We all remember what happened when the Plandemic hit initially. The news reports of shortages of materials like toiletpaper were being sold off the shelves so much so that grocery stores had to put employees on the aisle to keep the peace. Well, who knows how long this “transitory” inflation is going to stick around and how much more of it we are going to experience. Signs are pointing that it will not be going away too soon, and in fact, because of the quantitative easing and the government spending of trillions of dollars (let alone the abandonment of the petro dollar across the globe) the cost of goods only are going to go up. Most people would probably name the great depression of the 1930s as the largest example of a worldwide economic crisis in US history. But what they may not be seeing that we presently are in a deeper hole financially, as a nation and worldwide, than any other time in history and for those goods we cannot produce ourselves the cost of which will inevitably go higher.

With these numbers on display, it’s not a question of “if” but “when” the next major worldwide economic crisis will happen. Better yet it is no longer just a question of “when” but “how soon”?

If the next big economic collapse is anything like the great depression was, international trade will fall, unemployment will rise, food and work will become scarce, and most folks today won’t know what hit them. Knowing this, there is a calm that is experienced just before a major storm hits, and if you are one of us who’s knees can predict the weather, now is the time to get covers in place and things tied down – including stocking up on essential household items before the next great financial storm slams into us.

If we look to the past for what our great grandparents did to survive such harsh times, we can learn from their example and stand better prepared.

When it comes to your household, to help you weather this financial storm, here are a 20 household items you would be wise to stock up on before the next major economic crisis hits.

Bleach

I can remember my grandmother’s house often smelling like bleach. Having gone through the first Great Depression, she often used it for her kitchen counters to disinfect and to clean. And in the hard times it can be tough to lay your hands on the stuff without costing you a pretty penny.

Plus, when using bleach, a little goes a long way. So if you’re reasonably stocked up on bleach you typically don’t need to worry about running out for at least several months per bottle. Bleach has a wide range of uses in everyday and survival type situations and would be a great item to get more of while there is still plenty on the shelf and reasonably priced to boot.

Disinfectant Wipes

A more modern convenience from my grandma’s time is the disinfectant wipes. Get a few more on hand now, keep them sealed and you will be able to use them throughout this money crunch.

Common Soaps – Dishwasher, Laundry, and Liquid

One of the everyday household items that will assuredly go up in price are the soaps. Dishwasher, Laundry and hand soaps. The modern convenience of  sprinkling in a dab or so of detergent into the wash (Dish or Clothes) has been able to cut down the time of washing and keeping things nice and clean.

Sure you can make your own, and there are books and instructional how-to guides to walk you through doing so, but it does take some time to do and do it right. You may eventually have to get your hands into the lye and animal fat but until you have to, get a few extra of each now when you can.

Vinegar

Now, you may be thinking why vinegar? Well, for two main reasons. The first of which it was often used in the past as a cleaning agent, or a main ingredient in cleaning things around the home. My wife still uses it to clean windows and mirrors (because it doesn’t cause streaks). Secondly, it is often used in the making of home herbal remedies (Apple Cider Vinegar specifically) if you aren’t so inclined to use alcoholic spirits like vodka or tequila. For the stomach ailments that can’t be touched when the Pepto Bismal runs dry, it is a great carrier liquid for the home based medicines. Oh, and also some cooking recipes call for vinegar too so there is that as well.

Baking Soda

Super versatile and shelf-stable, baking soda is cheap and pretty much always stocked in stores. However, just because it’s inexpensive now doesn’t mean it will stay that way. When people start to realize just how valuable this stuff is, there’s a good chance you will have trouble finding it at all – at least not at a fair price.

You can use baking soda for a myriad of cooking, cleaning, and hygienic purposes.

There are so many great things baking soda can do and it is a pleasure to have in any  stockpile.

Tooth Paste

Now, if you are not of the generation that used to brush their teeth with a water-baking soda solution (as my grandmother did as a little girl in the 1910s) then getting a good stock of your favorite minty freshness would be a wise thing to do now. None of it is made in America, they all (with a few rare exceptions) are made outside our borders and will be subjected to price hikes in this inflation economy and also to the supply restrictions that are hitting all over for various products that you can find at your local supermarket. And just think, after you run out, and you cannot get or afford any more, then, you can use the Baking Soda method my grandma did so long ago.

Paper Towels

This is one that you may not think of readily, but it is something when you need it, they are handy to have at hand. And to buy a few extra each time you head to the supermarket and get your groceries. Trust me, when they become less available and more expensive to get, you’ll be glad you got those extras before it all got a bit harder to acquire.

Needles and Thread

Supply chains for new clothing will be one of the affected areas for consumers. And with quality clothing at a premium, mending and sewing what you now have may be in the cards for you. Like in the past, when something ripped or got a hole in it, there were patches and work-around sewing techniques employed. Finding quality fabric and buying clothes made to last has become more difficult and more expensive throughout the years. During the upcoming financial hardships, it’s a smart move to invest in a few clothing mending items to make those  longer-lasting materials such as leather, canvas, or other strong and durable fabric types stay usable.

Knowing how to repair clothing will make the clothes you have last much longer. Plus, knowing how to sew well will be a marketable skill if trade and barter become the norm post-depression.

Jars and Other Reusable Food Storage Containers

I remember my grandmas saved every glass container they could get their hands on. And when modern civic services like trash, electricity, sewage, and water for that matter will be less reliable, we will need to make some hard decisions.

One of which has to do with the trash you generate to become a very serious problem.

One of the ways to do that is to separate out the stuff (like real glass jars and containers) that is not easily burnable (of which you may inevitably have to set aflame the remainder).

Additionally, buying canning jars, and containers that can be air free (preferably in a state of NEW) can be used for a myriad of uses , like to germinate seeds, ferment food, catch yeast, clean water, store food, and more.

Seeds of What You Will Eat

One of the ways that our ancestors made it through the lean times was knowing how to grow their own food. They knew (by doing it themselves or observing their parents) how much work, time and effort went into being better prepared with their food. People had to learn to stretch meals very far if they wanted to keep their families from going hungry.

Because we won’t be able to rely on governmental programs when we are not able to earn money the conventional way, we need to make ways for ourselves to keep the basics in stock. Typically, those basics can consist of things like beans, potatoes, a dairy product (milk or cheese), and even a mess of sugar or flour.

Starting now with your seed storage and growing to harvest and seed saving efforts is always a smart idea. You may think that you don’t have a lot of time now but it will be all you think about when traditional dollars are no longer being accepted and you are looking at bare shelves.

However, if you have seeds, soil, a little patience, some forethought, and a lot of determination, you can grow enough food for yourself and your family. While you can’t really live on vegetables alone, it will be a good way to bulk up the food you hopefully already have in your own Self Reliant pantry or food stockpile.

Band Aids

This is for medical supplies in general, but I don’t know about you, when I get a cut or a scrape of some sort, being able to have a little neosporin and a band aid on it sure helps with the healing process. Keeping it clean and away from bacteria, hardy band aids can work wonders. And these assuredly will go up in price and eventually become harder to come by as the supply chain disruptions continue.

Matches or Butane Lighters

When Scouts were Scouts and not an organization dedicated to the woke sickness that is being pressed upon us, they emphasized being prepared. One of the ways they drilled that into a young boys brain was building fires and staying warm. And although you may have seen Tom Hanks do it in the film Castaway rubbing two sticks together is a much, much… much harder way to start a fire (which hardly anyone else could do unless they practiced A LOT).

Getting flint and steel wool, or a sparing stone at the least or a big mess of matches or butane lighters is a great way, when that warmth is needed and the fire is desired you can get it taken care of without hours of stick friction. When the power is out, and the electricity cannot heat the house, as you strike that match for the candles and the fire in the fireplace you will be counting your blessings.

Batteries AA AAA and  9 Volt

Whether it is for a short-term disruption or we are in it for the long haul, in the financial turmoil it is the smaller things that get left behind. Batteries for flashlights, CO2 and fire detectors, for your portable AM/FM radio or for the younger set, your game paddle, dead batteries are a good vibe killer if I have ever seen one.

These will be one of those things that will sneak up on you on how costly they will become. Buy a stock of them now and keep them in a dry place for use throughout the down times ahead.

PowerCell

If it is the kind that you can plug your dead cell phone into and get a near instantaneous recharge, or it is a small solar panel that can gather power over time to get a charge for your essential communication devices (cell phone included) this is a handy thing to have around when you don’t have a regular plug in access to electricity. Often, not thought of, but those times when your phone battery was depleted in the past, what would have you given for such a device to power up?

Candles

Can you imagine, it was just a little more than a hundred years ago that Candles were the norm for lighting our houses at night? Like it had been for a few millennia before. Electricity is a brand new thing historically speaking and with the breakdown of public services (or the expense for them rising higher and higher) you may have to return back to the tried and true of Candles (and not the fragrant kind mind you) to light up your nights.

Most people already have some kind of preparation in place for blackouts due to things they’ve experienced in the past like bad weather or service interruptions.

However, to really prepare for a long-term crisis, you’ll want to stock up on a lot more than what most people tend to have on hand for a night or two of darkness.

Unless you have developed a superpower to see clearly in the dark, or have a regular carrot diet, consider getting a steady stash of candles now while you can rather inexpensively.

Trash Bags

Trash bags, yes, trash bags are very handy in a pinch. Usually one of the more overlooked household items that can be used in so many different situations beyond just keeping the leaves picked up or the refuse we have put away.

They can be used for water collection, flood prevention, waste management, food storage, and more.

A trash bag and some duct tape can be made into temporary footwear or clothing and can even help you build a temporary shelter if you find yourself in a tight spot.

Common Car Fluids

Well, when gasoline becomes unavailable, then these will be a moot point, but until or if that ever happens, having a supply of transmission, brake, antifreeze, and car oil on hand in our garage is a wise move to make. As cars are being phased into a more electric or computerized compromise, those cars that are fully internal combustion engines will become more desirable and those things that keep them lubed and humming will become more expensive and harder to come by.

Keep them in a place that doesn’t have wild fluctuations of temps and away from the elements to keep them ready to be of use for a longer period of time. Also, for those things that work on an engine that involves a spark… generators, lawnmowers, and the like keep a supply of those corresponding liquids as well.

Rope

Rope nowadays is hardly ever used. But in times past when there weren’t any fancy tie-downs, and bungy cords or tow chains, rope (nylon or otherwise) was common in an American household. And for most intents and purposes it can be handy when you need it to carry, pull, lift, or drag anything from one place to the next.

Odds are that after the other fancier stuff are no longer being shipped from where they are being manufactured, rope will still be available for your tugging and synching needs.

Twine

Same goes for twine. Used for the smaller cases of bundling something together or keeping bundles together, has fallen out of use in the modern household. But when it comes along that you cannot get the packing tape, or fancier zip ties a good ball of twine will still be there on the store shelves and affordable to buy.

Duct Tape

Talking about tape, Duct tape makes repairs to everyday items much easier. Now you have the conventional version of duct tape that can keep most things from splitting and in place. But there are some other specialty kinds of tape, that can plug up holes, that are water proof or have a better tensile strength than normal duct tape.

Getting a pile of those, seeking them out now and getting a supply of them is better now, than when they disappear from the store shelves for good.

Otherwise, duct tape is easy to use, it’s inexpensive, and it’s great for fixing leaks and holes, marking trails, repairing glasses, mending shoes, and so much more. There are an infinite amount of things you can do with a roll of duct tape.

Books Hard Copies – Paperbacks & Hard Covers

It was cool back in the 60s and 70s to watch Star Trek, and when the Next Gen came around in the 90s, it was doubly cool to see the tech they used in each episode. One of which was the tablet that was used for reports to Captain Picard and Number One, or the same tablets that the kids used in their space ship school. With the advent of the multi-purpose cell phone and the tablets from Apple and Samsung what Trekkie tech we saw has been made a reality!

While the coolness factor is a ten for this, it also had a dramatic downside to their electronics use. Books, hundreds of hundreds could be stored electronically eliminating the need for the hard copies. Books were thrown away, not bought traditionally, or left to gather dust in the libraries as more and more could be delivered via a PDF.

What happens when or if we do not have access to electricity? When we cannot power up that phone, tablet or computer any longer? What is written electronically will be forever a blank screen.

While books and other forms of entertainment aren’t normally considered survival items, but they can be ever so much now than in times past. There are those hard copy books that contain the how-to guides that we now turn to YouTube for presently, those reference guides that we turn to Google for, those Geographical books that we do Google Maps for now… and the list could go on and on!

We highly suggest that you start a Library of the essential hard copy books that you and your loved ones can use to learn, reference and find info in. We at ThatAquaponicsGuy have a few Surivival Guide Book Combos that you could look into and buy for the first foundations of that Library of yours.

Related: The First Combo – Self Reliance First Steps and 80 Easy How To’s AND The Aquaponics Manual with the Healthy Bushcraft as the Second Combo – MORE ARE TO COME!

When it comes to novels, and graphic comics and other forms of hard copy non-electronic entertainment, it’s surprising what a creature comfort they can be for a tired mind in hard times. Luxuries are going to be few and far between. People will treasure the time they could afford to enjoy entertainment with family that can come from the written word– if only for a short while.

Although you don’t need books to survive, they are always good to have around when you are trying to survive with your sanity intact. It’s good to have an outlet for learning, and entertainment to take some time from the grind and grit. This is especially true when you’ve suffered heavy blows to your finances, home, family life, and your pantry. When times seem bleak, you will be happy to have a good book or two around.

Overall TakeAway

If you have thought of things that I haven’t that could be added to this list, then do it! Take full advantage of the calm before the storm moments now…. TODAY… the dark clouds are on the horizon and may pass by us… but by the looks of it and the aching in my proverbial arthritic knees, all of us are in for a shellacking with one doozy of a Financial Storm that has been brewing and growing for a couple decades now. And as we all know, you can only kick the can so far down the road before you have to answer for the racket that is being caused.

Have the full confidence that you have done what you can to be as self reliant as you can in the hardest of times. Let us be the ones that preserve the American Dream and keep Freedom, Liberty and Free Choice a viable for the masses that follow after us!