So far this week we’ve covered our need to construct a finacial foundation like we would expect to find on a pyramid… That’s if we agree that the intent is to have a wide, solid footing for everything else we want to put on top of it… A financial foundation that is constructed with care and designed with redundancies could take us and our legacy far into the future.

   We’ve looked deeper at 2 of the three core necessities that have to be included in our pyramids foundation level… Food and Water, so today lets knock out the third – SHELTER…

   Well, to start off, we have to ask what does – SHELTER – really mean. This has to be some sort of structure that keeps us warm and dry. We’ll get into how we accomplish the warm part in future posts and I think we can assume that no matter what structure was chosen, it would keep us dry!

   So, what are our options? I’m really trying to go basic survival but saying something silly like a tent would be inappropriate! I personally wouldn’t even take the living in a van or enclosed utility trailer route either. The adventurer in me likes these ideas and will incorporate them in my life at some point but these don’t do it for me as far as being sustainable in the long term. The obvious – “Pay off your current house”, while this is VERY good advice, it would take most of us nearly a lifetime to accomplish this in the traditional fashion. I hear the ads from the Real Estate gurus that promise that you can pay the place off in 5 years instead of 30 but the old adage, “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is”, hasn’t stood the test of time without reason…

   Where does this leave us? Part of me wants to ask what do the retired folks do now? They live in small apartments or mobile homes, even retirement villages or RV’s… Isn’t there a name for this and an entire industry built around these RV folks? Actually there is a large segment of many local economy’s that are built on the “Snow Birds”… These people have an RV and travel back and forth with the warm weather… I bet there are even readers that are looking forward to doing this in their own retirement. Why wait? Why not down size now?

   This is a very personal choice, each person or even family unit, needs to evaluate which route they might choose. What will work for me and my family, may be completely inconceivable to you and yours. However hard this choice might be, it is a critical element to establishing a solid foundation. Family considerations are always high on the list but don’t think for a minute that you’re going to be able to keep all the people happy all the time…

   I can’t speak for everyone but the time goes by so quickly in my life that I feel that it would be foolish to wait to long, thinking about this. Sit down with the people that this choice will most effect and map out an action plan. It may take several years to implement these changes but the sooner you start the journey, the sooner you reach the destination.

   If your old age is going to be spent in a paid for home, do that now! If you plan to travel with your spouse and live in an RV, do that now… I didn’t say you get to stop working but why pay for a house for many more years when you already plan to sell and hit the road, or buy that small house in the country? What’s stopping you from developing that exit strategy today?

   As much as I like the idea of working for awhile and then roaming the countryside for awhile, as a long term lifestyle it won’t easily fit into our foundation. We discussed the FOOD and WATER systems that are also important to our success… We could probably make the water system workout in an RV but it’s not to easy to setup that food production system. It’s possible but not easy.

   For us to lay this foundation of financial freedom successfully, we’ll want to keep this plan as simple as possible… There will be of plenty of room higher on the pyramid to make things more complex, if that’s really what you want to do. For now though, we know we need to acquire a free and clear property that has a sufficient area to activate our plans for a food production system. You decide how to accomplish this but don’t sit on your hands, get it moving in the right direction. Even if this will take a few years to get off the ground, it’s a critical component and we can’t move to the next level without it.

   This doesn’t have to be your dream home, just a snug shelter, that can’t easily be taken from us. Whether it’s an RV, old smelly mobile home or a small house with a large back yard, it will all be part of YOUR freedom pyramid.

   All we need to do now is put the finishing touches on this foundation idea and we’ll be ready to move on to that GRAVY or excess that I mentioned earlier this week… See ya tomorrow!

Prepper

   I saw today’s featured video posted on another site and it seemed to fit over here as well. I haven’t seen this particular version in the past and I seem to remember the story with an ending that has the grasshopper dying – not saved? I was surprised to see that even back in 1934 there was an unrealistic bias? Also, did anyone catch that reference to the “Good Book”. It went something like – The good book says that God would provide, don’t worry… Sounds good and I agree that the Lord does provide for His people but it certainly isn’t His intention that we be off screwing around when we should be working… I always think of this verse, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”. Don’t start with me, I know that there is always a context but the idea is the same – work hard or don’t plan on prospering!

   I’ve had this Biblical reference brought to my attention on many occasions, I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard it to. While I’m a man of faith and have no doubt what so ever that God CAN drop food from the sky, I do doubt He’s going to… It’s my believe that these people that are banking on God coming to their rescue in the eleventh hour are skipping ahead to the last step – God providing for them… Last time I checked God used people to accomplish His will. “The Body of Christ” – Who are the people that God might use to extend His providence? Hmm, lets think here – I bet it might be those folks wise enough to prepare ahead of time. I feel fairly certain that people living in the richest nation on earth will be held to account why we weren’t able to set aside provision in the years of plenty… Think that could be possible?

   I digress, it isn’t my intent to use this blog as a soap box, per say but from time to time something will set me off – such is life!

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My apologises for the lateness of yesterdays post, as with everything in life – sometimes we hit technical difficulties… If you count on a computer to get your work done than you know that’s exactly what will refuse to operate properly when you need it most… When I finally got the post up around 11pm last night, I failed to check how it actually read on the site. Big mistake! I had cut and pasted some of my file notes  from my first attempt at this article series with the actual blog post, so some of you probably saw these and wondered what the heck… Now you know – “Prepper” ain’t no techy…

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   In parts 1 and 2 of this short series we have discussed the need to provide for our necessities, FOOD – WATER – SHELTER in the foundation level of our financial house. We’ve looked at why, architecturally, the pyramid is a good example of a long lasting structure with it’s wide base. If we build our financial house with the intent that it last our lifetimes, we will be prepared to both weather life’s struggles and also take advantage of life’s opportunities when they present themselves… 

   Today, lets look at what we can do to answer the second need, WATER… I know this one should have been first because without it there’s no problem in the food area, cause we’d be dead already… Anyway, water is another requirement that will be with us as long as there is an us… How can we provide this to ourselves without being dependant on outside input?

   The most ideal way would be owning our own water well. I know what your thinking! “That’s good for you because you have one but what about everyone else…”. You’re right since I have a well, this will be the primary source of water for me and mine but it won’t be the only source… In many locations wells aren’t even practical, aquifers can be so deep that it is all but impossible to bring up the water… So what else do we have to choose from?

   How about roof catchment? It does rain in almost every area of the country, even if it’s only seasonally. It doesn’t take much rain to accumulate many 1000′s of gallons of water. That is if you’re prepared to catch and then redirect it into a holding tank. Again, there’s an investment to get this system up and running but it doesn’t have to be unbearably large, even with high quality components.

   Another option would be surface water… Is there a creek running across your land? This water is also viable for a catchment system. Obviously, the catchment and redirection would require different system components but this is done regularly by folks fortunate enough to have this water asset on their property.

   Again, I’m not trying to get into great detail on how we’ll all get this accomplished, just that it needs to be addressed. If the water that we require for our daily needs is systematized and that system is owned by us, what do we have? I think you’ll see that we’ve created an asset that gives us freedom.

   With a system to provide our own water coupled to the food production system we discussed yesterday… We are well on our way to removing our dependence on the systems that society offers and most importantly – controls! We may elect to continue utilizing societies systems but we will always know in the back of our mind that we are CHOOSING this. We will maintain the ability to flip the switch and be independent from those systems at any point in the future we choose.

   So, we have 2 of the 3 basics covered, 1 more to go and we can choose freedom at any point after that. It sounds crazy to think that with an investment today, we can have these basics providing for us for the rest of our lives. I hope that you’re starting to see what each of us is capable of… Freedom to come and go as we wish, without the fear of tomorrow’s needs going un-met. Isn’t that why so many of us are working into our old age and all to often into our own graves, FEAR! Fear that if we don’t go to work we won’t have food for the table? Wake-up, what would you be doing with your time if you didn’t have to go punch that time clock 48-52 weeks every year? Do you think you might trade some of those hours for tending to your food production system out back? Watering that system with what you created in your water production system? THATS RIGHT – YOUR SYSTEMS! Think about it!

See ya tomorrow!

Prepper

   Welcome back, yesterday we started to discuss the idea I’ve been mulling over about a financial foundation that is built in way that makes sense for the long term. I don’t think that anyone starts out trying to make unsustainable financial decisions but all to often that’s where they find themselves. I wish that I could say that I’ve been successful in completely curing myself of this but from time to time I find myself being shortsighted in my decisions as well.

   I had everyone imagine the form of a pyramid for the structure of our financial lifestyles. This is the most stable building structure that I could imagine so that’s what I chose and I’ll stick with it as I continue to try to illustrate my thoughts on financial success strategies for the prepper community.

   We discussed that the 3 requirements of life should go on the lower most level of this pyramid and than any subsequent layers be added only after this firm foundation is completed. If we faithfully follow this building structure there is virtually nothing that life could throw at us that can knock us down. Imagine an advancing army trying destroy a pyramid… It’s pretty difficult to knock over a pyramid, financial or otherwise!

    Like I said, there are 3 requirements that will form our foundation – FOOD, WATER and SHELTER… Today, lets start with the first, FOOD!

   FOOD – It’s not to hard to imagine why this is a foundational principle of our life. We have to eat, right. Why is this part of our financial foundation? Food costs money and is often a large line item in the family budget. The food supply is also a relatively easy thing to get disrupted in our society. What I’m talking about here is beyond just the food storage that I believe we should all have and moves into another realm. Food production…

   Imagine that you have a bill you need to pay this month and every month for the rest of your life… No getting around it, this bill is going to come like clock work from now until forever… Now, imagine that someone offers to let you make a small investment today and then they’ll pay this bill for you for the rest of your life… Are you interested? Of course you are, it doesn’t take much effort to see that this would be a bargain!

   This is what food production can do for you. It really is no more complex a solution than the simple illustration I just gave. If you do your part today, the small investment, your food production facility can provide for you the rest of your life. In some ways you won’t be completely off the hook for investing in your system, whether that input is daily, monthly or even annually!

   The key component to remember is that this will be YOUR system. Whether you choose to have this system provide all your needs or just take the edge off the food bill, it’s up to you! If you put this system in place even on a small level initially, it could be ramped up to provide a much larger amount if that became necessary in the future.

   I hope that you can see this production capability for the asset is truly is! There are only those same 3 necessities that have to be met to keep us alive and thriving… We can all choose to continue on the wide path of allowing others to provide this need to us or we can regain control of our lives and do all or a portion of it for ourselves.

    A garden would seem like the likely mental image that would pop into our heads when we consider this food production idea. I agree, gardening would probably be a good initial step. However, this need not and in reality probably can not be the only thing us preppers should rely on! There are a multitude of opportunities available to us that will put food on the table.

   With the options now available to utilize permaculture techniques, our system can virtually run itself after the first few years. Fruit and nut trees are some of the traditional choices that come to my mind. Berry bushes and vines, both locally recognized and international offerings that are largely unknown to North America, are others that have a lot of merit.

   If you add in a small stock element to this production, you could be enjoying fresh protein sources that will be directly under your control. It goes without saying that the old faithful hunting and fishing seasonally would be good options as well for protein procurement. It’s becoming popular in our, the prepper, community to experiment with fish farming and aqua-culture as well.

   It isn’t my intent to get caught up in an exhaustive list of everything that a dedicated prepper might try, at least not in this post series. Just let your mind turn over a few times on what I’m proposing in the general sense. Once we get these 3 basics handled, everything else is gravy, as they say… This gravy is where I hope to end up near the end of the week, showing you the possibilities that could open up for a truly free man.  A free man that has taken his Financial foundation seriously… Stay tuned!

Prepper 

   What’s your Financial Fitness Foundation made of? If you’re reading this than yours is probably better than the sand most Americans have been building on lately. Yep, bashing my fellow Americans again… Not for bashing sake but in the hope that more will take the cue and wake up from the drunken spending binge that they’ve been on for the last few decades.

   I’ll remind everyone that I imbibed in this cocktail hour of spending for a while in my life too. There’s no judgement intended in my comments, unless you know better and refuse to make the proper adjustments. In reality, make the adjustments or don’t – doesn’t really matter to me but don’t try to walk both roads, freedom will most likely only come at the cost of other pleasantries. At least initially!

   Lately, I’ve been attempting to clarify my thoughts on the financial freedom opportunities that are available to everyone willing to make some adjustments. This post will be another illustration of what’s bouncing around in that vast open space between my ears.

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   We’re all familiar with the old food pyramid from our high school health class, right. You know the one with healthy eating habits broken down as you progress up the pyramid shaped chart? Well, that’s the mental picture I want you all to have from what I’m describing today… Except with financial health instead of nutrition.

  Can you imagine a better foundation design than the pyramid provides? Is there a better design for standing the test of time? Well, maybe there is but since I’m not an architect, I’m not aware of it. For this illustration we’re going to accept that the stability that this shape provides is going to achieve what we’re after, long life expectancy and invulnerability.

   Are you imagining the pyramid? See that lowest level or tier, that’s where our necessities should be located… By necessities I mean those old basics, Food – Water – Shelter. I realize that this is overly simplistic, I just need to get everyone on the same page.

   Only after we had these basics covered would we be able to move on to build our next level. If we were forced to pay attention to physics, that would dictate that this be required… I have to assume that anyone reading this has these 3 basics taken care of, at least for today or they wouldn’t be reading this on the Internet. Most of us do have them covered but for how long? What’s coming down the road that could threaten them? Job loss, physical illness or even death of a spouse – any one of these or a dozen other potentially hazardous pitfalls are waiting in the trail ahead that composes most of our futures.

   The idea that if I can feed and cloth myself today, it must be alright to move onto the next level. I think that this is the premise that gets far to many folks off track. The thought that I’ve got today covered and we’ll just let tomorrow take care of herself… Hmm, really! It seems that the laws of entropy don’t allow us to take our hands off the wheel without catastrophic results!

   What is ordered today has a way of becoming disordered tomorrow. That is unless diligent watch is kept to prevent this from happening… With this in mind, I think we should all go back and make sure we have our financial foundation laid solidly before we move on to whatever comes next. It’s important that we remember that the foundation isn’t the entire house. However, it is the critical piece that must be respected if we intend to build solidly on top of it.

   Imagine that this lowest level of the financial pyramid actually is the foundation of your home. Do you take your financial life as seriously as you do this concrete footing? You should… If you were to be able to remove this concrete substructure and substitute it with just plain old soil would the house stay up? Yeah, probably for a while it would. Then winter would come and the wind would pick up, soon the beautiful home would be leaning and the cracks would certainly appear soon after. Look around, see any family members with cracks in their financial walls? If we answer this honestly, we all probably know someone that’s currently out of work… Think they’re seeing these cracks?

   So, you’re probably wondering to yourself where I’m going with this whole pyramid illustration, right? Well, we’ll get there, we’ll get there! If you look at this foundation I keep referring to, what do you see? That’s right, just the preliminary step in building an actual house or in this case lifestyle! Not to many of us would stop the home building process at the foundation… I don’t advocate stopping your financial lifestyle here either. Build the biggest, most attractive house on top of this foundation as you please! Just don’t get ahead of yourself or your financial house will end up just like the house that’s leaning precariously and has cracks in the walls.

   Sometimes, when a house has been built on a faulty foundation, it has to be completely taken down and then rebuilt only after the problems are corrected. Many Americans are facing solutions that are this drastic, right now! Bankruptcy, foreclosure – suicide? All because the building went beyond the carrying capacity of their foundation - financial foundation. Can’t happen to us? Don’t believe it, it can happen to us and that’s why we prep, so we have solutions to the problems that life throws our way… What better prep than a deeply dug, thoughtfully laid, wide financial foundation. Sound goods, doesn’t it!

   In part 2 of this post, I’m going to describe what goes into this foundation and some possibilities in how it might be built. Just like all of us, our foundations will be somewhat unique depending on what we intend to build on top of them but they all have many things in common. They all have to be built of solid materials that will stand the test of time. It’ll be these similarities that we focus on… Stay tuned!

Prepper