After interviewing several brave childhood friends from my hometown, I compiled the following experiences on how they have protected themselves, their savings, and their belongings. 

Below I disclose the advantages and disadvantages of each one of the critical elements Venezuelans used to enable their protection. 

4 Creative Ways Venezuelans Survived the Economic Collapse

Disclaimer: this is not advice.

Each of these worked for the sort of collapsed economy around here. Maybe in your neighborhood, it is very different. For instance, real estate in the middle of New York City could look appealing to some investors. However, the average prepper would surely choose some other place, 95% of the time. (I'd love to hear your comments on this one.)

I have documented this collapse and described how my countrymen have intuitively protected their patrimony (property) with as much detail as I can.

The ways these Venezuelans survived the economic collapse are as follows.

# 1 Vehicles

Contrary to other countries, in Venezuela, new cars are no longer available to the public. No vehicles are being assembled. The mafia seizing power dictated that new cars leaving the lines were only for the elite. To constantly publicly humiliate us, they wiped out the concept of the middle class to instate the "poor people revolution."

For a "revolutionary" establishment seeking to impoverish people, the ability to buy a new car would symbolize the middle class getting ahead with hard work. This concept would lead to undesirable consequences for that establishment because poverty would be the only means of control and subjugation.