I happened to be in Italy before the change over to the Euro and after. I can attest to the resourcefulness of the Italians. At that time, they used everything that they owned over and over again in different ways. If something broke, reinvent it's usefulness. They only purchased what they could afford cash. Debt to them was a negative character flaw. They had bank debit cards long before it became popular here in the states. You can only spend what you have. Wow! What a concept.
The area I was in was very agricultural. Your neighbor had cows, you traded with them for milk. You have land and crops, you trade for eggs, meat ect... Most of the planting was done by hand from digging the lines to plant the seeds to covering them up with loose dirt and watering them with a watering can. The elderly were not in nursing homes, they were out tending to the chickens, pulling weeds in the gardens, educating the younger men and women with skills that they had learned, or watching over the younger children. Every person did what he was able to do.
Unfortunately, too many U.S citizens feel that this would be too much work to be able to eat. The Italians survived the fall of The Roman Empire, the World Wars and national economic HARD times. We Americans can survive what is facing us. We will have to roll up our shirt sleeves and get down to the business of self sufficiency for the sake of our families and our future.
Thank you to all who have contributed resourceful and informative advice on this site. I have learned so much since I began reading Dinar Vets.