Okay, who knows if it’s time, but I know some people are making large savings withdrawals from their bank accounts and holding the cash.
The world (and the economy) seem to be getting more and more sketchy by the day. I’m going to buy a cheap, fireproof mini-safe, something just big enough to hold a few documents and cash. The banks are seriously starting to worry me, and the public’s potential response to what may be a nasty fallout concerns me even more. Will there be a run on banks with a subsequent government forced bank holiday?
Dunno, but if everyone went to the bank for cash today, there’s no way the banks could handle it. It’s like if everyone went out today and topped off their gas tanks. Every station would go dry. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Everyone fears a run, so everyone runs, thereby creating the run they feared.
I’m going to withdraw some of my savings. I recognize I could be part of the problem, but if I slap some cash in a box then I KNOW I’ll have access to it. I represent the fear driven run on the banks - lol. Is that wrong, am I part of the problem? Dunno, but read this from a CNBC article entitled “Brace Yourself (And Look to Cash)”:
Unless the banks are willing to step up to the plate and make loans to healthy business and worthy individuals, they will only add to an already dreadful situation. Right now the banks are hording their cash because they have no confidence in the value of the assets backing their existing loans.
That’s another way to look at it: the banks are hording cash. Translation: they’re holding OUR cash. I’d rather hold my own cash in this market - thanks. Here is another choice quote from the same article:
How long this state of affairs will last is a function of how long it takes the world to deleverage. And deleveraging is a deflationary event. That is not good for economies, for profits, for the prices of assets and that includes the price of one’s home. The stock market does not work well in a deflationary environment. The only thing that looks good in deflation is cash. And right now cash is looking pretty good to me.
Besides early childhood Soviet nuke juice exchange fears, this is the sketchiest time I’ve seen in my life.
Are YOU happy to read the doom and gloom at this blog? I sell fear for Paypal donations. Suggested donation: 5-10 bucks depending on how rich you are (also accepting Amazon shopping) :-).
There is one upside to this dramatic turn in the economy. Oil and energy costs are going down as there will be less demand in a recession. The recent rise in oil prices were due in part to investors flocking to crude and away from the dollar, but now many see the U.S. ahead of Europe in dealing with this crisis, so the euro is heading down against the dollar buck. A declining oil price will ease fears of inflation.
The Russian economy is also taking a major hit. Should oil prices keep dropping Russian, Venezuelan, and Iranian profits will tumble. So lets think about this mess a different way: should oil keep going down these countries take a hit and inflation will stay in check. So long as this isn’t TEOTWAWKI, you keep your job, you don’t need to borrow money, and you don’t need a 401k for retirement in the next few years, you could come out of this sitting just fine.
“We’ve got such an extreme amount of fear and angst in this market, you would expect we would see a bottom getting put in and we would move a bit higher for a period of time,” says Twibell of Colorado Capital Bank. “I’m not sure when we get that.”
Cramer says if you have money that you’ll need in the next 5 years, and it’s in the stock market, take it out now (video link)
Japan entered its Lost Decade as the world’s top creditor, with a vast pool of household savings to cushion the slump. America starts its purge with net external liabilities of $3 trillion, and a savings rate near zero. Foreigners own over half the US Treasury debt, and two thirds of all Fannie, Freddie, and other US agency bonds.
So the world as we know it came to an end last fall (make pretend). It was a long, crazy winter as the world spiraled out-of-control and anarchy and lawlessness ruled supreme. You survived, however; but the road ahead is not easy. Hunger is always present as you scramble to find food. Summer roles around and you’re busy as hell gardening, getting firewood, etc. You’re working hard in the garden as you notice honey bees also working hard, and you think, “Gee, I wish I’d kept bees so I could have a honey source. That would be . . . . sweet (nyuck nyuck nyuck).” Or maybe if you kept honey bees you’d think, “Gee, I wish the neighbors hadn’t smashed my bee colony in search of food.”
But wait! You’ve heard of a “bee line” - right? Of course, it means a straight line. When bees are loaded with nector they head back to their hive in a straight line. Soooooo watch that bee! Follow that bee! From flower, to flower, to flower, to flower, to over there, to flower, to flower - okay - there’s an easier way:
get an old piece of honey comb from any old nest and fill it with honey or sugar water
put the comb in a hinged box and place it near busy honey bees
walk away, come back in a little while, watch which direction the bees are flying, and get a compass bearing
flip the cover on the box to trap some bees inside
walk in the direction of your compass bearing for a ways
set the box down, open it up, and see if the bees are still heading in the same direction. The closer you get to the hive, the more bees will come.
Keep moving the box until you’re able to find the bee tree. Keep looking up, because the hive will likely be inside the tree up high
Now comes the fun part - layer up in 14,000 sets of clothes, cut that tree down, and come back in an hour - lol. Have fun with that one!
After the bees recover from their own SHTF situation, locate where in the tree the hive is, and make a small, very smokey fire near it. This should help chill the bees some. Then cut the tree above and below the hive, set the chunk up on its end, and give it a good ole whack with the axe - shazam! You’re swimming in a whole lot of honey.
It’s THAT easy!
Yeah, easy, right. But hey, sugar will be a very valuable commodity after Doomsday.
- Ranger Man
BTW: Bee keeping is on my list of things-to-do. You know . . . someday . . . when I have lots of spare time . . .
Remember my Open SHTF Response to a Journalist’s Questions post that I wrote responding to a woman’s questions about survivalism amongst young men? You know, for a Details magazine article she was writing. It has been published. Yeah, if you read Survival Blog than chances are high that you have already read the article, but if you haven’t, this is the link you want to read the article in full. Here is the issue in all its hard copy glory:
Look, they even put me on the cover!
lol - yeah right!
These are my thoughts on the article. First off, I think it’s just totally wicked cool that SHTFblog has reached newsstand stardom. I was a bit miffed at first by the “Meet the Yuppie Survivalists” title - not quite what I expected, but I don’t typically read Details magazine. I don’t fancy myself a yuppie - an aspiring yuppie perhaps - lol. But I was able to move beyond the “yuppie” title when I saw what other articles this piece was published with. I mean, just check their titles:
OMG! It’s the Gossip Guys,
Everything You Need to Know to Buy the Perfect Watch,
Inside the Twisted World of Revenge Porn, and
Do You Have Douchebag Hair?
LOL - “Do You Have Douchebag Hair?” - wtf is THAT!?
Anyway, as I started thumbing to the yuppie article I was immediately struck by the freakin’ nasty perfume stench pouring off each page - blech! This magazine is for metrosexuals - no doubt there. As hard as I try to picture it though, I can’t imagine a pile of metrosexuals running around in survival mode. I just can’t.
I think the article could have been better if it had included pictures of scantily clad survival babes, but whatever. I was also a little disappointed that more of my, what I thought were more important, comments were not included in the article. But hey, it was written for a certain population, and maybe my other thoughts were not worthy of this audience. Whatever, it’s all good.
I still can’t imagine why someone would vacuum seal an ipod, though. If SHTF that’s about the last thing I’d worry about. Hell, I don’t even own one, so it’s a non-issue. Don’t plug in - plug OUT!
- Yuppie Man, Ranger
BTW: Thanks to those of you for the few Amazon sales of late. Your support keeps me inspired.
Also, “Survivalchick” writes in the comments section of my last post:
Wait so your a guy writing as a “fake” girl?
Sometimes - yep. It helps break up the writing monotony. If that fascinates you, turns you on, or makes you shake your head and shit, well - do me a favor. Write up a dissertation analyzing my manly man writings, posing as a cartoon “survival babe” writer, and writing about feminist rights. Take a Freudian and Feminist view of the piece, analyze the shit out of it from every angle, the conscious and the subconscious, then condense it to 6 or 7 paragraphs, send it my way, and I’ll use it as a guest post!
Sound good?
Great!
Next post comes Sunday night. I’ve been real busy lately trying to tidy up the house for winter, making sure the rifle is sighted in for deer season, moving firewood, yada yada yada.
Hey there SHTF homegirls, it’s Betty here. Today I want to talk with you about what feminist rights may look like after Doomsday. In a nutshell - not pretty. We’ve come a long way since the days of our feminist SHTF ancestors like Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley. Hell, look at me changing oil on a truck:
This would’ve been unheard of 50 years ago. Should the mushroom clouds go up, however, the world will change instantly. The character in Lucifer’s Hammer summed it up best when he said that “women’s lib went out the window when ‘the hammer’ fell.”
Unfortunately, there’s an element of truth to this in tough times. Just look at past and present examples of political upheaval. Men get killed - women get raped. During the economic collapse that follows, most women then have to resort to “the oldest profession” in order to get money to survive on and feed their kids with.
It’s one thing to dream of grabbing the mighty AR-15, laying down lead, and going out with a . . . bang, but should you have kids and your manly man gets take hostage or killed, chances are high you’ll want to survive no matter what happens. The desire to live for others is a stronger, more compelling force than the desire to live for yourself.
Do your best to limit the threat. Should the cataclysm hit - don’t look pretty. Don’t paint your toenails. Shave your head and cover yourself with purple splotches to look diseased - HIDE!
Depending on the events, there may be another opportunity - should you have the arms - take back the night! Reclaim your rights!
With many dead men, women will soon make up a large portion of the population. Organize! Set up a perimeter, and secure a food source. To do this you must train in advance. Know your weapons, know your tactics. Buy a copy of SHTFblog’s Combined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain, because it’s loaded with grid-down, tactical, defensive techniques. Should you have this knowledge - and your opponent does not - you have a VERY distinct advantage.
Make female friends that understand the issue, and after SHTF - unite! When the men attack the mighty female forces, slay them all and stick their heads on pikes
Yes, my SHTF homegirls, when TEOTWAWKI strikes I’ll turn from “Betty the Survival Babe” to “Betty the Survival Bitch” overnight. Join me and together we will form - Camp Estrogen!
I like the outdoors, hence the name “Ranger”. I like mountains, and . . . .
I like big BUTTS and I cannot lie,
you other brothers can’t deny
that when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
and a round thing in your face
you get sprung.
Ummm sorry about that meaningless tangent, I got caught in the rhythm, the rhyme, the feeble attempts to make you laugh and earn a dime. Lyrics complements of Sir Mix-A-Lot.
Where was I? Yes, I like the outdoors, mountains, and SHTF subject matter. Add it all together and you get this post. Fall is in the air. Can you smell it? *sniff . . sniff* I knew you could. If you haven’t been hiking of late, maybe this fall is YOUR time to . . . . TAKE TO THE HILLS!
I see a number of reasons why backpacking is good for SHTF preparations:
Exercise - Git fit! If you’re out of shape now, and the mushroom cloud goes up, you’ll wish you were. You might have to run for your life. You might have to fight for your life. Being in shape decreases the odds you’ll need medical attention. Shed the spare tire, climb to the top, and scope the view.
Learning the Trails in Your Area - Attention! The Russians have landed! The Russians have landed! It’s Red Dawn style SHTF madness! Head to the hills! Grab the toilet paper! Find shelter! There are a lot of hiking trails and woods roads out there. Do you know where they are? Do you know where they go? Do you know where the lean-to shelters sit?
Go Bag Gear - You got it? Yes? Put that equipment to use, don’t let it collect dust. Water purifier, camping stove, GPS, backpack, all of that. Hiking gear largely has a dual SHTF uses. Get familiar with the gear.
Skill Building - Good with a map and compass? You should be. Learn it before you need it. Buy a topographical map, grab your pack, your compass, and get some fresh air. It’s bushwacking time!
This all assumes, of course, that you live near the mountains. If you don’t, improvise some way. There must be walking trails somewhere nearby . . . or maybe not. If you’re a hunter, you can use your backpacking/bushwacking adventure to scout terrain for game sign. That way you’re double skill building: tracking and navigation. Awww yeah - multi-tasking!
Spend a night or two or three out in the boonies with your homies and/or kids. Bring along all the gear you’d need for comfort, but instead try not using it, try building a fire without matches or a shelter with just a knife. Practice that action.
There are some survival safety tips you should be mindful of, however. Check it:
Always tell someone where you’re going. Otherwise, the search and rescue teams won’t have a clue where to begin looking for you after you fall down a ravine after a few too many frrrrrosty cold beverages.
Remember, wool clothes keep you warm even when wet - so pack some!
Never hike without heat - matches and lighters that is.
Don’t push yourself if you can’t handle it. Mountain climbing ain’t for the weak. Build your strength up incrementally . . . or just say screw and go balls to the walls and be sore for two weeks. That’s usually my approach to getting back into hiking.
Don’t forget that map and that compass.
- Ranger Man
BTW: You can always try naked hiking - if that’s your sort of thing.
If you want to winter climb, totally check out the Army Mountaineering Field Manual - it’s rippin’! Also in there is the Map and Compass book and some sweet survival action. If YOU want SHTF fictional books, I have a whole section in the SHTFblog Amazon store. Your support is much appreciated.
Look, you were all probably expecting me to cover the bail out news, the failed congressional rescue attempt, the biggest single point decline for the Dow in all history, general economic uncertainty, dire predictions, and so forth, but I’m sure you’re reading all about that in the news, and on other blogs. There’s no need for me to cover it here other than to say this is just one layer, albeit a big layer, in what could be brewing as a perfect SHTF storm.
I want to talk about something else - gas shortages in the South as a result of hurricanes smacking oil refiners. This has been in the news, but it has been far under-reported (in my opinion). Blame the bail out news, the election, Russia’s actions, pirates off Somalia, or whatever else for the lack of significant news coverage, but this gas shortage is yet one more reinforcing sign that our society operates on a fragile system that the average American is FAR too dependent on.
People in the South are now waiting in long lines to top off gas tanks and fill spare gas cans. They’re cutting each other off in line in their frustration and rage. Rumor has it some people were following tankers so they can get a fill up. Is this the wake up call people and government need? Doubtful. Our nation’s gasoline inventory is exceptionally tight in a society that loves to burn the shit up. This is all fine if a hurricane hits and people need to watch their gas gauge for a few weeks, but what happens if/when something more dramatic happens? What if war with Iran breaks out, oil shipments out of the Middle-East cease, and then refineries are smacked with hurricanes? Egad! Then terrorists hit a Russian supply line to Europe and the whole world goes nuts.
It’s one thing if you can’t drive to the movie theater, quite another if truckers can’t get diesel and the grocery store is empty for a few weeks! Here is a CNN post on the gas shortage subject. A commenter had this to say: “Also, just the fact that gas stations can run out in ONE day is an eye-opener for me. I never imagined it would only take a day. . . I figured it would be at least 3-4 five days!”
ONE DAY – folks! You know, Maine state government launched a preparedness campaign this month (which also went under-reported). I did hear about it on the radio, and they offered a staggering statistic. Only 14% of Maine households have a 3-day supply of food and water in their homes. THREE DAYS! I doubt the national average is any better – possibly worse. The public is going to completely FREAK OUT if grocery stores go empty and no relief is in immediate sight.
Fortune Magazine has published a piece entitled: “Gas shortages: get ready for more”
In the article it offers another staggering statistic:
In its most recent Weekly Oil Data Review, Barclays Capital pointed out that the U.S. gasoline inventory has reached its lowest level since August 1967, when demand was a little more than half its current level of 9.3 million barrels a day. At 178.7 million barrels, inventories are 21.6 million barrels below their five-year average.
Read more:
None of this surprises industry watchers such as Matt Simmons, the chairman of Houston energy industry investment bank Simmons & Co. and chief spokesman for the Peak Oil movement. I recently wrote a profile of Simmons for Fortune (”The prophet of $500 oil”) and I can report that he has been warning about the potential of gasoline shortages in the U.S. for months.
“Our system is so fragile,” he told me recently. “All you need is a tiny change to go from ‘Oh, we’re in fine shape’ to an unmitigated disaster.”
As he told me the other day: “If we end up having gasoline shortages, the odds are about 90% that Americans will do what we always do: We’ll top up our tanks. And in topping up our tanks, within three or four days we’ll drain the pool dry and then within seven days we’ll run out of food.”
That sounds awfully dire. And it probably won’t happen. But, then again, a couple of months ago hardly anybody would have predicted that AIG would collapse, Congress would be mulling a Wall Street bailout, and ’70s-era gas lines would be back.
Good heavens. So let’s get all of this clear:
the economy is on the brink of collapse
oil and gas markets are ultra sketchy
Russia is talking about helping Venezuela develop nuclear energy
Israel wants to bomb Iran
and North Korea is starting to process nuke juice again
Did I miss anything? Gosh, give me food and a bunker. I’d like to hide for the next 5 years . . . okay, that’s a lie. This SHTF news is actually quite fascinating. It’s interesting watching things unfold. Pop some popcorn and open the news sites – hit refresh – hit refresh – TEOTWAWKI news just keeps pouring in.
Below is an amateur, on-the-scene video report of the gas shortage:
- Ranger Man
BTW: Good comments on the percolator versus French press post – lots of points I hadn’t considered.
Also, just out of curiosity, do YOU stock a spare supply of gasoline? If so, what’s your method?
Make female friends that understand the issue, and after SHTF - unite! When the men attack the mighty female forces, slay them all and stick their heads on pikes
