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drewkittyOK, folks, here we go . . . if enough people start behaving like we're in a financial meltdown, sure enough, we go into a financial meltdown. If enough people doubt WaMu, they pull out their money, the bank falls below Federal regulatory limits, and sure enough, WaMu ends up in receivership. If too many people are burning gas chasing gas tankers down the street to fill up, sure enough, long lines at the pump!
1) Keep your pantry well stocked, your cupboards full, your gas tank full. If you have medical or dental coverage, make sure your physicals are up to date and your teeth have been seen and cleaned. You should be able to get by comfortably for a month or two with what you have in your house or apartment (as long as it takes for anyone to kick you out). Water storage isn't a bad idea, either, but secondary.
2) Take a deep breath. This is for the long haul. It will also be over soon.
3) Think about how you would go about buying food in your local area if the supermarket were to shut down. History has shown that farmer's markets are popular and will be among the last to go. Some smaller shops will have some sort of stock after the big stores run out. Convenience stores, while usually overpriced (and may increase prices further) often have items when big stores go dry.
4) How could you get food locally to feed your family? Do you have enough space in your back yard for a garden? Do you have a 'green thumb'? Got vegetables, seeds, tools, fertilizer? A few good books if you don't? Pesticides? Containers if you don't have a back yard? How about on the roof? Or the balcony or deck?
Is there a public fishing pier near your home? Growing up on the coast, I saw many people supplement their diet with fresh-caught fish. Any chance of keeping small animals for food? Many county areas (outside cities) allow keeping food animals up to chickens; I know of people who have even kept goats.
5) Transportation. Mass transit will be kept going for as long as possible, but systems such as BART and light rail are much more likely to keep going than barges and buses. The most reliable (human powered!) will be bicycle. Gasoline is likely to be very expensive and a chunk of anyone's budget.
More later folks.
1) Keep your pantry well stocked, your cupboards full, your gas tank full. If you have medical or dental coverage, make sure your physicals are up to date and your teeth have been seen and cleaned. You should be able to get by comfortably for a month or two with what you have in your house or apartment (as long as it takes for anyone to kick you out). Water storage isn't a bad idea, either, but secondary.
2) Take a deep breath. This is for the long haul. It will also be over soon.
3) Think about how you would go about buying food in your local area if the supermarket were to shut down. History has shown that farmer's markets are popular and will be among the last to go. Some smaller shops will have some sort of stock after the big stores run out. Convenience stores, while usually overpriced (and may increase prices further) often have items when big stores go dry.
4) How could you get food locally to feed your family? Do you have enough space in your back yard for a garden? Do you have a 'green thumb'? Got vegetables, seeds, tools, fertilizer? A few good books if you don't? Pesticides? Containers if you don't have a back yard? How about on the roof? Or the balcony or deck?
Is there a public fishing pier near your home? Growing up on the coast, I saw many people supplement their diet with fresh-caught fish. Any chance of keeping small animals for food? Many county areas (outside cities) allow keeping food animals up to chickens; I know of people who have even kept goats.
5) Transportation. Mass transit will be kept going for as long as possible, but systems such as BART and light rail are much more likely to keep going than barges and buses. The most reliable (human powered!) will be bicycle. Gasoline is likely to be very expensive and a chunk of anyone's budget.
More later folks.
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Date: 2008-09-26 08:47 pm (UTC)That's what they've been saying since the beginning of the year. And it has become apparent that things were crumbling without being able to halt the meltdown due to poor practices for years. The problems should have been addressed long before the financial analysts were trying to prop up the meltdown saying, "If you do this, *you'll* cause it." This is exactly what happened in 2000. Bad investments (2000 was startups buying aeron chairs without producing products; here it's been giving credit to people who couldn't afford it) causing financial failure. No amount of lack of runs on the bank was going to stop it. And people *buying* houses contributed to taking money out of banks (with the long term repayment/investment of interest into the bank)... to pay closing costs and initial house investments.
I agree with most of your points (and think that they should be planned for ALWAYS.. not just during impending crisis) except the last. Cities are going to cut mass transit. Bicycle will be the way.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-27 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-27 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-27 02:28 am (UTC)