CHEAP-O economic
principle #5: The best way to NOT spend money is to NOT go to the store in
the first place. If you are not careful you can go broke "saving" money
buying things on sale that you do not need. Never go to the mall or
department store just to shop. If you must go, then go to buy what you
need, then be on your way. A side note here: Shopping is NOT a form of
entertainment or a sport.
CHEAP-O economic
principle #6: Be careful not just what you shop for, but where
you shop, even for a simple thing like a bottle of pop or a carton of
milk. If you buy it at your local service station/convenience store it
will cost you over 3 dollars for a 2 liter pop. If you buy it at the
“open-til-midnight” drug store it will be just under 2 dollars, if you buy
it at Walmart or Costco it will be anywhere from 65 cents to $1.25. The
guideline of picking where you buy applies to jeans, shoes, computers,
appliances, and just about everything else. Always check out the thrift stores
and yard sales. Check the flyers for sale prices on items you need.
CHEAP-O economic
principle #7: FREE is the best possible price. It is amazing what you
can get for free if you are willing to go pick it up, haul it away, take
it apart or just ask what they are going to do with it. I recently joined
the local chapter of Freecycle.org. You cannot imagine the things that people
are giving away: TVs, books, kids clothes and toys, furniture, lumber,
bricks, patio blocks, old computers, paint, anything and everything.
CHEAP-O economic
principle #8: The best investment you can make is in yourself; learning
new skills, improving your understanding of gardening, composting, homestead life-skills, staying healthy. Invest in your land and ways to
look after yourself and your family. No, you don't need a degree in
agriculture or business, but you do need to have a good knowledge base.
CHEAP-O economic
principle #9: This is likely to make me unpopular in some circles, but,
it is not your unalienable right to have a 2000 square foot house in the burbs,
with double attached garage and 2 new cars in the driveway. There are
some things that you cannot afford and some things you really do not
need. The vast majority of the national financial crisis could have been
averted if people realized that you don't just get the trappings of
success, you have to earn them.
CHEAP-O economic
principles #10: You can create your homestead, all its systems (power,
water, heat) one piece at a time. Keep moving toward your goal, no matter
how small of steps you take, keep pressing forward. Don't be put off by
family and friends that tell you “it can't be done”. Don't let some
expert tell you that it is going to cost too much or that you can't get
your setup one piece at a time, that you have to build or buy the whole
thing all at one time. Keep working on your plan and keep your dream
alive.
With the financial
future looking increasingly bleak, it is time for each of us to look
closely at our personal situation and figure out what we have to do to
make ourselves less dependent and less vulnerable. We each need to take
responsibility for ourselves, our family, and our well being.
