Are you prepared? Trying to be more self sufficient

Its a short season on it so prob will again next year.

 

Does cotton candy have a flavor ? Other than sugar, been many moons since I've tasted it.

 

As seniors hip to the world today. We garden and butcher much of our groceries. We no doubt carry a label of some sort. But we're only repeating what yesteryear did. Only easier with a chicken plucker and better garden tools. I grow and tend the outdoor and the lovely wife takes care of what comes from there. All here know it's far better grub than what is mass produced.

 

Hobart slicer. Nice.

 

1712 auto, puts a smile on your face as it drops thick or thin bacon slices.
It and a Biro 22 saw are on the okc craigslist and with no bites since listed. Not a lot of DIY'ers I suppose. I've got every thing available a person needs to process less the room/building.

 

Hobart will outlast you and your kids. I had a Hobart Slicer in my restarant. Sliced hunderds of pounds of ham and veggies on it.

 

.
At 170 lbs it's an industrial tool along with the biro.

 

In case others do not know - there is a plugin called CamelCamelCamel available that lets you put price watches on Amazon items. You can set it up to send an email notification when the price for an item hits a target point. Very useful for things you might want to pick up if they go on sale, but may not be worth the regularly going price.

Occasionally, prices inexplicably drop below what might be considered a 'sale' price into the realm of "Crazy Eddies Discount Emporium" prices. If you are lucky, and are online when such an event happens, and you get the email, and are quick with the decision making - you can score a great buy. Two weeks ago, I got that email.

Yesterday, they showed up on my porch - 93 bucks for four of the best water containers I have found.


Immediately after I pulled the trigger on the 4-pack, I thought about going back for more to re-sell, but the price was back to normal.

 

Bone broth rich in flavor and full of collagen, then they'll be dried and ground for the garden.

 

Or just eat them first, THEN do the bone broth thing.

 

Hows it differ in taste, texture ?
Not very meaty and I'm not short on chicken.

 

Tbh? If you're the type of folk who like noming on cartilage (like rib ends, etc) and have the patience to pick apart critters for meat (like if you like crawdads, etc) it's some deliciousness. Still plenty of bone left for broth afterwards. Then to grind up for meal. The effort/meat ratio isn't that great, but it can be made darned tasty.

 

You need to see a dermatologist.

 

Oof. 48k is ~ 23/hour. Not minimum, but with over 20 years in the job force... should be a bit higher. Esp with a (useful) degree. 1.7k/mo is high. 20.4k/yr just for housing. In an apartment. I assume it's a 2br because of kids, but that wasn't mentioned. So... generic-ish ish? Reduce expenses. Find better incomes. Self sustaining isn't either/or, it's incremental. Can you reduce some grocery expenses by a balcony/window hydroponic system? I mean don't buy one, you can rig something with some really cheap aquarium pumps. But there's a way, if you have some specific scenarios and not just a 'a lot of people you know'. Because, tbh? I might be closer to a 'lot of people you know'.

 

Reduce expenses, increase income. Make choices that be unpleasant in the short term for those purposes. Ex: A lot of my extended family lived in the same house in fairly crowded situations for a generation. Individual income, maybe not that high. We had a yard, had veggies and such in it, and cooked communally. So, lower net expenses, even with low incomes. And obv make sure the kids do good in school so the next generation is better situated.

 

A lot have. But bruh, troll elsewhere .. er I mean feel free to contribute small area gardening tips to help other tacomaworld members be more self sufficient.

 

And this is a 'how to' thread. The general strat for much of that is, well, live as an extended family and do all that jazz that gets you to the next generation. Which, tbh, what my family did. So your input about "how they're wondering" .. tbh? Most of us know what is required.

And imho, I think that you know what you were posting.

 

Mint is a tasty and nom-licious invasive. But, yes, invasive. If the mint is going into your pots, go aggressive with soil covers. And consult with your area master garderers, since TW isn't authoritative.

Or have a couple of mojitos. idk.

 

That's .. nice. But I'm gonna assure you that most of your (hyptothetical) folks with the lowish incomes are going to be closer to my point of view, so how about you just be yourself and not ask 'oh those people' questions.

 

Nah I'd Win. (tm).. joke, but feel free to PM and keep this thread to the TW folks are doing actual projects to help themselves.