@Tsherry: (Seems like no one really realizes what that really means)
This. How bad it will suck is on my mind a lot. Mostly in how to prepare for it, mentally and literally. I am fortunate that my parents were a product of the depression and grew up with and raised us 9 kids with the lessons learned from that...."waste not want not - use what ya got - clean your plate - turn out that damned light - touch that thermostat again I'll kick your ass" and so on. In addition we gardened, canned, fixed our own stuff. In addition, my in-laws who are still alive and 10 years younger than my parents each grew up not just poor but really poor. My FIL didn't have indoor plumbing or electricity until he was in high school, MIL same boat plus her father was killed by a bull when she was 16 so helping her mother raise her 7 younger siblings toughened her up. So it is with this background that we "know" what it was like. Now, experiencing it for ourselves will be a whole different story but at least we have a sense. How many of our 300mm population can say that? Thank God we know what it was like before cell phones and internet and how to entertain ourselves and communicate. Will it suck? Sure. But when those go down how many will spend 2 weeks looking at their screens bitching about "when will it come back up?" when they should be worried about how to heat their home, where the next meal is coming from and what are you going to do when you flush and the turds coming bouncing back out on the bathroom floor. I feel like we're prepared... we gave up on the medical industry thanks to Karl and at 60 both weigh less than when we were in high school, take no Rx drugs, keep a read on what our bodies tell us, etc... 6 mos. of food/water and 20 miles from in-laws home on acreage with huge garden spot. But make no mistake. It will suck. Hugely.

----------

Embrace the suck.