3 Warning Signs It’s Too Late To Prep

Sometimes when you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because I’m busy thinking. And lately, I’ve been thinking that, in spite of my overall optimism about life, there will be a time when it really is too late to prep.

That time could arrive at any time…

Everything’s the same until it isn’t.

The Unthinkable Has Already Happened During The COVID pandemic

Remember two years ago when entire countries began shutting down, one by one? You couldn’t get into Canada or Mexico or England.

That was unthinkable and yet it happened in a matter of days.

Then there was the toilet paper shortage, no Purell, and most everyone began hiding in their homes.

When I reflect on the past two years, I’ve come to the conclusion that yes, there may very well come a time when it’s too late to prep.

The Important Difference Between Survival and Prepping

Now, I’m not talking about “it’s too late to survive.” That’s a whole other animal.

Some of you, I know, could SURVIVE  because of your skills and location. Others have been prepping for so long that you could easily hunker down for months at a time.

SURVIVAL is really what happens in the aftermath of an event, and there are all sorts of creative ways to survive and get by, one day at a time.

Prepping is different. Prepping is taking action right now and being proactive so when a survival situation occurs, you’re ready. Your preps are in place to mitigate the effects of that event.

Here are the warning signs I’ve come up with to signal that it’s too late to prep.

Three Warning Signs It’s Too Late To Prep

Here are the indicators that it’s now time to hunker down with whatever you have and wherever you are, connect with close friends and relatives, and prepare to weather whatever comes.

Warning sign #1: You don’t have easy access to your money.

• Long lines at the bank, people lining up early in the day to make transactions
• Limited bank hours
• ATMs run out of cash
• Banks limiting withdrawal amounts
• New government regulations that limit cash withdrawals or other types of transactions
• You can no longer make the purchases you would like in order to prep

Warning sign #2: It’s more difficult or impossible to easily travel.

• The government regulates gas purchases, set mileage allotments
• Gas prices become so expensive as to effectively limit travel
• Checkpoints between states or even counties to ensure regulations are enforced
• “Movement is life,” Brad Pitt’s character says in World War Z. When freedom of movement becomes nearly impossible, so does survival.
• Getting to a bug-out location is no longer possible due to these measures

Warning sign #3: Ordinary purchases are more difficult to make

• Increased number of empty store shelves
• More competition for goods and services
• Prices skyrocket until even the basics are no longer affordable
• Limits on purchases set by retailers or by government entities
• A black market develops
• You can no longer stock up on even the basics due to shortages and regulations

As you can see, these 3 warning signs signal an end to getting prepared easily or quickly.

“Everything’s the same until it isn’t.”

These 3 warning signs signal an end to getting prepared easily or quickly. Click To Tweet

I have no crystal ball to say whether any of these warning signs will happen or if they do when that might be.

But, all 3 signs are very easy to imagine. No longer are they in the realm of crazy conspiracy theories. We’ve all seen too many of those theories turn out to be 100% true.

What do other “experts” say about whether it can be too late to prep?

Nine years ago I posed this question to a number of friends and acquaintances in the prepping and survival field:

“How will you know when the balloon goes up?”

You’ll have to click here to figure out what that question even means and then, read the responses from a couple of dozen of different people from James Rawles to Fernando Aguirre and Selco.

Conclusion

I’ve given you my own three warning signs of when it’s become too late to prep, and you can compare them with assessments from a number of other authors, security experts, bloggers, and prepping authorities.

Again, here’s the link to Part 1 of that 4 part series.

(To read all 4 parts, be sure to scroll down below each article.)

I hope this gives you food for thought and helps you refine your own prepping plans.

I know my readers are quite opinionated, and I fully expect to hear your opinions. Let me know in the comments below what you think of my three warning signs that it’s too late to prep. I look forward to reading them!