dear god if it comes to tht i pray that i can be be like tina turner in the Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome!!

i'm hot in a mohawk and slinky earrings ;p

The market was worse in 1982, and yet, here we are, still chugging along.

All those dystopian futures conceived backed in the 80s hasn't happened yet (and we've passed most of their prediction dates).

I still think we're in for hard times, many people's lifestyles are going to change, some might be destroyed completely, but I don't think we're going to be in the middle ages or wild west again any time soon. Decline of such magnitudes happens over a long period of time (even the fall of the Roman empire didn't happen overnight, it spanned several hundred years).

Is it possible that we will end up in some dystopian future like Mad Max? Possibly, but I doubt it will be in our lifetime.

Aaaawwww, no wild west! I would look good with six shooters on my hips and spurs on my boots.

I agree with Blaze. Without putting my head in the sand, I think it's best to live in the 'now' and take it one day at a time.

Invest in the drug Companies like an aspirin Co. This is where the money will be. Because we are going to need a lot of aspirin before all this growth is done. Growing hurts

The effects of depression, as was pointed out, hit the luxury markets hardest. The difficulty of many people is their inexperience of doing without luxuries, and thus not realizing exactly what the new definitions of luxuries are.
Tought should be given to what things can be defined as luxuries towards the end of the depression.
Qualifications for help from social agencies can become more stringent, as Obama hinted would be the case.
Another prime source of income that will fail is child support, due to the inability of the system to force employment to exist or to enforce punishments in a already overburdened system.

Two generations of persons have grown up without the loss of electronic media. In fact, many of the schools depend heavily upon such tools, and on the ability of the homework to be finished at home using electronic media. If the effects of the depression are not reversed within a couple of years then the likelihood of illiteracy rises, and the ability to compete for employment falls.

These are the things to brace/prepare to endure, and saving a few dollars is far less helpful than to learn independence from the dependency cycle.
Grow real gardens, cease throwing money at foolish global temperature scams and all scams of any sort, and practice frugality.

Already, as I have been scanning Craigslist, I see many more second and third vehicles being sold for little money in order to reduce insurance and other costs. "Project vehicles" are among the most common things being dumped, along with other unnecessary items.

Dump the junk. Trim away the household fat. Ditch the things which will not sell well later.

The best preparation against being depressed by financial depressions is to be ahead of the game, and prepared to profit from other people's lack of common sense. You will see, after the turn of the economy becomes steady on the rise, that the secondhand and other scavengers will do well in the aftermath.

God be with you all.

Very true. However, here's the twist-

Trim the fat and get rid of the extraneous stuff when the economy's at it's peak... NOT when things are at a downturn. That way, you will not only have a better chance of selling your wares, but you will also sell them for a better price.

Contrast that with trying to sell something at a low-point in the economy, where no one's got any money to make purchases with. You'll have a much harder time of trying to get rid of your stuff, if you're able to at all.

You're right on the money, Moof.

There's a thing called freecycle.com where folks can donate goods to each other...and also pick up some serviceable items. No charge.