Paranoid Spending/Stockpiling, versus A Bird in the Hand > 2 In the Bush

Turbulent times in the global economy - the Baltic Dry Index hit a record low (even lower than it did before/during the 2008 crisis)

We've got shows on TV about doomsday preppers.

People want to have supplies, a "buffer" in case things get tough and circumstances don't allow one to acquire things via the usual avenues (AKA the supermarket, the gas station, etc.)

I have friends and family members who can fall into the two categories of "Prepare, prepare, prepare" versus "If it happens I'll be screwed anyway so I'm not going to prep or worry", with most falling somewhere in between. That's where I came up with the title - "A bird in the hand beats two in the bush" seems to be the justification many use for stockpiling tons of supplies, since they know they will "have" these supplies, versus being conservative, keeping your investments going (but maybe moving some of them around), and hoping you still come out on top. Personally, I prefer the conservative approach, but obviously it does depend on the circumstances. Today's circumstances would not bring me to the point of stockpiling tons of resources - I understand others might disagree.

Basically I see that there are logical ways of preparing for an economic catastrophe, and then there are crazy paranoia-induced manic states that people can also go into, which can hurt them financially when all is said and done. But it becomes frustrating when you try to talk sense into someone who is in this manic-mode, because it seems as if their survival instincts are kicking in, but mainly just in the form of using their wallet (not their head).

I wanted to discuss this with ATS to see if any of you are noticing friends/family talking about these types of scenarios, or if you're even seeing people take action with prep and reacting to the fear-saturated news and economic environment right now.

a reply to: FamCore

Smart people don't discuss their plans with others because… when the balloon goes up they might come and take your stuff.

a reply to: intrptr

apparently the people I've been talking about are not very bright then - or maybe they just really trust me.

I'm more worried about the big bad wolf, our gov. justifying bailouts, haircuts, etc. if things don't go their way - however I certainly wouldn't advertise my plans in detail just in case someone did want to take advantage of me.

We saw what they did in Cyprus.. they wouldn't even think twice about doing that here. I believe that wholeheartedly

a reply to: FamCore


I'm in the poor house so I don't have any thing for a rainy day anyway.

Except faith. Lived under bridges on that for seven straight years, once.

I figure if its our time… and if it ain't it ain't.

Personally I think a little attention to this is fully justified, but you don't have to go bat poop crazy about it. It really doesn't cost a lot to buy a few extra rolls of toilet paper. What you really need to do is protect yourself against disruption--not destruction. Supply chains could get disrupted resulting in shortages. Maybe you need a few cases of beer for barter. Maybe you ought to keep your gas tank filled. These are all things you can do to increase your comfort level without going all out prepper. So buy a few candles and matches....

and an AR-15.

I come from a family of preppers before prepping was the fad. My parents got married in 1929 and had their first child the next year. Four years later the second came along in the midst of the Great Depression. But they were farmers and gardeners so actual hunger was never a problem. Variety of food wasn't always the best, according to them but my Dad and other male relatives (some females as well) were pretty good hunters so there wasn't a shortage of meat in winter.
By the time I was born in the '50s prosperity was back but the walls of our basement were always filled with canned goods from the gardens. Items that we didn't grow ourselves (flour, sugar, meal) were bought in bulk and stored in air-tight containers in the chimney cupboard. Later still, we acquired a freezer to fill with garden produce and meat.
We've carried on that tradition. We have two freezers, one for meat which we buy in bulk and one for fruits and veggies that I grow or buy at the Farmers' Market during the season.
In the winter of '09 our prepping was tested by an ice storm that took the power out to the entire county for, in our case, two weeks, some people were without power for as much a month. We got by just fine and were able to provide warm meals and shelter to family members who hadn't bothered to heed the three days of warnings we'd had that the ice storm was on the way.
Because each family is different it is hard to say how much prepping is necessary but if you live in an area that can get hit with ice and snow storms, it's only prudent to prepare.
Our prep included food and household supplies, a whole-house generator that runs on propane, a 1000 gallon propane tank, plenty of wood for the fireplace and a supply of my Beloved's necessary medications.
Stockpiling normal household needs doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Stock up when items are on sale. If you think you will need a generator, don't wait until you do need one but shop around in summer. Same for firewood, it is much cheaper to buy in summer.
Our winter prep always includes plenty of reading materials as well. A well-stocked "to read" bookshelf is a comfort to me.
An excellent way to test your preparedness is to turn off the main breaker to your house and try to live for 24 hours without electricity.
For short-term economic preparedness---sock away a bit of cash each month. If you have supplies of food and household items, you shouldn't need great gobs of cash. Stash a few bills here and there in your home. Slide a few bills under the cabinet liners, put a few in a waterproof container and put that container in a commercial food container in the freezer. Secret a few bills behind pictures or in the bottom of vase containing artificial flowers. Secure an envelope with a bit of cash under a couch or chair or your sock drawer.
For longer-term economic preparedness---get out of debt and invest in things that don't go down in value over the long haul. Again, each household is different. For us that meant investing in family, land and precious metals.

a reply to: diggindirt

Luckily I live by myself and have no debt. I have collected silver, gold, platinum, palladium over the years, so luckily I do have hard assets that won't lose their value - but I worry about some of my best friends and siblings who got overly-fearful of "what's to come" and don't have self-sufficiency - they arent growing food and were more concerned with money/wealth in the form of cash and metals instead of other survival resources.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge - very much appreciated diggindirt

a reply to: FamCore
It's a hard thing to see. As I mentioned before, we provided for family who had blown off the three days of warning that an ice storm was coming. I have no way of knowing whether they are now better-prepared or not but I do know that they said they'd learned a lesson.
It's hard to see the ones we love having what we consider skewed priorities. More interested in the big screen tv than the pantry full of nutritious food. Can afford cable tv but not organic food. I wish I had a magic formula.
I taught my girls to regard debt like rattlesnakes---to be handled very carefully if at all. I made my foolish mistakes when they were young and was still paying for them when they were old enough to ask me why I had to work two or three jobs. I always explained to them, "I'm in debt and that's not a happy place to be. The only way to a happy place is to work and pay my debts. The more I work, the faster they disappear and I find my happy place." Thankfully, they learned from my bad behavior without having to go through it themselves.

We have a modest disaster store. It's nothing big or elaborate, and if things drug on for any length of time, we'd be in trouble.

We can't really plan to dig in where we are at though. Most heavy duty plans involve retreating from where we are.

When being chased by a lion, you don't have to out run the lion, only the person next to you. With prepping, if you are able to survive 6 months, you will have beaten 90% of the population, unless they beat you up first.

originally posted by: FamCore
Turbulent times in the global economy - the Baltic Dry Index hit a record low (even lower than it did before/during the 2008 crisis)

We've got shows on TV about doomsday preppers.

People want to have supplies, a "buffer" in case things get tough and circumstances don't allow one to acquire things via the usual avenues (AKA the supermarket, the gas station, etc.)

I have friends and family members who can fall into the two categories of "Prepare, prepare, prepare" versus "If it happens I'll be screwed anyway so I'm not going to prep or worry", with most falling somewhere in between. That's where I came up with the title - "A bird in the hand beats two in the bush" seems to be the justification many use for stockpiling tons of supplies, since they know they will "have" these supplies, versus being conservative, keeping your investments going (but maybe moving some of them around), and hoping you still come out on top. Personally, I prefer the conservative approach, but obviously it does depend on the circumstances. Today's circumstances would not bring me to the point of stockpiling tons of resources - I understand others might disagree.

Basically I see that there are logical ways of preparing for an economic catastrophe, and then there are crazy paranoia-induced manic states that people can also go into, which can hurt them financially when all is said and done. But it becomes frustrating when you try to talk sense into someone who is in this manic-mode, because it seems as if their survival instincts are kicking in, but mainly just in the form of using their wallet (not their head).

I wanted to discuss this with ATS to see if any of you are noticing friends/family talking about these types of scenarios, or if you're even seeing people take action with prep and reacting to the fear-saturated news and economic environment right now.

I happen to agree with prepping but I have a wonderful in law family that will not lift a finger in this regard so no matter how much we had they would descend on us and my wife will scream 'share with them'

I find it very frustrating and no amount of argument will convince them. My parents in laws are in their 80's there is the two girls and 3 grand kids so I say 'well what good is going to do? I know full well how it be if/when it happens.

One only has to read the account of the bloke who survived the war in Bosnia.

a reply to: Azureblue

That does sound like a frustrating situation, but you could always start a little stash of supplies somewhere now without having to involve anyone. I've bought some very large bags of rice, as well as different types of beans so you have a good simple protein and something you have a good amount of, that doesn't cost you much. Canned food - Tuna for example.

If you get some extra food here and there and get some totes to store things in, at least you would have peace of mind knowing if something did happen you could at least you've given you and your family more time

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Azureblue

That does sound like a frustrating situation, but you could always start a little stash of supplies somewhere now without having to involve anyone. I've bought some very large bags of rice, as well as different types of beans so you have a good simple protein and something you have a good amount of, that doesn't cost you much. Canned food - Tuna for example.

If you get some extra food here and there and get some totes to store things in, at least you would have peace of mind knowing if something did happen you could at least you've given you and your family more time

Thanks. Im getting closer to resovling to do this all the time. in fact there is a window of opportunity (an excuse to do it) coming up in a couple of months

a reply to: FamCore

I had a business idea while watching dooms day preppers. It was write an ebook called "how to survive by taking the prep's of preppers after the collapse".

a reply to: lavatrance

sounds like an awesome idea

PS cool username - very creative.

All I know is, if anything happens I'm screwed. All I have is rice and beans and not much fuel to cook it with (if electricity goes off anyway) ha. At least I have some booze to last me a bit

a reply to: Azureblue

that's good to hear - take advantage of the time when you have it.

I do some very little things to help, more to help for peace of mind than anything else. I save all of my pepper/pumpkin/squash/tomato seeds, seal them up and freeze them. I keep all of my k-cups and coffee grounds for compost, and buy some items in bulk so I have a bit extra (canned goods, toothpaste, socks), but realistically if SHTF I won't have time to go and grow all of these seeds, at least not for a year or more after the dust settles.

Like I said though, if it helps me sleep better at night I"m going to keep doing it. Hopefully we never have to find out the hard way wishing you well brotha