We’ve become a consumption society, drunk or at least punch drunk on consuming as much as we possibly can. Every small little thing that gets thrown in front of us we want to buy. Whether it's a snap purchase at the checkout or something online because of some cheap site offering what seems to be the same quality product at a much lesser price. That is not to say that you cannot get great deals of the same or very similar quality for less online. You can, however, the majority of stuff is just cheap crap, and the key question is DO YOU REALLY NEED IT ANYWAY!

One of the things that the different members in our community have in common, whether they are van lifers or grey nomads, tiny home people, or preppers, or survivalists, the thing that they have in common is that they all in principle, lead a minimalist lifestyle comparative to the greater majority of people. OK, yes in some cases it’s at least in part by necessity.

Let's face it, there's only so much you can fit in a tiny home. There's only so much you can carry with you as a survivalist. There's only so much that fits in the back of a van etc. Irrespective of that, it also goes to the mindset, especially in the prepper community who are more about overall preparedness instead of the misconception that they all have underground silos full of canned food.

People in our community generally become very highly skilled at minimising what it is that they have and what they own. In the last episode we talked about fuel shortages and the knock on effect on the food supply, etc. In this episode, the core discussion is centred around what we as humans really need in life, what you can do without entirely, and how to increase quality, reduce expenditure and lead overall a less cluttered, more peaceful and productive life with less stuff. Of course you can also expect us to go off on a few related tangents as we explore the topic in more depth and context.

As we look around us at how our society operates it's tempting to think that what was once will always be and many resources we simply take for granted. However, consider this: Australia has just 21 days supply of petrol and diesel and around 60 days of LPG.

We still have reserves of oil in the Bass straight plus those that are being operated off the west coast of Australia plus those reserves in the north of Australia. The problem is that the remaining fuel distillation plants, which is just the four, can only supply around 84,000 barrels per day. We use around 240,000 barrels per day so we have to import petrol and diesel from Singapore and South Korea.

The problem here is not if but when China will become even more rambunctious and close off the sea lanes between those two sources. Should that happen then let's consider the probable scenarios. If the fuel supply is cut off then it would be no surprise that the military and the emergency services, Police, fire and ambulance services, will have the bulk of the remaining diesel sequestered for their use. Petrol is not my concern here, as will become clear in a moment, as we can always find alternative sources of transport for the most part.

It's a common statement that if we eat, wear, use or drink anything at all that we have purchased then it was delivered by a truck. So the question I have is this: without sufficient diesel fuel to fill the tanks of the trucks delivering food and other essential items to the supermarkets how will you get what you and your family needs to survive?

Some people have as much as a week or two of meats and vegetables in their freezer and some supplies in their pantries. But what do you do if the situation goes on for more than two weeks or if you have even less than a two week supply? You starve of course; you and your family.

And this is just one possible scenario that could affect you and your family. There is so much going on in the global economic arena and the geopolitical areas that there are many, many situations that could impinge negatively on your life.

Therein lies the reason for this website. We aim to provide you with the tools and information to hopefully prepare yourself to not only survive but to thrive should such a situation arise. Consider this site as an insurance policy against disasters. You probably have comprehensive car insurance even though you probably haven't had an accident in years, even decades. You may well have home and household contents insurance even though you've never been broken into or had your house damaged. Insurance is more a case of piece of mind than actually using it.

Hopefully you won't need to use the information we supply, BUT, should the world come tumbling down around you how will you provide for you and your family? Should the tension between China and the west become even more strained and the almost inevitable conflict from that situation arise then Australia is in a very dangerous situation with regards to its fuel supply status.

So, if having an insurance against such events by way of information on how to make your own food, soap etc or provide first aid and remedies for ailments then sign up today to show your interest and we will start to provide that information as soon as we go full public with the site.