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How to Survive a Depression
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Step One
Start making a plan now. Save as much money as you can right now. Pay down as many bills as possible. Stop going out to eat. Take your lunch to work instead of buying lunch. Look at everything in your budget, everything you spend money on. Is there anything that you can cut out or trim back on? Can you find a better insurance rate? Do you really need cable television? Do you need a subscription to a magazine or other service? Try to trim as much as you possibly can.
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Step Two
Stock up on food staples. For an article/list of staples for a stocked pantry go here:
http://factoidz.com/food-drink-recipes/staples-for-a-stocked-pantry/
Stockpile food and goods. Ration food. Drink more water and less soda/coffee/tea/Kool-Aid. Make a meal plan. If you are very busy take one day that you are off and cook enough food to last a week and freeze it. Check foods expiration dates and make sure to use them before going bad to prevent waste. Save all leftovers and eat them either for lunch or dinner the next day. This doesn’t mean you have to eat the same exact meal, you could possibly add a different ingredient to it to make it a little bit different.
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Step Three
Be ready to reuse as much as you can and stretch out resources to the limit. Learn how you can make do and get by with less. Learn from the past depression and educate yourself now, that way in case something does happen, like a total economic collapse or a severe depression you can be prepared ahead of time. Read books and articles on the internet to help inform yourself of all the knowledge available to you. You will want to learn how to help yourself be as self sufficient as possible. However, it is also a good idea to learn where local help may be located too. Where is your local food bank/soup kitchen/homeless shelter or outreach center that helps people in crisis? These places may possibly be able to help people in the event of a depression, but cannot be completely relied upon because in the event of a depression everyone will need help.
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Step Four
Purchase a gun and all purpose knives for hunting and protection. Invest in water purification bottles or tablets to purify drinking water. Keep a stock of bottled water on hand. Purchase or prepare a first aid kit/survival kit/sewing kit. If you can, grow and raise your own food. Plant a garden; buy some livestock like chickens, rabbits, goats, pigs or cattle if you have a lot of land. Even if you have little land you can purchase chickens, rabbits and goats pretty cheaply and they will come in handy for extra food in hard times. Not to mention growing anything will also help to provide a steady source of food.
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Step Five
Learn how to barter and trade for items you will need or want. Think about the bare necessities. You will need blankets to stay warm, water and food, shelter, soap to stay clean, good shoes or boots, ammunition for guns. Think about all purpose types of things like duct tape, sheets, basic cooking and storage utensils and anything that can be multi-purpose. If there is a depression, money may not be any good anymore, so people will have to barter and trade for things they need or want.
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Step Six
In the event of a depression, just as we have seen recently in the current recession, people must come together for the good and survival of all. Make sure and reinforce your commitment to knowing those around you, keeping your family close and working together to make it through. Survival will depend on all these skills and the family unit working together.
Tips & Warnings

* Buy goods now and stock up for future use.
* Purchase guns and ammo now, because there is a waiting period to get a gun. You must pass a background and criminal check.
* Talk to your family to make sure everyone is prepared for a real life situation.
* Be very careful and cautious in the event of a depression, many people will be scared and chaos may break out. Theft and violence could increase.