Posted on 05/07/2010 7:35:01 AM PDT by blam
20 Things You Will Need To Survive When The Economy Collapses And The Next Great Depression Begins
Michael Snyder
May. 7, 2010, 10:26 AM
(This is a guest post from The Economic Collapse Blog.)
Today, millions of Americans say that they believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. But only a small percentage of those same people are prepared for that to happen. The sad truth is that the vast majority of Americans would last little more than a month on what they have stored up in their homes.
Most of us are so used to running out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart for whatever we need that we never even stop to consider what would happen if suddenly we were not able to do that. Already the U.S. economy is starting to stumble about like a drunken frat boy. All it would take for the entire U.S. to resemble New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina would be for a major war, a terror attack, a deadly pandemic or a massive natural disaster to strike at just the right time and push the teetering U.S. economy over the edge. So just how would you survive if you suddenly could not rely on the huge international corporate giants to feed, clothe and supply you and your family? Do you have a plan?
[snip]
Are you prepared?
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Exactly. That’s why we now have a generator.
At least we had snow during the storm but do you know how much snow you have to melt in pots on the wood stove to fill a toilet tank? Not fun.
The other thing that really got to me was the lack of electricity once it got dark which it did at that time of year around 4:30 P.M. Newlyweds probably wouldn’t have minded but we aren’t and huddling up to the lantern to read and moving around otherwise with a flash light got old very quickly. We were totally snowed in way back on a country road that didn’t get plowed for days, btw.
They barely know him and already they're not putting out. /typical
Grin
Oh, and if I were to recommend anything to anyone, it would be to get the starter kit.
In my mind a good deal if you have a family or want water for a very long time for you and a buddy.
I am getting the jerry cans for me and my brother in a few months.
With the lifesaver bottle and the jerry cans, I am not going to worry about water for a long time. Especially, since I have hiked all over where I live and know about hidden ponds, streams and creeks.
I also have 10 five gallon PVC camp showers:
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-5-Gallon-PVC-Camp-Shower/dp/B0009PUT20/ref=sr_1_5/190-5442936-3139758?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248856145&sr=8-5?ie=UTF8&tag=techtamers
I like them because they lay about as flat as possible. I can carry two or three on my back no problem. The handles are convenient. I could even fill all 10 up and place them in a car, on a cart behind my bike, in a wheel barrow, etc.
They are in a pretty convenient footprint.
I also have 5 of the 5-gallon Water Carriers:
and 5 of the fold up water carriers for 5 gallons.
I have no idea if I will ever use them but in my mind, water is the most important resource in the pyramid of needs.
I have the rest, in ample supply, I hope.
You are so right about your assessment. Most people would fail in less than 10 days.
My brother and I would be fine. Okies living in CA, most people crack us up and they are on our list to avoid in any scenario.
I would trust people in UT, CO, TX, OK, Upper LA, AR, etc before I would trust any of these useless idiots here.
They actually believe the government will step in.
My brother and I always laugh and try to explain logistics and timeing. As well, our own experiences.
Living in the Santa Cruz mountains as kids we learned most skills useful to being on a farm, anywhere. We also had to put up with the river over cresting, mudslides and the occassional fire, which never affected us.
I also was a member of search and rescue. Found more than a few people who had gotten lost, for one reason or another and none of the reasons that I would have.
That said, I did wander off into the woods and ended up a day away from where I was suppose to be. I was really enjoying the beauty of the outdoors and somewhere along the way I made two mistakes.
I had marked my next line wrong and I didn’t take a compass reading all day. Just kept walking to what the map looked like. LOL.
Didn’t bother me and I had a great time.
Still other times, living in Oklahoma, the little town we lived in, regularly lost power. No problem. We stored our food in a refrigerator, that didn’t work on the back side of the house. Kept everything real nice... and frozen.
Been through three floods, many tornadoes and some other hairy events.
Raised rabbit, chicken, goat, cow and pig as kids(do guinea pigs count for anything?).
farmed, cut to many cords of wood, grew up around guns and love the great outdoors. Especially when it’s cold. Mmmmmm! Love it!
My whole family does.
We think for our mindset and skills a good retreat in a northern location that might have even a short growing season suits us just fine.
We like potatoes, wheat and other short season foods.
But we think the best part for us is our ability to do just about anything, anywhere and anytime.
The cold part appeals to us as we believe most other lizards and snakes won’t be able to take it and will either slither off or die.
As for us, we like the cold and don’t require much heat. Never have.
I would thank you too, if you provided a link.... LOL
True .....I agree !
I’m down with your recommendation... as a starting point
I do everything in your point #1 because I no longer want to do everything in your point #2.
However, it TEOWAKI happens, point #2 is now the priority.
LOL!
Now all we need is the great Laz to show up on command.
I have some wild willows...are they okay (not weeping)? I even have a small mimosa.
My sons have mentioned that....it certainly is something to think about if there is a major disaster. My sons live two hours away in the city...if anything should ever happen, here is where they want to be.
Yes..he is truly and sincerely gay. LOL!
Might be smart to get one now and put it away in the shed (bow or buck saw).
I am skilled only in firing off my 22 rifle to scare away coyotes and killing cotton mouths.
My sons have some guns and ammo here, I think one is a shot gun and the other some sort of rifle...but I just store them (along with a lot of other stuff they don’t have room for in the suburbs).
They (my hens) must sense something is not quite right! LOL!
I’ve never lived like in point #1, can’t live like point #2, and most people can’t.
Somewhere in the middle. Knowing that the mortal coil doesn’t last forever, anyway. The more I can do and have at home, the less the destruction of what we call civilization will effect me, personally, at least for some time.
I also think it’s important to live very far away from urban centers (I’m about 285 miles away from the nearest big city - Portland OR) and in an area that grows food. Rainfall and rivers and such are good. For instance, living in a desert where people would die of heat without electricity, nothing is grown (without electricity), wells are 1000 feet deep, etc.
Best I have on hand now is 2 of the Expedition grade Katadyn filters .
I have assorted filters stashed in different kits from MSR systems that fit on nalgene water bottles to small pur desalination filters for saltwater sources.
Those lifesaver bottles look like a good EDC system to carry in a vehicle or bug out bag.
I have to Expeditions as well. A good start and they are not cheap either.
I figure on using the Katy’s for stream or lake type water and the Lifesavers for anything else.
In terms of everyday carry, the lifesavers, in my mind, are analogous to their namesake.
Yeah, I think you are probably in an excellent area and already well acclimated. I would probably be at home there as well.
Desert or hot climes, for me, suck.
I think remote areas like Shasta and above would suit me just fine and maybe a little bit east or north by east.
I can always use hops for some good. LOL
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