Invest in things that you can use to survive. If you drive a car, then purchase car tools - like a sears craftsman ratchet set.

Don't buy a house that you won't be able to pay for if you're out of work. That was a real problem for me during the dot-com crash. While I managed to stay out of foreclosure, I was under a huge amount of stress the whole time. I could have either rented, or purchased a far-less expensive home.

Lots of people look to various kinds of paper such as stocks and bonds as "investments". I really don't. I invest in the tools of my trade.