I always hankered for the country life, despite the fact I was raised in the big city. Summers were spent on the family farm, visiting my grandfather out in the barn. It was there that I learned the value of a life of simplicity.
Now that I am out of the big city, living in the country in my own little cabin, my life is much simpler. Turns out, there’s a lot in simplicity that’s connected to preparedness. I thought I’d take some time today to reflect on how the simple life I now live keeps me prepared from day to day for whatever comes my way.
Simple Food
I don’t eat fancy out here in the middle of nowhere, that’s for sure. Most days, you will find me eating the basics. The only bread I eat is whole grain Irish soda bread I fry up myself in my cast iron fry pan. Now that I’m well into my fifties, I limit my consumption of any breads. I don’t eat out and rarely eat the highly processed foods that fill today’s grocery stores. Most of that isn’t even food!
My fall and winter is continual soup or stew, made with whatever’s on hand, whether it be beans, a butternut squash from my cool room [LINK: https://www.theorganicprepper.com/food-preservation-winter/], or some venison gifted from a neighbour.
Yes, some weeks are leaner than others. By eating with staples, I am prepared to make do with what I can grow and trade for the rest. I eat lean and save my resources for necessities. Every once in a while, I make a point of going without my evening meal. I heard it’s good for you, and you sure won’t be getting three squares during the Apocalypse!
Simple Clothing
Speaking of necessities, fashion forward clothing is not one of them for me! When I got out of the big city, I breathed a big sigh of relief. I no longer had to dress to impress. Today, I dress solely for comfort and function: all sourced from local thrift shops. I buy what will last for years, and I know how to mend it, should need be. Should that you-know-what hit the ol’ spinner, I have also set aside extras of high quality footwear of every type. Ya, all from thrift shops, too. So, although my wardrobe may look modest on the outside, it has been collected with function and preparedness in mind.
Nature
The great outdoors is my food, my entertainment, my friend, and my medicine cabinet. In a former article (my first with the OP!), I shared about how weeds are a great prep in terms of food and survival. [LINK: https://www.theorganicprepper.com/weeds-a-good-prep/]
Because I let a lot of my land go wild, I don’t need to feed any bird seed. The natural plants provide food for the birds in the winter. I enjoy watching them as I eat my breakfast. Even though my nearest neighbours feed bird seed all the time, the birds still come over to my place to forage for the real stuff. I wonder if it tastes better?
I cultivate quiet and peace as I go about my day. I am always honing my observation skills, which are a great prep, in and of themselves. In the simple and quiet way that I live, the trees and animals that I share this land with have become my friends. I observe the tracks of the fox that crosses over here from the forest. I also see rabbit tracks and notice it was running. As yes! It was running towards its burrow under the lean-to beside my shed.
I strive to be similarly in tune with the many plants on my rural lot, bordering on a natural meadow. Each year, I am grateful as well as mindful as I harvest sustainably. One fall a while back, a friend needed some St. John’s Wort. I harvested more than I usually did, and noticed a big difference the following spring. There much less. I learned a lesson from that, and now am careful with the bounty shared with me by the native plants on my land.
I take no prescription medicines: only what I make myself. Food is my first medicine, and then tinctures and teas. If I had to leave everything I know behind in a crisis, I know that my knowledge and skill with plants would be valued in any community.
Self-Reliance
Yeah, a lot of folks probably think I’m crazy, but I do a lot of stuff that people use machines for. One example is shovelling my snow. Yep, you read that right: I shovel. I don’t push it or blow it. I have a $10 plastic shovel that does the trick.
And when I’m out there in the quiet, shoveling away, I’m getting the exercise that I need to stay fit. I mean, honestly, what if there was no fuel and I needed to fell all my firewood by hand? You bet I have all the tools I need to do that, too. So, I’m the one who does things the hard way, but simple is often hard. Thing is, there are also built in benefits to hard, and I’ll take them all the way to the bank: the preparedness bank, that is!
Unplugged
Quite a while ago, I decided to unplug from a society that I felt was, well, just getting out of hand. I don’t take in any of the MSM anymore. Somehow, someone usually spills the beans about any big happenings, anyhow. This decision is about where I put my energy.
I choose to focus on what I can control: What is nearby, helping folks I know, what I can see. That’s it. It feels more manageable. I do not agree with endless profits and unlimited greed. In every way I can, I vote with my money for love and local producers and business. That may sound simple, but it’s helping me build a strong network of like-minded folks who would have my back if things get tougher. Unplugging also helps keep my mind ready for anything: calm and resilient.
Complex Isn’t Always Best
A simple life that reflects my values also has me well-prepared. For more information on simplicity, you might enjoy this book.
Is your life simple or complex? Which direction do you want to head in the coming year, and in what areas? How will you get there? Please tell us in the comments section.
6 Responses
I’m working to simplify my life. Baby steps. I’ll get there
Keep at it. you’ll be better and better prepared as you go along.
Don’t get footwear from a thrift shop. Fifty years ago, I did that and I got athlete’s foot.
I agree. Save money elsewhere, especially when you have bad feet like me
100% wrong. Both of you. I buy near all shoes and boots for pennies on the dollar at thrift , yard and auction sales. My wife also.
We buy them ( many still in boxes but don’t take a chance) put them in an action packer tote and annihilate any bacteria or fungus with our ozone generator.
https://www.amazon.com/Airthereal-MA5000-Commercial-Generator-Deodorizer/dp/B0795P2674/ref=asc_df_B0795P2674?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80607997944587&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207577055640&psc=1
I also use the same type generator per USDAMIS recommendations in my meat locker to suffocate bacteria. For the cost of the generator, which has a 3K hour generating life, the cost savings on quality near new footwear is near incalculable. And we are gear snobs.
I live very simply, and a good part of the acreage here is wild, at least in appearance. I’ve collected seeds and roots and bought many more to have a great variety of edibles and medicinals growing in the almost uncared-for areas. It’s a high mountain desert, so many aren’t native, but with a bit more water, they will live here just fine. I’ve been adding to the old garden area. Last year the elderberries and blackberries just began bearing fruit. A few of the trees I’ve set out in a mixed fruit orchard had the first flowers. We did share the one peach that hung on to ripen. I expect more will happen later this year. I found a long row with 6 old asparagus growing there and added 50 two-year-old roots from my other property. I’ll be watching them as spring approaches.
I sew and repair my favorite clothing. I repaired a fine treadle sewing machine for heavy denim projects and have several other older machines I picked up for free or under $10 each and most just needed cleaning and oil. I have a commercial leather sewing machine for which I need to find or build a sturdy table. I have the motor for it but Ive also gotten a hand crank to operate it. I have boxes of material and garment leather. the machine was made for sewing western boot tops or purses.
I grow enough for two plus I get things from out community pantry. I can and dry enough to seldom need to buy anything. I get a lot of powdered milk from the pantry and some cottage cheese, sour cream and other milk products. I do occasionally get too much milk and I’ll make farmers cheese or cottage cheese with it. I’d considered getting goats but my fiance turned 80 this year and by the end of this month I’ll be 78 so I’ve decided against that. I never use up all the powdered milk so a lot is stored back along with the excess dried potato products.
Being retired and living rural is liberating. I dress to please me! Comfort and temperature matters most. I stopped wearing crazy dress shoes years ago. If I choose to wear a dress it’s usually a long sundress to relax in on the rare day the work is caught up or just ignored. I have lovely padded seating on the many metal chairs and recliners scattered about. I found all those thick pads at a factory outlet for $4 a set of 4 for chairs and $4 for a recliner padded cover. So I do sometimes buy nonessentials but not if I won’t really use them.
I’m helping start a church but the relaxed dress code for church is more comfortable and fits my life much better today. I do see satellite news so I stay aware of the insanity and bad news from around the world. I get good news from a few choice friends and aim to do good for those around me. I’m not a hermit but I do love being at home and caring for my critters and garden.
If I ever have leave, like the author of this article I feel I’d have a lot to offer. At 21 I unexpectedly had the grand adventure of living alone in the woods, with no preplanning or special items. I’d grabbed one change of clothing and had half a book of old paper advertising matches and a pocket knife in my pocket. I lived out there over 10 months. My mother was a forager and I usually went along to help from a very early age. She also loved teas and combining seasonings with a natural skill. My father studied botany along with other things in college and passed much of that along as a way of reviewing his studies before tests. I’d started memorizing short bits of scriptures at 18 months old. It was good, as I had that and the hundreds of songs Dad and I sang together. It kept my sanity and thinking together.
Dad was one of those guys that grew up poor and could make, repair, or invent, something out of seemingly nothing. It was a learning set that saved my life in many little ways. You never outgrow that “make do” mind set. Hard just means you work harder. It doesn’t mean impossible.
Being a doer means I have tools and equipment in abundance. Lol my fiance is a retired drag racer and mechanic and we both have tractors with front loaders and backhoes plus more interchangeable 3 point hitch tools. I loved using his auger when planting fruit trees last year. His is all much bigger than mine. My cutey will just fit through a 4-foot wide gate. But I can dig 8 feet deep. He could do much more with his. He keeps the machinery and vehicles going. I do the gardening and canning but he’s a willing helper. He does all the dehydrating now. But if I build another solar dehydrator I’ll probably use that. He likes the heat settings and timers. Our properties are about 25 miles apart. We garden and have productive fruit, berries, and grapes on both properties. I plan the drip systems while he puts them together and keeps them working. He has city water and a deep well. I have two rather shallow wells with abundant water. We’d miss our homes if evacuation were necessary but we have trucks with year-round supplies in them and could quickly move the dogs, cat, chickens, a pet bird, and the cages of rabbits if I get those replaced.
We aim to stay ready for emergencies but keep on building and adding to our properties. Food and more is stored in both homes. We duplicate many of the tools and equipment but each place has its special things too. I have many larger containers for storing irrigation and potable water. My home has nearly 100 gallons of potable water stored.