IRL(in real life) I am what one would call a Life Coach. I will meet with the person, ask them some questions, assess their life and then lay out a plan to make changes for them. Most often the biggest block in their lives is nothing more than themselves. That is what is the problem now for even those living the prepping lifestyle.
Keeping this in mind, I have decided to begin posting about money and why the lack of controlling your money will control you instead. I have been sensing that some people, in seeing the way the economy is heading, have disregarded financial savvy anticipating the death of the dollar. Maybe this sounds blunt but one can see it from a mile away...
The reason our nation is at the brink economically is complete and utter disregard of common sense. So let's apply that here as a prepper. We have built up storage and perhaps even stored up some second amendment items and all the while paid minimum payments on credit cards, etc. Storage will run out, ammo will dwindle, but common sense will allow people to pull through any crisis. Against everything I have ever said, I have decided that we need to stop being part of the problem. Stop buying anything else and pay of the debts we have. Now is the time. This is the year, and we are the preppers. We must cease being the problem that has crumbled our foundation as a nation and begin being part of the solution.
How much supplies could a western traveler bring when he loaded up his family in a Conestoga wagon and headed to the great unknown? Well not to much and as the family traveled the trail became littered with the excess items as they realized the burden that the extra weight placed on the team hauling the wagon was far greater than the benefit of the item. Moral of this story, the pioneers that came West, were strong hearty stock, that started with nothing, and they...were the backbone of the building of this great nation.
You see they understood that it was not a tangible item that made them successful, but something inside them. They had an inner strength to achieve the personal dream of owning a piece of God's great planet and were willing to sacrifice everything to achieve it. But the honor system was the majority not the minority then. Yes as in all times there was evil doers, but when a man shook on something that was gold, and he did everything in his power to honor the commitment. People did not expect handouts, children worked with the parents as the family either worked together or the family would have failed.
The first homes were dugouts(literally a room or two dugout in the prairie) sodhouses or cabins so drafty that many pioneer journals discussed daubing in extreme detailing to remedy the situation. Life was not easy, but the understanding was that by the sweat of their brows it could become anything that they desired. The women were not submissive, meek, spineless people that is portrayed often in Hollywood. The woman worked side by side, and was an equal otherwise the system would have failed. We know that the settlement of the west led us to such incredible heights(worldwide) that the template that they set was a keeper. Like everything though, these settlers made the classic mistake. They didn't want the next generation to have the hardships they had, so each generation was molly coddled a bit more, thinking that this was a good thing. Where we are now as a society is because we wished our children to have more. This is a problem.
It is time to unload the clutter in our wagons...or in modern speak the debt that is weighing us down. We are resilient as people and we will do what is needed to survive. We must cease spending with the debt over our heads. Now is the day. We must look to what was successful in the past to direct us today. No debt should be the goal- we should not work 40+ hours to be in a home because you are paying heavily to have it. The time is now to build up personal responsibility once again.
Give up the TVs, land lines, and cable. Get rid of the toys(four wheelers, snowmobiles, boats, and extra cars) and pay off your debt. Hook line and sinker each generation has bought into this need for a grander more extravagant home. How big is your home? How big is your payment to live in your castle? How much sweat and stress, and strife goes into maintaining the new American dream?
I said yesterday and I will repeat every post- 2010 is the year of the Prepper. We must become like the pioneers of yesterday and take back this nation through character, ideals, and standards and remove the bondage of usury(credit) as our ancestors(the pioneer stock) would have been appalled to owe a debt to anyone. They would have rather died.
Now is the time- are you ready?
(c) Jennifer Double Nickel Farm
6 comments:
We're ready and well on the way. Great post, Jen!
Jen, This was a great post. Also I think as bloggers to the preppers networks, we have to set the example, so we can give the tools to those that want to be self-reliant. Practice what we preach. You do so well with this that I can only hope to be as inspirational to others as you have. I look forward to your posts as I am always learning something new. For that-Thank You.
You are right about those that are disregarding financial responsibilities because the dollar is failing. I don't think the gov't will let those people get away with this eventually. In early America, people were jailed for this irresponsibility and as the moral people start getting seats in gov't, we could see a return to this, due to the fear of going back to where we are headed.
Great Post!
Shelly
Totally agreed. I incurred a lot of debt this fall due to a cat who was otherwise healthy but had a wound that would not heal. I have had to dip into my savings to pay it off. However, the Dude's life is worth a year of penny pinching. (Dufus Claudius Felis - he's been with me over 10 years now. I owe him.)
That was a GREAT post!!
Great post - I like all of your blogs!
There's a movement to radically change California government, by getting rid of career politicians and chopping their salaries in half. A group known as Citizens for California Reform wants to make the California legislature a part time time job, just like it was until 1966.
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