I wrote bits of this in another post, but I think it needs to be common knowledge if things get turbulent.
I popped a couple grand out of the bank the other day and scrapped my old debit card for a new one, to get me out of any subscription that still have the info logged in.
I don't think the money is gonna matter though. If the banks all go down, then the value of the dollar won't mean anything anyway. Cash will be as valuable as your ability to sucker someone into believing it still has value.
Gold and silver, unless you have it in your possession, is also as useless as money in the bank.
Even if you do have gold and silver on hand, don't expect to barter with it. People have no clue what it is actually worth anymore.
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Instead, buy food and stuff that makes stuff. Don't buy more than 2 weeks of food, though. A minor shortage will turn into a major shortage in the panic, which we learned from the Toilet Paper Shortage before the China Virus started up.
When I say "stuff that makes stuff" I mean buy firewood (or better yet, source your own) and hand tools that don't need electricity. If the power goes out, and people need to build stuff, all the electric hand drills in the world won't be worth anything but their weight in copper coils. Instead, buy braces, old wrenches at thrift stores (can be gotten for pennies), nails, screws, bolts, ANYTHING elastic, yarn, cordage(paracord/rope), matches and candles(to melt the ends of paracord), saws, tarps, knives, hatchets; you get the deal.
Barter is the oldest and honest form of commerce -- and one they can't tax or monitor!
Buy some craft books. Put your "manliness" or "girliness" aside and get things like cookbooks, knitting/crochet/sewing books, wood working books, mechanic books, and the like. If the internet goes down, you'll be glad you can still crochet a blanket or pair of socks. It's really not as hard as it seems.
Next, the holy grail of crafts... PVC Piping.
PVC pipe in all sizes is more valuable than gold in an extended blackout. It can be used to make tents, collect water, or heated up and shaped to form armor plates. You can duct tape a kitchen knife to the end to make a spear, or even lash it with some cordage and make a bow. The interlocking cylinder's are the most versatile crafting base for any project to date. Expect a single Tee adapter to be worth a sack of flour on its own.
Don't glue unless you're working with water. You can always tear down what you make and use it for something else. Don't cut pipe unless you have to. Measure twice, cut once. Learn to make wood dowels to connect two small pipes together, in case you screw up.
Once you realize you don't have to buy something-ready made and that everything is only a sum of its parts (that you can scrap and reuse) you really get a rush of independence that only a Creator knows.
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In summary...
Use these things to make things. Then trade the things you make. Make boxes, bags, knives(from old wrenches) and anything else needed for a more "rustic" lifestyle. You and others in your community will be glad you had the foresight.
So many goobers get all these mail-order "bugout bags" and prepper supplies, but they neglect getting the things that actually matter -- tools.
Make yourself so invaluable to your community, with your knowledge and intuition, that you'd be the last person they'd eat. It's a silly conclusion, but absolutely true in its merits.
Edit:
Feel free to add your own advice in the comments. Knots are something else to keep in mind.
^ This guy Minecrafts.
I would also add:
If you don't already know how, learn to use a map and compass.
Befriend a Mormon. A lot them have 2 years worth of food storage.
People will still want entertainment. Books, magazines, games, soccer balls, football, etc can keep the boredom down. If you're going to be inside for while with a group, have tabletop RPGs and war games avaliable.
Have a lot of extra toothbrushes and paste. No one want stinky breath. Floss, picks, and dental wax is imperative if you can't get to a dentist.
High proof Alcohol / Whiskey. It's valuable as an antiseptic and coolant, and fuel. And anesthetic if really needed.
Or the Amish
God bless the Amish Juls!
Lol true
Yup, and mentally register every single stream, body of water, and river near you for every outing you go on.
You're always encompassed by at least three sources of water. If you ever get lost in the middle of nowhere, think back to which body of water should be the nearest, use a compass or the sun to find your bearing, and head in that direction and don't stop moving until you get there.
All flowing water leads to civilization. Follow the water, and you'll find signs of people. If you find the coast first, then follow the coast to a port.
The ocean is just west of me lol. I grew up in a small town in Florida. Lived there most of my life until my wife got me to move down to gold coast, I guess that's what they call Tampa area of Florida. On my land up in North Florida, I have a four inch arteasian well that has 20 lbs pressure without pump.
I loved that well. When a storm came through, and power was out for any length of time, I could hook hoses up to house and have running water with no electricity. Now all I have is a regular well.
I need to figure out how to attach a hand pump to the well, so I could hand pump water out in case I ran out of fuel for generator. I'm thinking about getting on of those whole house generators that comes on automatically when commercial power goes out, but even if I had one of them, I would only use what was essential so as to not draw to much attention to myself. I don't know how much fuel it would take to run one for a year.
During the gas/fuel shortage of the 70's, my dad put down in the backyard a 2000 gallon diesel tank with an intermediate take that he could fill from it. When my parents died, before we sold the house, we dug it up. It had been emptied by then.
Research ‘Bison pumps’ my well is too deep, but Bison makes a hand pump that is fabulous and can in some cases live in the well you already have
Thanks, will do. I think my well is only around 80 ft. My artisian well up in North Florida was I think around 700 ft. The water was a bit sulpher, which I don't mind, but I could get five gallons in a jug, and let it breath a couple days, and it was the best water I have ever tasted.
Homemade toothpaste will remineralize your teeth!:
Here are a few recipes:
First One
1 part Food Grade diatomaceous earth (you can even make this yourself with egg shells, but it is not too expensive to buy)
5 parts Calcium Carbonate
3 parts xylitol or stevia powder
3 - 5 parts coconut oil
peppermint, spearmint, clove oil for flavoring, (you'll know it's enough when you like the taste 1/3 to 1/2 part)
Second:
1/2 C Coconut Oil
2-3 Tbls baking soda
5 Tbls Calcium Carbonate
2 small packs of pure stevia (1tsp)
15 - 20 drops of mint extract, clove extract or what ever flavor)
10 drops of myrrh extract
Third:
4 T. diatomaceous earth (food grade, egg shells, sea shells, ground up)
2 T. Baking Soda
2 T. Calcium Carbonate (food grade)
6 T. Coconut oil
15 drops liquid stevia
15 drops oil of peppermint, spearmint, clove, cinnamon or orange
I just dampen my toothbrush in water and dip it into a jar of calcium carbonate which sticks to the damp bristles. It works great. My dental hygienist has nothing but praise for how clean of tartar etc my teeth and healthy my gums are. I'm never going back to anything like toothpaste. Plus the calcium is good for you and calcium carbonate never ever spoils.
The oil is in the toothpaste to help draw out any infection, and to provide a means for the calcium to be absorbed. The calcium is better absorbed when combined with some form of fat.
The oil is there to draw out poison or infection. teeth like an alkaline environment, so the baking soda breaks down the acids formed by eating starches.The stevia also is good for your gums, but to each their own.
Omg gonna try this!
Diatomaceous earth will abrade your teeth in no time!
Yes, if you use it as a permanent replacement.
You have to cut it with something like charcoal if you plan on using it indefinitely.
Charcoal alone is good enough as a tooth paste, but many can't stand the taste of pure carbon.
I remember my grandma use to make her own soap. I always marveled at the big bars of soap over at her house. She also rendered her own chicken oil/greese for frying.
Whiskey is also an excellent barter item.
You're right. Never even thought of that!
Yeah, both my DH and I don't drink. But a Russian (and part Ukranian) Lady I know from my church is very aware that the USA may be going the way of Russia during the early 90s collapse, but in reverse embracing communism.
Tough times for most in Russia as corrupt Oligarchs, aligned with equally corrupt Politicians,Central Bankers and US Corporate types, ruled badly for almost a decade. (FWIW, she claims Putin fixed a lot of those problems by kicking out the Central Bankers and corrupt politicians. She doesn't think he's a bad guy, but prefers the USA the way it used to be.)
She said one of the best items to barter with at that time in Russia was brandy, whiskey and, of course, bottled vodka - not the homemade kind - although that would sell to the bigger city folks who couldn't still it.
My hubby and I looked at each other and decided to buy more than a few bottles for the future. They are stashed in a safe place. If things don't go all kaflooey they would make great gifts to people we know who drink.
I'm afraid to bulk stock Whiskey. I'm not 100% positive I could keep from drinking it.
I used to by one gallon jugs of the best moonshine from a cousin whose family had been making it for generations. That stuff was smooth, but would knock you on your butt before you know it.
LOL. Reminds me of that great song "White Lightning" sung by George Jones!
Well, my DH was an alcoholic (pass out kinda alcoholic!) who could hold a steady job but once he got home drank way too much beer and Jack Daniels. He finally went sober about 10 years ago after I made the decision not to enable him ever again. It was that or our marriage was over sad to say.
Thank the Lord he chose me over the booze. I decided to not drink again - even when away from home - to support him. No loss for me as I wasn't a big drinker to begin with. My DH no longer feels the need for alcohol. But we both decided to put our emergency stash in a place not easy to get to unless needed. ;-)
Haven't though of this in years, but when I was a young man, more than 40 years ago, I met a girl that lived in Atlanta. I ended up talking with her for hours at a time over the phone. We liked each other it seemed. She finally got an opportunity to travel to Jacksonville to visit me. I got drunk and made a total ass of myself, and ruined any chance of a relationship.
When I got home that night, alone, still pretty inebriated, I sat down at the table and wrote this, not to good of a poem, but it expressed the moment.
Well, I really did it this time, got drunk and ruined all my rapport
With the only girl in the world at the time, I really cared anything for.
You think I would have learned by now, no one likes being round a sot,
And I guess I sort of proven to this girl so how that nice is what I'm not.
But that couldn't have been me saying those words, I'm not that big of a goof
I was someone else that night inside
I call him the phantom of 86 proof
It's sort of like Jekell and Hyde.
Will I have the strength to defeat him, and come out a winner on top
Will I have the will to beat him, and make all the hurting stop.
I guess the answer will come when all's ended, and all that's goings gone down
When it's to late for relationships to be mended, and I count the friends still around.
There are 50+ different games you can play with cards alone. Add dice and you probably double that.