Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
Well, I thought I was going to have a bumper crop of pumpkins this year - had a couple hundred that got up to about 10 pounds, then during a long cool rainy spell, every one rotted. Maybe others had the same problem, causing them to be in short supply. Here a 25-30# pumpkin is selling for $9-$12 when you can find them. And here I had made a place to store all those pumpkins too...
Had it not been for the butternut squash, this would have been a bleak squash year. But the butternuts produced more than enough - about 80-90 in a 10X20 plot (lost count as we were eating them). Got them all picked, washed with bleach water and stored in milk crates. (Mmmm Mmmm Good!) Make good substitute for pumpkin pies or like sweet potatoes too.
Got all my black beans picked and threshed and sorghum for the chickens harvested and bagged - Whew... Still have to dig the carrots and got one more picking of peppers (about a bushel and a half).
Now the fun begins - what do we want to eat today?
On an earlier post someone was talking about rice... When we lived in Cuba, we learned to eat lots of rice - Fried eggs on rice for breakfast, Arroz con Picadillo y yucca(rice and hamburger and boiled yucca) for lunch, Pork and rice or chicken and rice for dinner... They actually ate more rice per capita than the Chinese or Japanese. They even made several stir-fry dishes with lots of rice. Pineapple pork with rice - yum...
Meantime, another reason that I am deeply concerned about stress is that I have actually started to seriously wonder how much that Washington D.C. is intentionally attempting to stress out the citizenry -- and that sounds downright clinically paranoid.
But yeah, a stressed out citizenry would be easy to manipulate & use, you know??
I found things deeply stressful in the months following 911, but this period nowadays is ever much more so. So I think it's important to totally DE-stress -- I'm not saying that it's not important to do so all the time, but I am communicating that I think that PART of the emergency we are all facing includes the toxic toll that extreme stress in enacting upon us.
What Makes Oklahoma City Recession-Proof? : NPR
Oct 24, 2009 ... The recession is bad everywhere, but it's a little less bad in Oklahoma. The unemployment rate in Oklahoma City is still below 7 percent ... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114130247
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2371424/posts?page=36#36
PHOTOS: Best Wild Animal Pictures of 2009 Announced
nationalgeographic ^ | October 22, 2009-
Posted on 10/26/2009 3:37:07 PM PDT by JoeProBono
A fantastic thread of LOL, real animals.....granny
I learned from an 5-6 minute story on NPR about the pumpkin crop failure, the reporter was somewhere in Michigan, standing in the Libby's Pumpkin acerage, describing very grim conditions, and that there might not be enough pumpkin for the holidays this year.
I read online that in some places people cannot find any canned pumpkin in the grocery stores, but I had no difficulty where I am.
I need to use up the five-4-a-dollar canned pumpkin I stocked up on one January about six years ago -- at 20-cents a can, I bought alot, LOL!!
Cool, Wet Summer Hurts Pumpkin Crop : NPR
Oct 1, 2009 ... However, the unseasonable weather has claimed a notable victim: the pumpkin. Maine's pumpkin harvest is expected to be off by 50 percent.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113374439
Had it not been for the butternut squash, this would have been a bleak squash year. But the butternuts produced more than enough - about 80-90 in a 10X20 plot (lost count as we were eating them). Got them all picked, washed with bleach water and stored in milk crates. (Mmmm Mmmm Good!) Make good substitute for pumpkin pies or like sweet potatoes too.<<<
I would like them better than pumpkins........
It seems only yesterday the thread was counting seeds in cups and onto paper towels and now it is all over.
Now the dreams start for next year...maybe it is all the changes that makes folks into gardners.
I am so thankful that over all you had a good year.
What was the final verdict on your nakkid oats?
Thanks for sharing the fantastic photo.
My first thought was “it must be a Pupfish”.
Then it dawned on me that i did not know what a pupfish was.
I assume it is a Sea Lion, or Seal?
It sure does have alert eyes.
Glenn Beck on this week of White House War on Fox News Channel
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2009
Release #10-021
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
CPSC Urges Parents and Caregivers to Stop Using “My Baby Soother” Pacifiers Due to Choking Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to immediately stop providing “My Baby Soother” pacifiers to their children. The pacifiers were distributed by T & L Trading Corp., of Brooklyn, N.Y. The pacifiers failed to meet federal safety standards because the nipples can separate from the base easily, posing a choking hazard to infants and toddlers.
CPSC is issuing this warning because T & L Trading has refused to recall these pacifiers.
About 16,500 “My Baby Soother” pacifiers were sold at grocery stores, delis, and discount stores in Bronx, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Coney Island of New York from August 2007 through July 2009 for about $1.
The “My Baby Soother” pacifier has a ring-shaped handle and a blue, pink, red, white or yellow heart-shaped mouth guard with two ventilation holes. The nipple is made of either silicon or latex. The pacifier package has the words “My Baby Soother” printed on the top and a picture of an infant on the background.
Distributors and retailers who purchased the “My Baby Soother” pacifiers from T & L Trading should immediately stop distributing the pacifier and call CPSC. Consumers should immediately take the recalled pacifiers away from infants and toddlers and discard them.
To see this release on CPSC’s web site, including links pictures of the hazardous products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10021.html
You’re invited to a FREE webinar on “Getting Started in Farm Scale Biodiesel Production!”
Register now (http://www.attra.ncat.org/webinars2009/biodiesel1)
If you want to make your agriculture operation more sustainable, you probably know that biodiesel is a great alternative fuel that is safe, inexpensive and can be produced right on the farm. But starting biodiesel production can be intimidating.
To get FREE, expert information about the basic of biodiesel production and learn about how to incorporate the fuel on your farm or ranch, register for Getting Started in Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production, a 60-minute webinar from ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
This FREE webinar on Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. MST will highlight the basics of biodiesel production and show home brewers what precautions they can take to avoid potential problems associated with poor-quality fuel. When properly made and stored, biodiesel can be substituted for petroleum-based diesel in virtually any standard, unmodified engine. It is a clean-burning, renewable and environmentally friendly fuel that emits fewer pollutants than traditional petrodiesel and is biodegradable and extends engine life.
This webinar will cover topics including:
* The advantages and disadvantages of biodiesel
* The chemistry of biodiesel and step-by-step instructions to make your own fuel
* Types, prices and tradeoffs of biodiesel processors and equipment
* Oilseed production and processing
* Examples of farmers and ranchers making their own fuel
There will also be time to ask and get answers to your questions about sheep and goat production.
The presenters for this webinar are Al Kurki and Rich Dana, biodiesel specialists with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT).
Kurki is coordinator of the Oilseeds for Fuel, Feed and the Future Project for NCAT in Montana, where he also works on farm energy efficiency projects. Kurki is former executive director of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO) and has worked on sustainable agriculture issues for more than 23 years. Since late 1994, he has served as the Western SARE Professional Development Program’s associate coordinator.
Dana is an energy specialist in NCAT’s Midwest office. He is an avid biodiesel home brewer, producing more than 400 gallons a year for use as a farm and heating fuel. In the past he has operated a community biodiesel pilot project in Grinnell, Iowa, and served as president of the Iowa Renewable Energy Association and legislative liaison for the Iowa Farmers Union.
This free webinar will be held This free webinar will be held Thursday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. MST. Please register in advance at http://www.attra.ncat.org/webinars2009/biodiesel1.
On the day of the presentation, please log on to the webinar Web site 15 minutes early to allow the required software to download. You can then listen to the webinar through your computer’s speakers and see the presentation slides on your computer screen. You may also listen to the webinar by calling a phone number provided after you register online.
TITLE: Getting Started in Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m. MST
WHERE: http://www.attra.ncat.org/webinars2009/biodiesel1
Please join us on November 5 for this informative webinar on farm scale biodiesel production.
ATTRA — National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (http://www.attra.ncat.org) is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected sources for sustainable agriculture information. Resources include hundreds of expert publications and worksheets, as well as sustainable agriculture specialists who provide personalized technical assistance on sustainable agriculture topics. ATTRA is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/index.html) and managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) (http://www.ncat.org), a nonprofit organization focusing on sustainable agriculture, energy and communities.
http://sickoflibs.blogspot.com/2009/10/glenn-beck-on-this-week-of-white-house.html
I heard part of the order was taking over FNC (Fox News) ,just until the crisis is over. You know, for national security reasons.<<<
Wish it was a joke, the o is using Venezuela and Russia as a master plan and you can bet he fully intends to take over everything.............as in ALL of everything.
In my opinion of course.
I bookmarked your site, but as my huge bookmark file is a joke, let us know if you do post something that kinda fits this threads seeking for knowledge.
LOL, we long ago lost our way, from the path of “using old ways to help us survive” to just plain survival, frugal in today’s world and whatever we should know to get there.
I have to keep the train of thoughts large and mixed, because I am one of those folks, who never stay on topic, if you do give me one. Topics only remind me of something else and it is not usually related at all.........
Welcome and do join in the thread.
Re: Beck, he is not on the radio here and I do not own tv, so I know of him only via Freepers and other bits and pieces, I am on dial up internet, so do not do videos.
“I don’t remember a diet Coke bread, do you have the recipe?
Care to share ?”
I don’t remember where I found this recipe or I’d give the source. I’ll be making it in the morning to go with our soup for dinner. Soup will be made from leftover shredded creole chicken from tonight’s dinner with corn, tomatoes, beans, etc. Whatever I can come up with!
Diet Coke Bread
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. Active Dry Yeast
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
One 12 oz. can diet coke (room temperature)
Hand mix ingredients, or use a dough hook.
Place into a bowl that has been well oiled by placing about 1 tablespoon of oil and rubbing with paper towel. Turn ball of dough to coat top with oil. Cover with plastic wrap for approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours - or until doubled in size. Pour onto floured board and knead well. Shape into two loaves and place in oiled pans dusted with corn meal. Turn to oil top of loaves. Allow to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and is loose from pan.
Interesting Health News the Media doesn’t Cover 10 - 24
Posted by: “Fernwoods
Slide show about the dangers of drinking from water bottles at:
_Water Disaster Ppt Presentation_
(http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest17618-181417-water-disaster-save-conservation-earth-news-reports-ppt
-powerpoint/)
Click on the arrow
8 min. video at: _The Science of Miracles and the Power of Prayer_
(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/15/The-Science-of-Mirac
les-and-the-Power-of-Prayer.aspx)
_The menace of the public option_
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/19/ED7B19P06H.DTL)
Of all the current assaults on our noble republic, perhaps none is more
dangerous than the public option - specifically, the public library option.
For far too long, this menace has undermined the very foundations of our
economy. While companies like Amazon and Barnes & Noble struggle valiantly
each day to sell books, these communistic cabals known as libraries undercut
the hard work of good corporate citizens by letting people read their
books for free. How is the private sector supposed to compete with free? And
just what does this public option give us? People can spend hours and hours
in these dens of socialism without having to buy so much as a cappuccino.
_Compost to Create Your Own Carbon Piggy Bank!_
(http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19419.cfm)
According to the _Rodale Institute_
(http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/columns/research_paul/2007/1107/soilcarbon.shtml) , organic farms that
fertilize with compost can sequester carbon at a rate of up to 3,200 kg/ha/yr.
But it’s not just farmers and cities, you can compost at home! So, if you
haven’t already, take your food, lawn, garden waste - even poop - and make
your very own carbon piggy bank: COMPOST!
_Video_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKlauRA7ugI) : How to compost in
your backyard!
Composting avoids methane emissions and also improves the soil fertility of
the degraded soil. Soil & More, the global composting project, gets 1
carbon credit equals to 1 ton of CO2e emissions reductions for every ton of
compost produced.
_Why Propaganda Trumps Truth_
(http://tvnewslies.org/tvnl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11135&Itemid=16)
Hitler explained the believability of the Big Lie as compared to the small
lie: “In the simplicity of their minds, people more readily fall victims to
the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small
lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale
falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths,
and they would not believe that others could have such impudence. Even
though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their
minds, they will still doubt and continue to think that there may be some other
explanation.”
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeAmericanVoiceForHealth/
Here is a recipe for Bisquick for you cuties from “down under”.
Use this homemade mix in any recipe calling for Bisquick
or other commercial baking mixes.
8 cups flour
1 1/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups shortening
Combine flour, milk, baking powder,
and salt in a very large bowl.
Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse
cornmeal. Store in tightly
closed covered container in a cool place.
I keep this in the freezer.
G’Day
I was given this recipe when I asked a similar question Tracy. As we don’t have ‘shortening’ as such for household use, I have mixed marg and butter together hoping it was good enough. It tasted fine but how like the original Bisquick it was I’ll probably never know as I’ve never tasted it. LOL June (Sydney)
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups shortening
1 1/4 cups powdered milk
Put all ingredients in bowl and blend. Store in gallon container in the
refrigerator.
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/frozen-assets/
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