Economics

The economy, it is on all of our minds, and for those of us in our early to mid thirties, we have just hit stride in our lives, and are facing tough times. As a mom to three small kids, the news on the economy frightens me. We have been through layoffs in the tech bust, and it was horrible, but at that time we weren't making as much money, so it was easier to make the money up. Thankfully, my jobs are pretty secure, and husband's company is still understaffed, so we think we will be OK.

Waiting out the next 2-5 years will be rough, we know that everything will become even more expensive than what they are now. There will not be any opportunity to get extra credit, not that we want it anyway! I know what we are looking at, and some may even say I can be a pessimist or an alarmist, but I think I am prepared. We have found a way to store food and keep working on new ways to grow on our land. The big garden will be expanded next spring, and Ryan is going to set up the side of the yard by the driveway to grow additional food (we get the best sun there) I am in the market for tree nets to prevent the wildlife from stealing my pears next year, the berry patch should be up and running as it will be on it's second year, and we have located a network of local producers as a means of getting fresh food. I am shopping for a generator, especially since our freezer contains almost all of our food stores aside from the canned goods, I must find a pressure canner and learn to master it, and Ryan and I agreed to buy a water purifier just in case fresh water ever becomes an issue. I still need to build the chicken coop.

Maybe I am extreme, but even the thought of my kids going hungry makes me sick. I never want to fear for survival, and we both have boned up on some skills that would be needed to sustain food and water for the kids.