How to prepare for the U.S. economic crisis

I know there are a ton of threads about the 'dollar dying' but I have yet to see a survival thread on how to prepare for it. If one exists, I would appreciate looking at it and please excuse this thread.

I honestly think that in 2011 or 2012 the dollar will die. The other superpowers have stated that they have wanted to dump the dollar, our government is getting desperate (more than usual), and the only thing keeping us up right now is the power to print more dollars. Once that power is taken away...SHTF.

So, what would you do if you knew the dollar was going to die and you were going to lose everything-electricity, running water, heat, possibly your house, etc? What would you do if you knew that every single little thing (including food, water, batteries, weapons, solar power, flashlights, radios, blankets, clothes, etc.) would soon become unaffordable? What food would you store? What would you put aside or stock up on NOW while you can still afford things?

Personally, I already have a nice cabin in the woods in the middle of no where next to a large river. I intend to keep my storage supplies there and live off the land until the crisis dies down. I'm having a hard time figuring out what I need to stock up on and store, though.

I am dead serious about this and I really think this is a near possibility that I want to start preparing for now. This being said, I am open to people telling me that I'm drinking drain-o.

reply to post by destroydemonocracyx21


Do you have a wife/girlfriend?? If not, you better grab a blow up doll and some videos or you might get real lonely out in the middle of nowhere!!

Well, actually there's a lot of info on just this very thing; lots of threads on what foods to have and how to store them, how to protect your stuff, how to be prepared to bug out, etc.

In a nutshell, store nonperishable canned and freeze-dried foods, and staples (flour, cornmeal, dry milk, etc.) preferably in vacuum-packaged bags.
Have the means to protect yourself and your stuff.

Search the survival forum. There's lots of info.

reply to post by Chrisfishenstein


For starters, I'm a girl. And secondly, I'll be with other people, yeah Good point, though

Safety in numbers. I would start getting to know your neighbors, or if you don't have any, make some friends and encourage them to build cabins on your property, or buy property nearby. You've got to sleep sometime, and you're going to need other people for many different reasons.

Ever tried to pull your own tooth when all you had to do it with, were some pliers? Do you know how to make all kinds of medicines from the wild plants in your area? Are you an expert at gardening and preserving your own food? Can you stay sane if you're alone for a really long time? Solitary confinement is a form of torture, you know.

I've got a friend in the middle of nowhere and I'm working on getting a passport also. Doesn't hurt to have a backup plan for your backup plan.

Rice, and beans, I buy a big bag of each, each pay day, then vacuum seal them, and store them.
canning wax, and jars
seeds for a vegetable garden. Lots, and lots of seeds.
.22 LR ammo, its cheap, lightweight, and good to have in bulk. (can be used for bartering if nothing else.)
A firearm of choice, bigger than a .22 for defense, and large game hunting, with ammo.
Dry sugar, and salt.
Tea, and coffee
candles, and kerosene.
nails, and screws.
as much first aid supply as you can horde.

This should be a good start for you to get going on.

reply to post by destroydemonocracyx21


My appologies for assuming you were a man. In that case take LOTS of batteries!!

In a rhetorical question I asked an old wise man what would be the most important thing to get in an emergency.

He stated "I don't know , but did you see me come out of the bathroom and go to the closet earlier?"

I stated "Yea, why?"

He said that "there was no toilet paper in the bathroom, and I found that to be THE MOST important thing above my pension, food, or flashlights."

He made his point

Think of the things you use often and imagine if you could not get to a store to buy them.
Short list:
Water purifier
Food
Medicines
Clothing
Hand tools (not electric)

Books:
Wild edible plants
Medicinal wild plants
Survival skills

Do you have room for a garden? If so you will want non-hybrid vegetable seeds.

Plant fruit and nut trees on your property.

Own a firearm (rifle or shotgun) and learn how to use it, Keep at least200 rounds of ammo

This is a very short list but I thought I might just mention the most very basic items necessary.
It is an excellent idea to ask friends to build cabins nearby or to camp on your property.

reply to post by Chrisfishenstein


Hey no problem and that comment literally made my day. Don't know why...but it did.

I recently lucked out and found this old recipe book in a second hand shop.

Recipe Book

The author details many important things.. (its a little exhaustive) For example how to save your own seed, make your own coffees, teas, raise livestock, culture yogurt, make soap, etc.

It is a different type of book to read as the author spends a lot of time talking about mundane things that are unimportant to me (mostly her life and beliefs).

But my point is, you can find cheap gems like this, that teach you how to do almost anything, for almost nothing.

reply to post by destroydemonocracyx21


There are hundreds of forums that you can go to and figure out what you might need.
It all depends on what your planning for, the dollar crash, I would get all none perishable foods, canned food(veggie's and meat), look at what you get every week at the store and multiply that by say 50 or so...the reason being 50, is because if the economy craps out and you have no garden, you will need things to eat until you can grow your own...plus you might want to have plenty of canning equipment and extra seeds.
Learn how to dry/ dehydrate food. process deer, rabbits, squirel, and various birds.
Get some fishing equipment and know what type / kind of fish are in your area, and the bait that they eat. artificial or live...or even stink bait.
Don't forget all the supplies of bleach, soap, tp, meds or anything else that you use to keep yourself clean and the house disinfected.
There are a lot of things that you could get but you would need to sit down and brainstorm all the items you might need to get by...provided that you can have/fit all the items at your location in the woods.
walk through your place and see what you use now, and get enough of everything from the bathroom to the food/ guns/ammo, meds/ and asprin that you would use in a year or so...or even more if possible.
Just my .02 cents FWIW (for what it's worth)