Could you survive hard times.

Unfortunately I have to say my family probably could. We have had to do it before, living on next to nothing and we survived. It wasn't fun by any means but it was doable and if needed, could be doable again. I wouldn't enjoy it but I could pull it off.

God told His people that He would always take care of them by giving them the things they need. My family will survive just fine.

I think I could make it. I lve on a shoestring budget anyway. I have lifeskills that a lot of people my age do not. I can can my own food, I can grow my own food. I crochet I can sew. We have quite a bit of food put up that we have canned. I will be starting some new seeds today too.

There is no doubt that we are facing tough times at present, and that is regardless of which country we live in. Of course we would all hope that our government will do its utmost to stimulate the economic situation. In many cases the governments are doing that by bailing out some businesses, whether by way or grants or loans. Other countries are undertaking major works by upgrading or improving roads, schools etc. In the case of my country Australia, we are fairly "lucky" as our previous government (voted out of office in November 2007) left a huge surplus which this new government is using. Naturally they are hoping that by spending this money they will stimulate the economy and thereby protect us from the worst. Even then I suspect that they will soon have to borrow money to fund all the things that they are trying to do. On a personal level I believe that my partner and I will survive, even if we have a major recession. My partner and I have a small organic farm plus at the present time I work off the farm as well on a full time basis. It does mean that I am regularly away from home 5 or 6 days a week but it is a buffer for us. Also my partner has just returned to work on a part time basis for a couple of nights a week and we are saving that money. If for some reason we were both to suddenly find we didn't have a job, then we have enough savings to see us through and as a last resort I could withdraw my superannuation. We are self sufficient in fruit and vegetables which is what we grow. We also make our own jams, sauces and preserves plus we freeze enough in season to do us for the whole year and we also dehydrate some of our produce. We have some hens for the eggs, which we either sell or use ourselves, plus we keep some table hens for eating. Of more concern to us would be how our adult children would cope but more so the effect it would have on our very young grandchildren. If things do get really bad then many people will possibly change the way that they live or circumstances will force them to change I should say. In some cases that would not be a really bad thing and perhaps the next generation would not be so quick to spend their money.

"Hard times" is all in the perspective as is "poor". In the world of the blind, even the one eyed man is king. I'm so poor already that these hard times are really no different for me than days past. I guess it depends on what you mean by hard times. Most of us have basic living skills and belt tightening ability for economic bumps or even jolts. Now what if things really hit the fan. Relying on the government is both fool hardy and dangerous, we have laready seen how that works. We have to rely on ourselves and our communities. I live in a small town in a rural part of the country, I could live on moose, deer and homegrown vegatables, I could build shelter if thigs really go down hard, I know how to shoot and defend my family. How many of us really know how to survive hard core? Build shelter, gather wild food, grow food, etc. If the direst of predictions come true, not only will money be scarce, but so will basic things and food, as well as government itself, in fact if things degenerate enough to invoke mass civil unrest, the government could well become our enemay instead of our savior. No, we must rely on oursleves and communities. Start community gardens and food production, take advantage, if you live in such areas, to support local farms. Right now the bulk of our food is grown by a tiny handfull of huge corperate conglomerates, miles and miles of land owned by them growing food that is actualy patented and licenced only to them for those particular strains of vegatables, fruits and meat. Start prepeairing also by purchasing a fixxed dollar amount of reserves, even if it is just an extra $20 every shopping trip, staples like rice, peanut butter and such, put these items seperate f4om your regular used groceries for a "rainy day" In cities, even where space is scarce, small community plots can still be started and utilized. People in neighborhoods can still get their heads and resources together and do an awfull lot to provide for themselves. In high crime areas where society has completely broken down, it is up to the people to take back neighborhoods, you have a constitutional right to do so, armed if nessesary, this isn't vigilatny mob action, it is citizen militia protecting the people and upholding the law when the city or state can not or will not. I hope and pray things aren't going to be as dired as a number of pretty intelligent and able people have predicted, but why chance it, hope for the best, prepair for the worst.

Hello Arkie! Nice post. I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a rural Southeastern Oklahoma town, and I learned how to grow a garden, can food (or freeze or preserve it some way), sew, crochet, cook, bake, hunt, fish, etc. I have four sons, and I am teaching them these same things as well. My youngest is 7 years old, and he grows his own favorite fruits and vegetables (as do all of my boys). He/they also help/s with caning and cooking and all of the rest. I want them to know how to take care of themselves, and I think that many people are going to have to fall back on these so called "old fashioned" ways of providing for themselves in our unsure future. I see nothing wrong with passing these things on to future generations. I recall those times in my youth spent in the garden, the deer woods, in the kitchen sweating over a waterbath or pressure cooker with no air conditioning, or on the river with a rod and reel and a bunch of worms dug up in the garden with great fondness. We did those things together as a family, and there is no better definition of "quality time" than time spent working with your family to provide what is needed. That self sufficient way of life is more valuable and fulfilling than the instant gratification and greedy lifestyles most of us lead today. My husband teases me about being a "hillbilly", but he enjoys the fruits of my labor and has become quite the gardener himself. He brags to all of his friends that his wife can go out and stalk, kill, skin, and cook his dinner with veggies fresh out of the garden in our backyard because most of their wives and/or girlfriends can't even boil water! His friends ae always coming over to eat or get a jar of my home made salsa or something. Several of them have come over to learn how to grow their own gardens or how to can and preserve what they grow. I, for one, wouldn't change the way I grew up, and I hope that I am showing my sons the importance and value of those lessons I learned in my backwater hometown. What is that song..."A Country Boy Can Survive"? I think that is the most apt description of my upbringing that there could possibly be, and you know what? I'm proud of my "hillbilly" upbringing; at least I know that my family won't starve, right?

Alot of people are already going through the hard times... We will see it get worse...concerning the layoffs... But that is the problem, the ones who get layed off and out of work will go through the roughest. They got used to their income and all of a sudden it is cut.. They may have never thought about how to survive without the income, and no jobs available... The government needs to keep the jobs available, in order to change the current path.. and get more of our troops, spending their money here in the USA, not over seas...

There is no doubt these are tough times economically, globally and personally. But i think, handling it is up to us. Are you like the ostrich and hide your head in the sand and pretend like nothing is happening? Or are you like the rhinoceros charging through and knocking down anything in its way? I would like to be later ;) Think of it like this. You're at home and the power goes out and you're in the dark. You get a flashlight or some candles and now the darkness has been illuminated and you are able to see again. Yes, there are some shadows still lurking, but the moment you shine the light on them you can see what the shadows are. It's no different during "tough times". All one needs to do is turn the light on. Question your thoughts around the challenge you are having, face the fear head on, and reap the benefits as it dissipates in the light. Robert Schuller's saying of, "Tough Times Don't Last but Tough People Do", holds much truth. How we handle those days, weeks, months or even years of what seem like the worst of the worst is what can make or break us. Whether you choose to be like the ostrich, rhinoceros or the eagle, "tough times" will be there and it is up to you how you will handle them. When they are over, will you still have your head in the sand? Will you be charging through so fast and furiously you won't even see that they are over? Or will you be soaring through and above them? I think choice is ours ;)

we dont make a whole lot of money anyways and have learned to be careful when we shop. i have bought a lot of stuff already for next christmas because i have found some great sales. i shop all through the year for the holidays, so it doesnt hurt as much as it could. hubby and i both have pretty good jobs and we go to a discount place for groceries and shop at thrift stores for clothing.

I really hope it doesn't get to that point. I for one have no manual skills and am clumsy at anything I try. Sadly, my husband is the same. I live in Miami, and it's very hot so we really can't grow much of anything to help with the grocery budget. I'm trying to get my stuff in order and payoff off the stuff I have left. I am also instilling in my kids the importance of savings and budgeting and to use credit sparingly. Other than that, I'm praying really hard for a spark in the economy which will help us once again become strong and able to support each other. I've just joined a frugal community online for tips and ideas on how to get by.

Arkie, Having been raised in a family of farmers and knowing the value of a hard days work, I think I can handle the hard times that we might be "fixin' to see". My first cooking was done on a wood stove, we heated with a wood stove too! I am the second of 7 kids, we all are still living and so are my mom and dad. Sure, I have the modern conveniences but, I also still have a wood burning stove, pinto beans,candles and a kerosene lamp. I'd advise everyone that reads this to go stock up on those foods that you may have to have just to survive. For some reason, I think the rough stuff has just began to happen. The FED always cuts the interest rates way low, right before they decide to "pull their draw cards".

I like to think we will be fine, but I do not know. I think it will depend on how expensive things get, and how my job goes. Right now I work part time at home and part time outside of the home. I do not make a lot, but I try not to buy things I don't need. I can't really afford to. If I continue living this way, I think we will be ok. I worry about other people though. I hope the economy gets better soon.

I have gone through the discussion.It is encouraging to note that almost everyone who participated in this discussion is determined to face the anticipated hard times.Many of them have some experience of such a period in their life. But they think in terms of their individual or family but not in terms of what they can and should do as a society or country. They are concerned, serious, worried, apprehensive, careful but not agitated or angry.Is it not necessary or advisable to consider to bring pressure on the govt to take such action as will create jobs and help us earn, of course by doing some work.It is the responsiblity of the govt.We are facing this kind of situation because of the wrong policies pursued by the govt.So far the steps taken by the rulers have helped the very rich only.The bail out packages have not yet reached the poor or even the middle classes.big banks and financial co.s have been allotted huge sums, but what about those small people who borrowed money mortgaging their houses? What about those middle class employees and professionals who used their credit cards for some domestic necessities? It needs a collective effort by us who are victims of the govt policies.Yes, efforts individually or familywise are essential, but this move collectively too is urgently neede.Did you see the news about the Chicago factory ( Republic window and doors factory) workers who were robbed of their jobs? They were about 200 of them.The workers and their families occupied the factory and demanded severance and vacation pay. Their banner said,"you got bailed out. We got sold out."The action drew national attention. In a sign of changed times, politicians, celebrities, and public figures turned up at the factory to declare support.Even Mr.obama said he agreed with their demands.The media which, pre-meltdown, would have savaged the strike, were less hostile.Ordinary citizens went up with food hampers to help the strikers. And the wrkers have got their demands met. It has been the way everywhere, not only in the U S. This kind of collective effort is the need of the hour.Only individual efforts are not enough.if the govt. adopts and implements correct policies, the crisis may ease early, or else it will prolong.Let us not forge for a moment that the bankers, the big factory owners, the industrialists, big business are all moving colectively, supporting each other.I t is to safeguard their interests, not of the ordinary people.Therefore, we commoners too must move together. Let us think in terms of our society, our country and not only individually. This kind of effort on our part will be in the interest of our society and our country because we are not one or ten but we are MILLIONS AND MILLIONS!

I know that my grandpa survived the great depression, but he had to drop out of school in the 8th grade. He is now worth quite a bit of money, but that is because he pays cash for everything that he has. He trusts his bank to a point, but does not always trust them. I know that the economy is going to have a hard time rebounding from this recession that is now in place, but it could turn around. If the economy does continue to go South then it would be more of a challenge for everyone to make it, but the key is to have a good garden and try to become self-sufficent or to have a group of friends that can help each other out. Granted we might not be able to afford our houses and extravagant life styles anymore that people seem to take as a necessity anymore, but it would be easy to do if you let go of the extra stuff. I know that people would probably complain that they standard of living is not as high as what it was before a depression, but if you think about it which would you rather have food on the table, or a new video game or DVD? I know I would prefer having food. Working hard will get you thru a depression probably not with alot of money, but it would get you thru a depression happy with food and being able to live. Then possibly Americans will learn a lesson about how to save money instead of spending every single dime that they get on extras.

I get that it'd be hard, but we were poor for a while...and we're old fashioned folks, if things get much worse...if the trends keep deepening as they are now, I'm confident that I could scrabble and survive. Through sweat and blood maybe, but with all the knowledge today...and all I grew up being taught (working with my hands, growing things, raising animals, sewing)...it shouldn't be impossible for us.

I think things could get worse instead of better too. You just never know what the future holds. We live on a budget now and so shortage of money wouldnt be a big thing. We also can and freeze vegetables, husband hunts and we also fish. I cook from scratch as that is cheaper, make my own sauces for foods, I sew, crochet and other things. We also go into the fields and glean when the local farmers are done, yes we are not above getting out hands dirty. I do know that things will be even tougher if things get worse but I do think we will make it.

Things are already getting tough for me. So, I've decided that I will do some gardening this spring so that I can harvest, freeze, and can vegetables. This fall/winter, I've started making larger amounts of home soups and froze the leftovers, have frozen squash, pumpkin and applesauce. I haven't canned anything yet because I don't have equipment for it and it is so expensive. However, I will try to get enough together to do canning in the fall and hope it won't be too late. For instance, this past spring we had floods and storms that cut off our electricity for days. A freezer can only hold up to that for so long. We did have a pet duck who provided an egg every day for us, but she was killed this month, so we no longer have that source for our fresh eggs. I volunteer at a food pantry and I am fortunate that I am also allowed to receive food from the same pantry. If it weren't for that, we would not have enough. We serve around 80 people each week from just this area of our town. (We serve two of the town's zip codes) I have a few friends who have had a better jump start than I have on preparing for a bleak future. They are homesteaders and their little farmettes are nearly all self-sufficient. I have several bottles of water that I have stored for quite a while now, but I don't think I would drink that water. It would work for cleaning. My friends can water. I need to ask them about that; like do they process the water like they do when they can food products to keep it fresh so it won't go stagnant? I don't know. I do know, if terrorists ever ruin our water supply, we will be in big trouble if we don't have water preserved. I hope people do begin to prepare for the worst. If the worst never comes, then they will have surplus to use anyway.

My husband and I have a secure safety net called the Veterans Administration. He is a 100% totally and permanently disabled vet and I don't see the government ever taking his benefits away. There are too many disabled vets in order for them to be able to get away with something like that. When we moved to Florida from Maryland the original plan was for me to not have to go to work so we purchased our properties according to that plan. We live in one home and rent out the other. We also have a budget that is according to my husband's income so the income I earned while I was working was extra. We used it to do some upgrading and to build our savings but then I was laid off so we're almost back to where we started...except for the unemployment benefits I receive. Since we originally planned to live on one income we should have no problem doing that for an extended period of time. In the meantime I am planning to use V.A. educational benefits to finish my degrees so that I can become more marketable should the need arise for me to go back to work.

As a Christian, I know God's promise that He'll provide for all my needs, so I have no fears of hard times. I also believe in giving credit where credit is due, and you only mentioned Hoover and forgot to mention Roosevelt's policies that contributed towards the depression lasting longer than it had to and putting us on the road toward socialism. Socialism just doesn't work. Instead of everyone doing their part, with socialism too many people find out that they can vote themselves a largess from the public treasure and are willing to let the government "take care" of them. I believe that would lead to forced labor when those who work and pay taxes get tired of paying for the deadbeats and join their number. It's unfortunate but this country is losing its work ethic that has made us the greatest country in the world and is becoming a "ask what your country can do for you."