Changing Our World With Common Sense

29 April, 2008

It is time to take control of our lives in any way we can. The "Global Food Crisis" whether real or contrived, whether caused by bio-fuel production or by crop blight or commodity futures speculation or even the cost of energy--it makes no difference to you or to me. These causes are, as usual, put forth to us by the New World Government in such a way as to make us feel helpless to do anything about it. The message is the same as always: Bend over and hand me your wallet! The timing is really bad to try to scare us since growing season is right here and now. I'd be much more worried if it were the dead of winter and the ground unproductive.

Well, I've got news for you. We do not have to buy into that defeatist nonsense and sit back and starve or pay these ridiculously high prices for foods we can grow ourselves. We might not be able to grow rice or corn or even wheat in quantity, but there are other foods that are actually good for us and can be easily grown just about anywhere with a foot or two of space.

The potato is one and is a staple food. Potatoes happen to be a versatile food that can be grown even in a half-barrel if you have no room for a large garden. Look it up online, there are plenty of instructions out there. For the avid gardener this is old news, but for those of you who think you need a "green thumb", that is just silly. If you have no land on which to grow but have even a small patio that gets some sun, you can grow a few things to offset the prices at the store. The satisfaction of havesting and eating your own produce is also a great feeling. How in the world did we get so far from our (pardon the pun) roots? Educate yourself and grow.

If you are an avid gardener, have plenty of space and neighbors who garden, why not get together with them and form of a co-operative of sorts? Instead of everyone running around giving away tomatoes and zucchini in peak season because everyone has them, why not find out who is growing what and do some trading of food? That way, everyone can have more variety, thus a more diversified base of nutrients.

Do you know how to can food? It's amazing that when I pick up a can of vegetables at the store it has so many chemicals in it, I can barely read the label. But when I read instructions on canning, say tomatoes, all I need is a bit of salt. Both are unspoiled for a couple of years if canned properly, but it really makes me wonder what these big corporations know that my grandma didn't. Or maybe they should take a lesson from my grandma. I think it's probably the latter.

Think canning food is an arduous and complicated process? Well, it's not and the "hot water bath" method is easier than making a pie.

Freezing food is the easiest of all ways to preserve it. For Pete's sake, look it up and figure it out and do it now!

If you are not angry about this "sudden food crisis" you damned sure should be. But I always say, why get mad when I can get even? Getting even means beating them at their own game. It's not illegal to grow your own food--yet.

If you live in one of those places that has a "homeowner's association", now might be the time to go to a board of director's meeting and see about getting some changes made regarding their rules on what can be planted on your property. Of course, if you've bought into one of those, your property isn't your own, especially outdoors and I am sure you realize that by now, if you are not already out on the streets due to foreclosure.

Is there a vacant lot close or next to you? Why not see about growing something on that with permission from the landowner? What about a community garden?

Are you car pooling yet? The days of hair blowing in the breeze and freedom behind the wheel are over except for the most affluent of drivers. Do you realize that if you have one person riding with you, the cost of your gasoline bill goes down to about $1.75 per gallon, just divide your gas bill in half? We haven't seen those prices in how long? If you can get 2 or even 3 people riding together, gasoline purchases becomes nothing more than an afterthought. It's kind of like getting on a horse, to him you're just a hat. Trying to pay these prices alone is a huge burden. And yeah, maybe it's a bit inconvenient, but much less painful than scrimping on groceries for hungry children.

If you have mass transit that gets you where you need to go on time, I have to ask you this, why are you diving a car to work or anywhere else for that matter?

The New World Government has subtly and not so subtly divided us. How well do you know your neighbors? Do you know them at all? That old saying "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" is more true than ever right now. "Many hands make light work" is an old adage that a good friend of mine likes to remind me of constantly and this is so true. We must become real communities again, get to know each other and help each other out any way we can. "Two Heads Are Better Than One" is another saying that is very fitting at this time. Most of us are so busy trying to make a living all day long and then so busy watching the television at night, we don't even know who lives next door to us these days.

We must learn to trade skills and get away from the money exchanging as much as possible.

Do you remember how to barter items instead of buying things with paper? This is an almost foreign concept to many people these days. This must be brought back now and re-learned or simply learned by those younguns who've never had to exchange goods in this manner.

I keep looking back at my childhood, where coming from a poor family meant doing without a lot of things and simply making do. I used to despise those roots, but now I am thankful for them. It taught me just how little I truly need to not only survive, but to be comfortable while I am surviving.

Do you ever relax by reading a book instead of paying to go to a movie? Books are all but free when purchased used and we do still have libraries. Start making use of the few public services we have left. Go to a free park for a picnic and spend time with your family one on one instead of going to expensive amusement parks where mega conglomerates provide all the entertainment and rob you of your hard earned dollars at the same time.

Do you even own a sewing machine? If you have small children and you are not at least making their summer shorts, which require hardly any material at all and a bit of elastic at the waist, you are throwing your money in the garbage. You can make them cheaper than even Wal-Mart can sell them to you. Stop giving these monsters your money! You can make a pair of shorts in less than an hour. And believe it or not, it's quite satisfying when you're done.

This kind of satisfaction is important to the human psyche. At least it is to mine. It lets you know that even though you might not know how to weave cloth on a loom, if you can find fabric, even in the form of used clothing in good shape, you can make clothing for your children. Don't worry, it will be like brand new if you choose wisely.

Why are we buying everything brand new all the time? Stop feeding the Chinese economy. Buying used goods puts a halt to this, even if the goods originated in China. By buying previously owned items, you are not feeding their industry, you are recycling. You might even find something American made if you look.

I needed a dresser the other day, first thing I did was get online and go to the stores looking for a new one. There's that New World Government conditioning in action. Even I am not immune to their brainwashing. The cost of what I needed was from $300.00 up to thousands and all were made in China that I found. After sanity kicked in, I went to a used furniture store here in town, found an older dresser in excellent condition that was just what I needed. It was made in the U.S.A and cost me $35.00 plus $10.00 for delivery!

See what we can do when we are practical instead of acting like the spoiled children our government and media has spent years cultivating in order to propagate our consumer driven society and economy? My credit card thanks me for it and so did my husband who pays the bills, not only that, I got a high quality piece of furniture that will last for decades. Stop throwing things away and repair them if you can.

Buy a used bicycle and hitch a couple of baskets to it. If you are reasonably near places you shop and can safely ride your bike, use it instead of your car. You'll not only save money on gasoline, you'll get some exercise to boot. Even better yet, learn how to repair them, this might just become a viable trade in the months to come.

Get in shape! A well functioning immune system will keep you out of the doctor's office and the less pharmaceuticals you consume, the more your internal organs will thank you for it, especially your liver and kidneys.

This doesn't mean being stick thin, it means feeling good and being able to do the things you would physically like to do. I know people who cannot even carry their own groceries from their car into the house.

Stock up on staple foods now. Prices are going to do nothing but increase and it is now proven that supply and demand are no longer functioning as a precursor or cause for price hikes. Speculation on the markets have doomed us to high prices for years to come. If you believe your wages are going to grow enough to cover this egregious type of inflation, if you are lucky enough to have a job, well you know that old saying about the Brooklyn Bridge.

If you do stock food, just remember it does absolutely no good to store food improperly. You are simply wasting money if you do not know how to store what you have purchased. Again, look it up, there are many websites that will teach you how to store all the different types of staples available.

When stocking up, it does no good to stock flour if you only have water to go with it. Most recipes requring flour also call for milk, eggs and oil.

Coconut oil, unrefined virgin, lasts for years. Other oils will spoil and go rancid.

Buy some powdered WHOLE eggs and powdered milk. Many places sell these on the internet. Again, storage method is key.

Do you smoke? I'm not a cigarette Nazi, I just want to give you a tip on how to stop giving conglomerates your hard earned money. Buy a machine and make your own. Times have changed mightily since the first cigarette rollers were on the market. The ones out there now, selling for around $35.00 work quickly, efficiently and enable you to smoke for around a dollar a pack. All you need are the cigarette filter tubes, the machine and some tobacco. This also enables you to have more control over what you are inhaling into your lungs. Everyone knows by now that cigarette manufacturers are adding chemicals to their tobacco. The machines are well made and will last for a very long time. Why in the world are you still paying all that money for a pack of smokes when you can make your own that taste exactly the same? Depending on how much you smoke, making this change can potentially save you hundreds of dollars each month. I won't even bother to talk about quitting, that is a purely individual choice and is certainly not any of my business.

Do something to help yourself now!