tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25208823488020728932024-03-13T09:45:20.851-07:00Milking SquirrelsWendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-58043843830555983712023-10-23T09:50:00.001-07:002023-10-23T09:50:31.063-07:00English Muffins<p>I've been thinking a lot about life back when ... </p><p>... when I was actively trying to homestead, just a decade ago. FB regularly reminds of things I was doing to make our lives more self-sufficient. One of my recent memories reminded me of the year that my goal was to can 200 jars of *something*. I wasn't too terribly picky about what went into the jars. What I mean is that my goal wasn't:</p><p>x jars of pickles<br />x jars of applesauce<br />x jars of soup stock<br /><br />The goal was to have 200 jars of home-canned food with the logic being that 200 jars would give us one jar of something preserved per day for the winter. During the summer, we have the garden and stuff we can forage, but without some preserved food, if we lose access to our on-demand supply of groceries, we'd be very hungry. One jar a day would keep us fed, if not full. </p><p>That said, not all jars of food are created equal. That day when the jar was pickles, divided five ways, would be a much hungrier day than the day when it was canned chicken.</p><p>Of course, THAT said, the ultimate goal was also to have 200 jars of home-canned goodness AND a pantry stocked with dried goods, like rice, pasta, and baking supplies.</p><p>I thought a lot about that time recently, when I had occasion to visit my ancestral home deep in a hollow in the hills of southeastern Kentucky mining country. I spent some time with my uncle, who is still homesteading the old homestead, and I brought home six quart jars of his home-canned tomato sauce, a bowlful of Chinese chestnuts we collected from the path under his chestnut tree, and a huge clump of Hen of the Woods (maitake) my uncle and I foraged from his woods.</p><p>I didn't can any tomatoes this year. In fact, I didn't even process any tomatoes for the winter. I only grew grape tomatoes this year, and we ate them almost as quickly as I could get them off the vines, which were incredibly generous, but rather than preserve my harvest, like I should have done, I gifted a good portion of my harvest to a local friend.</p><p>Looking at those jars of tomato sauce from my uncle and thinking about my very poor preparations this year had me kind of nostalgic for the way my life used to be ... before I started working a job outside the home ... when my JOB was the home. </p><p>In those days, most of what I fed my family was homemade in my kitchen, including the bread stuff.</p><p>I haven't made a lot of bread recently.</p><p>I missed it.</p><p>So, today, I did. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurLN5QXrju7WM5XqaAywVAGiIZ7JWz23oqr2ptRvx46X6_vNKBhMHv88trSDhIyEoK-FkxKhk7rsXL-3pK1mmfOjSXI9m-Q38ImMgcYlg6aCr_TupXCif9yeupYopy1XZ0WZXZ-JJStQEp1kNizyyKqbUruD1-iO_1RH77o8VERK7Zf4xqgTT0xc4AKI/s3679/english%20muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="3679" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurLN5QXrju7WM5XqaAywVAGiIZ7JWz23oqr2ptRvx46X6_vNKBhMHv88trSDhIyEoK-FkxKhk7rsXL-3pK1mmfOjSXI9m-Q38ImMgcYlg6aCr_TupXCif9yeupYopy1XZ0WZXZ-JJStQEp1kNizyyKqbUruD1-iO_1RH77o8VERK7Zf4xqgTT0xc4AKI/w328-h197/english%20muffins.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>There's a loaf of applesauce bread cooling on the back of the stove, and these English Muffins will go into a lightly greased pan to fry until golden brown, as soon as they've had a second rise. <p></p><p>Then, instead of running to the store for breads, I can make Deus Ex Machina his daily breakfast sandwich for the rest of the week, with a couple of muffins leftover for both of us to have sandwich before music class on Saturday.</p><p>Making homemade bread is time-consuming.</p><p>It's, kind of, funny that my kids grew up and moved on, no longer needing me to facilitate their education or chauffeur them hither and yon, and some how I wound up with less time to do all of those things that I used to just do, because that's what we did. </p><p>Don't get me wrong. I still cook, from scratch, more nights than not. Eating out is very expensive, and we're saving up for retirement :), but also, as a loved one recently observed - when one learns to cook, especially if using fresh, local, in-season ingredients, the food just tastes better. No offense to all of those restauranteurs out there, but the food I prepare at home is better. It's always exactly what I want, exactly the way I want it, and I know what's in it, which means there's no chance of getting contaminated with ingredients that can make Deus Ex Machina's body hurt. </p><p>I still have my garden, and my chickens, I still make my own soap ... but I just don't spend as much time or energy doing the homesteading things I used to do - like canning. </p><p>The first thing I learned to can, back when I first started down this path, was applesauce. There's a bushel of apples in my kitchen, picked when my son and daughter-in-law visited at the end of September, which will end up sauced and dehydrated. I figure, perhaps, going back to my beginning might get me back to where I was before I veered off the trail, when I started working outside the home five years ago.</p><p>With the way things are going in the world, kick-starting my prepper life is probably not a bad idea.</p><p>And home canned applesauce with pork chops from our pig share and oven roasted potatoes, just tastes better than anything mass produced and sold at the grocery store.</p><p>What about you? As life ebbs and flows, do you find yourself falling off of and climbing back onto your self-sufficiency path? Do current events have you revisiting all of your homesteading efforts?</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-78168488217714289892023-07-14T09:02:00.002-07:002023-07-14T09:02:23.409-07:00Finding Solutions to a Unsolvable Problem<p>This morning, I woke up, as usual, at 4:30 am. I got out of bed, did my morning hygiene routine, let the old tom out (he's the only of the three kitties who own me that likes to go outside), started the coffee water to boiling, prepped the French press for a new pot, and plugged in the iron. Then, I fed the cats and dogs (after tom came back inside), added the now boiled water to the French press, and ironed Deus Ex Machina's work clothes.</p><p>At some point during that routine, I started thinking about Medieval life (my brain works in mysterious ways - I don't question), and I thought how I would love if some English peasant were able to time travel to now, and I could host him/her in my home. I wonder what he/she would say about my house.</p><p>It's modest by modern standards. The average house size nationwide is just over 2000 sq ft and in my state is 1680 sq ft. Mine is smaller by almost 200 sq ft than the state average, but it's adequate for my needs (and some days more than I can manage to keep clean (!)). </p><p>The average dwelling in the Middle Ages was between 600 and 1500 sq ft. So, I guess my house isn't so big and luxurious by Medieval standards.</p><p>But I do have an actual roof (as opposed to a thatched roof), indoor plumbing (including hot and cold water on tap), glass windows (that let in the light but keep out the critters and the weather, and help to keep the temperature more comfortable), and plush, comfortable furniture throughout. Not to mention electricity for cooking, refrigeration, and lighting. </p><p>I wonder what someone from the Middle Ages would make of my house. I think the biggest surprise, for them, would be to note that my house is "mine!" It's not "owned" by a Lord (unless we count the mortgage that is owned by the bank ... hmm??!).</p><p>Of course, then, I sat down to have coffee with Deus Ex Machina (which would probably be a luxury for a Medieval peasant, especially with the teaspoon of sugar per cup I add) and read the news, and there were two back-to-back articles.</p><p>The first was dealing with the growing issue of homelessness - worldwide - but especially here in the US. As of 2022, there were over half a million people who are defined as being homeless in the US, and per the article I read, the number is growing. The article cited the main reason for homelessness was a lack of "affordable" housing. That is, in most places, the cost of renting a place to live exceeds the ability for a too large portion of our population to pay for housing. <br /><br />In his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Them-Who-Am-Homeless/dp/014024137X" target="_blank">Tell Them Who I Am</a>, anthropologist, Elliot Liebow attempted to shed some light on the homeless issue among a group of women who lived in a homeless shelter. His book was published in 1993. Thirty years ago. </p><p>What have we done as a society, to understand and fix the issue in the last thirty years? Of course, according to <a href="http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/paupers.html#:~:text=About%2020%25%20of%20the%20medieval,of%20sources%20discussing%20them%20directly.">this source</a>, homelessness was an issue for the English pauper, too, with 20% of their population being homeless. So, what have we done, EVER, as a culture, to stem the tide of those living without a proverbial pot-to-piss-in?</p><p>If the growing homelessness trend is any indication, the answer is not much.</p><p>The second article was about a lawsuit filed by property owners in New York City to lift the "draconian" laws that often favor the tenants over the landlords. There are almost as many homeless people living in NYC as there are people living in Portland, Maine. If those landlords are successful, how many more tens of thousands of people will be forced out of their apartments and end up sleeping in a tent (if they're lucky enough to have a tent) in Central Park (until someone comes along and forces them out)?</p><p>In a neighboring city, those wishing to build housing units (including hotels) are required to include a certain number of "affordable" housing units or they can opt to pay a fee. The city is flush with old buildings that were once working factories, and many entrepreneurial minded individuals have bought the old mill buildings with the intention of creating high-end apartments (condos) and luxury hotels. Too many are opting to pay the fee rather than include affordable housing units in their plans. </p><p>I am all for rehabbing old buildings, for sure. I just wish there could be a happy medium between revitalizing a depressed, old mill town and pricing the long-term residents out of their homes. I wish the pendulum could stop in the middle. </p><p>I have always been keenly aware of the homeless issue. There was a time in my life that, by definition, I was homeless, but I was exceedingly fortunate to have a place to stay that was safe and stable. That is to say, I have never had to sleep "rough", I have never had to live in my car, and I have never needed to take refuge in a homeless shelter.</p><p>I have been blessed in my life, and I am grateful, every day, for the abundance I have been gifted.</p><p>Working in a place where the public is not just welcome, but encouraged, I have become more intuned to the homeless issue. Everyone knows there are homeless people in big cities, like Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Portland, Maine, but who could even imagine that in my little resort town, there are people who sleep under awnings and on park benches, and spend their days in the cool, quiet of the public library for a lack of anywhere else to go? </p><p>It's heartbreaking. </p><p>I don't know how to fix the issue. I don't even know who to call when I am asked for help, because in too many places, like my town, there are very limited resources and services for the homeless population. </p><p>I guess all that to say, as a society, we need a better way of doing something than just throwing money at it, and I don't know what the answer is (I suspect there is no one-size-fits-all solution), but I'm open to suggestions.</p><p>What can we do, as individuals?</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-20140676551089699042023-07-01T08:41:00.001-07:002023-07-01T08:41:00.141-07:00Vivacious Vittles - a Workshop<p> When I started working part-time at the library, one of the things my boss wanted me to do was to organize some classes for our community with a focus on sustainability. She knows all about my books, my blog and my lifestyle choices, and so she was super excited about the prospect of having me do *something*.</p><p>At the beginning of June, I started a four week series called "Vivacious Vittles" in which participants learned to grow food in containers. Small containers, actually.</p><p>I live in a resort town. The average-sized lot is less than a 10th of an acre with many folks having even less land than that. There are a lot of condos, where there is no land, and if they're lucky, residents might have a balcony or a front porch, where they can have a few pots of flowers or the like.</p><p>We also have a larger than average elderly population. For whatever reason, this town is a haven for retired folks, and there are a number of 55+ communities. As a demographic, people who live in 55+ communities are often on a fixed income, which means that being able to grow a little food is a good thing, even if it's just some lettuce in a bowl and some beans in hanging planter.</p><p>And that's exactly what we did. </p><p>The first class was planting lettuce in bowls. Yes, actual bowls. I found some serving bowls in bright colors at the dollar store. For the class, the participants poked drainage holes, then filled the bowls with soil. They were each given two bowls. In one bowl, they planted lettuce starts and in the second bowl they planted seeds.</p><p>The second class was hanging planters with beans and peas. We planted pea plants, because it was late in the season and added scarlet runner beans around the edges. By the time the beans are flowering, they will have harvested and eaten the peas. </p><p>The third class was growing sprouts in a jar. </p><p>The last class was planting herbs in a self-watering planter made from an old wine bottle.</p><p>Everyone had a lot of fun, and everyone took home both their plants and the knowledge that growing food doesn't have to require a piece of land or even a yard. They can do a lot with just a few containers and a sunny spot. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-12679129342951983262023-06-26T08:35:00.001-07:002023-06-26T08:35:51.740-07:00Summer Homestead Happenings - in pictures<p style="text-align: center;">I love my summer garden. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNottbTvdwn_VYx_wCYQkGjMDdaWdO0nqQJ-1-j_uh2mVB3IUFQmHJWsNCl2Fymu7Uy1xJdvZnnIx2OomXKEXYARtEbuv_J3v7XZBySII1kF8aP6pOe4mWFpndOue1uXyxSSW6asE8xDfMbeF7ctbIotvFyiNL1VCOUGxDMndEJ4ebfkeF8ApBUx5A0Hk/s4160/IMG_20230626_074031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNottbTvdwn_VYx_wCYQkGjMDdaWdO0nqQJ-1-j_uh2mVB3IUFQmHJWsNCl2Fymu7Uy1xJdvZnnIx2OomXKEXYARtEbuv_J3v7XZBySII1kF8aP6pOe4mWFpndOue1uXyxSSW6asE8xDfMbeF7ctbIotvFyiNL1VCOUGxDMndEJ4ebfkeF8ApBUx5A0Hk/s320/IMG_20230626_074031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I am a terrible photographer, and my phone camera isn't great. The picture doesn't do it justice. <p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">**********************************************************</div><p></p><p> Firewood was delivered. Three cords.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A3kz6MZR2IT7mqer5FjrOEPDS3MqI_VQHauCURqglv-UsfCsH37ZR_u1koD6My5cpjxLxO2pvbtEsLUeWqu4uE7A7XQWMmqExHZXio9CKjXnCjHsLSZYEdNEnZV-VYbqtsn1Kw28mJt42sPOZ86yijJkOLaM2In07TfbO--2dWLIvnCME6TbV8QetJ0/s3120/IMG_20230622_073456_256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7A3kz6MZR2IT7mqer5FjrOEPDS3MqI_VQHauCURqglv-UsfCsH37ZR_u1koD6My5cpjxLxO2pvbtEsLUeWqu4uE7A7XQWMmqExHZXio9CKjXnCjHsLSZYEdNEnZV-VYbqtsn1Kw28mJt42sPOZ86yijJkOLaM2In07TfbO--2dWLIvnCME6TbV8QetJ0/s320/IMG_20230622_073456_256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With the help of our lovely assistants ... </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjNM7m5WKiv-wmrzLAYg-1ftw70Gog4o75s6G5bUDx91lKhjf285KIIW4ujPGFjAK69rnTUuxUviuWrO7MVLutoWj9EPKz9WMFP0Z7Xu-DllndgVG8uHnS4eNeP7sUw0YBFW1LTfiNA6Es4GCWcksjTkLkIlG3nygP-rIrTZQsLX2vnSYN1OONguLzEk/s4160/IMG_20230625_130345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjNM7m5WKiv-wmrzLAYg-1ftw70Gog4o75s6G5bUDx91lKhjf285KIIW4ujPGFjAK69rnTUuxUviuWrO7MVLutoWj9EPKz9WMFP0Z7Xu-DllndgVG8uHnS4eNeP7sUw0YBFW1LTfiNA6Es4GCWcksjTkLkIlG3nygP-rIrTZQsLX2vnSYN1OONguLzEk/s320/IMG_20230625_130345.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVTvkoWDF7n9BVc-53ohCoikistomOg2JZnAP37sxakYeAZS5qg-Uh2rXI6nr3Ic-X0bQE--jTWkXp6xBWstjVIk--VN15fWhswc_4VDTIAjqMRkg7vFhJnnkWRf2akhv1DoQPSfSDGfrSXdj47F163HXTVDQrXSJ2m_ZeQDRii856UB97ux-3VkB72o/s4160/IMG_20230625_130328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVTvkoWDF7n9BVc-53ohCoikistomOg2JZnAP37sxakYeAZS5qg-Uh2rXI6nr3Ic-X0bQE--jTWkXp6xBWstjVIk--VN15fWhswc_4VDTIAjqMRkg7vFhJnnkWRf2akhv1DoQPSfSDGfrSXdj47F163HXTVDQrXSJ2m_ZeQDRii856UB97ux-3VkB72o/s320/IMG_20230625_130328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We got it all stacked. It was a long day, but well worth all of the effort. I love the way it looks, and this "fence" makes our yard feel so much more private. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZUW-FCb498ASRjNZ9NWhh-h1zT1qgCyjQqskz9Vzt9szmM_oG3qqkawL3gUsaMyxO9-GtP9xUqgBYCu3Wk4k9wUbU1X65-XcTtcdQ3SQ4knM6qxZl5QB_FLkIrld2AjebxAr7rg82zbJJvNeA-5Isn0ostYccqzyyL5YrFygAkVPEe6ZkGE042nEN0/s4160/IMG_20230626_070744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZUW-FCb498ASRjNZ9NWhh-h1zT1qgCyjQqskz9Vzt9szmM_oG3qqkawL3gUsaMyxO9-GtP9xUqgBYCu3Wk4k9wUbU1X65-XcTtcdQ3SQ4knM6qxZl5QB_FLkIrld2AjebxAr7rg82zbJJvNeA-5Isn0ostYccqzyyL5YrFygAkVPEe6ZkGE042nEN0/s320/IMG_20230626_070744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-29281782616851111972023-03-17T12:05:00.002-07:002023-03-17T12:05:59.344-07:00Ode to an Old Cookbook<p>I may not have shared here, but over a year or so ago, I was hired as a library assistant at my local library. It's been quite a lot of fun, and I find that I very much love the atmosphere in the library. It's a good job, but it keeps me busy. Not a bad or a good thing. Just a thing.</p><p>One of the things I love very much about my job is being around all of the books, and I'm not being facetious. What I mean is that I am finding books to love that I didn't know existed, and that's thrilling. The happiest times are when a patron returns a book with the comment, "This one was great!"</p><p>Such was the case last week, when a lovely woman handed me her stack of returns, pulled out the book on the bottom, and said, "This was a great cookbook!" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIK39t302QYcxqOV9xr_mtFJham1sUD3rhbooR2DjVBTRDFW2Pw51xXuxbywElEBjdsJ1aKQ2w3YpT8ljA9WtDtwxCPECf0Yz7MNQCHyvyi5OJKLddTY-G_pm2zTk1R9piLJkNsWHy5OYq5UX1kY_-klT_erByfKAZtHElf2v2HN2CGJrSwgRITCe/s4160/cookbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIK39t302QYcxqOV9xr_mtFJham1sUD3rhbooR2DjVBTRDFW2Pw51xXuxbywElEBjdsJ1aKQ2w3YpT8ljA9WtDtwxCPECf0Yz7MNQCHyvyi5OJKLddTY-G_pm2zTk1R9piLJkNsWHy5OYq5UX1kY_-klT_erByfKAZtHElf2v2HN2CGJrSwgRITCe/s320/cookbook.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>I flipped through the pages to the index and asked, "Did you make anything in it?" </p><p>She said, "I copied the recipes. Oh, and I made the pumpkin custard."</p><p>I nodded.</p><p>She turned and wandered off into the stacks to find more treasures, and I started looking at the recipes. I decided in that moment, looking through that amazing cookbook, that I really love old cookbooks. </p><p>This one, in particular, was very cool, because the ingredients are simple, whole, and accessible. Many of the recipes call for ingredients that I have, on hand, as a rule.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just flipping through the book, on page 192, is a recipe for Cranberry Crunch. The ingredients are: </p><p>1 c quick cooking oats ... CHECK</p><p>1/2 c flour ... (gluten-free flour, CHECK)</p><p>1 c brown sugar ... (sub raw sugar, CHECK)</p><p>1/2 c butter ... CHECK</p><p>2 c whole berry cranberry sauce ... umm .... </p><p>I have all of the ingredients, as listed, except the last one, and for that one, it would take about 15 minutes for me to make it on my stove, because I have whole, frozen cranberries, which I can: </p><p>1. Dump in a pan.</p><p>2. Add 1 c water and 1 c sugar</p><p>3. Bring to a boil.</p><p>4. Cook until berries split.</p><p>And DONE!</p><p>One bag of berries is around a pint, which is around two cups.</p><p>Dessert, and I don't have to make a trip to the grocery store. Easy-peasy.</p><p>What I was thinking as I was reading through the cookbook is that nothing in the book is terribly difficult to make. It's very unlike that Meditteranean cookbook I purchased recently that calls for all sorts of fancy ingredients and long prep times. I mean, I've made what I thought was Ratatouille, but according to the fancy Meditteranean cookbook, what I was making was something different. At best, mine is a roasted vegetable dish (very tasty, but not what I thought it was). True Ratatouille is a stew, and it's an all day cooking event that should be prepared in a clay cooking vessel, if one wants to be authentic.</p><p>If those are the sorts of dishes we are expected to make, it's no wonder no one wants to learn to cook. It's no wonder that so many of us turn to the experts and/or purchase processed/pre-made foods rather than delve into the wild world of home cooking.</p><p>Enter the Mystic Seaport cookbook, with its easy recipes using simple ingredients where the prep time is about 15 minutes and the cook time is 45 minutes (during which one can be doing something else), et voila, dinner!</p><p>I read an article today ... well, part of an article, because there was just too much doom and gloom in it to keep slogging through.</p><p><i>I know, right?! Too much doom and gloom for ME, means it must have been pretty dreary, right?</i></p><p>I won't share a link, but the gist of it is that there are going to be a lot of people, this spring, who will be edging closer to that "hunger cliff" (the words the article used). The article was about the cutting of nutritional supplement funds (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), which is going to mean that people who are already food insecure are going to be that much more food insecure in a few weeks. This summer is likely to be brutal. </p><p>When I was a graduate student, I was a very poor mother of two, and one summer, I applied for and received food stamps. While applying for the assistance and using them at the grocery store was humiliating and soul-crushing (unnecessarily, so - just sayin'), having $300 to spend all at once on groceries was amazing! I felt RICH! Ironically. </p><p>I don't know what other people buy with their food supplement funds, but I bought the biggest bag of flour I could find and yeast, and I made my own bread. In fact, I bought a lot of stuff I didn't normally get to buy. My typical weekly/monthly food budget was usually a lot less, and I had never had that much money for groceries all at the same time.</p><p>I've done calculations before, comparing the<a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-price-of-snack-cake.html"> price of ingredients to the price of prepared foods</a>, and what I have always found - always - is that the ingredients, overall, cost less. True, one can purchase two loaves of bread for the cost of 5lbs of flour, but that 5lbs of flour will make a heck of a lot more than just two loaves of bread.</p><p>There are 18 cups of flour in a 5lb bag. One loaf of bread takes four cups of flour. That's four loaves of bread, plus two more cups of flour for other stuff, for the price of two loaves of bread. I mean ... why buy bread with all of the preservatives and additives?</p><p>Additionally, if one spends all of one's money on bread, one is limited to eating bread. With whole ingredients, like flour, the possibilities are exponentially increased. If I have flour (and a few other ingredients), for instance, I can make sandwich bread, biscuits, English muffins, bagels, cookies, cakes, pancakes, waffles, pie crust, and pizza crust. With a couple of eggs and water, I can make pasta. Flour, butter, sugar, salt, and water makes <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/butter-thins-homemade-cracker-591345">crackers</a>. Melt some butter in a pan, add some flour for a roux, add water or milk, and I have gravy, which is both filling and comforting ... especially over bread. </p><p>There was <a href="https://thefrugalite.com/toast-and-tea/">an article</a> recently about changing one's mindset regarding food. The gist was that a bread and water diet can be toast and tea - with a different mindset. Doesn't toast and tea sound so much more ... delicious! </p><p>What I hear from people about why buy the prepared food instead of the ingredient is that cooking takes a lot of time, and ... well, that's not entirely true. Sure, a ready-made cake from the bakery (that costs $20) is much faster than baking a cake at home, but if one is baking that cake from a boxed cake mix, is there really a time savings? If I'm using a box cake mix, I still have to mix it with eggs, oil, and water, pour it into a prepared pan, and bake it. It doesn't take any more effort or time to dump some flour, salt, and baking soda/powder into a bowl than it does to open the cardboard box and the plastic bag the cake mix comes in. </p><p>And if I have flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, I can make a lot more than *just* a cake.</p><p>I guess most of the people who read here already know and agree with what I'm saying, but it is not a bad idea to remind us why we do what we do. </p><p>We cook from scratch, using whole ingredients, because we know that cooking is a skill. It's not about what or how we eat, or even about what or how we prepare it. It's about resiliency. If I already have an "I can make that" mind-set, then even if I find myself with a smaller grocery budget (or with a food sensitivity that requires I change my entire diet), I can still eat, and eat well, and spend a lot less money buying the food I want. </p><p>Does anyone remember that amazing <a href="https://youtu.be/ixx66T-FPYM">scene at the end of part one of Gone with the Wind,</a> where Scarlet O'Hara is standing in the ruins of her garden with the sunsetting behind her. She is clutching a measly carrot - the only thing she could wrest from the parched and trodden earth. She holds this pitiful little root to the sky and declares, "As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again!"</p><p>Not to iconize Scarlet - she was not a good person - but her determination is admirable, and while we may not want to model her conniving behaviors, we can be just as determined and resilient, and yes, we can declare that we will never go hungry .... </p><p>Not by manipulation and treachery, but by changing our mindset to one of abundance in the face of scarcity.</p><p>And by thumbing through an old cookbook. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-74781727825774796232023-03-06T15:28:00.001-08:002023-03-06T15:28:26.355-08:00Five Ways to Prep for Retirement that Don't Include a Bank Account<p> I read an article this morning about a
potential bank “bail-in.” The gist is that if the economy starts
to really take a tumble and one of the big four banks (JP Morgan,
Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo) goes down, the
likelihood that the government will start drawing money out of
personal, individual accounts is … well, likely. Again according
to the article, FDIC bankers talked openly about a bail-in as a
strategic option. As the article points out, it's happened, or
almost happened, elsewhere (Greece, Portugal, and Cyprus), and it
could happen here. Anything <i>can</i>
happen, right?</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Chances are pretty
good that the banks won't take all of the money we've entrusted in
their care, but they could take a portion of it, to which they are
not entitled, via a government tax.</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I have been a
stay-at-home mom with a part-time income for over two decades. As
such, I haven't had an employer-based retirement fund, nor have I
started my own retirement fund. Frankly, until recently, I always
thought I still had time. Then, my youngest child reached adulthood,
and suddenly, I am keenly aware that I am not getting any younger.
Oops!</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Last year sometime,
I started looking at my options for a retirement fund. At my age,
there is not much of a chance that I will be able to save enough
money to keep me anywhere close to my current level of spending,
which means I can either keep working until I die, or I can find ways
to not need so much money.</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">At that time, Deus
Ex Machina and I set up a spreadsheet so that we could look at some
numbers. If we invested 6% of my income in an IRA at current
interest rates, I would have about a year's worth of salary saved
when I reached retirement age. I might be to pay cash for a used car
… or if costs keep going they way they are, a dozen eggs.</p>
<p style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">If I
waited another ten years to start withdrawing the money, and I only
took out enough each month to cover my (current) property tax, it
would only last 8 years after I started withdrawing money. Looking
at those numbers is incredibly depressing. Money sure doesn't grow
as fast as it spends.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Like me there is a disturbing number of
individuals who don't have any personal savings. Almost one-fifth of
our senior population depends solely on the federal social security
system for financial support. It's usually not enough, and many
seniors, these days, are taking low-wage jobs just to make ends meet.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Experts are full of great advice on how
and how much we should be saving toward retirement. According to the
second article, if one earns an annual salary of $74,000, one would
need to have saved $1.3 million for retirement, which works out to
over $900/month or $11,000 per year in savings, starting very young.
At my age, $900/month wouldn't be anywhere near a million dollars.
For us, putting that kind of money into a savings account and still
keeping a roof over our heads and food in our mouths has just never
been possible.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Experts advise us to start saving for
retirement earlier rather than later.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yeah … well, that ship sailed without
us.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fact is that it becomes even more
difficult to START saving the older one gets, and when one is my age,
if one doesn't already have some savings, whatever one is able to
save from this point forward isn't going to go very far anyway.
Sometimes any little bit doesn't really help. What's that saying,
rob Peter to pay Paul? That's how starting to save at my age can
feel.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Instead of putting $900 a month into an
account, where the money may not be secure, I could, right now, be
investing in my future in very real ways that will make my future
more secure and more comfortable.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here are five ways Preppers (or anyone)
could be investing that don't involve putting our hard-earned dollars
into a savings account.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>1. Pay off mortgage </b>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In her provocative tome, <i>Possum
Living</i>, Dolly Freed describes the low-income lifestyle she and
her father enjoyed when she was a teenager, which they called “possum
living.” In 1975, the poverty threshold for a non-farm family of
four was $5,500. Dolly and her father lived on a paltry $700 per
year. I read her book. It doesn't sound like they were suffering.
At very least the up-beat tone of the book belies any notion that
their lack of income was detrimental to their physical or
psychological health. In fact, Dolly and her father were both, if
the book is to be believed, physically fit and very happy.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the first chapter, Dolly admits that
the only reason she and her father were able to cultivate and
maintain their lifestyle was that they owned their home. They didn't
rent, and they didn't have a mortgage.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Based on that book, alone, the best
thing one can do, if hoping to live well in retirement, is to make
sure that one has a cost-free place to live.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Numerous articles discuss the issues
with senior poverty. Social security is less than what a person can
make working a full-time minimum wage job. If that's true, a senior
citizen who only has social security will be subsisting on about
$1200 per month. If one has to pay rent or a mortgage out of that
amount of money, it might not actually be possible to subsist on only
that. As such, paying off the house and living rent/mortgage free
would be a huge step in the right direction.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I may have to still pay property taxes,
but at the moment, the property tax on my house is one-fifth of my
mortgage payment. Renting a comparable property would cost fifteen
times what my property tax is. Renting a one-bedroom condo (with no
yard) would be six times the cost of my property tax.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In short, I am much better off owning
my home, and the extra bonus is that if I find myself short of cash,
I have enough house that I could get a roommate to help defray the
costs.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I could invest in a retirement savings,
or I could pay off my house. The latter is, in my opinion, a much
better choice.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The best thing I can do for Old Wendy
is to make sure that she has a place to live that doesn't cost her an
arm and a leg.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-before: always;"><b>2.
Reduce the cost of utilities/invest in an alt energy system</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Going hand-in-hand
with paying off the mortgage is reducing/eliminating one's other
bills.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Here at Chez
Brown, we are already doing without cable television. The fact is
that the library has all of the video entertainment I could possibly
want, including a streaming service, and it's FREE!</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We have worked for
years to reduce out electricity usage, and at one point, had our bill
down to around $50/month, half of which was the “delivery fee”
for CMP to maintain the lines that brought electricity to our house.
Unfortunately, over the past three or so years, our usage and cost
per watt has increased quite a lot, and we're looking at
alternatives.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">What we have to
ask ourselves is, what do we really need electricity for? As I'm
writing this, the electricity is out due to a huge windstorm. I have
a laptop, that's running on battery power right now, and when I get
ready to upload this article to the internet, I will use my cellphone
hot spot. The amount of electricity I need to power my lap top and
my phone could be easily generated by a single solar panel. Our
(hopefully very near future) alternative energy equipment will be
sized according to what we absolutely need, appliance-wise.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We can also
control how much water we use, and while the water company has been
increasing our rates for a lot of years, there are things we can do.
In the spring (after the thaw), summer, and fall, we can use our rain
barrels for watering the gardens and the animals. And there are
dozens of ways to use less water, like taking faster showers and
turning off the faucet.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Reducing our
overall footprint with regard to electricity usage and water usage
will be valuable to Old Wendy. The less one has to pay for those
basic things, the less money one needs to live comfortably.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So, instead of
spending $100/month on a retirement account, one could put those
funds toward setting up an alternative energy system, and then, live
without paying an electric bill for the rest of one's natural life.
It would take half as much time to save up the cash to pay for an
alternative energy system as it would to save enough to pay off my
taxes for eight years after I retire.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>3. Learn to grow food/forage</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the biggest
problems that I hear for the elderly is having enough food, and
that's especially true</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl59nIIdDYlSJ5IwS-2gwk1UwMR4vDbuwxDfzJBcs_kHltguub4pXRw071y6yde0fu7axqJCCoEDlPMqE4DF2bLvyIkfkr_eRn-UU5_HvJ50X-GMuxrE9BCbUeaU0xV7w9yuOlGEvKK_Kx0HX6m43K80l3cs_VTcLdoo7hevGile1YGuf_mTwzCt8J/s2560/040915%20Sugar%20Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl59nIIdDYlSJ5IwS-2gwk1UwMR4vDbuwxDfzJBcs_kHltguub4pXRw071y6yde0fu7axqJCCoEDlPMqE4DF2bLvyIkfkr_eRn-UU5_HvJ50X-GMuxrE9BCbUeaU0xV7w9yuOlGEvKK_Kx0HX6m43K80l3cs_VTcLdoo7hevGile1YGuf_mTwzCt8J/s320/040915%20Sugar%20Snow.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /> with today's sky-rocketing food prices. I
read an article in which the author recommended that the elderly
utilize food pantries. I don't disagree, exactly. The service the
food pantries provide is invaluable to a lot of people. The problem
is that relying on a food pantry for all of one's dietary needs is
foolhardy. Food pantries aren't designed to be an alternative to the
grocery store. The function of a food pantry is to provide a
supplemental food source for low-income individuals AND to keep
edible food out of the garbage. It isn't meant to be a substitute
for grocery shopping or other sources
of food acquisition.<p></p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">What can be a much
better supplemental food source, though, is a garden. There is a
misconception that one needs a large piece of land, and that simply
is not true. In fact, there are plenty of examples of people growing
food in very small spaces.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Having a garden is
a hedge against bad times, and I'm finally figuring a few things out.
Potatoes grow really well in bags. Actual seed potatoes are much
better than trying to reuse those grocery store potatoes that grow
long and spindly in the cabinets. Diatomaceous Earth is awesome. I
never plant enough garlic. Raised beds, straw bale gardens and
container gardening are the best methods for my small space, and I
should stop trying all of the other techniques I've tried and failed
at.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Which actually
works to my point. Those methods of growing are easier and yield
more for me, but they are also easier for older people. Raised beds
and straw bale gardens don't require all of the bending, stooping,
and tending that a traditional garden with rows requires.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">But also, having a
garden is a very cheap way to supplement one's food supply. When I
was volunteering at the pantry, we had a couple of elderly clients
who also had a plot at our local community garden. We didn't see
those patrons for most of the summer, because they were able to grow
what they needed to supplement their diets. With a slightly bigger
plot and the ability to preserve some of their harvest, those patrons
might not have needed to use the pantry at all.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">One 4'x4' garden
bed can feed one adult two vegetables per day for the growing season.
That's the statistic I've heard over and over again. I have much
more space than just two 4'x4' garden beds, which means that,
depending on the crops I choose, I could grow enough vegetables to
feed Deus Ex Machina and myself for three-quarters of the year. If
we keep raising chickens and rabbits and it's just the two of us, I
could raise enough protein (between meat and eggs) for the whole
year. If we forage the wild apples and berries we find and add them
to the grapes, apples, blueberries, and raspberries we have growing
on our property, we have plenty of fruit. If we include maple syrup,
we have completely rounded out our diet and the only thing we aren't
raising is dairy and grains.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The only reason we
aren't more food self-sufficient right now is that there isn't enough
time to properly grow and tend the garden, because we work, but since
we already have the infrastructure in place and the knowledge, when
we do retire and have more time to spend in the garden, we could be
supplying nearly everything we need to have a calorie-rich, healthy,
organic diet.
</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>4. Cultivate self-sufficiency
skills</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Deus Ex Machina is
fond of saying one either has time or money, but rarely both. Money
allows us to pay someone else to do the things we would/could do for
ourselves, if we had the time. In retirement, the one thing most
people have is time, but it's best to begin learning those skills
before they become a necessity.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Skills like:
cooking from scratch, canning/preserving, butchering animals, darning
socks, mending/making clothes, changing a bicycle tire (and riding a
bicycle, if that's not something one learned as a child), sharpening
a knife, cutting one's hair, cooking without electricity or gas,
building a fire, turning tree sap into syrup, making soap, tincturing
herbs for medicine, fermenting vegetables (for preservation and
healthier food), making cheese and yogurt from milk (to prevent
spoilage and waste), and doing small home repairs (like painting the
house, changing filters, repairing a faucet, patching a</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22fG8nXqgW8mvsNDpZ00b90v1dmKKg1yOleZbEFnRl3BHDEKTbGcXAxOuCHGi1jKkIC0TKzCXh23lzUjOXnNH9s3h3sJfIO2aX94WSTEF_iCoSEKjj2ffdD2Tcgqk4EE0EGGuChn1s7s5LUf9MN7sepbicvjUW3gyvviLsYC_1vKqAI4j9xlG8FA4/s3264/20210119_094946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22fG8nXqgW8mvsNDpZ00b90v1dmKKg1yOleZbEFnRl3BHDEKTbGcXAxOuCHGi1jKkIC0TKzCXh23lzUjOXnNH9s3h3sJfIO2aX94WSTEF_iCoSEKjj2ffdD2Tcgqk4EE0EGGuChn1s7s5LUf9MN7sepbicvjUW3gyvviLsYC_1vKqAI4j9xlG8FA4/s320/20210119_094946.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> hole in the
wall).<p></p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">None of the above
skills require great physical strength or are particularly difficult
to do, but knowing how to do them, and more importantly, doing them,
could save a great deal of money.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">For instance, we
all know that cooking at home costs far less than eating out, but
cooking from whole ingredients rather than buying the prepared foods
from the freezer section, also saves a ton of money. If it's just
the two of us, and I still cook like I do now, one day of cooking
will give us three or four meals. The leftovers can be packaged and
put into the freezer or, depending on the food, put into jars and
pressure canned for meals at some much later date. Get stocked up
enough, and we wouldn't even have to go to the grocery store, except
for the odd item here or there. Retailers count on consumers
spending more than they intended at the store. It's built into the
store design for everything from the lighting, music, and
temperature, to the way the food is displayed. They want you to
impulsively purchase that package of cookies or potato chips. Not
going to the store saves money just from eliminating impulse buys.
I've already discovered that from using online grocery services like
Misfits and Boxed.com.</p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>5. Stay Physically Fit</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A few years ago I was having a
conversation with a friend. I said, “If my house is paid for and I
don't have any debt, and I am growing my own food and making my own
electricity, what do I need money for?” She said, without
hesitation, medical expenses.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As someone who hasn't had very many
medical issues, I wouldn't have thought of that one, but the general
notion in our culture seems to be that age is equal to poor health.
In fact, an estimated 75% of people in my age bracket are taking
prescription medications. I guess I'm in the minority among
half-centenarians. But I approach health differently, I guess.<br /></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A while ago, I went to the doctor for
my annual physical, which included a blood test, nothing in the
results worried him, except my iron levels. He recommended a stool
test, and I asked him why. Low iron, he said, might indicate
internal bleeding. I scoffed. I have had low iron/anemia since …
well, since I can remember. It's not new. If it's caused by
bleeding, then, I've been suffering from internal hemorrhaging my
whole life. Seems like there would have been other symptoms, if that
were the case. I declined the stool test.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The two things that did worry me, at
that time, but didn't phase my doctor were my blood sugar levels,
which looked high to me, and my weight, which was a bit more than I
had thought. I was surprised by how much I had gained. I knew that
I was getting heavier, but since I don't own a scale, I pretended not
to notice that my pants were a bit snugger than they had been and
that my aching knees were my age catching up with me.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When I got those results, the first
thing I did was to reduce the amount of sugar I ate. I didn't cut
back on food. I didn't count calories or go on a diet. I just,
simply, reduced the amount sugar. No soft drinks (we bought a soda
stream for seltzer water). No sweetened tea. No iced coffee with a
sugar sludge at the bottom.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuK4MugBfjI_TL5OfeJjAGxTW2s4hHSqnh3tuexflHjqVtO0nUBUbK-PPM75-eTJmlxr8MauSG35Qcv1vVnqScOclb_gdRNeZk9sjQlzJ_vN41HJn66-IsgYFOzrIDZpg3b8v756DBMJTiIbdS5-6OP326aMb7rM5jtpX-Xl7nUn4Q8Z-WZi9yEXz/s2576/20220612_142020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuuK4MugBfjI_TL5OfeJjAGxTW2s4hHSqnh3tuexflHjqVtO0nUBUbK-PPM75-eTJmlxr8MauSG35Qcv1vVnqScOclb_gdRNeZk9sjQlzJ_vN41HJn66-IsgYFOzrIDZpg3b8v756DBMJTiIbdS5-6OP326aMb7rM5jtpX-Xl7nUn4Q8Z-WZi9yEXz/s320/20220612_142020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The second thing I did was to start
getting more exercise. It started with walking in the mornings.
Just around the neighborhood with Deus Ex Machina and our dogs.
Then, Deus Ex Machina and I started doing 10 minutes of Yoga five
days a week. In nice weather, we have a number of regular
activities: walking (with the dogs, but our old pupper can only
handle about two miles); biking; kayaking; and hiking. Deus Ex
Machina likes mountains that are at least 1000 ft of elevation gain.
He likes to go higher. I like less elevation gain, but a longer
trail. I like to walk. We also take dance classes and Qi Gong.
When we added these activities to our lifestyle, I lost 10 lbs and
two pants sizes.<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">None of the above is medical advice.
It is simply what I did when I was confronted with medical issues. I
could have done nothing, continued to gain weight, continued to enjoy
sugary drinks and snacks, tested positive for diabetes and been
prescribed a diabetes medication. Maybe none of my changes will stop
me from developing diabetes, but if it does, I've saved future Wendy
thousands of dollars in medication expenses. Not spending my social
security money on medication is cash in my pocket, and not needing
medications, means that I can survive on less cash.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All of the above ways of preparing for
retirement are cumulative, like interest ... only better. Once .one starts doing them, the
savings start to pile up, both the savings in actual dollars, but
also the savings in stress and worry from not having an adequate bank
account.</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-8082014760264082292023-01-23T10:59:00.003-08:002023-01-23T10:59:57.967-08:00How to Thrive in the Suburbs, When the Grid Goes Down ... 'cause it will!<p>It snowed.</p><p>Big, fat, wet, HEAVY flakes that aren't the kind Julie Andrews wants sticking to her nose and eye lashes. Rather it's the kind of snow that is back-breaking to shovel and often results in downed trees and damaged power lines, both of which tend to disrupt people's lives. </p><p>In fact, a co-worker of Deus Ex Machina's had to find an alternate route to work this morning - as he said, "<i>looking for a road without downed trees</i>."</p><p>And, perhaps, worse, in town, less than two miles from where I live, many homes lost power this morning, which means that most of those people will be hunkering down and waiting until CMP can repair the line or fix whatever it is that's broken. </p><p>Losing power means more than just no television or electric lights. For many it means life comes to a complete standstill; they are paralyzed, unable to do much more than wait. Without power, even the simplest, most quotidian tasks (like boiling water for a cup of tea) become impossibilities, because most of us depend on electricity for EVERYTHING. </p><p>For me, that sort of dependence and lack of control is terrifying. We lose power with enough regularity that it would be horribly disruptive, if we were wholly dependent on it, and for me, that's an uncomfortable feeling. I do not want to be wrapped in six layers of clothes, huddling in a blanket in the dark, starving, dirty, and bored, because we don't have electricity. Or worse, end up with a caffiene withdrawal headache, because I can't have my morning cuppa.</p><p>So, I did something about it. I made my lifestyle about preparedness - or maybe better would be to say that I looked at those things I need to be comfortable, and I found a way to have them without electricity.</p><p>Don't get me wrong - there are things for which I depend on electricity to make my life a little easier (more convenient), like washing clothes. I don't "love" my clothes washing machine, but having done clothes by hand, I am thankful for the ease and convenience of throwing a bunch of dirty clothes in the washer, hitting a button, and walking away. </p><p>Refrigeration is essential. To be completely honest, my freezer is the primary way we preserve our food, because a significant part of our diet is meat, and if the harvest season gets busy (like we're in the middle of renovating a bedroom, but the tomatoes are coming in at the same time), I can put the extra produce in the freezer until I have time to deal with it. I also do a lot of baking when we have a glut of eggs, and I will freeze the extra baked goods to enjoy when eggs aren't so abundant. We don't have a back-up system for the freezer, but we do keep it fully stocked, all of the time, so that we have a couple of days of buffer before stuff starts to thaw to unsafe levels. </p><p>For me, a hot shower is one of life's greatest pleasures! Which makes it both fortunate and unfortunate that we have an on-demand electric hot water heater. We have unlimited hot water, if we have electricity, but when the power goes out, so does the hot water in the shower and at the kitchen sink. </p><p>I suppose none of those things is essential to our survival, but they are nice things to have, and I didn't want the very fragile power grid to dictate, to me, how comfortable my life would be. </p><p>So, I did some things to ensure that WHEN the power goes out, I'm not hamstrung until CMP gets around to fixing the issue on my low priority, side road. Have I ever mentioned that one time that the only road in my part of town to lose power was mine, and it took two nights and three days to get it restored?</p><p>The most important piece of my off-grid infrastructure is my woodstove. It provides heat and has a cooktop so that we can cook and heat up water. Our woodstove is our primary heat source. We don't just use the woodstove in inclement weather or *if* we lose power. It is a part of our every day life. </p><p>We use it for more than just heat, too. We make our morning coffee using a French Press. Add coffee grounds and hot water, et voila! in four minutes, we're ready to enjoy a steaming cup of heaven on earth! I always have a kettle on the woodstove, and so there is always hot water - no electricity needed! </p><p>I also regularly use the woodstove for cooking. Most of my daily cooking is still on the electric stove in the kitchen, because everything is in the kitchen and it's more convenient, step-wise, to just stay in there, but I do enjoy putting a roast or a whole chicken in my Dutch oven, and letting it slow cook all day on the back of the woodstove. In a lot of ways, it's better than a crockpot. It's certainly less expensive, and more sustainable. In a pinch, I can use (and have used) the woodstove for all of my daily cooking. I've even baked on the top of the woodstove using a Dutch oven or an inverted pot to capture the heat. </p><p>In the immortal words of Ron Popiel, <i>but wait, there's more!</i> I also use it for clothes drying. I have a drying rack that I use in the winter, and it sits in front of the woodstove. The clothes get dry, but the damp clothes also add moisture to the air. It's a win-win. </p><p>And it requires zero electricity ... and is sustainable.</p><p>A second very useful part of my off-grid infrastructure is lighting. In emergency preparedness, it is recommended that one have flashlights and batteries, and candles. I have both, probably, somewhere, but if we're being honest, those wouldn't be my go-to in a grid down scenario. Instead, what I have are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Emergency-JackonLux-Operated-Hurricane/dp/B07CG5YM1Y/ref=asc_df_B07CG5YM1Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242054986317&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2166992612739042787&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1025197&hvtargid=pla-524070608575&psc=1">these bulbs</a>* in several of my light fixtures, and, indeed, I purchased some inexpensive lamps from the Family Dollar, specifically, so that we could use the Boundery bulbs. The bulb works exactly like any regular LED bulb, but as a bonus, these bulbs have a built-in battery. They are actully charging when in regular use, so that when the power goes out, I will still have my lamp, exactly like I do on a regular day, when the electricity is up and functioning. I use those lamps every day, and the fancy bulb is just the bulb I use. So, if the power goes out, and lamp stays on, and ... I don't have to think about it, and I don't have to search every hiding spot for that flashlight and batteries I know I put ... somewhere!</p><p>For fun, I have kerosene lamps and kerosene, and a bunch of candles, and a couple of different styles of solar camping lights and lanterns. The ones I have also have a USB charge option, and so if I have to use the lamp, but I can't recharge it with the built-in solar panel (because it's cloudy or night time), I could plug them into one of my USB chargers.</p><p>A third part of my off-grid infrastructure is my connectivity. My FB memory today reminded me that we haven't had a television since 2010. It's been even longer since we had cable television. For the record, we do use a streaming service. We also have cellphones, but did away with our land line six years ago.</p><p>What's different about us and other folks is that we don't connect our phones to our wi-fi when we get home. Our phones ARE our wi-fi. Instead of a cellphone bill, a cable bill, an Internet bill, and a bill for our streaming service, it's all lumped together ... except cable, and ... well, we don't have a television, so we also don't need cable. </p><p>The benefit is that, even if we lose power, nothing about the way we connect to the outside world has to change. We can still access our phones, still connect to the Internet, and still even stream movies or binge-watch <u>Community</u>. We are only limited by our ability to keep our devices charged, and well, we have options for that, too. I don't know how much the average user pays for cable, Internet, phone, and streaming services, because, for some reason, Internet service companies won't allow me to search their prices without giving them my address, which I'm not doing, because I don't want them to contact me, but the cost per month for our cellphone plan, which bundles all of it and includes a Netflix subscription with two screens, costs us $40 per line, and we can have up to four lines on our plan. </p><p>There's another benefit to having our connectivity through our cellphone service rather than a grid-dependent ISP/cable company, and that is that, working from home and doing online classes are possible, even without electricity. I was chatting with a friend today who didn't have any electricity at her house, and she lamented that her family member had to "go to work" in the storm, because he couldn't work from home with no electricity. </p><p>Fact is, for most of 2021, I worked from home over the Internet, and ... see above. I don't have a "normal" Internet connection, but I had no problem doing the work that needed to be done, including connecting to my employer's virtual machines and/or downloading their files. </p><p>In short, I can heat my house; boil hot water; cook dinner; dry my clothes; have "electric lights"; write my novel; do a blog post; scroll Facebook; and watch Netflix - even if we don't have any electricity. </p><p>I guess the only everyday activity that I am not prepared to do if the power grid goes down is iron, and well, I'm thinking I need one of <a href="https://www.lehmans.com/product/sad-clothes-iron/">these</a>. </p><p><br /></p><p>How much of your daily activities have to change when the power grid goes down?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-42265642175002352342022-12-30T16:08:00.001-08:002022-12-30T16:08:27.420-08:00Wait ... he said DON'T stock up? What the ...? What??<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Finance guru, Dave Ramsey, has branched out, it seems, <br />and he is now giving prepper advice. </span></b></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72X8rwJ6wwb2eKOcWRxqW5MIEzhWnGSQDHvY7V__HMa8hVeWSZ8UDOewMFclTFNs4Crvrf5pjwavhIImFfY_pBaZKUKUqKTb_3Sqhi3kwtkMikhwpJURFzsoRPWmIJdxsD4SOSCeo_s4B8J5iBOrv5IGoMEFFZHR96YqK8GtHfdYlpyk6Uh_-k6ex/s3264/20210930_104654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72X8rwJ6wwb2eKOcWRxqW5MIEzhWnGSQDHvY7V__HMa8hVeWSZ8UDOewMFclTFNs4Crvrf5pjwavhIImFfY_pBaZKUKUqKTb_3Sqhi3kwtkMikhwpJURFzsoRPWmIJdxsD4SOSCeo_s4B8J5iBOrv5IGoMEFFZHR96YqK8GtHfdYlpyk6Uh_-k6ex/s320/20210930_104654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Well, not exactly, but this <a href="https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/5-items-dave-ramsey-says-to-skip-at-costco-or-sams-club/">recent article</a>, claims Ramsey suggseted five items that consumers should <b><i>not</i></b> purchase at the bulk buying store. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Fruits</li><li>Vegetables</li><li>Dairy</li><li>Condiments</li><li>Spices</li></ul><div>The impetus behind his recommendation is that, because those items are perishable, they are likely to go bad before they can be used, and tossing food is a huge waste of money, but ... <br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I guess the assumption that we're just going to let it rot and then just toss it in a land fill is what bristles most for me. To be fair, yes, occasionally I have purchased things that have ended up in the compost pile or been served to the chickens, but mostly, we eat it before it turns blue or it gets tossed in the freezer. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGg_kPBLTkvbLeqsBrsYRtS5JVYu-ubbGFeTk9NoBmUtY4otn2FnMLMs3l4PRnivWWkGfy3KLy7iTHhe7WqOtxB3U-B-4HJ418hKtSJa7boEpAnCVTwyAdVH8CR-6sYfbek2ekHvrjS8uEv5jjf4TKY60HoHgz9cYki8gD7S77OMUdeuSg_fBrSBny/s3264/20210930_143930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGg_kPBLTkvbLeqsBrsYRtS5JVYu-ubbGFeTk9NoBmUtY4otn2FnMLMs3l4PRnivWWkGfy3KLy7iTHhe7WqOtxB3U-B-4HJ418hKtSJa7boEpAnCVTwyAdVH8CR-6sYfbek2ekHvrjS8uEv5jjf4TKY60HoHgz9cYki8gD7S77OMUdeuSg_fBrSBny/s320/20210930_143930.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drying corn for popcorn</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In the fall, when we have a glut of eggs, and the temperatures are starting to get wonky, but it's too early to fire up the woodstove, I like to bake. And sometimes I get a little carried away to the point that my family gets tired of having fresh cake every Monday. Did you know that cake freezes REALLY well? Yes, even cake that's been frosted! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">So, I've found a way to preserve the excess of eggs that we were getting, and also to give us a treat (usually packed in a lunch) that we won't have as much of during the winter when the chickens stop laying as much. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSkePZPLj2HhxfkkMTBTX5foLppEU8cFpzfsDYK97AZe5qMRgsCD-iXzzVUM2Pr25rNeaepDpUtwLMMG27Z79S8_vQkobsvfCEATvUiQ2huyKUfWpNAZ6wkTHezh73PN1sObox5zz3XUxkSqZ1GPcvLsmJI_rWxu1zkS-YoCaH3TeYgMDa3HZQKIP/s3264/20211011_162056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSkePZPLj2HhxfkkMTBTX5foLppEU8cFpzfsDYK97AZe5qMRgsCD-iXzzVUM2Pr25rNeaepDpUtwLMMG27Z79S8_vQkobsvfCEATvUiQ2huyKUfWpNAZ6wkTHezh73PN1sObox5zz3XUxkSqZ1GPcvLsmJI_rWxu1zkS-YoCaH3TeYgMDa3HZQKIP/w260-h347/20211011_162056.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Interestingly, one of our favorite cakes is applesauce cake, which requires spices (and apples). In fact, lots of our favorite preserved foods call for herbs and spices, like salt, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and dill. Dried herbs and spices can be incredibly expensive, and being able to save a few dollars by buying in bulk is a very good thing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't just use herbs and spices in preserving and baking, though. I use a lot of seasonings in my regular cooking, and I don't purchase spice mixes. I mix and match my spices myself, which means I need bulk quantities of all of the spices I use regularly. My favorites, and the ones I always try to keep on hand and purchased (or grown) in the largest quantities I can find, are: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, rosemary, dill, basil, thyme, sage, mint, pepper, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, and tarragon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some of those are more expensive than others, but all of them are going to be overall less expensive when purchased in quantity.</div><div> </div><div>But what really twisted my knickers when I saw the recommendation was the FACT that herbs and spices have a pretty long shelf life. According to <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/how-to/2013/01/do-spices-expire-or-go-bad">this article,</a> ground spices will last six months or longer, depending on the spice, and whole spices (like black peppercorns and cloves) last 10x as long. According to <a href="https://www.aicr.org/resources/blog/healthtalk-how-long-do-jars-of-spices-and-dried-herbs-last-2/">this article</a>, herbs and spices can have a shelf life of one to five years. Salt will last indefinitely. </div><div><br /></div><div>The recommendation to avoid purchasing bulk spices seems ... short-sighted, to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Likewise with condiments. I mean, sure, not buying a 40 oz jar of a very obscure condiment that most people may use once in a while, like curry paste, which I rarely use (but would use more often if we did more home cooking of Southeast Asian cuisine), but mayonnaise ...? I make all of my own salad dressings and dipping sauces, and most of the time it's a mayonnaise-based dressing, consisting of mayonnaise, half and half, vinegar, and seasonings (recipe to follow). I also like making my own honey mustard, and <a href="https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-vinaigrette-plus-variations/">this article</a> shares a basic recipe for a vinaigrette with variations, BUT all three types of vinaigrette in the article use <i>Dijon mustard</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>In this case, I am saving money both because I am making the dressings myself and because I save money by purchasing the ingredients in bulk. Saving a few dollars per jar for mustard and mayonnaise to have extra jars on hand is a GREAT idea! Just sayin'. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, I would like to point out that condiments, like ketchup, don't go bad fast. This article explains that, stored in the refrigerator, a bottle of ketchup (which is mostly vinegar anyway) can six months. </div><div><br /></div><div>In addition, in a worst case scenario, ketchup might prove useful for more than just adding flavor to french fries. According to <a href="https://survivaltek.com/?p=2851#:~:text=During%20the%20Great%20Depression%20it,it%20more%20palatable%20and%20nutritious.">some accounts</a>, during the Great Depression, it was a common practice to put ketchup in hot water for a poor man's version of tomato soup. I mean, it wouldn't be my first choice, but in a pinch, I'd probably eat it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Personally, I recommend ignoring Mr. Ramsey and just buy the condiments and the spices. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for dairy, for some items, I might agree. Others, not so much. Like, my family doesn't drink a lot of milk, and when we do, I prefer to get it from a local farm where I can get it raw. So, *I* wouldn't buy gallons of milk at the bulk buying store. Cheese, on the other hand ...., and I actually do purchase cheese in 2 lb blocks already. The key is to keep it in its original packaging, and like spices, unsliced cheese has a longer shelf life than sliced cheese. So, get the big block and slice off what you need, taking care to avoid touching the cheese as much as is possible (cross-contimination can really take the shelf life out of the cheese!). </div><div><br /></div><div>And then, there's <a href="https://www.newenglanddairy.com/blog-post/can-you-freeze-dairy/#:~:text=You%20can%20freeze%20milk%2C%20cheese,airtight%20and%20can%20potentially%20leak.">this</a> - most of the dairy products that one finds in the bulk buying stores can be <b>frozen. </b>Freezing dairy extends the shelf-life to a couple of months, which is a very good argument FOR going ahead and snatching up that good deal on dairy at the bulk club.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for fruits and vegetables ... well, you know what I'm going to say. Most fruits and vegetables can be canned, pickled, fermented, dehydrated, and/or frozen. Or, if properly stored in a root cellar or unheated garage, can be kept for MONTHS. I mean, isn't that exactly what our ancestors did with their excess produce? And by "excess", I mean what they weren't going to eat before it spoiled. <a href="https://www.history.com/news/pickles-history-timeline#:~:text=Pickles%20got%20their%20start%20more,health%20benefits%20and%20delicious%20taste.">Making pickles</a> for winter storage was a thing for centuries before Vlasic put them on grocery store shelves.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Worstcase, those fruits and vegetables overripen, rot, or otherwise become inedible, but it's not <i>garbage.</i> It's COMPOST! Those fruits and vegetables have a life after shelf-life. So, while there may be perceived waste, because your family didn't eat it, it's not wasted if it makes compost for growing next year's vegetable garden.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fruits and vegetables that don't get consumed by my family end up going out to the rabbits or chickens, and, well, then, they do, eventually, feed my family. So, there's that. And giving those spent vegetables to the chickens means I save money on feed. So, there's that, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>In short, I can't really get behind ANY of Dave Ramsey's recommendations for things to skip at the bulk buying club.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, let me give a few suggestions of things to avoid insetad.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Bulk packages of individually wrapped snacks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, buying them at the bulk store WILL save money, BUT <i>not buying the individual portions at all</i> and opting for the big bag of chips and repackaging them into smaller portions will save more money. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's also the fact that making it will be cheaper, always. I did a cost analysis of an <a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-price-of-snack-cake.html">individually wrapped snack cake vs. my homemade cake</a>. Homemade cake is cheaper. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2. Premade freezer meals.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love having things in my freezer. It does save money in multiple ways: having a stocked freezer means it takes less energy to keep it cold; a well-stocked freezer means we're less likely to eat out, which saves money; depending on what it's stocked with, a well-stocked freezer can save time, which in some circles equates to money (i.e. time is money).</div><div><br /></div><div>Those premade meals, however, are just not a good buy. Yes, they can save time, but wait. Do they really? Annie's frozen mac&cheese (arguably, yummy) cost $3.59 for a single serving. It takes 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven to cook it. Annie's shelf stable mac&cheese with the cheese sauce instead of the powder costs $4.49/box. It takes 7 to 9 minutes to cook in boiling water, and it serves 3 people. So, really, which costs less? </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>3. Pre-cooked rice in pouches.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, it takes considerably less time to warm up pre-cooked rice, but come on. Boiling rice takes about a half hour, at most. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two cups of uncooked rice will serve four people. One pound of uncooked rice is around 5 cups of rice. So, if rice is $2.50/lb, one can feed four people for around $1.25. </div><div><br /></div><div>Compare that to the cost of an 8.8oz package of pre cooked Uncle Ben's rice, which is $2.33 and only feeds two people. Uncle Ben's precooked rice is 4x more expensive than just cooking the rice. Does saving 20 minutes <i>really </i>make up for the extra cost of the precooked rice?</div><p></p><div><div>4. Bottles of pre-brewed individual servings of tea.</div><div><br /></div><div>A box of 100 tea bags costs $5 depending on the brand. A half gallon of tea uses four tea bags, which costs about $0.20, and is about three and half 18 oz servings, which works about to around $0.065 per serving. Compare that to an 18 oz bottle of pre-brewed tea, which is around $2, if one purchases twelve bottles at a time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I mean .... Is there even a question as to which is more cost effective? But then, there's the plastic bottle to recycle or throw away. Put your home-brewed tea in a pint jar to travel, get more servings, save <i>beaucoup d'argent</i>, AND save the planet. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>5. Clothes/books.</div><p></p><div>Maybe there's a cost savings over purchasing a new shirt at the department store, BUT getting it second hand at a thrift store will almost certainly cost less. </div><div><br /></div><div>And books? Maybe books at the bulk buying store are cheaper than they are at a national chain bookstore, but my local new/used book store has a $0.50 book table, and have you heard of the library? Books there are FREE! It doesn't get cheaper than that. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a little disappointed in the suggestion that we should skip buying perishables in bulk, based solely on the notion that we might end up throwing them in the trash. The reality is that IF we want to take advantage of bulk buying clubs to see a real cost savings, the best thing to do is to not be dazzled into buying sleek packages of uber convenient food. In the end, the cost will be a lot more than the price of that wilted lettuce, and the convenience won't really offset the overall cost, either. </div><div><br /></div><div>What do you think about Dave Ramsey's recommendation? What would you avoid buying at a bulk buying club?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Basic Ranch-style Salad Dressing:</u></div><div><br /></div><div>1 c mayonnaise</div><div>1/2 c half and half (or milk or cream)</div><div>2 TBS (or to taste) red wine vinegar (could substitute white wine vinegar)</div><div>2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil</div><div>1/2 tsp each salt and ground pepper</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix well. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed jar.</div><div>Adjust the first two ingredients for thickness. More mayonnaise makes it more of a dipping sauce. More half and half makes it a more pourable dressing.</div><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-76286881009022669952022-12-19T05:40:00.000-08:002022-12-19T05:40:34.230-08:00The Spirit of Christmas<p>Several years ago, I was tasked with writing an article for the blog on my publisher's website. My publicist, who was being tasked with the chore, was at a loss, and I thought I could whip something together. The topic was "The Spirit of Christmas", and below is my thoughts on the subject.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>May your days be merry and bright ....</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXN9UvsgqlsZbEXup41b20YnelPHfWNNoU6XrJsqcQ7f8IfoUniU-5xyd7g1kB4pLdt7Wxbz_ctmvspRupziCuVNSBtRFcPE2aR0p2UHwWh__KLxOW7uBTuN-saFZ5k8Y_4Zp5DXvlEhAubszLnC2-PVhppzKLj8WSvUitoThmbgwfm7twI9GKtOd/s3264/20211224_154642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXN9UvsgqlsZbEXup41b20YnelPHfWNNoU6XrJsqcQ7f8IfoUniU-5xyd7g1kB4pLdt7Wxbz_ctmvspRupziCuVNSBtRFcPE2aR0p2UHwWh__KLxOW7uBTuN-saFZ5k8Y_4Zp5DXvlEhAubszLnC2-PVhppzKLj8WSvUitoThmbgwfm7twI9GKtOd/w415-h311/20211224_154642.jpg" width="415" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>Originally published on December 19, 2013</i><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My youngest daughter turned eleven this year.
In our eyes, of course, she is still just a little girl, but the
reality is that she is becoming a young woman, and part of that
transition is to start to question those beliefs that she has always
held.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As a bit of background, when Eric and I
were young parents, we had discussed the whole Santa Claus issue –
that is, do we or do we not teach our children to believe? Part of
our culture, especially this time of year, is to promote the magic of
Christmas by offering our young people this iconic figure who will
grant their deepest wish <i>if</i> they just believe. As young
parents, we weren’t sure we wanted to perpetuate that myth.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unfortunately, we failed to make a
definitive choice, and instead allowed family members who adored
those Santa traditions to teach our daughters that there was this
elf-raised entity, who was always watching (which, in itself, is kind
of creepy), and magically answered their deepest desires by bringing
them those gifts they received on Christmas morning. We got swept
away in the flood, and even after those relatives were no longer
actively participating in holiday traditions, we continued.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Her older siblings are no longer asking
those questions, having quietly, without discussion with us, their
parents, determined that Santa is a figment.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Over the past couple of weeks, as the
big day grows closer, my eleven year old has been asking that
question, and we have been waffling about what to say. Do we pop
that bubble and say to her, it’s not real? Do we ignore the
questions and just let her come to her own conclusions? Do we find
some other way to explain this cultural phenomenon?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I decided to take a more proactive approach with her, not to ignore her questions and not to continue to lie to
her. She is getting old enough to really be able to reason things
out, but the fact that she is asking tells me that she wants some
answers.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So, I asked her, “What do you think
about Santa?” And she told me that she thought Santa brought some
of her gifts. I asked her which ones. She thought for a bit.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“I think he brought those candy canes
that were in my stocking that one year.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“The ones you didn’t like because
they were too strong?” She nodded.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I can only imagine that her mind found
that gift, because it was incredibly unique and very different. It
was not the grocery store candy canes, but a gourmet style that used
real peppermint oil as the flavoring – which is why they were so
strong. Of course, those were not something Mom and Dad had planted
in the stocking.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“When I was your age,” I told her.
“My friends and I decided that Santa was the Spirit of the Season.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I explained to her that, when I was her
age, my friends and I had decided that Santa was that little spark of
joy and delight that was infused in this season of light and giving.
He is the energy that makes us smile at one another, even when there
is a foot of snow on the ground, and we are slipping, and it is cold
out, and at any other time of the year, we would be grumbling and
gritching about the crappy weather or the insensitive lout who just
pulled out in front of us in traffic.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was not lying to her, and I was not
trying to keep her believing in something that is not real.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This season has been dubbed the Season
of Giving, and the consumer culture we live in has grabbed that
slogan and plastered it on every product that is being manufactured
in an attempt to encourage us to spend more money and buy more stuff.
It is very easy to get bogged down by the extreme commercialism that
this holiday has become and to allow one’s disdain for the culture
of stuff to shadow that child’s wonder most of us once held. It is
really easy to become bitter.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It is just as easy, however, to take
back that slogan by adopting an attitude of giving ourselves. It
doesn’t have to be about buying more stuff, because gifts do not
all come in big boxes adorned with big bows and garishly colored
paper.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“You know that family your dance team
has adopted?” She nodded.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“We don’t know them. I don’t
even know their names, but we’re giving them a bunch of gifts.
That’s the Spirit of Christmas. That’s Santa.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the story, <u>The Polar Express</u>, the
young boy rides the Christmas train to the North Pole, where he meets
Santa, in person, and receives as a gift the sleigh bell. As long as
he believes, he can hear the bell’s jingle.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My daughter may not believe in Santa as
a flesh-and-blood man who lives at the North Pole, employs elves, and
drives a reindeer powered sled, but she does understand that the joy
of this season lies, not in having her every wish fulfilled, but in
sharing, her joy, her wonder, and her giving spirit with others.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And I think, she may just always hear
that bell. I do.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p><i></i><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-69680568080368547272022-12-04T10:17:00.002-08:002022-12-04T10:17:33.790-08:00Vintage Christmas<p>I love this season! The lights, the decorations (although *I* am not a fan of doing my own decorating, I love looking at other people's decorations :)); the giving and receiving of gifts; the general feeling of well-being, kindness, and generosity that seems to float in the air like tiny snowflakes ... and yes, even the weather! I love the cold, the snow, and that crisp, frosty feeling first thing in the morning. </p><p>The library is participating this year in our community Christmas festival, which includes visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus and the annual tree lighting ceremony. We will be open during the festival, as one of the stops for the town-wide scavenger hunt and a warming station for those who will be in the adjacent park, but find that spending two hours outside is a bit much. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Children's librarian is planning an assortment of activities for the littles, and my boss asked me to think up something for our older patrons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have known my boss for decades, and she is familiar with my books and my lifestyle. Getting me on the staff was exciting for her, as an opportunity to bring more ideas for sustainability and eco-friendly lifestyles to the library. She has been prodding me to come up with some program ideas for our adult patrons with a focus on sustainability, which is, of course, my <i>m</i><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><i>étier. </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, when she said, "Hey, let's come up with something for the adults," I started looking for craft ideas that wouldn't cost us anything in materials, and I found <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/last-minute-christmaseasy-vintage-paper-trees--70720656620406476/">this paper Christmas tree decoration</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The template was free, and using old, rotting, water-damanged, and/or bug chewed books gives them that "Christmas of Yore" kind of vibe. I have a jar full of corks I have been saving (because one never knows when one might need a <a href="https://www.hammacher.com/product/your-wine-cork-lazy-susan">used cork</a>), and some skewers for grilled kabobs. So, basically, this is a free craft using mostly upcycled materials. I mean, it doesn't get more eco-friendly/sustainable than that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only issue I had with the whole project was that we would be destroying the books. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then, as I was making my example, it occured to me that the craft didn't have to result in a bunch of cut up books destined for the recycling bin. If we took care while we were making our trees, we could preserve the frame work of the book and turn it into something else that was gift-worthy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A book safe!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq0DI0gPZdehgP9hhrq-9FWZ0xWMa7I_niFFf6XEyCNR7cMq2s2268WMDcE24ozlLWPgl41y0Jbnd3Y_EJvNV47e8kjcSEleUfdPSOpnlKrAfKo58CgRKtg9yCqetZ8lynuohifD16UM63CttATtec4PzZ5vL6l6AkVI59r2GLAu6KqVurR3SuByM/s3264/vintage%20christmas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq0DI0gPZdehgP9hhrq-9FWZ0xWMa7I_niFFf6XEyCNR7cMq2s2268WMDcE24ozlLWPgl41y0Jbnd3Y_EJvNV47e8kjcSEleUfdPSOpnlKrAfKo58CgRKtg9yCqetZ8lynuohifD16UM63CttATtec4PzZ5vL6l6AkVI59r2GLAu6KqVurR3SuByM/w300-h400/vintage%20christmas.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year the news all around warns that money will be tight for most folks and that gift giving may require more creativity and less plastic (as in credit cards). Being able to share ways to a zero waste, FREE, and lovely holiday decoration with the bonus of a potential gift, just makes me happy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I'm thinking that saving $150 on a <a href="https://www.hammacher.com/product/your-wine-cork-lazy-susan">wine cork lazy susan</a> by making my own out of the corks I've been saving is an absolute win!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Holidays! May your holidays be merry, bright, and frugal!</div><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-28644804994843042902022-10-24T16:53:00.002-07:002022-10-24T16:53:25.382-07:00Riot <p>Have you seen these "new" climate activists? </p><p>A group of young people from Germany have decided that fossil fuels are bad (no shit!) and destroying the world (really? that's news?), and to bring attention to these facts, they are throwing food at priceless works of art as a form of protest ... or as a way to shine light on the issue of climate change, which, I can only assume, they believe that everyone else is ignoring. Their rational is that due to continued use of fossel fuels, the human population is doomed to extinction, and since we're all going to die, anyway, and no will be around to appreciate the art, they should just destroy it, because, you know, that's the logical and useful way to deal with the issue.</p><p>My question, to them, is what are THEY doing about it? Well, other than trying to destroy priceless and timeless works of art as a form of protest.</p><p>Several years ago, I joined a group of thousands of other "activists" in a form of protest to bring to light the issue of climate change, and I dragged (a mostly reluctant) Deus Ex Machina and our daughters into the fray with me. We were writers, bloggers, authors, civic-minded individuals, who saw what was happening in the world and wanted to change things before it was too late. </p><p>We didn't march on Washington wearing oddly shaped hats, or visit museums and throw soup or mashed potatoes at centuries' old paintings. We didn't call on our leaders to pass laws and make policies that forced others to make changes, we, ourselves, had not, yet, commited to making. </p><p>No, what we did was attempt to follow the sage advice of Mahatma Gandhi, who believed that true change can only come from within. We change. We BE THE CHANGE, we want to see in the world. That's what he said. That's what we did.</p><p>The movement was called the Riot for Austerity, and our goal and our practice was to change our own, personal, footprint with the goal of reducing our consumption to 10% of the resources that the average "westerner" (mostly calculated by American standards) used. There were seven categories we were attempting to reduce: gas/oil (for heating and cooking); transportation; water; garbage; consumer spending; food; and electrical usage.</p><p>Here at Chez Brown, we cut our electrical and water usage to one-third average; our food consumption was 80% locally sourced; garbage was 5% of average; consumer spending was 40% of average. Because we were homeschooling and I worked from home, getting our numbers any lower was difficult, and whereas other members of the community might not count their personal consumption of electricity, water, etc. at their jobs or at their children's schools, I didn't have that luxury. </p><p>At any rate, we rioters thought the best way to fix the climate issue was to make changes in OUR lives, and so we did. </p><p>We cut our own consumption. We wrote books and blogs and magazine articles. We went to the Mother Earth News Fairs and the Common Ground Fair, and we spread the word as far and as wide as we could.</p><p>It was a different mind-set, I guess. One of *I* can DO something, and *I* SHOULD do something.</p><p>Rather than, someone else needs to fix it, but let me tell them how.</p><p>The onus was on us, rather than us pointing the finger and demanding someone else do the work to make things better.</p><p>I don't disagree with the intent of the protesters who are tossing potatoes at paintings. We do need more people to be thinking about climate change and ways they can mitigate it. </p><p>And really about resource scarcity and depletion, in general.</p><p>I do disagree with their tactics, and I wonder what they are, personally, doing to make things better so that there is someone here far into the future to enjoy that Monet they just tried to defile.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-14909213815257264802022-10-24T15:20:00.000-07:002022-10-24T15:20:05.568-07:00Shelter ... First<p>Deus Ex Machina always calls me when he's on his way home. We chat during his drive from there to here, about the day, about whatever, and the call usually ends when I see him pull down the road or into the driveway, and I say, "I see you. I'm hanging up now." </p><p>The other day it was raining during his drive home. We were chatting, as usual.</p><p>"There's a hitchhiker," he told me when he was less than a half mile from home. "I'm going to see if he needs a ride."</p><p>He pulled over, and I could hear him having an exchange with the, what turned out to be a couple of, hitchhikers - a man and a woman. They were going into town - about a two and half mile walk, which under better weather conditions wouldn't be bad, but in the cold, autumn rain, wasn't pleasant. He offered them a ride. I told him I was hanging up. I knew where he was going, roughly, and about how long it would take ... if they had nefarious intentions.</p><p>When he got home, he told me their story. They were homeless and needed a ride into town to retrieve their stuff. They lived in a tent, which they had stowed behind the drug store in town. They were unemployed, but were looking for work. </p><p>"It's hard to find a job when you're homeless," they told Deus Ex Machina. "When you can't shower and all," they added. </p><p>We're nearing the end of what has been a month and half-long remodel project of my daughter's bedroom. It's only taken us a quarter of a century to get around to fixing that room. The closet was a hacked-together mess that looked like it had been hastily constructed using leftover materials from some other project ... or actually looked like something someone like me would have built. I am not handy, and any building projects I have ever tried (which are very few and far between, because I *know* I am not handy) look much better in my head than in reality. I have always wanted to tear down the closet and rebuild it, and we finally had the time, the money, and the incentive (revamping our auxillary heat system, because having a back-up in case something like what happened last year, when the glass door on the front of our woodstove cracked in November, is always good). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_jvL4jyTG8KF672Vk4uQ0rp5vCGlBgwN48XaCyCuqe8yO0Kowq_2h5KzLmAlwBHW1gRsy1acYcPDGIp5fWxckZ6aOHbXrbaRFi4PudiPtP3APOW5lLiCDYWofvwbcKgFeRFerOLOmMPz_1bHiqfSCbCuCeD6QY3cC93lahJMCK_1gHZ2ezpsz8vq/s3264/20220910_122533%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_jvL4jyTG8KF672Vk4uQ0rp5vCGlBgwN48XaCyCuqe8yO0Kowq_2h5KzLmAlwBHW1gRsy1acYcPDGIp5fWxckZ6aOHbXrbaRFi4PudiPtP3APOW5lLiCDYWofvwbcKgFeRFerOLOmMPz_1bHiqfSCbCuCeD6QY3cC93lahJMCK_1gHZ2ezpsz8vq/s320/20220910_122533%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After we took out the closet "walls". The "BEFORE."</div><p>In addition to the closet issues, we've known for a long time that the room was inadequately insulated and the carpet is older than the *adult* daughter who occupies the room. So, we demo'd the room down to studs (including the stupid closet) on the outside walls and ceiling and pulled up the old carpeting. We tripled the insulation in the ceiling and doubled what was in the walls, put up new drywall, painted, and laid a wood laminate floor. </p><p>Goodbye, carpeting! I can't say I'll miss you!</p><p>The new closet is a custom built-in cabinet installation and will be on the other side of the room, which should open up the room to allow for a better placement of a bed.</p><p>It's been a lot of work. A LOT more work than we actually wanted to do, not because we didn't want those things done, but because we are of a maturity level that we wanted to hire someone to do the work rather than do it ourselves - not that we doubted our abilities (although, as I mentioned, I am not the "do-er", I am the helper for most of the project). The problem is that most handymen/contractors are very busy - still. No one wanted a job as small as ours.</p><p>We got it done, though, and in between doing the work on the room, we still went to work during the week, continued with our weekly dance and music lessons, maintained our farm/home, and found time to go apple picking and do some canning. Some things are still on the to-do list, but mostly, we were able to do all of the things that needed doing, and also finish the room. </p><p>It helped that we were placed on a very strict time-line by scheduling the heat system installation and deliveries of fixtures and furniture. We couldn't just claim to be too busy to get it done. </p><p>And it's mostly done. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gw4C_skpHRAg-9Y7CuQZ4-8OZNwJGMHUyZlhtkw8m200_jHV2PHZSi7jEq6yMCYNCyLXwVnfuu619fzp2_A6MBAHg4a4Cft7J-lp3gLGp8yt02GkZGDu0KCErMovc43HtDxsE1pJmRLwY_cY09gsB0T3ai8KXHFcm3f4WbutB8-Sv-jGoBkamDxW/s3264/20221024_070914%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gw4C_skpHRAg-9Y7CuQZ4-8OZNwJGMHUyZlhtkw8m200_jHV2PHZSi7jEq6yMCYNCyLXwVnfuu619fzp2_A6MBAHg4a4Cft7J-lp3gLGp8yt02GkZGDu0KCErMovc43HtDxsE1pJmRLwY_cY09gsB0T3ai8KXHFcm3f4WbutB8-Sv-jGoBkamDxW/s320/20221024_070914%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Taken from the side of the room where the closet used to be toward the door. Yes, it's a very long/narrow room. The "new" closet will be to the left of the door.</div><p><br /></p><p>There's some trim that needs to be installed, still, but by the first of November, our daughter should be back in her room, and her stuff, of which there is a great deal, should be recorraled out-of-(my)sight/out-of-mind. It will be very nice to have my house back in order.</p><p>We installed the floor this weekend. It took about four hours. A VERY LONG four hours, to be honest. It was a lot of bending and stooping (mostly for Deus Ex Machina, who did the bulk of the work) and standing and holding and sweeping and moving of things (for me).</p><p>In a moment of weakness, I might have wished the time away and longed for that "being done." I find the measuring and cutting especially tedious, and I still don't know why we had to cut so many pieces. "To stagger the seams", I was told, but the laminate already has built-in staggered seams. I just thought, cut what we "have" to cut to make it fit, and just lay the rest of it, which is why *I* am not in charge of projects. Deus Ex Machina tends to be a bit more of a perfectionist than I am. Thankfully!</p><p>There might have been a moment or two when I wished we were done, or, maybe, even regretted getting started, but then, sometime in the middle of my achiness and fatigue, I thought of that couple that Deus Ex Machina met on the road the week prior. </p><p>I am grateful to have a room that I could demolish and rebuild. I am thankful that I don't live in a tent and have to hitchhike in the rain ... or walk two miles to find the tent I have hidden, all the while hoping that someone else hasn't found it. </p><p>In an extreme survival scenario the first priority is shelter. I always think about that. </p><p>I also think about the fact that everything is easier when one has a place to live. </p><p>It's easier to eat an affordable and healthy diet, because one has a place to store extra food and to cook food from ingredients rather than boxes. Costly take out is a luxury we can occcasionally afford rather than how we have to eat, because there are few other choices</p><p>It's easier to save money on clothes. With the space to store sewing supplies, one can mend rather than having to re-purchase. Or redye one's black shirts when they start to get faded from drying them on the "solar clothes-dryer", and speaking of, one can have a clothesline and a washing machine, rather than having to spend an hours' worth of our wages to to wash and dry a load of laundry. </p><p>With a place to live, life is just easier.</p><p>I've read a lot of anecdotes from the (last) Great Depression, and the thing that sticks with me are the stories of people who stayed put. Who were poor, very poor, but they had a place to live, and that made all of the difference.</p><p>They had a place to live, and if they were lucky, a small yard where they could grow a few vegetables and/or raise a few chickens for eggs. They didn't have much, but they ate. That's more than a lot of folks could say. And they could use what they had to make what they needed, rather than having to depend on someone else to meet their needs, which always costs more than doing it oneself.</p><p>I did some touch-up painting this morning in that room. I installed the outlet and light switch covers, and then, I sat in the middle of the empty room, singing, and enjoying the cool acoustics.</p><p>And I gave thanks that I have this space, this home, this SHELTER.</p><p>If I could give one piece of advice to people who ask me what they should be doing to prepare for this coming economic downturn, I would say make sure you have a place to live. </p><p>After that, life is easier.</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-10784727806166792862022-10-14T14:01:00.000-07:002022-10-14T14:01:06.427-07:00I'd Like Change for My Dollar<p>This is a post from my original blog "Surviving the Suburbs." I was thinking about this post this morning, when my very lovely, incredibly talented, extremely capable, and highly intelligent friend sent me a text. She said that the husband of one of her friend had asked her what she does, and she answered that she is a housewife. His response was to leave the room and take a nap. She asked me if I thought she was boring (!!).</p><p>My friend holds a nursing degree. She is a licensed massage therapist. She is bilingual enough that she lived and worked in a bar in Europe in a non-English speaking country, and no one knew she wasn't a native. She is an incredibly talented artist, and when it comes to home economics, she is a superstar. She can do everything from sewing slipcovers for her patio furniture (altough she claims she hates to sew) to making soap (and the soap she makes is as much a work of art as it is functional).</p><p>I was sad to hear how this man treated her, leaving her feeling like she was worth-less than other people, because her "job" was to take care of her home - like all she does is wash dishes, fold laundry, and watch soap operas all day, all of which assumes that she has nothing interesting to say. It's frustrating and disheartening to be made to feel less-than, because one does not make money. Unfortunately, our consumerist culture is all about "making money", but as I have shown, or at least tried to show, <a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2021/12/making-stuff-or-why-i-will-never-be.html">here</a> and <a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-non-wage-earning-housewife-makes.html">here</a> and on most of the other posts on THIS blog, housewifery is more about how we "earn" by not earning. </p><p>My daughter stopped by this morning to borrow some camping gear, and I was telling her about my friend's worry. My daughter works a full-time job and is raising two teenaged daughters. I said to her, "I don't know how you do it." Her response was, "I pay someone else to shop for me." She explained that she does curbside pick-up. She places the order, the store employees pick her groceries, she drives to the store and parks, and they bring out the bagged up groceries and put them in her trunk. She says it saves her HOURS per week, because just the in-person grocery shopping experience would take more than an hour, and she shops more than one store. </p><p>I hadn't really considered how having someone else do the shopping could be a benefit to a working parent, although Deus Ex Machina hates all shopping and is very happy to allow me to shop for him for everything from his clothes to his food. </p><p>"Housewifery" is a dying skill, thanks in a large part to the attitudes that I discuss in this post. </p><p>Feel free to leave a comment. </p><p>==============================</p><p>Most people who've read my blog for any length of time know that I'm a
stay-at-home mom. Well, actually, I guess <i>technically</i>, I'm a
<i>work-at-home mom</i>.</p>A dozen years ago we called ourselves
<i>WAHMs</i>. Lots of books were written about us, and we were considered the
fastest growing industry in the country. I was even quoted in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Entrepreneurial-Parent-Living-Family/dp/1585421634">The
Entrepreneurial Parent: How to Earn Your Living and Still Enjoy Your Family,
Your Work, Your Life</a>, and for a time, I had an online bookstore with a niche
focus on offering information, articles and low-cost books that focused on
working from home. It was one of my many home-based entrepreneurial projects.
<br /><br />I was so determined to stay home with my children that I worked
really hard to earn, at least, what I would have earned, minus expenses (like
childcare, transportation, extra food, clothing etc.) if I had an
outside-the-home job. For the most part, at least for the last ten years, I've
had a pretty steady income working from home, but even if I didn't, I would
still be here, because over the years, we've developed a certain standard of
living that is only possible <b>because</b> I am home full-time.<br /><br />The
problem with being home full-time, however, is that society often has a fairly
negative view of us SAHMs/WAHMs. I've personally experienced the insurance
industry's opinion when we applied for life insurance. I've <a href="http://happilyhome.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-money-cant-buy.html">written
about it before</a>, and we were able to find an insurance company that didn't
care about my income, but was more than willing to take our monthly premiums and
insure me at an amount that actually reflects our need.<br /><br />It's not just
the insurance industry, however. Last week, our President gave a speech to a
group of Rhode Island college students in which he espoused those very ideas -
that legislation should be passed to allow women to be "full and equal
participants" in the economy, i.e. that women should not be penalized for being
mothers (maternity leave), that wages should be more even between the genders,
and that "quality, affordable daycare" should be made available so that women
can get out there and <b>make money</b> without worrying about whether their
children are receiving good care. <br /><br />What bothers me most about the
speech is that, whether intentional or not, President Obama is espousing the
exact same mistaken idea that the insurance agent expressed - mothers who choose
to stay home are not as valuable to our society as mothers who work.<br /><br />This morning I found <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/being-a-stay-at-home-parent-is-a-luxury-for-your-100013200179.html">this article</a>, and from the first few paragraphs, I began nodding my head, and by
the time I was finished, I was nearly giving myself whiplash. <br /><br />Yes!
Yes! Yes!<br /><br />All of the things that the author of the article cites as
being beneficial to her family, but also more. <br /><br />Because I'm home
full-time, we were able to explore alternative lifestyles, like suburban
homesteading. I was able to learn skills I would never have thought needed to be
learned if I were working full-time, or even if I wanted to know those skills, I
would have had less time to work at them. Soap making? Yeah, right. <br /><br />My being home also improves our personal economy, because we can heat with
wood, which would not be possible if we were gone for ten hours a day, five days
a week. We would not be hanging the laundry on the line. I would not be cooking,
from scratch, five nights a week, and our daughter, who cooks, from scratch, the
other two nights, would never have learned that skill. <br /><br />All of that
aside, the problem is not really about my need to defend myself, but rather this
continuing battle between those who work and those who don't. Having someone as
influential as the President of the United States saying that we need more
programs for working mothers (so that women can be "full and equal participants"
in the economy) just encourages the idea that non-wage earners are less
valuable.<br /><br />More of the same old rhetoric of "more money will make
everyone happier" is tiresome. As a veteran stay-a-home/work-at-home Mom, I know
the value of having parents be home with their children, of finding a true
work/life balance, of finding meaning and value in one's life outside of the
need to <b>make more money</b>.<br /><br />My being home may well be a luxury,
for both me and Deus Ex Machina, but maybe, instead of wasting time trying to
force legislation that makes more workers, we should be focusing on encouraging
one-income families in which one parent stays home full-time (and it doesn't
have to be the "mom". Dads can be awesome stay-at-home parents, too!). Maybe the
answer isn't to put six million children in day care this year, but rather to
find a way to allow six million parents to be home with their children.<br /><br />Here's the <a href="http://wpri.com/2014/10/31/extended-video-president-obama-speech/"> video
of President Obama's speech in Rhode Island</a>. <br /><br />For the record,
this post isn't a defense of SAHMs or a criticism of working mothers, but rather
a commentary on the fact that by placing all of our emphasis on the need to
work, we are stripping ourselves of our independence and choice. Independence
isn't having a job, an apartment and a car, but rather the ability to meet one's
own needs, and I would never have cultivated the skills necessary to be truly
independent, if I had worked a full-time job and put my kids in daycare. <br />
Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-67078123243984637052022-09-02T11:47:00.002-07:002022-09-02T11:47:56.989-07:00Why would a Prepper want nail polish? Let me tell you!<p>I'm not usually a futzy kind of woman. I don't go to a salon to get my hair done. I've been cutting my own hair for most of my adult life, and I've had my hair dyed a total of once ... in my life (which spans more than a half a century). My daughter did it. </p><p>I also don't buy a lot of fancy and expensive bath products. In fact, as you may recall, if you've been reading here for any amount of time, I <a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2021/07/cleaning-up.html">learned to make my own soap</a>, including a soap paste for diluting to make liquid soap (thanks, Hattie!), and that is what I and Deus Ex Machina have been using for our full-body washing for the past year. I love how versatile and easy it is, and I love even more that I can add my own essential oils to make whatever scent that suits me. My current favorite is basil-bergamot. Can't get that at the grocery store. Just sayin'. </p><p>In addition, I don't wear a lot of make-up. Eyeliner and mascara, both in basic black, and maybe a little concealer. I haven't worn eye shadow or blush since college, and I've never liked lipstick on myself. </p><p>And nail polish has never been something on which I've spent much time or money. I don't paint my fingernails ... not really ever. I spent too much time working in the food service industry and the military - where painted nails weren't prohibited, but were strongly discouraged. In my current life, I spend too much time with my hands in dirt and other activities (like cooking) that aren't conducive to keeping nails pretty. Nail polish wouldn't last long on my fingernails. And frankly, my preferred aesthetic, when it comes to hands, is short, neat, clean and bare fingernails. </p><p>I do, however, LOVE to paint my toenails. I have one bottle of nail polish that I've had for as long as I can remember, because nail polish isn't something I spend a lot of time or money on. I would paint my nails, and when the polish wore off, or my toenails out grew the polished areas, I would just paint over the old polish. </p><p>So, when my daughter and daughter-in-law started inviting me to their <a href="https://www.colorstreet.com/TheClawMall">Color Street</a> parties on Facebook, I was completely skeptical. Cosmetics aren't my thing, especially nail polish. I just wasn't sure what I was going to do. I had to watch a YouTube video to even understand what they were, and after the video, I was even more skeptical. Like, what ... in ... the ... heck ... are those things??!! </p><p>But I put aside all of my critical throughts and anti-consumerist ideologies, and decided to trust those two very smart and very wonderful women, who know me, and know what I am like and what I like. They wouldn't ask me to violate my principles for a 'beauty' product, if they didn't really think it had some value. </p><p>I ordered a few of the kits, and they arrived in these flat packages of little nail-shaped stickers (they aren't stickers). They seemed a little futzy and bothersome. I wasn't sure how to use them, and I was worried I'd make a mess of it. I shared my concerns with my daughter, who was kind and generous enough to not only NOT laugh at my incompetence, but also came to my house and did my nails for me. What a great kid! I'm a lucky mom ;). </p><p>Applying the polish was easy, and YES, the <a href="https://www.colorstreet.com/TheClawMall">Color Street</a> product is actual nail polish - not stickers! It goes on quickly and easily, and with a heck of a lot less mess than nail polish. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WmFfiRY2tDv8zxQFCS3Ci1E1rbh4az4Z-jXthYKt79XnObNU0pBcGDmZFZSVDNW9Vl54IbyixaSBBsfoU12DEIFO5opsXsO0oaiRdjybegQKGCwUMkiDn6qFmIIhzzMsDwNmdVz6w-3uclmE4901YXYRQbx7MD4rb_xFQ7NuERnkUy9Qw8yuW4_u/s3264/20220902_082338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WmFfiRY2tDv8zxQFCS3Ci1E1rbh4az4Z-jXthYKt79XnObNU0pBcGDmZFZSVDNW9Vl54IbyixaSBBsfoU12DEIFO5opsXsO0oaiRdjybegQKGCwUMkiDn6qFmIIhzzMsDwNmdVz6w-3uclmE4901YXYRQbx7MD4rb_xFQ7NuERnkUy9Qw8yuW4_u/s320/20220902_082338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Have you ever had to clean up nail polish that your nine year old daughter spilled all over the bathroom floor and toilet (and, no, I don't know how she managed that!), and replace a towel that she used to wipe up the polish in an attempt to clean it up herself? </p><p>The <a href="https://www.colorstreet.com/TheClawMall">Color Street </a>appliques are clean and neat and the only "mess" is the packaging. They're super easy to use, even for someone as uncoordinated as I can be. There are special "pedicure" kits, which I had been purchasing. I must have said something about wishing the there were more color/style options for pedicures, and my stylist informed me that the manicure kits can be used on one's toes, as well. </p><p>Wha-a-a-a-t??</p><p>I must have mentioned something about Color Street nails to my co-worker, because the other day, she brought a gift for me. It was a box FULL of Color Street nail kits! She said that she wasn't going to use them, and she thought I might like them. I was and am completely overwhelmed by her generosity and thoughtfulness!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cgu_MG0ZJA5ZCMyU8WZYXTUZOQ1e0kZdnnRDNxskIxE-a-qalSolxx2xlgzM-UCMqRAQq3xrB1ohmEXWnf5Aye3brcsYAoWkyHBOC1ARKvDKvnCszsiKe5u0_S21H0s1fMt8q-DXHEyD699QoijyoI60feivDub9XUft1PIdLFbUntOVwD0zF6CH/s3264/20220902_071052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cgu_MG0ZJA5ZCMyU8WZYXTUZOQ1e0kZdnnRDNxskIxE-a-qalSolxx2xlgzM-UCMqRAQq3xrB1ohmEXWnf5Aye3brcsYAoWkyHBOC1ARKvDKvnCszsiKe5u0_S21H0s1fMt8q-DXHEyD699QoijyoI60feivDub9XUft1PIdLFbUntOVwD0zF6CH/s320/20220902_071052.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>The Prepper me looked at all of those nail kits and thought, "Huzzah! I'm ready for the end of the world as we know it!"</p><p>I recently read Susan Beth Pfeffer's novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_and_the_Gone">The Dead and the Gone</a>. The novel follows teenager, Alex Morales, who lives in New York City. When an asteroid crashes into the moon, the whole world goes wonky, and Alex has to figure out how to survive with his two younger sisters. </p><p>One thing I always hate about TEOTWAWKI novels is the propensity of writers to follow the same trope of the world descending immediately into complete chaos, anarchy, and violence. The problem I have is that the trope is not true to the real way most people behave following disasters. Yes, there is occasionally looting, rioting, and violence, but most of the time, what I've seen is people being generous and helpful to other people. And I like to think that if we do suffer an End of the World As We Know It event, what we will find is more in keeping with how people actually react following extreme weather events or during war time.</p><p>In Pfeffer's novel, there are shortages, because supply lines have been completely severed. NYC has always been considered a food desert, but now it might as well be an island in the middle of the ocean ... and they don't have any boats. Alex is fortunate to find a store where he can barter for food, and Alex discovers that the proprieator is willing to accept personal care items in exchange for canned goods. Alex can get some green beans and Campbell's chicken noodle soup for bars of soap.</p><p>That story element is actually steeped in fact. Sometimes that little bit of soap or lipstick is as valuable as food to a starving population. It's true. </p><p>During World War II, when there were shortages and rationing, cosmetic companies propagandized wearing make-up. According to <a href="https://warhawkairmuseum.org/blog/the-patriotism-of-beauty-grooming-fashion-during-wwii/">this article</a>, "maintaining a sense of glamour in day-to-day life was a way to retain dignity, bravery, and ... a little bit of fun." Likewise, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-11-vw-44675-story.html">stories from the Siege of Sarajevo</a> reveal that there were people who are willing to sell loaves of bread or cans of soup for a bit of soap or some lipstick. Wearing a bit of lipstick (or nail polish) is an opportunity to feel a little less like one is "just surviving", and a little more like one is living. It gives us back our humanity.</p><p>I have always used<a href="https://www.thepowerhour.com/news/items_disappearfirst.htm"> this list </a>as my guideline for what I should be considering important in my stocking up. At the end of the list of 100 items to stock is a list of eight recommendations from a survivor of the Sarajevo War/siege. Number 7 made me rethink the notion that beauty care items are unnecessary and frivilous. And it's the reason I was overwhelmed and incredibly appreciative for the gift of pretty nails from my friend. </p><p>When I saw that huge bag of nail strips, my thought was what an amazing gift my friend had given me. To her, it might just be nail polish. To me, it was a chance to feel a little prettier, and in a worstcase world, a little more human.</p><p>In the larger scheme of things, there's not much point in survival, if we lose our humanity, and it may seem a little silly, maybe even narcissistic, to place value on something as frivilous as painted nails, but in the end, for good or for bad, there will be someone who will be willing to trade a thing of value for some glamour.</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-43249971427520406652022-08-01T11:16:00.003-07:002022-08-01T11:16:33.650-07:00Where Did the Time Go?<p> I hadn't thought much about the fact that I haven't blogged most of this year, until I received a notfication of a comment from <a href="http://littlehomesteadinboise.blogspot.com/">Nancy</a>, basically, asking if things were okay up here in the northeast. </p><p>Yes, but clearly, I've been neglecting a part of my life that is important to me. I don't really have a reason that I haven't been blogging, except that, I guess I've felt a little full with other things and projects. </p><p>What's been happening since February?</p><p>Lots of great family stuff:</p><p></p><ul><li>Prodigal daughter returning from her internship on the other side of the equator. </li><li>The "baby" taking a job as a co-worker (of sorts) with her dad. Then, taking a second job. Then, deciding which of these two FULL-TIME jobs she wanted to keep, because working 80 hours a week is a lot for a teenager. It's been a really enlightening six months for her.</li><li>Visits from out-of-state family.</li><li>Deus Ex Machina spending every weekend since May hiking and/or kayaking, which has been amazing!</li><li>Attending some fun faires, festivals, and live shows (which we haven't done since 2019), and in general, very much enjoying the fact that we live in Maine, a.k.a. "Vacationland."</li><li>Making more time for old friends. </li></ul><p></p><p>Lots of great homestead stuff:</p><p></p><ul><li>Planting, tending, and harvesting the garden.</li><li>Doing some pickling/preserving (mostly eggs and jalepenos)</li><li>Still making soap.</li><li>Raising our annual allotment of meat birds.</li><li>Breeding our rabbits.</li><li>We are planning some home-renovations and improvements. The original plan was hire someone to do the work, but it looks like we're going to have to do-it-ourselves. Luckily, we have a lot of kids, and they are agreeing to help us out, which is amazing! I am a lucky mama!</li></ul><p></p><p>And working! </p><p></p><ul><li>If you recall, I started working at the library last October. I love my gig as a library assistant. It's a dream job, and I'm very much enjoying both the work and the people. I feel very fortunate to have the job, because it is very deeply and personally satisfying work. As I have said, many times over the years, the library is the BEST resource/service a community can provide for its residents. It is the ONE place that has something for every one! And I am very blessed to be a part of it.</li><li>I am also still serving the homeschool community as a resource teacher, and the summers are typically really busy with doing portfolio reviews. So, that's taken most of my free time. </li><li>And I am working on a novel. I have half-a-dozen novels I've attempted over the years in various stages of completion, but I have always gotten stuck and not been able to finish them. This time is a little different, because I started it differently, and so I'm hoping it will be the one that ultimately sees the bookstore shelves. It is, of course, a post-apocalyptic story. I mean, what else would one expect from me? </li></ul><p></p><p>So, thank you to Nancy, who reached out. I apologize for appearing to drop off the grid. I am still around and healthy and happy! Things are pretty much "normal" - whatever that means. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a little more regularly, starting probably in September, when the portfolio review season has ended.</p><p>Until next time, be well. Stay cool ... and hydrated!</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-53618296045818042782022-02-21T15:36:00.000-08:002022-02-21T15:36:02.682-08:00Why We Prep<p>I realized, today, that I've been prepping and writing about prepping for a decade and a half. This year marks eleven years since my first book (on prepping) was published and next year will be a decade since the book Deus Ex Machina and I co-authored was published. </p><p>I'm probably not the best prepper there is, though. I don't have a bunker in my back yard. I know. You're shocked.</p><p>I also don't have a bug-out "camp" tucked up in the unincorporated areas near Baxter State Park that's already stocked and just waiting for TEOTWAWKI so that we can begin living the life we really want to live. I'm sorry to disappoint.</p><p>My mantra has always been, "Do what you can with what you have where you are." And I have always planned to stay in my suburban home. I know there are preppers out there who are shaking their heads, thinking I'm silly, or worse ... doomed.</p><p>The thing is, that EVENT that we've all been preparing for is happening, right now. The last two years have seen serious natural disasters (and I'm not even including the virus), world wide financial devastation and hardship, increasing prices on everything from fuel to socks, and massive shortages on all manner of products from toilet paper to housing - at least here in the northeast, where even finding a place to rent is a challenge. This <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/food-shortages/"> article</a>, published just last week, details some of the current shortages people are likely to see at their local supermarket.</p><p>My goal, with prepping, has never been to have every thing I need forever stored in my house, and used on a rotational basis with lots of really keen calendars, bookkeeping, and spreadsheets with "best if used by" dates. I'm just not that organized, frankly.</p><p>My friend, <a href="https://farmanor.blogspot.com/">Larry Kollar</a>, commented on my <a href="https://milkingsquirrels.blogspot.com/2022/01/how-to-not-die-when-taps-go-dry-or-what.html">book review post</a>. He mentioned the really big issue with storing water, and that is, will it be good when we need it? And he is correct. How many of us, preppers, started buying up canned goods and supplies and storing those things in the extra bedroom, only to discover that many of those canned goods are now beyond their "use by" date? Or worse, checked the water storage to find that the plastic jugs of water are now leaking, because those plastic containers actually do break down over time. If we're not constantly using and resupplying those things, then, we've wasted our money. </p><p>And at this moment, right now, as I'm typing this, and thinking back over the last decade, I am incredibly thankful that I never invested in a 50lb bucket of wheat berries, because eight years ago, Deus Ex Machina was advised to eliminate gluten from his diet, and so we wouldn't be able to use them anyway, but also, would I have used them? My emergency storage food? Since there has been no, real, emergency, in which it was eat wheat berries or die? At best all of those wheat berries would have become chicken feed - not a bad thing, but then, if/when TSHTF we'd still be in the same situation we were in before buying a 50lb bucket of emergency rations - with no food.</p><p>I also don't have 50 gallons of water stored in the basement, nor do I have a well ... or a basement. </p><p>Fact is, I only have about a day's worth of stored water - in glass canning jars (which I can when I need to add extra jars to my canner because I'm canning a small batch of something). It's not much, but I'm not worried. </p><p>And I'm also not naive. I have been accused of such in the past, but the reality is that I do have something a lot more valuable than 50 gallons of water stored in leaky plastic jugs. I have the materials and the knowledge to make undrinkable water safe to drink.</p><p>For me, that's the point and primary reason to prep, at all. It's not to have everything we'll ever need or want stored up, but rather to have enough of a back-up of whatever we need so that we have TIME. My small supply of stored water gives us the time to collect unpotable water and make it safe - before we are in a severe state of dehydration. </p><p>I linked to an article above that lists 9 things that are in short supply at the grocery store right now. The implication is that we can't find those things, and the reality is that when we do, they will be a lot more expensive. A<a href="https://www.theorganicprepper.com/russian-fertilizer-export-ban/"> recent article</a> at the Organic Prepper cautions that we will, likely, experience some "sticker shock" in the next few months, due to a ban on fertilizer exports from Russia to the US, which will increase the cost of growing our nation's produce, which will increase the price of just about all food items.</p><p>That's the second reason I prep, because I don't like getting to the cash register with $200 only to find that my bill is more than the cash in my hand. That's not only mortifying, but it also means that I will have to make some quick, and likely, inefficient decisions. Having to make hasty decisions is usually not a good idea.</p><p>When the pandemic started two years ago, we started making some changes in the way we do things here. Most notably, I started shopping differently. Specifically, I started ordering from online companies, and I started ordering in bulk. I tried a bunch of different services, and finally, settled on three.</p><p>We get a weekly delivery from <a href="https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=COOKWME-KP2HUH">Misfits Market</a>**. In its early stages, Misfits only sourced and delivered produce, and their customers didn't really have a lot of choice on what they received. Misfits has completely transformed their business model, and now also sources other groceries, including pantry items like gluten-free bread. They don't have the variety that the grocery store offers, but they do have most of the products that we use.</p><p>What Misfits doesn't have, I have been able to find (mostly) on Boxed.com, which is a bulk ordering service - like Costco without the membership fee, or the need to visit the store and wheel around a cartload of heavy groceries.</p><p>All of our pet food purchases are now through Chewy.com.</p><p>Two things have happened since I started limiting my grocery store visits for things that I just absoluely can not find at either of those three places (i.e. local dairy and local meat, which I still buy at the closest little Mom&Pop grocery store).</p><p>The first is that we have saved an embarrassingly large amount of money. It's embarrassing to note how much I was spending, and to realize that a much too large portion of our weekly grocery bill was my inability to resist those impulse buys. We eat just as well, probably better, than we did back in those days when I was shopping in person, and our grocery bill is two-thirds of what it used to be.</p><p>Let that sink in for a second.</p><p>In actual dollars, while the rest of the world is watching their grocery bills sky rocket, I have actually spent less, because I changed how and where I bought groceries - but not really what we buy. We're still buying, mostly, the same things. Yeah. It is weird.</p><p>The second is that there is no sticker shock. Aside from the amazing conveniece of shopping with my fingers while I'm wearing "not pants" (a.k.a. pajamas) and drinking a cup of coffee, I can see my total AS I'm shopping, which means that those impulse items that rachet my bill higher than it should be, can be taken right out of that cart before I reach the check out. I can also increase/decrease quantities, or do a little price comparison, before I buy, without having to drive to Hannaford and drive to Shaw's and drive to wherever. Without having to spend hours scanning sales flyers.</p><p>It's as easy as open website A, open website B, and search for item. For instance, both Boxed.com and Misfits carry a particular brand of organic sugar. I can compare the prices at both places, and order from the place with the lowest price.</p><p>Interestingly, a side benefit of ordering online is that our gasoline bill has also gone down, because I'm not driving the 12 miles round trip to go weekly grocery shopping, which saves about $6/month. Not a lot, but it's something. </p><p>Thing is, after spending so many years in the prepper community, writing, reading, talking with other preppers, one begins to develop a different mindset, which has also been incredibly beneficial during these times. </p><p>For instance, when gas prices started increasing last fall, Deus Ex Machina started driving our more gas efficient car to work. It's that idea that we need to start making a change, and that willingness to do what needs to be done. Deus Ex Machina has a longer commute to get to work, and while he would certainly rather drive his beautiful truck with all of its bells and whistles, and I prefer my little sporty coupe, the truck gets half the gas mileage of the car. Even with the gas prices having almost doubled over the last several months, we have actually saved about $100/month with just that one, very simple change. </p><p>It also didn't hurt last fall that we live close enough that I can walk to work, and so I wasn't using any gas at all :). </p><p>My prepping isn't motivated by some innane idea that I can store up everything and thereby continue living the way we are living when things go south. I prep, because in doing so, I give myself and my family, time to adjust to the "new normal" with things that are familiar to us so that when we are no longer able to find those things, it won't be so sudden. It will be gradual, comfortable, like slipping into a pair of warm socks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">====================================</p><p>**This link is a referral code. If you follow the link and sign up with Misfits Market using my link, I will get a discount on my next purchase ... and I would be REALLY grateful!</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-7101184641110910262022-01-20T19:23:00.000-08:002022-01-20T19:23:14.586-08:00QuarantineOnly days after the mirror ball dropped in Times Square, Deus Ex Machina and I took the test and got the two pink lines.<div><br /></div><div>We spent two weeks hunkered down at home. The first five days, we didn't even leave the house, and then, we only left on a couple of occasions for contactless errands, like the several follow-up tests Deus Ex Machina had to take every few days for work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not gonna lie. It was pretty fun being cooped up with Deus Ex Machina. I, kind of, like hanging out with him. </div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't keep a actual quarantine diary, but I did post some blurbs on Facebook. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here's my "Quarantine Diary." </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quarantine day 6: </span></div><div><div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: I have a question. </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric:</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: If cinnamon grows in places like India and not Austria, why is cinnamon-flavored coffee "Viennese" coffee?</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric: Marco Polo.</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: *blink* </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric: </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Good answer.</div></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto">Quarantine Day 8:</div><div dir="auto">Eric: I'm glad I didn't lose my sense of taste, because your cooking is so good I would hate to not be able to taste it.
Quarantine day 10.
Cribbage final score: Eric: 121; Me: 120
Eric: it doesn't get much closer than that!</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Quarantine day 11:</div><div dir="auto">Me: I was thinking .... </div><div dir="auto">Eric: Good job!</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Quarantine day 12: COOKIES! Hooray for a well-stocked pantry!</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGtQK2bDR8gi9SH6MUO4bUBP_PMrjqXmUPql4LOdsQlamzIBwPo2I8_WkNsYkCxHkLYHo0_yFwRv3WA3f8E4BkirQ4RpZE8YRxh4MfvnTNGyXyopB5kaK0yNBWrG3ERQ85QLi2OOm3DaR8BkYWMza5bcDSZJExbqerbZBotwjSuIMLNvL0fHNt12tH=s720" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGtQK2bDR8gi9SH6MUO4bUBP_PMrjqXmUPql4LOdsQlamzIBwPo2I8_WkNsYkCxHkLYHo0_yFwRv3WA3f8E4BkirQ4RpZE8YRxh4MfvnTNGyXyopB5kaK0yNBWrG3ERQ85QLi2OOm3DaR8BkYWMza5bcDSZJExbqerbZBotwjSuIMLNvL0fHNt12tH=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oatmeal Chocolate Chip</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Quarantine Day 13 </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">And in a very cruel twist, nature has seen fit to give <i>Deus Ex Machina</i> unscented flatulence. I thought I was losing my sense of smell. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">=============================================</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I went back to my two-day-a-week job at the library this week. Deus Ex Machina has been working from home, but goes back to the office next week. </span></div></div></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div></div></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-87120460634371210202022-01-10T15:02:00.000-08:002022-01-10T15:02:01.464-08:00How to Not Die When the Taps Go Dry - Or What They Did Wrong and How You Could Do Better<p>Not sure if I mentioned it, or not, but I was hired as a part-time libary assistant back in October 2021, and I've spent the last few months in what has turned out to be my actual dream job (second only to blogging, which has, thus far, been an unpaid gig). One of the coolest things about working at a library is the ever-present opportunity to explore books. </p><p>A few weeks ago, I was straightening books in the Young Adult section, and I found a book that looked interesting. The title is <u>Dry</u>. It's co-written by the father-son duo Neal and Jarrod Shusterman and depicts a water emergency in southern California. </p><p>Southern California imports 67% of its water, much of it from the Colorado River Aqueduct. In the story, Nevada and Arizona, concerned about their own water resources, cut off the water to Southern California. With two-thirds of their water supply cut off, the government in Southern California shuts off the taps and reroutes all available water to emergency use only. So, places like hospitals and prisons still have water, but the average household is dry. </p><p>The thing is, what they describe, is not outside of the realm of possibility. Everyone who lives in Southern California knows that their water is an incredibly precious and LIMITED resource.</p><p>A few years ago, I stumbled on an article about a southern California town that had already run out of water, and when I was reading that book, I kept thinking about that article. When I started looking for articles about that town - thinking I would find something that was a few years old - I had so many hits for "California town without water," that I just grabbed the most recent ones. <a href="https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/06/california-water-drought-shortage-crisis-well-failure-teviston/">This article entitlted</a>, "An entire California town is without water - In a heat wave" is dated June 28, 2021 - less than a year ago. </p><p>The California town is small - about 700 people - which doesn't make it better. In the above mentioned book, the water runs out in Los Angeles, which would be a lot worse and affect a significantly larger population - like that of Cape Town in South Africa. <a href="https://time.com/cape-town-south-africa-water-crisis/">In 2018, they ran out of water</a>, and MILLIONS of people were affected. </p><p>Of course, Cape Town had a significant heads up. They've known since the 1990s that running out of water was a likelihood - not just a possibility, but YES, it's going to happen. And so they took measures ... kind of like <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/california-imposes-water-restrictions-as-drought-drags-on/2770273/">what's happening right now in southern California</a>, where there is a years long (maybe decades long) drought STILL. </p><p>I've always said I wouldn't live in a drought-prone area, where the likelihood of running out of water looms like a turkey vulture over the carcass of a roadkill squirrel. </p><p>But, lest we get too comfortable and, dare I say, apathetic. <a href="https://www.wmtw.com/article/expanding-drought-in-maine-could-have-long-lasting-effects/36845511#">It can happen here, too</a>. </p><p>In the novel, <u>Dry</u>, the taps just shut off. There is no advance warning (except, of course, the YEARS of water restrictions, etc.). But in the book, one day there's water flowing from the taps, and the next day ... not. </p><p>And then, the whole place goes bezerk. </p><p>There were a lot of things that tweaked me about the novel, the first and foremost being, if one has CHOSEN to live in a drought prone area where the likelihood of water shortages is very high, why would one not have a stockpile of water - always? Doesn't FEMA tell us to have a three day supply of X, Y, and Z always on hand? It doesn't have to be a big stockpile, but enough for three days, at least, which is one gallon of water per person per day - so for a family of four, there should be a stockpile of 12 gallons of water somewhere in the house. </p><p>In the book, the water shortage lasted for a week. One can live without water for three days. If everyone had had a three-day supply of water (the recommended on gallon per person per day), and then, rationed that water to the minimum to survive (which is 32 ounces in a temperate climate if the person is not doing any strenuous activity), one could stretch one's water supply to almost two weeks without risking death. One gallon of water could last one person four days with really strict rationing. </p><p>If every family in the book had had 12 gallons of water stockpiled, there wouldn't have been a story. Just sayin'. </p><p>What bothers me is that authors depicted most of the characters as being wholly and completely unprepared to live a few days without water from the tap, especially considering that the authors are FROM southern California. And my question is: <i>really</i>? Is the average person living in So. Cal. so arrogant and entitled with such an egregious lack of self-preservation that they don't have ANY water on hand? Or anything else to drink in their house? Certainly, water is the best, but soda, juice, or even milk would keep one from dying from dehydration. </p><p>I don't know anyone from California, but what they described would be pretty much akin to living in Maine without a heat source. There are plenty of examples of people dying, in their homes, when the heat goes out - mostly from not being prepared to not have their usual heat source. When the characters in the book (who live in a drought prone area) lose their single water source, they don't have a back-up. That's foolhardy.</p><p>Not having an emergency supply of water was the biggest and worst mistake that the characters made, but it wasn't the only. </p><p>As I was reading the story, I identified half a dozen different things that one or more of the characters did wrong from a survival standpoint, and here I will offer suggestions of things they could have done that would have made things a lot easier for them.</p><p>1. <b>Shopping for the Wrong Stuff</b></p><p>The story opens with the taps running dry. Obviously, this is a regular occurence, as the characters don't really get worried until they are several hours into the <i>drought </i>before they think, "Hey, maybe I should head over to the Costco and buy some bottled water." </p><p>Problem is, that by the time they decide to make a run to the store, <i>everyone else</i> has thought the same thing, and the store is a madhouse. I'm not sure what they expected. Or maybe everyone just doesn't think like me. If everyone is running toward something, I tend to move in the opposite direction, because whatever's happening over there is probably not good. </p><p>That said, since they were woefully unprepared, there was little they could do, and they really did need to go and get some supplies. Problem is that they didn't think beyond what they believed they needed. The main character runs into the store and heads straight to the bottled water aisle - where everyone else is. **See above. If everyone is heading in that direction, find a new path.</p><p>In a stroke of genius, she grabs bagged ice instead. At that point, I had high hopes for the characters' survival potential, but it wouldn't last long. </p><p>Because some guy at the store, quickly realizing what a great idea she has with the ice, tries to steal her cart (but don't get me started on ranting about how quickly things always degenerate in these books. They aren't even half a day into this emergency and all hell is already breaking lose, which seems unrealistic from what I've seen in real-life emergency situations).</p><p>The ice was a good idea, but there are about half a dozen other things she could have bought that not. one. single. water-crazed person would have taken a second glance at. </p><p>When I mentioned the issue to my daughter asking her what else they could have purchased, her immediate response was "Watermelon." </p><p>Yes! There are dozens of different foods that are rich in water content, and if the characters had taken just a few minutes to think about what they like <b><i>to eat</i></b> when they are really hot (and thirsty), they probably would have headed straight to the produce aisle. </p><p>Watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, apples, pineapple, coconut - all good food sources for helping to keep one hydrated. </p><p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/19-hydrating-foods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_21">This article</a> lists nineteen water-rich foods, several of which were a surprise. I don't, personally, like diary when I'm really thirsty, but according to the article yogurt and skim milk are good options, and I guess they would be better than dying from lack of water. <br /></p><p>There are other aisles in the store where they could have found very useful liquids. The baking aisle has coconut milk and canned condensed milk. They could have headed to the canned food aisle. Broths (also mentioned in the above linked article) and canned fruit (preferably in a light syrup) could also be useful. The baby aisle has pedialyte. </p><p>Even the alcohol aisle has some good choices. While we should probably stay away from the alcohol, which is dehydrating, some drink mixers and the club soda would have been useful. </p><p>Water is the best choice, of course, but in this sort of scenario, even <a href="https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/does-soda-cause-dehydration">sugary sodas</a> would be a better option than <b>nothing at all - </b>which is how the story plays out.</p><div><br /></div><p>2. <b>Shopping at the Wrong Store</b></p><p>So, they went to the Costco and bought ice, and then, went home. That was it. They went home, and they stayed home, and they didn't look anywhere else to purchase supplies. </p><p>I like to play a little thought exercise, where I put myself into the story, and I imagine where I could go to get those supplies that doesn't involve the grocery store. </p><p>Wait. Who am I kidding? I do this in real-life, too. </p><p>I don't really enjoy shopping, in general, and I really hate when I just need one or two quick things, but I have to walk through the entire 47,000 sq ft store just to get some half-and-half for my coffee. Just for reference, an acre is 40,000 sq ft and is the amount of land one man and a mule can plow in a day - just some food for thought, the next time you're in the grocery store. If I'm at the grocery store, not only am I at risk for purchasing half a dozen other things I don't REALLY need, but it also takes a lot longer to get those one or two little things than it needs to, because it's such a long walk.</p><p>So, I've thought about other places I can go to get those small things. Water when the taps go dry isn't a "small" thing, BUT the chances are that most people are going to head to Hannaford or Sam's Club for water, rather than go to those smaller stores I would head to if all I need is half-and-half. </p><p>Case in point: when the shelves at the big Hannaford store down the road were emptied of anything in a can, I visited my local Mom&Pop store. They had plenty of everything, albeit fewer brand choices. So, I can get tomato sauce, but maybe not the "organic" brand of strained tomatoes I might usually purchase. </p><p>Of course, that Mom&Pop is getting more popular these days, and during the summer, it's the main store for the tourists who invade my town, but there are still other choices that would be less populated, at least at the very beginning of the emergency.</p><p>Within a six mile radius of my house, there are five boutique grocery stores, two fish markets, two Mom&Pop stores, two dollar stores, and more convenience stores than I can even remember right now. In fact, in less than those six miles, I could drive a loop and hit the Mom&Pop, a Walgreens, the Family Dollar and the Dollar General (which are right across from each other - don't know who thought that was a good use of land space), and seven convenience stores. </p><p>And I could stop for coffee and pick-up a pizza on the way back to my house. </p><p>If I ran into each establishment, and bought just a gallon of water, it would take less than an hour, and I would have eleven gallons of water - just about enough to do my family for three days, without rationing, and without having to fight other shoppers.</p><p>And I would have coffee and pizza. </p><p>When the characters went to Costco, and it was a bust (except the ice), and then, they didn't even try to find water any place else, I was more than a little disappointed. </p><p><br /></p><p>3. <b>Improperly Storing the Supplies</b></p><p>When the main character gets to the Costco and discovers that there are no beverages at all in any aisle, the ice idea was pure genius. I have to give it to the authors for coming up with that idea. Kudos! Because I don't think I would have thought of that. In my above loop, at all of those small groceries and convenience stores, I could also grab a bag of ice and be home before the ice melted. </p><p>Unfortunately, the genius of that particular character began and ended with that one stroke, because next thing we know, she's home with her many bags of ice, and instead of putting that ice - <i>that is going to be their sole water supply for no one knows how long - </i>in a secure, clean vessel where it won't get contaminated, they decide to empty the bags into the bathtub. Okay, I will give them a bit of a break, because it was hot and the ice was melting, but seriously? They took the time to clean the tub and seal up the drain so it wouldn't leak (thanks to advice and supplies from their prepper neighbors - more on those guys in a minute). </p><p>I guess, living in a house with dogs and cats that like to get into the tub, I would think twice about storing the water I intended to drink in my tub. Instead, I would look for containers where I could store the water more safely. </p><p>The fact is that they do have a dog, and while the dog does not contaiminate the water, it does get contaminated, and then, they are back to square one with trying to find water to drink. <span></span></p><p>So, instead of the tub, they could have found a better place to store the water. In the kitchen, there are probably dozens and dozens of storage options. I, personally, have canning jars, storage containers, bowls with lids, and pots and pans galore. And water bottles! Most of which have a neck opening big enough to fit ice cubes. Nearly everyone in suburbia has a cooler, and for those who don't, there were probably lots of coolers at the Costco that they could have purchased. I have two. Deus Ex Machina and I both have a camelback for hiking. </p><p>My guess is that the average household has a lot of storage capacity and some place much safer to store their emergency water supply than their bathtub.</p><p>4. <b>Believing in the </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Deus Ex Machina</i> (and here, I do not mean my "Deus Ex Machina - I mean the dramatic God in the Machine that will come down and save them all)</p><p>There's a very common narrative, these days, maybe all days, that someone else needs to be responsible for making our lives better. </p><p>The government should take care of us. They should give us a free education. They should pay our medical bills (FREE health care for ALL!! is an inalienable right, or so I hear). They should pay our car payment, and mortgage, and phone bill when we lose our jobs. They should give us free food, and heat, and clothes, and in general, keep us safe and take care of us, like a benevolent parent. </p><p>The problem is that the government can often be pinpointed as the one who caused the problem, or, at very least, the government's unwillingness to take appropriate action caused the issue.</p><p>True story: In the late 1970s a group of scientists, economists, and government officials had a conference, during which they discussed climate change. That is, in the 1970s, BEFORE what is happening today with these super storms, massive wildfires, and decades of drought, these people knew what was going to happen, because they had data that predicted it, and before any of it started, they had the opportunity to come up with a plan to mitigate the worst of what we are currently seeing. Maybe they couldn't completely reverse the trend, but they could have done something and chose to do nothing, because doing something, back then, would have put the world into economic turmoil. They figured they had 50 years before they had to worry about it. My lifetime, and here we are. Nothing was done. And here we are.</p><p>So, the idea that the government, or anyone else, will come along and make it better, and waiting for that to happen, is foolhardy. </p><p>Many of the characters ultimately adopt a self-help attitude, realizing that they are kind of on their own, but initially, they sit around waiting for help, which ends up being a fatal action for too many. </p><p>When my power goes out, I don't sit around waiting for someone to come to my house and fix anything. I go about my day, much as I do when I have electricity - with some modifications. We use candles, oil lamps, or our solar lanterns instead of the overhead lights. We're more careful when we open the fridge and freezer to keep things inside cold. We cook on the woodstove rather than relying on the electric stove and cooktop.</p><p>If I sat around waiting for help, firstly, I would be very disappointed, and secondly, I would get hungry and cold. Worstcase, waiting around for someone to help could mean that I wait too long to help myself, which ends up being the case for some of the characters in the story.</p><p style="text-align: center;">=========</p><p>The story was written as if the characters seemed sure that they were making wise decisions, but the lack of common sense was bothersome. Still, I might give a pass to the average suburbanite for being oblivious. There is a general concensus that those of us in the suburbs are kind of entitled and self-centric, believing that someone will fix it for us, but there was one family in the novel who were preppers, and some of the biggest mistakes in the story were made by that family. I'm not sure if the authors were poking fun at preppers in general, or just making their own brand of preppers seem a little Abbott and Costello, but they weren't painted in a very positive light. They were described, from the beginning, as being "weird" or "odd." </p><p>The problem is that the preppers were not very prepared for what was actually going to happen, which is silly, since they live in southern California, and having no water SHOULD be THE thing they are preparing for (like here in Maine, THE thing I prepare for is losing electricity during a winter storm). They thought they were prepared, because they had all of these supplies, and water, and a solar array for back-up power, and even a bug-out location, but the fact is that they had isolated themselves so completely from the rest of the community that everyone knew they were up to something, and when it came down to it, the prepper family ended up being a target rather than a member of the community.</p><p>And it didn't have to be that way.</p><p>It could have ended so much differently for them. While all of the characters made some really stupid decisions, in my opinion, the ones who should have been most prepared made the worst of them. </p><p>The next few items are things everyone should avoid, but are definitely mistakes the prepper family made. </p><p>5. <b>Isolating Oneself from One's Neighbors</b></p><p>Most of us are never going to go through the full-societal breakdown described in the book <u>Dry.</u> It <i>could</i> happen, but it's not likely. </p><p>If it did, though, I fully expect that my neighbors and I would be collaborating. I don't know what, if anything, my neighbors might have that could help me in a worstcase scenario, and I don't know what they believe I might have, but by sharing our resources, it's possible that all of us could survive.</p><p>A few years ago, we had a massive ice storm that knocked out power to most of Maine. There were communities that didn't get their power restored for weeks. </p><p>Here at Chez Brown, we had a propane water heater with a pilot light, which means we still had hot water. We also have a woodstove. So, we could take hot showers. Our house was warm, and we could heat water for coffee and tea and cook dinner on the woodstove. </p><p>I let my neighbors know that we had these resources. I let them know they could come over and take a hot shower (in a dark bathroom, but still a hot shower). I let them know we had hot coffee and tea, and I even opened a standing dinner invitation. I let my local family members know. </p><p>My friend stopped by for a few hours with her kids on one of the days, and we baked bread on the woodstove in my Dutch oven and our kids played together. </p><p>It's possible that she might have, eventually, felt entitled to what I had, but it's very unlikely that she would have tried to take my home, with the woodstove, by force. Worstcase might have been that she would have tried to move in with us, but that's unlikely, too. More likely, things would shift, and a few weeks into the emergency, there would be an opportunity for her to purchase her own woodstove, or a generator to run her own heating system. </p><p>If the preppers had allowed themselves to share, even just a little more than they did, they might not have ended up in as tragic a situation as they did. </p><p><br /></p><p>7. <b>Broadcasting Your Preps</b></p><p>Like many prepper novels, the emergency has a cascading effect. It's like those old-timey strings of Christmas lights. One light goes out, they all go out! First one system goes down, and then, they all go down. In this novel, first the water stops, and then the electricity goes out. </p><p>The prepper family, who has water and food and a solar array, are sitting in their comfortable, air conditioned home with the lights blazing, watching some very loud television show, when the rest of the neighborhood goes dark, and quiet. </p><p>It's like being the only house in the neighborhood with a noisy generator during a massive power outage. Lights blazing in a blackout is a sure way to draw attention to the fact that you're different, and maybe there's something inside that fortress that everyone else might want ... need?</p><p>If we're trying to keep a low profile as preppers, then, being as similar to the other houses in the neighborhood as possible would be prudent, unless they are always using their solar array, and everyone in the neighborhood KNOWS that they have the solar array. </p><p>In which case, like I did with my friends and neighbors by extending an invitation into my warm, wood-heated home during the power outage, they should have been prepared to at least, invite the neighbors inside to enjoy the cool air. No water AND sweating it out is a really bad formula for creating desparation. If the neighbors could have gotten a reprieve from the heat, maybe they would have been less quick to mob the house for the water they assumed was inside. </p><p>I was appalled when the prepper family was sitting in their air-conditioned living room watching television, oblivious to the fact that no one else had lights. As a literary device it could be considered foreshadowing, if it hadn't been so smack-you-in-the-face obvious that the prepper family was already a target.</p><p>And as paranoid as they were depicted before the SHTF, one would think they would have known better than to broadcast.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. <b>Focusing on Supplies Instead of Skills.</b></p><p>My prepper question "... and then what?" </p><p>Deus Ex Machina's old friend from high school is a curriculum coordinator for our local Adult Ed program, and she contacted him a while back about the possibility of having us propose a class. He and I started discussing what we might teach, and the one that stuck was a preparedness/survival course, similar to one I taught for our homeschooling co-op. One of the class days would focus on securing drinkable water. </p><p>In the class I did with my homeschoolers, we built a simple water filter. For this class, I wanted to do something different, especially after reading this book, and so Deus Ex Machina and I started talking about ways to make water or ways to make undrinkable water safe to drink. By undrinkable, I'm not talking about pond water. As hikers, we have several Life Straws and other hiking-centric filter options. For here at home, I'd have a Berkey filter, which would do the job just as well as any filter I could build.</p><p>But what one can not do is filter saltwater and make it drinkable. </p><p>In the novel, a couple of days into the water emergency, word gets out that the local authorities have set-up water desalination equipment on the beach. </p><p>The result is predictable. Tens of thousands of people head down to the beach to get water. Only sucking water straight from the ocean and desalinating it is not how the machines were designed to work. The water should have been filtered. Seaweed clogs the machines. Thirsty people get angry when they can't get water. Blah. Blah. Violence. </p><p>What bothered me is that there is SO MUCH information available on very simple ways that the average Joe can distill water. <a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Water-in-the-Desert"> This article</a> describes a couple of ways to get water that are super simple. It won't give much water, but enough so that one won't die. </p><p>To be fair, the prepper does show his neighbor how to get water from the drought-hardy plants the neighbor has replaced his lawn with, but that's the extent of his knowledge on how to procure water, which was very disappointing, to me. As someone who lives in a drought-prone area, I would think that he would know how to get water for a variety of sources, including making a solar still (as described in the link above). </p><p>Like the characters in this novel, I live in a seaside community, and so while there are a lot of options for getting fresh water, what I wanted to teach my class was how to distill water from saltwater. I mean, the reality is that I've wanted to learn to play with making a home distiller, anyway, and being able to make a saltwater distiller would be a great way to experiment with it.</p><p>I posed the question to Deus Ex Machina, my engineer, and as aways, he came through. </p><p>Using a regular sauce pan with a tight-fitting lid with a stream vavle on top and three metal straws, we made fresh drinkable water from saltwater. It was only a couple of sips each, but it worked! Using only materials that we had around the house, we were able to make a distiller. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-wFiFdwAE">This video</a> has the same idea. Using just two glass bottles and sand, the videographer distills water. </p><p>Of course, my ultimate dream would be to make a distiller using my pressure cooker. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-SY1rSqQw">This video</a> illustrates one way to turn a pressure cooker into a still. </p><p>My goal would not be to turn my pressure canner/cooker into a still, but rather to USE my pressure canner/cooker as a still, and the only thing I need to make it happen is copper tubing. We measured the size of the steam valve on my pressure canner/cooker and with a very cursory search found 10' of 1/2" copper tubing at my local Ace Hardware. </p><p>Which also happens to be within that 4 mile radius loop of stores I could visit to get water (that I mention above). </p><p>As a prepper, the best thing I can do is learn to DO stuff with what I have, or stock the supplies that help me make what I need. So, yes, store some water, but ALSO have the tools one needs to make whatever water supply is available into drinkable water, and have the skills to make it happen.</p><p>As a note: Amazon sells a water distiller for around $120. I'm disappointed that the preppers in the story, who were of the "buy shit" variety of preppers, didn't have a water distiller from Amazon.com. </p><p style="text-align: center;">========</p><p>The novel <u>Dry</u> is a well written, engaging piece of young adult fiction, and I did enjoy reading it. </p><p>I also recommend others read it, as entertainment (for those who like doomer fiction), but also as a really good 'how-NOT-to' guide for getting through an emergency. </p><p>That is how NOT to die in a worstcase scenario, and we can start by having, at least, the minimum recommended emergency stash. </p><p>Have you read <u>Dry</u>? What did you think?</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-36939909861582656992021-12-08T12:03:00.002-08:002021-12-08T12:03:33.109-08:00Making Stuff, Or Why I Will Never Be a Marie Kondo Convert <p>Precious and I headed out to the store the other day. I had a very short list of things for which I was searching. Among the items was a storage basket for Deus Ex Machina. He has been working on this project, and he's in the production phase, which means he has a bunch of materials for making this product he has engineered. Unfortunately, the way that he was storing said items was ... well, kind of messy, and kind of in the way, especially if we intend to put up a Holiday tree, which I do ... intend to do.</p><p>My plan was to get a basket to stash his stuff, which could, then, be stored under the bench at our dining room table (where he is doing most of his work anyway). I've probably mentioned it before, but we don't have a lot of storage space in my house. We don't have very many closets, cabinets, drawers, or nooks. So, I use baskets, a lot. Not only are baskets wonderful for taming miscellaneous clutter, but they're also kind of cute and fit with my overall "functional homestead" decor. </p><p>So, we headed over to the Christmas Tree Shop, which is right next door to Michael's. I figured one or the other place would have what I was looking for.</p><p>The Christmas Tree Shop, sort of, had what I was looking for. They didn't have any baskets, but they did have cloth storage boxes - 2 for $9.99. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but with no other good choices, I grabbed the package of two and headed for the cash register,</p><p>But, then, we saw the LINE! There were two registers open with a line that wended its way in a zigzag through the store, 30 FULL carts deep in BOTH lines.</p><p>Have I mentioned that I hate waiting? </p><p>Precious, who usually likes to shop, took one look at that line and channeled me.</p><p>"That's a long line," she says.</p><p>"Yep," I replied.</p><p>We decided that nothing we were holding was worth that wait, put our stuff back, and headed next door to Michael's.</p><p>We walked through the doors and were immediately struck by the empty shelves. It was surreal. The last time I saw shelves that empty was the toilet paper aisle at Hannaford from March to June 2020. </p><p>Undaunted, we continued on our mission to find a storage container and headed more deeply into the store. After the third lap around the store, I had to admit that there were no baskets. Wait. What? <i>There were no baskets? </i>Michael's always has baskets and boxes, and cute little storage containers. Always. I was shocked and disappointed. </p><p>And we left, empty-handed ... again.</p><p>After that, we were done and headed back home, defeated.</p><p>But I think, if I had bought something that I didn't really want, I would have been more disappointed in having spent the money.</p><p>The truth is that times like these are good for me, because they remind me that I, usually, have the skill, knowledge, and ability to make my own whatever it is that I'm looking to buy. Baskets are no exception.</p><p>In fact, a few weeks ago, Deus Ex Machina and I spent a lovely Saturday morning at a basket-weaving workshop where we learned to make baskets out of Bittersweet, which is an invasive vine here in southern Maine. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCY4hcQtoXzQPhz1VPv0rKh9oX1CnjMUz9h7vy97e6XzH_SuXarkqkKMAbK8CNe9ovHjY2nAXBqx5HRxIdqNAnp86aTJkNVjbC1-dWDgee4cPW_ckKf9VuAF_lPT38W8OAiZ_0MD4cpECKAQaCCpEUG8v2He1TNX9TlNVKN4QW-636aYu_wGbXO9sS=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCY4hcQtoXzQPhz1VPv0rKh9oX1CnjMUz9h7vy97e6XzH_SuXarkqkKMAbK8CNe9ovHjY2nAXBqx5HRxIdqNAnp86aTJkNVjbC1-dWDgee4cPW_ckKf9VuAF_lPT38W8OAiZ_0MD4cpECKAQaCCpEUG8v2He1TNX9TlNVKN4QW-636aYu_wGbXO9sS=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>What's funny is that Deus Ex Machina and I started making baskets out of barn rope many years ago using the same technique that we learned in the workshop. I know how to make baskets.<p></p><p>And because I'm not a Marie Kondo convert, but rather a very skilled prepper, I often have the supplies on hand to make exactly what I need - or, as we were reminded in the workshop, I can usually find what I need, in this case, by going out in my yard and cutting back some invasive Bittersweet vine.</p><p>For Deus Ex Machina's storage basket or box, I wanted something square or rectangular rather than circular. So, the basket weaving wasn't my first choice. </p><p>After I couldn't buy what I wanted, my plan was to repurpose a cardboard box into a storage container that didn't look like a cardboard box. </p><p>When Precious and I returned home from our failed shopping trip the other day, I found the perfect box. My plan was to cover it with fabric. Then, I remembered that we had some twine rope. I don't even recall where we got it, or when. I'm pretty sure that it's been stored under a bed or on a shelf for the half of this century. I found it, today, stashed in our under-the-bed drawers. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEJHMTBKLxsJN4DUl1j3gpkOhVBmd6daHUyicCWQVIT4IhDR6uQcxKpvDNVUbAZRH6nO7OQwkRkDdro66h4lc3J-cf9vjkR3WIsdi51SMfLUeLCTlZh44fL7GQSuIXGQsbdNS2I-xqpKB41HTHi9_vvEcZCp_LGVRYHYcCDAiiIGTlRQskIcg2WD4B=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEJHMTBKLxsJN4DUl1j3gpkOhVBmd6daHUyicCWQVIT4IhDR6uQcxKpvDNVUbAZRH6nO7OQwkRkDdro66h4lc3J-cf9vjkR3WIsdi51SMfLUeLCTlZh44fL7GQSuIXGQsbdNS2I-xqpKB41HTHi9_vvEcZCp_LGVRYHYcCDAiiIGTlRQskIcg2WD4B=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><p>We also have a hot glue gun, because while I'm not terribly crafty, we did homeschool, which means I have a lot of craft supplies and tools. </p><p>And so, using what I had on hand, I made a storage container. It's lined with one of Deus Ex Machina's holey polo shirts, because I often keep old clothes, too, which eventually become something else - like rag rugs, or quilts, ... or the lining of a box-turned-basket. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv8Q3CrW24Tfx2M5MFXWnDbC4tQLA5Fcq1vJMpAeywNTvyhWFktdw3futvwTP7xVIQF6yssROSl864fzfln34OEedKbFUYLMSQS8nU7bKIHJa9_Imy1HgFpJ8DOd3QB0WvI1xLyaqIcLbnz6N_3gw-WY86KFUsGAxD2bRjK4W4wD9SlBD3uquWAPut=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv8Q3CrW24Tfx2M5MFXWnDbC4tQLA5Fcq1vJMpAeywNTvyhWFktdw3futvwTP7xVIQF6yssROSl864fzfln34OEedKbFUYLMSQS8nU7bKIHJa9_Imy1HgFpJ8DOd3QB0WvI1xLyaqIcLbnz6N_3gw-WY86KFUsGAxD2bRjK4W4wD9SlBD3uquWAPut=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Including the cost of the glue sticks for my hot glue gun, my homemade basket only cost $2. </p><p><a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/bassaeng-basket-jute-natural-00498721/">This similar basket</a> at IKEA is $12.99. </p><p>By making my own, I saved $10.99. </p><p>And the hour I saved by not standing in a very long line to purchase something that would only sort of do what I needed, I spent being creative, and I probably saved a lot more, anyway, because the reality is that I would have probably made a few impulse purchases while waiting in that line. </p><p>Sometimes I get annoyed when the clutter starts to overflow my living spaces, but in the end, I know that I can never fully embrace the whole Marie Kondo lifestyle, because while that rope didn't give me any particular joy until I used it for something I needed, the storage basket I made, DOES give me a great deal of joy. It's functional, and it's pretty. If I had taken MK's advice, I wouldn't have been able to make that lovely container. </p><p>For me, there has to be a balance of keeping vs. throwing away, because sometimes deciding that an item is not worth keeping based on whether or not it "brings joy" in the present, could result in a missed opportunity for joy in the future. </p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-48500979599962474212021-11-12T12:09:00.003-08:002021-11-12T12:09:48.963-08:00Will Your Thanksgiving be Depletion or Abundance?<p>I love all of the news reports about shortages this holiday season. And by love, what I mean to say is that I find it amusing, but also worrisome, because the general flavor of the reporting falls firmly into that fearmongering that has been so much a part of the narrative for too long. </p><p>The message is "Be worried!" "You're going to be deprived!" "Your family is going to starve!" </p><p>Really? </p><p>I mean, is it the worst thing, ever, to NOT have a turkey at Thanksgiving? </p><p>There have been many Thanksgivings here at Chez Brown at which a turkey was not only NOT featured as part of our Harvest meal, but we didn't even have turkey on the table. One year we had rabbit, because we raise rabbits, and they are, actually, a part of our harvest. One year we had lobster, because we live in Maine and lobster is local, to us. One year everything we had was local, and some of it was even foraged. We made an "acorn pie" using a pecan pie recipe and subbing acorns for pecans and our own maple syrup for the corn syrup the recipe called for.</p><p>Recently, I saw a report that stuffing is going to be in short supply. What? The fact is that "<a href="https://www.spendwithpennies.com/easy-stuffing-recipe/">stuffing</a>" is super easy to make, right at home, with ingredients most people already have in their kitchens. Bread (mine's gluten free, and any bread item will do. I've made it with hotdog buns cut into cubes). Broth or water. Sage and other herbs. Butter. Onions. I use celery salt rather than actual celery. Stuffing does NOT have to be something that we don't get at Thanksgiving, because there aren't enough boxes of the premade stuff to go around. Just sayin'.</p><p>I read these reports ... well, mostly just the headlines, and I just shake my head. </p><p>And I wonder what the end game is for the people who are doing the reporting, or for the people who are asking that the story be told. What do they want US to do?</p><p>At the beginning of 2020, when there were reports of this pandemic happening in other parts of the world, and then, when it became clear that it was happening here, too, the grocery store shelves were stripped of all sorts of (to me) very strange items. Nearly anything in a can or a box was snatched up. There was no pasta or pasta sauce. The cereal aisle was pretty empty. In fact, most things in the center of the store - the premade stuff - was gone. </p><p>But there were plenty of eggs and flour for making pasta, and the produce aisle was as well-stocked as always. I even found tomatoes for $0.25/lb. Yes, that was 25 CENTS! per pound. </p><p>The problem was that those people who believed the headlines and ran out to the stores to get prepared were then criticized and called "hoarders." During that time, I actually saw a commentary by the food banks about how people should not be "hoarding" food, because then, the food banks won't get any of it, and they won't have anything to give their clients. Say, what? </p><p>I think the biggest problem is that too many folks just don't know how or don't have the time or energy to cook for themselves, and they depend on boxed and prepared foods. As prices continue to rise, this fact will make getting good food harder for the people who depend on convenience.</p><p>My daughter is in the kitchen right now. She's making lunch for herself and her boyfriend. Lunch is a bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese, hashbrows (grated potato and onion, fried in butter), and sauteed broccoli with crumbled feta. It smells as yummy as it sounds. </p><p>And not. one. thing. in that meal came in a box. The sausage is from our pig share. The eggs are from our chickens. The broccoli is from my garden. The potatoes and onion are from the farmstand. The butter and cheese are both from local creameries. The bagels are a local bakery. </p><p>I don't think my daughter is too worried about shortages this Thanksgiving. I think she's pretty confident that whatever we have, it will be good, and she won't be hungry.</p><p>The point, for me, is to be grateful and "give thanks" for the bounty of the harvest. Getting fixated on the need to include very specific food items is not a part of the day for my family.</p><p><br /></p><p>Our "harvest meal" this year will be something like:</p><p>Ham (part of our pig share) or smoked chicken</p><p>GF sourdough bread </p><p>potatoes, probably boiled and whipped</p><p>Brussels sprouts or Kale, or both</p><p>Baked brie with a blueberry topping</p><p>Pumpkin pie or custard, if we have enough eggs. </p><p><br /></p><p>If we believe we are being deprived, then we will feel deprived. I choose not to feel deprived, and to be bit more resilient than those who are listening to the news and worrying that they won't have everything they need to make Thanksgiving a feast. We'll have a feast, or at very least, just a nice meal.</p><p>The next day, I'll slice up some potatoes, make a cheese sauce, add the leftover ham, top with the leftover stuffing or cubed sourdough bread, and bake for a cheesy potato casserole. Sounds yummy, and even without boxed stuffing and a turkey, I'm pretty sure our bellies will be full. </p><p>And that's what matters, right?</p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-75193485871927561722021-11-04T05:13:00.000-07:002021-11-04T05:13:54.425-07:00Throwback Thursday - 21 Days Until Collapse<p>In September 2008, I participated in a thought exercise that ultimately led to the writing of <u>Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs: the Thrivalist's Guide to Life Without Oil.</u></p><p>The challenge, <a href="http://justicedesserts.blogspot.com/2008/09/21-day-challenge-starts-now.html">launched by G4s (Backyard) Homestead</a>, was to imagine that we knew in 21 days something catastrophic was going to happen that would change the world as we knew it. It was the imminent TEOTWAWKI. </p><p>What's funny is that, today, here in our world, 13 years later, the <i>end of the world as we know it</i> has happened. We had a pandemic. Our economy is in shambles. We are experiencing massive shortages of everything from dog food to automobiles. Everyone is (finally) admitting that Climate Change is a reality we are going to have to learn to live with as the weather gets weirder and more severe.</p><p>What's disturbing is that I haven't really seen any significant changes in people's behaviors. </p><p>Or maybe I have.</p><p>I met a woman at work the other day who has moved here from away to set up an off-grid homestead. she had a LOT of questions. I haven't met anyone, in person or online, in a very long time who was a "back-to-the-lander." I almost gave her a copy of my book to check out. If she comes back, I will. </p><p>But most people seem to be just hanging on to what they have, with no thought to what they will do as that life they knew pre-2020 doesn't return. Like twigs in a flood - being tossed by the turbulent water with no control and no idea where they will end up. </p><p>The temperature (finally) dropped below freezing last night. It was our first frost of the year. It's November. That's unusual.</p><p>In response to the warmer weather we've had, I planted peas in late September. They never flowered (to become peas), but the stalks are lovely. We can eat the leaves, and if not us, I can feed them to my rabbits. It's something.</p><p>Today's post is from back in 2008, when I was participating in the exercise inspired by G4s.</p><p>Enjoy! </p><p>And let me know what you're doing in response to what's happening in the world. </p><p style="text-align: center;">================================ </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #999999; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-align: left;">Sunday,
September 21, 2008</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in;"><a name="9005760661813346721"></a>
<a href="http://happilyhome.blogspot.com/2008/09/collapse-t-minus-eighteen-days-and.html"><span style="color: #5588aa;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>Collapse:
T-Minus Eighteen Days ... and Counting</b></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><b>
</b></span></span></span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I
have it on </i></span></span></span><a href="http://justicedesserts.blogspot.com/2008/09/21-day-challenge-starts-now.html"><span style="color: #5588aa;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>good
authority</i></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
that collapse is imminent. We have eighteen days. </i></span></span></span>
</p><p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0.07in; margin-top: 0.07in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</span></span></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Yesterday,
I read the book </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Christmas
After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
from the Dear America Series. For the past two or three years (since
I first heard about Peak Oil), I've been obsessed with 1930's
literature and stories about the Great Depression. I finally read
</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ironweed</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
by William Kennedy. The book is lauded as one of the 100 Top 20th
Century Books written in English. I was expecting </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Grapes of Wrath</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">,
but unlike the Joads, most of Francis Phelan's hardships were
directly related to his choices and actions. In short, had he done
things differently, it's more likely than not that he wouldn't have
been forced to live in a shanty-town or visit the soup kitchens. It
was because he spent the bulk of his money on alcohol and because
when he drank he was violent.<br /><br />In the 1930's era story, </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sister
Carrie</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
by Theodore Dreiser, one of the main characters similarly experiences
financial ruin that is directly attributable to his choices. He seems
to want to be a sympathetic character, as does Francis Phelan in
</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ironweed</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">,
and maybe I missed something, but I was unable to feel any empathy
for either character. In Dreiser's book, the guy became enamored of
Carrie, left his wife and stole from the company where he worked so
that he could run away with her. And then, when he found he needed to
get a job, he wouldn't accept something that was </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>beneath</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
him until it was too late to be anything but a scab</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">.
He made a lot of very bad, very selfish choices. In short, I felt he
got what he deserved.<br /><br />I guess the point is that we're not
twigs caught up in a stream, at least most of us aren't, and barring
environmental catastrophe (which is what happened in the "dust
bowl" areas of Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas panhandle), most
of us, while we may experience some financial hiccups in the coming
days, will have chances to adjust our lives as the market fluctuates
up and down. <br /><br />At the moment, there is still </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>time</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">.
At the moment.<br /><br />We have choices. We have opportunities. And if
we heed these early "warnings" and use this time to make
some changes in our lives, instead of trying to hang onto the sinking
ship that is our "modern life", the coming storm will be
little more than an inconvenience. <br /><br />In all of the Great
Depression literature the common denominator is always food security.
A person can tolerate a lot of hardship with a full belly ... or at
least the guarantee of a regular meal once a day.<br /><br />Food will be
the most important part of our preparations, and personally, I feel
ill-prepared in this area. <br /><br />I harvested most of my garden
yesterday. I still have some carrots in the ground and a few tomato
plants I'll let go until a killing frost. The broccoli plants that
never gave a full head have some "off-shoots" on them
(which is all they ever did this season). One has flowered, and I'm
thinking I will let it go to seed and try my hand at
seed-saving.<br /><br />For most things, it's too late for me to save the
seeds, but there's no guarantee that I will find seeds in the spring,
or that if they are available, I will be able to pay for them. So
while I was out yesterday, I stopped at the hardware store. They
still had a few packets, though not much selection. I picked up about
$4 worth (at 4 pkts/$1). If one isn't looking for "specific"
seeds, now is a good time to stock up, as seeds can keep for years,
if stored properly, and $0.25 per packet is a little better than the
$1 to $2 per pack in the spring.<br /><br />I'll be planting the lettuce
and spinach in the cold frame the beginning of October, and see how
long they go. I've already planted peas, broccoli, spinach and beets
for the fall, and the peas and beets are REALLY loving the weather.
<br /><br />My potato harvest was disappointing. I remember my grandma's
potato bin. It was 96 cubic feet and was full after the last summer
harvest. They ate potatoes every day, usually fried. If we only have
the potatoes I harvested for the entire winter ... well, hopefully,
Deus Ex Machina will get a deer ... and we still have $20 to spend at
the CSA. Maybe I'll use it all for potatoes ... and carrots.<br /><br />Deus
Ex Machina is picking apples with the two little ones today, and I
guess I'll be saucing into the night to get all of those apples
preserved. <br /><br />Whether one believes in imminent collapse or not,
winter </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>IS</b></i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
coming, and for those of us in the northeast and other colder
climates, it means if food supplies become disrupted, </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>for_any_reason</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">,
if we don't have a supply on hand, we'll have it pretty tough.<br /><br />If
we do nothing else to prepare, it would be to our advantage to have
something to eat stored up somewhere. <br /><br />I hear those packets of
Taco Bell salsa can make a tasty soup. </span></span>
</p><p> </p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-26351562613189713132021-11-01T07:25:00.001-07:002021-11-01T07:25:00.185-07:00Staying Fit - For Free!<p><a href="http://www.zombielandrules.com/all-zombieland-rules/">Rule #1 in the movie Zombieland</a>, for fighting/protecting oneself against zombies is <i>cardio. </i>That is, if <i><b>you can't beat them, you will join them</b></i>. Fitness is the key.</p><p>The likelihood that any of us will be fighting zombies is pretty slim, actually, but being fit is probably a good idea, regardless of whether we're fighting zombies. What's more likely than zombies is a lifestyle that is a lot more physical. That is, the way things are going right now, it looks a good deal like we will need to be relying on our own muscle-power to get things done. </p><p>The problem will be for those of us who aren't accustomed to doing things by hand. Going from zero to sixty is great in a Mustang. Not so great when it's your body.</p><p>The other day I walked to work. It's not terribly far, although, when some of my colleagues found out that I walked - from my house - they were surprised, because it's far. It's about two miles, and it takes me just over a half hour, which I think is a slow pace. </p><p>At the top of the one, very slow, long hill I have to walk up was a guy on a zero-turn riding lawn mower. Not some spectacular sight, for sure. Except that the lawn mower was nearly as long and as wide as the yard he was mowing. </p><p>I haven't owned a lawnmower in a lot of years. When I started turning my yard into raised beds, and forgot to plan the beds ... </p><p>I was going to add <i>"taking into account the width of my lawnmower</i>," but the fact is that I <i>forgot to plan </i>the bed placement. I think I was just so excited to be getting the frames installed at the end of one of our winters, I just plopped them down and went to work getting seeds or plants in the ground.</p><p>We bought a weedwhacker to keep the parts of the yard that aren't "garden" in check. The area that I have to "mow" is equal to, or perhaps a bit larger, than the area that this fellow was mowing with riding lawn mower. </p><p>I had thoughts. </p><p>I was definitely making judgemental comments in my head. </p><p>To be honest, I have no idea what that fellow's overall physical condition was. He might be the most physically fit person in my community.</p><p>But there are a lot of people in my community who aren't physically fit. Who think that walking two miles is a monumental task. </p><p>Which is very sad and could be tragic. See above: if you can't beat 'em ....</p><p>The problem is that when people start thinking about ways to get fit, we too often see in our head, things like a gym membership or costly personal fitness equipment.</p><p>In fact, last spring, in March, as the snow started to recede, I decided that I wanted to take up running. I used to be a good runner. I could run a mile in around seven minutes, if I pushed hard. I was clocked at running two miles in fifteen minutes and forty-five seconds. That second mile was a bit slower than the first, which is how it usually goes. Five miles would take a bit over 45 minutes, if I could keep a steady pace.</p><p>That was a few <strike>years</strike> ... decades ... ago, and in the time between my runner days and today, I have spent much of it as a stay-at-home/work-at-home Mom, dividing my time between my desk job and my taxi-mom duties. In short, I've spent a lot of time sitting and the only "running" I can honestly say I've done is running errands. </p><p>But I was determined. I was going to run. The only hitch in my plan was that I did not have any shoes that I could run in. I have sandals. I have clogs. I have boots.</p><p>So, my ever supportive and amazing husband and I took a trip to a local shoe store, where I purchased a pair of running shoes for myself, and he picked up another pair of cross-trainers (because his were developing holes, and it was time for a new pair). </p><p>And the next morning, I donned a pair of sweatpants, pulled my new shoes on my tender little feet, and set out.</p><p>I ran. </p><p>For about a third of a mile, and I thought, "This is not fun! I'm pretty sure I never liked running." </p><p>I did some sort of walking, running, walking thing for another third of a mile, and then turned around and headed back home. I think I was gone about twenty minutes or so. </p><p>If you're keeping score, it took me twelve minutes to go one mile. Twelve minutes. I can walk a mile in 18 minutes, and I don't feel like I want to vomit afterward. </p><p>One expensive pair of shoes, I probably won't ever wear, and a huge lesson later, and here we are. </p><p>The message I learned from that experience is that getting fit doesn't have to cost a thing.</p><p>I stopped running after four days, but I didn't stop doing. </p><p>Over the past seven months, I have lost two digits of pounds and four inches from my torso (bust to butt), and I'm down a pants' size, which is both exhilerating and also annoying, because now I have to buy new pants. </p><p>So, how did I love 20 pounds and four inches, for FREE?</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Yoga</b> </p><p>Deus Ex Machina downloaded a free app that gives us three, five-minute yoga sessions per day, for free. Two of the videos are the same every day, but the third changes. One of the free videos is a chair yoga session, which I don't like, and we don't do, but the other two videos are great. We've been doing 10 minutes of yoga five days a week since April. </p><p>The app is free, and while we do have Yoga mats, they aren't required, and if you have carpeted floors, aren't even necessary. I will occasionally do one of the videos a second time during the day in the room with carpet instead of moving furniture and unrolling the mat. </p><p>The Yoga may have contributed to my weight loss, but the better result has been an overall strengthening in my core (abs), back, and arms. I am thrilled with my increased upper body strength and the toned look of my upper arms. You know that "turkey wing" phenomenon that older women experience? Mine is mostly gone. </p><p>The free app is called Asana Rebel. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hiking/Walking</b></p><p>We are very fortunate to live in a place where there are dozens of beautiful hiking and walking trails. In fact, we have a biking/walking trail right near our house. </p><p>While it was still cold out, we were taking our dogs out on the trail every Sunday for a two mile walk, until it got too hot for our big boy chow, who had Lyme disease as a pup, sustained long-term systemic damage, and has a hard time walking for any distance in the heat. </p><p>When the dog gave up on walking with us, we started looking for more challenging hikes and discovered a huge number of moderate hikes within a reasonable driving distance.</p><p>So, yeah, it's not "free" exactly, since we drive to the mountain we're planning to hike, but we aren't buying any special equipment, either. In fact, we have a long-running joke about the hikes we're doing. We decide how challenging it is based on whether or not I can comfortably "hike" the trail in my Birkenstock sandals. So far, the only mountain I have not hiked in my Birks is Mt. Katahdin. I didn't even try on that one.</p><p>We hike or walk two to five miles every weekend, when we aren't working wood. </p><p><br /></p><p>And that's it. </p><p>I didn't change what I ate or when or how.</p><p>I didn't count calories.</p><p>I didn't pay a personal trainer. </p><p>I didn't buy anything special.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I started working at the beginning of October, I added another two mile walk, twice a week, to what Deus Ex Machina and I were doing, and also, in the middle of September, we added some Adult Ed classes (Qigong and Country Line Dancing), which aren't free, but also, which are very low cost, and just a lot of fun. </p><p>Both of those activities could be free, however. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0dVT0ppjvQ">The Tush Push</a> is my favorite country line dance, and here's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ypvtyz6L4k">video of how to do it</a>. My favorite song for this dance is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC8ljpr6yuo">John Deere Green</a> by the late Joe Diffy.</p><p>This dance style can be done to many different songs, and if you only learn one, the Tush Push is a good choice. The other good choice for a dance that can be done to many different songs is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAP1E-B5qk8">Cowboy Hustle</a>.</p><p>Both dances are fun.</p><p>Both are great exercise, and if you get a fast enough song, it's a really good aerobic exercise.</p><p>A couple of the forms our Qigong teacher have been published on YouTube. Here he is doing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBGn9SUTkwY">Meridian Wash</a>. We try to do this form at least once a week. </p><p>I know what a challenge it is to find the energy and time to improve one's fitness level. Believe me, I KNOW! But what I've discovered over the past eight months, is that even just a little - a very little - five to ten minutes a day - can have a profound and noticable effect over the long term. </p><p>All it takes is consistency and commitment. </p><p>And those are free, too. </p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-29168364094416880652021-10-28T10:05:00.007-07:002021-10-28T10:05:00.182-07:00Throwback Thursday: Mavis Asked, I Answered<p>Five years ago, I answered the challenge from fellow blogger, Mavis Butterfield of 100 Dollars a Month, to share ways my family saves money without sacrificing our quality of life. </p><p>I don't know whether my family would agree or not, but I just think that we have had an amazing life, and frankly, I don't think my children have ever wanted for anything, in spite of the fact that, we are pretty frugal.</p><p>Most of the things in the article are things we still do, and in many ways, we've even gone further down the path of frugality than where we were when I wrote this article. For instance, I still don't purchase commercial cleaners, but I also learned to make soap. So, the savings there is even greater, because I don't need to purchase those expensive Dr. Bonner's products anymore. <br /><br /></p><p>Here's the article from 2016, which was posted on Mavis' blog.</p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: center;">====================================</div>
<p></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Like
more than two-thirds of Americans, I didn’t grow up on a farm. Both
of my parents did, and like most people of their generation, they
hoped to give me and my sisters a better life, which, for them, meant
one where I would go to college so that I could get a good job with
which I would earn enough money to support a middle class, suburban
lifestyle with the goal being that I wouldn’t have to struggle or
work as hard as they and their parents did.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Like
many people in my generation, however, I grew up feeling something
was missing in my life, and while my parents had worked very hard to
get me off the farm, I wanted nothing more than to get back on it.
Unfortunately, because in my early adulthood, I’d followed the
standard American Dream (college, a career, a house, cars, kids, and
pets, i.e. loans, mortgage, credit cards and debt-up-to-my-eyeballs),
I was kind of stuck with a mortgage and a lifestyle that I just
couldn’t, easily, walk away from.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">So,
I took Teddy Roosevelt’s sage advice, and I started doing what I
could with what I had where I am. At first, part of my motivation was
to make my life more eco-friendly, but ultimately, my goal was to
live more simply, which would translate to needing make less money,
which would translate into not needing to struggle so hard in a job I
hated (in William Wallace’s words, FREEDOM!). In short, most of our
lifestyle changes were all about saving dough to get us out of debt
so that we could quit working for “the man” and focus on doing
what we loved.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">To
be honest, most of the time we don’t feel like we’re saving any
money. Most of the time, it feels like we’re right on the edge, and
so I don’t, often, feel like I have any great how-to advice when it
comes to pinching pennies, but when I read articles on money-saving
tips, I realize that my family also does a lot of the things that
other people do, and in some ways, we go a step beyond. So, I thought
I would give it a shot.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As
an intro, I live on a quarter acre suburban lot in southern Maine. I
share my life with my ever-patient husband, who works full-time as an
Engineer in Maine’s small, but growing, technology industry. He
would rather be sitting by our fire pit, carving chess pieces and
boiling maple sap to syrup, or walking through the woods hunting
mushrooms. We have five children, two adults who have kids of their
own, and three younger daughters, who’ve made this lifestyle
transition with us, mostly happily. We share our small home with four
big dogs, three cats, seven rabbits, and a flock of suburban
chickens, who keep us supplied in eggs and eat all of the ticks in
the yard. <u>(update: all the kids are, now, adults, and the
animal count has changed - fewer dogs, fewer rabbits, and a Parrot).</u></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><a name="mediavineSvg"></a>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">We
have several beautiful walking trails near our home. We like to take
the dogs out for long walks. </span></span></span>
</p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I’m
thankful to Mavis for challenging me to take a good, hard look at our
lifestyle choices. This has been a very fun exercise, and I hope it’s
useful to someone else, too ;).</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">1.
How do you keep your food budget in check?</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We
pinch pennies for a lot of the things we buy, but for the most part,
our food spending is not one of those areas where we choose to save
money by buying the cheapest food. We like food – good, quality
food – and we have a food sensitivity, which means we have to avoid
certain food additives anyway. We almost never purchase pre-packaged
or boxed foods, because too often those foods contain ingredients
that don’t meet our personal standards and/or they contain
ingredients we can not eat. When we shop for food, we look for items
that are local, “in season”, organic, whole food, and/or contain
no GMO ingredients. Keeping spending under control is a real
challenge when what we buy is often a lot more expensive than some of
the other choices out there.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As
such, being able to save in other ways on our food budget is
incredibly important and so we’ve learned a few tricks a long the
way.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">a.
We trade convenience for quality. A local farmer has raw milk for
sale on his farm. The caveat is that we have to actually GO to the
farm and pick it up ourselves and supply our own containers (buying
right off the farm is a legal option where I live in Maine). Raw milk
pre-bottled at the health food store can cost as much at $10/gallon.
We get it for a lot less, because we’re willing to take the less
convenient route by going to the farm.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">b.
As long as the food meets our standard, we don’t pass up the
opportunity for free or cheap food. Last winter, my daughter saw a
deer get hit by a car. In Maine, the person who hit the deer can,
legally, take that deer home, after it has been tagged. The driver,
in this case, did not want the carcass, and so we were able to take
it. We paid for butchering (although in the past, we’ve butchered
it ourselves), and ended up with 100 lbs of “organic” meat for
under $2/lb. In addition, we are often offered free, locally-grown
produce when someone’s garden is over producing. A few years ago, a
co-worker offered my husband plums. He said that his plum tree was
producing like crazy, and there was more food than he could use. We
ended up with several 5 gallon buckets full of plums and made jelly
and wine.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">c.
We try to be as self-sufficient as possible. We live on a quarter
acre in suburban southern Maine. We raise most of the vegetables we
eat during the growing season, plus chickens for eggs and meat, and
rabbits for manure for our gardens and for meat for us.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">d.
We store what we harvest. There are a lot of ways to preserve food,
and we’ve tried most of them. I didn’t start canning until I was
in my 30s, but since then, not only do I can everything I can get
into a jar. I’ve also salted fish, cured meats, fermented both
vegetables and fruit juices (wine), and dehydrated herbs, fruits, and
meats. When we first started storing food, preserving was a seasonal
thing, and I had to make a decision about what I was going to do with
it right when it came into my kitchen. Now, I know that I can take
some time. I can freeze the excess of berries now, and later, when
life slows down (Ha!) I can make preserves. I can take thinly cut
meat from the butcher out of the freezer and marinate it and
dehydrate it anytime I want. It takes some of the pressure off of
getting it all done at once and has really expanded our ability to
save money, because we can purchase more, in season, freeze it, and
then, deal with it all later, to make room in the freezer for other
things.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">e.
We buy local food in season. During the summer, we spend a lot of
time at local farm stands and Farmer’s Markets. We also purchase
meat we can’t raise in bulk from local farms in the form of a pig
share or cow share. We pay the farmer for the animal (not the meat),
and a local butcher to process the animal for us. It’s a flat, per
pound rate for every cut, and so we pay the same per pound price for
hamburg that we pay for filet mignon. It works out to a pretty good
deal, and it gives us a nice variety of cuts to choose from.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">f.
We learned to accept the gift of nature’s bounty. There is a
plethora of wild foods, and over the years, we’ve learned to
identify, harvest and store what we are freely given. Our first wild
food of the calendar year is maple syrup. We started almost ten years
ago with three taps, and we now tap more than twenty trees – some
on our neighbors’ land (with their permission – and we share the
syrup). Maple syrup is incredibly expensive, and we save a
significant amount of money per year by harvesting this wild food
ourselves. We also harvest and eat: wild greens, wild game (like
turkey, which my husband bow-hunts), fish, clams, berries, invasive
plants like Japanese Knotweed, milkweed, some wild mushrooms
(chanterelles, black trumpet, and lion’s mane), hazelnuts, and a
few others. Many of those wild, free-for-the-taking foods are gourmet
delights that cost a great deal of money in the store.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">g.
We barter. We taught a class on tanning rabbit hides and earned a
bagful of local produce and some loaves of artisan bread. We traded
rabbit for goat cheese. We traded duck eggs for homemade granola.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">h.
Finally, we don’t waste food. We use every part of everything that
we can. A chicken is cooked and eaten for several meals and the bones
are cooked into broth for soup later. Apple peels are made into
vinegar. Pumpkin seeds are roasted and eaten. Seeds that aren’t
eaten are saved and replanted next year.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Saving
money on food could be difficult for us, because we like to eat well,
but by making conscious choices and taking a little more time and
care, we can eat well and not break the bank.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Any
tips on saving for saving entertainment costs? Preferably ones that
don’t require you to sit at home alone like a shut-in…</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We
love the theater. My youngest was a nursing baby when we saw Stomp!
live. Her sister was four when we took her to see Cats. We took our
girls to see the Cirque de Soliel, twice. My children have seen the
Nutcracker Ballet. We bought tickets for a series of plays based on
children’s books (including Curious George and Imogene’s
Antlers). Two of my daughters and I even saw the production of
“Anything Goes” (starring Colin Donnell) at the Stephen Sondheim
Theater on Broadway in NYC. Unfortunately, tickets are incredibly
expensive and going to the theater is not something we can afford to
do as regularly was we would have liked.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Luckily,
we discovered the perfect solution. We became volunteers. Our
community theater is always looking for volunteers for a variety of
jobs from set building and costume designing to hanging promotional
posters. Volunteers are paid in comp tickets. They also need ushers,
and as part of the usher staff, we are allowed to stay and see the
show, for free. Our community theater does four shows per year, and
for the last three years, we have seen every show in every season,
except one. My entire family volunteers. The people at the theater
call us “The Browns”, like we’re a collective, and we joke that
we run in a pack. If you see one of us, we’re probably all present.
My youngest daughter has been a volunteer usher since she was ten.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Being
willing to work as a volunteer has opened up many opportunities for
us to enjoy local entertainment venues. As a volunteer at our local
food pantry, I had the opportunity to attend the Blues Festival, for
free, because the pantry had a donation booth that I was working
during the festival. In the fall, our community group hosts a haunted
hayride. We volunteer to work as actors in the hayride, and we get
free tickets so we go on the ride, too.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Every
year there are dozens of agricultural fairs here in Maine. One of the
biggest and most well attended (by people from all over the country)
is the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine. One year I found out about
an opportunity to volunteer to man a booth that was sponsored by a
local foods group. I had to “work” for an hour, and our admission
to the fair for the day was free.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><a name="more-163631"></a>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Every
community has volunteer opportunities, and sometimes spending a few
hours working will yield an equal amount of free entertainment.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">How
do you stretch your dollar when clothes shopping?</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">First,
let me admit that I hate shopping. I hate the flash and shiny of the
stores that are designed to make me discontented with my beautiful
life. After fifteen minutes of looking at all of the colors and
patterns and too many choices, I get a niggling headache. </span></span>
</p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">What
really irritates me is after I’ve checked out, because these days,
there’s always that note at the bottom of the receipt that tells me
how much money I’ve saved. Um, no, actually, I SPENT money. I tried
explaining that to a cashier, once, who was very excited to show me
that I’d saved $50. I said, “Actually, I spent $30. If I wanted
to save money, I wouldn’t be shopping.” She didn’t understand.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Unfortunately,
with five children (two of whom are adults, now), I’ve had to learn
to push through the discomfort and get the job done. There was a time
when we looked for the cheapest clothes we could find (again,
dressing five kids is expensive), but what we found was that the less
expensive brands meant that we were replacing clothes and shoes more
often, and so we had to change our tactics.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">After
many years of being disappointed and spending a lot of money, I
figured out how to be smarter in our buying choices. The first thing
I did was to avoid shopping centers except when we absolutely needed
something, which means that we don’t impulse shop, which means we
have more money for things we actually need.</span></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
second thing I did was to learn to shop at the best time, which is
when no one else is. My children joke about February 15 being “candy
day”, because it’s the day after Valentine’s Day and all of the
candy is on sale. The same wisdom applies to clothes shopping. If we
wait until the end of September to back-to-school shop (and because
we home school, we don’t really need to back-to-school shop), we
can get some great deals on clothes. Just after Easter, my daughter
needed some new clothes for the theater (black dress slacks or a
black skirt and white top). Winter clothes were marked down to 85%
off the sticker price, all of the Easter dresses were on sale at half
off, and many of the spring clothes were also at bargain prices (30%
off or better). We were able to stock her up on shirts and jeans for
the upcoming warmer season, AND find a new ushering outfit for less
than $70. The receipt said we saved $60.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
also learned to love second-hand, which was no small feat. Growing up
in the suburbs during the late 70s and early 80s, thrift stores, like
the Salvation Army Store, had a reputation of being for “poor
people”, and at that time, being “poor” was viewed as a moral
shortfall. My mother avoided second-hand stores. We were even loath
to accept hand-me-downs from friends, even though we weren’t
wealthy and could have benefited from some quality clothes. These
days thrifting is an art form. Everyone does it, and everyone brags
about their incredible thrift-store treasures.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
first time I voluntarily purchased clothes second-hand was when my,
now, nineteen year old daughter was a baby (which, roughly, coincides
with the beginning of the shabby-chic movement). I had just relocated
to Maine and my very practical and thrifty Yankee in-laws introduced
me to Goodwill. I was an immediate convert, and I’ve enjoyed
browsing the thrift stores ever since, and I know where every
Goodwill within a 20 mile radius of my house is located. I even have
a 10% discount card to Goodwill. For someone who has the time to look
a little more closely, there is an opportunity to find high quality,
designer label clothes at rock-bottom prices. My favorite find is my
100% wool coat that I have been wearing for six years. I paid $5.
It’s still in perfect shape. I usually pair it with the dog-fur
scarf my daughter knitted for me out of, yes, fur we collected when
we brushed our dog, and we had spun into a super soft, beautiful
chocolate colored yarn.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Of
course, even buying new-to-me clothes still costs money, and the best
way I’ve found to save money on clothes is to wear the clothes
until they just can not be worn anymore, which means learning to
repair them. I love my Merino wool socks, but one pair costs over $8,
and I can only wear them for a season before they get holes in the
bottoms of them. A season, for me, is seven months of continuous
wear, because it’s cold where I live, and I wear socks most of the
time. I learned to darn my socks so that they last a little longer. I
repair clothes that can be repaired, like ironing a patches in my ten
year old jean jacket so that I can keep wearing it, dying shirts that
have stains instead of relegating them to a rag bag or “work
clothes”, and having shoes resoled instead of buying a new pair
(resoling my Birkenstocks cost me $40. A new pair costs more than
$100).</span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">And,
finally, there is something to be said for learning some skills
associated with clothes making, like sewing and knitting. My daughter
knitted my dog-fur scarf for me, and I’ve been wearing it for six
years. Our dog passed away in 2012, but I still have that scarf,
which serves as a beautiful reminder of our companion and pet. While
I don’t knit very much or very well, I do sew. For my first two
pregnancies, I made all of my own maternity clothes. For many years
at Christmas, I would make pajama pants for my husband and daughters.
I’ve made dance costumes, toys, and quilts. I’ve made play
dresses and dress-up clothes for my daughters. I’ve made skirts for
myself. Last summer, using some old shirts, I made a pair of
underwear and a new skirt. The best part of making my own clothes is
that I can tailor them to fit my body, which is just a half size
wrong for most off-the-rack clothes, which are usually just too tight
or just too loose.</span></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">What
are your tips for being a gracious host to family and friends without
breaking the bank?</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
love to host parties. We have an annual “Brown Summer Party”,
which can have as many as fifty invited guests. Having parties during
the summer is perfect, for us, because we keep the guests outside,
which means that we don’t have to do a lot of decorating, because
my garden, full of blooming flowers, provides most of the décor.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
never ask my guests to bring food (although many of them will, and
it’s fun to see the wonderful and eclectic selection of food). We
will provide the main dish. The food we provide is usually home made,
often from stuff we’ve grown or gathered. We love to cook fancy
tasting and sounding food, that’s actually super cheap. One of our
favorites is Naan (which is grilled flat bread, and bread is just
flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt) served with grilled vegetables
and meat on a skewer (Shish Kebabs – super fancy!). With a couple
of pounds of inexpensive meat cubed and marinated in a home made
marinade, seasonal vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, and some
bread, we can serve all of our guests a super-fancy, super simple,
super inexpensive, super delicious meal. For beverages, we serve iced
tea (home brewed for pennies, even when we use organic sugar),
hand-squeezed lemonade, and our home brewed wine or beer.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><a name="mediavineSvg5"></a>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">We
save a ton of money on dishes and napkins, because we always use real
plates, canning jars for glasses, metal forks and spoons, and cloth
napkins instead of one-use paper or plastic. All of the dishes were
bargains. They were either given to us over the years by friends or
family members who were cleaning out, or purchased cheaply at thrift
stores specifically for our parties. We keep them in a plastic bin in
the back of a closet, and they don’t take up any extra space in our
kitchen cabinets. We also have extra cloth napkins and table cloths,
and special table decorations (like candle holders). These things
make our parties extra special, and because we can reuse them over
and over again, have saved us a lot of money over the years.</span></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We
hosted my son’s wedding reception on our lawn. It cost less than
$300, most of which went to pay for tables, chairs, and the tent. I
purchased a script for a Mystery Dinner, and his wedding reception
was a completely unorthodox Mystery Dinner party with a three course
meal, including a Leg of Lamb (in our freezer from a lamb we’d
purchased from a local farmer) that was served by his younger
siblings and their friends.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Last
fall, my daughter was cast in a our community theater production of
Jekyll & Hyde. After the show one night, she invited the cast and
crew over to our house for an impromptu cast party. We had all been
at the show – my daughter was on stage, and the rest of us were
ushering – and suddenly, I had a dozen people to feed. I hadn’t
had any time to plan for a party at my house, and so I took a quick
inventory, and then, started slicing. I made a plate with apple
wedges, sliced cheese and pepperonis, crackers, and kalamata olives
(pitted). We also served chips and salsa, and popped a couple of
bowls full of popcorn. Everyone had a blast, there was plenty of
food, and it didn’t cost me a thing, because it was food that we
already had in our pantry.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">When
it comes to parties, what I’ve found is that cooking my own food is
so much easier than trying to plan around ready-made food I can buy.
Veggie trays from the grocery store are very convenient, but for $15,
I can purchase twice the food from my local farmer, and a simple dip
using a mayonnaise base with a splash of red wine vinegar and a
couple of teaspoons of herbs, is much better, and much healthier,
than the preservative laden concoctions that come with the veggie
trays.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">To
vacation or not to vacation? That is the question.</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
live in “Vacationland” two miles from the beach, within five
miles of four amusement parks, and mile and a half from the drive-in
movie theater. There are three campgrounds in my town, if I really
want to pay someone, but for no extra money, I can pitch a tent in my
front yard and have the exact same experience without having to spend
half a week packing, and then another week unpacking and cleaning.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There’s
cross-country and downhill skiing, snow-tubing, and ice skating in
the winter, hiking year-round, canoeing on huge inland lakes or
kayaking on the salt marsh tidal river (or if I’m feeling
adventurous paddling out to one of the islands off the coast, or even
more fun, to the old Civil War fort out in the bay).</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There
are lighthouses to visit. I can think of six different museums right
off the top of my head – half of which I can get to by bicycle. We
even have several “period” villages where we can experience “life
as it used to be.”</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
live a couple of miles from the train station where I can ride the
rails from Brunswick, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts, and then, take
a bus to South Station in Boston and head down to NYC or even
Washington, D.C. for a day trip (sleeping on the train on the way
back).</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">The
short answer is that I don’t vacation, because the only place I
could go that wouldn’t have something that I already have where I
live is to visit family.</span></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">All
of that said, I know that everyone doesn’t have the same
environment or amenities that I have. I live in a tourist-centric
community, and my entire community caters to having people visit here
on vacation. I can feel like I’m on vacation and not spend a dime.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But
I also think we tend to ignore what our own communities have to offer
because we’re always looking across the fence at that green grass
over there, and ignoring the verdant growth beneath our feet. I
homeschool my children, and when they were young, as part of our
study of geography, we traded flat travelers with other homeschoolers
around the country. The point was to “host” the flat traveler,
taking him/her on adventures around our community so that the other
family could see what was here, where we live. They did the same with
our flat traveler. What I discovered is that there are so many
amazing things to see and do in every community, and I think most
people don’t realize that, right around the corner, there’s a
very cool thing. We often can save hundreds of dollars, just by
“stay-cationing” and exploring what’s in our own backyards.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">List
the top things you can do without, WITHOUT sacrificing quality of
life.</span></span></strong></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As
I was compiling my list of things we do without, without sacrificing
quality of life, I realized that they all start with the letter C.
What’s great about all of them is that, not only am I not
sacrificing quality of life, but I’m actually improving it, because
by not having/using any of these things, we’re saving money.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">There
are probably a lot more things we eschew without suffering, but these
are my Top Cs:</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">a.
<b>Cable</b>. I know a lot of people are dumping their cable service,
because it makes sense. With online streaming options, like Netflix
and Hulu, the only benefit to having cable (for non-sports people,
like us) is that the shows are current. We don’t mind being a
season or two behind everyone else. Some people still use cable for
their home-based Internet service. When we disconnected cable
television, we were using a DSL service through the phone company.
When we disconnected our landline phone service, we also discontinued
DSL, and we are now using mobile Internet service. The overall
savings (allowing that we were also paying for cell phone service,
and the landline was redundant), per month, is more than $70.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">But
there was an additional, often overlooked, benefit to cutting cable.
When we discontinued cable, we also gave away our television set and
all of the peripherals. We have laptop computers and LED computer
monitors (which use very little electricity, comparatively), and so
we can watch DVDs and stream online programming. After we stopped
using our television and permanently disconnected the ghost loads
from the DVD player and the VCR, our electric bill was noticeably
lower.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">If
we discontinued Netflix, and borrowed movies from the library or used the free streaming service from our local library, we could save an additional $15/month with no loss of
quality of life.</span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><a name="mediavineSvg7"></a>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #333333;">b.
<b>Clothes dryer</b>. I put up my first clothesline in 2007, bought an
indoor drying rack a couple of years later, and gave away my electric
clothes dryer more than five years ago. We line-dry/air dry all of
our clothes, all of the time, even during the winter, and yes, on
clear, sunny days (especially those precious blue-skied days
following a severe winter storm) with two feet of snow on the ground
one can drive by my house and see clothes freeze-drying on my line.
We save a lot of money both on the electricity it costs to operate a
clothes dryer, but also on wear and tear on our clothes. The dryer
heat is tough on clothes and causes the fiber materials to break down
more quickly. Our clothes last longer, because they aren’t exposed
to the extreme heat of a clothes dryer.</span></span></span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">c.
<b>Commercial cleaners. </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
can’t remember the last time I purchased a product geared
specifically toward cleaning a toilet or a bathtub. Most of the time
for cleaning, I use baking soda or vinegar and a good scrub brush.
The closest I come to a commercial cleaning product is Dr. Bonner’s
liquid soap, and I’ve been known to use it for everything from
washing my hair to cleaning the toilets. For washing clothes, we make
a powder detergent with washing powder, grated bar soap (usually Dr.
Bonner’s), borax powder, and some essential oil. It works just as
well as a commercial detergent, and costs much less.</span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">d.
<b>Cosmetics</b> (i.e. toiletries like shampoo and deodorant). </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
best deodorant I’ve ever used is baking soda and corn starch mixed
with coconut oil and an essential oil (like lavender or Patchouli). I
store it in an old commercial deodorant container, and the only draw
back is that I have to store it in the refrigerator during the summer
because the coconut oil liquefies. I also don’t use commercial
shampoos or conditioners. I use the same soap on my hair that I use
on my body, usually Dr. Bonner’s and almond scented is my
favorite.</span></p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Instead of perfumes, I use an essential oil. I’ve made
my own lye soap, which I really liked using. It’s on the list to
make more soon.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p style="border: none; line-height: 0.31in; margin-bottom: 0.27in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">When
it comes to saving money, the best thing one can do for oneself is to
learn some skills. Cooking, sewing, gardening, and soap making are
all fun projects, and really, it doesn’t take much longer to
lay-out, cut-out, and stitch up a simple skirt than it does to hop in
the car, drive to the mall, find a parking place, pick through the
hundreds of choices, none of which are ever exactly what we want, pay
for the purchase, find the car, and drive back home. It really is
less a matter of time than it is a cultural habit that tells us we
are better if we work to pay for things that we could make ourselves,
if only we took the time. In the end, the best way to save money is
to do-it-yourself rather than paying someone else.</span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-82015169034847043102021-10-25T10:45:00.001-07:002021-10-25T10:45:00.211-07:00Home Cooking in the Crockpot<p>My crockpot has been getting a workout these last few weeks. This week was the last week for the Adult Ed classes Deus Ex Machina and I were taking this fall. We had two - Qigong on Wednesday nights (which will continue mid- November) and Country Line Dancing on Thursdays (which will resume in January, hopefully!). Both classes were a hoot, and really, line dancing is some crazy good exercise ... if you do it the way I do - lots of hips and flailing arms :). </p><p>There's no time to eat before class with work schedules being what they are, and so we eat after, but there's no time to cook dinner after class, if we hope to eat before 8:00pm. So, I've been putting our dinner in the crockpot for the past several weeks, and it's been amazing. Honestly, that crockpot has, totally, paid for itself - just in the savings from not eating out. We won't even add the cost savings from the fact that there are always leftovers that Deus Ex Machina takes to lunch.</p><p>We've had a lot of different meals. My favorite is to throw a pork roast with seasonings for Carnitas. The meat is served with corn tortillas or chips, lettuce, grated cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Sometimes I will cook rice to serve with it instead of the corn tortillas. </p><p>Really, any roast in the crockpot is a good choice. Beef roast topped with a tomato sauce, peppers, and onions is Yankee Pot Roast, and served over mashed potatoes.</p><p>Another favorite is to add stew meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, and spices for beef stew. The other day, I had to drive to work because my daughter needed a ride to her job, and I came home at lunch and threw stew in the crockpot. It was done by the time we got done with our Qigong class.</p><p>Sometimes, though, I just want the comfort of a good Mac&Cheese, but to make it the right way, which is not from a box and includes baking it, can be time consuming. Really good Mac&Cheese includes a lot of cooking terms: boil, grate, mix, bake .... </p><p>I found a crockpot version that is so simple, I can't even imagine doing Mac&Cheese any other way, now. And there's no need to pre-boil the pasta. Just throw everything into the crockpot, close the lid, wait an hour, stir, leave it alone for another hour or so, and serve, and it's AMAZING!</p><p>The original recipe called for Velveeta cheese, which I don't ever use. So, I adapted it for my kitchen, and because I wanted it to be a full meal, I added ham and broccoli, both of which are optional and can be left out. </p><p>Here's my recipe, using gluten-free penne or macaroni, and no Velveeta cheese.</p><p><u><b>Creamy Crock-pot Mac & Cheese</b></u></p><p><b>Ingredients:</b></p><p>12 oz pasta (I've used Penne and macaroni, both of which came out really good)</p><p>14 oz shredded cheese (I used a mix of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack)</p><p>4 oz Feta (an additional 4 ounces of a shredded cheese would also work)</p><p>3 1/2 c Half and Half</p><p>1/2 c butter, cut into 1" slices</p><p>1 lb ham, cubed (optional)</p><p>1 c chopped broccoli pieces (optional).</p><p><b>How To:</b></p><p>1. Put pasta topped with ham and broccoli in the bottom of the crockpot. </p><p>2. Put butter on top of pasta, ham, and broccoli</p><p>3. Add shredded cheese.</p><p>4. Pour in with Half and Half.</p><p>5. Cover with lid and cook on high for one hour.</p><p>6. Stir well.</p><p>7. Replace lid and cook for an additional hour.</p><p><br /></p><p>The only worry is to check the pasta to make sure that it's not overcooked and mushy, but even if it is a little well-done, it's still creamy and delicious, and so much easier than dealing with multiple pots and baking pans. </p><p>I like simple meals that taste really good and don't use many dishes ... because I love to cook, but I hate washing dishes. </p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2520882348802072893.post-31541157519359226652021-10-22T09:26:00.001-07:002021-10-22T09:26:55.048-07:00Changing Habits/Saving Money<p>I've been watching all of the news about shortages and scarcity and increasing prices. The "theys" have been telling us that *we* just need to get used to higher prices. Sure. Okay. The problem, for a lot of people, is going to be that they can't "get used to" higher prices, because they are already living at that edge where the paycheck just only might reach to the end of the week. More likely, they're good until Wednesday, but by Friday night, they're looking for a deposit. </p><p>According to <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nearly-40-percent-of-americans-with-annual-incomes-over-100-000-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-301312281.html#:~:text=The%20Majority%20of%20U.S.%20Consumers,over%20after%20spending%20their%20income.">this article</a>, more than half of the American population is living paycheck-to-paycheck, which means higher prices are going to set them back.</p><p>The options, as always, are to cut expenses or make more money.</p><p>In the last month, Deus Ex Machina and I have done both. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here's how:</p><p><b>DIY - Car Maintenance. Saved $20 - cha-ching!</b></p><p>I learned a new skill the other day, and, frankly, I'm embarrassed that it's taken me this long.</p><p>It started with blue lights in the rearview mirror on a long stretch of highway in Maryland. Deus Ex Machina was driving. </p><p>"The reason I pulled you over is that you have a brake light out," the very kind officer told us. "If you were a resident of Maryland, I would give you a work order citation, and you'd need to have it fixed by xx/xx/xx, but since you're not a resident of Maryland, I will just give you this reminder slip to get it fixed as soon as you can."</p><p>That was in May.</p><p>I think we forgot.</p><p>Two weeks ago, a very kind man pulled up next to us and called out his window, "You have a brake light out!"</p><p>I was pretty sure I had a bulb somewhere, which is what I told Deus Ex Machina back in Maryland. </p><p>And sure enough, in the console, there was a bulb.</p><p>So last weekend, Deus Ex Machina said, "Let's change that bulb", and he grabbed his wrenches, led me out to the car, popped the trunk, and walked me through how to change the bulb.</p><p>Then, we checked and discovered that another brake light was out (the one in the rear window). I did not have a bulb for that one, and so we ordered a couple of LED replacements. Three days later, he showed me how to replace that one.</p><p>Et, Voila! All of the brake lights now work. </p><p>The bulbs cost, maybe, $12 (the LED bulb was a little more expensive, but should also last longer). The labor was free.</p><p>To have someone else replace it would have cost us $20 in labor fees. </p><p>By learning to DIY that particular task, we saved $20.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bake It! - Savings $2.50. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">cha-ching</span></b></p><p>It doesn't seem like such a big deal, really, but as we've discussed here over the last several months, even something as small as $20 can have a big impact on our budget. I save $24 a year on snack cakes by baking a cake and sending it with Deus Ex Machina for lunch. </p><p>Today, Deus Ex Machina took a piece of homemade apple pie to lunch. It was in the freezer. </p><p>A whole apple pie (not gluten free) from a local bakery is $24. If we cut it into 6 pieces, that's $4/slice. A piece of homemade apple pie is around $1.50. So, by giving Deus Ex Machina a piece of my homemade apple pie, we saved $2.50. </p><p>That doesn't seem like such a big deal.</p><p>But that's the problem. We often don't think that spending $2.50 is such a big deal, until we stop to add up all of those $2.50 purchases.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Changing Habits - Savings $752 annually. CHA-ching!</b></p><p>I have recently started a part-time job. It's a total fluke how I got the job, but I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity, and it really does feel like serendipity. I am an assistant librarian at my local library. Isn't that a hoot!?</p><p>I work two days a week (this week it was three, because I was covering a shift for another employee). </p><p>I have been walking the two miles to work. Deus Ex Machina picks me up at the end of the day, because we get off at, roughly, the same time, and my job is on his way home-ish. </p><p>He has also been driving our more energy efficient car, rather than his truck, because it costs about half the amount to fill up the car as to fill-up the truck, AND the car gets around 32mpg versus the 18mpg the truck gets. </p><p>His job is just over 30 miles, round-trip, per day. Which means he uses about a gallon of gas, per day, in my car versus the two gallons of gasoline per week that he was burning driving his truck back and forth. The savings is about $15 per week in gasoline. If gas prices go higher, so do our savings. <br /></p><p>From his job to mine adds one mile to his commute (including the drive from my job to our house). So, two days a week, he adds a mile to his commute to pick me up from work, but since I walk the two miles to work in the morning, instead of driving, we are actually saving six miles per week (it would be a four mile round trip drive, if I drove instead of walking). </p><p>I won't be able to walk to work once it starts to snow, but if I drive Deus Ex Machina's truck and he continues to drive my car, he will continue to enjoy that $15/week savings in gasoline. It will cost around $1.43 per week in gasoline (at $3.59/gallon) for me to drive back and forth to work two days a week. If I come home at lunch, the cost will be $3 per week for gasoline. I will need to drive for approximately eight weeks. </p><p>Our total annual savings from changing our habit - his driving the car instead of the truck, and my walking to work - is about $752 or about $62/ month. </p><p>So, maybe, $62 doesn't feel like a lot, but ....</p><p>The average hourly wage here in Maine is $18/hour. A savings of $62 per month works out to 3 hours of work, saved. The bonus is that I am getting an amazing amount of exercise and having a lovely start to my work day, and Deus Ex Machina gets to drive my zippy little sports coupe rather than his big, clunky truck. </p><p>Seems like a winner of a deal to me.</p><p>Although ...</p><p>... I might need to get a new pair of cold-weather shoes that I can walk in, which will be expensive. If I do get a new pair of shoes, it will be a pair of Birkenstock clogs, at a cost of around $145. </p><p>The other day at work, I was joking with my colleague that I have a pair of shoes that are older than her son. He's in the 2nd grade. I am not ashamed to have been wearing the same pair of Birkenstocks since 2006.</p><p>Most people have a love it or hate it relationship with Birkenstocks, but the fact is, they are a really good shoe, especially for the thrifty-minded. According to <a href="https://www.wellandgood.com/how-long-can-birkenstocks-last/">this article</a>, not only are the shoes superior for foot health, but the same pair could last, "virtually forever." So, an initial $145 outlay, with an $80 repair bill every 5 to 10 years, means an annual cost of about $22.50 over a ten year period. A good pair of sneakers, which need to be replaced every year, costs $85. One pair of Birks saves $62.50/year on the cost of shoe replacement. </p><p>Now <b>THAT</b> sounds like a good deal to me!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.com4