A theoretical question if the doom & gloom forecasts happen.

[TNDemo]

During the 1930s when we needed something, it might have cost a lot but it was at least usually made in the USA and thus accessible. As I look around my house, I can find very few things that are actually made here (except for the things I have made a concerted effort to make sure it was made in the US). We import almost everything, down to our food and yes, even some of the fresh stuff in the grocery stores is from China. Luckily we do have the capacity to actually grow our food if we would go back to it. However, since the US doesn't seem to manufacture anything anymore, if it becomes too expensive to ship all our stuff from overseas, what are we going to wish we had gotten while we still could? Will the country have the capacity to get our own factories up and running? Probably not since capital is going to be hard to come by and people won't have the money to buy anything except necessities. So if the worst case scenarios that are being espoused take place, what will we wish we had stocked up on?

[Double T]

1. SANITY and REASON.

[MercutioATC]

2. I know they get a "right-wing" rap here, but check out almost any gun forum.

Most of them have a "Survival/Preparedness" forum that will give you the info you need.

Just ignore the stuff that offends you and look for the nuggets of wisdom.


...a couple of examples...

www.warrifles.com
www.glocktalk.com
www.frugalsquirrels.com

There is a lot of good information at these (and other) sites that you might never consider visiting.

[Clovis Sangrail]

3. get good at making rice yummy with little other than *rice

The US grows huge amounts of rice (which, luckily, I'm content eating most every night)

[leftofcool]

4. Rice is good!

[Warpy]

6. Throw in some beans and a few cheap root veggies

and you'll do just fine.

[libnnc]

13. Beans and cornbread is a life saver n/t.

[rgbecker]

5. Get out of the house and make some friends....

We're all going to need all the friends we can get. Only through working together will man survive. The glorified survivor of the Media is a myth. Further, you'd be surprised at what little you need to get by. All you need is Love....

[Warpy]

7. Love won't fill your stomach

but learning how to barter might just save your life.

Bartering is great. Both sides generally feel they got the better end of the deal since they each got rid of something they no longer wanted in favor of something they did want.

I learned how to do it when I lived in a tourist trap. Everything was cash based during the tourist season. Barter took over when the tourists left and the cash dried up.

[Narkos]

8. Water, ammo, beef jerky....and maybe some Ecstacy for when

the whole shithouse goes up in flames....

[debbierlus]

9. We have plenty of food, America is biggest rice grower

Food, we can do...You might want to have a surplus supply of grains & canned goods for a few months, however, there are MANY food items produced here. Forget the exotic or tropical, and oranges & bananas (depending on region) may be out as we go to a Eat Local food system...

However, a smart thing might be to invest in quality stuff for the home. For example, with heat through the roof and oil getting scarce, a down comforter from Canada (highest fill you can afford), may seem like a luxury, but it could be a real money saver, if you have to turn down the heat to 46 degrees at night. Invest in quality. (Obviously, if you are in a COLD climate). Think about what you use on a daily basis. Basic things. And, if you want quality, buy vintage from the USA. It is much cheaper (most of the time) and far better quality then anything new.

[TNDemo]

10. This is more what I was thinking about.

We can do food. May have troubling distributing it, but that would help with buying locally anyway, which is a good thing. I have been thinking about electronics and appliances and other stuff and wondering what I will miss if there is a shortage or I can't afford it.

[Terry in Austin]

11. Stock-up items

My list would include:

- Solar powered calculators
- Windup clocks/watches
- Drugstore "reader" glasses
- Ballpoint pens
- Mason jars
- Basic hand tools
- Nails & screws
- Rope, wire, duct tape and similar useful stuff

Not only are these difficult to make and useful to have, but they'll also make very handy barter items.

[Angela Shelley]

15. Add string, pencils, and black electric tape to the list.

:-)

[Digit]

12. Possibly, our medications...it seems many come from China

Will we still be able to get them? I don't know.

It was a HUGE mistake allowing China to produce them in the first place.

[antigop]

14. bicycles. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. When the SHIT HITS THE FAN, you will see the

country turn around on a dime

People don't realize this, but we can reindustrialize fairly fast, and... here is the kicker, our foreign policy will return to its isolationist roots

It will be a while before you see the results of that

But in the short to medium term, be ready to live on what you have and to even make stuff if you need to

ALso make sure you get rid of all your debt

[debbierlus]

17. This is a good year for tag sales and flea markets

Dealers will be selling cheap, and you can get all your basics without buying from China.

Buy vintage USA - it will last longer then NEW China

[On the Road]

18. The Gloom and Doom Forecasts

generally forecast things which are outside of modern economic experience, so there would really be no precedents or comparison points.

Having said that, the disappearance of manufacturing is a bit overstated:

China will gradually take over the role of the US as the world's largest manufacturer but will do this only by 2020, with the US's position in the global league table of manufacturers remaining surprisingly strong, according to an authoritative economic study.

Global Insight, a Washington-based economics consultancy, forecasts that the US will keep its share of global manufacturing output above 20 per cent at least until 2024 goes against the widespread feeling, at least in the US, that the country is losing ground rapidly.

"If you told most people in the US that the country was still the biggest manufacturer and is likely to remain so for some time, they would say you were lying," said Jim Womack, chairman of the US-based Lean Enterprise Institute, a research group. "There's a lot of negative feeling in the US and this leaves people thinking the country is doing worse than it really is."

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pol116/manufacturing.htm

Yes, if transport becomes too expensive, the US will make more of its own manufactured goods, and it won't take that many years. US companies that send production offshore have the knowledge to bring to back if the economics are better. Will the falling dollar, I suspect that's already happening in some industries.