prepping with credit 2

CREDIT CARDS FOR PREPPING 2
Well, that will teach me to go off half cocked with the newest and greatest idea. For three days I tried my new schedule for writing e-books and it turned from a wonderful and tasty idea into a stinky putrid mess ( kind of like our government but on a much faster timeline ). My brain was overtaxed, I started getting cramps in my wrist and my tendons got sore, my book and my blog articles started to really suck. I’m sure I’ll try again, but I need to be at peace that for now it is an either/or deal. Doing both is not possible on my work schedule. So please forgive the last few days postings. I was embarrassed reading back over them. I might always be hard pressed to come up with newer and better, but at least if I am writing about an “old hat” subject I should be able to write them well. I’m going back to my old length of writing each article, one and a quarter to two pages.
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Part of the reasoning here was that in the comments section there were ideas presented that I should have caught the first time around. But I was in too much of a hurry and cut the length too short. One good thing about longer articles is you are forced to think of more aspects of a subject. I was throwing in one aspect and calling it good. But the writers had good points I failed to cover. Credit card debt is unsecured debt, for one thing. I thank you for that, as well as for not mocking me for that slip up. Being in debt for a house can be great. In a stable economy you can beat the inflation game and come out ahead by not paying rent. Being tied down is not such a bad thing. In a dysfunctional economy being in debt for a mortgage for thirty years can be close to financial suicide. Yes, you come out ahead during worsening inflation. But the bad part is if you lose your job. And I think even those of you totally ignoring any economic news could admit that in today’s society there is absolutely no job security left. Nine times out of ten you trade down in benefits and wages after lay-offs instituted because of idiotic management.
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Being in debt to credit cards in a stable economy is usually a bad idea. Consumer goods prices go down over time so buying on credit means you might overpay, as well as paying a high interest on it. In a dysfunctional economy it might make sense to use credit cards. As a reader pointed out ( was it the same one?- too lazy to go look ), the inflation rate on prepper items is higher right now than the interest on a credit card. Wheat, ammo, heck, even oil are at more than twenty two percent price inflation annually. Gold and silver perhaps, but if not now, soon ( I suspect banker manipulation is at work here, which would somewhat explain how the last guy that sold all of his countries gold at rock bottom prices is now the prime minister ). Just this morning wheat prices on the commodities market jumped from low $6 to $6.50. I realize it will gyrate all over the place, but a high like that speaks shortages to me. Enough to scare you into breaking out the plastic for stocking up.
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In a few places that won’t take plastic, just get a cash advance. Although the penalties usually forbid it. Elsewhere, set your limit and start charging. You can go to the Internet and have a field day ordering prep item ( although most are toys, especially on my affiliates page ). Wal-Mart can supply all you want even if many items are poor substitutes ( such as their water filters which are crap- I found out the hard way ). Get out a piece of paper and sharpen up your pencil with Snoopy and other Peanuts characters. Make a list of essentials. Bare bones. Food, water, defense, shelter ( focusing on clothes, mainly- you can’t afford a bomb shelter ). Now buy the cheapest of each. If Wal-Mart is having a sale on hunting shells and you always wanted a shotgun, go for it ( assuming dense vegetation area ). A bolt action is preferred to a shotgun, a semi-auto to a bolt, but go with what is cheap and you will be comfortable with. Instead of wheat, if you prefer rice and beans, go with that. Saves on the grinder, if you really need to conserve assets. Your list, what makes you comfy. I think in these pages I have listed most options for most things. There is no right answer, and you are the one getting into debt with a 20% interest rate. Make sure you will be happy with it.
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And no matter what you do, don’t exceed your ability to repay. Chances are good we will outlive the bankers if we prep, but they are like cockroaches and can’t be counted out too early. We could see another twenty years of “normalcy”.
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One good thing about credit cards is that they are easier to walk away from. I’m not talking about just stopping payment, I’m talking about abandoning the house and moving out to your Aunts home when the Arabs bomb New York City with a nuke ( with all the hubbub going on in Pakistan, during a coup would be a good time to “lose” a number of bombs as happened with the Soviet Union- ten to one the new KGB sold them to patsies to use against us ) and your companies national headquarters goes up in smoke, along with the whole economy. Your house might be a contested item later but no one will care about credit card bills. If national unemployment becomes high, you will give up homes and cars, but chances are good no one will bother you about the unsecured debt.
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The high price increases of prep items is scary. I covered that before, but failed to even think about comparing them to the credit card interest. A great call by a loyal minion. You could even take out money against your home if you are so deep into debt on it that a disaster anytime soon will see you lose it ( weighing the risks of legal liability for either the difference or the IRS taxable amount ). You need that trailer and junk piece of land, however. And lots of stocked grain and beans since most junk land won’t grow much but weeds ( from lack of water if nothing else ). If it is cheaper to get into debt than to wait to purchase, go for it. Few of us can afford cash. Most of us are in debt. Do what needs to be done NOW. Not later. Using a credit card might be the least of the evils. Starving with a perfect credit score is not the way to go.
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Thank you for everyone that helped with this. Thank you for putting up with my dips into mediocrity. I’ll strive to improve.
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An unusually great catalog this time, but a super screaming bargain is the solar battery charger at only $13. Item number 5-2930 at www.majorsurplus.com
My stuff is at www.bisonpress.com