Time to Get Started

I've just finished reading the Novel "Patriots: surviving the coming collapse" by James Wesley Rawles, and it has inspired me to begin working on this Blog again. I am not inspired because of the content of that book, but inspired to write and share what I know because of the LACK of content in that book.
Once again, I feel this is the difference between a "Survivalist" and a "Realist". Mr. Rawles goes into great detail on how to set up ambushes, how to build explosives, and how to pretend that the world will be a better place once our entire Country collapses. To me, I did not read a single usefull bit of information that would help one "Survive" a complete collapse of modern civilization.
If you have a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket to buy "survival equipment", don't need a job and can move anywhere you want, want to live in a barracaded fortress, and you have the expectations that IF the world as we know it were to end tommorow, that you are going to pick up your assault rifle, and rid the world of "Commie, canibal looters" then you are in the wrong place.
So lets get started. When thinking of a Realistic Survival plan, I think of it in terms of spaces. You start in a circle with only YOU in it. That circle is comprised of everything YOU need to survive RIGHT NOW and the circle represents your way of protecting everything within it. That circle is always your number one priority and always the one to fall back on. Your "rallying point" per say. What you need to survive right now is usually food, water, and shelter. These needs change for each situation, but for the most part, these are the basic needs of most individuals. As you fill these needs, you deepen your circle, you go from RIGHT NOW to FROM NOW ON. Most of us have the RIGHT NOW already taken care of. Its the FROM NOW ON that is the problem. A sandwich from the fridge takes care of right now, but a few days from now is what this is all about.
As you widen your circle, you encompass the next important things to you. For me, this is my family. What do I need in that circle to protect them and ensure their survival? If you live alone, then this could be your home. Your circle would be about protecting that home.
Your priority should be to make each circle as deep as possible, meaning that as you can afford it, buy more of what you need right now for FROM NOW ON.
An example. I like Macaroni and Cheese. I can buy a box it for right now OR I can buy a case of it when its on sale. Now I have Mac & Cheese for a week or so. The shelf life of Mac & Cheese is about 2 years, (I'll go more into this later) so I can buy lots and lots of it. As long as I'm eating it, I don't have to worry about how much to buy and how long it will last before going bad. The key to this way of thinking is ROTATION. If you buy several cases of it over an extended period of time, use what expires first and replace what you use. Once you do this for awhile, it becomes easy. Remember, be REALISTIC. Dont buy food you wont eat, and don't buy more than you can eat before it expires.
Back to the circles. Your first circle is you, and each succeding circle is the next priority in your life. Your family, your home, your property etc. To be a "Survivalist" means to survive, and as each circle grows, your means of survival should grow with it.