Wanting to pick up a variety of fundamental skills for a variety of reasons

[Lostear]

Hi, everyone. I'm Lostear. I'm deaf (which may explain my username here, heh). I'm married to a gorgeous wife who is also deaf. We are basically getting sick of the consumerism culture here in america and we are concerned about the possibilities of developing situations. We are also interested in learning all sort of from scratch skill like making fires from scratch, biscuits from scratch, shelters from scratch, etc...

My primary reasons for wanting to develop these skills are twofold;
1) I aspire to be a nature photographer. The kind that would climb mountains and go hundreds of miles deep in the wood for a spectacular landscape shot.
2) I also want the skill to be able to respond well to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Because we are deaf, I am highly concerned that we won't be able to maintain vital communication with the surrounding people for supports. So if I have prepped ourselves enough, it will mean the difference between life and death in many situations.
3) bonus reason: We are poor at the moment. So we are tired of being encouraged to buy so much crap for normal day to day living when we can get by with so much less if we know more skills (particularly cooking from scratch and maybe from wild games. I'm currently looking into small game hunting for this purpose).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to checking this forum out and learning what I can from all of the experienced preppers here!

 

[jontte]

Welcome to this prepper forum
really great that you have that drive to do something,to learn.
you wanna do stuff from the beginning,take up gardening,very nice to fix that land,watch what grows there,harvest and eat it,healthy and clean

 

[jimLE]

howdy from a texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quiet a few knowledgeable folks here that'll gladly tell ya what you need to know,or at least point ya in the right direction and/or give ya a good idea or 2..and by all means jump right on in with any replies you have on a topic.and start new topics if/when needed....

 

[Texas Patriot]

Another welcome from Texas.

 

[psalm 7]

Welcome . I combine frontier homesteading skills , storage prepping , Country living and intence self defence as my prepps . I dont spend alot of $$ on it alot of it is just useing skills past down from genarations .

 

[Maverick]

Hi Lostear and Welcome. Gardening/small space gardening using 5gal buckets and foraging are two very invaluable skills to learn and relatively inexpensive then at some point learning to can though the upstart is going to run roughly $150 to initially get into canning. If you can stock up on can goods and water (the normal stuff you use daily) then you are a head of the curve, you don't need to waste your money on MREs and freeze dried goods, you don't need a million dollars worth of equipment what you learn such as foraging is far far more valuable than equipment.

 

[Graynomad]

Welcome Lostear

...
1) I aspire to be a nature photographer. The kind that would climb mountains and go hundreds of miles deep in the wood for a spectacular landscape shot.
...
3) bonus reason: We are poor at the moment.

Looks like you're well qualified to be a nature photographer then I've been one for years and there's no money in it. But it's a fantastic pastime and it gives you an excuse (if one is needed) to get right into the wildeness.

 

[Brent S]

Hi, everyone. I'm Lostear. I'm deaf (which may explain my username here, heh). I'm married to a gorgeous wife who is also deaf. We are basically getting sick of the consumerism culture here in america and we are concerned about the possibilities of developing situations. We are also interested in learning all sort of from scratch skill like making fires from scratch, biscuits from scratch, shelters from scratch, etc...

My primary reasons for wanting to develop these skills are twofold;
1) I aspire to be a nature photographer. The kind that would climb mountains and go hundreds of miles deep in the wood for a spectacular landscape shot.
2) I also want the skill to be able to respond well to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Because we are deaf, I am highly concerned that we won't be able to maintain vital communication with the surrounding people for supports. So if I have prepped ourselves enough, it will mean the difference between life and death in many situations.
3) bonus reason: We are poor at the moment. So we are tired of being encouraged to buy so much crap for normal day to day living when we can get by with so much less if we know more skills (particularly cooking from scratch and maybe from wild games. I'm currently looking into small game hunting for this purpose).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to checking this forum out and learning what I can from all of the experienced preppers here!

Welcome, there are a lot of people here that are into a simple, healthy lifestyle. I've been learning to become more and more self sufficient for the last 5 yrs or so. My advice is learn to garden first. If you don't have property, you can do so in containers. Even if you don't produce all you need, it will still help with buying food, and is better tasting and healthier than anything you buy anyways. Hunting is good too. I raise rabbits and chickens, but they are an expense and take work and land. I'm sure I could hunt small game a lot cheaper.
I am loosing my hearing fairly quickly. Over the last two years I have dropped to about 40%. Honestly it's getting hard to function socially and at work. I can only imagine what it would be like to have been this way my whole life. I've made adjustments in my life style, and figure I'll make out ok with anything life throws at me.
Again, welcome and I hope you find this site helpful.

 

[Roninsensei]

Welcome!!

 

[Gazrok]

I'm not so sure cooking from scratch is cheaper. (especially if cooking for two)
There are a lot of shortcuts that not only save time, but money, and you can always doctor it up. For example, canned spaghetti sauce, and add some onions, peppers, etc.

My big advice is doing all you can do to save when grocery shopping.
Not saying you have to become an extreme couponer, but there are some very valuable lessons to learn here.

Gazrok's Top Ten List of How to Save at the Grocery Store:

1. Always look at the price per ounce. Bigger doesn't always mean you're getting more for less. (and especially check for the NEW price per ounce if an item is on sale.

2. Shop multiple stores. Arm yourself with the sale papers and make a two or three store list, taking advantage of only the best deals each has to offer. They do these sales banking on the fact you'll get other stuff that isn't on sale. While you can't avoid doing so for everything, you should get what you can, when it is on sale. Especially Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) deals. (and stock up, it will make future store trips cheaper when you get to number 6 on this list). When a store is out of something that is on sale, get a raincheck!

3. Understand and know the coupon policies for these stores. Often, you can use deals from one store at another store that is honoring it (competing with them).

4. Gas perks. If you have a Winn Dixie nearby, this chain offers a gas perk program with Shell. Check into it. This morning, I got 20 gallons for 10 bucks off a Shell gas card. A couple weeks back, I got 20 gallons for 38 cents. If you have a Publix nearby, this is great too. Every 3 weeks, they have a deal where you can get a $50 gas card for $40. Get a Shell gas card from Publix, and make it go even further with the Winn Dixie fuel perks!

5. Take some time on Sunday and clip some coupons. Then organize them, keep them, update them, etc. Gradually, you'll amass more and more and really be able to save. Don't clip them if you won't actually use the product. If your state allows doubling or triple coupons, not doing so is almost criminal. (mine doesn't).

6. Plan meals. Use the deals to plan out what you are having for dinner each night before you go shopping for it. Look around the house and try to incorporate things you already have on hand in these meals.

7. Get a freezer. I picked mine up off Craigslist for $60 and it works great. Having this will allow you to really take advantage of those BOGO deals, and have a place to put them.

8. Produce stands. Cheaper, and lasts longer than in the grocery store. Also, a lot of times, most of it is locally grown (or at least closer). Sure, it means an extra trip, but well worth it.

9. Store brands. A lot of times, these are even made by the big companies, but just cost less and nearly as good (or better). For example, Publix brand ice cream routinely wins awards. Just be sure you can't get the name brand cheaper with coupons.

10. Use the meat cutter! While packaged meat is always convenient, take the time to get a piece (or group) that is too big, cut to a smaller size you'll use.

I shop for 5 people, so it is imperative we save money on groceries. Believe me, I've gone into it kicking and screaming, but when I see savings of like $200 upon checkout, I get downright giddy these days. I generally get an overall savings of about 50-60% off my total grocery bill (there are just some things you just can't get on sale), and I'm not anywhere near hardcore about this. If I was, I'd do much better, but I work for a living too, hehe.

 

[Clyde]

Hi, everyone. I'm Lostear. I'm deaf (which may explain my username here, heh). I'm married to a gorgeous wife who is also deaf. We are basically getting sick of the consumerism culture here in america and we are concerned about the possibilities of developing situations. We are also interested in learning all sort of from scratch skill like making fires from scratch, biscuits from scratch, shelters from scratch, etc...

My primary reasons for wanting to develop these skills are twofold;
1) I aspire to be a nature photographer. The kind that would climb mountains and go hundreds of miles deep in the wood for a spectacular landscape shot.
2) I also want the skill to be able to respond well to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Because we are deaf, I am highly concerned that we won't be able to maintain vital communication with the surrounding people for supports. So if I have prepped ourselves enough, it will mean the difference between life and death in many situations.
3) bonus reason: We are poor at the moment. So we are tired of being encouraged to buy so much crap for normal day to day living when we can get by with so much less if we know more skills (particularly cooking from scratch and maybe from wild games. I'm currently looking into small game hunting for this purpose).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to checking this forum out and learning what I can from all of the experienced preppers here!

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