How to Survive a Depression

In this video I wanted to talk about how to survive an economic depression. The whole world is experiencing some very difficult economic times. If this situation continues or gets worse, I wanted to provide you with some really practical advice on things you can do to improve your situation. I think this information will really help you. If you watch this to the end, I bet it will save you a bunch of money. WATCH NOW!

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VIDEO SUMMARY

Whenever the economy is bad, it is scary. There is a lot of uncertainty. But I think it is important to look at business history for the lessons we can learn. The United States went through the Great Depression from 1929 to the late 1930s. The biggest thing that stands out to me during this period was that it was 10 years of very high unemployment in the US. People did not have a lot of money and you could not find work to make more money. But it is also important to realize that we survived. We figured out how to make it through this period. And it is helpful to look back and figure out, how did we do it? I am going to share with you some very practical advice that you hear from the stories from people who lived during the Depression.

This is a potato. You can buy these at the grocery store in bags and they are cheap. This is carbs and this will give you energy. You can peel it, cut it up into little pieces, and fry it in some olive oil. The oil will give you some fat in your diet. Just think of it like you are eating french fries.

This is an onion. These are also cheap. You can chop this up and throw it in the potatoes to give them some flavor.

These are hotdogs. This is protein. These are also cheap. You can chop these up and throw them into the potatoes also. This is not the healthiest meal. This is not the tastiest meal. That is not our goal here. Our goal is to survive.

Now I know some of you watching know all this already. But I am making this video mostly for younger people. I know I have some younger viewers, and they do not know these stories. This is how people survived during the Depression. And I am trying not to sound like and angry old man here, but I have seen you young people at the grocery store. You have no idea what you are doing. So we are going to continue.

Let us talk about fruits and vegetables. You need to keep these in your diet. But if they are not in season, fresh produce can be expensive. Here is what you should do. Start buying more canned food. You can get canned vegetables and canned fruit. I know it does not taste as good, but it is cheap, and you do not have to worry about it spoiling, which means that nothing is going to go to waste. And you can get protein as well. These are canned beans. These are actually pretty tasty. Here is some canned tuna. This is very nice if you need some quick protein. You can eat this straight out of the can. Now there can be mercury in tuna, so to avoid mercury poisoning, it is recommended that you only eat this three times a month.

I am emphasizing this point about canned food, because I think that some of you have never been down the canned food aisle. Some of you do not even know what is down there. In America we have had 100 years of pretty good economic times compared to the Great Depression, and I think some of this knowledge has been lost. So here is what I want you to do. Just start walking down the canned food aisle. Just start looking around and seeing what is available for very cheap. And it should start giving you some ideas on different ways to eat more efficiently. So just try it. I know it is different, but this might just save your life one day.

Next thing is sugar. This is another important fact you should know about business history. Sugar was the first thing to be rationed during WWII. Sugar is one of those items that can only grow in exotic locations. So it is very easy for the supply chain to get disrupted. Here is the problem. Sugar is super addictive. In fact, I think it is pretty obvious that the entire United States is addicted to sugar. If there was ever a sugar ration, the entire country is going to go through withdrawals, and it is going to be horrible. So here is my advice. I would try to start now and reduce your consumption of sugar. Just start to eat less of it, so you can be more prepared.

Now before you go off on me in the comment section, that I am getting worried over nothing, you should know that this has already started to happen. This is something that I watch for, and you should too. Starting last month, in July, newspaper articles have started to pop up around the world about sugar shortages. This has not hit the Unites States yet, but all I am saying is to be prepared.

Next let us talk about dairy. I hate to say this. If you do not have enough money to buy milk, just drink water. This is not about having a balanced diet. This is about surviving, and you might have to prioritize. You cannot survive without carbs and protein, but you can survive a little while without milk. So drink water.

We have now covered all the food groups. But let me add another overall suggestion for you to think about. Do you have to eat so much food? Do you have to eat three meals a day? What if you went down to two meals a day? Now if you have kids, you cannot cut your kids meals, because they need nutrition to grow. But maybe you eat two meals a day, so your kids can eat three. These are the things that people did during the Depression to survive.

Let me explain that you do not have to follow all these rules. All I am trying to do is open your mind to different ways of thinking about how to plan your meals. This is especially important information for young people who might not have heard any of these things before. Something else to consider is that the people who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, we look back at them today and we call them “The Greatest Generation.” We call them that because of the sacrifices they made, and their ability to rise above their difficult situation. Now that we find ourselves once again in difficult times, what if we are the next greatest generation? Think about that. We could sit here and complain, or we could rise to the challenge just like our ancestors did.

I had a great grandmother, and she was a good Italian Grandmother. And we would have conversations when I was little and she would tell these stories to me. And now I am passing this knowledge on to you. Now unfortunately, she is no longer with us today, but I am glad I had that time with her. The other good thing about Italian grandmothers is that she made an incredible plate of pasta. Which is something else you can also make for very cheap.

I know that these current economic times are scary. But I find that these stories from the Great Depression are actually empowering. If there is one defining trait that Americans have, that everyone can agree on, is that American’s are stubborn. We just do not give up. We will do whatever it takes to get through this crisis. We did it before during the Great Depression, we did it during WWII, and we can do it again.

I want to leave you with one thing. After you have finished watching this video, try going to the grocery store again. Do your food shopping, now that you have all this new knowledge in your head. After you have gone through the checkout, take a look at your receipt. I am betting your grocery bill will be 50% what it normally is. You are welcome.

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Neither Zach De Gregorio or Wolves and Finance shall be liable for any damages related to information in this video. It is recommended you contact a CPA in your area for business advice.