Hello my friend and welcome back! A day in the life of a Prepper, after it all falls apart, is something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I try to identify the challenges that we may face and how to avoid potential missteps. In today’s post we are going to look at what I imagine a typical day would be like after the collapse of Civilization. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit.
While there are a multitude of things that could cause the fall of Civilization, for the purpose of this post we are going to assume it was caused by an EMP. Why? Because I believe that an EMP would be a worst case scenario. If you could survive through one, then you could survive through almost anything. No power, no water, no sewage, no running cars to speak of and in general the total collapse of everything we depend on in our day to day lives. Many will not survive such a disaster, in fact, in a study done for the US Government, Experts in the field predict that within one year, 85 to 90% of all Americans would be dead if one were to strike the U.S..
4:00 AM – You wake up and get dressed without eating and head out to pull your second 2 hour Security shift. You’re still tired because you pulled another 2 hour shift from 9 to 11 PM the night before. Because you have so few people in your group and so much work to do you each have to take 2 hour shifts doing security watches day and night. You had tried doing 4 hour watches, but people kept falling asleep while on duty so you switched to 2 hour shifts. It is working out well, but everyone is still really tired.
6:00 AM – You head to the kitchen for breakfast. It consists of 2 scrambled eggs and a piece of toasted stale bread that one of the women in your group had made two days ago. With the need to stretch supplies as far as possible, nothing goes to waste. Thank God you had the foresight to raise a few chickens in the backyard before the collapse or it would just be plain toast for breakfast. The only redeeming thing about breakfast is coffee. The nectar of the Gods! Life would be simply unbearable without it. You smile as you take that first sip and savor the bitter taste. Cream and sugar are a luxury you can no longer afford to use in your coffee, but it is coffee and it is great!
6:30 AM – Morning group meeting to discuss what needs to be done for the day. There is always something new that has to be done each day and everyone needs to pull their own weight. Along with your other chores for today, you will need to repair a section of fence that someone has cut to try to get to the only cow and a few goats , that you have managed to save. It’s funny, you think to yourself. No one has tried to steal any of your 4 small pigs that you traded for a few weeks ago. I guess the thought of rolling around in the pig shit to try to catch one just doesn’t appeal to them. That’s fine with you because each one cost you 100 rounds of .556 ammo. Since the EMP ammunition is really one of the only forms of currency that people are still willing to accept, you are so glad you stored up several thousand rounds of it while you were prepping.
7:00 AM – You head to the barn, to begin work feeding the animals and counting them to be sure they are all still there. Crap! Another chicken is missing… We really need to do something about that you think to yourself as you continue on with your chores.
7:30 – Headed to the field to repair that fence. It’s the fourth time in the six months since the EMP hit that someone has cut it. You would think that when you shot and killed the last person who cut it that word would have spread and people would leave you alone. It must have been a traveler this time who just hadn’t heard how dangerous it was. Oh well, they only got one chicken this time but you will still need to keep an eye on it.
9:00 AM – Time to do a security check and walk the perimeter in the daylight to look for foot prints and maybe even figure out where that chicken thief went to. Your compound is only 30 Acres, small compared to many others in the area but still big enough for your small group. After all in the world you now live in you only have what you can keep others from taking.
11:00 AM – Eat Lunch. Lunch is usually some dried deer meat and bread unless you get really lucky and the cooks have made a stew of some kind. As you get closer to the kitchen you can smell fresh bread which means the last loaf was finely finished. I do love fresh bread! Well until it turns green that is. I know that they say it is just penicillin, and to just scrape it off because it won’t hurt you. Still I wonder, does mold take a crap? If so, when I scrape it off does it leave mold shit behind? Oh well this is your new reality and you best get used to it.
12:00 Time to walk to the nearest town and see what you can trade a gallon of goat’s milk for. This time you take someone along with you for security. In this new world a person walking alone is taking their life in their own hands. Without the presence of Law, you are on your own and it is up to you if you live or die when trouble comes your way. It’s always best to be ready when it comes.
3:00 PM – You make it back home after an hour walk each way to town and have a few squares of cloth and some sewing thread that the women have been asking for. You sure hope they like it because you had no idea what they liked and choices were slim. Time now to head for the garden and start tending the plants as well as breaking and preparing more ground to expand it so you can produce more food. In this world if you don’t grow it, kill it or make it, then you pretty much have to do without it.
5:30 PM – Time for dinner. It’s the one big meal for the day and the one everyone looks forward to. Tonight it’s Rabbit Stew. That’s what happens when you get caught eating in our garden. One of the young boys got it with his slingshot. Like I said, everyone contributes.
6:00 PM – Everyone meets in the living room and discusses what has been done for the day and any new problems that may have come up. Once that is done we all settle down and begin food processing like shucking corn or grinding it. Many of the older people work on shelling beans and peas because they are easier on their old hands.
9:00 PM – Time to head out for your first 2 hour security shift, after that you can finely head to bed and get a couple of hours sleep until it’s time to do it all again. You fall asleep remembering how you would complain about your favorite TV show not being on TV. It just seems silly now. We had it all and didn’t even know it.
While life after the collapse of Society will be hard, preparing now can make all of the difference. Are you ready?
I know that today’s post is kind of long and there are many other issues that would need attending, but I needed to try to keep it short. I guess the point here is that while life is no picnic now, when the collapse of society comes, it will be a whole lot worse. Prepare now so that you don’t become one of the 90% that don’t make it. Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared. God Bless America!
-The Sargent-
The saddest part of all of this is it sounds better than being controlled by our now government or Hillary, what do you say? Heck the left wing is so afraid of letting us see a movie called Amerigeddon because we might see their plans and are having their left wing Hollywood cronies ban it from movie theaters violating our first amendment.
Right on target Sarge…..Don’t forget the daily radio HAM check (if it survived and solar power can recharge your batteries).Getting a SITREP from near or far from trusted callers allows security and other team members to gear up if trouble or bad weather is heading your way. Plus. hearing from others in the same boat as you is strangely comforting and helps with the isolation.