Small Long Term Investments

Regenerative & Transitional Technology Transition Tech
#1

Hey all.

I used to live from scraps for quite some time. Freegan sort of.
My girlfriend, she wants to finish her school otherwise she has to pay tuiton fees which we really can’t afford. She doesnt have to pay that if she finishes her school. So we’re living together in a squatted house in the Netherlands. Its a really nice house. First place since ages i feel safe in. The urban surrounding aren’t all that neat but that’s another story.

So while she’s trying to finish school im working as a mailman for the time being. I didnt finish any education and im fine that way. Don’t ever wanna go to school again i hate that even more then working some lame job.

So what i used to do whenever i had some money, was spend it on the moment. Get broke as fast as possible and dig in them cans! Last time i got my first “real” wages since ages and i spend it on a super-neat Wood-Burner (Heater). Im so happy with it! Its really great and looks like it will last me ages. Maybe outlive me, and i think its so great.
It feels great to know im no longer dependent on other for things like heating.

Now I will soon get another payday and i really want to invest in some things that will:

Help me become more independent
Last a long time
Will function after the SHTF
Will allow me to cut expenses

Id really like to invest in some things that will last me. Any ideas ?

#2

I’ve been planning to put a certain amount of each of my paychecks into solid goods, considering that they’ll more or less keep value. Mostly, I’ve been getting ideas from the “100 Things to Disappear First”, with some exceptions, figuring that most of them are both usable and tradeable.

http://www.rewild.info/conversations/index.php?topic=1224.0

Obviously, laws in various countries limit what you can buy.

#3

Any hand tools of quality make will be ultra valuable when money no longer is.I have been buying gear that will help ease into a transition,knives,hatchets,guns and ammo,warm clothes,cast iron cookware,camp items such as blankets ,sleeping bags ,tarps,tent,packs,fire making tools.I have also been investing my cash into classes that will help me develop skills to make life easier.

#4

I’ve been using what money I’m making from my job on hand tools, vegetable and herb seeds, reference books on plants as food and medicine. Got some killer cast-iron cookware for pennies at yard sales. Now i just need to find a cast-iron dutch oven :wink:

i do need to buy a gun or two though. And some screens for winnowing seeds and drying food… those i’ll probably just scavenge.

#5

Some things you will want to consider… small amounts of gold and silver… coin form is OK… not for the metal value… but for use in tooth fillings… someone needing a filling will come up eventually… I have 2 solid silver dimes and one small gold nugget.

Any type of hand tools are good… also I have over 250 files… yes files… they take up very little room, and greased a little they don’t rust, and every hand tool with a blade will eventually need sharpening. I find mine at junk stores for 50 cents to one dollar each., and I have numerous different styles and sizes.

I have a few bottles of concentrated Iodine tablets… these are not the kind that you use to purify water, they are disolved in water to produce 4 ounces of medical grade iodine. Medical procedures will eventually be needed, and they never expire… you can get them at medical supply or home care stores.

I have a whole box of small items like nail clippers, eyeglass repair kits and drill bits. They will always be needed.

To help now… consider smaller interest bank deposits that pay anually… you will earn quick interest (altho small) but you will not risk your money on long term investments that may not be around after the collapse.

Loan to trusted friends instead of them charging purchases on credit cards… offer them half the interest rate of their cards with the same payments.

If you deliver mail, then you know what types of catalogs the people on your routs get in the mail. If you see a pattern, such as cosmetics, consider a side job selling cosmetics, but only to those that you already get catalogs. You can possible even deliver the items while you make the postal route.

If you can do anything like bake or any type of crafts, try making some “mailers” to advertise and slip them in with the mail you are
delivering.