How large is your Umbrella?

Discussion in 'Blogs' started by melbo, Jun 6, 2010.


  1. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Many people tend to stall in their long term preps because they focus on saving too large a group of people and either don't know where to start or lack the funds to cover them all. Let's face it: we are often alone in our survival plans and many of those around us don't share the same concerns as us or think we are a bit nutty for that perspective. Oh well, we took the Red Pill right?
    umbrella. Write the names of the family living under your roof on a piece of paper and draw a circle around them. I suggest focusing on your immediate family first and getting enough provisions to last each of that core unit 1 year or 2 (better).

    Once you have your lists of lists created and procured the necessary provisions (from other lists), draw another circle that includes the extended family that 1) lives closest to you or 2) is most likely to make it to your place if none live by you. These can be brothers or sisters or parents on both sides. Repeat the procurement process until you have those folks suitably equipped as well.

    Continue as necessary until you have everyone in a ring of your preparations target; that's really what we're creating, a target with the bullseye being your vital zone.

    It's very helpful to create these lists of people and categorize them into concentric rings around your core. In my case, my wife and small daughter are my core and my grown children and our parents are not. It's tough to have to bean count people you love but the truth is that you can't possibly take care of them all. If you dream of a retreat that can also accommodate Cousin Jack and Aunt Beatrice but don't have enough food for your core, you're setting yourself up for failure. If you fail your core, you can't possibly help those others when the SHTF.

    Break things down into manageable chunks and start with methodical baby steps, adding modules onto those steps as you can according to your personal priorities, timelines and finances.

    You can substitute others, (friends and other like-minded), as necessary and if it makes more sense for your situation. It would be nice to be able to help all those that don't think they need help but it may not be possible. Don't let too large a scope muddle your process' and get your 1st circle squared away first.

    Then again, maybe you come from a family of survival nut jobs and don't have to worry about any of this prepping for others. Good for you and could you please add me and my family to your well established group? [boozingbuddies]
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2015
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  2. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    excellent post and concept. let us not overlook the fact that even for say a family of four, and a goal of a years worth of provisions put aside can seem like an unsurmountable goal. break it down to 1/4 year first and build it up as quickly as you can just by buying extra as you use and go to buy more. when you need one, buy two or three and put the extra into storage (building your pantry). keep track of everything you use. always buy more than you use and set the extra aside. eventually you will have the goal of 1/4 years worth of provisions.... good, now lets work on putting aside 1/2 years worth. etc etc.
    .
    how do you climb a mountain?
    .
    one difficult step after another until you get to the top.
     
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  3. fortunateson

    fortunateson I hate Illinois Nazis!

    Some of us will have to learn how to use the word "no". And it will be the hardest word we ever speak.
     
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  4. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    Remember that movie 'The Good Son' with Macaulay Culkin? These decisions need to be made now and written down as SOPs so there are no problems when the time comes.

    I agree, it sux. I told my wife at one point that I'd need to hibernate for awhile if SHTF so I didn't have to see the children in the streets, turned out by their parents but whom I couldn't save.

    Bear is fond of telling folks who he has tried to help but think they will instead migrate to his place: "Don't touch the gate."
     
  5. Aeason

    Aeason Monkey

    Well put, it will be sad to turn people away but as you said we took the red pill. The book Sal Batree nails it, people will die.
     
    tacmotusn likes this.
  6. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    A really excellent topic that bears thinking about. If cant take care of yourself and your family you can't help other people.
     
  7. Aeason

    Aeason Monkey

    Melbo, I have been thinking a lot on what you said. And I realize I will have to do more, right now just me and my son preparing we have a good supply of food and steady adding. I live just off the highway he lives behind me not far through the woods as a dirt road circles around by his house and to a narrow paved road back to the highway. We know that one of my other sons cannot build up his stores right now but he knows the lay of the land here better than I do as he hunts and traps it and fishes the pond we have that is isolated down in the woods but probably will not be of much help when TSHTF as there will be plenty of people hunting, even though we have three hundred acres and joining land with no roads for miles land lines will mean nothing. He will serve well with security (is also a veteran) will have his wife and my two small grandsons. The prepper son is also a veteran two tours one in Iraq where he worked security for the provincial government in the largest provinces and a tour in Afghanistan as a Sargent providing security on the outside perimeter of Camp Leatherneck, survived two IEDs he also was an rifle instructor. My step sons, well trying to teach gun safety and some survived skills, someone has to get up the firewood. Got a sister down the road with my niece who seems never to leave the house she's 24_25. My dad plans on them coming to his house but if say an IED shut down the vehicles, no way could they make a 10 mile treck through the woods, mostly swamp, so where would they go. Statement not question. Maybe one of you could give me advice on how to get my wife on board as her belief is no need to prep God will look after us. Sorry to ramble on it seems to help to say things sometimes.
     
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  8. mysterymet

    mysterymet Monkey+++

    I'd tell your wife that what if God is speaking through you and influencing you to prepare and so in that respect he is providing for you in tough times.
     
  9. Sapper John

    Sapper John Analog Monkey in a Digital World

    The word tells us to use wisdom and discernment @Aeason .
     
  10. Aeason

    Aeason Monkey

    I pray that I can make the right decisions when the time comes.
     
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  11. Legion489

    Legion489 Rev. 2:19 Banned

    When looking at who to save, if any, not to put a too fine a point on it, but breeding stock. Sure that is too late for me to worry about, but the next generation should have some help after "my" generation elected the scum in office, ran up trillions in national deft, sent our best and brightest to die in useless wars, etc. If they are sixth generation welfare, never worked (I do not consider drug sales and popping out a kid every 9 months as work), or are lib-tards (young ones might be salvageable, that is a case by case consideration), then they are good for little but methane generators (fuel for, not they are the generators) and then put on the garden for fertilizer. "Boy you sure are a mean one!" Yeah, I have lived under communism, didn't like it. Saw my country turned from a world leader to a world laughing stock (read ANY overseas "news" paper to see they think of us and Obozo). Watched my country sold to China for a few dollars. Watched as a 9 year old boy was machinegunned in the back and his unarmed mother holding a baby shot in the head by a sniper. Watched 93 men, women and children burned to death as Seal Team 6 circled overhead and machinedgunned anyone who tried to get out. Am subjected to loud mouthed idiots and buffoons who don't have a clue what they are talking about, who call me names when they are corrected, and when they post a link it proves that I am right and they are wrong and then they throw a sissy/hissy fit when that is pointed out, but that is considered normal. Well maybe I got a reason.
     
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  12. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Could you Really Turn Family Away During a Disaster?

    This guy uses the criteria, "How much can you contribute" do decide if he should take in relatives or not.
    One part of prepping that is sometimes overlooked or not given the consideration it deserves is what you will do when someone comes knocking on your door. I’m not talking about the wondering stranger, I’m talking about close family members that may or may not know you are prepping.

    The question we need to ask ourselves and think about very seriously is who you would turn away, and what extended family members would you help out in a disaster or SHTF event.

    Unfortunately this is just the first step, now you need to think about how you are going to handle the situation of having extra mouths to feed. This is all dependent on whether you decide to help them or turn them away, and as I said in the last article, (and I am talking about close family, not the entire family) I just couldn’t turn close family members away. If you could, my bet is there are other circumstances that weigh into your decision other than survival.

    Missed it by That Much…
    How would you decide who could stay and who needed to go away? This is a tough question, but it’s one we really need to put a lot of thought into. Deciding on who would make the cut could be the difference between surviving and thriving, or throwing everything you have down the tubes.

    To me there are a few factors that I would have to think about…

    1. How Close Are They?
    It’s just not feasible to think that you can bring everyone and everyone they bring with them in during an SHTF event, most of us can barely afford to get ourselves prepared. Like it or not, we are going to have to figure out how to say “I just can’t do it”

    In the podcast we used my son and his fiancée as an example, I absolutely want him here, and I know he won’t come without her. She has her twin sister that she is very close to and who knows who else she would want to bring along, so how do I handle that situation?

    As much as it would pain me I would have to have a conversation with my son and tell him that he has a choice to make. If he chooses to stay it will only be him and her, if he chooses to stay with her I would help as much as I could and send them on their way.

    2. What is my Family’s Opinion?
    In any marriage we are bound to have different opinions about people than our spouse, and this should weigh heavily into your decision. Your husband or wife’s opinion about your favorite cousin might be completely different than yours.

    Have a conversation now with your family about who would stay and why, try to put personal feelings aside and come to a rational conclusion about whether they would be an asset or a hindrance to your survival plan. Also, try not to get into an argument when you’re talking about this, a divorce is the last thing you want.

    3. How Helpful Have They Been?
    During your conversation with your family your past experiences with this person are bound to come up. What is their personality like? And how has our past relationship been?

    Some people are helpful, some are all about themselves and some people are know it all’s. We can tolerate these personality traits now, but in an SHTF situation these traits will be magnified.

    4. How Helpful Would They Be?
    I dig a little deeper into this later, but think about how they would benefit your situation, what skills do they have that would help you in a disaster situation. Even if someone is a “one upper” and it drives you crazy, they might have skills that would be useful to you.

    Do they have carpentry, electrical, gardening or welding skills? In situations like these we will need to weigh the good with the bad to figure out if we give them a thumbs up, or a thumbs down.

    5. What Challenges Do They Bring?
    Just as important as thinking about what they bring to the table is what they will be taking from the table. The truth is that any time you add someone to the equation the situation becomes more complicated, and sometimes the negatives so outweigh the positives you need to make that tough decision.

    The Double Edged Sward
    As much as it drives me nuts knowing that I shouldn’t have to prepare for someone who doesn’t see why it’s important, I do understand that this is a catch 22 that I might have to deal with.

    We can barely prepare for ourselves, let alone for the family members that might end up on our doorstep, but unless you are willing to turn everyone away it is a problem you are bound to face.

    One other option that could be another article all by itself is bugging out altogether. We always think about security from marauders and criminals, but what if so many people end up at your door that you have no option other than leave, you might have to.

    How Much Extra do you Prepare?
    Because we can only do what we can do, and sometimes storage space and money are limited I think more along the lines of “how can they make my situation better?” Maybe saying that you should turn this into a positive is a little optimistic, but at least try to make it a little less negative.

    Storing extra beans, rice, flour and dry goods will go a long way and give you the basics you will need, but at some point it will run out. Have plans in place to use them like you would an employee, start thinking like a post collapse CEO.

    Set the guidelines and expectations from day one. You need to let them know that if you are going to let them stay there for however long that might be you expect them to help. What is impossible for 2 or 3 people to do in a day might be possible with more people, expanding the garden, foraging, hunting, raising more animals for food and building/repairing will become more possible with more people.

    The Come to Jesus Talk
    [​IMG]At first we might need to lower our expectations because most unprepared people will try to hold on to their Pollyanna reality as long as possible, they will be like a junkies going through withdraws. This is why it’s important to set your expectations from day one.

    You might hear things like “why are you rationing the water? This will be over in a day or two?” or “Look at all this food, were going to eat like kings!” These people might have no idea what we could be in for, and need to be set straight before it becomes a problem.

    At some point it might become necessary to have what I call the “come to Jesus talk” people will tell you whatever you want to hear to get your help, but if they are not holding up their end of the bargain you might have to have the tough conversation neither one of you want to have.

    You might have to say…

    “This is what you told me you would do when you came here, and this is what you are actually doing (or not doing), how are we going to fix this? Does this mean you need to go? Or are you going to get onboard and pull your weight?”

    Problems like these are bound to happen, and these are situations we need to be able to face, otherwise disappearing and not letting people know where you are might be the better option.
     
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  13. Zimmy

    Zimmy Wait, I'm not ready!

    I have x amount of food for my family of 11. Just enough to get crops established and harvested.

    There’s a little extra set aside for charity donations at the church in an emergency.

    That’s it. Period.
     
  14. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    People can be great thespians (actors) plying you with all their capabilities ,and be ready for the list of excuses and blame they will come up with.
    Maybe in the past there might have been some truth to their story, but the fact of the matter they are not all they sell them selves .
    Contract relationships with people need to be observed so that, when the said job is done, then and only then you provide your portion of the contract .
    I have a friend that went to Africa , and in trying to do business he had to pay people for directions with in a public building .
    Harsh times often require harsh disciplines and consequences as well .unless you are practiced at these, you will be over run .
    Your in a life boat from a sinking ship , taking on more than it's capacity will kill every one aboard .
     
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  15. Cruisin Sloth

    Cruisin Sloth Special & Slow

    NEVER talk about storage or hording .
    Bitch & complainer / winier is when they leave .
    Having 11 cold boxes is a chore to hide .
    They were filled in NOV & now the processing of the harvest is being used .
    Sloth
     
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  16. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    Idealistically a multi layered group, like the military ,establishing levels of security and responsibility so that those with the least reliability are not put to paying jobs that require constant supervision till they prove otherwise.
    These people include children and strangers and any one failing to preform as advertised. These are fed by those that sponsor by donation from their own portion , NOT of DEBT but of mercy.
    Those whom are voted and vetted in the group, whom work, get a portion per day, (established by the group and it's productivity ) . the portion is a unit of value worth a days supply of food . This can be saved or shared among non working family members or some one being sponsored , or reserve portion for days off or sick/injured time. Remember no work no portion. The portion can also be traded and things bought from one anther ,knives, shoes, clothes, assistance, ect.
    A clerk would be responsible for payments and logging transactions with in the group, in the presents of both individuals ,for example; arleigh purchased sloth's knife for 2 portions. It now becomes public record, whom now owns sloth's knife. If the knife is lost or stolen and or used in a crime there is little doubt whom it belonged to.
    If there is a dispute ,judgment or proposition the whole group is required to vote, no one may abstain.
    How one votes becomes a matter of record, just as congress is accountable to these requirements.
    No secret ballots, meetings, or voting.
    Any one betraying the group's trust is reduced to child status, reliant on mercy not able to work for the lack of trust . No one is compelled to share anything .
    If I were new coming to a group I would expect nothing less.
     
  17. Zimmy

    Zimmy Wait, I'm not ready!

    That’s a lot more complicated than either what I would like to do and what I figure I would have to do.

    I would like to be discreet and put an honored and not breached Do Not Disturb sign at the end of the driveway.

    In reality, I expect to be a target for the desperate, the needy, and the criminals unless I move. Unfortunately, I’ve always been “that guy” since I was a teenager in my village. I studied with the old, then the young moved away to city lives, then the rich and ignorant city folks moved in.....

    I’m torn between starting a trading post and going dark.
     
  18. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Start a dark (but licit) trading post? ;)
     
    Zimmy likes this.
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