Happy Prepper New Year!

Happy New Year to all!  With 2022 in the rear window but 2023 not looking much better when it comes to inflation, government overreach, the surveillance state, ongoing weather emergencies in many parts of the country, the border crisis, the virus du jour, and several other concerning issues, it's time to refocus on the basics of being prepared for anything that may happen.  For those who make new year resolutions, maybe add some of these to your list:

• Exercise everyday.  You may lose all of your preps and all of your gear but if you are fit and healthy, you will be miles ahead of the vast majority of Americans when it comes to survival situations.
• Eat the basics--fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and the odd serving of (non-factory farmed) meat.  The US has huge health problems, mostly due to a lousy food industry.
• Take control of your money.  Get out of debt, use cash while you still can, diversify your assets, and invest in useful things like knowledge, tools, and skill building.
• Avoid having your every move and thought surveilled.  We will delve into this in future posts.
• Be prepared for every possibility.  There is no good reason to run out of gas in your vehicle, not have any extra food at all in your home when a storm hits, have to go to a payday lender for a financial emergency, etc.
• More doing and less chatting about it online.  Besides the obvious downsides of social media, people need to get off the internet and head out in the field and actually do stuff.  Long walks or hikes, starting a nice bonfire for the family to roast marshmallows, going fishing, using your HAM radio regularly, etc.
• Guard your mind.  This should probably be at the top of the list.  Between social media garbage pushed for likes, bots and AI trying to manipulate your thoughts, advertisers using every last detail gleaned about you by big tech to influence what you buy and what you do, and the non-stop "entertainment" of video games and apps, people barely have the time or inclination to create an original thought of their own.  Disconnect.  Often.