Supplies You Might Need to Survive a Great Depression

This article is to help readers prepare for an economic depression. I've done the research. Read what others have suggested. I took what I learned and decided that I had to share it with fellow Associated Content producers and readers. You may consider some of the things I have to say in this article to be redundant, but it is important to remember one thing. Knowledge is power.

When I first started writing for this site, I warned readers that we could be facing another Great Depression with the article, "American May Face Another Great Depression". That was close to 3 years ago. The economy hasn't improved since. You have major economic analysts talking about it. You've got President Barack Obama speaking directly to Congress about our economic crisis. With a stimulus package that includes so many "ear mark" bills on the horizon, California turning into a drug-dealing state, weapons and ammo flying off the shelves, America's ecomonic future does not look bright.

In that 2006 article, all I did was ramble on about losing the technologies we today take for granted. That really is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. It's hard enough to convince anyone what it would be like to go without food, let alone, go without their TVs or cell phones. Losing conveniences like iPods is one thing, losing the power to heat your house, your stove and your lights is another thing. Perhaps, I didn't want to scare people with that article 3 years ago. But, it's getting closer to the future I warned readers about. It's time to take some knowledge and prepare to face the pending crisis.

As an AC Producer, it was not right of me to write such a dismal warning without showing readers some light at the end of the tunnel. There are plenty of ways to survive such a crisis. As a society, we are so accustomed to everything in life simply handed to us, such a dramatic change will not be easy in any way. In the first Great Depression, the expansion of technology had just started to bloom. There was a good number of grown adults who were used to living without, being children of the 19th century, a time when trains were still the greatest mode of transportation. Going backward to a time when you couldn't own an automobile was probably no big leap of the imagination for those folks. However trying it probably was for those experienced citizens, it doesn't even compare to the shock another depression will be to a society that has only read about such living conditions in books.

You have to have lived in such poor living conditions to know how vital the list of essentials below are to you and your loved ones. Conveniences could be scarce. Survival is the name of the game in a real crisis. Food, shelter and healthcare products are three of the things you absolutely must have.

Without food, you get starvation. I've been in such dire straits that I didn't have anything to eat on Thanksgiving. There wasn't even a can of soup in the cupboard. This caused me so much stress and depression, I felt like I didn't want to even get out of bed. You truly learn to appreciate these necessities.

Of course, thank goodness, I've never been so bad off that I've gone without shelter. That's the importants of keeping close to family and friends. You'll always have a place to sleep if you need it. But, it is possible that even your family and friends will be without a roof over their heads. And anyone who's ever been camping should know the need for healthcare products is great in these dire situations. You need to keep clean or else you could be welcoming diseases and infections into your life. That's why a list of items like those below are so essential for you to stock up on as a consumer.

I hope my readers take these suggestions to heart. You always have to be prepared. Life could slap you in the face and you wouldn't even realize what happened until it was too late. Heck, you can always put the suggestions below to use.

1. Generators

In addition: Deep-cycle batteries, and power inverters.

If electric companies go bankrupt, you lose the ability to heat your house. Most heaters in every house is powered by electricity. And most gas heaters in America will not run without electricity. So, you've got to become your very own Thomas Edison or Benjamin Franklin and harness your own electricity. How do you do that today? Simple. Pick up a generator, deep-cycle batteries and power inverters. Also, you might want to stock up on gasoline for those gas-powered generators.

2. Portable toilets

In addition: Bags, shovels and lye or lime.

The plumbing we take for granted keeps our households clean and fresh. Thank Thomas Crapper for his invention. Without the toilet, we could be living like the people of the Renaissance period. We could have crap on the corners of our stairwells or in the streets. Let's take away that convenience. How do you think we would live? We would have to start digging holes in the backyard, creating our own outhouses again. What's the better way? By picking up a portable toilet, bags to catch the fecal matter, lye (dangerous) or lime (easier to use) for disinfection and shovels to bury it. This is of course, a suggestion for the absolute worst circumstances. Even the people of the depression had plumbing. But, it never hurts to be prepared.

3) Food

In addition: Animal food, including cat food and dog food

Canned foods are very important. You can get everything from beef in a can to fruits and vegetables in a can. After the fecal matter hits the fan, just remember what your Depression-era grandparents told you. Don't eat everything on your plate. You might want to save as much food as possible. Make sure you don't stock up on food that can go bad fast, including dairy products and bread products. Here are some suggestions: Canned coffee, fruit and vegetables, creamer, sugar, tea, salt, pepper, flour, vegetable oil, canned tuna, powdered milk, wheat, stews, soups.

4) Gardening supplies

Don't forget to stock up on seeds of every fruit and vegetables you think you can grow. Keep them in dry places. The seeds should last awhile. Also, you might want to stock up on fertilizers, shovels, and clippers. Just about anything you would need for more than a years worth of gardening. What if you run out of those canned goods? You'll need to harvest your own fruits and vegetables.

5) Clothing

Stock up on clothes that you can save somewhere until things go bad. Make sure you get warm clothes. Stuff made with wool might be useful. Here are some suggestions: Jeans, socks, underwear, shoes, shirts, coats, hats, gloves, work boots, and long underwear.

6) Medical supplies

This is a must. You can't very well find necessities like first aid kits if every store has been looted. Get plenty of gauze, bandages, band aids, swabs, cleaning alcohol, and just about anything you'd find in a first aid kit. Don't forget to stock up on essential medicines like Vitamin A, B, C, D and E, Calcium, and Fiber. Also, I can only suggest that you pick up this combination of herbs: Alfalfa, Aloe Vera, Chickweed, Echinacea, Garlic, Gymnema Sylvestre, Pycnogenol and Spiralina. As always, make sure you talk to your doctor before taking any kind of herb.

7) Cleaniness supplies

You don't want to come down with illnesses due to something stupid like being dirty. So, make sure you stock up on soaps, disposable shavers, wash rags, brushes, combs, deodorant, tooth brushes, toothpastes, shampoo, and conditioner. You'll also want to keep clothes clean, especially if you've got a working washing machine after everything goes to hell. So, stock up on your detergents, and bleach.

8) Misc supplies

Material, and needles and thread would be good to stock up on for sewing. Pick up some sunscreen in case you are outside a lot after the fecal matter hits the fan. Cooking supplies might be a good idea, including can openers, egg beaters, aluminum foil and frying pans. Other things to stock up on are garbage bags, ziploc bags, clothes pins, toilet paper, mouthwash, vaseline, lotion, candes, matches, weapons and ammo, batteries, and glass jars.