Monthly Archives: April 2021

Conspiracy theory thought for the day….

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Stock market continues to head towards record highs…but the price of many things seem to be going up (lumber, building materials, food)…and the .gov has printed a ginormous amount of money which should result in inflation, right? But..we don’t see it in the reported (keyword there) numbers.

So, I was thinking about that the other day…we’re seeing price increases in many items, not just the Consumer Price Index items, that we use day to day….but there’s no marked uptick in inflation. So, what’s wonky in the way we figure inflation numbers?

Then it occurred to me…inflation isn’t when the price of something goes up, its when the purchasing power or value of the money used to purchase that item goes down, right? So…all these stock market gains we’ve seen. What if those aren’t the values of the securities going up, but rather the value of the dollars that they are denominated in going down? Couple that with the observed rising prices everywhere else and now it seems like perhaps the rising stock market is the barometer of inflation. I mean, did XYZ stock really become intrinsically more valuable than it was six months ago? Or are the dollars used to purchase XYZ stock just worth less and thereby requires more of them to buy it?

I’m all for stocks going up in value, but maybe it isn’t that they are going up as much as it is the value of the dollar, due to inflation, is going down. Do the surges in the market coincide with the creation of stimulus money? I suppose it could be people dumping their stimulus checks into the market that is rasing those numbers..but, couldn’t it also be……

 

Open wallet , receive magazines

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Because I’m a paranoid mofo, I did a little online shopping the evening before Biden’s speech. Package arrived today….let’s see what we have…….

Magpul 35-rd 9mm mags for the CZ Evo, a bunch more 17-rd 9mm Glock mags, and some 21-rd Glock mags. Because.

Interestingly, while ammo prices have gone way out of orbit, and gun prices are pretty high, the average price of magazines seems to have remained pretty flat…for now.

Back to the survivalist grind

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All right, enough theory…back to tangible, quantifiable, get-stuff-on-the-shelf survivalism…

Beautiful day out today in western Montana. First things first….that 2nd Gen Glock I picked up over in Circle of Hell Number 4 needs to be function tested. Grabbed it and a box of S&B and headed to the range. As expected, the NY-1 trigger did the gun no favors in terms of trigger pull, but the gun functioned just fine. So…stamp of approval on that one. Clean it up and get it ready for the Deep Sleep. I’ll clean it very well, find a holster for it, and stuff it in a plastic case with a couple happysticks, a few spare mags, and a box of ball. Finito.

At the moment, there’s enough Glocks on the roster that I can feel comfortable about the Current Situation not impacting me in terms of Glock availability. Go me.

Next up, the new gas cans I ordered in a few weeks ago need to get filled, dosed with PRI-G, and tucked away.

And I need to run the generator.

And I need to evaluate these new packs/bags I’ve had come in.

And I need to re-evaluate the rest of 2021 spending since all 2021 goals have been met.

And I need to go over the Preponomicon and see whats needing attention.

And…its spring. Time to air the place out and do some de-cluttering.

I guess this is the busy season.

Keeping eyes and ears open

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Hmmm….

President Joe Biden will unveil a package of executive actions to curb gun violence on Thursday — a step that is likely to be cheered by increasingly impatient advocates despite being relatively modest in scope.
…..
Among the actions Biden will take will be to direct the Department of Justice to begin, within 30 days, the process of requiring buyers of so-called ghost guns — homemade or makeshift firearms that lack serial numbers — to undergo background checks and, within 60 days, regulating concealed assault-style firearms, according to the White House.

And from WSJ:

The Justice Department has 60 days to propose a new rule that would restrict arm braces that are often used with AR-15-style pistols, which are smaller versions of AR-15-style rifles. The braces are designed to stabilize the pistols, but can also be used like shoulder stocks, effectively transforming them into short-barreled rifles, which are heavily restricted under federal law, according to gun-control advocates.

And just like that….I spent a lot of money…again.

Sealer replacement

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Years ago, I picked up a heat sealer and a selection of mylar bags in various sizes. One of the ideal uses I found for them was to create small, environmentally-impervious first aid kits that could be slipped into a pack, pocket, or pouch unobtrusively. It worked quite well. So well, in fact, that I loaned out the heat sealer and a supply of bags to someone and…never got it back. I’d remind them periodically about it and they’d ignore me. So…lesson learned. It occurs to me that since I have these new small bags to test out I need to put together another few of those small FAKs to put in them. So..since I’m apparently never getting my other heat sealer back, or being compensated for it, I’ll have to order a new one. So..this arrived today. I still had a stash of bags from my last experiments, so I’m good there although if I need more the go-to guys seem to be Sorbent Systems.

Absolutely you cold do something similar with the vacuum sealer but the bags used for that are, in my opinion, not as durable and rugged as the Mylar. However, if you’re not worried about having difficulty opening a layered package, you could achieve great results by vacuum sealing the contents to reduce space, and then sealing the vacuum sealed package in a mylar pouch for protection. Suspenders and a belt…but if you only have one hand you’re gonna have a heck of a time one-handing your way though all that packaging. Gotta weigh the pros and cons, I suspect.

Anyway, to thats my project for the next couple days – put together a few decent small FAKs and seal them up for carry in the new bags. Nothing fancy, but certainly something more comprehensive than just some bandaids and bactine.

For the end of the word, there’s 5.56mm…for everything else, there’s money.

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“I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and rich is better.” – Mae West

I’ve met a lot of survivalists over the years. All of them have their own flavor of apocalypse… war, plague, famine, pole shift, EMP, space invasion, religious events, comet strikes, economic issues, etc, etc. My personal belief is that the most likely event to send folks scrambling to their bunkers will be economic. You could probably make an argument that the Wuhan Flu has proven me wrong. I don’t think so… after all, one of the side effects of this pandemic has been a level of economic upheaval, hasn’t it?

I try to be prepared for most eventualities….power outages, blizzards, etc. But, for me, I believe that the small, personal, intimate EOTWAWKI events like a job loss, illness, unexpected expense, etc, will occur with a far, far higher level of likelihood than an EMP or Chinese invasion.

So, while I keep a buncha freezedrieds and ammo on hand, I have found that having financial resources has been a lifeline more often than parachute flares have. Or, as I’ve said before, I’ve needed $50 bills far more than I’ve needed .50 BMG.

I can’t tell you what I think a survivalist should do to cover their financial butt because everyone’s situation is difficult. YMMV. I don’t have a lot of money, nor do I make a lot of money, but what I do have is an exceptionally strong desire to not be hungry and houseless. So, my money goes into a few places –

  • Cash
  • Investments
  • Metals
  • Goods

I keep cash around because it’s basically duct tape – when the world isn’t coming to an end, cash (or money) is the ultimate multitool. It puts roofs on houses, fixes flat tires, paints living rooms, digs ditches, repairs cars, replaces hot water heaters, feeds kids, transports goods, etc. When civilization hasn’t hit the bottom, cash solves 99% of your problems.

I invest on a regular basis because cash loses value if you just let it sit there in an envelope in the gun safe. (Can’t get around it…some cash must be kept on hand, immediately accessible, and that means some exposure to inflation risk.) A thousand dollars next year will buy you less stuff than what a thousand dollars will buy you this year. Thats inflation workin’ it’s mojo. If you want your $1000 to be able to buy that same $1000 worth of stuff in ten years that it could buy today… you need to have your money ‘make money’. So..I invest. And, yes, if the big EOTWAWKI happens I could lose all the investments. Thats why I have more baskets to put my eggs in than just that one. And, while I recognize the possibility of an event happening that would wipe out my investments, I’m comfortable with it’s level of unlikeliness that I don’t mind putting some money into the market. Nothing fancy…just fire-n-forget mutual and index funds. It’s worked for me so far. At some point I’ll probably put money into some more real estate as well.

I stockpile cash, I feed investments, and I buy metals. I don’t buy metals for an investment because if I need to use metals to pay for the necessities of life then the odds are pretty good that the currency has gone haywire…and why would I trade a 1/10th Eagle for a wad of green paper that is short circuiting?  I set an amount, in ounces, I want to own by the end of the year and work towards that goal. I just buy 1 oz. silver rounds or bars. Eagles and Maples are nice but not worth the premium, IMO. Gold is never cheap, no matter what form you purchase it in. Just know that you will always walk funny after buying gold but it’s worth it for the peace of mind. I have a silver coin in my desk that was minted over 2000 years ago. It can still buy me things. No nationally minted currency can say that. Yeah, you can’t eat it, burn it, or shoot it…and yet it still works as a near-global unit of exchange. Go figure. And, historically, metals is the way to go in that ‘in between stage’ where the currency is going bad but before we hit the tradeing-cigarettes-for-food stage.

I don’t stock too many things expressly for the purpose of using them as trade goods because a) thats a lot of space and b) metals and cash take care of most of those needs. But…if things ever really hit Mad Max status, having desirable goods gives you bargaining power. Don’t stock anything you can’t use yourself if you need to. For me, handguns and ammo fill the bill. Compact, valuable, and in a crisis their value goes up exponentially. If you don’t believe that  then just go try to find a box of 9mm and a G19. If you can think of a ‘civilization’ anywhere in the world right now where the currency is worthless and its basically every man for himself, there is little more valuable in that place than a firearm and ammo. A cheap 9mm (S&W SD series, Ruger P or American series, anything by Taurus, HiPoint [kinda], etc.) and a box of ammo will probably be  the next smallest form of concentrated wealth after gold. Trading guns is always a risky business, so it’s never my first choice but when natives are restless there is no denying that people will pay whatever it takes to buy a talisman that makes them feel safer. (See Current Situation.) Also, as I’ve mentioned, I don’t stock anything as a ‘trade good’ that isn’t something I can’t use for my own needs. I can always use extra food, extra guns, extra fuel, extra meds…so for me it makes sense that if I was going to keep something as ‘trading stock’ it would be those things. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and I don’t have a uterus, so stockpiling booze, smokes, and tampons doesn’t make sense for me. In short, if it has no utility to me if I wind up having to keep it, then I’m not spending resources and space on having it on the off chance of trading it to someone else.

I’m the most optimistic survivalist in the world… I think the likelihood of a localized EOTWAWKI (job loss, injury, hurricane, transmission replacement, etc.) will happen more frequently and sooner than the big one (EMP, comet strike, Xenu, etc.), As a result, my priorities, financially, are on cash and investments….metals and trade goods are in that order. I’ve needed plumbers far more often than I’ve needed combat medics, and my financial planning reflects that.

Anyway, thats how this particular survivalist arranges his financial resources. You do what you think makes sense to you and your situation, but do something. Don’t be caught flat-footed if the world ends, and more importantly, don’t be caught flat-footed if it doesn’t. A solid retirement if the world doesn’t end, and a basement supply depot if it does….that’s kinda what I’m shooting for.

How’d that shoulderbag search go?

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Well, funny you should ask…I narrowed it down to two candidates and, being a bit of a gear queer, ordered them both. First one to show up today was the Emdom. Expensive? Oh yes*, but on first blush I have to admit…it’s got some interesting design features. I’ll be banging it around for the next week and see how I like it. It’s a bit heavy on the ‘tactical’ side of things…more of a tactical bag than a ‘wandering the boonies’ bag. But we shall see.

The other one I ordered was this guy. I like the looks of it, we’ll see how it’s utility stacks up.

There are two roles I’m looking to fill. One, is a smaller, handier, version of my Bag O’ Tricks. Something that lends itself to a bit more ‘everyday use’ without looking like Burt Gummer. The other role is as a bag for any activity in the boonies. Fishing, hunting, hiking, geocaching, etc…something to carry the Ten Essentials, a jacket, water, food, compass, FAK, and the usual stuff. But a smaller kit than my hunting pack.

So far, the Emdom is pretty sweet. I need to load it up and give it a good workout. Stay tuned.

 

* = Expensive gear is, often, worth it. I’m not one of these survivalists who craps on people who buy ‘expensive yuppie survivalist gear’ because a) I can afford it and b) just because you want to take pride in poverty doesn’t mean I have to.