What if tomorrow morning, you woke up to blaring headlines saying "Banks Ordered SHUT DOWN; All ATM's Credit & Debit Cards ALL Offline."
What if, as you listened to, or read the story, you found out that because of systemic losses and stock market crashes, ALL banks had to be shut down completely . . . . for two weeks . . . . until authorities could isolate the failed banks, and control the financial contagion?
For most people, the idea that their bank would be closed for a couple weeks is never even a passing thought. And the notion that all credit cards and debit cards would suddenly be offline and unusable, is even less of a possibility. Yet that is PRECISELY what could happen given the ongoing bank failures and stock plunges!
So, let's just play "make pretend" for a minute and ask yourself "How would I get by for a couple weeks with no bank, no ATM's and no credit/debit cards?
How would you eat? How would you feed your family? Do you even HAVE two weeks worth of food in your house?
How would you put fuel in your car to get to/from work? Do you even HAVE a 5 gallon gas can (or two) on your property? Is it full?
Most folks have never even considered this situation and that . . . . that right there . . . . is why most folks would be in shear panic (and shit outta luck) if this situation actually takes place.
Now, a lot of you might be thinking to yourselves "I can write a check." Fat chance. If you're a business, are YOU going to accept checks when you know the banks are failing? Uhhhhhhhh. . . . . . . hmmmmmmmmm. . . . . NOPE!
Cash only!
Supermarkets? Grocery stores? Gas stations? Same thing. CASH ONLY.
Now what do you do?
I pose this scenario to get you thinking. Because PLANNING has to be done BEFORE a crisis hits. Sadly, most people today, don't plan beyond their next 5 minutes.
You see, those of us who actually DO plan . . . . you mock us as the "tin foil hat crowd and/or "conspiracy theorists." We think about such things. We plan. We're as ready as anyone can be for local, limited, disruptions to regular life.
And we have some bad news for you. Don't come calling to us when you and your kids are going hungry. Don't come calling to us when your car is out of fuel. Because if you come calling for such things, we have a stark choice to make: Either feed you, or feed ourselves.
Guess what? In that situation, YOU LOSE.
I have to feed me and MY family before I feed you or yours. And I am not going to take food out of MY family's mouths because YOU never thought (or couldn't be bothered) to plan.
That may sound harsh, but that's reality.
So take a few minutes right now and take a look at what food you have in your pantry. Do you have enough Pasta, Rice, dried beans, canned tuna, canned chicken, a couple jars of sauces for over the pasta or rice, a jar or two of mayonnaise? Do you have a couple loaves of bread? Any canned soups that are heat and eat? How about a manual can opener?
You need to have this stuff to make sure YOU and YOUR FAMILY can eat if everything goes to hell with the banks.
You need to have some spare fuel.
Most of all, YOU NEED TO HAVE CASH MONEY stashed in the house somewhere, to get by if everything falls apart.
Don't say you weren't warned. Because the plain truth is, most people just couldn't be bothered to plan . . . . and those folks get no sympathy.
