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.
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.)