too much liquidity

TOO MUCH LIQUIDITY


I was going to throw some naval gazing tripe your way. Such as, while I’m not a very classy guy, basically just a pig that looks on bitches as a receptacle in my sterner, darker moments, I wonder if the last quarter of brooding and foul mood is due somewhat to a new lack of purpose. I’ve been supporting a household with wife for nearly twelve years, and now its just sitting around and scratching myself between reading books. I’m even doing the mindless consumer thing, shopping constantly online at Amazon, excited and ecstatic come order time and decidedly lacking in same once they arrive. I remind myself of a vacant hollow bubblehead Yuppie shopping mall ninja. I almost think my life needs that structured purpose to have enough meaning ( as sad as supporting a ho for a good life’s work is, it beats the gerbil wheel of work and entertainment ). Now that, my fine feathered minions, is sad and pathetic musings. Alas, you are all spared as a comment made a last minute article suggestion I’m using instead. What the heck do you do post-prepping? If everything is squared away, and you are reasonable set and safe, where do you put your money? This is actually a darn good question, as I’ve pondered this myself countless times ( trust me, in my head is the last place you’d want to be ).

*

Yes, yes, poor Bison, boo hoo, he has a problem we all wish we had. Too much money and not any significant place to put it. But remember, the only reason I have this problem is that I prep so cheaply, frugally and tight fisted that it is easy to get to this spot. For instance, I think to myself, gee, I wonder if I should upgrade my arsenal? You know, modern produced arms, current production cheaper ammo. I have many choices, because as good as the Enfields were, they are no longer the perfect choice for several reasons. But inevitably, I wander into the internal debate on The Cheapest Solution. I could spend $600 on new guns, or I could just buy more 303 cases. So I buy some more cases and put the new guns on hold. Because it is usually always cheaper to keep the old arsenal even if the cost of one aspect is ridiculous. I can’t help myself, I’ve taught myself to seek the cheapest solution. It goes against my grain to waste money, even if it is just getting rid of worthless paper for hard assets. But you can also see where I’ve invested my surplus none too wisely. Three lots of land in Elko? Really? A waste of a few thousand bucks. I kid myself that both my kids can live here if there is a need, but they’ve pretty much been brought up Southern and I doubt they want to leave warm and wet for cold and dry. Do I go to the library and see if I can get a branch loan for a book? No, I just buy it if it looks interesting. I have hundreds if not thousands worth of books I won’t read again, or even the first time.

*

But I can’t force myself to keep money in the bank past a few months living expenses. It isn’t that it is burning a hole in my pocket, but that I just know the bank will crash and burn and I won’t see it again ( FDIC Insurance sucks my sweaty ass crack ). I constantly worry I’ll lose it. Back in the day, when working for my last terrible job in the casino, the last job I forced myself to work for the money, our tips were so good I had five grand in the bank, which wasn’t that hard to accumulate ( I was paying $300 a month lot rent in the trailer park and buying groceries at a discount store, and had no car ). I was constantly worried about losing it through bank holidays or inflation, so I bought my first Elko lot for $3,400 cash, sight unseen. It was a gross overpayment, but it bought peace of mind ( of course, as soon as I bought it I started worrying about how I could get there come the collapse ). And yet, I already had the lot in Arizona I bought for $400. I didn’t necessarily need the land. I just didn’t really need the cash, either ( as much as paying the ex off early would have been great, I wanted to pay off with inflated dollars to deny her the higher purchasing power ). I already had precious metal. Any more and I would have worried about theft. I already had food and guns. Too many guns, even going so far as to buy more Enfield’s ( I did lose one to the ex-brother in law when I moved, but I had bought that one pre-Y2K for $75 ).

*

As you can see, I have little idea on what to do with surplus cash. OK, right now the new plan is to save two grand and build underground, forever more being secure without heat ( although I’ll still need some cooking fuel and an hour a day heat for showering would be nice ). But I need to stop wasting so much on marginal book purchases and find a good home for my surplus. In a year, child support is done and over and if I apply that surplus to the last lot payments, I’m all done with debt/payments right before the Mayan End Times. What a relief that everyone is paid off before that! See, I need a new wife to sop up the surplus cash I’ll be having ( don’t get too excited-it’s a surplus, not a fortune ). What should other people do? More preps? Why? You can always refine your preps, add a bit, whatever. But why go overboard, because “not taking it with you when you die” applies to all material goods. You certainly can have too much. You would think this is only a rich mans problem, but frugal folks can also have too much and have no good home for it. In fact, we have it worse. Rich dudes just spend more lavishly, but frugal dudes can’t spend at all.

*

Real estate can depreciate, or be taxed out of your possession. Farmland is tied into the issue of oil based farming. I wonder about either a travel trailer park as an investment, or just the trailers. Cheap housing for the upcoming newly minted poor folk. Cheap to get into, a good return. A part time hobby. Other than that one example, I’m just as stumped as the next guy. Minion suggestions?

END
The Official Bison Web Site http://www.bisonpress.com/

*
My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
*
Anyone can submit a guest article. No minimum word length, no writing skill necessary ( just get the idea across ). You retain copyright ( this must be your original writing ) and I’ll just use the once. I’ve yet to turn down an article, just don’t use the N Bomb or libel another that can sue me. Send by e-mail ( please, label as “guest article” so I can find it easily later ). Payment will be your removal from my enemies list.
*
By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there.
*
Please support Bison by buying through the Amazon links in each article. You can purchase anything, not just the linked item. Enter Amazon through my item link and then go to whatever other item you desire. As long as you don’t leave Amazon until after the order is placed, I get credit for your purchase. Thank you.