I’m not talking about anything unusual or alien in nature. What I’m talking about is how to thinking outside of the box requires just a little bit more work than you may be used to. Once you master the simple concept of ABC-XYZ, then you’ll be thinking in 3 dimensions. I take the idea from the movie, “The Wrath of Khan”, a Star Trek movie. The USS Enterprise is in a nebula chasing Khan who is in command of the USS Reliant. Mr. Spock says, “His actions represent two-dimensional thinking” and then Captain Kirk orders Mr. Sulu to move the ship down [belly first], or -Z in the XYZ axis.

Let’s start with prepping. While you’ve been prepping, you told yourself, “I’ll need chickens, rabbits, goats, and whatever else”. But did you think behind and ahead of this need? Prepping is a cause and effect system. The cause is concern for your future, the effect is setting things aside and learn new skills.

So this is where ABC begins.

ABC is the beginning sequence of our alphabet. ABC represents cause and effect and how sequence of events need to be considered.

“A” may be “I need to get chickens”, but unless you consider B and C, it may be a waste of time and money. Are there alternatives to chickens, such as rabbits? How about getting cats to hunt small game for you? You have alternatives, think of them now instead of later. If you decide to get chickens, how many should you get? What breed is best for your area? Do you want eggs, meat, or both? Think about it now, not later. And then act on that decision.

“B” would simply be raising the chickens.  Have you figured out what to feed them pre- and post collapse? Have you thought about where they are going to live in the winter? Are you going to long-term store the eggs, eat them daily, or sell them?

“C” would be what to do once they stop laying. Are you going to slaughter them, or just let them sponge off of you? If you are going to slaughter, what are going to do with the left overs, the “guts and feathers” of a chicken? How are you going to store the meat?

I’m simply using Chickens as the object of the cause and effect. It could be accepting someone into your prepping group, or having a child in a post collapse society. It could be anything.

Now XYZ is a bit more complex.

Look up, Look down, Look around. That is the XYZ part of 3 dimensional thinking.

Our prepping is the same way. We see shelves, so let’s fill them. We see totes, so let’s fill them. Did you look above or below for places to conceal food? Did you check to see if your false ceiling had spaces along the wall to store things, or the crawl space could be made to store water with an afternoon’s worth of work?

Do you live in a small town? If so, look at your street. More than likely, somewhere on that block is a manhole cover. Now I’m not saying you should put your preps there, RIGHT NOW, but rather when they start going door-to-door it may be a good place to hide yourselves, or your group, or maybe your food. Now it’s too dangerous to be there full time, but it doesn’t mean you can creep up at night for fresh air and water.

Move away from your home block and look for open spaces. There may or may not be enough room for a person to stand, but at least you can sit things out for a few days.
If you are concerned about flammable gases, then remember you can use that gas to your benefit. If it’s too nasty for them, it’s going to keep them away.

Storing materials UP into trees is also an option. Climb up a ladder and store things in small steel containers. That keeps the squirrels from getting in. It works best with full foliage trees, or evergreens in the winter. USE YOUR IMAGINATION!