Posted on 11/13/2012 2:54:29 PM PST by bayliving
Ok, I come here looking for help and advice.
In a true Haiti-like disaster you could probably use ammunition for barter (although many preppers don't believe in using ammo for barter for a couple of good reasons).
This! If you want bulk basics the only cheaper source is doing it yourself at the LDS cannery.
Their Years supply of grains and legumes is on sale now and shipping is a flat $12. Maybe the best deal in the US right now.
And so you know I'm not blowing smoke:
The Rockaway Youth Taskforce is servicing 20 high-rise apartment buildings, ranging from 6-19 stories high.
They are delivering food and supplies to the elderly and disabled who cannot find aid on their own.
They are using Heater Meals which have a shelf life up to five years.
When the going gets tough, I'd want quick, nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals ... with no cleanup afterwards.
So we already had a lot of stuff covered including 2 generators - which I have to nag Hubby into keeping them operational. When the market crashed in 2009 and gas prices went up, I knew food and everyday items like Toilet paper would be going up.
So I took money out of savings and bought a bunch of stuff we eat and purchase on a weekly or monthly basis. Lots of beans, rice, peanut butter, coffee etc. From then on I just bought extra each week and especially if the item was on sale for a good price. I just opened the last jar of $1.00 peanut butter. It now costs $2.25 in the supermarket. Of course, I have replaced it as I use it, and whenever sales have happened.
I figure as long as we keep stock 6 months to a year of the very basics we are good, since we garden for a hobby, and do some canning and preservation of our homegrown foods. Especially blessed to have several walnut trees and wild blackberries which require little effort to grow.
Any well balanced portfolio should contain about 10% precious metals, so if you have invested funds above and beyond the $4000, you might want to consider that.
I did some reading on the issues, and it does seem that silver coins are one of the best mediums to have during a currency crisis, assuming you have your basic needs for Water, food, shelter, medical, and clothing met.
Also, silver is selling less than the ratio it usually has to gold, and it is needed for manufacture of lots of stuff. It will probably be a good hedge against inflation where as your cash and stocks may loose value very quickly.
Even if your house is paid for, you will need to be able to pay your Real Estate tax. If bread costs $50.00 a loaf, just think how much they might jack up the Real Estate tax.
Any one that still has stock in the market might want to consider liquidating some of that and shifting it safer investments including precious metals.
I liquidated half of all the funds in my 401k in Nov. 2007 and parked it in treasuries, and arranged the rest to be in a defensive mode. It was a good move, and I was able to re - enter the market later, after things stabilized a bit. So it is something to think about.
Regarding silver or gold: Yes, most crises will be like Sandy and having food, water, generators, fuel, that sort of thing will be useful, while PMs relatively less so. Certainly running around in the midst of violent unrest with coins jangling in your pocket would be suicidal. But on the other hand, things like Sandy aren’t the only crises that are likely to happen. There are also government-induced crises such as bank holidays, when you can’t withdraw your money, and credit cards don’t work (the machines are down) and ATMs don’t work (those are also down). Even if the weather’s fine and the power’s still on, you can’t buy food or anything else, unless you have stored some cash at home. In times like that, especially if it drags on and people are starting to wonder whether the cash will still retain its value, that’s when silver for barter might come in very handy. Gold isn’t for barter, except maybe to barter yourself into a new house, but rather to store your wealth in the event of a complete currency collapse, so that you still have some tangible liquid net worth after all the paper assets and bank balances vaporize. Which they might or might not ever do, but it sure looks like it’s heading that way.
Thanks - looks interesting. And yes, very easily could happen here.
I think for food, buying extra canned food that you already eat is the best way to start. As for silver, check your local coin stores. I have one near me that buys and sells old non-collectable quality coins for the weight content spot price plus a small markup (10% when they sell, 5% when they buy). Dimes and quarters are the best, since people likely wont have “change”. I’ve also picked up some nice silver jewelry for Mrs. Hugin for just that price of the metal. It saves them the cost of sending it to the smeleter.
Might as well buy cheap vodka. It's about half the price of Beam, and if it gets down to it, nobody will care what they drink. There's a reason hard core drunks mostly drink vodka.
One thought, how about moonshining as a survival skill? The only drawback is it's illegal to distill alcohol now, which makes learning to do so difficult. Learing to brew beer could also come in handy.
# 2 = SILVER,,, few rolls of quarters & nickels
# 3 = BARTER ITEMS,,, never trade ammo it maybe used against you later
# 4 = Never revel what items you have stored
Consider this, gold and silver will be of little use at the beginning and during a financial collapse. Where having precious metals will shine is when the recovery is in process. Most likely the old money system will be gone with the government that supported it. Gold and silver will still have its value and can be used to re-establish your lifestyle if you survive.
Safety deposit boxes are not a good place to have anything of great value if a collapse occurs. Do a web search for “safe deposit boxes - shtf” for other opinions on safety deposit boxes. Best to keep your valuables near and secure. An intelligent person will have little trouble creating a safe place to keep their valuables.
As others have said, your survival food should be what you normally eat and most of it will last a while just as it is packaged. Buy what you need from the lowest priced places, locally or online. Just buy the best bargains. For long term storage information do a web search for “how to store *” with your commodity replacing the star. If no SHTF event occurs you will have food to eat that will have cost you less than the coming inflation prices which are rising fast.
I bought a house with a pool for just this reason. My plan is to filter all water through a Brita filter. Drinking water will then be filtered again through a backpacking filter. Sound Good? Or is my plan flawed?
I would also boil it over fire or grill. (was my plan when I had a pool)
a 2-3 month supply of water for each person ( and critter ) in your home.
Canned foods ( chili, stews, soups, canned tuna or chicken ) and rice / flour / beans.
a heating source ( wood stove and fire wood )
toilet paper
Medicines
alcohol and tobacco are much more valuable than silver or gold to barter with !
Also think of personal health and beauty aids ..... women’s monthly items , bar soap , deodorant ( who wants to stink so badly that they gag by smelling themselves ). etc etc
gasoline in cans ( lasts about 3 months )
a tent ( we purchased ours from panther primitives and they’re waterproof )...
medical supplies
If your wife uses coupons , now would be a good time to use them and match them up with each store’s weekly sales.
There are usually a few sites on line that do that for you already... you just have to do the easy part.. go shopping ~
just a few things from the top of my head while getting my son ready for school
Too bad food suppliers stamp their logo on the buckets. It’d be wise to repack it all into generic brown cardboard boxes and relabel it with “Susy’s baby toys” so it’s not so obvious.
NO PLUMPING!
OMG!
That’s just not fair.
How to Start Preparing for Hard Times on a Very Modest Budget: Part One
How to Start Preparing for Hard Times on a Very Modest Budget: Part Two
A 30-Day Emergency Food Supply For One Adult
One-Year Emergency Food Supply For One Adult
Your $ would have went a lot further 6 months ago ...
Other than food... Bibles, Water, Communications (even an old CB), Fuel (for cooking), Tools, How To Books (the printed kind), Seeds (fallow now and have your Garden space ready for Spring), Toilet Paper (you will miss that a lot if you don’t have it) Imodium (see Toilet Paper), First Aid Kit, Booze.
That is a start
TT
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