Good Advice on that Bonus from Uncle Sam

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by melbo, Jan 22, 2008.


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  1. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    From the PeakOil guys.

    Seahorse is a former Army Ranger and now a practicing attorney in the Southern U.S. He is not prone to hysterics.
    http://www.peakoil.com/modules.php?n...wtopic&t=35752

    If you aren't worried about the credit crisis, the very fact that the gov't is getting ready to give every frickin one of us money for nothing should be a flashing red light, with sirens sounding. THIS IS A RED ALERT! There is no bigger sign of a crisis than the Romans throwing bread out to the citizens. TAKE ACTION NOW!

    I personally always look for trigger points to make key decisions, the gov't throwing out money to prevent a crisis is one of them. A trigger point is that point in planning that if a pre-condition happens, you take a preplanned action. This is a trigger point. When the gov't passes out free money bc of a admitted financial crisis, you are an absolute fool if you don't take it seriously. This is not the tech bubble of 2001 (which was caused by overblown tech stock prices and didn't affect banks). This is a financial crisis where the world's largest banks may literally go bankrupt - this effects everyone!! The fact that experts worldwide reckon this as comparable to the Great Depression should be scary enough, and now that the gov't is discarding Adam Smith and literally giving money away for nothing to prevent a financial collapse from happening should scare the crap out of you. Take this seriously.

    The gov't is getting ready to give everyone a bonus, who knows how much. Spend it wisely by investing in food. If you have credit card debts, car payments etc, do not use this money to pay on those regular bills, do not buy anything like a t.v. etc., do not take a vacation with it. Make this money work for you and BUY SOME FOOD! Especially if you have kids or anyone depending on you. This is a real opportunity to get ahead in the preparation game, use it wisely. Food is much more important than matches, solar, bullets, any other preparation. Food is the base level of survival, everything else is secondary! It is the reason why we work, EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY!

    Buy food for the following reasons:

    (1) I see people lose their jobs in the best of environments, and when they do, they don't have money to buy groceries! Don't let that happen to you. Most jobs will likely be in jeopardy over the next 2 years. Unless you are a gov't employee or working for a utility, a doctor or a nurse, your job security isn't very good. Buy food now, bc you may not have a monthly income to buy it later;

    (2) Food prices are continually going up, call it stagflation or whatever. They will not be going down in the foreseeable future. Buy food now, bc food prices will never be cheaper. Buy it now while its available, at the best prices, and while you have a windfall to buy it;

    (3) Even if you file for bankruptcy someday, they are not going to take the food in your pantry; its never happened. Food is not personal property which can be seized. Anything else you own can be seized. Buy food that you can keep and take it with you no matter what happens. You will not regret it.

    (4) Even if you lose everything and were left in a tent city, if you have a sleeping bag and FOOD, you will be okay. If you have food, what money you do have coming in can be used to rebuild your life and buy other things. FOOD is security in the worse of times.

    (5) If we get $600 or more gov't play money, you can buy a lot of food with this. Use every penny on food. A 50lb bag of rice is about $20, same for a 50lb bag of beans. Peanut butter, honey, canned goods, all will last a long time and are fairly cheap. Buy it and sock it away. Hold it for two years as a security, if nothing has happened by then, start eating it, no big deal.

    (6) Food is the best investment right now, the only thing guaranteed to hold its value and, if the worse does happen, may be the only thing of value.

    Do not waste this opportunity. If you don't have a store of food, get it now while you can! Don't waste this money by sending it to the credit card company or anyone else. Pay yourself with it by investing it in you, literally, and your family. You will not regret it.

    The only thing you cannot do without in your life is food. This is a freebee, use it wisely.

    If you already have food for six months, then make sure you have a good warm sleeping bag for you and all your immediate family. I picked up two today at a surplus store for $60 each. Sleeping bags are cheap, last a lifetime, and keep you warm even if you can't pay your utilities or are sleeping in some tent city bc you lose your job and your house. They are lightweight and easy to transport. They are your mobile shelter. If you don't have a good sleeping bag, I would also recommend getting one now, even if you have to buy it with a credit card.

    This purpose of this thread is not to debate the credit crisis, but to discuss and share ideas as to what people can do right now to make their situation better should they lose their job, home, etc.

    I would also recommend learning about your local food shelters, where they are located, local unemployment office, etc. Start educating yourself now by reading about local support services for the poor and physically finding out where they are located.
     
  2. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Good idea. I might very well invest all of it on long term food stocks. Food is a good investment, it keeps you alive. [coffee2]
     
  3. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

  4. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    I am buying barley, malt, yeast, water & hops. I think liquid breads counts as survival food and many of the good ones have many year shelf lives if kept out of direct light!
     
  5. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    I shudder to think of all the people who will use a windfall of 'free' money to buy that nifty game machine for Junior, or the new digital TV, or the new summer wardrobe of designer rags. She'll be the best-dressed refugee in the Murderdome . . . [lolol]
     
  6. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Does anyone really believe that a tax rebate of a few hundred dollars will be a significant boost to the economy? All this brain of mine comes up with is a further devaluation of the frn, it will just add to the national debt burden. Then again, we are at something like 30K for every man, woman and child if the numbers are reduced to per capita. What does another, say 1K to each taxpayer add up to? Not more than a ball of snot, I'd guess. And what is wrong with using it to reduce personal debt, anyway? Yes, food on hand is a good thing, but the majority won't see it that way, and even if they do, they will figure that getting the food now is good, we'll get the toys next week when there is still food in the pantry. IMHO, anyway. Consume more grass, ye sheeple, never mind chewing it off at the ground line so it won't grow back.

    Am I in a cynical mood, or what?

    [troll]
     
  7. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I suppose if I didnt already have food stores AND produce a lot of my own food then I might look at it different BUT for me all money comeing in for the next year or so not needed for onthly bills and retaining our stock level and such will be going to debt reduction. We dont have much debt at all by most folks standards (probably around $20K for EVERYTHING house, land, credit cards, cars, etc.) and I figure my FIRST thing will be the credit cards geting paid off to elimenate the intrest then get rid of the cards, and to pay of the land. I figure even in a worst case senario as long as I can keep my dirt I can gt by simply by the fact I can cut down some of the timber and build be a cabin on it, grow my garden and run my critters on it to feed myself, and if needs be can dres in the skins of the critters Im eating.

    I figure debt is my bigest danger since if I cant pay the land payment I loose the land and especialy if already lost the truck (which would be allowed way sooner) then I wouldnt have anyplace to keep 6months or a year of food or any way to get it there. If I have credit card debt and cant pay it they may be able to come after my land/equity to pay it off.

    Like I say, if I was renting a house in the city and barely had a wek of food in the house then I would probably look at it differently but since I have a small farm that can feed and shelter me and little enouph debt that it can realisticly be elimenated in a fairly short time then it seems to me like that would be a much higher priority than another 3-6 months of food that in my situation is renewable.

    Credit cards especialy would be a priority to pay off since there is no investments (that are leagle at least) that you can make that are likely to pay 25% or so intrest that you can wind up with on credit cards compounding.
     
  8. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Paying down debt is my best option for any assistance received from the government. I've had long lay-off periods in the past, relying on unemployment and side jobs to pay the mortgage and feed the family. For me it would easier to forage for food than to grow $$$ on trees trying to ward off a foreclosure or pay off a loan. Outside of my mortgage, I'd say I owe less than $20K towards creditors.
     
  9. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    I'm with Colt on this, if/when we get the magical checks from the guberment, mine will go probably mostly towards paying off my debt. Since checks aren't supposed to be out until June, I'll be on my last debt - a CC, who knows maybe that will be paid off by then too.
    Not including the house, my family has 2 debts left. At this time last year I think we had 6 debts. The second vehicle will be paid off in or by March, which leaves just a few K left on a CC.
    By putting our noses to the grind stone and living on less than we make, and having a written budget every month my wife and I have paid off almost 30k in the last year, we are down to about 10k left and, God willing, that will be gone by June!!!
    We've lived long enough on less than we make, that when our second child is born that my wife will be able to be a full-time stay at home mom. And the great thing about it is, we won't miss her income!!!
     
  10. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    some kind of tax rebate or something? I guess I missed it down here in the islands.
     
  11. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Yeah basicly it looks like most folks with a houshold income under about $150k are supposed to get a check from Uncle Sugar on top of tax returns from $300 for those who make under poverty line but over $3k to $600 for most on up to $1200 or maybe $1500.

    For us the $20K is the mortgage on the trailerhouse and land as well as everything else, so I figure as long as can get back to work on a decent job and keep it for at least a year then even if we are already slideing into a major depression I SHOULD be able to get it paid of before it gets in full swing and at that point the only income that would be an ABSOLUTE must (unless the gov totaly colapsed) would be the permenant mortgage the gov holds in the form of property taxes. As long as can meet that then can still have the dirt with food and a warm dry place to lay down at night.
     
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    Thread by: melbo, Aug 4, 2012, 0 replies, in forum: Peak Oil
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