This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The Economic Collapse Blog.
If the U.S. economy really is improving, then why are big U.S. retailers permanently shutting down thousands of stores? The “retail apocalypse” that I have written about so frequently appears to be accelerating. As you will see below, major U.S. retailers have announced that they are closing more than 6,000 locations, but economic conditions in this country are still fairly stable. So if this is happening already, what are things going to look like once the next recession strikes? For a long time, I have been pointing to 2015 as a major “turning point” for the U.S. economy, and I still feel that way. And since I started The Economic Collapse Blog at the end of 2009, I have never seen as many indications that we are headed into another major economic downturn as I do right now. If retailers are closing this many stores already, what are our malls and shopping centers going to look like a few years from now?
The list below comes from information compiled by About.com, but I have only included major retailers that have announced plans to close at least 10 stores. Most of these closures will take place this year, but in some instances the closures are scheduled to be phased in over a number of years. As you can see, the number of stores that are being permanently shut down is absolutely staggering…
180 Abercrombie & Fitch (by 2015)
75 Aeropostale (through January 2015)
150 American Eagle Outfitters (through 2017)
223 Barnes & Noble (through 2023)
265 Body Central / Body Shop
66 Bottom Dollar Food
25 Build-A-Bear (through 2015)
32 C. Wonder
21 Cache
120 Chico’s (through 2017)
200 Children’s Place (through 2017)
17 Christopher & Banks
70 Coach (fiscal 2015)
70 Coco’s /Carrows
300 Deb Shops
92 Delia’s
340 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar
39 Einstein Bros. Bagels
50 Express (through 2015)
31 Frederick’s of Hollywood
50 Fresh & Easy Grocey Stores
14 Friendly’s
65 Future Shop (Best Buy Canada)
54 Golf Galaxy (by 2016)
50 Guess (through 2015)
26 Gymboree
40 JCPenney
127 Jones New York Outlet
10 Just Baked
28 Kate Spade Saturday & Jack Spade
14 Macy’s
400 Office Depot/Office Max (by 2016)
63 Pep Boys (“in the coming years”)
100 Pier One (by 2017)
20 Pick ’n Save (by 2017)
1,784 Radio Shack
13 Ruby Tuesday
77 Sears
10 SpartanNash Grocery Stores
55 Staples (2015)
133 Target, Canada (bankruptcy)
31 Tiger Direct
200 Walgreens (by 2017)
10 West Marine
338 Wet Seal
80 Wolverine World Wide (2015 – Stride Rite & Keds)
So why is this happening?
Without a doubt, Internet retailing is taking a huge toll on brick and mortar stores, and this is a trend that is not going to end any time soon.
But as Thad Beversdorf has pointed out, we have also seen a stunning decline in true discretionary consumer spending over the past six months…
What we find is that over the past 6 months we had a tremendous drop in true discretionary consumer spending. Within the overall downtrend we do see a bit of a rally in February but quite ominously that rally failed and the bottom absolutely fell out. Again the importance is it confirms the fundamental theory that consumer spending is showing the initial signs of a severe pull back. A worrying signal to be certain as we would expect this pull back to begin impacting other areas of consumer spending. The reason is that American consumers typically do not voluntarily pull back like that on spending but do so because they have run out of credit. And if credit is running thin it will surely be felt in all spending.
The truth is that middle class U.S. consumers are tapped out. Most families are just scraping by financially from month to month. For most Americans, there simply is not a whole lot of extra money left over to go shopping with these days.
In fact, at this point approximately one out of every four Americans spend at least half of their incomes just on rent…
More than one in four Americans are spending at least half of their family income on rent – leaving little money left to purchase groceries, buy clothing or put gas in the car, new figures have revealed.
A staggering 11.25 million households consume 50 percent or more of their income on housing and utilities, according to an analysis of Census data by nonprofit firm, Enterprise Community Partners.
And 1.8 million of these households spend at least 70 percent of their paychecks on rent.
The surging cost of rental housing has affected a rising number of families since the Great Recession hit in 2007. Officials define housing costs in excess of 30 percent of income as burdensome.
For decades, the U.S. economy was powered by a free spending middle class that had plenty of discretionary income to throw around. But now that the middle class is being systematically destroyed, that paradigm is changing. Americans families simply do not have the same resources that they once did, and that spells big trouble for retailers.
As you read this article, the United States still has more retail space per person than any other nation on the planet. But as stores close by the thousands, “space available” signs are going to be popping up everywhere. This is especially going to be true in poor and lower middle class neighborhoods. Especially after what we just witnessed in Baltimore, many retailers are not going to hesitate to shut down underperforming locations in impoverished areas.
And remember, the next major economic crisis has not even arrived yet. Once it does, the business environment in this country is going to change dramatically, and a few years from now America is going to look far different than it does right now.
Also from Michael Snyder:
The Next Phase of Global Economic Crisis: “It Is Going To Shock The World”
America Is About To Change In a Major Way: “Everything That Can Be Shaken Will Be Shaken”
If Martial Law Comes to America “Dissidents and Subversives Would Be Rounded Up”
Russia Has Constructed Massive Underground Shelters In Anticipation Of Nuclear War
It Took 22 Years to Get to This Point
The United States just made a decision that could lead to World War 3. The current ruling class...
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The bird flu outbreak is continuing to spread in human beings. More cases have been confirmed in...
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Lot of flash in the pan, and yuppie scum stores here. Lots lost to modernization and internet shopping. 80’s movie OPM danny devito said it best, “They made the best goddamn buggy whips in the world.” Sad about Barnes & Noble, but hey, Amuricans read less and less as time goes by….. No need to read, I gots Yahoo !!!!! I recommend The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. A great, timeless story about the need to stay connected to: Land, Family, & SILVER !!!!!
Many of us will die, it’s just when, how, and why. We can die like men killing our oppressors, or like pussy cowards.
Lowes offers 5% off if you use their in store credit card. They make it back with a… get this, 24.9% interest rate on any unpaid balance carried. Its a vicious cycle creating debt slaves.
Blows is not the only retailer who does this. Just dont use any retailer card.
Maybe they could make more money with those vacant stores, by turning them into residential areas. You could fit quite a few apartments into the space inside an office depot, with plenty of free parking…Imagine an abandoned mall, turned into rent-by-the-week spaces.
Yea, and this is what you’ll end up with… the same thing that happened at the New Orleans superdome after Hurricane Katrina of 2005
http://www.bing.com/search?q=superdome+katrina+murders&qs=AS&sk=AS1&pq=superdome+k&sc=8-11&sp=2&cvid=82667b1aa2d547b3a855550539f450c4&FORM=QBRE
I make fairly good money today. At least I think I do. Im very good at budgeting my money and don’t spend on things I don’t need. However I never seem to have money in my pocket like I did 20 years ago. My income has tripled since then but prices have gone up 10 times. My boss even wants to cut my pay by 20%. If he does I will quit. He makes 5 times what he pays me for the work I do but He seems to have huge personal expenses. But that’s his problem. Personally I think that at todays prices someone needs to make $125,000 per year to have the same lifestyle you had 25 years ago making $30,000. Just my health insurance today costs what I made after taxes in 1990.
Joe,
You correct, i remember when i chose to NOT make more than $40,000.00 thousand a year because of tax debt and could 4-5 months off work and had more money in my pocket than i could spend! NOW, $40,000.00 and I have NO debt and have nothing left over either!!it HAS to stop some where!! collapse with a reset.
Yeah. Nowadays I walk into a build a bear at the mall with $100 and walk out with two crappy bears feeling totally ripped off. 15 years ago i’d walk out with 4! … feeling totally ripped off.
Just no fixin the dumbdude. Some things just deserv to end up in the dustbin.
And yet there is President BHO saying, the race issue in America needs more money thrown at it. More jobs, more social programs, more money for inner city schools. To keep the masses pacified, they need to steal my earning power. Bad shit is coming. Best of luck friends.
Paris-, where it’s illegal to own any defensive weapon (or even a very sharp kitchen knife)–Satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo lampoons islamic religion. 12 shot dead by mooslims.*
Copenhagen, where you can smoke, drink, eat or sleep with ANY known mind altering drug but Heaven help you if you wanna buy a gun–a month after Paris- two days of mooslim attacks leave two dead, about a dozen injured.
Texas (where Copenhagen is snuff and Paris is that little city up in the northeast, somewhere north of Tyler,) and they pretty much own any damn gun they want to– Garland (near Dallas for you non-natives) holds a ‘free speech’ event to basically poke mohammed in the eye– Two (possibly mooslim) gunmen try a drive by shooting. Final score… one slightly injured Texan and two dead gunmen. Nuff said. Lock and load……
* Note- in a kinder, gentler, way-the-hell-less-politically-correct time in America, “mooslim” was an accepted spelling of the relgion.
Of course, I just do it that way to piss off any potential mooslim readers.
Unless you’re some kind of super Ninja, a gun is the only real defense against a gun.
As those unarmed police officers in Paris discovered, a little too late as it happens (but at least they were able to run away, unlike the dead journalists inside).
Wonder if they learned a lesson? Probably not, I’m guessing they are still unarmed and expecting peaceful cooperation from criminals and terrorists.
The same thing is happening here.We are about to have an election and everyone knows that if the CONservatives get in for a second term, we are all screwed. Shops closed everywere, food very high, Petrol @£1.68 ltr/£8.82 Gal and now we have to pay a bedroom tax (if you recieve any sort of benefits) if you live in a house were you have a spare bedroom.I just hope we have a reveloution over here real soon.
I have a good buddy who was born in the Netherlands but lived in Denmark for a while before coming to the states. He told me that in Denmark they would be taxed on the size of their roof because of the rain that would hit it and wind up in the storm sewers after running off of it.
I just recently heard of something like that here in the states. I think it was Baltimore or maybe the county Baltimore resides in that was going to try that same thing.
That is just a sign of how desperate they are getting for money!!
In colonial America some people would be taxed on window glass. As glass was costly this …. oh same old S@#$
I visited Cardiff castle when I was younger. Really great place, in most americans’ eye when they imagine a real castle they’re thinking of Cardiff.
Is it totally the economy, or is bad management partly to blame for the closings.
How many times have you visited the web site of a local brick ‘n mortar store to see that they have what you want, only when you visit the store, not only do they not have it, they won’t or can’t get it for you. Then there are the times you traveled to store B to get it, only to find closer store A had it but did not list it in their inventory. You can’t trust their web sites.
This doesn’t need to happen to you many times before you give up and visit Amazon.com.
-Mr. Bill
Amazon isn’t all that great either. They have the largest “listing” of books, not actual books. In the past few years, most of the books I have wanted to buy and found listed on Amazon were not just out of stock but out of print. They list every book they can find listed anywhere even though they don’t exist in the market.
You can go on Amazon right now and look up a book I wrote back in the 1980s (only if I told you who I am). That book has never been retailed anywhere. I printed it myself and distributed it myself. But there it is on Amazon, even through they have never ever had a single copy. They don’t even know how to get hold of a copy. To top that, they don’t have my newer edition listed. And they don’t have my latest book from last month, even though it was actually published and is for sale at retail.
Barnes & Noble is another loser. I ordered books a couple of times and never received anything, not even a note saying they were out of them.
I like going to a real book store so I can browse and find new books that I might not have thought to look for.
I did buy a book on Amazon a few weeks ago for one cent, with $3.99 in shipping, which was a very good deal.
I get my DVDs like that.
Yeah. I did some books years back. AMZN won’t update to the newer releases. Something about wanting to charge the publisher more money to update… who knows. Books aren’t money makers in my field. Other than some learning for me, I got paid about 50c/hr on the best one and much less on the worst!
BTW, the TigerDirect near me offers little more than the website. The kids working there don’t even know how to hook up multiple hdmi sources to put into a tv. The product they sold was too lossy or something and didn’t work mostly. The one from ace hardware worked ok. The prices are the same. They are always out of the tablet I wanted to buy. If they want to have a physical store they need something differentiating over the website. Selection. Knowledgeable staff. Discounts. Something to drive traffic. Its 20 minutes from me; so, I might as well order online or go to the Radio Shack.
lafs… Tiger closed ALL their store fronts in the USA. ( online only now since their employees/customer service sux ) rat shack ( radio shack )also closed all their retail stores here thinking they went under but its speculation and i no longer care any more. they were not the same store i grew up with an electronics store so good riddens. heres one to ponder upon. since the beginning of this year McD’s has closed 3% of its restaurants… doesnt sound like much but that is thousands of jobs. also a good indicator something is amiss because mcd’s NEVER closes a restaurant i mean NEVER. i was in one today and found they have new touch screen computers that can take your order also … goodbye cashiers … cheaper in the long run and probably in anticipation they might have to pay the $15 hr livable wage the workers are demanding.
Some of these simply overbuilt their stores, kind od like Wal-Mart building super centers 15 minutes apart. Remember the ‘epedemic’of Starbucks stores closing? The shuttered stores should have never been opened in the first place. IDK if some of these were franchised, but if so, it’s partly just the big guys stealing the little guys’ franchise fees.
I was just thinking of this topic this morning on the bus, where homeless people take up the majority of the bus seats (they live in the forests).
Obama and his elitist friends keep saying how our economy has improved, while the vast majority of the people where I live (large city down south) live in the forests– even young girls. I kid you not! I talk to people all the time who live in the woods. Half the people (literally!) have back packs, with their personal belongings. They are forest people, who live in tents! And they are very, very poor! Half of the people here are homeless!
However, the economy is getting stronger! 🙂
Our world is slowly unravelling…
I can see no end of potential fema camps the gov
can utilize as the lifeblood of our economy hits
the skids and shuts down malls and boxstores.
If CNBC and their ilk were to ever tell it like it
is, the implosion would be comparable to Yellowstone
blowing it’s cork.
“If the U.S. economy really is improving, then why are big U.S. retailers permanently shutting down thousands of stores? ”
Obviously these retail locations will be joining the 700 Mickey D’s that will be connected by underground tunnels to the recent Wally World closings as Jade Helm goes LIVE. All tunnels connect in Midland Texas!!!
You can’t make this stuff up!!! 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY
durangokidd says:
“You can’t make this stuff up!!!”
LOL… You just did!!!
YMWW: There’s no pulling the wool over the eyes of this sheeple. You are just TOO smart for me! 🙂
The need is getting great to set up roadblocks on highways leaving the ghetto area. A good twenty miles out of Atlanta but we have been hit next to the highway twice in the last week.
You see all these tall concrete walls between highways and upscale residential areas? They claim they are noise abatement. What they really are is burglary abatement. I’m going back to the ’60s and ’70s when living next to Rt. 128 around Boston pretty much guaranteed you’d be burglarized once every year or so. Real estate values next to the big roads were half what they were a quarter mile away. That was when the movement for the walls began in New England. Friend of mine was a RE broker, that’s how I learned that little tidbit.
Not so slowly partner.
ht tp://enenews.com/tv-billions-mysterious-creatures-washing-along-west-coast-piles-dead-sea-animals-california-alaska-literally-covering-all-oregon-coast-expert-death-totals-staggering-be-billions-video
It is the return to a pristine world that will define slow. Our smartest minds have opened the cauldrons of Hell with no lid to be found. There is no bio degradation here. 300 tons per day more every day, every year, every century, every era for eons. Our legacy is a self fulfilling prophecy, murder. The Pacific is dead. It is too late to mourn.
GrandpaSpeaks:
Thanks for your comment. “The cauldrons of Hell” have certainly been opened with no lid to close it.
There is a “History Book/The Bible” in Revelation that says this would happen. Funny how dismissive people are of that Book/Chapter.
There will be NO escape even for the monied PTB when our oceans die.
They shouldn’t have cried wolf with global warming. This one is a for sure prediction. Warnings are quashed by the elite, they call them conspiracy theories and never mention when they become fact. They cannot lie to physics so they must lie to us. Fukushima will become paramount to everyone soon. Want a tip? Get into anything not yet irradiated or anything to do with decontamination if you have. It is here and getting worse. What did the radionuclide say when it landed on the corn? Not fair, this corn is already genetically modified.
I’ve read Gibbon’s “Decline and fall of the Roman Empire” and think that one day a brilliant writer will write a similar book about the United States Empire.
In my city we already have strip malls that are 50-80% vacant. I’m surprised to see Dollar Tree and Family Dollar on that list. The ones in my town still seem to do a lot of business. I’m still stacking and everyone else needs to do the same while you still can.
it shows how dumb americans are when the dollar stores and 99 cent stores were sooo popular….MOST things in there can be had MUCH cheaper by buying it in the bigger sizes in a regular store….they have taken advantage of the american public not ABLE to do the math in their heads….or is it cause they got METH in their heads?
I have done the math, and a lot of things at Dollar Tree are cheaper than the other stores. For example, when they sell a new loaf of a brand name bread for $1.00, when the grocery stores have the very same loaf for over $3.00. We buy orange marmalade at Dollar Tree because the price per ounce is less than at the grocery store.
The Dollar General store has good, airtight screw top plastic containers for only $4.00. The other stores don’t even have that item. They are great for keeping bugs out of pasta, rice, and other dry products. We buy a few every time we see them on the shelf.
Just like anywhere else, you have to know your prices so that you can pick out the real deals and the items that the other stores don’t carry at all.
i have ALSO done the math, and like i said, MOST things are MORE expensive than a regular market, when measured on a per ounce basis….i didn’t SAY there weren’t bargains there(i have found a couple myself)….but i stand by what i said.
agree braveheart they just bulldozed a house to build a dollar tree lot of fastfood places going up a few dollar stores but that’s it no real business;s
Braveheart I think the dollar stores are whats keeping a lot of Americans from having to move out to the woods to live like Anonymous noted above. I too was surprised to see them on the list, but it may just be a matter of demographics. If you try to open one too close to a snooty neighborhood the natives might not like the “riff raff” it brings in and complain to the local municipality til the store gets harassed enough that the only viable option becomes shutting it down. 1 possible theory, cuz I know many people are only able to survive by shopping there.
The 30-hour per week jobs are another factor. Am surprised Synder didn’t mention that. But I guess that topic needs another article!
Borodino, I was thinking the same thing. Look in anyone’s classified ads you choose and you’ll find very few if any companies offering full-time work anymore. At today’s prices on everything, it would take 3 of those 30-hour per week jobs just to keep your head above water. Fortunately, my one job pays me enough to have a decent standard of living and still be able to get preps. I’m debt-free so it would be absolute insanity for me to go in debt on anything these days. No loans or credit cards for me to pay off and that’s the way I like it. Everyone should work on becoming debt-free.
Off Topic. After 4 out of 4 berkey filters failed I bought some pro pur black filters to replace the berkeys. I noticed algea growing in the bottom where the clean water tank. This showed me that they don’t filter worth a shit. I saw an independent gravity filter test on natural news.com The 2nd best filter was the ZEN water filter (berkey was first but they are garbage) So I am going to try the ZEN it is only 79 bux and alkalizes the water too. If your looking for a filter check out the zen, I will let you know how I like it. Berkey and Propur are crap!
Berkey reviews from amazon ht tp://www.amazon.com/Berkey-Replacement-Purification-Elements-2-Pack/product-reviews/B00BWIWW1Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0
Independent lab test for most gravity filters ht tp://www.waterfilterlabs.com/
I have said it before, and I’ll probably say it again; if i survive the next round of chemtrails.
The only 100% safe way to purify water of any kind, is through distillation. For less than a couple hundred bucks, a counter top, one gallon distiller can be purchased.
It will guarantee the purest possible potable water for you and your family. It will clear out the chemicals from municipal water. In a worst case scenario, it will purify water from a mud puddle. I would advise straining through coffee filters first, though.
I see people buying multiple cases of bottled water. In less than a year, a counter top will pay for itself and folks can eliminate the guesswork of wondering if they are drinking chemicals in those convenient plastic bottles.
For a bug out situation where there is no 110 service, a bulky water filtering system would be better than nothing.
For the life of me, I can’t understand how any person with common sense can actually expect a water filter to eliminate trace amounts of toxic chemicals, especially in city water. Not to mention the fact that boiling is the only way to kill bacteria.
Now, if a person is uneducated and hard headed like a bowling ball, like my dear old dumbass Dad; then I can see how one would think that a tiny filter on the back of a refrigerator for the cold water dispenser might think that run off water would be all purified somehow.
We have a shared mountain spring water system. Because of the lay of the land, it is susceptible to rain water run off in severe downpour situations and our water becomes murky for a few days.
I remedied the situation back in the eighties by installing a whole house water filter and a counter top water distiller. In fact, I have been distilling my drinking water for thirty years now, just to be on the safe side.
The old man finally installed his first whole house water filter system last year. That was due to him getting a glass full of dingy water from his new expensive refrig/freezor unit with door dispensers, and finally understanding what I had been telling him for years. Even the best filters do not remove all contaminants from unsafe water sources.
He will never spring for the distiller because he is too tight and old school.
Preppers; don’t be stingy and stupid and make your family sick.
Keep safe purified water for them to put into their bodies.
Don’t expect every bottle that says “purified” on it to be safe and taste worth a darn.
Our water isn’t that bad to start with. It isn’t flouridated either. We have 2 tabletop distillers but don’t use them because they use a LOT of power. A good gravity filter does the job just fine for us. If we lived in a town or place that had bad water I might consider the distiller.
passin, I hear you about the chemtrails damn. I have read a story from a man that had his soil tested and it was 400 times the normal amount of aluminum! But not to fear, monsanto has aluminum resistant seeds for you! Why on earth would we need that? Don’t tell old coach he will argue for days (unsuccessfully) saying they aren’t real and he is a smart man lol.
Genius, you are really a miser or a tightwad, or a really poor person, if you can’t afford the twenty-five to fifty cents worth of electricity it cost to distill a gallon of water.
Even my old Sears/Kenmore model doesn’t cost me but an extra few bucks to run E O day for a month.
Most people don’t like the cleaning of the stainless steel pot.
I remedied that by putting mine on a timer so that it shuts off just prior to boiling dry, and leaves about 3/4 of a pint in the distiller.
I then use a paper towel to wipe it out after it cools and rinse. It is ready for another round.
I usually get 25 to 30 batches before i have to use a couple tablespoons of Citric Acid/Anhydrous cleaning solution.
For stubborn build-up, it may take a sulfamic solution for breakdown of the chemicals and a little light scrubbing with a scouring pad.
City water has the worst chemicals/heavy metals, and requires a little more attention. Good well water and spring water is best.
A local man has a Bottled water business and has dispensers set up in various locations. He operates under a name that infers that his water comes from mountain spring water. Knowing him personally, he just runs city water through a reverse osmosis type system and bottles it with the catchy color labels.
Anyways, he told me that he had a small drip in one of the connectors on the system, that fed off the bad stuff and that it was next to a floor drain so he didn’t bother to fix it.
After six months he said he had about a one foot thick pile of build up of heavy gooey metallic looking stuff that came right from the processing of the city water.
That’s the kind of stuff that people are putting into their bodies and into the bodies of their children. Add in the carcinogens that are coming from breathing the exhaust fumes from vehicles, and it is no wonder that people are having health problems and more importantly, the cancer causing kind.
passin, Im not a tightwad I just don’t need to distill our water. It is a rural well and a good gravity filter is fine. Our other place is solar powered so power IS an issue there. But that also is a mtn. well water so its pretty good stuff to start with. Besides like you said, cleaning and counterspace makes it an issue too and I am kinda lazy lol.
For next to nothing, you can build an old-time still to make distilled water using a fire instead of electric heat.
I have the materials to build a still when the time comes.
You shouldn’t buy anything else electric, if there is an alternative that uses fire or muscle to power it.
You mean you don’t already have a still made??? Damn I’m dissapointed! Thats at the top 10 of prep items lol 😛
I don’t need it now, and it takes up less space.
And yes, it could also be used for alcohol.
I hear you Archivist.
And, I’m right with you. Back in the eighties, I worked as Groundskeeper/Maintenance for a local hospital. They were always replacing equipment with the latest stuff on the market. We would stash the old in a warehouse. Finally it got full and the hospital wanted to get rid of it. As part of the deal,any maintenance guys that wanted to work on listing the inventory on their own time could get in on first dibs on anything we wanted to buy…cheap.
I bought some real nice stainless steel pieces of equipment and such for a dollar each. Got my grandmother an electric operated bed for fifty bucks. She was disabled, and loved it.
Point is, I now have all the components ready and waiting to be assembled for a wood/gas/oil fired ten gallon water distiller.
The copper and stainless tubing was from hospital salvage also.
If the grid goes down, I can keep my immediate family in purified water.
People need to stockpile purified/distilled water if they don’t have a source. Cleaned glass bottles are the way to store. I salvage half gallon liquor and wine bottles from the recycling bin when i take my recyclables. I’m not stealing. I’m just trading out.
Filled a couple of three gallon glass carboy jugs last week, with hard winter white wheat berries. Sealed off the tops with metal lids and aluminum tape just in case a little gnawing rodent gets to them. We have wheat berries from five years ago that are sealed in glass jugs and stored in 55 gallon steel drums. Just as viable today as they were then.
Man can’t live by bread alone, but he sure as hell can live on bread and clean water. The rice stockpiles are mainly for harder times when saki is a necessity. You know what i mean, as for antiseptic/medicinal purposes.
Algae growing just means you need to clean out
Your bucket. Use some bleach and hot water
And start over. Algae grows in water when
Left alone long enough.
What was the exact problem you had with the Berky filters?
I was considering one but now I’m not as sure.
Algea growing means it is NOT filtering out the cells that grow it. When the berkey filters worked before failure they filtered out all the algea and none grew period.
Sharon, the problem was the seals failed at the base of the filters and water just passed straight through into the clean tank so it didnt filter anything! Go to the link I provided above just take out the space between the h’s there are a shitload of people that have the same failure problems and berkey customer service wont do shit about it! Go to the link or amazon and read the shit people say about berkey. Read the 1 star reviews there are a LOT of them. Bet your life on a berkey? I don’t think so!
sorry I meant the space between the t’s
http://www.amazon.com/Berkey-Replacement-Purification-Elements-2-Pack/product-reviews/B00BWIWW1Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0
We have had our berkey for 2 years now and love it! Our water has lots of iron and calcium and the berkey seems to clear it all. We have city water but still filter it….we do the dogs water too….
babycatcher, put some red food coloring in it and see if it filters it out. If not then you know the seals are failing.
Genius, I almost ought a Berkey 2 years ago when they first started having those filter issues. Now I’m glad I didn’t. Nowadays I bet my money on Sawyer for water filtration. Ready Made Resources.com carries the new Sawyer SP140 Water Filter Bottle for $39.95 each. the filter can be cleaned and never needs replacing. It’s rated for one million gallons just like the other Sawyer products. Free shipping on orders over $50. I bought 2 and tested them both at the BOL on my last trip at the end of March. The creek behind the cabin has some of the best-tasting water I’ve ever had. It works on tap water also. I keep one in the truck and another stored as a spare. I’m sold on Sawyer but I may look into that ZEN for a tabletop filter. I still have a Katadyn with some extra filters I’ll keep as a barter item. Someone will be only too happy to get that in any post-SHTF scenario.
I too got taken by buying a Berkey. Didn’t do my due diligence, and just assumed they are affiliated with British Berkfeld. They’re not.
But I just went and bought some genuine Berkfeld filters on Amazon and had done with it. Also bought a real stainless tap to replace that plastic thing.
Quit whining and fix the problem.
Multi-layers of coffee filters can give the same results.
If it’s taste you are trying to improve, buy carbon/charcoal water filters and filter through them for drinking water.
passing, I don’t think coffee filters block out particles at .2 microns. The carbon in most filters are to filter out chemicals. Coffee filters are NOT an alternative!
Eppe, it’s definitely coming unglued slowly but surely. Keep stacking while you can. I might be coming back to GA sooner than I planned. It’s going to be a long, hot summer.
Bh I live in jasper,ga, where yu be headed.
Pain, I’m not at liberty to say [OPSEC].
The middle class is being destroyed, yet most of America is caught in a zombie trance unequal to anything I’ve ever seen. I honestly believe the government could come in to homes and begin confiscating guns with nary a peep from America. Last night I stupidly rented the Maywether/Pacquio fight and was immediately greeted by the Mexican National Anthem. WTF? Yet not a peep by Americans. We don’t even have Tea Party protests anymore. Perhaps most have given up and just don’t care anymore.
More like we are quietly preparing.
Does anyone believe USG statistics (Unemployment rate/economic indicators/inflation etc.). The USG lies.
OhioRiver, spot on. Never trust government on anything.
Thanks…it disappoints me that so many Americans don’t believe the USG while, in times past, most all Americans believed what the USG said.
When the USG breaks its own laws and the citizens don’t trust their own government then its over for the country. (not to mention no trust in the MSM, public schools, corporations, Wall St. etc.)
I don’t trust anything the govt. tells us anymore. If they tell the truth one time somebody will suffer for it for not believing that one time.
The Time data from the Naval Observatory seem to still be correct.
I think that this is just the tip of the ice berg. For every large business that closes, there will be several small (mom and pop) companies or business’ that fail. I don’t see this trend subsiding, but rather increasing as the economy continues to falter.
Sad to see all these folks loose jobs. Radio Shack is the only one on the list that I have ever gone to. I do almost all of my “shopping” on line. I’ve never been much of a shopper anyway. It sure feels like we’re starting to shut down. Braveheart is right. It’s gonna be a long hot summer.
Wrong, it’s slowly unraveling just like Eppe said. get everything you can while you still can. Some people swear up and down that Sept./Oct. will be when the balloon goes up but I feel like it will be in the middle of summer. Keep prepping and good luck.
Lose
yea. thanks internet spelling police
I like this site, but most of America is so far out of touch, they aren’t able to even comprehend something like preparedness. The decline of our society that we’ve talked about for so long is finally catching up to us. Add 40 million disease ridden, corrupt, lying, stinking, jail filling, hospital filling, school filling, third world socialists to the mix (illegal aliens), and walla!!, you no longer have even a semblance of what you thought America was.
I gather some satisfaction in watching the children of liberal socialist who cannot get into college whilst third worlders who unable to read or write English do. Great stuff. When the SHTF, the liberals will demand you feed and clothe them. If you don’t – they will have their lapdogs coming for you. The coming class war is as plain as day.
Walla? Surely you mean “Voila!” French for there it is. The pronunciation is similar to what I think you are trying to say. Don’t confuse this with “voici” meaning “here it is.”
When you say “walla” I imagine a southern negro saying “hmmmp darre itiz.”
Government regulation, coupled with monopoly like actions by corporations keep ma and pa America barefoot and pregnant. Last week the local BBQ joint was visited by the local health inspector (near Lenoir NC) and was told to remove a sink that the very same inspector made them put in only the year before. The owner, a registered Democrat, opined that he believed most state and federal restaurant regulations were put in place by corporations colluding with politicians. Duh!!!!! How a majority of Americans could be so stupid as to not recognize that is beyond me.
I hope the owner of the BBQ place is refusing to remove the sink unless the inspector pays for it.
I’ve got news for the Democrat owner that thinks the health codes were put in place by corporations. That’s just his way of denial and vindication. The codes were written by and for the people in the health departments.
Smokey,
The owner told the health inspector that he shouldn’t have to remove a sink that the health inspector mandated the year before. The health inspector told him either remove the sink or face a “B” rating which would’ve killed his business. The owner had no recourse except to comply.
I do believe corporations collude with politicians. For example, you never see ma and pa America opening up a gas station or diner. Gas stations have such stringent rules and regulations that most of us could not afford to open one up. Yet corporations can afford to build to regulation. In the end they get a monopoly on all gas stations and make even more money. How many ma and pa gas stations have you seen open in the last decade? Same for greasy spoon diners. The rules favor corporate food chains to the point they gain a monopoly. The only independent owner/operators in existence are those remaining from many years ago.
Johnny, you’re right about corporations and politicians, it would be nice if they would leave each other alone.
But small gas stations are put out of business by the EPA. It costs $200,000 just to replace a leaky underground tank, more if it’s under asphalt instead of gravel. Only the corporations have that kind of pocket.
As for diners, I see the little family eateries come and go, their menu, service, and prices dictate who wins and loses, as well as the owners’ health and financial abilities. The food chains are losers, too, lots of franchises change hands without anyone knowing it, as long as the neon sign reads the same. Their advertising pocket, though, means folks will eat there while visiting from Ohio because they recognize the name. Joe’s Diner doesn’t have that ‘good will’.
I chalk a lot of that up to local econonomics and management, rather than a corporate/gov’t industrial complex. There’s too many variables to say something is true for all.
If you have not already, you need to sell everything you own or owe on, while you still can get a bid on it, that does not directly support the essentials, or save you money on them or make you money.
People will sabotage their survival trying to maintain their current status quo by selling their RV or livaboard boat to make a few more mortgage payments and still lose their house in the end and, only then, realize too late that they should have saved those mortgage payments to their pocket and moved out sooner and into that RV or boat instead of selling them.
Planned downsizing, on your terms, always trumps being backed into a corner with no options or cash remaining and on other peoples terms then. But, you’ve got to do it (selling everything) well before everybody begins trying to, when nobody then is getting a fair price for anything.
Panic early, beat the rush!
– Shane
Shane: Good points. Those who are leveraged will lose those assets eventually anyway. Take the money and run: to your nearest silver bullion dealer!!! 🙂
@DK
What happened to the #10 can trick???
Have you now deleted that wisdom from your “professional” financial advice?
???
Ya your metal #10 can rusted out and your cash rotted away? LOL I got to hand it to you DK, that was one of the stupidest bits of advice I ever heard.
Genius: Seal that cash in plastic bags, throw in an 02 eater, and use a plastic coffee can that cannot be detected.
Otherwise, leave your cash in your bank account and watch it “grow” at nearly negative rates. 🙂
DK I was just wondering. The strips that are in our U.S. bills that have the metallic denomination on them, if packed together in a large quantity, can they be detected by a metal detector? Trekker Out.
MT: I don’t know for sure, but it could depend upon the amount of metal in one location, the depth of your stash, and the quality of the detector.
$5,000 detectors can get a “hit” a couple of feet down, so bury those coffee cans near a pipe as others have mentioned here before. 🙂
DK, there is a big difference between a plastic coffee can and a #10 can lol. Screw both of them I would use a section of 4 inch pvc pipe buried just under the ground level sitting vertically with a screw top on it.
Genius: Yes there is a big difference between the two. If you are not smart enough to use plastic cans, you are no genius. 🙂
I use the “# ten can” to honor Mushroom who was a long time commenter here before his passing, who originated that wisdom. 🙁
Genius: BTW, the PVC pipe is a good way to go and I have recommended one inside another, with caps, before. 🙂
YMWW: No, ten dollar bills in #10 cans as a precaution is as valid as ever as dollars will be short in a long, deflationary depression, but the recent revelation of JP Morgan acquiring 55 million ounces of silver has changed my outlook a bit on silver.
I have always thought that preppers should own the precious metals, including silver, after their preps are in; and have said as much many times.
There are a number of possible reasons why JP Moran has accumulated this much silver: first, it could be the result of taking possession of their physical silver as their future contracts matured when they were manipulating the metals markets.
Second, it could be that they intend to become a dealer in metals, pocketing the spread whether buying or selling, in a move to produce more revenue.
Third, they also acquire metals for their Wealth Management clients. Whatever the reason, follow the money if you are not prescient enough to be out in front of it catching the wave. 🙂
YMWW: With regard to the Second scenario, consider the ability of JPM to buy in bulk from the mint(s) or the miners themselves at a wholesale price while the miners hedge their production and the banks look for new revenue streams; and new borrowers.
Then consider the number of branches they have across the country to sell it retail and pocket the commission.
It boggles the mind. 🙂
One more point, folks. While JPM and other banks may not allow you to hold cash, precious metals, and jewelry in your SDB anymore; they may very well provide “custodian services” for your precious metals held in their vaults that you have bought from them and charge you a fee for the privilege of depositing your PM’s.
Don’t be surprised if these contracts, if this comes about, are engineered in a way to make your precious metals, equivalent to the cash in your checking and savings accounts and therefore susceptible to “assimilation”.
Time will tell.
It could happen and if it did, pm’s would be assimilated BEFORE the collapse of the banking system, resulting in a SPIKE in precious metals prices: which would cover the cost of a lot of derivatives.
Just another reason that the coming market crash is not a dollar collapse. The GB’s have a LOT more they can steal before rolling the dollar over.
That’s not gonna happen. 🙂
durangokidd says:
“I have always thought that preppers should own the precious metals, including silver…”
Say what???
You’re full of it!
You once harangued your “peeps” with the absurd notion that “silver” is NOT a “precious metal.”
Now, in your own words, you have managed to flip-flop on that position as well.
First it was #10 cans… “but the recent revelation of JP Morgan acquiring 55 million ounces of silver has changed my outlook a bit…”
Now it’s silver. (see above quote)
LMAO!
“You can’t make this stuff up!!!
Correction: DK can… and can. (no pun intended)
YMWW: I have stated many times that preppers should own silver (and gold) based upon their ability to buy. Check the archives. Its there MULTIPLE times. 🙂
While gold is preferred based upon its 9,000 year old history with humanity (and its underlying support by the Central Banks), silver (and ten dollar bills) is useful for those who cannot afford gold.
Silver is primarily an industrial metal but that may be changing (phased out) due to new technologies which create cheaper, better substitutes for electronics. (The Principle of Substitution). What then for silver?
The gangster banksters will find a useful way to make a profit from it as it will be produced in large quantities by the Copper Miners anyway.
I am more bullish on silver now because of this disclosure of the JPM large stash of silver. This is a potential game changer; particularly if this is the start of a trend with Central Bankers and not just an anomaly.
When the situation changes. My analysis will change. Economics and Finance, like Sport and War is a FLUID dynamic that must be evaluated and re-evaluated regularly.
When the game changes, one must adapt or lose. Can you say “Forward Pass”?. 🙂
@DK
You ARE on record besmirching the idea that silver is “precious!”
If you deny this, then you sir, are a bold faced liar!!
Your words are archived for all to read… just like everything else.
Do I need to post your past comments on this subject???
Lemme know.
Yes I am, but silver is not “precious” to me, and never will be as it is not a noble metal.
Many here believe it “precious” because the bullion dealers and miners have been successful in conning the public since the cry of “16 to 1!”. But then many here believe in the collapse of the dollar with the crash of the markets too.
You can’t fix stupid.
It will be interesting to see whether this stash of silver by JPM is an anomaly or the harbinger of a new trend by the central banks; in which case silver could be the new gold.
In any event, as a small miner, I am well positioned for silver, gold, and all platinum group metals. How about you? 🙂
durangokidd said:
“Silver is not a precious metal. It is an industrial metal. Don’t be fooled by the fools that want YOU to be the bigger fool buying silver…” ~ durangokidd, December 12, 2011 @ 10:06pm
“However you are wrong. Silver is NOT a precious metal.” ~ durangokidd, December 13, 2011 @ 11:10pm
“Don’t go crazy buying silver thinking that it is a source of wealth, or even a store of wealth. It isn’t… It is NOT a precious metal, it is an industrial metal.” ~ durangokidd, December 14, 2011 @ 12:16am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precious_metal
http://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/the-worlds-10-most-precious-metals
http://interestingengineering.com/top-10-most-valuable-precious-metals/
“You can’t fix stupid.”
Well at least you got that one right!
YMWW: The only reasons that silver is precious are two: first because it can be used as an antiseptic; and second because the western silver miners lobbied Congress (read “bribed”) back in the late 1800’s to label it as precious.
Since then the miners and bullion dealers have spread the idea that it is “precious” to give it more value than it really had prior to its use in electronics, and charge people accordingly.
Its the biggest scam since the Easter Bunny, or Cinco de Mayo.
Yes, silver has been used for coins since the founding of the country and metal coins have been used for millennia. If silver is “precious” then so is copper, and aluminum beer cans.
People need to get a clue. You do too. 🙂
@DK
The paper silver market is estimated to be $5 trillion – Bloomberg
The physical silver market is roughly $20 billion
This makes for a 250 to 1 ratio between the paper market and the physical silver market.
The stack of paper is taller than the stack of silver!
What do you think would happen if just a small percentage of paper silver holders called in their positions???
You’re a bright fellow (I suppose), you tell me.
That’s right… the spot price for physical silver would skyrocket!
Now you know why JPM is stashing silver. It’s precious.
pre-cious
/preSHəs/
adjective
1. (of an object, substance, or resource) of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly.
When the music stops, and it will, there will not be nearly enough chairs!
And now you know why the Feds are stashing lead. The scam know as “The American Republic” is unraveling.
scam
/skam/
noun
1. a dishonest scheme; a fraud.
Here endeth the lesson. No need to thank me.
Expanding on the above…
Not for everybody, but I’ve got friends (young, old, retired, some even with kids) that have for years lived on boats they’d paid $1,000 – $5,000 for and pay at the marina for a berth just $130 month, which includes un-metered (unlimited) water and electricity. Their AC runs all summer and their heater all winter, with no concern for incurring the expense of it.
They fish and crab trap off the back of their boats or go out for a day, weeks or more and some occasionally move up or down the coast for a change of view or jobs. Most have cars, some just a motorcycle or bike. They all have a very small monthly nut to crack and are living where and how many would like to vacation, if they could afford it.
More and bigger, better boats cheaper have been coming on the market and I’ve seen a few darn near given away as the owners could no longer even afford the drive down and monthly marina fee and were not using their boat enough anyways.
Again, an RV on water is not for everybody, and not everywhere is as cheap as it is along the Texas ‘Redneck Riviera’ coast, but you might want to check it out. It can be a great lifestyle with more than its fair share of truly friendly self-reliant neighbors. I’ve done it part-time and my youngest is now a full-time liveaboard.
Shane,
You hit the nail right on the head. For last year, I’ve been seeing people miserably holding garage or yard sales where they’re desperately trying to sell junk they didn’t need to buy at the first place a while back, for a dollar on the 20 or for a nickle on the dollar, it’s pathetic. And it’s going to get 100 times worse. Such great advise as “downsizing on one’s own terms”. Thank you so much!!!
DaisyD.
To back up what you said.
I go to the Flea Markets regularly. Have five in the area. There are those who try to make a living by selling third rate crap. Fact being they are still in business selling crap. The merchandise is low grade furniture, toys and china junk.
The next tier are those who are trying to meet ends and they buy from estate sales, house clear outs and yard/garage sales to resell to make a profit.
Last are those who really need the money and sell everything under the sun and for whatever price they can get.
True Slingshot!
Oftentimes, what I come across is actually pretty fresh looking and one can tell they just screwed up and now they got the message and they are working to do some damage control but it’s too late. The people up there set in place manipulative strategies to encourage consumerism, supposedly because it “boosts the economy” but then at what price?!?!At the first speed bump, people come down right on their face.
FYI Reader,
this is my post, somehow it came under “anonymous”, I thought it didn’t publish so I retyped it. Weird what happens on the other side.
True Slingshot!
TPTB set in place manipulative economic strategies to push for consumerism to supposedly “boost the economy” but at what price? People think they can just buy, buy, buy without brakes whatsoever and at the first speed bump they hit, they come down right on their faces. Those sad second hand sales are no ways of doing damage control.
Seeing a big trend up in Montana of people selling their houses and living in 5th wheels. I know that people have always done that but it’s becoming more common around here.
Other signs of trouble… 7 big stores in my area have shut down in the past year and 1/2. Shoplifting is up at the local grocers and I know one of them can’t even afford to keep security on duty. Robbery and theft is up.
Another biggie, tourism down. I live near a tourist town on the way to Glacier Natl. We usually see our town full of travelers and RV’s at the beginning of May.. but not this year. Had an article come out the other day that Chamber of Commerce is “stumped” by the extremely low amounts of tourists at the opener season this year. Hello? Economy? Obamacare? Jobs? And they are “stumped”?
I’m seeing much older people going back to work in their late 60’s – 70’s more than ever. Seeing people patching together 2 and 3 jobs just to make it… it’s definitely unraveling.
Didn’t the original headline for this article say “7,000”? Economy not collapsing fast enough?
Who Cares.!
I think we can expect an interesting summer this year.
AC, yes indeed… it will be interesting. I’ve got lots of organic popcorn ready for the show!
Too bad about all the jobs,
This is the year i push for self sufficiency and reduction of spending. It is inevitible that the economy will contract dragging many folks down the tube with it.
Some of the closures are from the change in the way people are shopping and purchasing on the internet.
That needs to be factored in to get a true picture.
I know that for anything other than groceries and items I need immediately, I rarely go to a retail store anymore – even for stuff like auto parts and most hardware items I don’t need immediately to complete a project in progress.
Yupper. It’s significantly cheaper for me to buy everything but food online, mostly Amazon, than it is to drive to a Walmart, only to see that they don’t have what I wanted anyway. Yah, I wait a few days to get my stuff, but I can plan for that. Only non-food item I won’t buy online is ammo. I don’t need the publicity.
Actually, in some ways, this is all good. There’s so much unsustainable Crap that Americans horde as if their lives depend on it, i.e. the insatiable appetite for more and more and more has been an uncontrollable epidemic. Good Bye Fredericks of Hollywood.
Our life-styles are all about to change quite dramatically over the next ten years, starting later this summer. If what one is buying sustains life, nourishes and uplifts, not just oneself but also those around oneself, then it will be worth the investment. Unsustainable consumerism is dying, and good riddance! It’s been a contagious disease in the country for far too long. In fact, it’s propagated the birth of ‘one out of three obese’ and ‘one out of two, overweight’ Americans.
We’re all going to go on a healthy; physical, emotional and mental diet starting now. Time to dump the useless attachments.
Time for a Spiritual Regeneration Movement in America, without the ‘holier than thou’ religions that preach ‘My god is better than your God.’
Time to Simplify and get back to basics. Those who don’t survive the withdrawals will be gnashing their teeth in the end.
Hey E.A.!!
I agree, not long ago I saw a documentary that exposes how the food industry mixes in the crap they sell chemical additives that puts the brain on a sort of constant starvation mode, so even when one’s stomach is full, the brain continues to think it’s hungry and gets the person to go reach out for more food to swallow (not MSG, something else). For those that have a problem with shopping, I was wondering if the same principle can work to get the brain to constantly go and try to buy something to fill in some type of void even though, oftentimes the person does not need anything.
This on one hand, on the other, I wanted to share that ever since I had few experiences with Christ close to 7 years ago, I proceeded to fast on regular basis. And the longest I have so far is 31 days, no hard food whatsoever, juust some altered fluid, some tea, cofe and water. After my birthday this week, I plan to start another long fast, and extend it for as long as I can in prep for what’s about to unravel around September. I am going to add up heavy prayer to it. I am very excited about it. I recommend that all those that can fast fast. It’s lot easier than anybody can think. One of the thing fasting taught me and made me realize is how much food mankind eats that it really does not need to eat. It’s amazing how much of pigs we, humans truly are in the department.
@ DaisyD,
Lady, you are a winner in my book. I wish i could fast again. It is amazing what transpires in the body and the mind because of the visiting by the Holy Spirit when one fasts and prays, correctly.
I never thought much about it except just wondering how Christ survived for forty days with fasting.
You are truly an inspiration to others by witnessing about your fasting.
I do know from doing research, that I am at too high of a risk for stroke and possible seizure by fasting since i have heart disease,high BP, and diabetes.
When i did do it in 2003, I had a remarkable experience after i had did a couple 24 hour fasts. I did pray each time, and then after reading a book on fasting and prayer, I realized that I was supposed to pray for something specific near the end of my fast.
So I did another 24 hour fast, and prayed after going all day without eating, (about eighteen hours). Sometime, before the 24 hour mark, i received the Holy Spirit and had a dream which turned into an out of body experience and vision.
My life has not been the same since.
With faith, and specific prayer, an honest person can receive much revelation.
I wish you much success and blessings.
PWTW,
I cannot thank you for your kind and much needed encouragement. I agree with everything you said. Did you ever think about doing the Daniel Fast if it’s too much for you to do the full fast? there are 2 passages in the book of Daniel where he did 10 days once (Daniel 1:12), and 21 on the other (Daniel 10:3). Maybe that one won’t be as demanding for you considering your condition. And it just might medically correct couple of things for you. If I tell you some of my stories with Christ you are not going to believe me as my health at this point is His and not mine, I owe Him that much. I wish I could post my email here for you as I really want to share with you what I did and that took care of business for me as in 1-2-3. As far as my motivation, from what happened, He took me by storm at the time that I was going to lose my head. So I decided to fast to give Him gift in Thanks as I had nothing else to give. I did 9 squeaky clean days, on the 8th day, I forgot my altered water as I went to work, and outside I almost collapsed I was that weak. I even tried to buy water and could not find a single store that did that day. but I would not give in either as I was only a day away from the finale. I think the HS really tested me that day. It was A Wild Ride that I will never forget. That was only the beginning. Yeah, I owe Him Biiiiiig. He is taking me through though time to teach me unconditional love right now, and that really takes a Toll on me mentally at times but whenever I remember those days, I come back STRAIGHT to Base where I need to be.
Please read those passages and give them a thought. I think you can do it for 72 hours to start.
Again, thank you so much for your encouragement. It’ much needed and appreciated it.
I forgot the word “enough” for “I cannot thank you enough”.
…a SONG OF ENCOURAGMENT PWTW:
A group I like that goes by the Name of Casting Crowns, the title of one of their first songs is “The Voice of Truth”. I Hope you like it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enxca57LiVU
You are right about a lot of things, EU.
And there is only ONE God, and He has a very special son.
Without either one of them, a person is dead in the water, without a paddle nor even a breeze.
A drifting lifeless slow process of dying, while fooling them selves with all those trinkets they have accumulated as meaning happiness and success.
Times, they are rapidly changing. Better for believers, and worse, for the spiritually dead in Christ.
Hey P. For such a holy-Joe I didn’t think that you of ALL people would or could forget about our closest friend and helper IN the TRINITY… The Holy Spirit! LORD have mercy.
Hey a-ho….stick it where the sun don’t shine and stay the hell of my “holy-Joe cloud”.
You will have your day, just as every dog does.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA……………………………………………….
And hiding behind made up names! BWAHAHAHAHAHA.
i can foresee the malls and stores being turned into places to live now that we are in the tech age of buying.
I think there are a few pockets of prosperity, but I expect they will falter soon. It has been a goal of the wife and I to add to the preps each week. The biggest concern is how long will the downturn last.
Picked up 300 rounds of 7.62X51, 147 gr. NATO specs, ZQ1 brand (Turkey Manf.) On the side of the box it touts less than one MOA guaranteed(take that with a grain of salt). Paid $6.49 per 20 round box. Brass cartridge, Boxer primed(crimped) at Chinamart. Picked up 14 boxes. If I can get 1 to 1 1/2 MOA on zombies or paper I’ll be satisfied. My rifle does better with heavier grain bullets(1 in 10 twist). Gonna be picking up some more silver soon. Don’t like the way things are nagging at me. I feel an awful dread weighing on me. More and more I keep stopping what I’m doing and looking at the skyline and listening.
“P”
Good pick up. You just can’t have too many 7.62×51’s
On the way home from BOL#2 we stopped as some Gun Shops and was looking around. AMMO price where out of this world! Did pick a 20 MM AMMO can for $12.00. Can in great shape. Going to fill it up with Medical Supplies.
I didn’t spend as much money as I thought so I’m going to pick up some more silver.
It was great to get away, just to get things off of my mind. The problem was the guys kept talking about TSHTF and things we were going to do. All 6 of us that went have a funny gut feeling also. We still had some fun, but we knew why we were there.
This summer is going “Very Interesting!”
A.S.M.S.
Sgt.
Good evening, Sarge. Glad to hear you had a good trip. Yes, this will be a long hot summer and I think TSHTF will be before the Sept./Oct. time frame. I could be going back to GA early if circumstances dictate.
“B”
Got a couple places in Tenn. that look good. We will see. I’ve said it before.
Sgt.
Sarge, hope you find something this time. On my previous online visits to county auctions, I didn’t find anything that tickled my fancy. Might start looking again this week. If possible, I’d like something somewhere on the Cumberland Plateau. One of the best regions for preppers in the whole nation. I’ll take it over Rawles’ ‘American Redoubt’ any day. No water issues east of Ol’Man River.
Beware the corruption in Tennessee. Not that you don’t know from corruption, being in Sillynoise. A friend tells me that building inspectors expect at least $200 for every signoff on new construction, and there’s five or six for each new building. (She’s near Gallatin, Sumner County.)
In my AO you can find counties that have no building code whatsoever. Only thing you have to comply to is state septic regulations. But I’m not in Tennessee.
Have you tried looking at auctions? I watch http://www.auctionzip.com all the time. Remarkable what you can find that way.
Did anybody think the store closings may be due to the Baby Boomers are going on retirement or dying and the average family size is dwindling. Not to mention the declining pay rate in relation to low value of the usd
Bring in the illegals, then make them legal they can buy china junk with their ebt cards and welfare checks to keep the economy from extinction.. for a few months anyway.
Sort of like the fed buying bad debt and bonds from a welfare collecting district of criminals
I got shit I don’t even need. I throw shit away all the time wife hates it. I told her to fucking bad I’m not living in a hoard. I know if I wasn’t here the place would look like a shit hole. Now I have some stuff but my shit is all organized where as hers is just everywhere. I’ve told her don’t buy anything without checking with me first because I know what we have better than her. I still have 20 of the $30 I had from last week I spent $10 on coffees during the week. It’s my one guilty pleasure that costs $. Money just don’t last her as long as it does me. I only give her x amount weekly that is it if she blows it too bad her liberal ass will live in budget and it does or she can get $ from somewhere else. To me she is lazy I know what she does and doesn’t do. She thinks I don’t know but when I come home from work and the house is a mess I think she is lazy. I’ve told her this and she says I don’t know what I’m talking about. Bullshit I told her I could do a better job than her and she needs to work harder. I want to give her more $ but not if shit isn’t improved. I should do an incentive program like say here is another hundred for doing a better job this week. She should just do it because she is a stay at home mom with a lot of time to do stuff. Guys if your girlfriends are lazy ditch them they will leave you holding the bag. Get a woman that is submissive to you and will work hard because she knows her role. Fucking stupid lazy bitches are useless if your working hard she should at least do the same.
Ass hat… Wives, respect your husband… Men, LOVE your wives. Peace bro.
Asshat, I can speak from experience on this topic. I’ve had a few lazy ones myself and put them out for not doing their part. I’ve got some shit I don’t need but haven’t had the time lately to throw it out. My extra money goes toward preps and nothing else. I don’t have some lazy, doped-up, drunk bitch draining me or any credit card bills or loans to pay off. I clean up my home myself when I get the time and that’s not too often unfortunately. No woman will ever leave me holding any bag.
Wow, your wife is lucky that she gets spending money. My husband and I are both tight fisted with our money and I do not get regular spending money, and if we do have extra $ we both talk about things we both want to get, and we get that. usually it’s something on our prep list. The most I spend on frivolities are yarn for making blankets. I’m prepping blankets myself, knitted with fabric on the bottom for winters that we may need them. In SHTF situation, I can pretty much sew and knit anything you want to wear by hand. Can tan hides and make clothes out of them too. I’ve made my husband some vests and pants and myself a dress, just to see if I can put clothes together this way on my own.
Lowes offers 5% off if you use their in store credit card. They make it back with a… get this, 24.9% interest rate on any unpaid balance carried. Its a vicious cycle creating debt slaves.
Just got back from BOL#2 If it comes to that. Cabin in great shape. Ponds have lots of water in them. Game seen all over. Garden spot area looks good sprayed it down with grass and weed killer. (Just keeping the area clean.)
I feel for all the folks loosing their jobs. For each one that looses their job 3 other jobs will be effected.
Don’t worry Obullshit and his horde said it is ok now and things are better than they were 6 years ago. lying bastards!!!
Sgt.
Oh boo-hoo. If the middle class is tapped put, it is their own fault. Whatever happened to personal responsibility. Stop crying and pull yourself by you own bootstraps.
Skeptical,
Boo hoo because I’m paying more for taxes, more for electric and more for everything. Some live beyond their means but some do not. You obviously don’t get that the middle class and lower is having a hard time with making it. Whose side are you on?
Interesting article. I’ve only used a few of the business’s on that list as I’m a Pacific NW and Hawaii guy, but the one’s that have failed or contracted have been obliterated by Market forces. West Marine was always over priced.(I was a professional shipwright earlier in life). Barnes and Noble(can you spell Amazon.com?) JC Penny (who is your customer base?), Sears(only good for tools, appliances if and only if, they are on sale), Macy’s, over priced and outclassed by Nordstrom’s(Nordstroms is NOT cheap!), Lastly I come to Rat shack(radio shack). It never keep up with technology. If I need a 1 pF 1000 Volt cap, or a IRFP460 (for my inverter), I have to go to Digikey, Allied, et al.
Pointing at businesses that just haven’t kept up, doesn’t really paint a picture of how the middle class is being obliterated.
Keep on prepping and remember our government is a bigger danger than any of the vilest people on the street.
Rellik. I used to work at Stephens Bros boatworks a long time ago.
Today, My wife and I were walking home after a nice stroll along the beach. We were getting close to home when we encountered a bunch of about ten youths on push bikes blocking our path. I asked them to move out of our way so we could pass but they didn’t move. Instead of being polite and courteous they chose to be awkward and down right rude towards us both… Three of the gang decided to ride after us making rude remarks about my wife and myself and intimidating us with their bicycles by pulling wheelies and such things and only missing us by inches. I lost my temper and spoke some very rude words to these youths but this only made the situation worse. I could have easily beaten-up these three hoodlums but chose not to for fear of repercussions. We knew it would be a grave mistake to go direct to our home as they would then know where we lived so we walked past our home and carried on walking and walking and walking but these horrible kids would not leave us alone… We eventually went into a bar and spent three hours there until we felt that it was safe to leave. We called a cab to take us home out of fear of being spotted by these wayward kids. I feel so angry towards these kids and want to teach them a lesson but I know that in the eyes of the law I would be the one in the wrong for being violent. I’m SO pissed. Please, any lawful suggestions welcome. Many thanks. P&J
Notice that there are no Sporting Goods stores that sell guns, ammo, prepping supplies, boots, tents, etc. on the list.
I petty the unskilled American Laborer, as most of those jobs will go to the New Democrats/Illegals being brought here with your tax money by our Emperor!
You think the riots in Baltimore were bad, wait until the Black unemployment reaches 35%-50%! BURN BABY-BURN!!
Keep cool and watch out fur them Hogs
This is my second time posting this, as my first post didn’t stick.
I noticed that there are no Sporting Goods stores on the list who sell guns, ammo, etc.
If you think the riots in Baltimore were bad, wait to when the Black unemployment reaches 35%-50% because Obama “Needs More Democrats” from India/Syria/Mexico.
It will be BURN BABY-BURN!
Watch out fur them burnt howgs!
Wally had a rollback on 40 cal ammo 100 rnds for $32 and change. I thought it was a good deal but I have all I want of that. I think there was a rollback on the 762×51 NATO too po’d $6.49 for 20 rnds sounds like a good deal to me. I don’t have that cal but it is a great load. I got me a mosin for my long range shots because I don’t really need this capability being most shots in my area will be mid to short range. I didn’t want to invest in this area too much but did want some ability just incase. Daisy a lot of women need to fast on the shopping I’ve never fasted myself but have known people who have and it seems to help with coping with excesses in life. Like too much of a good thing spoils the good thing. As a younger guy I had to go to night clubs and chase the ladies it was fun as hell for a while but it did get old. I needed to fast from doing this and I did I found better stuff to do and I’m glad I did. Fasting can work for things other than eating in my opinion. Never did it for eating though never was too attached to eating I look at eating as putting in fuel don’t get me wrong I like great tasting food. But don’t have to eat the best stuff all the time. I think eating all the time is gluttony being over weight is not a good example of christlikeness. A fat preacher is not gonna be taken serious preaching about gluttony. I’m not a perfect christian I swear a lot because it’s one of my struggles so it’s hard for me to win souls for Christ. Who would take me serious. I know it really hurts my testimony I have a high stress life that causes me to cuss and use profanity it will probably kill me at a younger age. I’ve prayed for help with this and it does help. I have 4 people who depend on me to provide and my job is dangerous I’m always a day away from permanent disability. I know others have the same stresses but they do drugs or alcohol to cope I do not I can honestly say this. I’m trying to be a better christian and taking it a day at a time I have improved I feel but leave the judging to god.
IDIOCRACY was a Documentary Film on the Zionist designed control Dumbing Down and Decline of tax debt enslaved Zog Amerikan’s.
Only an Armed Revolutionary Civil War will Stop their 200 year old plan to Destroy once free Zog Amerika.
*this is no joke, it is a very real Zionist threat to you and all future generations of Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEEa83Tsjrg&feature=player_detailpage
The economy is collapsing because the communists that are in American political office are following their leaders rule book to the letter. We are losing the middle class at an astounding rate at the same time and here is how simple it is for them to do it:
“The way to crush the bourgeoisie (Middle class) is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.”
Vladimir Lenin
Founder of Russian Communism
The worst form of Inflation is caused by the printing of money. I wonder if any sheeple have noticed the price of commodities going up?
And Obamacare is only a massive new tax that will make a new slave market once the economy falters again. You have to pay this “premium” or you will be fined. And we all know what happens when we don’t pay our fines don’t we? The jails won’t be big enough so FEMA may have to step in with special work camps so that these ‘criminals’ can work off these ever reoccurring fines. This prison life is just slavery just by another name!
The above video movie is a documentary of what I see every time I go out in public. Fookin knuckle dragging idiots that can barely do their job. Whats scary is these same morons are driving on the road too! 😮
“You must be the Secretary of Education, brought to you by Carl’s Jr!”
“Carl’s Jr. ‘F*CK YOU I’M EATING!'”
lol ;0)
Genius, it’s worse than that. Those damn fools vote.
What we have is unsustainable. We have traded the illusion of prosperity financed literally by debt which in the absence of having the ability of creating your own acceptable money would be impossible. There lay the “foundation” of the illusion. Make no mistake the majority of the US benefited from this slight of hand as our standard of living has been far greater than our productive contribution for quite some time. This is why blue collar people bought 4000 sq/ft McMansions and those investors, wise enough to see some of the financial ups and downs increased their net worth significantly. Because it is an illusion, it will disappear much faster than it arrived because it requires no disassembly ; it is in reality a theatrical stage set that doesn’t really exist. Poof……..its gone.
Both of my parents were blue collar workers in factories from the time they turned 18, through the 70’s and up to the latter 90’s until the factories starting leaving for cheap laborers. In the 80’s, both were making around $15.00 to $18.00 an hour. Paid vacations every year. Every year they took us kids on a vacation somewhere, and we always had great fun. Always had enough money to pay bills, put food on the table,insurance and in 1987, they bought a small 3 bedroom home in a nice cookie cutter middle class area of town. Then they bought dad a rebuilt 78′ pickup and mom a new car. Life was good. They were not in debt. They had one credit card for emergencies only. Dad believed that if you couldn’t afford it, you didn’t buy it. Simple as that, and they never took a dime off welfare. Upon retirement, mom was making $23.00 an hour in 1999. She never graduated high school, by the way, and neither did my dad. My dad left the factory in 95′ and went to truck driving school, and drove all over this country until he died in 2010. When dad died, there was no debt he left behind, it will be the same for my mother. She was lucky to have a great retirement package.
It’s not like that for my husband and I. Not even close, and we may never become homeowners. In fact, it would probably be better if we didn’t..
Mountain
The dreaded layoff and plant closure bit at my heels from the time I went into heavy industry in 1976, first Chemical then Petroleum Refining, but I was fortunate and stayed one step ahead with little strategy and a lot of luck.
Even those with no bills to speak of are having a hard time keeping up. Things like rising taxes and fees,gas going up again and the ever present govt.denied inflation is putting a hole in people’s pockets. Food is going out of sight. who has ahad a steak recently or even hot dogs?
TIP and just a reminder : i eat steak 3 times a week.
how???
because i grocery shop at 6am on tuesday thru thursday once a week.
by going to the store at opening time you can find bargains for MANAGERS SPECIAL 50% OFF perishables such as milk , bread , meat , fish , fruit , etc etc
last week i saved $18.00
plus it’s nice having the store all to yourself to just take your time and cruise the aisles for bargains!
aged meat is actually the better cooking and tasting meat also, as it’s broken down structurally by aging. i freeze it solid for a few days to kill any bacteria prior to cooking.
Venison steaks count?
I buy steaks when the store marks them down because they’re about to expire. The steaks are still good if you cook them immediately or if you freeze them immediately for short term storage. If you need stew beef to cook or can, you can cut up steaks if the sale price is below that of stew beef.
Somehow I manage to be in the grocery store a lot times when the butcher is just marking down the meat. I do some other shopping, then return to the meat cases and check them out. Sometimes the sale price isn’t good enough, and sometimes it’s so good I have to buy up all they have. I bought a stack of pork chops at only about $3.50 a package, with 4 chops per package.
If you watch sales and watch for the expiring markdowns, you can eat steaks as often as you eat pork or chicken.
As Stash Pudachek says…”times are more like they are now, than they have ever been before”, he was a funny S.O.B. Those Polish guys have a great sense of humor.
If you want some lemon cheese, put your head between your knees… A little fart, a little squeeze. Oh shit, not again.
RING RING !
ICE BURG DEAD AHEAD
When did the average person have extra money to go shopping with anyway? Maybe I just assume everyone’s poor because I’ve always been poor.
6000. OK. Big number. But what % of all retail stores is that?
when there was a lot of money, everyone tried to get into retailing because it was easy, now the weak ones are being driven out. only the smartest will survive.
i see plenty of ‘space available’ and the talk from washington is BS, people just don’t have the money. i for one will not buy a new car for 30 or 40,000 dollars. same for housing, i will not spend $200,000 for a place to take a crap. prepare for more downturn.
Prepper Tip of the Day
ht tp://www.homespunenvironmental.com/
water filters and kits on the cheap
The sooner the evil disgusting vile Corporatist Fascist Orwellian Police State COMPLETE SHITHOLE of Murica collapses, the sooner we can start rounding up and arresting all the Corporatist Fascist evil filth and their boot licking shit stain accomplices in the filthy Republican and Democrat Parties for TREASON, GENOCIDE, AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. If you are still a boot licking shit stain of fascist filth who calls yourself a Republican or Democrat waving that filthy Corporatist Fascist Murican Flag, you are the lowest form of brain dead dumbed down chemically altered toxic waste dump filth on the planet.
Ron Ahrens,
Whenever I come across your rants I can’t help but Bust in a huge laugher, you crack me up so badly!!!LOL. Not that the matter at hand is funny, it isn’t. Man, you’re weird! LMAO ROFL. As depressing as the situation is, thank you for the cheer, although you didn’t intend for your post to come across as such. :).
Ron Ahrens,
Whenever I come across your rants I can’t help but Bust in a huge laugher, you crack me up so badly!!!LOL. Not that the matter at hand is funny, it isn’t. Man, you’re weird! LMAO ROFL. As depressing as the situation is, thank you for the cheer, although you didn’t intend for your post to come across as such. :).
there is a huge worldwide financial crash due to happen & I guess it will hit in 2016
My short personal story about shopping:
My town just built a Pet Smart and a C.J. Max department store. I went into the Pet Smart and a bag of dog food cost $58.95 ! I go next door to the CJ Max and just walk threw the store. To my amazement the place looked exactly like a Dollar Store. Isle after Isle of cheap, good for nothing trinkets! Colored ashtrays and necklace beads, wooden kitchen spoons someone could make for 20 cents. They put the fake flashy jewelery in the front of the store to see when you first come in. To make the place look respectable. It didn’t help. The place is a crappy dump I wouldn’t spend a dollar in there.
With 6,000 stores closing how many more jobs will be lost???
Shortly, I too will be trying to sell my stuff on Ebay….