I was looking around at some other blogs this afternoon and I ran across one where the post was a question to the rest of us fellow bloggers asking us what we are doing to prepare for the financial crisis ahead because she is afraid of the days to come. My initial thought was to comment at the end of her post, but I really felt like I wanted to post about it myself. So here are my thoughts about preparing for what I believe will be a depression worse than the great depression.
First of all, I have to think about worse case senario, and prepare for that mentally. I think we will lose our business and our house. This is ok! God is in control. We choose to use this time to grow closer together as a family and to grow closer to God.
Ok, now for physical preperations. Man needs three things to survive: water, food, and shelter. I will start with shelter. If you lose your home, where will you live? You need a place that is owned (not mortgaged). My hubby's grandparents have a four bedroom house that they own. They would gladly open the door to us and the rest of my hubby's family, if the need arises. It will be tight, but like I said - we will grow "closer" together as a family!  The problems there would be water since they are on city water, which might not remain available, and food. There are a few creeks nearby where we could draw plenty of water from. Our business sells Chlorifloc which is a water purifier, and we have access to it by the loads. (The city of Los Angels, CA buys all their chlorifloc from us to keep in their city's emergency stash). Bleach and also GSE (grapefruit seed exctract) can also be used as water purifying agents. Take some time to learn how to use them, and then stock up on it. GSE has numerous other benefits outside of water purification and I would recomend having a bottle or two of it on hand for any situation. You will need something in which to both collect and store water.
Ok, now you should have in mind both a place where you can live, and a way to have clean water. Food is still a problem. We must assume that food as we know it will not be able to be able to be shipped in from outside the local area. That means that you are going to have to provide entirely for yourself. At my hubby's grandparents house, there is a very, very small yard. We could stock up ahead of time, which we plan on doing, but it is just not going to be possible for us personally to store enough food to get us through more than a few months. So, we will stock up first on things that take the most space and or time to grow such as wheat, rice, oats, and beans. Electricity may also become unavailable, so we will not buy anything that must be kept cold. Canned goods are next. Stock up on what you can.
For what little garden space we would have, I would plant things that grow quickly, provide abundatly, and can easily be stored and do need to be canned (pressure canning cannot be done over an open fire or on a camp stove). I see potatoes as a must. They are nutritious, versitile, easy to store, and are filling. If grown above ground in tires, you can maximize space. Carrots are the same as potatoes, except they have to be grown in the ground (at least, to my knowledge). Winter squash will also provide wonderful nutrition thoughout the winter if you have a long enough growing season for it in the summer. Many other things could be grown indoors year round. They may not grow to their prime, but it's better than nothing. Among the things I would grow would be lettuce and bush green beans. Two things are necessary for gardening to continue year after year (remember, the Great Depression lasted ten years!) One: keep every bit of garden scrap and leaf that falls as compost to return vital nutrients to the soil, and Two: All of your plants must be grown from heirloom seeds, otherwise you cannot seed collect and hope for them to grow again next year. Also, be aware of plants that cross pollinate. You will not get good seeds from them. I will stick to potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins for my outdoor plants, and lettuce and green beans indoors. It may not provide much variety, but it will be filling and nutritional.
For dairy, I would plan on buying a goat. This takes some foreplanning. You need to know what kind of goat you need, where you can get her and where you can breed her. You also need to have a goat proof area with a shelter for her. You need to know how much all this will cost and put the money aside. I plan getting more chickens to add to my small flock. Know where you would buy and keep you chickens. Both goats and chickens can be fed fairly easily on human scraps and neighborhood greenery. If managed wisely, you could possibly have milk and/or eggs to give away or even possibly sell.
For meat, hunting is a good source for us. My hubby could conceivably walk to a place where he can hunt. Meat rabbits is also another great idea. You should know where you can get them and how you can keep them. They also are easy to keep fed. The trick with meat is keeping it from spoiling. Assuming you have no fridge or freezer, you either need to smoke it, dry it, or share it. Have a plan.
Study up on how to make your own pasta and bread using absolutely only the bare essentials. Use sourdough for bread and you don't need to stock up on yeast! Save every bone to make nutritious broths with.
If still there is not enough food for everyone, we will have to move out to the grandparents 80 acre ranch, which sounds better anyhow, except there is no house. There is a small shed or two, but both are infested with rats. Still, if that were to be the best option, we would be wise to have a little bulding plan and enough money set aside to build it; even a 20 x 20 ft shack would suffice. Then there would be plenty of space for a garden and animals (even a cow!), and there is even a well for fresh water!
In any case, have a plan. Where are you going to live? How will you get drinkable water? How will you have enough food.
For light, I am stocking up on candles, and kerosene for my oil lamp. I will purchase an Aladdin lamp if I can afford to.
I will also keep a good supply of baking soda (25 lbs) and vinegar and homemade soap for cleaning home, clothes, and body.
A good first aid kit is also important.
I also plan keeping a bolt of denim and a bolt of muslin fabric and plenty of thread and needles to take keep my growing children clothed, as humbly as it may be.
In addition to the essentials, I plan on keeping my favoite wall picture and embroidered table cloth to add some cherryness.
All we can do is prepare to our best ability, and then trust God for the rest!
Happy Trails and God bless you all! |
