Posted on 03/10/2021 4:30:33 AM PST by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
Folks...it is becoming apparent that the Democrats are pursuing policies that are going to collapse our economy. They are also taking steps to make sure they never leave power. What is a person to do? We have the examples of Argentina and Venezuela clearly before us. Anyone have some helpful ideas? Ferfal of Argentina has a blog spot and wrote a book, but information from our situation here would be helpful.
There were acceptable loses.
There’s lots of uses for alcohol besides drinking and there’s tons of people who are to stupid to make a still. Good news is the latter will be the first to go because they’re too stupid to do much of anything.
The main issue with gold and silver is it’s useless in a collapsed economy and civilization yet everyone says ditch cash and buy it. When an economy/civilization collapses it takes many years to recover. Being able to survive and barter is essential.
The best thing to do is to have a plan where you can surround yourself with like minded folks you trust with survival and security backgrounds, be smart on how to obtain, keep and get necessities (food, water etc) and have some basic medical training.
A good steak is worth more than a ton of gold when you’re hungry.
I pondered this a couple years ago when it was in the news that people in Russia were preparing for hyperinflation by buying blue jeans and electronics.
If my money would be worth half its value next week, what would I want to spend it on today?
My conclusion, after making sure necessities were stocked up, would be fencing, cage-building supplies and tools (for rabbit and/or quail cages), mineral supplements for animals, canning jars and lots of lids, and construction materials for house repair or building storage sheds.
Of course, the next question was “why aren’t I doing that now?” Which is why I have several rolls of 1/4” mesh and a half-dozen boxes of cage clips in my storage unit.
At the time I didn’t have chickens, but I have some now.
I should mention that, the reason my list was so short is because I’ve been working on becoming more self-reliant for years now. I have a pretty good stockpile of tools and supplies to start with. If that wasn’t the case, my list would have been very different.
Generally speaking, with hyperinflation it would be prudent to try and invest in things that will cut down on how much you need to buy. If you don’t have a good supply of vegetable seeds, and the tools and space to grow them, start with that. Watch for really durable clothing on sale, so you don’t have to buy new clothes as often. And get some sewing supplies and extra buttons so you can make that clothing last even longer. If a pressure cooker or crock pot will help you make meals from scratch, make sure you’ve got one.
Dig through the regulations for your area and see if you’re allowed to breed rabbits or pigeons or other small meat animals, and even if you’re not willing to raise them during normal times, have the equipment and a few books on the subject handy in case things change.
Everybody’s situation will be a little different, but the general idea is to invest in things now that will make it easier to spend less later.
I can not claim credit for that statement as it was told to me by a older expat who had survived any number of upheavals natural and man made.
He did this by never having any less then three groups who regarded him with at least minor benevolence.
The more groups of people who see you as useful and interesting to have around the better your chance of survival.
This does not happen by chance. You have to actively make an effort.
Two questions.
What makes you think your plane tickets would be honored?
What makes you think you will be allowed to disembark where things will be better?
“Municipal bonds, Ted. I’m talking double-A rating. The best investment in America.”
We were using 3/4” tongue and groove Advantech for our sub-flooring and it went from $40 dollars per sheet to $90 per sheet just in February (and we purchase it by the tractor trailer load). Excellent product, but we had to switch back to 3/4” plywood to keep the client from getting sticker shock. All this is covid related. We have not even began to feel the trickle down from fuel going up 50%.
It’s going to be insane for longer than we hope, isn’t it?
I cannot even imagine being in ‘that part of my life’ when I might need, no less want, a new home.
I’ve always bought older homes and rehabbed them and flipped them. Very few everyday people (outside of someone like you or Beau) even have those skills these days.
I bought my first house for 60K in 1980 and went from there. It was fun while it lasted, and a hellofalot of work, but the money was good. (My Dad ‘babysat’ and worked on my properties for me while I was off doing, ‘Army Thangs.’)
Now I live in a house from 1906, which Beau pretty much re-did himself (in the late 80’s) and I just put ‘finishing touches’ here and there. ;) I’m great with a paintbrush - I ‘cut in’ like no other! Painter’s Tape? Never heard of it, LOL!
Beau’s so funny: “New flooring? I just installed this flooring 35 years ago!” LOL!
Life Is Good! :)
Ellendra!
Fencing is an excellent choice! People suddenly start gardening and the next thing they know the rabbits have destroyed their entire garden (Or deer or raccoons.)
1” chicken wire at least. 3’ or 4’ feet high 6’ if you can. Posts. A gate. Rabbits will try to dig underneath.
(I did manage to snag a few more Baker Creek seeds that I wanted.)
You have to lay down 3 feet of chicken wire on the ground outside the perimeter of the fence so they can’t dig through it
Hi Diana! Hi Greeneyes! I think we are in for a rough patch!
I don’t think you need these but others new to gardening might want to check them out!
I have this book. Its for people gardening in limited space with limited resources. It does teach you a lot about growing vegetables and composting organically. (Good to know but I think If you have space and fertilizer, use it you will get larger vegetables and yields.)
“How to grow more vegetables in less space than you ever imagined” John Jeavons
https://www.amazon.com/How-Grow-More-Vegetables-Ninth-dp-0399579184/dp/0399579184/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
“Gardening when it Counts. Growing food in hard times.” Steven Soloman. (Founder of Territorial Seeds.)
https://www.amazon.com/Gardening-When-Counts-Growing-Mother/dp/086571553X
“Whizbang Gardening!” Herrick Kimball
https://whizbanggardening.blogspot.com/
I am using some of his ideas.
“Four Season Harvest;” Elliot Coleman.
Good luck and check out the Weekly Gardening thread!
Okay, since you brought it up, here’s a pic of our pre fab greenhouse we installed 2 or 3 seasons ago on the basement patio in back of the house.
Post #17 shows the view looking out of the green house. On the other side of the retaining wall is about 72 sq. ft of raised beds. To the upper left you can see one of the big round pots that I set out side the raised bed for a cherry tomato plant.
The dirt for the upper retaining wall in the left hand side of the picture is great-almost zero bending to tend that bed:
Inside the GHouse:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3667189/posts?page=17#17
ANOTHER view of Ghouse - post 65 shows the view from the other side of the greenhouse and you can see more of the raised beds as well as the greenhouse. The raised beds are stair stepped down the hill.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3667189/posts?page=65#65
New extended Patio - since we took up so much patio space with the greenhouse, hubby added a small area for table and chairs using pavers. The garlic harvest - a regular June activity. On the lower left you’ll see a corner of one of the 2 additional raised beds (right outside the greenhouse)which gives me a total of 100 sq. ft. :
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3669028/posts?page=60#60
On down the hill, I have another 100 sq. ft of raised beds, but due to a walnut tree in close proximity, it has limited use. Hubby has about 700 sq. ft. of gardens and fruit trees and berry bushes.
Pic of Back Porch idea - This is a sample concept of the project we planned for the upper patio behind the dining area-only it was going to be quite a lot wider:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3603640/posts?page=20#20
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of agreeing to build the “shed” with root cellar basement on our side lot first-big mistake.
Hubby doubled the size that we agreed to without consulting me. So all the money we had for the enclosed porch concept is going into the “shed”. As consolation, Hubby put in some big windows and a patio door on the back/southwest side of the shed.
So I can insulate an area, and grow a few plants there in the winter, but I’ll have to get out in the cold and trek down the hill and have the expense of running yet another heater- versus having a room upstairs, that would be toasty warm from the heat of the fireplace, and would have had a faucet in it that a hose could be hooked too for watering plants. Maybe I’ll win the lottery and get that too. Ha.
Ok I have several books and booklets from Ecology Action -starting with John Jeavons “An Experimental 33-bed Grow biointensive Mini-Farm: Growing Complete Fertility, Nutrition, and Income. Then there’s others
Learning to grow all your own food - a one bed model for compost, diet, and income.
The smallest possible area to grow food and feed.
Food for the Future Now - Survival Garden Plan
Growing More Food with Less Water
How to grow more vegetables.
Several survival type wild plants to eat books.
Some of the “lost ways” books, and back to basics how to do stuff like the farmers used to do before industrialization.
Several big Encyclopedia of Heirloom Gardening etc. At least 20 more titles-too many to list. More than I can even remember I have. Whew! 🤣
You don’t own land you currently rent it from the government stop paying wherever taxes they demand if you on it and they will come with men and guns to remove you. Ask a South African white landowner if they truly owned the land I know quite a few who survived long enough to get out to America they will tell you if you can’t hold it by lethal force you don’t own anything. For small to medium trades there is no better portable wealth than small silver bars 100 grams. Silver has never been worth zero it is money REAL money with 6000 years of proven history being money from the Egyptians and Assyrians onward. Silver is also an industrial metal used in countless ways, it also is a biocide that can be used to clean water, wounds and surfaces of viral & bacterial toxins. One should have 10 to 20 grand worth of silver in the start at minimum. 20 grand is silver is not that much weight about 25 kilograms it would fit in the average suit case with wheels to make for easy movement if needed.
That is assuming they will raise payrates to match the hyperinflation. What if the cost of everything gets so high that you don’t have the dollars to pay off your land, even at the lower interest rates you financed it with?
What happens if prices go sky high but they don’t inflate the currency and goods simply become scarce?
I think we are facing a time where old assumptions about economics are going out the window!
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That is certainly what happened during the big inflation in the USA, which was kicked off by an oil crisis—Wages did not begin to keep up. In fact some people were “frozen” on salary schedules and got no raises at all.
Nixon got the brilliant Idea to put on “price controls” so naturally, those products became scarce. For the first time in my life, huge sections of the grocery store would be empty and not refilled on a timely basis-hence I learned a valuable economic lesson.
And we really didn’t have near the amount of inflation that would be termed hyperinflation - like Venezuela and Argentina. So ya make some good points.
The Gold will pay your Real Estate Taxes so you can continue to live in your home. Grow your own wheat-it’s easy-grind it and make your own bread-that ain’t hard either.
In 300 sq. feet, I can grow winter wheat and have enough to make a loaf of bread as needed throughout the whole year. In spring, summer, and fall we can if needed grow all we need to survive as far as food goes-we know how to preserve it too.
So finally I ordered a gizmo from harbor freight — sure enough the electrical switch has an issue. Hubby's like well I don't have time to do it. Bath tub faucet leaks and the drain under the tub is leaking-since that tub is just directly over the tub downstairs, his solution is to put a bucket under the tub and empty it when its full. So that tub is a no use-and it's the main bathroom.
Then the sink in the main bathroom got a rather large leak, so there's a dishpan there. And the main kitchen sink/dishwasher is clogged. I washed a few dishes by hand and then ran the dish washer.
Foam starts coming out of the dishwasher-so all the water in the sink from the hand wash went into the dishwasher. So I did get hubby to at least bring the shop vac up from the shed and we got the water vacuumed out.
Then I took a bucket of water and put it into the dishwasher and ran the cycle. The dishes came out clean, but every time the dishwasher emptied, the sink had some of that water come up into the sink and then it slowly drained out the regular drain. And the front panel of the dishwasher fell off, and hubby said he'd fix it— he was just so glad I figured out how to get the dishes clean.
And the intake from the well-that hose has sprung a leak and there's a dish under it set at an angle to let the water go into the drain, and for some reason the holding tank ain't filling up and the pump comes on every time you turn on the water to get a drink or whatever.
Well that ain't all, but gives ya an idea. Now hubby did a lot of the wiring when we built our house, and he did the plumbing for our house and our daughter's house. So he knows how to fix this stuff, and I even picked out replacement faucet like he told me too—too long ago to even be believable. I think hubby may be related to Pa Kettle-gonna fix that one a these days.
They are attempting to transfer inflation into the entity called the “stock market”.
Pensions term diluted farther and farther out.
If inflation is jacked up on the STREET, the stock market will mushroom. Japan.
We buy a lb. of salt every time we go to the store. It doesn’t go bad and ya gotta have salt. Often a box of baking soda too. Just keep stacking them up.
You will be in great shape for when it’s not available.
LOL! I had a new toilet (in the box) sitting in the hallway for TWO YEARS before it got installed.
My sister and Mom finally shamed him into it, LOL!
Of course, then when Mom wanted new toilets, he was Johnny on the Spot. *Rolleyes*
Beau IS pretty good about fixing things, but he certainly has his ‘I’m Retired...Hire Someone Else’ hat on more often than not. ;)
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