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Surviving Without Money - Could You?
Have you ever considered what your family would do if money ceased to exist in your household?
Don't think it can't happen to you - it can. I was sure it would never happen to me, but it did. In the space of three days we went from a two income family of four to a no income family of four with another on the way. And we had a mortgage to pay, when interest rates were topping 18 per cent (we had friends who were paying 21.5 per cent on their mortgage!).
So what are your strategies for surviving without money? Would you still be able to survive? How long would you be able to pay the mortgage or rent and put food on the table? Would you be able to keep up with the utility bills?
If you start thinking of the possibility now, and that's just thinking, not stressing or even believing, you could not just survive, but maintain your current standard of living, and perhaps even improve it. But you must have some ideas prepared in advance.
It's not a pleasant thought, but here we are at the start of a brand new financial year. As you go over your Spending Plan and update it, put at least a little thought into how you would cope without an income.
These are ideas that can help you conserve and save the money you have now. They are the things that kept a roof over my family's head, food on the table and the basic bills paid when Disaster Struck. Consider putting some of these strategies to work today, even if you haven't lost your family income.
Don't think it can't happen to you - it can. I was sure it would never happen to me, but it did. In the space of three days we went from a two income family of four to a no income family of four with another on the way. And we had a mortgage to pay, when interest rates were topping 18 per cent (we had friends who were paying 21.5 per cent on their mortgage!).
So what are your strategies for surviving without money? Would you still be able to survive? How long would you be able to pay the mortgage or rent and put food on the table? Would you be able to keep up with the utility bills?
If you start thinking of the possibility now, and that's just thinking, not stressing or even believing, you could not just survive, but maintain your current standard of living, and perhaps even improve it. But you must have some ideas prepared in advance.
It's not a pleasant thought, but here we are at the start of a brand new financial year. As you go over your Spending Plan and update it, put at least a little thought into how you would cope without an income.
These are ideas that can help you conserve and save the money you have now. They are the things that kept a roof over my family's head, food on the table and the basic bills paid when Disaster Struck. Consider putting some of these strategies to work today, even if you haven't lost your family income.
Gardening
While cheap is good, where saving money is concerned, free is better. And harvesting a crop of free vegetables is a tremendous savings. Once you get past the initial investment, the rest is blissful bounty!
For the time and effort you put in, your returns are better than any investment in stocks or property. A $1 packet of tomato seeds might have 20 seeds in it. Plant them all, and say 10 come up and mature into beautiful tomato plants. Each plant returns 5 kilos of tomatoes over the season - you've just paid $2 for 50 kilos of tomatoes!
If you've never gardened before, pick up a book at the library or ask a friend to teach you or read How to Grow Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden, Veggies Galore! and Zucchinis and Zinnias . If you have limited space, consider using the square foot gardening method, or growing vegetables in large containers, even buckets.
Gardening is not only easy, it's fun. Eating food that you've worked to grow has its own special joy. Children can get involved by helping to plant seeds or pull weeds, and they'll feel like the garden is as much theirs as anyone's. Planting a garden not only will help you survive should your family income disappear, it will also build memories and skills that could last a lifetime.
While cheap is good, where saving money is concerned, free is better. And harvesting a crop of free vegetables is a tremendous savings. Once you get past the initial investment, the rest is blissful bounty!
For the time and effort you put in, your returns are better than any investment in stocks or property. A $1 packet of tomato seeds might have 20 seeds in it. Plant them all, and say 10 come up and mature into beautiful tomato plants. Each plant returns 5 kilos of tomatoes over the season - you've just paid $2 for 50 kilos of tomatoes!
If you've never gardened before, pick up a book at the library or ask a friend to teach you or read How to Grow Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden, Veggies Galore! and Zucchinis and Zinnias . If you have limited space, consider using the square foot gardening method, or growing vegetables in large containers, even buckets.
Gardening is not only easy, it's fun. Eating food that you've worked to grow has its own special joy. Children can get involved by helping to plant seeds or pull weeds, and they'll feel like the garden is as much theirs as anyone's. Planting a garden not only will help you survive should your family income disappear, it will also build memories and skills that could last a lifetime.
Bottling, Canning, Dehydrating and Freezing
In addition to enjoying fresh vegetables from your garden, preserving the excess will serve you well again when there is little money to buy food. You can ensure your family receives good nutrition without it costing anything additional except time, and preserving jars. You can recycle pasta sauce jars rather than buy new ones or look on eBay for used jars at rock bottom prices, or sites like Facebook marketplace could supply a nice supply of jars free of charge.
You can preserve soups, stews, and even meats. Just be sure to follow safe canning techniques for the type of food you're storing, mark your jars well, and store them in a cool, dry place. Your local library will have a number of books on bottling, but you can also find information on reputable websites if you prefer. Again, check online for free or inexpensive bottling and canning equipment or check out garage sales and hard rubbish. My father-in-law gave me a Fowlers Vacola unit about 30 years ago and it's still going strong and is used regularly. Best of all it cost absolutely nothing - he saw it on a hard rubbish pile, knocked on the homeowner's door and asked if he could have it. I have to say it's one of the best presents I've ever received.
Here;s a hint if you're new to preserving or time poor: you don't need to go to all the trouble of a water bath for bottling. One of my favourite books is 5 Minute Microwave Bottling. I love it, and the idea that I can have just enough produce for one or two jars of food and still preserve it using my microwave oven. This method is just perfect for small batches, especially if you are just new to bottling and want to try it out before investing in a full bottling outfit.
Dehydrating is easy, and again, you don't need any special equipment. You can easily use your oven to dry food, or even just use the power of the sun and the air to dry food. A dehydrator is nice to have but not strictly necssary. I often just hang bunches of herbs to dry and use the oven to dehydrate vegetables and fruit, even bread to make dry breadcrumbs. In the winter I sit vegetables on a rack on the top of our combustion heater and let them dehydrate using the heat from the fire.
Freezing food is easy. To keep it long term, vacuum sealing is required. Air is the nemesis of frozen food, causing ice crystals to form and freezer burn is the result. The food is good to eat, it's just not appetising. When you freeze food, make sure you expel as much of the air as possible from the container (Tupperware, plastic bags, clingfilm - whatever you use) to protect the food.
In addition to enjoying fresh vegetables from your garden, preserving the excess will serve you well again when there is little money to buy food. You can ensure your family receives good nutrition without it costing anything additional except time, and preserving jars. You can recycle pasta sauce jars rather than buy new ones or look on eBay for used jars at rock bottom prices, or sites like Facebook marketplace could supply a nice supply of jars free of charge.
You can preserve soups, stews, and even meats. Just be sure to follow safe canning techniques for the type of food you're storing, mark your jars well, and store them in a cool, dry place. Your local library will have a number of books on bottling, but you can also find information on reputable websites if you prefer. Again, check online for free or inexpensive bottling and canning equipment or check out garage sales and hard rubbish. My father-in-law gave me a Fowlers Vacola unit about 30 years ago and it's still going strong and is used regularly. Best of all it cost absolutely nothing - he saw it on a hard rubbish pile, knocked on the homeowner's door and asked if he could have it. I have to say it's one of the best presents I've ever received.
Here;s a hint if you're new to preserving or time poor: you don't need to go to all the trouble of a water bath for bottling. One of my favourite books is 5 Minute Microwave Bottling. I love it, and the idea that I can have just enough produce for one or two jars of food and still preserve it using my microwave oven. This method is just perfect for small batches, especially if you are just new to bottling and want to try it out before investing in a full bottling outfit.
Dehydrating is easy, and again, you don't need any special equipment. You can easily use your oven to dry food, or even just use the power of the sun and the air to dry food. A dehydrator is nice to have but not strictly necssary. I often just hang bunches of herbs to dry and use the oven to dehydrate vegetables and fruit, even bread to make dry breadcrumbs. In the winter I sit vegetables on a rack on the top of our combustion heater and let them dehydrate using the heat from the fire.
Freezing food is easy. To keep it long term, vacuum sealing is required. Air is the nemesis of frozen food, causing ice crystals to form and freezer burn is the result. The food is good to eat, it's just not appetising. When you freeze food, make sure you expel as much of the air as possible from the container (Tupperware, plastic bags, clingfilm - whatever you use) to protect the food.
Hobby Farming
If possible, you might also want to consider getting a few hens so you can gather your own eggs. If you do a lot of baking, or if your family enjoys eggs, this can really save you money in the long run. If your income situation should become desperate, this could do a lot more than put eggs on the table – it could turn into a lucrative business.
Most councils allow chickens, even in suburbia. Roosters are a no-no however (you do need to be kind to your neighbours). Check with your local council for the by-laws and what is required. In my local council zone we can keep up to five hens without a permit.
If you don't have chickens, or space for them, or a desire to have them, you can still get eggs locally and either barter for them or pay much less than in the supermarket. But the benefits of raising your own chickens in order to gather your own eggs are greater when your income is disappearing.
Chickens are a great investment. You'll get eggs, yes. But you'll also have plenty of free fertiliser, if you let them roam the garden they'll keep pests and weeds down and you'll have free meat once they've stopped laying.
If possible, you might also want to consider getting a few hens so you can gather your own eggs. If you do a lot of baking, or if your family enjoys eggs, this can really save you money in the long run. If your income situation should become desperate, this could do a lot more than put eggs on the table – it could turn into a lucrative business.
Most councils allow chickens, even in suburbia. Roosters are a no-no however (you do need to be kind to your neighbours). Check with your local council for the by-laws and what is required. In my local council zone we can keep up to five hens without a permit.
If you don't have chickens, or space for them, or a desire to have them, you can still get eggs locally and either barter for them or pay much less than in the supermarket. But the benefits of raising your own chickens in order to gather your own eggs are greater when your income is disappearing.
Chickens are a great investment. You'll get eggs, yes. But you'll also have plenty of free fertiliser, if you let them roam the garden they'll keep pests and weeds down and you'll have free meat once they've stopped laying.
Bartering
Have you read the Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates, or seen the television series? Pop Larkin provided a better than average life style for his large family, yet he didn't have a job. Not a regular job anyway. He was skilled at trading, or at what we call bartering. He could trade what he had for things the family needed, the most memorable trade being on a Rolls Royce.
You don't need to go quite that far, but bartering is another way to survive when money is non-existent. Through bartering, the trade or exchange of goods and services, you can provide the things they need for your family.
For instance, if you can cut hair, you can trade your hair cutting skills for car repair, lawn mowing, household items or even food. Or, say you have furniture you no longer need, you can trade it for something you do need. You could even barter the excess produce from your beautiful organic vegetable garden.
When bartering, just be sure to consider all costs involved and look for the best deal. While no cash is actually exchanging hands, the value of the goods and services traded should be comparable for the best deal all around. Also, be careful to keep records and check with the tax codes for bartering services - if you make a habit of it it is considered taxable income (and you don't want to end up in trouble with the tax office, like Pop Larkin did!).
Have you read the Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates, or seen the television series? Pop Larkin provided a better than average life style for his large family, yet he didn't have a job. Not a regular job anyway. He was skilled at trading, or at what we call bartering. He could trade what he had for things the family needed, the most memorable trade being on a Rolls Royce.
You don't need to go quite that far, but bartering is another way to survive when money is non-existent. Through bartering, the trade or exchange of goods and services, you can provide the things they need for your family.
For instance, if you can cut hair, you can trade your hair cutting skills for car repair, lawn mowing, household items or even food. Or, say you have furniture you no longer need, you can trade it for something you do need. You could even barter the excess produce from your beautiful organic vegetable garden.
When bartering, just be sure to consider all costs involved and look for the best deal. While no cash is actually exchanging hands, the value of the goods and services traded should be comparable for the best deal all around. Also, be careful to keep records and check with the tax codes for bartering services - if you make a habit of it it is considered taxable income (and you don't want to end up in trouble with the tax office, like Pop Larkin did!).
Hopefully, your family will never face such dire financial circumstances where there is little money available or no income at all.
However, if you do, there are ways to manage.
Learn to survive without money now, and you'll be better prepared should the need arise later on. And if it doesn't, living well on less is a good thing anyway.
However, if you do, there are ways to manage.
Learn to survive without money now, and you'll be better prepared should the need arise later on. And if it doesn't, living well on less is a good thing anyway.