Hi folks, I don't know if this is the right place for this thread so mods please feel free to move it if necessary.

I know this could get quite political on the causes but all I'm looking for practical information to ride out a collapse.

After hearing from extended family living in france and looking throught a LOT of news articles from reputable sources & news agencies, including a report from the Bank of England a collapse of the Euro is looking more and more certain.

Even though my family lives in the U.K and are not part of the single currancy, our economy is tied very heavily throught trade with the rest of europe. We are getting very concerned about how this could pan out.

As we live in a rural area about 10-15 miles from the nearest town we tend to keep a small stock in the cuboards, enough for a month . If things were to get very serious for longer period what essentials would you stock up on. As most stores now only seem concerned about stocking Christmas items at present here in U.K .

Many thanks for your time.

I have heard the rumblings too even though I'm on the far side of "the pond." I hope it doesn't happen since there would probably be a worldwide economic panic and depression that would make 2008 and 1929 look mild by comparison.

In answer to your question:
Well, food, water, fuel, batteries, medicine, and first aid supplies certainly.

If your cooking, lighting, and heating systems are dependent on a a central facility, then invest in means to supply them independently.

You may want to make a list of things you consume in a typical month: everything from apples to Ziploc bags. Perhaps stock up on a few.

HJ

Basically what HJ posted. Consider your stock of tools. How easily can you repair/improvise with what you have on hand?

I'm totally on-side with Jim and Hikermor. Start with the basics. Think of protecting yourself from the environment, having water to drink and food to eat, and ways to fix/treat thing when that goes south.)

Stock the pantry with water, long-lasting food, hygene and medical supplies, and prepare to help them last. Gather ways to stay warm, ways to stay dry, and ways to get out of the wind, sun and heat. And start to figure out how you're going to procure this stuff when you run out. (on foot? bike? motor vehicle?)

The non-news-media economists like Michael Hudson and other well-known ones whose names escape me right now, have been using the D-word for quite a while.

Two or three years ago, it was said that if even four relatively small countries defaulted on their debts, it would be the beginning of the death spiral of economic collapse, just like pulling the plug in a bathtub. You know what's going on with Greece, but Portugal, Venezuela, Ireland, Ukraine, Lebanon, Croatia, Vietnam, Spain, Hungary and Romania are wobbling financially. And the U.S. isn't in good shape, either.

The whole thing scares me to death, truly!

Like the others above, I would say that what you would need then are the basics of what you use now. No frou-frou, just the basics.

Shelter. People who own their home outright are ahead of the game. If you have to move in with someone else, make yourself indispensable. If homes become vacant, I would be tempted to move into one that would be easiest to heat or insulate. Gypsies have very comfy wagons for homes.

Water. Collect rainwater. Make sure you have the materials to do so. It's cleaner than any groundwater if the collector surface and where you store it are clean, and you shouldn't have to treat it. You have to store it for the dry periods.

Food. Keep it basic simple. Dried beans rather than canned (tinned) beans. The last major U.S. depression lasted 14 years, and no one stores that much food! If you can grow your own, you'll have to know how, and have the means, to process and preserve it. Collect seeds. Collect gardening books.

Medical supplies. Collect the basics if you can. A few good herbal books might be useful.

Fuel. I would think that this is most likely to be wood (all collected and cut/split by hand), coal and homemade alcohol. If you can live in a well-insulated place, it would reduce the amount of fuel you would need for heating.

Look around at everything you use, and ask yourself how you would do it without power. Disposable and short-term use won't fly. Tools will be difficult to get.

I think it's all going to get really ugly.

Sue

I pretty much agree with what's been said. Here's what I would do:

First, Get rid of as much debt as possible. Where people often run into trouble is that they loose their source of income and then can't afford their bills, rent, mortgage, vehicle(s) payments, ect.

[Along the same lines, I would think about maybe speaking with a financial planner about how you could minimize your financial loss should things take a nosedive.]

Next, stockpile as much of the basics as possible (without putting yourself heavily into debt). Think about the things you might go through in a typical year. Obviously things like food and drink come to mind, but you really have to consider all the items you might go though. What would you do if you can't get toilet paper, shampoo, motor oil, diesel/petrol, batteries, replacement tools, seeds for planting/farming, ect? Some stuff can easily be substituted, others you pretty much either have it or you don't.

It's tough to say what to stock and what not to. Your personal needs and perceived standard of living are going to play a huge role. Plus, no matter how well you plan, stuff always happens that is out of your control.

As a final note, while it's a hotly debated topic, I would say it's worth it to have some small stock of precious metals, precious stones, and various currency on hand, if (and only if) your financial situation allows for it. You never know if you might have to stuff it in your pockets and use it to make a fresh start somewhere else.

I would look into making a still for distillation of water,alcohol for drinkin'& alcohol for burnin'!What is the main fuel of Africa? Charcoal,yes sir,It lasts a good longtime,is multi-purpose & Cheap to make whilst warming the bones,& Is a very necessary commodity!Maybe get some sheep,Wool is the best for staying warm when away from the homefire!A variety of sizes of cast-iron ware,including a cauldron for stewing.A hand crank mill for grains would be an Xlnt investment,as would stainless steel containers for storage.You could build yourself a forge for melting scrap metal,& self-learn some Blacksmithing,during hardtimes that would be an Xlnt position,indeed!Or......Move in with the colonials,We will keep the light on for you! Cheers!

My understanding is that it's really the Eurozone countries that are the issue. Normally a country would avoid defaulting on their debts by printing more money; this causes inflation but allows them to cover their debts. However only the European Central Bank can print Euros, not the countries themselves.

Countries like Greece and Italy just didn't figure out they couldn't keep spending and borrowing like in the pre-Euro days.

The other part of the problem is the 2 stable countries in the Eurozone are also the ones that lent a lot of money to the guys that are set to default. So its not simply that the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain) may default, but in doing so they would deal a crippling blow to France and Germany.

Back on topic, it might be more important to reduce personal debt as much as possible as soon as possible than it is to stockpile supplies.

I'm sure you're right. The economist I was reading at that time was just pointing out even the small countries can tip the first domino enough to set the whole game going.

The entire world is tied together economically to a degree that is unprecedented.

Sue

Have a look at:

UK Preppers