Unsexy and I know it

You guys know that saying about how when it comes to war, the amateurs talk strategy/tactics but the pros talk logistics? I think when it comes to preparedness the amateurs talk guns, the pros talk logistics. And, yes, this is new nothing new….I’ve said it before. But, the fact I’ve said it before doesn’t detract from it being true (IMHO).

In the last 365 days I can count the number of times I needed a gun, body armour, and night vision on one hand. However, on virtually every one of those 365 days I had needed food, water, clothes, shoes, toilet paper, etc. So, when apportioning money for resources, where does the lion’s share go? Yup, to the unsexy things like paper towels, socks, canned goods, toothpaste, and that sort of thing.

There is no doubt in my mind at all that there is definitely going to be a time when an M4, ceramic plates, hands-free commo, and a buncha webgear is going to be exactly what the moment calls for. But, that’s one time out 100…the other 99 times out of 100 I’ll be needing/using all the unsexy preparedness stuff.

I was reminded of it yesterday as I was going over my budget for the month. I got hungry and it was time to make dinner. Felt like some chicken and rice would be just the ticket. Reach deep into the freezer and find this:

20170610_163217Yup…five year old chicken. Been sitting in the freezer quietly for the last five years. Is it good? Yup…cooked up and went down just fine. But because of foresight five years ago, it was there for me last night when I was hungry. And there’s also a couple cases of 7.62×39 sitting next to the freezer, because that same foresight says that someday I’ll need that too. But which one usually winds up getting used soonest? The unsexy stuff.

Being something of a Ballistic-American (aka “gun nut”) I loves me some thundertoys. And preparedness is definitely one of those interests where you get to justify to yourself (if you are the type that needs to do that sort of thing) your purchases of guns and ammo. But its ‘preparedness’, not ‘warfighting’….and preparedness encompasses a lot more than guns. Thats why we have “guns and…” Guns and…toilet paper. Guns and …canned food. Guns and…extra clothing. Guns and…Ham radios. you get the idea.

But, what’s the first thing people jump at doing when they decide it’s time to ‘get serious’ about preparedness? In my experience, nine times outta ten it means the go buy some guns and ammo. Which is fine, but the apocalypse (no matter what flavor of it you expect) is going to be so much more than guns and ammo. The AR and M855 are just one instrument in the orchestra that plays the preparedness symphony.

Unfortunately, the sexy stuff like guns, ammo, armour, smoke grenades, night vision, etc, etc, are subject to more scrutiny than, say, a case of Spam and a bucket of rice. There is always the real possibility that you could wake up tomorrow and find that, on a local/state/national level your access to ownership of those things is cutoff or severely curtailed (looking at you California!)…the same risk to, say, freeze dried food, buckets of rice, AA-batteries, quality boots, and neosporin is virtually nil.

This is why, for me, I’m “heavy” on guns and ammo. I want a lifetime supply but I don’t have the luxury of a lifetime to collect it. Since tomorrow could possibly the last day I have to acquire a ‘black rifle’ and ‘hi cap’ magazine’, I would like to have as many as I can in place just in case some sort of regulatory shenanigans takes place. Succinctly, I’m virtually 100% positive I won’t be prohibited from buying canned tomatoes and paper towels a year from now, I cannot be so certain on the gun stuff.

And, yes, tomorrow could also be the last day I have to acquire canned bacon and frozen pizza as well. But, historically, the threat/risk to one has been greater than the other.

My personal flavor of apocalypse is economic. It could be a worldwide depression that throws us into a Third World life of living like Venezuelans, or it could be me breaking a leg and not being able to work for two months…but, in my world, thats the most likely apocalypse I see coming. And in that case, I’ll probably get far more mileage out of my blue barrels of rice and my #10 cans of freeze dried pork chops than I will out my HK91 and Lake City ball.

So, I would never discourage anyone from buying guns and ammo, but I do suggest tempering the buying spree with a little prudence and logic about how much of a percentage of your budget should be spent on things you shoot versus things you eat or use every day. It’s the unsexy and unfun part of preparedness but it is probably the most important part.

(Which reminds me, finish off your ‘hicap’ AR mag needs in one fell swoop.)

11 thoughts on “Unsexy and I know it

  1. This is very unsexy and uncool. With all the meat you have been buying lately, I’ve been meaning to ask how many freezers and what size. and type do you have.

  2. Great post. So important to remember, and yet so easy to forget!

    If or when the fit ever hits the shan in a big way, otherwise well-meaning preppers who went long on guns and ammo but short on food and meds will become a very real and scary threat to everyone.

  3. Truly, this is a ‘golden age’ for buying guns & ammo. Hate Mr. Trump all you want, just wait til you see who the commiecrats nominate to replace him….we’ll all talk of the great days back when you could buy mid-grade firearms online with a credit card, hassle free.

    I’m buying rifles that I’ve previously never thought I’d own, just because they’re such stupid-good deals right now. I just pray my future grandchildren will thank their late grandpappy for taking care of their needs while there was still time. Imagine if your grandfather had had the foresight to pick-up a Thompson ‘typewriter’ back while they were still legal……..you’d probably write a book about your good fortune! Think of all the miserable Brits, left defenseless now against their new overlords…..

    • Im curious who the Democrats would run in 2020. Hillary will be way past her shelf life by then.

      • Don’t think that means she won’t try. Rest assured, she’ll be testing the waters.

        • Chelsea as the Heir To The Throne for the New Camelot.

          Personally I’d like to see Bernie Sanders give it a go again just so a socialist/commie can be in power. Get the waiting over with and let Revolution 2.0 start.

          Then again, the age diff between Clinton and Sanders is only a few months.

          Probably a BLM supporting ‘community organizer’ with an estrogen base.

          • Yup. They are already floating the former Cali AG K Harris as the next Obozo. No thanks. With the former Cali senator calling for looks at former AG low-retta wench the left-tard commiecrats are looking to sink any talk of thunder thighs for the big spot. And the spawn won’t have her chops done by 20. Look for her to start either local or US Rep. Think 12 years down the road. They play the long game.

      • Kamala Harris; completely trampled 2A, upheld rights of criminals in CA, and is now on her way to do more damage to the rest of the country. Right color, right gender, supported by Feinstein, and was “the best looking AG” according to Obama. Currently more sellable than Warren and is grandstanding against Sessions. Kamala was, is, and will be trouble for the next 30 plus years either running for Prez or as Feinstein’s replacement. I hope skeletons fall out of her closet in a big way.

  4. Everyone should have a years worth of meat in a freezer. It costs 99cents a pound right now on sale. Buy the sales. But even before you do that, just get a years worth of wheat. It isn’t your whole diet but in an emergency it CAN be ( sprout a lot of it ). And it costs $80 before container costs. That is cheap insurance everyone should own, and takes very little out of your gun budget.

    • I agree, but would consider making half of the meat canned vs. frozen. If power outage is during summertime, you have a metric fuckton of meat that needs cooking. Canned chicken does not taste too bad at all and even comes in container to be warmed in if you like.

  5. If at all possible, try not to store all your food preps in the same location. For several reasons:
    1) a natural disaster of some sort:
    fire, flood, earthquake, etc., etc.
    2) .gov seizure of private food stocks due to #1
    3) non-govt seizure in response to #1. Such as neighbors or gangs.

    Note: If the recovery takes long enough, you can be fairly sure that #2 and/or #3 will occur, due to loose lips by other people who are aware you are a prepper, or accidental disclosure. It may start as a demand to share with those others, but they will not be able to keep their mouths shut, and the word WILL spread, or they may just sell you out for bennies from the intended recipients. Human nature at work, people. Expect problems. Try to plan to minimize the hit you will take.

    If possible (space, finances), you might consider setting up a sacrificial cache intended to meet this scenario.

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