By Jake Sepulveda

Some of the first things to go during a disaster situation or survival scenario, like a Zombie outbreak or attack, aren’t necessarily life-threatening or even physically harming at all… but they can make survival an even steeper uphill battle.

Power grids may be unreliable or fail all together, causing the convenience of cell phones, GPS units, refrigerators, microwaves, the internet and more to vanish in the blink of an eye. Water and sewer works may be temporarily or permanently shutdown, causing many to fend for themselves when it comes to the collection and treatment of water… not to mention the disposal of their waste. Services like trash pick up, mail delivery and banking will likely be unavailable for long periods of time. And even things like basic road maintenance and emergency response will be hard to come by.

So what does it all mean? It’s time to let go of luxury. While we know that many individuals don’t see some or even any of the before mentioned utilities and services as a luxury, that’s exactly what they are. As it stands now, electricity provides light at the flick of a switch and living conditions that wouldn’t otherwise exist. Water runs to your home so you don’t have to transport and treat it or even manage your own waste. People in trucks take care of the trash, carting it off and out of sight (though not out of existence). Men and women deliver packages, letters, and important communications daily… and so on and so forth.

Those that do not take the time to prepare themselves for a sudden lack of services and luxury in life will have a harder time of it should a disaster like a major earthquake, viral outbreak, hurricane, flood or more occur in their neck of the woods. Without these assumed available resources and services, many individuals may not make last long when and if things take a turn for the worse.

Prepare yourself now (as in today) by letting go of some of the literal luxuries in life and losing your reliance on them. Start small by take a step back from your phone, computer, and candy bars. Give up vices like soda, smoking, and credit cards. Wean yourself off of commercially bought dependance like fast food, prepacked meals, and little plastic gadgets and you’ll be one step closer to survival.