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Pappy
04-22-2006, 07:11 PM
I think I just had reality smack me in the head:p

Its gardening season here, well for cold weather crops, but it is the tiome of year when I begin getting my gardens ready for a productive season. So, as usual, I run a quick search to bone up on different vegatables when I stumbled across a website that must have died shortly after Y2K. Anyway, the discussion on the forums of this site were all about growing and raising your own food for survival etc.

The Y2K ofcourse was a dud, but re-reading the fear combined with Sept 11th, and the Hurricane that devastated portions of teh south really brought home the fact that as a society we are basically screwed if something bad ever did hit the majority of teh country.

Just think how the people of New Orleans reacted, and how you would react in the short and long term. I think back to Y2K and remember stocking up on a few items that would sustain my family for a short period, but I remember thinking there was really no way to prepare for the long run. Now, 6 years later, I am in a position where I am creating longer term solutions for my families needs not based on some big event or being scared, but for the sake of saving a few dollars otherwise handed to a big company for a can of green beans etc.

I dont mean to sound wierd or be a bell ringer for everyone to start stockpiling foods, but after some figuring, I feel I can shave almost $4000 a year off our food budget alone with my gardens and canning/freezing of the food. I will be adding a hog pen, more chickens to the coup and maybe even a cow or two, however the later being almost as expensive to raise as is it is to buy anymore.

LOL....sorry, I dont mean to rant on, I geuss with fuel at $3+ and rising, the grocery bill thru the roof it really started me thinking how I could make some changes to help myself and it made me think of how bad things could be if the slightest hiccup occured in our society these days.

wvspeedfreak
04-22-2006, 07:49 PM
We have an excellent place for a garden here but I have a hard time finding time to tend to it so we haven't planted anything in years.If I did plant it again between that and hunting,I could save a heck of alot of $$$ on groceries!

Pappy
04-22-2006, 07:52 PM
ahh time...I know all about that:p

Infact, we are planning a garden this year that will be even easier for us to tend to. For instance, my Tomatoes, peppers , eggplant among others, will be grown in 5 gallon buckets buried almost to thier rim in the garden. This will allow me to fill just the buckets with compost/soil and maximize growing potential without causing me more work to tend to the soil!

My fall potatoe crop will again be planted in boxes, no need to do anything until november when the wooden boxes will be pushed over, potatoes harvested and placed in the root cellar:D

04-22-2006, 07:55 PM
haha wait till your kid starts getting hungry, then youre screwed.

Pappy
04-22-2006, 07:59 PM
My kids:confused:

they both put deer in the freezer this year, if they are hungry they know how to get thier own food.

JOEX
04-22-2006, 08:11 PM
Originally posted by Pappy
My kids:confused:

they both put deer in the freezer this year, if they are hungry they know how to get thier own food.
LOL:p

But remember, they're getting to the age where they will be eating three or four meals at a sitting:eek: :muscle:

Pappy
04-22-2006, 08:16 PM
Honestly, my kids would chose a fresh salad over a bag of candy. Not sure how I made that happen:p

I do know that they will take a deer steak over beef anyday of the week:cool:

04-22-2006, 08:21 PM
i would take a deer steak over a hamburger anyday!!!!!!!!!!!!


:blah:

i would lick it :blah:

Pappy
04-22-2006, 08:28 PM
LOL, kind of a funnys tory about how my kids are....

Cody killed a decent sized grey squirrel after school that had been hanging out near the garage. (I think it was after my deer corn )

So Cody shoots it in the head, skins it, and had it soaking in salt water in a zip loc bag to have for supper. The wife fried it up along with our dinner. Cody and myself had slipped out to bow hunt the last hour of light and when we came in the only thing left was a few bones:p My youngest son Ryan had eaten the squirrel. Cody was furious, he yelled at Ryan that it was indeed his squirrel and he had no right to eat it. Ryan calmly told Cody that it was not all that big and to shoot a bigger one so they both could have some:eek: :p

Mxjunkie
04-22-2006, 08:49 PM
hahah I can see ryan sitting there eatting it trying to be sneaky :blah:

I love growing stuff and you do have a point, all the money my step mom spends on veggies etc I could grow them cheaper. I might see what I can come up with this summer :cool:

440racer66
04-22-2006, 09:08 PM
i deer hunt and luv deer meat its better for you and i would rathe eat deer meat than to eat beef because it didnt have a fair chace to run so.... i eat mostly deer because i have to work hard for the meat

400exrules
04-22-2006, 09:12 PM
Gas and food arent the only thing. Thanks to china buildin all their un-needed skyscrapers and sh^t, its caused the US to have to jack up the price of all construction materials. My dad does home repairs, and he has to raise his quotes when he does work because building materials are getting so expensive now. Lumber has gone up alot, metal and concrete have gone up, just about everything has gone up

JOEX
04-22-2006, 09:25 PM
Originally posted by 400exrules
Gas and food arent the only thing. Thanks to china buildin all their un-needed skyscrapers and sh^t, its caused the US to have to jack up the price of all construction materials. My dad does home repairs, and he has to raise his quotes when he does work because building materials are getting so expensive now. Lumber has gone up alot, metal and concrete have gone up, just about everything has gone up
Why are 'China's skyscrapers' unneeded?

MOFO
04-23-2006, 07:41 AM
Originally posted by JOEX
Why are 'China's skyscrapers' unneeded?


LMAO... :D

I wonder if he knows thats hogwash and not the reason why building supply's for home repair are going up. :rolleyes:

Pappy
04-23-2006, 07:45 AM
I could careless if China builds an outhouse:p but they are one of the leading factors in the rising costs here in the states, along with India. Oil is the root of evil these days, and its driving the costs of everything thru the roof. But, as usual, us americans will gripe a bit and pay whatever we have too.

400exrules
04-23-2006, 07:47 AM
Originally posted by MOFO
LMAO... :D

I wonder if he knows thats hogwash and not the reason why building supply's for home repair are going up. :rolleyes:

that combined with iraq......if im wrong then please inform us all why prices have increased.

and dont tell me they need more skyscrapers