I was recently speaking with a family member that now lives alone, and we were talking about how hard the economy was, and how hard it was becoming to make ends meet. They went on to tell me how they barely had enough money to go grocery shopping after paying all the bills on their limited income.
I went over some options with them for utilizing the yard space they had to produce some food, instead of letting the space produce grass that merely needed cutting. They decided that sweet potatoes would be a great addition, as they require very little maintenance, are tasty, and they thrive on neglect.
Malabar spinach was another option they said they would entertain, though more for its simplicity in growing, rather than their love of leafy green vegetables.
I also went over watering options, and with plans to put in a rain barrel to be used for watering their “future crops”, we started the ball rolling towards making them a little more self reliant. A good thing all around.
The next time I was in the area, I stopped by with a bucket of food, canned goods, dehydrated vegetables, rice, brown sugar, oatmeal, and a few other items. Enough for one person to live on for several months with no additional input other than a little cooking ingenuity, something I know they have.
While it did set me back a bit in my preps, it wasn’t as significant a hit to me as it was a boon to them, and that fact alone made it the right decision. It is also food purchased on last year (or the year before that’s) dollar, meaning it cost me less. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the amount of food I dropped of for anywhere near what I paid for it, probably less than half.
Situations like these are the reason I stock a little extra food – emergencies. It doesn’t require zombies at the door, nuclear fallout, or the Rabid Squirrel Flu pandemic to constitute an emergency.
All it takes is a situation that ends poorly without outside inputs.
Loss of a job fits this, as does a significant illness. So does “not enough money to eat regularly”, particularly when its a member of my family through no fault of their own.
So if you needed one more reason to stock up a little food, think of your extended family, or anyone else you care enough to lend a hand.
Peace,
db
That was a very nice thing to do Hillbilly. I shudder to think what would happen to most people if the lights did go out. Can you imagine the entire population of the Earth today – out foraging and hunting game for food?
Mostly I cannot, since I don’t think the entire population of the world wouldn’t make it past the first week. Lack of safe water alone would thin the crowd considerably. Food, for most, would last about the same amount, then they would become mobs looting the stores for food, not TVs this time.
But that’s an unlikely (no impossible) scenario. A economic depression seems to be looming over our heads…I think it has the potential to become much uglier than it is already.
Either way, loss of income I’ve seen and experienced, so I plan for what I know. Stocking a little bit of extra food is an inflation hedge as worst, a retirement fund at best. Either way, the only thing it hurts is the amount of shelf space it takes up 🙂
Everyone has to agree that bad times happen, only to varying degrees. You can put your money into a bank for the bad times, or you can spend it now on hard assets for future use. The money may be deflated in value in the future (historically, look at what the dollar will buy), but I KNOW I’ll need to eat next week. Its not wasted, and has a guaranteed return. Doesn’t that make it a sound investment?