C NOTE SHOPPING SPREE
Is survival cost prohibitive? We asked ourselves that very same thing and decided to challenge a few of our regular contributors to see how far they could stretch 100 bucks. We asked them to envision what they’d need in an unfamiliar urban setting with mild weather (60 to 80 degrees F) with the following parameters:
72-hour time frame: The resources you buy will need to get you through the next three days relatively unharmed. Consider protection from the elements, self-defense, and any other tools you might need for this urban setting.
No escape: We want you to consider how you’d manage your limited cash and prioritize supplies, so you can’t simply call a cab and buy a ride to a safer location.
No assistance: You’re in this alone, so you can’t just find a phone and ask for help from law enforcement or flag down a passerby.
No shelter: You’ll be stuck sleeping on the streets and cannot buy a room at a hotel.
No food: You can probably find water to drink from a tap somewhere in the city, but won’t have any way to carry it. And unless you’re going to dig through dumpsters for food or live with the discomfort of hunger pains, you should consider including a source of calories in your $100 budget.
Scavenging is OK: It’s permissible to gather additional resources from your environment, but you should only do so legally. For example, using public water fountains and electrical outlets is allowed, but shoplifting is not.
See what everyone’s procurements consisted of to further understand what your options are if you can only survive with what you can purchase and find.
Morgan Rogue’s Approach
Being in an urban setting can be limiting, but also has many advantages. In this instance, I’m thinking of my particular urban setting, which would be in Alaska where water is mostly abundant, but our big cities are still pretty typical urban environments. The time of year
