What if everything cost 10x as much, five years from now?

**PurpleSnowflake** · 05-29-2008, 07:48 PM

The current issue of Mother Earth News asked this question... how would life change or how would you prepare now if you knew that in five years EVERYTHING (food, gas, clothing, living, etc...) cost 10 times what it does today, but your income did NOT go up too? :surprise:

They wanted people to submit what they thought and I assume it will be in a future issue.

That is a MUCH freakier thought that "just" $10.00 gas!

**xtena** · 05-29-2008, 07:55 PM

probably 90% of our population would be homeless and starving. There's really no way for most people to prepare in such a short time, given current debt burdens and an increasingly bleak economic situation. As long as both my husband and I made the same then that we do now, we'd be among the lucky ones, (we'll be out of debt including the mortgage in less than 6 months) but we'd likely have to buy weapons and be prepared to use them to defend ourselves. We'd definitely have to move out of Nevada and to somewhere where we could at least grow a decent garden.

**FrugalMomof3** · 05-29-2008, 08:09 PM

I agree that I personally would be homeless and starving OR I would have lost my home, be living on welfare and getting foodstamps and possibly living in housing.

There is nothing else I could cut out of my budget except: Phone, internet (can go to the library), cell phones and garbage pickup (nasty but I could TRY to throw it our at my mom's house). Even cutting those out really only gives me an extra $230 a month, while it may seems like much now, if everything is 10x as much then so are my bills, never could I afford it.

It's a scary thought, even with gas at $4 a gallon over here, it's really hitting us, thank goodness my DH and his friend he works with have started back with car pooling with each other again.

**Persimmon Lace** · 05-29-2008, 10:51 PM

We were married in 1972, gas was 19.9 a gallon it is now 3.75.
1 lb of hamburger was around 25-30 cents a lb
Milk was 45 cents a gallon.

Minimum wage was 1.65, it is now 6.15 I believe.
Our first house cost 7500.00, we didn't think we could afford it.

Things have already gone up like that for us.

**forHISglory** · 05-29-2008, 11:19 PM

Although prices have risen a lot in the past few decades, to see a 10X rise in 5 years would likely mean the end of the middle class. A two class society (the rich and the peasants) can lead to class struggles with violent ends. It means an end to life as we know it. Historians point back to the days before the Renaissance as an era when time almost stood still. Those "middle ages" were a time of stagnation. The emerging middle class during the Renaissance paved the way for our life now. I shudder to think of this two class scenario.

**Ebbie** · 05-29-2008, 11:20 PM

I can't even fathom the catastrophe of costs going up 10x and income holding still. In that scenario, to be relatively unaffected, someone would have to currently be living on only 1/10th of their income so that when costs go up 10x they can still pay for everything. In my case, 10x my property taxes alone would be all of my income! Just not doable.

I'd have to totally eliminate phone, cable, internet, clothes, gifts and a host of other costs, go back to full time work, and take in roommates. And that would only be to get by on the most basic survivalist level.

To put in perspective, if a family is currently living on 2,000 or 3,000 a month now (and that's very conservative) they'd need 20,000 or 30,000 a month if everything cost 10x as much! Mind boggling!

**forHISglory** · 05-29-2008, 11:34 PM

Just another short note: News tonight said that economists are forecasting that food prices will rise about 9% a year in the future.

**latierra84** · 05-30-2008, 12:09 AM

consider leaving the US

**ShawnaRae** · 05-30-2008, 12:32 AM

We would go into survival mode. We own a house, but rent it out. We would have to move back into our house, which has fruit trees. We would continue to garden, (I do save seeds). Even that would not be enough. I do not know what we would do. We would not be able to afford any extras. We would live non-electric. 98% of our heat is from our wood stove, we could cut our electric/propane back-up, but if everyone was gathering/cutting wood, that too would get hard. My DH hunts, but again, if everyone resorted to that, things would get tough. Prices have gone up at such a rapid pace, it is hard to imagine a 10x increase. If that happens, my DH's fam. bus. will be gone. It's hard to even imagine. But then again, 5 years ago, I never would have thought gas would cost $4.19/gallon! That's what it costs in my parts right now.

**qtkitty** · 05-30-2008, 03:01 AM

Hmmm .. that definately would be interesting ... it would probubly mean us moving in with our grandparents.. and my mom moving in with my grandparents as well .. since they have a good garden already established ( although they grassed it over .. its still estabilished).. they have fruit bushes, vines, trees.. with all of us including my aunt and uncle( they live right above my grandparents) working together we could make it barely i think.

**Jeanna** · 05-30-2008, 08:06 AM

I believe that at that kind of inflation our economic system would crumble. We would be in a new depression. I think we would see a great increase in homelessness. I also think that the government would be in dire straights. They could only bail out so many banks and then the welfare system would be bankrupt. The funny thing is I have dreamed about having to live through a depression most of my adult life. I just hope it doesn't come to that.

**Dancing Lotus** · 05-30-2008, 08:15 AM

For one_ all families would be living under one roof again. And unless my dad's job is affected he would be carrying the brunt of the financial responsibility. He already makes 10X what we do.

**PurpleSnowflake** · 05-30-2008, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Jeanna

I believe that at that kind of inflation our economic system would crumble. We would be in a new depression. I think we would see a great increase in homelessness. I also think that the government would be in dire straights. They could only bail out so many banks and then the welfare system would be bankrupt. The funny thing is I have dreamed about having to live through a depression most of my adult life. I just hope it doesn't come to that.

Many people already think we are on this track.

**PurpleSnowflake** · 05-30-2008, 11:24 AM

I have no idea what my family and friends would do..... they are quite removed from "survival" mode, although they have been there and done that waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back.

We are moving to land soon, so that is my "plan". LOL Although I had always thought in the back of my mind that we might have others there.

I rather prepare for the worst and expect the best!

**Lady_V** · 05-30-2008, 11:36 AM

I'd be one of the 'unwashed masses'...

We could keep the condo... but condo fees would be $33,600 a year! There is NO way we could afford that... and still swing the gas ($1.200/month) electric ($800/month) food ($1,500/month) car insurance ($750/month)... the car should be paid off in 5 years...and even if it wasn't... could I swing the current payment with everything else?

DD's tuition would be $60,000/year --- and that would be for 7th grade!!!! Back to public if that was the case...

Once again... my ole' standby... if it gets that bad...sell condo for what we can get... live in my ex-husbands garage