A Sister Blog for A View From The Cottage

Since the 2008 economic downturn, many people in the USA have struggled with financial hardship, unemployment and under employment. On the world stage, the global economy is in turbulent waters, the E.U. Euro troubles, an election in Greece that could lead to Greece exiting the E.U., the Death of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, oil selling at under $50 a barrel, (countries like Russia and Iran are suffering great financial strain since the health of their economies is dependent on $100 a barrel crude prices)... are just a few of the elements that could lead to global financial duress in 2015. For now, gas in the US is selling at amazingly low prices. For the short term that is great, but over the long haul, it will exact a high price on a global level, which in the end will be bad for the U.S. We do not stand alone, we are inextricably connected to a global economy. I am no financial analyst, but it looks to me like there could be dark days ahead for everyone.

I am not trying to be a harbinger of doom, as a matter of fact I am here to say that for a brief period of time the people of the U.S. are getting a reprieve from a long running financial crush. Now is a good time to put aside a little cash and make some decisions and plans for the future, while gas prices are low and most everyone has a little extra jingle in their pockets. It is a good time to look past the end of our noses, and realize that the reprieve won't last forever and there is much to indicate that things will be worse instead of better in the near future.

 It seems like this is a great time to talk about what can be done to be better prepared for an emergency.  It is suggested by the US government that each family have an emergency preparedness plan, (read more at http://www.ready.gov/,  http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters, https://www.fema.gov/plan, http://www.community.fema.gov/connect.ti/cfghome/grouphome ), the fact that the government is sticking its neck out and telling people they need to be prepared, should be reason for concern. Because they know that in the case of a large scale emergency, at least for awhile, each family in the U.S. that is affected, will be on their own... remember Hurricane Katrina....?

Prepare for what? You ask... Well according to the Ready.gov, we should be ready for natural hazards, like storms and earthquakes, but also for pandemic, technological and accidental hazards, and terrorist attacks. CDC.gov. wants you to prepare for a zombie apocalypse... I kid you not... check out the link above, (the blog post is done quasi "tongue in cheek", but then again it never denies the possibility of a zombie apocalypse, it uses the term more often than is necessary to really be considered humorous... Do I worry about a zombie apocalypse...? No, unless you consider the masses of unprepared people swarming the grocery stores before a storm to be zombies... It can get pretty ugly when the word snow is mentioned and in a matter of second all the bread  and milk in the store is gone ... those left with money in their hands and no food to take home to their empty larder to feed their kids, could resemble zombies...running through the parking lot to try and get to the next store before everything is gone. But I don't worry about joining the zombie horde to get food when a storm is coming, or when the power is out for weeks after big winter storm, because my larder is always full.

So, if I am not worried about a zombie apocalypse, what am I preparing for? My husband and I are preparing our family, home and land to be able to carry on with life, no matter what the circumstance. We are not preparing for a particular scenario, for Sh-t to hit the fan or the world as we know it to come to an end, although those possibilities always exist... we are just making sure that whatever storm is on the horizon we are as well equipped to weather it as we can be in hopes that our lives can go on as normally as possible.

So, since we presently seem to be having a calm, and there are no inidcations of an eminent storm... I am taking the opportunity to launch a new blog,  www.aprepperspantryjournal.blogspot.com.  A sister blog to A View From the Cottage. This blog is being written to assist people in making their own preparations, not so much for a zombie apocalypse, but for "life" to happen. While the Cottage blog is all about life on our little homestead, stories, recipes and tutorials on homesteading, self-sufficiency, organic gardening, health ,wellness, and our kosher/vegan lifestyle,  Preppers Pantry Journal will be focused on Preparedness. There will be tutorials on many aspects of Preparedness; long term food storage, food preservation, emergency preparedness, survival craft, herbal medicine and first aid,  and much more. There will also be tips and tricks for frugal prepping. Please come and check it out and see what you can do to be prepared!

Learning to Sway

  When we moved to Costa Rica in early 2009, the United States economy was in the throes of economic upheaval. The late 2008 stock market debacle and the subsequent bailouts were impacting on the middle class's investment portfolios and retirement security. The average person who put their trust in their corporate retirement plan and 401 K's were suddenly aware how vulnerable they were to the whims of the global economy.

  My husband retired in 2008 at the age of 51, with 30 years of service to local government. His annuity was coming from a fairly stable source, since it was state government that was writing the checks, so we weren't too worried. Then while we were living on the farm in the mountains of Costa Rica, we started hearing about state and local governments going bankrupt. The security of our retirement check became less certain. We weren't at all prepared for the possibility of losing our retirement check. Fortunately, we have to this point in January 2011, not had any issue with NC State government sending us our check, but it did cause us to look seriously at our contingency plans. 

  I am not going to talk about our income contingency plans here, but the whole idea of economic uncertainty does bring to mind some things that I would like to talk about. Our life choices have always revolved around sustainability and self reliance. We chose to live as close to nature as we could, to grow our food and gain knowledge and experience in as many aspects of homesteading as we could on our little piece of land. We lived frugally on one income, drove older "beater" cars, and had the long term goal of being debt free. When we moved to Costa Rica we added to our experience tool set by learning from the Ticos, how they manage to live good full lives on very little income.

  I was constantly amazed by "Ticonomics". Costa Rica has a large middle class, has an 85% literacy rate, and is one of the cleanest, "greenest" places I have had experience with. Of course, "middle class" and "literacy" are relative. A middle class Tico does not live like a middle class American, with two cars (or more), a house with a 30 year mortgage and disposable income to toss around on eating out and movies. Literacy doesn't mean you graduated high school, it means you can read, write and do functional math and have an 8th grade education. A middle class Tico has a small house of 600 to 1000 sq. ft. with no mortgage, no car for most families (in our area in the mountains anyway...), and has very little disposable income.

  The thing that is so amazing is that Ticos know how to sway with the economic winds. If the US economy is bad and tourism is down, there are fewer jobs available. When this happens, Ticos switch from a paying job to odd jobs and working the land to grow their food. When income is limited they cut back on things, use less electricity, stop using their cell phones (there are no 2 yr. phone plans in CR. you pay as you go), eat more basic foods and everyone pitches in to bring in what is needed to pay the bills. One of our friends has a family of 5 at home with the possibility of 4 other family members having to move in during hard times. The man of the house is a strong, hard working foreman for a construction crew. When he has work, he puts away for the thinner times when there is no construction work. When the job is over, while he waits for the next project to come up, he raises chickens for meat and sells them to "Gringos" and to businesses in town. He raises an amazing amount of food in very little space, has a calf tethered in the yard to cut the grass and grow out for meat, and milks an American's dairy cows for some cash and milk to bring home to his family. Their monthly income is often less than $300, but they are happy, busy, fed and have time to spend with friends and family.  

  I think the secret is that they are content to live simply. Meals are very simple, consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables in abundance, rice and black beans. Their homes are scrupulously clean and simply furnished. They expand their living space by building a deep veranda (covered porch) on their house where they spend most of their time. They go to bed shortly after dark and get up with the rooster. They can live on practically nothing. 

  The Tico is able to build a house with cash for the most part since they are not extensive structures and they keep utilities to a minimum. Living in the tropics where there is no need for central heat and good insulation means that the Tico doesn't have to have the same kind of investment in their house construction materials. A small house with one bathroom, tiny bedrooms and a kitchen is sufficient. The veranda is the living area where family and friends gather to chat, eat, and catch the evening breeze.

  The plaza is another extension of living space for social interaction. The plaza is the heart of the community, it is usually a soccer field that has benches and trees surrounding it. Everyone ends up there at one time or another, to talk about the day, catch up on news and let the kiddies run and play. There is always some kind of activity going on, an impromtu soccer match, teens walking in clusters laughing and whispering to each other, the elderly sit in their plastic chairs and watch the grandkids while parents have a few minutes of social time before bed. Life is lived as a village, not as isolated cells of immediate family as it is here in the States. Americans could benefit emotionally,  financially and socially from adopting a few of the basic tenants of Tico life. If we were less isolated, spent more time doing things outside, and were happy with simple pleasures, there would be less need to spend money and time going out.

  I really didn't mean to go on about Tico life, but I learned so much by having them as neighbors and friends, that it is hard not to wax philosophical about their way of life. What I really want to talk about is learning to sway, "Tico style", to the present economic winds. So in the next several blog posts I will be talking about what our family has learned about being economically flexible.

  Until next time, blessings and shalom to you all!