Whereas I am not generally a doom and gloom person, I do like to stay informed. There is a great blog that I follow, The Economic Collapse. A couple of days ago, Michael The Patriot Blogger wrote about 20 Things That You Should Not Read If You Do Not Want To Become Very Angry. This is actually a very good article that reminds us that the bad times are not over. And yes, it is true. You will become angry, But I want to remind you that you should be angry about the economy but not about life.
Some background.
When the economy went south, I was angry. Oh sure, I knew the robust economy would come to an end someday. There were plenty of warning signs. Even my long term friend, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com) warned me of the coming economic doom over a year before the great crash of 2008/2009. There was a lot to be angry about: my retirement savings were decimated, the wall street crooks and bankers were getting bonuses, and I was being penalized for living within my means while my irresponsible neighbors got bailed out. Yep, I was angry and I let this anger affect me every single day in not so positive ways.
But that was then. Two and half years later, the anger is still there but now that anger is directed to the economy, the politicians, the bankers, and the corporate big wigs. It is no longer directed toward life in general.
Backdoor Survival and today’s post is all about:
Taking control of your life and your destiny though self-reliance, independence, simplicity and a strong dose of frugality.
What has changed?
I now know that the amount of money I have only needs to equal the amount of money I need to do the things I want to do. I don’t need to work myself to death trying to reach some multi-millionaire goal just for the sake of having the money. The popular Tim Ferris book, The 4-Hour Work Week, describes this perfectly.
My pantry is full and getting fuller every week. I can go three to four months without shopping for food.
I have plenty of water in the event the public water system becomes contaminated or unavailable.
My home is no longer cluttered with useless stuff. Last spring I read It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. (I now understand that he has a TV show on the Oprah Channel but I have cheap cable so I don’t get it but it would be worth checking out.)
My primary form of entertainment is reading, listening to audio books, watching Netflix movies streamed to my TV, and taking hikes with my puppy, Tucker, and SurvivalHusband.
I drive my car only 1,000 miles a year. Instead of driving, I walk, use a scooter or take public transportation.
My home is really a cottage but it is easy to take care of and provides me with everything I need.
And perhaps most important, I have made it a mission to continue to take more control of my life each week, one step at a time.
If you have ever had someone close to you get very sick and possibly die, then you know how precious life can be. Every day counts. Get out and enjoy the fresh air. Glory in the beautiful sunset. Spend some quiet time on the water in kayak or canoe. Take your dog for a leisurely walk. The list is endless. Life can be so beautiful when you take time for some personal peace and simplicity.
Yes, express your anger if you must, but don’t let anger control your life.
Enjoy your next adventure, wherever it takes you!
Gaye
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This is the year to embrace self-sufficiency
Backdoor Survival Tip of the Day: I hate to waste things. One pet peeve is those little jars, bottles and tubes that are impossible to finish. Take lipstick – you get down to the nub and there is still a lot left. Today’s tip is to go to the drugstore and get yourself a cheap lipstick brush. You can then use this brush to apply your lipstick. YMMV but I tend to get a least a month more of use out of a tube of lipstick this way.
From the Bargain Bin: There are still a few days left to take advantage of the January sale at Emergency Essentials.
I would like to thank you a lot for your job you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same perfect job by you later on as well.
An addition to the butter question – butter is available in powdered form and is good for a shorter period of time after opening. Say 6 months. It’s good for 3 or 4 years when left on the shelf in a cool, dry place – unopened.
The other butter comments are for regular, salted butter. Unsalted butter has a shorter shelf life.
To Kelly – glad you liked the PNW while you were here. Thought I’d answer a few butter questions for you. Butter is available in powdered form. It seems to be an ok product when reconstituted. It can be stored in the freezer for long periods of time and loses quality but not safety when stored in the freezer. (I’m thinking 3 years here – btw – we have about 10# of butter on hand most of the time with most of it 1 year old or so) When you lose power, leave the freezer door shut. You should be ok for several days. If you think you’ll lose power for a longer time, just take the really perishable things out and put them in an ice box with frozen jugs of ice. You can refreeze butter, losing some quality but not safety. There are a couple of good books on food safety and pantry’s – one is called Palatible Pantry’s and Lavish Larders. The book is conservative on time frames and really clear on safety vs. quality (their honey recommendation is for a pretty short time frame but experience tells me that you can store honey for a long time as in years so buying a gallon or two (in quart jars for ease of use) is reasonable – especially with the increasing cost of local honey and the importation of Chinese honey.
My grandmother used to store butter on the counter – or on the table in the dining room where it was cooler. There wasn’t enough room in the fridge. And, the butter was much more robust in flavor . . . but it was safe. I don’t think you’d want to make cookies with that butter because the cookies would taste . . . robust . . .
Hope the upper mid-west is treating you well.
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I found your site through Mr. Ure’s Peoplenomics site. You are so right, there is a lot to be angry about, but that shouldn’t stop any of us from living well. We can only change certain things that we have control over, and trying to be more prepared and a bit more self-sufficient helps the mindset. Great post!
I found your blog through George’s Urban Survival. I enjoy your female view of things as I am also female! We seem to have the responsibility in our homes to be the one sounding the alarm and store food. We are the ones who feed the family. I began storing food over a year ago. I am wondering what you do about butter? Sounds funny but I cannot for the life of me figure out what to do about butter? The freezer is one option but dilemma if no electricity. I do own lots of goats so mabeye i should look into goat butter? I have sheep also, I wonder which ones would make the tastiest butter? My husband and I raised our children in Tigard Or. but now live back home in Northern Illinois. Miss the Northwest attitude! If you recycle here in the Midwest you are fringe! Thanks for all the ideas you express and take care!
Kelly
For butter, try looking up “canned butter”.
SurvivalWoman, thanks for the work you do. I’m not so far from you, and appreciate the NW perspective.
Be well, do good work, stay in touch.
Nice!
This is an awesome post.
I truly believe that each and every day we wake up alive, is a day to be thankful for. Expressing the anger can be a good thing, but you are so right when you say not to let it control out loves.