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Saving money to buy preps
14 June 2016, 19:50,
#21
RE: Saving money to buy preps
I’ve been following the ongoing collapse in Venezuela with interest. People are shooting each other in the streets over food – not ammo, cigarettes, liquor, gold coins, silver coins, or any of the other crap that preppers love to stockpile “for barter when TSHTF”.

Turns out that good old-fashioned food is the only thing that you can actually eat in a collapse, and as worthless as the Venezuelan bolivar is right now, “sound money” is pretty much totally absent from all the discussions.

Venezuelans “holding physical”, could possibly exchange that stuff for bolivars, but given the very tight currency controls that the country is under right now. They won’t be getting USD for it, and they certainly aren’t going to trade it for food, because, again, there is no food.

In a collapse, food is scarce and people are hungry. Nobody is going to trade you a KrugerRand or a box of 12-bore cartridges for a chicken, because unlike the latter two things chickens are edible, and edible stuff takes priority.

(I think gold has its place in any portfolio, but as insurance, not speculation.)

As the Venezuelan collapse illustrates, you need to have your priorities straight.

A dependable source of calories should top the list. Don’t get suckered into wasting money, time, and space on stuff you can’t consume but that you think someone will trade you a bit of their food for, because you’re certain to be gravely disappointed.

73 de KE4SKY
In
"Almost Heaven" West Virginia
USA
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14 June 2016, 23:39,
#22
RE: Saving money to buy preps
(14 June 2016, 19:50)CharlesHarris Wrote: I’ve been following the ongoing collapse in Venezuela with interest. People are shooting each other in the streets over food – not ammo, cigarettes, liquor, gold coins, silver coins, or any of the other crap that preppers love to stockpile “for barter when TSHTF”.

Turns out that good old-fashioned food is the only thing that you can actually eat in a collapse, and as worthless as the Venezuelan bolivar is right now, “sound money” is pretty much totally absent from all the discussions.

Venezuelans “holding physical”, could possibly exchange that stuff for bolivars, but given the very tight currency controls that the country is under right now. They won’t be getting USD for it, and they certainly aren’t going to trade it for food, because, again, there is no food.

In a collapse, food is scarce and people are hungry. Nobody is going to trade you a KrugerRand or a box of 12-bore cartridges for a chicken, because unlike the latter two things chickens are edible, and edible stuff takes priority.

(I think gold has its place in any portfolio, but as insurance, not speculation.)

As the Venezuelan collapse illustrates, you need to have your priorities straight.

A dependable source of calories should top the list. Don’t get suckered into wasting money, time, and space on stuff you can’t consume but that you think someone will trade you a bit of their food for, because you’re certain to be gravely disappointed.

One only has to look at the Black Friday sales maddness in the US and now the UK, and the insane people fighting over a TV or Iphone, so food? Go figure...
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
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14 June 2016, 23:56,
#23
RE: Saving money to buy preps
Let them eat their TV...

Me, I'm putting away another couple buckets of rice, dried beans, lentils, split peas, curry powder, salt and tinned butter...

73 de KE4SKY
In
"Almost Heaven" West Virginia
USA
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15 June 2016, 14:12,
#24
RE: Saving money to buy preps
(14 June 2016, 23:56)CharlesHarris Wrote: Let them eat their TV...

Me, I'm putting away another couple buckets of rice, dried beans, lentils, split peas, curry powder, salt and tinned butter...

Good idea, the dried stuff is some of the best to store in my opinion.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
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15 June 2016, 17:28,
#25
RE: Saving money to buy preps
A lot of preppers bang on about hoarding gold and silver but if things did hit the fan in a bad way, what would more valuable, a purse full of gold or a 25kg sack of rice?
ATB
Harry
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15 June 2016, 17:36,
#26
RE: Saving money to buy preps
I never bother with money eother, or gold or silver, maybe it is because i have not got the money but i prefer to invest in food, it is to me like an insurance policy already in the house, no need to cash it or wait for the monet, it is already there.
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15 June 2016, 18:22,
#27
RE: Saving money to buy preps
(5 March 2015, 19:56)Devonian Wrote:
(5 March 2015, 17:57)Mortblanc Wrote: What sort of personal information do you feel your gas meter is relaying to TPTB ?

Are they not generally inside of cabinets or some such over there ? (Over here they are usually on the exterior of the dwelling)

I think I would prefer the meter relaying a signal to the office than to have a reader tromping through my home monthly. I did not even like them walking through the garden to read the meter back when that was the norm.

As for shutting off your supply remotely ??? What is the difference between that and turning a valve at the wall ? All of my utilities are on remote reading and remote access. That is simply the way our utilities work. Cable, gas, phone, internet; any of it can be shut off remotely. What's the difference?

I never heard of a utility that required ones permission for a shut off. Just breaking the rules, or nonpayment is enough.

Three years ago this month we had a SHTF situation in my area. A tornado touched sown and wiped out a path for 100 miles, destroyed countless homes and killed 20 people.

The electricity for the entire region was shut off for three days to prevent fires. My cell phone service was shut off for two days and all cell usage reserved for emergency services. I was standing beside a police officer who was talking on his government issued cell phone and mine was stone dead.

I do not think a bit of tin foil is going to restore your control over something you never controlled to start with.

For me, the concern with Smart Meters is the ability for suppliers to implement "load limiting".

At the moment there is no need for this, but in the future if additional capacity was lost, the supply companies could easily start to restrict the flow of gas or electricity into either individual properties, or entire regions where the properties are fitted with smart meters.

So image if one or more of the UK's main power stations had to be taken off line, or if gas supplies were restricted by Putin, then these are the types of scenario's when load limiting could be applied to households who have smart meters in order to try and reduce consumption and preserve the nations reserves.

I'm not bothered about having a 'Smart Meter' (no I don't have any now) the reason being that its just as easy for the PTB to knock off substations et al.

The fragility of mains gas and electricity is all the more reason for people to stock up on alternative forms of lighting and cooking.
ATB
Harry
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16 June 2016, 06:11,
#28
RE: Saving money to buy preps
I just read back over one of GR's old replies to S13 on this thread.

Re open fires and wood burning stoves GR felt that the stove would output less heat but would be a safer barrier to the flames for his kids.

A properly installed wood burner will deliver significantly more heat into the house than an open fire (which sends a large portion of its heat straight up the chimney).

Also, while reducing the risk from contact with flames, wood burners still get mighty hot on the surfaces, especially the tops if they are engineered to have a hot plate.
72 de

Lightspeed
26-SUKer-17

26-TM-580


STATUS: Bugged-In at the Bug-Out
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16 June 2016, 10:07,
#29
RE: Saving money to buy preps
In a Venezuela type situation printed local currency is virtually useless, dollars a bit more useful, gold a little bit more useful still, 12g cartridges very useful - not only can they bring down a duck they can also deter your neighbours from stealing it.

Big bag of rice ? Priceless.
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21 June 2016, 15:05,
#30
RE: Saving money to buy preps
(15 June 2016, 17:28)harrypalmer Wrote: A lot of preppers bang on about hoarding gold and silver but if things did hit the fan in a bad way, what would more valuable, a purse full of gold or a 25kg sack of rice?

Initially, food, rice, medicines, and hard goods will, I think, be more valuable. Later on, when money again is used in lieu of barter, silver and gold will be the only "currency" accepted.

If you do get a 25kg sack of rice (and by now everyone should have at least done this), store the rice in glass canning jars, since mice can chew through the sack. Also get white rice, since brown rice gets rancid because of the oils in the coating.
If at first you don't secede, try, try again!
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