A simple trick I use to find gaps in my emergency preparedness plan, is to ask myself – what would I do if I knew teotwawki was going to start in 30 days? Keeping this question in mind, I look at my situation, skills and supplies and make a list of ideas using a “mind map”.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia “A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions”
This trick has helped me find gaps in my preps that would have went unnoticed, had I not set a deadline for the beginning for teotwawki and mind mapped ideas.
For example; the last time I did this, I found that I needed to learn more about trapping wild game, more spices for cooking and hydrated lime for waste disposal.
When doing this exercise it is important that you have the correct mind-set.
While it’s true, we don’t know the exact start date for teotwawki, (or has it already started?) for this exercise to be most effective you have to do your best to envision it happening on your given date.
If you don’t take the date seriously you’ll fail to see important gaps in your preps making the process a waste of time.
Once you have the proper mind-set, take a pen and paper and draw a circle in the middle around your start date for teotwawki. Now brainstorm ideas for what you need (and can) do to prepare for that date and teotwawki.
For each idea draw a line out from the originating circle, draw another circle and write the idea inside of it. The key at this point is to let yourself be as creative and outside the box as you want. Any idea is allowed at this point – don’t over think it just write the ideas down as they enter your mind.
Here is an example:
I try to do this sort of exercise at least every other month (although lately I’ve let it slip). After you complete the exercise come back to this post and tell us what you came up with…
{ 58 comments }
Will repost ~
I have 2 points to make -
1. We should always be prepared for some disaster – personal SHTF, economic collapse or natural disaster of sorts and can happen quickly. I don’t think banking on a particular event to happen like rioting in the streets should be the motivator – concerns but not the end all reason.
2. Mind mapping is excellent & thought this was a very wise post by MD. I have mindmapped for years in business and it is a great way to isolate ideas & devolop a plan.
I start with a leagal pad & write everything that comes to mind in whatever order. Then I make catagories like food, water, weapons, ammo and so on and transfer to individual 3×5 cards. After, I transfer each listed item from the brain dump to the appropriate card.
I am left with a a small stack of cards that acts as a check list & I can add anything I want quite easily.
That’s my 2 cents ~
If I knew when TEOTWAWKI was gonna hit the first thing I’d do would be to take out 8,000 different credit cards and max them all out on gear and equipment.
Then I’d spend the rest of the time enjoying the easy life before it all goes down the toilet.
Um… SHTF, isn’t running up bills you know you won’t pay rather like… stealing? I know this is survival, and plenty of bills around the world will go unpaid, but… Don’t tell the children this idea. We try to be extra honest with them. (In other words, I understand the theory you’re espousing.)
It was a literal answer to a hypothetical question. Of course we don’t KNOW when TEOTWAWKI will hit, so in the mean time we need rational, systematic, responsible preparing. I’m a fiscally conservative person for the most part – and honest, too.
But yes, if I KNEW the world would collapse in “x” days, I’d max out credit cards on SHTF gear, because the debt collectors won’t come knocking when society collapses. They’ll be trying to just survive, too.
I understand your point, though. I won’t tell the children.
SHTF Blog,
I have to disagree with your statement – “The debt collectors won’t come knocking when society collapses.” That depends…
What the debt collectors do after a collapse will be determined by the type of collapse.
If it is economic in nature, lenders will still demand payment (look at history and economic collapse) and will go after your assets to get it.
Remember an economic collapse or teotwawki does not guarantee government collapse.
During the Great Depression a third of all American farmers lost their farms. Hundreds of thousands of farm-owning families had their land seized from under them.
Ranger Man aka SHTF Blog -
You seem to believe integrity is situational. You claim to be “honest” yet, IF the S were THTF, you feel that it is ok to steal from others.
I guess when the going gets tough & you have not properly prepped – physically & mentally, you will resort to lack of character as a back up plan.
Pretty weak thought & philosophy if you ask me & am glad this blog site does not subscribe to these questionable beliefs.
PS
MD is 100% correct – not only will the debt collectors come, you will not be protected by the law IF all heck broke loose. The debt collectors will be paid by a percentage of what they can collect & will collect something because, as you pointed out, “they’ll be trying to just survive too”.
Grow up ~
Jason may cast judgment on me for suggesting my answer to such a hypothetical question (we’ll never REALLY know when it will happen, so obviously I would never do such a thing), but that’s fine – whatever. I’d rather max out credit cards on extra food and gear before people busted store windows the next day to take it all by force (again, assuming the impossible that I’d know for certain when the world would end).
But hey, at least I can have a civil discourse about the subject without telling the others they lack character and need to grow up.
RM
RM,
Let’s be clear about the importance of your response because you are setting a very poor tone in my opinion. When potentially, thousands of people read these comments & things like this goes unchecked, someone may get the idea that it is ok to do what is inherently & unarguably wrong but are lead to justify it because of an undesirable condition.
A quick sidebar question – “hypothetically” somebody owes 200K on their mortgage & the value has dropped to 125K, that person easily can afford the current payment – is it ok to walk away from that debt because the economy is bad and the property value dropped below the loan value? Before you answer, add the fact that YOU are the bank who loaned the money. Now is it right?
Integrity & honesty are not subject to negotiation or dictated by situations or conditions.
You want to make light of the “hypothetical” question and Midge calls it for what it is – stealing. You go on to say you are honest B-U-T & I paraphrase, if times got tough you see absolutely no problem racking up the credit cards with NO intention of paying or honoring the debt – clearly, that is illegal, thievery & out of integrity.
Then your caviler, arrogant, thumb on the nose attitude by stating “Then I’d spend the rest of the time enjoying the easy life before it all goes down the toilet” makes you no better as those the rest of us are trying to avoid. Just because people are “busting windows and taking all by force” does not make it right to do what you suggest.
I failed to see the honor & integrity and if that makes me judgmental, so be it.
By the way, the “hypothetical” question was brilliant & much deeper than meets the eye because it can draw out true intention, preparedness beliefs & clarifies why we do what we do if …
Congrats & thank you MD, this was a probably one of the best posts I’ve read.
Walking away from a mortgage because the values dropped? You had better believe that is a risk the bankers already take. They get to keep the property, and the person foreclosing gets a serious ding on their credit score, but– absolutely yes– that is an option that is spelled out in the countless pages of contracts you sign at closing. The protections aren’t all there for bankers only. Yes, if you’re the banker, you lose out and have bad debt to collect; however, any banker should tell you (from Econ 101) that diversification into multiple types of assets is the only sound way to handle money. So, a bank that only does mortgages and then goes under during a housing crash (like what is going on now) deserves what they receive. All types of investments have falls from time to time– it’s called “market correction”. It’s no different than the ethics in “speculation” investing.
You make it sound like you’re taking a loan from a personal friend or family member. This is a business, with risks, and one of those risks is that the loan recipient will do what is best for themselves, just like the loan recipient should assume the bank will do what’s best for itself (corporately). Don’t get that confused with interpersonal relationships.
I would never take out an IOU from a friend and leave them high and dry, but I would not think twice about maxing out currently empty credit cards, IF and ONLY IF I knew TEOTWAWKI was about to commence. In a hyperinflation scenario, for instance, it’s smart business– you’re transforming a hyper-inflating-out-of-control currency into goods and services. The 29% APR interest on the cards will be nothing when the currency hyperinflates by 100% every 4 hours, a la Zimbabwe. E.g. if you max out 10K in credit cards on food and gear, and the currency inflates by a factor of 10 per day, you’ll be able to pay off your debt plus interest with spare change in a year. Do the math.
Bikerman does have it right, though: this is hypothetical. If and when TEOTWAWKI happens, you’d have to have a pretty amazing crystal ball to be able to still use your credit cards to max out before the banks figure out what’s going on and freeze accounts, i.e. if this is your approach to survivalism, future anthropologists will likely find your burned-to-a-crisp corpse in a complicated arrangement of destroyed dwellings that the anthropologists will call “suburbia” while trying to figure out why people in ages past ever lived that way to begin with.
Excellent post and a great idea for finding weak points in our survival plans and don’t worry about the nit pickers they are pathetic moaners and not worth your time. My advice is to delete their comments you work hard at what you do why let them spread their negativity?
Great idea!
The beauty of mind mapping is that you can keep extending an arm and adding to the idea, task, process, etc. You can then re-prioritize based on the importance of the task or the number of steps in the task that needs to be completed. This is a great exercise, M.D., that I don’t use in my business or personal life enough. Thanks for the reminder!
This is a good post and a new idea. If teotwawki I would buy all the beans, bullets, and fuel I could afford
It’s already started the slow slide. Other countries are in the same economic boat, and beginning to have natural disasters. Haiti, China, Russia, Pakistan, etc. All America needs to tip over the edge where we can’t help ourselves is one big, or a series of Katrina-type disasters. What do you think, Mt. Rainier will go off? Do you have extra air filters for you vehicle and face masks?
If I knew I had a month or less, I’d mega-upgrade my medical kit and get a couple more dogs.
This is sort of like when we lived on the Gulf Coast and knew that a hurricane was going to hit in 5 days. Secure everything around the house. Fill everything with gas. Pay utility bills in advance. Get lots of bottled water, batteries and canned goods that are edible without cooking. Stock up on beer and pop tarts and eat all of the ice cream that is in the freezer. When the power goes off, it makes an awful mess.
ROFL on the ice cream. We could have quite the party as Dearly Beloved is a serious ice cream addict.
Your plan is a good one, it gives you an idea what your short on. It seems to me that no matter when it happens you will be short of something since we do not know how or when it will happen. Just keep prepping and adding supplies and when it does happen at least you will have the peace of mind that you did your best.
I look at mu supplies at least every two weeks. I just figured out that I was short on powder milk and corn oil.
PREPARE FOR THE WORST AND PRAY FOR THE BEST.
Assuming only my family knows?
Fill in any gaps in the pantry.
Buy and can some additional meat.
Help neighbors finalize their preps.
Go to a nice restaurant and eat a high dollar steak.
Take the family on vacation.
Buy some stuff for the wife/kids for morale.
Convert what’s left into bullion/barter.
If everyone knows?
Stay at home.
Be thankful I prepped.
I like the “if everyone knows?” If everyone knew, it’d be pandemonium, best off staying at home.
Good reminder,
Need to order some traps and snares.LOL keep finding stuff I have to replace after being cleaned out my the ex.
I have used this technique for a long time and it is developed from my time with Emergency Management. In Emergency Management, “mind maps” were developed for practically every type of event (Nuclear, Hurricane, Urban Disturbance, etc.). When broken down into specific threats, the gaps in preparation are easier to recongnize and it makes the exercise more productive. I would suggest listing as many of the specific threats that face your particular area or situation and “map” each one out separately.
I would get my remaining wisdom tooth pulled. And in the doing get another bottle of vicodin for my medicine chest.
Well, perhaps Michelle Obama does know something, which is why she didn’t think twice about taking Sasha on an expensive vacation. O probably said to her that she’d better do it now, before the SHTF.
Who knows for sure, but I’d really rather not know. It’s enough to just know that things are not heading in the right direction, economically, globally, etc.
There’s a similar mental construct called a “memory palace” that works quite well. Legend says it was what the ancient philosophers used in their discourses.
The idea is that you break down complex subjects into discrete subtopics and then assign them to different parts of the “palace.” Further subdivision would fill the wings of the palace. As long as you had the basic layout then you would retain the memory triggers for all of the retained data (recall vs recognition.)
I remember reading that Socrates used his body as his memory palace, assigning topics to his arms and legs, subtopics to the fingers, etc. I do something similar to keep work references organized. I learned the technique from the book “Total Recall.” No relation to the movie.
Re: Teotwawki, it depends on the specific scenario. The best generic plan I’ve got includes maximum loadout for food and supplies, finish digging the well, and incorporating friends and local experts (doctor, dentist, master gardener) for the long haul. Can’t get any more specific without knowing the type of catastrophe.
You can incorporate me. I am a Purdue University Certified Master Gardener. It makes me feel really good to know that WTSHTF that I rank right up there with doctors and dentists. Just wish I could get their pay scales right now!
The September 12, 2010 date is a good example. Great map and simple to use. Okay, I will assume that is the date and I have the required amounts of survival supplies already on hand so I do not need to worry about that but, my water supply. I need to check it, is it fresh, does it need refreshed, will it need refreshed pretty soon, will it be ample for an extended period of one to seven years. Do I have enough vitamins, vitamin c, iodized salt, triple antibiotic ointment, homeopathic and herbal medicines and tinctures, tea tree oil, alcohol, bandages, splints, tooth brushes, clippers, etc. Do I have my bug out bags complete. Do I have an ample supply of needed fuels such as gasoline, diesel and preservative for them. Do I have ample cooking and heating fuels or alternative methods of staying warm. Do I have medical and survival manuals readily available in my packs, home and cache locations. Do I have enough medical, food, fire and clothing caches in and around my home, premises and surrounding forested areas. Do I have ample waterproof clothing, shoes and other items such as wool gloves, socks, hats and a blanket or two. Do I have enough firearms with ammo and other weapons available at all times indoors and outdoors. Are my bartering items going to be enough should I need to use them. Do I have good quality furs and pelts for lining or covering my shoes and body for warmth, protection from the elements and for camouflage. Phew! Am I ready. Are my plans of survival finalized.
If the end of our world comes in the form of an EMP, bill collectors will have no way to collect, and they won’t even know who owes them what anymore. I would have no way to make my mortgage payment if I wanted to. Therefore I would be stealing just by staying in my house. Should I spend my 30 days selling everything I own, to try to pay off my house, in order not to be stealing? Anyone in debt at the time of an EMP would thereafter be stealing. Hypothetically, IF I knew FOR SURE that TEOTWAWKI was going to be an EMP in 30 days, I believe I would do what SHTF blog said he would do, and also I would “finance” some new hurricane windows on my whole house for security.
For any other type of collapse, I would sell a bunch of stuff that I won’t need after and just get what I can afford, and start making room for my parents and sister, and cycle my stored water.
Point 1 – Stealing is willful intent. EMP does not cancel debt or personal responsibility.
Point 2 – Model SHTF blog? Spoken like a true entitlement imp. Try to think as if you were the vendor providing the financing for someone’s hurricane windows … I’m sure you would be driving over there and collecting those windows after the first missed payment.
It’s all about character Christine.
Jason, you can judge me now, and you can judge me later through my security windows- I don’t care. In the meantime, we are so lucky to have YOU to look to as a model of honor and good character.
SHTF blog,
To quote a line from the movie shooter:
“SHTF, your moral compass is so f^(#*d up, I’ll be shocked if you manage to find your way back to the parking.”
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Navy Ken I think “SHTF blog” has a lot of growing up to do. Another thing he / she should stop commenting only for the purpose of self promoting his awful blog he is essentially attempting to steal and gain from Mr. Creekmores hard work building his blog.
Heather – I am glad you vocalized the lack of integrity with Ranger Man. I think it’s pretty cheesy & weak to leach off someone else’s hard work. But then again, he fully admitted that he is not opposed to taking from others. Amazing how that point of manifests into other areas.
Navy Ken – first things first – he needs a compass.
I am relatively certain that TEOTWAWKI is coming up.
I think its impending -ness is part of the reason for the actions of so many of the elite- they know they will not be held accountable for what they have done on this earth.
Christine
and
SHTF blog
both are responding as most people would when faced with the question, not seeing the implications at what that means to the wider world.
Also the question of ‘does everyone know, or just me’ is very important helping determine the PRIORITY that the your items have. If you find yourself thinking that you might need to face the panicked hoards for something then you probably ought to get that first.
One of the people I asked this question of gave an illuminating and scary answer.
He replied that he would be making a list of the places that would be the LAST to be looted like train rail yards, warehouses, etc, and hitting those as soon as there was sufficent break down in social order (the police wouldnt be coming, ever)
I asked him why he didnt just get that stuff now, his response boiled down to laziness and priorities. But he does have a crowbar and knows where to apply it to get a cutting torch and chain cutters.
What makes his response so scary is that it proved he was intellegent enough to be thoughtfull about it, he had already pre-determined this response, while at the same time not having taken many steps to be ready to not need to become a looter.
We will be facing some very smart very vicious predators after the break down of civil order. Never forget it for a minuet. And some of those predators are probably reading this right now.
Okay, folks – you win! Continue judging and demonizing me as much as you’d like. You won’t hear from me again.
Ranger Boy,
Of all of the responses you could have made, the “I’m taking my ball and going home” type of statement was probably the saddest indictment.
And please … demonized, victimized or judged? You don’t get it – you did it to yourself & you are a product of what has become the norm in America, integrity is for sale to the high bidder & pray to not get caught.
Our economy is in a nearly irreversible state because corporate execs & politicians adopted a similar separations mindset – get mine AND as much of it as I can without thought to the residual & greater effect upon the whole. After all, I deserve it damn it!
You espouse, possibly tongue in cheek, to max out credit cards to make your life easier. Aside from the amount of money, how is that any different than the CEO & other insiders of the ENRON’s (et al) taking from others? The core thought, questionable value & action is the same.
As many on this blog have said & is the general consensus of Americans is, we need change and get back to square one – a society where an individual’s word is their bond and can be counted upon and we all work towards a common goal.
It may sound like an impossible task & it would take a miracle to accomplish but that miracle begins with you (collectively). Why don’t you revisit American history and read how we achieved our independence from the UK. That integrity, moral fortitude and hard work was an excellent model & foundation of why America became a great, productive nation.
And to the Christine’s – I am nowhere near perfect and am not arrogant enough to think of myself as a model for character, that would be completely stupid & hollow of which, I am neither.
I was raised to understand what the right path is and it’s pretty clear to see. It usually requires work & most times it is hard work but so what? It’s supposed to be hard, “the hard” is what makes it great.
Stomp your little feet all you want – this is how character is developed. You want security windows? Go earn the money doing whatever extra and buy them, buy used ones and paint them or something.
The funny thing is, I never had given a thought to “stealing” when the chips are down – really. I read your response and became disappointed that you would feel right to inject this poisonous thought into a public forum and then further defend that wrong idea. Maybe you don’t like the lambasting but too bad, it is what it is – wrong.
Do the right thing and be an example yourself, your complaints may take on a more productive tone.
Jason, what “complaints” of mine are you talking about? I have not complained about a thing, including whatever lambasting has taken place, nor have I stamped my little feet. Maybe you have confused me with someone else?
Confused? Hardly, but nice try. I was giving you the benefit of doubt calling the following a “complaint” instead of what it really is – passive/aggressive.
“you can judge me now, and you can judge me later through my security windows (that I bought with a credit card that I have no intention of paying back)- I don’t care. In the meantime, we are so lucky to have YOU to look to as a model of honor and good character.”
It’s ok to be ignorant & arrogant, just not at the same time.
By the way, so I can be accurate next time – what is your shoe size?
Okay Jason, I am through with you. I gave my answer to Mr. Creekmore’s question.
You disagree with me- fine.
You judge me and condemn me- whatever.
You continue to lecture me-wtf?
You’re giving me the benefit of the doubt?! Since when?
I don’t understand why you got your panties in a bunch, when I have done nothing to provoke you. I have not participated in any name-calling or passing judgement on anyone’s actions or opinions. When I said I don’t care if you judge me, that was not a complaint. What I meant was, I truly do not care; the judgement of Jason means nothing to me.
Thank you for your unsolicited pontification about morality. I will use your comments to try to become a better person. Is that what you want to hear? Why don’t you get your last stab in, and be done with me already? I will not respond to you anymore.
This is absolutely priceless. You say you don’t care & innocently state you do nothing to provoke, yet you respond with covert digs & invite feedback. You bait the hook with insinuations of name calling and none has taken place. Ah the martyr, gotta love them.
“The martyr stood before the altar and supplied the fire themselves in which their fat was fried” – Ambrose Bierce
You truly don’t get it, my 12:55 pm post addressed a larger group (here’s a hint: I intentionally used “And to the Christine’s”) – this wasn’t all about you, your example simply illustrated a more common thought and attitude.
However that being said, you conveniently skirt the issue I raised – twice, regarding the “stealing” issue you seemed to have no problem doing when push coves to shove. I’m guessing that you feel entitled to do so & that’s that.
You can do what you will, it makes no difference to me. Again, my goal was not you but an attempt to leverage your point of view and maybe dissuade someone else who had toyed with the idea of doing the wrong thing.
Hopefully, TEOTWAWKI will not happen and this becomes a more moot point.
Morality and survival? Do you not understand that when you are dealing with TEOTWAWKI your morals will change, if not go completely out the window? Morality only helps to promote the survival and successful reproduction of the species as a set of relative social practices (what’s normal) when everything is super perfect and really nice. Morality only helps to promote survival in a very controlled environment as we as humans have a tendency to destroy anything different. So to curb this trend of me killing you because I hate fat people and you killing me because you love purty’ lil’ cats more than anything else in this world we as a society come up with generalization for manner, character and proper behavior (Morality). But hey come the end of the world as we know it, you keep to your so called social influenced moral system and see what happens. Why you’re at it ask those pesky PETA people how there morals are holding up, you know if there not to busy chomping down on jerky from mans best friend to answer you.
So Scott your saying that if TEOTWAWKI was alive & well, that it is perfectly ok to pull out my 9 mm and shoot you in the head because you have a bottle of water & Twinkies I am craving – right?
Who or what criteria decides the limits? Remember, the last part of the acronym stands for “As We Know It” & believe it does not mean an extremist, Mad Max, point of view.
Even in that apocalyptic movie, the main character dealt within a reasonable confine of morality when all else around him was in utter chaos.
As for me personally, I am all about action & not reaction and do not mistake me for a pacifistic doormat. There are plenty of valid & moral absolutes to support self defense.
Ahem…
…..How, pray tell, would it be “stealing” if the credit card company had no skin in the game? They create the fraudulent “money”, (which it is not), out of thin air and “loan” it to you at usurious interest rates… there’s the “stealing”; congress delegated the power of the purse, (to alien boat-people bankers, no less), and they had no authority to so do…
…..The country has bee hosed ever since, (1913)…
No skin in the game? Who is keeping their agreement to pay for items you bought? Visa, Amex, Master Card, Mobile etc.
Next, first you agree to their terms & then you get.
Lastly, interest rates are relative to risk. The greater the risk, the higher the interest rate. You would do the same except most of us see a big risk and we do not loan – period.
Paying cash eliminates the worry of the bank taking advantage of you.
Boy, Jason’s got a big mouth. 12 out of 43 responses are his opinion, telling everyone else how much better he is and how they aren’t moral or grown up enough. What a self-rightous ass. Jason, get out of the basement, your mama’s calling.
What a dilemma, do I respond or not? Oh well, here goes …
You are right, I do not know jack.
Agree to their terms?
…..When you so do, one has no idea of the fraudulent nature of the contract, hence, said contract becomes null and void immediately; in other words, it is no contract at all, but fraud… Wherein lies any valid authority for a certain alien tribe to hold the power of creating “money” which is loaned owing usurious “interest: that has NEVER BEEN CREATED?!
…..Interest rates haven’t been relative to risk in our lifetimes, so spare me the poor beleaguered banker routine…
Having some knowledge with the finance industry for the past 24 years, do a little more valid research before continuing to talk out of your backside.
Here’s a little BASIC about interest rate vs risk – it’s called a FICO score. The higher the score, the more favorable the terms.
Less risk, more filling … or does that apply to Lite Beer?
I have never seen as big a bunch of cry babies on this or any blog since I’ve been reading them. To jump all over Rangerman because he took a hypothetical question and gave a very good hypothetical answer is stupid. Some one ask me a very similar hypothetical a while back, to wit, if my wife had been injured seriously and I knew who did it and if I also KNEW THE COPS WOULDN’T FIND ME OUT , WOULD I KILL THEM. My answer was somewhat like Rangermans, I would kill them so long and so slow they’d take weeks to die and then I’d start on their families. Now all the ducks had to be in a row like the question was ask but the person asking the silly question had almost as many childish comebacks as I’ve seen on here. Folks when tshtf nobody’s gonna know and if it’s teotwawki (which is total, by the way, theres is no partial teowawki or else it would be called something else) then you better be able to do what is necessary to survive or you won’t. If you are not willing to do whatever it takes to survive, then, WTFAUDOTS (WHAT THE F*#K (EDITED) ARE YOU DOING ON THESE SITES). Good post Mr. Creekmore.
“Having some knowledge with the finance industry for the past 24 years, do a little more valid research before continuing to talk out of your backside.”
Well…
…..Having, as you say, “some” knowledge may work for you, but it sounds to me as though you’ve been “educated” right past your intelligence; I told you they create their fraudulent “money” out of thin air and all you can do is attempt to argue risk vs. rate… frankly, I want no part of any bank, particularly the central one that is STEALING my purchasing power EVERY DAY OF MY EXISTENCE!
…..If that doesn’t bother you, then *you* are the dolt here, son, not I…
You say:
“interest rates haven’t been relative to risk in our lifetimes, so spare me the poor beleaguered banker routine…”
and I answer it that they do and always have assessed risk.
Next you jump from credit card company contracts to the central bank & the bailout nonsense which am guessing is more your point. If so, I couldn’t agree more with you. The government has the attitude that if their checks in the checkbook, there must still be money in the bank.
If that’s your point, I am completely on your side.
…..With the abominable “fractional reserve” banking, the credit system allows these outfits to actually create “money” out of thin air; they don’t loan you money… your request creates the fiat; *that* is my point…
I was looking at your original diagram again and saw you made a reference to obtaining “vet grade” antibiotics. I wonder where I can find information on what to buy and how these are used??
Thanks
Tom, Survivalblog.com has had several very good articles on obtaining and using “vet grade” antibiotics in Jul & Aug. I know they’re the ‘competition’, but info is info.
Hmmmmmmmm, well, got here from being directed here in another post, don’t know if posting here is proper…but
As to the extension of credit; All banks and all other lenders have emergency prepardness plans that address most everything from fire to nuke attacks. All loan files and computer files are backed up and kept off premises, so if one bank goes down, records are still available in another location.
If you have a regional disaster, depending on the problem, you’ll probably not be able to use a credit card, they will shut down processing until processing and management can be resumed. So, the possibility of maxing out a card in an emergency, depending on the transaction amount, may be slim and none. If you have 8K left on a card and your customary charges run 400 a month, it will likely kick out and cancell a stream of purchases in a short period of time exceeding your normal charge pattern, this is a fraud feature as well.
The only way to “max out” your card would be to have only a small amount left or, use it before anything became common knowledge.
As to any mortgage: It’s a secured debt and if not paid the lender has the right to secure the collateral and sell it and apply the proceeds to the debt secured. If we have a regional disaster, the servicing agent (collector for the loan) will certainly be aware of it and late payments will not be assessed if making payments is an impossibility, mail is not running, bank is closed, etc. If there is no post mark available for the due date, it can’t be shown as being late. This means the government will be shut down in that regional area. Banks will automatically provide reasonable extentions.
Now, when things clear up and payments are possible and if they are not made, then you’ll be in default if not paid as agreed.
Before any real estate can be foreclosed on in the country, notice is required to be given and a demand is made for full payment. Publication is required in the newspaper according to state law. If there is no mail, or if the newspaper is not printed, they can’t proceed, so you’ll have more time. If papers never run, statutes would need to be modifed to allow proceedings….let’s say that happens.
Next is the sale of the property, the Trsutee named in the deed of trust or mortgage will need to abide by that agreement and sell it at the courthouse steps…..is it still there? It might not be possible to appear in public and hold a sale, and you can appear and bid in your own price.
The lender will then have to clear the transaction and apply proceeds to the loan and notify you again of any deficiency amounts owed.
So, as you can see, the “systems” are built on the assumption that civilization, government, communications are in place. I would suspect that the attorney names as a Trustee will probably be doing something else. The Sherriff may then act as Trustee, how busy do you think he is, like he has nothing else to do but to stand in front of some destroyed burned out building and hold a foreclosure sale…I don’t think so.
Accounts will be frozen. It really depends on the nature and extent of the crisis as to whether or not a lender allows any loan to continue to accrue interest or simply places all business in a non-accrual status since they can not conduct business. I think eventually business will return, files will be retreved and you will be asked to start paying as agreed.
Basically, these plans are in place with all large corporations too, if general business can be reasonably conducted, it should be as necessary to the economy. A few who might seek to use any situation to avoid any contractual agreement when it is reasonable to do so will likely be found in default of that agreement and likely lose out, be that as to payments due or performance of any kind that might be required.
So, if you can pay the debt, you should expect to be held responsible to do so, just as any other business day. And, you’ll likely have alternatives available if you fail to do so, like bankruptcy. That’s when the collectors would be back at work.
Excellent comment.
As an older man(72) in relatively decent condition I have always been a survivalist type. I have done various survival outings including hitchhiking on a sailboat to a deserted Island in the pacific and backpacking across northern Mexico with a lady and a dog.
I have Of late decided that since I have about 2 years of items here in my home in the forest ; after that I will eat plants locally as necessary.
My point is, KISS keep it simple stupid, because you will only have what you can see and feel to use for your future. Worms and bugs will be your food and fuel… IZ
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