five year plan

FIVE YEAR PLAN


Before we start today, a word from our sponsor. My changeover from gift certificate to cash deposit from Amazon sales didn’t go through in time so I got one more batch of books. Next month I’ll have the cash in my hot little hands. Now, even though I’ll no longer be exclusively buying books with my Amazon commission like I have for over two years you are still donating to a worthy cause. Some of the money will still go to books because life simply isn’t worth living without buying books ( after the Apocalypse I’ll break into my paperback stash of hundreds- mostly crap fiction I got for a nickel to a quarter each ) and some will go to Bison Compound projects. I ordered another copy of The $50 And Up Underground House ( my last copy is lost or missing in action ). I am seriously wanting to build a Unibomber Shack come Spring. So even if some cash goes to lumber you still benefit from my writing about it. On the back burner ( I don’t know if I’ll get around to it ) is reloading a small number of cartridges continuously, just to test for myself how many reloadings I can do with the Enfield sloppy action. You can pretty much shoot anywhere around here as long as it isn’t too close to a dwelling and you have a backdrop. I ordered Wayne Goddards $50 Knife Workshop book. I don’t know if I’ll actually ever build a knife but it sounds like a good reference book. Nine months after a minion recommendation I’m finally ordering Nourishing Traditions, which I believe debunks the “eat only veggies or die” diet books. And for fun I ordered Arktos: The Polar Myth and Reich Of The Black Sun. Another thing to keep in mind about my Amazon commissions is that I rarely get paid for the stuff I recommend. People use my links and go shopping for other stuff. Just in case it worries you I’m profiting by recommending things I don’t think are minion worthy.

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The Soviets were pretty big on Five Year Plans. They rarely worked out so I think the time frame was meant to erase most peoples memories. But they were meant to convey Big Changes For The Better. In our Five Year Plan, things definitely won’t be for the better. I was nosing around Creekmores site (http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/ ) hoping to steal something and came across the comments section for his cheap solar setup article ( actually written better than mine, damn it ). A flippant comment about using the thin film panels was made to the effect that they lasted only five years and so should be avoided. Now, I immediately thought this was silly. If we were just talking about frugal living off grid, yes, it is smarter to buy the better made crystal type. They might cost twice as much but they will last three to five times as long. But we are talking about survivalism here. Planning for the end of civilization. And frugal survivalism at that. It is better to buy Better Than Nothing now rather than having nothing come the crash because you were holding out for better quality. Then you just have a pile of worthless Greenbacks. But that isn’t even the best point. Your batteries only last five years! If you bought thirty year panels but your batteries die in five, what was the point? If commerce is undisrupted then you can buy another cheap panel or battery. If we are living in smoldering piles of rubble, a battery fed light is the least of your problems.

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Come the collapse, you need to keep in mind the Five Year Plan. In five years, pretty much everything you are using now is gone. All your ammunition has been used up. All your storage food is gone ( even with lots of grain and supplementing with a garden and game ). Your batteries are dead, and the supply of used batteries from cars has already been sold and seen an early failure ( a car battery will have a very short life already used and not being designed for alternate energy use like a marine battery would be [ yes, there are better batteries but a marine/RV battery combines affordability with Good Enough performance ] ). Your clothes are most likely still okay, with all the extras you got from garage sales and thrift stores. Same with cheap footware. But they most likely are wearing out quickly due to prolonged use and inadequate cleaning. Even if you find treated gasoline it is already turned to turpentine. Your duct tape is a slimy glob. Everything you are used to and love is failing as entropy speeds up and attacks with a vengeance.

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I don’t think the Kurt Saxon Cottage Industry Plan is viable as envisioned. It tries to replicate a positive energy economy while we will be in an energy deficit situation. It is a good start, but don’t bet on being left alone to practice your earth friendly family business. Odds are the Kings men will be knocking at your door with a tax receipt and an introduction to the Guild Master. I know I need to focus more on the post collapse life after the Industrial Age prep items are all used up. It isn’t an easy row to how, knowing that particle future, even for me. But certain big picture items are clear, such as how far we will fall. The question is just in the details. All for now. Have a safe New Years celebration. I’ll be posting tomorrow as I’m coming into work for a few hours for food pick-ups.

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