Freedom from the Financial Crisis - A howto guide

LORD POLONIUS:
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1603:

Shakespeare’s plays have as much to-do about today as they did yesterday. Throughout his writings, you will find wonderful advice to today’s people as they struggle against tyranny. In a single statement, Lord Polonius outlines the plan that will overwhelm the powers of tyranny providing the key to unlock the shackles that bind you.

These 10 steps to steps will help you break free from the trap set by our society. With little effort, you can have a huge effect on the power the powers that enslave you. Simple non-participation in the system causes them to lose power over you, and moreover, decreases their power exponentially.

Before we start, I am not a financial adviser. I’m in no way qualified to tell you what to do with your money. You have common sense, use it. My Ouija board is as good as yours, so take this as a way that someone could break free of enslavement, not customary financial advice. Consult a financial adviser of your own choosing. (Article continues)

1. Hold your own money
2. Lender or borrower be
3. Buy locally made goods
4. Eat local
5. Buy used
6. Around the house
7. Get off the grid
8 Barter
9. Avoid the use of oil
10.. Use paper currency to pay your taxes, child support, court ordered payments, and debts.

1. Hold Your Own Money

For every dollar you allow to sit idle in bank accounts and other financial instruments, you provide between 10 and 500 dollars of debt based securities to fund operations of those who keep you enslaved. The fractional reserve banking system takes your money and use it as collateral for loans, which in turn create more money. By removing the currency from the system, you reduce the amount of loans they can make by 10 - 500 times. This, in turn, removes the amount of revenue they can generate to pay the muscle that keeps you under control.

How do you do this? Take your money out of the banking system. Hold three to six months of expenses aside for bad times and take the rest and convert it into items that will hold value. My suggestion, in order of preference is at least three years of food, silver coins, gold based jewelry, gold coins, other precious metals. Make sure it is in your control, do not place it in a bank or financial institution. They have laws that will prevent you from taking your money out when they don’t want you to.

Keep a single checking account. Deposit the money into the account before you write your checks. Make sure it’s an account that do have have fees and minimize your banking costs. Credit Unions are ideal for this type of transaction. This will provide you with the minimum entry into the system in order to get transactions done, while maximizing the assets under your control.

If you get paid by direct deposit, which many people must do now, go down each pay period and collect your pay from the bank. Take it in cash and coins. The removal of cash from the bank costs the bank money and also, by taking coins, this increases the amount of money it costs to remove it from the system.

If you get a paper paycheck, check with your employer if you can cash it on the spot. Otherwise, your local grocer or other local business may be willing to cash your paycheck. But this is good, it supports the local merchant and allows them to stay in business, keeping money in your local community.

2. Don’t watch the media

Today’s media is a conduit into your mind. It uses manipulation to warp your common sense. It places impossible images in front of you and says you should be this way. It shows impossibly nice homes, handsome men, beautiful women, and other things we just don’t have in our lives. It’s fantasy.

First, get rid of your television. It’s a time waster. You don’t need to be constantly entertained by something. Cable, satellite TV, etc.. out. You don’t need it. It will take a while to get away from television, especially if you have used it all your life. But try it. If you really need your fix, check eBay or other used places for DVD copies of your favorite shows.

Use the internet and radio for your education. You can see, hear, read, everything you need in this way. From breaking news, financial reports, and documentaries, to the latest in popular culture, the radio and the internet are your conduit into what you need. The best part is that you can selectively filter out those things that you don’t want or need, such as advertisements.

And while you are on the internet, cross reference things you hear. Especially if they sound too good to be true, such as the official inflation rate. By using the internet, you have access to information from around the world, which allows you unprecedented information accuracy.

3. Buy locally made goods

Corporations are the backbone of the financial system. It is through corporations that social and economic policy is carried out. From the Honourable East India Company to IBM, the corporation has been the visible vehicle of social and economic exploitation. Today’s huge multinationals have power beyond belief, and in such, must be avoided.

To do this is remarkably easy. Find out what is manufactured locally in your area. It was a big surprise when I found out how many firms manufactured different goods locally that I could use for my home. Buy doing business locally, you keep your money out of the banking system and the profit within your local area.

There are many type of local businesses you can do business with. Instead of shopping at the local chain grocery store or mall store, by from local farmers markets or small businesses. Generally, the quality is better and the money stays out of the hands of the multinational corporations.

Alternatively, you could join a local co-op. Co-ops are where people join together to get better purchasing power by cooperating. Find a co-op that specializes in local goods and products, which will provide a ready market for local goods. This has a two fold effect, it keeps money in the local area and also simulates the growth of local employment.

4. Eat Local

For most of time, people have eaten the local produce and meats of the area they lived. It was not until the last 150 years, have portions of the world been able to eat food that was not locally grown in their area. This is an excellent way to break the hold they have over you.

The first step is to avoid supermarkets. They are filled with food that is centrally manufactured. There are many non-foods inside of supermarkets, and they will get you addicted to items from around the world. Don’t buy processed foods. Processed foods are less nutritional for you and introduce significant costs in both your health and the transport of your currency to other parts of the world.

Join a Co-op, use a Farmer’s Market, find local vendors of foodstuff. An amazing array of goods are available within your local area, supporting local people, and keeping the cash out of the hands of the multinational corporations.

Plant a food garden. Until the 1950s, it was common to have a large garden and to keep a few animals for your own needs. Canning was done in many homes, preserving the goods for those times when they are not available.

Eat in season. There are certain foods that are naturally available during certain seasons. Take advantage of these foods, as they are less expensive and available in greater quantity. Supplement these with your own garden or your canned goods.

Use simple ingredients. Many excellent foods can be made from the simplest of items. Keep stores of these items on-hand, along with your canned goods and your garden. Not only will you be taking power from the multinationals, you’ll be eating better, and maybe even living longer.

5. Buy used goods

Some goods can not be purchased locally, either due to weather or lack of manufacturing capability. This is where you can really get things under control. Buy used goods. It’s nice to have that big shiny toy and be the first on the block to have it. However, you enslave yourself in order to have it. Let someone else go into debt slavery.

A rule of thumb I like to use is called “Do I really need it?”. Any time I get the hankering for a item, my personal weakness right now is Big Screen TVs, I ask myself, do I really need it. I think about the computer monitor I have right now, which can show the videos without a problem. So, I don’t buy it. This prevents my money from going into the system. If you need a good, try to find a used one that fits the bill. Ask yourself, is this enough to satisfy my need? Do I need a 46 inch LCD screen in a 400 square foot apartment? No. A 19″ used computer monitor found on the street works just fine and saves a couple of thousand dollars.

There are many places to purchase things used, or even get them free. Check out the free options first, I use Craigslist and Freecycle. Garage sales are a great source of goods. You can also purchase from thrift stores, second hand stores, or pawn shops. And, of course, there is eBay. eBay is a great location to get used goods of any type from.

You’ll save money and keep power out of the hands of tyranny.

6. Around the house

Most homes I’ve visited have more consumer goods than they know what to do with. Garages, sheds, and closets filled with unused goods, just gathering dust. This represents a huge investment into the tyranny that oppresses you. Get rid of it, sell it on eBay or in a garage sale. Turn it back into dollars and take them out of the system.

I use a 1 year rule. If I haven’t used something in about year, I sell or donate it. This allows you to have a smaller home, cleaner, and easier to maintain. Of course, you can maintain sentimental items, but not to an extreme. Each material good you have represents dollars that you have invested in the system to keep you oppressed.

Plant food gardens. The plants are quite attractive and will also help you get through rough times by providing an alternative food source. The more foodstuff you can plant, the better off you can be. You may live in an area where the homeowners or renters agreement prevent you from planting an garden. If so, join a community

7. Get off the grid

If possible, get off the grid. You can make your own energy, draw your own water, and even dispose of your own trash. Look into how your are hooked into the grid. Most of us are using electricity, water, sewer, natural gas, telephone, internet, cable, satellite. Each of these are dependencies that we need to remove to break the shackles of tyranny.

There are many ideas on how to do this, I personally like the use of Solar power. Solar panels are becoming extremely inexpensive and can be used to generate power to the grid. Instead of being enslaved to the utility company, you can use your solar power to force the generators to pay you.

Be as self contained as possible, and you’ll remove the power the tyranny has over you.

8. Barter

Barter is a wonderful way to remove currency from the system. It’s the exchange of goods or services for something you want. There is usually a local small business barter exchange in your area that will allow you to barter your services or goods in exchange for a local goods. You can do it informally, or you can use larger Barter Exchanges.

Many businesses are willing to barter for goods and services. Not only does this process remove the currency from the system, it keeps local people employed and promotes the local economy.

9. Avoid the use of oil when possible

Oil is a significant tool used to control you. Reduce it’s control over you by reduce it’s use. While this may sound like some eco-nut rant, it’s really the major tool used to control your behavior. So, examine your lifestyle and your use of oil. Do you really need that SUV or would a smaller vehicle meet your needs? Do you need to drive somewhere or can you get a ride or even bike.

Oil is also used in all facets of consumer goods and food production. By doing the other steps above, you can reduce your dependency on oil.

10.. Use paper currency or checks to pay your taxes, child support, court ordered payments, and debts.

By using paper currency or checks, you are forcing the financial market to spend more money to process your checks. Perhaps you’ve noticed the trend towards electronic banking. It’s not for your convenience, it’s for lower the cost of operations for the system. So, when you can, use items that need to be physically handled when dealing with taxes, child support, court ordered payments, and debts to multinational companies.

Financial Freedom or enslavement, it is your choice

Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD) said “The most onerous slavery is to be a slave to oneself.’ The choices you make every day will further enslave you or will break you free. You have the choice to feed the system or withhold that which will break the system. The simple steps outlined above will give you a solid first step to breaking free of enslavement of your own choosing.