"1 - Get Out Of Debt: The old saying, "the borrower is the servant of
the lender", is so incredibly true. The key to insulating yourself from
an economic meltdown is to become as independent as possible, and as
long as you are in debt, you simply are not independent. You don't want
a horde of creditors chasing after you when things really start to get
bad out there.
2 - Find New Sources Of Income: In 2010, there simply is not such a
thing as job security. If you are dependent on a job ("just over
broke") for 100% of your income, you are in a very bad position. There
are thousands of different ways to make extra money. What you don't
want to do is to have all of your eggs in one basket. One day when the
economy melts down and you are out of a job are you going to be
destitute or are you going to be okay?
3 - Reduce Your Expenses: Many Americans have left the rat race and have
found ways to live on half or even on a quarter of what they were making
previously. It is possible - if you are willing to reduce your
expenses. In the future times are going to be tougher, so learn to
start living with less today.
4 - Learn To Grow Your Own Food: Today the vast majority of Americans
are completely dependent on being able to run down to the supermarket or
to the local Wal-Mart to buy food. But what happens when the U.S.
dollar declines dramatically in value and it costs ten bucks to buy a
loaf of bread? If you learn to grow your own food (even if is just a
small garden) you will be insulating yourself against rising food prices.
5 - Make Sure You Have A Reliable Water Supply: Water shortages are
popping up all over the globe. Water is quickly becoming one of the
"hottest" commodities out there. Even in the United States, water
shortages have been making headline news recently. As we move into the
future, it will be imperative for you and your family to have a reliable
source of water. Some Americans have learned to collect rainwater and
many others are using advanced technology such as atmospheric water
generators to provide water for their families. But whatever you do,
make sure that you are not caught without a decent source of water in
the years ahead.
6 - Buy Land: This is a tough one, because prices are still quite high.
However, as we have written previously, home prices are going to be
declining over the coming months, and eventually there are going to be
some really great deals out there. The truth is that you don't want to
wait too long either, because once Helicopter Ben Bernanke's
inflationary policies totally tank the value of the U.S. dollar, the
price of everything (including land) is going to go sky high. If you
are able to buy land when prices are low, that is going to insulate you
a great deal from the rising housing costs that will occur when the U.S
dollar does totally go into the tank.
7 - Get Off The Grid: An increasing number of Americans are going "off
the grid". Essentially what that means is that they are attempting to
operate independently of the utility companies. In particular, going
"off the grid" will enable you to insulate yourself from the rapidly
rising energy prices that we are going to see in the future. If you are
able to produce energy for your own home, you won't be freaking out like
your neighbors are when electricity prices triple someday.
8 - Store Non-Perishable Supplies: Non-perishable supplies are one
investment that is sure to go up in value. Not that you would resell
them. You store up non-perishable supplies because you are going to
need them someday. So why not stock up on the things that you are going
to need now before they double or triple in price in the future? Your
money is not ever going to stretch any farther than it does right now.
9 - Develop Stronger Relationships: Americans have become very insular
creatures. We act like we don't need anyone or anything. But the truth
is that as the economy melts down we are going to need each other. It
is those that are developing strong relationships with family and
friends right now that will be able to depend on them when times get hard.
10 - Get Educated And Stay Flexible: When times are stable, it is not
that important to be informed because things pretty much stay the same.
However, when things are rapidly changing it is imperative to get
educated and to stay informed so that you will know what to do. The
times ahead are going to require us all to be very flexible, and it is
those who are willing to adapt that will do the best when things get tough."
[permaculture] 10 Practical Steps That You Can Take To Insulate Yourself (At Least Somewhat) From The Coming Economic Collapse,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 08/29/2010