Thousands of Latvians lined up at bank counters and ATMs over the weekend in an attempt to withdraw their savings from Swedbank, the country’s largest banking institution.
Swedbank’s Latvian chief Maris Mancinskis on Monday called the rumors “absurd.” He said the bank is functioning normally and all depositors will have access to their funds via bank machines.
Mancinskis said some 10,000 Latvians withdrew over 10 million lats ($20 million) on Sunday.
Latvia’s 10th largest bank, Latvijas Krajbanka, is currently being liquidated after regulators uncovered fraud on a massive scale. Depositors were left without access to their money for days.
Via: Total Collapse
As rumors of imminent collapse began to build due to the bank’s reported liquidity problems in Estonia and Sweden, Latvians panicked and headed for their cash. This was the scene outside of numerous ATM’s in Latvia’s capital city, Riga:
There are various reasons for why a bank run may occur in the U.S., but the overwhelming driving mechanism will be panic. Once the public realizes that a particular insititution can’t make good on its debt or the country’s currency goes into a death spiral, depositors will be out in droves. ATMs will be limited on cash and generally allow withdrawals of about $300 per day. Likewise, banks will simply not have enough money to pay out the entire account balance of every depositor, so they will more than likely implement withdrawal restrictions similar to what you might get from an ATM.
At that point, the future of your finances will fall into the hands of the federal government by way of the FDIC, which itself is wholly under-capitalized and unable to effectively cover the deposits of a single major U.S. bank, let alone the entire banking system.
In Latvia the situation looks as if it is somewhat controlled (or not everyone has yet realized what is happening), but as we pointed out last week when it was reported that Greeks were quietly withdrawing their money from their banks, if you are late in learning of an imminent collapse or don’t make the decision in time, you may very well joins thousands of other panic stricken account-holders in the parking lot of a bank that has no more money left to issue.
There will be very little, if any, warning before such an event occurs. That’s why they call it a bank run. One morning depositors wake up and learn that their life savings are about to be disappeared. The inevitable emotional effect when faced with such losses is stress, anxiety, panic and fear. This is what it looked like at Northern Rock bank in the UK after the bank was declared insolvent in 2006:
Not to worry though, because this can’t happen in the United States. We’ve got a modern day centrally managed economy, secretive monetary policy, banks that will do whatever it takes to hide losses, and financial regulatory agencies that are happy to look the other way if there’s any sign of trouble.
My credit union already has a $300 a day ATM limit. Bad news for me is that I’m literally 1000s of miles away from any branch…..
Open up another bank account and transfer MdO. I have respected your prior posts.
write a check to someone or anotherbank and it get out way. eazy day
I agree – you need to get ahold of your money faster than that!
This looks more like a black friday video in front of a store, and one person at the atm.
Practically every credit union is a member of the co op that allows you to withdraw using any credit unions ATM anywhere without a fee. Since you want to get all your cash past the 300 limit just open an account at another credit union and do an electronic fund transfer. What is so hard about that? It will take ten minutes to do.
The video is priceless, brings the point home that people will be lined up at hundreds of ATM’s doing the same thing all over Europe, and then around the world as this economic collapse comes to pass. Today is a great day to change those worthless FRN into tangibles. Keep prepping….. Keep on prepping
good advice!
Those “in line” are the 99%. Get a good look at their faces. It will be those same faces in America who will be absolutely freaking out.
If anyone who comes here to this site, STILL has their money in a bank, i.e. over the minimum balance, then you STILL don’t get it.
If you need to use a bank, keep an amount that you could “comfortably” kiss good bye to, if they decide to keep it for themselves. Remember, there are NO MORE LAWS.
Keep your cash at home, along side those “items” to protect it. P.O. Money Order cost’s a couple bucks, but that might be the safest way to pay bills. Of course, as long as cash is still accepted, pay directly at who you owe the bill to, if it’s in your local town.
Excuse my passionate plea, but FUCK THE BANKS!
Lew Rock paints the perfect picture we presently find ourselves in, here in America.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/lewrockwell-show/wp-content/uploads/240_Lew_at_Casey.mp3
Ann Barnhardt does the same in regards to paper intangibles.
http://www.netcastdaily.com/broadcast/fsn2011-1201-1.mp3
Maybe if someone only has ten bucks like you sure keep all your money at home. Those with balances in the hundreds of thousands cannot do that.
Why not?
In the right denominations, $100,000 takes up very little space. Here’s some perspective for you:
http://humorsurf.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-hide-million-dollar.html
You don’t have limits to ATM withdrawals? We do, between £200 and £300 depending on the bank, no matter how much you have in your account this is all that you can withdraw from the hole in the wall, the rest you have to get over the counter inside the bank.
Makes little difference to me, I withdraw my cash leaving just enough in for the bills, which go by direct debit. That way if it all goes pear-shaped it will be the corporations that can wait awhile.
I prefer my “bank of dog” to anything the multinationals can offer. A small safe sunk into the floor, covered by carpet and topped off with a very large dog bed where my very large dog sleeps. Works for me.
Take care x
Carolie, we have similar withdrawal limits here in the US. It seems that people the world over are opting to be their own central banks and savings accounts by purchasing PM’s and storing cash at home… Like the old days.
Trust is quickly being lost in the system. When it hits critical mass – and it will – it’s going to get ugly out there.
I got tire of worrying about mine. I used to keep 200oz of Ag bullion, $100 of junk silver and $4000 cash on hand. I decided it would be a lot safer in the safe deposit box in town. My local SwedBank is really nice to me and all the tellers are really cute.
What bank was it that was failing?
😀
Hey Net, think about a 2 plug drop safe in the house, surrounded in a yard of concrete and rebar.
I saw that the RBS, Royal Bank of Scotland was in trouble earlier this morning.
Anyone who keeps more than the minimum balance of cash in the bank and/or has a safety deposit box in a bank is living life on the edge and probably doesn’t realize how easily and quickly it could gone, tomorrow. We are that close, now.
For those who care about their hard earned tangibles; Keep it where you can protect it with your own gun. PERIOD! No butts about it.
What, EA? No way! There is this piece of paper I signed that the bank would guarantee me access to my stuff.
Hehehe. Of course you could all sense my sarcasm. It was so thick I’m still wiping it off.
Something in a bank, when TSHTF is THEIRS! If you think you’ll be able to access anything from soup to nuts that you have in there, forget it.
Hammerun, please explain: what is a “2 plug drop safe”?
Not that you mention it, I think I have the perfect place for such a thing. A few bags of concrete, my father inlaws mixer and some trusted relatives to carry buckets of concrete down the stairs and… Hmmmm…. Now you got me thinking.
NetRanger
2 plug drop safe. It has an upper chamber and a lower. The upper and lower chambers are fitted with a round, heavy, thick, rotating keyed plug. Both are keyed differently. The plugs fit tightly and are flush to the jamb rings. (They aren’t going to pound a chisel past the plugs) Most are made out of non-magnetic stainless. (It’s hard to cut stainless with a torch) You just know there is some brilliant chucklehead out there that would try to burn through it with a torch, thusly destroying everything inside. Nothing like being “Felony Stupid.” These things were usually found in gas stations. The lowers were used for large amounts of cash and the uppers were used for operational amounts. I can take things like this apart and this thing would be a tuff nut. Lots of time and lots of good tools. If I had to get it out, the fastest way would be a 125 cfm Ingersol Rand air compressor sitting in the front yard and a 90lb jackhammer going off inside the house. That would certainly inspire the neighbors to do the 911 thing. Hammerun
Many people don’t know this,but it is illegal to store cash in a bank safe deposit box. That’s one of the reasons they put the magnetic strips in the new bills- so they could scan bank deposit boxes, find the cash and then ask you a whole lot of questions!
Mac,
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a column about what happens when the banks fail, a digital run occurs with zeros being lopped off the account balance, etc. People do a lot of electronic banking these days. Is there any chance you, or the folks who visit this site could “war game” the scenario based on what is happening in other countries now so that we can better prepare. How do I pay bills electronically? with cash? with checks? if the system has failed. How do I get paid? I don’t even know all of the implications. I don’t mean a SWAG, I mean realistic information on how things get handled financially.
I personally think that articles on Greece, Latvia, Belarus banking problems have got people thinking the time is now to start pulling out the cash. if enough dollars are pulled out of the system the disaster becomes self fullfilling.
Just like a lot of folks here I got my money out of the banking system almost 2 years ago. Helicopter Ben has promised to royally screw the hard working citizens of this country. Keep interest rates low for an extended period at least until 2013, thus punishing savers with ridiculous low rates of return, bail out too big to fail banks with more digitized zerooos and promises of very low interest free money, devaluing our currency so that disloyal greedy “american”multi national corporations can export more overseas while at the same time debasing US manufacturing even further. Have only enough cash in banks to pay your monthly bills. Can food still affordable so I have loaded up along with some dehydrated/freeze dry food. Yes..got some PMs, ammo, batteries,firewood,water, toilet paper currency on hand & ones for wiping too, night vision, 3 shotguns,AR,45 ..medical supplies..doggie, n most importantly a big family well armed too.
you will be rewarded for your smart decision. when others are fighting in line for whatever they can get, you will be at home with a spot of tea. enjoy, and have a cup on me.
damn now ya gotta geta another dog!OPSEC!
Carolie, I LOVE your creative solution. Genius! May have to borrow that idea…credit to you of course. 🙂 Two very large dog beds and two VERY large dogs. Besides, it won’t hurt them to do a little more to earn their keep! Thanks for sharing ~D
In Ohio, I use Chase. They limit ATM withdrawls to $400/day. Not long age my wife went inside andasked for $4000 cash. The teller took a long pause, consulted her boss, and Chase quite reluctantly gave my wife $4000. What would they do if you asked for a LARGE amount? We have both been strongarmed into direct deposit, but in a crisis, what good is a paper check anyway? We pay bills and drain the account.
I still wonder what will happen. You get news over a weekend that “SHTF” is starting for real and you know the banks will be limited, or closed come Monday morning. Its Sunday night and your Internet is still working and you just got paid on Friday with a whopping $2500 in the bank account.
So knowing the end is near you go on to APMEX.com and place an order for $2400 worth of silver to be shipped over night to home. Do you think they will block the transaction? Or will you get your pay check into silver at the last second?
Of course if it the end is near $2400 might be 4 to 6 ounces but hey!
I believe the gubberment will block all precious metal transactions just before the “crunch” happens… before the people get wind of it happening. They’ll know before we do….
I got a feeling , this is a warning..its up to us to lisen to it..dont wait for the “government” to “give you a sign”..as far as we know it..this is your sign
“dont wait for the “government” to “give you a sign”..as far as we know it..this is your sign”
So, there I was, sipping a scotch / rocks and reading SHTFPlan when this image formed in my mind of an angry fist raised high with the center finger raised even higher. THAT should be our sign to the government. lol
Matt….you may be right on precious metals, but then I wonder what about a Cabellas’ ammo order, or an order to the “Ready Store” for a bunch of extra kibbles…..? Would your ATM work at Costco or Wally World while others are waiting in line for their $300 limit at the bank?
The panic is soar the moment these retailers start saying “cash” only. Then do we have hyper inflation or super deflation?
Having your supplies actually in hand always trumps a wad of cash in hand.
Since we are doing what if’s here:
What if the government, on a Friday late afternoon after the banks shut down, suddenly comes on the air and announces that starting Monday morning we will have a change over to a new money form. All the old money (specifically the money we’ve been hoarding at home) is now worthless, and as I mentioned above no precious metal transactions will be allowed.
Of course the ATM’s no longer work.
In order to redeem your now worthless currency you have to make an appointment to go to your bank and meet with an officer of the bank and an officer of the US government to swap out your old currency.
Of course you’ll have to explain why you had so much stashed at home and possibly if you have an enormous amount you may have to submit to a home inspection to verify as to whether other crimes like food or gun-n-ammo hoarding has taken place.
Of course this weekend the markets totally crashed which was known to be happening by the government before hand.
I’m sure everyone will find plenty of holes to poke in this scenario, but the point is this: supplies in hand trumps worthless fiat cash in had every time.
The government will always be one step ahead of us. Period.
Most of us don’t keep hoards of cash in our bank accounts – that is why were are here. Still my wife works for an employer that won’t issue a pay check, but only a direct deposit. Hence her check is deposited every other friday and we use that to pay our bills electronically as well.
At some point in a bank stoppage the plastic stoppage would have to occur – or the banks would not be really closed – only physically closed. Electronically they have to be shut down as well. I wonder how long retailers will be able to process transactions; and when that stops what do we get – inflation or deflation. If the banks close and plastic dies it would seem to be that the masses will be seeking cash – immediately – hence a deflation would occur not inflation.
when the problems start, you won’t get much warning. perhaps your usual transactions might take a lot longer to process, because of a “glitch” in the system. Glitch , my hind end, it will glitch all right. I personally believe when the real problems start, even the ATM’s won’t work. How could anyone even restock a branch atm with hundreds waiting for “their” money.?
Bottom line, if you want your money, you better get it now, and put it in the Bank of Serta Perfect Sleeper. At least you’ll know where yours is at.
Funny you say that Matt. I tried to purchase a roll of ASEs today and my card failed transaction. That’s a first, and I have sufficient funds to cover. Tried calling the bank, but was left on terminal ignore and just hung up in disgust.
Coincidence?
What it means, I don’t know,but there are no coincidences.
I was semi-nervous today after reading this post and watching the stock market
First they’ll tell the insiders which we know includes the House, Senate, and their congressional staffers so that they can make their final purchases.
notice the time of day(night) on the video…? when the bankers/politicians pull the final plug, as the puppet does in the WH when he screws the American People, it will be at night on a weekend when the fewest are paying attention and those that are can do the least about it except spread the word… we have initiated our own “home funding account” @ home… institution used ONLY for that which can be paid electronically – no excess at all left to be stolen and no disappointing late-night ATM visit for us… when they steal what is there and was intended for payment(s), the creditors can sing for it as far as i’m concerned – at that point all bets are off… one thief can sue and pursue another thief for what i owe – it was there in deposit, HELD IN TRUST AND INSURED AGAINST LOSS(FDIC), so they can settle the issues… btw, at that point no one’s credit score will matter…
The Owners are already several steps ahead; and likely have multiple senarios they could play, based on random factors they do not control.
They would likely stop metal, maybe even web purchases and billing. When this comes down, you will likely have no option but to at least try.
We really have few, if any good options. And if the financial system is locked down for any more than 3 days, the rest of the lockdown will not be far behind.
Sorry, forgot to add the National Debt Clock:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
we can pull a stelth move on them too..
slowly pull your money out..every few days on no type of schedule , start taking your money out..
one week it be Monday , thursday, the next week tuesday and friday..and keep at it until all of it is out, or just leave in what it takes to keep your account open, or what you feel you can stand to lose
each time take a different amount.
If you are at an ATM take out the max allowed..
if at the teller , go at it 5 or 700 at a time…or more.
some will say , hey why do that my money is insured when its in the bank..well good luck with that when the doors are locked shut, and the bank has gone under..who you gonna call? ever try calling and getting a human on any of these phone lines? it will be completely impossible when the axe falls
and yes you can have all the paperwork you want to show what you have in that bank..it will be all you will have left to wipe your tail with when you shit your pants
My wife and I are way on top of this. Two months ago we went in to the bank and made a sizable cash withdraw. All of it was in 5s 10s 20s and 50s. The two customer service agents looked at us like we were from the moon as the bill counter was clicking away. We decided there wasn’t enough interest being paid so what was the point anyway? We don’t know where this is going to end up but we aren’t going to sit on our asses waiting for the Obamanaughts to arbitrarily come and strip our accounts for the good of those who vote for him just so they can keep the assistance checks coming in. Our next objective is our retirement accounts, we have “no” doubt they want to get their mitts on them next and give us a worthless piece of paper in return. We feel if we are not extremely proactive, we will deserve what we end up with. It’s in the air and we smell it. We are not sitting on our asses on this. Cash, metal, well up-grade, fuels, parts, rifles, ammo, gun parts, welding supplies, fasteners, food, tires, Gen sets, anything I can think of and anything I can afford. It at this point it doesn’t matter anymore. Four more years of this a**hole, we are going to get that “fundamental transformation” shit he promised. Have no doubt, there is enough sheeple dumbshits, them and extensive voter fraud in this county, and this clown is going to get in again. And we are going to suffer this crackheads stupidity again. GOODLUCK!!
Well said HR… we live in dire times indeed..
For those with 401Ks that you can’t access unless you quit your jobs, see if there is a loan clause. You may be able to pull part of it out and put it into tangibles. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. When the loan is paid back, do it again.
I fully expect that either the markets will crash and what’s in my 401K will go *POOF*, or the feds will nationalize it, in which case it would go *POOF*. Either way, poof happens (get it? poof–happens? poof as in-oh never mind). Pull out what you can. If I could take it all out and pay the taxes and penalties, I would do it.
Paddy…tried to talk my bro in law into doing that last year…but he didn’t…last I heard he was down about 15 grand in his 401k…and that was in August, so who knows what he’s lost now…and he calls himself a “prepper” HA!!! I call him a sheeple!!!
” HA!!! I call him a sheeple!!!”
Yep… and we ALL know what a “sheeple” is. It’s a rack of lamb on the hoof, just obliviously chewing away the happy hours while waiting for the butchering day it has no idea is coming.
You deserve a pat on the back. I wish everyone would understand things the way you have. The sheeple don’t get it. They don’t understand, that very soon, nothing is ever going to be the same as it has been in our lifetime. Everything will re-set, sooner or later. And as I read the other day, we are past the tipping point, in a freefall, and nothing that the “voters” or whoever can or will do, is going to stop the freefall we are in, till we hit bottom. It is going to be a nasty fall. if we protect ourselves the best we can, we might just make it through all this. Can you imagine weeks on end with no food being distributed on a regular basis, in any major metropolitan area? I think most of you have already run that scenerio by, and know the answer well.
Everyone, please listen to your gut feelings, they won’t lie to you. They will always give you an honest answer. Good luck.
Anytime I have failed to listen to that little voice inside my head (no, not the OTHER voices) I have regretted it.
“Everyone, please listen to your gut feelings, they won’t lie to you. They will always give you an honest answer.”
Indeed so. This is the little voice of intuition, our connection to the cosmos. It has all of the info but we do not always understand it. It will talk to us if only we learn to listen. The Sheeple will not listen to their gut until it is empty. When that happens, true panic and hysteria will rule the streets.
Most likely all existing money will be declared void and will have to be brought in and exchanged for the new Obama bucks. At fifty cents on the dollar. Welcome to the new reich.
And all of good papers you have locked up in their safety boxes. Try and get them, when the doors are locked.
When FDR declared gold illegal no one could get at their safe deposit boxes unless a Federal agent was present to make sure there was no gold being taken out. Do not put anything in a safe deposit box that you really want. They can declare any box to be associated with criminal activity and seize it.
VRF – EXACTLY. When the bank run happens, you should be sitting pretty at your BOL which you live at full-time, more of a BIL really. (bug-out location, bug-in location).
Don’t have money in the bank you can’t afford to lose! I think I have $30 in a bank, if TSHTF tomorrow, or today, Meh.
I don’t do the PM thing, just preps, tools, food, SKILLS, etc.
And I’ve just realized in a flash that I DO need to stock up on silver…. solder. Good for buildin stuff. And I only have a little roll.
VFR…expanding on that point–when the bank run rumor happened in 2007/2008 here, word was instantly released for bank patrons to not worry; FDIC increased there insurance to $250,000 from $150,000, when truthfully many were saying that the FDIC couldn’t meet demands of even $150,000 because they were broke. Just the amount you lose increased, not the insurane of.
People, when the bank fails, how can a broke FDIC insure your money?? We are not this stupid.
The FDIC goes directly to the US Treasury when they need funds to pay bank customers.
“People, when the bank fails, how can a broke FDIC insure your money??”
No problem. They will simply roll the presses until they can afford it. 🙁
Those account holders at MF Global thought their money , even the funds in allocaqted accounts, was safe. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is safe. if it isn’t in your hands, you don’t own it. Other than a few thousands most small local banks keep on hand for daily business, your deposits are nothing more than a few xxx’s and ooo’s on a computer program.
When the SHTF, you won’t even be able to go inside a bank to make a claim. Whatever happens in Europe, will happen here. “Bank” on it.
Banks pay nearly zero interest. So it makes no sense to keep any more than enough money in them to pay a cycle of bills with. Other than that, keep your cash hidden at home.
This video is not showing how a bank run would look in America.
There are no knife fights breaking out. I heard no shots fired in the crowd. There were no Black Panthers trying to intimidate customers with billy clubs.
I didn’t see any OWS protesters out in mass or Re-inforcements from the Reserves trying to keep the peace among a run amuck sheeple.
If an American city ever has another bank run, it will make the flash mob violence we’ve had recently, look like childs play.
Zombies will be running up and down the streets and in the stores of America, if we ever experience another bank run.
Make sure your preps are up and keep inside your bols away from the zombies.
God bless and keep on prepping.
No gun shots because most Europeans do not own guns, they are illegal (except for hunting rifles).
Very good observations, very well said.
The way I look at it with my banking, if you have
X-amount in the bank and you owe 2X to that same bank’s
credit card then if they fold & keep your $ then, oh well,
because you owed at least half of that to them anyway.
Or would you still owe them the full 2X? Minus 1X?
Sandy – unless it’s a really disorderly bank-fold, your CC account will get transferred to another bank, and you’ll still owe.
That’s just adding insult to injury! Not that it’s going to make me pay down my credit card any faster.
Man, how perfect a form of revenge it would be to know when the SHTF was about to occur so we could ALL run up some HUGE CC bills that the dead banking system will not be able to collect. With all those great tangibles, we would all be sitting pretty as the banksters flush themselves down the sewer for the final time, hoping to drag us down with them, but totally unable to do so.
Just learned that Bernanke gave the FDIC a key to the back door at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Don’t worry. There will be PLENTY of FRNs for everyone!!!
You don’t need ‘capital’. You just need ‘paper’! 🙂
Mal
CRASH, BOOM, BANG.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Giurza, you are close to Latvia.
What’s happening to Lithuania?
Be safe guys.
Get ready for the ride of your lives.
Hi manos! so good to read you and all of you again. strangest thing happened – I was unable to get through to SHTFplan for more than 48 hours… I was started thinking that Feds finally got fed up with your love for freedom. apparently there was some problem with mozilla’s cache… shucks…
oh that’s history now, and happily I am back
so to the situation in our shitty part of this shitty world. this started back then, when I wrote about Snoras bank collapse and nationalization. Snoras had a daughter bank in Latvia – Krajbank so naturally it has gone under too. however, the seed was planted and Latvians as well as Lithuanians are now hanging on their fingernails and looking very weary around for any and all messages about bank situation. so when rumors started in Latvia that Swedbank was having troubles in Sweden and other countries, latvians started running on this bank’s ATMs. same situation here in Lithuania today. we have major (but not critical) run on Swedbank.
Mass-liars IMMEDIATELY started propaganda campaign:
Swedbank is functioning normally!
No bank runners in Lithuania!
Swedbank is very reliable with its mother being in Sweden!
Oh, and on the OTHER news, gooberment will start to deliver your frozen assets from bank Snoras this week!
Damn me and my analysing nature! Here are they telling me everything is alright and all I see is opposite-
Bank runs in Lithuania as well, just 4 hours ago I was in the city – 30 people at least at every Swedbank ATM!
Swedbank’s CEO desperate and quite frankly disgusting bid to convince populace that everything is going well. Smiling through his teeth and almost jumping around with anguish!
Oh, and on the OTHER news – previously the return of frozen assets were scheduled to be returned AT EARLIEST in the beginning of January next year…
so those are the current news. now some background info so that you can judge for yourself.
Swedbank in Latvia as in Lithuania is not THE biggest bank, it is one of many scandinavian banks around here. We have no national banks! NOT ONE! all belong to either Finish or Swedes or Norwegians. national banks belong to the past (1999’s around)
Swedbank is not direct filial of Swedbank in Sweden, as well as other scandinavian banks. Those banks with outlandish names operating in Baltic states are in fact a separate daughter banks of their respective owners in Scandinavia. This means that Swedbank in Sweden can cut the rope at any time and not cover the bankruptcy in Latvia or Lithuania.
People are acting quietly because that’s the way Lithuanians and Latvians are acting always… we are sheople in the most exact meaning of that word. remember that hundreds of thousands quietly lined up and entered cattle trains headed to Syberia just over 70 years ago… what do you expect of us? :/
Me and my family are hunkering even more down… trip to the city one time a week, no more. buying just the most essentials – potatoes, some fish that is still edible – from south Atlantic mostly. Meat is from our own sheep, veges from our own garden and safely canned months ago, sweets from our own fruits canned months ago. as I’ve said before SHTF in Lithuania long ago, and now the bits are starting to fly.
On truly other news – a 9 yr old boy committed suicide in Lithuania few weeks ago (I guess the life was to good for him in this heavenly country)
People are joking with startling similar kind of humour as it was seen in Berlin in 1945… hmm I wonder why
Murder, rape, robberies are so in fashion these days. everyday we see it on idiotbox.
a group of 16 yr GIRLS in one of smaller towns killed another teenage girl, cut her up into pieces and drove around town dropping her bits all around… life’s just wonderful
suicide and emigration rate at its peak! hell, I guess they were not invited to gooberment prayer breakfast where one meal cost 45ltl (17.44$)
the need to bolster budget prompted new taxes, and the raise of old ones, however, when bill was proposed to lower wages for parliament members it was reject almost unanimously. talk about Orwelian farm… there are animals that are more equal than others… ups, I forgot, soviet union and communism is no more, so I’m kicking dead horse… it is the time of glorious capitalism and democracy!
and now, after years in army, university degree, living in foreign countries, having witnessed the soviet union’s breakup, the grab of property, the impoverishment of majority, the steady decline of morals, steady decline in TV and movie intelligence…
I must say SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI
Oh, be safe, keep prepping and don’t fool yourself that SHTF didn’t happen yet… You just haven’t felt the wooft of the flying bits yet.
damn… I will try to proof read myself next time. I hate grammar and spelling errors, it shows little respect to the language and I apologise. there are so many up there in my post, that I’m not gonna even try to amend it. (I was exultant to be back, you see)
just sorry…
Typos don’t count when you are happy to be back! 😀
Thank you for that post – it was very interesting to hear about what is going on there, first hand. I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers, right up there with my buddy Manos.
Thank you Daisy, I must say, I always feel warmth when I see your posts. You are a very kind person! I hope all is well with you and yours. be safe, and… be not so overly kind when SHTF, I’d hate if anything bad happened to you because you misdirected your kindness to some zombie prowler. 😉
I’ll be okay, Giurza. I just got a new Viking broadsword and I’m not afraid to use it. 😉
We have to be who we are supposed to be, while still being smart. I’m not going to take risks with my kids’ safety, but I’m also not going to become an unkind person when the SHTF. We, the survivors, will be the ones to repopulate the world. We need to behave in a way that makes it a good world to be in.
Thanks Daisy,
Both Giurza and me, we need your prayers.
Our politicians betrayed us, and i don’t know where the bottom of the pitt is.
My best wishes for health ans strengh
Manos
Don’t give any minor language errors a seconds worth of thought. Your English is WAY better than our Baltic languages!
Thanks very much for such an honest view of life in a SHTF situation. THIS should be on TV for the Sheeple to gaze at. They just might learn something. I know that I did!
OH ONE MAJOR ADD!
I forgot to tell how much money was withdrawn in Latvia – more than 100 000 000 ltl. (ca 39 000 000$)
Lithuania – undisclosed, but judging from what I saw – we are catching up on Latvians 🙂
My wife and I are both retired. Our SS checks and pension checks are all direct deposit. I work part time and it also is direct deposit. For the past couple of months we have been pulling out several thousand each month. We want to have enough to get by for several months hidden away in the gun safe. We want to be able to pay taxes etc. if things get locked down. I don’t plan on getting stuck in a mob. Safe to have the cash in the house? I keep a loaded Browning Hi Power .40 S&W and a Ruger .357 handy at all times. I unload the .357 during the day when the grandkids are around. The world has gone over the edge and I intend to adapt to the insanity.
you will be happy to find out that there are many, many people, quietly doing the same thing you are, much in the same way. Good planning, and smart thinking. what other realistic choice do you have?
my heart aches and breaks for our grandkids and the crap world they’re likely to inherit – if there’s anything left to inherit… we’re trying to leave them and their parents with a little something to get on with if we aren’t around for the duration… we, like you, have no intention on giving over what little we have to any one or group of entitlement-minded sheeple zombie without one helluva fight
“I keep a loaded Browning Hi Power .40 S&W and a Ruger .357 handy at all times. I unload the .357 during the day when the grandkids are around. The world has gone over the edge and I intend to adapt to the insanity.”
I like your plan and that is a nice group of ‘property protection enhancers’. I am doing something similar with my Ruger .41 mag, Colt .45 auto, .357 mag S&W, and Mossy 500 12-ga. Just got 100 rnds of #4 buck for it via the Internet. That’ll discourage ’em!
BANKS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND WHEN YOU DON’T NEED THEM..AND YOUR WORST ENEMY WHEN YOU DO NEED THEM..
I AM AT A POINT THAT I OWE NOTHING TO ANY BANK..PAY MY BILLS FINE WITH CASH OR MONEY ORDERS.
HAVING YOUR $ IN A BANK IS ONLY MAKING THEM BIGGER AND MORE POWERFULL.. THEY PAY YOU NOTHING TO USE YOUR $ AND CHARGE YOU FEES FOR ANY PERKS YOU MAY REQUIRE FROM THEM.
I HOPE IF A COLLAPSE DOES OCCURE.. THAT WE DO REFORM THE BANKING SYSTEM..TO WORK FOR ITS CLIENTS.. YES THE ONES WHOM MAKE UP ITS CASH RESERVES..
Strange that the nation’s largest bank is named after a foreign country. Is it owned by Swedes?
Ex soviet block country. When they became free no one would trust the existing banks which were owned by the people who were inprisioning them anyways.
Joe, again, I must repeat myself, if you don’t know, don’t talk.
EVERYONE trusted first banks. they acted predator, raised interest rates skyhigh, people put all of their money into those first banks (owned by nationals and russians alike, and not by former soviet apparatchiki at all) and then those banks collapsed. not all of course, few stayed – Hermis bank was one of them.
Hermis then became Vilnius bank, Vilnius bank had business with scandinavians and came under their influence gradually as it was bought up, so after a while it was Vilnius SEB bank, and now we have SEB bank – a trully scandinavian bank in Lithuania one of many.
as you see, your short generalization is misleading, don’t do that again, because your posts about Baltic states begin to smell of amateur “je sais que je dis” and I don’t like it. besides it is bad to be going around and talking about things you have no idea (or a very vague one)
Somehow, that sounds all too familiar. 🙁
Swedbank AB (formerly Föreningssparbanken) is a leading Nordic-Baltic banking group with 9.5 million retail customers and 534,000 corporate customers in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Swedbank is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The bank has no clear majority owner, but is mainly owned (7.8%) by Folksam.
Folksam is one of the largest insurance companies in Sweden.
(source: Wikipedia)
Ever hear of Bank of AMERICA? Just asking.
You should always keep a wad of cash, I’m talking 2 or 3 grand on hand (hidden of course).
You should also have at LEAST 50-100 ounces of silver 1 oz. bars/rounds. You can’t easily cut a gold coin into little chunks when you need to buy a loaf of bread.
That would be an average withdrawal of $2000 per person. Even if they did this over 3 technical days: Sat 11:59, Sun 12:01, Mon 12:01. That is $666.66 per day. Do other countries not have a daily limit on ATM withdrawals or are they withdrawing it another way?
I use cash back in the shops. Most shops do it you buy something,pay with your debit card and the person behind the counter asks if you want cash back. The amount goes onto your bill and you leave with your item and a wad of paper, no limits on this. That way I can get my limit from the hole in the wall, buy a couple of small items in different shops and get cash back with each purchase. All this means lots more cash out of the bank.
Take care x
I don’t think I’d like to be the last person that got cash out of that ATM. When the next guy yells “It’s out of cash!” there’s gonna be a real angry crowd right behind you.
Angry crowd here and angry crows in Europe are two different animals.
There the crowd would turn on banks and start busting windows, while here the crowd may turn on you.
Just MHO.
Good point. If you are in this line, you better flee the scene as soon as you get your cash.
“If you are in this line, you better flee the scene as soon as you get your cash.”
Yep and be ready to run like hell in case someone points and yells at you, “Hey, he got OUR money!”.
with the banks not paying to use our money any more..what is really the point of keeping it with them?
and by keeping our money in banks..were helping them fuck us…<–you get that?
is it fear of theft? or fire in the home?
take some of your savings and buy a fire safe and hide it and achor it well. and never advertise.
Keep enough in a savings account and checking to keep them open and useable.
I had an event happen where the power in my area was out for over 14 days..no electricty means no banks, no ATM's
now mind you I could have driven 30 miles to see if this problem was wide spread, but i would have been burning gas, and taking a chance.
when the banks go down there wont be any point in traveling any distance to see if you can get money..because you wont
and it will happen on Monday morning..you can almost bet your ass on it.
Aye, Aye, Sir! Did it just like that.
I use the bank all the time but just deposit enough to use until the next pay.
If the banks croaked, I’d not worry about the few hundred I have in there and the 15 miles to get to the main branch to withdraw. Wouldn’t be much chance of getting it out anyways.
The date is May 11, 1931. Creditanstalt, a little-known Austrian bank, suddenly announces it can’t make its debt payments. An unstoppable chain reaction results.
Bank failure, stock market crash, mass business closures, 25 percent unemployment, trade wars, runaway inflation, multiple currency collapses, the Great Depression, World War ii. All of it began with a little-known bank in a small country in the heart of Europe.
That is history. And it is happening again.
That is history but the banking system has changed considerably since then to avoid EXACTLY that phenomena, and it has.
It did.
America is not Austria and Swedbank is not Chase.
No collapse. No bank runs. Sorry to spoil your illusion or delusion as the case may be. 🙂
Was thinking the same thing when I saw that this morning. However, I expected the video to be people just fighting (with weapons) to get to the ATM. Let’s face it, it’s likely the vast majority of that line will not get their money as the machine will run out.
The other thing I expected was an armed person just standing their robbing people after they got their cash.
Interesting that the Estonians have not begun to withdraw their money.
I have worked at a Bank’s main frame computer room. We could watch the banks ATM’s “cash” balance for each withdrawal at each site. Smile, you’re on camera.
Or you could just put a booger on the camera lens.
Hammerun,
I’m following your example as this is moving fast. Check these out. It is scary.
If you own Euros, exchange them for gold. Lloyds of London reportedly has withdrawn all of its money from European banks. That’s not a good sign for anybody. If the US sneezes (like the sub-prime debacle), the world gets a cold. If Europe sneezes, the US gets a bloody nose.
SEE 9/21/2011: “Euro Bank Run Shifts To Insurance Companies As Lloyd’s Of London Pulls Cash From European Banks”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/euro-bank-run-shifts-insurance-companies-lloyds-london-pulls-cash-european-banks
Then this happens 11/22/2011, SEE “Ukraine’s banking disaster in the making”
http://www.bne.eu/story3038/Ukraines_banking_disaster_in_the_making
And now today 12/12/2011, SEE:” Goldman, et. al. Suffer From The Same Malady That Collapsed Lehman and MF Global, Worlds 1st and 8th Largest Bankruptcies!”
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/goldman-et-al-suffer-same-malady-collapsed-lehman-and-mf-global-worlds-1st-and-8th-large
Off to the Bank!! Later
Y’all Beware!
When keeping money in a bank no longer paid enough interest to make it worth my while I made a wholesale withdrawl. I have enough money in my checking account to pay a few bills and keep the account open, nothing more. I’d rather have the cash in hand to buy things I need than “trust” the bank. I’ve worked too hard for what I have to see it disapear.
If there is another bank run in the USA, I think there would be a lot more violence as people push and shove and frustrations/tempers flare. I also think there would likely be LEOs called into banks to try to keep order -how well that would go no one can say with certainty.
LOL, here’s how i treat banks now (after years of BoA banking, i learned):
i keep less than $20 in it at all times. i make a small deposit the day before i pay a bill. i arrange for payment of that bill online the night before it’s due. i give the bank a day or two to ‘handle’ the money.
and i don’t bank at big banks anymore, i have a small hometown bank that i deal with minimally. i’ve already sunk my spare cash into PMs (and seeds, mostly) and i’ll sink more into them at every available opportunity.
after a lifetime of being screwed with (by banks), i am officially passing that screwing along to eventually go home to roost; let that screwing go back to where it came from. banks aren’t getting another penny out of me again, EVER.
i also tore up my social security card and am working on letting go of my credit cards.
if a bank run/collapse scenario plays out, my CCs and cel phone (and *maybe* even my laptop) are going bye-bye. no more monthly bills. i’m already almost there.
set yourselves up to THRIVE after the collapse. banks and gov’t can enjoy screwing each other cos they won’t have me to screw anymore.
….oh yes….BoA is settling a class action lawsuit right now. i’m on the list of those who will be given a refund or credit to my current account. if this actually happens, i’m taking that BoA money and BUYING SILVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
so thanks, BoA, for the silver. LOL
citizen ron,
citizen of terra, slave to no one.
Don’t know what good it does to tear up your SS card, but hey.
Cellphones – stick to a prepaid like a Tracfone. Use the most basic hardware, not a “smart” phone that has all sorts of tracking built into it.
this is why i don’t use a bank. i don’t trust them.
a small joke for you to cheer a bit.
During the flight from Athens to London, the pilot welcomes the passengers:
– My dear passengers. We fly in 20.000 feet, the weather is wonderful, and ……. Shit be careful, it’s going down, shit it’s falling, oh no God. no……
And then there was a great silence for 5 minutes.
Then the loudspeakers turn on again:
– My dear passengers. Sorry for scaring you back then, but this careless stewardess spill coffee on my pants. You cannot imagine how my pants are in front.
And a passenger says:
– You cannot imagine how my pants are in the back.
Love it Manos, how are you doing? I pray for you and your family every day, hope you are well
God one!
Good comedy relief. Thanks! I laughed pretty good. Read it to my wife. We all thought it very funny.
When are people going to realise that banking enables the criminals and gives them the capital to use against you. I’m with GC on that: Get rid of the central banking institutions and nearly all the other problems will go away. …and pretty fast, too.
Time to increase my cash stash..
First comes the bank run, then the news that the money is worthless anyway. I think it was Russia, when they devalued their currency, they would not accept money for exchange to the new currency unless the money was already on deposit in a bank. Russia wiped out everyones small savings when they devalued. Mexico did the same thing, wiping out their middle class.
I don’t think they’ll do that here. …at least not quickly. They’ll do the “frog in the water slowly to a boil thing”. In this way the sheople public will blame each other for the problems. The laborers will blame the farmers. The farmers will blame the distributors. The distributors will blame the laborers and the oil companies. The retailers will blame the truckers and the manufacturers.
Get the picture? Inflation is EVERYBODY’S fault. Currency devaluation is government’s fault. …or at least that is how the sheople will see it. The CBTs wish to avoid the blame.
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. The functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty and property of their constituents. There is no safe deposit for these but with the people themselves; nor can they be safe with them without information. Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe. ” – Thomas Jefferson
NetRanger Translation: The elected criminal bastard thieves want only one thing and that is to take from you your money, your freedom and your lives.
And butter, yes BUTTER, is almost $500 per pound in Norway…
We both thought of the butter!!!
As long as it’s butter and not chocolate, I’ll be okay!
I’m at the airport now, heading to Oslo. Got 70lbs of finely churned Wisconsin butter in my checked luggage and another 20lbs in my carry on. That’s $45k minus the cost of the ticket and the bribe to get through customs.
See you all soon,
Mal
Given the situation, I was very surprised at how calm and patient everyone seemed. Of course, the ATM was still spitting out money. But I have to agree with Mona. In North America I don’t think the waiters would be nearly as civilized.
I have $$$ for this month’s bills in the bank. After that, it’s all casholi for me!
Food for thought, as read on the Drudge Report today, in
Norway the price of a pound of butter is almost $500 due to a butter shortage and Holiday baking.
As our money disappears the fresh food will too.
What price would you be willing to pay for a food staple or is it time to go on a diet?
Sandy –
I can’t think of any staple I’d want badly enough to spend that kind of money. I would simply go without that particular item and figure out a substitute if possible. It’s scary when such a basic simple item is so high.
I’ve never been happier that I have a large stockpile of food and supplies.
Daisy, it’s definitely comforting having a stockpile, I can’t help but worrying during tornado weather, or when my husband turns the fireplace into an inferno. I guess you have to trust that God will keep it all safe. Do they have separate insurance riders for MRE’s?
Yes – time to stock up a bit more.
Be ready folks
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Sandy, you ARE saying you don’t have foods stored for the next 2 years..right?? (wink-wink!!)
Hint: canned butter…now, if I was storing food, which I’m NOT, I’d can me some butter.
Apparently you can also get “freeze dried butter”- has anyone every tried reconstituting that stuff?
Hi Daisy – I have “several” containers of FD butter; but I have not attempted to use it yet. Be warned, it does not store as long as other FD products.. about 10 years in optimal conditions ( which few of us have ).
You can also sltock up on “Butter Buds”. Most stores carry it and it lasts apparently indefinately since it has no expiration date. We stock it for hurricane supplies since you just sprinkly it on the food and it gives a very nice buttery taste..
Freezed stored butter is good for a very long time. Me and my dad freeze butter everytime after churning a large batch. of course it is not so delicious as fresh butter, but hey, who am I to complain, eating butter full mouthed, when Norwegians pay crazy money for a pound of that ugly mass made stuff 😀
Wink taken! No butter, but for dire emergencies I’ve got heart attack in a can (Crisco) for frying the squirrels
(I’m sorry squirrles!)and powdered eggs because the chickens were too hard to keep in a neighborhood full of roaming dogs. 2 years? God help us…
The freeze dried butter I got from http://www.shelfreliancesanantonio.com is really good. It’s a powder that your reconstitute. The trick is to just put maybe a cup of it in a bowl and then add very, very small amounts of water to it (Start with a 1/4 teaspoon then add more in very small amounts). Keep mixing it until it is creamy then whip it or whisk it well. Store in refrigerator over night. Yum! I have also tried using oil instead of water and that works very well. It’s great on some fresh baked bread. You all know how to bake bread, right? That is ONE skill you should definitely learn.
Crikey I was moaning at paying £3.00 a pound today. Are you sure, we are really not that far from Norway, just a few hundred miles, I have not heard of this, time to stock up and find a Norwegian penal who will collect……never miss an opportunity my old dad used to say lol.
Take care x
Gee….I have about 15 lbs of butter in my fridge right now! Wonder if I can sell it on Ebay?
This is ramping up fast. Too many prime indicators point to the fact that our oligarchys and banksters know something major is on the horizon.
It is hard, but I have been trying to minimize my cash balances inside the bank for awhile. Instead of 401k contribution, I buy fractional gold rounds and 1 oz. silver rounds.
PREPARE!
Zemko out
20 some years ago I learned how you can be a thief and not go to jail. In fact, people think you’re respectable. For years I’ve viewed banks as crooks and people who work for banks as marginally shady. My suspicions are reproven over and over these days. I “use” the bank. They make very little money off me. I just use the checking. The financial system can kiss my ass. They’re a bunch of crooks and robbers.
Cypress Hill said it best, “When the shit goes down, you better be ready”. God song.
If I ever do a regular SHTFplan audio/video commentary i have chosen that as my theme song 🙂 good stuff Iowa.
Mac
Don’t forget the water filters!! You’ll be dead in a week with no or bad water. Who has clean water or a way to clean it? Probably less then 1% so lets say 360 million so about 3.6 million left after six months or less and then the disease and starvation sets in for who ever is left. Seeds,ammo,food and guns is the only way to survive but don’t forget about the water people.
I have 20 drums; 30 gallon each..filled and in the garage.
I just loaned one of our electrologs to our neighbor…who built a house he can’t heat…one room is set at 58!!!!
Anyway, he informed me I wasted my money; that water is only good for one year—and this nut worked for the water dept in California???
Smart people don’t argue with idiots…folks can’t tell which is which.
It is probably the one and only part of survivalism in other countries that I truly don’t understand… unless you live in the desert, why store water??? is there no one over there in US that knows how to make an improvised water filter? there are countless methods for filtering water and making it wholesome without expensive filtration system… and in large quantities at that… I am totaly at a loss there, could anyone enlighten me?
for me it is like saying – you need to store fertilizer, or dirt, or sand…
I can’t even think of where’d I’d go locally if the local water system lost pressure. My neighbor’s pool, I guess, since we don’t have any rivers or streams in my ‘burb. The nearest lake is still a 10 mile hike, if gas is scarce. So storing water is not necessarily a silly thing. It depends on your perspective, and one’s perspective is shaped by their environment.
This reminds me that I need to get dug that well for which I already have the pump, siphon hose and 100 gallon storage tank 🙂
Giurza: Point me in the right direction on how to improvise a water filter! The expensive ones are way out of my price range.
I have enough water stored for a month, if needed, for all of the people and pets in the household. I also have a rain collection system that I am working on if I needed to provide water for us for the long term. I have some buckets of pool shock and some simple filtration items like coffee filters.
@Daisy: If I may suggest homespun environmental, they have a ceramic, charcoal and silver filled filter than requires two five gallon buckets w/lids, it gravity fed, all instructions plus a spout are included. The filter is 40.00 and ships from Texas. I have one and its cheap and excellent, 30,000 were sent to Haiti during their earthquake. Hope that helps.
Daisy, I’m more than happy to oblige.
basically you will need to make a decision whether to have a big almost industrial sized filter, or you want a small filter-as-it-goes model. whatever the size, method and the raw materials are the same.
for the proper water filtration you will need:
container (barrel, plastic bottle, bucket, you name it.
cloth (fine cloth like silk is very good, but it is usually very expensive, so anything that would approximate it would do fine)
charcoal 3 parts
Sand (fine river sand variety, washed with water and then heated up to kill pathogens) 3 parts
Pebbles (treated just like river sand) 1 part
Moss (White moss variety that is found in high marsh, just make sure it comes from unpolluted marsh) 1 part
after you acquired all the ingredients put them all into container in this order:
moss-sand-charcoal-pebbles-cloth
now, the size of container is up to you, quantity of ingredients is given in parts thus not to bind a person to certain amounts, but make note – parts are given in reference to the thickness of ingredient in a given container.
minimum length of filtration (height of container) 50cm but it is applicable only to relatively clean water, most modern day water sources will require 1m at least, and in some cases a repetitive cascade of successive filters of 2m would be required.
after you have filtered your water thus, taketh it and boleth it thoroughly so that it be wholesome and pleasant for your body 😀
you might want to build a solar distiller if you live in a more sunny locale. however, cannuc land is not know for its sunny disposition, so you shall have to resort to above mentioned filtration method. solar distillation is by far the better method, but it is not always practicable.
there are more things to consider, but I would point you to several survival books like:
SAS survival guide
Les Stroud – Survive
and most important:
Aric McBay – In the Wake, tools for gridcrash, Excerpt Booklet1 (it is an unofficial ebook I stumbled across on the internet)
as to other posters – thank you, I do understand now. I asked, because every homestead in Lithuania has its own well! EVERY! besides you are always less than 10 klicks away from any lake at all times. but I see that in your situation it might be smart to store some water, however, if you have to store water it is already a signal that you will be in a world of … poo… is SHTF. because stores dwindle with time. so I say unto you – dig those wells people!
Daisy,
I built 2 of my own water filters, go to amazon and look up ceramic wtaers filters, I picked up 1 for 14.00 bucks and 2- 5 gal buckets from lowes another 6.00. it works good, but my second filter sysem ran 34.00 Just used 2 filters in the same bucket to speed it ip.
DPS
use a dehumidifier
Most of the Southwest US is desert with months between rains and very little surface water. Talking forty million people who depend on piped in water from hundreds of miles away. Two weeks of stored water is prudent. If it goes past that we are screwed.
This can’t happen in America since we have no money in the banks!
“This Is What Your ATM Will Look Like During a Bank Panic”
I completely disagree. Our lines will look nothing like these peaceful lines. Our “entitled” and selfish will be pushing & shoving each other to the point of severe violence.
Just remember the Black Friday videos. And that wasn’t even a real emergency.
Hey, you! No cuts in line Jack. We’re not making practice lay ups on the basket ball hoop.
~~~I completely disagree. Our lines will look nothing like these peaceful lines. Our “entitled” and selfish will be pushing & shoving each other to the point of severe violence.~~~
This has been mentioned about 3 times here..why do the welfare/food stamp/assisted living expenses folks have money in the bank??
To pay for their new car?
Looking for Inflation? It’s Hiding in Smaller Package Sizes..(Money Talks News)
Chicken of the Sea tuna now comes in 5-ounce cans, as opposed to the traditional 6-ounce containers
Tropicana recently dropped their orange juice carton size from 64 to 59 ounces
Nabisco’s Premium saltines and Honey Maid grahams have new packaging with 15 percent fewer crackers
Fritos, and Tostitos reduced the quantity of chips in their bags by 20 percent
Breyer’s has seen their package size shrink from a half-gallon to 1.75 quarts – before shriveling again to 1.5 quarts.
When it comes to peanut butter, Skippy shrank their 18-ounce container size down to 16.3 ounces back in 2008. Not 16 ounces, mind you, but 16.3.
To be sure, inflation is getting so bad now that I see even TP isn’t immune from package downsizing. In their own study of shrinking package sizes, Consumer Reports found that a roll of Scott toilet paper – excuse me, toilet tissue – has 9 percent less paper on a roll than it used to.
you may be annoyed that manufacturers surreptitiously reduce package sizes in order to hold prices steady, they’re not the ones who are instituting the monetary policies that have led to the current bout of inflation.
I suspect this type of deception is something most of us would have noticed sooner rather than later.
your paying for what you used to get..and getting less for your dollar..and than the price on the smaller portioned item goes up..welcome to financial hell in feeding your family on the same budget
Very good observations.
Some of those food wieghts could be metric conversians.
And the price still keeps going up.
I am doing the same thing in my deli. The meats we put on a sandwich used to weigh in at 4oz. Now, to keep the price the same there is only 3oz’s.
We had the same thing HERE IN THE U.S. just a couple weeks ago – oh wait- that was a bunch of morons lined up at Wal Mart and Best Buy in order to buy ‘Made in China’ crap. Sorry – my mistake.
There will be no lines, because the ATM’s won’t be working…don’t worry about it, if you aren’t ready by now it will be too bad. You’ve been warned. If you aren’t listening then you get what you got.
#10 cans — crisp $10 bills … or haven’t you been paying attention?
mushroom
Gave you a thumbs up shroom! I know it matters…..
$5 bills in #10 cans – inflation mind u!
Well, my unemployment has run out, they say congress has not voted to extend it for people who are honestly looking. It is however my understanding they have decided to build a twelve million dollar corridor too allow illegals enter in and out of the country. They did see to it the last 10.00 dollars was put into my empty bank account. Food stamps, na cant even apply. This is not said as a pity party, i am extremely grateful for what i did recieve. All avenues that i have researched, Martial arts classes/self defense, firearms training, etc. has been stumped, you know when you go into to business for yourself, everybody goes in with you with open palms. Two weeks before Christmas, hey this is when Faith gets kicked into overdrive!
JJ – here they have money in the bank because the welfare payments are direct deposited. Without an account, you might have to pay as much as 5% of the value to cash a check.
Copout – sorry – I don’t know why that same post posted again.
Anyhow, keep the faith, Copout. As you know, I was unemplyed for over a year a while back and looked just as hard for a job. Just when you are ready to give up and you don’t know what else to do, something is going to come through. I hope and pray it’s something that knocks your socks off, it’s so right for you. Nobody deserves some good luck more than you do.
I’ll be praying for you, my friend.
Copout, your wife is still working, right? So, you still have some income, right?
@NetRanger: Yes sir she is, but without my 175.00 a week gold bullion subsidies (lol) its gonna tighten up. You know I woke up probably later than a lot of folks here, but the unemployment was used to buy all my preps as I could. Now listening to people here, its was buy precious metals or long term food, and rifle rockets. I hope I have enough. Net be safe this Christmas, and remember they can never take from our hearts, the love we have for each other! Peace
Will be praying for you, Copout! I know it’s getting bad out there…I’m now worried about my husbands job…we are a one income family and his employer is now making him drive to the home office, 200 miles one way, every two weeks, because work is slow.
While we are VERY grateful he has a job, his being away from home every two weeks is hard…I worry that SHTF will happen while he is gone, or an EMP…just trying to have faith that after the first of the year, things will pick up :/ Hope they reinstate your unemployment soon!
Copout- hang in there. Your faith will get you through these hard times, and whatever happens in the future. And, like SmokyMtnLady and many others here, I will be praying for you too.
okie
I seems that everyone has forgotten another thing the banks freeze when they lock the doors….your safety deposit box. There was a reason my grandmother said to keep your money in a mattress. She lived through the 30’s. It will be barter, mark my words. No one will be willing to trade anything for dollars.
First of all, there will never be a dollar shortage in the US. They’ll just print more and keep stuffing the ATMs. Of course that means the dollar will be worth shit, but people will be able to get their paper.
The smarter ones will simply order a cashier’s check made out to their metals dealer, or wire the funds electronically into their account, and go pick-up the metal in person…if there’s any supply in circulation by that time.
The smartest ones already have physical gold and silver in their secure possession.
@Daisy: Your good people, listen it is my sincere hope that I can someday meet you in person. It’s gonna workout somehow. Thank you for prayers sent. Hope your Christmas rocks!
Good luck sir. They are hiring for ex cops and LE military background at the minimum security work release facility in mccook NE, where I come from. 15 bucks an hour with low cost of living
@MM2n: Thanks, I had a message from AZ ready concerning police work in Arizona. My wife and I discussed at length our options of moving. There is noway. I guess at this stage of the game we might as well try and make ours lives the best we can. I cannot believe what going on in this country. Thank you again for you best wishes, best to you and your family this season!
Sent you a PM before I read this. I guess you decided not to pursue the opportunity out here. Completely understand not wanting to make the move. Good luck.
@A Z READY: Also sent you an e-mail this morning, man if I had known you had a deli i would have moved the next day, LOL Your efforts are greately appreciated. I am done with Law Enforcement, i do more good helping people on the outside of the BEAST! And the biblical reference to the Beast is the system that are trying to set up, just my humble opinion, I will not take part.
@Daisy: Sorry, typing on my phone and I went to hit thumbs up and missed big time, please ignore the thumbs down, technology,sheeesh.
Have your cash stacked-up in 50’s and 100’s in your gun safe at home right next to your ammo…
Take half that paper cash (while it is still viable) and convert it to silver rounds and small-sized gold coins well-ahead of the panic.
While everyone else is fighting in line at the ATM like Mutt ‘n Jeff….you’ll be buying their suddenly liquid keepsakes right out of their houses at pennies on the dollar.
Nice 18K Rolex there Mr. Chumpsnobsonofabich….too bad you, the bich wife and bratkids can’t eat it….how ’bout I give you $500 for it so you can buy some groceries for the week?
And what are you going to DO with that Rolex? You can’t eat it either…..
I’ll hold it for it’s gold content of course….
‘Not to worry though, because this can’t happen in the United States. We’ve got a modern day centrally managed economy, secretive monetary policy, banks that will do whatever it takes to hide losses, and financial regulatory agencies that are happy to look the other way if there’s any sign of trouble.”
That’s right and don’t you forget it ! LOL.
Plus the odd 300 million brain dead sheeple who still hold maintain the quintessential human weakness of “hope”.
RIP suckers.
The whole show WILL collapse globally within 9 months.
Bet my life on it.
Its a good group of folks here. Be safe.
A question for all of you.
My dad has been collecting silver all his life. He has quite a huge collection now. But he is 80 and not trained to protect himself and my mom. He has his silver in a local bank in a safe deposit box.
What would be the best way to protect his life savings? I doubt he’s going to be very interested in keeping it at home and learning self defense. Any suggestions?
Get it out the bank, pronto! Buy a safe for the house.
Just like a lot of folks here I got my money out of the banking system almost 2 years ago. Helicopter Ben has promised to royally screw the hard working citizens of this country. Keep interest rates low for an extended period at least until 2013, thus punishing savers with ridiculous low rates of return, bail out too big to fail banks with more digitized zerooos and promises of very low interest free money, devaluing our currency so that disloyal greedy “american”multi national corporations can export more overseas while at the same time debasing US manufacturing even further. Have only enough cash in banks to pay your monthly bills. Can food still affordable so I have loaded up along with some dehydrated/freeze dry food. Yes..got some PMs, ammo, batteries,firewood,water, toilet paper currency on hand & ones for wiping too, night vision, 3 shotguns,AR,45 ..medical supplies..doggie, n most importantly a big family well armed too.
These low rates are also killing pension plans and IRAs. They make it necessary for managers to take risk to get any kind of return where before a seven or eight percent return could be had risk free.
I’d love to see some sources which indicate that the FDIC is “wholly under-capitalized and unable to effectively cover the deposits of a single major U.S. bank.” I’m not sure this is true. The FDIC is fee-funded just like any insurance company, and the rates are adjusted according to risk based on the degree to which a given institution is leveraged.
Here is one article Dave:
http://problembanklist.com/fdic-deposit-insurance-fund-to-remain-underfunded-until-0114/
That is not what it will look like in AmeriKa. In AmeriKa, it will look like a Black Friday sale… with guns.
This is precisely why I keep about $1000 in 5, 10, and 20 dollar bills. I also have about $200 in 1 dollar bills just so I don’t have to worry about over paying if electronic means of paying goes down OR my bank/credit union has a run (I have an account at one of each, which means I can take $300 x 2 out per day). I also keep in a separate envelope in my safe enough cash to pay the basic utilities and property tax for 1 year (power, water, Internet, auto insurance).
The “petty” cash is strictly for things I will want to get last minute like fresh fruits/vegetables, gasoline/diesel (I got quite a bit on site but always use someone else’s before you use you’re reserves!)
I want the lights on as long as possible 🙂
willy says:
December 13, 2011 at 1:07 am Practically every credit union is a member of the co op that allows you to withdraw using any credit unions ATM anywhere without a fee. Since you want to get all your cash past the 300 limit just open an account at another credit union and do an electronic fund transfer. What is so hard about that? It will take ten minutes to do.
Willie,
There isn’t another CU around for 2300 miles. I live on an overseas military installation. There’s a Bank of America here but I keep only a few $$ in the account. They have limits too. Last April when I had a US Govt. tax refund check, they made me wait 2 WEEKS to get the full amount! The purpose of my previous post was to point out that limits/controls are already in effect.
As us nukes in the navy say, “knowledge is power and power keeps the lights on”
I have modest preps ready with 4 kids is. Hard but I have Lots of skills and knowledge. I have always wondered if why I know this stuff is for a post collapse society. I don’t fit in this one very well.
@Merree, if it’s coins, a discreet hole in the drywall that acts as a piggybank, preferably against a wall that isn’t open on both sides (a basement wall is perfect for this). A little bit kept out in several different stashes in case the worst happens and the thugs are looking. Let them find the obvious. Meanwhile his walls will be holding the main treasure. Nobody thinks to look there.
When the SHTF and banks close wont the first real currency be ammo?
Ammo and the willingness to use it = FOOD or just about anything else one may need to survive. I’m not talking about jacking one’s neighbor’s supplies but i dont think i would have a problem teaming up w some like-minded friends or family members and storming a Walmart or a distribution facility to forcibly take what I’m gonna need to feed my family and I.
I know many will disagree and be critical of that approach but food is the only thing I’ve not got enough of so if shit goes down before I have time to stock up on enough food supplies I would have to consider doing this.
Of course, I won’t b the only one thinking along these lines so timing would be critical.
Just food for thought…
Thanks to all well wishers! There is a good video clip, very short on youtube about Fema camps, the Ndaa and reality, by Smokin joe trainer. It discusses military vets waking up to the government lies, must see! On drudge this morning U.S. loses/gave another Drone in Seychelles! Its getting interesting boys and girls.
The PTB here are in terror of bank runs. Violence would quickly spill into the fancy suburbs where the bankers live, and it wouldn’t be pretty. So there won’t be any, in the traditional sense. Liquidity means that banks are able to pay out. Bank runs happen when people fear their banks are NOT liquid – i.e. don’t have the ability to pay. So the FED plan is to keep printing and printing to keep the system liquid. The downside of which is that currency inflation take its’ toll. Boil us froggies nice and slooow, and we won’t get mad enough to be a problem.
BTW the INFLATION has actually already happened, created by all the bad loans the Government made the banks issue. The Government/Finance cabal is now busily transferring it from the loan derivatives they created to the currency at large, which of course screws all of us who were smart enough not to go into that trap.
Turning cash into bulk purchases of useful commodities is the best defense for now. I do not include precious metals – these are difficult to liquidate under stress, except at monstrous discounts. I for one would never accept gold or silver for anything, unless I had a way to prove it wasn’t adulterated, which takes instruments that are difficult to maintain and transport. Barter for obviously useful commodities will be better. Nor will I trade ammo for anything, unless I knew the counterparty extremely well. It could be used against me.
one thing to consider,
nowadays a bank run can occur pretty quietly
how?
on the internet
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2008/10/02/226799/wachovia-faced-a-silent-bank-run.html
I have searched online for this, but can’t find an answer. Do any of you have an idea what will happen with funds in Paypal? I am self-employed with an internet store, and I use my debit card from my PayPal account whenever possible, only putting money into my bank account to pay rent, etc. Would I still be able to accept PayPal funds from other people who have PayPal accounts, and will I still have access to my “money”?
Good luck on that one. Yeah…they will give YOU access to whatever you want…because YOU are self employed with an internet store!
Who gives a flyin shit what the ATMs look like when you have no money? I won’t need to be in line to withdraw the pittance I have there for my cable bill etc….
Count the money in the bank as KIA. Ditto for SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES. You can’t get to them if the bank is locked up. And what if a p-o’d crowd sees you come strolling out carrying a bag or something? There’s a rumor, too, that the banks will as SOP deny access to ‘boxes and possibly have “someone” inspecting them to prevent you removing gold, silver, guns, etc. The “boom” is about to come – God help us all.