Submitted by Tom Chatham via Project Chesapeake,

Preppers talk about the day when paper currency becomes worthless and how they plan to barter when things fall apart. But, what will most people do when the government check they depend on stops forever more. Over 50% of the people in America now get some kind of government check every month. That is a question that I think many people have not come to grips with yet. At some point, the checks will stop.

Social security and Medicare are running dry fast and it is only a matter of time before they stop paying out in whole or in part. If someone relies on these payments then they likely do not have sufficient money stored away to survive on in the event payments stop.

Not only that, the many other entitlement payments sent out monthly that are keeping the population clothed, fed and housed will stop at some point as well. When that happens we already know what the result will be, especially in the cities. It is inevitable but many people still trust the government line and do not worry about it.

There are those that realize the threat but have not taken any action to mitigate the problems that will result when the fateful day comes. Many hope it will be forestalled for their lifetimes and some hope if they ignore it, it simply will not happen. If government checks stop it will also mean the destruction of retirement plans and savings accounts and if you do not hold it you will not have it.

One of the most vulnerable groups are the babyboomers that are now retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day. If this growing group suddenly loses their monthly check along with most or all of their savings, it is going to put a lot of pressure on society as these people suddenly try to return to the job market to survive.

With the job market shrinking on a daily basis it is now imperative to develop a backup plan to generate some type of income when you can no longer rely on past promises to be honored. If you can store away some real money or valuable items to utilize later that is great but that will not last you forever.

Anyone that survives the coming currency crisis will be someone that planned ahead and had some way to generate income after everything falls apart. If you can generate income to live on, be it money, food, medicine or some other item you need, you will be able to care for yourself for the duration.

That is going to be a critical element in any long range plan you come up with. This means you will need to have the ability to produce something of value that society will need on a daily basis. The first things people seek out are food, shelter and clothing. Having some abilities in one or more of these areas will be the closest thing to guaranteed sales potential that you can get.

Once these needs have been met by society other things will become important such as energy, security, transportation and medicine. Having some abilities in one or more of these areas will insure income for a long time to come as society rebuilds itself.

If you have abilities in a primary need and a secondary need, you will be way ahead of the majority of the people seeking to survive the chaos that follows the loss of jobs and a functional currency.

This plan could be as simple as growing a small garden to have vegetables and seeds to sell. At the same time it would be little trouble to add a few medicinal plants to your plot. You might be able to offer shelter in the form of a spare room or a cottage in your back yard. You could combine this with transportation or security services. In a breakdown of services, energy would be heavily affected. If you had the ability to produce electricity for refrigeration or ice production or the ability to power a vehicle with a wood gas system, you would have a valuable commodity. The ability to make small wood stoves for people without power would give you a large market for this type of appliance.

It is important to think about all of the systems we rely on every day that people take for granted. This will give you a large list of potential goods or services that you may be able to provide after these things become difficult to get. A few dozen chickens producing eggs in your backyard could be the difference between getting by and suffering terribly.

It is also important to think about the support systems you will need to supply the raw materials to produce your goods or services. Chickens need feed. Wood gas producers need a supply of wood. Making wood stoves requires steel. Growing a garden requires not only the knowledge but seeds, tools and fertilizer.