I see an economic diasater coming...

[triffid]

Canned tuna from the store will last 20 years.Sugar as long as it stays dry will last 100 years.Honey never spoils.Learn the shelf lives of different foodstuffs and stock up on them.Also you can stock up on bars of soap and packs of smokes(shelf life about 6 months to a year,then they are dry).Bars of soap and packs of smokes are useful for barter.Just some useful info I thought I would toss in here.Cranberry sauce only lasts a year.Chlorine bleach 6 months.Triffid

[the_big_m_in_ok]

@triffid, with respect to your post #90:
Very good.  Couldn't have said it better myself.  Just don't buy large quantities suddenly and then let anyone see you hide it.  If you do let them, they could come looking for it later.

--Lee

[ATT]

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Canned tuna from the store will last 20 years.Sugar as long as it stays dry will last 100 years.

Thanks Triffid, real good info.

For me, the best of all possible worlds would be to relocate to an area where there was water available even if utilities went down, a reasonable growing season, wood for heating, game you could hunt, fish you could catch, sun and/or hydro-power you could harness and neighbors you could count on as they count on you (but not too many, not too close).

Sounds pretty idyllic huh? There's still a lot of country out there just like that.

The keyword, at least for me, is 'sustainable', which means you can 'keep it going' once you set things in motion, so I have to commit to being 'in position' in time to deal with coming events, which fortunately, I can do since I don't have to live where I work or depend on a job for income because I have a decent retirement.

But the object here is to get to the point where 'income' is superfluous, because real value lies not in what you have, but in what you know and what you can do with your knowledge (you have to possess the background and skills -the 'chops'- it's going to take to pull it off, books alone won't save you).

Money's not going to buy much in the not too distant future anyway, so spend it while it's still able to get you things that will matter in the long run.

Having your stash together is important (we learned to do that out here a long time ago with fires, floods and earthquakes) but getting to a place where you can produce the things you need for your stash is the 'brass ring'.
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[d3adp00l]

been puttin things together for sustainable living for a few years now. Pulsefuelnerd is on the land now breaking in some of the equipment and techniques.

A good library on farming would be good. But then again you need to understand that ALL the food you eat is GMO and can't be replanted from the seeds of the food. Heirloom seeds have a few definitions, seeds that strain is older than 50 years, some say 100 years, but the main point is this you can harvest the seeds and replant them.



So I think we can assume that everyone posting are in agreement, that the economic situation will continue to degrade.

specifically how, or yes is of minor contrivances.

Does anyone think the the economy will get better, and our debts less?

[ATT]

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But then again you need to understand that ALL the food you eat is GMO...Heirloom seeds...you can harvest the seeds and replant them.

All good points, and, yes, everything these days is GM in one way or another. An Heirloom stash is a must and staying in touch with other heirloom growers who you can trade seed with is a good idea too.

A lot of vegetables become 'localized' to their environment over time (they actually adapt to suit conditions, which may include making it easier for pests) so trading seeds helps to promote diversity and maintain healthier harvests.

Because all plants do this, the term 'heirloom' pretty much just means the seeds are viable and will reproduce, it doesn't necessarily mean you're eating the same tomato that was grown in 1867 (even though it may have come from that stock, originally).

If you grow in an area that has commercial farming nearby, take stock of what's being produced on the commercial farms, you don't want to cross-pollinate with any Monsanto(tm) GM produce, so grow something else instead and trade with others (farmer's market) who live in other locations for the produce you don't grow yourself.

Self-sufficiency and sustainable living takes a lot of work, a lot of know-how and goes a lot better if you 'network' with others like yourself (both near and far) to share your experience, knowledge, ideas, help, seeds and trials.

Tony
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