With possibly tough economic times ahead, here are some ideas to make it through the tough times.
4 Things Everyone Should Do to Prepare for an Economic Recession
by Emergency Essentials.
Some economists are suggesting an economic slowdown is imminent. Others say the next one is probably a while away. Either way, it’s wise to prepare financially now for what’s to come.
“The key to keep in mind is that anything can happen. Therefore, always prepare for any possible emergency,” said Kaylee Chen, a peer mentor at the University of Utah Personal Money Management Center, in an e-mail.
Chen recommended four steps to prepare for an economic downturn: Have a savings, have necessities like food storage, learn a new skill and mentally prepare.
Start saving now for the next recession.
First, have or start a savings.
Peter Dunn, a financial columnist for USA Today, suggested that more people have been saving since the 2008-2009 recession because they’re thinking about it. Chen said she hadn’t necessarily been seeing that.
“People are definitely more aware of the idea of saving. However, following through and acting on it is a different situation,” she said. “I find a lot of people are still spending.”
She suggested budgeting based on the 50/30/20 rule. Fifty percent of income should go to fixed expenses. These are expenses like a house payment and utility bills that must be paid.
Thirty percent of income should go to discretionary expenses. These are more flexible expenses like groceries, gas, and entertainment that can be adjusted.
Twenty percent of income should go toward investing or financial goals and saving for emergencies. Chen recommended women put 12 percent of their salary in long-term investments and men 10 percent.
“The reality is that women live longer and make less income than men,” she said.
She recommended people talk with a financial planner yearly.
“They will work with you to plan for children’s college, travel, or retirement,” she said.
The important thing is to start saving.
“Even as small as setting five dollars aside, it’s still a start,” she said.
Food might be hard to come by during a recession. Prepare while you can by obtaining an emergency food supply.
Second, keep some necessities like food storage.
In any emergency, whether it be short-term or long-term, it’s important to recognize nobody can do everything by themselves. Therefore, one of the necessities to build is a list of resources. These can include a church or non-profit organization. It’s also useful to network to develop a list of where to go for extra help in case of job loss or other emergency.
A column making the rounds online that was said to have been written by a man who survived Hurricane Sandy pointed out that networking is useful for many aspects of emergency preparation.
“Quote, ‘A man with a chainsaw and knows how to use it is a thing of beauty.’”
Third, Learn new skills.
These can translate into side jobs for additional income. Chen used the example of a piano teacher. Secondary skills can be useful when a person is younger because it helps them faster achieve their financial goals. When a person is older and around retirement, a side job can help them with retirement savings.
Finally, mentally prepare for bad things to happen.
One key to mental preparedness is to get out of debt. Chen encouraged a budget or lifestyle change. Dunn suggested decreasing spending by 10 to 15 percent over time.
“You’ll tighten the budget before you are forced to tighten the budget,” he said.
Another is to practice caution in an investment portfolio.
“When the market goes down, many people get scared of the market and take out their money. You do not want to buy high and sell low,” Chen said.
Kiplinger, a finance education web site, pointed out that markets quickly recover. Since 1945, the site said, markets that have lost 10 to 20 percent have rebounded in just four months on average. Bear markets, with losses of 20 percent or more, have had an average recovery time of just 25 months.
“If you’re in middle age, consider making a portfolio less aggressive,” a Kiplinger column said. “No single sector should claim more than 5% to 10% of your holdings.”
Very few people can affect global markets. But they can take care of themselves and their families.
“Understand that you have no control over the economic downturn,” Chen said. “Honestly, all one can do is to wait.”
And, she added, a person can start taking these steps even during an economic downturn.
“It’s never too late,” she said.
by Emergency Essentials.
Some economists are suggesting an economic slowdown is imminent. Others say the next one is probably a while away. Either way, it’s wise to prepare financially now for what’s to come.
“The key to keep in mind is that anything can happen. Therefore, always prepare for any possible emergency,” said Kaylee Chen, a peer mentor at the University of Utah Personal Money Management Center, in an e-mail.
Chen recommended four steps to prepare for an economic downturn: Have a savings, have necessities like food storage, learn a new skill and mentally prepare.
Start saving now for the next recession.
First, have or start a savings.
Peter Dunn, a financial columnist for USA Today, suggested that more people have been saving since the 2008-2009 recession because they’re thinking about it. Chen said she hadn’t necessarily been seeing that.
“People are definitely more aware of the idea of saving. However, following through and acting on it is a different situation,” she said. “I find a lot of people are still spending.”
She suggested budgeting based on the 50/30/20 rule. Fifty percent of income should go to fixed expenses. These are expenses like a house payment and utility bills that must be paid.
Thirty percent of income should go to discretionary expenses. These are more flexible expenses like groceries, gas, and entertainment that can be adjusted.
Twenty percent of income should go toward investing or financial goals and saving for emergencies. Chen recommended women put 12 percent of their salary in long-term investments and men 10 percent.
“The reality is that women live longer and make less income than men,” she said.
She recommended people talk with a financial planner yearly.
“They will work with you to plan for children’s college, travel, or retirement,” she said.
The important thing is to start saving.
“Even as small as setting five dollars aside, it’s still a start,” she said.
Food might be hard to come by during a recession. Prepare while you can by obtaining an emergency food supply.
Second, keep some necessities like food storage.
In any emergency, whether it be short-term or long-term, it’s important to recognize nobody can do everything by themselves. Therefore, one of the necessities to build is a list of resources. These can include a church or non-profit organization. It’s also useful to network to develop a list of where to go for extra help in case of job loss or other emergency.
A column making the rounds online that was said to have been written by a man who survived Hurricane Sandy pointed out that networking is useful for many aspects of emergency preparation.
“Quote, ‘A man with a chainsaw and knows how to use it is a thing of beauty.’”
Third, Learn new skills.
These can translate into side jobs for additional income. Chen used the example of a piano teacher. Secondary skills can be useful when a person is younger because it helps them faster achieve their financial goals. When a person is older and around retirement, a side job can help them with retirement savings.
Finally, mentally prepare for bad things to happen.
One key to mental preparedness is to get out of debt. Chen encouraged a budget or lifestyle change. Dunn suggested decreasing spending by 10 to 15 percent over time.
“You’ll tighten the budget before you are forced to tighten the budget,” he said.
Another is to practice caution in an investment portfolio.
“When the market goes down, many people get scared of the market and take out their money. You do not want to buy high and sell low,” Chen said.
Kiplinger, a finance education web site, pointed out that markets quickly recover. Since 1945, the site said, markets that have lost 10 to 20 percent have rebounded in just four months on average. Bear markets, with losses of 20 percent or more, have had an average recovery time of just 25 months.
“If you’re in middle age, consider making a portfolio less aggressive,” a Kiplinger column said. “No single sector should claim more than 5% to 10% of your holdings.”
Very few people can affect global markets. But they can take care of themselves and their families.
“Understand that you have no control over the economic downturn,” Chen said. “Honestly, all one can do is to wait.”
And, she added, a person can start taking these steps even during an economic downturn.
“It’s never too late,” she said.
30 Frugal Living Tips: Small Changes That Result in Big Savings
Daisy Luther
January 25, 2019
People all over the globe are struggling right now to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. We’re losing jobs, paying higher expenses, dealing with governmental idiocy, and getting slapped with medical bills that we won’t make enough money to pay for in this lifetime. For some folks, tips like the ones that follow would not be helpful because their situations have become so dire. For the rest of us, though, there are many places that we can cut the budget in order to survive in the new economic paradigm. Frugality is a viable alternative lifestyle.
You may not want to make changes. You may not want to sacrifice your little luxuries. You may feel like you “deserve” them or that you have “earned” them.
First, please get out of your mind the phrase, “I work hard and deserve this chocolate thingamabob while someone paints my toenails for me” or any combination thereof.
You may work hard, but rationalizing poor spending habits is a surefire way to remain broke forever. Now, please don’t misunderstand – you don’t have to be miserably unhappy, grimly plodding through a life bereft of any pleasures. You just have to change your perspective, and that can take a little tough love.
Even small savings matter
Making some small changes in your day-to-day habits can actually add up to huge savings. And before you say, “Oh, that’s only $2, it doesn’t matter” think about this.
Two dollars, saved on a daily basis over the course of a year, is $730.
If you save $2 on 4 different things, that total is $2920.
Sure, if you’re a multimillionaire homeowner with a paid-off house, yacht, and car, those numbers are small potatoes. But for most of us, a savings of $2920 makes an awfully big difference.
Frugal living tips for any budget
So, look over these small savings and see which of these expenditures you can cut. You can often figure out a way to still have your small luxuries while saving money.
You can use one of these suggestions or all of them. Be creative and come up with your own ways to save that work well with your life.
Daisy Luther
January 25, 2019
People all over the globe are struggling right now to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. We’re losing jobs, paying higher expenses, dealing with governmental idiocy, and getting slapped with medical bills that we won’t make enough money to pay for in this lifetime. For some folks, tips like the ones that follow would not be helpful because their situations have become so dire. For the rest of us, though, there are many places that we can cut the budget in order to survive in the new economic paradigm. Frugality is a viable alternative lifestyle.
You may not want to make changes. You may not want to sacrifice your little luxuries. You may feel like you “deserve” them or that you have “earned” them.
First, please get out of your mind the phrase, “I work hard and deserve this chocolate thingamabob while someone paints my toenails for me” or any combination thereof.
You may work hard, but rationalizing poor spending habits is a surefire way to remain broke forever. Now, please don’t misunderstand – you don’t have to be miserably unhappy, grimly plodding through a life bereft of any pleasures. You just have to change your perspective, and that can take a little tough love.
Even small savings matter
Making some small changes in your day-to-day habits can actually add up to huge savings. And before you say, “Oh, that’s only $2, it doesn’t matter” think about this.
Two dollars, saved on a daily basis over the course of a year, is $730.
If you save $2 on 4 different things, that total is $2920.
Sure, if you’re a multimillionaire homeowner with a paid-off house, yacht, and car, those numbers are small potatoes. But for most of us, a savings of $2920 makes an awfully big difference.
Frugal living tips for any budget
So, look over these small savings and see which of these expenditures you can cut. You can often figure out a way to still have your small luxuries while saving money.
- Drink water. Even if you purchase it in 5-gallon jugs with the hot/cold dispenser, it’s still the best deal around, with the added bonus of being good for your health. Skip the soda pop, juices and sports drinks. Also, skip the individual bottles of water because those can be just as pricey as buying a soda. Coffee and tea that you make at home are also very inexpensive.
- Join a Farm Co-op. You can get baskets of produce for more than half the year at a fraction of the price. (Find some local farms here.)
- Stop buying coffee in the drive-thru on your way to work every day. You can save anywhere from $300-1300, depending on whether you are a Tim Hortons/Dunkin Donuts/Starbucks person. If you absolutely adore your coffee, make it at home and put it in a nice to-go mug for your commute. You can give yourself a Starbucks feeling with this. And these recipes for 25 different creamers will help you to get the fancy flavors without the fancy money.
- Brown bag it. Bring a healthy lunch from home instead of spending $5 or more each workday on your lunch. The peer pressure to go out with friends from the office can make this difficult, but stand firm. If there are 260 workdays in a year, and you save a minimum of $5 on each one of those workdays, at the end of the year, you’ve tallied up $1300!!! (and these days, a $5 lunch is tough to find – you’ll most likely be spending closer to $10, which means your savings is closer to $2600.)
- Skip the meat – consider 2 meatless meals per week, or at the very least make meat a condiment instead of a main dish.
- Cancel cable or satellite. Yes, the kids will complain. Yes, it will suck at first. Then you’ll learn to do other things and it won’t bother you at all. If you still want to watch television and movies, get an Amazon Prime or Netflix membership for viewing and pay less than $10 per month. (Prime also offers a music service, a photo service, and a Kindle Lending Library service, making it a better investment.)
- Lower your thermostat. The Consumer Energy Center says that for every degree you lower your heat under 70 degrees F, you can save up to 5% off your bill. Look into other ways to stay warm.
- Don’t use credit cards. If you must, because of an expense account, be sure to pay it off in full before the interest can kick in.
- Check your insurance rates. Shop around for car and home insurance to be sure you are getting the best price. This can be a recurrent savings of up to hundreds of dollars.
- Grow some of your own food. You don’t need a farm to grow some of your own veggies and herbs. You can also consider sprouting for fresh off-season greens at a fraction of the price of grocery store sprouts or produce. (I’ve had much better luck with the sprouting kits than with makeshift sprouters I’ve created – for me it was $20 well-spent)
- Find the best phone plan. For some it may be Skype, for others it may be a cell phone instead of a landline and for still others, especially those who make a lot of long-distance calls, it may be a VOIP service with unlimited national calling.
- Take shorter showers – this can save you up to $100 per year, depending on your water rates and your cost to heat the water.
- Make homemade pizza instead of ordering delivery. At the very least, go pick the pizza up to save yourself delivery charges and tip. In our house, Friday night pizza-making is a beloved family tradition.
- Set up a clothesline. Hanging your clothes to dry instead of using an electric dryer can save over $300 per year. You can set up a clothesline outside, or, if you live somewhere dusty like me, get a foldable drying rack, or devise something in your laundry room for drying clothing.
- Wash in cold water. Washing your clothes in cold water can save $50 per year – plus your clothes will last longer.
- Don’t throw away your leftovers. You can collect small amounts of left overs and combine them into something totally new. We often keep a container in the freezer for leftover veggies. Later we add them to soups or pot pies. Sometimes we have enough miscellaneous leftovers to create an entirely new meal, which is like free food! Another option is what my kids call “leftover buffet” – all the leftovers go out on the counter and the kids can pick and choose their items – the ovenproof dish gets heated up and voila – TV dinner is served! If you have a few servings of dinner left over, put them in single serving containers so that you can grab them for lunches throughout the week.
- Eat at home. If you cut meals out to one a month, you can save up to $3000 per year for a family of four. As well, when it is a rare occurrence, it’s much more of a treat.
- Shop secondhand. Hit up thrift stores, Craigslist, Ebay, and yard sales before purchasing items new. Seek and ye shall very often find what you need for a fraction of the price. Also check out “Freecycle” – a website dedicated to unloading unwanted things at no charge.
- Stay healthy. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but by taking precautions like washing your hands and avoiding sick people you can reduce your risk of becoming ill. Also, good nutrition, vitamins, exercise and sunshine all help to boost your immune system. Being sick results in lost wages, money spent on trips to the doctor, and expensive medications.
- Prep your food ahead of time. Nothing says “drive thru” like a gnawing hunger pain in your stomach on your way home from work. Spend time on the weekend prepping your food for the week ahead so that you are able to have dinner on the table in less time than it takes to wait in line at a fast food restaurant.
- Skip the gym and take your workout outside. Walk, run, bike, or hike and save those monthly fees.
- Quit smoking. Need I say more?
- DIY your hair color. At the very least, touch up your roots at home.
- Speaking of hair – consider simplifying. Try to stretch the time between haircuts, learn to trim your hair yourself, forgo the fancy highlights and procedures, and cut back on the products. I realize not everyone is as enthusiastic about the ponytail as I am but see where you can simplify.
- Ditch the fake nails. I used to have a friend that insisted it was necessary for her job to have perfectly manicured fingers. No. If you are not a professional hand model, it’s not. Either learn to do it yourself or simplify to short neat fingernails buffed to a shine. I sincerely doubt any person ever lost a job for not having artificial nails.
- Clip coupons. Coupons can often net you big savings, but not always. Be sure to compare with the price of the less expensive store brands – sometimes coupons aren’t that great of a deal. As well, another risk with coupons is that you’ll buy something you wouldn’t normally purchase. Make sure the item is something that would be on your list anyway.
- DIY cleaning products. Skip the fancy cleaning supplies and use household items like white vinegar and baking soda to keep your house spotless.
- Repair instead of replace. In our disposable society, most people say “Oh, it’s only $3 – I’ll get a new one.” Repairing items isn’t just a way to save money – it’s a great way to improve your skills. Learn skills like mending, darning, welding, simple electrical and mechanical repairs and minor carpentry and keep these items on hand for simple repairs.
- Skip the doggie beauty salon. Learn to groom your dog at home. For the price of one trip to the groomer, you can purchase quality nail clippers and a good brush. Use human shampoo and brush your pet frequently to reduce matting. If your dog requires trimming on a regular basis, consider getting professional quality clippers and learning to give her a cut, or at the very least, stretching out the visits with a bit more time in between.
- Stay home. When you stay home, you aren’t spending money on gas, drinks, food and shopping. If you are the type of person that needs the social aspect of going out, take your own water bottle and picnic lunch, and focus on free activities like going to the dog park, the museum on free-admission days, and the splash pad with the kids.
You can use one of these suggestions or all of them. Be creative and come up with your own ways to save that work well with your life.
Surviving The Next Great Depression
By
Bill White
June 11, 2013
Mention of the Great Depression readily conjures images of long lines with streets full of the skinny, unemployed masses. Beginning in 1929, the Great Depression resulted from a culmination of awful natural disasters as well as economic collapse, societal panic and the damage caused by repeated bank runs and the crash on Wall Street of October, 1929.
In the span of only a few weeks, investors in the United States saw more than 40 billion dollars vanish, and that was at a time when the US dollar was still held against a gold standard. The crash on Wall Street and the subsequent panic and bank runs that ensued led the citizen of the US from their heyday of the Roaring Twenties to the extreme poverty and hardship of the 1930s.
Combined with catastrophic crop failures in the Dust Bowl and record repossessions of family farms by the banks, much of the Midwest and the East Coast were left financially devastated.
Worst of all, many families were left in ruins. Farmers and homesteaders who had mortgaged their land in order to purchase livestock, tools or new farm machinery such as tractors and plows, lost even their capability to subsist and feed their own families.
Foreclosures hit record highs and a mass exodus (the Dust Bowl exodus) of people from the Midwest swept toward California.
Amidst the turmoil and ruin of the 1930s, though, life went on. In spite of soaring unemployment rates, Americans from all walks of life were able to forge ahead and survive. Not everyone suffered throughout the 1930s, though, even among the poorer groups of society.
Families that stayed together and pooled their resources, individuals who sought out any and all extra work they could or who had unique, niche talents that they could employ, and those with the will, fortitude and perhaps a touch of good luck (or the right mentality) managed to survive and maintain a decent standard of living in the process.
During such a depression, when paper or hard currency may be of little value or very hard to come by, barter and trade become viable and necessary means of exchange. Many of the best barter items are small, everyday things that are currently available rather cheaply, so you can start stockpiling supplies very affordably. Consider stashing away some of these useful items:
Another good way to limit expenditures and conserve resources during another depression is for families to band together. As opposed to simply representing more mouths to feed, families that bind together during hardships have more adults and able-bodied individuals who can work to bring in additional money, food or material goods.
At the same time, everyone’s living expenses are pooled, reducing how much rent or utility bills each adult member is responsible for. Even small contributions go a long way during hard times, so everyone in the family should be encouraged to get involved and do all that they can.
Finally, as obvious as this might seem, when you see the unemployment numbers soaring do everything you can to keep your job. Even during the worst years of the Great Depression, more than half the population was still employed and working; people still had to eat, sleep and wash their clothes, and production was still going on, albeit at far lower levels.
So if you know there are a hundred, or a thousand, people waiting to take your job in a second if you get fired, do what you can not to cross with your boss or make trouble, show up on time and do what you have to.
By
Bill White
June 11, 2013
Mention of the Great Depression readily conjures images of long lines with streets full of the skinny, unemployed masses. Beginning in 1929, the Great Depression resulted from a culmination of awful natural disasters as well as economic collapse, societal panic and the damage caused by repeated bank runs and the crash on Wall Street of October, 1929.
In the span of only a few weeks, investors in the United States saw more than 40 billion dollars vanish, and that was at a time when the US dollar was still held against a gold standard. The crash on Wall Street and the subsequent panic and bank runs that ensued led the citizen of the US from their heyday of the Roaring Twenties to the extreme poverty and hardship of the 1930s.
Combined with catastrophic crop failures in the Dust Bowl and record repossessions of family farms by the banks, much of the Midwest and the East Coast were left financially devastated.
Worst of all, many families were left in ruins. Farmers and homesteaders who had mortgaged their land in order to purchase livestock, tools or new farm machinery such as tractors and plows, lost even their capability to subsist and feed their own families.
Foreclosures hit record highs and a mass exodus (the Dust Bowl exodus) of people from the Midwest swept toward California.
Amidst the turmoil and ruin of the 1930s, though, life went on. In spite of soaring unemployment rates, Americans from all walks of life were able to forge ahead and survive. Not everyone suffered throughout the 1930s, though, even among the poorer groups of society.
Families that stayed together and pooled their resources, individuals who sought out any and all extra work they could or who had unique, niche talents that they could employ, and those with the will, fortitude and perhaps a touch of good luck (or the right mentality) managed to survive and maintain a decent standard of living in the process.
During such a depression, when paper or hard currency may be of little value or very hard to come by, barter and trade become viable and necessary means of exchange. Many of the best barter items are small, everyday things that are currently available rather cheaply, so you can start stockpiling supplies very affordably. Consider stashing away some of these useful items:
- Lighters are immensely useful for trade and barter during a crises, whether you live in a more remote rural area or in the heart of an urban metropolis. Standard Bic lighters are reasonably cheap and good to stock up on for use as barter and trade items, while you may want to stock up on some more expensive Zippo or other lighters that can be refilled over and over again for personal use.
- Toilet paper is probably still going to be available, but maybe not all the time. Amidst shortages and delays in the distribution of goods, you’re still gonna need to use the toilet and having toilet paper on hand is a very nice convenience. Alternatively, when there’s none to be had but the demand exists, you might be surprised what some people would be willing to trade for a roll of toilet paper.
- Tobacco or cigarettes are a very useful trade and barter item. Even (and perhaps especially) if you don’t smoke, a small stockpile of tobacco and/or cigarettes can serve you very well in the event of another depression. The fact is that there are a whole lot of smokers in the world and there’ll probably be a whole lot more during a depression when stress and tension run high, so you’ll have a valuable barter item when you most need it.
- Alcohol, like tobacco or cigarettes, is a useful product to stock up on. Pure grain alcohols and higher proof vodka, rum, whiskey and gin all store well and are imminently tradable. Finer wines, beers, malts and other alcoholic beverages can be stockpiled as well, for use as luxury trade or barter items, as well as for personal use if desired.
- Not everyone is interested in tobacco or alcohol, and there may be times when you just want to help someone out with a bowl of hot food. Rice, rolled oats, corn and beans are all reasonably cheap and store for years when properly canned or bagged. In addition to being easily traded, these foods are good staples for you and your family, as well as for use when more casual friends or acquaintances need an extra meal but you can’t afford to share your more valuable bread, meat, eggs or dairy.
- Utility tools, especially small and compact multi-tools from manufacturers like Gerber and the Leatherman Company can be immeasurably useful to have. By stocking up on a few extra tools, you’ll be able to give them to your friends or family in need and / or trade them for other valuable commodities that you need.
- Butane and other fuels are generally in very short supply, or are cost-prohibitively expensive, during economic turmoil or a prolonged depression. Rather than stockpiling butane for use fueling your camp stove or gas oven, one of the best uses of stored butane is in refilling lighters and small lanterns for others in trade for other items you need. With even a small stockpile of butane (think a couple of those little canisters for camp stoves) you’ll have a valuable resource that others are likely to need, and you can reap the benefits of having been better prepared when you trade for the material goods you need.
- Spices, such as sugar,salt and pepper as well as mustard seed, cinnamon (sticks and/or powder), and other herbs and spices offer you a touch of luxury in your cooking. During a time when imports and exports may be limited or nonexistent, being able to satisfy that craving you have for something sweet or exotic can do wonders for lifting the spirit and raising morale among your friends or family. Spices and herbs can also help make bland foods more palatable, especially important if you have to eat the same things day in and day out for weeks or months on end. Most spices and herbs are known to have varying beneficial health effects, as well, and can also be traded during times of scarcity.
- Batteries aren’t one of the most traditional of items to stock up on, but we live in a digital age now. The next depression doesn’t necessarily entail power outages or grid shutdown, in which case we’ll all want our electronic gadgets and gizmos to keep working. Batteries are small, cheap, easy to store, and can make great trade and barter items in the event of widespread chaos due to manufacturing or supply shortages.
Another good way to limit expenditures and conserve resources during another depression is for families to band together. As opposed to simply representing more mouths to feed, families that bind together during hardships have more adults and able-bodied individuals who can work to bring in additional money, food or material goods.
At the same time, everyone’s living expenses are pooled, reducing how much rent or utility bills each adult member is responsible for. Even small contributions go a long way during hard times, so everyone in the family should be encouraged to get involved and do all that they can.
Finally, as obvious as this might seem, when you see the unemployment numbers soaring do everything you can to keep your job. Even during the worst years of the Great Depression, more than half the population was still employed and working; people still had to eat, sleep and wash their clothes, and production was still going on, albeit at far lower levels.
So if you know there are a hundred, or a thousand, people waiting to take your job in a second if you get fired, do what you can not to cross with your boss or make trouble, show up on time and do what you have to.
20 Things You Will Need To Survive When The Economy Collapses And The Next Great Depression Begins
Michael Snyder
May. 7, 2010, 10:26 AM
929,962
The Economic Collapse Blog.
Today, millions of Americans say that they believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. But only a small percentage of those same people are prepared for that to happen. The sad truth is that the vast majority of Americans would last little more than a month on what they have stored up in their homes.
Most of us are so used to running out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart for whatever we need that we never even stop to consider what would happen if suddenly we were not able to do that. Already the U.S. economy is starting to stumble about like a drunken frat boy. All it would take for the entire U.S. to resemble New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina would be for a major war, a terror attack, a deadly pandemic or a massive natural disaster to strike at just the right time and push the teetering U.S. economy over the edge. So just how would you survive if you suddenly could not rely on the huge international corporate giants to feed, clothe and supply you and your family? Do you have a plan?
Unless you already live in a cave or you are a complete and total mindless follower of the establishment media, you should be able to see very clearly that our society is more vulnerable now than it ever has been. This year there have been an unprecedented number of large earthquakes around the world and volcanoes all over the globe are awakening. You can just take a look at what has happened in Haiti and in Iceland to see how devastating a natural disaster can be. Not only that, but we have a world that is full of lunatics in positions of power, and if one of them decides to set off a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon in a major city it could paralyze an entire region. War could erupt in the Middle East at literally any moment, and if it does the price of oil will double or triple (at least) and there is the possibility that much of the entire world could be drawn into the conflict. Scientists tell us that a massive high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) blast could send large portions of the United States back to the stone age in an instant. In addition, there is the constant threat that the outbreak of a major viral pandemic (such as what happened with the 1918 Spanish Flu) could kill tens of millions of people around the globe and paralyze the economies of the world.
But even without all of that, the truth is that the U.S. economy is going to collapse. So just think of what will happen if one (or more) of those things does happen on top of all the economic problems that we are having.
Are you prepared?
#1 Storable Food
Food is going to instantly become one of the most valuable commodities in existence in the event of an economic collapse. If you do not have food you are not going to survive. Most American families could not last much longer than a month on what they have in their house right now. So what about you? If disaster struck right now, how long could you survive on what you have? The truth is that we all need to start storing up food. If you and your family run out of food, you will suddenly find yourselves competing with the hordes of hungry people who are looting the stores and roaming the streets looking for something to eat.
Of course you can grow your own food, but that is going to take time. So you need to have enough food stored up until the food that you plant has time to grow. But if you have not stored up any seeds you might as well forget it. When the economy totally collapses, the remaining seeds will disappear very quickly. So if you think that you are going to need seeds, now is the time to get them.
#2 Clean Water
Most people can survive for a number of weeks without food, but without water you will die in just a few days. So where would you get water if the water suddenly stopped flowing out of your taps? Do you have a plan? Is there an abundant supply of clean water near your home? Would you be able to boil water if you need to?
Besides storing water and figuring out how you are going to gather water if society breaks down, another thing to consider is water purification tablets. The water you are able to gather during a time of crisis may not be suitable for drinking. So you may find that water purification tablets come in very, very handy.
#3 Shelter
You can't sleep on the streets, can you? Well, some people will be able to get by living on the streets, but the vast majority of us will need some form of shelter to survive for long. So what would you do if you and your family lost your home or suddenly were forced from your home? Where would you go?
The best thing to do is to come up with several plans. Do you have relatives that you can bunk with in case of emergency? Do you own a tent and sleeping bags if you had to rough it? If one day everything hits the fan and you and your family have to "bug out" somewhere, where would that be? You need to have a plan.
#4 Warm Clothing
If you plan to survive for long in a nightmare economic situation, you are probably going to need some warm, functional clothing. If you live in a cold climate, this is going to mean storing up plenty of blankets and cold weather clothes. If you live in an area where it rains a lot, you will need to be sure to store up some rain gear. If you think you may have to survive outdoors in an emergency situation, make sure that you and your family have something warm to put on your heads. Someday after the economy has collapsed and people are scrambling to survive, a lot of folks are going to end up freezing to death. In fact, in the coldest areas it is actually possible to freeze to death in your own home. Don't let that happen to you.
#5 An Axe
Staying along the theme of staying warm, you may want to consider investing in a good axe. In the event of a major emergency, gathering firewood will be a priority. Without a good tool to cut the wood with that will be much more difficult.
#6 Lighters Or Matches
You will also want something to start a fire with. If you can start a fire, you can cook food, you can boil water and you can stay warm. So in a true emergency situation, how do you plan to start a fire? By rubbing sticks together? Now is the time to put away a supply of lighters or matches so that you will be prepared when you really need them.
In addition, you may want to consider storing up a good supply of candles. Candles come in quite handy whenever the electricity goes out, and in the event of a long-term economic nightmare we will all see why our forefathers relied on candles so much.
#7 Hiking Boots Or Comfortable Shoes
When you ask most people to list things necessary for survival, this is not the first or the second thing that comes to mind. But having hiking boots or very comfortable and functional shoes will be absolutely critical. You may very well find yourself in a situation where you and your family must walk everywhere you want to go. So how far do you think you will get in high heels? You will want footwear that you would feel comfortable walking in for hours if necessary. You will also want footwear that will last a long time, because when the economy truly collapses you may not be able to run out to the shoe store and get what you need at that point.
#8 A Flashlight And/Or Lantern
When the power goes off in your home, what is the first thing that you grab? Just think about it. A flashlight or a lantern of course. In a major emergency, a flashlight or a lantern is going to be a necessity - especially if you need to go anywhere at night.
Solar powered or "crank style" flashlights or lanterns will probably be best during a long-term emergency. If you have battery-powered units you will want to begin storing up lots and lots of batteries.
#9 A Radio
If a major crisis does hit the United States, what will you and your family want? Among other things, you will all want to know what in the world is going on. A radio can be an invaluable tool for keeping up with the news.
Once again, solar powered or "crank style" radios will probably work best for the long term. A battery-powered until would work as well - but only for as long as your batteries are able to last.
#10 Communications Equipment
When things really hit the fan you are going to want to communicate with your family and friends. You will also want to be able to contact an ambulance or law enforcement if necessary. Having an emergency cell phone is great, but it may or may not work during a time of crisis. The Internet also may or may not be available. Be sure to have a plan (whether it be high-tech or low-tech) for staying in communication with others during a major emergency.
#11 A Swiss Army Knife
If you have ever owned a Swiss Army knife you probably already know how incredibly handy they can be. It can be a very valuable and versatile tool. In a true survival situation, a Swiss Army knife can literally do dozens of different things for you. Make sure that you have at least one stored up for emergencies.
#12 Personal Hygiene Items
While these may not be absolute "essentials", the truth is that life will get very unpleasant very quickly without them. For example, what would you do without toilet paper? Just think about it. Imagine that you just finished your last roll of toilet paper and now you can't get any more. What would you do?
The truth is that soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and other hygiene products are things that we completely take for granted in society today. So what would happen if we could not go out and buy them any longer?
#13 A First Aid Kit And Other Medical Supplies
One a more serious note, you may not be able to access a hospital or a doctor during a major crisis. In your survival supplies, be absolutely certain that you have a good first aid kit and any other medical supplies that you think you may need.
#14 Extra Gasoline
There may come a day when gasoline is rationed or is simply not available at all. If that happens, how will you get around? Be certain to have some extra gasoline stored away just in case you find yourself really needing to get somewhere someday.
#15 A Sewing Kit
If you were not able to run out and buy new clothes for you and your family, what would you do? Well, you would want to repair the clothes that you have and make them last as long as possible. Without a good sewing kit that will be very difficult to do.
#16 Self-Defense Equipment
Whether it is pepper spray to fend off wild animals or something more "robust" to fend off wild humans, millions of Americans will one day be thankful that they have something to defend themselves with.
#17 A Compass
In the event of a major emergency, you and your family may find yourselves having to be on the move. If you are in a wilderness area, it will be very hard to tell what direction you are heading without a compass. It is always a good idea to have at least one compass stored up.
#18 A Hiking Backpack
If you and your family suddenly have to "bug out", what will you carry all of your survival supplies in? Having a good hiking backpack or "survival bag" for everyone in your family is extremely important. If something happened in the city where you live and you suddenly had to "go", what would you put your most important stuff in? How would you carry it all if you had to travel by foot? These are very important things to think about.
#19 A Community
During a long-term crisis, it is those who are willing to work together that will have the best chance of making it. Whether it is your family, your friends, a church or a local group of people that you know, make sure that you have some people that you can rely on and work together with in the event that everything hits the fan. Loners are going to have a really hard time of surviving for long.
#20 A Backup Plan
Lastly, it is always, always, always important to have a backup plan for everything.
If someone comes in and steals all the food that you have stored up, what are you going to do?
If travel is restricted and your can't get to your "bug out" location immediately do you have a Plan B?
If you have built your house into an impregnable survival fortress but circumstances force you to leave do you have an alternate plan?
The truth is that crisis situations rarely unfold just as we envision. It is important to be flexible and to be ready with backup plans when disaster strikes.
You don't want to end up like the folks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. You don't want to have to rely on the government to take care of you if something really bad happens.
Right now the U.S. strategic grain reserve contains only enough wheat to make half a loaf of bread for each of the approximately 300 million people in the United States.
How long do you think that is going to last?
Now is the time to get ready.
Now is the time to prepare.
The United States economy is going to collapse and incredibly hard times are coming.
Will you be able to survive when it happens?
Michael Snyder
May. 7, 2010, 10:26 AM
929,962
The Economic Collapse Blog.
Today, millions of Americans say that they believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. But only a small percentage of those same people are prepared for that to happen. The sad truth is that the vast majority of Americans would last little more than a month on what they have stored up in their homes.
Most of us are so used to running out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart for whatever we need that we never even stop to consider what would happen if suddenly we were not able to do that. Already the U.S. economy is starting to stumble about like a drunken frat boy. All it would take for the entire U.S. to resemble New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina would be for a major war, a terror attack, a deadly pandemic or a massive natural disaster to strike at just the right time and push the teetering U.S. economy over the edge. So just how would you survive if you suddenly could not rely on the huge international corporate giants to feed, clothe and supply you and your family? Do you have a plan?
Unless you already live in a cave or you are a complete and total mindless follower of the establishment media, you should be able to see very clearly that our society is more vulnerable now than it ever has been. This year there have been an unprecedented number of large earthquakes around the world and volcanoes all over the globe are awakening. You can just take a look at what has happened in Haiti and in Iceland to see how devastating a natural disaster can be. Not only that, but we have a world that is full of lunatics in positions of power, and if one of them decides to set off a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon in a major city it could paralyze an entire region. War could erupt in the Middle East at literally any moment, and if it does the price of oil will double or triple (at least) and there is the possibility that much of the entire world could be drawn into the conflict. Scientists tell us that a massive high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) blast could send large portions of the United States back to the stone age in an instant. In addition, there is the constant threat that the outbreak of a major viral pandemic (such as what happened with the 1918 Spanish Flu) could kill tens of millions of people around the globe and paralyze the economies of the world.
But even without all of that, the truth is that the U.S. economy is going to collapse. So just think of what will happen if one (or more) of those things does happen on top of all the economic problems that we are having.
Are you prepared?
#1 Storable Food
Food is going to instantly become one of the most valuable commodities in existence in the event of an economic collapse. If you do not have food you are not going to survive. Most American families could not last much longer than a month on what they have in their house right now. So what about you? If disaster struck right now, how long could you survive on what you have? The truth is that we all need to start storing up food. If you and your family run out of food, you will suddenly find yourselves competing with the hordes of hungry people who are looting the stores and roaming the streets looking for something to eat.
Of course you can grow your own food, but that is going to take time. So you need to have enough food stored up until the food that you plant has time to grow. But if you have not stored up any seeds you might as well forget it. When the economy totally collapses, the remaining seeds will disappear very quickly. So if you think that you are going to need seeds, now is the time to get them.
#2 Clean Water
Most people can survive for a number of weeks without food, but without water you will die in just a few days. So where would you get water if the water suddenly stopped flowing out of your taps? Do you have a plan? Is there an abundant supply of clean water near your home? Would you be able to boil water if you need to?
Besides storing water and figuring out how you are going to gather water if society breaks down, another thing to consider is water purification tablets. The water you are able to gather during a time of crisis may not be suitable for drinking. So you may find that water purification tablets come in very, very handy.
#3 Shelter
You can't sleep on the streets, can you? Well, some people will be able to get by living on the streets, but the vast majority of us will need some form of shelter to survive for long. So what would you do if you and your family lost your home or suddenly were forced from your home? Where would you go?
The best thing to do is to come up with several plans. Do you have relatives that you can bunk with in case of emergency? Do you own a tent and sleeping bags if you had to rough it? If one day everything hits the fan and you and your family have to "bug out" somewhere, where would that be? You need to have a plan.
#4 Warm Clothing
If you plan to survive for long in a nightmare economic situation, you are probably going to need some warm, functional clothing. If you live in a cold climate, this is going to mean storing up plenty of blankets and cold weather clothes. If you live in an area where it rains a lot, you will need to be sure to store up some rain gear. If you think you may have to survive outdoors in an emergency situation, make sure that you and your family have something warm to put on your heads. Someday after the economy has collapsed and people are scrambling to survive, a lot of folks are going to end up freezing to death. In fact, in the coldest areas it is actually possible to freeze to death in your own home. Don't let that happen to you.
#5 An Axe
Staying along the theme of staying warm, you may want to consider investing in a good axe. In the event of a major emergency, gathering firewood will be a priority. Without a good tool to cut the wood with that will be much more difficult.
#6 Lighters Or Matches
You will also want something to start a fire with. If you can start a fire, you can cook food, you can boil water and you can stay warm. So in a true emergency situation, how do you plan to start a fire? By rubbing sticks together? Now is the time to put away a supply of lighters or matches so that you will be prepared when you really need them.
In addition, you may want to consider storing up a good supply of candles. Candles come in quite handy whenever the electricity goes out, and in the event of a long-term economic nightmare we will all see why our forefathers relied on candles so much.
#7 Hiking Boots Or Comfortable Shoes
When you ask most people to list things necessary for survival, this is not the first or the second thing that comes to mind. But having hiking boots or very comfortable and functional shoes will be absolutely critical. You may very well find yourself in a situation where you and your family must walk everywhere you want to go. So how far do you think you will get in high heels? You will want footwear that you would feel comfortable walking in for hours if necessary. You will also want footwear that will last a long time, because when the economy truly collapses you may not be able to run out to the shoe store and get what you need at that point.
#8 A Flashlight And/Or Lantern
When the power goes off in your home, what is the first thing that you grab? Just think about it. A flashlight or a lantern of course. In a major emergency, a flashlight or a lantern is going to be a necessity - especially if you need to go anywhere at night.
Solar powered or "crank style" flashlights or lanterns will probably be best during a long-term emergency. If you have battery-powered units you will want to begin storing up lots and lots of batteries.
#9 A Radio
If a major crisis does hit the United States, what will you and your family want? Among other things, you will all want to know what in the world is going on. A radio can be an invaluable tool for keeping up with the news.
Once again, solar powered or "crank style" radios will probably work best for the long term. A battery-powered until would work as well - but only for as long as your batteries are able to last.
#10 Communications Equipment
When things really hit the fan you are going to want to communicate with your family and friends. You will also want to be able to contact an ambulance or law enforcement if necessary. Having an emergency cell phone is great, but it may or may not work during a time of crisis. The Internet also may or may not be available. Be sure to have a plan (whether it be high-tech or low-tech) for staying in communication with others during a major emergency.
#11 A Swiss Army Knife
If you have ever owned a Swiss Army knife you probably already know how incredibly handy they can be. It can be a very valuable and versatile tool. In a true survival situation, a Swiss Army knife can literally do dozens of different things for you. Make sure that you have at least one stored up for emergencies.
#12 Personal Hygiene Items
While these may not be absolute "essentials", the truth is that life will get very unpleasant very quickly without them. For example, what would you do without toilet paper? Just think about it. Imagine that you just finished your last roll of toilet paper and now you can't get any more. What would you do?
The truth is that soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and other hygiene products are things that we completely take for granted in society today. So what would happen if we could not go out and buy them any longer?
#13 A First Aid Kit And Other Medical Supplies
One a more serious note, you may not be able to access a hospital or a doctor during a major crisis. In your survival supplies, be absolutely certain that you have a good first aid kit and any other medical supplies that you think you may need.
#14 Extra Gasoline
There may come a day when gasoline is rationed or is simply not available at all. If that happens, how will you get around? Be certain to have some extra gasoline stored away just in case you find yourself really needing to get somewhere someday.
#15 A Sewing Kit
If you were not able to run out and buy new clothes for you and your family, what would you do? Well, you would want to repair the clothes that you have and make them last as long as possible. Without a good sewing kit that will be very difficult to do.
#16 Self-Defense Equipment
Whether it is pepper spray to fend off wild animals or something more "robust" to fend off wild humans, millions of Americans will one day be thankful that they have something to defend themselves with.
#17 A Compass
In the event of a major emergency, you and your family may find yourselves having to be on the move. If you are in a wilderness area, it will be very hard to tell what direction you are heading without a compass. It is always a good idea to have at least one compass stored up.
#18 A Hiking Backpack
If you and your family suddenly have to "bug out", what will you carry all of your survival supplies in? Having a good hiking backpack or "survival bag" for everyone in your family is extremely important. If something happened in the city where you live and you suddenly had to "go", what would you put your most important stuff in? How would you carry it all if you had to travel by foot? These are very important things to think about.
#19 A Community
During a long-term crisis, it is those who are willing to work together that will have the best chance of making it. Whether it is your family, your friends, a church or a local group of people that you know, make sure that you have some people that you can rely on and work together with in the event that everything hits the fan. Loners are going to have a really hard time of surviving for long.
#20 A Backup Plan
Lastly, it is always, always, always important to have a backup plan for everything.
If someone comes in and steals all the food that you have stored up, what are you going to do?
If travel is restricted and your can't get to your "bug out" location immediately do you have a Plan B?
If you have built your house into an impregnable survival fortress but circumstances force you to leave do you have an alternate plan?
The truth is that crisis situations rarely unfold just as we envision. It is important to be flexible and to be ready with backup plans when disaster strikes.
You don't want to end up like the folks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. You don't want to have to rely on the government to take care of you if something really bad happens.
Right now the U.S. strategic grain reserve contains only enough wheat to make half a loaf of bread for each of the approximately 300 million people in the United States.
How long do you think that is going to last?
Now is the time to get ready.
Now is the time to prepare.
The United States economy is going to collapse and incredibly hard times are coming.
Will you be able to survive when it happens?
There Is Only One Way Out of Debt-Serfdom: Fanatic Frugality
ZeroHedge.com May 4, 2017 5:50 PM
Authored by Charles Hugh-Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
Debt is serfdom, capital in all its forms is freedom.
If we accept that our financial system is nothing but a wealth-transfer mechanism from the productive elements of our economy to parasitic, neofeudal rentier-cartels and self-serving state fiefdoms, that raises a question: what do we do about it?
The typical answer seems to be: deny it, ignore it, get distracted by carefully choreographed culture wars or shrug fatalistically and put one's shoulder to the debt-serf grindstone.
There is another response, one that very few pursue: fanatic frugality in service of financial-political independence. Debt-serfs and dependents of the state have no effective political power, as noted yesterday in It Isn't What You Earn and Owe, It's What You Own That Generates Income.
There are only three ways to accumulate productive capital/assets: marry someone with money, inherit money or accumulate capital/savings and invest it in productive assets. (We'll leave out lobbying the Federal government for a fat contract or tax break, selling derivatives designed to default and the rest of the criminal financial skims and scams used so effectively by the New Nobility financial elites.)
The only way to accumulate capital to invest is to spend considerably less than you earn. For a variety of reasons, humans seem predisposed to spend more as their income rises. Thus the person making $30,000 a year imagines that if only they could earn $100,000 a year, they could save half of their net income. Yet when that happy day arrives, they generally find their expenses have risen in tandem with their income, and the anticipated ease of saving large chunks of money never materializes.
What qualifies as extreme frugality? Saving a third of one's net income is a good start, though putting aside half of one's net income is even better.
The lower one's income, the more creative one has to be to save a significant percentage of one's net income. On the plus side, the income tax burden for lower-income workers is low, so relatively little of gross income is lost to taxes.
The second half of the job is investing the accumulated capital in productive assets and/or enterprises. The root of capitalism is capital, and that includes not just financial capital (cash) but social capital (the value of one's networks and associations) and human capital (one's skills and experience and ability to master new knowledge and skills).
I cover these intangible forms of capital in my book Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy.
Cash invested in tools and new skills and collaborative networks can leverage a relatively modest sum of cash capital into a significant income stream, something that cannot be said of financial investments in a zero-interest rate world.
Notice anything about this chart of the U.S. savings rate? How about a multi-decade decline? Yes, expenses have risen, taxes have gone up, housing is in another bubble--all these are absolutely true. That makes savings and capital even more difficult to acquire and more valuable due to its scarcity. That means we have to approach capital accumulation with even more ingenuity and creativity than was needed in the past.
Meanwhile, we've substituted debt for income. This is the core dynamic of debt-serfdom.
As Aristotle observed, "We are what we do every day." That is the core of fanatic frugality and the capital-accumulation mindset.
The only leverage available to all is extreme frugality in service of accumulating savings that can be productively invested in building human, social and financial capital.
Debt is serfdom, capital in all its forms is freedom. Waste nothing, build some form of capital every day, seek opportunity rather than distraction.
ZeroHedge.com May 4, 2017 5:50 PM
Authored by Charles Hugh-Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
Debt is serfdom, capital in all its forms is freedom.
If we accept that our financial system is nothing but a wealth-transfer mechanism from the productive elements of our economy to parasitic, neofeudal rentier-cartels and self-serving state fiefdoms, that raises a question: what do we do about it?
The typical answer seems to be: deny it, ignore it, get distracted by carefully choreographed culture wars or shrug fatalistically and put one's shoulder to the debt-serf grindstone.
There is another response, one that very few pursue: fanatic frugality in service of financial-political independence. Debt-serfs and dependents of the state have no effective political power, as noted yesterday in It Isn't What You Earn and Owe, It's What You Own That Generates Income.
There are only three ways to accumulate productive capital/assets: marry someone with money, inherit money or accumulate capital/savings and invest it in productive assets. (We'll leave out lobbying the Federal government for a fat contract or tax break, selling derivatives designed to default and the rest of the criminal financial skims and scams used so effectively by the New Nobility financial elites.)
The only way to accumulate capital to invest is to spend considerably less than you earn. For a variety of reasons, humans seem predisposed to spend more as their income rises. Thus the person making $30,000 a year imagines that if only they could earn $100,000 a year, they could save half of their net income. Yet when that happy day arrives, they generally find their expenses have risen in tandem with their income, and the anticipated ease of saving large chunks of money never materializes.
What qualifies as extreme frugality? Saving a third of one's net income is a good start, though putting aside half of one's net income is even better.
The lower one's income, the more creative one has to be to save a significant percentage of one's net income. On the plus side, the income tax burden for lower-income workers is low, so relatively little of gross income is lost to taxes.
The second half of the job is investing the accumulated capital in productive assets and/or enterprises. The root of capitalism is capital, and that includes not just financial capital (cash) but social capital (the value of one's networks and associations) and human capital (one's skills and experience and ability to master new knowledge and skills).
I cover these intangible forms of capital in my book Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy.
Cash invested in tools and new skills and collaborative networks can leverage a relatively modest sum of cash capital into a significant income stream, something that cannot be said of financial investments in a zero-interest rate world.
Notice anything about this chart of the U.S. savings rate? How about a multi-decade decline? Yes, expenses have risen, taxes have gone up, housing is in another bubble--all these are absolutely true. That makes savings and capital even more difficult to acquire and more valuable due to its scarcity. That means we have to approach capital accumulation with even more ingenuity and creativity than was needed in the past.
Meanwhile, we've substituted debt for income. This is the core dynamic of debt-serfdom.
As Aristotle observed, "We are what we do every day." That is the core of fanatic frugality and the capital-accumulation mindset.
The only leverage available to all is extreme frugality in service of accumulating savings that can be productively invested in building human, social and financial capital.
Debt is serfdom, capital in all its forms is freedom. Waste nothing, build some form of capital every day, seek opportunity rather than distraction.
Lessons from the Great Depression
Preparing for an economic depression
happypreppers.com
"Poverty is simply having more problems than solutions." Robert
T. Kiyosaki
Wondering how can you survive an economic collapse and avoid
poverty? Perhaps Robert T. Kiyosaki summed it up best when he
wrote: "Poverty is simply having more problems than solutions."
Think about this from a prepper's perspective. Be prepared to
have more solutions than problems. To ensure you have more
solutions than problems, be creative, be flexible and adapt.
Here are frugal tips from the Great Depression to prepare
for the next one:
How to Prepare for the next Great Depression:
Here are twelve preparedness tips for getting through a
financial apocalypse.
Lesson #1: Change your eating habits.
The Great Depression caused an economic collapse; however,
most people did not starve during the Great Depression!
Certainly there were times when people went hungry, but it was
not for a lack of food available. For there was never an
interruption of the food supply, even with the dust bowl.
Perhaps a family chose to have a new pair of socks or shoes for
their child in lieu of eating a big meal. Perhaps having a second
portion was not necessary. Perhaps they were too proud to ask
for help. Or perhaps they were a bit creative about their meal
choices (eating only turnips instead of asking for help). Nobody
died for not having enough food, so that's a good news!
While times were tough, most people just made do with lesser
quality foods, including selection of lower quality meats. Soups
and stews made up most of the meals, because it could stretch
the food budget! Casseroles stretched the budget, too. During
the Great Depression, people changed their eating habits to
help their budget. Food production changed too:
Meals during the great depression included:
Did you know Rocky Road ice cream was "invented" in during
the Great Depression? Indeed it was a "Rocky Road" ahead
when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 and started
the Great Depression. Poverty hit the masses for a decade, but
hit it's peak in 1933 when around 40% of the nations farms
were on the auction block. Since that time, people have been
preparing for the next Great Depression.
Lesson #2: Put away more food.
During the Great Depression President Herbert Hoover declared,
"Nobody is actually starving." It's true that sometimes people
ate only turnips, others had only blackberries to eat, or apples,
so they made pie, but people of the Great Depression did not
starve as in underdeveloped countries. Generally, food was
bountiful and people starved only for PRIDE or LACK OF
CREATIVITY. As a prepper we must learn this important lesson!
Even though food was ample, many people went hungry and as
a result, began conserving and stockpiling food and money for
times of uncertainty in the years following the Great
Depression. Preppers today take comfort in stockpiling food, the
way the people did just after the Great Depression, taking
lessons from the past. Naturally, preppers create a deep larder
of food. This aspect of preparing for financial crisis is no
different from other preparedness plans. The more food you
have stored away today, the less dependent you will be during
financial crisis when a loaf of bread could cost $100. Not sure
where to start? Develop your "magic grocery list" of the basics.
Try these articles for preppers:
Lesson #3: Grow your own!
People of the Great Depression grew their own food. The
exception being the dust bowl states (Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Colorado, Kansas and parts of Texas) where growing was
impossible. During this time, there was approximately
100,000,000 acres of land barren, which forced farm families to
flee, (they were mostly from Oklahoma). While today big farms
and machines work the fields, back in the day a farmer fed an
average of eight families with his crops. People got by also got
by with food grown in their own gardens and they canned foods
for the Winter. While the economy collapsed, the food on the
farms were for the most part unaffected. People supported
themselves by growing root vegetables, such as onions, garlic,
and potatoes.
Lesson #4: Raise animals.
Many people of the Great Depression kept chickens or rabbits to
supplement food from their gardens. A lucky few had cows or
goats. Desperate people of the Great Depression got even more
creative with animal protein. An interesting Website to note is
this: pigeonsformeat.com.
Lesson #5: Learn to hunt, fish and forage off the land.
In many rural areas, hunting was a way to put meat on the
table during the Great Depression. An important lesson;
however, is that each shell from a man's rifle had to account for
game (or a family might go hungry)! Coming up with shells was
indeed a problem. Proximity was another factor to consider as
gas and cars were not affordable for the masses.
Lesson #6: Learn to barter when the bank won't give you
money.
Having skills to make your own food and supplies will help
you to provide for your family. For example you might exchange
a haircut for apples. Visit a bartering Web site.
Lesson #7: Learn the art of repair.
Start now and repair what you have instead of buying new. Use
the money saved to buy food, such as freeze dried milk, cheese
and meats, which will be harder to come by after the depression
hits.
Lesson #8: Make use of multi-purpose items.
Cornstarch was one of those products used during the Great
Depression quite often because it could thicken sauces, gravies,
soups, pie fillings and puddings. It could help make recipes
stretch. Cornstarch is a dense powder that comes from the
endosperm portion of corn, which though brought to market in
1899 had it's heyday in the 1930s. At this time, there was a
surplus of corn, particularly when the price of a bushel of corn
fell to just eight or ten cents. With so much corn there was an
opportunity to find new uses. Homemakers soon learned this
one product had so many uses.
Here are some of the many uses of cornstarch:
Lesson #9: Learn to do with less.
The people of the Great Depression learned to do more with
lessMaking do with less today might mean today:
Lesson #10: Ask for help.
People of the Great Depression didn't really ask for help, and
yet they received it. Like the Beatles song, learn to "Get by
with a little help" from your friends. Some survivors of the Great
Depression accepted the charity support of penny restaurants
and soup kitchens.
Lesson #11: Learn from people who survived the Great
Depression.
While many of the survivors are now deceased, there is still a
wealth of knowledge available in the form of DVDs, books and
the Internet. Great Depression Cooking with Clara is the
popular online cooking show created by Christopher Cannucciari
and starring Clara. In each episode Clara prepares recipes that
her mother made during the Great Depression. Clara shares her
stories and wisdom from the Depression as she shows you how
to make simple, inexpensive and delicious meals.
With over 2 million views, national news coverage and a
continuously growing fan base, Clara's online cooking show has
touched the lives of so many people looking for inexpensive,
delicious, nourishing meals. In the DVD, Clara provides her
mother's recipe's including: Pasta with Peas; Egg Drop Soup;
Poorman's Meal; Peppers and Eggs; Homemade Bread'
Depression Breakfast; Poorman's Feast, Twice Baked Potato,
Pasta with Garlic, and Fried Fish. You'll find some of Clara's
recipes on YouTube!
Lesson #12: Invest in tangibles (and get out of paper).
Cash will one day be a worthless thing. Buy what you can now
with the cash you have in hand, while it is still available and
stay out of debt. Preppers stockpile to ensure they have food
and supplies in lean times. Today, you can have a garage sale
to get rid of the useless items in your home and to help you
buy the preps you really need.
People with financial problems are not able to adapt. They are
not flexible. They are not creative. These are the main lessons
from those who have survived the Great Depression of 1929:
Books to read about Economic Collapse:
Ideas from the Great Depression
Questions About the Great Depression:
Who Made Money BEFORE the Great Depression?
ANSWER: here's a Great Depression fact: it's the people
without debt and with cash in hand who made money during the
Great Depression! People who had cash at the time of the crash
were well at hand to profit from the Great Depression when it
hit! Here is an example:
Who Made Money DURING the Great Depression?
Here are the stories of ten people who made money during the
Great Depression. They were entertainers, game makers, inside
traders, and Michael J. Cullen.
Who Made Money AFTER the crash?
How to Survive Next Great Depression
You don't necessarily need to sell your house, go completely off
the grid, move overseas, invest in Euros, or buy gold to survive
the next financial collapse...
To survive an economic down turn, you must have more
solutions than problems. To prepare for the next Great
Depression, you must learn from the past.
How to Live Happily Ever After
Certainly the Great Depression in the decade following October
1929 brought the lower class of America to rock bottom. The
low morale caused many to take suicide as the only way out.
This need not happen to preppers! To survive the next great
depression:
In short, you can survive the next Great Depression by changing
some habits.
So there you have it. People changed their habits, and you can
too. Preppers are optimistic for the best of times, and yet they
plan for worst of times.
Happy endings...
The good and happy fact about the Great Depression was that
while times were tough, and while many people went hungry
from time to time, no one died of starvation. For food was
plentiful and people were resourceful.
You can survive when you eat it up, wear it out, make do or do
without!
Preparing for an economic depression
happypreppers.com
"Poverty is simply having more problems than solutions." Robert
T. Kiyosaki
Wondering how can you survive an economic collapse and avoid
poverty? Perhaps Robert T. Kiyosaki summed it up best when he
wrote: "Poverty is simply having more problems than solutions."
Think about this from a prepper's perspective. Be prepared to
have more solutions than problems. To ensure you have more
solutions than problems, be creative, be flexible and adapt.
Here are frugal tips from the Great Depression to prepare
for the next one:
- Some day, paper money won't be good. Gold and silver
gives you a reserve. - Extend meat with oats. Use oats in casseroles and
meatloaf to bulk up the servings. - Buy a whole chicken and make at least meals from it!
You can make roasted chicken dinner, and with the scraps
chicken salad sandwiches, chicken pasta, and finally soup
stock from whatever is remaining, including the bones. - Don't ditch it: stitch it! If you can sew a repair instead of
replacing a garment then it's worth your time to do so. A
stitch in time, saves a dime. - Never throw away buttons. If a garment is no longer
useful, salvage the buttons for reuse along with the
others. Look in the seams before discarding. Sometimes
dress shirts will have extra buttons sewn into the seams.
For that matter, reuse the material! - Never throw away fabric. Material is ripe for reuse! Turn
old clothes into something different. Even an old adult
sweat shirt or a sweater can be a garment for a child. - Just a dab will do! Instead of pouring a palm full of
shampoo in your hand, wash your hair with a much smaller
dab. The same for toothpaste. There's no need to fill the
entire row of bristles with toothpaste when just a dab will
do. - Use mesh bags to help you get the most out of soap.
How to Prepare for the next Great Depression:
Here are twelve preparedness tips for getting through a
financial apocalypse.
Lesson #1: Change your eating habits.
The Great Depression caused an economic collapse; however,
most people did not starve during the Great Depression!
Certainly there were times when people went hungry, but it was
not for a lack of food available. For there was never an
interruption of the food supply, even with the dust bowl.
Perhaps a family chose to have a new pair of socks or shoes for
their child in lieu of eating a big meal. Perhaps having a second
portion was not necessary. Perhaps they were too proud to ask
for help. Or perhaps they were a bit creative about their meal
choices (eating only turnips instead of asking for help). Nobody
died for not having enough food, so that's a good news!
While times were tough, most people just made do with lesser
quality foods, including selection of lower quality meats. Soups
and stews made up most of the meals, because it could stretch
the food budget! Casseroles stretched the budget, too. During
the Great Depression, people changed their eating habits to
help their budget. Food production changed too:
- Crisco was a less expensive option to butter.
- Oscar Meyer Wieners replaced more costly sausages.
- Maxwell House Sanka coffee was an option to whole bean
coffees. - Heinz Ketchup was used as the base for a simple tomato
soup. - Underwood Deviled Ham substituted fresh lunch meat.
- Carnation evaporated milk replaced fresh milk.
- Ground acorns became a substitute for coffee; or people
added chicory to extend the coffee supplies. - Honey, molasses and corn sweeteners replaced sugar as
sugar was at a premium, and later rationed by World War
II.
Meals during the great depression included:
- Grandmas Great Depression Cake (no eggs, no butter,
no milk) - Creamed chipped beef on toast or waffles.
- Creamed chicken on biscuits, as a variation of chipped
beef. - Hash (potatoes and corned beef or sliced hot dogs).
- Depression soup: this was simply 1/3 cup ketchup 2/3
cup boiling water. - Molasses and Cornbread.
- Foods the debuted during Great Depression, include:
- Bisquick
- Good Humor ice cream bars
- Kraft macaroni and cheese
- Krispy Kreme doughnuts
- Kool-Aid
- Toll House chocolate chips
- Ritz Crackers
- Spam
- Hershey's Syrup, was invented before the
depression! (It's naturally fat-free.)
Did you know Rocky Road ice cream was "invented" in during
the Great Depression? Indeed it was a "Rocky Road" ahead
when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 and started
the Great Depression. Poverty hit the masses for a decade, but
hit it's peak in 1933 when around 40% of the nations farms
were on the auction block. Since that time, people have been
preparing for the next Great Depression.
Lesson #2: Put away more food.
During the Great Depression President Herbert Hoover declared,
"Nobody is actually starving." It's true that sometimes people
ate only turnips, others had only blackberries to eat, or apples,
so they made pie, but people of the Great Depression did not
starve as in underdeveloped countries. Generally, food was
bountiful and people starved only for PRIDE or LACK OF
CREATIVITY. As a prepper we must learn this important lesson!
Even though food was ample, many people went hungry and as
a result, began conserving and stockpiling food and money for
times of uncertainty in the years following the Great
Depression. Preppers today take comfort in stockpiling food, the
way the people did just after the Great Depression, taking
lessons from the past. Naturally, preppers create a deep larder
of food. This aspect of preparing for financial crisis is no
different from other preparedness plans. The more food you
have stored away today, the less dependent you will be during
financial crisis when a loaf of bread could cost $100. Not sure
where to start? Develop your "magic grocery list" of the basics.
Try these articles for preppers:
Lesson #3: Grow your own!
People of the Great Depression grew their own food. The
exception being the dust bowl states (Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Colorado, Kansas and parts of Texas) where growing was
impossible. During this time, there was approximately
100,000,000 acres of land barren, which forced farm families to
flee, (they were mostly from Oklahoma). While today big farms
and machines work the fields, back in the day a farmer fed an
average of eight families with his crops. People got by also got
by with food grown in their own gardens and they canned foods
for the Winter. While the economy collapsed, the food on the
farms were for the most part unaffected. People supported
themselves by growing root vegetables, such as onions, garlic,
and potatoes.
Lesson #4: Raise animals.
Many people of the Great Depression kept chickens or rabbits to
supplement food from their gardens. A lucky few had cows or
goats. Desperate people of the Great Depression got even more
creative with animal protein. An interesting Website to note is
this: pigeonsformeat.com.
Lesson #5: Learn to hunt, fish and forage off the land.
In many rural areas, hunting was a way to put meat on the
table during the Great Depression. An important lesson;
however, is that each shell from a man's rifle had to account for
game (or a family might go hungry)! Coming up with shells was
indeed a problem. Proximity was another factor to consider as
gas and cars were not affordable for the masses.
Lesson #6: Learn to barter when the bank won't give you
money.
Having skills to make your own food and supplies will help
you to provide for your family. For example you might exchange
a haircut for apples. Visit a bartering Web site.
Lesson #7: Learn the art of repair.
Start now and repair what you have instead of buying new. Use
the money saved to buy food, such as freeze dried milk, cheese
and meats, which will be harder to come by after the depression
hits.
Lesson #8: Make use of multi-purpose items.
Cornstarch was one of those products used during the Great
Depression quite often because it could thicken sauces, gravies,
soups, pie fillings and puddings. It could help make recipes
stretch. Cornstarch is a dense powder that comes from the
endosperm portion of corn, which though brought to market in
1899 had it's heyday in the 1930s. At this time, there was a
surplus of corn, particularly when the price of a bushel of corn
fell to just eight or ten cents. With so much corn there was an
opportunity to find new uses. Homemakers soon learned this
one product had so many uses.
Here are some of the many uses of cornstarch:
- soothes rashes, beats heat rash, prevents diaper rash
- sunburn reliever as a paste
- deodorizes under arms to absorb moisture
- absorbs odors in your shoes as a talcum powder
- keeps roaches away
- works as a dry shampoo for pets
- prevents chafing while hiking so you won't get blisters on
your feet - frees rubber gloves from sticking to your hands for easy
removal - helps polish silver
- stiffens clothes as a starch for ironing
Lesson #9: Learn to do with less.
The people of the Great Depression learned to do more with
lessMaking do with less today might mean today:
- Getting rid of cable or your LAN line.
- Dropping memberships in clubs.
- Repairing your old car rather than getting a new one.
- Learning to fix a water pipe and handle plumbing issues
yourself. - Eating at home, instead of going out.
Lesson #10: Ask for help.
People of the Great Depression didn't really ask for help, and
yet they received it. Like the Beatles song, learn to "Get by
with a little help" from your friends. Some survivors of the Great
Depression accepted the charity support of penny restaurants
and soup kitchens.
- Penny restaurants fed the proud. Penny restaurants
popped up as a way to feed unemployed families who were
too proud to accept charity. People paid pennies for meals
that were subsidized by charitable organizations. Patrons
paid only a small portion of the actual food costs.
- Soup kitchens fed the rest. Soup kitchens fed many
people, the way charitable organizations and food banks
feed people today. Chefs could make soup with whatever
was available, including produce grown in charity gardens.
Soup was a convenient, one pot meal that could be served
with bread. Plus, it was easier to clean up than other more
elaborate meals.
Lesson #11: Learn from people who survived the Great
Depression.
While many of the survivors are now deceased, there is still a
wealth of knowledge available in the form of DVDs, books and
the Internet. Great Depression Cooking with Clara is the
popular online cooking show created by Christopher Cannucciari
and starring Clara. In each episode Clara prepares recipes that
her mother made during the Great Depression. Clara shares her
stories and wisdom from the Depression as she shows you how
to make simple, inexpensive and delicious meals.
With over 2 million views, national news coverage and a
continuously growing fan base, Clara's online cooking show has
touched the lives of so many people looking for inexpensive,
delicious, nourishing meals. In the DVD, Clara provides her
mother's recipe's including: Pasta with Peas; Egg Drop Soup;
Poorman's Meal; Peppers and Eggs; Homemade Bread'
Depression Breakfast; Poorman's Feast, Twice Baked Potato,
Pasta with Garlic, and Fried Fish. You'll find some of Clara's
recipes on YouTube!
- What did people miss most during the Great
Depression? As one Prepper's grandmother put it... "nails,
garden seeds, wire, string, sewing supplies, clothes pins,
bleach, disinfectant, and vanilla." What will you add to the
list? Take one day to write down everything you use from
your toothbrush to a pencil to ear swabs or chocolate.
What will you miss the most? That's the stuff you should
hoard too.
Lesson #12: Invest in tangibles (and get out of paper).
Cash will one day be a worthless thing. Buy what you can now
with the cash you have in hand, while it is still available and
stay out of debt. Preppers stockpile to ensure they have food
and supplies in lean times. Today, you can have a garage sale
to get rid of the useless items in your home and to help you
buy the preps you really need.
People with financial problems are not able to adapt. They are
not flexible. They are not creative. These are the main lessons
from those who have survived the Great Depression of 1929:
- Change your habits. If you are a big meat eater, then
perhaps you need to get more interested in vegetables and
eat less meat to prepare for the coming collapse. There are
many ways to cook rice and beans and this combination is
an excellent source of protein. - Be flexible. After the collapse of the economy, families
began splitting up. Nearly 1.5 million husbands of the
Great Depression left their families leaving the women and
children to fend for themselves! Obviously, many families
were not flexible! - Let your creativity soar! The people who made money on
the depression made their money well before the big stock
market crash. They thought differently about the market
before the crash. The people who made money after the
depression, also thought differently.
Books to read about Economic Collapse:
- The Modern Survival Manual (Surviving the Economic
Collapse), by Fernando "Ferfal" Aguire, pictured left. Based
on the first-hand experience of the economic collapse in
Argentina, The Modern Survival manual (Surviving the
Economic Collapse), will help prepare your family so you
won't have to suffer.
- American Exit Strategy (The Economic Collapse
Chronicles) Volume 1 The American Exit Strategy by Mark
Goodwin, pictured right, is a new novel about America on
the cusp of financial annihilation. Hidden within the story
is another that will blow your mind. It's a must read for
preppers.
Ideas from the Great Depression
- Extend meals with dandelions. Dandelions are a dandy
way to make tea, coffee, jellies, salads, juices and more
for health and nutrition.
- Mesh Soap Bags: To extend the life of a bar of soap,
people of the Great Depression would insert all the bits
and pieces into mesh bags. In this way, they could get at
every last bit of soap.
- Hamburger Stretcher: Back in the day, hamburger helper
was oatmeal! To make your hamburger stretch, add 2 cups
oatmeal to a pound of hamburger meat, then add grated
onion and one egg.
- Under there is but a pair: Often times people had but a
single pair of underwear. They'd take it off at night, hand
wash and dry for the next day.
- Cardboard for shoes: People would cut inserts of
cardboard into their shoes daily to keep their feet from
hitting the dirt and pavement since the soles had worn
through. Shoe repair is a prepper skill.
Questions About the Great Depression:
Who Made Money BEFORE the Great Depression?
ANSWER: here's a Great Depression fact: it's the people
without debt and with cash in hand who made money during the
Great Depression! People who had cash at the time of the crash
were well at hand to profit from the Great Depression when it
hit! Here is an example:
- Floyd Bostwick Odlum: He was the guy who made money
both before and after the Great Depression.Virtually
unheard of, this attorney turned mogul pooled money to
buy of utilities and general securities; however, unlike
others he was one of the few to recognize the boom on
Wall Street could not hold and so he pulled out his money
well before the stock market crash. He became one of the
ten wealthiest men in his day because he had $14 million
in cash when the market crashed. After the crash he
bought up utilities at prices deflated by the depression.
Who Made Money DURING the Great Depression?
- Michael J. Cullen: The concept of the first supermarket in
America came from Michael J. Cullen, founder of the King
Kullen grocery store chain. The focus of the first
supermarket stores was on low prices and plenty of
selection. Instead of baskets, there were shopping carts.
The market chose low rent locations (including abandoned
factories and warehouses). They carried thousands of
national brands of groceries, hardware and automotive
supplies. Cash was king! They accepted only cash sales,
unlike many of the mom and pops who lent out money and
ran themselves out of business.
Here are the stories of ten people who made money during the
Great Depression. They were entertainers, game makers, inside
traders, and Michael J. Cullen.
Who Made Money AFTER the crash?
- Diamond Matches Investors. Anyone who invested in the
Diamond timber matchstick maker (Diamond Match and
Mengel Co.) did well in the years following the Great
Depression. It was the only stock to do well in three years
following the crash according to the Wall Street Journal.
How to Survive Next Great Depression
You don't necessarily need to sell your house, go completely off
the grid, move overseas, invest in Euros, or buy gold to survive
the next financial collapse...
- Sell your house? Not necessarily. Preppers live within their
means. They don't own a house they can barely afford;
however, to keep a roof over head, a prepper may choose
to take in a boarder, merge households with an elderly
family member, or rent out the garage for storage. It's all
about being flexible and creative.
- Move off the grid? Not necessarily. In some ways, farmers
of the Great Depression were better off than people in the
city (because they could feed themselves); however, they
still had to pay their taxes and debts with cash, not crops.
Farmers thought they had the solution to their problem:
just produce more crops to sell, so they bought more farm
equipment. However, this strategy backfired as soon there
was a surplus of food, which drove down the price of food.
Farmers were then more in debt and had even less cash to
pay their debts. That's why so many farmers had to sell off
their family farms.
- Move overseas? No! Preppers are patriots and not ex-
patriots! They love the right to bear arms and to stand up
for their second amendment rights. Besides, every nation
will feel the affects of the Great Depression, and it's
possible Americans won't be highly regarded overseas
when they blame the United States for the depression.
- Invest in Euros? No! American Preppers watched the
agony of what's happened in Greece: economic calamity!
People have withdrawn money from Greek banks in record
numbers fearing the Euro would be replaced by the weaker
"Drachma." When investors sell Euros, typically they buy
up Dollars: and that's good news for Americans. Prepper's
are patriots and have the best interest in supporting the U.
S. Dollar! At the same time, preppers also don't invest in
paper assets (unless it's toilet paper). We buy tangible
goods and base metals for bartering, and we pay off our
debts.
- Buy Gold? Not necessarily! Owning gold is never a bad
thing, but the cost of gold currently is much higher than
other precious metals. Preppers save copper pennies,
which are worth more than double their face value
according to coinflation.com. Preppers buy silver coins
because they are easier to trade. They hold precious
metals in the physical form in a safe deposit box or home
safe. They do NOT invest gold paper, ever.
To survive an economic down turn, you must have more
solutions than problems. To prepare for the next Great
Depression, you must learn from the past.
How to Live Happily Ever After
Certainly the Great Depression in the decade following October
1929 brought the lower class of America to rock bottom. The
low morale caused many to take suicide as the only way out.
This need not happen to preppers! To survive the next great
depression:
- Keep a positive mental attitude. Tell stories, sing songs,
play a musical instrument and Play board games. - Stick with others. Take care of each other.
- Eat it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!
- Never give up hope. Know that things will get better,
eventually.
In short, you can survive the next Great Depression by changing
some habits.
So there you have it. People changed their habits, and you can
too. Preppers are optimistic for the best of times, and yet they
plan for worst of times.
Happy endings...
The good and happy fact about the Great Depression was that
while times were tough, and while many people went hungry
from time to time, no one died of starvation. For food was
plentiful and people were resourceful.
You can survive when you eat it up, wear it out, make do or do
without!
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