Merciful Crom, has it been a weird year or what? Remember when a 500 point swing in the market would take a week? Now it takes place in one day. And we have riots. And pandemic. And a presidential election. And Chuck Schumer is still running loose. This really is going to be a year for the books.
And yet…so far…I’ve survived. In fact, not only have I survived, I’ve managed to get ahead on a few things. Most notable – house paid off. (Go me!) And all my investments have recovered to their pre-Superflu balances. And I took advantage of the dip(!) to buy in on the ground floor on a few things.
So, why didn’t I get my butt handed to me like some people in all of this? A few reasons. First and foremost, I live within my means. I drive a car older than I care to mention..but I’ve no car payment. I don’t get to buy expensive toys unless I save for them…but I have no credit card payment. School is paid as I go so…no student loan payment. And, now, house is paid so…no house payment. So when something exciting happens like getting hours cut or a job ‘furloughed’ due to Covid, I can spend the money I have on my needs and not on loan payments.
A few years ago I decided that the smart thing to do was have three different sources of revenue. This way if one crapped out, I wasn’t left with no income. Turns out, not a bad idea. I put a solid 15% of whatever I make into a “Do Not Touch” fund in case of emergencies and, as a result, I can function normally for several months at this point. Longer if I’m willing to give up a few luxuries like cable and that sort of thing.
It also helped that I had plenty of consumables on hand… toilet paper? Not a problem. Beef? Got a freezer full of it. Pasta and rice? Literally hundreds of pounds. If I really, really wanted to I could blow off grocery shopping for , probably, at least the rest of the year. If the money stopped coming in tomorrow I could dedicate $0 to groceries and be juuuuuuust fine.
Civil disturbance? Can’t find an AR for love or money in your local gun shop? No 9mm to be had anywhere? Very, very, very much not a problem.
I’m not saying this to brag, rather I mention it because I feel vindicated. The lifestyle I live, which does sometimes generate a bit of derision from others, has put me in a position where the world may be flailing around like a chicken with its head removed but I’ve got a little ocean of calm and relative security. And I am tremendously grateful to…me….for doing what it took to get there.
Yeah, once in a while my t-shirts have a hole in them, or my shoes look a little frayed, and I use a seven year old phone but…if thats the price of the security and safety that I feel I’ve garnered for myself than I’d say it was a very good trade.
I hope you do as well. I hope you do better. I hope you look at all the possible wildly bad stuff that is going on this year and think “Y’know…I’d feel a little better about my odds if we did…” and then you go do it. There’s still plenty of room for improvement in my situation…more security, more resilience, more resources…but at the moment, things are nowhere near as bad as they are for other people. I know people who have had their hours cut and they have to decide on whether to sell the gun collection in order to meet the mortgage and keep the jet ski from being repossessed. Sad for them, but we all make choices.
Anyway, thats my take on things after watching the news this evening and realizing that, all in all, I’m rather glad I’ve spent the last thirty years as a paranoid survivalist. I should add that while I am satisfied that I’ve been heading in the right direction all along, I’m not complacent. There’s still more to do. Always is.
Amen, Brother! We both drink from the same garden hose.
It’s amazing how much more resources you have when you don’t have interest payments.
Well… I don’t know about Krom, but God has certainly been merciful to me and mine. All healthy, still have a job, able to avoid the chaos for the most part.
Very, very, very much not a problem! You’ve got a great sense of humor! God Bless you buddy! LOL!
Again, I went to the LGS today and the shelves were nearly bare of some popular caliber ammunition. I was there just for some cheap plinking ammo, but I guess the “law and order” citizen is stocking up for possible riot problems. I came home thinking it’s good to be waaaay ahead of the curve!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord and swing into position
Can’t afford to be a politician
Praise the Lord, we’re all between perdition
And the deep blue sea
Yes the sky pilot said it
Ya gotta give him credit
For a sonofagun of a gunner was he
Shouting Praise the Lord, we’re on a mighty mission
All aboard, we ain’t a-goin’ fishin’
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord (Praise the Lord) and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
And we’ll all stay free
Congrats Cmdr! Getting the house paid off is a major milestone. I know there are people who will still bitch that you don’t really own it, ‘cuz they’ll take it if you don’t pay taxes, in fact you’re bound to get that in at least one comment, but SO WHAT? Comes to that “they” can take everything you own and destroy you anyway. Richard Jewell, the anthrax scientist, Ruby Ridge, countless others spring to mind.
Owning the home you live in outright is unbelievably satisfying.
And THANKS! too. Back in my early days, your site was one that provided me guidance and reassurance. I’m in much the same position as you, with less of everything but a wide range of stuff. I’ve built this little lifeboat for me and my family, and now I’m using it. I’m incredibly grateful to those that helped me get to this point, including you 🙂
It paid off. I wish it wasn’t necessary, but I’m glad I did it.
If someone reading this isn’t as far along or isn’t even started, you can do it too. There is still time to improve your position. ALWAYS be working to improve your position, and you will see the benefit.
Skills and knowledge are always a good investment. Hard goods are too. Anyone else wish they had a pallet or two of bleach, masks, or a truckload of chest freezers laying around?? I can almost guarantee that there will be similar needed items in our near future.
Keep it up Cmdr, you have provided an excellent example so far.
nick
Commander Z
The article was really important, in short to many are caught up in survival “themes” like buying silver and Gold. Now some will call that stance blasfamous but here me out. I’m not against buying precious metals, I’m against doing so prematurely, i.e. Before paying off loan w interests such as home mortgages or CC bills. In my opinion paying bills with interests first is one of the fastest ways to get ahead. I won’t bother readers with my own specifics other than after my home was paid off buying fun things was rather easy.
A Debt freee mantra should be in the forefront of of each survivalist mindset before splurging on stuff that May Never come into play!
One other point, other Survival blogs continued the push get out of the stock market theme year after year. The rant has been pushed for 30 years at least.
I get it trust me, however I have resisted that urge and have stayed vested in the market, in doing so I have prifitted handsomely. I’m happy you have not gone on ranting about this fallacy, yeah the country maybe in decline but it’s not going to fail overnight. Saving, investing and paying down debt is paramount to survival, it’s just not as exciting as new guns, but really as or more important in modern times.
To my fellow readers my advice, get some guns and ammo to be safe, then pay off your biggest loans, the faster the better.
Congrats on getting the mortgage paid off. We got that monkey off our back in April. With no debt, but a home, auto , etc all paid for, it makes it so much easier to have financial set backs and not end up with major life changes. Financial worries are also at the top of the list for lost sleep, marriages getting nasty and a host of other things that aren’t good for your health.
I am so happy for Covid19. proved one thing. lower middle class areas of red states are to be avoided. no better than inner city. broke, over burden with mouths to feed and debt, heavy on guns, light on foods and goods. my experience, by week 3, already calling people hoarders. meanwhile they have fancy trucks, boats, dirt bikes, and drank 2 years worth of preps in beer. you are not going to read that in a Rawles book or about NW redoubt. crabs in bucket pulling the one about to be free back down.
I have to agree, like a reluctant deplorable. Some have shit for ammo stores and no garden. They are just as dangerous as the left, hungry is hungry.
Congrats on your success and good decisions, I’m mostly in the same position .
House and truck paid, check
Armament and ammo, check
Supplies and food stash, could be better but still pretty good, half check
Income, steady and regular, three quarter check
Location, here’s my main weak point, the neighborhood has changed over the years I’ve been here. It’s still pretty good overall but……. and of course our yearly hurricane season, I’m far enough from the coast not to worry about storm surge but after living through Camille, Juan, Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Gustav just to name a few I’ve seen plenty of wind damage and I’m not getting any younger so doing repairs are definitely a PIA…
Head down, eyes open, moving forward….
Congratulations CZ!!!
June 2020 is my first month without a mortgage as well! It was (is) such a great feeling to sit down to do the bills at the first of the month and not see the bank account balance drop like a rock after writing a single check.
The prepping lifestyle couldn’t have worked out better, though. Furloughed from my job in late March, that emergency fund, buried in my backyard, paid for itself even if it wasn’t in a bank earning interest. Food and dry goods preps got us through the lock-down. Only runs to the pharmacy to get refills on meds that the doctors and insurance wouldn’t authorize extra prescriptions for.
Could have been here a couple of years sooner if that deer hadn’t jumped in front of me and totaled my ’92 model truck that was still going strong (paid for). Had to tap into the emergency fund again to replace it, hospital bill, all delayed mortgage pay off.
Life happens…… Be prepared
So now June is here and there is w-a-y more money left after paying the other bills than more month left at the end of the money. Just a couple of more medical bills left to knockout and then its time to focus on my restocking plan, (mid-epidemic) and then begin to enhance them to Commander Zero levels.
I tip my hat to your ability to help keep us smiling with the musings of your daily preps.
We’ve been working for this day for a long time, now it’s time to pick a new target…
CmdrZ, Congratulations on getting debt free(que Braveheart yelling”FREEDOM”). It will take a while but you will get a smirk when others bitch about bills and you will never go back! Good news for me-back in the home after the fire,exactly 365 days later. If you have a new”smart” meter call and get a old style one back,they are a real hazard(at least 3 others at the insurance hotel had same fires). Have a secondary cache as the primary can go up in smoke or drowned or hurricane/tornado or Yellowstone or earthquake. Review your insurance policy ,if you think you’re ok,you are under insured,get riders for guns/ ammo/jewelry/stereo/cached gear/ tools and a year of lodging while repairs are done. Take pictures or record all possessions and store at secondary location(thumb drive/sd card/cheap camera/hard copies).
A good thing about older vehicles is you can park nearly anywhere and no one bothers them(hood rats steal nice cars/professionals steal clean cars) and a car that starts everytime at -20 is a joy. Don’t forget PMs for long term savings/ inflation hedge.
30 years! How old are you??
Somehow I always pictured you as a guy in his mid 40s.
He started the life of a paranoid survivalist at age 7 with a collection of bb guns that made all the other kids jealous.
Yes, being free and clear of all that which one owns…
other than the typical monthlies is a wonderful place
to be. Been there for at least 15 years now.
This certainly allows one to begin laying in serious
preps in all areas of concern. Like items one could only
dream to have, but couldn’t, due to payments on abodes
and transportation, and the like. Also, being self employed
(38 yrs), and vulnerable to the public’s expendable income,
for services offered, is a huge challenge to over come.
But doable…it just takes good planning, focus, and God.
The most important element to success, in all areas, is God.
One would do well, and strongly encouraged, to always
remember this fact. For without God, one literally has nothing.
As someone whose theological underpinnings differ from yours, I’m inclined to say what works for you works for you.
We are in about the same ‘boat’. No real debt, college for the kid in the bank. If I need more than I have stored then things are FUBAR. I’m building ‘fortifications’ for the property that will benefit my neighbors too.
Keep leaning into that wind with a smile.
Congrats to you! My wife and I have zero debt other than our mortgage which I was paying extra on to pay off a few years early but recently have been inspired to get serious about paying it off NOW.
When COVID hit and I worried about our jobs (thankfully both my wife and mine were not impacted yet) I realized I didn’t give a second thought to our cars because they are both paid for.
We have 12 months of monthly expenses in cash savings so its not like we are likely to lose the house but I realized how much better I would have felt if it was paid for. Also we could live indefinitely on either one of our salaries so the loss of one job wouldn’t change anything. Living within your means is awesome!