Why you should grow your own garden and live a SS life.

[Ldychef2k]

Fisrt time I have seen this thread, and after reading all the posts, this is the one which speaks best to my way of thinking.

Perhaps as well I related to the Filipina SIL, as I have one as well. My brother met her while she was a house girl near Clark AFB where he was stationed. She was using a hand made broom to sweep the dirt floor of the hut where she worked as a housekeeper.

Anyway, I could not agree more that a) We need to care for our own citizens before giving our tax money to the peoples of countries who hate us. and b) Teaching instead of giving is the only loving thing to do. Absofreakinglootely.

I think people confused issues when talking about taking care of the poor here in America vs. taking care of the rest of the world. For many, many people here in this country, there is a warped view of poverty. They believe if they don't have every single convenience and nicety available to them, they are poor, or someone who doesn't have them are poor. They (and I am not including anyone in this discussion here, although it does color many peoples' views and they don't even realize it) just don't understand that even the poor here, the very dirt poor, even those two women in the video mentioned above, really aren't as poor as some in other countries. Truly.

My sister in law is Philippine. My brother's dowry present to her mother was a cement floor in her house. She raised eight children on a dirt floor, her husband died very young, and my brother said we could only imagine what they had to do to survive. Even in big cities like Manilla there are open sewers, and poverty like we can only imagine. Yet from what I've seen and read over the years, even they were better off than some in India, or parts of Africa.

Does this mean we should take care of them first? I don't think so. I think we should take care of ourselves and our own, first, and get everyone to truly understand what they need to live - that they need to breathe, they need to eat, but they don't need so much of what's taken for granted here. Once we have our own straightened out, then yes, definitely, help others in other lands, but the right way, teach them, give them skills and tools to live their own lives, not lives that we think they should live.

 

[davaroo]

My reasons started out as enjoyment of the ss projects and a fascination with how "they used to do it." Also pushing me was a sense of environmental responsibility, and the lack of availability in my area of clean food, such as raw milk and clean eggs and organic produce.

Then my income dropped due to many of my clients incomes taking a sudden and hard hit. So glad to be prepared to quickly become more ss, and draw on skills acquired while learning stuff as a hobby....like making soap 8 years ago for fun, now I am making it to save and make a little cash. And have fun, too!

It is not always out of fear, but fear certainly is a great motivator. I certainly will continue being well-stocked up even if/when my personal financial situation turns around....which it always does.

This forum has been a great source of ideas, encouragement, and detailed information. Thanks again, everyone!

You're right, it is not just fear that motivates. Certainly those who have lived through hard times tend to plan ahead far more than those who do not. Those who are wise listen to those people.
And you are right about something else - it is both fun and satisfying to do even a few things for yourself.

And that is precisely what I meant when I commented that it is the right thing to do, i.e., living some sort of SS lifestyle. For too long, too many of us have lived the opposite - depending on others and living beyond what means we have.

Me, I'm a realist at heart. I expect that nothing lasts forever and the rug will be pulled out from under each of us, at some point in time. Better to know how to cope when that happens, than not.