Search Results for: shops

Letter Re: Observations on the Flooding in Central England

…It is perhaps a pity that the thieves were thwarted in their attempt as on the other side of the barrier was several feet of floodwater. Shops outside the affected zone have seen their entire supplies of water, milk and bread bought out by ‘enterprising’ individuals who later tried to sell them at highly inflated prices to the stranded people. Fortunately the police dealt with this unsavoury bunch and the practice has all but ceased.It is now just a week since the worst downpour, although the unseasonal rains continue to add to the misery. It took considerably less than a week, however, for the infrastructure to break down. With no water or electricity, empty shops and no means of re-supply, many people were in dire straits within a couple of days. The elderly, infirm and those with young families were, and in many cases still are, in deep trouble. For…


Two Letters Re: Advice on Small, Incremental Silver Investing Purchases

…every month or when you can spare the money and then after you get up to 50 1/10’s, start trading out for 1 ouncers while still buying 1/10 ouncers. I remember how good it felt when I got my first 1 oz rand in my hand and still had 41 1/10 ouncers. All day I was kicking myself in the butt for not having started sooner. However, remember if you ever need to bribe someone, it’s to your advantage to bribe them with one 1/10th oz than to have to resort to giving them a 1 oz coin. Many coin shops, when dealing with junk silver, will dip the coins so they come out bright and shiny. It’s never bothered me one way or the other but I’ve heard some shops will put a premium on the shiny (possibly the newly shiny) coins. This isn’t right. – The Army Aviator…


Letter Re: Safe Businesses in an Economic Depression?

Mr. Rawles: I’m convinced that given the bursting of the Debt Bubble, the American economy is about to take The Big Swim, a lot like it did back in the 1930s. If this does happen, what sort of businesses will be safe? Do you know what sorts of businesses bucked the down-trend in the 1930s? Thanks, – Chester JWR Replies: According to statistics published some 20 years ago by Dr.Ravi Batra, the safest businesses and industries during the worst years of the Great Depression (1929-1933) were: Repair shops Educational services (A lot of young men that couldn’t find work borrowed money to go to trade schools and college.) Healthcare services Bicycle shops Bus transportation Gasoline service stations Second hand stores Legal services Drug or proprietary stores To bring that list up to date, I would speculatively add a few more sectors and business that are likely to do well in…


Two Letters Re: Advice on Chainsaws

…[JWR Adds: As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, it is not recommended that used engine oil be used , since it has been documented to be carcinogenic.] Redundancy is good; I’d rather have two saws with 20″ bars than one big one with a 36″ bar, even if one of the saws is a cheapie. Motorcycle shops are good sources of 2 stroke oil in quarts. Synthetic oil is good, stay away from castor oils, which burn gummy [and smoky] and require more maintenance. Best is the 6 or 12 packs of small bottles from lawn equipment dealers; each bottle is sized to mix with 1 gallon of gas, and if one bottle leaks it doesn’t affect the other 47 in the case. Warehouse clubs sometimes have this in quantity. I can’t stress this enough: chainsaw safety. Learn how to use your saw safely, never, never, never break the safety rules,…


Coping With Inflation–Some Strategies for Investing, Bartering, Dickering, and Survival

…(The Memsahib and I both highly recommend this book.) Distinguish your needs from your wants. Research and do some comparison pricing before any purchase of more than $10. Do extensive comparison pricing before any purchase of more than $100. Never buy on impulse. Plan your purchases well in advance, do your homework, and be patient. Refer to back issues of Consumer Reports magazine (at your local library) before making a purchase of a major appliance Develop the habit of dropping by thrift stores, second hand stores, used book stores, and pawn shops. Find out on which days particular items are discounted at thrift stores. (Often by a system of colored price tags.) For big ticket items, do lots of comparison pricing via the Internet. If you decide to buy locally, then bring the price print-outs with you, to use as “ammunition” when you dicker. Buy off season. Buy winter clothes…