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If you are now convinced that whether there is an outright depression or just a very serious recession, you know you have to act. The materials I am presenting here are geared toward one of the worst scenarios – not the worst, which would entail a nuclear holocaust. The ideas here can be adapted to help you, your family and your parish family to get past the tough times with your faith – and eternal soul – intact.
The time to plan for any emergency is before it happens. Trying to learn survival skills in the middle of any kind of a disaster is like trying to learn to swim after you’ve been tossed into the ocean. You’ll be too panicky and it won’t work.
We’ll start with the essentials and provide some resources for each step of the way.
Get Educated
Know what the problem is today, at least to the extent it is relevant to you.
Know that it is all relevant to you.
If your bank closes, you will have only the cash you have on hand. If the dollar continues to plummet, a wheelbarrow full of dollars won’t be enough to buy a loaf of bread. If the firm you or your wife works for goes bankrupt, your pension will be gone, your healthcare will be gone, your savings will be finished. Don’t be fooled into thinking that any business is recession proof. I initially thought that at least my husband’s job at a sewage plant would be safe. After all, we have to get rid of our poop, don’t we? Yes, it probably is safe, but will the municipality that owns it be able to pay him considering the cascade of plummeting values in municipal bonds?
Read the news section we’ve provided. Read or at least skim the financial news at The Drudge Report, Breitbart, Financial Times and Bloomberg to look for clues as to how close to home this situation is now.
Learn about the first Great Depression and how people coped. Realize that we are in a different world now and can’t expect that things will be the same as they were 80 years ago.
Start building a library of the books you will need, starting with the Bible. Look for them at garage sales. Don’t depend on the library. If municipalities crash, they will be among the first to close their doors. Don’t think you can just look it up on the internet. If things get really bad, electricity might be rationed, just like food, and unless you have a solar panel for your laptop and access to WIFI, you won’t be able to use it.
A list of recommended books will follow.
Copyright 2008 Christine Hirschfeld Catholic Home and Garden All Rights Reserved
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