Finances

Recently I found out that I am going to be a first time Grandma, to a little baby girl. Her parents are professionals, and the child will want for nothing. For that matter, it is almost impossible to buy gifts for them, so I have gotten stuck just giving them gift cards which seem so impersonal and just promotes consumerism.

What do you give a child that has everything they need and most of what they want? I’ve thought about this and decided that a troy ounce of silver in the form of a coin on birthdays and appropriate holidays will probably be the best thing that I can give both my children and my soon to be grandchild.

Why? There are a few reasons:

1. Inflationary Hedge Savings: Back when my kids were born, silver could be bought for $4-$5 an ounce. When they graduated from high school it was going for around $20 an ounce – not a bad inflationary hedge. Imagine the start they would have had moving out and going to college with a collection of 2 to 3 silver coins a year collected for 18 years.
2. Savings that are Hard to Spend: When I was young I had a silver coin collection that I just loved and added to regularly. Guess what, one of my sisters took to stealing from my silver coin collection and spending it at the local burger stand for ice cream. I was devastated by the loss of years of collecting. She just brushed it off as if it were just dimes and quarters. A troy ounce of silver is not too spendable. Most, maybe not all, retailers will question an uncirculated silver coin.
3. Presents with a Learning Experience: Because I collected coins as a young person, I do understand some of the research and fascination that can go into coin collecting. There is a living history with many coins. Who knows if I don’t come up with silver coins from other countries that the child can turn over and over, not only look at, but perhaps even learn something.
4. Prepping the Family: Lastly it is an effort to prep the family. The parents will not take those coins. BUT, what if something horrible does happen – We pray not, but we all know it could happen.  My son and daughter-in-law do not believe that anything can ever happen to our current society – end of conversation.  Those “dumb coins that Grandma sends…” could someday put food in the belly of their family.

 

I prep because I’m a former farm girl who grew up with a year’s worth of food sitting in the cellar at any given time and because I’ve had to start over several times with little more than the clothes on my back.  Once you’ve spent some time shivering without enough blankets or skipping meals because there’s no food, you do everything you can to prevent that in the future.

My kids, like many of this latest generation, have never experienced lengthy power outages, financial collapse, war, or being stranded at home for days on end because of the weather.  They’d roll their eyes and say “Mom’s getting ready for Armageddon again” every time I’d toss a pound of beans in the grocery cart or check something else off my survival food list.  “Don’t eat the Chunky soup.  Mom’s saving it for the end of the world.”

Well, our TEOTWAKI situation came when I lost my job.  As the only wage earner, we had no income whatsoever until I found work. Taking inventory that first day, we discovered that we had enough supplies on hand to get us through several months, so our savings could be reserved for paying the bills.  That doesn’t mean it was easy.  We still had to ration everything, and we weren’t as prepared as I’d thought.

1. Buy more dish soap.  Yes, I could’ve grated the bars of Ivory that I have in storage or mixed up a batch of Borax and washing soda, but I like using dish soap on my dishes.  When you’re home all day, you use a lot more dishes, so the dish soap is going to go fast.
2. There is no such thing as too much toilet paper.  Again, when you’re home an additional 45-60 hours a week, you’re going to use more than you’d expected.  Double the amount you thought you’d need, and then buy as much more as you can.
3. If you plan to bake bread, you’re going to use 4-6 cups of flour for each batch.  That 50 pounds that you carefully packaged in mouse and bug-proof containers isn’t going to go very far.
4. You’ll also need a lot of powdered eggs. 
5. Make sure you’ve rotated your yeast.  Don’t wait until you’re in dire straits to try making bread and tortillas.  You’ll have a lot of fun laughing at the end result, but you’ll waste your supplies. If you’re getting your recipes off the Internet, carefully read the reviews that follow.
6. The cold-weather sleeping bags and fleece and wool blankets come in handy when you turn the heat down to lower your utility costs.  Socks, slippers, and baggy sweatshirts become the norm 24 hours a day (Remember, layering your clothes really does keep you warmer).  Those frilly sheers look lovely on the windows, but I really should’ve bought the thermal curtains when they were on sale.
7. If you’re a regular coffee drinker, buy more.  You’re stressing out about finding a job, so you’re going to drink more.  And if you’re drinking more coffee, you’re also using more of what goes in it, whether it’s creamer, sugar, or flavorings.  I thought we had plenty of powdered creamer set aside, but it went quickly, and I didn’t want to use the powdered milk, because it was needed for cooking.
8. Buy more powdered milk.  I thought we had a decent amount, because the kids won’t drink it.  I didn’t stop to consider just how much of that powder is needed to mix enough milk for baking and cooking.
9. Buy more canned vegetables and meats.  Once the real meat is gone, you’ll be more dependent on vegetables to add flavor to your meals, and you don’t realize just how many you use until they’re no longer available.  TVP is a great substitute…once in a while.  While not big meat-eaters, we’re also not vegan, and canned meats can add flavor to a wide variety of dishes.
10. Stock up on canned and dehydrated potatoes.  They’ve always been a comfort food for us, and we didn’t have enough.  Canned potatoes taste “tinny” and dehydrated ones never rehydrate fully.  Instant mashed potatoes don’t taste real.  Deal with it.  The only other option is to live without potatoes.
11. Stock up on a variety of sweets.  Hard candies and freeze-dried fruits won’t cut it.  You need Jell-O and canned fruit, instant pudding, chocolate chips, and M & M’s. A couple containers of Cool Whip in the freezer is a help. Molasses and cocoa powder store well.  We could live without fresh meat, eggs, milk, and pre-sliced bread, but when the chips are down, we want dessert.
12. Salt.  We haven’t used added salt in decades.  The ex had high blood pressure and the daughter has potential kidney problems.  We always got enough from the processed foods we ate regularly. When you start cooking all your meals from scratch, the only salt you’re going to get is from the occasional bouillon or packaged gravy mix.  We were eating well-balanced meals, but I started feeling shaky and sick. Out of liquid Gatorade and unwilling to open the canister of powder, I licked a spoonful of salt.  Nasty, but it did the trick.  Don’t underestimate your body’s need for salt.
13. Stock up on garbage bags and bags for cleaning up after the dog.  We live in a community that has mandatory immediate dog poop duty.  When you’re home all day long, the dog wants out more often, just because he can.  You’ll also be doing more housework and clearing out all that “Why did I keep this” junk.  Your garbage men might learn to hate you, but you’ll only hate yourself if you run out of garbage bags.
14. Don’t forget dog food.  We generally have at least 50 pounds of dry food, but I wish I’d bought a couple cases of canned food.  It has a good shelf-life, and it would’ve lowered my stress levels. He’s big, he’s old, and he’d never understand if I tried to tell him to go on a diet.
15. Fill your gas tank.  We’re all advised to keep the tank full for any emergency, and the inability to buy more is about as urgent as it gets.  You don’t want to head to an interview or, God forbid, the ER, and realize the gas gauge is on “E.”
16. Follow Grandma’s advice and always have a little black dress on hand (for you guys, that would translate into a button-down shirt and tie, preferably with dress slacks).  Don’t forget nylons and heels.  You really don’t want to show up for a job interview dressed in blue jeans, work boots, and a t-shirt, and you don’t want to call the electric company and tell them you can’t pay your bill because you spent that money on a new wardrobe.
17. Buy several cookbooks.  Not the fancy ones using bay scallops, escargot, and spun sugar, but the ones published by your local church, a good old Betty Crocker, or better yet – one from the Depression or war years.  You may not need to know how to make a squirrel casserole for 12 people, but knowing how to bake cakes with nothing but flour, water, and a magic wand is a good skill to learn.  Be willing to experiment with new dishes and adapt the recipes to the foods you have on hand.  My daughter’s a food major, so we made good use of the African and Indian cookbooks she’d collected.  They use a lot of lentils, rice, split peas, and root vegetables, all of which we had.  Now is not the time to follow a traditional American meal plan.
18. After all that:  Take time to relax. Keep to your old schedule.  If you’re used to going to bed early and getting up in the wee hours, keep doing it.  Renew your acquaintance with old hobbies. Finish reading that book that’s gathering dust on your nightstand.  Call an old friend.  Bake cookies with the kids like you did when they were little.  Make sure you argue over who gets to lick the spoon.  Dance in the rain.  Volunteer at the local soup kitchen to remind yourself that you still have a good life.  And always remember – “This too shall pass.”

Due to their unique life off the grid, this intentional community has had to be extremely clever in how they can make money to support their homesteading. Here are some of their small farm income ideas:

Pizza Restaurant

Along the side of a gravel road an old farm wagon advertises pizza! Wood fired pizzas every Friday from 5-8 pm, May through October. This is just one of the homestead based businesses this family runs to make ends meet without an outside income.

The building behind the greenhouse is used on this evening as a restaurant. Note the wood fired pizza oven centered on the back wall. The player piano provides music and a chalkboard is used to announce the pizza menu available. “Bring your own plates, utensils, and beverage,” is clearly written on the chalkboard. A pizza picnic!

Al fresco dining is also available at two levels to take in the view of the gardens and pastures against the backdrop of limestone bluffs and deciduous forests.

Community Supported Agriculture

In between the indoor dining and the outdoor dining is a certified kitchen which is not only used for the pizza business but also the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from the extensive gardens. And when interns and workshops are given at the farm this is a communal eating and gathering area.

The gardens occupy perhaps two acres of land. Besides the families that live here, this garden has supported up to 30 CSA families as well. However, even though demand is increasing the cooperative has decided to cut the CSA families to 15 to not only better serve them but also to balance lifestyle desires with financial rewards for the members working the CSA.

Loft Turned Theater

The loft of the old barn has been converted to a theatre for local actors and comedians to ploy their trade on Friday evenings. It is also used for a “movie night” for the families who live on the farm. And in the winter, it again becomes storage for hay for the working animals on the farm.

Handmade Goods and Curiosities Shop

The Curiosity Shop houses the only telephone on the farm. A landline that is hooked up to an answering machine and checked daily. It also is a retail outlet for the various crafts and wares that the members of the cooperative create.

Classes, and Workshops

The cooperative also provides internship opportunities for people interested in CSA ventures. Workshops are held for horse farming and solar energy.

I asked about workshops were being planned for next year. The wife just smiled and said that they would be planning that over the winter.

Winter Is For Looking Back and Looking Forward

Winter is a time for this family to recuperate from the hectic three season schedule of greenhouse gardening, planting via horse cultivation, the intensive work of gardening for multiple families and the CSA, pizza nights, theatrical productions, workshops, interns and guests, putting up wood, and the harvest. It is a time to think about what worked and what didn’t, and to plan for the new year.

The silence provided by the great white blanket of snow that covers the north country can be therapeutic, not only for individuals, but families. Homeschooling provides a closeness that is enviable in today’s fast paced society of after-school activities and both parents working outside the home. This family revels in that quiet time of winter.

I have been invited to revisit this cooperative farm in the spring. They will know then what their venue will be for the summer.  If you have questions or comments, feel free to email me and I will try to answer them now, or then.

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This is part of an off grid series, where I take you on a tour of the off-grid home without solar assist and a walk around the farm.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out the other posts featuring their: home without electricity, masonry heater, off grid water system, and gardening efforts.

My hope is that you will enjoy the experience as much as I did and perhaps learn, or remember, a bit of an older/newer lifestyle.

As I look back over my own life and through the generations as far as our family is concerned, I think our biggest risk is not a collapse of the power grid, nor TEOTWAWKI, but financial hardship due to loss of employment, loss of a working partner, changing social circumstances or a slow, insidious reduction of buying power at a time when there is low income. So with this in mind here is a quiz:

1. Do you have a full store cupboard to see you through a bad patch of three months? Twelve months? If you need some ideas or help getting going, check out this complete survival food list.
2. Do you have a vegetable garden that produces enough fruit and vegetables to be useful?
3. Can you survive using only one third of the power that others with the same size family do? Do you know how much power and water you use daily? Do you know how many units of power you use and how much it costs you to oven roast a meal, do a load of washing, use the slow cooker?
4. Do you have solar panels or other ways of producing power for your use? Can you use your solar/other power if the grid goes down?
5. Do you have access to alternative fuels to keep warm in winter if you cannot afford electricity, oil or gas? If you have to chop wood, are you fit enough/well enough to do it? If it is really hot where you live, do you know how to keep cool without an air conditioner?
6. Do you have a form of cooking that is energy efficient depending on where you live? Eg: solar oven or the equivalent of a hay box for cooking in?
7. Do you know how long your towels, sheets, tea towels and dish cloths last with normal use? Two years? Ten years? Do you have at least 20 years supply of linen for your current household?
8. Do you know where you can buy second hand goods at cents in the dollar? Are you well known and well thought of there, so that if something comes in you are looking for they might put it aside for you?
9. Can you make your own soap, washing powder, personal cleansers and moisturizers and do you have a 12 month supply of washing soda, borax, bicarb soda, lye, oil, and essential oils?
10. Do you have a system to dry your clothes if you cannot afford to use your drier?
11. Do you live within walking distance or cycling distance of the local shops, the library and medical facilities? Are you fit enough to do it?
12. Do you grow your own herbs and know how to use them to meet your health needs?
13. Have you weaned yourself off medically prescribed medications by improving your health? Or do you have 12 months supply of medications? Do you know how to improve your health after a medical diagnosis without using expensive medications? Do you know the risks of using medical and alternative approaches to managing your health?
14. Have you paid off your mortgage or alternatively have 12 months of payments aside for the mortgage or rent?
15. If you use a credit card do you pay it off completely each month?
16. Do you have sufficient money put away to pay for the next 12 months of insurances, utilities and local government taxes/rates/levies?
17. Do you have emergency money put aside for unexpected expenses such as a car crash, unexpected medical expenses or a suicidal child ringing up from the other side of the country or world and you need to get to them?
18. Are your hobbies reasonably priced? That is, can you scale them back in times of acute financial shortage while still being able to enjoy them?
19. Are you increasing your employment skill sets? If you are retired you still need to be increasing your skills or keeping them current, so that you are perceived as being useful in your community rather than a burden.
20. Do you value your possessions and keep them in good order, so they will last longer before you have to replace them?

This is supposed only to be a start. What other questions can you be thinking about?

‘Tis the Season, and I’m so glad! For yard sales, that is.

Well, I love yard sales, garage sales, whatever you want to call them. If you, too, are a “yard sailor”, you know why. Yard and garage sales are a prepper’s best friend, IMHO! It’s amazing what we can find and what we are looking for probably is not what the majority of our competition is looking for, so, that’s good!

I have a confession. I am bragging here – well, maybe just a little bit anyway. I’m so happy about one of my latest yard sale finds, and a 50 cent bargain, at that!

What am I so happy about? A vintage SaladMaster with slight disabilities, bought for only 50 cents. You heard me. 50 cents! It came with all five cones; for this job, I am using the grater cone; which finely grates.  Love it! I’m grating six bars of Kirk’s Castile Soap, which I have hardened off for a month; fixin’ to make a fresh batch of laundry detergent. Always harden your bar soap off; it lasts longer and certainly grates more easily.

Anyway, about the SaladMaster…yes, this one is imperfect; it has a few minor disabilities, which has nothing to do with its ability to perform well. Sound familiar? The non-skid rubber feet caps are all missing…will be visiting the local hardware as soon as I get a “round tuit”; I’m sure they will have something that will do the job very well, for little cash.

I found this little treasure in a box, in a yard. I’m not opposed to sorting through boxes of junk. – and this is why.

I did have to remove the old muddobber’s nest from one of the pieces, wash them thoroughly, including cleaning out the “crevices” with a toothbrush, then run the pieces through the dishwasher for a final cleansing. The metal was heavily pitted, as it had been improperly stored, so, lots of “gentle scrubbing” (is that an oxymoron?) with steel wool; she will never be “like new”, but she works just fine, so, who cares?!

My 50 cent bargain is also missing the guard that’s supposed to help keep your fingers out of the unit while you turn it, I guess. But then, if you look on ebay, you’ll find about a dozen for sale, ranging in price from $49.99 to $100.00, most of them missing this same piece, or, at least, the pin that holds it in place. If you’re going to stick your fingers down in this while turning it, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to use it. :-)