Do you feel confused and not sure what to do next?
You think survival depends on how much stuff you have - you want the best and you want it now, so you do nothing, hoping to someday be able to afford all the stuff you think you need or worse you waste resources on stuff you really don’t need and neglect the stuff you do.
You could be suffering from preparedness overload brought about by having (or wanting) too much stuff. It’s a frustrating place, but most of us have been there at some point. But there is an answer. Minimalism.
Today, I want to talk a bit about overcoming this reliance on stuff, and how minimalism, can make you a better survivalist (or prepper for you politically correct folks). I suggest you…
#1 – Re-Evaluate your needs.
Some books and survival blogs make you feel as though you need to spend $10,000 on a survival gun collection, another $10,000 on commercial survival foods and $500,000 for a retreat in Clearwater Idaho with fortified bunker underneath. And, let’s not forget the night vision goggles, body armor, the get out of dodge camouflaged hummer with run flat tires and bug out airplane.
When in reality you would probably do just as well with a .22 rifle, several hundred pounds of wheat, beans and rice, a trailer on junk land, a 15-year-old automobile and a head full of practical survival skills.
Now, I’m certainly not advocating getting rid of all your survival gear. Having the right gear can make survival easier, no doubt about it. But having too much stuff can actually be counter productive.
You see, the trouble with having too much stuff isn’t the stuff itself but your attitude toward it. When you have all this stuff your tendencies are to rely more on that stuff than skills. But stuff can and will fail, be damaged or lost and if you have no skills to fall back on you are screwed.
#2 – Get rid of excess stuff
I suggest you go through all of your survival gear, separating into two piles – one made up of “stuff you could not survive without” and the other stuff that can be replaced by learning a skill or by another tool in your “can’t live without pile”.
As you’re doing this you’ll likely start seeing holes in your preps, you know those small things you overlooked. Write these down and move on untill you’re finished going through all of your gear.
Now, depending on how well you’ve planed, you’ll probably have a large pile of unnecessary stuff. Sell everything in that pile and buy more of the necessary stuff, pay off a bill or go see a movie if you have all you need.
I did this a few weeks ago. My storage shed was stuffed full of tools, gear and books to the point of not having room to move inside. So I started going through my stuff, and while I’ll admit some of it was difficult to part with I knew, I could sell it and put the money made to better use.
For example, I have twelve large plastic totes stuffed full of books and magazines, going through these I noticed a trend. Lots of survival fiction that I had read once and put away and old issues of The Mother Earth News and Fur, Fish & Game.
I figured the books would be of more use to someone else, so I put all of those books and magazines up for sale on eBay and used the money made to take my Chihuahua mix to the vet for a checkup and repair work on my Blazer.
#3 – Complete or Trash All Undone Projects.
Once again, looking at all your stuff, you’ll probably notice things sitting around because you need to do something with them.
The pile of tools you need to organize, projects you need to finish and still more books you need to read. The list goes on and on. Take a long look, if you don’t need it trash it or better yet sell it. But don’t keep it cluttering up your storage space. If it’s something you need to finish, finish it or trash it – go on I’ll wait…
You’re done – great.
{ 37 comments }
I know how you feel. I’ve sold 28 guns in the last two years, a boat, and donated several stacks of books and magazins to the local library. If I can’t put it in a bug out bag and carry it away do I really need it?
Patriot Farmer~
I just finished the book “Into The Forest,” by Jean Hegland and the last section addresses your concern spot on. They grabbed one book each and fled. Read and absorb.
Glad you’re back M.D.
Hello,
I left a couple of comments while you were away, new to your blog, and have to say I enjoy it everyday when I get to work. Hope everything is going ok with everything that you have been going through. Hope it all gets better.
I like this article, I particularly like the idea about scrapping projects that are really not doing us any good. I have several projects on the burner right now and i am seriously going to have to ponder which ones to do away with.
Chris
Very good points, MD. I’m in my 40s, and I tend to rely more on things than skills. I really need to work on this, especially my gardening skills. And glad you’re back, hope everything worked out to the good on your family emergency.
Funny you should bring this topic up today, because that’s what I did yesterday. This is a practice I do every few years or so. I, too, came across some The Mother Earth News magazines that I intend to sell on eBay. I couldn’t even remember what was in those plastic storage boxes until I opened them. I forgot that I had them and they had been stored in that room for a long time. Inside were over 100 issues of TMEN in nearly mint condition – including an “index” issue. I’ll probably go over all of the issues and read topics that I find interesting before I sell them.
Minimalism was a more important prep aspect when I was an urban survivalist/prepper. Space in the city was at a premium and constant focus on it was almost a necessity. Now that I’m living “out in the boondocks”, so to speak, minimalism doesn’t take on the urgency that it did in the past. Still, yesterday’s efforts were part of the discipline that I’ve developed over the years. Who needs to be tripping over unimportant stuff in order to get at what you need? I spent almost the whole day yesterday cleaning up and “streamlining” most of my preps. I also took notes on those things that either need repair, replacement or improvement. Some of the redundancy I will store at an alternate, secure location. It feels good to have things organized.
M.D.,
This is a very timely post for me as I’ve been trying to clear out and organize. How does the 2 is 1, 1 is none planning mode fit in your personal organizational system?
Mr. Creekmore,
I too have quite a collection of Mother Earth News. A couple of years ago, I bought the CD’s containing all of the articles to free up space. The only thing the CD’s don’t have is the fabulous cover art that went out when the magazine went yuppie.
Happy you are back and the emergency wasn’t too serious. I just started reading your blog in the past couple of weeks and thoroughly enjoy it.
Glad your back, seem to me I missplaced a friend for awhile.
Yes, I think this idea is right on center. I have been thinking about this for awhile. Going to do this this week, maybe I can sell something or just get more in line. Although this is being done at retreat and not a bob. It’s hard to get rid of items when you think of not having any place to get another if you need it.
Working on some of the same. I doubt I’ll reduce the inventory much, but I’ll trade out the no-longer-useful for the newly-useful. I do, however, desperately need to clean out the garage and think this weekend might just be prime time to do it.
I don’t think I’ll get to anything resembling a minimalist situation until the kids are grown and out of the house, but it is a good point.
Off topic: Yes, I mentioned kids. If you don’t have kids and think things are scary, try to consider preparing for the futures of three little kids, the oldest of which has yet to start kindergarten. Absolutely terrifying. White knuckle. Pucker factor 10.
You couldn’t be more right concerning kids. As far as I’m concerned, I could live in the woods and eat sticks, but I am scared out of my mind about how to care for the kids (4,2) if TSHTF. We had a power outage here last week for a day, and they were bored out of their minds; it was a real wake up call. It was a rainy day, so they couldn’t go outside, and we ended up going to a restaurant and my mom’s house to kill some time, but it really made me think about the worst case scenario, and how lucky we are every day that we have these modern conveniences.
We’ve been stocking up on books and I’ve learned how to make a dozen different kinds of paper airplanes for them to chase around. Arts-and-crafts stuff can keep them occupied for a while. Crayons, paper, safety scissors and the like are all pretty cheap and can be made to last if you meter out the supply.
It doesn’t have the hard-core edge of other survival preps, but until they’re old enough to meaningfully participate then we’ve got to keep stuff on hand for them. Power outages are good dry runs for small scale emergency plans.
In a real SHTF nightmare scenario I don’t know what we’re going to do to keep them calm and safe. We can pretend and play nice as long as the threat is distant, but if the shooting starts… might have to give them benadryl to stop the hysteria.
Never mind longer term things like clothes for growing kids, keeping a balanced diet for their growth, shoes, educational materials and so on. I’m thinking along the lines of the depression era: make it, remake it, scavenge it, or do without.
Yeah, I don’t sleep too well anymore.
It’s a large part of why I never had kids in the first place.
Let the kids learn to intertain themselves. In additon to books and crafts have games and music. The best is to teach /let the kids do chores like helping to clean the house/laundry and cooking or yard work or taking care of animals. Dad can teach the kids about tools and projects in the garage. They are never too young to learn and help. It is your job to teach them these skills so that when they are adults they can take care of themselves.
LOL as I prepare to move I took a break to read exactly what I am doing.
Having just done this I couldnt agree more. I had gotten to the place where I felt like all my (stuff) owned me and not the other way around. I spent so much time taking care of my (stuff) I didnt have any free time. I wanted to be able to do more of what I enjoy.
I do miss having this or that now and then but truely I have been able to live without that stuff.
I am enjoying having less stuff.
For the past 2 years I’ve been slowly selling off or giving away anything I haven’t used in the previous 12 months. It’s been a very worthwhile project because I’ve gained a little extra cash and I’ve freed up space for more food stores. I sold off a small camp trailer that I never used and would not use in an emergency since it was not fully self-contained. And I thought it would be a target if the golden horde saw it. I sold off old stuff to an antique store – the only antique store still in business in this area.
Now I am working on organizing my garage so that I have everything I need in a convenient spot, yet not visible from the street when the garage door is open. The less the passersby know about my prepping, the better I like it.
Glad you’re back, MD. Hope everything turned out OK for you. My thanks to your mom for filling in while you were away.
All good points: #1 I am CONSTANTLY re-evaluating my needs and making adjustments all the time. Try to stay up to date except for some of those items that are so costly I just cant justify them. #2 I never get rid of excess stuff, but I am witha sort of a GROUP of preppers and we keep all of our gear at least semi-compatable, so very often My excesses are compatable with the rest of my network and they will soak them up and vica-versa. We are always on the prowl for good deals and oppertunities and we share and group purchase and things like that. So in the big pic, I dont really have any Excesses. We are always recruiting new folks too who are totally lost or with nothing to start with so any excesses are shared with newb ies and and friends within our network. #3 I occasinally scrap a project but most of mine are ongoing or evolving. At some point My projects produce something of use. These are all valid points tho, at some point you have to call things finished to some extent and if you have to leave for what ever reason, you may not be able to take things with you and you may not be able to come back.
Happy you are back M.D. but as far as becoming a Minimalist, I don’t think so. I have busted my you know what for over 10 years getting all these preps together and at least till I see what is happening through
2011 I am not getting rid of anything. The situation in China (they make everything now remember?) Peak Oil (no more plastic items)
among other things so for now I will continue with 3 is 2 and 2 is 1
philosophy. Not everyone can be a Cody Lunden. So I will go with the skills I have for now. And they are fairly dependent on having enough supplies.
Too true and very timely. Even though I’m only recently started I’ve piled on a few things I don’t need and lets not start on the stuff that was there from before. Ok…lets start! That was the point right?
Glad you’re back, hope everything worked out. Thanks.
Sorry you had to leave M.D., but glad you have returned. Interesting post. Getting me motivated to clear out unnecessary stuff is just what I need.
Glad you are back—it’s been boring without you! I am sure that you feel better with more free space and I know that your dog and your pocketbook will thank you for the checkup. I learned a long time ago that to have too many things always becomes a problem, and depending on what is kept, could present a fire hazard or ideal nesting place for snakes, rats, mice, squirrels, ants, spiders and other creatures. The types of things that may well grow when a little moisture and warmth enters some things makes me want to maintain an uncluttered lifestyle, keeping everything to a manageable minimum and as dry and safe as possible. Everyone around me, family and friends alike, always have too much and those things always get in their way. When they clean things up and organize them they spend numerous hours getting the job done. In nearly thirty years I have never had to do this for my self and I do not intend to. I like to keep things simple. Sometimes others have tried to pawn off their stuff onto me even when I have told them that I have no place to put it nor the room to accomodate anything and sometimes they will move it from one spot to another but it eventually gets bad again to where it becomes a problem and a threat when walking around it. I am glad that we do not have vipers where we live because it would not be a happy experience to have one of those pop out from a pile or box in strike mode or because it was looking around. If I were to store things like magazines, then I might get enough of them that I could create a wall-o-waste that only I and my family know how to get past. Not only would it block bullets, slowing them down if I set them in the right direction, but it would allow me to hide, grab a shotgun, aim it right through one of the unseen holes (hey!, dork! lookee…HERE!-BANG!) and still be able to pull the trigger comfortably or I could use them to prevent others from seeing my escape out the back. If someone were carrying a knife or machete and were intent on coming after me so they could use me as their dinnertime meal or “human pot pie” then they would have to chop their way through if I secure the magazines properly, possibly saving my arse from certain, immediate and delicious death (forget it, cannibals!). The Alice Pack that I have has those three wonderful large pockets on the front so it has been easy to equalize various weights with them and it is still completely usable in every way. I want to get a second metal canteen with canvas cover so I can carry two quarts of water and be able to distribute the water’s weight a little better. It is a lot more difficult to carry a large canteen that creates a heavier mass than it is to tote two containers in balance. First starting out with a pack, I had to make a basic list of the items I needed such as a fire starter, a metal canteen, a knife, a pair of socks and gloves, a hat, a bottle of camping soap, a 1 oz. bottle of tea tree oil and a little food. After about the third attempt of going through the pack and re-thinking what I needed, I learned just what I should have and if I added anything more to my supplies that I make sure they are lightweight and just how much the overall weight of the pack would be afterward. I also had to decide on the basic weight I could fairly comfortably carry and then figure out how heavy I could actually go before it became too much for me and I did this by picking it up with one hand, putting it on as if I were toting it and then setting it down about fifteen minutes later. I once made a pack too heavy and when I had to access it’s contents a few months later, when I picked it up, I found that it was far too much weight for even a horse to handle. I regularly exercise the upper and lower torso and I am pretty strong but sometimes I am a little weak because I have had to move concrete blocks, wood or other things that sometimes take a lot out of me but that is good because in a survival situation that is what would happen to me anyway and it’s when I am physically tired that I like to adjust the weight of my pack. The outdoors present hilly, muddy, rocky, uneven areas and activities such as cutting brush to get through an area or climbing over downed trees is a regular occurrence while wearing a pack and I would prefer to have my bag correct for every situation and circumstance that I may encounter, if I can achieve that. I believe that it is best to stay a little under the weight that can be carried alright when I am tired because as the day wears on, the more tired and exhausted I am going to become even while walking on even terrain. I am always constantly thinking about my fire starter, knife and canteen, those three I will not be without. I will live because I am warm, I will live because I have hydration, I will live because I can catch and kill my food and I will live because I will shelter my self from the elements. All the rest of the items I have are intended for outdoor comfort which I hope to have when the time comes but if I do not then I will make them. A stump with a back cut into it for a chair will give me rest. A square ground bed made from branches, tied at the corners with grasses or notched together, the center filled with soft brush every few days will suffice and keep me warm. A large stone chipped out in the center to catch and keep water will nourish my organs when I am athirst. A sharp flint or rock will hone my spears and sharpen my fishing hooks to feed me, build my shelter and clean my hides for clothing and foot wear.
Paragraphs are your friend.
Amen.
Great article. Being fairly new at prepping (started about 6 months ago) I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the “stuff” we still need to acquire. Running out of space, as we live in a small apartment. Thanks for the reminder we don’t have to buy it all, we just need to focus on what’s important.
Good advice, figured that out a few weeks ago when I couldn’t find the item I needed that it was time to clean up. Found out we have an extra .22 hand gun. Learned to cook rice. Cleaned out the pantry of everything expired or about to be expired, gave it to my dad he said he’d eat it.
Hope everything is ok with your family. AW
This question has been driving me crazy. I fear I’m a bit of a hoarder and now that I’m a prepper I can think of even more possible scenarios for each item. The buckets of wheat are starting to crowd my other stuff though so I have to choose!
I would like to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers I appreciate it. The emergency and why I had to be away was my girlfrinds father – he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is a good guy and I hate to see him have to go through this.
Sorry to hear it. I’ve lost a grandmother that way and my wife’s losing an aunt slowly, too. I hope he gets good care from his doctors and doesn’t have to endure too much discomfort.
Sorry to hear that. My grandmother passed away at 52 of colon cancer. Naybe it was a misdiagnosis. I hope thing get better for you and your girlfriend.
What a shame. My condolences to your girlfriend. Losing a parent is always very painful, but to lose one due to cancer is especially painful to everyone involved. Such a horrible disease. May he find some comfort in his final days.
Prayed for all of you.
I am not sure what all of you believe, but here is some scripture.
God knows everything.
I hope all of you believe.
Matthew 10:29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Romans 10:9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
After reading your blog I decided to take your advice so out to the garage I go to do some “cleaning” The first tote box I open up I find all my old paperbacks which consisted of “The Survivalist” by Jerry Ahern. Well that was as far as I got as I decided they were to good to part with so I brought in the whole series & started to read which should kill the next few weeks of doing anything practical. Oh well, maybe I’ll find something else I can part with, just as soon as I finish reading.
Glad to have you back but sorry to hear the abd news.
Well, you really hit a sore spot with me on this. My house is almost a complete disaster. I have been vacuum packing for two days and it has to all be arranged in totes and stored somewhere. I think I will have to unload the spare bedroom closet and put it in there. I know I have a lot of things I want to get out of here, but I tried selling this summer and as this area has about 23% unemployment, no one was buying. I decided to get the things taken care of that are necessary and deal with that after my preps are finished. I did my “final list”a buying last week, just in case all the predictions of November being the tipping point are true. If things are normal, I will start downsizing what I know I don’t want to keep, then. Thanks for the reminder, because it has been on my mind for quite a while. It will get done.
Glad you’re back MD.
In regards to your paragraph just below.
……………”Some books and survival blogs make you feel as though you need to spend $10,000 on a survival gun collection, another $10,000 on commercial survival foods and $500,000 for a retreat in Clearwater Idaho with fortified bunker underneath. And, let’s not forget the night vision goggles, body armor, the get out of dodge camouflaged hummer with run flat tires and bug out airplane.”…………………………..
Actually I think it is OK to do this if you can, because things are going to get very bad.
OK, reality check, all of you who have $500,000, to buy one of these retreats, raise your hand.
Do, I have $500,000?
If I do, it is so well hidden, even I don’t know about it.
God blessed me with a good job, and I am working even more than I want too. I am not rich, sometimes close to “paycheck to paycheck,’ to quote a cliche.
Anyway, I finally got so tired of prepping, I told my wife, we are going to start living again, and not concentrate so much on this prepping stuff.
We have prepared as I felt led to do, the rest we will trust God for.
As for bugging out, we are not going to.
My wife has health issues and it wouldn’t work for us.
If they get us, ………………………they get us.
Anyway, the final end to our nation, I have posted before.
Get right with God through His Son Jesus, seek His Guidance, fellowship with other believers and do the best you can.
You may not find the right church right away, but keep looking.
You will know when you are there.
As for all of you who are worrying about your children, let me share this.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
People,
don’t be sheeple,
of the
Word of God!
Amen, Jr. I moved to a rural area close to a small city in the Ozarks, but I still have neighbors, I go to a fairly large church, I interact with another group on the shooting range, and I depend on like-minded people banding together for security. I don’t think a bunker in Idaho is as safe as a group of neighbors who want to help each other. And I enjoy life much, much more.
Thanks for the reality check.
Hi, I just found your blog and it looks really interesting! I’ll be spending some time here.
It is interesting that you mention this. I don’t have too many survival or preparedness supplies, but I have too much junk in general and I’m having to go through and get rid of some stuff. It isn’t easy, as I tend to like to keep things around. Maybe the money can go towards some good preparedness equipment.
I had to pass this on because it was just too funny. Sunday, when I was cleaning out the room that contained some prepping item, in addition to the Mother Earth News magazine I found some old records. I brought them out to bring to the Salvation Army and labeled them “331/3 Records”. Yesterday, my young neice came over to say hello and saw the box there. She asked me, “How can you have a third of a record?” Gosh, it makes you feel wise and old at the same time.
Comments on this entry are closed.