Could we ever see an economic collapse? Or a massive depression? Well do you pay attention to the news or the state or nation is? Many do not ask “if” they ask “when”.  Are you truly prepared if s#!t ever hits the fan? Whether it be a debilitating crisis, state of emergency or economic collapse and societal fallout, your going to want to be prepared. I have compiled a list in order of importance that one would want if we ever had to face living inside a falling and crumbling nation.

1 Shelter

Obviously food and water come first in my list but I think having shelter is more vital than anything else for a family as a whole.  So what would happen if you and your family lost your home suddenly or were forced to move or evacuate? Where would you go? This is probably the biggest reason why I would never want to live in a populated city, more importantly rent… ever again. Maybe you have family to take you in… maybe not. A shelter? Yuck. I would want my domain out in a rural area to call home.

2 Water / water purification

72 hours. That is the typical time frame in which it will take you to dehydrate and then die with out water. If you own your own land in a jurisdiction where you also have the ability to run your own well for water purposes you are ahead of the game I suppose. If you live in the city or on city water then its water source could be compromised during a collapse and other options are vital for obtaining water. I would want to stock pile as much bottled water as I could comfortably store. A rain barrel for catching water is important. I would want Water purification tablets as well as a tea kettle for boiling water as a lot of the water you find or gather might not be suitable for drinking. Oh and a mosquito net to keep the pests out of your rain barrel.

3 Food stuff you can stock

In the event of tough times economic collapse or widespread disaster there are a few things that would fly off the shelves overnight. Water and food. Look in your cupboards, you probably have enough food to last you and your family a month tops if you are lucky. I would hate to have to compete with mobs of people at Walmart to obtain a few canned goods. Some would go after milk and eggs and others dated to expire and others after food with an extended lifespan. I would go after canned goods, wheat, Pasta, Beans, cooking oil, honey, Dry Milk, sugar, spices, etc. To those that want to take it a step further you can always teach yourself how to grow a garden. There is nothing better and more rewarding than growing your own produce to feed your family.

4 Medical Supplies

So you or a loved one are hurt. Do you have access to a hospital or doctor? You may not. I would want a medicine cabinet stacked with a solid and extended first aid kit. You may not be a DR or have played one on TV…. but with the right equipment and a few medical books you may be able to properly apply a splint, tourniquet or even stitch someone up properly. Preserving life of family or friend.

5 Self-Defense Equipment

You may have a .45 or a samurai sword. But self defense in a nation under the brink of a falling economy is important. As I mentioned before after the shopping malls and stores are empty and looted where do you think others would turn to when looking for food or shelter? Other dwellings. Guaranteed. Unless you were holding up in the middle of the woods somewhere you most certainly would have to turn people away. At times by force.

6 A back up generator

If the power goes out in your home and does not come back on for an extended period of time are you prepared? You would be living fresh out of a page from the dark ages. Literally. Sure we want to be prepared to live with out power but why not prolong a grid blowout for as long as possible by sparking your own. I would use my backup generator to power the important things such as a freezer in the summer months. Lights. Charging stations for two way radios. The pump to your well. If your heat source such as a pellet or wood stove has an internal auger or blower I would want that powered as well.

7 Extra Gasoline

There could be a time in our lives when gasoline is rationed or not even available. If that happens how would you get around? I would love to have a few drums stored away. With more than enough to keep my gas powered backup generator going  and fuel for my vehicle as well.

8 silver & copper coins

Silver coins and even copper ones would hold real value in a post economic collapse. The paper in your wallet not so much. Some old coins are made out of silver and even the old pennies are almost pure copper. There is a barter value. Many think there is enough silver and gold in our current population and believe it would in fact become a currency by default.

9 Communication equipment

If things really went astray you are going to want to contact your friends and family or at the very least communicate with people around you directly at times. A world without internet and even cell phones. What would you do? There is nothing wrong with having an emergency cell phone but it may not work in a crisis. There are two way radios that work up to 50 or more miles at a pop. As well as a series of other options to help you stay in contact with others in a time of need.

10 A radio

If we ever have a debilitating crisis we may lose power and could easier than that lose cable television. Your going to want to know whats going on around you. The only way you may be able to keep up with the news and current events is by radio. Obviously a radio rated for long term battery use or even better a crank style radio if there ever comes a time when batteries are no longer readily available.

11 Personal Hygiene items

I wouldn’t want to wipe with anything other than toilet paper. And even if I had to shower with cold water I would always want to have soap for my body. If rationed properly I think 50 toothbrushes and a few hundred bars of soap could last a life time and not take up much space. We take these things for granted but what if they were not readily available? How long would you want to go with out showering properly? Ever smell a homeless person?

And I will give a brief rundown of the rest. Everything listed here I would want to have in bulk. You can never have enough of these items. I am far from a pro, this is just common sense stuff.

12 Plenty of warm clothing in case you ever lost the ability to heat your home in conjunction with a sewing kit.

13 Plenty of lighters or matches and candles.

14 a few pair of hiking shoes and boots.

15 a lantern or flashlight.

16 a Swiss army knife as well as a decent tool collection.

17 Lots of batteries.

18 Bleach. Cut it with water as needed and use it to clean your home and everything in it.

19 & 20 Cigarettes and booze. You laugh now. After food and water are depleted booze and cigarettes will follow. If you don’t smoke or drink these can be bartering tools almost as good as your stockpile of copper and silver.

This was brief but I hope it helps.