How to Survive the Next Depression
If one thing is certain, it is that we live in uncertain times. Every country has economic downturns and recessions, during which an economic depression is not unlikely. We can learn how to survive a depression by looking at how people survived the Great Depression of the 1930s and changing our behavior accordingly.
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Instructions
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Work together. According to Florence B. Cochran, who survived the Great Depression, "Everyone had to work hard." This included children. Familial roles may have to be redefined, as everyone does what is necessary to meet the needs of the family. This may mean that everybody's labor is needed to chop wood, can food or dress meat. In a traditional family, it may simply mean that since Dad has lost his job, he'll need to take over cooking, cleaning and child care duties while Mom joins the work force.
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Walk whenever possible. The upkeep of a car is a large expense for many families and can be eliminated in many cases. Walking to work, shop or visit friends will save a significant amount on gas and car maintenance and will keep the family fit and healthy. Riding a bicycle is also a good option.
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Barter whenever feasible. Trade your labor for things that you need, or trade things that you do not need for items that are necessities. During the Great Depression, neighbors pulled together to help one another survive. In order to effectively barter, you'll need to get to know your neighbors and become involved in your community so that you'll have the connections you'll need.
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Reduce, reuse and recycle. A depression is not the time to waste energy and money on the upkeep of extra cars, electronics and delicate clothing. Unnecessary items can be converted into useful items or bartered for essentials. Many things can be reused. For example, old clothes can be sewed into quilts, plastic containers and jars can be used to store food, and newspapers can be used as gift wrap.
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Learn some new skills. People who survived the Great Depression often canned their own food (if the drought hadn't killed their crops), sewed their own home furnishings and clothes, cut down their own wood and repaired their own appliances. If you want to survive a depression, you'll need to have the skills to do things yourself rather than paying for others to do them for you. These skills can also come in handy if you need to barter them for an essential item.
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Comments
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my mother was during the Great Depression and her stories said that those years while she was young it was very hard. M family members were from a poor family but we were taught to make do with what we had. So I was taught the same thing by my grandparents during the early 1960's. I know how to can foods, sew fabric together to make bed quilts, cook from scratch and so on just like they had to do during the depression years. I also raise chickens for eggs and meat if it comes to that point.
