Your retreat isn’t stocked up, or you haven’t found one that fits right. Or you have, but you’re far away from it. You’re stuck in the city when the SHTF, or you’re out traveling and you’re far away from your new home. The credit-card infrastructure has sizzled. Your credit card is only good for opening insecure doors. All you have is the cash in your wallet.
Travel to your retreat, if you have one, is now out of the question. The highways are jammed and plane service is gone. You’re stuck where you are, or face a hike that may last weeks. Panic is beginning to spread; at the Wal-Marts, it’s a new Black Friday or worse. People are beginning to run for food, gas, generators and other obvious survival goods. Pollyannas are still legion, but their ranks are thinning as the SHTF news sinks in. Where you’re at is becoming dangerous.
Time is short; you need to survive. You need to prepare to job-hunt.