An Investment in the Future

If you have been following the forums you may have noticed a post called February - No Consuming
Basically, we decided to try to spend no money this month beyond bills, gas, and groceries. We would not buy “stuff”; we would not go out to eat; we would not consume.

We failed. In the past week we have eaten out three times and today we put a dent in the credit card. For various reasons I won’t go into here, I may be transitioning job-wise and we wanted to splurge a bit and get some things we “need” before our paycheck disappears. Yeah, yeah, I know...

But honestly, we view today’s credit card splurge as more of an investment in our future than it as outright consuming. We have already started a veggie garden – we have turned some ground and planted Swiss Chard. This year, we are going to take our first steps into permaculture and we want to grow a HUGE garden. We are going to try and supply most of our own food. If you have been reading this blog for long you know we have rabbits, goats, and all manner of fowl so we should be okay meat and dairy wise but veggies...well, we are going to get serious.

Hence our investments of today. We bought those seed starting trays with clear plastic tops so light can get in but heat and water won’t get out. We already have several so we also bought some replacement little peat pellets that expand when you add water. Last year I kept these trays in an office and left the lights on 24/7 but this year they will be at home so we also bought some florescent lights – not “grow lights” but we hope they will work. We also bought some potting soil and small biodegradable pots which will hold some transplants.

We have a small orchard and two grape vines which we plan on adding to again this year but we aren’t ready to put them in yet. We have some blackberry vines that did well last year so we bought two more and four blueberry bushes. We had bushes in Washington State that did well and I didn’t know they would grow here on the prairie until last year when I saw some at a friend’s house. So we’ll see - I reckon in a couple years we may have enough blueberries to make a pie.

We also bought a bunch of seeds: everything from tomatoes to peppers, to turnips and corn and squash and on and on. We got some heirloom so we can save the seeds and some hybrid so that we can be assured a good crop. I learn more about gardening every year and for me at least, it is not something one can just read about in a book and then go do successfully the very first time. But based on last year, I have confident hope for a good season if God wills it.

We bought the gardening stuff on plastic (which we pay off in full every month) but I also had some extra FRNs so I stopped by a coin dealer and bought some silver bullion. We got one ounce rounds at a buck something over spot. The store will buy back silver at sixty cents under spot – not bad. Our dollars are worth less and less every day and silver is worth more and more everyday and I think it is currently under priced when compared with gold so we’ll see.

So did we consume? Yes, probably but the stuff we bought today should show us a decent return on our investment.

Hey, I’ll see ya out there!

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. – Psalm 104:14 - 15
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If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.
If they really interest me, I may even post them.
You can reach me at Joe

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Prepared Americans for a Strong America