If we think (and there have been numerous posts here to support this idea) that all major banks are going to fail because of over-investing in derivatives, what should we do if we have money in those banks? Pull it out in cash? Convert it to silver or gold? Put the cash under our mattress? And will cash be worth anything?
So if we have cash in checking or savings with a bank, how can we protect our assets?
Wow, this reply wins the top award. My wife and I are a little old to be homesteading the way it needs to be done properly. We've discussed it, our favorite shows to watch are "Mountain Men" and "Life Below Zero." We realize, however, that given our physical abilities, that form of living might just kill us. Good for you that you're able to live such a life, I wish you only the best.
We are entering our 70's and although we work slower and take more breaks than we used to, we garden and raise small livestock. We sell eggs to a small local store in our rural neighborhood, and we sell excess fruit from our land to our neighbors. We don't need to financially, but we do it anyway. Today we are building a new enclosed run for our flock of chickens. We purchased land on a salmon-filled river and we hunt (with help from our adult children). We produce or harvest well over 50% of our own food, and that percentage grows every year. You can do it at any age, you just may need to make adjustments to accommodate for your physical limitations. Truth is, the best way to continue to be fit and healthy is to KEEP AT IT, however slowly. You can do it!
Chubby gardeners live the longest and most fulfilling lives. Change my mind.
Sounds ideal, thanks.
Approaching 70 myself. If you ever wanna have coffee - my treat, you choose the place in the Valley and I’ll pick your brain on how to grow ANYTHING. LoL…My thumbs are not green and I would love to talk to a like minded Alaskan. My friends tolerate me but think I’m nuts.
We'd enjoy that. Until then, look for a local gardening group. Cooperative Extension Service will know where they are and who to contact. I know there are some in the Valley, and the garden groups usually meet monthly during the fall, winter and spring. Join the group and attend all the meetings you can. You'll learn so much from the programs, the more experienced gardeners, and especially any garden tours you attend.
Thank you!
I don't know how old you are but my parents have said the same and I've told them that simply isn't true. If you have a little money to invest, there are very easy ways to produce your own food. I'm in my mid40's, I'm a woman with messed up foot and hip who walks with a limp, and I do it all by myself currently on less than 1/8th acre. Vertical gardening is a game changer. Raising rabbits is a game changer. These things are easy to do, and rabbits provide you with meat, fertilizer and pesticide. I do not till anything. I do not use chemicals in my garden to get food to grow. I don't have room for huge compost piles. I've found ways to do this all with limited space, and this same way is also easy on the body. I have no doubt my elderly parents could do this. If you can go outside, water your plants, and push a seed in the dirt, you can do this.
Again, I don't know your age, health, or situation, just wanted to throw some positivity your way in case you are looking at it the same way my parents did. When I was a kid my dad tilled his garden every season. We had to constantly pull weeds, and he spent more money on miracle grow than he got out of his harvests' worth. He eventually quit saying gardening was more expensive than just buying food and it was too much work. I stayed on him for years to get back into it. He said he couldn't work a tiller or squat down to weed anymore. He can hardly stand up after he sits down and sometimes needs help to get back up. I took him on a tour of my current set up and i saw the light of inspiration in his eyes. I invested in something called a greenstalk garden tower, I've bought several of them and grew massive amounts of just about everything in them. He had to see it to believe it. Then I bought him one for his birthday to get him started. I'm also gifting him growbags, something else that works wonders for me. I needed the greenstalks because of my limited space. But they are also a very easy way to garden. Keeps everything up off the ground which lowers the chances of pest and disease pressures, and no bending over. I make compost tea with my bunny poop and it adds tons of nitrogen, micronutrients and microorganisms to keep the soil healthy and the plants thrive. The urine is a natural pesticide. You can get 150lbs of meat a year with just a few rabbits and they don't eat much at all. Nor do they need a lot of space. I also have them up off the ground and they are very easy to care for. I bought compost tumblers that make compost to feed my plants in less than 3 months. This lets me recycle all of my kitchen and garden scraps and put it right back in the garden. We are collecting water in big rain barrels and have a berkey with backup filters if we need to rely on water from outside as drinking water. I've also learned that canning water is an option as well if you have the space for the storage. Canning meat was the first thing I learned because I don't want to rely on a freezer.
I could go on an on but I hope I have encouraged you to change your mind. ;)
Thank you so much for your encouragement... we will consider it, honestly..
I made a bio-reactor out of a 55 gallon garbage can and a 4 inch PVC drain pipe. The sucker makes dirt in 3 months. All you have to do is get a 1/2 in spade bit and drill a bunch of holes in the garbage can. A can on wheels is best. That way when doing large amounts of weeding I can just roll it along with me. I even throw the dog poop in it.