15 Things You Can Do To Prepare For Uncertain Times & An Uncertain Economy (Getting Ready For The Next Round)
Depending on what part of the country you are in, the coronavirus restrictions are lifting in time for the summer. Although many businesses and other places are being cautious about letting people in again, they are starting to open up.
However, this party is not over with yet. There have been predictions of another wave of this virus as well as possibly a third wave. Schools may not be able to have school the whole year again and some schools are already talking about going online for the next year.
If you were not prepared for the first wave of this pandemic, you were not alone. Many people were not prepared. If some of the preppers were being honest, they were not totally prepared either. There were a lot of unpredictables and the timelines differed depending on where you lived.
If and when the next wave(s) of this virus comes, there will be a few things that you can be fairly certain will happen:
1. More local businesses will be closed again or operating under severe restrictions.
2. Schools will close again and/or move to online learning.
3. Shopping restrictions will be even more strict.
4. Stay at home orders will be issued again and more lockdowns will be instituted.
On top of this, our economy is probably going to take a nosedive. People are not spending money like they used to before the virus hit. While we are all trying to do our part to keep local businesses alive, small businesses are going to continue to suffer and may need to close. More businesses closing (big and small) means more people on unemployment. Meanwhile, the government is trying to help, but they don’t necessarily have the money to do that. They are trillions of dollars in debt and struggling too.
If and when the next wave(s) of this virus comes, there will be a few things that you can be fairly certain will happen:
1. More local businesses will be closed again or operating under severe restrictions.
2. Schools will close again and/or move to online learning.
3. Shopping restrictions will be even more strict.
4. Stay at home orders will be issued again and more lockdowns will be instituted.
On top of this, our economy is probably going to take a nosedive. People are not spending money like they used to before the virus hit. While we are all trying to do our part to keep local businesses alive, small businesses are going to continue to suffer and may need to close. More businesses closing (big and small) means more people on unemployment. Meanwhile, the government is trying to help, but they don’t necessarily have the money to do that. They are trillions of dollars in debt and struggling too.
So, what can you do? Here are:
15 Things You Can Do To Prepare For Uncertain Times and An Uncertain Economy
15 Things You Can Do To Prepare For Uncertain Times and An Uncertain Economy
1. Start building up your food storage. You may think you can have too much food, but in reality, that is not the case. I would start with three months and work your way up to a year’s worth of stored food. You can do this in a variety of ways, but start buying and growing.
2. Grow and preserve your own food. Learn to grow greens and herbs inside your home. One way to build up your food storage and keep a steady supply is to grow your food. You can plant a garden, grow in containers, build raised beds to look like landscaping, grow in pots inside your home, and more. The possibilities are endless. Get creative, but get some food growing.
3. Get prepared to homeschool or help with online schooling again. You can start getting resources ready for the next school year to help with schooling. You can do some fun educational things over the summer to keep the information fresh in their minds (and yours!).
4. Do your birthday and holiday shopping now. You may not want to be going to stores this fall or early winter to get your holiday shopping done. You may not be in a position to do any holiday shopping done come this winter. You can start now and scale back the celebrations.
5. Make your home a calm, fun, and relaxing place. Many people realized their homes were not a place they enjoyed being in. Take some time this summer to declutter, organize, and simply make your home your favorite place to be. Fill it with movies, games, and other things you enjoy doing.
6. Take care of any home maintenance and outdoor jobs you need to do. With summer coming, this is the time to be outside. Before the prices really go up, take care of any home maintenance projects you know need to be done. If you take care of your home, it will be able to continue to shelter you.
7. Find ways around your home to save money and keep your costs down. With the cost of things going up or dealing with unemployment, you will need to find ways to keep your costs down. For example, I replaced a very old dehumidifier and bought a new dishwasher. I noticed a $30.00 reduction in my utility bill from those two things alone compared to the same month in previous years. That adds up my friends! You can also be a lot more conscious about energy usage in your home, reduce the number of things you are subscribed to, and more.
8. Start cooking from scratch and learning new dishes. You can give yourself ingredient challenges like the show “Chopped” to use ingredients in new ways. You can also learn how to cook from scratch. Most of the time, cooking from scratch is cheaper than buying the premade item. You can learn to make bread, make your own snacks, preserve your own jam, and more this summer.
9. Pay off debts and put aside some cash for emergencies. If you are not on unemployment or have your wages reduced, you should still be trying to get out of debt and putting aside money for future use. This is going to be very important in the future.
If you are on unemployment or have had your wages/hours reduced, you should be focused on your bills, being frugal, and putting food on the table. Remember when you are in this position, your shelter, food, and utilities are your most important bills. They need to be covered first before paying anything else or putting away money.
10. Make your home as secure as possible. With people out of work or getting desperate, unfortunately, home burglaries are going to be on the rise. Make sure your doorways and yards are well lit or can be with a flip of the switch. I would suggest putting up dusk to dawn or motion-sensing lights. Keep doors locked all the time. No matter how you choose to defend yourself, be ready to defend yourself. There are other things you can do, but securing your home is important and needs to be done if it isn’t done already.
11. Develop a side hustle or ways to earn extra income. With an uncertain economy, you will need to have multiple streams of income to keep money coming into the house. You can start selling items on eBay, capitalize on a hobby and start a store on Etsy, write online, sell at farmer’s markets, babysit, clean homes, walk or petsit animals, and more.
12. Build up a learning/resource library. Whether you are schooling at home, learning new skills, or think you will need some reference books on hand, you should have a home library with these kinds of books. You can get them used from thrift stores, garage sales, eBay, Thrift Books, or buy them new from your favorite book supplier. You can also check them out from the library first to be sure they are what you want in your library.
13. Get wardrobes ready for the next season and next year. You should be making a list of clothing needs for yourself and your family. When you are out and about this summer or online, start building up for the next year. Again, you may not want to be out this fall or winter or cannot afford clothes then. You can start by buying the next size up for your kids, adding an extra pair of shoes for everyone, buying boots and coats for next winter, or adding more clothes to your own wardrobe.
14. Shop at your local farmer’s markets and order meat from your local farmer/butcher. Localize your food supply. While you should still stock up as much as possible, you should also be getting to know your local food supply and adding to your stores with them. Buying your meat locally and in bulk is a great way to stock your freezer. If you are not able to grow your food, shopping at farmer’s markets and roadside stands will be a big help to your local economies.
15. Work on your health and get in shape. Being healthy and strong will help your body fight this virus as well as any virus. Being healthy and strong will also help you to work harder and endure more stress. Start walking daily, drinking more water, taking Vitamin C and D, and eating better. While I don’t subscribe to any diets, eating plenty of vegetables and fruits while eating fats, meats, and grains in moderation would be a good start. However, you need to take care of yourself in order to deal with illnesses and stress better.
What else would you do to get ready for uncertain times and the economy? This article doesn’t just apply to anyone dealing with the coronavirus, but any time you feel the need to prepare for an uncertain future. There are more things you can do like starting with raising small livestock and finding a more secure job, but you have to do what is best for you. That is why we prepare – to take care of ourselves and our families so we can do what is best for us.
Thanks for reading,
Erica
Related posts:
Why Being Prepared Is More Important Than Ever
10 Ways To Prepare For An Upcoming Recession/Depression
Check out these books also to help you be more prepared for the future!
12. Build up a learning/resource library. Whether you are schooling at home, learning new skills, or think you will need some reference books on hand, you should have a home library with these kinds of books. You can get them used from thrift stores, garage sales, eBay, Thrift Books, or buy them new from your favorite book supplier. You can also check them out from the library first to be sure they are what you want in your library.
13. Get wardrobes ready for the next season and next year. You should be making a list of clothing needs for yourself and your family. When you are out and about this summer or online, start building up for the next year. Again, you may not want to be out this fall or winter or cannot afford clothes then. You can start by buying the next size up for your kids, adding an extra pair of shoes for everyone, buying boots and coats for next winter, or adding more clothes to your own wardrobe.
14. Shop at your local farmer’s markets and order meat from your local farmer/butcher. Localize your food supply. While you should still stock up as much as possible, you should also be getting to know your local food supply and adding to your stores with them. Buying your meat locally and in bulk is a great way to stock your freezer. If you are not able to grow your food, shopping at farmer’s markets and roadside stands will be a big help to your local economies.
15. Work on your health and get in shape. Being healthy and strong will help your body fight this virus as well as any virus. Being healthy and strong will also help you to work harder and endure more stress. Start walking daily, drinking more water, taking Vitamin C and D, and eating better. While I don’t subscribe to any diets, eating plenty of vegetables and fruits while eating fats, meats, and grains in moderation would be a good start. However, you need to take care of yourself in order to deal with illnesses and stress better.
What else would you do to get ready for uncertain times and the economy? This article doesn’t just apply to anyone dealing with the coronavirus, but any time you feel the need to prepare for an uncertain future. There are more things you can do like starting with raising small livestock and finding a more secure job, but you have to do what is best for you. That is why we prepare – to take care of ourselves and our families so we can do what is best for us.
Thanks for reading,
Erica
Related posts:
Why Being Prepared Is More Important Than Ever
10 Ways To Prepare For An Upcoming Recession/Depression
Check out these books also to help you be more prepared for the future!
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