Because I care about my BYC family....

[Mahonri]

I am not a predictor of gloom and doom, but...

Many signs are pointing towards the economy going south... soon.

There are some things that might help all of us get through some bumpy roads that most likely lie ahead.

In the next two weeks I would encourage folks to do just a few simple things.

Do what you can afford but don't have all of your eggs in one basket.

What can you do to help tide you over if we face a crisis?

1. This week, buy some more feed and store it in a cool, dry place.

2. Look at what is on sale at the grocery store and stock up on some canned goods and staples like flour, sugar etc...
.... today I bought an extra $300 worth of grocery/storage items at Costco.

3. Store some drinking water I have a couple big barrels I'm going to be putting water in this week... I've had them sitting out there for over a year, and now I'm going to fill them. Get some water purification tablets and have them ready.

4. Have a 72 hour emergency kit. Google it and you'll get all of the ideas you need for one for you and your family.

5. If the dollar becomes worthless as many are predicting, don't have everything in savings. If you can diversify.. buy some gold and buy some commodities that you can store...

6. I've taken everything out of the stock market but my wife's IRAs. I don't believe that it will do anything but go down, down, down.

7. Get things to store that you can barter... I've heard some folks say they're going to buy alcohol, cigarettes, toilet paper, guns, ammunition, etc... I'm not buying any of that other than the extra TP, but think about what you regularly buy as staples and even luxury items and buy and store some extra.

8. Get some storage devices that you can safely store gasoline in, in a safe place and have extra on hand.

9. Do you have a generator? It could come in handy to keep things cool in a fridge if the electrical grid were to go down in this country... if that happened, most of us wouldn't have water, or gasoline or perhaps even natural gas etc....


Even if nothing happens in the next two weeks, and you do any of the above, you will be ahead of the game.

There is talk of the dollar going down and the IMF issuing a global currency. If that happens you'll only get pennies for the dollar so it's best to have commodities and things you can sell and barter.

What if there were riots in towns and cities here like there has been in other countries? Those riots have been caused because of hyper inflation and it could happen here next. We can't continue to spend and print money... Other countries have done what we are doing with disastrous results.

Here is an interesting read....

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43534613

I also highly recommend our sister site... http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/
Lots of great stuff there to help you Be Prepared.

Because I care....

M

 

[chickenbottom]

do you believe something big is going to happen in the next two weeks?

 

[featherz]

Quote:
You must hang out in the same places as my DH. He's been predicting the end of the world for three years now. Each week it's 'take your money out of the bank.. can we build a bunker now? buy lots of canned goods.. bought more silver....' If it ever does happen he'll be chortling at all us ostriches.

 

[pdsavage]

Better safe then sorry.

 

[speckledhen]

I agree. No matter what you think will or won't happen, can't hurt to be prepared for the worst. Folks who were not are some of the ones losing their homes and some of those are my own relatives. We opted for voluntary poverty 9 years ago, before the economy tanked, decided to live on my DH's piddly Air Force retirement check alone, took two steps back in house, and now, though we are living on very low income, we are in better shape than most, and certainly better than when we were making over 70K/yr. My sons kept on like nothing would ever change in spite of our gentle warnings, and now, aren't doing so well.

 

[hisdaughter]

Thank you for sharing this info and encouragement. It's so hard to comprehend the great USA being different but the signs have been coming for yrs. I've started a small food pantry but need more info on how to cook and prepare/store food. The internet is great source, until it's gone. Keep the faith and thanks again for the info

 

[bakerjw]

BYCers tend to be self sufficient oriented people and always a source of good ideas.

We buy extra food every week and most of the dried gods get put it into long term storage (5 gallon buckets with Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers). I keep an eye out on prices and can tell what is good and what isn't. When we see price specials we buy extra depending on the expiration dates. Make sure that you rotate food around and label it. We have printed labels with the dates on them for all cans.

I tell one of my sons to stock up but he says that he can't afford it. Our local Food City has a "Value Time" brand. Typically their vegetables are $.50 a can. An extra $2.00 a week will net 208 cans of food a year. That is very doable.

IMHO everyone should have a months worth of food set aside. If the economy really falters and food supplies are disrupted then you do not want to be out on the street trying to find food.

As far as self defense goes, if you are storing food then you do need a way to defend it.

The only thing that I don't have right now is a solar system to run our well pump.

 

[bakerjw]

And learn to home can food. We are canning this year for the first time.

 

[Dunkopf]

I assume you're referring to the current debt ceiling crisis. It will be raised in time. Just more political drama.

I do believe we will go into another recession though. There will be a lot more leveling amongst the lower subset in this country before it's all over. It's always good to be prepared though. If for no other reason than the weather and the way it will affect our economy and the world economy for that matter.

Be prepared. As the boy scouts have always said.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Be prepared, but don't bet the family farm.

In an hour and a half broadcast, Camping walked listeners through his numerological timeline, insisting that his teaching has not changed and that the world will still end on October 21, 2011.

“It wont be spiritual on October 21st,” Camping said, adding, “the world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick.”

Not meaning to insult you, Mahonri, or link you to this. I'm just using this as an example that we never really know what will happen. I do think times are fixing to get a little harder. How much, I will not even try to guess to keep politics out of it. I expect to be surprised in the direction it takes, so I try to be flexible. But, yeah, be prepared for anything, including the world not ending.