WP Survival: Post Holiday Planning

First off, congratulations to Craig Reynolds of Erie, PA for winning the Holiday E-Bike Giveaway. Craig has been subscribed since the first day we launched the email newsletter and his patience paid off!

We’ll be doing another giveaway in the next few months. For now, let’s talk a little post holiday actions to rebuild your self-reliance after a busy, and sometimes expensive, holiday season.

The noise has settled. The credit card statements are arriving. For most, this is the season of the financial hangover, a time to ignore the damage and wait for spring.

But for those of us who walk the WayPoint, this is the season of the Audit.

An audit is not a punishment; it is an act of sovereignty. It is the moment you stop letting the world dictate your resources and you take back control. The greatest threat to your self-reliance is not a storm; it is a lack of clarity about your own position.

We will use the quiet of winter to perform a two-part audit: first, of our financial ground, and second, of our food security. This is how we turn the post-holiday debt into the foundation for a secure year.

Part I: The Financial Ground Audit (Reclaiming Your Capital)

The goal here is simple: stop the leaks and redirect the flow of capital back into your own hands.

1.The 48-Hour Debt Assessment: Do not wait. Pull up your credit card statements and tally the damage. Write down the exact number. You cannot fight an enemy you refuse to look at. This is the first act of courage.

2.The Subscription Cull: Schedule 15 minutes to go through your bank statements and cancel every non-essential subscription. These small, monthly leaks are the silent thieves of your financial security. Plug the holes in your boat.

3.The Gift Card Conversion: Gather every gift card. Convert them into cash or use them to free up cash in your budget. Use the restaurant card to pay for a meal you would have bought anyway, and then use the cash you saved to buy a tangible resource. Turn fleeting value into lasting resource.

4.The Debt Attack Strategy: Choose the smallest debt you have and attack it with the money from the first three acts. Pay it off completely. The goal is to gain a psychological victory that will fuel the next, larger financial move.

5.The 30-Day No-Spend Diet: Commit to a 30-day fast from all non-essential spending starting December 26th. This is a discipline that sharpens your mind and immediately frees up capital to be redirected toward food security.

Part II: The Food Security Audit (Building Your Buffer)

The money you reclaim from the financial audit is immediately redirected here. The goal is to build a buffer of food security on a budget, taking advantage of post-holiday sales and winter bulk pricing.

1.The Pantry Gap Analysis: Do not just look at your pantry; audit it. What are the three things your family eats most often? How many weeks could you survive on those three items alone? Identify the gaps in your most-used staples.

2.The Bulk Buy Strategy: Use the money saved from your No-Spend Diet to purchase bulk staples. Focus on the "Big Three" of long-term storage: Rice, Beans, and Oats. These are the cheapest calories and the foundation of any secure pantry.

3.The Water Audit: You can survive weeks without food, but only days without water. Audit your water storage. Do you have a minimum of one gallon per person per day for three days? Do you have a reliable filter? This is the most critical, non-food resource.

4.The Post-Holiday Sale Stock-Up: After the holidays, many non-perishable items go on deep discount. Audit the sales for things like canned ham, baking supplies, and high-quality canned vegetables. Buy what you will use in the next six months, not just what is on sale.

5.The Meal Plan Discipline: For the next 30 days, commit to a strict meal plan based only on what is already in your pantry. This forces you to rotate your stock, use older items, and prevents you from buying new food until the old is consumed. It is a zero-waste discipline.

6.The Skill Swap for Food: Winter is the time for indoor learning. Find a neighbor who knows how to can, bake bread, or make cheese. Offer to teach them a skill you know in exchange. The ability to produce food is the ultimate food security.

7.The Quiet Hour Audit: Commit to one hour a week of complete stillness. No phone, no TV, no noise. Use this time to review your audit findings. Where are the weak points? What is the next logical step? Clarity comes in the quiet.

The WayPoint is not a destination. It is the path you walk every day. Use this quiet winter season to perform your audit and reclaim your sovereignty.

James Bender

Walking the WayPoint

Please consider donating to The Woodcraft and Wilderness Learning Trust to help Bob Yeager teach more youth this upcoming spring of 2026, even the smallest amount makes a difference! https://givebutter.com/onehourkidsoutdoors