how do we best protect ourselves financially

[seabeyond]

what are we seeing happeneing. my curiosity is in the 20's, 30's how the people survived in germany. the citizens, on a day to day. what they experienced. i would like to see ahead what is happening

[Warpy]

1. People sold what they had

If somebody bought their books, jewelry, crystal, pots, pans, or pencils, they ate that day. If not, they didn't. They went door to door begging to do chores for a little food. If they found a kind person, they ate. If they found my grandfather, they weeded the petunias and ate. If they found my grandmother, they got their bowl of vegetable soup without having to work for it.

The fact is that there is no way for an ordinary person to prepare to ride this out and emerge unscathed.

The feeding frenzy we're seeing among the ultra rich is causing much of the slide toward depression, but it's also their attempt to be able to ride this out and emerge on top.

The Texas mafia won't do a damned thing about what's happening to the rest of us, and that's the one thing you can really count on.

[seabeyond]

3. so i want to know about your grandparents

why was your gfather able to pay for labor and your gmother able to give the soup

how did they take care of themselves. seeing where i am, i am going to be more them. what i want to protect so i can feed my family and those that come to me. geez........all my extended family and friends and neighbors.

[Warpy]

6. My grandfather taught a variety of subjects at the college level

was the superintendent of schools, and gave music lessons on the side.

My grandmother turned the back yard into a minifarm, complete with chickens, and grew much of their food.

[noamnety]

2. I'm thinking self-suffiency

I'm kicking myself now for not taking better care of my vegetable garden and orchard this year. But I think that's part of the answer. If you can grow stuff yourself, do it. If you have extra, sell it or give it away to others in need if you don't can or freeze it.

Community programs for self-sufficiency would be smart - if you have a lot of land and can offer some space for a community garden for those in nearby apartments, it would be great to offer out part of your land. If they are going to use your water to care for it, you can charge 5 or 10 bucks to rent a 10x10 foot space. I rented a couple of plots from the University of Michigan when I lived on campus. Those who are on campuses could start similar programs, so students can raise their own produce. I know most students leave in summer, but schools also have family housing that lives there year round.

I spoke to a few people at a John Edwards rally who said that during the depression, they were using cardboard from cereal boxes to line the inside of their shoes when the soles wore out - they had to be careful in school to keep their feet flat on the floor instead of crossing their legs, so other kids wouldn't see the cereal boxes through the holes in their shoes.

When things are bad, people also become less wasteful. I still have some habits from my poverty days that I can't break. Even when our family income was upper middle class or better, I still shopped at Salvation Army. I still can't make a turkey without throwing the bones into a soup pot afterwards, I never just throw it out.

One habit I lost was that when I lived in a community of poor people, we pooled resources for transportation and shopping. We all had cars, but the best fruit market was a distance away - so we would take turns going, and would take orders from our neighbors, and one person would collect the money, drive out and get everything and distribute it. I'd like to see something like that start up in my area for Costco, because I can't eat a case of grapes by myself before they go bad.

A small bright side is that poverty does make you less wasteful, so it's better for the environment.

[seabeyond]

4. good stuff..............i too had a decade or two of poor

and not so long ago. i am frugal. hubb does veggies and see some more things here. that will accumulate and allow to give. i am seeing. lol lol. thanks. cool stuff

[murray hill farm]

5. Poor will be different this time..worse!

But there are some things u can do to prepare. You can start now to do with less..stop buying "stuff" that u do not need..begin to spend evenings doing things that do not need electricity to enjoy..playing board games or cards, rather than watch tv, stock up on things like lamp oil, etc...blackouts in the country may begin sooner than u think..and being prepared for this will help. Begin to learn family survival skills. Learn to garden..u can grow a lot in a small space..and learn to can vegetables..get the jars and equipment now..and learn how to do it. canned vegetables do not need refrigeration..and the idea of the garden is to be able to live on the food u grow during the non growing months. Prepare your house to be more efficient for preserving warmth if you live in areas where where it gets cold in the winter..insulation, curtains, etc. If you have a fireplace or woodburner..great..if not get one now. Any kind of communal arrangement u can work out now will be very valuable..may be extended family..or neighbors..so that u can help each other if the need arises..and u are dependent on each other..comnmunity gardens..people to trade and barter with, etc. Find a water source, if you do not have a well..find someone who does..and rig it so that fresh water can be obtained without elec.

[murray hill farm]

7. more stuff

keep what cash u can in your house..scary, i know..but when elec goes..even the beginning black outs...u wont be able to get cash from the banks...store canned food u can buy now to get u through until the garden produces..sweet potatos are good...and cheap..and will keep you alive..but others too. Find a source of wood for that woodburner..u will need that and if you can find one that you can cook on top of, all the better.