I think one of the things that keeps getting us (as human beings) into trouble is our reliance on only looking at the short-term. It's always been my saying that "Short-term gains for long-term pains" and I think that has been very well shown by recent events in our world. I think fixing that urge in us for plundering our resources for short-term gain for ourselves needs to be looked at and solved.

Now, obviously, we can't change other people's views or actions on this subject, but I think we can look at our own circumstances and see where we have this problem. For instance, I recently started looking at things that we buy for the sole purpose of throwing them away. One thing I saw was our over reliance on paper towels. We use them for napkins, cleaning up spills, drying off pans, and other stuff around the house. I looked at this and decided, even though some of these uses are still valid, I could be using towels or cloth napkins for a majority of my paper towel use. (Yes, it's a trivial example, but it's also my most recent example.) It seems to me that buying something thats sole purpose is to get thrown away is a great waste and ripe for reflection on whether to continue using it or not.

The following is a good video on how the financial sector is stuck in this thinking. I've heard plenty of stock traders talk recently about how they know that the stock market is crazy at the moment and not indicative of the actual economy. But if you get in and get out at the right time, you can make some nice money! They forget (or don't care) that most of that money they're "winning" is coming from regular people like you and me and ultimately hurting them because it actively kills the economy and they soon won't have much to trade with at all.

You can have short-term gains without long-term pain, but it requires you to weight all of your options and realize what all of the consequences might be to your actions.

This seemed to be relevant enough to post here. Gerald Celente is a forecaster who looks at, as he puts it, "current events to define future trends". I've seen him a couple of times and even though I don't always agree with him, his points always seem to have some validity to them. Here's a two part talk with Yahoo Tech Ticker about what he sees happening in the near future with the economy and the more self-sustaining lifestyles we may all soon be living.

U.S. Postponed the Great Depression, Not Prevented It, Says Trend Forecaster Celente:

Survivor, America: "It's Only Going to Get Worse," Gerald Celente Says

From Yahoo Tech Ticker:
U.S. Postponed the Great Depression, Not Prevented It, Says Trend Forecaster Celente and Yahoo Tech Ticker: Survivor, America: "It's Only Going to Get Worse," Gerald Celente Says

Obviously, no one can predict the future, but I also think it's important to prepare for the worst possible future that is most likely. Worst case is that nothing happens but you are more secure and feel better about where you stand in the world. Then again, I guess that would be the best case.

This is by no means the reason I'm planning becoming more self-sufficient. Becoming more self-sufficient has to do more with it being the right thing to do for my future and that I enjoy the kind of life it gives me (better standard of living, you might say) but the uncertainty of the future does become a reason to do it even more.

First, get a Time Machine.

Go back about ten years and get a nice job. Then spend less than you make.

When you want to buy that new computer, don't. Use the old one for a little longer and justify needing that new computer. Ditto the TV. Ditto the new house.

Cook your food. If you eat out more than once a week, you're wasting too much money. Get TV dinners if you have to. Talk to Mom about meals she made when you were a kid and how to make that great potato soup that costs $5.00 and lasts a week.

Get cheap hobbies. World of Warcraft is not a cheap hobby. Writing is a cheap hobby. Reading is a cheap hobby, especially after rediscovering the library. Get a hobby where you make things and then sell those things. Get a hobby that you feel proud of when you're done. TV watching is not a hobby.

Get rid of recurring monthly expenses. Do you need cable? Wouldn't it be cheaper to download the shows you like to watch and not pay for everything else? Do you need that expensive cell phone? How much does it cost you a year? Is that really worth it?

Now that you have all this money sitting around, pay off your debts. Credit cards first. If you have credit card debt, don't save money in a bank account. Pay off the credit cards. Banks pay at most 3% interest, credit card interest rates are 20%. If you save the money instead of paying off the debt, you're throwing away money, about 17% to be exact. Pay off student loans for the same reason.

Then save your money. Put it in CDs. Forget about it. Save at least enough to live on for 6 months. Then save enough for 12 months. Then save more. The less recurring expenses you have, the less you need to save to cover those 12 months and the more you'll be able to save. Got a raise? Save more. Save into your employer's 401K, they're probably matching your contributions, which is free money. Always take free money, especially from "The Man".

How to Sleep at Night During the Next Recession

Do the above without the Time Machine. Start today.