I will preface with this. We do not know what is coming down the pipeline. What we do know, though, is that the fragility of this financial system is being shown to us right now. This is not somewhere that you want to be. You need to start preparing yourself for a lower standard of living. I am attempting to give you some tips on how to get started and make the transition a little easier. Please heed my warnings here....
Learn To Garden
This seems like the most straight-up and obvious. I know I've made some of these same points in previous articles, so I'll keep it short. You should be buying and saving all of your seeds now! Heirloom seeds last a very long time. Others will not, so you must plant them ASAP. Look into tips on how to yield the most crop for each specific thing you are growing. You must think about composting and fertilizing to keep your soil loaded with nutrients. Think about how you're going to keep your crops watered. If you end up with an influx of certain foods, you need to can it or give some to your neighbors.
Try Not To Be Dependant On Anyone
I know this sounds near impossible in this day and age, but you MUST take steps to prepare yourself and your family for whatever is to come. If you live off of Government programs, you are in a dangerous position when those funds run out (and please trust me, they will).
Look at downsizing to a smaller home with land in a less populated area. Either make sure you have a small mortgage or pay cash. Make sure your property taxes are low. Buy property with multiple family members or trustworthy friends to help share costs. Do what you have to do. These are all things that were done by everyone in the 19th and 20th centuries and even before. They accrued many more days of hardship than we've ever seen. Especially now is the time to learn from them!
You need to start producing a lot of your own goods and be less reliant on the stores. Meet your neighbors and local shop owners. See if they are interested in barter. There will be a day here shortly where that scenario becomes a real possibility.
Don't Be Afraid Of The Outdoors
It may come down to you having to live outside at some point. You need to prepare yourself for that reality. Make sure you have camping supplies and teach yourself the necessary skills in order to survive without a roof over your head. Spend more time outdoors and get more acclimated with your surroundings.
Teach Yourself New Skills
This includes things like cooking everything from scratch, breadmaking, foraging, sewing, canning, hunting, and self-defense. Learn things you never thought you would need.
Be Prepared For Absolutely Anything
If you gather anything from the period shows and movies you watch, it should be that life is absolutely unpredictable. You may be under attack from negative and unexpected forces at any moment. Be absolutely prepared as much as you can be.
In your downtime, practice skills as much as you can even if it is reading to keep your mind sharp. An idle mind will drown you. Even if you are watching television, you better be watching something that you can derive knowledge from. Currently, I am watching 'Outlander'. I love period pieces, but this one in particular. It is about a woman that is a combat nurse during WWII. By happenstance, she travels back in time to the 18th Century where she is able to apply her medical knowledge to help people. I've learned about several natural remedies that were used in these times before "modern medicine".
Find more enthralling ways to entertain yourself. Get the whole family involved. There is nothing more heart-warming than being surrounded by family in a room full of laughter and joy.
Men, get your muscles working. I will be blunt, there is nothing sexier than seeing my husband accomplish something truly great with his own two hands. It's a lost "art" among many men of our age nowadays, unfortunately. I suppose I married an old soul, such as myself. I was lucky to have been brought to him.
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