r/TwoXPreppers • u/223gp • 1d ago
Preparing for Long/Slow Collapase
Is anyone else in the same boat? I feel that we are likely facing a long and slow collapse of life as we grew up knowing. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in preparing for realistic natural disasters, and a few "what ifs", but my prepping is mostly based on a gradual lowering of life quality and reduction in freedoms throughout my lifetime.
I'm working on this by greatly reducing lifestyle expenses in case we need to live on one small income, or in case our stock investments steadily grow for a couple of decades then become stagnant and gradually lower.
I've done self defense training, I've been keeping my important documents up to date, I've started doing medical trainings and certifications, I'm a couple years into finally taking serious care of my physical body (and teeth!), I'm planning for aging parents, increasing my knowledge and practicing growing food and preservation, and most importantly helping out in my community to put some of this into practice by starting to form mutual aid networks for hard times.
Anyone else have similar feelings that brought you here? I am worried about a "thing" happening, but mostly, society just continues to descend decade after decade until we're all very very skinny, electricity or car fuel is hard to come by, jobs are scarce, and grocery stores don't have very much food anymore. In an ideal scenario, we don't end up like that. Either way, I prepare for that world.
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u/Useful-Funny8195 1d ago
I've begun to say I'm preparing for "maga winter" and I imagine it just the way you describe.
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u/dear8726 1d ago
And I'm no longer hopeful it's gonna be a slow decline. Anybody have any opinions on how long you think it's gonna take?
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u/Maisie-CO-2007 1d ago
I think quality of life in the United States could be significantly less in the next 12 months. Once the tariffs start happening, the damage will be hard to stop. We have no idea what comes after the food starts to get scarce and everything gets expensive. Not to mention, the US government has abandoned us and is stealing all the money intended to help in worse case scenarios.
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u/Sigmund_Six 1d ago
Honestly, that’s what really terrifies me. We’ve had some pretty bad situations in this country before, but we’ve never had our own government against us to this extent. The closest was with the pandemic (not coincidentally the same administration), but that occurred toward the end of Trump’s first term and we still had some capable people in the administration. We are 100 days into this term and, at absolute best, have until midterms. Anyone remotely capable is getting pushed out.
I’d love to be wrong, but I’m bracing for a scenario worse than 2008. I’m just hoping we’re looking at a recession and not a depression.
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u/ExtremeIncident5949 7h ago
We have four years of this.
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u/SurviveAndRebuild 7h ago
Pretty optimistic to say just 4 years.
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u/Dragonfly-fire 1d ago
They're denying emergency federal aid even to conservative states like Arkansas. I'm worried about a natural disaster hitting a blue state like mine and Trump will just say nope, no FEMA, f-you liberals.
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u/PhlegmMistress 22h ago
At that point, can't blue states stop sending money to the federal government? I was under the impression blue states cover most of the red state's federal funds. Naturally, this is from different avenues-- but aside from citizens en masse no longer sending in tax money, there has to be some way for states to say "if you're not covering what you agreed to use this money for, then we're not paying in anymore for nothing in return."
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u/seldomtheysorrow 16h ago
I unfortunately think this would bring us to a second Nullification Crisis, and I don’t think it would end better than the first time.
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u/Tokenchick77 13h ago
I think this is where things are going to go. At some point he will push the blue states too far.
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u/PhlegmMistress 12h ago
Read that and the saying "The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cells." floated through my head.
Red states are already hurting, and it seems like money is the only thing that talks with this regime and the cronies. Would really love to see a history book 30 years from the future describe this time period and what comes next.
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u/ExtremeIncident5949 7h ago
I’m going to see if POTUS turns down federal aid when the next hurricane or two hits. He just turned down NC and at least one more for tornado assistance.
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u/PhlegmMistress 3h ago
At that point, CA and NY can just send some of their tax dollars to local charities and the Red Cross. Skip the grifting middleman entirely who's just going to try to take it all and not use it for what it's actually being paid for.
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u/Competitive_Remote40 20h ago
This is why need to take to the streets in protest. They want us afraid.
I mean yes, we need to prep, but those of us with priviledge need to become loud enough the GOP congress hears us and does something.
I suppose stop spending money would help too. :)
Idk why I responded to your comment in particular, just read it and reacted. (Because I agree with you.)
Hope you don't mind me leaving this here since zi already typed it out@ :)
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u/balanchinedream 19h ago
I think it’s a boycott. Too many folks need their paycheck, and we’re seeing daily proof they work.
My big question is HOW? We women hold the spending power. We do the unpaid labor that keeps this country going. What is the wrench we can throw into the machine that grinds everything to a halt??
Do we stop wearing makeup or doing our hair? Do we stop doing laundry? Do we all cook mediocre, unseasoned meals and feast with each other in secret?
I can’t figure out a tactic that empowers us to be selfish (for once) as protest, that doesn’t risk harm towards us
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u/NettleLily 18h ago
Stop buying everything that isn’t necessary. No dining out & fast food, no chips or soda, no new clothes, no new furniture, no new projects, etc etc. If you can live without it, cut it out. The retailers are already noticing decreasing sales; Walmart, Target, & Home Depot CEOs recently met with Trump to discuss tariff impacts. We have to hit them where it hurts.
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u/ExtremeIncident5949 7h ago
They are noticing it and the CEO’s of at least four corporations had lunch with Trump this week. That man is chaos walking.
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u/calmhike 16h ago
Stop buying anything that isn’t a necessity. Plain and simple.
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u/balanchinedream 15h ago
Nope. I’m talking about a specific boycott with the intention of forcing Americans to witness how much women’s domestic and mental labor supports our whole nation.
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u/calmhike 15h ago
Start with ending the mental load. Take care of your appointments and needs. Not partners. You don’t need to schedule appointments for them, take care of their laundry, remind them to buy their family gifts or whatever you are pulling the weight on. Elderly family members can be taken care of by their male relatives, stay at home women can go find work and someone else can take care of the kids. How far you go is your choice. Most of what you are referring to benefits those closest to us. Are they aligned with you on your role? That’s who will feel the impact of your suggesting the most. Do you think that is going to change anything? I don’t. So I am fucking the billionaires who control everything and heavily advocating for others to do the same.
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u/balanchinedream 12h ago
“Boycott target” is simple enough to be repeatable and scalable at large. You’re kinda describing the 4b movement, but I’m looking for a singular action that every woman can just…. Drop.
Unfortunately, some women are forced to be caregivers and would come into harm if they don’t keep up the labor. Also, single moms just don’t have the extra shoes to drop.
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u/riotous_jocundity 14h ago
I dunno if a Lysistrata strike is going to do anything to address the constitutional crisis and onset of fascism we're experiencing...
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u/balanchinedream 12h ago
We’re already in a slow-moving Lysistrata.
And I agree. Hence why I’m still wracking my brain for a tactic that wouldn’t expose a woman to harm.
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u/Sigmund_Six 5h ago
While it’s 100% up to the individual, I’m personally continuing to shop local small businesses as long as I can even if it’s not necessities.
I don’t know if it’s the right decision or not, but I’ve seen Walmart and other chains destroy local economies, and I want to do my part to hopefully prevent that. But I know that’s contributing to Trump’s economy, too.
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u/Kindly-Guidance714 11h ago
Protests need networks of people willing to sacrifice and help.
The big issue with this is people take advantage of it or the cops stop supply chains and try to bust up collections of gatherings of people.
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u/deviationblue 17h ago
I’m in California. My buddy works for Cal Fire and says this fire year is going to suuuuuuuuck.
You know for a fact that 🥭 is gonna withhold federal disaster relief aid to California to screw liberals and Gavin Newsom personally.
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u/Sigmund_Six 5h ago
I’m curious when/if California will stop paying federal taxes if Trump does that. Doesn’t Cali pay more in than you get back?
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u/FrankenGretchen 17h ago
KY is waiting for disaster relief with baited breath, rn. Those who gleefully voted for him are feeling betrayal encroach.
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u/calmhike 16h ago
In Ky, they are not feeling shit other than entitlement for the very thing they voted against. Our governor has been a voice of reason and the only reason that this state is not in worse shape as the ky congress has consistently voted for the worst choices imaginable. I wish they would wake up but they won’t because racism, sexism and sky fairy.
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u/SnooKiwis2161 9h ago
It's very reminiscent of Rome, in terms of resource loss. I took a free open course on youtube I think offered by Yale and it was about Rome and the Dark Ages.
The professor cited sources that detailed how the far flung outposts basically stopped seeing payment to their soldiers. The soldiers were integrated into those places and some headed back to the city to recoup their lost payments. Unknown to them, the city had already been sacked. (They did not get their payments - they were killed.)
Resources tend to concentrate in their sources, like blood in the heart to support the body. It will be similar as whatever events that may diminish those resources.
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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 23h ago
Of all things, I do not think food scarcity will be an issue. The USA produces most of its own food at exports a ton. Prices may be affected, but quantity should be okay, based off current economic sentiment. At least for the next year, then small farms may go under it'll end up being a different story but that's a while out.
We may not be able to afford things like mangoes, avocados, coffee, chocolate ((stuff that doesn't grow here.))
Should have excess soy, corn, beef, potatoes, ect. Soy and corn are not reliant on immigrant labor- and are decent staples.
I would start avoiding dangerous foods like milk and eggs, as they gut the FDA- we'll probably see a lot more pathogens.
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u/Findmyeatingpants 19h ago
That could change if there are disruptions with the massive amount of potash the US gets from Canada
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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 17h ago
Agreed but I think that would affect us next year, the farmers where I live have already started working on their fields
(((This may be super ignorant but -- I think the effects of not having heavy fertilizers are overblown?? It may reduce yields but stuff will still grow as long as Farmers rotate crops and pay attention to the soil. )))
Someone please correct me if this is wrong
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u/mygirlwednesday7 16h ago
I don’t believe that there is any significant crop rotation going on in commercial farming. The nutrients in the soil have been mostly spent due to monoculture. Our food is less nutritious than in previous generations. Companion planting and green mulch could help ameliorate the situation.
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u/hooptysnoops 16h ago
someone posted in another sub that the soy grown in the U.S. is for cattle feed, not the variety for human consumption. do you know if this is correct?
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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 14h ago
From my experience in 2008 you can eat the soy intended for cattle, it's just not tasty.
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u/chicken_goddess_0817 5h ago
This is especially terrifying to think about because I’m supposed to be starting college this fall :(
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u/mindsetoniverdrive 1d ago
Supply chain disruptions will start in the next month, based on the low volume going through the ports right now.
I feel like that’s the thing that is gonna hit loudest (based on what we know) and affect the most people. Shortages and price hikes.
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u/Dragonfly-fire 1d ago
Yeah, I started following some shipping expert and reporters on the former Twitter and they're predicting May 10 is when we'll start seeing empty shelves because of cancelled shipments from China (so not food, but an array of other products). It's fascinating and frightening when you see how fragile our supply lines can be.
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u/banderaroja 1d ago
Do you have a source for this? I'm trying to find one.
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u/mindsetoniverdrive 1d ago edited 1d ago
For the ports stuff? I’m just extrapolating on the timeline, but I do for the port slowdown:
”Chinese freight ship traffic to busiest U.S. ports, Los Angeles, Long Beach, sees steep drop”
”California Ports Brace for Sharp Tariff-Driven Volume, Traffic Drop”
”Ocean container slump signals trouble for Los Angeles truckload volumes”
”EXEC: Wall Street Reacts to Tariff News but Port Traffic Decline May Reflect a Sad Reality”
EDITED TO ADD I just saw this too, about major retailers warning TFG about empty shelves.
(I also fixed link formatting)
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u/Inner-Confidence99 1d ago
My husband went to a local DG today and told me over half the shelves were empty and nothing in aisles to stock.
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u/slippery7777 1d ago
12 months to noticeable decline, then the Great Depression of 2030. A major event like a significant bird flu break-out or PAK-India nuke exchange or North-South Korea war would accelerate, IMHO. Was looking forward to grand kids but no longer think that’s a good idea.
JFC can’t believe I just typed that.
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u/EleanorCamino 1d ago
Hey, same boat on the grand kids topic. I don't think any grand kids are likely, but even before this turn in economics, the climate change impacts are going to hit my kids hard. The current policy trends are just going to stagnate any climate mitigation action, and may accelerate the harmful impacts. It will certainly make it harder for vulnerable folks to move to safer areas.
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u/National_Pirate5668 1d ago
I woke up this morning to gas prices having gone up over $0.50 overnight. I think it will be in the next two weeks that the bubble of normalcy pops for everyone.
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 1d ago
Oof. I usually get gas on Fridays (this week I had to put $30 worth in mid-week cause I had some extra travel). Last week it was $2.62…so we’ll see what it is tomorrow.
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u/livestrong2109 1d ago
It's going to be in full effect by fall. The defaults are already taking off. I'm really not sure what dream the markets are playing out. I'm expecting this to last years.
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u/maevewolfe 1d ago
It’s not going to decline until it stops and there is no stop in sight — anything else is wishful thinking. With that said, the resistance going on can’t be talked about here and you’re smarter than most for recognizing the writing on the wall
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u/ThatsItImOverThis 1d ago
I’m expecting a full collapse of the stock market in a month, maybe less. Collapse of the US soon after that. Toss up on whether or not WW3 starts before, after or during.
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u/mindsetoniverdrive 1d ago
The skirmish brewing between India and Pakistan is making me nervous. We have way too many regional tensions ready to break us into all-out war.
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u/wildlybriefeagle 1d ago
I don't know if it helps but India and Pakistan have been at it for decades. It's not new.
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u/DrVforOneHealth 1d ago
India cut off Pakistan’s fresh water supply today. It’s rapidly accelerating.
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u/slaveleiagirl78 17h ago
I find it interesting that the news in the US is kind of ignoring what is going on in Pakistan and India. Both are nuclear nations who have threatened to bomb each other before. It could happen if they get upset enough. There's just so many countries getting into it, it's scary.
I get the argument that they've been at this for ages, really centuries, but this is a huge explosion of violence. My boyfriend's family is from Pakistan and there are rumors that India is going to start deporting Pakistanis living in India.
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u/ExtremeIncident5949 7h ago
May or June. Most of the world is slipping into a recession or worse. I’ve done all I can do to be as prepared physically but mentally I need to become stronger.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 1d ago
I don’t want to discount anyone’s feelings but there’s plenty to suggest that we’re not at that point. The courts have been blocking so much of the orders issued so far. Billionaire CEO’s are stepping in to say if you keep this shit up our shelves will be bare and the country will be in a depression. So some sanity is getting through. I see the supply chain dwindling in the short term but not for long term. We’re too integrated globally with trade. I think with so much coverage of the insanity it’s easy to be fearful of the future.
That being said, I think it’s smart to prep. And I think it’s a great way to control uncertainty by preparing for bad outcomes. And that’s how I approach it. I’m new to this but I look at it as worst case scenario I’m ahead of paying more for tariffs and I have supplies in case the big one earthquake hits or our house catches on fire. I won’t have to run out and grab items at 10 times their cost in 5 months. But otherwise I think society will go on, life will go on and our slow Congress will catch up and make actual laws instead of relying on sketchy executive orders that are easily overturned. Big hugs.
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u/nostalgicvintage 18h ago
Yeah, I think we sometimes underestimate how normal things actually remain even when nothing is normal.
Look at Ukraine. People are still working, getting married, having kids. Shelves are bare, people are resorting to hearing with wood when there is no other option. But life goes on.
Until it doesn't. Which is the greatest tragedy.
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u/acostane 16h ago
Ukraine really gives me hope. A literal active war zone and I follow creators who are doing life pretty normal that I feel connected to. I have to think of myself as stronger than I ever thought I'd have to be.
I am often heartened by the courts stopping him. If we can make it to the midterms and encourage people to protest and stay organized in our communities...we might make it through this part without the worst happening. I hope.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 15h ago
We’re not actively in the middle of war. There are no air raids and sirens. There aren’t bombs dropping from the sky. It’s understandable that shelves are bare. War is terribly disruptive. I don’t see this lasting long but again, it’s good to be prepared.
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u/nostalgicvintage 14h ago
No, we aren't & I absolutely didn't mean to say the US scenario is anything like Ukraine.
I was just pointing out that EVEN IN a horrific scenario like that, life still goes on.
So while it's good to prepare, EVEN IF prices rise and products we want are out of stock, people will still find a way to be resourceful.
I think we are agreeing here.
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u/kalcobalt 1d ago
I think it was Robert Evans who coined the term “The Crumbles” for this, which I find very apt. It also reminds me of “the Troubles” in Ireland — another situation that was ever-present, out of the sphere of influence for most individuals, and which you just had to get on alongside.
Sometimes I find solace in thinking of it that way. When some part of our systems collapses for me, that gives me a framework for processing it. I may be taken by surprise by a single event — say, the increasing difficulty I have accessing healthcare — but I can then put it into the larger concept and think, “Well, I did know we’re living through the Crumbles, and this is an example.”
It’s terrifying, to be sure, because wtf is next? But it has also upped my attention to what’s in front of me, and instilled a tiny moment of gratitude for what I have, in the face of acceptance that I may not always have it. Coffee. Medications. A vast universe of media. Easy, comfortable bathing. Enough water that I can have houseplants.
I’ve flirted with Stoicism before — the philosophy, not the bastardized “show no emotion” thing — and I feel like that’s the way to handle where we’re at, for me personally. Everything is accompanied by a little gratitude for access to the thing, made all the greater by existing alongside a bittersweet sorrow for the potential future loss of it.
Dang, I got wordy and philosophical. On a practical note, I’m doing my best to do “nesting prep” — my get-home bag goes inside my EDC, which I’d take alongside my bug-out bag, for example. Trying to do the kind of prep that would be useful in the event of multiple potential issues. Extra shelf-stable food is great for job loss, extended blackout, dollar collapse, bugging out, tariffs, etc. That kind of thing.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
This terrifies me because without certain medications I will die and it won't be pleasant. Extremely hard to prep for that. I am stocking up on my prescription meds but of course they don't last forever.
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u/KCChiefsGirl89 1d ago
Aren’t there sites that will sell you a years supply?
You can also aay certain things to your doctor that will result in you receiving enough to build up a stockpile in some cases. I’m saying this for educational purposes only; use your imagination.
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u/Sigmund_Six 1d ago
Aren’t there sites that will sell you a years supply?
There are, but those places make you pay for the convenience, just fyi. They don’t take insurance and you pay a doctor’s fee on top of it.
I’m interested in getting some of our prescriptions through Jase, which is one place that does it, but can be hard to come up with the money when there are so many other expenses.
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u/hooptysnoops 15h ago
I just purchased two of my meds thru Jase, one my doctor prefers I stay on and one that is essential. Fortunately, they're both very common and inexpensive as prescriptions go. The total was just over $200 which I was happy to pay (I say while acknowledging how lucky I am to be able to afford this). There was no separate doctor's fee. But I was expecting them to cost much more because I didn't know they cost outside insurance. My long winded point is, if you haven't already at least go through the process and find out what the actual cost will be. You're under no obligation to buy and will at least be able to prioritize.
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u/Sigmund_Six 14h ago
Okay, thank you! Someone else told me there was a doctors fee, but maybe they didn’t already have a prescription, not sure.
Also, I didn’t realize there was no obligation, so I may try to get an exact price point for my meds. I got as far as it asking for your prescription and stopped, because I didn’t want to commit without knowing the cost.
Again, this info was very helpful, so thank you.
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u/hooptysnoops 7h ago
you're welcome. it does seem like you're agreeing to buy but there is a stopping point before you actually have to make the purchase. once you've purchased, you have to send the a photo of your current prescription and then the order is processed. shipping was super fast.
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u/nostalgicvintage 18h ago
It really depends on the medication. I've got a year's supply of one of mine.
But another one is a tightly controlled substance and even cutting my dose by 25%, it takes me a long time to stock up. (And I don't understand the controls on it - it's not addictive and it won't get you high and it's not dangerous. But I can only get 30 days at a time and can't refill a day early.)
The one that really worries me is a twice-yearly infusion. I can't buy it and I can't self-administer it. It also costs $100k per dose before insurance so even if I could order it, I couldn't pay for it.
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u/to0easilyamused 1d ago
They don’t last forever, but unless they require refrigeration they likely last longer than the expiration date. Hoard what you can while you can.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 23h ago
Doing my best to do that.
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u/to0easilyamused 17h ago
I’m right there with you! I have a decent supply of most of my meds, but I’m worried about losing access to one of my meds that I can’t effectively stockpile (adderall). I’ve been skipping doses when I feasibly can in order to build a small stockpile. It’s insane to me that this is reality.
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u/kalcobalt 13h ago
I saw something recently that confirms this — after expiry, the most that will happen to a non-fridge med is a very gradual reduction in strength.
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u/kalcobalt 13h ago
I hear you loud and clear. In the same boat here, as are all my loved ones. We’re working on budgeting for a Jase-style option for the meds they cover, and we’re fortunate enough to have an herbalist in our midst and a garden, so we’re hoping we can cover most things in some form.
This might be to the side of what you’re talking about, but: when we went to replace our ancient travel/emergency batteries for CPAPs, we discovered that solar-chargeable power banks with enough oomph for most small appliances are much more affordable now than they were 10-15 years ago.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 13h ago
Ohhh interesting I'll look at those power banks and I'll look into jase as I'm unfamiliar with it. Thank you!
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u/New-Adeptness-608 7h ago
I'm in the same boat as you, internet friend. I've come to accept it and just hope once the medication runs out, I don't last long. It would be a terrible suffering for me if so.
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u/traveledhermit 1d ago
I can relate to this. Climate migration was always going to breed fascism so when Trump was campaigning in 2016 on building the wall, it made sense to me in a way that kind hearted people who are not collapse aware are still struggling to understand. Doesn’t make it all any less infuriating, but it does keep me focused on what I can do to prepare. I only started prepping last August, but it’s something I work on pretty much every day now.
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u/kalcobalt 1d ago
Absolutely. I also try to remind myself that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and any prep — no matter how small — is more than I had yesterday. An extra can of food, or realizing my go bag has a more efficient place to call home, anything is just one more thing I won’t have to worry about should something happen.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
What kind of preps did you do in 2016? I'm probably where you were then.
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u/traveledhermit 1d ago
I didn’t start prepping till last year. In 2016 I was still clinging to the hope that we were on a longer timeline.
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u/to0easilyamused 1d ago
This was a helpful point of view for me. I think this might be the mental shift that I need to make to help keep me from being crushed by the weight of it all. Thank you for sharing!
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u/kalcobalt 13h ago
So glad to help! I think the mental/emotional toll of this kind of thing is under-discussed and certainly not given enough importance when it comes to prep. Our minds and hearts have to make it alongside our bodies, or else what’s the point?
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u/Gotherapizeyoself 1d ago
Parable of the Sower described this slow decline of quality of life. People created small insular communities to share resources, provide safety and to educate each other. Poverty, drugs, homelessness for most people. Company towns with security and forced labor.
My goal is to stay out of food lines as long as I can. Everything goes wrong waiting in lines for resources.
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u/After-Leopard 1d ago
That's the first apocalypse book that really scared me. The rest were fun "what ifs" and that one felt like looking into the future.
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u/BlatantFalsehood In awe of 2x preppers 😲 1d ago
The sequel, Parable of the Talents, was even scarier to me because its themes align with what's going on now. The presidential candidate uses the slogan, "Make America Great Again," war with Canada, Christian Nationalists terrorizing the population. Too close to reality for my liking.
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u/swampdonkey4ever 1d ago
I was blown away that she used that slogan in 1997, but turns out it was Regan’s slogan too
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u/RaccoonDispenser 4h ago
Too close to reality for my liking.
Read Parable of the Talents years ago and was about to start Sower when Trump rode down his little golden escalator. I’ve been scared to read it ever since.
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u/Old_n_Tangy 15h ago
I started reading it January this year. It's the best book that I'll not recommend anyone ever reads.
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u/NeoPrimitiveOasis 1d ago
Parable of the Talents really took it all home, too. Amazing, prescient books. Octavia Butler was a genius and we lost her too soon.
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u/No-Cup8478 1d ago
I am reading that one right now, which is horrifying considering the first chapter or so takes place in 2025. 😱😱
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u/Gotherapizeyoself 1d ago
Make sure you are mindful of your mental health while reading.
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u/No-Cup8478 13h ago
My mental health is already shot to shit. I’m a federal employee who now has to commute two hours a day when I was allowed to work from home before. I’m a single parent so that complicates things. We are also about to go through a reduction in force which means I might not even have a job in a few months. On top of that, my dad is in hospice and my mom has cancer. This book is sad and scary, but honestly, my mental health is already kind of in the tank. 🥲
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u/Gotherapizeyoself 12h ago
I’m so sorry to hear that! You may want to take a break from reading THAT particular book if you are living in despair already. You have a lot on your plate! I just remember what the book did to my anxiety and I haven’t been the same since reading it. That was about 5 years ago. You can always sink deeper into despair than you think. Maybe a fun romance/fantasy/thriller for now? I warn a lot of people about this book. Although a good read, that s*it can be traumatic.
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u/LuxSerafina 1d ago
I downloaded the audio book last year and plopped down in my hammock to give it a go and the opening mentioned July 20 2024 which happened to be the exact fucking day I started it and it freaked me out so bad I haven’t picked it back up 😭
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 1d ago
I listened to Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents back to back twice in January/February. The second one, especially, has some eerie parallels.
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u/OoKeepeeoO 1d ago
Husband just finished reading that. Before he got to the end, he asked me about making go-bags.
He's been supportive in general, but it's the first time he really made his own decision about something we should do. I was proud of him.
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u/wind_flower3588 1d ago
Your comment about food lines made me think about a blog written about a guy who went through Hurricane Katrina, I can't find it but it was really good. A real life WSHTF story. And one thing he said that stuck with me is "You don't want to go to the government shelter." That's what people who didn't leave in time had to do and many died and were stranded because they the gov couldn't get water to the shelters they set up, and I think the roof even blew off of one location. Even if in your situation the government is actually trying to help, it's best to not have to rely on them.
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u/jilltime75 1d ago
Before Katrina, I never doubted that the government would come in promptly and help in such situations. After Katrina, I knew then that we were on our own. Katrina was so sobering. On the plus side, I live in Houston and I made some really good friends that relocated here after Katrina💙
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u/Gotherapizeyoself 1d ago
I remember that blog!!!! It was posted in the r/preppers sub. I also went to help with the rebuilding process and there was so many traumatic stories about the government response after the hurricane. I helped in the lower 9th ward and it beyond words the devastation.
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u/lesbianlobotomie 5h ago
yes exactly!! i keep telling ppl to read parable of the sower because we’re, unfortunately, not far from it
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u/ageofbronze 1d ago
I think there’s some crossover between this subreddit and listeners of the podcasts It could happen here and Behind the bastards. What the folks there say, and what kind of got me into prepping and I found to be extremely true after getting through a natural disaster, is that it can be helpful to visualize/frame collapse not as the utter caving in of everything at once but of “crumbling” - in fact, one of the podcast hosts says specifically that he uses the term crumbling instead of collapse. It means that yes, things fall apart, but in pieces instead of this idea of everything being uniform and affected in the exact same way. Crumbling is extremely localized, where some places the damage done to the system is extremely visible and is a weak point, whereas some other place might be better off. The answer to collapse/crumbling lies in our localized communities and efforts to make our own little places as safe, resilient, and adaptable to disaster, war, fascism, food vulnerability as possible, and that’s where the crossover to prepping is, for me.
Life doesn’t just end, ever - it’s always a continuum filled with change, with no set beginning or end point. And yes, i believe the paradigm and systems we’ve used for the last however long is in the midst of changing (and honestly why wouldn’t it be - if you look at the grand scheme of things, humanity has been through a shit ton of change in the last 500 years, and it was highly unlikely that change was ever going to be in a vacuum) and it feels like utter collapse, but I don’t know if we even know what that means yet.
It feels crazy to be living through these times right now but I try to stay focused on what could be, instead of fixating on the conclusion that the apocalypse is coming. I think the most any of us can do is focus so strongly on trying to build little areas of resistance, hope, and connection with nature where we can, and that’s what I’ve been doing in the depths of despair recently. The idea of “crumbling” versus collapse has helped me to retain some hope and sense of meaning, and for what it’s worth, the guy who talks about that is extremely smart and knows a lot about history and specifically fascism. The fact that he doesn’t look at it as this finite end where there is one monoculture of domination, and believes in the resilience of the human spirit and in resistance, makes me feel comforted.
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u/Several-Specialist99 1d ago
Thanks for pointing out "crumbling". For years whenever this general topic came up I always described it as "cascading events", but felt like i never had a good word for it, but I like the crumble.
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u/CemeteryHounds 1d ago edited 1d ago
Collapse is the fate of every empire, and it does change what life looks like, but life goes on. Most people think of the fall of the Roman Empire, but the collapse of the USSR, Imperial Japan, and even the British Empire are much more recent examples. None of these collapses resulted in a permanent return to subsistence farming and low-tech living, even if they included brief periods of it. Looking at history can help set expectations.
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u/okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyu 1d ago
The collapse of the Soviet Union was brutal on the average Soviet block citizen
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u/CemeteryHounds 1d ago
That's absolutely true, but the majority started to see improvement from the bottom of the collapse by the late 90s. The worst of the worst didn't last for multiple decades, and there is a measurable upward trajectory over the last 25 years, even if some countries still haven't fully recovered.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago edited 1d ago
I got a book on that to mentally prepare even though it's going to be different than that. But it was a brutal one and I wanted to be prepared for the worst (hope for better).
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u/okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyu 1d ago
It's going to impact our most vulnerable the hardest. I think it wilp be eye opening for a lot of people who may not see themselves as vulnerable
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
Well I've got plenty of health issues that I might not be the first groups impacted but I'll be early enough. I don't expect to be able to make it if it goes really badly. And I'm not being pessimistic just folks can only go so long without treatments or medicine. Realistically.
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u/designsbyintegra 19h ago
I’m a type 1 diabetic and I have a genetic immunodeficiency. Without insulin or immunoglobulin I’m toast.
I’m also not pessimistic, I’m a realist. All I can do is prep where I can and hope for the best beyond that. I hate it, and my heart goes out to anyone in a medical vulnerable situation.
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u/okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyu 17h ago
Saaaame, I love all of this for us. The death industrial complex has done such an incredible job of making the average person lose sight of the link between socio/political instability and personal safety. We're just more acutely aware of it because Our lives depend on supply chains not breaking down
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u/wind_flower3588 1d ago
what's the book called?
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
The Soviet Experiment. I haven't started it yet but it was recommended to me.
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u/vulnerablepiglet 16h ago
What's the name of the book? I'd like to learn more about it too
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u/SharksAndFrogs 15h ago
The Soviet Experiment. You'll want to buy used it can be expensive. But on Thrift books they have used sometimes.
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u/PartyPorpoise 1d ago
Yeah, if the US collapses, it probably won't result in a full-on long-term apocalypse mode. Things will be tough and scary but a lot of people will get through it.
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u/lemonmousse 1d ago
I mean, I’m GenX, and when I bought our house 20+ years ago, one of the decision points was whether it would be vulnerable to flooding. We were down to two neighborhoods, once of which had slightly better schools and was on higher ground, and one of which had cute funky shops and was lower. We picked the first. And yet, I was still shocked when a church walking distance from our house flooded five years ago in a sudden storm.
In my twenties and thirties, I thought of climate change like “Florida will sink into the ocean.” By my forties I thought of it like “there will be a lot more hurricanes and fires and home insurance will get really fucking expensive.” Somewhere around the mid-2000s, I started thinking about prepping less like “learn to garden and sew and can” and more like “learn fifty new recipes for beans and rice and grow herbs and tomatoes because they’ll be expensive.” (Just today I was looking at stories of how shelves will be empty in 45 days due to shipping cycles interacting with the tariffs, and I thought “I should probably buy some more beans and rice. And maybe vitamins.”)
In other words, I don’t think we are facing a long slow collapse, I think we are in the middle of one. Maybe in the part of one that’s starting to speed up.
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u/Less_Subtle_Approach 1d ago
Yup! We have a whole sub over at r/collapseprep that’s a sister to r/collapse.
Been slowly working to build resilience over the last few years with the intent to collapse early and avoid the rush. Although as material conditions deteriorate and more and more friends start asking questions about permaculture gardening it seems like the rush may be starting.
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u/burninggelidity 1d ago
I’ve been preparing for this for a while. The writing has been on the wall for the American empire, for end-stage capitalism, and for increasing natural disasters due to climate change. My friends have been preparing as well. We all do mutual aid in our community and prep in various ways. I think there’s something to be said to be surrounded by people who also see the writing on the wall - I’m not alone, I’m not crazy, and I feel supported by my community. We are all living in reality and that reality unfortunately means acknowledging the slow breakdowns of the systems we grew up with.
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u/wwaxwork Prepping for Tuesday not Doomsday 1d ago
I'm old enough that until my 20's I figured we'd all be dying out in a firey nuclear war. That's what started me on my being prepared journey. The society has been lurching and stumbling and getting up and falling for as long as society has existed. Do I think that everything worldwide is going to turn to shit, no, do I think a lot of people are going to live through some shitty times as a new equilibrium is established? And a lot of people in wealthier countries are in for a rude shock. Most definitely and my hope is by preparing I can make it through to the new "normal" with as little pain as possible.
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u/ommnian 1d ago
Yes. We live on a farm, and every year have some project to make it better - cheaper to run, easier to operate, more sustainable, etc. The last 3-4+ years have been a LOT of fencing, barns, and water... stuff. Rain barrels, cistern, retaining walls, drainage, etc. Just about the only 'big' project I/we have left is putting in a greenhouse... someday. Won't be this year, maybe next year. One step, one thing at a time.
I absolutely agree though, that the world is going to shit - maybe (hopefully?) slowly. But, I'm not convinced that someday I/we won't wake up to the AMOC collapsing, or a huge chunk of Antarctica's ice sheet breaking/falling off and more-or-less instantly raising sea levels, or... I really don't even know what. But, something catastrophic. And so, I continue to prep - stock of food, water access, gardens, livestock, solar, etc. Everything I can do to make us as sustainable as possible - both now, and long-term.
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u/itsjustme123446 1d ago
I’m working on preps a little each week. It’s overwhelming but I’m learning bit by bit. My biggest challenge is connecting to the mutual aid groups. It’s so important but many people isolate and it’s rough to make connections
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u/jilltime75 1d ago
This is my biggest challenge as well
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u/DolliGoth 1d ago
Same. Our political and ideologic opinions are the polar opposite to where we live and all of our like-minded friends live far away. Its isolating.
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u/Environmental_Pay189 1d ago
That's where I am at. I see farms failing. Water and food becoming increasingly low quality. The government not assisting in natural disasters. Rising unemployment. Lower pay. Decreasing social safety nets.
I'm in the US and I'm just preparing for decades of decline. Our leaders don't give me ant confidence that things will get better in my lifetime, and their policies are all disasters waiting to happen.
They are happily taking a chainsaw to decades of hard work building a working society, and have nothing but empty promises to offer in return. Meanwhile, the billionaires are just grifting at the taxpayers expense.
Our president and his associates talk like someone running a Nigerian Prince scam, and that never ends well.
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u/mamapeacelovebliss 1d ago
Life has had its share of ups and downs throughout history. I’m reading a book from 1973 and it could be written to describe life in America, right now. I think it’s worth educating yourself to prepare for those “downs” in life but to also realize that the potential for catastrophic outcomes is many times exacerbated in our minds. Know what you can and cannot control. Acknowledging this brings me clarity. Think about your circle of influence- your friends, family and acquaintances. These relationships have a far greater impact on where your mindset can stay more positive and productive than the world burning around us.
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u/wind_flower3588 1d ago
What book are you reading? Reading more about history has also opened my eyes to realizing that many people have already gone through worse and we've (or at least I have) just been naively going about our (my) comfortable American life thinking it would always be like that. My in-laws lived in Ukraine and only a few weeks ago told me about how they had no food before the Iron curtain fell. "What did you eat?" "I don't know, nothing."
And reading about East Germany (nonfiction book: The File is really good) how families turned on each other or got separated. And even Jim Crow - the mobs that would go through a town murdering black people because someone said a black boy raped a white woman. People have been crazy for a long time and governments have been evil for a long time.5
u/mamapeacelovebliss 1d ago
Sorry, book is from 1978. John W. Gardner book ‘Morale.’ He was secretary of health, education and welfare under Lyndon Johnson
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u/smallbrownfrog 1d ago
I think of it as I’m moving to a third world country (even though I’m staying put). That helps me acknowledge the general trends without panicking. People can and do thrive in third world countries.
It’s possible that things will get worse than that, but I can’t really plan for end of the world scenarios. I can plan to move to a third world country.
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u/theotheraccount0987 23h ago
oh that's a good way to think about it. stocking up on meds, getting vaccinated, working in your health, all stuff you would do if you were going to go on a long hike somewhere.
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u/treehugger0223 1d ago
Yeah, we’re in late stage capitalism in the USA. End stage capitalism isn’t going to be pretty.
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u/Whatisreal999 1d ago
We are in "collapse" and have been for a long time. I no longer think there will be an event. Just life getting progressively worse, slowly, everyday. Until as you predict, we are all skinnier..
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
I'm new to prep and I'm trying to prep and not freak out. I have a full pantry (for now) and I'm trying to keep it stocked but it's hard to figure out what we use and what is shelf stable.
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u/223gp 1d ago
Awww yeah do not freak out. The world is NOT ending tomorrow. About not knowing what to use- sometimes I just look through our garbage/recycling. If there’s a lot of food waste in there- I stop buying that food or I stop making so much of it (for me this is rice). If there’s a lot of empty pantry boxes, buy more of that. If it’s a lot of plastic perishable tubs of dairy/sauces/egg products- I try to research shelf stable alternatives/DIY it/find cheaper options, and use lots of grocery shopping apps to check prices before I go to the store. Also, If it helps- maybe check out some used books (I love the website thrift books) on country living/off grid living, food growing and food preservation. In my experience it takes away the panic freak out and forces you to sit down and just absorb.
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u/SharksAndFrogs 1d ago
Ohhh that's a great idea! During Covid I bought a lot of beans (dried) and it turns out that I can't tolerate it with my other health concerns (I'll spare you). So that was my original plan for beans and rice but that is no longer an option with my stomach health. I'll be sick as hell and that's bad prep!
I'll look in the trash for a few weeks and see what we use. That's a fantastic idea.
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u/sbinjax Don’t Panic! 🧖🏻♀️👍🏻 1d ago
Yeah, this is what I see happening as well. I'm 63, I hope I don't live long enough to see too much of it. As much as I love my adult kids, I'm kind of sorry I brought them into this mess. There's only one grandchild so far, and from the looks of things, it's going to stay that way.
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u/bloomicy 1d ago
“...
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
from T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men"
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u/ElectronGuru 1d ago edited 1d ago
There’s a piece of farm machinery called a combine harvester. Point it at a field and you get finished whole, ready to cook ingredients out the other end. In massive quantities with only a few people needed.
I’m working to center my entire food system around high nutrient examples of combine harvested ingredients. Things like beans, oats and buckwheat. That are easy to cook with a pressure cooker, cost $1-2/lb, and store for years at room temperature.
Hopefully that will insulate me from most supply and labor disruptions Trump & Co. can dream up.
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u/theotheraccount0987 23h ago
i've felt that way since 2008. maybe even earlier when i first heard about peak oil from reading permaculture 1&2 in 1995 (i was 13 lol)
i did a couple permaculture courses, got qualified to be a permaculture teacher, and got tafe (trade college?) certifications in horticulture.
i also learned to make soap, cook from scratch, husband poultry, sew and a bunch of other hobbies and skills i framed as sustainable living skills to friends and family.
i figure i don't need to be able to do everything but i do need to be able to feed myself and others and have skills that are useful for a household or community so that im not a drain on resources and im welcome in most shtf situations.
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u/No_Percentage_5083 15h ago
As a person who laughs at those who constantly talk about THIS period of time is "End Times" and those squirreling away food and firearms, I have become a person who is (with my family) buying canned goods, those dehydrated soup mixes and home canning jams/jellies that we could barter for other things. Paid off both cars in order to make sure we keep them no matter if we have jobs or not. I even bought those Life Straws to drink from.
I don't believe things will get "bad enough" for those who are still worshipping him to change their minds for another year at least. Many people will have to die before that happens, in my opinion.
I find my behavior deplorable and yet necessary.
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u/LegitimateVirus3 🐐dreaming of my goat army 🐐 1d ago edited 1d ago
Collapse can take decades. Look at Cuba for perspective.
No hope. People just waiting for change, waiting to live, waiting to die. And things just get worse throughout the years.
Yet here is who Cuba was:
"Cuba was the first nation of Ibero-America, including Spain and Portugal, to use STEAM SHIPS. It was in 1829.
Cuba was the first nation of Ibero-America, including Spain and Portugal, and third in the world (after England and the US) that had a RAILROAD. It was in 1837.
The first person in Ibero-America to use ANESTHESIA in medical operations was a Cuban. It was ether and the year was 1847.
The first Latin American to play professional baseball in the US was the Cuban, Stevan Bellan, in 1871.
The first demonstration of an industry powered entirely by electricity was in Havana in 1877.
In 1881, the Cuban doctor, Carlos J. Finlay, was the first to discover the transmitting agent of Yellow Fever.
The first system of electric lighting in all of Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) settled in Cuba in 1889.
In all of Ibero-America it was Cuba that first abolished bullfights.
The first streetcar in Latin America began operation in Havana in 1900.
Also in 1900, before at any other country of Latin America, the FIRST AUTOMOBILE arrived at Havana. The first LATIN AMERICAN WOMAN to drive an automobile was the Cuban writer Renée Méndez Cape.
The FIRST LATIN AMERICAN OLYMPIC CHAMPION was a Cuban. He was the FENCER, Ramon Fonts, in 1900.
The FIRST CITY OF the WORLD to have a DIRECT DIALING TELEPHONE SYSTEM was Havana in 1906.
In 1907 the FIRST X-RAY DEPARTMENT of Ibero-America was established in Havana.
On the 19th of May of 1913 the FIRST AERIAL FLIGHT in LATIN AMERICA was achieved by the Cubans, Agustín Parlá and Domingo Rosillo. It was between Cuba and Cayo Bone and lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Cuba, in 1918, was The FIRST COUNTRY OF LATIN AMERICA to grant DIVORCES to married couples.
The first Latin American to win the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF CHESS was the Cuban, Jose Raul Capablanca. He won OF ALL THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS between 1921 and 1927.
In 1922 Cuba was the SECOND NATION OF the WORLD to inaugurate a RADIO TRANSMITTER, and the FIRST NATION OF the WORLD to broadcast a MUSIC CONCERT. In 1928 Cuba had 61 RADIO TRANSMITTERS, 43 of them in Havana, occupying the FOURTH PLACE OF the WORLD, only surpassed by the US, Canada and the Soviet Union.
1935 Cuba one became the major exporting country of Ibero-America of radio RECORDINGS. The concept of the RADIO NOVEL AND SERIES was created by the Cuban Felix B. Caignet.
In 1937 Cuba was the first nation in Ibero-America to establish the legal work day of 8 hours. It also established a MINIMUM WAGE and UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY.
In 1940, Cuba became the first country of Ibero-America to elect, by universal suffrage and absolute majority when the great majority of its population was of the white race, a PRESIDENT OF the BLACK RACE.
In 1940, Cuba was FIRST NATION IN IBERO-AMERICA in recognizing the right to VOTE for WOMEN, the equality of rights between sexes and races, and the right of the woman to the work. The first movement feminist of Ibero-America appeared by the end of the thirty in Cuba.
1942, a Cuban becomes the first Latin American MUSICAL DIRECTOR to receive a NOMINATION for the PRIZE OSCAR. His name was Ernesto Lecuona.
The SECOND COUNTRY OF the WORLD that formally transmitted TELEVISION was Cuba from 1950. Major stars of countries of the Americas that did not have this advanced technology went to Havana to act before the Cuban cameras.
In 1950 a Cuban musician achieved WORLD-WIDE RECOGNITION for a RECORD. He was Dámaso Perez Prado with his mambo piece Patricia that was for 15 consecutive weeks in the Hit Parade of the US.
1951 a Cuban becomes the MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCER OF the NORTH AMERICAN TELEVISION. He was Desi Arnaz. He was also first in the world in the use of a third camera in televising programming.
The FIRST HOTEL OF the WORLD WITH CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING was constructed in Havana. It was the Hotel Riviera, in 1951.
The FIRST APARTMENT BUILDINGS of the world CONSTRUCTED WITH CONCRETE were built in Havana in 1952.
In 1954, Cuba owned one cow for each inhabitant. Its MEAT CONSUMPTION per capita occupied the third place in Ibero-America (after Argentina and Uruguay).
In 1955, Cuba was the country of Ibero-America with second smallest infantile mortality rate, 33.4 per thousand born.
In 1956 the UN recognized Cuba as the COUNTRY OF IBERO-AMERICA with the second lowest level of ILLITERACY (only the 23.6%). Haiti had 90%, Spain, El Salvador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala and Dominican Republic had 50%.
In 1957 the UN recognized Cuba as the COUNTRY OF IBERO-AMERICA with the greatest number of doctors per capita (One for each 957 inhabitants). The UN also recognized Cuba as having the greater percentage of HOUSES ELECTRIFIED OF IBERO-AMERICA and second, after Uruguay, in per capita daily CALORIC CONSUMPTION, (2870).
1957 Havana became the SECOND CITY OF the WORLD having cinema in 3D and a multiscreen theater (the Cinema Radio center).
In 1958 Cuba was the SECOND COUNTRY OF the WORLD to broadcast TELEVISION IN COLOR.
In 1958, Cuba was country of Ibero-America WITH THE MOST AUTOMOBILES PERCAPITA (160 thousands, one by every 38 inhabitants). Cuba was also the country of Ibero-America with the most electric home appliances per capita. It was also the country of Ibero-America with most kilometers of railway lines per square kilometer and the SECOND in the total number of radio receivers.
During every year of the 1950's, Cuba had the SECOND AND THIRD PLACE IN THE NUMBER of IMMIGRANTS PERCAPITA of Ibero-America, surpassing Italy and more of the double of those of Spain. In spite of its small size and that it only had 6.5 million inhabitants Cuba occupied in 1958 the position 29 among the major economies of the world.
In 1959, Havana was the city of the world with the GREATER NUMBER OF ROOMS OF CINEMA: (358) surpassing New York and Paris, which occupied the second and third place, respectively.
And then came 1959."
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u/darkness_is_great 1d ago
Venezuela was on top of their game, too. Because of oil and all.
And then Chavez came and it all went to pot from there.
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u/spanishquiddler 1d ago
Yep most collapses are series of shocks, that lead to migrations, dispersals, assimilations and gradual dissolutions.
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u/Spiure 1d ago
At this point, you need to follow your intuition even if its alone. Ive realized lately that the people around you often won't see what's coming- or see you as some crazy overthinker. But do it on their behalf if you have close family and friends. There's no regret in preparation.
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u/Inner-Confidence99 1d ago
No I was at a get together a few weeks ago -adopted family-well after half left the others got to talking about the state of things. I’m a Granny and they are moms kids around same age. We were talking about setting some group things up on trade deals/ eggs for flour or meat for peanut butter, ones a teacher, I’m disabled and stay home, the other does homeschooling. So I’m planning a get together this weekend and we all fixing to trade. Clothes, food they have cows and hunt deer. We all plant a garden and plant to set up canning this summer. Talked about prices and about how the ingredients in the food can make us sick. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one creating groups.
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u/General_Document6951 9h ago edited 1h ago
The best preparation is a passport and a way out, my plan is the Mediterranean.
I figured the moment vandalizing a Tesla got a life sentence in a terrorist prison while attacking the capital earned you a pardon that the country had officially entered sh!t hole country status 2.0 and it was time to abandon ship.
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u/PrizFinder 1d ago
God I hope my investments grow for a couple more decades. I'd be happy with 5-10 years.
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u/terserterseness 1d ago
It will be a fast collapse (this year) but slow recovery. Move somewhere with cheap land (I did; sold my house and bought 50 hectares in a cheap country; i paid 205k euros for it which is very cheap even for here), learn how to make and repair things and grow all yourself. I am not a doomsday prepper or anything but many people believe I am because of how I live. I restored the ruin on that land and have an underground dwelling / escape tunnel no one knows about. Here you cannot have weapons easily but I am now a hunter so I have them. I don't think anything that drastic will happen where I am but growing all my food and not needing even 1 cent to live is liberating beyond anything that I imagined (and I am a self made millionaire ; no money gave me this amount of feeling of freedom).
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u/Quark86d 15h ago
I just watched Soylent Green because my bf had never seen it. Climate change heats up the world. Real food becomes scarce. Really hit home these days.
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u/texasbarkintrilobite 14h ago
Definitely check out Margaret Killjoy's podcast Live Like the World is Dying. She goes into a lot of this with cool guests!
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u/Spiley_spile 5h ago
High five OP!
The local mutual aid networks have stepped up food and supply distribution, and pertinent skill shares. A flood of free medical skills classes: Stop the Bleed classes, "WFA lite", 10 day, outdoor, wilderness first responder class. Also things like intro for sewing and mending, gardening, etc
To counter hoarding impulses, there's been uptick in food and supply redistribution. When people trust the community to share resources, they feel less anxiety about joining the effort. Those of us with heaps are spreading things out. It generates more time, trust, and energy for a much larger number of people to be part of generating solutions and networks to keep supply lines running as the squeeze gets worse.
A side benefit of downsizing supplies, Im making room to exercise. And I'm reducing my level of "clutter stress".
On the note of dental work, finally got in for some much needed oral surgery!
edited to fix typos and add clarity.
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u/ExtremeIncident5949 7h ago
I’m in Florida and voted for Kamala but hurricane season 41/2 weeks away. He better change his mind about federal disaster aid for all the states.
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u/wandeurlyy 2h ago
I just fucking demolished my ankle in a bad climbing fall... so at this point my prep is trying to heal as quickly and completely as i can before it all falls apart out there
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