Learning now for a rainy day

It seems these days, I have been reading a lot about homesteading and survival skills. Keep in mind, that for the last couple of years, I have been trying to move away from rampant consumerism and toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle, but it has become more important to me lately. With the current economic downturn, it only makes sense to be prepared for the worst.

I purchased a CD set a few weeks back that has over 1000 publications over a wide range of topics. Some of them will just not apply to us, like building Bamboo structures in Indonesia or fruit tree growing in Nepal, but the basics can still be useful. I have read a "book" on how an attached greenhouse can not only allow you to grow fresh food all year long, but you can use the excess heat from the greenhouse to help warm your home in the winter. I have learned how to build a fireplace with a chimney that draws correctly and how to build a wood stove. I have learned that 1 acre of sweet potatoes will yield approximately 6000 pounds. I have learned how to build a rabbit hutch, a chicken coop, what kind of fencing to use for cows, and for goats. I have the technical specs for building a micro-hydro turbine, and how to use that turbine to grind grains.

Is any of this stuff useful to me right now, not really. But it is all very useful knowledge and might come in handy at some point. If for no other reason than that learning is fun. Some of the publications are in French and Spanish, so I could even print them off for the kids to study (those are the languages they are learning in school). Or I could use the Spanish ones to brush up on my own study of Spanish from high school all those many years ago.

Now, if I just had some place to use all of the stuff I have learned...

Build your own home

I recently read an article about building a house without a mortgage. The family did most of the work, lived on site, and paid for supplies in bits and pieces, as they could. It actually was a very nice looking house.

That would probably be the best way to go on building a house for ourselves. That way we can get exactly what we want, without having to make due with what ever we can find. It would also allow us to use salvaged materials like windows and doors to save money. If I want a big laundry room, all I have to do is build it that way. We can dig a basement/ root cellar and build the house on top of it without having to worry too much about hitting a water pipe or a gas line.

Granted, that would also mean that we would have to do the work. I am convinced that we CAN do if we set our minds to it. We would probably have to hire out the plumbing and electric though. I really don't want to compromise on the safety on that sort of thing. Could we do it? Sure. Do we want to run the risk of burning down the house or having the plumbing back up into the kitchen? Nope. So that will be an expense we would have to deal with.

I really like the idea of building it ourself. Not only could we spend more money on the land, it would give us some quality family time together. And the kids might accidentally learn something useful.

Here is the link to the article I read.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/2002-02-01/Build-Your-Own-Home-and-be-Debt-Free.aspx

I guess this will just have to be something to think about.