what can I do to prepare for an economic depression?

ApostateAbe · #1 01-02-2005, 10:42 AM

I feel a bit nervous about the future of the economy. What I hear in the news about the public and private debt makes me believe that the United States could soon be tossed into the Great Depression of the 21st century. An economic slump happens in every generation of Americans, and I have a suspicion that the next slump is going to be more of an oh-please-God-save-us kind of thing. I don't want to be caught off guard and thrown out into the streets and turned into a God-forsaken homeless guy and die of starvation or lack of meds. I'd like to know what I can do now to prepare for the worst. I am a land surveyor, which means that I am out of work as soon as rich people stop developing their property. I bring home around $1200 per month. I have $2500 saved in the bank. I live in a duplex with a $375 rent and about $200 per month in utilities. I am insulin-dependent, and the meds cost around $25 per month (and it is that cheap because I have insurance). Without those meds, I am a dead man. So give me some ideas.

wade-w · #2 01-02-2005, 11:08 AM

What do you call what we're experiencing now?

Socratoad · #3 01-02-2005, 01:31 PM

Well Abe, having just awakened, well almost, something that immediately occurred to me, considering a most unfortunate earlier thread, would be to consider moving to Europe, perhaps Sweden or some such nation. A culture where they would be less likely to say "fuck him" its his own fault let him starve. Its called enlightened socialism.

Seriously though, have given a hell of a lot of thought to what is referred to as the "great depression" I find it almost surreal that although not a great deal in the natural world had actually changed during that time, with the exception of the dust bowl area, everything collapsed so bloody fast. Well not for everybody, some actually profited mightily during that time. As are many right now, while for others the depression already has arrived

In short: methinks that there is something very very artificial about our economic system. But then again my theories concerning economics are very unorthodox.

Dingfod · #4 01-02-2005, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socratoad

In short: methinks that there is something very very artificial about our economic system. But then again my theories concerning economics are very unorthodox.

I've been calling it a house of cards for a long time. I think the current administration is trying to fix it by building the house of cars even higher.

Socratoad · #5 01-02-2005, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrenly

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socratoad

In short: methinks that there is something very very artificial about our economic system. But then again my theories concerning economics are very unorthodox.

I've been calling it a house of cards for a long time. I think the current administration is trying to fix it by building the house of cars even higher.

I couldn't agree more friend. It becomes an ever growing crock of shit as the days fly by. Wizard of OZ anyone?

ApostateAbe · #6 01-02-2005, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade-w

What do you call what we're experiencing now?

I am experiencing comfort and ease. I get heat, food, medical care, water, sanitation, and electricity. If I were living in the 1930's, I would be out of work like one third of everyone else. The times we are living in now is nothing compared to what I fear is to come.

Dingfod · #7 01-02-2005, 11:22 PM

I don't know how many were unemployed during the depression, but the dollar amount that the economy shrunk from 1929 to 1933 was equivalent to 55% of the wages in the workforce prior to then. I've heard actual unemployement was only about 18-20% at the peak, but there were a lot of people that took lower paying jobs to get by.

People in the 1930s were, for the most part, a lot better equipped to survive hard times because they weren't that far removed from pre-mechanized society. People were used to walking everywhere, used to not having airconditioning, used to not having television, used to hard physical work, used to knowing how to repair things, hell, used to having things that even could be repaired, etc. They were tough by comparison to todays people.

Zoot · #8 01-02-2005, 11:40 PM

Get out of debt. Get to know the people in your neighbourhood. If you have a yard, start a vege garden.

And maybe check out the history of the Catholic Worker movement - http://www.catholicworker.org/historytext.cfm?Number=78

wildernesse · #9 01-03-2005, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoot

Get out of debt. Get to know the people in your neighbourhood. If you have a yard, start a vege garden.

And maybe check out the history of the Catholic Worker movement - http://www.catholicworker.org/historytext.cfm?Number=78

Good advice, IMO.

ApostateAbe · #10 01-03-2005, 04:15 AM

I have been living in this neighborhood for a year, but I don't know any of my neighbors, except for one, and I met them only briefly. I am thinking maybe I should pay attention to the neighborhood newsletter and see if there are any parties or whatnot. The holidays have already passed, which would have been an oppurtunity. Maybe that doesn't matter, since, if I lose my job, I'll probably bunk up with my parents. They don't know so many of their neighbors either. I don't have a yard to grow anything. And I am not in debt.

Zoot · #11 01-03-2005, 05:01 AM

We had a thing here in Auckland for a while, pioneered by a friend of mine, Father Peter Murnane, that was a community garden where lots of different groups and people - schools, churches, community groups, individuals, families - had little plots in which they cultivated food, and anyone could pop through and take a bit of whatever they wanted. There were all kinds of benefits for this.

Zoot · #12 01-03-2005, 05:10 AM

There's a line from Larry Diamond in Tom Robbins' Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas about the next big depression, where he says that people not having jobs doesn't mean not having work, that jobs are a fairly recent development in human history, and that he and his buddy grow enough food on the roof of their house to feed everyone in a three-block radius.

Socratoad · #13 01-03-2005, 05:33 AM

Hey Abe, I really did not mean to be so fucking pedantic and snarky in my first post on this thread. Sorry, it was just some residual crap from an earlier thread.

Unless I'm mistaken I believe you live in Seattle or vicinity. I know there are some pretty good well organized groups there belonging to the simplicity movement and/or living simply. These people are into helping one another , not spending big bucks they don't have, community gardening and all that good stuff. I suggest that you look them up and join one such group. It can be one helluva lot of fun too, plus a ready made social network of pretty genuine people.
PS; I already live that way.

ApostateAbe · #14 01-03-2005, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socratoad

Hey Abe, I really did not mean to be so fucking pedantic and snarky in my first post on this thread. Sorry, it was just some residual crap from an earlier thread.

Unless I'm mistaken I believe you live in Seattle or vicinity. I know there are some pretty good well organized groups there belonging to the simplicity movement and/or living simply. These people are into helping one another , not spending big bucks they don't have, community gardening and all that good stuff. I suggest that you look them up and join one such group. It can be one helluva lot of fun too, plus a ready made social network of pretty genuine people.
PS; I already live that way.

I used to live in Seattle, but I now live in Vancouver, WA, across the river from Portland, OR. I figure I would have to go to Portland to find the type of community you and Zoot speak of. Vancouver is a very individualistic, not-so-neighborly city.