The Versatility of Things

Frank ran across a very interesting article today at the Urban Survival Site called 32 Foods That Aren’t Just for Eating. This is a very interesting list in and of itself. Better yet, each item in the list is a link to another site with more uses for that particular food. Take garlic for instance, it is linked to a site that has 20 unusual uses for garlic. It’s a great article with lots of valuable resources.

When I came to baking soda on the list I had to smile. It reminded me of our choice to use only baking soda for toothpaste. I also quit using the popular scrubbing liquids for cleaning and now use a small amount of baking soda, a drop of Dawn dish washing liquid and a wet rag. It works great.

More than anything this list is an exercise in creatively thinking about how to extend the use of not only foods, but just about any item that comes in the door. Frank and I look at many empty containers and wonder what they can be used for instead of being thrown away. The scraps of lumber from building projects are kept for use in other projects that require smaller pieces of wood, or are put in the kindling pile. We use stock panels to stake our tomatoes on instead of cages. At the end of the season, we take down the panels so we can till the garden. The panels and t-posts are stacked nearby for use again the next year.

As prices get higher and higher, and in some instances, the availability of some things come into question, it’s a good mental exercise to determine what we really need, not just want, but really need to perform our daily tasks, regardless of where we live. I was talking to a friend of ours yesterday about things we may need in the coming days, weeks and months. She said she used to buy things like shoes or clothes with her extra money, but now she buys things she knows she will need in her garden, for canning her food or for her chickens. Times have changed and our purchasing habits have definitely changed.

Not long ago we had a comment in which the person spoke of her family and friends and their purchasing choices. They told her they knew they needed to prepare, but didn’t know how or where to start, so they just kept living like nothing was wrong or was going to happen. All the while this person has been scrimping and saving to obtain the things she will need should a disaster or collapse occur. There are many of us that have changed the way we look at the world and the value we place on a given item. There are many of us that no longer look at dust catchers as things we want to acquire. The appearance of things no longer determines it’s value, the usefulness or functionality of the item is what puts it higher on our list of things to consider.

An example. Right now I am more interested in getting my outdoor kitchen constructed and in working order than I am in having a dishwasher. I have drawn out a preliminary plan for Frank to ponder. You see, I have many ideas that turn out to be unrealistic in the category of feasibility. But if I can explain or draw it out well enough and give it to Frank to think about, he can adjust it to the point that it will work. It might not even be close to the particular idea I started out with, but it still meets the need I had in the first place. To build this outdoor kitchen there aren’t many things we will need to get because we have already obtained many of the items to complete it. Some of them we have had for a quite a while, not knowing exactly what we were going to do with them, but at the same time, knowing they would be useful should the SHTF. They have worked very well into this plan. 

Versatility. That is what the Urban Survival Site reminded me of. Not only things, but many food items are versatile as well. Use your creativity and imagination, analyze your situation, your supplies and your needs, not necessarily wants, but needs. What are the things or food items you need to acquire before things get dicey or inflation gets worse or the dollar is devalued? What can you do right now to make your family more secure in their preparations? 

Frank and I spend much of our time thinking just like this now days. We continue to hear and read many things that indicate the hour glass is quickly running out of sand. When that last grain falls with a resounding crash, will you be ready?  

Until next time – Fern

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