Posted on 07/07/2015 11:57:05 AM PDT by Kartographer
Even those who have hoarded cash fear that the value of the euro will plummet, or that a return to the drachma could leave them stranded with the wrong currency.
And so 48-year-old Sophia Marcoulakis is considering converting her cash into something more stable: a designer handbag.
It’s a luxury the mother of two never would have allowed herself before the banks shut down. But now she considers it an investment, a tangible possession that the government cannot take away.
“You have a feeling that money has lost its value,” said Marcoulakis, a corporate lawyer. “It’s just a number.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Yeah, I need to restock TP again. I had a lot before the move, then used up a bunch because moving it 2300 miles while it was still affordable seemed silly.
And U finally get to work on skills now that I’m a country girl. My little gardens are flourishing! I love living where things grow ;)
But I still have so much more to learn. Ibwas saying to a veterinarian friend that her medical skills and my husband’s skills fixing things will be invaluable, while I will just be a burden. She very kindly, if not completely accurately, said my cooking ability will be needed. And deductive reasoning as well.
I need to learn about raising chickens, raising goats, making cheese, ... more than I can even remember at the moment.
LOL, so did I. I never thought it would be about purses!
Well, one of the keys to prepping (at least in terms of grocery-store food) is: NEVER buy anything unless it’s on sale AND you have a coupon.
The neat thing about this is that after a few months, you don’t need to buy anything unless it IS on sale - and you have a coupon :-) Depending on your budget, those first few months can involve some modicum of ‘self-denial’; but in the end, you’ll be glad you put yourself through it. (It’s really nice to wake up on a rainy Saturday, not feeling like going out - and know that you don’t HAVE to go grocery shopping!)
We’re not obsessive about it; but we slowly built-up to where we have enough *stuff* that we never really need anything; all we have to do is buy what’s a good deal; and we can choose what is useful or necessary. We don’t pay full price for anything unless it’s fresh vegetables (we live in the suburbs, and don’t grow anything.)
It seems to me that this is smart just in a ‘home economic’ sense, all apart from ‘prepping’.
There are all kinds of skills; and in difficult times, a good, nutritious, home-cooked meal is not to be ‘sneezed at’! Women have known that forever. Sewing is also not an insignificant skill. (I can’t tell you how many men in my circle have asked me how to fix a zipper, darn a torn pocket, make simple curtains, or even stitch a button back on - LOL!)
I’ve never raised chickens, but I’ve worked with them and know people who raise them. Keep them very clean (in my experience, ‘cleanliness IS next to Godliness, when it comes to the caretaking of animals!) and take good care of them, and they’re possibly the easiest and most inexpensive livestock to keep for food. Study and find the breeds that work best in your climate and ‘deliver’ what you want - whether meat or eggs. Check for temperament, as well, when you’re deciding what types to raise; that can matter a lot when you have to take care of them. I would start with laying hens, first.
(If you want to make cheese at home, fresh mozzarella or ricotta are great, easy places to start; you’ll learn about the chemistry, even if you move on to other types of milk and cheese. There are lots of resources on the Web, even kits you can buy to get you started learning.)
-JT
Bump to look for book tomorrow, thanks.
What you described is how I’ve always shopped ;) I prep by continuing that and adding beans, rice, and wheat packed in Mylar for long-term storage. If I don’t need it before then, it will last until I’m 80. In the meantime, it’s cheaper to use the beans, rice, and wheat berries that are not packed in Mylar and oxygen absorbers.
I’ve made parmesan, Fontana, Swiss, Romano, and gouda. Ricotta, of course, too. I haven’t made mozzarella because I have repetitive stress injuries and can’t stretch and twist it as needed. Being a rebel, I read the cheese books, saw I should start with easy cheeses in the front of the book, and flipped to the back of the book and began with parmesan!
Wow, you’re an expert!
I’ve never made cheese; only yogurt. I just have a bunch o’ ‘book-learnin’.
We should do Cheese, on the cooking thread.
I was watching some videos the other day, by a ‘prep lady’ who didn’t think that Mylar was necessarily the way to go with dried beans. I’ll try to find it again.
-JT
How does a gold coin taste?
Good post
“If the plan is for them to take money from all your bank and retirement accounts as well as from your safety deposit boxes how long do you think that they would let you keep gold?”
Oh, about as long as you could keep it hidden, but wouldn’t the same be true of anything of value?
“Two Women” by Alberto Moravia”
Is that the book from which the movie starring Sophia Loren was made? I’ve seen the movie, but didn’t even know it was taken from a book. Iggurnance strikes again.
Wonder if it’s in my local lyeberry.
“any suggestions would be appreciated”
Grain alcohol. People will want alcohol for pain relief and sterilizing wounds as well as achieving a state of drunkenness. By volume, grain alcohol is superior in all these areas.
Some people will have assets sufficient to allow them to drink high-dollar booze, but if things are really bad, you might end up not being able to barter it.
It’s human nature, someone might risk all for money, gold or silver during SHTF and pass up twice the value in stored food. Not always, but often enough.
Cheese and sourdough would be great topics on your thread.
I don’t know of any other way to store beans and such in a material that isn’t oxygen permeable. Except a can, of course. Those can’t be too big because of weight. And they rust.
While Mylar needs structural support. And buckets and Mylar can be chewed through by rodents. But one can seal Mylar themselves and canning would be more expensive.
So depends on one’s particular situation.
If you come up with a 3rd option, let me know!
That mother of two would have been wise to buy cloth diapers, used kid clothes in the next 2-3 sizes up, food, medicine and tp. The Greeks should be focused on paying off their mortgages and getting their rents paid up in advance so they’ll have a roof over their precious trinkets. I’ve never understood the purpose of $$$$ purses worth more than the cash carried in them. My 10-12 year old $2 church sale purse fits the bill.
The Chanel purchase should tell one all one needs to know about Greek thinking. Bizarro.
I second the sour dough tread. I’ve always wanted to try it but like spiced beef recipes - I’m a little afraid that I’ll manage to give myself botulism. It took me years to get over my jam anxiety.
Sounds like an excuse to get a Chanel handbag
They still have coupons? We never get any in the newspaper and I haven’t seen anyone using them in years.
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