Could your family weather a depression?

[the1much]

go to the docs for every cold you get. they'll give ya penicillin,, then ya just keep it. but penicillin will only do good if you havent been buying store bought chicken.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

Tabby, I am in the same boat we move about every 3 years, it makes it difficult but not impossible. There are companies that sell freeze dried food for stocking up that last up to 30 years and it is light weight so you don't have to be too concerned with going over your alloted weight limits in the military. Try looking at places like this http://beprepared.com/
Concerning the medicine
I have been able many times also to talk the Doctor into giving me a longer prescription for something a family member takes regularly for example they will tell you I can only get for 30 days the last prescription I filled was for 90 I just asked real polite. Also most of those over the counter meds have a 2-3 year shelf life. Store what you think you will use in a sealed container in a dark cool place.

 

[banter]

We eat like now like I did when growing up in the 60's. In season, what we can grow, and what's on sale. Also trading with neighbors, which is fun. We cook almost everything from scratch and eat a lot of fresh raw foods-how good is that? We are canning and freezing too. We are a lot healthier!

 

[friendlyearth]

We might be ok foodwise - we have tons of beans and rice which I keep around for a bad situation. Kids wouldn't like it, but we would have things to eat for a while. We would be in trouble debt wise though I'm afraid. We have been attempting to become debt free, but it is a long haul. I had a 5 year plan, but in reality it wasn't very realistic. I worry most about the mortgage without money we wouldn't be able to pay it.

These are the things I worry about all the time and I so much want to get ahead and be completely debt free so I always have a place to live - food isn't a huge issue since we live on 5 acres - although at the moment I don't have a freezer (on the list) and canning scares me.

 

[the1much]

thank goodness i have 1 debt. our house, but in a year ( paid this off in 3 years) we will be done.i refuse to have ANY kind of credit card, have 2 businesses,and will not "borrow" for any reason.we bought this place "for a song" is valued 4 times more then what we paid for it, and am waiting for the right person to offer the right amount, and that money will pay for my next place that will have farm land, and livestock space.

 

[hoosier]

Sundance, I am with you on the cleanliness stuff! I have a lot of cleaning/disinfectant materials around. I have never heard of Terri Blackstock, but will look for her books - thanks!

I don't think anyone has mentioned stocking salt, a cheap and vital item.

 

[@migocontodos~]

We're so far awy from anything resembling the "Great Depression" right now. The economy might be tough, tight, or downright bad...but only by American standards.
"only by American Stardards

Many in the world live the life everyday, right now that some are forcasting that we will live in the future.
I am by no means an economist, but I don't see how anyone can survive a FULL BLOWN depression with any type of mortgage. Debt relief is your biggest gain. You can do all the canning you want and freeze all the beans in the garden and the garden beside you, but if you can't make your mortage or pay your taxes....you won't have a house or farm to use.
No debt and saving $ is the answer to surviving a depression. Three will always be food out there....being able to pay the price asked for it is another story!​

 

[NMbirds]

A good thread, keep it going. Without the need to fear anything, we try to live simply that others may simply live. And as for being "green" our latest car is a hybrid, 50 mpg. Next is solar and or wind power and trying to get off the grid. Energy the biggest drain on both finances and the environment.
Sustainable and renewable energy is the future. Solar chicken coops are cool as well as warm if positioned correctly, passive solar works very well.
Remember that chicken may be the only animal that you can eat after it's dead and before it's born, well at least that you would want to eat.
As for feeding ourselves, grow as much as we can, trade locally and for a good read, check out Barbara Kingsolver's book,
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

 

[ams3651]

Ive grown up knowing to keep some extras because you never know when a flood or snow storm will keep you unable to get to town or stuck at home. We keep freezers full of venison and pork and vegetables. My gram cans her own ketchup, tomato juice and whole tomatoes. Peaches, pears, relish, red beets, peppers if she has them. We are close enough to each other to travel by 4 wheeler if we have to. I would love to have one of those out door burners for heat. Due to my back problem I didnt get in much of a garden this year and the cool summer would have made it pretty much useless anyway. I want next year to get in peas, potatoes and other things we eat often. A depression is something on alot of peoples minds these days, heck I want to go back to the old way of living just because Im poor, I grew up on a farm and missed it and its easier to support yourself as much as you can. I may have my grandmother get out my gt grandmothers old ration books again, they had some great recipes for stretching food, like Meatless Monday.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We aren't ready to yet (no one's stockpiling cans of pork and beans at our place...), but both of us are pretty creative and intelligent, so I think we'd be able to survive one pretty well. Any skills we didn't have now we'd be able to learn. I can garden, cook/bake and sew, and he is very handy with building and fixing things. We have bicycles.

The only thing I would worry about is my DH's supply of medications. Because he has a chronic illness, he needs his medications to feel normal and healthy (and, to an extent, remain living... Crohn's, untreated, could have very serious complications).