you
might be better off making a shelter out of adobe bricks, or building a “soddie” out of blocks of
cut sod.
The northeast and mountainous regions of the country are traditionally the areas where log
cabins are found. To build an effective log cabin you need to have access to trees with long,
straight trunks, that don’t have a lot of branches coming out of them.
In order to stack the logs at the corners, you will need to create notches near the ends of the
log. This allows the logs for both sides of the shelter to be in the corner. You will also want to
strip the bark off the insides of the logs and the areas where they will be touching other logs. To
make good contact, the surface of the log needs to be flat and smooth.
It is virtually impossible to build a log cabin with perfect logs, unless you are a master
woodworker who has done it before. To close any gaps between the logs that will allow wind to
get through, you can chink the space between the logs with mud. Soil with high clay content
will make for a more durable chinking. You can also cut straw and mix it into the mud to make it
more durable.
Essentially, adobe is mud with cut up straw in it to make it stronger. To create an adobe brick,
the mud is mixed with straw and poured into a mold. Then it is set in the sun to dry. Homes in
the Southwest that are made out of adobe have lasted for over 150 years. Because the land in
the Southwest is mostly arid, there aren’t a lot of trees that can be used to construct a long-

term shelter. Adobe bricks are easy to make and are uniform in size, making them easy material
to build with. More mud is used as mortar between the bricks to help hold the wall together.
The “soddie” became a common method of construction on the Great Plains during the
westward expansion of the United States. The Great Plains didn’t have many trees to use for
building structures, so people used the materials on hand.
A “soddie” begins with a dugout, which is simply a cave dug into a hillside or embankment. The
front of the structure would consist of soddies. The sod of the Great Plains is extremely thick,
and contains a thoroughly tangled root mass that extended several inches into the ground. In
order for dirt to be found that could be used for farming, these masses of tangled roots would
have to be removed. As the sod was cleared it was cut into blocks that would, often times, be
used to build the soddies. This is essentially the same as ready-made adobe brick.
What to Think of When Sheltering
Regardless of what type of construction you choose to build, you have to remember that the
larger the structure is, the harder it will be to heat. You also want to keep in mind that you will
need to build in stages. You will first want to start off building a central room. This will be the
total extent of your shelter to start with. Once this room is finished and you are living in it, you
can add additional rooms, expanding the shelter. It will be easier to create these additions if
you plan ahead and design your shelter with the expansions in mind.
Building a roof that will keep the rain out will be the hardest part of building any shelter. In
order for the roof to shed water, you need to have overlapping layers of material that cause the
water to run off toward the eaves. With limited materials to help you, the trick is to get the
water run off faster than it can soak through. To make this happen, you need to make the roof
pitch steep, and put lots of layers of roofing material on.
A steeper pitch sheds water more easily. It is also helpful in shedding snow off if you live in an
area that sees a lot of snow in the winter. A steeply pitched roof also provide space to put a loft

in. Since heat rises, the loft essential becomes the warmest place in the cabin, making it a great
place to sleep.
Probably the best material you can find in the wild for a roof is wood shingles. However, in
order to make them you have to spend a lot of time and energy splitting logs. Plus, you will
need wedges that you can use for splitting the logs. You also need the right kind of logs
available.
If you are unable to make wood shingles, the next best thing is to use bunches of grass. You can
tie the bunches together and then tie it to the roof’s framework. You will need to use several
layers of bundles, but your roof will shed water and provide good insulation.
Use what you have to your advantage. You will need to make your shelter out of whatever
nature provides. You can combine your construction with caves, undercut banks, rock
outcroppings, and other natural features of the land.
10.2 – Using Nature’s Water
While you may think that water found in the wild is safe to drink, any water can contain
harmful chemical and biological toxins.
If you are planning on using your roof as a water catchment, be aware that roofing materials
often impart significant amounts of harmful chemicals into the catchments. They also often
contain a large amount of fecal matter from the birds. Be sure to allow rainwater to wash away
most of the dirt before you attempt to capture any runoff.
To deal with any potential hazards, refer to the principles identified in the water purification
section. You never know who might be upstream from you and what they might be dumping
into the water.
The safest water comes from underground springs. Even then, there is still a risk. While the risk
of being exposed to biological pathogens is reduced in this type of water, the risk of minerals is
increased.

There are some minerals that can be harmful to your health, especially as they build up over
time.
Following a river or stream up to the mountains, often times improves its quality. Be sure to
haul water from rivers and streams if you are doing laundry, bathing, or washing dishes, since
the soap and cleansers will kill fish and affect the quality of the water downstream.
Be especially careful to locate outhouses and latrines away from water sources.
Fecal contamination will quickly spread diseases like cholera.
In order to navigate the land, you want to purchase topographical maps of the area around
your home and any areas that you will travel through to reach your bug-out destination. USGS
topographical maps generally show you where any year-round springs are located.
If you don’t know how to read these types of maps and navigate the land, it is best to learn how
to do this before your life depend on your ability to orient and read maps. Here are a few tips
to help you get started.
 When searching for water in arid areas, look for patches of green along river beds and in
canyons.
 Large cottonwoods or poplars are a sign of significant amounts of water or water-
bearing strata.
 Watching animal tracks and trails is also good way to find water as large mammals
always know where a water source is and generally visit water daily.
 Searching and following dry river beds often yields good results since water may be
above ground in one part of the riverbed and go underground in other parts. Try to
understand the geology of the area since streams may be above ground or underground
as water-bearing strata bring the water above and below ground.
 Digging in sandy soil on the inside of bends in the riverbed is another option.

 In mornings with heavy dew or frost, a cloth or sponge can be used to collect moisture.
Then ring water out into a container. If you may need to travel stretches without year-
round water, you can always cache water for later use.
Always use some form of water purification system for water that you get from the wild.
10.3 – Finding Food in the Wild
The greatest amount of effort that you will expend while trying to survive in the wild, will be
spent providing food for you and your family.
Nature provides an abundance of food through the various plant life; some of which may be
truly surprising.
One would never expect that the root of a spiny yucca plant can be eaten much like a potato.
Or that the prickly pear cactus can be cooked and eaten.
You can gather acorns from oak trees, drying them and grounding them into meal for baking.
As the types of naturally occurring plants that provide food varies from region to region, you
will need to find a book the deals with your region specifically, that shows you not only which
plants are edible, but how best to prepare them for eating.
Top 12 Wild Edibles
 Dandelions
 Pine trees
 Black walnut
 Hazelnuts
 Raspberries
 Blackberries
 Boysenberries
 Rosehips

 Clover
 Wild asparagus
 Cattails
 Tulips
The main reason for eating meat is that we need the protein the meat contains. However, there
are plants that contain the proteins we need. Beans and nuts are the two most common
sources.
You will find different types of beans and nuts growing wild in different parts of the country.
Once again, a local guide will provide you with a list of plants that can help you out in this
regard.
Hunting can be broken into several basic areas, big game hunting, small game hunting, bird
hunting, and fishing.
Fishing is the easiest means for producing the protein that we need and it can be done with
minimal equipment and experience.
To hunt large game or birds you need to have the right sort of firearm, or a bow, and
knowledge of the habits of the animals you tend to hunt.
Knowing where to find the animals you plan to hunt is much more important than
marksmanship.
Knowing their habits will help you with this aspect. Don’t wait until you have to, in order to
learn how to hunt.
Hunting is complicated enough, and has enough subtlety that it takes time to learn the
necessary skills. You will be much more ready when the time comes if you start to learn now.

What to Hunt for Survival & The Weapons to Use
Air Rifles Shotguns Bow & Arrow Crossbow 2 Cord Hunting

Guns Sling Spear
Bear No x x No No No No
Deer No X X x X No No
Turkey No X X X X No No
Squirrel X X X X X x X
Rabbits X X X X X X X
Raccoon X X X X X X X
Quail X No X No No X No
Duck X X X X X X X
Goose X X x X x X x
Small X No No No No x No
birds
Many people today believe that hunting involve baiting the animal with feed corn and using a
specially modified 4x4 vehicle to move through the countryside. The hunting you will be doing
in a bug-out situation is vastly different than this.
If this is the only way you know how to hunt, then you will probably starve to death. Hunting
small game requires knowing where the small game lives, what paths it takes, and then
constructing snares and traps along those paths. In order to be successful, you need to practice.

You can’t be successful by watching a video on YouTube or reading a book. You have to practice
so you have the skills necessary when the time comes.
What to Fish and What Gear to Use
Rod & Store Home Fishing By Hand Net Fish Trap

Reel Bought made Spear
Tackle Tackle
Bass X X X X No X X
Blue Gill X X X X X X X
Crappie X X X X X X X
Trout X X X X X X X
Pike X X X No No X X
Spot X X X No No X X
Flounder X X X X No X X
Salmon X X X X X X X
Minnows No No No No No X X
Croaker X X X No No X X
10.4 – Starting a Fire
Your bug-out bag should contain a minimum of two primary and two secondary means of
starting a fire. Primary means are those items that can be easily used; matches and lighters.

Secondary means are reliable means that require you to have some skill in order to use them.
This can include anything from Ferro rods to magnesium fire starters.
The problem with fire starters is that you will eventually use them up.
An easy solution to this problem is to keep a fire burning at all times, albeit only coals.
By doing this you aren’t consuming a lot of fuel and you still have a ready fire when you need it.
Being able to start a fire has become a lost art over the years. We have become used to pouring
on some lighter fluid, striking a match, and having our grill burning nicely. This is great if you are
at home, but when you are in the wilderness, you don’t have room in your bug-out bag for a
lifetime supply of fire staring materials. You will need to learn how to start a fire the hard way.
Starting a fire requires you to have three different levels of fuel. Every fire you start will require
the use of all of them:
 Tinder – things that catch fire readily, which can be used to take a spark and turn it into
a flame
 Kindling – small branches, under one inch in diameter, which will burn readily and
increase the size of the fire
 Fuel – logs or branches that are the thickness of your arm or larger; they will burn the
longest
Usually, the hardest thing you will have to find in the wild is the tinder. Excellent sources of
tinder include, old bird’s nests, dry crumbling bark, dried dead moss, and some types of dried
seed pods.
You will need to have dry wood to use in your fire, both because it will burn more readily, and
the amount of smoke it puts off will be minimal. Green, wet wood smokes a lot, giving away
your location. Split wood is also better than whole logs, as the bark won’t catch fire as easily as
the heartwood inside.

When you build your fire, you want to start with placing your tinder into the fire pit. You will
need to prop several pieces of kindling over it so that it will catch the kindling on fire. You will
need to keep an area clear so you can access the tinder with the spark or flame.
Next, you will need to make a teepee, or pyramid of fuel over the kindling. This will allow the
fire from the kindling to catch the fuel on fire. Make sure you have plenty of space between the
individual pieces so that air is able to move through, helping the fire to burn well.
With your fire properly laid, all you need to do is apply a flame or spark to the tinder. Once you
get a spark, blow on it until it bursts into flames. You should have to put in any further effort, as
the fire should spread through the fuel.
Cutting firewood in the winter is difficult, so it is best to cut wood during the fall and stockpile it
for winter.
10.5 – Wilderness Safety
You will be most at risk for danger from other human beings. Even the wildlife that you may
have thought as potentially dangerous before, is now an opportunity for you to eat.
It is important to familiarize yourself with venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions, and other
creepy crawlies in your area. Also, take the time to look up first-aid procedures for bites and
stings.
However, humans, driven by hunger, will go to any length to survive. The best way for you to
stay safe is to spot others before they spot you and avoid them. This may mean you have to
start sleeping during the day in order to move by night.
Wind causes motion everywhere, whisking away smells and muffling sounds. This makes wind
your friend. Fresh precipitation will help to cover your tracks. You can help cover your tracks by
dragging a pine bough or similar branch across your path to breakup your tracks.

When you are on the trail, be sure to use biodegradable toilet paper and dig cat hole in order to
dispose of your waste. When you are finished using them, cover them with soil and make it look
like it did when you found it.
A Dakota fire hole is a useful thing to know how to make. Since it sits below ground, your
campfire won’t be seen.
It is also a great way to provide heat and cook for a small group. Any garbage that can be burnt
can be thrown into the hole.
You can use it to bury any waste that needs to be hidden from view, and it won’t leave a
campfire ring and patch of burnt ground, signaling to anyone who comes across it that you
were there and how long ago you left.
When you break camp, simply fill in the holes with dirt and replace the top soil or sod to erase
any sign of your camp.
How to Make a Dakota Fire Pit
 Select a location for the fire hole near a tree which will help dissipate the little bit of
smoke that it produces. Soft soil free of large rocks and roots is best. If there is turf, cut
remove about a square foot of it in a square so it can be replaced when you leave the
camp site to hide any sign that you were there.

 Dig a hole about a foot deep. Make it wider at the bottom than at the top. It should be a
little over a foot in diameter at the bottom, but narrower at it's top. Pile the dirt on a
tarp next to the hole so it can be quickly dumped into the hole to put out the fire and
check the direction of the wind.
 Dig a second hole up wind. It should be smaller than the last one. This second hole is
going to be a tunnel to supply air to the fire in the larger hole. Now you can build a fire
in the larger of the two holes.
You need to make sure that everyone in your group has footwear and clothing that will keep
them comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. Your first line of shelter is your clothing.
You don’t need to have camouflaged clothing, but it should be colored earth tones and green to
help you blend more easily into your surrounding environment.
Your clothing should be anti-microbial, and fire resistance and it should contain base layers that
will wick moisture away from your skin. Cotton is a great material for hot climates, but will
absorb moisture and hold it next to your skin. This can be fatal when backpacking or hiking in
cold weather. Avoid getting hypothermia by bringing a wind-proof layer, fleece or low loft mid
layer, and a breathable waterproof outer layer. Also, don’t forget a hat, gloves and sunglasses.
Military Ponchos perform double-duty. They can be snapped together to form longer tarps that
can be used to provide you shelter. You can use trekking poles, that are adjustable, for your
shelter. You can use Para-cord, a cord the has seven inner strands that can be removed, can be
used to weave a gill net, as fishing line, for sewing, and any other purpose that you would use a
finer cord for.
You can rig your ponchos into any number of different shelter with the addition of line
tighteners and lightweight stakes. If you are in an especially cold area of the country during the
winter, you will need to be sure to have cold weather clothing and gear. You will also need a
tent. To help lighten the load on your back, you can use sleds to pull gear behind you in the
snow.

You will be able to observe others from a distance with the help of a monocular or pair of
binoculars or a magnified telescopic rifle sight. This will let you identify them, see if they are
carrying weapons, how many people are in their group, and possibly deduce their intentions.
Chapter 11 – Preparing for the New Normal
One thing that we can count on during an economic meltdown is that it will end eventually. It is
impossible to project how long it will take for things to end. It will depend a lot on what the
government decides to do, as well as what individuals decide to do to develop new sources of
income.
The main responsibility of the government in an economic crisis is to stabilize the value of the
currency. This is a lot harder to do than it may seem. Since it was the government’s actions, not
what happened in the private sector, that causes the money to become unstable.
Next, the government needs to put into place austerity measures. This means they have to cut
back on government services and expenditures. This involves a lot of fighting across the aisle. In
both the sequester and the shutdown, President Obama gave orders to make it hurt the
citizens as much as possible. At times, this meant spending more money, rather than saving it.
It is extremely difficult to get politician and bureaucrats to move past the petty posturing and
childish attitudes. Just like two-year-olds, they tend to throw temper tantrums. They eventually
wake up and realize that they will have to give up something if they ever expect things to turn
around.
11.1 – How Do You Know It’s Over?
There are two major signs that signal the end of a financial crisis; unemployment drops back
down to reasonable levels and inflation will drop back to single digit levels. Dropping
unemployment levels back down isn’t so much an event as it is a process. True unemployment

figures begin to drop as the recovery process begins. The same thing happens with inflation. It
isn’t something that will happen overnight, but it will happen over a period of time. New money
will probably be issued by the government to combat inflation, but that may or may not work.
Releasing new money, in and of itself isn’t enough to stop inflation. They only thing that it can
do is drop a bunch of zeroes off the ends of prices. This is necessary to the recovery process,
but inflation has to drop to reasonable levels for this to work.
These are the only financial indicators that the recovery process has started, but they are the
main ones to keep on eye out for. Most people aren’t directly affected by the Dow Jones, but
they are by inflation.
People’s confidence will return when they have jobs again. This will allow them to start
spending money again. This act will cause the economy to rise by the simple expenditure of
putting more money into circulation. The more people spend, the more jobs will be created,
helping more and more people start their own recovery.
The relative values of goods will return to a more normal level as well. Items whose value
increased during the crisis, due to their scarcity, will become available again, allowing their
relative value to drop back to normal. Many of the valuables that couldn’t be sold during the
crisis will become valuable again, since people are beginning to be able to think beyond their
immediate needs.
Just because the crisis ends, it doesn’t mean that things will return to normal. Instead, it brings
rise to a new normal. Things will never get back to the way they were before the meltdown.
Some people will never return home, some businesses will never reopen, and some landmarks
will forever be changed. We will need to help define what the new normal will be, rather than
looking for ways to get back to the old norm.
The new normal may look similar to the old normal in some aspects, while being totally
different than the old normal. Ways that were harmful to the economy before the crash will be

done away with amongst public outcry. People will do everything possible to avoid another
financial crash.
It will be difficult to reach a consensus about what caused the financial crisis. In order for a new
normal to be defined, it will have to be done. For many, returning to their old jobs won’t be a
part of their new normal. Rather they will focus on the business that they started as a way to
get them through the crisis. Others will find new jobs to replace their old ones. A large
percentage of the population will end up working in fields that are different from those that
they had before.
We will see people changing social class in the new normal. While some will never recover what
they lost, others will be able to take advantage of the crisis to move ahead and emerge from
the crisis better off.
This will be the time when you will be able to make a profit if you were able to barter trade
goods for valuables. People will once again be interested in buying those things as their
finances improve. There will be people that you traded with that will want their items back and
they will expect to be able to trade you something in order to get their valuable back. You will
be better off selling those items to someone else, as they will usually make you an offer based
on the value of what they received from you, not that relative values have gone back to normal.
The gold and silver you had through the crisis will have increased in value as well. As the
economy settles into a new normal, their value will probably peak and then drop slightly to a
new normal level. You can make a nice profit on it if you are able to recognize when the peak
comes.
It might be the ideal time to pay off the mortgage on your house. Your mortgage will have been
made at the pre-inflation prices. It will probably be incredibly low under the new normal.
However, there is a little known law that allows mortgage companies to increase the price of
the mortgage in the case of extreme hyperinflation. With this risk, it could be a very wise
investment to sell your gold and silver and use the money to pay off your mortgage.

Even after we reach the new normal, there will still be some things that will happen that will be
a bit more disconcerting. There is bond to be people who will decide it necessary to go after
those who were forced to use their firearms to defend their home.
These people will want to make sure that if you were forced to protect you home you will pay
the penalty for ending the criminal career of those who were merely trying to survive and
provide food for their poor starving children.
Something else that you will need to do is debrief your family and give them the chance to calm
down after the event has passed. This is to ensure that all the details of the event are recorded
before any of them can be forgotten. Those details can be easily forgotten, especially when you
are faced with trying to remember them two years later in court.
Chapter 12- Making Yourself Valuable to the Community
Losing your job doesn’t have to spell the end for you and your family. With so many businesses
closing and the normal channels of supply disrupted, you can use other skills you posses to start
a business. The establishment of cottage industries does several things. It provides for the
family who is running the business, it provides products and services to the community, and it is
an essential stepping stone in financial recovery. The government isn’t the only thing that
brings about financial recover, it also takes individual citizens finding a way to make a living.
12.1 – Skills That Save Your Life
The abilities and skills you posses may become much more valuable in the new normal,
especially those skills that help people to survive. It is hard to know which types of skills will be
able to be turned into a viable business. A lot will depend on how the financial crisis occurs. The
region you live in can also make a difference, as some skills are more common in some areas
than they are in others.

Take inventory of the skills that you possess. Figure out which ones will be useful to people
during times of economic collapse. Think about what kind of information you know that you
can barter with others.
You will be more successful in bartering your skills if you prepare now. You may have supplies
that you need or equipment to purchase for this new venture.
You may need to establish an area in your home or garage. Do the necessary preparations now,
so your transition into the new job will be easier when things fall apart. If you wait too long, you
might not be able to get a critical tool or material that you need to get started.
You don’t need to start your cottage business now. You just need to put a plan in place for
when the day comes when you will need to start making a living. The more you are able to
prepare, the faster you can start.
What types of skills could you turn into a business after the economic meltdown?
Purifying Water
In the event of an economic meltdown in which the quality of the tap water become suspect,
preppers will be the only ones with the capability to purify their own water.
You can become very useful to your neighbors by purifying water for them.
Survival Skills
Whatever your survival skills are, they are more likely better than your neighbors. You could
use your skills to provide for others, depending upon what happens and how it affects life in
general. Your skills of survival may be the most valuable thing you have.
Your skills will be in high demand, and people will be willing to trade just about anything in
order to benefit from your knowledge.

Medical Emergency Treatment
This one you have to be careful with, due to licensing and liability. If medical facilities become
overcrowded, being able to provide first-aid could save someone’s life.
Horticulture
If you produce more vegetables than you can use, you can always use the extra to trade for
things you need. The other aspect of this, you can help others start their own vegetable
gardens so they can feed their families.
Animal Husbandry
The extra chickens or eggs that you may have can be sold, or used to help others start their own
flock of chickens. You can also do the same with goats or other animals that you may be raising.
General Repairs
We live in a disposable society. When things break, we have no qualms over throwing the item
away and buying another one. However, when another one is not available, we end up in a
bind.
For the most part, we believe that it is cheaper to purchase a new one over repairing the
broken one.
When in the midst of a financial crash it may become more practical or even necessary to repair
things. Having the ability to repair necessary items for survival could be very profitable for you.
Auto Mechanics
This is a lot like general repairs. During a financial crisis, people will be forced to hold onto their
cars for longer, resulting in the need for more repairs.
Since most people don’t how how to work on modern cars, they will be looking for someone
else to do it for them.

Small Engine Repair
This may be a skill that is more important to have than being able to repair cars. Generators,
lawn mowers, and other small engine powered devices will need to be repaired as well,
probably more than they are today because they will see more use.
Welding
When people are no longer able to get the parts they need, they will look for someone that is
capable of repairing the ones they have. If you are able to weld broken parts back together, you
may quickly find yourself as the most popular person on the block.
Home Repair
Carpenters, plumbers, and electricians are always in need. When people are no long able to
afford a new home, they will look for ways of making their existing home better. Repairs may
also be needed if people’s homes are damaged by mob violence.
Making Household Goods
If you have the skills to make things, then just about anything could become a home business.
You will have a ready made business if items like pottery, woodworking, and other crafts
become hard to come by.
While people won’t be willing to pay high prices for it as art, people will be looking for
functional items. If you are used to making fancy pottery, there may not be a market for your
skill. On the other hand, making plates and cups could get your business up and running.
12.2 – Becoming that Valuable Person
There is more to creating a small business based on your skills than simply making money to
feed your family. You need to capitalize on every benefit you can. This means making yourself a
valuable member of the community. By making yourself valuable to the community, people will

go out of their way to protect you. This will make it easier to accomplish your goal of protecting
your home and your family.
There is really no way to know which skills will become valuable to the community. Of course, if
you posses more than one skill, you increase your odds that you will become valuable to your
community. Just the fact that you know how to survive during a crisis may do this. Your ability
to help others survive could put you into the role of the leader of the community.
Your knowledge of survival skills could make you a very valuable person in your community.
You can capitalize on your ability to teach others buy teaching them the skills they will need to
survive. That alone could guarantee you a place of prominence in your community.
12.3 – Bartering Your Skills
It is important to remember that you will most likely not be selling your skills, but rather you
will be bartering them.
This is more difficult to do because you have to put a value on what you do, as well as a value
on what they are trading you. You need to have an idea of what things are worth in a post-
meltdown world.
When bartering your skills, you need to have a list of things that you will accept as trade. If you
limit what you are willing to take, your customers might not have what they need to trade you
for your services.
While you want to get things that will be useful to you, you might also want to consider
accepting items that you can easily trade with others.

Chapter 13 – The End of the World as We Know It
Many preppers use the byword, TEOTWAEKI, or “The End of the World as We Know It” to
describe the time after a large scale disaster.
They also like to use the term when “Sh*t Hits the Fan,” to describe the same kind of event.
Both of these terms are always on the mind of preppers.
While many people believe that preppers are just being paranoid, there is a real possibility that
we will see a large scale disaster happen in the near future.
When the inevitable large scale disaster hits, you don’t have to become paranoid by donning
camouflage suits, moving your family to the mountains and living off the land, but it is always
beneficial to be prepared.
As most preppers know, there are many ways to accomplish this, including stocking up on
inventory, fortifying your home, and learning some useful skills that can help you when the
SHTF.
Along with learning some basic survival techniques and self-defense, it would be extremely
beneficial for you to learn how to use the barter system and know which items are going to
prove to be valuable when money becomes obsolete.
To help you with this, here is a list of the fifty things that you might want to have on hand to
trade in the event of a large scale disaster.

Chapter 14 – Introduction to the Barter System
Before we used currency to obtain items that we needed, the only way you could get these
items was by bartering for them. When TEOTWAWKI happens, economies around the globe will
collapse, and the money you worked hard for won’t even be worth the paper it is printed on.
This is why you need to learn how to trade for the goods that you will need to survive.
When the SHTF every man will be out for himself.
If you have taken the time to prep for this event, you probably have a safe place to hole up and
a separate place to keep your inventory.
If you have been extremely wise, you will have more than just enough in stock to feed you and
your family.
In times of scarcity, the most important things you need to have access to are food, water,
shelter, and clothing. If you have more than enough of these items stockpiled, you can use the
excess to barter for other items you may need.
How successful you are in bartering will be beyond your control. There will be people that will
want to trade goods with you, and others that won’t. This will require diplomacy and good
people skills to get others to trade with you.
The important thing you will need to know is how important the goods you are trading are and
will you be able to get items that are good enough for you to survive with.
Here are the things that you can control when you are bartering:
1. What you have in stock.

2. What the value is of what you have in stock.
A good prepper will know what to stock up on, as well as what the value is of what you have in
your inventory. The value of the items is tied directly to how important those items are for your
survival.

Cooking Oil
All you need is a cooking oil that will serve its purpose, which is to help you cook your meals.
You want to stock up on the cheap stuff and have a few bottles of the fancier oil on hand. This
way you can demand a higher price when the time comes.
While cooking oil helps make your food taste good, it also has a number of other uses that
make it a great bartering tool.
It can be used to lubricate mechanical parts if conventional lubricants and oils are no longer
available. It can be recycled and used several times for cooking, and it can be used to make
soap. Cooking oil can also be used as fuel to make diesel engines run again.
Jerky
An easy to prepare food that will last a long time without refrigeration is jerky. Since food is an
essential survival item, you may find people willing to trade you other useful items in order to
have food in their bellies.
Lighters, Matches, and Fire Making Tools
Fire has always been an important part of our survival. Day lighters, matches, and other fire
making tools play an important part in our lives. This will become even more evident when
TEOTWAWKI happens. Conventional lighting and heating utilities will no longer be accessed
easily and you will be forced to light up your own fire for light and heating.
Liquor
You may be questioning why liquor is included as an essential item after the SHTF, but, liquor
does have its uses.
To start, in lieu of antiseptics, hard liquor can be used to clean wounds and be used as an
anesthetic if none is available. If the liquor has a high alcohol content, it can be used as a basic
fuel to light fires. The bottles, once they are emptied, can be used as containers as well.
If for no other reason, having a few bottles of liquor handy can help people forget about the
circumstances they have suddenly found themselves in.

Water Purification Supplies
In order to survive, you have to drink water. While you can go about a week without food, you
can only survive for 3 days without water. That is why it is important to have a clean drinking
water source close.
There are a number of water purification supplies available that you can include in your bug out
pack. This will ensure you will always have clean water to drink. These come in the form of
water purification tablets, portable filtration devices, and other kinds of items that will make
any water source potable.
Water purification supplies can be considered one of the top items that can be bartered at a
premium price. With the importance of drinking water, make sure you have plenty of these
items in stock.
Bleach
When faced with hard times, sanitation is going to come into question. Bleach is a good
disinfectant that is found in many household and medical institutions. This item will prove to be
very essential for keeping the normalcy of our lives within our reach.
Along with cleaning your immediate surroundings, bleach can be used to wash your clothes and
can be used to purify water. This is why bleach is an important item for bartering.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
If you don’t have any conventional cleaning items available, you can address your sanitation
needs with a combination of baking soda and vinegar.
Both items are also useful on their own. A common kitchen ingredient, both shouldn’t be too
hard to find in your local grocery store.
Candles
Candles are a great way to light your way when the SHTF. Candles are easy to light and can be
recycled with a little time and patience. Simply collect the wax drippings and reshape them into
new candles.

When the electricity goes out and your flashlights no longer work for lack of batteries, candles
will be the next most important thing people are going to go looking for.
Batteries
Batteries, especially rechargeable ones, will become very valuable for bartering with, since
people will be looking for ways to power up some basic items they need to survive.
There are different kinds of batteries, but the most commonly used ones are double A or triple
A. These can easily be traded with other people. You may prefer to have 9-volts batteries
around to trade with people to use with their various gadgets, as well as for lighting purposes.
They will also be some people looking for more juice, which means getting bigger batteries. For
these people, a car battery might come in handy. A car battery can run several items
simultaneously for an extended period of time.
Flashlights
Flashlights will also come in very handy when the SHTF. Try to find flashlights that don’t require
batteries to run. There are rechargeable flashlights, solar powered flashlights, and even
flashlights that can be charged with the use of a crank. You want to try and find flashlights that
use LEDs as the main bulbs rather than the tungsten bulbs as they will last longer.
Razors and Razor Blades
Along with keeping yourself presentable, razors and razor blades can be used as basic cutting
tools. Since these items serve more than a single purpose, there will be plenty of people
clamoring to have one of these with them at all times. Be sure to stock up on enough of these
to trade with and for personal purposes.
First Aid Items
First aid items should be included in your inventory. The basic items like bandages and
antiseptic solutions should be a part of your first aid kit. You will also want to include suturing
equipment and wound dressing gauze in your kit.

TEOTWAWKI is going to be tough, especially if you get injured. Any small wound that you
receive can easily turn into a nasty infection. It is essential that you attend to any wound no
matter the size in order to reduce the risk of infection.
Other people will soon recognize the importance of having these kinds of items handy when the
SHTF, and if you have a large inventory of these items, you will have no problem trading them
for essential items. Just make sure you keep them in a safe place, away from moisture and
other elements that can compromise its sterility.
Cigarettes
Cigarettes can become a great item for bartering, so even if you don’t smoke, it is wise to stock
up on them.
The good thing about using cigarettes to barter is that their value can greatly vary from one
person to the next. If you pay attention to the other person’s demeanor, you should be able to
price them according to their desperation level.
You want to make it a bit harder for other people to get their hands on the cigarettes so you
can get more stuff. Many people will be willing to pay more than normal for a pay of cigarettes
during TEOTWAWKI.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee and tea may not seem like they are survival essentials, but they can help to boost one’s
morale. When the SHTF, they can help you keep a sense of normalcy and keep you from losing
your mind.
Honey
When the SHTF, conventional sweeteners are going to be scares. Honey will become a valuable
commodity. Since honey is a well known sweetener, you won’t have to do a lot of explaining
when you try to barter this item away.
There are two ways in which you can stock up on honey, you can buy it from the grocery store,
or you can harvest your own honey if you know how to handle bees.

Spice and Seasonings
Just because the SHTF, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the food we eat. A good thing about spices
and seasonings, is that they last a really long time when they are stored properly. They also
retain their taste for long periods of time.
Playing Cards
You can get a lot of entertainment from a single deck of cards. You can play by yourself or with
your friends and family. This gives them a lot of versatility, which is why you shouldn’t ignore
this item. You can stock up on these items easily because of their small size.
Pencils and Paper
When the SHTF, pencils and paper will become an important tool for documenting the events.
Keeping a journal through the rough times can help to keep you sane.
Hard Candy and Chocolates
These items can be valuable bartering items when the SHTF. You can store them in glass
containers and they don’t expire. Both hard candies and chocolates can be used to stave off
hunger. They can also be used to combat nausea or vertigo.
Fishing Supplies
An excellent way to provide food for your family is with fishing. With the right equipment you
can head to the nearest creek or body of water and wait for the fish to bite.
You will want to keep different sizes and varieties of fishing hooks, different gauges of fishing
lines, and fishing rods in your inventory. Because there are many different types of fish out
there, you want to have a lot of options to barter with.
Garden Seeds
Once you run out of conventional sources of food, you are going to need a way to provide for
yourself. Garden seeds will become extremely valuable when TEOTWAWKI comes around.
You can find garden seeds in all forms and varieties and are easy to grow in your backyard. You
can find just about any type of seed from commercial sources. The next time you head to the

grocery store, pick up several packs of garden seeds and practice planting them in your
backyard. This will help you to develop a green thumb if you don’t already have one. This will
also allow you to see which brands produce full grown plants and which ones don’t.
You should have no problem trading these seeds since people will need to use them for their
survival when the SHTF.
You can either barter the entire pack or parcel it out seed by seed. Just make sure to leave
enough for yourself.
Paperback Books
Once electricity becomes scarce, paperback books will be a great form of entertainment. You
don’t need batteries or an electrical source to run them and they can help you escape the
reality of your situation for a bit.
Paperback books are extremely bulky and you may find that people don’t like your selection. In
this case, they can be used as kindling to start a fire, but only as a last resort.
Sewing Kits
There will come a time when your clothes and other fabrics will need mending. Keeping a
sewing kit around makes sense. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You simply need a couple of
needles and thread to complete your kit. When the SHTF, the simple sewing kit will become an
important part of your inventory.
Detergent
When the SHTF, clothes and other fabrics are going to need to be washed. That’s why
detergent is an important item to have during TEOTWAWKI. Detergent comes in two forms;
liquid and powder. The powder is easier to repackage and a little can go a long way.
Toilet Paper
Toilet paper is going to be another essential item that people will be looking for. One good
thing about toilet paper is that it is light. The bad thing about toilet paper is that it is bulky.

However, since everyone needs it, make sure you have it in your personal stash for trading
purposes.
Bicycle Repair Kits
Your car is going to slowly become obsolete when the SHTF. If a huge EMP wave hits, then it
will be an instantaneous destruction of everything that requires electricity to work, including
your car.
When this happens, bicycles are going to come back into style. Bicycles are very simple and
don’t need a lot of maintenance to keep them moving, but you should still have a bicycle repair
kit handy should you ever need it.
Your kit should include items to repair the tires and grease to keep your bike on the road. Make
sure your kit also has a set of pliers, screw drivers and wrenches to help make roadside repairs
easy. Keep your kit as small and portable as possible to encourage others to trade their items
for your kits.
Hand Pumps for Liquids and Dry
If your home’s sump pump suddenly gives out on you, hand pumps can become a great tool. In
survival situations you can also use hand pumps to make it easier to transfer liquids from one
container to another.
They can also be used to bring up water from a well or to drain trenches.
Unfortunately, hand pumps can be quite heavy and bulky, but they will retain their high value
when the SHTF and there isn’t any more electricity to run conventional pumps.
Toddler and Baby Supplies
When it comes to their children, parents are always going to do what they have to to provide
for them. Having toddle and baby supplies in stock is going to prove valuable if you come across
these people.
Keep a stock of diapers, milk bottles, teething toys and educational toys. These are a few good
examples of what to have in case the SHTF.

Duct Tape
Duct tape is known to be able to provide a number of quick fixes around the house. Make sure
you have enough duct tape in your inventory to take care of your own needs as well as for
bartering with. Duct tape has become extremely popular because of its strength and many
positive qualities. Keeping a couple of extra roles might prove to be extremely valuable and a
good trade item.
Plastic Bags
When the SHTF, plastic bags can come in really handy. You can store your food in them and
other belongings, keeping them safe from the elements, helping to prolong their natural lives.
Plastic bags are easy to buy at any store, and as long as you keep them stored at room
temperature, they should remain as strong and durable as the first day you bought them.
Potassium Iodide
People that have been exposed to radiation are give potassium iodide. During TEOTWAWKI,
nuclear fallout and the resulting radiation is a possibility. Having potassium iodide tablets with
you can help you to quickly combat radiation sickness.
If you have large quantities of potassium iodide tablets, you can expect to have a veritable
windfall of wealth, as people are going to be scrambling to get their hands on these in the event
that nuclear war does happen.
You need to keep these pills away from moisture and direct sunlight and always know when
they expire. When bartering, make sure you trade these pills away immediately to reduce your
risk of having waste on your hands.
Warm Clothing
Good shelter may be hard to come by when the SHTF. This can be made worse by the weather.
This is why it is essential to have warm clothing in your inventory. Warm clothing can be seen as
an essential item for your survival. Since clothing is considered one of the top items you need to
secure in the event of a disaster, you should have no problem trading these for other essential
items.

Condoms
Condoms can be a very good bartering item since there are many uses for them. Aside from the
obvious, condoms can be used to keep smaller items from water damage. In the military,
condoms are used as waterproof containers for items like cellphones and other smaller
electronics.
All Forms of Toiletries
While hygiene may take a back seat when the basic needs for survival have to be taken care of,
it shouldn’t be entirely forgotten. When the SHTF, the first thing people are going to look for is
food and water.
Once they have found this, the next thing they will think about are their basic creature
comforts.
Having a large inventory of toiletries, including feminine products, soap, and dental floss, will
give you the opportunity to trade out to other people. It is important that you store these items
at room temperature and away from direct sunlight and moisture to prolong their life span and
keep them sanitary.
Fuel
Fuel will be not only important for your vehicle, but also in order to run your generator if you
have one. It can also be an excellent tool to light your fire. Fuel is going to be an essential barter
item, which you should definitely have on hand.
Latex Free Gloves
Latex free gloves came into existence because some people are allergic to latex. These gloves
can be used for so many different purposes from treating infections to cleaning up your
surroundings. Using the gloves will lessen the risk of too much unnecessary exposure that could
be harmful to you or the next person along.
You should be able to get your hands on these items fairly easily as they are often sold in pairs
over the counter.

Hand Tools
When the SHTF, the need to make repairs is bound to happen. Basic hand tools will be essential
during these times.
They can also be a very valuable trading commodity.
Hand tools that you should have in your inventory include: hammers, axes, saws, pliers,
screwdrivers, and wrenches.
While there are specific sizes for each of these items, if you are good with your hands or in a
work area, you should be able to handle any of these tools even if they are too big or too small.
Make sure you have the best variety so that they will last longer.
Paracord
Paracord used to be exclusively for use by the military, but it eventually found its way into the
mainstream community.
Since paracord serves a number of practical purposes, you should be able to get a good trade
for it. Paracord is also very durable.
If you want a really good trade to take place, be sure you only trade with people who know the
importance of paracord and what it originally costs. This will allow you to stay away from those
that want to lowball you and the people that don’t understand how different it is from normal
rope.
Tie Wraps
When you need to tie down smaller objects or close up plastic bags easily, tie wraps can come
in handy.
Most hardware supply stores carry this item and they are relatively cost efficient. Buy these in
bulk to take advantage of the discount you can receive from purchasing them in large
quantities.
This will help you increase the size of your inventory immediately and give you enough rolls to
trade with as well as to use personally.

Pepper Spray
Pepper spray should be at the top of your list, because it is a basic self-defense item. You aren’t
always able to tote a gun around, and you may not be physically capable of protecting your self
with your arms and legs.
Pepper spray, as a non-lethal, self-defense weapon, can give you enough time to disable your
attacker and run off to safety.
Because many people are going to be worried about their own personal safety when the SHTF,
it should be fairly easy for you to trade pepper spray for other essential survival items. You will
also be giving people a way in which to defend themselves without having to kill or maim
anyone.
MRE’s
At one point, MRE’s were only available to men who were enlisted in the military. Nowadays,
MRE’s are a common item that can be found in camping and hunting shops.
MRE’s are easy to carry and last for a really long time. In the event that there is no food to be
found, an MRE can provide the sustenance you need to survive.
Although these items have long expiration dates, they should also be included in your list of
first things to go out after the perishables are gone.
Canned Foods and Dried Foods
Since these types of foods don’t easily spoil, they are essential to your survival. Pretty much
anything can be canned. Canned foods include items like sardines, milk, mushrooms, fruits,
vegetables, and other greens.
While there are a variety of foods that can be canned, it is safest to buy beef or pork. Since
people love beef and pork, you can easily associate canned foods with these two types of meat
when you are trying to make a trade.
The only down side to canned foods is that they are rather bulky and hard to lug around.

Knives and Sharpening Tools
A valuable trading item when the SHTF will be knives and sharpening tools. Knives are basic
items that can help you to perform a number of different chores. You can use it to cut up ropes,
prepare meals, and carve wood. They can also be used for self-defense.
Sharpening tools like whetstones and leather straps can be traded as separate items or
packaged with a knife.
Buckets
When it comes TEOTWAWKI, you may want to include a bucket in your inventory. Not only are
buckets important for storing water and other liquids, they can also become a great item to
barter with. Transporting water from one location to another is much easier with a bucket.
In the event it rains, you can use the buckets to catch the rain water. This can then be used for
bathing or watering your plants.
You can use it for drinking water, but it will have to be boiled first, or at the very least purified
with tablets to make sure it is clean enough for human consumption.
Along with carrying liquids, buckets can be used to carry tools around whenever you need to
make repairs.
You can also store harvested grains in buckets. They are also a great tool for reconstruction as
they can easily carry sand, gravel, and cement.
If you are going to be trading buckets, these are great points to raise to other people.
Reading Glasses
Education shouldn’t stop just because TEOTWAWKI is here. You should still continue to read.
Books should be in your inventory as an item to trade and as a way to stay informed and
educated.
If you come across someone that is visually impaired and they need glasses, you’ll have some in
stock. You can also use the lenses from the glasses to signal for help or to start a fire if you
don’t have any matches on you.

Ammo
TEOTWAWKI doesn’t mean everything has to be doom and gloom, but it doesn’t hurt to be
prepared.
Stocking up on ammo doesn’t have to be viewed as an act of paranoia. Rather it should be seen
as simply being prepared for any situation. Having excess ammo can also be used to barter
with. You will need to stock up on different types of ammo, based on the caliber of the gun.
Silver and Gold Coins
Money isn’t going to matter much once the SHTF. Since there will most likely be no government
able to dictate the value of your paper money, it will be pretty useless.
Silver, gold and other precious metals are different. They don’t lose their value easily. Make
sure you have enough of these items in your inventory to trade with.
You will need to think long term when it comes to precious metals, since silver and gold may
not be the top priority on other’s minds when it comes to basic survival. Try to hold onto these
items for as long as possible, just in case things go back to normal and people start trading
precious metals again.
Water Bottles
It is important that you have a place to store water. Keeping water bottles around to store
water is essential. The good thing about water bottles is you can find them just about
anywhere. You can purchase them at the store, or you can save the bottles from the mineral
water you buy.
They also come in many forms. They come in aluminum, metals or plastic, and even glass. These
are really easy to barter with as people may find it unappealing to use a bottle they’ve picked
up from the ground to store water and drink from it.
Water bottles are easy to store as well. Some bottles even have clips attached to them, making
it easier to tote them around. You can even find ones that retain the original temperature you
found your water in whether it is cold or hot.

Can Openers
If you want to utilize the can goods you stocked up on, then you are going to need a can
opener. There are a number of different varieties of can openers, from the simple can opener,
to the more complex ones that incorporate turning gears in their simple construction.
Having more than one can opener can prove to be quite beneficial. If you are trading canned
food with someone, they are also going to need a can opener. You can offer up your inventory
of can openers as well.
Prescription drugs, painkillers, and antibiotics
Finally, you need to have an inventory of prescription drugs, painkillers, and antibiotics. These
items will be essential for survival. Unfortunately, these items have expiration dates. However,
it is usually a lot later than the date that is stamped on the bottle.
You may want to consider trading these items out first if you have them in your inventory.
During the first few months of TEOTWAWKI, people will be panicking and trying to get their
hands on these medications. Take advantage of the situation and deal your stock out.
You can also manufacture your own medicines if you want to have a lasting supply. You will
need to learn some basic pharmaceutical skills in order to reverse engineer these types of
medicines though. You can also go the route of alternative medicines and find some natural
remedies in and around your immediate surroundings. No matter how you do it, you will want
to make sure you have some medicines on hand for your personal use and for trading.
Conclusion
Hopefully this information will help you learn what the barter system is and how to better
prepare for TEOTWAWKI. Next, you will want to fill your inventory with the items listed above
and train yourself to barter. You can work with your friends to perfect your technique of trading
items without money involved.

Chapter 15 – In Conclusion
It is pretty evident that the United States is heading straight toward a financial meltdown.
Based on the past, we are already in the first stages of the crisis. It isn’t a matter of whether or
not we will have a financial meltdown, but rather how soon it is going to happen.
There is no way to accurately predict how a financial meltdown will effect the economy, or to
what extent it will be. There is also no way to predict what jobs will be lost or how long the
crisis will last. No one is immune to the effect of an economic crisis. In 2009, when the housing
market crashed, thousands upon thousands of teachers lost their jobs. This at a time when
teaching was supposedly the most secure jobs in the country.
The last thing we can do is trust that the government will take care of it. In reality, it is the
government that is bringing about the meltdown. The government won’t realize that there is a
problem until it is too late.
President Obama has made the statement that he wants to bring the United States down to
international averages in order to give the third-world countries a chance. However, the third-
world countries were the worst hit in the housing crash of 2009.
In the event of an economic breakdown, everyone will be affected by three major things:
 High unemployment
 Runaway inflation
 Breakdown of supply lines
The dollars in our pockets will no longer hold any real value, and people will become reluctant
to accept them. We will revert back to a barter system. Food, supplies and even skills will be
traded back and forth. No money will change hands.

You will have to be prepared to live without many of the conveniences that we depend on
today. We will be force to revert back to a simpler life. We will have to relearn how to live just
like our grandparents did. This will be difficult.
The more we can do today to prepare for the economic meltdown, the better off we will be
tomorrow. Stockpiling food and supplies is a good start, but it isn’t enough. We need to be
prepared with the right skills to accomplish everyday things, without the normal conveniences
that we are used to. It takes time to learn those skills. In order to be ready to use them
tomorrow, you will need to start learning them today.
You also need to consider what types of skills you have that can provide for your family in the
midst of the crisis. Finding a job won’t be easy. You may have better luck starting a business
that utilizes your skills. You will need to be able to barter your skills and excess supplies, putting
you in better shape than others. Your family will be able to eat. But be weary of those who
don’t have as much as you.
The time will come when you will have to defend your home. Your family’s lives will depend on
your ability to defend yourself and your home. You will have a difficult decision to make, either
stay and fight or bug-out. Either option has its own set of risks and dangers.
Your preparation for the coming crisis will be multi-faceted. There won’t be enough time to do
everything that needs to be done. Every step you take now to become more prepared will make
things that much better for you and your family when the crisis finally hits.
Prepping isn’t an activity, it is a change in your lifestyle. It is a journey that you will begin, but
you will never end. At some time, the meltdown will come and you won’t have any more time
to prepare. You need to take each and everyday and use it as an opportunity to be one step
closer to being ready. You’ve already taken the first step by reading this book. Now you need to
start putting the information to use. Pick and area or two and start your prepping. You can’t do
everything at once so decide what is most important and start with that. Once you have started
that item and it is on its way, you can start working on the next. Little by little you will become
ready.

Surviving The Final Bubble

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Surviving The Final Bubble

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Table of Contents

The Approach of a Financial Armageddon .............................................................................. 6

Chapter 2 – Silver Market Secrets ........................................................................................ 16

2.2 – A Silver Investment Created by the U.S. Government ........................................................... 18

2.3 Silver is a Far Better and Safer Business .................................................................................. 21

Chapter 3 – The Most Valuable Asset in Times of Crisis ........................................................ 23

Chapter 4 – What Will You Do When It Comes?.................................................................... 26

4.1 What is Your Plan? ................................................................................................................. 26

4.2 Bugging Out or Bugging In? ..................................................................................................... 28

Chapter 5 – Increase Your Net Worth ................................................................................... 31

5.1 – Your Mindset ....................................................................................................................... 32

5.2 – Your Debts........................................................................................................................... 33

5.3 – Alternatives to the U.S. Dollar .............................................................................................. 34

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 2

5.5 – BitCoin – Good or Not? ........................................................................................................ 37

5.6 – Barter Goods ....................................................................................................................... 38

5.7 – Different Types of Currency.................................................................................................. 41

5.8 – Specific Investment Strategies to Employ ............................................................................. 41

5.9 – Buying Gold ......................................................................................................................... 41

5.10 – Short-Selling Stocks............................................................................................................ 42

5.11 – Put Options ....................................................................................................................... 42

5.12 – Play Defense ...................................................................................................................... 43

5.14 – Broker or No Broker? ......................................................................................................... 44

5.15 – Other Tips.......................................................................................................................... 44

Chapter 6 – Preparing for Economic Meltdown .................................................................... 46

6.1 – What Changes Should You Make? ........................................................................................ 47

6.2 What Should You Learn? ......................................................................................................... 51

6.3 – What Should You Stockpile?................................................................................................. 54

6.4 Plan, Plan, Plan....................................................................................................................... 67

Chapter 7 – Survival Skills for Safely Hunkering Down .......................................................... 69

7.1 Maintaining Body Temperature .............................................................................................. 70

7.2 – Clean Water to Drink ........................................................................................................... 78

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 3

7.4 – What About Food?............................................................................................................... 89

Chapter 8 – Never Too Weak and Small to Prep ................................................................... 99

8.1 – Surviving as a Senior ............................................................................................................ 99

8.2 – Prepping with Kids ............................................................................................................. 102

Chapter 9 – First Aid .......................................................................................................... 104

9.1 – Medicine ........................................................................................................................... 104

9.2 – How to give first aid .......................................................................................................... 111

9.3 – Other Basic Necessities ..................................................................................................... 115

Chapter 10 – Surviving in the Wilderness ........................................................................... 118

10.1 – Shelter............................................................................................................................. 118

10.2 – Using Nature’s Water ....................................................................................................... 122

10.3 – Finding Food in the Wild .................................................................................................. 124

10.4 – Starting a Fire .................................................................................................................. 127

10.5 – Wilderness Safety ............................................................................................................ 129

Chapter 11 – Preparing for the New Normal ...................................................................... 132

11.1 – How Do You Know It’s Over? ............................................................................................ 132

Chapter 12- Making Yourself Valuable to the Community .................................................. 135

12.1 – Skills That Save Your Life .................................................................................................. 135

12.2 – Becoming that Valuable Person ........................................................................................ 138

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 4

Chapter 13 – The End of the World as We Know It ............................................................. 140

Chapter 14 – Introduction to the Barter System ................................................................. 141

Chapter 15 – In Conclusion ................................................................................................ 156

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 5

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 6

Surviving The Final Bubble Page 7

Total Assets: more than 1.8 trillion dollars

Total Exposure to Derivatives: more than 53 trillion dollars

Total Assets: about 2.4 trillion dollars

Total Exposure to Derivatives: more than 51 trillion dollars