ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY
It isn’t always about the money. I mean, it IS always about the money, as
everything is commoditized, but it shouldn’t be. Now, this isn’t an anti-capitalist
screed. Capitalism, like every single
other economic system out there including the bugaboo communist one, has its
pros and cons. This isn’t a commentary
on the economic based class system we have in this country, which I strongly
despise ( whenever you say anything at all negative about this arrangement, the
normies always reply with “envy!”. Not
that we aren’t all programmed in one way or another, so no judgment here ).
*
This article is based on the simple
premise that if money is an endangered species, is it a good idea to continue
using it as the prism you view your paradigm through? I say, nay!
Nay, Sam I Am. Before you go off
on a tangent, let me ask you a simple question whose answer I think we can all
agree on. Should your plans for
gardening to feed yourself consist of a sealed can of heirloom seeds? No practice, no research, no conditioning the
soil. Just possessing the seeds. I think we all agree that is a terrible idea.
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All skills take time to master. Not even master, just becoming proficient
enough so as not to get a negative return from your efforts. So, given that, how can you expect to wallow
in a world of money mattering more than anything, and then suddenly expect to
flip a switch and be able to transition to no money ( or, not nearly enough
money )? You can’t. Just as you cannot live in an RV with propane
fuel, eating MRE’s and freeze dried foods, and then go live on Stone Age tech
with no practice.
*
Again, don’t take me the wrong
way. There is nothing wrong with
frantically squirrelling away money in savings for an early retirement, or for
prepping, or for sending the kid to school ( as if you would be silly enough to
do that, but I use this illustratively ).
There is nothing wrong with working two jobs. Money itself isn’t evil. Certain behavior influences by money,
sure. But not the limp paper trading
chits themselves. All I’m trying to
convey is that you need practice NOT relying on money, because shortly our
petroleum based currency will revert to crap status.
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I know we all are doing as we should,
paying down debt, stockpiling, bartering with neighbors, and etcetera. That is the first step. Then we are investing so that we minimize the
need for money later on down the road.
This used to be the cultural norm, paying the mortgage off early to pay
for Juniors college, then be able to retire on a pittance ( no rent, plus having
a newer car we rarely drove so we never needed to replace it ). Now, everyone acts like only crazy prepper
asswhores preach these heretical ideas.
Second step.
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Minimizing the need for money is
good. And trying to anticipate needing
money later and planning around that is good ( paying $7k for a tin roof to
stop having from paying to replace thirty year shingles every ten years, at a
cost of $5K every time. Living a healthy
lifestyle to minimize hospital visits ).
But sometimes it isn’t about money at all, and we should factor that
in. Everyone is familiar with Cthulhu in
fiction and its author HP Lovecraft, I assume.
Know why he died early? It was
all about the money with him.
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It was a point of pride with the man
that he could be ultra-frugal. Not that
he always had a choice, you understand. He was usually living in poverty, the
starving artist. But this led to not
only barely eating, but eating the wrong things. One wonders how much his then very rare
intestinal cancer had to do with his large intake of day-old donuts which was a
staple many times in his life ( keep in mind, he was also living this way PRIOR
to the Great Depression ). Even if not
entirely voluntary, he lost sight of health from monetary concerns.
*
When I talk of voluntarily removing
motor vehicles from your lives, I’m surprised more of you don’t flee from my
writings permanently. I might as well be
calling you pedophiles and monkey molesters, so emotionally attached to these inanimate
objects are you. I don’t mock, or
ascribe a One Size Fits All. I
understand some TRULY ( rather than voluntarily ) have no choice. But inevitably, I usually hear protests based
on money. As in, “I’m a mechanic and it
cost me nothing but insurance and gas to drive”. Okay, that is the FIRST step in the right
direction.
*
But shouldn’t you be looking further
than that? You are relying on an
automobile, at a time that the fuel needed for these conveyances is in
declining supply. As it decreases in
quality ( a long history of poor quality substitutions in gasoline, the last
being ten percent replacement with Fake Fuel ).
You aren’t practicing for its replacement because of that reliance. It is the equivalent of ONLY storing a can of
seeds rather than practicing gardening.
Need I remind you for the ninety-seventh time that the fracking fields
are in decline and then we would be 75% import dependent.
*
As the PetroDollar is in serious
decline. Meaning we cannot export our
inflation as we used to? It isn’t about
cheaply driving now, it is about soon not being able to drive AT ALL. Look at it another way. Let us say you scope your rifle, or more likely
your carbine ( NO! NOT your FLIR scope!
A regular optic ). Even stocking
multiple scopes, it is understood that they will break. Some folks elect to simply do away with them
entirely, and ONLY use iron sites. They
avoid the problem entirely. It is NOT
about the money.
*
Okay, even then I understand my point
isn’t completely valid. Sometimes NOT
having a scope is worse. Sometimes you
can’t even use a rimfire without a scope.
It is one thing to sacrifice distance to do away with glass on a real
gun, only using it to 200 yards, say.
But if you do without a scope on a rimfire, you are now WAY too close to
the target. Almost every “rule” has
caveats and exceptions. That can be a
real pain in planning. We speak of general
rules. We’ll go ahead and continue tomorrow.
( .Y. )
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Yes Jim, planning for that period of time or circumstances and situations that are way farther down the road. This is what will seperate survivalist Minions from struggling and failing prepperz. Examples I use are bicycle(s) and spares etc. Not full use now but trained and stocked for full post oil usage. I rat holed extra back packs and several pairs of tuff boots for walking to town duty come time to implement. For ruralists having bridles, ropes, harnesess, saddles and animal pack gear for mules or horses is options to explore. Thinking cap is always on for doing things different and doing without those things that we are spoiled on now.
ReplyDeleteNot full use, no, but you need enough use to experience which parts fail, which boots are best, etc.
DeleteI might argue that only a fool would not also stockpile several seasons worth of heirloom seeds. Eventually you're going to have a garden of some sort. Or die along with all the rest.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed you should also practce the art of cultivation, I certainly do !
When one does find that fertile soil , where else but a stash are the seeds to come from ? For sure right after the crash is not the time to be raising veggies , but eventually you will...
Granted. No harm in stockpiling, well, near everything. I need to get a can, myself, even with the dirt here being simply crap.
Deletere:
DeleteGarden soil
a)
Bad dirt can be avoided with SquareFootGardening.
This system uses supplemented growing medium in boxes or tubs. This quality of the dirt under the containers is irrelevant.
SquareFootGardening was popularized by engineer Mel Bartholomew decades ago.
Indoor horticulturalists == marijuana growers == use SFG for incredible yields.
b)
Another system is Back To Eden. This outdoor garden uses wood pulp from a limb grinder as the medium. Although his YouTube video is religious tedious, glean the gems. His yields from a tiny plot feed his entire congregation.
c)
If you want to eat, hoard tuna and pasta.
If you want nourishment, garden.
If you tell me all the reasons you can't can't CAN'T... not my job.
D- if security and theft be an issue. Then this is why a person should stock at least a couple seasons worth of complete nutrition in the pantry. Conditions may vary on demand.
DeleteYou know what part of the difficulty of being an old dood is? Your palette is much larger in which to view the world from. You see a much broader expanse of costs, spread over time, and recoil in horror. Now that you're not a young buck any more money acquisition is more difficult so the only tool left to you is better management of the money you can some how drag in. But then with your long view of the world you see how drastically inflation and other things are driving prices ever higher and it's very frustrating. To have permanent limited income in a world in which everything costs more.
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of time all the time trying to figure out better ways to use my limited money in better ways. Some costs cannot be lessened, like the price of gas for example, so, while I do cost compare gas prices I focus more on ways to lessen the amount of gas I need to purchase in the first place. I do the same with foods, clothes, boots, tools, everything. I do not spend a thin centavo without comparing costs extensively.
Living in suburbia this methodry can be both easier and harder. Easier because you have more places to cost compare but harder because you also have more temptations to spend money unnecessarily.
Out here in ruralville we have no such luxury because the opportunities to spend money are very limited. This is also good and bad but for the opposite reasons as the suburbanists. No place to spend money and very few temptations to spend any.
A very small example:
For many years I would purchase a container of Hillshire Farms sandwich ham at the store once a week and then use the empty/clean container to hold nuts and bolts and stuff in the shop - I have hundreds of them. Then one day I noticed that the Walmart brand of container ham was about $1 less expensive than the Hillshire and I switched over. Now, several years later, I have saved myself at least $52 per year on the cost of that lunch time ham and rather than buying it each week I now buy it once a month, 4 containers, and store them in the freezer til I need them. So I have reduced the costs of my daily luncheon meat AND the associated costs (gas and maintenance on my vehicle, and my travel time). I used to buy Carhartt T-shirts at Rural King for $20 but now I order them online from Sportsmans Guide for $17 and there are a variety of savings by doing so.
As my ol' gray haired Pappy used to say, "It ain't how much money you have, son, but how you manage the money you have. For even a wealthy person will soon be broke without proper management." In my retarded yoot my dad was a total stupid ass but the older I get the smarter my dad becomes.
I love you, bro! A fellow tight ass, analyzing every dollar spent. Agonizing over every penny adds up a heck of a lot quicker than most realize. Except books, obviously. This does NOT apply to books. :)
DeleteThink of aquisitions without spending money. Example: public (corporate/gov't) restroom, taking a #3. Multiple rolls of t.p. available, poach one, leave one for next coot to use. Anti bum theft dispenser, sit a while and roll up sectional units and stuff your pilferer's coat pockets with week's worth of wipes. You paid for it any way, so no foul flag thrown. Thinking like that allows one to never look at things the same way ever again. Just saying....
DeletePlus, wiping your ass with water ( partially ) halves your TP needs.
DeleteGuilty as charged on the pilfering thing. I've been known to go into Taco Bell and order minimal, then grab boat loads of their hot sauce to bring home. As far as public shitters go, I don't. LOL Maybe to piss, but NEVER to dump. The very idea of the germ infestation is more than I can bear. I'd rather kneel down against the backwall behind the garden center at Lowes. The amount of catagions being carried around out in society is depressing. When our son was a little boy back in the early 80's and had to go to the bathroom in a public place I always told him not to touch anything, "...and I don't even care if you squirt on the floor!" My wife always has handwipes in her purse. See, if you're out in that landfill all the time you sort of build up an immunity, but we aren't and never will so we must look ahead.
DeleteI wish I could still at at Taco Hell, but they abruptly changed ingrediants. I want to say, maybe around 2010??? It was tasty one day, then totally tasted different the next. Like it went to frozen food quality. Even the grocery store TB brand taco sauce tastes different from what I remember. Of course, that could be from heartburn. Public crappers: I have to literally be minutes to seconds away from soiling myself to use the seated facilities. Bringing up tropical diseases in immigrant caravans.
DeleteNever ate at the Bell much and never noted the change you mentioned. What I did notice though was the tremendous influx of rice into just about all their products. Last time I was there I got a taco salad and underneath everything was about an inch layer of rich. WTF? Since when is rice a salad product?
DeleteThe jarred taco sauce in the grocery stores is a completely diff recipe from the little packets in the restaurants, that's why I steal em, cause I can't buy em. If I could buy them reasonably priced in grocery stores I would and most likely never set foot in the Bell again. Hmmm....maybe thats why they don't sell them - it would cut their customer base by 50%.
Ha! You are probably correct on selling the sauce cutting their customer base. A TB taco just tastes like an average budget taco. But with their sauce on it-completely different taco. The only reason I'd go there and pay extra. I wonder if there was cocaine it it? Well, a legal equivilent to get you addicted. I must have stopped going there prior to the Asian Invasion of rice filler. Beans have gotten up there in price though.
Delete“The jarred taco sauce in the grocery stores is a completely diff recipe from the little packets in the restaurants, that's why I steal em, cause I can't buy em.”
DeleteI thought I was the only one that noticed this, but yes, it’s true. Though the stuff sold in the stores isn’t bad.
Can’t recall where, though I did read that as far as fast food goes, Taco Bell is actually one of the healthier one’s to eat.
I must be getting old. I can still remember when Taco Bell didn’t employ Mexicans as their staff :D
So you remember when they actually made the beans on site, and the kitchens were bigger than the table area. One day our kids will be saying, remember when In N Out Burger still used quality ingredients? Come to think of it, I believe they went to crap right about the same time as Taco Bell. The tomatoes didn't used to be mealy and the shakes had a different taste. The only thing that stayed the same was the fries. Yet, I also noticed their business has increased more all the time since the food got worse ( I guess, less worse than the competition ) and now it is no longer worth waiting in line just for the fries. McDonald's changed their fries a year or two ago, and the local mom and pop that had fresh fries closed. There is no where to get fries, except Wendy's. I had boycotted them for years after the Great Frosty Fiasco ( size plunged as price soared ) and finally gave in and tried them. And they were actually great. However, caution, this was right after they opened for the day so I have to wonder if this was just a fluke with fresh grease ( it might have been the one day of the week it was changed, for all I know ). Please, minion input on Wendy's. I eat out three or four times a year, and I really appreciate good food when I do. The choices shrink every year. My first casino choice went completely tits up quality wise a few years ago, and the newer casino we were eating at first raised their prices and just now went to crap food. The old "burrito big enough to fill the plate" place sold out and they re-branded, so I'm cautious about trying that. They started out at $5 ten years ago and had gotten to $8, but it was literally a meal and a half to two meals worth, and more meat than beans. I hate to pay north of that price and be disappointed. Okay, this could have been an article, I'll shut up now.
DeleteIf you think about it Jim, Taco Bell’s healthy reputation is probably more accidental than anything else. Beans and tortillas are fairly healthy, compared to the deep fried stuff that most fast food joints serve. And it’s pretty hard to screw that up, and cheapen the ingredients too much, since they’re already pretty cheap.
DeleteI’m an anomaly; I’ve never eaten at an In And Out before. Though we did recently get a Chick-fil-A here in Commiefornia, in a town not too far from here. Which sort of surprised me that the local gov would allow them in, considering the CEO of Chick-fil-A’s stance against all acts Butt related :D
I think the drop in quality was probably from filler. I've heard Subway ( who really dropped quality over the years ) has one sandwich which has a meat that is something like only 59% meat, the rest filler. I think it was turkey, but I might be wrong. I image TB did likewise on their meat and beans, enough you notice the difference. The Chick-Fil-A deal must have had the bribe go through before they were branded anti-left :)
DeleteI have a 100 yard range in my backyard. I have (2) 22LR arms one will shoot into a 1.5" circle at that range and the walmart 1022 will shoot into a 2.5" circle. Both of these are with Aquila standard velocity ammo that is now selling for about 3 cents a round. The 22LR is not a round to be sneezed at and once again the rounds are cheap. Go buy a 5000 round case and you have the forever gun.
ReplyDelete15k for a semi Forever Gun, 10k worth of ammo for a bolt Forever gun, and 5k for a single shot Forever Gun. At a minimum. Buy NOW. It won't last. Overproduction is just slightly ahead of depletion right now. For now.
DeleteYes, elections have consequences. Nevada is full on blue balled democrat now. The rurals will be out voted in legislatures by numerically superior urban leftist control freaks. So expect every californication prohibition to be test run through the occupied carson city complex. No matter where a Minion's A.O. is located now, it can become an enemy territory quickly. Ask the ugoslavs as an example.
DeleteI have the Marlin model 60 and 2 brand new 10/20's and all 3 shoot very nicely. Can't say 1.5 or 2.5 but there are all where they need to be. My preference also is the Aquila brand I have at least several thousand rds. and thousands of Federals too. Both seem to be good brands across the board. Winchester? Not so much.
Delete9:47-Nevada is a great state. Ruined by Vegas. Without them, it MIGHT be possible to stand up to Reno/CC. Whenever I see NV on the map as colored blue, my blood boils and I detest anew 90% of the cities residents ( the 10% would be the hookers and the few confused non-leftists who got lost on the road to other parts of the state )
Delete*
GS-I thought the Wally Remington were the worst? Not that I imagine you own any.
My only experience with bad wally ammo was the several hundred rounds of Winchester #4 that will not fire consistently in my new Rem 870 but will shoot fine in my old as hell Winchester model 12. That ammo thing bothered me enough that I don't even look much at gun stuff at wally.
DeleteI bought a Windows 10 Hewlett Packard desktop tower there a couple years ago and it was embedded with walmart software and the whole thing had unbearable problems. Last year I yanked and wiped the HD, and the RAM, and threw the rest to the curb. Never again. I now drive a Dell for my internet machine, while not as good as home brewed it will suffice.
Well actually I have the 15K rounds for the semi forever gun covered. Do I need another 10K to cover the bolt gun as well?
DeleteHmmm. Well, myself, I have 15k rounds. And the guns are one revolver, one bolt, one single shot and one semi. I don't plan on using the semi, a cheap $99 Wally type. I don't feel completely warm and fuzzy, but I don't feel panicked enough to deplete savings ( still canning butter with the savings-up to 74 cans! ) either. If I had a reliable semi and bolt, I'd probably want a minimum of 20-25k. Obviously, the numbers are arbitrary. I just try to come up with a number that seems like I could never use it up unless I did stupid crap like hunt tiny game with it.
Delete*
GS-Not sure if you can blame Wally for Windows 10 :)
“And trying to anticipate needing money later and planning around that is good ( paying $7k for a tin roof to stop having from paying to replace thirty year shingles every ten years, at a cost of $5K every time.”
ReplyDeleteDefinitely good advice, and how you would want to plan such a project. When I build my cabin (since sold) I used 20 year paint, and I believe, 50 year shingles. There was no way that I wanted to scale that 12/12 pitch roof when I was 75, or ever again for that matter. Knowing what I know now though, I would have built it of bricks or building blocks, and either a sheet metal or tile roof. It was small, so it really wouldn’t have cost that much more, even using these materials. But then again, knowing what I know now, I would only go earth sheltered, or at least have included a basement in the cabin.
As far vehicles go, if you have balls of steel, are Evil Knievel, or do not fear death via the asshats on the road in their vehicles, I’m a firm believer that motorcycles are the way to go, in the pre-vehicle age. Insurance, fuel, tires, maintenance, etc; everything is just so much cheaper about a motorcycle. With a small trailer, you can haul quite a bit with one too.
I think we should ALL fear death by asshats on the road. This also applies to bicycles, but at least on a bicycle only one of you is going fast, not both. When aging, transition to an electric assist motor for cheapest ( solar recharged ) transportation.
DeleteKeep in mind that shingles that are warranteed for 50 years will not last for 50 years. The gravel starts chipping off the moment you open the package. That warranty is pro-rated of course. In year 49 they'll give you dollar, maybe.
DeleteWhen I built my 24'x36' building 12 years ago I installed galvanized steel panels that were 1/3 the cost, 1/10 the weight, and 1/4 the time to install. The panels have a 40 year warranty and still look almost new. They also reflect a lot of heat in the summer. But I think they wreck havoc with my over the air TV, not that it really matters.
Good point. If at least one of you are going slower, this will increase your reaction time, and thus, your odds. If I ever resorted to getting a motorcycle, the plan was to only be on the road when as few cars as possible were present. On the other hand, once I get out to the junk land, I could always go for the annual vehicle rental/supply run, and avoid having a vehicle altogether. I also don’t care much for vehicles, but for different reasons. I don’t feel that it’s at all safe to be on the road, as it appears that the average quality of drivers had gone down considerably over the years. Motorcycles are in exceptional danger, not just from other cars, but wildlife crossing the roads at inopportune moments.
DeleteI once worked a day labor job hauling shingle bundles up onto a roof by ladder, the old way, and could never understand why they have to be so heavy. When I became a building designer it made even less sense and spent my whole career trying to talk clients (mostly successfully) out of using them. Shingles are 95% tar, and turn Florida roof attics into pizza ovens. In cold northern climes they do the exact opposite, harbor severe cold resulting in potential mold issues unless proper ventilation is available.
DeletePerhaps roofers love shingles because they are so completely disposable and built in job security. But why do homeowners? A baffling life mystery.
DeleteElectric motorcycles will be here soon. Harley is launching one in 2019 but being Harley I’m guessing few will be able to afford one, but it is a start and others will follow. I am a fan of a small electric motorcycle such as one similar in size to a 200cc cycle. With adequate solar panels your basic transportation is taken care of without oil, along with your home needs.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theverge.com/2018/11/8/18072078/harley-davidson-electric-motorcycle-2019-project-livewire
Not the worst idea, but beware battery replacement cost. With a bicycle front motor, you can hook up three small size marine lead acid batts.
DeleteShould your plans for gardening to feed yourself consist of a sealed can of heirloom seeds? No practice, no research, no conditioning the soil. Just possessing the seeds. I think we all agree that is a terrible idea.
ReplyDelete*
All skills take time to master. Not even master, just becoming proficient enough so as not to get a negative return from your efforts. So, given that, how can you expect to wallow in a world of money mattering more than anything, and then suddenly expect to flip a switch and be able to transition to no money ( or, not nearly enough money )?
I had to smile at that, remebereing the Chris Martenson book. Something like, to an older, local farmer,
"How long will it take to learn to farm succesfully here?"
"Ten years."
"No, no. You don't understand - I'm young, educated and motivated - how long for me?"
"Ten years."
Kind of scary, when you think about it taking LESS time to be a doctor :)
Delete