Rough times a coming…

So no bailout, and yesterday’s market took a serious dive, I have been working today so I haven’t heard how today ended as far as the markets. I daresay rough and tough times are heading our  way. Now technically its been a tad rough at my house since last year when my former employer and I went our separate ways and our family income did a fancy nose dive. Needless to say we have been surviving with belt cinching and my decision after months of a not so productive job search of going into business for myself, making us a family of two self employed adults. The perks are when client business is good, then life is good here but there are those times when clients are slow to pay and an outing involves a trip to the library and maybe a stop at Starbucks for a coffee. That’s about where I am right now.

Anyway I have been noticing everyone’s wondering what happens if…. you end up jobless, or inflation drives us the cost of goods so high that everyone will be googling bean dishes since for the average Joe, a pot of beans will be about the only thing we can afford if shit gets any rougher. Bye-Bye soda, Cheetos and all the good extra tasty shit we are used to throwing in our carts. Of course, when I joined Weight Watchers 2 years ago, I had to give up the goodies, so nothing new for the kid.

No, seriously at least 2-3 of my normal blogs that I visit have posed the question of what will you do if we are thrown in to some fucked up third world status. Once upon a time this line of thought would have seemed silly, but maybe not so much anymore. I am intrigued by how many folks are starting to prepare for a worse case scenario by planning gardens, learning to make shit… all that shit we used to do years ago before we all caught a case of afflueza and shopping became our national religion.

As for the kid, I must admit I am thinking of taking up sewing and while I don’t think I can grow much right now with the cold weather coming, I am planning to buy some bulk items from some local farmers to put into a root cellar. In our case knowing that if our clients suddenly can’t pay, as contractors I know we won’t be at the top of the payment line over employees so I figure having some spare items will be good. Plus truth be told, I hate shopping anyway.

So, do you have a survival plan in place for a worse case scenario?

4 thoughts on “Rough times a coming…”

  1. I always encourage people to garden. I just started growing edibles two years ago. This past summer I had basil, oregano, spearmint, parsley, tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, jalapenos, and strawberries. I have an acorn squash plant right now that I hope will yield a few.

    I have ripped out the boxwoods in the backyard in preparation for blueberry and raspberry bushes. I plan to expand next year and grow a bit more.

    I saved quite a bit on the herbs and they are very easy to grow, same with the other stuff.

  2. Like I tell others..Start small…start somewhere. With everything that I do I still have a long way to go…

  3. @Mangobuttahqueen,
    I am seriously slacking when I look at everything you’re doing. I plan to start a container garden and grow a few of the veggies I use frequently. Until then I shop the certified farmers’ market and buy just what I need. I’ve been juice fasting for the past month and once I’m finished I think I’ll eat one solid meal a day and juice for my other meals.
    I don’t plan to eat out either.

    I just plan to not buy any extras and save.

  4. Geez….where do I begin….Since I am the oldest of 8 children and my dad was self employed after retiring from the military (and was not taking in 6 figures, let alone five) being poor was pretty much a given. But, I learned some really valuable lessons that were stressed buy him regarding land, money and making sure that eating remained an everyday occurrence. Junk food is a rarity in my house anyway so no real changes there.

    I find myself pretty much doing the same things now that my family was doing then.

    Summer is easy since my utilities are pretty low in cost. (I spend the majority of my time outside). So I take advantage of this time to prepare for winter. Pretty much like the ant and the grasshopper.

    First of all I bought a homestead with cash. Pretty much has relieved me of the headache of having a mortgage and frees up what cash that I do have coming in for other important things…..Like heating the place in the winter.

    I have spent this past gardening season canning fruit from my mini-orchard. Making jams and preserves which will come in handy during the winter season. Learn to bake, buy a membership into a local food co-op if possible while you have some spare change to do so. Buy in bulk. Volunteer some hours in exchange for a steep discount (at mine it is 20% weekly discount on everything for 4 hours a week).

    I buy bags of rice 20 lbs at a time. You would think that is too much, but rice is one of the most versatile grains to have around. When you have mouths to feed (and one of them is a teenager) you can pretty much whip up a filling meal with rice and veggies (and a little meat) and not get much complaining after wards.

    Since I crochet, making blankets, hats, scarves, socks, mittens and such to keep warm and dolls to bring in income is another activity that comes in handy and is of practical use to everyone.

    You can use a cold frame to grow veggies before the weather gets too severe or have a greenhouse done with passive solar heating using glass containers filled with dyed water to absorb heat during the day and release at night. Plant cool weather veggies such as kale, broccoli, lettuces, radishes, beets, in containers in the cold frame or the green house.

    There is so much that you can do…you just have to be creative!

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