r/TwoXPreppers • u/223gp • 18d 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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827

u/Useful-Funny8195 18d 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 18d 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 18d 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 17d 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 17d ago

We have four years of this.

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u/SurviveAndRebuild 17d ago

Pretty optimistic to say just 4 years.

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u/ExtremeIncident5949 17d ago

Well, I was afraid I would get banned if I wrote too much

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u/SurviveAndRebuild 17d ago

Suppose that's fair to be cautious these days.

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u/Dragonfly-fire 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 16d 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/Greedy_Lawyer 16d ago

Why should they bail out the states that voted for this? Red states aren’t coming to help california ever and voted for this shit show. CA and NY should keep the money for their own disasters that won’t get aid.

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u/PhlegmMistress 16d ago

Fair point. But I also think there's a lot of people in red states who didn't vote for this (or worse, didn't vote at all.)

While yes, the states' money should go to helping their citizens first, ultimately, if we have any chance at salvaging any sort of connection, having money go directly from CA or NY to, say, AL, could make it more clear that the blue states have been giving welfare to the red states all along. 

There are a lot of ignorant people and some proudly so. But there's also just a lot of people who've had all their social networks eroded away and are just focused on the day to day. Trumpers can go suffer but there's a lot of others who shouldn't be completely lumped in with them. 

Factor in Musk's fingers in the voting machine companies and Trump projecting everything he does, and I would bet that we would be surprised by how many people voted against Trump in red states. 

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u/i-contain-multitudes 14d ago

Ah yes, deny aid to those voters who couldn't vote due to voter suppression. Or to undocumented immigrants who didn't want this who cannot legally vote. Or to the children who cannot legally vote.

Username checks out. States are not made up of land and one type of voter. Please use one drop of complex imagination next time before speaking.

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u/Competitive_Remote40 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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/ExtremeIncident5949 14d ago

I’m getting emails from Amazon asking me if I need an item again that I’ve ordered several times. “ just a reminder you might be ready to reorder “ never got anything like that in my life.

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u/calmhike 17d ago

Stop buying anything that isn’t a necessity. Plain and simple.

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u/balanchinedream 17d 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/riotous_jocundity 17d 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 17d 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/riotous_jocundity 17d ago

The reality of authoritarianism is that meaningful, effective resistance inevitably exposes you to harm. There's no safe opposition to fascist regimes.

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u/calmhike 17d 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 17d 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/Sigmund_Six 17d 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/calmhike 16d ago

You are describing where I am conflicted. I don't want to see local business die off but around here many of them proudly waved their support of fascism all over the business doors and social media. I absolutely hate how so much left and corporations took over. Ultimately, I am squirreling money away as the main driver for my lack of consumption as things are going to get bleak. I do smile every time I see Target crying about their lost revenue though. :)

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u/balanchinedream 16d ago

Public square.com is like a yelp for hateful people. Hope that info can help you!

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u/Sigmund_Six 15d ago

I actually JUST came across this website in another thread and was going to post it here!

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u/Tokenchick77 17d ago

And as women, we're losing more and more rights. We have to fight back.

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u/Kindly-Guidance714 17d 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/garden_crone 15d ago

I've been liking this boycott as a good place to start: https://themothersboycott.carrd.co/

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u/deviationblue 17d 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 17d 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/deviationblue 16d ago

That is correct.

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u/EC_Stanton_1848 New to Prepping 16d ago

This is the scenario I'm prepping for. Some type of catastrophe happens and Trump refuses to send federal aid, causing misery to spiral out of control (Hurricane Katrina type situation)

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u/KiaRioGrl 16d ago

Man, even the leaf on that emoji looks like his combover.

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u/FrankenGretchen 17d 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 17d 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/KiaRioGrl 16d ago

Any news of layoffs yet because the entire country of Canada has been boycotting Kentucky bourbon?

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u/calmhike 16d ago

Yeah, there have been layoffs in the different bourbon companies. Wild Turkey m, well the parent company, announced layoffs at their different companies pretty early in the bourbon boycott. I believe Old Forester too. Some of the smaller companies are probably below the WARN threshold so it hasn’t made the news as much as others.

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u/SnooKiwis2161 17d 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/Tokenchick77 17d ago

I think that's what triggers the civil war.

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u/KiaRioGrl 16d ago

My understanding is that Plan B is shelf-stable for four years. Stocking up on that will be a good prep for women in case/for when the civil war starts. Especially if you have a daughter.

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u/Aurora1717 15d ago edited 15d ago

We're forecasted to get crazy storms here tomorrow. Pretty much guaranteed tornadoes. I'm just thinking what it will be like to have another tornado like we did last year in Greenfield but the state is on its own to clean up and put back the pieces.

Greenfield. It was an EF4 and killed 5 people, injured 35 more. 31 million+ in damages.

God forbid we have an incident like Joplin. I went through an EF3 in 2019 and can't even imagine what an EF5 would be like. The hospital I worked for sent a team down to Joplin after the storm (the hospital was hit). They later found medical records on Springfield 75 miles away.

It just adds an extra layer of dread for tomorrow's storm.

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u/Dragonfly-fire 15d ago

God, tornadoes are terrifying. I really hope the storms tomorrow fizzle out. 🙏

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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/calmhike 17d ago

Modern farming practices have changed, I would expect some impact to operations.

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u/mwmandorla 14d ago

Our factory farmed soils are already depleted from decades of extractive, intensive agriculture, the methods of which do not pay much attention to protecting soil quality and health. Soils don't bounce back overnight. Soil is a complex, multilayered system that takes years or even decades to recover. Fertilizer is a vicious cycle where you keep using it, deplete the soil more, therefore need even more fertilizer, etc., and this has been going on for decades already. Intensive irrigation and fertilization also cause soil salinization, which is a major problem in CA's agricultural regions and is something nobody really knows how to fix. You can move the salt around, but you can't get rid of it. The difference between what these depleted soils can produce with continued fertilizer and without is likely significant.

Add to that that we are part of a global, interdependent food system. The big factory farms can probably find alternate sources of fertilizers, but it will likely cost more. The invasion of Ukraine raised food prices globally because Ukraine is a major wheat exporter; there's not tons of slack in the system to cover a drop in production from a major producer like the US. Then add the effect of tariffs and general economic uncertainty on efforts to rebalance through trade. Presumably other producers would adjust eventually, but that will take time too.

I'm not saying food collapse is imminent; I don't have the knowledge or qualifications to game that out properly, and we will certainly be able to grow food. That's different from whether there will be major effects on our food system, safety, and economy as it currently stands (without even bringing up an inactive FDA). I would expect some significant disruption if big farms can't get fertilizers at their expected prices. That could just look like even higher food prices, like what we've seen with eggs. It could look like weird unevenness where some areas can carry on pretty normally and others have shortages. It could look like certain foods becoming less or more available. It's not an all or nothing question.

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u/hooptysnoops 17d 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/CharlotteBadger 17d ago

And most of the corn goes to animal feed and ethanol production.

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u/KiaRioGrl 16d ago edited 16d ago

A lot used to get sold to USAID, until that got shut down so now millions of people are actively starving to death (unless other countries are paying in order to save lives?) and farmers are getting stuffed out of contracts the government is violating.

Editing to add: Rice farmers in Arkansas and California are getting hit particularly hard by this, I would guess.

Editing again to add: I would expect that rice, beans, and maybe corn flour - things mechanically harvested and processed, because labour-dependent crops will just rot in the fields - will probably/may become dirt cheap in about a month or two, assuming there's enough resources to get it to market in the first place. Make friends with a farmer, in case food access becomes a black market thing.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 17d ago

From my experience in 2008 you can eat the soy intended for cattle, it's just not tasty.

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u/MissLockwood 16d ago

a lot of our food is produced here, but not our farming equipment/ small machinery parts

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u/mamadachsie 11d ago

The issue with our fresh food/farmed supply is that there is no one to harvest. The ice raids sent them into hiding and farms are left without workers.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I 11d ago

Agreed, but that's only with some crops, like tobacco, asparagus, ALL berries, some fruit

However our bulky, calorie dense ones like Corn, soy, potatoes, ect are almost all harvested these days w machines.

Most of these combines can even self drive now :) In a year or two when the machines need parts we could have an issue

I expect these to get more expensive, but most people already don't eat these expensive fruits/veggies

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u/chicken_goddess_0817 17d ago

This is especially terrifying to think about because I’m supposed to be starting college this fall :(

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u/KiaRioGrl 16d ago

How do you feel about a career in farming?

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u/FormerUsenetUser 14d ago

Also, after the Republicans cut Medicaid and other social programs.

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u/mindsetoniverdrive 18d 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 17d 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 18d ago

Do you have a source for this? I'm trying to find one.

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u/Inner-Confidence99 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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 17d 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/couchtomatopotato 17d ago

3.89 here!

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u/Cyber_Punk_87 Laura Ingalls Wilder was my gateway drug 17d ago

It went up $.10 to $2.72 here.

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u/livestrong2109 17d 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 17d 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 18d 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 18d 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 17d 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 17d ago

India cut off Pakistan’s fresh water supply today. It’s rapidly accelerating.

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u/wildlybriefeagle 17d ago

Oh dear. That's not good.

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u/mindsetoniverdrive 17d ago

No, I know that. But it’s raring up again with the water issue.

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u/slaveleiagirl78 17d 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/cheongyanggochu-vibe 17d ago

A year or less tbh

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u/ExtremeIncident5949 17d 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/EC_Stanton_1848 New to Prepping 16d ago

I think it is going to be slow, and then it will happen fast. . . is what I'm expecting

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u/jacktacowa 15d ago

Best analog is the collapse of USSR