Markets Crash as Coronavirus Soars: Get your Preps while You Still CAN!

Not much time left people.
If the pattern continues (and at this point its unavoidalbe), USA will be in the same position Italy is today, in about 8 or 9 days.

No power, no water, no hope: Lessons from Venezuela's Collapse

No power, no water, no food, people drinking from the sewer, looting and 1.37 Million Percent inflation.

 FerFAL

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

How much do things cost in Venezuela?

Saw this in Clarin news website. Keep it in mind when stocking up food, putting some precious metals aside for a rainy day or when someone tells you how fantastic communist Venezuela is.

Bar of soap. 3,500,000 Bolivares.. or 0.53 USD

Pack of dry pasta, 1kg. 2,500,000 Bolivares or 0.38 USD

2,600,000 Bolivares or 0.40 USD for TP

About 4 USD for a chicken, maybe 24,000,000 Bolivares

Tomatos, about 6 or 7 of them, 1 kg. 5,000,000 Bolivares or 0.76 USD.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

In Venezuela a single can of tuna is worth 250.000 gallons of gasoline

No, that wasn’t a typo. That's exactly what I said.

In Venezuela, a can of tuna is worth 1.000.000 liters of gasoline.

1 tuna can = 6.400.000 bolivares =  1,87 USD = 1.066.667 liters of 95 octane gas.
Yet the minimum monthly wage is 5.196.000 bolivares, ... not enough for a can of tuna.
The insanity of Maduro means that in Venezuela,  gasoline is pretty much free, certainly far more expensive than water. But on the other hand everything else costs a fortune.

And its not just food. As I posted before, people in Venezuela called Garimpeiros dive into the sewers looking for the smallest bit of precious metal lost down the drain, maybe a bit of silver or even gold. The smallest piece of precious metal is worth a fortune to them.
Think about that next time you stock up an extra case of tuna, box of ammo or a few bucks worth of silver.

FerFAL
 Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

In Venezuela, money has stopped working

Fernando,
I saw this article today, and it really made an impact on me regarding the hyperinflation occurring in Venezuela.
- How 20-bolivar bills are left behind by looters because they are worthless.
- How the official exchange rate has nothing to do with real world costs.
- That prices are roughly doubling every month, and wages can't keep up.
- that, "Tuna holds its value. Money doesn’t."
I remember the school lessons on the crash of the Deutschmark after W.W. II, but this is much more real because it is happening now. In the aftermath of war, there is reconstruction; what can be done about the devastation caused by governmental corruption and mismanagement on a massive scale? This is tragic.
Best regards,
Deen
.
Hello Deen,
The situation in Venezuela is just terrible.
Very similar to Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe where paper currency pretty much lost all its value and you needed carts full of the stuff to buy a loaf of bread.
I can sure relate to the value of a can of tuna. In countries like Venezuela, and even in Argentina during the worst period after 2001, a can of tuna is something pretty special.
No, hold on, don’t laugh! ;-)
You have to go through it to understand it. Do you have any idea what it means to buy something that you know will go up in price %500 or more before it expires?
That little can of tuna is practically magic.
It’s meat you can store meat without refrigeration. Something very important with rolling blackouts.
It lasts for years.
It’s precious meat protein.
It goes very well along with most other staples like rice or pasta.
It may not be available next time you’re at the grocery store…
You end up treasuring those things. Believe me.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

12 Important Tips to Survive Brexit

I’m getting lots of emails and messages from readers in UK really worried about the ongoing situation. My experience in Argentina is actually pretty relevant, especially regarding inflation, devaluation and banking. My blog is packed full of information, use the tabs and search window. If you haven’t read them already, my books (The Modern Survival Manual, Bugging Out) will provide very valuable information. I’ll try covering more Brexit advice in future posts and videos in my youtube channel.
As for now, you need to understand the following:

1)More Poverty, more unemployment. Preparedness is mostly about getting ready for what is likely. Snowstorms happen every winter in certain areas, so you prepare for those. But sometimes preparedness is also about what’s possible, even if unlikely. If you would have told me just a year ago that the British Pound would perform worse than the Argentine Peso I would have told you to stop smoking crack, explain how bad that stuff is for your health. Today the Pound is the worst performing currency in the entire planet. This isn’t some anecdotic piece of news. This is staggering. Inflation will occur, people’s purchasing power will drop, imports will become more expensive, there will be less money, worse infrastructure, less investments, therefore less jobs. Basically a significant share of UK middle class will become poor and those that are already low middleclass/poor, well, you’re looking at a VERY tough situation ahead of you.

2) Inflation. With the worst depreciation in 31 years the consequences are just unavoidable. Prices will go up. They will go up A LOT. You don’t just lose 21% and just pretend nothing happened. I’ve seen it first hand and know very well what you will be seeing in the years to come. Chances are you wont hear much of a buzz in the news, and only certain media will report it. But you’ll notice it soon enough. Mark my words one day you’ll be leaving Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Asda, you’ll look at your trolly (Cart for Americans) and ask your husband or wife “dear, how many pounds did we just spend? 150?”. You’ll think “hey, that doesn’t look like 150 quid worth of grocery…”. Understand this, the media will try to hide it and marketing will try to do the same. Unless you check the net content they’ll trick you with their “new and improved” packaging. Fuel will be another issue, already going up in price.
Everything is linked and UK simply isnt much of an industrial country. If its not imported then it’s using imported parts or materials in its production. After years of being part of the EU, this was simple, cheap and straight forward for companies but not anymore.

3)Even worse medical care. The NHS was very bad already but believe me when I say it will get even worse. People already died of illnesses that other developed countries detected and treated in due time. It’s a disgrace to read time and again about people being sent home with a golf ball lump under their skin and be told its nothing by their GP. With NHS women hardly get an Pap Smear and even for women with a family history of breast cancer they just get check after 50… every three years. Shameful.

4)More Xenophobia and hate crime. One of the ugly sides of the Leave campaign was to subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) appeal to the racism and xenophobia some people have in UK, with hate crimes going up 57 to 147%. It’s amazing given that London is such a multicultural city but we’ve witnessed truly pathetic scenes such as Brit teen telling a Latino looking man to go back home (turns out the man was an American army veteran, living in Britain for more years than the teen has been alive). In many cases its just people harassing other just because of an accent or skin color. There’s this elder German women that lived in UK for over 20 years, all of a sudden being told by her neighbours to go back to her country.
The survival lesson is: If you’re not white, if you’re and expat living there or just happen to have an accent, you will be less welcomed in UK today that you would have been just a few months ago and it will get worse. Official stats are showing just this, and its really no surprise because it is in fact a government policy implemented years ago to make the country less appealing for immigrants. If this happens to be your case, I’d say it’s a big factor to take into consideration. Think if you’re willing to put up with it, if you’re willing to have your family, maybe your children suffer it as well.

5)Media censorship. Its already quite noticeable, the BBC of course but most British mainstream media are heavily controlled and report little actual news. You need to understand this, understand that there’s a political guideline which they follow, the way they report news and even which news even gets reported. The Guardian and Independent seem to be more likely to report the negative news which other official or non official but government aligned agencies are likely to avoid.
When it comes to news, you just need to understand who is reporting it, who owns the given media corporation and what their interests are.

What to do:

1.buy yourself a gun. NOW
Firearms are already heavily restricted in UK and this will only get worse after Brexit. The UK has been asking for tougher gun laws and nearly all other EU countries have more permissible ones, allowing handguns and semi auto rifles in most cases.
The reasons for owning a firearm are numerous, and indeed you just don’t know what may happen one day. What I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that if the day ever comes and you do need a gun, you won’t have time to wait for several weeks. You will need it right then and there. With the chances of tighter regulations plus the likeliness of post Brexit social unrest, I can only recommend getting yourself a shotgun, a quality semi automatic one would be my preferred choice. Get your Firearm Certificate or shotgun licence, join a club and practice. Ideally you would join a club and get involved in shotgun practical shooting, which is the closest you can get to defensive shooting skills in UK. Listen, as of today its simple and straightforward enough. Tomorrow it may not be. This would be my number one priority if living in UK right now.
2.Open a bank account offshore while you still can.
Now this is something I was told about in Deutsche Bank here in Spain, just today. UK is now considered a “high risk” country for money laundering, along with several third world countries. You can imagine how ridiculous this seemed and I said so to the clerk. The bank lady agreed, but she said that since they are leaving the EU they understand there’s a much higher chance that, as of right now, some people from UK would try to open accounts abroad for money laundering. In any case, as of today you should be able to find a bank in an EU country other than UK to open an account. Do it while you can. This is a key asset to have.
3.Buy Euros. NOW.
The Pound keeps dropping like a rock and this WILL NOT IMPROVE. You are losing money, and right now you can do something about it, you still have the option to go to any bank and get as many Euros as you can. From now on until article 50 is triggered it’s a no brainer. Some will hold until the last minute refusing to accept article 50 will be effectively triggered. It will, and when it does you’ll see the pound drop even further. If you have most of your money in Euros, it will be a lot less painful. If you opened your account abroad as recommended, you can easily send some of your savings there in Euros, move your money back and forth as needed.
4.Stock up food and medical supplies
I cannot emphasize this enough and it involves preparedness on several levels. First and obvious enough, food will get more expensive. They will try to hide it as much as they can but it’s unavoidable. If there’s shortages, problems with supply (Britain is an island after all) having a supply of food stocked is essential. If you lose your job, a stash of food will give you some peace of mind. You’re going to eat anyway. Remember to store what you eat. Try sticking to shelf stable food and canned produce. Rice, beans, dry pasta, properly stored they will last for years. Canned sausages are pretty common. Canned beans are a waste of money in my opinion but some people like it. Try them out now, see what you like and stock up.
5.Thousands in UK are already applying for Irish citizenship
This would allow them to stay in the EU, travel, work and study in EU in spite of the UK leaving. Having seen this first hand, if this is an option you want to do this ASAP. Soon enough waiting periods will increase considerably and as always you just never know if new restrictions are implemented eventually. Being an island with a bunch of countries right in front of you means you have options, but only if you have the right to work, study and reside there. I believe many folks just took that for granted and don’t fully understand how much their options will be reduced once that right is lost. Again, If I was in UK and had the option to apply for Irish or other EU country citizenship, I would do it immediately.
6.Keep a cash stash, including Euros and precious metals.
These are complicated times. You are looking at a period of instability and uncertainty in which problems with the banking system and cash availability are a possibility. As the pound keeps devaluating so does your savings. In my case I have some GBP in my cash stash, just in case. I felt the sting of seeing it lose value to the Euro. I can only imagine how much worse it would have hurt if all of my savings where in such currency.
My standard recommendation is to have at least a month worth of expenses in cash, just in case. In the case of UK, I would go for at least two months, and you probably want at least half of that saved in Euros. There’s little doubt that the pound will keep dropping.
Silver is another asset to consider. UK has Britannia silver and gold bullion. I’d look into setting aside some as insurance for a worst case scenario. Junk silver is also an option with pre 1920 British coins being sterling silver (92.5% silver) and pre 1947 coins being 50% silver.
Check with your insurance company to see how much it covers worth of cash, bullion and antiques & collectibles (junk silver) In many cases the amount of cash covered is pretty low but it can be increased if you have other forms of wealth which is yet another reason for having them.
7.Try staying healthy and get private medical cover.
The NHS being what it is its important to avoid it as much as you can. Stay slim, fit and healthy. If you do this you’re already avoiding a fair share of medical complications. If you don’t have private medical, I would recommend getting at least their basic plan. UK is moving towards private medical care and if you happen to need it I at least believe its money well spent. The NHS will not cure, they will just distract you until you die.
Staying healthy also means your medical premiums will be much lower, saving you money.
These are complicated times. Some of the problems ahead are obvious and unavoidable, the impact of others may be reduced with good policies but still common sense preparation is highly recommended.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

UK no longer a great place to live

Message:
Hi Fernando, I have been reading your blog and books for quite some time now. They have been a great source of information and have helped me to take a different view on many important issues. Thanks for your insight into your experiences. This is what has prompted me to contact you today. From reading both your books I have started to see some worrying trends here in Scotland (UK) where I currently live.
Despite what the media say we are seeing a sharp rise in the price of essentials like food, fuel, clothing and petrol. There are a lot of people out of work and there are hardly any jobs, those who do have jobs are having things like sick leave changed to being unpaid from paid, and there are much less staff to do more work and for longer hours with no extra pay. The media (mainstream) are being censored more now than ever. We are one of the most watched countries in the world yet we are told we are still at imminent danger of a terrorist attack. Our children are being taught terror drills in school. We are now at a point where if you speak your mind too much your sanity is questioned and you are placed in a mental health facility for treatment. This is especially true if you happen to be questioning government, police, courts etc. Our wages continue to stay at the rate they have been for years and yet everything we rely on continues to rise. Banks have made it near impossible to get a mortgage for the average person, and there seems to be more and more security to take out your cash. The other thing I've noticed is shortages of items like baby milk. The media claim this is because people are buying bulk to send to China, we are now limited to buying only 2 cans at a time.
Having read your books there seems to be some similarities here. The news this morning claims it's set to get worse as fuel is to go up another 5p per litre by the end of this month and food and clothing are to increase in price again. Also things we used to get on the NHS at our GPS etc are now no longer available for example I called for an appointment for a general health check after having a baby 6 weeks ago, they told me that service no longer exists due to cutbacks. My friend was recently declined by GP to check blood pressure (he has heart issues) they told him they no longer offer that service its too costly to keep checking everyone. Do you think the people in Scotland and the rest of the UK could be facing financial collapse?. What advice would you give me at this time?. What are the best things I cando at this moment to help myself and my family? (I have 5 young children). Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
Ashley
.
Hello Ashley,
Thanks for your email. I’m sorry to hear about the ongoing situation in UK. I do know it’s pretty complicated and in all honesty its about to get worse. There’s just no other way. If there’s one thing I know it’s the calamities high inflation brings with it. If your currency drops 10%, 20% or more… there’s just no way around it, the standard of living for most of the population will drop accordingly. More middle class will become poor and those that were already struggling will fare significantly worse.
I was just working on an article regarding advice for post Brexit UK. My books ("The Modern Survival Manual" and "Bugging Out and Relocating") have information which will come in handy no doubt, keeping in mind the different context there are still similarities as you have noticed. You are already seeing some similarities like the cuts of spending and therefore worse healthcare, inflation, “new and improved” items and products getting smaller while going up in price and the media covering it all up.
For now let me just say this. Yes, I think UK will go through some very complicated times to say the least, as you are already noticing. I’ll try finishing the article and posting it tomorrow, with some advice for you and other readers living there.
Kind regards,
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

5 Apocalyptic Realities In A Country That's Out Of Food

Hi Fernando,

The link below relates to an article regarding the current food crisis in Venezuela.

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2379-my-mango-tree-could-kill-me-life-when-food-runs-out.html

It is a very interesting read.

Have a good day.

-Kevin

.

Thanks, very interesting read.
Some thoughts I’d like to point out:
1)Even a simple fruit tree can be a key asset with food supplies running so low.
2)You can get attacked over a fruit tree.
3) When points one and two are about to become a reality, it means you should have left the God forsaken place a LONG time ago.
4) People are starving while a loaf of bread costs 0.50USD. The problem is that due to hyperinflation, a single dollar is a fortune and few can afford those prices. This is how the rich in Venezuela feast in country clubs while the rest, poor and former middle class, starve.
5) Properly arm yourself NOW. You don’t want to be the guy defending his mango tree (let alone his life) with a crossbow pistol.

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Small rural USA town faces "total collapse"

Message:
I saw this article pop up today and thought you'd might be interested.
A small town in the USA state of Virginia had the main job creator
move out 30 years ago, so the government basically ran on the economic
equivalent of pixie dust and prayers. Now, it's defaulted on all its
loans, and the government will literally cease to exist within a
month. The only hope, a very slim hope, is that the new city manager's
drastic plan will buy enough time.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/city-on-the-brink-petersburg-can%e2%80%99t-pay-its-bills-and-time-is-running-out/ar-AAiwmaD?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=mailsignout
And this isn't unique-Maywood, California, an aging suburb of Los
Angeles originally built to house workers for a massive auto factory
that closed down in the 1970s, had its government cease to exist a
couple years ago, leaving Mexican gangs as the de facto government.
And there are others
Before Collaspe
.
Thanks for the link BC. Spending more than you can afford is never a good idea.
I talked about this many times before. It is pretty typical as the social degradation continues to see small towns like these take a hit. Lots of ghost towns around, some pretty large.
Its more important than ever for communities to work together if they expect to survive.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

The Men who Crashed the World

Folks, you probably saw this video before but if not its highly recommended.

Pay particular attention to minute 12 of the video, explaining the competition between NY and London. This actually explains well, years before it actually went down, why Brexit took place: So that the “city” can escape the EU regulators.
Also, on minute 27:20. I find it interesting how events played out in relation to Europe-USA: It wasn’t that Europe went down because USA did, Europe was actually the canary in the mine. I believe that to be true today as well.
Make time to watch this other clip too.

 Its very informative, explains the scam that is the current economic system. Its fun too. Maybe something teenagers would watch while learning very important information regarding how the world works.

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

My thoughts on Dave Ramsey

Ferfal,
Good Afternoon what are your thoughts on Dave Ramsey's plan for
getting out of debt as a preparation for Economic problems? Are you
familiar with it? I've never heard you mention him, albeit you
certainly talk about having cash saved up. I think if everyone had
their debt paid off the extra income would certainly help absorb some
inflation. Give options anyway.
-A
.

I very much like Dave Ramsey and recommend his book “The Total Money Makeover”. I like how he recommends staying out of debt, having a tight budget and living below your means. His advice regarding not buying new cars or taking leases is spot on. Buy your car cash. If you can’t, you certainly shouldn’t go into debt for it.
The only point I don’t agree with him is gold.
Dave calls gold a “lousy” investment and mentions the poor returns compared to other investments. That much is true, gold is a lousy investment but that’s because gold isn’t an investment at all. Gold is a commodity. Investments generate money for you, think interests or a property you put up for rent. Buying and selling gold won’t make you much money. You’re more likely to lose some given premiums and shipping. But for an economic collapse? Oh yes, that’s different. When something terrible happens and the dollar, Euro or whatever fiat currency starts devaluating at double digit rate per week, gold will hold its own and then some. In reality it’s just keeping its true value, plus the higher than normal premium due to market interest as an economic shelter.
At one point Dave says that a pair of blue jeans or a tank of gas are “very valuable”, but not gold coins and that canned soup “would have been a better hedged against a failed economy”. As someone that actually went through an economic collapse and has studied failed economies elsewhere around the world for years, I can tell you this just isn’t true. I’ve haggled and bought two pairs of very nice jeans at a black market in Buenos Aires for a fraction of the cost of a similar quality pair in USA or Europe. After the collapse, the business of buying and selling gold went up 500% in Argentina. Gold became so valuable it became a premium target for pickpockets and burglars, so much that its still just impossible to go around town with any visible gold jewellery.
Gold is not an investment. It is a commodity considered valuable throughout history, which goes up and down in price but overall remains a globally recognized form of wealth.
Besides, as someone that dealt with an economic collapse first hand I can assure you is that you can’t grab any other asset or investment, throw it in your pocket and make a run for the airport while the country falls apart around you.
Then again, this is why you take advice regarding economic collapse from me rather than Dave Ramsey! ;-)
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Fernando with Chris Martenson for PeakProsperity

Hey guys, I leave below the link to my podcast interview with Chris Martenson. I think it went well. If anyone has thoughts, questions and such feel free to leave them in the thread.
http://www.peakprosperity.com/podcast/98435/ferfal-understanding-societal-collapse
FerFAL

Shrinking U.S. middle class: 47% of Americans don’t have $400 for Emergencies

The title says it all. A recent pool by The Federal Reserve Board shows that 47% of Americans would struggle to come up with $400 to deal with emergencies. The article is well worth reading.
The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans
The (misguided) idea is that higher education should come along with massive debt. If we add to that a mortgage and car payments most Americans simply accept the fact of living in debt most of their adult lives. If we throw in unexpected job/career difficulties or serious diseases, this means most Americans struggle with keeping themselves from going bankrupt if not literally dying.
Lesson of the day: Cash is king, even for economic collapses you want a cash cushion. Economic disasters teach us that in nearly all cases cash does not lose value overnight, especially not stable well recognized currencies. You should aim to have at least a month worth of expenses in cash.
If banks close and ATMs run out of money, how much cash do you have at hand?
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

How much food does the average family have in Venezuela?

As you probably know already Venezuela is collapsing in a pretty dramatic way. The situation has been critical for years now but people are now running out of food.
This Business Insider article illustrates the situation well, 'We want out of this agony': What it's like to eat in a country that's on the verge of collapse”.
One of the more telling materials in it is the series of photos showing how much food typical families in Venezuela have left.








Lesson of the day folks: you can never store enough water and food. Also, know when to bug out of the country entirely.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Puerto Rico Goes Belly Up

Message:
Argentina bound: Puerto Rico goes belly up, rest of USA next
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/puerto-rico%E2%80%99s-fiscal-fiasco-is-harbinger-of-mainland-woes/ar-BBsTm56?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
Yep, we've seen this movie before. Puerto Rico is bankrupt and those
who can leave are doing so...to the mainland USA which is about to
follow the same path. When the USA defaults, the rich will fly away to
private islands or maybe that Galt's Gulch-style retreat that the Bush
family is rumored to be building in Paraguay, and watch the fun over
satellite TV until the power goes out and the feed goes blank. BTW,
this is why any prepper worth his salt checks multiple news feeds
every day-arrogant idiots who only watch one feed tend to miss
important news.
-B
Puerto Rico has been falling apart for some time now.
You actually bring up two very important points.
First, be careful of the main stream media. You need to understand that all media companies are owned by people with certain interests and the media they own promotes the agenda behind those interests. Understanding this and understanding the way they manipulate and create public opinion is more important than ever for a modern survivalist. We live in an age in which we have more information available to us than ever before, but that also means that there’s just as many more channels to influence the masses.
Second, the importance of timing. Know when to leave. The ultimate survival strategy to a worst case event is moving away from it. In cases like these you need to identify when it’s time to leave. It’s not always easy, but while you don’t want to overreact, you also don’t want to wait too long past the point of no return. Due to war, economic collapse or tyranny, it may get to a point when it just too late to leave, or it becomes exponentially more dangerous or expensive to do so.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Venezuela: Water during an Economic Collapse

Fernando
I have been reading stories about the situation in Venezuela. Specifically about the ability or lack of ability to buy food.   In looking at the pictures in this article, the latest one I've read, I noticed that the kitchens are really small, but more I noticed that many people seem to have the blue plastic water barrels in the kitchens.
Is this what they are? Water barrels? Tell us about the water situation when hard economic times hit hard in countries and communities, and the families especially.
here is the link to the latest article I read.
http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-economic-food-crisis-meals-2016-4
Thank you, Selene
.
Good eye.

Water Shortage Cripples Venezuela

It is true, there’s a big problem with water in Venezuela. The government blames adverse climatic conditions, but this is typical of corrupt authoritarian governments: The problem is failing infrastructure and complete disregard for the social well-being of the population.
Water is maybe the most overlooked aspect of preparedness when stockpiling supplies. People think of guns, of food, even of having water filters, but actual water? Ask most people how much actual drinking water they have and few will truly have a week worth of water stored.
Don’t underestimate water people! Stock up as much as you can, it will never be enough. Not only for drinking, but also cooking, sanitation, washing clothes, hands and flushing toilets. Big water containers are great but don’t forget smaller ones. Start collecting containers, 2L soda bottles are actually great. They are very handy for use and fit in lots of dead spaces around the house, especially smaller ones where finding storage space is sometimes difficult.
Just ask yourself, how long have you prepared for if SHTF. Keep in mind that you’ll need a gallon per person per day. I suggest to have at least a week’s worth for your entire family group.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Venezuela Collapse: State employees now work 2 Days a Week

Corrupt dictators rarely do well but the case of Venezuela sure is an extreme one.
Basically nothing works in Venezuela. Due to high levels of corruption and considerable stupidity by the thugs currently running the country, even basic services have become true luxuries over there. The government took over most aspects of the country’s economy and managed to ruin even the most resilient industries. There’s no fresh milk and fresh produce are extremely hard to come by. People have to wait in line for hours to get basic staples at supermarkets. The rolling blackouts are becoming more common, lasting now 4 hours a day instead of periods of two.
Due to the energy crisis, public non essential civil servants will work just two days a week. The mandatory leave used to be imposed on Fridays. There’s no school on Fridays as well.
Survival Tip: Which parts are “spared” from the blackouts? The fancy part in downtown Caracas (the capital) where most government offices are and where there’s the most tourism. As always, when a country suffers, its protects its own nucleus.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Gold, Rolex and Cash after SHTF

Hi
I read the portion of your site devoted to the Rolex watch and the supposed value of the watch.
For the last so many decades I have been dealing in vintage watches.
Couple of points. It’s a ladies watch and ladies watches are much less in demand on the resale market than men’s watches are.
Also, there is no set price for vintage watches. It’s kind of what you can get. It’s not the stock market where the prices are posted for anyone to see.
Also, Rolex are a mass produced watch. Replicas are very good and not many people can spot the difference unless they have some experience in the field.
Best thing to have for emergency is gold. Bullion gold. Such as Maple Leaf coins or some other 999+ gold coin. Also, one should buy bullion gold coins in a minimum of 1/4 ounce size. Smaller than that there is a premium that the buyer never never gets back when they sell to a dealer.
Gold, as you well know is a publicly traded commodity with published, both print and on the net, prices for buying and selling.
Preppers are a funny bunch. Lot of silly ideas and full of conspiracies and fantasies about how they will cope/live in a difficult environment that they foresee coming our way.
They may be right about the future but I suspect few of them are prepared.
Btw, I have purchased your book and read it at least twice.
Be smart and lucky amigo.
All the best.
-James
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Thanks James, you bring up some excellent points.
As I said before it all comes down to how much you’re paying for it. There’s always a price. A buying price. A selling price (which usually offends those on the other side of the counter when they are the ones doing the selling) and there’s a price just too good to walk away from.
I would be very cautious about buying anything I don’t know well, for example in my case watches. I have a pretty good idea of what guns cost. I know a Colt Single Action Army has a certain value that no gunstore will refuse to pay for given the possible resale value, so I have a pretty good idea of what the “too good” price is. As you say though, it is better if you have a fixed, unbiased price for the specific item so that’s why gold and silver are so appealing. There’s no debate regarding their given price each day. Then again, there’s even less of a debate when it comes to a wad of cash. A couple thousand dollars in 100 USd bills is still pretty compact, and you don’t need to sell it fist to use it as you would with gold or silver. This is why the first savings you put aside for a rainy day, those should be hard cash.
“But cash is useless during an economic collapse”. No, no its not. Especially during the first few days and weeks, it may lose its value but it does so slowly. At the same time the shortage of cash, in spite of the economic collapse, creates an environment where cash is king. During this first period of time, cash gives you leverage even if it loses value. In the case of a strong currency like the USD, its even less likely that it will become worthless or lose significant value overnight.
Then yes, if you want to put aside something “economic collapse proof”, that’s when you go into precious metals.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

The BEST Survival Tool… and the most overlooked.

Passports, Gun and Cash.
A recent article in CNN (World's best and worst passports revealed) reminded me of what I know to be one of the most powerful survival tools, maybe THE most powerful one besides your own body and mind: A Second Passport, especially one in a first world nation or EU.
But isn’t it food, water, guns, ammo, meds? Yes, they are all very important, essential even, but for a worst case scenario, for when you have to bug out and do so even out of the country due to pandemic, war, tyranny, then a second citizenship is without a doubt your most valuable tool, and that’s just one of the key advantages it has.
Many Americans could get EU citizenship through Ireland, Spain, Germany and Italy. If you have a grandparent from one of these countries, in general it costs very little money, just making a few calls and having patience.
There’s a reason why an EU passport costs millions of dollars. (I believe Malta still offers the cheapest one just under 2M) What are the advantages? Wealthy people from other nations find it to be a powerful tool for business and financial reasons, having assets and investments in countries that offer favourable conditions. That may not be of as much interest to you but there are other key advantages for the average Joe as well.
1)Healthcare. In Europe you’re entitled to it, for free. And it’s far better than most Americans think. Entitlement sounds bad until you’re dying and you don’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to save your life, or your kids, or your grandkids. A plane ticket to an EU country where you have citizenship means you will get treated.
2)Education. How about studying in Europe for free or very cheap, a quarter or less of what it costs in USA? Again, your kids and grandkids will enjoy those same rights.
3) Refugee. If we can learn anything about the current refugee crisis is that it sucks to be one. With a second citizenship from a serious country you have an embassy, you have a country backing you and a place to go to… as a citizen. War, disasters of great magnitude of an authoritarian regime means you have somewhere to go to. It may seem unlikely, distant, but remember this is a right you can pass on down your family tree. Maybe is not your own, but your kids or your grandkids who you’re saving.
If you believe you can get a second citizenship, don’t even think about it just do it. Your kids, great grandkids or a family member further down the bloodline may thank you for it one day.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

People in Venezuela Bartering for Survival

Argentina went through some very tough times but politically it never fell completely into a communist backwards socio-political situation such as the one seen in Venezuela.
Venezuela has been the land of amazing stupidity these last few years thanks to characters such as Hugo Chaves and Nicolas Maduro. How else can you explain a country that runs out of toilet paper and tampons, or where cooking oil, flour and sugar, produced locally are hardly found in supermarkets and only after waiting in line all day?
Chicken for diapers: Bartering abounds in scarcity-stricken Venezuela
Some of the more interesting quotes:
"Like many 16-year-olds, Yannilay Liendo spends the better part of her day glued to Facebook. However, unlike her peers, she’s not using the social media site to connect with friends or catch up on gossip — she’s trying to find diapers and formula for her baby."
"Venezuela’s grinding economic crisis has generated a plethora of problems including triple-digit inflation, shortages of basic goods and massive lines at markets. But it’s also inspiring boot-strap solutions, including a growing number of bartering websites for desperate shoppers."
"In a sense, the economy has turned everyone into a hoarder. On a recent weekday, when a shipment of tampons came into a local pharmacy in an upscale part of Caracas, business men on their lunch break were scooping them up by the handful. While some said they were taking them to their spouses, others said they hoped they might be able to trade them with friends for other toiletries.
"Maria, 24, a reseller who asked for anonymity because re-selling is illegal, said stores in her neighborhood of central Caracas are adapting to the new buying habits by offering baskets of random bundled goods at a fixed price designed to be swapped on the secondary market."
"José Goméz, a 57-year-old public accountant, said it had been five days since he could find sugar or coffee.
“In my house we don’t even know what a bean looks like anymore,” he said. “It’s been eight months since I’ve been able to buy deodorant.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article47429270.html#storylink=cpy