| | | Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION???
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 415044
7/3/2008 6:37 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
I want to say thanks to everyone who has contributed to this so far. It really is a good, informative thread. I needed to know these things.
I am one of the few teenagers know who is not a total wimp. I am soft, that much is true, but I am not a slacker like the others. My parents have taught me the value of hard work, and that there is no job beneth me.
I don't want this to happen, but we all know that it is coming in the next 4 years, which is sad. I wanted to go to college... Quoting: Sen Yama 457608
Sen, your parents are wise, and you are indeed one of the lucky ones. I believe with an outlook such as you have, you'll do just fine through this. It's not going to be pretty at all, and we know the times will be more than tough, as something this world has never seen. But in the end of it all, wisdom, faith, and a genuine loving regard for others will be a huge help along the way. |
| Lotus Feet 
The Paraclete, Interpreter of the law
User ID: 433953
7/3/2008 7:35 AM
 | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
ANY IDEAS HOW PEOPLE DID IT ? WHERE DID THEY LIVE WHAT DID THEY EAT???HOW THEY MADE IT? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 328162
They were united in their suffering, they worked together and helped one another. In times of tragedy is when people come to know what is really important in life. They looked after each other's children, some even took the children of others in. They shared, some made alotments and grew their own food. Those that had more shared with those that had less.
Lotus
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. Heb 2:10-12 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.John 6:46 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.Isaiah 49:2 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”- Proverbs 19:20-21
THE VISION
[link to christvisionloveunion.blogspot.com]
THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT
[link to www.academysounds.blogspot.com] |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 460983
7/3/2008 8:05 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
They won't let us do any of that this time. They know that people have an inherent ability to help each other and come together as a community during rough times. That's why they'll send in law enforcement and blackwater to keep everything chaotic and disorganized. The only places that will be safe is where they can choke everything down and maintain control. Everything else will be under curfew and de-gunned. That's what they did during Katrina and the recent flooding. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 458746
7/3/2008 9:05 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
From what I hear my mother's parents ate biscuits with lard on them to keep from starving. My paternal grandfather was a hobo, but did odd jobs for food. He couldn't tell the hobos in the hobo camp that he worked for his food, they had some sort of code against it and would have tossed him out of the camp. I guess they figured if you could work for it instead of steal it, you weren't as bad off as they were.
People back then weren't as dependant on grocery stores to have all their needs as other posters have said. They probably had local farmers and butchers that they bought their food from. What is gonna suck for us this time, is that we depend on food from far away sources. Better learn how to raise a garden and fish in a barrel.
When the collapse happens, just the change in eating habits alone will be a huge culture shock to most people. Add to that the extra hard work, take away all the luxury items people have taken for granted as being nessecities, and it's going to make for one very very ugly combination. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 471511
7/21/2008 5:43 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
i had one set of grand parents that survived the great depression,my father's parents.on the other hand, my mother did not fair so well back in indianapolis, due to lack of eating any food, my mom's mother, saved all of the food for her three children,she woke up early one morning, complaining of severe chest pain and died a few hours later at the age of thirty five in the late fall of 1930.her husband had been laid off since the crash of 29, my mom was only five years old, she told me that several times in the evening, while her dad resorted to mixing gin in the bathtub, she could hear him crying.there are only two pictures of my mom in this era and both are of a very sad little girl.she had two total sets of clothes and was taught how to handwash them in the sink and hang up to dry, she never had a schoolbook or any christmas gifts under the decorated evergreen tree taken from other yards.she was finally put into a orphions home at the age of ten, ran away and was captured by the police in lousisville kentucky and then she was taken in by a foster familyto live and take care of the two small kids, because the mother was in poor health, the war came along and mom got a job at a five and ten cent store, saved her money and at the end of the war, met my dad and the both of them pooled their saved money together, bought a lot in speedway, indiana and built a 24 by 24 ft house with their own two hands, i was already born in 1947, while they worked on the house,my mom, carrying my younger brother,pat inside of her. that year, her father finally died at the age of fifty two.years later mom visited the cemetary on east washington street to see her parent's graves, her mother never had a gravestone, so mom bought one and it was placed about where the cemetary thought she was buried, lots of people in those days, died quickly and they were buried in thrown into wooden boxes and buried in mass graves.mom was always very skinny throughout her life and never started gaining weight until after my brother was born in 1948,now she is 81 years old and my stepdad is 91,my father died in 1980 from a heart arythmia at the age of 57.their diets were very bad and i know this is what ended their lives |
| FrugalOne
User ID: 480618
8/7/2008 5:01 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
There have been some great survival stories in here... I've enjoyed every one.
Some people tell stories about how unselfish people were, but an article elsewhere talked about the self-centered attitudes of the people. Remember the roaring 20's? People spent lavishly on things with little thought to the future. I've often wondered how those people felt... going from having so much to having almost nothing. I wonder, if we go through a similar depression, will we be affected the same way?
Also, there is at least a 6% unemployment rate right now... I'm not sure if that includes all the jobless people, including those on disability. I do not see these people starving... and they are not growing their own gardens, butchering their own chickens, or sewing their own clothing. I'm not saying that nobody does this... there are certain groups of people who do... on Friday nights, someone butchers a pig and the neighborhood gathers around to have a party and enjoy. People can be very frugal and still have fun. But nobody is desparate. Why? We do still have a welfare system in place, and food stamps keep food on the table. There are lots of food banks and churches that will help people, too. Thanks to mass production, there are plenty of clothes... if the world stopped making clothes today, people could stay decently clothed for about a year.
Still, there is something very fulfilling about providing for yourself... growing your own vegetables, putting away (canning & freezing) your produce, hunting/fishing/gathering your food, etc. When times get tough, that's one of the first things we see people do... going back to the basics.
Oh, and as to my own family... they were farmers and lived off the land. My great-grandfather had a little business of making cane syrup... and moonshine. Everyone had to work HARD around the farm... they washed their clothes by hand and didn't have the modern conveniences of air conditioners, microwave ovens, dish washers, healthcare, advanced educational systems, internet access to warn of spreading plagues or dust bowls or tornadoes, or roomy houses. They learned to save everything and threw nothing away. Some were wonderful seamstresses... others great cooks. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 400833
8/7/2008 5:13 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Mostly they worked. Grew gardens, planted food. Families learned to live together and depend on each other. Seniors with big houses often benefit greatly by sharing it with a small family in exchange for care taking and some cooking/cleaning. That's how.
It wasn't a welfare state and everyone knew if you didn't work you might die! |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 480621
8/7/2008 5:13 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Remember that given our population gowth over the past 80-90 years.....
There are more unemployed Americans today that there were during the great depression. Sure, not near as high of a percentage of the population, but I'm talking actual numbers of unemployed and homeless. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 272356
8/7/2008 5:33 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
My grandmother told me lots of stories. It was very hard. They were poor anyway but the depression made it worse. They bought flour in 50 lbs bags back then and she used the flour sacks to make clothes for my mom. They had bisciuts and water gravy three times a day. Water gravy is just that, alittle brown flour with water not milk. She washed her clothes in a big tub outside over a fire. ONe tub with soap in it and one tub to rinse. Hung clothes on a clothes line and used an iron she heated on the wood stove. During the summer kids had no shoes went bare foot and it the parents were lucky they got to buy a pair of shoes for back to school. She would try to make extra money by washing rich peoples cloths or cleaning their houses. Supper was always on the table at 5:00 and usually lights out at 9:00.
They had gardens and were on a water well with an electric pump so if you did not pay the light bill you had no water. My grandfather worked the fields or any job he could get but was in poor health. She never threw anythink away. If a shirt wore out you braided it into a rug or you used it for femals products (NOjoke) which were washed over and over. They did have a garden but not a large one but she canned everything. Nothing ever went to waste. Hard times. She made all their clothes and cut everyones hair. If someone came to your door and asked for food you gave them something. She would open the screen door and hand them a plate and when they finished they left the plate on the door step. You feed them black or white cause if someone asked you for food they were starving because thier was still pride back in the day. If your neighbor was having a baby you went and helped deliver it and feed their kids. We all come from strong stock or none of us would be here today. |
| Sen Yama
User ID: 486613
8/17/2008 9:02 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Let's hope that we can pull together once again. |
| WalkerTalker
User ID: 486614
8/17/2008 9:04 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
great thread! Very Informative! |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 457129
8/17/2008 9:14 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
ASk one! |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 486629
8/17/2008 9:37 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
My grandparents lived in West Texas, South of Abilene. I was born after the depression, but their lives remained difficult after the depression until electricity was run to the rural areas, their lives were hard. I remember this:
The ONLY cash came from eggs, butter and milk they sold. A truck came by on a schedule and picked up milk cans full and dropped off empties for filling.
We ate from the garden except for salt, coffee, flour, lard and corn meal which was bought in town. Beetles got in the flour and corn meal, which was sifted out. They made soap. Kerosene for lamps was bought. Clothes were washed by hand on Monday, with hot water poured from the kitchen stove.
All the dresses and shirts were made from flour and feed sacks. When my Grandfather went to the feed store he was sent with an empty feed sack to match the print. I don't know where they got the coats, maybe bought them in town. Texas is very cold in the winter.
The three-room house was heated by one coal stove in the living room. There was a cook stove in the kitchen. Coal came in on the train in Ranger, I guess from Missouri. On Saturday night everyone took a bath in a big wash tub in the kitchen, one at the time with hot water poured from the cook stove. The water was covered in scum by the time the kids got to bath.
The house was single board wood frame and unpainted. The inside walls had layers of newspaper pasted on with a mixture of flour and water. The newsprint helped stop the cold drafts coming through the boards. Bugs would get in the newsprint and eat it full of holes. Windows had some kind of opaque waxed paper, not real glass (I don't think).
There were no phones. Neighbors named Inabnet had a barn full of homing pigeons. People would take a pigeon home in a cage and when a baby was born, or some other news, the message was tied to the pigeon's leg and it would fly back to the Inabnet's barn. Inabnets would send the message out in the community.
Water was pumped by a very tall, clanking windmill and kept the cows watered and let water run to the house so water didn't have to be hauled from a well.
There weren't any payments for utilities, probably a small amount due for land taxes. No payment on the house, which was hand built, and the family owned the land which had homesteaded. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 460702
8/17/2008 10:21 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
We have a transient society now. Unlike anytime before 1950(and the highway/interstate system) where people knew each other and actually cared.
Now it's all about #1. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 376212
Bingo! Interesting isn't it.
If we had to suddenly become an immobile society again people would be forced to rely on each other, forced to get along, forced to return favors, forced to room with their relatives, forced to be honest or endure their neighbors' wrath, forced to be hard workers or lay down and die, forced to be innovative and resourceful or lay down and die, forced to care more about their interpersonal relationships because they'd have nowhere else to turn or run to.
Perhaps our morals really are, for the most part, shaped by convenience, or lack thereof.
Really is fascinating. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 483806
8/17/2008 10:54 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Realize that unemployment was 20-25% of the population during the depression. So that means 75% of the population WAS EMPLOYED! My grandfather and my mothers family didn't have any problems during the depression. My fathers side didn't have any suffering either. 75% OF THE POPULATION DIDN'T SUFFER AT ALL! You guys make it seem like the whole country was starving, not true, at all. For 75% of the people it wasn't a problem. The key is to keep your job...lots of people became rich, yes, rich during the depression. |
| A friend
User ID: 119044
9/22/2008 1:19 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
To survive first one must make up their minds to. Yes, this financial crisis will be terrible, there's more to come. Can you make it? The answer is yes, but it's a choice.
Learn the basics of survival, I'm not talking about hording away amo & amassing a garrison, not of guns anyhow but of good old fashion common sense.
Good old fashion determination, & smile will get you further than weapons.
Learn to use solar ovens, grow your own food, how to recycle everything,how to fish, how to heal yourself, how to get along with others--(even those you disagree with, you'll all share one thing in common, that's to ensure your safety.
YOU will have to be resourceful. Will it be difficult, hell yes. Can you do it? That's up to you. |
| AWSOME
User ID: 511606
9/26/2008 11:14 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
from what I know people did what our ancestors in other parts of the world did. They grew their own food and bartered with each other; and when needed looked out for one another as a community. Banks never existed and still do not in small towns of south america and the natives live the way they did back then. NOT MUCH civilization but rather a frugal modest and STRESS FREE way of living !! |
| Douggie
User ID: 510088
9/26/2008 11:17 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Well, this is a different time. Even if you went back there and saw how they did it. It wouldnt even be useful now.
They have the power to create reality
I could explain it better but I would need charts, graphs and an easel.
By the way....which ones pink? |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 511621
9/26/2008 11:44 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
I was born in 1948, but I still remember how frugal my Grandma was, and my parents too. My parents are still frugal...not like we baby boomers who grew up in the throw-away society. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 353013
Nice post, AC. Thanks for sharing. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 511621
9/26/2008 11:48 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
This thread was great. Thanks!!! |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 496726
9/27/2008 4:25 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
Along the same lines. I got this off a Ron Paul forum website. Things to think about if our country collapses:
The collapse of Argentina:
My brother visited Argentina a few weeks ago. He’s been living in Spain for a few years now. Within the first week, he got sick, some kind of strong flu, even though climate isn’t that cold and he took care of himself. Without a doubt he got sick because there are lots of new viruses in my country that can’t be found in 1st world countries. The misery and famine lead us to a situation where, even though you have food, shelter and health care, most of others don’t, and therefore they get sick and spread the diseases all over the region.
What got me started on this post is the fact that I actually saw this coming, and posted on the subject here at Frugal’s, months before the new viruses spread over the country and the news started talking about this new, health emergency, which proves that talking, thinking and sharing ideas with like minded people (you guys), does help to see things coming and prepare for them with enough time.
So I started thinking about several issues, what I learned (either the hard way or thanks to this forum) after all these years of living in a collapsed country that is trying to get out an economical disaster and everything that comes along with it.
Though my English is limited, I hope I’m able to transmit the main ideas and concepts, giving you a better image of what you may have to deal with some day, if the economy collapses in your country.
Here is what I have so far:
URBAN OR COUNTRY?
Someone once asked me how did those that live in the country fare. If they were better off than city dwellers.
As always there are no simple answers. Wish I could say country good, city bad, but I can’t. Because if I have to be completely honest, and I intend to be so, there are some issues that have to be analyzed, specially security.
Of course that those that live in the country and have some land and animals were better prepared food-wise. No need to have several acres full of crops. A few fruit trees, some animals, such as chickens, cows and rabbits, and a small orchard was enough to be light years ahead of those in the cities.
Chickens, eggs and rabbits would provide the proteins, a cow or two for milk and cheese, some vegetables and fruit plants covered the vegetable diet, and some eggs or a rabbit could be traded for flower to make bread and pasta or sugar and salt.
Of course that there are exceptions.
For example, some provinces up north have desert climate, and it almost never rains. It is almost impossible to live of the land, and animals require food and water you have to buy. Those guys had it bad, no wonder the northern provinces suffer the most in my country.
Those that live in cities, well they have to manage as they can. Since food prices went up about %200-%300. People would cut expenses wherever they could so they could buy food. Some ate whatever they could, they hunted birds or ate street dogs and cats, others starved.
When it comes to food, cities suck in a crisis.
It is usually the lack of food or the impossibility to acquire it that starts the rioting and looting when TSHTF.
When it comes to security things get even more complicated.
Forget about shooting those that mean you harm from 300 yards away with your MBR. Leave that notion to armchair commandos and 12 year old kids that pretend to be grown ups on the internet.
Some facts:
1)Those that want to harm you/steal from you don’t come with a pirate flag waving over their heads.
2) Neither do they start shooting at you 200 yards away.
3) They wont come riding loud bikes or dressed with their orange, convict just escaped from prison jump suits, so that you can identify them the better. Nor do they all wear chains around their necks and leather jackets. If I had a dollar for each time a person that got robbed told me “They looked like NORMAL people, dressed better than we are”, honestly, I would have enough money for a nice gun. There are exceptions, but don’t expect them to dress like in the movies.
4)A man with a wife and two or three kids can’t set up a watch. I don’t care if you are SEAL, SWAT or John Freaking Rambo, no 6th sense is going to tell you that there is a guy pointing a gun at your back when you are trying to fix the water pump that just broke, or carrying a big heavy bag of dried beans you bought that morning.
The best alarm system anyone can have in a farm are dogs. But dogs can get killed and poisoned. A friend of mine had all four dogs poisoned on his farm one night, they all died |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 485668
9/27/2008 4:30 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
are you serious? did you sleep through american history when you were in high school?
brother can you spare a dime? |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 496726
9/27/2008 4:32 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
After all these years I learned that even though the person that lives out in the country is safer when it comes to small time robberies, that same person is more exposed to extremely violent home robberies. Criminals know that they are isolated and their feeling of invulnerability is boosted. When they assault a country home or farm, they will usually stay there for hours or days torturing the owners. I heard it all: women and children getting raped, people tied to the beds and tortured with electricity, beatings, burned with acetylene torches.
Big cities aren’t much safer for the survivalist that decides to stay in the city. He will have to face express kidnappings, robberies, and pretty much risking getting shot for what’s in his pockets or even his clothes.
So, where to go? The concrete jungle is dangerous and so is living away from it all, on your own.
The solution is to stay away from the cities but in groups, either by living in a small town-community or sub division, or if you have friends or family that think as you do, form your own small community.
Some may think that having neighbors within “shouting” distance means loosing your privacy and freedom, but it’s a price that you have to pay if you want to have someone to help you if you ever need it. To those that believe that they will never need help from anyone because they will always have their rifle at hand, checking the horizon with their scope every five minutes and a first aid kit on their back packs at all times…. Grow up.
SERVICES
Whatever sort of scenario you are dealing with, services are more than likely to either suffer in quality or disappear all together. Think ahead of time, analyze possible SHTF scenarios and which service should be affected by it in your area.
Think about the most likely scenario but also think outside the box. What’s more likely? A tornado? But a terrorist attack isn’t as crazy as you though it would be a few years ago, isn’t it?
Also analyze the consequences of those services going down. If there is no power then you need to do something about all that meat you have in the fridge, you can dry it or can it. Think about the supplies you would need for these tasks before you actually need them.
You have a complete guide on how to prepare the meat on you computer… how will you get it out of there if there is no power? Print everything that you consider important.
WATER
No one can last too long without water. The urban survivalist may find that the water is of poor quality, in which case he can make good use of a water filter, or that there is no water available at all.
When this happens, a large city were millions live will run out of bottled water within minutes.
In my case, tap water isn’t very good. I can see black little particles and some other stuff that looks like dead algae. Taste isn’t that bad. Not good but I know that there are parts of the country where it is much worse. To be honest, a high percentage of the country has no potable water at all.
If you can build a well, do so, set it as your top of the list priority as a survivalist.
Water comes before firearms, medicines and even food.
Save as much water as you can. Use plastic bottles, refill soda bottles and place them in a cool place, preferably inside a black garbage bag to protect it from sun light.
The water will pick some plastic taste after a few months, but water that tastes a little like plastic is far way better than no water at all.
What ever the kind of SHTF scenario you are dealing with, water will suffer. In my case the economical crash created problems with the water company, that reduces the maintenance and quality in order to reduce costs and keep their income in spite of the high prices they have to pay for supplies and equipment, most of which comes from abroad, and after the 2001 crash, costs 3 times more.
As always, the little guy gets to pay for it.
Same would go for floods or chemical or biological attacks. Water requires delicate care and it will suffer when the SHTF in one way or another.
In this case, when you still have tap water, a quality filter is in order, as well as a pump if you can have one. A manual pump would be ideal as well if possible.
Estimate that you need a approximately a gallon per person per day. Try to have at least two-four weeks worth of water.
More would be preferable.
POWER
I spent WAY to much time without power for my own taste. Power has always been a problem in my country, even before the 2001 crisis.
The real problem starts when you spend more than just a few hours without light. Just after the SHTF in 2001 half the country went without power for 3 days.
Buenos Aires was one big dark grave. People got caught on elevators, food rot, hospitals that only had a few hours worth of fuel for their generators ran out of power.
Without power, days get to be a lot shorter. Once the sun sets there is not much you can do.
I read under candle light and flashlight light and your head starts to hurt after a while. You can work around the house a little bit but only as long as you don’t need power tools.
Crime also increases once the lights go out, so whenever you have to go somewhere in a black out, carry the flashlight on one hand and a handgun on the other.
Summarizing, being in a city without light turn to be depressing after a while.
I spent my share of nights, alone, listening to the radio, eating canned food and cleaning my guns under the light of my LED head lamp. Then I got married, had a son, and found out that when you have loved ones around you black outs are not as bad. The point is that family helps morale on these situations.
A note on flashlights. Have two or three head LED lights. They are not expensive and are worth their weight in gold. A powerful flashlight is necessary, something like a big Maglite or better yet a SureFire, specially when you have to check your property for intruders. But for more mundane stuff like preparing food, going to the toilet or doing stuff around the house, the LED headlamp is priceless. Try washing the dishes on the dark while holding a 60 lumen flashlight on one hand and you’ll know what I mean. LEDs also have the advantage of lasting for almost an entire week of continuous use and the light bulb lasts forever.
Rechargeable batteries are a must (ed. Get a solar powered battery charger) or else you’ll end up broke if lights go out often.
Have a healthy amount of spare quality batteries and try to standardize as much as you can.
I have 12 Samsung NM 2500Mh AA and 8 AAA 800mh for the headlamps. I use D cell plastic adaptors in order to use AA batteries on my 3 D cell Maglite. This turned out to work quite well, better than I expected.
I also keep about 2 or 3 packs of regular, Duracell batteries just in case. These are supposed to expire around 2012, so I can forget about them until I need them.
Rechargeable NM batteries have the disadvantage of loosing power after a period of time, so keep regular batteries as well and check the rechargeable ones every once in a while.
After all these years of problems with power, what two items I would love to have?
1) The obvious. A generator. I carried my fridge food to my parents house way to many times on the past. Too bad I can’t afford one right now.
2) A battery charger that has both solar panel and a small crank. They are not available here. I saw that they are relatively inexpensive in USA. Do yourself a favor and get one or two of these. Even if they don’t charge as well as regular ones, I’m sure it will put out enough power to charge batteries for LED lamps at least.
GAS
Gas has decreased in quality as well, there is little gas. Try to have an electric oven in case you have to do without it.
If both electricity and gas go down, one of those camping stoves can work as well, if you keep a good supply of gas cans.
The ones that work with liquid fuel seem to be better on the long run, since they can use different types of fuel.
You can only store a limited amount of compressed gas and once you ran out of it, you are on your own if stores are closed of they sold them out.
Anyway, a city that goes without gas and light for more than two weeks is a death trap, get out of there before it’s too late. |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 496726
9/27/2008 4:35 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
A DIFFERENT MENTALITY.
I was watching the People & Art channel with my wife the other night. It was a show where they film a couple for a given period of time and some people vote on who is the one with the worst habits, the one they find more annoying.
We were in our bed, and this is when I usually fall asleep but since the guy was a firearms police instructor I was interested and managed to stay awake.
At one point the guy’s wife said that she found annoying that her husband spent 500 dollars a month on beauty products for himself. 500 USD on facial cream, special shampoo and conditioner, as well as having his nails polished!
If you are that guy and happen to be reading this, or if you know him, I’m sorry, but what an idiot!!
“500 USD, that’s a small generator or a gun and a few boxes of ammo” I told my wife.
“That’s two months worth of food” she said.
We were each thinking of a practical use for that money, the money this guy was practically throwing away.
Once the SHTF, money is no longer measured in money, but you start seeing it as the necessary goods it can buy. Stuff like food, medicine, gas, or the private medical service bill.
To me, spending 500 dollars on beauty products, and to make it worse, on a guy? That’s simply not acceptable.
The way I see it, someone with that mentality can’t survive a week without a credit card, no use in even considering a SHTF scenario.
And this guy is a firearms instructor?… probably the kind of guy that will say that a handgun is only used to fight his way to his rifle… and his facial night cream…
Once you experience the lack of stuff you took for granted, like food , medicines, your set of priorities change all of a sudden.
For example, I had two wisdom tooth removed last year. On both occasions I was prescribed with antibiotics and strong Ibuprofen for the pain.
I took the antibiotics( though I did buy two boxes with the same recipe just to keep one box just in case) but I didn’t use the Ibuprofen, I added it to my pile of medicines.
Why? because medicines are not always available and I’m not sure if they will be available in the future.
Sure, it hurt like hell, but pain alone isn’t going to kill you, so I sucked it up. Good for building up character if you ask me .
Make sacrifices so as to ensure a better future, that’s the mentality you should have if you want to be prepared.
There’s stuff that is “nice to have” that has to be sacrificed to get the indispensable stuff
There’s stuff that is not “basic need stuff” but it’s also important in one way or another.
My wife goes to the hairdresser once every month or two. It’s not life or death, but it does make her feel better and it boosts her morale.
I buy a game for the Xbox or a movie to watch with my wife every once in awhile, just to relax. 7 or 10 dollars a month are not going to burn a hole in my pocket.
Addictions such as alcohol, drugs or even cigarettes should be avoided by the survivalist.
They are bad for your health, cost a lot of money that could be much better spent, and create an addiction to something that may not be available in the future.
Who will have to tolerate your grouchy mood when your brand of smokes is no longer imported after the SHTF?
PART II
GRAY/BLACK MARKET
Once the SHTF the black/grey market will take no time to appear all around you.
In my country, grey markets were even accepted in the end.
At first it was all about trading skills or craft products for food. Districts and towns would form their own barter markets, and created their own tickets, similar to money, that was used to trade.
This didn’t last long. Those tickets were easy to make on your home computer, there was no control and eventually people went back to paper money.
These markets were usually placed on warehouses or empty land, and were managed by some wise guy and a few thugs or hired security.
Anyone can go rent a kiosk inside these markets for about 50-100 pesos (about 20-30 dollars) a day and sell his goods and services.
Piece within these markets is usually respected… lets just say that these managers don’t call the police if someone tries anything funny, like stealing, fighting or taking advantage of women. That’s not good for their business and anyone that tries to mess with their business finds out how much pain the human body can actually experiment or gets a free ticket to meet the Lord.
Sometimes even uniformed cops manage security on these markets, for a small fee of course.
As always, you still have to be careful. They may still try to pick your pockets or even attack you once you leave the market. Once you leave the market, you are on your own, as always.
This markets evolved and now a lot of different products are available.
Today I visited my local market, a warehouse that is fairly well set up and cleanly managed. They had problems for selling stolen merchandise and fake Brand name clothes a few days ago.
What can be found at a local markets? Mostly food and clothing. Some have more variety than others but cheese, canned food, spices, honey, eggs, fruits, vegetables, beer, wine and cured meat are generally available, same as bakery products and pasta. These are less expensive than those found at supermarkets. Fresh fish is sometimes available but not always, people don’t trust much products that need refrigeration, and they get those at supermarkets instead.
Clothes are also popular and you can find copies of brand name clothes, imitations, or even original stolen new clothes, the same goes for shoes and snickers. Children clothes, underwear, socks, sheets and towels are all very popular.
Some sell toys, but they are always China made, mostly poor quality though there are some few exceptions.
Others sell tools, also made in China can be found as well, but they are of poor quality.
Some offer their services and repair stuff or offer work as handyman.
You would be amazed of the junk that these guys manage to fix: TVs, CD players, Power tools, etc. They even manage to solder the small integrated circuits boards sometimes. Give one of these guys a screw driver and a bar of chocolate and he will fix a nuclear submarine.
After food and clothes, the 3rd most popular item has to be CDs and DVDs, movies, music, play station 2 and Xbox games, programs, it all ends up there just one or two days after the official release in USA. Seems that they have e guy hidden under Bill Gate’s desk or something.
Anyway, almost everything can be found there, and if you want, you can ask around, talk to the right guy and buy illegal stuff like drugs or black market guns and ammo. The quality of the drugs is questionable, of course, and a lot of addicts die from the mixtures these guys sell. Guns are mostly FM High Powers, Surplus 1911s and Colt .45s, Sistemas, and old Colt Detective revolvers in 38 special that found their way from police and military armories into the black market. Condition isn’t very good but if you have money you’ll be amazed of what you can end up with. Everything that is used by the military and police, including SMGs a, Browning 50 BMG Machine guns, and even frag grenades, is available in the black market, if the customer has the amount of money and a little patience, of course. The big guns may take a while, but the handguns and grenades are readily available.
GOLD!!
Someone hit me in the head please because I messed up about the gold issue.
Everyone wants to buy gold! “I buy gold. Pay cash” signs are everywhere, even on TV! I can’t believe I’m that silly!
I just didn’t relate it to what I read here because they deal with junk gold, like jewellery, either stolen or sold because they needed the money, not the gold coins that you guys talk about. No one pays for the true value of the stuff, so big
WARNING! Sign on people that are buying gold coins.
Since it is impossible to determine the true mineral percentage of gold, small shops and dealers will pay for it as regular jewellery gold.
What I would do if I were you: Besides gold coins, buy a lot of small gold rings and other jewellery. They should be less expensive than gold coins, and if the SHTF bad, you’ll not be loosing money, selling premium quality gold coins for the price of junk gold.
If I could travel back in time, I’d buy a small bag worth of gold rings.
Small time thieves will snatch gold chains right out of your neck and sell them at these small dealers found everywhere. This is VERY common at train stations, subways and other crowded areas.
So, my advice, if you are preparing for a small economical crisis, gold coins make sense. You will keep the value of the stuff and be able to sell it for its actual cost to gold dealers or maybe other survivalists that know the true value of the item.
In my case, gold coins would have been an excellent investment, saving me from loosing money when the local economy crashed. Even though things are bad, I can go to a bank down town and get paid for what a gold coin is truly worth, same goes for pure silver. But where I live, in my local are small time dealers will only pay you the value of junk gold, no matter what kind of gold you have. So, I’d have to say that if the SHTF is bad, gold jewellery is a better trade item than gold coins.
Forgive me for not talking about this before, but I didn’t realize this until today, when I visited my local market warehouse and saw a “Buy Gold” sign.
PART III: GUNS, AMMO AND OTHER GEAR
After the SHTF in 2001, only the most narrow minded, brain washed, butterfly IQ level idiots believed that the police would protect them from the crime wave that followed the collapse of our economy.
A lot of people that could have been considered antigun before, ran to the gun shops, seeking advise on how to defend themselves and their families.
They would buy a 38 revolver, a box of ammo, and leave it in the closet, probably believing that it would magically protect them from intruders.
Oh, maybe you don’t think that firearms are really necessary or your beliefs do not allow you to buy a tool designed to kill people. So you probably ask yourself, is a gun really necessary when the SHTF? Will it truly make a difference?
Having gone through a SHTF scenario myself, total economical collapse in the year 2001, and still dealing with the consequences, 5 years later, I feel I can answer that question.
YES, you need a gun, pepper spray, a machete, a battle axe, club with a rusty nail sticking out of it, or whatever weapon you can get hold of.
A LOT has been written on survival weapons. Everyone that is into armed survival has his or her own idea of the ideal gun battery. Some more oriented to a hunting point of view, others only as self defense means and others consider a little of both, and look for general purpose weapons.
Talking about guns, there is one special subject I want to rectify, and it’s the point on what’s the primary weapon for the survivalist, specially a urban survivalist that has to function in a society, yes, even after the SHTF.
The primary defensive weapon for the survivalist is his HANDGUN. It’s the weapon that stays with him when he is doing his business around town of working on the field.
The survivalist IS NOT a soldier, even though you are a soldier or you once were the meanest mother on the battle filed, your home town is not a battlefield and it wont be, even if the SHTF. A LOT of water has to go under the bridge until the situation gets to a point where you can calmly walk down the street with a rifle on your shoulder.
People, if you are interested in real world SHTF situation, and you want to prepared for the real deal, then understand that this isn’t black or white.
You wake up one day and listen on the radio that the economy collapsed and that the stock market closed indefinitely.
What do you do? You still have to go to the office/work/whatever .Kiss the wife good bye and walk to the office with your AR across your back, or across your chest, Israeli style, ready to shoot? You wont get far. Someone will shoot you or throw you in jail, or in a mental institution.
What I’m trying to explain, is that its ok to prepare for China invading you country, Germans and UN or Martians. That is the extreme, less likely worst case scenario.
There is an infinity spectrum of gray between the black and white. White being your average normal day and black being total TEOTWAWKI, lizard men invading the planet.
Rifles do have a place in the survivalist’s arsenal, and a very important one. But you have to understand that 90% of the time, the handgun will be the weapon you have available when you need one.
You cant compare to a trooper in Iraq that has his weapon with him at all times.
I ask you how many soldiers do you know that keep wearing cammo and totting their M4s around town when they return home?
What works for war does not work for the survivalist, especially the urban survivalist.
Even if you live in a retreat far from town, you have to work, don’t you? Or do you have employees that take care of all your mundane tasks, leaving you all day to keep watch with your rifle ready?
A soldier is part of a huge machine, HIS job is to carry that rifle, while others take care of other needs. A survivalist, one that is not part of a large survivalist group, has no one to cover for him.
When a new guy looks for advice on what to get for defense, some will recommend a rifle or shotgun as a first defensive weapon.
Lets say race riots start in this guy’s city. He still has to go to work every day. What is he supposed to do? Shove his pump shotgun in his pocket? A handgun, even though less powerful, can be used for home defense AND go with you wherever you need to go.
If the place floods, he can still hop into an evacuation boat without leaving his weapon behind. I’m sure no rescue team will pick you if you are carrying a long arm. They’ll ask you to leave it behind for sure.
What if your government, realizing that TSHTF and that they lost control of the events, bans all firearms indefinitely? Don’t know about you, but if things are that bad, I’d like to be armed. You can hide a handgun under a jacket. You cant hide a long arm under your clothes.
I think it was Clint Smith who said that the handgun is only used to fight his way to his rifle. Man! that sounds “macho”.
I’d love to see him walking into Walmart with his tactical M4, taking the subway, visiting the doctor or going to the bank.
“Over here Mr. Smith, you can hang you M4 right next to my coat” I don’t think so.
Guys, unless you have your own shooting school, you do not get to carry your rifle to work.
OK, now that I got that out of my chest lets look at some options.
Handguns: Revolver or Pistol?
Pistol. All the way.
Yes, I saw the video of the guy that accurately emptied his S&W in ½ a second. I also saw the shooting range and the crowd behind him, watching the event. Can he shoot and reload that way if he is in his car, driving with one hand and shooting with the other, while a bunch of scum bags in another car are shooting at him?
Hey, maybe he can. I know I can’t. Can you?
Generally speaking, the revolver is more difficult to master than the pistol. The double action is hard and it affects speed and accuracy. It can be done, but I found that pistols are easier, as did many shooters.
Also, even though they seem to be more simple, revolvers are not as rugged as service pistols, the mechanisms that cycles the cylinder and cocks the hammer is both complicated and fragile compared to auto pistols.
Before anyone starts casting evil voodoo spells at me for insulting their prized S&W or Ruger: I own revolvers and like shooting them, I just don’t think they are the best option for self defense, and I see that everyone I talk to in my country who is worried about security as I am also chooses pistols.
Quality pistols resist sand, mud and dirt in general better than revolvers, where a small pebble locked in the mechanism may render the revolver inoperable.
I personally had a problem with a new stainless steel Taurus Tracker .357 magnum. After shooting it a couple of times I reloaded it and shot all 7 rounds as fast as I could and when I tried to empty it, I found that the empties were stuck because they expanded because of the heat. I had to wait until the gun cooled a little so I could empty the gun. Stuff like this can get you killed, even more in a 7 round handgun.
I once saw a man walk into a gun store wanting to trade his 357 magnum revolver for a 9mm high capacity pistol.
He said he was driving when thugs from another car started shooting at him. He was chased for a few blocks.
He said that he pulled his revolver and started shooting at them, and ran out of ammo real fast. He wanted more capacity and fast reloading. I could not agree with him more.
Some will consider this “Spray and pray”, thinking that all rounds should hit the target and if some don’t then it means that you need more time at the range.
Those same people will tell you that they intend to use bolt action rifles as defensive rifles, making each shot count, without ever missing their target, one shot one kill.
I don’t agree with this. One shot one kill is ok for snipers, but the survivalist should have other alternatives.
I don’t see anything wrong with shooting four or five rounds at a chasing car. If those rounds make them think twice about their intentions, they are rounds well spent in my book, even if they don’t kill the attacker.
Suppressive fire is possible if you have a high capacity pistol. I wouldn’t doubt on using such a tactic if it serves my purposes, or if it buys me time to get out of there.
Also keep in mind that criminals are cowards and therefore attack in groups. The survivalist should be able to face more than just one attacker. Getting into a gunfight with two or three armed men while packing a 6 round revolver is rather hard to deal with. A high capacity pistol can load about 15 or 19 rounds, and that can certainly make a difference in a gunfight where you are outnumbered.
A forensic doctor that used to live in my neighborhood got killed last year. He was ambushed when he exited a restaurant by 5 or 6 men. Even though they did kill him he managed to kill 4 of them and severely injure another.
He shoot regularly and carried a Glock .40. I’m sure he was lucky but I also think that his choice of weapon was also important in the outcome.
If anyone is wondering, people in my country that are serious about self defense carry Glocks. Those that don’t have the
money for a Glock carry Bersas, FM High Powers or 1911 surplus .45s.
At first I wasn’t sure about the Bersa, but once I tried them I saw that they are very descent guns. I now own two Bersas and am pleased with they performance.
The calibre choice calls for endless debate and it is not my intention here. Lets just say that 9mm , 40S&W and 45ACP are the obvious choices.
40S&W seem to be the most adequate, both in FMJ and HP, while 9mm lacks some stopping power and hollow points should be used if possible.
Though the 9mm lacks power compared to the 40S&W, it is more popular world wide, a factor to consider seriously when choosing a handgun for SHTF. Besides, 9mm can also be used in a number of carbines and SMG, another important fact to be considered.
SMGs and carbines chambered for 40S&W and .45 ACP are also available, but they at not nearly as popular as those chambered for 9mm.
Whatever you choose keep 500 or better yet 1000 rounds of quality ammo for your handgun at all times. 100 rounds wont last much if the crisis lasts long. Also consider that once the balloon goes up, governments tend to restrict guns and ammo.
Rifles
I previously stated that the urban survivalist will be using his handgun 90% of the time he needs to defend himself and family from attackers.
I didn’t pull this figure out of thin air, it is quite accurate based on what happens here on daily basis, even a little optimistic. Cold harsh reality has shown us that most attacks occur when entering or exiting your home, when you are more vulnerable.
Almost no one is stupid enough to try to enter a barred house with armed occupants. Believe me people, the gene pool will clean itself rather fast once the SHTF.
So, is a rifle necessary? Of course it is! There is still that 10%, and that 10% can still ruin your day. And this percentage sky rockets if you intend to use that same rifle for putting meat on the table.
If you have to settle with just one rifle, go for a semi auto. Ideally you should have a bolt action one and a semi auto rifle. A bolt action and a semiautomatic 308 would make a nice combination.
Whatever you choose, try to keep it within military calibers, and military weapons if possible.
It may seem that I have something against bolt rifles but I don’t. I think they are fantastic weapons, but I think that semi autos are much better fighting weapons.
The idea of “picking them out” 300 meters away with your bolt rifle, as they come in a row blowing whistles and firing warning rounds is laughable at best.
Bolt rifles do have advantages over semi autos, accuracy not being the most important one.
Bolt rifles such as Mausers last forever and are harder than rocks, THAT’S important. They are simple, easy to repair tools that will serve you (within their limitations of course) longer than any other weapon.
For example, the coil spring on my Mauser 1891 safety broke into 3 separate parts, after almost 100 years of faithful service. I dug into my tool box and found a spring left over from a kitchen shelve door. I cut it approximately to the length of the previous spring, replaced it and the rifle was fixed.
There are not many weapons that allow this. And it is a very valuable attribute once the SHTF and spare parts are no longer available.
Stick to common calibers, 223, 7.62x39mm, or 7,62x51 (308).
.223 vs. 308? I’m not going there. If you prefer 223 because it has less recoil, it’s lighter, or you favor the AR rifle go ahead.
If you think that 223 is more powerful than 7,62.. sign up to Physics I.
Just remember what I said before, a survivalist is not a soldier serving in Iraq, and you don’t have the entire USMF to back you up. You are on your own.
You are not going to pin your attackers down with a questionably effective round and wait until someone hits them with artillery. .
About ARs… I wouldn’t trust my life to a rifle that has more versions than Rocky sequels… the way I see it, it means that the basic design was the problem and there is no solution.
On AK … all has been said. The most popular rifle on the planet. And popular not because of politics, but because it works. It also fires an intermediate power, effective round, available world wide. SKS are also good, but I’d rather have removable magazines.
Again, don’t use voodoo on me because I say I wouldn’t trust my life to a AR. If you keep your weapon clean, know it’s limitations and feel comfortable with it, go for it please. A couple of rounds of 223 will kill anyone just as well.
If you want a rifle that can do a little bit of everything relatively well, do yourself a favor and get either a M1A or a FAL in 7,62 (308) with a carbine length barrel. Preferably with a red dot scope and some kind of light mount. Leave full length barrels to hunters and bench rest shooters.
Do your homework on both guns and you’ll see what I mean.
Choose 308 not because of the added range you can get out of it, but because of its power at all ranges, choose it because it turns cover into concealment. Think about all the possible cover material you can find in a city, like cars, trees, low walls and other structures. The 308 will go right through it, or destroy it after a few rounds. It’s a proven cartridge through out the years.
Shotguns.
Shotguns are good general purpose guns. The main advantage I see is the devastating stopping power and the ability to use special ammo, like slugs and less than lethal ammo. I’m not so sure about the role as an “inside house” gun. The muzzle blast is great and quick follow up are not easy, especially when adrenalin is pumping through your system or, even worse, when someone is shooting back at you.
Pistol calibre carbines and SMG.
If possible , I’d choose a SMG reduced to semi auto (only if necessary, of course, full auto selector is better if possible ) or other kind of short, small, pistol calibre carbine.
The combination of a 9mm handgun and a 9mm carbine or SMG reduced to semi auto or full auto class III has lots of advantages in my book and is a fine combination.
Some think that full auto is a waste of ammo. I don’t think so, not if you know how to use your head, and use this feature wisely.
If you can get a short barrel and collapsible stock, you’ll also have a weapon that can be hidden under a heavy coat.
A red dot scope would enhance accuracy a lot.
The advantage of having the same ammo for long and small arm is not to be taken lightly. From the logistical, survivalist point of you, this is one big thumbs up!
Think about cowboys and Americans that lived in the west, they also knew the value of using the same ammo for rifle and handgun. They had single action handguns and lever action handguns chambered for the same ammo, the modern survivalist can have the same ammo for his auto pistol and his sub-rifle as well.
Some think that a pistol calibre long arm is just one big clumsy pistol or a rifle sized gun that delivers pistol power and accuracy.
This is BS. Anyone that ever fired a pistol calibre rifle or SMG knows that they are much more accurate, hitting torso targets at 100 yards is easy, and a little more if you have a red dot scope.
Also, SMGs can manage hot ammo specially made for such guns, much more powerful than the one for handguns. Even if you use regular handgun ammo, the added barrel length adds a few extra feet per second making it more powerful. Just check the information on boy armor. Body armor that is rated to stop 9mm, for example, is not rated to stop the same 9mm ammo out of a SMG or carbine, because the added speed will make that same round penetrate the vest.
Anyway, +P ammo is more than enough power out of a SMG or carbine, you don’t have to go looking for special SMG ammunition.
If you can get full auto, that one nice feature to have. Not worth it if you are on a tight budget, but if you can get it, it may come in handy someday.
Full auto SMG are giving police in my country a lot of headaches. A criminal with little or no training will put 3 or 4 cops armed with pistols and shotguns on their toes, just because of the sheer volume of fire these high capacity 9mm deliver.
There was this case of a bad guy standing in front of a patrol car full of cops on a red light stop, pulling a 9mm SMG out of his coat and emptying it on full auto. The cops didn’t have a chance, he killed them all. The car looked like Swiss cheese with 40 9mm holes all over the vehicle.
SOUND SUPPRESSORS
All I’m going to say on this subject is : Have one if you can. That’s it. I’ll leave the rest of it to your imagination, don’t make me say it.
Today it may seem like a “nice to have” feature… after the SHTF, it may be a “O God I’ve got to get a suppressor!!” feature.
I’d buy a good suppressor instead of a ultra high dollar scope like the ACOG. Buy a good quality scope, but don’t spend a fortune on it, and use the rest of the money on a suppressor.
If you are serious about preparing for SHTF, you’ll thank me one day, just trust me on this one.
9mm and 45 suppress quite well. Not as well as .22 , but there is much more power on the big bore ammo.
Combined with a full auto SMG, the possibilities are much greater.
Sometimes it’s just better to go unnoticed, specially in a SHTF crisis.
BODY ARMOR
Dear God! Buy body armor PLEASE!!
It’s dirt cheep in USA.
Preferably, get the police concealable kind( class II) Then continue to work on it and get class III A military armor and some rifle plates, just as you do when you start buying guns.
You’ll end up with 2 or 3 sets of armor which are great to have for family members and spares.
Just so you know, I got so desperate about body armor I ordered it from USA through internet (bulletproofme.com), I ended up paying a total of nearly 600 USD for body armor that costs 200 USD in USA. Buy it while you still can.
When the SHTF you’ll end up wearing it, believe me. I don’t wear mine all day long but I do wear it when I have to go some place dangerous, deal with people I don’t trust, or when I have to go teach Architecture Representation late at night, and must travel through a much dangerous road at 12 PM.
ENDS |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 501646
9/27/2008 4:40 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
don't forget the DUST BOWL
this compounded the great depression and made things even harder.
some say the Dustbowl was the worst part |
| Anonymous Coward
User ID: 496726
9/27/2008 4:49 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
 |
| River rambling thru......
User ID: 498259
9/27/2008 11:57 AM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
It was pretty bad when you only got 50 or 75 cents per day. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 375964
I grew up talking to my mother's family about the depression, my grandmother, and great aunt told lots of stories about it. 50-75 cents a day?? Ha! Try 30 cents if you were lucky enough to have work. Read up on the Hoover Dam Project, it was done during the depression. I believe it was something like over 80,000 people showed up in the desert with no food, no water, nothing, to claim a couple of thousand jobs. They lived in the desert in make shift tents, hoping someone would need to be replaced by death, or accident. The men were paid 30 cents a day I think that's correct. We are not talking 8 hour days here either folks.
There were food ration coupons from the government to buy food with, they traded coupons if they needed something like medicine. One meal of soup a day was a luxury.
They spoke of roving bands of people who went thru the countryside looking for work for a meal.
To put it mildly, it was PAST difficult! This is why I learned the skills they offered to teach me for survival, because they predicted it would happen again in my lifetime!
Hmmmmmm.....sure glad I listened and learned!
River rambles thru.............
 |
| Sen Yama
User ID: 486613
10/1/2008 10:03 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
We really need to prepare, not only for a quick SHTF, but for a slow one, or wone induced by an epidemic, which would be a great way to colapse America's already fragile economy. The CDC already says that every american should have 3 to 6 months of food in their home. Thinking that most Americans have less than 2 weeks worth makes you wonder.
The most important part of surviving a depression will be bonding together and families co-habitating like they used to. It is always cheaper when you co-habitate. If people are truly serious about making it through what looks to be tough times, they really need to form strond bonds with other people.
People also need to learn some restrain and some good work habits. I am a couch potato. I've hated PE classes my entire life, except when we are in the weight room. I do not work out at the gym. I'm a lazy sob but,
- I'm intellegent and can learn things quickly
- I enjoy manual labor
- I enjoy repetitive tasks
- I enjoy heavy lift
To put it plainly, I like to do things that have a purpose. Jogging around a half-a-mile track in under ten minutes makes no sence to me, but if you give me a message to run the same distance, or the equal number of stairs, I will do it quickly and gladly.
And I guess it's because I'm part Carnie, but I freak out for a second, then go completly calm and losgical and deal with a situation. I freak out after the danger is well passed. When something really matters, I don't complain about it, but I will bitch all day about trivia. When something doesn't really matter to me, I can't do it very well or very quickly. When it matters it is done top quality and as fast as I can manage.
From the people in all my now thirteen years of education, I have only ever met six or seven people like myself (ones that look incapable, untill you add significant pressure). In my opinion, people like myself need to have a rather high amount of stress before they manage to do anything productive. Based on this, I feel that people like myself will do rather will come depressionary times.
Any points people would like to debate? |
| Understanding
User ID: 520053
10/7/2008 7:09 PM | | Re: HOW DID PEOPLE SURVIVE THE GREAT DEPRESSION??? | Quote |
ANY IDEAS HOW PEOPLE DID IT ? WHERE DID THEY LIVE WHAT DID THEY EAT???HOW THEY MADE IT? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 328162
You should read this...
How to survive the Great Depression of 2008 - 2009
[link to www.politicalgateway.com] |
| Enjoying Beauty in the World
User ID: 500463
10/7/2008 7:24 PM
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