Advice on How to Survive the Recession

There are many ways a person can learn survival tools in this economy. One way would be to try conversing with one of those who have lived through the great depression. Such a person will undoubtedly be happy to share their struggles and would welcome a chat about how to make it on little. No matter how bad conditions are now, they pale when compared to then.

Here are some words of wisdom a depression era woman shared with the writer of this article. She was born and raised in Western Washington State and lived on a dairy farm where she and her family ate berries, cheese, milk, butter and the occasional meat and they were able to survive without much intervention from the outside. Her family ate from the produce of their land, trading vegetables with those who had neighboring farms. They canned their own fruits, and learned ways to store their vegetables. Meat was a luxury item and they would kill a chicken or other animal only occasionally and learned to make cakes without proper ingredients. Though it was hard, her family endured and lived to be stronger because of the experience. It really was a matter of adapting for them and living with what they were given. No matter what the circumstances she proved that if a person is willing to he or she can learn to make the best of their situation.

City dwellers practicing basic gardening skills can learn to grow some of their own food in backyard greenhouses or hothouses or even by growing small plants indoors. Chickens are allowed in many cities and eggs can be available without much extensive planning needed, and they eat from a diverse and naturally plentiful supply of food and do not need a lot of store bought feed. Plants can be purchased from plant nurseries and if given the right kind of garden soil and fertilizer are much more hardy once started then plants grown from seeds.

Americans have become much too dependent on grocery stores and banks and virtual money instead of old-fashioned trade. With a bartering system and a little tender loving care people can learn to be responsible for providing at least a little of their own food supply and if Americans would look to their forefathers they can learn to survive and weather the storms of a recession.