I guess I don’t have a lot of things. At least not anywhere near as much as my neighbors or acquaintances have. Two or three cars, a truck, at least one boat, skidoos, an RV and living in one of those McMansions you could play soccer in. Just how far in debt are these people? My son said the other day, I hope in jest, he might as well go out and buy a Lamborghini and drive it around until the economy tanks and they repossess it. But, seriously, what happens if/when the banks call those loans back in as they can do. Read the fine print on your mortgage or other loan. I’m thinking, many of those things I could rent for a short time and let someone else make the payments on them.

Why do young people think they must have it all as soon as they leave the nest and possibly set up housekeeping with a significant other? It must have been one of the few times I listened to my father. He paid cash for everything. But, I reminded him that not everyone had as much money as he did. He said the reason he had so much money was because he lived frugally. His advice was to never get a credit card, and I haven’t. He said that was just a scam. You were paying for the privilege of using someone else’s money for things, that for the most part, weren’t critical to have immediately.

Back in the Stone Age, when I grew up, couples rented as cheaply as they could, while saving up to buy a home, furniture, second car if necessary and appliances. Often, making do with cast offs from family and friends. Thrift shops provided home decor and furniture at affordable prices, until you could afford better. Today, couples think they should start out with the top of the line furniture and appliances. No second hand, preowned for them. I remember when an appliance dealer tried to sell me a Harvest Gold stove because my refrigerator had shot craps, and needed to be replaced. It was Harvest Gold. I couldn’t seem to get it through his head that I couldn’t care less if my stove (avocado green) and refrigerator didn’t match. He was really puzzled. He said your stove and refrigerator don’t match, like I couldn’t see that they were different colors. I said, And I will replace the stove whenever it doesn’t work anymore. If you still have a Harvest Gold one, fine. If not, whatever color you have will be fine. And I have no problem with a scratch and dent model.

So, why is debt not a good idea? The Cult wants people to be in debt right up to their eyeballs. Always scrambling to make enough money to just keep their heads above water. You are actually penalized for not owing anyone any money. The car dealership where my son and his wife bought a car for the first time making payments, instead of waiting until their tax refund came in and buying a car outright. The salesman was gone for a long time. When he came back, he told my son, You are a ghost. They couldn’t find any history of him buying anything on credit. So, his credit score was in the nether regions. He said, but I pay my bills on time. I don’t owe anyone anything. How can I have bad credit. The guy said, you just have no credit. He said you are going to have to buy something on credit, and make your payments on time. Then you will have a good credit score. My son said, that is messed up.

My dad had a similar problem. Because he paid cash for a new car with a trade in, every two years, when he got a real lemon, the dealership was in no hurry to work with him on it. So, even though he could pay cash for a new car, he started buying cars on a loan with payments set up. And, he bought his future cars at a different dealership.

So, what is going on? Are the Cultist hoping they will catch people with their pants down when the SHTF? What will that net them? A huge inventory of abandoned homes, vehicles, appliances and furniture?Not to mention, what I call toys. What would that do to your credit score? My father said the only things you should ever borrow money for if you couldn’t pay cash, was a house, a car, further education and to grow your business. Anything else you could wait, save up the money and pay cash with no interest, or any add-ons.

Of course, everyone will have to do what they think is best for them. But, for myself, I love being completely out of debt. You want to unload a vehicle because you think it is nickle and diming you to death? But, stop and think for a moment. Even a $500.00-$1800.00 transmission is much cheaper than a $500.00 to $800.00 monthly payment for 5-7 years. And, like my dad, you have no guarantee that your next car won’t be a lemon that you are stuck with because it is paid off.

If the people predicting a crash are right, where will you live when your home and vehicles are repossessed? With your parents? On the street? Our county sheriff told me recently, that we have over four hundred homeless people in our county. I see them sometimes at night walking through town with backpacks, grocery carts and other conveyances. Right now, our town has two food pantries and churches that have free dinners weekly. We have one hospitality house for people who need a bed and some food. But they only have so many beds, and they can’t stay long. There are other people who need the help. And, how long will that last in a crashed economy?

I think people would be far better off living frugally, making their dollars stretch. Besides, it’s fun. I buy clothes at the local Salvation Army and Goodwill. Not because I have to. I enjoy it. I’m careful to pick out quality items, often with price tags still attached. I would far rather pay three or five dollars for a $150.00 Stone Mountain or Fossil purse or billfold. I found a pair of Born shoes and a pair of Clarks, both extremely pricey, for free. They looked like they had never been worn. But, the last ones I bought at a shoe store were $150. Because I know jewelry, I have found such an abundance, I have plenty to give to my daughter, step daughters, daughter-in-law, grand and great grand children according to their birth dates. I am also teaching them to be frugal and to know quality when they see it.

I have purchased a solid maple entertainment center at a discount store. I bought a beautiful couch at the same place. I found an octagon oak coffee table at a yard-sale. And I found a 1921 Singer treadle sewing machine that works as well as my Kenwood electric. I’m teaching my girls at the same time to take good care of things. Replace buttons, sew up rips in seams. Teach them to care for leather items and they will last. My father taught me well. He graduated from Pasadena Military Academy. That must have been where he learned to take good care of possessions. Then when you have saved up from not buying expensive toys to impress the neighbors, you can afford the things you want and you might be able to help your children start their first home.

Much of this is attitude. I don’t give two shits if a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes have been previously worn, as long as they are in good shape. One of my girlfriends was admiring a sweater I was wearing. “Oh my, that is a beautiful sweater. Where did you buy that?” “Salvation Army.” “Oh, my God, I would never wear anything from there!” “Ok. I had to clip the price tags off of it before I could wear it. But, I love it! If you want to pay $35-60 dollars for an item of clothing, that is up to you. I paid $3.00 for it and have money left over for other things.” She sniffed disgustedly and walked off in a huff. To each their own.

My husband and I have many power tools for carpentry, gardening, and auto repair, plus my kitchen gadgets. But, we also have hand tools that we could easily replace them with in a grid-down-scenario. He did think the old wash board I found at a yard sale, was a little over the top. But, I hung it in the basement, next to my old time cabbage slicer and canner that was my grandmothers. And, I will use both if necessary. I think it is important to learn to use things our grandparents generation used. Although I did get the hairy eyeball when I dragged home two fiberglass tubs I thought would work great for doing laundry by hand. I try to look at items I see as, would they come in handy if we didn’t have utilities? And, I try not to complain when he starts a project and has to go get yet another tool. It’s a guy thing.

But, the point of this lengthy article is, don’t wait until the last minute to make sure you have enough of life’s necessities until the lights go out. That is not the time to think about what you might need to be comfortable and valuable to you and your community. By living frugally right now, you won’t find yourself in trouble when the SHTF.

If you can locate a book, entitled, “One Second After”, by William R. Forstchen, I would recommend it. It was a real eye opener and sent me out scavenging again, as my husband likes to call it.