I remember when Covid was first announced and all the end times preppers got excited because they were ready for bad times. Youtube prepper videos were coming out faster than candy from a quarter vending machine. If you clicked on one, ten more appeared in the suggested video list. There was and is an endless supply of survival advice, unlike the scarce supply of computer chips and Iphones nowadays. The economic collapse is coming, they say. Get ready!
I kept the pantry stocked up depending on how bad things were looking in the news, but I never really bought more than a few weeks worth of groceries and eventually I let my supply dwindle down.
Until recently. It’s actually starting to look like the preppers might be right. The price of groceries, gas, and fuel has indeed begun to rise noticeably. There is a strange pileup of ships outside the ports. Politicians are offering not-very-believable explanations for the lack of goods on shelves. And even more odd is the number of companies who say they can’t find enough employees even though unemployment is still relatively high.
Covid numbers have gone down since the late summer spike, but the economy is not doing well. The vaccine mandates are causing many people to lose their jobs. And our elected representatives cannot agree on whether to pass two very expensive budget proposals. Consumer confidence is almost as low as Joe Biden’s approval rating.
What caused the inflation? It took me a bit to understand this and then it clicked.
Economics 101: This inflation is caused by people having extra money available (COVID checks and child tax credit) and people NOT WORKING to produce the goods that people want to buy with that extra money. It’s a supply and demand problem. Too much money , not enough goods. The “shortages” are caused by a lack of workers . In other words, the president needs to tell people to go back to work instead of threatening them with vaccines and making them quit their jobs or retire early . Early retirements are another cause of this dilemma. People with money from working all their lives are trying to enjoy themselves , but the economy is wrecked by the shutdown. If you want to end inflation, stop spending and start working . If you’re retired , hang tight. Or consider working again for awhile.
https://www.today.com/food/fall-may-bring-more-grocery-shortages-here-s-what-expect-t232372
https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/10/inflation-is-more-complex-than-you-think/
So, just for grins, I was watching Youtube this evening and in my suggested list there were some videos about what to buy before hyperinflation hits. I decided to give my own advice here.
What I think you should buy:
- Your favorite foods. Don’t buy stuff you’d never eat!
- Peanut Butter, Jelly, condiments, sauces. Life without condiments is not going to be happy!
- Cereal, rice, beans (if you eat those), canned goods, canned meat (tuna, chicken,vienna sausages (yuck))
- salt, pepper, other spices, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, yeast (Bread costs $20 a loaf? Make fresh bread!)
- Cake mixes, oil, canned milk, cookie mixes
- If you have a reliable freezer, buy meat when it’s on sale and stock up
- As much frozen food as you can store, stuff you normally eat like pizzas, chicken nuggets, veggies, biscuits
- Laundry products, paper products, pet food
- Other items that you purchase regularly for your family. Buy two instead of one and build up a supply.
- cases of water if you need them, sodas and other drinks you usually buy
- fuel, such as propane canisters, gas, gas cans, oil for vehicles, batteries, solar chargers, giant windmill for your backyard
- Battery powered flashlights, USB powered chargers and lights
- Ammo
I don’t know if or when or how long it might be until shelves start to get noticeably empty like they were in March 2020. Don’t wait. This time it could be even worse. I hope not, but those preppers seem pretty sure and they have been studying about this for years. Better safe than sorry.
But don’t live in fear. Just pray and be prepared. Don’t clean off the shelves. Leave some for other people. If you have extra, then you can share with family or neighbors if things get really bad. Last time we had shortages, but not really much inflation. This time it could be different.
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Also, if you live in the south, it’s not too late to grab a few plants for the garden and some vegetable seeds.
Americans have not had it bad, as a country, in most of our lifetimes. Only the very oldest citizens remember a life of scarcity due to war. We are in a new war. A war of ideologies. We may find out what we really value if we get hungry. In the meantime, stock up. And pray.
Blue Skies and Green Pastures 
Who’da’thunk we would see shelves looking like what we saw as kids of shelves in communist countries?
So many unemployed people continue to receive government support, so why work?
Yes, this time may be a little different; “History does not repeat itself but it does rhyme.” (Mark Twain)
We are moving toward a showdown of epic proportions. This could easily be the timing for the Lord’s return.
As for fear, State of Fear by Michael Crichton expresses well what is happening: some want us to live in constant fear and so arrange anything over which they have power to make the situation appear as dire as possible.
But “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
HE has it all under control, so we just need to line up our thinking with His.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
That Crichton book is a very appropriate example. I read somewhere that climate change was chosen as the new ‘war’ to keep people afraid , and keep the money flowing to the right places, friends of politicians. Don’t ask me where I read that, lol. My memory doesn’t hold on to details very well.
I really believe all of this is very much orchestrated chaos to bring about the global government.
BTW, how is John doing? Email me if you prefer, capost3k@gmail.com.
He’s still having issues with breathing, lack of stamina, sometimes gets so out of breath he needs a little oxygen. Thanks for asking!
Let him know he us prayed for every night, and our God and Father is not limited by geography. A prayer in Kentucky can send healing angels to Texas! ❤️&🙏, c.a.
Thank you ! He’s very touched to know this and appreciates your prayers .
I watch commodity trading and have good friends who are supply chain analysts in the corporate world. I’ve been telling friends and family to stock up for weeks. Another thing I would add to your list is propane for the folks who live in rural areas (people who think they are “off the grid”). There is likely a massive shortage of propane headed our way. We do not live in a rural area, but we do have a small tank to power our gas range in the kitchen. Small tank, already set us back $1,000 to fill it up(!) I think we are likely going to see shocks to energy suppliers again in general, and that will also be a big driver of price increases. (Let’s all pray for a mild winter.)
I would also say for family members that depend on a specific medication or medical equipment to survive, get a longer supply for that too. My dad needs antibiotics and blood pressure medicine to manage his stent, and we had the doctor write several months’ worth of those as a paper prescription that could be filled on top of his normal rotating prescription. A lot of folks don’t know this, but about half of the air cargo in the country is transported in the bellies of passenger jets. This is usually time-sensitive stuff like medicine and auto parts. A serious disruption in air traffic (a la Southwest) can wreck havoc on that sort of thing. Not something to play games with.
After last year, I’m not making fun of preppers anymore. But the way I see it, if I don’t need any of this, at least I am ready for the 2022 hurricane season (lol).
Another weird and interesting factoid – China has stopped all exports of fertilizer until June of next year. Producing fertilizer is natural gas-intensive, and they have an energy crisis unfolding over there as it is. Many farmers in Europe (don’t know about the US yet) are already debating if it is even worth it to plant crops for the next season, even with higher commodity prices. That will get strange fast if it comes to pass.
I think you’re right about propane. And that’s scary about the fertilizer. Lord help us. Thanks for the good info!
An excellent perspective
“if you want to end inflation, stop spending and start working.” Simple, yet brilliant! If only the masses would take that advice… 🙄