SURVIVING AN INFLATIONARY DEPRESSION

[JustPullinYourChain]

Hello everyone,

To say that our nation is facing a monumental economic crisis is an understatement and I am probably preaching to the choir on this issue.
But, as heads of households this issue deserves our undivided attention, for personal financial catastrophy awaits the vast majority of our nation.

The financial stimulus which includes printing vast quantities of money is simply buying us more time, as they try to hold the lid on this pressure cooker.
Ultimately, it is making things MUCH, MUCH worse than what it has to be.
But eventually, when this pressure cooker blows, it will be CATASTROPHIC and we will ALL be affected! ! !
Your dollar bills will only purchase a fraction of what they do now and many, many people may be unemployed.

So, what do we do?

As I see it, this is a two edged sword.

One the one hand, you need to have some savings set aside to make your monthly fixed cost obligations such as a mortgage payment etc…As far as your dollars being devalued, it wont matter when it comes to your mortgage if you have a fixed loan. If your mortgage is $700 monthly, it will still be $700.

On the other hand, where it DOES matter is for any NEW purchases that you need to make. This includes going to the grocery store. That $2/gal. for milk may cost you $10 in the future and other items that you use everyday will go up in price as well. Because of this, you also NEED TO SPEND YOUR MONEY getting some preparations done while the dollar still has some value to it.

This is definitely a balancing act.

When push comes to shove, what are our priorities?
According to financial talk show host Dave Ramsey he says:

Keep a roof over your head, food on the table, running water, natural gas, electricity and gas in the car.

This could prove extremely difficult if we have put insufficient savings or food away.
Dave has also said that any other financial obligations such as credit cards should not be paid if you cannot provide the above items.

When it comes to food, we may have to eat much different than what we are accustomed to.
You know what I mean…beans, wheat, etc…
Because of this there is one item that is INDESPENSIBLE if you have children or grandchildren that you are preping for, and that item is CANDY.
Yes, you read correctly, CANDY.

Children have been known to starve to death even with the availability of food.
What I am referring to is known as “appetite fatigue.”
Kids just cannot psychologically deal with a bland diet of storage preps day after day.
And my guess is that as adults we cannot either.

You guys, we also need enough bedding to keep warm and a secondary source of cooking such as a wood/coal stove in the event that the power or natural gas is shut off. I would also look into a solar oven for cooking during warm weather.

Guys, BOTTOM LINE: LOOK at what is going on in the financial markets. It is only a matter of time and that time is very short in my opinion.

[kathyn]

That's very good advice, JPYC. I've been thinking along those same lines. I'm hoping we still have a few months because there are still things I need to do and things I need to acquire. ( In fact, I wish we had at least two more years, but I can't imagine how that is possible.)

Once it's apparent to everyone that our financial system is totally collapsed, then we're really going to see how quickly our society will be turned on it's ear. That's the scenario I dread the most. It's going to get ugly fast.

[sisyphus]

Stress and dietary changes are things a lot of preppers don't think about. We've covered a lot of bases in our food and preps plan but it's impossible to predict every problem and situation that could come up. I think most of us will adapt, make do and work with the neighbors. everybody's gonna be in the same boat and barter will probably be the blood coursing through the veins of commerce instead of money.

It's a good idea to get better acquainted with your neighbors now so when the "stress" part hits, it might be easier to keep the hood peaceful.

By the way, speaking of bedding and staying warm.........some of you might want to check into Sportsman's Guide's military surplus catalog section at their website. They have an amazing spread of great cold weather items at a fraction of what you'd pay for commercial things. They probably will have that "military surplus" smell, but they are mostly high quality and rugged as well as warm. If they still have them, you can get insulated mittens for about $2.50/ea in quantity. There are insulated pants (for over or under clothing, depending on size) for about that same price, and they would be great for your own family or as barter and handouts. You won't impress Britney with your style but you won't shivver as much either.

I have so much of this stuff I've bought over the years for almost nothing ($) that my family will be the warmest people in the neighborhood, and probably a lot of others will be too.

[Nan]

I think one thing we need to do is look for the people that are in trouble emotionally when things get bad and try to help them see there is hope. We are going to see people on the edge. Maybe one thing we are supposed to do is uplift the people around us. To be cheerful. Frankly most trials will not kill us and if we can be positive even when times are tough we can help those trials not kill others.

[sisyphus]

Really good point........."so the trials won't KILL others". We usually don't know what was going through somebody's mind until it's too late. Giving them another way of seeing their situation can lighten the load for them. Women are good at doing this because of their innate sensitivity and compassion, but guys can be a ballasting influence on the men who live around them too.

Even the ones you may think are unapproachable as a friend can have their assumptions changed of what you are and where you're coming from if YOU have the right mindset toward them. Maybe it won't always work out, or maybe it'll just take some time to get through their wall before they'll listen and see you're not such a bad guy.

[InIraq03]

I can vouch for the diet fatigue. After only six weeks on an MRE diet I had lost 28 pounds and almost had to force myself to eat more than twice a day and often didn't. In addition to diet fatigue you can also suffer candy fatigue. I began to believe that skittles were a tool of radical Islam to demoralize U.S. troops
I suggest that you get some old fashioned candy and dessert recipes from your grandparents that can be made with basic ingredients and give some variety to even the sweeter side of your diet.

[Pembano]

People react in different ways. In my life I have seen a few different reactions already to the mess. It already seems like chaos, imagine when the dung actually gets dispersed by the fan blades! There are people that put their heads in the sand, some blame others, some gird up their loins and get working. Everyone reacts differently, and it is good to plan for that and realize that PTSD may affect a lot of people. This will be a huge problem for people who have their lives based on money and making money. There are many people who focus so much on money making, that when money become irrelevant, it is a crap shoot how they will react.

On the other hand, food storage is essential. Obviously. One step above that is knowing how to use the food storage. One step above that is being able to produce your own food. We talk about a gallon of milk going to $10+. What about butter, cheese, etc? It might be smart, if it is possible, to get a small cow or a goat. A dairy goat costs approximately $150-$200. Equipment to milk it by hand costs about the same. It gives a gallon of milk per day. 3-4 goats can be on one acre. Break even for one goat will be about 40 gallons of milk. It might be smart to get seeds, plant a garden, etc? Instead of just storage, how about produce? Not only could it help your own family, it could help many more. It's like the old addage, teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for many days. But if you give him a fish, it is a one time meal. (I know I butchered that, but you get the drift right?) Instead of having a finite amount of food, how about learning to produce?

For me, I see it coming. It's inevitable. I just think, "what would my family need then, that we can get now?"

[A Me]

Re: food fatigue, we've started an herb garden in our yard, not to mention having a few in containers. Sage (salvia officinalis) grows really well here in Texas as does garlic and peppers. In fact, in our miserable little garden last year, the peppers and the tomatoes were the only plants that bore decent fruit (it was our first garden and between our poor soil and my beginner's skills I think it went fairly well).

I'm not saying this to brag, btw. I'm saying this because now is a good time to pick up any seedlings if you want to have herbs you can add to your meals.

Also, I would like to thank whoever mentioned Eat the Weeds. I've watched some of the first, and all of the second episode on YouTube. I'm really excited about getting in touch with local experts so that I don't need to worry quite as much about relying solely on the food I've stored for our family's meals and health.

[kathyn]

A Me: Sage does really well in the Salt Lake Valley, too. When it blooms, it's a beautiful plant.

It's a good idea to get some heirloom seeds that are not genetically altered so you can harvest the seeds for next year's planting. So many of the seedlings are modified and won't produce a crop from the gathered seeds. I suspect that a lot of the fruit and veggies in the market place are the same.
I'm willing to bet that you'd give almost anything for a fresh tomato if/when we are living off of our food storage. I bought a few topsy-turvy planters to try this year. I think it wouldn't hurt to have some kind of a citrus tree that can be a patio plant which you can bring inside when the weather is too cold.

I've also stored cocoa powder and sugar for some treats once in a while. I have a good supply of flavorings and spices, too. I'm hoping we won't get "appetite fatigue".

[sisyphus]

A Me: Sage does really well in the Salt Lake Valley, too. When it blooms, it's a beautiful plant.

K..........Are you talking about sage..."BRUSH", or something else? (I don't know much on herbs) I know there's lots of the "brush" kind around here, but is it the same? I like the smell and it's great for making the air fresh in a campsite.

[sisyphus]

In fact, in our miserable little garden last year, the peppers and the tomatoes were the only plants that bore decent fruit

Our garden product was pretty meager last year too, and so were a lot of others in our neighborhood. I got 1 bell pepper per plant and about half the crop from the tomatoes never ripened. The peaches were also small and bitter. Pears and apples gave the best yield ever for us though. We got 5 (FIVE!!!!) zuchini off our plant. Something was definitely wrong last year and we're hoping for better on this try.