Things Are Going to Get Worse Before They Get Better

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Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course

So far, in his second presidency, Donald Trump has made massive changes that have made a positive difference for Americans. The folks in North Carolina are finally (four months after Helene hit) getting the financial aid and physical assistance they need to rebuild. Armies of dump trucks, road work everywhere, and the sound of hammers hitting nails are widespread, bringing a new life to the devastated area.

He has upended many a federal agency, bringing in new leadership, forcing remote workers to return to the office, and changing policies. The confirmation hearings going on in Congress right now have one thing in common: none of the candidates are scoffing about “conspiracy theories” because most of those theories have turned out to be true. In fact, in the past, the nominees have faced the same kind of biased treatment from society that the rest of us regular conservatives and libertarians faced.

While I don’t agree with every single thing the new President has implemented (and I never expected to), I feel mostly positive about the direction our nation is going now.

However, one thing that is going to cause us some pain is the new economic policies. Let’s dive into it.

How will new economic policies affect us?

First of all, this book is excellent. It very clearly debunks economic myths, explains how our market has been artificially damaged, and discusses what it will take to fix it.

Between the tariffs and DOGE, things are changing dramatically. But this is one thing that will get worse before it gets better. We can all expect some financial pain over the next few months. However, this is not without precedent, so I know things will improve in a few months.

Tariffs on Canadian oil and Mexican produce in particular, will show up as higher prices at the gas pump and on the grocery store shelves. There’s no possible way around it. Grocery stores don’t have enough mark-up room to absorb these greater costs and neither do gas stations.

We can expect to see higher gasoline prices until we get our own oil production back on track. Things like fresh fruit, summer vegetables in winter, and our beloved avocados are going to cost quite a bit more for a while.

These are growing pains. I don’t believe these expenses will be permanent. We have the resources to produce our own oil and produce, but up until now it’s just been cheaper to get that stuff from other countries.

I think that after around 6 months, we will see prices dropping, once we’ve reestablished our domestic supply chain.

We have a recent example of changes like this.

In Argentina, President Javier Milei has also made radical financial changes and they were tough for folks, particularly in the first few months.

“The changes our country needs are drastic,” Mr Milei said shortly after being elected. “There is no room for gradualism.” (source)

The BBC reports:

In his initial package of measures, he devalued Argentina’s currency, the peso, by 50%, slashed state subsidies for fuel, and cut the number of government ministries by half.

The quick reduction in public spending has helped Argentina swing from a fiscal deficit – the difference between the government’s spending and income – of 2tn pesos ($120bn; £93bn) in December of last year to a surplus of 264.9bn pesos in April.

Argentina also reported a surplus in January, February and March, marking the first time it had achieved this monthly target since 2012.

It took about six months for Argentina to begin seeing a positive response to the dramatic changes.

After the initial shock, inflation has begun to decrease.

However, Mr Milei, who describes himself as a libertarian, has made cutting inflation his main priority, telling the BBC last year that it was “the most regressive tax that most afflicts people”.

Inflation has slowed – in April the month-on-month rate fell to 8.8%, the first time since October that it was not in double figures. This inflation measure is closely followed in countries like Argentina that have long had high inflation.

This hasn’t been without some pain, however. Consumer spending is down dramatically. Folks are still facing decreased wealth and high prices. Poverty rates have risen.

Milei has years and years of financial mismanagement to repair, and the fact he doesn’t have a majority in the Argentinian congress has slowed down his ability to make changes.

The point here is that drastic changes are painful, but eventually, they work. Going on a diet is also painful, but when you’ve lost 50 pounds, that pain disappears, and you see improved health.

How to handle the US financial makeover

I hope that our difficult times won’t take half a year to repair, but they likely will. There are a few strategies you can use to help get through this time.

  1. Use some of your preps. We built our prepper pantries for a reason, and this is it. While you don’t want to deplete everything, using some of the preps you’ve put back to supplement your weekly grocery haul will help to offset the higher prices.
  2. Work on growing your own. We’ve long talked on this website about the value of producing food – nobody’s preps can last forever. This year, more than any other, we need to grow food in pots on patios, backyards, and rural properties. We have a Home Agriculture Comprehensive course to help you get started no matter where you live, and we recommend Seeds for Generations, a small family business, for your needs.(Check out their free garden planning calculator here!)
  3. Return to a more seasonal diet. We’ve long been spoiled by being able to have fresh tomatoes in the winter and butternut squash in the summer. If you focus more on eating seasonally, it will help you to keep costs down while still eating fresh produce.
  4. Assess your budget. Are there places you can cut? I recently ditched nearly all of my subscriptions to cut costs over the next few months, freeing up a couple hundred dollars that I can apply to groceries or other expenses.

These measures will help us get through the next few months. We can’t be as picky as we’ve been – we have to change with our times – but we can and will succeed.

Savings and value of the dollar

President Trump has made no mention of officially devaluing our currency. However, if you’re still getting the same paycheck but paying more for gasoline, groceries, and other needs, it’s pretty much the same thing.

If you are fortunate enough to have savings, you do NOT want to see it take a hit. The best way to do that is to roll your savings into things that hold their value:

  • Physical items like food and tools
  • Paying off debt
  • Precious metals

I’ve long promoted the purchase of precious metals to maintain the value of your savings. Gold and silver fluctuate somewhat, but unlike our currency, when times are harder, their dollar value goes up. If you haven’t switched some of your savings over to gold and silver, I would recommend doing it before those prices increase so that you can hold on to the wealth you’ve worked so hard to build. I have worked with ITM Trading for a few years now, and I really like their educational approach and personalized strategies. Setting up a consultation with them is absolutely free, and you’re under no obligation.

Now is the time to take action.

I know that some folks expected to see an immediate difference in their grocery bills and other expenses, but I don’t think that it’s going to be that way. We can prep for this, though, just like we prep for other emergencies. But I wouldn’t wait to get started because the pain at checkout will become very apparent soon.

What are you expecting economically? What strategies will you use to weather the storm? How will you prepare for this?

Let’s discuss it in the comments section.

About Daisy

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on FacebookPinterestGabMeWeParlerInstagram, and Twitter.

Picture of Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

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27 Responses

  1. I encourage people to heed this warning. Even though I’ve livedthe first hall of my life under high inflation, countless economic plans (slashed zeroes, confiscations, devaluations, etc.) what brought me into preparedness and survival was the Great Financial Crisis of 2008.

    The economy and finance are the foundation of pretty much everything else in the modern world. A downturn will turn everyday life more unstable and volatile, Jose’s second-to-last article here brings this very clearly and he’s absolutely right. So is Daisy.

    There’s no silver bullet to the issues plaguing the system, even if Trump and his collaborators are capable to pull a miracle the measures to restore some balance will bring severe consequences. Tariffs have only made every problem worse in my country, in Argentina, and every other who resorted to such expedients. The lower and middle classes always bear the brunt of these policies, make no mistake.

    Fixing what’s wrong will take a lot of pain and austerity, a lot of sacrifices. The standard of living always suffers. We’re still in the good phase because there are jobs and money printing. Wait until unemployment picks up for real, that’s when things get serious.

    1. Fabian O. you said:
      “Tariffs have only made every problem worse in my country, in Argentina, and every other who resorted to such expedients. The lower and middle classes always bear the brunt of these policies, make no mistake. ”

      Why did President Donald Trump announce tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China on February 1, 2025? Because “The extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

      As of today February 3, 2025 Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela have all reached agreements to avoid Trump’s tariffs. And China is trying to reach an agreement. This is wonderful and has made things better for the United States not worse.

      Sane border policies that only allow vetted migrants into the country and blocks illegal drug shipments is a benefit that far outweighs the cost.

      Donald Trump is a great president and a great negotiator. Tariffs under Donald Trump is more than a tax. It is a negotiating tool.

      I believe you are right when you say “Fixing what’s wrong will take a lot of pain and austerity, a lot of sacrifices.”. But the path Joe Biden and the democrat party had the US on was a path guaranteed to lead to a lot of pain and austerity. And a lot of sacrifices for a ruling class who could care less about the ordinary Americans as the country goes down the toilet.

      Sometimes countries need a financial incentive to do the right thing. Mexico, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela and China all recognize now that the United States has a real president standing up for ordinary Americans and not a globalist puppet. The globalist puppet Joe Biden was trying to turn this country into some sick anti-American values and anti-Christian perversion.

      Anyone who doubts what I said about Biden’s intentions for the country only has to look at the horrifying fires in California. California is completely dominated by democrat politicians and was in over $73 billion in debt before the fires. California was completely unprepared for the fires that started on January 7, 2025 and it was a total disaster. And while fires were still raging, on January 13. 2025 “Gavin Newsom and California Democrats reach $50M deal to Trump-proof the state”. Talk about screwed up priorities. As California goes so goes the country the saying goes. Well maybe not this time.

      Yes Fabian and Daisy there will be more pain before things become better. But it is much better to clean out a wound and disinfect it in spite of the pain, to avoid even more trouble later.

      Donald Trump’s vision is an America returning to its roots. A prosperous America free of the poisonous and divisive policies of the Biden administration. And I am optimistic for the future.

      My advice is to of course prep as Daisy and others have recommended. But there are a lot of new financial opportunities opening up with the new technologies. Technologies that will open up new career opportunities while making others obsolete. So every now and then poke your head out of your end times bunker and take a look around. Things may get better sooner than you think.

      See
      Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Imposes Tariffs on Imports from Canada, Mexico and China
      Feb. 1, 2025
      https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/

  2. Thank you for this. I’ve already had to start dipping into preps the past year to stay afloat. In a couple months we lose half our social security income and I’ve been working non stop to raise monthly income to meet that but am falling short. An additional increase in prices will be extremely difficult for us. I will be relying heavily on the garden in our short growing season and when the little beef remaining in the freezer runs out we will be eating goat and lamb since that’s what’s “growing” this year. Haven’t had bacon in months, but we will survive. Will raise some meat chickens and have a handful of turkeys growing out. Fresh produce in winter is scarce for us already. But Ive been able to keep some lettuce alive on the covered porch this winter. A winter garden will be a priority this next season. Eggs are not an issue for us since I raise chickens and quail to sell eggs and meat- during winter the chicken eggs are saved for customers since the hens slack off dramatically. But I gather 60-100 quail eggs a day so we are never out of eggs- plus quail eggs are higher in protein.

    When my grandmother passed away, it was my task to clean out her house for selling. She had drawers of neatly folded grocery bags, stacks of washed tv tray dinner containers, and lots of washed glass jars from anything you can imagine. Reuse was important to her after learning to live like that during the depression. I find myself saving and washing containers of all kinds, saving dryer lint to stuff into toilet paper rolls for fire starter, and this year I saved the corn cobs after shucking popcorn for firestarters. I’m grateful for lessons learned by older generations. I think those lessons are important now.

    1. Hopefully. If it costs just as much to import items, it makes sense that they’d bring production back home.

    2. I think that’s the ultimate goal – for the US to become more self-sufficient. We can grow avocados – and other produce, too – there’s no need to rely on other countries to produce what we can do for ourselves.

      1. Thanks TK for reminding me about my 🥑 trees. I literally have 5 in the greenhouse that I started from seed. Those r going to have to come out today. I’m praying for yall because I read your husband fed worker. It will take adjusting to new schedule but I bet there’s quite a bit you can do while he’s gone, to not only ease your mind but also prep. Are you able to crochet or knit? My work kids r teaching me how to crochet and getting all their patterns online.

  3. The part that’s going to hit us harder, personally, is that my husband is a federal employee who works at home. He seriously WORKS during working hours. This will mean he has to spend 2-1/2 hours per day on the road. I’m paralyzed and use a wheelchair, so I feel safer having him here. We’ll see what happens. I do, however, understand the mandate, as many people “work” from home.

  4. Thanks for confirming, Daisy…my observation. People are not believing me when I tell them this, that the economy needs to be adjusted to correct it. My older kids who make $200k a year r shell-shocked and not preparing at all. My son spent $15k , on credit cards, to throw his wife a graduation party because she has her doctorate now. My other son throwing our granddaughter a $20k quincenera 15 birthday party.
    I am getting my garden together now, bought another greenhouse from the neighbors, because we’re getting lots of Chem trails up here in Texas hill country.
    I also went to Walmart in New braunfels texas yesterday and the people there were savages. The entire egg department had nothing but broken eggs in about 7 or 8 containers and people were panic buying toilet paper again. And wine.
    Hubby and I paid off the credit cards this month…again, due to helping our grown children out with their bills, and we’ve cut them off financially. At least I have. Can’t afford to any more.
    I’m also done with western medicine and made several batches of fermented garlic in local honey and am trading for other items from locals. Have also been experimenting with cedar berries as cedar fever is here and kicking in the hill country.
    I’m also starting back massive overtime at work while it’s available so I can buy more precious metals from itm trading. Cannot say enough good things about Brandan from ITM. Lynn also. Thanks for the hook up, Daisy. I’m also starting dehydration of foods soon. My husband’s buddy is going to teach us. As well as I’m getting my moringa trees together n trading seeds n dehydrating the limbs and leaves.
    Pray and prepare. We in for 1 hell of a ride.

  5. As of this morning Mexico has caved. I expect some movement on Canada’s part toward the Trump agenda. Regardless, it is time to gird one’s loin. (Gird one’s loins?) A good summation Daisy Luther. M

  6. Gold hit a new All Time High today, $2,830.90. The market is nervous about the new tariffs. Silver is up too.

  7. One of the bonuses of living in a major metropolitan area is that I have access to Mexitalian produce markets- they have great food and prices tend to be lower than what I find at the “white folks grocery store” – the big chains present in every market with an entire aisle about 200 feet long dedicated to breakfast products- stuffed with packaged processed garbage.

    Yep, veggies have been a little higher than they were over the last year but I see that changing.

    Mexico is already throwing in the towel and I doubt we’ll see a huge impact from on goods from Mexico.

    Canada? Just ran across info from a Canadian on the ground – Canadian unemployment is going to double. Trudeau is leaving. Chances are the Canadians get on board pretty quickly.

    Chinese goods……yeah, that’s going to suck for a while. And then it will get better as we ramp up those productions here – meds, tech, consumer goods….chances are those productions bring back a bunch of employment and better wages. Stuff may not be as cheap but it will lift our economy up. If we all “learn to code” anyone could just shut out lights off with a few simple actions. If we have that mfg diversity and robustness, we do become fairly self sufficient.

    All in all, I see it as a bunch of good things eventually coming to a head.

  8. Excellent article, Daisy. It’s good to be reminded that prices won’t go down immediately, but it’s in the works. If I have to buy fewer avocados, so be it.

    The price of freedom is worth it.

  9. In 2023, Tyson Foods announced closures of plants in Indiana, Virginia, two in Arkansas and two in Missouri. In ‘24 Tyson made a stunning announcement of the closure of a flagship pork processing plant in Perry Iowa. Yes, that Iowa, you know the one where all the cheap corn, soy, barley and hogs are grown? Yea, shut down.

    In December Tyson announced the permanent shuttering by February of a non harvest beef and pork processing plant in Emporia Kansas.

    Not to be outdone, Cargill announced the closure of a turkey processing plant in Springdale Arkansas last week. Over 1100 employees and 100+ producers will lose their livelihoods in August.

    Smithfield Foods, the USA’s largest pork processor, announced this week that “{we are} paying close attention to trade and immigration policy changes under U.S. President Donald Trump as it exports pork and relies on a diverse group of meatpacking workers”. Oh, thank God for that… Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that SF closed two plants in ‘23 one in California and one in north Carolina. Oh! I almost forgot! They also closed a plant in (wait for it)…

    SMITHFIELD VIRGINIA! Yes, the very plant from the very town that bears their very name. Poof! Gone.

    Do these plant closures look like robust optimism to anyone?

    Buy now or pay later. Political views aside, I only care that people prepare now.

    1. You can’t count the closures before Jan 20, 2025 because they were during the old regime. The “robust optimism” started after Trump was inaugurated and grows stronger every day. The more he wins, the faster his juggernaut picks up steam. Go, go, go!

      1. You certainly seem excited BillyBob. Good. Guess you and your family are all squared away and prepped from before January 20. Your post shows a lot of enthusiasm for the future (I’m cautious, I’d like to feel as giddy as you now but that feeling passed after I woke up on November 6).

        So, using your matrix, since the inauguration of President Trump on January 20, there has been one new animal harvesting plant closure announced continuing the current two year pattern of food processing plants being permanently shutdown. I don’t know BillyBob, but the world’s largest privately (family) owned corporation, Cargill, despite all the good the administration is currently doing, isn’t optimistic. Maybe your read is different.

        1. I’ve read your posts over the years ~jim and I largely agree with you on things. All these animal food processing plants closing is a concern. I’m retired and as ready as I can be. You are an active farmer/rancher and if you are concerned then I should listen to you. After all I have 3 generations of descendants that I love and my primary concerns now are for their futures.

          The supply chain, especially the food supply chain is very important and I’m sure that is somewhere on Trumps list.

          ~jim, what do you think is going on with these closures? Why are these plants closing? Is the food being imported or is the supply shrinking? Is this an effort to raise food prices or something more nefarious?

          1. BillyBob, there is a massive culling of bovine and poultry nationwide. The cattle brood herd in this country is the lowest it’s been since the 1950’s. Our population is currently 2-1/2X the ~151K of the 1950 census. I doubt I need to remind you that right now we are culling poultry (turkey, layers, broilers, ducks) weekly by the 1MM’s.

            Packers, in order to maximize profits do not engage in an open and competitive market in pork nor in poultry. “Contract Growers” provide housing, labor and land for confined housing operations until “bought” back by the contracting company. This system streamlines the harvest structure and guarantees a steady uninterrupted supply of animals for slaughter. Some packers (Hatfield/Smithfield/Tyson) own a large portion, in fact all, of their own brood sows and contract with their own growers. Very few, if any, hogs slaughtered are not Hatfield/Smithfield/etc. genetics. All in, all out agriculture.

            Poultry is a little different. But not by much. The business template is pretty much the same except that there are large managed hen farms that have contracts with the packers and subcontractors that brood and grow out a finished bird.

            Beef, has always been the thorn in the hide of the packers ass. Beef does not respond well to confinement. Beef takes a long time (relative to poultry and pork) to get to finish weight (~1150-1300#’s). Beef takes up real estate (a lot of it) from freshen to finish. Beef breeders are a fiercely independent lot and, once they get an idea in their heads or choose a course of breeding for their environment, become as immovable as a granite mountain. Beef producers don’t mind loading cattle in a ‘possum belly trailer in February and waving goodbye as they travel from the Dakotas to Texas or California or Pennsylvania to capitalize on a hot market or sale. That CANNOT be done with poultry or hogs in February or any other month. The stress will kill the load. So there is waaay too much for even the big four to control without having everyone catch on that that is what they really want.

            America loves beef. And the only way to keep it cheap enough and to not have to build a plant in every county and own every brood herd and feeelot was to keep the wholesale prices low enough so that buyers would still be profitable above a loss leader for the store. They managed to do this in the most insidious way imaginable. Slave labor. Operating costs have gone up, up,up for everyone. Even the packers. So, they keep a full time, always open for business, we never shut down, 24/7/365 operation going using a system of coyotes, smugglers, safe houses, pimps, and traffic illegal aliens in and out of the plant on a continuous rotation.

            Now, this is changing. And good people that ARE legally here, WANT to be a US Citizen, see the fruits of their labor dashed because the big boys are abandoning both them and the farmers/growers/ranchers for this:

            https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2025/02/04/meat-processors-are-making-the-move-from-simple-automation-systems-to-smart-robots-and-ai-heres-why/

            It’s always the same. Bait and switch.

            1. ~jim, I’m sensing that you are a meat processing plant worker and that you are angry that you are being automated out of a job. If this is the case, I am sorry to hear that. My concern is that meat remains available in the grocery stores. I don’t know what I can do to help you.

          2. BillyBob, I posted and tried to explain and give a little aghistory of my take, but I think it has to get approved for a link.

            Thanks for the thoughtful exchange and I don’t know if my post answers or further confuses, but it is just my opinion on the future of packing in the USA.

          3. https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102821-smart-robots-and-ai-make-the-cut-in-meat-processing

            This is the future to keep beef, pork and poultry around for the American consumers. They’re done (the big five) paying producers of livestock and slaves from abroad. Can’t be done any other way. They don’t care about deportations. They don’t care about politics. They hate you and want everything for free and expect you to pay them for your healthy survival. If you can afford it.

  10. Boy oh boy Daisy, You really hit the nail on the head. However, as you indirectly stated there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For the last 4 years we have dealt with unprecedented inflation. Surely we can handle another 6 months with resolve and grace.
    Addressing #s 1 – 4:
    1. Yes,yes,yes and regarding your weekly trip to the market I hope that you are as blessed as we are to have a grocery outlet in your area. This type of store looks like a regular grocery store but smaller — no fancy bakery, deli department, salad or coffee bar BUT with a good selection of produce, meats (our store sells Angus beef with a once a week sale that says to me “take it home and freeze it”) and chicken at dirt cheap prices for now at $.69 a pound for leg quarters (10 lb bag) and $1.99 for breasts (more than 3 lbs.) Yup, into the deep freeze it goes. This store has a large frozen foods section, dairy cases and aisles of canned goods, bags of rice and beans, cookies, chips, pet foods, paper products and pretty much anything you’d find in a grocery store before they got to be super fancy. How do they do it? They buy out stock from stores going out of business, product overruns, even luxury goods from foreign countries and locally grown meats, fruits and vegetables in season. I recently bought rose hip jam from Bulgaria at $1.49 for a one pound jar, Arrowhead Mills and Bob’s Red Mill products for 1/3 the price at the fancy stores. Caution: some items are short dated so what do you do about that? You freeze it or can it. Dry can grains. It’s ridiculously easy. Take a regular canning jar (don’t have any? check your local Goodwill or other thrift store for jars at about $.50 each, run your finger around the rim to make sure there are no chips.) Fill the jar with grains, flour, beans, nuts, dried fruit, cookies, candy, coffee, tea, anything dry that you want to save long term — throw in an oxygen absorber, wipe the rim and seal with vinegar, then vacuum seal with with a rechargeable vacuum sealer that fits over a standard or wide mouth jar and turn it on for 20 to 30 seconds. I found mine on Amazon for about $29. PS: don’t cringe but you can reuse lids in good shape, just soften the seals by simmering for a bit in a pan of water on the stove. If it doesn’t seal, chuck it, double check your rim and try again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Check the seals periodically to make sure they are still sound. Whew! That was a mouthful.
    2. Don’t forget sprouts, micro-greens, and some herbs which can be grown on your window sill. LED grow lights keep my plants going from late fall to to mid spring when they go back outside and they are amazingly cost efficient. For example potted pepper plants are perennial, will sail through winter in a sunny window and will produce fruit long before those nursery bought starts. Consider starting your garden plants early under lights. There are so many great how-to videos on YouTube that will instruct you on which seeds are best for this. Save a ton on tomato plants with this method. Yes, it’s one of those efforts that improves with experience and there’s no better time to start than today. If you have enough space in your yard, plant fruit trees. Some come true from seed like stone fruits (peaches, cherries persimmons & also others like pears, paw paws, elderberries and seeded grapes.) Most will start bearing within 5 years, some earlier. If you are blessed with a green thumb, take a 6″ to 1′ cutting, strip the lower leaves, dip the stem in rooting hormone, stick it in potting soil, water and loosely cover with a plastic bag and in a few short months you have a fruit bearing tree or shrub. Again, consult YouTube for helpful videos.
    3. Amen on that! Winter tomatoes are just awful, either hard and unripe or a soft flavorless mess of cellulose. Butternut squash and apples keep for months if properly stored
    4. List the things that you spend money on and prioritize. Look at the bottom of your list and surprise yourself with all that you don’t really NEED. Shop farmer’s markets, local thrift stores and Habitat for Humanity for bargains when you do actually need something. They might just have it.
    Regarding Savings and value of the dollar:
    Don’t forget to have some cash held back for emergencies. You never know when that extra expense will pop up. This past month I had to shell out for a new radiator, 4 new tires and an oil change which all came to over $1,400. That was pretty tough alongside all the Hurricane Helene damage I’m digging myself out of. And one more thing: if you are in such distress that very little of this advice is applicable, remember there is nothing shameful in asking for help from food pantries and charitable organizations. That is why they exist.

  11. Daisy mentioned metals and ITM in the article.

    I’ve spoken with ITM. For me, I decided it’d be better to get my metals from local coin dealers if I were to get metals. I saw no advantage in going through them. Yes, they have quite an education set up. A lot of the initial info they gave should be known by anyone that’s paying attention; the fiat $$$ loses value and metals do not, how the fiat system works, money sitting in the bank or in your mattress isn’t giving you a return, etc. Their prices are higher than the local coin dealers… or websites if you’re inclined to give that purchase info to big tech.

    The person I spoke with multiple times was very knowledgeable. I explained my reasons for considering metals and he offered wise info in regards to that.

    Even though I opted to not use ITM, your mileage may vary based on your reasons/goals for metals, quantities, and how much thought you want to or not – put into your metal purchasing.

    There are many companies out there that do the same as ITM. Some are kinda legit scammers. I have no fear that ITM is one of those companies. If I were to use a company such as this, ITM would be it. Daisy recommends them, so that’s a solid in regards to their legitimacy.

  12. I agree with Daisy! now is the time to take action. Actually, 1970 was the time to take action, but we, those of us born in the 50’s and 60’s, were all enthralled with ecconomic growth, and what that allowed us to achieve in the world of growing economic prosperity, that we were told would never end. Just consume and consume and your prosperity will grow! Well, it turns out that there are limits to cheap energy that drives economies, and as a substitute, we started using debt to allow us to keep spending currencies to buy energy, that were devaluing with the more we created from thin air. We thought that if we kept adding debt to pay for more energy to produce products, that the debt didn’t matter.
    Guess what! It does matter, and now we are facing, in every country of the world, that has embraced debt to create growth, the stark reality that we can never repay our expanding debt.
    I have eliminated my debt, accumulated a stock of food and necessities, and learned many skills that I think may be valuable after the coming ecconomic crash. I am in cash and precious metals, and have a large garden and food forest that I have developed over the past 20 years. I am positioned to support my family and friends during this fourth turning.

  13. Making import expensive makes local production more feasable….so it is a short pain but people get jobs and that is a good thing.
    In Europe a lot of small tools are no longer produced in Europe ( exeption is Poland) so aliexpress is a cheap way to get something….some stuff is send from China or someplace cheaper than i can send a postcard to the next village….

    As for financial backlash/inflation or totall loss…i am buying up old tools ( especially shoemakers stuff) and it is a great investment. Machines that need no power but are operated by hand, drillstands with a hand operated cranck drill….where i live those things are/were regarded as old metal….did you know a single needle for a Junker and Ruh SD28 machine costs at least 25 euro in Europe and i read 80 dollars in the states….? Still these machines are priceless in a SHTF situation….so my coins are spend on things that….i make a good profit, someone sends it to the USA and there you pay tenfold of what i got it for….and still the dollar money is well spend….so investing in touchable movable things that can make money would be my choice of things….could be lab equipment, sausage machines or such…..and every time i find century old tools and refurbisch them they turn out to be good for another hundred years….

    Also copper with lead addition is a good thing to put monaie in. End products from metals keeps the paid value and it increases value in time….and is regular cash and better tjhan silver or gold in SHTF time….

    Even with Trump going for a new America, to prep is to walk into the future with a certainty no politician or insurance company can give…..a crash of the internet and/or payment system can change things like really quick….

    take care

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