“Stop & Shop will make some difficult decisions to close select underperforming store locations to help ensure the long-term health and future growth for our business,” a spokesperson for the supermarket chain said in a statement.

According to NY Post:

The Massachusetts-based company currently operates nearly 400 stores in five states — the Bay State along with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It has “remodeled” and made improvements to nearly half its stores.

It’s not a big deal, right? Actually, there is more than nuance that should be understood about this news. Here are the key takeaways:

Being Aloof Ahead of the Election

Despite breaking the news at an investor meeting and communicating the scope of their plans to their biggest benefactors, the chain has not released any information to the public. This is conspicuous because there is no viable reason to remain aloof at this stage unless their plans are to hold the information until a more opportune moment.

Considering there won’t be a better time for the sake of the company or investors to go into details about their plans now, it’s safe to attribute their secrecy to the current election cycle. Instead of just being another example of how poorly the economy is performing, they’re doing the minimum required disclosure to the pubic and quiet disclosure to major investors. They will hold details until after the election.

This Is Driven by Democrat Policy, Not Bidenomics

It’s easy to take every foul turn in the economy and blame it fully on the Biden-Harris regime, but this isn’t one of those. Consumers and producers are feeling the negative effects of Bidenomics, but grocery stores aren’t nearly as affected. Instead, this particular series of closures can be attributed to Democrat policies which have reigned in the Northeast for decades.

That’s not to say that Bidenomics didn’t contribute to the challenges. People with less money relative to price hikes are obviously buying less. But food is a necessity which is why inflation doesn’t necessarily harm a grocer’s bottom line as much as the consumers and the producers.

Food regulations, taxes, and mismanagement of infrastructure have more direct impacts on the profitability of a grocery store than inflation or other elements of Bidenomics. This falls more on local Democrats than the White House.

War on Food

It isn’t just leftist political maneuvers that harm grocers. Food in general is under attack on multiple fronts in the United States which is why inflation has hit sustenance costs harder than other areas.

This is not a glitch. Grocery stores shutting down in 2024 are part of the plan to bring food insecurity to Main Street America. Costs are not going to go down and any increases in income will be more than offset by rising inflation. It behooves Americans to take control of their food sourcing any way they can.

For some, this comes down to simply building relationships with local farmers and ranchers. Starting or enhancing a garden or even a homestead is a best practice.

Others, particularly those in cities, may not have easy access to farmers and they may not have the room for a garden. The best advice is to leave the cities, but that’s not practical or even possible for many. The best option in such a situation is to stock up on as much shelf-stable food as possible. Even a surplus of inexpensive (for now) canned foods is better than having to rely on government if the food supply chain breaks down.

Some would say that just because a grocery store chain started chopping stores that we shouldn’t panic. In reality, this is just one in a long line of events that point to the notion that taking control of our personal food supply is a best practice whether disaster strikes or not.

Sound off about this article on the Late Prepper Substack.

If I had to guess, she had spent over $10,000 on it all, which is a decent amount for a mid-length bug-in situation. Unfortunately, she’s skipped an extremely important step.

When I asked to see her regular pantry, she was a bit confused. What did any of that matter if she had enough long-term storage food to feed her family for a year? When we looked at what she had in “regular” food she had about 3-4 weeks worth, which is better than the average American household. It wasn’t enough.

It’s not a great situation if a family is already breaking into their survival food that has a 10+ year shelf-life a couple of weeks after a long-term emergency strikes. Instead, individuals or families should have several months worth of “regular” food rotating in their pantry. Much of this will be medium-term food such as canned meals, pastas, grains, and even dehydrated meat.

Keep in mind that I own a long-term storage beef company, yet I still advise not buying any of it until a family has at least several months worth of normal foods. It doesn’t make sense to have to bust open a bucket of freeze dried lasagna on week 3 of bugging in.

The reason is simple: Freeze-dried meals and meats are more expensive than their canned or boxed counterparts. Canned tuna, chicken, and beef can supply a lot more protein per dollar spent than survival meats. Granted, canned beef is, in my humble opinion, far less appetizing than tuna, chicken, or even Spam, but it fills its purpose.

It’s important for these items to be something you’d eat regularly. Most canned foods are shelf-stable for 2-5 years. Frozen meats generally last 12-24 months. Boxes of pasta or rice can last a couple of years, though they can be transferred to vacuum sealed food containers with oxygen absorbers to more than double their shelf-life. The same is try for flour, though it’s best to have whole grains and a mill (one electric, one manual) rather than the flour itself.

Without rotation, a lot of the food could be wasted. And if it’s food you wouldn’t normally eat, then it’s just going to sit there until it goes bad unless, God forbid, an emergency strikes in the near-term.

Bottom line is this: It’s important to have long-term “survival food” ready to eat if necessary, but having regular food that can keep your family fed for months is the step to take first.

Well, maybe. With over 70% of Americans either unfit or suffering from some sort of major medical ailment, chances are you haven’t made yourself and your family as ready as you can be in case crap hits the fan. Chances are you can start improving your health situation, whether that means getting more fit or securing long-term medical requirements such as meds and equipment.

Get Fit

The first challenge isn’t easy for most. For some, it’s a matter of motivation. For others, you’re just not able to make yourself more physically fit based on age, wounds, or conditions. I have a friend in her 70s who simply cannot get around very easily. She neither has nor needs bugout bags but she lives in a nice town, had plenty of food and water, and she carries her .22 wherever she goes.

Another friend is a prepping maniac. I’m actually jealous about how well-stocked he is in his suburban home. The challenge is he’s nearly 300 pounds and three of the four other members of his family aren’t skinny. I had a long conversation with him over the weekend about what he’ll do if things get really bad, even in his nice neighborhood. He said he’ll grab his shotgun and defend his property. That’s good, but it doesn’t replace the need to become fit enough to walk long distances, gather supplies, or hunt.

My status as a “late prepper” who didn’t get going until 2021 sent me down a similar path. I started stocking up on supplies incrementally. My wife started a robust garden. I started learning everything I could about survival and I haven’t stopped. Then, the wakeup call came last year. I was helping a friend move a couch and realized I’m not the stout running back that I was in school.

I’ve wasted far too much time before making it important to get fit. I am calling on all of my readers to not make the same mistake I did. When should you start improving your health? Right now. Today. Get started. Don’t stop. As I noted, motivation is often the missing ingredient when it comes to eating better, exercising, and changing one’s lifestyle. Well, look around. Things are already going crazy and we haven’t even gotten to Election Riot Season.

Are you able to walk 10 miles with a bugout bag on your back? Could you carry a loved one to safety? Chop down a tree? Build a shelter? Fight? If any of these things are physically impossible for you, then there’s nothing you can do other than build relationship with local people who can help. But if you can’t do any of these things and you have nothing holding you back other than your physical fitness, then it’s time to get motivated.

I’ve been on the keto diet for a while, but mostly for the sake of brain function. I like being as smart as possible and ketones help me to achieve that goal. But recently I’ve realized that I need to take advantage of the fat burning aspects of ketosis. That means exercising. It’s been slower than I’d like but I’ve lost 15 pounds since Thanksgiving with 40 more to go.

I’m not a fan of trying to “guilt” people into doing something, but this is an exception. Don’t be that person whose only excuse for not being physically ready to face apocalyptic challenges is that you’re to fat, too weak, or generally too unhealthy. If you have the means today to improve your health, do it.

And it’s not just fat people like me. Even those who are pretty fit can always use improvements. We’ve all heard many times about eating healthier but what does that really mean? The whole foods craze (not to be confused with the Amazon-owned grocer) is a righteous one on many levels. Sourcing your food, buying local, eliminated processed foods, reducing or eliminating sugars, and staying clear of seed oils are all good starts. Exercise is obviously important as well. I’m neither a nutritionist nor a personal trainer but as a conspiracy theorist I can say that whatever it takes to build back up your God-given body is worth doing now more than ever.

Secure Meds

Many medications, both minor and life-saving, can be stored for long periods of time. Others can go bad quickly. Now is the time to determine what you’ll need if pharmacies are either shut down or taken over by government, in which case you’ll need to “qualify” for your meds. That’s a discussion for another day.

Securing meds that you can store away such as antibiotics, pain medications, and chronic illness drugs requires a bit of “gaming the system.” Generally, doctors and pharmacists want you to have a limited supply. Sometimes this is due to positive reasons such as the need to adjust doses. Other times it’s simply an opportunity to add more doctor’s visits to their billing. So securing long-term stores of prescription medications can be challenging.

If you trust your doctor, tell them the truth. You’re concerned about things going crazy with the election or whatever and you’d feel more comfortable with a long-term supply of the meds you need. If they object, don’t push it. Just thank them and move along.

If your doctor won’t help you, there are a couple of options. You can research over-the-counter or nature alternatives to the medications you need. Or, you can go through a more “open minded” medical operation such as Jase. For transparency, they’re a sponsor, but it’s important to note that I made them a sponsor AFTER I started using them. I was a customer first before learning I could get referral bonuses for recommending them. They even gave me a promo code, “RUCKER10”, so my referrals could get $10 off.

Their system is simple. Sign up for a telehealth call. Talk to your doctor about the meds you need. They prescribe them and have them shipped to your door. The “Jase Case” of antibiotics is incredible (I have two) and the chronic medications they offer for challenges like diabetes and heart conditions are robust.

For those who require medicines that expire quickly, it’s time to research alternatives. Again, ask your doctor. Tell them your concerns and find out what they recommend if you no longer have access to the medications they prescribe. If that doesn’t work, check online. I know there are life-preserving meds that many people need to take that may not have natural or OTC alternatives, but research as best you can.

No Fear

I’m always cognizant of the fact that my prepper discussions can often concern people, even make them fearful. Don’t let it get to you. For Bible-believing Christians, we know that times will get challenging but there’s a literal light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a good thing to be physically ready for whatever is coming our way but that’s exponentially less important than being spiritually ready. If all you can do is believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then it’s more than enough.

Stay frosty and secure yourself and your family as best you can. If you fail because you did your best but it wasn’t enough, then so be it. But if you fail because you didn’t do your best to get ready, the end will be loaded with regrets.

Sound off about this story on our Late Prepper Substack.

I’m posting this despite it’s minor flaws for two reasons. First and foremost, the list of 15 items below is pretty good. It’s not written by survival experts… which can be a very good thing. Lists like these, when written by survival experts, can often include items that are priceless to THEM and not necessarily the average American who gets stuck in a crap-hits-the-fan situation.

They also often put too much focus on bugout items rather than items necessary for bugging in. Paracord, for example, is truly priceless and necessary when out in the wild for an extended period of time but it does little to help if you’re holing up in your apartment. With that said, here’s the article they wrote that goes with the video. I added the actual list of items at the bottom; Epic Economist loves to make you watch the video without actually listing the items so I’ll save you the trouble if you’re in a hurry…

(Epic Economist)—These are scary times. Geopolitical tensions are rising all around the globe, and no one knows for sure what can happen next. The United States is in a very tough spot as other nations pressure our elected officials to take action to solve problems that are erupting in many parts of the planet.

From exporting more food, oil, and energy supplies to providing humanitarian aid to countries in need, America is at the center of many situations that are unfolding right now, and it seems like the entire world is watching us.

We’ve been sending our agricultural supplies, fuels, and other resources to our allies abroad to prevent current crises from escalating further. But that has been draining our domestic reserves and leaving us in a very dangerous position. Farmers have lost millions of acres of crops this year, and stores will have fewer supplies than they did a year ago to sell to American consumers in the months ahead. Retailers have also canceled the purchase of several products after sales started to collapse, and their inventories are leaner than ever before.

Meanwhile, inflation isn’t cooling as fast as it was supposed to, and we’re feeling the pain in our wallets. This difficult scenario can be rapidly aggravated if any sort of extreme weather event disrupts the distribution of power to our homes and food to supermarkets. But if you’re a regular on our channel, you probably know that there are plenty of other things that can go wrong in the next few months as well. And it won’t take much to throw our supply chains in disarray again.

On top of that, uur domestic power grid is vulnerable to cyberattacks, extreme weather, and energy supply shortages, and the risks become even higher during the winter. Blackouts and power outages can surprise us at any moment, that’s why it is important to keep extra batteries around to power up our devices in such a scenario.

Every winter, some regions across the U.S. experience power outages that can last for days, and every year people who didn’t have the chance to prepare in advance get frustrated not to find this cheap product at the stores right when they need it the most. But you don’t have to be one of them. Check which types of batteries your devices require, get some extras, and keep them at hand. Now you can still find great deals at dollar stores and sales at big-box retailers but things could be dramatically different in a few months.

Similarly, with flu season getting closer, more people will be looking for sanitary wipes, a product that never goes out of demand. We can use it for personal hygiene, household cleaning, sterilizing surfaces, and also for first aid purposes, that’s why it’s so popular.

This cheap item will be even more in demand in the months ahead, and we can expect some bare shelves at grocery and retail stores. An important thing to know if you’re going to stock up on sanitary wipes for the longer term is that if they dry out, you can add a little water and some rubbing alcohol to refresh them almost like new again. Like so, you don’t lose your money in case the cleaning liquid evaporates, and you also don’t have to rush to the store in crippling winter weather to purchase some more. For that reason, we decided to list some inexpensive emergency supplies you should get before the next crisis hits.

• Batteries
• Emergency Blankets
• Chapstick
• Sanitary Wipes
• Flashlights and Lanterns
• Toilet Paper
• Over-the-Counter Medications
• Non-Perishable Food
• Manual Can Opener
• First Aid Supplies
• Candles, Lighters, and Matches
• Trash Bags
• Rubber Gloves
• Hygiene Products
• Self-Defense Gear

Sponsored Note: Add freeze-dried steak to the list. Freedom First Beef gives my readers 15% off with promo code “JDR” at checkout. Don’t eat “beef crumbles” if the crap hits the fan. Eat NY Strip, Ribeye, and other REAL beef products that enjoy a 25-year shelf life.

SOUND OFF about this list on our Late Prepper Substack.

My wife cannot stand canned foods. The only thing she’ll occasionally eat is chicken noodle soup, and then usually only to draw on a memory from her childhood. But if the crap hits the fan and we’re forced into a bug-in situation for an extended period of time, she’ll be diving into the Vienna sausages like the rest of us.

Let’s look at the positives and negatives of industrial canned foods for prepping, followed by my reason for recommending them.

Negatives

Let’s start with the downsides so those who are considering canned foods as a primary method of filling their prepper pantry can know before they get too packed. These are general attributes, but obviously canned asparagus is going to be very different from canned spaghetti.

• Too heavy for bugging out: If you need to fill a bugout bag or your trunk, canned foods tend to weigh more than just about any other option. Most are packed with liquids, making them dense. Freeze dried food of the same volume will weigh far less, which is fantastic unless you’re low on water.
• Either flavorless or too salty: Most of the soups, pastas, meats, and even some of the vegetables that are canned are loaded with salt. Most canned fruits are loaded with added sugar. Those that are not too salty or sweet taste like pale clones of their original form. I’ve had two canned foods in my life that were not too salty but still had flavor, and both were expensive Wolfgang Puck brand soups.
• Usually ultra-processed and therefore horrible for you: If you’re not already familiar with the dangers of eating ultra-processed foods, now’s the time to do so. They’re awful for you.
• Mediocre at best for nutrition: Read the labels of every canned food you’re considering buying. In fact, you should read the label of every food you’re considering, period. It’s a best practice to have a prepper nutrition plan for if you’re stuck bugging in for a long time, which may include supplements or other options. But if all you’re eating is canned foods, at some point you may face malnutrition challenges.
• Unpredictable shelf-life: Most canned foods have a two year “best by” date. Experts say you can eat most canned foods three to five years after they’re sealed. Planning for a very long bugging in scenario can be hard with canned foods. As a best practice, always examine a can that is old, then examine the food itself before consuming it.

Positives

If you are still reading and didn’t get turned off by all the negatives of industrial canned foods, then you’re still considering it. That’s good. Here are the reasons to do so…

• Relatively inexpensive: On a per-meal basis, canned foods are relatively inexpensive. They’re not as cheap as beans and rice, but since they can be bought in small or large batches it makes stocking up over time less stressful on the pocketbook. A can of Campbell’s soup at Walmart is around a buck-fifty right now. That’s not the best bang for the buck but it’s far from the worst. You can get 5-20 cans of soup for the same price as a single Meal-Ready-To-Eat (MRE).
• Wide variety: The biggest complaint that people don’t realize they’ll have until it’s too late is variety during the apocalypse. I heard last year how Joe Rogan had stocked up on tons of beans and rice. For some, eating the same thing every day for months or years seems acceptable… until they’re actually stuck doing it. I am a huge fan of beans and rice as they form a complete protein when eaten together and they’re still (currently) very inexpensive, but I would strongly recommend adding variety to the mix. This is where canned foods come in.
• Lots of calories: What many consider a negative in modern society will actually be a benefit should society collapse. Calories are extremely important in any long-term emergency situation and canned foods generally have lots of them.
• Easy to use and rotate today: As much as I hate eating anything unhealthy, I hate waste as well. As I mentioned, my wife won’t eat canned foods which means most of them are taken down to the local soup kitchen when they’re approaching their “best by” date, then replenished in the pantry.

The Biggest Reason I Recommend Canned Foods

The reason I’m so stocked up that my family could eat nothing but canned foods for a year if necessary is because I love the fact that they require nothing but a can opener. The food is already cooked. You don’t generally need to add  water or anything else. In a pinch, you can go from starving to eating in a matter of seconds, which isn’t true for rice, beans, freeze dried, or frozen foods.

And if things get REALLY bad to the point that there are no utilities and no easy access to water, many cans have water in them to store the food. As unappetizing as it may sound to survive on nasty canned green bean water for a little while, it’s better than dehydration.

Some will rightly argue that most canned foods have so much salt that it counteracts the benefits of the liquid. They’ll be mostly right in this regard. This is why we check labels. Don’t just fill up you can area with Vienna sausages and soups. Make sure you have some fruits and vegetables in there as well.

To be extremely clear, I’m not recommending canned foods as the ideal. The ideal would be to grow your own food, then can or freeze dry the surplus. Those who are already in a proper preparedness system may not have any industrial canned foods at all in their pantry, and that’s fantastic! But for most of us, it’s just more practical to keep a bunch of cans ready to go since we don’t have a big garden and chicken coop in our back yards.

I’m sure there will be comments saying I’m crazy for embracing industrial canned foods. If I had been properly preparing for years or if I had tons of money to build a better system, I would. But since I’m a “Late Prepper” like so many others, my extensive research tells me it’s practical to have canned foods as part of my preparedness plan.

And no, neither Campbell’s nor Chef Boyardee are sponsors.

What do you think? Sound off on the Late Prepper Substack.

(Article originally published at Late Prepper)

Hopefully, this one won’t be ludicrous and I’m not selling any of the items I’m recommending today. The need to stock up on important items ahead of… whatever… has never been greater in modern America. We’re a society of abundance, but it seems like the supply chain could crumble at any moment with massive threats on multiple fronts.

We’re starting with the basics. If you’re an experienced prepper you’ll probably laugh, but many of us have only even considered preparedness recently. In reality, there are probably dozens if not hundreds of items that we should stock up on as soon as possible, but I decided to do short lists like this one with only three items. It’s easier to take incremental steps and work our way up than to jump in and spend huge money all at once.

These obviously aren’t the only items. In fact, they’re probably not even the most important. But I figured I would put out bite-sized lists every couple of days so we can all prepare with baby steps. Just don’t take TOO small of steps. The trajectory of the nation is not a good one.

My criteria for these short lists are:

• Importance: If we included everything that we could use on lists like this, they would be infinite. But there really are only a few dozen items we truly NEED if the crap hits the fan.
• Risk of Future Price Hikes or Shortages: It behooves us to grab as many of a certain product as possible if that product’s price is going to rise sharply or if they wont’ be available in the future.
• Ease of Storage and Shelf Life: We could say eggs are extremely important and are likely going to be priced much higher in the future, but you can’t easily store 1000 eggs and they won’t last long enough for you to eat them.
• Potential for Barter: In the event of societal collapse (God forbid!), it may be necessary to have items that can be traded. Since I’m not a fan of trading food or ammunition, having other items available that your neighbors may want can benefit everyone if bartering becomes a thing.
• Eventuality of Use: I hate waste, so these are the items that will be used up over time even if the apocalypse doesn’t come.
• Not Food: Sustenance, shelter, meds, and ammunition are not on this list. Those are priorities and require more planning than just grabbing a bunch while at Costco. We’ll cover all of them at another time.

Let’s begin.

Fire Extinguishers

This probably isn’t the first thing one thinks about when it comes time to stock up on things. It’s not like we’re using these regularly… at least let’s hope you’re not using them regularly. But fire extinguishers will be extremely important in the event society collapses. If you can’t call the fire department then even a minor fire can grow and destroy everything.

Plus, it’s a good practice to have one in or near every room of your house.

One might say fire extinguishers should be disqualified from this list because of the “eventuality of use” criterium, but since they last 10-12 years their presence IS their use. In other words, not having to use them is a good thing but having them available if needed is important. They cost anywhere from $20 to $50 for small ones all the way up to hundreds of dollars for the larger ones. We have 5 spread around the house and 7 in storage, plus one in each vehicle.

Aluminum Foil

Foil is another item that may not be at the top of anyone’s list, but it’s one of the most versatile common supplies ever made by man. It can be used for so many things in a crap-hits-the-fan situation. In fact, I might have to write up a list of emergency uses.

As for regular use, there’s already an article by Good Housekeeping that highlights its versatility.

The reason it made it on this first essentials list is because if things go south, aluminum foil will be one of the first items to either skyrocket in price or become completely unavailable. And I’m not talking about full-blow societal collapse. If things go a little south, foil will become more premium.

Soaps

Various soaps are likely at or near the top of most stockpiling lists, and for good reason. They’re extremely necessary today and will be useful in a crap-hits-the-fan scenario. Moreover, they’re still relatively inexpensive, but that can change in a hurry.

Don’t go overboard. They are supposed to last for up to three years and realistically they can last a few years longer than that, but they deteriorate over time. Treat them like food items by keeping them in a rotation that you replenish after use.

Someday I will do a brief breakdown of the different types of soaps to keep on hand, but when getting started it’s a best practice to start with the soaps you’re using today and stockpile them until you have a sufficient supply.

More Items Coming

I recently read a list of 134 items to stockpile immediately before the end arrives. It was a pretty solid list, but after two weeks I realized I hadn’t bought any of the items. It was just so much to take in that even the “a ha” items that caught my attention didn’t make it into my shopping cart.

That’s why I decided to do these bite-sized lists. Maybe you can buy these items on your next shopping trip, then a new list will be ready before the trip after that.

Those who are flush with cash might prefer to just drop tens of thousands of dollars all at once and get it over with, buying plenty of supplies of dozens of items. Most of us can’t do that, thus the utility of these incremental lists.

Things are getting crazy but we needn’t worry. Getting prepared isn’t hard. It can even be fun. As it is said in 1 Timothy 5:8:

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Stay frosty, folks.

Article cross-posted from Late Prepper.

“I know you weren’t the one who got Penny in trouble,” he said. “When I’m wrong I say I’m wrong.”

Okay, so it’s not much of a line. It’s not like something in Casablanca or either of the first two Godfather movies. But it really stuck with me even though I didn’t care for the movie itself. The lesson I learned over three decades ago was that it’s more impactful to acknowledge being wrong than to bloviate apologetically.

I was wrong about prepping. For years, decades even, I would make fun of the “doomsday prepper” friends I had. By my ignorant reckoning, we were in the United States of America, a land that could never fall in my lifetime. I thought it was prudent to be prepared for a natural disaster or power outage, but my friends with years worth of food stockpiled seemed to be engaged in preparedness overkill.

Today, I’m not completely happy with the year’s worth of food I currently have stored away. It’s not enough when I consider the direction the nation and the world are heading. Whether one believes we are nearing the Biblical end times when the “unmarked” will not be able to buy or sell, or if one takes the secular belief in the New World Order and their depopulation/control agenda, it certainly seems like were years or even months away from having to make hard choices.

Those two scenarios are not mutually exclusive. Some would say the New World Order is doing their thing as representatives of the Beast from the Book of Revelation, paving the way for his short-term rule.

One of the biggest choices millions of Americans will have to make is whether to become beholden to our rising overlords in government and industry or to let our families starve. They’re rapidly taking full control of the food supply and the infrastructure to deliver it to the people. It’s not far-fetched to imagine a near-future American society in which only the compliant are allowed to get decent food. The rest of us will be left with dregs or nothing at all.

I hope I’m wrong. I often pray that I’m wrong. But I’d much rather be prepared and find out I was overreacting than to not be prepared and find out I didn’t do enough while I still could. This is why I’m not satisfied with a year’s worth of food for my family. If the things that seem to be coming to pass continue, then only those who have sustained food supplies will be able to avoid choosing whether to bow or die.

There’s always a thin line between fearmongering and ringing the proper alarm bells. In our current situation, I do not believe I am being a fearmonger because the writing is on the wall.

• They are trying to limit our meat consumption, particularly beef, and they’ve openly declared that they will do what’s necessary to stop cows from releasing methane for the sake of climate change.
• Food processing plants continue to come under attack. The first three or four may have seemed like coincidences, but we’ve now had dozens in the last year alone.
• Bird flu is spreading like never in history. Entire cattle herds are inexplicably dying. Fisheries are getting mysteriously contaminated. Crops are yielding far less than necessary. Again, these are not coincidences.
• Inflation is quickly pricing us out of being able to buy what we could before. I believe this is an attempt to normalize scarcity.

That’s just a sampling of the many attacks on our food supply and distribution capabilities. All the while, corporate media refuses to report on any of it. So no, I do not think I’m being a fearmonger when I tell people to get prepared as soon as possible. When things start turning much worse, there will be runs on grocery stores. Crime will explode. We could see marauding gangs of scavengers, martial law, or complete societal collapse.

There are many things we need to do to prepare, but covering the basics of food, water, medicines, shelter, and ammunition are at the top of the list. I’ll cover all of them at some point, but I want to start with food.

Now is the time to stockpile. First and foremost, fill up your cupboards, pantry, and freezers with food that can last for a while. Canned goods can last for years. Frozen meats can last for 12-18 months. It’s important to get a good variety of foods that you and your family can eat today and tomorrow. Get them into a rotation so you can avoid spoilage and keep it as full as possible.

Today, the average American household has enough food on hand for two weeks. Depending on space and finances, try to get your regular food stores extended to as long as possible.

Once you’re fully stocked with regular food, it’s time to look at long-term and renewable foods. The best advice to give to those with the means is to allow yourself to produce your own foods. Not everyone has the means or the situation that’s conducive to it, but those who can should have a full garden or even a mini-farm. Chickens can turn land into protein in the form of eggs. If you can raise cattle for milk, that’s even better. I don’t know if 1% or 10% of my audience has the means to engage in such a lifestyle, but if you can do it then I strongly recommend it.

Then, there’s food storage. Canning and freeze-drying are my personal favorites because of retention of nutrients, but dehydrating food is cheaper. One of our sponsors is Harvest Right. Between my home and my company we’ve purchased 22 freeze dryers from them and we couldn’t be happier.

Last but not least, there’s long-term food storage purchases. Freeze-dried food that is stored in mylar bags, #10 cans, or food buckets are the play for those serious about survival. Those with enough money and space to store them can accumulate a quarter century worth of food, and some say the food can last even longer. Some of it’s expensive. Some of it’s cheap, like the staples of rice and beans. As long as you have access to water, you can survive on these foods for a very long time. I have five sponsors (well, four sponsors and a company that I own) for people to peruse if they choose.

I hope that by plugging my company into the mix rather than focusing on Whole Cows alone, readers will take that as an indicator of my intentions. I truly want as many people to be as prepared as possible. I could focus on the beef from my own company for selfish reasons, but I know that we’ll all need more than just freeze-dried beef for the long-term.

It isn’t just a sense of fellowship that drives me to want as many people as possible to prepare now. It’s self-serving in a way because I know we’ll need allies. It behooves the prepared for there to be others around us who are also prepared. Those who are not prepared and forced to make the hard choices ahead will not be our allies. The fewer Americans that are beholden to the powers-that-be for their survival, the better.

Despite all of my warnings, I want to be very clear about one thing. Proceed without fear. God’s plan is wonderful even if most of us won’t understand why we’re suffering. Most of us will likely go through massive hardships and struggles in the near future, but Bible-believing Christians know how the story ends. Whether these are the end times or just an echo of a distant apocalypse, it seems almost certain that our struggles are just beginning. Don’t let fear drive your preparedness. Get prepared because it’s your responsibility to persevere.

As Jesus instructed the church of Thyatira, “hold fast till I come.”

Leave a comment about this on my Late Preppers Substack.

I couldn’t.

But it’s not just a best practice for losing your phone. Prolonged “digital apocalypses” of various sorts could be on our horizon. A massive cyberattack that takes out internet access for the masses is something that has concerned me for years ever since learning just how easy it would be for those with the resources. We’re not talking about a multinational conspiracy or globalist cabal of billionaires who are the only ones capable of taking down the internet. A motivated group of a dozen people with a few hundreds thousand dollars of equipment and the right expertise could prevent internet access for weeks, months, or even indefinitely.

Then, there are even worse threats. One atmospheric EMP attack could cripple half of the nation. Attacks on our energy grid could create a domino effect of devastation. There are many ways to take us back to the days of analog and far too few Americans are ready for such an event.

Here is an extremely incomplete list of seven basic paper items we all should have prepared immediately if we haven’t already. The bad news, as I’ve laid out, is that we’re vulnerable to possible “digital apocalypses.” The good news is it’s not too difficult to get the basic preparations done quickly.

With that said, here’s a list of seven paper items to make sure you have prepared today:

1. Full Address Book: As noted, this is what prompted me to write this article. I had everything else on the list but not paper record with ways to reach everyone I know. The more detailed the information the better. If phones are disabled we may only be able to contact friends and family buy going to their homes. Printing out a few copies of a spreadsheet should keep it down to a few pages, depending on how many friends and relatives you have.
2. Maps: Our map pack is pretty impressive. We have everything from very detailed local maps all the way up to a nationwide highway map. Considering how little space they take and the low costs, it’s best to have a couple of duplicate map packs in separate bug out bags as well as one pack in the safe.
3. Cash and Metals on Hand: We aren’t rich but we try to keep some money in the safe for just-in-case. I’m not a fan of fiat currency but the bad part about cryptocurrencies is that in a digital apocalypse even the wealthy can find themselves suddenly broke. That applies for those with all of their money in the bank. Those with the means should keep silver and gold coins, the smaller the better, in the safe as well. My gold guy, Ira, can help if you need.
4. Books: For a prolonged or even permanent digital apocalypse, having physical books makes a lot of sense. They can take up a lot of space and aren’t exactly easy to carry around in a bug-out situation, but for bugging in they can be a mind saver. As a Christian, having Bibles available is paramount for us. How-to manuals and survival guides can be very beneficial as well. As difficult as it may be for some of us to understand today, there could come a time in a post-apocalyptic society when books are as valuable as gold.
5. Pens, Paper, Pencils, Tape: Call me old school but I still write things down. If there’s nothing but a blank screen on our computers and smartphones, having pen and paper in abundance will be more than just a luxury. As for tape, one never knows when they’ll need to write something down to leave notes for people in visible places.
6. Photos: A prepper friend told me about this little tip a couple of months ago. Everyone she knows, she takes pictures of and prints them out on paper. When I asked her why not have them developed into pictures, she said she wants them to be weather- and at least partially time-proof so printed and laminated images are her preference. She makes multiple prints of people she knows so if she needs to hand one or two out she’ll still have copies. Many of us have the bulk of our images in digital format. In a digital apocalypse, all of our photographic records could be lost forever.
7. Deeds and Other Important Documents: If things go very far south in a hurry, having paper records of ownership can protect our property. But it’s more than just deeds and receipts. We should keep all of our paper records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, and the like in very safe places that are easily accessible and can be made travel-ready in a bug-out situation.

None of these things take a ton of effort. Only #3 can cost a lot of money. Having food, water, shelter, medicine, and ammunition are staples of good preparedness, but don’t let missing out on basic paper-based needs slip through the cracks.

Add to the conversation by making recommendations of your own on my Late Prepper Substack.

It sucked. It was truly hard to finish a single meal and I made sure I was very hungry before trying it. And I’m not very picky.

My family couldn’t make it past the first bite.

So, we decided to start making our own. Before I get into the meat of this article (pun intended) and discuss prepper food that doesn’t suck, let me state up front that the ideal scenario for those with the means and ability is to produce your own food. That may be hard for those who live in the city, have limited space, or who just don’t have the time and/or resources to get into it. IF you can do it, I recommend that first and foremost. Grow your own food. Raise chickens and even cattle if you can. Get into canning. Buy a freeze dryer (which happen to be on sale right now through one of my sponsors… just saying).

For those who either cannot or do not want to break free from the food supply chain and all it entails, I have a solution. I launched Late Prepper for the reason the name implies. Millions of Americans have either come to the realization they need to get ready or are in the process of being red-pilled into that understanding. As a result, many are playing catchup to stock their closets and prepper pantries with food to store for the long term.

But knowing what I learned over a decade ago about the quality of prepper food made me realize back in 2021 that I wouldn’t want to promote the bad stuff. What good is survival food if you can barely eat it? So, I started ordering samples from pretty much every company out there. Some were decent. A couple were actually good. Most were awful.

I know what a lot of people think: “When the crap hits the fan I’m not going to care what the food tastes like!”

Well, to those people I ask this: “Why survive when you can thrive?”

Currently, I work with two producers for Late Prepper. One is Whole Cows, a company that I partially own. We offer high-quality sous vide, freeze-dried, shelf-stable beef cubes, including Ribeye, NY Strip, Tenderloin, and our famous “OG” beef which is cost-effective and comprised of Sirloin and other semi-premium cuts. My partners and I were disgusted by the “beef crumbles” and scraps that were being pawned off as meat by the vast majority of prepper food companies, so we went for the good stuff. You can read a write-up over at Revolver News that shows just one of the many customers who don’t just use Whole Cows meat for survival. They eat it regularly.

The other company I work with is Heaven’s Harvest. They offer pretty much everything else. After all, you can’t live off beef alone! Well, I can, but I’m different. Most people cannot. So, Heaven’s Harvest food passed the quality test with flying colors. Like Whole Cows, Heaven’s Harvest survival food can be used even before the crap hits the fan because it’s nutritious and tastes great.

My readers can take advantage of 15% off at Late Preppers by using promo code “JDR” at checkout. This means buying from Late Preppers is as low if not CHEAPER than buying directly from the source companies. This project isn’t about making money for me. It’s about getting people away from crappy food buckets and “beef crumbles” so the apocalypse won’t taste so bad.

Don’t just survive. Thrive. Buy from Late Preppers today.

After supply chains broke in 2021, things have never come back to the way they once were. Sudden shortages of essential products have become all too common by now. Grocery and retail stores are still struggling to keep shelves stocked, and we learned that many of them are one emergency event away from seeing inventories run out. Times are tougher, too.

We’re spending a larger share of our paychecks to buy the same products. This is partly because consumer demand continues to outpace available supply, which is fueling inflation across many categories, and keeping the cost of living at historic highs. Industry insiders are telling us conditions will get even more difficult as we enter a deep recession.

The California drought has shown just how quickly water shortages can occur and how badly this can disrupt our food systems. Water filters and purifiers are essential for any stockpile, and people start chasing for them any time an emergency seems imminent.

During the Texas freeze of 2021, the super-low temperatures led water pipelines to burst, and millions of people lost access to clean water for days. These situations highlight the importance of having these products on hand because systems can break at any minute, and in some situations, going to the stores is no longer an option, so stock up on these while you still can do so.

We’ve learned the hard way that personal hygiene products, including toilet paper, are the first to disappear when people hear about any problems with the supply chain or weather emergencies. The cost of these goods has seen a significant increase in recent years, up almost 17% since 2021. It’s safe to say that when people start rushing to the stores to get these goods again, we will have to pay even more expensive prices for them.

It’s always a good idea to have extra toothbrushes, soaps, moisturizers, razors, and hand sanitizers. Look for deals, and don’t forget to consider the necessities of each family member.

The Energy Information Association has warned several times that our domestic supplies of fuels remain tight. One single disruption can trigger extensive outages, just as it happened to gas stations in Florida earlier this year. Gasoline supplies are below their historical average for this time of the year, EIA data show, and for those who need their cars to work or travel regularly, a shortage can turn into a nightmare very quickly.

If you haven’t yet, make sure you build a safe supply of fuels before seasonal price increases take place and weather events or other disruptions hit stations nationwide.

Preparedness is ultimately a way to teach us how to make conscious choices, save money, manage time and prevent all the unnecessary stress we would experience if we did things at the last moment. It’s a way to assess our needs and make provisions for our loved ones so everyone has their needs covered even in the event of an emergency. You can create your stockpile according to your budget, your preferences, and your individual plan. Everyone’s stockpile is different, and learning what makes sense for you is one of the most important lessons you can learn with this practice.

That’s why preparing in advance is crucial to survive the turbulent period we’re about to enter. Today, we listed a few products that are key in any prepper stockpile and can disappear from the stores before we even notice.

Here’s the list:

1. Water Filters and Purifiers
2. Toiletries
3. Seasoned Firewood
4. Fuel
5. Self-Defense Tools
6. Baby Supplies
7. Gasoline Containers
8. Garbage Bags
9. Powdered Milk
10. Garden Seeds
11. Clothing Repair Kits
12. Fire Starters
13. Bleach
14. Rain Gear
15. Canning Supplies

Chances are strong more items will be added to this list through comments at Late Prepper, so check it out and sound off.