survive great depression 2.0

[maxpower]

Given the state of the economy these days one would think the most obvious TSHTF senario would be economic colapse. The great depression all over again only probably worse. Simply because people these days are soft LOL

What would your list of priorities be and what do you think it would look like.

[nell67]

Bragg,is that you?:confused:

[Riverrat]

I was thinking the same thing Nell....

[maxpower]

huh? Whats bragg?

[nell67]

More like who's bragg,he used to be our resident gloomer.Your posts sound a lot like his,but then he also hit on the taboo ones of politics and religion,we don't discuss those on the forum.

[maxpower]

LOL Ah I see.

[Stony]

first things are can internet, telephone and sat tv to save money
and shoe the horses.

[trax]

I know it's only Tuesday now, but I have to say.....Monday should be interesting... :D

[higgy]

Did you guys watch, Crash:The next great depression, on the history channel last night? scary....

[crashdive123]

I was on TV? Honest guys and gals....I'm not really that depressing.

[nell67]

i Was On Tv? Honest Guys And Gals....i'm Not Really That Depressing.


Lmao!345678

[higgy]

You're the one after that one Crash....123

[trax]

I was on TV? Honest guys and gals....I'm not really that depressing.

Have you tried listening to your own jokes?

[Alpine_Sapper]

Have you tried listening to your own jokes?

He can't hear them for all the groaning from his audience.

[SARKY]

If things get crazy, like runs on the bank, food shortages, hoarding, followed by anti hoarding laws, then of course the riots that started out as peacefull protest marches.
well the cities will be hell as the verminous beasts roam wild.
My response.... protect myself/my neighbors and my neighborhood.....stack the rest like cord wood.
Not gloom, just being pragmatic!

[crashdive123]

He can't hear them for all the groaning from his audience.

So that's what that noise is.

[Sourdough]

I'll take a depression any day over a Pandemic......I have been on deluxe survival rations for about 40 days now. Ain't been to town in about 117 days.

Maybe if things get real depressed, I can hire someone to build a barn, and he will be happy to have work.

[Blood Groove]

Funny I was just talking about that subject today. All I'd really do is secure my house from desperate people ready to rob or kill. I'd put up a big fence at the bottum of my 250ft driveway. That's the only way to get a vehicle to our house becusae the driveway goes over a creek that goes all the way across our property. I'd but some sand bags in the windows facing the road, so incase anyone was crazy enough to shoot at my house it wouldn't do much. We have a clear veiw from our windows facing the road to see anyone comming up the driveway. I've got lots of canned food in teh basement and 60 acres just incase I have to do a little hunting. I know of two springs on my land, for fresh water. But of course you can always boil it. I also have two generators. BAsically I'd just keep to my self and keep a low profile until things cleared up.

[MCBushbaby]

Bragg,is that you?:confused:

I'm sure he's still lurking :eek:

[Tony uk]

So that's what that noise is.


No crash, those are the noises i said you should go and see a doctor about, :)

[RBB]

Given the state of the economy these days one would think the most obvious TSHTF senario would be economic colapse. The great depression all over again only probably worse. Simply because people these days are soft LOL

What would your list of priorities be and what do you think it would look like.

Good question. It has been on my mind lately, too. It's gotten so I hate to listen to the news. Between one commentator raving about the wonders of the new administration - and the next commentator forecasting doom and gloom - it is more than I care to listen to.

If we had an economic depression similar to that of the 1930s - I believe it would be worse - because:

#1. There are more people and most of them live further from the land than during the 1930s, ie, how many people still have a cow, chickens, etc?

#2. There are more people, and hunting or poaching would soon deal with any excess of game animals.

#3. Law enforcement is far superior to the 1930s, including fish and game, and you'd be a lot more likely to end up in jail for poaching or a myriad of other crimes.

#4. I don't know anyone who is totally self-sufficient. Tools wear out. Clothes wear out. Items you never thought of wear out. If you don't have the money to buy - you do without. In the right (wrong) kind of economic situation - goods are just not available. This would be a shock to most of us.

#5. People in general don't have the same kind of ethics and morals they had in the 1930s, and I don't doubt you'd not only see a huge rise in crime - but possibly also a loss of respect generally for the rule of law. This is especially troubling as it is our respect for such institutions that, in part, makes our civilization. If the guy with the biggest club wins - there is always a guy with a bigger club.

Unlike the depression of the 1930s - where people actually felt ashamed of being out of work - people of today would far more likely look for some scape-goat (consider Nazi Germany of the 1930s). Rather than feel like "we are all in this together," people of today would likely react with a "me first" attitude and take what they couldn't purchase.

#6. People ARE soft! Last summer I went out with a neighbor, and some of his relations, to brush shooting lanes. It was pathetic.

[Ole WV Coot]

RBB you are 100% correct. It's sad but true.

[Badawg]

I think the living further from the land part is going to be a huge factor. My father lived through the last one and he and his siblings spent a lot of time foraging for berries and fishingf and hunting in Humbldt County, CA. They also had a huge garden. And during WW!! the garden was a huge provider for the family before they all went their ways. In his case and his brother, it was the Pacific Theater (Navy).

I'm growing what I can myself and have more room, but protecting it may be a bit harder. I'm looking for another big dog actually because they make great alarms. And I am increasing the chicken flock in March.

Also, I have a rainwater collection system, but we have had very little rain this season. I managed to get 1200 gallons from one 3 day storm, but that is the only storm we had. California is in a bad way this year rainwise. January is are wettest month and we got diddley squat.

[crashdive123]

I'll take a depression any day over a Pandemic......I have been on deluxe survival rations for about 40 days now. Ain't been to town in about 117 days.

Maybe if things get real depressed, I can hire someone to build a barn, and he will be happy to have work.

How's the supply of French Vanilla creamer doing?

[crashdive123]

No crash, those are the noises i said you should go and see a doctor about, :)

What? The gas?:o

[Gasquagu]

New here, but loved the wilderness for as long as I can remember.

First thing to check in times like these is your attitude. Doom and gloom breeds doom and gloom. Focusing on hard times ahead prevents you from seeing where you are right now. Just be thankful for all that we have rather than fear what might be lost. And when what we have is lost, we still have health and life. Isn't that what survival is all about? I'd always try to keep a positive outlook no matter how bleak the conditions. It's hard, but possible.

Second, for the sake of the thread, suppose things do come crashing down. After all, the veil that separates us from those living several hundred years ago is quite thin. The power goes out for a few months, or a year, and bam. Assuming the worst, governments collapse, anarchy ensues, people kill for oil, then for food, then for water. In such a situation, I wouldn't remain within society, but rather retreat into the mountains with what I can take to survive temporarily while I work out a more permanent wilderness living situation.

I think the key is to learn all you can learn about surviving in remote areas near you. Learn the plants, learn the animals, learn the weather patterns and seasons. Learn what you can eat, what you should avoid, how to collect water, how to make fire, what materials are best for shelter, tools, and traps. Go hiking and camping whenever you can, and gradually start leaving things behind. Don't bring a lighter. Don't bring food. Don't bring water. Don't bring shelter. Practice all that in a relatively safe environment, then go out in less hospitable conditions. When the time comes, then you will be well prepared without having to bring anything at all but the clothes on your back.

And if nothing else, it will lead to a greater appreciation and better understanding of nature, and your connection to it.

[crashdive123]

Nice post Gasquagu - how about heading over to the Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks.

[Ag Nettogrof]

Second, for the sake of the thread, suppose things do come crashing down. After all, the veil that separates us from those living several hundred years ago is quite thin. The power goes out for a few months, or a year, and bam. Assuming the worst, governments collapse, anarchy ensues, people kill for oil, then for food, then for water. In such a situation, I wouldn't remain within society, but rather retreat into the mountains with what I can take to survive temporarily while I work out a more permanent wilderness living situation.

I think the key is to learn all you can learn about surviving in remote areas near you. Learn the plants, learn the animals, learn the weather patterns and seasons. Learn what you can eat, what you should avoid, how to collect water, how to make fire, what materials are best for shelter, tools, and traps. Go hiking and camping whenever you can, and gradually start leaving things behind. Don't bring a lighter. Don't bring food. Don't bring water. Don't bring shelter. Practice all that in a relatively safe environment, then go out in less hospitable conditions. When the time comes, then you will be well prepared without having to bring anything at all but the clothes on your back.


I for one, hope to never see such happenings. An economic or social collapse would be unimaginable for the vast majority. Most folk can't even function nowdays without a cell phone, much less electricity.

I see a lot of people say they will "Retreat to the Mountains" and live off the land. Seems to me if everyone wants to retreat to the mountains this is going to be another obstacle to overcome. How much wild food will one be able to find in the mountains with the sudden influx of people? If you build a fire to cook or keep warm, someone will see the smoke and come pay you a visit. Are they friend or foe? Are you willing to wait to see?

There is already a lot of people living in the mountains in most areas. They are probably not going to move over too easily to let others in. There are those that have lived in these mountains for many many years and know every creek and hollow and will do what ever it takes to protect their own.

If you build a fire to cook or keep warm, and I see it, I'll be checking it out. How will I know if you are friend or foe? Am I willing to wait and see? If I see someone with no supplies, just the clothes on their back, What should I think?

With everybody wanting to retreat to the mountains, Maybe I should go down to the low land.;)

[Gasquagu]

I for one, hope to never see such happenings. An economic or social collapse would be unimaginable for the vast majority. Most folk can't even function nowdays without a cell phone, much less electricity.

I see a lot of people say they will "Retreat to the Mountains" and live off the land. Seems to me if everyone wants to retreat to the mountains this is going to be another obstacle to overcome. How much wild food will one be able to find in the mountains with the sudden influx of people? If you build a fire to cook or keep warm, someone will see the smoke and come pay you a visit. Are they friend or foe? Are you willing to wait to see?

There is already a lot of people living in the mountains in most areas. They are probably not going to move over too easily to let others in. There are those that have lived in these mountains for many many years and know every creek and hollow and will do what ever it takes to protect their own.

If you build a fire to cook or keep warm, and I see it, I'll be checking it out. How will I know if you are friend or foe? Am I willing to wait and see? If I see someone with no supplies, just the clothes on their back, What should I think?

With everybody wanting to retreat to the mountains, Maybe I should go down to the low land.;)
That's a very good point -- one which I've given some thought to.

If the worst case scenario happens, I think more people will try to cling to society even harder than to retreat from it. "Head for the hills" is, in my opinion, the outlook less commonly considered as a serious option. Why? Because you're right -- most people can't live without a cell phone nowadays. A vast majority of Americans, and those from other developed countries, rely heavily on a technology that has been around for long enough for *most* people to have no idea how to survive without it -- electricity.

To make a point, I would microcosmically look at hurricane Katrina. Granted, the circumstances of a natural disaster are different from economic collapse, but all the same we saw people who knew a storm was coming, yet clung tightly to what they were familiar with -- and that cost a lot of lives. Then the aftermath with people herded into stadiums, dead bodies floating in the water, civil unrest ... even then many people stayed, only to die of disease or violence. People so addicted to urban life know nothing else, and likely would not flee but rather try to stay and fight in a futile situation. In other words, they limit their options on a conscious level.

So you're absolutely right -- if everyone were to head for the hills, the hills would be the last place I'd want to be. I'd rather stay in town if that were the case. But no matter what the scenario, no matter what the cause, and no matter how well you can adapt and survive, you still face unpleasant decisions like discerning friend from foe, where is it the safest, and other such necessary musings that, without which, can kill you as quickly as running out into the woods with no knowledge at all.

So to summarize, there's an understanding of the tools (survival skills, necessities, etc), an understanding how to use them, and a knowledge of how to apply everything for the overall best survival situation. You likely won't get a chance to pick when something happens, but you can choose many other factors and, depending on how impeccable those choices are, you stand a very good chance of adaptation.

[Geronimo!]

My great grandfather was a barber in London during the depression of the 1800's. He wasn't earning enough money from shaves to pay the bills so he had his girlfriend open a restaurant. But he had to cut costs on food, so he started killing his clients with his razor blade. The victims would then fall through a trap door in the floor to the basement where his girlfriend was waiting. She would ground up my dad's victims, shape them into patties and serve them as hamburgers.

Then everyone broke into song and dance and danced straight through to 1942.

Just goes to show how far a little ingenuity and a Broadway musical adaption can take you.

[higgy]

My great grandfather was a barber in London during the depression of the 1800's. He wasn't earning enough money from shaves to pay the bills so he had his girlfriend open a restaurant. But he had to cut costs on food, so he started killing his clients with his razor blade. The victims would then fall through a trap door in the floor to the basement where his girlfriend was waiting. She would ground up my dad's victims, shape them into patties and serve them as hamburgers.

Then everyone broke into song and dance and danced straight through to 1942.

Just goes to show how far a little ingenuity and a Broadway musical adaption can take you.

Is your last name McDonald's?

[higgy]

I thought that was you Ronald.

[crashdive123]

More like Sweeny Todd. That was one of my favorite Broadway musicals that I saw. Saw it when it first came out with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.

[higgy]

I thought he was serious!

[crashdive123]

Google Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

[higgy]

How big of shoes do you wear and what color is your hair Geronimo?

[Geronimo!]

More like Sweeny Todd. That was one of my favorite Broadway musicals that I saw. Saw it when it first came out with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury.

Bingo. I was actually thinking of heading down the McDonalds road, but I've never seen Ronald McDonald dancing in an 1933 Hooverville.

[Geronimo!]

Although I have seen the Hamburglar do the lindy hop.

[Stairman]

Im not going anywhere if the SHTF.My place is bought and paid for,rural,fenced and gated.Wireless survelence system is in the works.Theres 50,000 acres behind my property thats got creeks,game and firewood.Food and water for 30 days but no real quantity of gas for the generator.I too plan on getting more chickens and have another garden.Sure someone may try to steal my stuff,but they better hope I aint home or theyll be pluckin a harp.

[Geronimo!]

Im not going anywhere if the SHTF.My place is bought and paid for,rural,fenced and gated.Wireless survelence system is in the works.Theres 50,000 acres behind my property thats got creeks,game and firewood.Food and water for 30 days but no real quantity of gas for the generator.I too plan on getting more chickens and have another garden.Sure someone may try to steal my stuff,but they better hope I aint home or theyll be pluckin a harp.

That's a badass setup, sounds like Jurassic Park.

[donny h]

What would your list of priorities be and what do you think it would look like.

While I hope it doesn't happen, I'm getting ready, to the tune of $6K this month.

I'm staying put, that's my strategy, me and my elderly mother aren't going anywhere, we'll last it out.

My priorities? The usual: shelter, water, food and defense.

Shelter: The house is paid off, well built, and can be heated with wood. Firewood would eventually become a problem, I'm shopping now for a few cords of hardwood.


Water: We have high-quality year round running water a few hundred yards away, there's also an irrigation ditch that runs right next to the house, I scouted out the diversion valve the other day, it's nearby and I have bolt cutters. I have 4 55-gallon barrels for water storage, and a 3000 gallon lined pond in the yard for storage and rain collection. The irrigation ditch means possibly some gardening, I've stored some seeds.

Food: I have maybe 18 months worth for two people, I just got more and I'm not done yet.

Defense: This is always a sticky subject, but I'm going there anyways.

Some of this I have, some has yet to be delivered.

PTR-91 semi auto rifle in .308, with 450 rounds, and 10 20-round magazines.

Glock 17 9mm pistol, with 4 17-round mags.

KelTec Sub2000 9mm carbine, accepts Glock 17 mags, I got 4 33-round Glock mags for it, along with 1000 rounds of 9mm.

See the theme? Primary rifle, primary carbine, primary pistol, followed by a backup sidearm, a .357 snubbie revolver, with a few hundred rounds for that.

.22lr pistol and rifle, for small game.

2 bolt action rifles for larger game, and backup defense. 800 rounds or so for the 2.





I also just got a quality 2kw generator, not so useful for long term survival but after watching the suffering from the ice storms this winter I'm making sure I can be my own power company for at a few weeks at least.

I think some inflation is around the corner, so I stocked up on all kinds of things I know I would buy in the next year anyways, before the currency devalues.

Soap of all kinds, toiletries, paper goods, plastic goods and bags, batteries, vitamins, bleach, salt, canning rings and lids, first aid supplies, all kinds of stuff I would buy anyways, I'm just buying in advance.

The biggest problem in all my preps are prescription meds, have to pay cash to buy in advance because insurance won't cover that, and the cost is steep.















I hope nothing bad happens and in a few years I get to laugh at myself for all these preps, I really do, but I'm going to go ahead and prepare just the same.

[bulrush]

Just an FYI, the national US unemployment peaked at 25% in 1933. From http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/Timeline.htm .

Compare that to 10% now in Michigan (where I live).

[donny h]

Compare that to 10% now in Michigan (where I live).

And I hope it goes down and not up for y'all, but what would it be if the Big 3 shut their doors?





In the 30s our currency was safe being backed by gold, that's no longer true and hasn't been for about 40 years.

Runaway inflation is one of my deepest concerns, $30 loaves of bread and $50 gallons of milk all would cause massive civil unrest here.

The dollar is in danger of becoming the ruble.

[bulrush]

If all Big 3 shut their doors, Michigan unemployment would go 20% for sure. And you have many suppliers that would go under too. These suppliers are located not just in Michigan but in surrounding states: Indiana, Ohio, Illinois are big states, but automotive suppliers are also all over the US.

But Chrysler is not in such a bad situation if I recall. It's GM and Ford that are in a bad situation. Plus all their suppliers that depend on them. Many suppliers did not diversify during previous recessions so 100% of their business is automotive related.

[donny h]

But Chrysler is not in such a bad situation if I recall. It's GM and Ford that are in a bad situation.

I think Chrysler is hurting badly as well, it's just that their poor numbers aren't being tossed around in the press because it's a privately held company and those numbers aren't as widely known.

[Alpine_Sapper]

wasn't Ford the only one that didn't ask for a Govt. handout?

[Geronimo!]

wasn't Ford the only one that didn't ask for a Govt. handout?

No, the CEO's of GM as well as Chrysler were asking for $$$. Did anyone see Bob Nardelli (WIU Alum WOOT!) on the news? He was a dick.

His argument for giving Chrysler money was exactly that. If the government didn't give Chrysler money, they would send the economy into the ****ter. Well, needless to say, the government doesn't take well to threats, and voila, no $$$.

My theory is that if the automakers go down, there is going to be someone there to take their place fairly quickly. America needs cars, it's a fact.

[crashdive123]

Alpine is right. Ford has not taken any bailout money. Consequently, Ford is the only American automobile manufacturer that I will consider purchasing a vehicle from.