With the downgrading of our National Credit Rating on Friday I have a question for you. If there was a bank run tomorrow, would you be affected? If so, how badly would it hurt you and your family? Would you have some cash money that you could lay your hands on? Would you have fuel for your vehicles? Do you have medicine's and band-aids in your cabinets in case someone gets hurt or sick? And here is the really big question... Would you have enough food in your pantry to be able to feed your family for a few days, or a few weeks until the banks re-opened? What would you do if they never did? Would you be prepared to care for your family if it were necessary to use only the things you have right now?
There was a time when these questions would seem a lot more far-fetched to many than they might seem to be these days. A time when this sort of thought might never have even crossed your mind. I'm wondering if it might just be crossing it now. It seems to me that the writing is on the wall for our economic system. There will have to be big changes one way or another now. I know that the government is corrupt. It is more and more apparent every passing day. We have let the foxes in the hen house and they are doing what inevitably happens when foxes are in charge of the chickens. The question is ... what are your going to do about it?
With the recent ploys in DC to wrangle a deal to avoid what has now happened,(the downgrading of our credit rating) it is becoming apparent to some of us that we will have a serious problem on our hands sooner rather than later. So what to do... What to do?
Heaven knows I don't have the answers. Some folks have been preparing against these times for a long time now. Others, not quite so long and some are just now figuring out it might be best for you and yours to start. If you have never thought about preparing for hard times now is the time to move. And I'm not talking about a few extra cans of food at a time anymore.
The time for being able to take your time and think that you can do this over the next few months or so is over. That opportunity has passed. You had your chance and you didn't take it. You thought that those of us who were trying to put things back for hard times, to get ready for a coming disaster were just a bit "crazy". That these things could be done later on. Guess what! You had better snap to and prepare as fast and furiously as you can for the coming economic and government emergencies about to rear their ugly heads.
The downgrading of our credit should be a huge red sign for those of you who didn't see this all coming. The cost of EVERYTHING is about to rise even more dramatically than it already has in the past year. This credit downgrade isn't just about interest rates. It will affect the cost of everything you use because as the old saying goes "S#*t rolls downhill". The cost WILL be handed down to the consumer, heck, that is just business.
Tomorrow will be a very interesting time for us "regular folks" here in the U.S. They gave us the news of the downgrade after the markets closed on Friday for a reason. They wanted you to have a few days to think about things, to let it soak in before trading on Wall Street starts tomorrow. There is going to be some serious action tomorrow and who knows what might happen. But I know this much, our money is now worth less than it was on Friday. That part is an undeniable fact. What is unknown is what will it be worth after tomorrow and how will people react? So I will ask you these questions again.
If there were a bank run tomorrow... do you have cash that you can lay your hands on without having to go to the bank? Do you have at the very least a half a tank of fuel for your vehicle? If one of the kids gets sick or hurt do you have medicine/ bandages to "fix them up" in your cabinets? And most importantly- Do you have enough food in your pantry to feed your family for a few days or even weeks?
It is time to spend every extra dime you have on what some call "Beans, Band-aids, and Bullets. If those words make you uncomfortable, then imagine how you would feel if you could not feed your children because you didn't think far enough ahead to stock up for a few extra days or even weeks? Would you be able to look your children in the eyes and tell them there was nothing for dinner and send them to bed hungry because you failed to prepare for their future? ~~~~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~~~~
Amen and well said! The collapse that many are calling for may never happen. But it should be apparent to anyone that grocery shops that prices are rising and have been for some time. For example, I'm glad I stocked up on a year's supply of coffee at $4.99 per lb because it's now $10 to $12.99 per lb ON SALE! Most folks don't know that the stores have only a 3-day supply of food on sale. Even a natural disaster could wipe that out in a heart beat (think Katrina), so it's always a good idea to be prepared for anything.
ReplyDeleteamen sci, i sincerly home folks can hear your heart crying out to prepare.we in for some rough times and we gotta be prepared.our old folks use to prep all summer for winters.they were prepared.well old timey days are here again, as we put stuff up,and try to take care of our familys. thanks for reminding us.folks be prepared for anything cause it could happen
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question in a whole, yes I am ready. for the past couple of months we have focused all grocery shopping on just that. When we find a 10 for 10 deal, we buy 20 or 30. No more snack foods and no more quick frozen meals. Our pantry is up to almost a year (except for water). Our ammo is good for a small war. Will it come to that, probably not.
ReplyDeleteYesterday while I was in town I bought some more ammo and the friends we were with asked why I bought more ammo when I already have some. I told them because I wanted it. I in-turn asked them why they bought new shoes when they already have some new ones their feet.
It's all a priority thing I guess.
SciFi, I hear ya! Over the weekend the fella kept muttering to himself and looking in the food pantry, ammo closet and gun closet. He'd watch the news or see something on the internet and then go look again....he had to go to work for a bit this morning, but I suspect there will be a trip to Costco on the way home! We have loads of food stores, but we are a bit *light* in the sugar and oil dept. I wonder and worry about all those people that saw the same *writing on the wall* as we did---but didn't make plans.
ReplyDeleteFor a simple answer - yes to cash, yes to food, yes to medical, altho I could use a couple more packs of glucose test strips, and yes to fuel.
ReplyDeleteCan we do more, of course. Will we, absolutely. I've been working on the food/household shopping list since Friday. Luckily, we've already changed over to homemade cleansers, rags instead of paper towels, and we rarely use our vehicle unless necessary so we save there. We're stocked on seeds and have already started our fall garden and have also stocked up on seeds for sprouting (the water used for that is used for cooking).
I know we can survive for at least a month easily, 3 months with a little cutting back and most likely 6 months being diligent.
Hope more people are taking notice of what's happening and doing their planning. Serendippitous that Sam's Club has the 'anyone can shop here this weekend' - good place to stock up.
Thrifty, Wow that was a great deal on the coffee! You bring up a good point about the 3 day supply at the grocery stores. There is not enough kept on-site these days to even begin to cover even a minor emergency.
ReplyDeleteAnon, Our "old folks" knew how wise it was to always be prepared for things that might come to pass for sure. We should all take lessons from them.
MDR it IS all a matter of priorities. It's just a shame more folks don't make their family's well being theirs! (love your shoe question btw )
Lamb, I've got a feeling that there is a whole bunch of "pacing" going on this weekend. As there should be.
Bellen, it sounds like you have got a handle on things. It IS kind of interesting that Sam's has their "free pass" this weekend. I just hope lots of folks take advantage of it.
I guess I am as prepared as I can be for my storage space and money. I have a couple of five hundred gallon fuel tanks that are kept three quarters full. Plenty of food and good water wells on the farm. Gen. set to pump fuel and lots of guns and ammo. The thing that worries me is how long something like this will last and if I have put enough back to survive. I know my kids will be here as well as other family.I know how to garden,process meat,and raise grain for stock. Lets hope it never happens but when it does I am afraid we are underestimating the severity of it. FK
ReplyDeleteGreat post! We're stocked up, but there are always things that we need...fuel is the big one.
ReplyDeleteDon't have the cash on hand, but will when the bank opens in the morning. All of the gas tanks in our cars will be filled (even the ones that aren't tagged, I will use stabol in them)Placing my grain order today for the next co-op delivery. Prices are still close to last quarter. Will do massive restocking of canned goods & oils tomorrow. have a year+ of coffee, sugar, tea & baking supplies. So much to do, so little time...
ReplyDeleteI've been beaten down to the point that I truly believe that 3/4 of the population will continue to do nothing. Only until that welfare or SS check stops coming will they care. In the mean time, they will just complain that their checks need to be increased because everything else has increased in cost.
ReplyDeleteYes to everything but the cash. Since there is not much cash in the bank accounts either, I don't reckon a withdrawal will make much difference. I don't think there will be a bank run where we bank anyway. I could be wrong, but it won't matter. I have all I need to survive at home anyway.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and to your questions I can say "yes" to all but with the event on Friday I made a trip to Wal-Mart to add to our preps. I have been a survivalist for over 20 years and out of all the years this is the only years where I have not been called crazy, nut and all the other names when I start talking about prep. People are thinking I just hope they are prepping, but I know most will not do a thing and that is sad because you are right the writing is on the wall. God Bless You all and keep prepping.
ReplyDeleteWe are as prepared as we can be. It's a balancing act to divide limited resources between cash on hand and food/supplies/fuel on hand.
ReplyDeleteWhen the shtf moment arrives, how much we happen to have at that moment might not be quite as important as our ability to replace it as we use it. Sustainability will be the key a that point. But it's hard to plan for that eventuality because it will depend entirely on the level of *s that hits the proverbial fan ...if you know what I mean. When bank runs result in shortages of cash and skyrocketing prices result in food shortages, those that have little or no debt and a year of food on hand will fare better than others. But in an '8 Seconds After' scenario where the entire energy infrastructure is compromised or destroyed, none of us will fare well.
Good point about the run on the banks. I am really wondering what this week is going to look like. The other countries were looking down their noses at us, now they're mad at us, and China isn't too happy either since they hold so much of our debt. It's going to be an interesting time, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteMost of our friends don't get it and if they do, they are pretty quiet about it. I hope people are heeding the warning signs, it's time to make sure you have plenty of the 3 B's.
http://simpleeverydayliving.blogspot.com/
FK Your fear is one that many of us have, I think. I guess all we can do is to take a wait and see attitude and hope that we are wrong.
ReplyDeleteHP I don't think many of us can really be prepared for everything. I know I lack greatly in many areas.
hisway It seems we are always pushed for time these days. Never enough to do the things we feel we still need to do.
Caroyln Things are tough for folks, especially those of us who are at the mercy of the government for our "Entitlements". No matter that some have worked all their lives and paid into this system for the little we receive. I see a huge difference between welfare and SS, but I suppose that's just me.
sophiadawn it sounds like you have got most all your bases covered. I hope you are right.
HB as always you are the voice of reason. Sustainability IS going to be the key in my humble opinion as well.
Rose isn't it an interesting time we are living in? We have front row seats to watch history being made. Interesting times to be sure.
I get ss and a disability check, but am prepared better than those who are wealthy. You may call it welfare, but I wait for no one to feed me beyond what I can afford in a stockpile.
ReplyDeleteIt was your last sentence that got me started years ago - can I look my kids in the eye and tell them there's no dinner? I decided I couldn't and so I've made sure there would be.
ReplyDeleteThe writing has been on the proverbial wall for a long time. I hope this most recent crap is enough to be people motivated to do something - even if it's only filling up the gas tanks, getting some cash in the mattress and starting to store food.
Great post Sci!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnon I don't think of SSD as welfare. It infuriates me when people say that it is. We paid into the system for years for that money and I don't think it should even be put into the same catagory as welfare. Keep on keeping on my friend.
ReplyDeleteSFG, thanks Girl! And thanks for stopping by! (I miss chatting with you)
Wendy, it's YOUR last sentence that says it best!