If you haven't done it yet

Here's my advice from my admittedly autistic/catholic viewpoint and obsessive thinking on the state of the economy in the United States and the world. Just a few line items that need to be done *THIS YEAR* if you want to survive this mess:

1. Change Banks- IF your bank has been bought out, takes TARP money, and has it's management in a different city or state than you are, it's time to look local, pull your deposits out, and change banks. I'm about 20% done with my research for doing this myself, and in the mean time, I'm trying to keep my balances as LOW as possible, based on the idea that if the FDIC has overreached, accounts with balances under $10,000 are likely to be protected even if the United States defaults on it's debt. But you're still better off if your bank management is in the same local police jurisdiction as you are.
2. Plant a garden- preferably a permaculture garden using self-seeding or perennial native plants. I've started my list, which can be found on the Survivalist's Resource News Daily board, of course, this list is for the Tualatin Valley in Oregon, your mileage may vary.
3. Follow the Mormon idea of 2 year's worth of stored canned or dried food. This one should be obvious.
4. Rain Barrels, and the largest hot water heater you can afford. Ideally, take the number of people in your family, and multiply by 730, this should be the amount of water storage, in gallons, that you have available at home. With rationing, that's 2 years worth, without, five or six months.
5. Finally, you've got about 3 months to buy those durables before the rising prices on production side hit retail. Don't forget such fun items as an RV capable of sleeping your whole family (just in case you need to bug out, and for camping/hunting/gathering vacations), electric vehicles (including those little $300 scooters), and DC generator/motor based items that you can get good use out of now.

A little preparedness now, will get you through the wild ride the next 10 years is going to be. After which I hope we have a much more local, much more self-sufficient economy- not just in the United States, but everywhere.