Step 1. Get out of debt, stop allowing the doosh bags to siphon away your hard earned cash.

Step 1a. Save and invest 20% of take home pay.

Step 1b. Keep 10% of 1a in liquid assets for “prudent” purchases.

Step 1c. Pay cash for everything, allow retail outlets to give less to large financial conglomerates (Visa, MC, AMEX, etc).

Step 2. Start eating right and get active so you can put down the magic beans (pharmaceuticals). Drink enough fluids to require urination every hour (goal). 200lbs of weight = 100 ounces of water per day. Math is to divide your weight (in pounds) in half and drink that amount of ounces of water per day.

Step 2a. After the ability to walk 3 miles with little effort, start wearing a pack with 25 lbs. You can also include carrying a 2 foot long 4 X 4 for additional upper body conditioning if desired.

Step 2b. After 2a, also for 3 miles with ease, you can now join a gym if desired OR perform 50 push ups, 60 sit ups, and work toward running 2 miles per day. Sunday is rest day. Continue indefinitely and stretch appropriately.

Step 3. Buy local, as close to home as possible (manufacturing and retail). Seek establishments that share your values. Build your purchasing network.

Step 3a. Check labels for made in USA. Put bug in ears of your new local retail network to stock with USA products. Use red sharpie to place a line on packaging of CCP products. NOTE: your cost will increase significantly; “embrace the suck” or learn Mandarin, the choice is yours.

Step 3b. Avoid big box and large chains. It is time to bring competition back to capitalism, they have gotten so large that our opinion no longer influences them.

Step 4. Prepare to eventually relocate by researching where and when you may need to. All prior steps will enable this but you must create a plan with benchmarks that will alert you to take action before it is required. This may require a different hemisphere or continent. Successful Step 1 will allow this (see New York State/California circa 2020 for adequate inspiration).

-original signed