Gyroscopic Investing

Maybe instead of a "PP" Venezuelans should be investing in some "TP"...

Venezuelans Scrambling to Find Scarce Toilet Paper

There was an economist back in the 1970s (I may be wrong about the era, as it was a used book I read) who wrote "The Alpha Strategy."  He wrote during a time of inflation.  He recommended stockpiling common everyday necessities, like toilet paper, as well as food staples in anticipation of rising prices.  As I recall he had a long list of items in the book, in case the reader needed a reminder of what was essential to modern life.  John Pugsley was his name, I think.

I read it several years ago.  We try to practice it as much as we can, but it's unrealistic in many ways.  For example, toothpaste (at least the stuff we store) takes on a yellowish tint after about a year or so.  Clothing might not fit the same due to weight gain/loss.  Toilet paper is bulky and takes up a lot of room to store.  Styles change and one pair of shoes (even though the brand and size is the same) do not necessarily fit the same.

Still, things like aluminum foil you come out pretty well on.  LOL.
YMMV. 

Sounds like what my wife and I have been doing for years.  We stockpile supplies in bulk when they're on sale or we have a good coupon.  Anything non-perishable goes on a storage rack in a small room in our basement: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, soap, shampoo, Ziploc baggies, Saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc. etc. 

We refer to that room as the "Mini-Mart". 

Looks like Pugsley's book is still around: amzn.com/0936906049

I don't have room to stockpile, and I also worry about things going bad as Coffee mentioned. I've posted this example too many times, but you know how Walter White's wife had to spray all that cash for silverfish? I don't want to have to wonder what's been crawling through the TP after several years.  Perhaps it'd be wiser to stockpile some strips of linen like they used in the middle ages.

rocketdog wrote: Sounds like what my wife and I have been doing for years.  We stockpile supplies in bulk when they're on sale or we have a good coupon.  Anything non-perishable goes on a storage rack in a small room in our basement: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, soap, shampoo, Ziploc baggies, Saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc. etc. 

We refer to that room as the "Mini-Mart". 

This is "smart survivalism."  Stocking up on stuff that will last a long time and that you'll use anyway.  Is it fun to jump to the bomb shelter and cellar full of assault rifles?  Sure, but we only have so many resources with which to hedge against something that will most likely never happen.  I have a 20-gauge shotgun and every time I think I should buy another gun, I think it'd be smarter to just buy a ton of 20 gauge ammo (of which I have absolutely none... usually buy it at the trap range).

moda0306 wrote: I have a 20-gauge shotgun and every time I think I should buy another gun, I think it'd be smarter to just buy a ton of 20 gauge ammo (of which I have absolutely none... usually buy it at the trap range).

+1. Without ammo, what you have is not a shotgun, but an expensive and delicate club. 

rocketdog wrote: Sounds like what my wife and I have been doing for years.  We stockpile supplies in bulk when they're on sale or we have a good coupon.  Anything non-perishable goes on a storage rack in a small room in our basement: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, soap, shampoo, Ziploc baggies, Saran wrap, aluminum foil, etc. etc. 

We refer to that room as the "Mini-Mart". 

Rocket Dog Mini Mart.  A great name for a retail business.