Tag Archives: self-reliance

Prepared

13 Comments

The wild weather we experienced 3 weeks ago is back, although not quite so dramatic.  Parts of the Sunshine Coast and hinterland, where I live, have received well in excess of 200mm since the rain began on Thursday.  The majority of it fell overnight on Sunday and all day yesterday.

2013-02-19 01The rain has eased for the moment and the forecast is that we have seen the worst of it so any flooding should only be minor to moderate.  The lake in our backyard is nowhere near as extensive as it was last month or on many other occasions.

2013-02-19 02Gale force winds are being forecast for the next 2 to 3 days and of all the extreme weather conditions, it is wind that actually poses the greatest risk to us and therefore the need to be prepared.  While there is a small chance of structural damage, either directly or from falling trees, loss of power is our major potential problem.

2013-02-19 03Electricity is integral to almost everything we do in the 21st century so we have done all that we can to make sure that we can function for up to 3 days without it.  Before I left for work today I made put containers of water in the portable fridge/freezer (set to ‘freeze’) so that we will have plenty of ice available to keep foodstuffs cool if we lose power for more than 24 hours.  We also have 20 litres of drinking water immediately available.  The cooktop is gas and we have solar hot water (if the sun happens to be shining!)

2013-02-19 04A less obvious piece of planning was my choice of clothes to wear to work.  I had previously decided to wear a skirt, blouse, stockings and heels but instead opted for lightweight jeans, fitted ¾ sleeve top and lace-up shoes and socks.  If we arrive home this evening (after dark) and there is no power I do not need to be stumbling around in my fancy work clothes.

I hope my preparation is not required, however, since it is only 3 weeks since we lost power for more than 3 days the inconvenience is very fresh in my memory.  I wonder if others have taken heed as a result of the previous storm or if they have quickly slipped back to the complacent attitude of expecting that there will always be power whenever they flick a switch?

DIY vs Outsourcing

2 Comments

Today we went to the Wood Expo and unfortunately I did not find anyone who was doing the type of restoration work that my cabinet will need.  That is OK as I have plenty of time and no particular deadline.  I took more photos and printed them before I went so I have a complete pictorial record of the unit as well as all of the dimensions.  My next job will be to see if I can find someone who can give me an estimate of what my idea is likely to cost.  I did see a slab of silky oak for sale today – $150 and it was more than what I imagine will be required for the job.  I will let you know of any further developments.  In the meantime, it functions perfectly well as a stand for the television and storage of other items.

I decided to outsource the restoration of the cabinet  as the skills required are beyond that which we have.  However, there are lots of things we can do and make for ourselves.  We have managed to fill the rest of the day with doing things for ourselves.

2012-05-05 01The Duke makes our bread in the breadmaker and today was fruit loaf with sultanas, chopped raisins and chopped dried apricots.

2012-05-05 02He also bottled his latest home brew and then started a new one today.

2012-05-05 03I made some fresh pasta.  Here is some of it cut into lasagne sheets and ready to go in the freezer.  I used some to make chicken and mushroom canneloni for dinner.  We had a serve each and here are the 2 leftover serves ready to be frozen for lunches later in the week.

2012-05-05 04I picked a pumpkin and also some cucumbers from the garden.  We had mashed pumpkin and peas with the canneloni.

2012-05-05 05We made soda water using the Soda Stream and I had a glass of bubbles with fresh slices of lime.

Now I am off to do some more knitting on my dishcloth.  I have done 4 so far and the 5th is underway.

Keeping My Day Job

2 Comments

The dog clippers that we ordered online arrived on Friday.  You can see what we bought here.

Today we clipped Psycho Dog and I am pretty pleased with the first effort.  I won’t be giving up my day job just yet, though. 🙂

It is not perfect but will certainly help to find any ticks he may get.  I think it was money well-spent and don’t know why I didn’t do it years ago.  I will now add dog-clipping to the list of things I can do myself.

Where Are the Savings?

2 Comments

I was debating what to write tonight when I came across this post from Jennifer Lorenzetti at Fast, Cheap and Good.  The final 2 paragraphs are the crux of the matter as far as I am concerned.

For many people it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet financial commitments and this is a clear reminder that simply making at least some meals from scratch can be a huge saving on the budget.

If you can manage to grow even a few vegetables it can make an even greater difference.  Here in Australia, we have the benefit of being able to grow something almost all of the year round in most parts of the country.

Lettuce, bok choy, pak choy and broccoli

Compared to the USA and Europe we are still in relatively good financial shape but it is anyone’s guess how long that will continue.  Therefore, it is prudent to consider what changes we can make to the way we prepare our meals that will both save us money and reduce our reliance on ‘just in time deliveries’ to the major supermarkets.

Have you made any changes to the foods you eat or way you prepare meals?

Back to the Practical Stuff

Leave a comment

After a couple of days spent debating the carbon tax it is time to get back to the things I do every day which reduce our carbon footprint today and increase our self-reliance so that we can face whatever the future may bring.

Collecting eggsWashing plastic bags

Taking our own bags and containers to the shops

Brewing beer

Raising seedlings

Harvesting from the garden

Making compost

Today was my day off so I immersed myself in all these jobs and more.  It has been productive and worthwhile.

A Winter Wardrobe

2 Comments

This is not about my winter wardrobe as it is pretty much the same as last year.  In fact I don’t think I have bought any new clothes this season.  That may change, of course, but I don’t really need anything extra.

Miss O and Izz are a different story as they are still at the age where they grow out of almost everything from one winter to the next.  So, I have have been busy sewing for them and here are some of the results.

A dressing gown for Miss O

2011-06-16 01……and a nightie – I actually made 2 of them.

2011-06-16 02Pyjamas for Izz

2011-06-16 03Corduroy pinafore for Izz

2011-06-16 04Finally, a hooded jacket for Miss O.

2011-06-16 05These projects have been successful on two fronts – the girls now have more clothes that they needed and I have less fabric in my stockpile to be used up.  Lots more to use and numerous other things I want to make.

I am looking forward to doing more sewing.  I must admit I had forgotten how rewarding it is to make garments for small children.

Some people believe that it is not economical to sew but I have to disagree.  These things should not be compared to the cheapest you can buy but mid to top-range garments which are of similar quality fabric and construction.  It is also important to remember that hand-made garments can be custom-sized  with extra allowance in seams and hems to allow for growing, thus ensuring at least 2 years wear out of most items.

Sewing, like knitting, cooking from scratch and growing our own food is a skill which we should all have if there is to be any degree of self-reliance.  We cannot simply expect that mass-produced, cheap imported clothing that is produced in overseas sweatshops will always be available.

Do you sew?  Maybe knitting or crocheting?  Do you use your skills or teach others so that these arts are not lost forever?