This is slightly 'tongue in cheek' but if we anticipate a depression rather than a recession, what would be sensible things to do? - could people Zombie Plans have practical use?

[KatyMac]

If we anticipate a depression rather than a recession, what would be sensible things to do?

Stock piling food seems a little extreme (& obviously food in the freezer is not the way to go as we often had power cuts in the 70's)

Would spreading your finances over several banks be advisable? Or is any bank better than the others?

Should we pay off debt or save any spare cash as debt may become meaningless? If we save spare money do we do this as cash/money in the bank/diamonds or something else?

Are there elements of the ever present 'Zombie Plans' which float around MN on a regular basis which would actually have a real use

As I said this is slightly 'tongue in cheek' but what would you do?

I'm carrying on as normal!

There is a slightly bonkers site called housepricecrash.co.uk. They believe that the end of the financial world is nigh and lots of posters advise buying gold. I can't take the site seriously but I rather fancy the idea of gold bars under the mattress. Or maybe I could have the gold in earring form.

I'm tempted by the idea of growing my own vege..maybe a National Trust Allotment?! Not much room to keep a cow in our garden!

Yes - but if the market crashes will gold have any residual value - would solar powered equipment be a better buy? Or even food?

Perhaps bars of Green & Blacks would be the currency of the future

Apparently gold keeps its value in crashes. Or more than stocks do. And, like I said, I'd have something pretty to wear while I ate potato soup.

Get an allotment?

Not making any major purchases that could be put off (like buying a new car, big holiday, house extension, etc.). Make sure you have 3-6 months money to live on in case you lose your job.

DH & I joke that we are the only people sustaining the economy; normally we don't buy much but we seem to be making lots more (than usual) purchases lately.

That housepricecrash.co.uk site does indeed look less than sane, nkf. They have a 136-page thread about David Icke's views on the banking crisis... I haven't read it, but IIRC Icke believes that alien lizards are responsible for most of the world's problems.

I am dying to get my paws on an allotment but our waiting list is 7 years long! Eek!

I got uber excited the otherday when we got a letter though about allotments on the waste land behind us, i was asked to sign up if i wanted one, i was emialing in seconds!

But would we be able to buy seeds etc? Can you stockpile them?

Would we be like Tom Good standing guard over our allotment to stop people stealing our food?

As the number of houses being repossessed rises beyond all imaginings and houses themselves lose all value anybody will be able to walk down the street and bag one, knock it down and use the land as their allotment. Personally I'm bagging the plot on the corner and will keep my repossession at bay by growing lemons and garlic.

What could possibly go wrong?

That site is not as mad as it may seem on first read.I took advice from someone on there who writes for the telegraph and he showed me graphs etc of prices and I sold in may 07 and almost immediately after pries fell.He told me to buy a btl as landlords were in deep trouble and so after 15 months renting i found one offered a v low price almost 35% off last one that sold in the road and it all worked out.There are some loonies too though

NorthernLurker - you have really got into the spirit of what I intended

Will repossessions be able to continue as the Government will have to house all these people

I think people will be allowed to stay in their house with a %age of ownership going to the government for each month the mortgage isn't paid - as they will want to avoid shanty towns being set up in the parks

I am planning fortifications for my allotment so that when you you all run out of food, I can defend my leeks from looters....

So can you have a balanced diet out of tins?

KM - probably - with a bit of road kill thrown in for variety and some nettle soup for fibre and extra vitamins.

Hmm, yes tins & an allotment

How long for?......will the world ever recover?

We'll be fine with an allotment until they build the super rockets to take us to the brave new world where the lizards live!

Katy - we'll be able to fend off looters by living on a boat and fishing - could sail past fields for some quick pillaging of potatoes, greenery etc.

The US recovered from the Great Depression - I think we'll be fine. I think it will change people's attitudes towards easy credit forever, though, which is a good thing - we'll never have that "Buy now, pay later" attitude again.

don't forget to start digging your bore holes now

It's exciting isn't it? it will be like living in zimbabwe but without the giraffes and stuff

I'm collecting together all my children's little windmills and am attempting to nail them to the roof as a wind turbine....

So when I go to Makro this week what do I stock up on?

I am guessing tuna & baked beans, maybe tinned ham & peaches & some soup (tomato & oxtail) - I'm hoping tins will last a few years

I will be storing in my attic as I feel the shed is too vulnerable

But can you store flour & sugar and if so how/what in?

Batteries - maybe

I guess I will have to get out lots of books about WWII & the depression to get tips

I'm rather disappointed - I thought this would catch a few imaginations

I tried something like this a year back and all I got was stock your larder and freezer. Didn't even get as far as an allotment with walls!
Tut tut... MNers mostly have their heads in the sand unless it happens to be aliens or zombies!! We have great plans for those. A financial crisis is too ordinary.

Anyway, here's my plan... growing vegetables in the garden. Having a solar cooker (can cook in summer at least!)
Have a wind mill on the shed, solar panel on the roof. (Build my own as they are horribly expensive)

Stock up on tins, lots of beans for protein. Hmm... I'm thinking could we catch the farts and do something with that? Maybe a light or two...

stocking up on wool for knitting socks and pants - must learn to knit also, and crochet?

Shoes too - heavens knows all our grandparents had to walk miles in the snow barefoot didn't they? And did they complain...?)

Tea and coffee were the big thing during the depression yes? Shall lay in a stock as they will know doubt become valuable currency. Think cheese was a big luxury too...so buying some cheese making equipment and coverting porch roof to a grassed area for cow to live on. Will catch cow's methane for energy to run cheese making device.

Sorted.

slightly off tangent but friend who dables in wine made very good point that supermarkets at the mo have wine at prices before crap euro exchange rate... so stock pile french wine now a\s it will get much more expensive... sounds good to me. only trouble is as soon as i buy it i drink it!!