Have you ever heard this expression? “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.”
Planning is one of the most essential elements of any effective strategy. The art and science of survival planning involves strategically stockpiling gear, learning skills and using what you’ve learned, testing your abilities to see what works under real world conditions.
But where do you start? What do you need? What skills do you need to learn? And perhaps most importantly where will you find the money? After all, none of this stuff is free and no one is going to give it to you.
Making matters worse, without a plan your efforts often become scattered and less focused and you end up wasting a lot of time and money-getting no where. People often fail to reach their goals because they never had a specific plan.
You need a plan, actually write it down so you don’t forget – as each item is completed check it off the list and move on to the next. This is smart survival planning that’ll help you to save time, stay focused and avoid wasted resources.
Before you start writing your plan, you need to ask yourself - are my goals realistic? Unrealistic survival goals in my opinion are worse than no goals at all. Unobtainable goals will eventually cause you to give up on your preps altogether.
Budget will dictate the depth and content of your plan, setting goals without considering budget is a recipe for failure.
A paid for retreat in Idaho, complete with a ten-year supply of freeze-dried food, twenty thousand dollar gun collection, indoor shooting range, bomb shelter, escape tunnel, electrified fence topped with razor wire and camo painted hummer in the drive all on one hundred acres of prime ranch land, would be great.
If you can afford it without debt, then by all means – go for it.
But for most of us this is an unreachable goal and you’ll have to settle for less. I know it hurts – reality often does. Fortunately this doesn’t mean you can’t prepare or that you have to be less prepared than the big spender.
My complete set-up including land, trailer, storage foods, water filters, weapons ect, cost me less than $12,000 and I think have just as good a chance at survival as the big spender. It can be done you just need to think outside the box.
Smart survival planning should take into account individual needs, location and perceived threats.
In the desert fresh water would probably be your number one concern, while the survivor in Alaska would be more concerned with cold weather, for example. Think about your location, needs and plan accordingly.
The last factor in survival planning is time. You have to determine both how much time you have to meet your goals and also how much time is needed to reach those goals, working within that time line.
Remember too that your goals will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your knowledge and experience. For example say you initially plan for a family of four, only to learn six months later that you have a new-born on the way. Be flexible.
Key Points
- You need a plan – write it down.
- Set realistic goals.
- Plan within your budget.
- Consider your personal survival needs.
- How much time is needed to reach your preparedness goals
- Survival plans aren’t set in stone
If you don’t already set preparedness goals, do so, starting now. You’ll get more done, save money and be better prepared. Isn’t that the ultimate goal?
What do you think? Are you a smart survival planner? Why?
{ 17 comments }
Can’t argue with that :-)
One thing you can do once you have a shopping list is write the low tech alternatives or work-arounds off to the side.
While I was saving up the cash for a Berkey, I made sure I had the knowledge to make a filter out of raw materials so I wouldn’t be caught with my pants down if something happened before I got my Berkey.
That took a lot of the stress away while waiting for the funds to arrive.
I think that the smartest thing I have admitted is that how very little I know about a whole range of subjects. Just as important as learning about it myself is surrounding myself with people who know more about it – be it guns, chickens, or farming.
Survival to my mind is less about how much the individual has put away and more about how self sufficient the community is – are there farmers who have generations worth of experience in crop farming the area, is there a farrier and a blacksmith, are there cattle and sheep being run, carpenters, dousers, a legion hall and a maintained cenotaph, schools, saloons… Does the community march on Rememberance Day? Does Santa come with his list at Christmas? Does the Easter Bunny hide eggs? Do the fireworks mark Canada Day or Independence Day? Are the Church pews full?
If the community has all of that and an old order Mennonite or Amish community – then buy your land. Your community will pull together and has the resources/knowledge base to survive.
I am planning challenged. I never plan anything. While even I encourage the confused to make a plan, I also encourage the “Fly by the Seat of the Pants” type to “Go for It”. If you’re putting this together a bit at a time, (some food here, some cleaning goods there, a gun now, a water barrel then) at least learn to step back and look at what you’ve done as a whole now and then. Kind of a backwards planning. Look for holes and thin spots in what you’ve got, and get more.
I appreciate a good plan as much as the next person, and am perfectly able to follow a plan; it’s sitting still and making that plan I’m just psychologicaly unfit for.
Again another great article. That is why I and thousands of other readers visit this blog everyday straight forward usable advice. Thank you M.D. for keeping it real and leading this survival family down the path to preparedness.
Setting realistic goals was my bad when I first started prepping after reading survivalblog.com for a month I gave up untill I found this site.
I actually made a goal list for May am working on the following items and plan on finishing up this week
25 gallons K1
1 Cord Firewood
Finish Pasta supply
Replace washer and dryer with stackable I bought for $50 from a lakehouse where they were hardly used to make more room for supplies
$200 Cash
Pay off 1 bill for $137.00 to save $50 a month payment
I have paid off a bill each month to remove a $50 payment each month this year
Make jam out of frozen fruit in freezer to make room for more stuff
I agree unrealistic goals where my downfall. I spent way to much trying to get all the guns suggested on another blog big mistake I had guns and nothing else still never did get all the guns on that list.
FMJ……..
It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. As long as the weapons you have shoot true, then there is no need to stockpile an arsenal. Basic needs shift from person to person, but if you can hit the targets you want with the stuff you have then why change?
Good post M.D. you are an asset to the preparedness community. Keep up the great work.
Good topic. In my way of thinking, smart, realistic planning always should be tempered with the caveat “Be Flexible”! For example, while you are planning your preps, take into account your guests. You know, the family members who show up on your doorstep during a major crisis and won’t be leaving for awhile? Going to give your mom and dad a bucket of rice and say “Good luck on the road”? Probably not. But you prepped for 2 adults for one year, and your food supply just was cut in half. What’s your plan? Got your 22 out and your going to do some squirrel hunting near that ridgeline over looking that 100 foot gorge and you slip. Rifle goes over, you don’t. When you finally work your way down to retrieve it, you find the stock shattered and the barrel bent. Got another squirrel gun, or do you now have a brick of 22 for trade?
Having served aboard submarines during the 70′s and 80′s, one thing that was prevelent was the need to back up the backup. Port and Starboard electrical feed, valves backed up with valves that could be cross connected, etc showed me the value of planning to have extra, “Just-in-Case” stuff for as many scenarios as you can think of that could realistically happen.
But as one who tends to learn from my mistakes (sometimes), I had a “I’m an idiot!” moment today that might help. While inventoring my stores today, I noticed I should get some more coffee. As I walked passed my coffee machine, I remembered that it was due to run some vinegar through it to clean it out, and I should add vinegar to the list. Then it hit me. I only own one, electric coffee machine. Okay for “Grid-Up”,but for “Grid-Down”, I need an old fashioned cowboy type coffee pot that I can use on the fire grate. The best laid plans… Hope this helps, Bubblehead Les.
I love it! LOL How many people don’t think about what they have that’s electric. How about your toaster? Your can opener? Your clothes washer?
Every time you do a task, ask yourself how would Great Grandpa have done this out in the wild West? Do you plan to have a patch of yard for the kids to play? Do you plan to mow it a bit? Do you plan to have sharp hoes and corn knives, not to mention kitchen knives? Who in town has a pedal powered grinding wheel?
As I go through my comfortable 21st century life, I look at every task around me and see how it can be done 19th century, or even 1st century!
bubblehead les, i realized the same thing a couple months ago. life would not be worth living without my coffee. academy has some very nice ones . a huge one that also had a huge price tag and a medium sized one,with a reasonable price and a small one that would be far to small for my coffee appetite.( i call it nectar of the gods) .walmart had one as well,but it was poorly constructed and it was just a couple dollars more for a really nice ,well built one at academy.
I am definitely not a detailed planner. I have a general outline of what I need to do and at what stage of preparedness I need to be at during certain times of the year. I have different priorities of planning and preparing for the Spring/Sumer months vs the Fall/WInter months
One of the best plans I ever made for survival is getting out of the city. I learned after a while that most of the other plans I had could only be accomplished by moving. Now, seven years later, most of the other plans I had have been completed. It took a lot of sacrifice and work to do it, but it was the best survival decision I ever made. If you live in the city, make plans to move out of it. On the other hand, it did take a lot of research and planning to select the right location.
It might be noted that the survival plans I had while living city were very much different than the ones I have now. Evacuation (bug-out) was a major aspect of my “city” plans and, as anyone could guess, was the most problematic. While living in the city, I purchased a small-acerage lot in hills as retreat location. Although I still have it, it’s not the most important part of my plans now.
MD,
Very good article, thank you.
Simplicity is often overlooked – remember the story about the 12′ high truck that got stuck in the 11′ 8″ high tunnel? As the story goes, the transportation department got its engineers out, trying figure out how to jack up the bridge or cut away the top portion of the truck. All was costly & time consuming.
A little boy watching from the side of the road finally walked up to the lead engineer and said “why don’t you let some air out of the tires and back it out?” Sometimes the simplest solutions are the hardest to come by.
As you continuously point out, preparation is a common sense, uncomplicated linear approach that anyone can do easily without spending loads of money – the key is to simply plan & plan simple.
Many years ago I was a high level executive for a large multi-national manufacturer. My position was not as glorious as it sounds because when the SHTF and my facility, that fan sat on my desk pointed squarely at me! One of the happiest days of my life was leaving that position for a far less stressful occupation. Anyway, I digress -
What I did at that level & the key element to my success was, I made very simple, bullet pointed plans. All projections, goals, budget/expenditures yada, yada were in simple, uncomplicated language that anyone in my facility could understand and see as achievable.
I literally stumbled upon this idea because I get confused easily when faced with any arduous task and must boil things down to the simplest terms before I can begin ANY project.
Your preparation ideas are excellent and are nicely summed up in your ebook.
A little side not about the Rawles site – his blog site, while looking somewhat impressive with its vast amount of information, resources & materials, is very confusing and overwhelming – at least to me.
BTW, Einstein was the perfect choice for this article. He was brilliant as we all know BUT lived and spoke in a very uncomplicated manner.
First! M.D. this is one better posts keep them coming.
Okay… I’ll bite this time…
Dear Nickle Saver,
Thanks for adding to my knowledge base! From your earlier posts, and from your name, I am lead to assume (always dangerous) that you have been prepping for some time and doing so in a frugal manner. Unfortunate that you do not choose to share what you have learned.
As for your sudden need to insult MDC, I doubt Mr. Rawles needs that sort of press – you do Mr. Rawles disservice.
Since you choose not to add to conversation do the rest of the great honour of taking a hike.
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