Jim:

Pat:

Interesting list! I'm not sure I could start a revolution, a

 

And what do you think your doing here and everywhere else you teach people how to get by with less? 

 

You know, Jim, I'd like to take credit for that, but the truth is that I'm only one of many voices. Thanks for the vote, though. Living frugally is a revolution of sorts, you're right about that.  

I haven't done #2, 6, 7, or 13.  Everything else I have done--and I could do  the wild food  thing if driven to it--but would rather eat things that I planted.

I can make a quilt from old clothing and sewing scraps, by hand.  I taught myself to do it and do not like the current paper-piecing type of quilting, nor machine quilting. I do it by hand and it takes forever, but it is all worth looking at it and knowing that my hands created it.  I use templates cut from cereal boxes and I draw a rough sketch B4 I start.

I gather up seeds from all of my fall flowers for the next spring's planting.  I am willing to mail some of these to those who wish.

I also make new clothing from old stuff (like work slacks for me from thrift shop men's slacks, or a new top from the yardage gotten from a thrift shop dress or large skirt.)  Also make new decorative things for the house from thrift shop clothes.  Sometimes I am lucky enough to find something at thrift shops that can be cleaned up or re-framed to create birthday gifts for friends.

I've wrung out my brain and I think you have really covered all the bases here, Pat.  Very interesting thread!
 

gram, a little OT - if I collect the morning glory and four oclock seeds from moms flowers, can I plant them next year and will they grow?  I normally buy new seeds each year, but I always notice there are a few volunteers off to one side or even out into the yard.  I plant the same kind in the same place each year...Liz

Both of those plants will grow from seeds that fall from them into the soil, so yes, you can save the seeds over till the spring if you want to.   I have done this many times with Morning Glories, but not Four O'Clocks.  An old neighbor of mine once grew a long line of Four O'Clocks from seeds that the plants made themselves. Here is a good link to info about Four O'Clocks:   http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/92/

I love not having to pay for plants every year!! 

Thanks, grams, and I will have a look at the link!  I always see scads of them on the plants, but just let them fall.  I'll collect them up, then, and see how many I get, Maybe I can bypass the seed display completely in the spring...Liz

 Lizzy ~ We collect flower seeds by taking a coffee can lid and making a slit half thru it to the middle, then making a small whole that the stem can comfotably rest in.  We "open" it and set it on the ground wrapping it around the base of the plant, it catches quite a few and we do watch close as both the wind and the little animals will snatch them right up.  ; )

Nobody has pointed out the obvious, that we all on this Forum have the skills to live well without much income.  Even if many of us have more income than $12K/year as the other thread discusses, we have the capacity to live on less.  I am going to post a longer version of this on the Predictions thread.

 John and I together has done all but dig the well and store stuff in the cold cellar storage.   It's handy being married to a butcher as he takes care of the butchering.Good thing the stink doesn't bother me unless I'm preg.   I've never had to but I can assist as needed.  He does most of the gardening and then when it hits the house it's my job.  He did help freeze corn one year.  I can sew by hand but the machine is so much faster, like when my DD walked in and needed her costume to be 4 inches longer and I only had 2 hrs.  It took 1-1/2 hrs. to sew less than half and then less than half an hour once I hooked up the machine and finished the project. 

other skillls: rendering tallow,
making soap
pressure canning
 

 

1) US Army expert marksman

2) strawbale and earthbag shelter building

3) soap making

4) engine repair

5) extensive training in NBC or CBRN

6) Utah POST certified Counter/Sniper

7) weapons repair

8) ammo reloading

9) fire starting

10) first responder training

11) gardening

12) expediant shelter

13) hunting

14) fishing