Trust What You See
If you've been paying attention you will have seen the warning signs and you will know that our economy is built on air. You don't have to be an economist to understand that it is just a matter of time before things go south. Who cares what the "experts" say when our own eyes are telling us time is running out. Lets use that time to our advantage and get prepared.
As the economy shrinks and food prices go up so will the price of our essential commodities and then, when they exceed the money in our monthly budgets we will no longer consider them essential. We will have to start going without. If we are not preparing ourselves and our families now, there will come a day when we have to go without basic items such as toothpaste and deodorant and soaps.
You may not believe it can get that bad from where you are sitting now with toothpaste in your cupboard (it has always been there), shampoo in the shower and hand soap on the counter by the sink (these are the things we take for granted), but soon we will have to choose between food and deodorant because we won't have enough money for both. That is when we will find out what the truly essential things are - just what will sustain life.
It really can get that bad even in the United States. We have sown a whole lot of "irresponsible" and now it is nearly time to reap the consequences. We can't put them off forever. Eventually what goes around really does come around. It's called the law of the harvest, and it is an eternal law. We can break ourselves against it, but we cannot break the law. In other words we WILL
reap what we have sown.
What To Do About It
Because I trust what my eyes see I believe things are going to unravel, so I am making the switch to reusable resources where possible and where it is not possible I am stocking up on things like toothpaste and shampoo so that I will have at least a year supply for my family of five. I am gaining a measure of independence from this flaky economy by learning to make as much as I can from scratch. Including things from hamburger buns to laundry soap I am learning to produce more. When warmer weather finally reaches us I will be planting a garden as well. If I sow frugality and thrift and waste not then when the time comes I will reap the reward and my family will want not.
It might seem like I am going to a lot of trouble and inconveniencing myself needlessly. After all the economy hasn't taken that inevitable nose dive yet. But I don't want to wait until it happens before I get my house in order. It will be too late then. I want to Murphy-proof my life while the getting is good. I want to adjust my way of life while the state of our nation is still low key and low stress. I can't imagine having to experience cloth diapers for the first time or cloth menstrual pads for the first time after the crap hits the fan. Things are going to be stressful enough without having to make all these changes. Besides, if I practice this lifestyle now I will have worked all the kinks and bugs out by the time it really matters. I will have perfected a system to repel Murphy with, and I will more easily navigate the changes that are coming in our nation.
Why You Should Use Reusable Resources, Too!
Reusable resources are Murphy repellent. When the cost of diapers goes up it won't cause you to flinch because you will already be saving money by using cloth diapers. When the cost of paper towels or paper plates and napkins rises and draws an involuntary collective sigh from the American consumers, it won't bother you one bit because you will have reusable resources in your home already. When the price for tampons goes up, it won't effect your monthly budget if you switch now to the menstrual cup and sea sponge tampons and cloth liners and pads.
Reusable things are much easier to store. They take up less room in my limited storage spaces. They won't ever run out because, well, they are reusable so I can store less of them. A four month supply of paper towels used to take up a ton of room in my garage, but the few dozen hand and dish towels that I store now only fill up one kitchen drawer.
Not only will reusable items save you money as the economy eventually falls in a downward spiral, they will save you money now. In saving money now you are freeing up money with which you can pay down your debts. Getting out of debt is necessary if we are going to Murphy-proof our lives and keep personal disaster or crisis living at a minimum.
If you want to go green then that is just another reason to switch to reusable resources. Then you will be doing your part to save a tree or to keep land fills from filling up.
An Inconvenient Life
I like convenience, but it comes at a price, a price I have always paid until now. Now I value the cost more than I value the convenience, so I am changing my life. This is about getting my house in order, and maybe along the way, inspiring some of you to get yours in order too. I think it is important to prepare our households so that we have more money to spend on the true essentials when costs are high.
You can rationalize and tell yourself that things aren't bad - in fact considering the financial low that resulted in the housing crash of 2008 things are actually getting better. But why wait until things are bad? It will be too late then. Now is the time to prepare. Look at the warning signs and be smart. Think of how it will feel when your children look to you for their needs, but you are not able to meet them?
It wasn't too many years ago that the lifestyle in this great country of ours was not so disposable and on demand. There didn't used to be a disposable version of everything. People used to live by the old axiom to "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." That time will come again when we can no longer afford to spend our limited funds on disposable and non-renewable commodities. If we are not prepared we will have to do without.
