Preparing for the Eventuality

[petron]

Just curious...<br><br>I wanted to ask everyone what they are doing to prepare for the possible huge downturn in the economy. I think this was asked here before but I can't remember. (Between hangin out at DU and here it's hard to keep track)<br><br>What measures are each of you taking to prepare? I'm not really looking for what you'll do spiritually or esoterically but more what will you do around your home, with your money and with your family. <br><br>The reason I ask is two fold. I think I have finally convinced my wife that something serious is going to happen and she's on board with being prepared AND we are about to have our first child in November. (Scary times to be having kids, I know)<br><br>Here's a short list of things we are doing but I'd like to do more.<br><br>- Stock up on non-perishable foods<br>- Withdraw cash from our bank<br>- Purchase lots of vegatable seeds for planting next year<br>- Write up living wills<br><br>Anyone else have any practical and not-to-expensive ideas?<br><br>Thanks.<br><!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>on edit: made correction <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p097.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=petron@rigorousintuition>petron</A> at: 8/22/05 12:12 pm<br></i>

[prophetlady]

We stocked up on cash, even though that might not help. We also put in a wood stove and stocked up on wood so that we can heat the house. We actually used it last winter and didn't turn the heat on once! (we have a propane heating system <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :\ --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> )<br><br>I also have been buying non-perishable foods and bottled drinking water and stocking them in one room of the house, but with 5 of us it's hard to get enough to actually last for a prolonged period of time.<br><br>My husband thinks I've lost my mind, but I'm considering ordering a year's supply of dried and dehydrated foods for us all. It will be a considerable expense but it might be the best investment we've ever made.<br><br>Oh, matches and candles, I've been going to the dollar store and stocking up on candles--same with stick matches.<br><br>Thanks for starting this--I'd love to hear what others are doing. I know we can't be prepared for everything that might come our way, but I feel like we at least have to try. <p></p><i></i>

[petron]

Thanks ProphetLady!<br><br>Oh I forgot about matches and candles. Have to remember that one. <p></p><i></i>

[RollickHooper]

There are many books on the subject of post-apocalyptic survival; I'm reluctant to say what steps I've taken or plan on taking because--well because I don't want anyone to know.<br><br>But I suspect that the Bad Guys are much better prepared than we are, and are laughing at our efforts because they'll have poisoned our air, our water and our food.<br><br>Then there's Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" scenario . . . <p></p><i></i>

[GDN01]

I had asked this question about preparing for eventuality of a nuclear attack a few weeks ago - and most people responded that it was too much to even contemplate. <br><br>I'm not sure which concerns me the most - economic devastation or a more violent apocalytpic scenario, but I guess in many ways, the preparation would be the same. Not completely, though.<br><br>And I have to admit, while I considered following the advice for preparing for post-nuclear survival, it became clear that I probably can't. And more than one person told me I had lost my mind when I said I was going to start stockpiling food and water. <br><br>Do you think an economic collapse would be sudden? I imagine it would be a slower process than say a nuclear attack bringing about national chaos and a need to go into survival mode. It's already getting more difficult to feed the kids and pay all the bills and keep everyone outfitted in shoes and clothes - and we don't go extravagant, we go basic. I'm trying to imagine the scenario that would include a need to grow our own vegetables and live off stockpiled supplies like candles that is the result of economic disaster alone, and I can't quite come up with one. And if the economic disaster is due to some other disaster - I'm not sure stockpiling supplies is going to save anyone. <br><br>All that said, I'm buying extra water every time I go grocery shopping, along with extra canned food. I've been trying to formulate a plan for sheltering my kids if needed. The concern is there for me, but not like it was as we headed into August. Maybe I'm doing the ostrich thing because it is too much to deal with. One thing I seriously considered but have not resolved is how to provide for an "opt out" plan if things get really horrific, like in the movie "28 Days Later" when the couple took their own lives rather than face being attacked by the zombies. And this would not be as much of an issue with economic disaster as it would be with suriving a post-nuclear attack. <p></p><i></i>

[petron]

Thanks for your reply GDN01. <br><br>I am trying to prepare more for economic collapse. <br><br>Not preparing for "post-nuke" era, don't want to imagine it and can't imagine surviving it. <br><br>The scenario I imagine consists of massive food shortages, petrol shortages, energy shortages(no electricity, no gas for heating), etc. Basically total chaos where no one works, unless of course you work in security for the state. I guess I am picturing the worst case of marshall law. <br><br>Maybe stockpiling isn't the answer, perhaps there is no answer. However, I'd rather be safe then SOL. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :rolleyes --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eyes.gif ALT=":rolleyes"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[ZeroHaven]

I always tell everybody: learn gardening. learn basic herbal medicine.<br><br>A small garden of select flowers, spices, and foods can significantly reduce your budget now, while you practice and learn.<br><br>Simple things, like using wood ash to filter drinking water. Or putting it on lettuce to keep bugs from eating it rather than using nasty chemicals. Chamomile flowers are a cliche that's truly useful, mild antiseptic, great to drink. I've always had an aloe plant around for minor burns; just break a small piece off, rub juice on damage. <br><br>Some of the stuff I've found online is quite silly, but most of it is pretty good when talking about using the plant parts and not taking some magic herb pill.<br><br>For worse scenarios, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to make penicillin and alcohol too. <p><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a239/ZeroHaven/tinhat.gif"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></p><i></i>

[GDN01]

Petron - do you think this would be a sudden development? I think that's what I'm trying to get my head around. I don't doubt that there is a real possibility of economic collapse heading our way. But I would like to hear more on how you think it will play out, and why. When I say "sudden development" I mean something that would spiral out of control over a matter of weeks as opposed to something that would come about over a matter of years. If it would be something that develops over years, I think we would develop coping strategies along the way and maybe not ever erupt into chaos. And stockpiling wouldn't be of much use. But if suddenly, in a matter of weeks, we go from our current state of things to the scenario you describe, it will indeed be chaos. If you are thinking we might see the sudden development of an economic collapse - what would cause it? <p></p><i></i>

[petron]

GDN01 -<br>My thoughts about this are fluid therefore it's hard for me to put my finger on it. Perhaps I am letting my paranoia get the best of me but that's nothing new. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :eek --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eek.gif ALT=":eek"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>I believe there will be some sort of catalyzing event to precipitate the economic collapse. Could be any sort of event and here are the things that come to the top: terrorist attack (false-flag), avian flu or some other type of deadly pathogen, seismic catastrophe in North America or stock market crash.<br><br>Any one of these events has the potential to massively disturb transportation/commerce in North America (if it does indeed happen in North America). What's more, the precarious situation the US is in financially is ripe for collapse in so much as federal debt and personal debt is truly unsustainable. <br><br>If we do fall into a Depression in the US what will I have to do to keep my family from suffering too harshly. <p></p><i></i>

[GDN01]

I agree - there will be a catalyzing event before the economic collapse - if there is one, and all the possibilities you mention are what I worry about! We will have to survive the initial event and then be prepared for a long hard road of continued survival. This seemed especially alarming as we went into August with many predictions of a false-flag terrorist attack. I live near Houston and this was one of the areas named for just such an attack. <br>Then yesterday, on the thread I started to update people on what's happening at Camp Casey, someone posted information that totally freaked me out. This man is claiming to have prevented a false-flag attack right here in Houston, that would have occurred on July 27th. Sweejak, another RI poster, met this man at Camp Casey and says he was very convincing. <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.ghosttroop.net/">Here is one of his websites</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> that details his efforts. <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.spiritone.com/~pazuu/pow-mia/GhostTroopCaptMay.htm">And here is another</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> that provides lots of correspondence from the man, Eric May, and others involved in what is being called "Ghost Troops". It is hard to work through all that is on these websites and figure out exactly what happened. But the best I can determine, there was a real possibility that an attack involving nuclear bombs - not sure how big or how it would have been done, was in the plans, and because of all the attention the Ghost Troops brought to it, the plan was aborted. I guess there is no real way to prove it, and I don't know if this man is for real. But it confirmed for me that all the internet chatter at the end of July about a false-flag attack had some truth to it. <br><br>So back to the initial question - how do we prepare for this eventuality, the catalyzing event as well as the societal/economic collapse that will follow? And how do we keep our sanity in the mean time?! I wish I had the answers for this. <p></p><i></i>

[Avalon]

If/when The Big One finally hits a major California city, that too could be the trigger. <br><br>It's only 2005, didn't you pay attention to the possibililities of Y2k? <br><br>We're by relatively clean water sources, we have a wood stove. With oil prices the way they are, we may have to use the woodstove pretty exclusively this winter.<br><br>Psychologically -- well, I was a kid in the sixties, and The Bomb was always hanging over our heads. Hasn't been a time for me when it wasn't an issue, but not surviving was never something I pictured either.<br><br>Petron, for your coming baby -- Janet Zand's <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> is one of my favorites. It covers both mainstream and alternative medical viewpoints for treatment. Susun Weed has a well-regarding herbal book for the childbearing year, and her other books on herbalism are excellent as well. I favor Penelope Leach and William Sears for child development philosophy. <br><br>I hope your wife is planning on breastfeeding. While they can sometimes be dorky on the level that any local chapter functions of international organizations can be, I really found La Leche League breastfeeding support meetings to be a really important asset when I was a new parent, even when I had my second child. They are held once a month at the local leader's house, and your wife would be welcome as a pregnant mother. Breastfeeding does not always come naturally, and it helps to have people who are knowledgeable and successful to advise. They are also really good sources of information on local parenting resources -- who the best pediatricians are, etc.<br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[petron]

Avalon - <br>I had a crazy mom who scared the bejeses out of me in the 80's with talk of the End of the World. She was a big believer in Hal Lindsey, and I think she actually attended his church or one of his churches in So Cal back in the 80's. So, I understand where you come from psychologically speaking. Thank god I did not live with her, I'd be a basketcase. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Thanks for the baby advice. I'll for sure look into "Smart Medicine". My wife and I have a certain distain for western medicine, especially the over use of "drugs" for all that ails you. <br><br>My wife is definitely planning on breastfeeding. Far too many benefits to breastfeeding to not to. She's has a very natural mothering instinct and will make a great mother, so were not too worried about the mother-child relationship in that respect. Thanks for the advice. <p></p><i></i>

[manxkat]

I've taken Mike Ruppert's advice (among others') so I'm getting out of debt and investing the savings I do have in gold/silver instead of in dollars. <br><br>In practical terms, I'm stocking up on lots of stuff that I expect will be difficult to find (soap, hydrogen pyroxide, baking soda, razors, etc.). <br><br>I put in a wood stove last winter, am getting a back-up hand pump for my well, building a freeform brick barbeque, got a couple compost bins (trying to be optimistic that there'll be plenty of food scraps), got some 15 gallon covered barrels to store water if need be.<br><br>Flashlights, kerosene lanterns, battery-powered fans, matches, solar battery chargers, rechargeable batteries...<br><br>Food-wise, a few months of canned goods and storable stuff like sprouting seeds, grains, etc.<br><br>I also cashed in half of my IRA retirement money 8 years early, with penalty and taxes due next year, so I could install a medium size solar PV system for my home. It will power the essentials -- water pump, fluorescent lights, small appliances, including the refrigerator. I figure the dollars in the IRA in 8 years will be worth little, because of hyper-inflation, so I might as well put the money to good use while I can.<br><br>For some excellent reading and enlightenment, I suggest the 3-part series by Dmitry Orlov called "Post-Soviet Lessons for a Post-American Century" on the From The Wilderness website. It'll wake you up bigtime. Here's a link to Part 3, but search out the first two parts as well.<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/071805_soviet_lessons_part3.shtml">www.fromthewilderness.com...art3.shtml</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Here's hoping for the best! (while preparing for the worst)<br> <p></p><i></i>

[GDN01]

hmmmm manxkat - can I be your neighbor? <br>Sounds like you are well prepared! My kids have already managed to eat 1/3 of our stockpiled food. I need to store it somewhere out of sight!<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Avalon]

Your single most important resource may be the people around you. Know who the person in your neighborhood is who makes things happen. Think about who has hidden strengths that may come out in a stressful situation (this may surprise them as well as you). An awful lot of us were shell-shocked after 9-11, a commitment to honor our feelings but to focus on what we need to be doing could really make a difference.<br><br>It might be a good idea to pick up one of those good camping water filters (I'm not sure of any particular brand names), so that if you need to clean up some water from a tire track where beavers have been frolicking, you'll be able to filter out the unseen nasty bits.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>