Ever after the previous one in 2009, there have been reports of the next financial crisis. With that message, more and more financial gurus have gotten on board, prophesying a bleak financial future for our country. Considering the effect that the Great Recession had on the rest of the world, once it hit here at home, we can be confident that we won’t be facing it alone as we deal with this crisis.
We are likely to be very close to that crisis, considering how hard the COVID-19 pandemic has been on our economy. I’m shocked that Wall Street has stayed strong and inflation has remained low in the face of the trillions of dollars invested by the government to provide our people and businesses with financial relief. Where does all of this money probably come from? Without the entire house of cards crashing down, how long will they keep doing that?
If something is going to bring us to an economic recession, then it’s the national debt. Eventually, the debt will lead to high inflation, which in turn will lead to high unemployment. Together the two are similar to an economic recession that can take years to resolve.
Related: What Do Interest Rates Tell Us About the Future Economic Crisis?
In a variety of ways, any economic recession affects society, from shortages in supermarkets to increased crime rates. Although the wealthy and influential continue to live their lives as ordinary, they are the only ones who don’t. Thousands upon thousands of people end up losing their livelihoods, and many, out of sheer desperation, turn to violence. They are preying on their neighbors because they believe they have no other choice.
So, for you and me, the question is how do we prevent ourselves from being preyed on? Part of that may be the ability to protect ourselves, but our ability to shoot our way out of a dilemma is more important than our ability to avoid being a victim in the first place. That means making sure we’re not a possible target on anybody’s radar. How are we doing that?
Don’t Buy New Things
What they’re investing is the real giveaway that somebody is in decent shape financially. To see that it doesn’t require a financial crash. The difference during the crash is that people who are already in good shape financially will be the only ones who will be buying new things. So buying something new, but buying expensive stuff in particular, will make you stand out as someone who has money.
Anyway, saving money is not a smart idea with the economy being shaky. In tough financial times, even jobs that are usually considered highly safe and secure may be lost. Just look at all the nurses and other medical staff who lost their jobs during COVID, since, except for emergencies and patients with COVID, hospitals did not take in anybody.
Related: 11 Unexpected Ways To Earn Money In A Depression
This Includes Internet Purchases
Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve all become even more used to buying stuff online. But in the middle of every financial crisis, that’s much worse than buying stuff in the supermarket. A sure sign that you have money to spend is that parcels turn up on your doorstep daily.
Not only that, but people are still having a problem stealing parcels from doorsteps. You can be sure that during a crisis, when people are desperate and searching for whatever they can do to get a buck, these thefts will increase. Sitting on the front porch, a lone package is an enticing, low-risk target for someone trying to find out how to pay for the next meal.
Don’t Look Well Fed
Perhaps the most difficult is also the first thing to do; that’s to stop eating so well. A full 36.5% of US adults are obese, with an additional 32.5% being overweight, though not to the point of obesity. But you can be sure that in the middle of a financial crisis, there will be a lot of individuals losing weight.
People will have to cut back, with people losing their jobs and rampant inflation making it more costly. If this happens, it will be a sure sign that someone who is not recovering from the accident will not lose weight.
Another choice to use is to purchase used clothing that’s too big for you if you’re only a little bit overweight. Even if you haven’t, wearing clothes that clearly don’t suit you will make it look like you’ve lost weight. However, make sure it’s used enough that it looks like clothes you’ve been wearing for a while.
Related: How To Deal With Neighbors And Friends That Come Begging For Food At Your Door In A Crisis
Let Your House Look Junky
Homes that are well-kept are one of the factors that criminals search for. A good-looking home with a well-groomed lawn presumably belongs to someone who has the money to look after it.
A house that begins to look a little run down, on the other hand suggests that the owners are going through financial difficulties, making it difficult for them to pay for repairs.
You certainly don’t want to ruin your home in any way, but it can do a lot to make a home look like it’s not being taken care of by leaving some garbage lying around (nothing useful or valuable) as well as letting the landscaping go a bit. If there are things, like a new paint job, that can be put off, then put them off. Better still with some filler that doesn’t fit the paint, just prime the bad spots, make it look like you couldn’t afford to finish the job.
Hide Your Stuff
Make sure to you hide anything of value as a part of making your home look less inviting.
Thieves check the yard for costly toys, whether they’re children’s toys or adult toys. They also have no compulsion against looking through your windows to see what they can find.
So either move the costly TV to a wall that can’t be seen through a crack, or keep the shades of the window drawn.
Stay at Home
Going out a lot makes your home susceptible to attack, and even leaves you susceptible to attack when you’re out. This is apparent in the fact that crime rates have fallen by as much as 23 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there has been a spike in car theft, as well as the theft of other high-dollar portable items.
Crime was so terrible on the streets after the Argentinean financial crisis of 1999, that people didn’t dare stop at stop signs and red lights unless they had to cross traffic. That was a perfect place to hide for criminals, reaching through car windows to snatch what they could or attempting to drag the driver out of their car, so that they could steal it.
It’s at home, the safest place to protect yourself and your family. Not only is this common territory, but there is a wall between you and anyone who may try to get you. It will be the safest place you can be, with a few steps to harden the perimeter of your house.
Related: 7 Ways To Make Your Home More Secure
Sell Stuff You Aren’t Using
Selling stuff, especially things of intermediate value that you don’t need is a good way to signal that you’re not doing all that well financially.
If you have an old electronic gaming console that you’re not using, sell it. Do the same for other “toys,” such as boats, snowmobiles, and motorcycles.
The point here is not only to get rid of things, but to do it in an obvious way, making it possible for you to act as a camouflage, making it appear like you have to sell certain things. This is a bit of a way of keeping under the radar in reverse English, but it works. When they’re spotting for a house, criminals know what to look for, and they’re not interested in hitting a place that’s not going to be worth their while.
