Survivalism=money in the bank. We were poor by Houston standards. DH was a pastor and we just had to save every penny to make ends meet. I started by a small garden in the back yard. It had to be small. The yard was small. That was 30 years ago. I discovered that because I could garden in Houston year round, I could feed my family of 4 on the equivalent of a 4 foot by 3 car garage length and an additional 2 foot by 3 foot garage length. I have no idea how much a 3 car garage is in feet so I have to list it like that. That meant that every time a plant came out, something different went in. We composted everything and kept feeding the soil. I was amazed at how much I could grow in that little area. We haven't done as well here in NC. The growing season is shorter, but I have more room.
Later, it became almost a game. How much could I save here by stocking up here? Let's see if I can buy a year's supply of TP in January for half price, how much do I save for the year? So, how much can I save by hanging my laundry instead of drying it in the dryer.
Then, I had a colon tumor. The doctor was stunned that it was bigger than a grapefruit and yet not cancerous. "Eat organic and raw," he said. I couldn't afford to buy organic so I raised it. We expanded into chickens and then onto 5 acres. Canning and dehydrating became my way of life. It was the ultimate instant food and SO GOOD!! You never fixed just one serving of anything....always 2.....one to eat and one for the canner. I learned to can most of my left overs. If I either froze them or canned them, they never ruined in the refrigerator.
All of this to say, as females, we often are the ones who purchase the food, buy the TP, carry kids to soccer practice and piano lessons. The pressure to make ends meet and juggle all of the balls becomes serious pressure to those of us who were never rich.
So, after 36 years of marriage.........because of the survival mode for years.......raising our own food, buying on sale, clipping coupons to get most things for free, taking advantage of CVS and Walmart free toothpaste and toothbrushes.......we are debt free and have money in the bank. It became a way of life. It wasn't really difficult. In fact, it has been fun. There was a new challenge at every turn. How do you pay for the kid's college and on and on? God has been good. They went to college for free and we just kept plugging away.
I have a friend in the mountains of NC. Her husband is out of a job and they are struggling to make the mortgage payment. Yet, they are able to make the payment with his odd jobs. She buys groceries almost every week, but only gets what she can get for free with coupons. She has a huge stockpile in her basement of cereal she got for free with triple coupon week. No, they don't eat all of that cereal, but she can't afford feed for her chickens......so.......the cereal is chicken feed. She has a closet full of free toothpaste, free toothbrushes, free tylenol, free dental floss, free TP and on and on and on. She spends 4 hours a week scouring the coupon forums and web sites. Yes, she spends that kind of time, but her family lives for cheap, cheap, cheap. The extra Walgreens and CVS bucks pay for her milk and on and on. I've learned so much from her. You can live for nothing if you will take the time and advantage of things that are out there for us. She turned off the TV long ago and spends time trying to cut corners for her family. By next summer, hopefully, her husband will have another job. If not, they will survive. It will be tough and she'll have to rely on government insurance for the kids, but you can do it. You can live on almost nothing if you are willing to sacrifice and find the deals. On the side of a mountain she is raising herbs. In her area there is a free tailgate market where folks will pay top dollar for fresh herbs. She hopes to sell next spring again adding to their income. She is amazing. Most women are just as ingenious and industrious as this lady. That's why we are interested in survivalism.
