What are good investments for a "Great Depression"?

simmed

wanchai wrote: »

A tad cheeky. The posters above were only trying to be helpful, and you weren't specific in the OP.

What about the word "Physical" don't you understand.. lol..

nuatha

I doubt views have changed significantly in three weeks:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4292375

Towser

I would cover your priorities in your hierarchy of needs first.

Honeythief

This is such a great thread.

I live in New Zealand and we had a massive earthquake in February 2011. We were without power and water for a few days, without basic services like local supermarkets and buses (or smooth roads!) for much longer than that. We had money in the bank but no way to purchase things because we didn't have cash, just debit cards, and most shops weren't open anyway. A few corner shops opened and sometimes gave away stock or let people use credit notes, but mostly residents were left to rely on what they had until the army or volunteers outside the city could get more supplies in.

We had enough to keep us alive - bottled water, dried goods, tinned goods - but what I remember vividly was how happy I was to have fresh produce in the garden. Few people enjoy living from store cupboard ingredients for more than a day or two, and of course without electricity we lost everything from the fridge and freezer. It was wonderful to be able to go into the garden and grab a cucumber and some tomatoes to liven up our couscous cooked in a cup of hot water boiled on the gas camping stove.

In a depression I think learning to be self-sufficient as much as possible will be vital, so if you have a chance to learn things like how to raise plants and how to make your own preserves, and get a few seeds in stock, that would be invaluable.

mardatha

Honeythief thanks for this post - very helpful ta! I'm currently reading "The Great Depression" and would recommend it to anybody.
People who talk about gold etc should have a serious think. Who would want it? Would they have anything useful to give you in exchange? How long would it last? I think knowledge of growing food, hunting, even sewing & knitting would be far more useful and I'd invest on books or courses in that.

thriftwizard

Tools, hand-tools particularly - what I'm stockpiling is treadled sewing machines & fabric. I have two that I use regularly (one straight-stitch, one zig-zag) and three more out in the garage! TBH that's partly because they take up a lot of room so no-one wants them when they can have a little plastic electric one they can just stuff into a cupboard, but the old treadles work perfectly well without 'leccy, go on for ever and are an absolute treat to sew with. I also have a few spinning wheels; yarn's expensive if you don't want pastel acrylic, but fleece/fibre is very cheap (unless you buy pre-prepped) & spinning's not hard to get the hang of. A hundred years ago, just about everyone could spin & make their own jumpers, if nothing else. I'm not sure that the financial return is worth the space they take up, but I can't bear to see good tools wasted and worthwhile skills die away.

Good garden & woodworking tools are worth their weight in gold too, if you ask me. There are a lot of not-so-good ones about... and following on from Honeythief's post - kitchen utensils & jam & pickling jars!

jpscloud

I'm no economist but I do know that the amount of gold I could buy would be so small that I'd be forced to hand it over for a bag of flour at some point.

Tins and non-perishables would have to be stored in massive quantities to represent any long term investment - but I think that would probably be the best I could do. I do that on a smaller scale already, though, and find I'm tripping over stuff rather a lot!

I guess I'd turn my garden into a productive vegetable plot, more than it is now - and maybe keep chickens.

GreyQueen

Lots of thought-provoking stuff here already.

I'd think about investing in skills, my own and for any other family members. The more variety in skills you possess, the more you can do for yourself and the more you can potentially offer for paid employment.

Learning how to grow some of your own food (and the related arts of food preservation and storage).

Knowing how to sew and to knit.

A supply of sturdy clothing and footwear.

Long-lived consumables such as bar soap, toothpaste. Beware stockpiling laundry detergent as it loses its cleaning power after about 3 years.

Blankets, sheets and towels. Warm curtains. All currently cheap 2nd hand but may not always be so.

Good quality hand tools for craft, DIY and gardening.

Reference books covering practical skills.

Peppercorns (unground they last for many many years). Salt is almost immortal provided the container won't corrode and let water in. Vinegar.

Tinned foods with a long shelf life, carefully used in rotation.

Cooking pots, inc things robust enough to be used on an open fire - cast iron?

A musical instument? A repetoire of songs? Ability to entertain is an important social skill. I shall be playing the[STRIKE] fool [/STRIKE]triangle, as ususal.;)

Social capital. Form bonds with your friends and neighbours as well as your immediate family. Help each other out.

navyguy1965

Vallium and Prozac oh and a few comedy dvd's

sb44

Basic medicines and tablets ie ibuprofen etc.

Sprouting seeds.

Heirloom seeds ( http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-buy-heirloom-plants-seeds.html )

Wind up torches and radio.