How to prepare for a depression

reply to post by switching yard

Good response.

Time to minimize debt.
Stock up on canned foods, dry foods etc.
Have a stash of cash (don't tell people about that)
Perhaps some silver or gold.

Other things that I've acquired recently include a chainsaw for firewood, a generator to keep my freezer running if necessary and some spare gas containers. I kept them full but out in my storage shed.

I've got about 2 years worth of firewood for my wood stove.

I'm trying to accumulate food that I would normally eat so if the economy gets better, I just have a lot of food.

This weekend I'm making another food run. More essentials.

Keep posting things that would be good to have.

I'm not a vet, or a baker.... I'm a IT consultant. Which, I guess, will be of no use whatsoever trying to survive during a situation X.

We have been growing some tomatoes, beans and pumkin. But the harvest has not even been enough for one good salad. We have a modest stock of water and food that will last our family about a month.

What I got more interested in lately is to discover eatable plants that grow in our region. Someone mentioned dog rose which grows in the woods and dunes near where I live. Anything that grows naturally in your region will be easy to grow in your garden as well. And when TSHTF you can go out and get you some, but hurry, others might think the same

reply to post by FreezeM

I'm also an IT guy.

I don't think that if there is a real crisis that the thing that I do for a living will have much value.

That's why it's important to plan.

I have other abilities that can have value.

Best of luck with your gardening. It takes a while to get the hang of it. This year we're starting work to have a huge garden in the spring and summer. If the economy corrects itself, I'll be giving produce away at work.

Best of luck to one and all.

The other thing that I forgot to mention is that you need to purchase food for your pets and livestock if we go down the dumper.

What good does it do you to have chickens if you can't feed them?

Dog food, cat food, fish food...this stocking up takes a lot of thought.

I think we will begin to see more and more "tent cities" like this:

c. 1933:



2008:



Not good.

reply to post by cohiba


That's kind of frightening. I hope for a much softer landing than that.

If I'm out on the road, at least I have a little travel trailer.

reply to post by Wildbob77


I just happened by and feel lucky. I am going to our home in Fl. which has waterfront, small government loan after rebuild from hurricane charlie. No, we are not rich, we worked our way up to it and have low fixed income. My point here is, pot gardens should work there and we will be starting as soon as we arrive. Also a throw net for fishing should provide basic protein for those near the ocean. We will be buying a number of plastic containers and fill with sterile soil. I do have a home in MI. we built for resale but do not owe on it, but it should be cheaper to live there and this home will just have to wait for a better market. Also I will be stocking up on goods when we arrive. Brad

reply to post by Wildbob77


Preparing for Survival in a World Crisis

I have been seriously thinking along these lines for some time now. If you are serious about preparing for the worst possible outcomes (a major depression or hyperinflation, civil unrest, etc.) look at a book by Howard Ruff (amazon - can get it used) titled, "How to Prosper in the Coming Bad Years" (1981) or, he has an updated version (April 08), "How to Prosper in the Coming Hard Times". I learned a lot about how the downward economic spiral happens and what you can do to safeguard your family and economic future. How to plan for survival, ideas for food storage, where it might be safer to move to (out of big cities where civil unrest is more likely to affect you as the situation worsens), what preparations are needed, etc. *We have so much information available to us, it behooves us to learn as much as we can while we still have time to make our plans.
*Begin NOW to live simply, save what you can, learn valuable how-to skills (gardening/construction/first aid/trading), stock up on items needed for survival and bartering, buy from thrift stores, safely stash money/silver/gold, etc. PREPARE FOR THE WORST, PRAY FOR THE BEST.

reply to post by Wildbob77


you cant prepare for depressions

only go through them

Nia

reply to post by DivineGypsy9


Good suggestions.

I have some books about food storage for people who would like to be able to live on their own.

I think these could be very valuable if you're growing your own food.
stocking up

Everything that you can think of is readily available now but in might not be affordable in the near future. So think about what you might need and get it now.

Bob

reply to post by NW111


I don't agree with your comment.

You can prepare.

Think about what you might need and secure it before it is no longer available.

Best of luck

Bob

reply to post by NW111


Im with wildbob on this one. Myself and some others on this site could probably go through a depression without knowing it, aside from not going to work everyday. I know a good number of people in my area that should a depression hit, they simply wouldnt know. They allready do the things we talk about, I am very jealous.

An attitude that you cant prepare for something will just make you more vulerable when it does come down. Take another look at that tent city. Is that how you want to live? Massed with others, fighting for food and water? If so, or if you just want to sit back and say nothing can be done, best of luck to you.

I will continue to work to increase my self sufficiency so if/when a depression, TEOTWAWKI, or whatever comes down, Im not setting up a tent next to you.

I see a depression coming soon. Just like in the 1920's depression, it is happening worldwide. Banks are failing, governments are scrambling, and folks you best be prepared. What if the paycheck you worked hard for this week was no good, your bank account was no longer available?

Do you really think you would be safe with a stash of a month's worth of groceries? No, for those who have not prepared will kill you for it. It will be ugly.

I do live in a remote area with a forrest service bordering my property. I have a generator that was bought new 4 years ago after an ice storm. Never been used. Now, gas is so expensive what I have put in the shed will not last long to keep my freezer full of food safe for too long. I have gotten cash out and hidden it for safety. I even bought a gas powered golf cart to get me to the city.

This week I will do what I have not wanted to do. Buy the ammunition to stockpile to not only kill food...but, to keep me and my family safe from those who did not prepare and try to take what I have stockpiled for my children.

I am interested in edible roots and stuff that we could find in the forrest. Anyone know where this information would be?

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


It looks more scary by the day.

I've been stock piling for awhile now but it will just help us ride out a few bad months It won't be able to last all that long.

I really hope that it doesn't turn into a full blown depression.

reply to post by cohiba


I noticed the black clad stormtrooper prowling in the background in the 2008 photo."They" can obliviously pay his salary but not manage to get these people some trailers or temporary buildings?Shows where "They" have their priorities doesn't it?

Everyone here should learn how to:
till,plant,maintain a garden
make lye soap
raise goats and chickens
sew
crochet
knit
work wood with hand tools
make candles
raise bees
dig wells
make cheese
can vegetables
jerk meat
grind corn
run a trout line
trap animals
shoot
churn butter
fell trees
milk a cow or goat
spin flax
weave cloth
reload shells
render fat
distill alcohol
dress a wound
apply herbal remedies
grow herbs
frame a house with rough timber
build a chair
dig a latrine
identify minerals by sight and taste
make a vessel from river clay and fire it in a rock oven

and acquire the tools to accomplish all of these things as well.You are all descended from humans that knew how to do all of these things(unless your ancestors were aboriginal)and it is not beyond any of you to learn how to do these things given time.

Start now!While civilization stands you can learn how to do most of these things for nearly nothing or even free.

Michael

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Good list of skills that may soon be necessary.

Along with the hunting skills one should also be able to gut and skin a dear or what ever other animals are in your area.

I'm planning a big garden for the spring.

People should acquire tools now that are readily available that they may need in the not to distant future.

Originally posted by anachryon

Originally posted by Wildbob77
We're planning a big garden next year, which means a lot of work this year to get ready. If the situation gets better, I'll be giving free veggies away at work. If it really goes down, it will provide a lot of nutrition.

I was going to suggest people at least learn how to garden immediately. Plant some seeds in small flower pots in your windowsill - herbs are a good way to start if you've never grown anything before. Even rudimentary knowledge will help in a worst-case scenario. Even if we don't find ourselves living like Neolithic man, there remains a very good possibility that convenience foods will become more expensive than many can afford. If you're able to supplement or replace what you buy at the grocery, you'll be in better shape than if you had to rely on others.

Also - learn how to bake bread. It saddens me that we've forgotten how to do something humanity has been doing for tens of thousands of years. Bread is filling, provides good energy, and helps "bulk up" a meal. Spend a few bucks and buy a couple 1lb packs of instant yeast and store them in your freezer. Make a few practice loaves; the ingredients are incredibly inexpensive and easy to find. This is an excellent recipe for regular old white bread that's pretty hard to mess up.
You may find, in some households, the money you save by making bread vs. buying it is tremendous.

Another option few think of - invest in a few pieces of cast iron cookware. If you find yourself with interruption of electric/gas services, even temporarily, how will you cook food? Cast iron can be used to cook on a charcoal grill or even over an open fire. If you take care of it, the cookware will last for seriously a hundred years or more.
Lodge is the best brand to buy and it's pretty cheap if you watch for frequent sales on Amazon. Amazon will also ship for free if you spend over $25, which is an excellent value due to how HEAVY cast iron is. IMO, everyone should have one or two skillets and a camp stove; a dutch oven is great too, but the camp stove can double as one. You can bake bread and desserts, stew cheap cuts of meat, and make soup in the camp stove/dutch oven, and the skillet can be used as you would use a regular skillet - fry or sear meats, cook vegetables, etc.

I just wanted to mention a sourdough starter as well.
www.io.com...

That is really easy, and they honestly last forever. I read something once that said a bakery in france has had the same starter since napolean. That is quite awhile, not forever but a long time.

Cast iron is wonderful, I love my cast iron you get such good flavor cooking with cast iron. It is good rugged cookware in survival situations, as well as an awesome addition to a cozy kitchen. You can find cast iron anywhere, hardware stores, walmart, I also prefer lodge but I have other cast iron that works just as well. Lodge just seems to season quicker, and has better heat distribution, I know the Ace hardware here in town has lodge so do some looking around.

reply to post by dlongwell547


Thanks for the update.

We still have some cast iron cookware. It's in the back of the cabinet but I might have to break it out.

My wife used to make bread all the time. Perhaps we can get back into that as well. Sour dough starter would be good to have.

I hadn't thought to stock up on yeast yet. I need some for my bread as well as my wine.

Sadly, I think with the market dropping like it is, we should all be thinking about how we're going to survive the next few years.

I see our economy going downhill at the moment. I think that we're going to see more layoffs.

In our area, we've recently had some famous restaurants close. These were upscale businesses. People just aren't spending money like they did last year.

The more businesses that go under, the fewer people there are to spend money which causes more businesses to go under.

My family also is thinking through things we'll need if the worst happens. I didn't see any of the comments mention that those who have the room could buy some dairy cows. From fresh milk you can make butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk, to mention the basics. Also it is a good bartering tool! Being almost 60, and being brought up mostly in the country (before in-door plumbing!!), we learned a lot from our Grandparents about making do with what you have, and the old timey ways to do things. I would recommend to younger folks the "Foxfire" set of books telling the old ways of doing things, edible plants/roots, medicinal plants, farming, etc.. It is an old set of books, but sometimes you can find them in thrift shops. Above all, remember, God said He will never leave you or forsake you. Look to Him for ideas and wisdom in these times, you will all be fine!!