Ferfal

Ferfal lived through the Argentina convulsions: here is a sample of advice from his Blog. It might be good to bookmark it, as it is one of the two best survival blogs I have found.

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There will be Poor... dont be one of them.

from SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA by FerFAL

Today I came across a very good article by Survival Mom. Her blog is a good example of the new generation of survivalists that prepare for things that happen, not crazy delusions of events that will most likely never take place.

In it I found a link to an article on American Thinker, “An Argentina-like Economic Crisis”. The similarities between the measures taken in Argentina that had such disastrous consequences and the ones taken by the current U.S. administration keep surprising me. Don’t they read? Can’t they see that what they are doing HAS been done before and it didn’t work? I can only assume now that they know well enough that it wont work, they are just doing so to stay in power and make as much money as possible while they still can.
No wonder, Spain is doing the same thing with the expected results. In provinces such as Canarias, unemployment has gone up to 30%. There’s already Argentines that had moved there after the crisis considering moving back, some already doing so, and mentioning the similarities to what they’ve already experiences (people eating out of the trash in restaurants and supermarkets)
As the crisis in USA keeps evolving, its time to get real folks. The household budget has to be reconsidered, the non essentials weighted and objectively reviewed.

You have to understand that what’s happening in USA right now isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. You don’t have significant inflation yet. You don’t have a new generation of poor establishing itself in the society. You’re not suffering the full extent of the consequence of what’s already going on, mostly when it translates into class hatred and fighting which will bring along a wave of crime that includes senseless violence like you’ve never seen before. Something similar to what we saw here a couple week ago after a pregnant women was robbed after taking some money out of the bank. She already gave up the money, what’s the logic behind shooting a defenseless, harmless 9 month pregnant woman in the face when she already gave the robber what he went after? None. None at all, just pure hatred towards those that have a bit more than the rest. (Isidro died a few days ago, by the way, mother Caroline remains in critical condition)
When you have 50% poor and 20% of the population below the poverty line, these things happen. Of the remaining 30%, 25% is a redefined middle class that closely resembles pre-2001 poor. That leaves 5% of the population that has managed to adapt, survive and maintain their old middle class or high class life standards. The disparity is huge, and the political stance is that poor=good, guy with money=bad. There’s always someone that has to take the blame, and its a rare occasion when those that are truly guilty are held responsible for what they’ve done.

Its not a time to panic but a time to sit down for a second and understand where things are going. Its not going to be the end of the world but they are going to be tough times. Very few people will sail through this without being affected.
As for the measures to be taken, you could break them down into three:

1) Ensure the basics to survive a worst case scenario as well as intermediate ones. This means have at the very least a couple months worth of food and two weeks worth of water (a gallon per person per day, minimum) As finances allow, work up that food stockpile (preferably canned, long shelf life food and easy to cook or that requires no cooking) Make sure you have the basic for a survival/emergency kit. This has been discussed in this blog more than enough, just check the “gear” tab on the lower left column.
Among the top of your priorities, make sure you have at the very least one big bore handgun for self defense and the basic training to at the very least handle it safely, the minimums being 9mm for pistol and 38 special/357 magnum for revolver as well as two 50-round boxes of defensive JHP ammunition. Everyone runs to the gunstore when they see the hordes looting, and its usually too late to do you any good. I’ve seen it before, after our economy collapsed in 2001. Its usually too later to wish for a fire extinguisher that you don’t have when you’re in a burning building! Same thing with a gun. Before buying yet another gun, I'd get at least one piece of body armor. Even if its cheaper surplus, when the chips are down wearing armor will do you 1000x  good than an extra gun in the safe. Its only during good, safe times that having 30 firearms and not a single piece of armor makes any sense at all. Often when law abbiding citizens end up shooting someone, they do it against an armed  bad guy. Expect to get some lead yourself for your efforts.
Do lots of research and just buy what you need. If I write 20 posts about knives, 30 about flashlights and 10 about fire starters, its not because you need every single thing I review, its just so that you can make an informed decision when buying one, one that fits you circumstances and budget the best. Be an adult about this and only buy what you need.

2) Redo your budget. Power bill, rent or taxes and other fixed monthly expenses + food+ medical insurance+ gas. Internet may or may not be needed depending on your line of work. These days it usually is. Check your cell phone plan. Are you paying for a phone that isn’t getting much use? Millions get by with pre paid ones, only use texting and only use the actual phone when absolutely needed. Add a small amount for entertainment, the amount will depend on your financial situation of course. To that, ad another 20% that will cover unexpected events (car accidents, fridge that just died ). That’s your monthly budget. Now you start and Excel spreadsheet and write down every expense you make per day, every night after supper. You wont believe how much money doing this will save. The spreadsheet will tell you if you’re doing ok and avoid nasty surprises at the end of the month. Try it for one month, you’ll see how well it works.

3) Make more money. This will be a key factor when inflation hits, and will be mandatory if you want to maintain any glimpse of the life quality standards you want for your family. Some jobs are more time consuming than others but most of the time either one parent (or adult kids) has a few extra hours to work with. Start a home business, something you enjoy and start with bare minimum expenses to begin with. Start taking clients for yourself if your line of work allows it. Give classes, this could be math, music, first aid, shooting, everyone has something he enjoys and is good at. Teaching can be done as little or as much as you want if you find a student that can work around your schedule, its just a matter of finding him. If nothing else, start by cleaning the house and selling all that extra amount of items you just don’t need. People throw away things that could be sold for a few 20 dollar bills every day. I’m 31 and still remember the time when we lived in USA, I must have been 3 years old. We had just moved to the company house and while driving around my father saw a 21 speed bicycle that was layed there with the trash. It only needed a new chain. I still remember the conversation my parents had: “ Are these people crazy? Throwing away something that could be so easily fixed?” My father had a top managing position in an importnat bank, we moved with all expenses taken care of and a nice salary. We sure did not need to pick anyone's trash. It simply didn't compute in his brain to allow sometihng that could be repaired to be thrown in  a garbage truck. Still happens all the time in 1st world countries like US. That’s a line of work on its own right there, you’ll see none of that in Argentina or most South American countries.

Its not the time to go nuts running scared, but it is a time to make a down to Earth evaluation of your personal situation and take action.
Tae care folks.

FerFAL


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