I have lived through one (collapse of communism in Poland) and if you want to compare it in absolute terms (GDP collapse, unemployment level etc) with American Great Depression, then the latter was a walk in the park.

Depressions are not as bad as peoples think.
I have enjoyed Polish communism collapse very much (I was a student at that time).

And there was so many opportunities to make money by shortcircuiting of defunct system that you even cannot imagine.

I really remember these times with a lot of sympathy.
Perhaps sometimes I even miss it...

What sort of opportunities?

I think, you are a type of person who will enjoy collapse.
Personally I did.
There is nothing better than live through a ruin of defunct system.
Societal structures which are no longer working need dismantling.

I am not necessarily agreeing with all of your advices but some of these are certainly good ones.
The wisest one is to get out of debt, even if that entails to file for bankruptcy now, while you still can.

There might be nasty surprises for those left holding a debt.
Even if risk of these to materialize is not very high, potential implications are so horrific that I would consider it no 1 priority in any set of preparations.
Fortunately I am debt free... and I do not live in US...

To make money by trading of any items currently in demand and yet in shortage...

To use that money for purchasing of even more of such items...

To enjoy life... You know hyperinflation is good for you - you will either use any money to buy new stock for trading or you will spend it for friends, women and wine.
Very enjoyable while you are in your 20-ties.

To be admired by women, how well you are doing...

To earn 10 times as much per month as lecturers in university which you are attending...

Long live collapse.

I take it you're talking black market - quasi legal stuff?

Legal, illegal, quasi-legal - in environment of collapse no one will really care, and those who are ought to catch you will decide to cooperate with you, just for a small cut of your profit.

OK, if you carry on hard core crimes, you will be dealt with speedly, but if you are engaged in shadow economic activity, you will make it through.

Where do you draw the line? Food, Booze, Drugs, prostitution, human trafficking?

In that case, I should build me a still in my backyard...hehe. Back in the day, the booze runners made a LOT of money with their home-made brew...you just had to avoid getting caught.

Other New Depression activities to consider would include the cultivation of certain, um, "herbs", as well as working out "cooperative" deals with law enforcement and the like...everyone loves to have a cut of the action, so to speak.

Don't really understand this obsession with total debt elimination, however...what America needs is for EVERYONE to default on their debt, in one fell swoop, which will happen anyhow once all the jobs go away. So running up lots of debt to finalize preps might actually be a strategic move in the near future. How in the world will a devastated central gov't enslave all those millions welching on their debts? They can't. And if a rouge debt collector comes to your door, all you have to do is to brandish your 30-30 and give him 10 seconds to be gone, and follow through. I suspect that debt collectors will soon be an endangered species very, very soon.

Bring it on, as I'm more than ready for our current era of consumerist insanity to be over.

Getting ready for a FEMA camp?

Sounds good to me.

You folks are so silly.

How many people have debt here in the USA? How many of those people own guns here in the USA? How many people will lose their ability to repay debts when all the jobs go away? Debtor prisons for 150,000,000 people? I sure as hell would love to see somebody try!

Time to catch a clue people...the debt will never, ever, ever be repaid, most especially the great big momma of all debts, the debt that the US Federal Government owes.

Oh boy, I'm going to have such a party when it all comes crashing down....it's going to be the best fun I've ever had in my life.

They might not send you to prison. But I don't see why they couldn't take your home. If you have equity, it can be taken to service debt.

Hope you like camping Byron.

I was restricting myself to sought after industrial items and household items, currency deals in defeat of policy of national exchange rate and also (on rare occasions) I was dealing in selected food items.

Currency deals were most profitable. These were relying on trading collapsing Polish currency for Western hard currencies and the other way.

Prostitution was also rampant at that time, but it was out of my area of interest. Currency deals were about as profitable.

Human trafficking was little known at that time albeit isolated cases were occurring. Now it is far more widespread.

I believe that during global depression it will die out.

You see, humans will be worthless and there will be plenty of them everywhere.
For human trafficking to work there is a need for affluent Western consumers of adolescent girls to exist or alternatively there must be demand for semislave labor where vibrant economy is a prerequisite.

He may not end up in debtor prison albeit his home and all other property may be confiscated.
Additionally he will get a work order to do some truly shitty job and 80% of his monthly pay will be confiscated and handed down to creditors.

Refusal to cooperate may result in forceful incorporation into Army or in ticket to labor camp or to some sort of brave new world uranium mine where production output will count first and safety last.