Prepping as an investment

This article is written for those of you out there who are somewhat inclined to get into prepping, but aren't quite sold on the idea that anything worse than a hurricane or blizzard will ever occur.  Survivalism appeals to you in some ways, but the mainstream media, the politicians, and your doubting friends have you believing that nothing that bad will ever really happen, and that you are wasting your time and money by being a prepper.

What if I could give you a reason that made sense for you to get into prepping, even if you think the naysayers are right?  That would truly be a win/win scenario.......you would have preparations made in the event of a disaster, and you wouldn't be wasting your time or money.

Stay tuned for the answer after we first discuss some of the history behind prepping.

Before there were trendy survival shows on TV, before there was a constant threat of terrorist attack, before the Y2K scare, even before nuclear weapons were on the scene, there were survivalists.

But they weren't known as survivalists back then, they were called citizens.  That's right, depending on your age, your grandparents and great-grandparents were the citizens who made preparations for survival in uncertain times.

They didn't have fancy terms like prepper or survivalist to apply to themselves back then, but they knew that keeping their larder well stocked, raising a garden, canning vegetables, and keeping some firearms around the house was just good common sense in case something bad happened.  Many of our ancestors were able to make it through the Great Depression because of this.  They took care of themselves instead of believing that it was the government's job to do so.

We have a great tradition of independent survivalists in this country going back from the times of the settlers until the end of World War II.  Survivalism has been trying to make a comeback since the Cold War, and the movement is growing fast in recent years, in spite of short-sighted folks who insist that if you stick your head in the sand, nothing bad will ever happen to you.  History bears this out as being a falsehood.

Once you realize the history and reasons behind prepping, it seems pretty silly to let the "Dancing With The Stars" fan club make fun of you for being a survivalist.  In a nutshell, being a survivalist is nothing more than being an American.

Now that we have established the fact that preppers are not a bunch of delusional right-wing nut jobs, and that our country's history is filled with millions of families that made it through tough times because they made preparations ahead of time just like we do now, I will provide you with the last little bit of convincing to get you on board with the program.

Prepping, if done in the correct manner, is a good investment for your money in these high inflationary times that we are living in, in addition to providing your family with security in the event of a catastrophe.

In this Great Recession that we are currently living in, your home is no longer a good measure of equity protection.  When the housing bubble burst, home values dropped like a stone.  The stock market is volatile and has caused a lot of people to lose their retirement nest eggs.  Automobiles never were a good item to spend money on.  Inflation is causing the dollars you have in the bank to be worth less and less every day.  The best thing you can put your money into is something that will gain in value, and provide you with utility at the same time.

The items that are most commonly associated with survivalism fall into this category.

Any firearm from a major manufacturer, if taken care of, will be worth more money in five years than what you paid for it.  The entire time you have it, it is also providing protection and security for your family.  Guns can be passed from generation to generation in your family as a transferable form of wealth without incurring taxes.  It is a win/win scenario.

Ammunition is always going up in value, at times rapidly.  If you stockpile a supply of it now at today's prices and decide to sell it in five years, you will be many dollars ahead of the game.  It has a virtually unlimited shelf life as well, so this is an investment that can be passed down to your children.  If at some point in the future you decide to sell at, it will never be for a loss.

Food is a common item stockpiled by preppers.  The best way to stock food is to buy the same kinds of foods that you normally eat, and rotate your stock to keep items from getting too old.  The food you buy in bulk today will be cheaper than what you will buy next year, and buying large quantities when they're on sale or when you have coupons will save you even more.  Even if you decided to get out of prepping at some point in the future you could simply eat your way through your food supply and still have saved money compared to what you currently spend grocery shopping once or twice a week.

Other items stockpiled by preppers may not have an intrinsic value beyond their normal uses, but you will always need toothbrushes, laundry soap, batteries, propane, and other miscellaneous household items.  They will not spoil, and the price you pay for them today is guaranteed to be less than what they will cost you in the future.

In addition to the value of buying items in bulk now before inflation drives their prices out of sight, you have also supplied your household with a cache of necessities that will get your family through any rough times or crisis that comes along.  I just can't see how anyone would not think that this makes good sense.......

Analyze our current economy, study the habits of our ancestors and the history of this nation, learn about survivalism topics, and you will find out for yourself that prepping not only makes sense for ensuring the security of your family, but also is one of the best places to put your money.

If that doesn't get you in the game, I don't know what will.




LWM out...............