Worldwalker, thanks for the reply. I would have to say that based on your response, you have done much more to incorporate “the basics” than I have, although I have made a few large steps in that direction, its true. I believe I may have taken this idea from a different approach though. With the world in such chaos, and our country’s economic future hanging in the balance (almost ready to teeter off the precarious cliff’s edge it seems to be on), I am thinking that life as it was during the Great Depression might actually be in our near future. I’ve done alot of research on how people who lived through the depression actually survived and based on that one question, I have tried to encorporate what I might need to do, purchase, plan for, and stock up on in order to acheive some semblance of “survivability” if in fact another Great Depression happens. First, we did our best to get out of debt completely. Then I researched how people purchased homes 80 years ago and found that a fresh water source was a highly desired item and that the people who favored better than most during the depression, lived in rural areas and had their homes situated near a creek or stream. They could do some farming and have a few animals and other things and were better off than folks who lived in more populated areas or in the cities. So, we purchased a small home with a creek running through our property as soon as we could. Still no animals in place yet, but we have had some measured success with a garden. Humble beginnings. Stocking up on medicines and foodstuffs and learning how to cook over an open fire have been a challenge. Heck, learning how to start a fire without a lighter and fuel were challenges! I have pondered what I would need to get around (life without a car) and it may seem strange but I believe that a strong mule and a cart might be in the makings and as far as animals go, rabbits for butchering, bees for honey, and a milk goat as well. I have recently learned how to make homemade cheese and butter. I think the creek will come into play in a very important way offering not only water for drinking and cooking, but also washing clothes and dishes, and bathing as well. In closing, I don’t know if you feel this way, but I sure do…I am dismayed at how little people know regarding life without electricity, but even more dismaying is their lack of concern and lack of foresight that anything other than their lives as they know it could be a possibility. It upsets me to the point where I just want to give up trying to “educate” anyone anymore. I mean, if they can’t even put together a 3-day emergency kit, how will they be able to think in the long term?? ...how will they survive? I suppose they will line up in droves, like the recent pictures of people in Hawaii after the earthquake, waiting for a small bucket of chicken at the roadside chicken shack. Sad, but undoubtably true. If they don’t have the means for a small home in the country (we didn’t for many many years), then at least buy a little peace of mind with a 3 day kit of some sort.