Self-Sufficiency
I believe in learning how to do things on our own, so that in an emergency, we don’t have to rely on anyone else (i.e. government programs) to sustain our family. A big part of that is simply learning to love to cook and spend time in the kitchen.
I believe in a minimalist approach when it comes to “stuff.” My family buys good quality items when they are supposed to last us a long time (e.g. appliances) so that we do not add piles of garbage to the landfills. However, when it comes to things like clothing, books and toys, we are not opposed to garage sales and thrift shops. This is recycling at it’s best!
In an ideal world, we would not have anything in our home that was made in China. I am not in favor of big corporations sending things “overseas” in order to produce cheaper goods (and to make a higher profit) in this country. Americans would not be nearly as materialistic if we had to pay our own people legitimate wages to produce the stuff we sell. “Self-Sufficiency” for America would mean producing our own Dollar Tree junk (it wouldn’t be $1 anymore, and we certainly would not produce as much as we currently do!).
When it comes to grocery shopping, I believe in stocking up (when things are in season), so that we can make less frequent trips to the store (and therefore, spend less). A couple of years ago, I started something fun: 3 months, no shopping!
I believe in growing a garden with our own produce.
We believe in using your skills to trade or barter with others, so that each person benefits by getting something that they did not know how to make. I participated in a local Food Swap and I highly encourage all of you to get involved in something like this in your community (or start your own!).
