Setting Realistic Goals

Prepping is about being ready for the worst. But that doesn't mean disaster will strike tomorrow. So before you spend all your money buying supplies once you get your pay check, instead make a list of things you'll need. Buy the essentials first. Each time you get your pay check use the money you save to add to your survival gear and supplies. It'll be a relatively easy way to build your emergency supplies without having to live like a Spartan.

 

Financial planning is something that not a lot of people are very good at, at the best of times, so planning their finances for in times of a crisis they're even less able to do. There seems to be a culture these days forming that regards planning for the future financially as something that can be left till the last minute, and they think that if there is a crisis then money won't be an issue anyway, and I'm not sure where that culture as come from in the first place.

Maybe people have been watching too many disaster movies and think that if the world is going to be wiped out anyway, then they might as well spend every penny they earn on having a good a time as they can now, but I for one don't agree with that notion, and I think in the future when the world IS in an emergency situation, there's going to be a lot of people that won't have a chance of survival due to not planning financially. My question is, what then though? Is it down to us, the ones who HAVE been frugal and saved for the so called rainy day to bail them out, or do we just watch them fall by the wayside and look after our own?

 

Like most of us, I work hard for the money so that I can afford the basic necessites of life to survive. I also hope to live a good life now and in the future.

That means I need to have a clear financial plan in place and realistic goals to achieve. So, as I spend money today on the immediate basics for survival, I have to consider my future needs and any eventualities.

This means regularly putting aside part of my income. This can be used to meet some of my goals or as a cushion in case of an emergency.

 

Everyone have to realize how they are going to manage their prepping goals. Usually those goals have a realistic reach, unless We are talking about a paranoid prepper digging for a Nuclear Shelter in his backyard. I would be focusing in developing skills rather than saving money. If regular urban services shutdown you'll need to know how to find resources readily as fast as possible, and perhaps leaving the concrete jungle behind and embrace wilderness.

 

This makes since just save a little at a time. We would always hope disaster doesn't strike tomorrow but it does help not to stress about it. Making a list based on nutrition is really important, looking to store things that are healthy and high in nutritional value is what will help the most. Just take at least 20% of your non perishable items and store them away for emergencies.

 

People these days are living for the here and now more and more, and we can see that by the amount of debt that people are walking around with. Loans and credit card debt are more than ever before, and even if people wanted to prepare financially for the future I'm not sure they'd even be able to.

I tend to agree that what I've put away for me and my loved ones for in the future is...well, enough for me and my loved ones only and if others aren't prepared then that's there own fault and not my concern. Some may regard that as a selfish attitude, but I can say the same about others. Failing to prepare for the future and just hoping that somebody else will come along and bail you out is also selfish, and all the time your frittering away your money on having a good time, others are saving for the future and they've no right to think they can spend everything they have, and then expect to spend what other people have as well.

 

I like to spend a portion of my paycheck in case of a crisis and/or bad days, it's called an emergency fund and I like to usually keep it full with money that would make me able to live for 6 months in case something happens. It's a common tactic used by financially independent people and even preppers, so make sure you have that instead over-preparing for a disaster.

 

Sure, you will soon be left with nothing and wondering what to do next to get something to feed your family. While those you helped will find it easy to move on and ask for help from anyone else because they are used to seeking help.

 

You say that one should add to their survival gear, well how much is enough? You may not need all of the things that you collect up over time. Many people have things in their stock pile that I'm sure they'll never get a chance to use because they simply don't need it.

Stock piling thousands of bullets for one might seem like the best thing to do but really...are we going to have a zombie apocalypse on planet earth.

 

The common adage that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail applies anyday. Most people lead happy go lucky lifestyles. I have discovered that the key to survival is to make sure that you don't remain where you are, financially speaking because the inevitable fact is that you will start to retrogress no matter how successful you are until you reach a stage where your income effortlessly exceeds your expenditure and your money works for you. Need, want, emergencies and financial adversity have a way of overtaking one's financial position.

 

Since right now I'm living somewhere that is very earthquake prone, supplies are surprisingly easy to obtain and thankfully not too expensive. When we first moved here we set ourselves a comprehensive list of what we would need and worked on ticking off a few list items each time we got paid - from the "absolute must have's" down through the "nice to have conveniences" for our kit. I think that's the best way to approach setting goals for disaster/survival planning.

 

that's how I do to save my money :') I always make A list of things I want to buy then I keep tsehe other part for some improvised... And most of the times I don't buy all of the things on my list for me to save more money than I consume, I buy se to buy others next time and so on ;-)
to save money is very important I can't see myself asking for financial help in case of immergance just because I abused my salary.

 

I have several thousand dollars in the market.
But that's risky even with Blue Chip stocks.
I'm retired and get a pension + social security.
I keep at least $5 K in checking.
I carry no more than $200 in cash IF that.
I do o.k., pay bills, drive nice car, have a home, have land, WORKED since I was a kid!
WORKED.
I'm not a snowflake.
I might even get a part time job soon just to buy more prepper goodies.

 

I've learn to seperate my wants from my needs. I was of the habit of buying on impulse in the past. When you differenciate between the two, you'll have less headaches when it comes to spending and having something to invest for emergency purposes.