This article was written by Gaye Levy and posted on Backdoor Survival.

12 Tips to Use It Up, Wear It Out and Make It Do

During the Great Depression, frugality was considered a virtue and the phrase “Use it up, Wear it out and Make it do” was the guiding principal in most households.

Times were tough which meant that everything from bits of strings to worn out clothing was saved and re-purposed in some other manner. Not only that but every last bit of food from a can or bottle was swished out with a bit of water and used to flavor a soup or stew. Printed chicken feed sacks became skirts and flour sacks became underwear. Nothing was wasted.

These days, most of us are too young to have lived through the Great Depression and yet, because we know that a second Great Depression could happen at any time, we strive to learn from the old ways and to embrace the time-honored frugal ways that were a way of life for our parents and grandparents.

 

MONEY MATTERS

As much as I would like to say that money does not matter, in the here and now, money is the currency of trade. It is required to buy food, put clothes on our backs, and to pay for the shelter of our homes. Plus, the last time I checked, you also need money to pay taxes (whether you get good value from those taxes or not).

Here on Backdoor Survival, I have written about family preparedness as a lifestyle as well as some of the choices you can make to insure that you and your loved ones live a good long time in good health and within a safe environment. From time to time I throw in an occasional essay or rant too – after all, we all need to get the angst off our chests once in a while.

But back to money matters.

Today I offer up a dozen old fashioned tips for conserving your hard earned cash so that you have a little extra left over for those extra preps as well as a few lifestyle treats that we all need every once in a while.

 

FRUGAL IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

 

1. If you already have it, use it

Think about it. Over the years you have accumulated lots of stuff. Some of it may be a bit shop worn and out of style, but the stuff is still serviceable. If it still works, use it.

Don’t give in to the bombardment of ads encouraging you to go out and purchase the latest model or the next best thing. If money is burning a hole in your pocket, use it for something you truly need – not something you merely want.

 

2. Shop for a bargain and get it cheaper

Research all of your major purchases and some of the minor ones, too. Check out the online reviews and also the recommendations of friends so that you can be an informed consumer. Ask the clerks at the store when the item of interest will go on sale. Believe it or not, you will sometimes be offered a discount on the spot. It happens.

 

3. Used can be just as good as new

Sometimes it makes good sense to buy used. Furniture can be purchased for a song on Craigslist or at garage sales and heck, you can often get some pretty good stuff for free.

Another area where you can save really big bucks is on clothing. Ebay is a gold mine for name brand clothing that is often new. Evening gowns, tuxedos, wedding wear and other dress-up items are especially cheap on eBay. On the other hand, be wary of used electronics since there is no substitute for hands on testing prior your purchase.

 

4. Learn to cook

Restaurant meals can be a rat hole for cash. So is your local, specialty coffee shop. That is not to say that you should avoid eating and drinking out completely, but make those occasions a special treat rather than something you do because you are too tired or too lazy took cook.

Can’t cook? Get yourself a basic cookbook and call a friend over to help get you started. Once you start eating home cooked food, you will be hooked on how delicious those vegetables and salads taste. Oh, and don’t forget about cakes and cookies. Homemade is always better than store bought. Remember grandma’s fresh baked chocolate chip cookies?

 

5. Become a fix-it guru

Before sending that broken appliance to the garbage heap and replacing it with something new, try to fix it yourself. There are many web sites (www.fixya.com, www.instructables.com) that offer lots of how-to’s for fixing everything from your Maglite to your laser printer to your espresso machine.

In addition, you can find service manuals for many products on line at the manufacturer’s web site. And lastly, try calling the customer service number. Many times the company will guide you through troubleshooting steps or even send you free parts. I have found that this works especially well with plumbing issues.

 

6. Make if yourself

You do not need a PhD in home economics or engineering to make your own cleaning supplies, build your own compost bin or construct a set of bookshelves. Using inexpensive supplies and some basic tools, you can create all sort of things.

The Instructables website mentioned above as well as YouTube are a haven for the both the novice and the not-so-notice do-it-yourselfer. Just be forewarned. Once you go to either site to look for something, you may find yourself browsing – and learning – for hours on end. It’s actually fun!

 

7. Move fashion to the bottom of the list

Choose function over fashion. This is difficult, I know. But think about the item you intend to purchase and how it is going to be used. A fancy, Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer may look great on your counter – gorgeous actually – but if you only cook the basics and don’t bake, a $15 hand mixer may be all that you need.

This same concept applies to lots of things: clothing, TVs, jewelry, you name it. Yes, this even applies to cars.

 

8. Do it yourself

Mow your own lawn, clean your own house, give yourself a manicure, wash your own dog. Now if you truly hate to do something, don’t do it if you can afford to hire it out. Or better yet, trade a chore you detest with a chore that someone else dislikes. You both get the job done without spending a dime.

Life is too short to be miserable. But for the most part, with a bit of time management, there are lots of things you can do yourself with just bit of effort. Not paying for services that you can perform yourself is a great way to save a lot of money.

 

9. Take advantage of freebies

Use public beaches, parks and trail systems for recreational activities. Use your public library. Go online and download geographically specific recreational guides and even preparedness manuals from your state and county web sites. None of these are technically free because your taxes have paid for them, but they are free in the sense you have no additional out of pocket costs.

Speaking of libraries, have you checked yours out lately? Most libraries now have a robust collection of eBooks, audio books, audio book players, music CDs, DVDs and more. If you don’t have a library with downloadable materials, they are many that will let you purchase an annual out-of-area card for as little as $15 per year.

 

10. Get out of debt

This is obvious. Sure, you may have a mortgage payment and possibly a car payment. But credit card debt? I hope not but if you happen to be saddled with credit card debt, come up with a one or two year plan to pay of the debt. Just be sure that you also toss all of your credit cards into a drawer, never to see daylight again unless there is a dire emergency.

The old mantra “use your credit card . . . it is the same as cash” simply does not work any more. It never did.

Go back over the tips listed above. Use what you have. Fix it if it is broken. Choose function over fashion. Now put that credit card back in your wallet! Better yet, hide it in the back of your dresser drawer.

 

11. Build an emergency cash fund

Stuff happens.

Your car has a mechanical breakdown and there is no other way to get to work or to town so you have to have it fixed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cookie jar full of dollar bills so that you can pay for the repairs? In the old days, this was called a rainy day fund. These days, it is called an emergency fund.

Much like prepping, this is one thing you can do using baby steps. How about one meal a week of beans, rice, and a nice chunk of healthy bread (that you have made yourself)? This type of meal is extremely economical and you can put the money you save into your emergency fund. You will be surprised at how quickly $5 dollars a week adds up.

Equally important is that no matter what your age, by saving a small amount each week, you are building a lifetime habit – one that will serve you well for many years to come and hopefully one that you will pass on to your children.

 

12. Save for the special things in life

Now we get to the nitty gritty. Reward yourself for being a both smart and frugal. Come up with an occasional treat. Perhaps it is a shiny new pocket knife. Or perhaps a special meal out and movie. Or perhaps it is a weekend away at the ocean. For some, the special treat may be something a simple as a bouquet of flowers.

Life would be very boring if you did not reach out and do something extraordinary once in awhile. Go ahead. You have earned it.

 

THE FINAL WORD

Being frugal is not being cheap. And frugal is definitely not chintzy. Quite the contrary. Being frugal means that you have made a lifestyle choice to spend your money on the things you need, no more and no less. And with the extra, you have chosen to splurge and celebrate your frugal, thrifty and sustainable habits by doing something special and joyful.

So my recommendation? Go ahead and use it up, wear it out and make it do. And if you can not do that, do without.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

This is a repost of an article I found at Day One Gear

Sew What?!

When we think about prepping, preparedness and living a more self sufficient life, we usually start out with food storage, long term, short term and everything in between. Then we may move on to filling out our medical supplies, get home bags, gardening supplies with lots of heirloom seeds and even padding an ever growing library with books on appropriate topics that may help us in the event that we ever need to rely on what we have so carefully put back.

We worry about being able to feed our families, keep them warm, keep them healthy and keep them clothed. I know many people in this community who have made sure that they don’t ever get rid of good clothes, decent shoes etc, when they are cleaning out their closets.

In my house, we put those clothes and shoes in bins in our attic so that we will have them to fall back on in the event that we cannot easily purchase clothing. What happens if goods stop flowing? What happens when local stores close and we are no longer able to procure goods via the internet? We will have to rely on skills and knowledge to make sure we can clothe our families. That begins with sewing!

A basic sewing kit is as important to have in your possession as the food in your pantry. How will you mend and repair the clothes that you have if you can’t even sew on a button? Basic sewing skills are necessary to our preps as well as the tools and supplies to carry out those skills. Sewing can be a frightening prospect for those of you who may not have thought about having to do it, but I am here to tell you that it is not hard and it may actually turn into something that you love.

Not to mention the fact that it could actually become a way for you to support yourself in hard times, by helping others mend and repair their clothing. You don’t have to be a seamstress or a tailor but you do need to know how to sew on a button and even mend a hole in a pair of pants. Everything else simply grows from there.

Before you learn to sew on that button, you will need to build yourself a simple sewing kit. Your kit should be in the container of your choice and can be as simple as a plastic shoe box, an old holiday tin or even a cheap toolbox! You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a fancy sewing box, you just need something simple to start.

What you will need to put into the box is important! You should have the following in order to have the basic tools needed to mend and repair your clothes:

1. Scissors: Have two pair, one that is reserved just for fabric, thread and ribbon and one that is used only for paper. My husband says you can never have too many pair of scissors, and I agree with him!

2. Sewing Needles: Get a few packs that include a variety of sizes. Needles come in varying sizes for hand sewing, darning, embroidery etc. You might want to pick up a package of needles that are used for crafting and upholstery. They have large eyes and some are curved. The latter can be very helpful if you ever need to do any type of suturing on the fly. These types of needles are also helpful for sewing thicker fabrics as well as hide and leather.

3. Pins and pin cushion/tray: I prefer the quilters type of pins that have either white or colorful bead heads because they are easy to identify and they are also a bit longer than traditional straight pins with flat heads and are easier to pick up and deal with. A pincushion can be either purchased or made but I prefer the magnetic type of pin tray because when I am sewing I can simply toss the pins on that and I know they are not going anywhere. I can also sweep my work area when I am done, with the magnetic tray and pick up any stray pins that I may have missed.

4. Measuring Tape and Hem Gauge: Measuring tapes can be picked up very inexpensively and sometimes can be picked up for free as promotional giveaways from fabric stores and even local insurance agencies. Yardsticks can also be picked up the same way! I like to always have more than one measuring tape floating around and always carry one in my purse. A hem gauge is a six inch metal ruler that has a sliding button in the center of it. This can help you maintain an even hem and make sure you have the same amount of fabric turned up all the way around on your project.

5. Seam Ripper: Let’s face it, no matter how good we get, we are always going to make mistakes. The seam ripper is our friend. It also helps to remove and open up seams for repair or to take apart garments in order to use the fabric for other purposes.

6. Thread and buttons: These two things are certainly important! Start out by getting a supply of basic colors. I like to make sure I always have white, black, brown, red, navy blue and tan as well as a mono-filament or clear thread for all other colors. I also suggest that you get a variety of embroidery floss in varying colors. This is a bit heavier than traditional sewing thread and can be used to successfully sew on buttons and have them stay put. Buttons can be purchased in large containers at the fabric or craft store and have a variety of colors, sizes and styles that should serve you well for a long time. You can also pick up boxes and bags full of buttons at garage or yard sales, when people are downsizing.

7. Sewing Books: Finally I suggest that you scour your local used book store, thrift shop and yard sales for books on sewing. I have some books that I have had since I was a child, they were my mothers, the one that serves me the best is “The Singer Sewing Book” The one I have is circa 1966, but this book has been reprinted several times over the years. It can be a good resource for you to refer back to when you get confused or feel helpless when it comes to sewing.

I hope that helps you to be able to build yourself a simple sewing kit. Once you start with the basics, the rest fall into place. I promise not to leave you clueless when it comes to other basic sewing skills. I’ll be back soon to show you how to sew on a button, mend a seam and even darn a hole in a sweater! Once you know how to do these simple things, the world of sewing is your oyster! Like I said before, you just never know, it may become something you really love, but you are never going to know until you try. Doing something that you love turns a task into a craft!

Noreen Lambert has been a paralegal by profession for the last ten years. She is wife to Rick and mom to 15 year old Molly and 13 year old Micah, the loves of her life. She has built a successful YouTube channel inviting thousands of subscribers into her kitchen each and every day sharing things from how to roast the perfect turkey to baking, home canning, food storage, sewing, crafting and gardening.

You can find her recipes on Noreen’s Kitchen website: http://www.noreenskitchen.com and you can hear The Homestead Honey Hour blogtalk radio show which Noreen co hosts with three other amazing women each Thursday night 8:00p.m.central time on Prepper Broadcasting radiohttp://www.prepperbroadcasting.com

By Joe, chief contributor to DayOne Gear and editor for www.survivallife.com

This is a repost from Todd Walker from the Survival Sherpa.
 
 

5 Subtle Enemies of Preparedness (that trip all of us)

 
You see yourself as the ant, not the grasshopper. You want to be prepared but can’t seem to shake these 5 enemies. They turn your plans into puddles of tears. They use your dreams like a janitors mop on a filthy floor.

Avoid them!
 
 
1.) Perfectionism.

Pursuing perfection often means that nothing gets accomplished. No desired results. Nada. It’s impossible. Like a master artist brushing paint on canvas and never satisfied. She can’t let it go. The world never gets to see her masterpiece.

Take my blog, for instance. Please don’t go back and read my first posts from a year ago. They’re hideous. Has my writing improved? Maybe. Who cares. It’s something I create. It only matters to me.

Create something today – an idea or a new skill that builds resilience. Quality matters but will only come when we start doing the stuff. Action counts. Perfect is unattainable.
 
 
2.) Consensus.

Be an individual. If you wait on the committee’s approval, your effort is probably not worth doing anyway.

Do you really want GroupThink telling you your plan of action does not meet standards?

GroupThink levels you to the lowest common denominator.
 
 
3.) Weakness.

Focus on your weakness and you become weaker. Do the stuff that makes you feel strong, invigorated, and in the flow. The molasses of the mind turns to raging river water. This is the place of your strength. The place where you lose track of time – you get lost in the moment – swept up in the momentum.

Delegate your weakness. This buys you precious time to develop your strengths.
 
 
4.) Knowledge.

Admit it. We’re all ignorant. The more I learn, the less I know. Peeling the next layer on the onion revels more of the same.

I read that we only use about 5% of our brain power. Hum, seems like such a small amount. Figure out how to use 6% and you’ll be a genius.

At some point though, all that knowledge reaches the point of diminishing returns. Apply the 80-20 rule. Increasing our effort to learn more about being prepared is noble, and can be achieved… in the head.

Practice what you learn. If you graph the relationship between what you know and what you do, the trend line would have a positive slope. And who said you’d never use algebra in the real world?

You’re only going to remember 50% of what you just read on this page once you click away. I’m being generous on this estimate. If the Pareto principle holds true, 80% of your knowledge comes from 20% of what you read.

I’d like to be in your 20% one day 🙂
 
 
5.) Habits.

Being in a groove is completely different from falling in a rut. Groove sounds so, uh, groovy. Rut is where all the stagnate water collects.

Rut is another word for bad habit. Grease the groove to get out of your rut. Bad habits aren’t final.

Correction: In my rush to get this article posted, I negated to add that it was a guest article written by Lee Flynn.

We as humans seem to think that we control the world. Sure, we’ve killed off most of our natural predators, subjugated various inhospitable environments, and just all around turned the earth into our own personal playground. But while we strut around like we own the place, nature is biding its time. That’s right; all of our tanks, jets and atom bombs aren’t worth a bent nickel when faced with the power that drives the planet. Take hurricanes, for example. Hurricanes are nature’s way of reminding us just how fragile we are. We may give them sweet sounding names like Sandy orKatherine, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. They’re basically storms, except that they can grow to the size of a continent, and like to drop smaller disasters such as tornados and floods as they go. So, if you live in a high hurricane risk area (South, East, and Southeast United States, we’re looking in your direction) you need to know what you can do to increase your chances of survival.

1. Prepare

How do you prepare for a storm that can simultaneously rip off your roof and dump thousands of gallons of water on your head? Well, you start by packing together some emergency kits. As amazingly adaptive as humans were back when we tamed fire, we tend to rely pretty heavily these days on our shelters and amenities. The most basic things you will need are food, water, clothing, bedding, first aid supplies, battery operated lighting, and tools. Also, consider wrapping all of your supplies in plastic sheets, to prevent them from getting wet should flooding occur. It would also be wise to invest in an inflatable raft large enough to carry your family and some supplies, just in case. You should also pack some communication gear, such as hand crank radios so that you can stay informed on developments with the storm. Work with your family on preparing an emergency plan, so everyone knows what to do before the storm actually hits.

2. Escape

As the storm approaches, stay tuned into the National Weather Service, just in case they recommend an evacuation. Of course, once they do, the roads out of town are going to become pretty congested. So if things are starting to look bad, you could always pack up the family and leave without an evacuation order. If you can’t make it out of the danger area, then at least head for high ground. Just remember, it’s better to be caught by a hurricane at home than in a car; most hurricanes give hours of advanced warning before they strike, but not all of them do.

3. Hunker down

If you are at home when the storm hits, then try to get your family to the safest part of the house. If possible, retreat to a basement or cellar. Pack yourselves into a windowless room, and remember to bring supplies. If you don’t have any windowless rooms, a large closet could suffice. Otherwise, find a large room and huddle down together in the center as far away from the doors and windows as possible. Reinforce all of your doors and windows beforehand, either by using purchasable paneling and shutters, or by nailing heavy plywood across the openings. If the wind manages to break through a window, then it will get into the house and push upwards against the roof. Additionally, wind can bring amazing amounts of rain into your home in seconds, causing flooding. If you live in a mobile home or on a houseboat, gather your family and your emergency kits, and head to a shelter; strong enough storms have been known to pick up trailers and toss them around like Frisbee, and boats are going to be smashed into the coastline as the hurricane makes landfall.

4. Don’t be fooled

As the eye of the storm passes over your position, things will likely become eerily quiet. The wind will stop, the rain will cease, and the sun might even come out. This doesn’t mean that it’s safe to head outside. Wait for the “all clear” from the National Weather Service before you peek your head up.

5. Pick up the pieces

Believe it or not, most of the deaths and injuries associated with hurricanes happen after the storm has passed. Carbon monoxide poisoning, generally from misused portable generators, has caused more hurricane related deaths in the past few years than flooding. Falling limbs and electrocution from downed power lines are also big hazards, and people have been known to injure themselves from falling off of roofs during cleanup.

Above all, try to stay calm as the storm approaches. Just make sure that you’re prepared and your hurricane survival kit is well stocked, and you should be able to come through it all with nothing more than a mess in your yard and a story to tell your friends.

Lee Flynn is a freelance writer interested in helping others develop self reliance through food storage.

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Today we have a guest post by Glen Tate author of 299 days.

 

Why Prepper Novels are an Important Source of Survival Information

 

Preppers, especially Christian preppers like me, are hungry for information on survival topics.  We scour web sites, listen to podcasts, and buy non-fiction books.  We have first aid manuals and watch Youtube videos on food storage.  We might even have a prepper group and learn from them.

All of this good.  But incomplete.

Prepper novels contain vast quantities of survival information – and they’re entertaining.  Many of us have read the book Patriots, which has been described as a survival manual thinly veiled as a novel.   One Second After, another great prepper novel, contains magnificent information on everything from water treatment to bartering.  So does Lights Out.

But prepper novels have three advantages over non-fiction manuals that merely contain information.  And they are three very important advantages.

First, novels are about people so they portray information from the perspective of people.  Real people, like you and me.  People we can relate to.   Narratives from real people are a much more efficient information delivery system than something cold and impersonal like a chart of numbers.  If you had to choose between a chart of food shelf live or hearing a story about what happened to a friend, which would you choose?  And the story about your friend will leave you with a real-life lesson that a chart can’t.  Charts have their place and should be included in the information we use.  But we are people, so we naturally relate to other people.  We aren’t numbers on a chart.

The second advantage of prepper novels is their ability to persuade non-preppers.  We all know that we can’t make it by ourselves; the more people we have helping us, the better we will do.  Many of us have loved ones, sometimes spouses, who are not fully onboard with prepping.  Can that chart about how much bleach to use to purify water convince someone that they need to prep?  A story about someone who resisted prepping but then realized it was necessary can get that much-need person onboard.  Most of us would pay any price to have our loved ones convinced of the need to prep.

The third advantage, at least for us Christian preppers, is that prepper novels (at least Christian ones like mine, 299 Days) deliver information with God as a reference point.  How can you describe something without acknowledging the existence and active participation of the Creator of the universe?  For example, in 299 Days, the main character experiences an amazing series of “coincidences” pointing him toward prepping.   (These events actually happened to me.)  The main character knows that they can’t be “coincidences” and acts accordingly.  Divine direction happens in real life, especially when it comes to prepping, so any information about prepping should acknowledge the existence of this undeniable reality.  You can’t get that from a chart.

 For all these reasons, consider prepper novels as a legitimate – and, in some ways, superior – source of information.  And enjoy the story.