What the Economic Crisis Really Means - And What We Can Do About It

Yes, ANOTHER video for you to watch. I would really appreciate your thoughts and feed back. I know our system has and is collapsing. Our little family even feels the affects of that. I don't have such an optimistic view as this video of a future Utopian society... at least not until Christ returns. My faith tells me there WILL be such a Utopian society on Earth but frankly things get a lot worse before they get better. I do think community, local projects, and technology mentioned such as 3D printers are amazing. Money is worthless we just haven't realized it... so what can we do to change things around? Is it possible? Clearly we can work to live within our means, live debt free, share what we have, repurpose, reuse, recycle, etc. Can we do more in the mist of a crisis? 

My passion remains with food. It is hard to explain but I want to help grow food. To feed my family and make some additional income to help take such a heavy burden off of Gary but also to feed the hungry and needy. What are your thoughts on this video? Are things getting worse or better? What is your family doing to prepare for harder times?

Food Stamped: Watch for Free One Week Only!

Did you know that September 2012 is hunger action month? Did you know that 49 MILLION Americans face hunger daily? That is 1 in 6 people - 1 in 5 children. **Wow**. Let that sink in. Someone and their KIDS are hungry in your neighborhood. I just don't know what to do with that number. With the rampant increase in diet related health problems in our country it is easy to see the correlation. Cheap food doesn't equal good-for-you food. 

Husband and wife Yoav and Shira Potash, in their documentary "Food Stamped", take a look at whether or not it is possible to eat healthy on food stamps. With $50.00 a week for two people, a dollar per person per meal, they shop for organic ingredients for a full seven day period. Is it possible to eat healthy, real food? Watch to find out (free until Saturday). If you have the money please support this film or any number of food related causes. One thing is for sure: eating healthy requires time, knowledge, access and of course good planning.

I have thought of our family as frugal and wise with our food dollars (with room for improvement of course) spending $100-$150 roughly every week for five people but now I feel pushed farther to be even "thriftier". To increase my efforts if you will. Here is a family that spends only $100 a month on food and they chronicle their choices on their blog "One Hundred Dollars a Month". Transforming their food budget from $800+ monthly to just $100 a month in four years is pretty impressive. Granted browsing through their blog this evening did revival some food choices that real foodie snobs would turn up their noses at I give them huge props for what they are achieving. Looking for more you can do right now? Visit Hunger Action Month for ideas.

I need time to digest what I just watched, how it affected me, and what I am going to do about it. Clearly 2 a.m. is not the time for that but I wanted to watch the film in it's entirety before I recommended you do the same. I think it is more than worth it though. 

Let's all think heavily on this issue. It shouldn't be one that we just glance at and ignore. How do you make your money go far in this really rocky economy? What do you think we should do to help feed America's hungry? Until next time.

The Global Village Construction Set

He had me at "farmer"... completely worth watching. The concept of open-sourced blueprints for civilization is just awesome. No doubt Gary will want to be building a tractor in our backyard once he sees this. Although as far as farming goes give me a pony and a plow and I will be happy...





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I love learning something new everyday. Honestly, the majority of my reading is non-fiction. I find so many interesting and informative pieces of information that I would LOVE to share but I have to hold myself back. I apologize now if you are in information overload. I really do try to contain myself. 

Method A Solution

I like the Method brand and use it but TBH is not associated with the company
that manufacturers the Method brand. 

While I do make cleaning products at home there are a few I purchase. A shower scrub to help cut grim in my shower and sinks, a floor soap (that has lasted 3 years), and hand & dish soap. Readily available at most stores I shop at is the Method brand. Best of all I find it affordable among the "green" products. Now I am not going to tell you it is the cleanest (greenest) product on the market because I haven't bothered to look into it that information. I am selfishly avoiding not wanting to feel bad if it really isn't the greenest choice. It is what I can afford and I feel better then buying Dawn (sorry Dawn).

Now I have all the more reason to like that I occasionally purchase the Method products. One of my favorite news feeds is Treehugger.com. When Wade lets me sit and read a news article on the computer I usually find something interesting or informative from Treehugger. Today was no different. I learned How Method Turns Plastic Pollution in the Ocean Into Bottles. Sweet!

You probably know how there are these ridiculously large floating plastic fields in the middle of our oceans. Well before I wrote this I didn't realize that there were FIVE large ones. I only really knew of one (The Great Pacific Garbage Patch). Regardless it is a really big problem and the question is... what to do about them? And what in the world can this little blue house do about them? We try not to buy plastic. All plastic 2 litters and gallon milk jugs and juice bottles are kept in the green house and animal buildings for watering and planting seeds. I wash all zip lock freezer bags and reuse several times. I keep my glass bottles and reuse as much as possible. We recycle (OK not in the house because of space for bins issue) but out of the house whenever possible! How much more can we do?

Well it turns out that from now on by buying Method products I am doing more. For every Method product I buy I now take 15 grams of plastic out of the ocean. Baby steps you say? Yup. But what a neat, innovative, and creative solution. Please read about how Method and their partners developed a whole new method of recycling the brittle and decaying plastic bottles floating out into the ocean and are using them to make a new high quality plastic bottle. A bottle claimed to be 100 percent post-consumer HDPE with 25% being from those floating trash fields. Neat! Can you tell I am a sucker for doing things better and doing things right? Like we should have been doing all along. Mankind I think God is smiling at your industriousness for this moment. Bravo. Let's keep doing more.

Christmas Giving: Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog

At this point Christmas is 9 days away! Yes, 9 days. Maybe you have those last hard to give to people on your shopping list and you are completely stumped for ideas. Maybe you are like me and have an important family member who can't afford to give gifts this year and so refuses to receive them. Or maybe you are looking for some charity to donate to. An inspiration to your family to remind them to give generously to those less fortunate and as we all know those less fortunate are growing swiftly all around us.

Idea:
Check out this year's Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog. I have received this catalog in the mail for years and I have donated in the past. This year though I am finally stepping out and using it for gift giving in addition to donating. I would be honored if in lieu of gift(s) people would donate to a cause in this catalog that they know I care about so I hope others feel the same. This would be money well spent and that would perhaps leave a lasting legacy of good to my fellow men (women, children).

In addition, as I posted earlier this week regarding my WRING acronym, a gift donation was part of our families "holiday spirit" and we chose two causes that really hit close to home for 2010.

First:
"The birth of a child should be a cause for celebration, but many women in developing countries are filled with fear as the big event approaches. Tragically, hundreds of young mothers and thousands of newborns die every day from preventable causes. With proper training and equipment, a Christian birth attendant can save countless lives and reach young families with the Good News of God’s love. A gift can provide specialized instruction, basic obstetric supplies, or even antiviral medicine to protect newborns from contracting HIV from their mothers." - Catalog Quote

This year I was pregnant and had a child! I could rest assured, having excellent care and plenty of information to learn from. Our family wanted to reach out to women who didn't have that assurance.

Second:
"Without an education, this little Sri Lankan boy was probably doomed to a life of hard labor, hunger, and hopelessness. Around the globe, Samaritan’s Purse helps thousands of children like this through a variety of education and literacy projects that bring hope to impoverished communities and offer local believers an effective means of sharing the Gospel. A gift can provide a month’s tuition or school supplies, enabling an eager student to learn of Jesus Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, NIV)." - Catalog Quote

This year the importance of an education has also been a theme. Not only have I started to think about what I want my newborn son to learn, where I want him to learn, etc. I have had the joy of watching him discover the world via fun classes at the library and at home in play.

I can rest assured that I can teach him to read and write if there were no other educational opportunities for him (but of course there are). In addition, my step son has struggled with issues at school and watching him deal with those struggles raises the awareness as to how important an education really is to the future of an individual. So our family decided that helping a child to read and write was so very important.

Perhaps you will find the perfect gift for those you love in this catalog too.

Merry Christmas!

Heifer International : Give a Goat..or a chicken...

Eden going to collect eggs this past summer

Being a farmer (I use that term loosely) raising animals are part of our daily family chores. My kids know where our hamburgers and eggs come from on a first hand basis. I realize that in the United State our way of life seems uncommon but in most parts of the world its the way to ensure provisions for your family. This is why I love the giving through Heifer International. The whole idea behind Heifer is similar to the biblical story of how it is better to teach a man to fish so he can feed himself for a lifetime rather than just giving him a fish that will provide him with a single meal. Heifer International gives families a source food, such as livestock or seeds, rather than short-term relief. Families are educated on the care of their animals or seeds and then encouraged to pay it forward to another family when their animals or seeds reproduce. In this way, a single donation to a family can drastically effect an entire community. Wow! Shopping is fun at Heifer International, with so many options and levels of giving. You can "buy" a goat ($120) or a share of a goat ($10). A flock of ducks is only $20! I could easily see a business forgoing exchanging gifts in the workplace and instead buying the gift of an ark (15 pairs of animals sent all over the world to change lives!)

After all, sometimes all a child needs to be healthy and happy.... is a goat!

And its not just a Christmas thing either. You can volunteer, visit, learn, and even do fundraising though Heifer International!

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages

I have been shopping online for Christmas gifts for years. But not just gifts to fill a need but gifts to support a cause and make a difference.
This company guarantees its artisans a fair price for labor and supplies, a long term relationship between itself and the artisan, and that their products are environmentally responsible using local and/or recycled materials. Those are not easy promises to keep while keeping products marketable and prices affordable. But they are and they do! Underneath each item is the craft group responsible for its creation. Its great to see a face for the people you are supporting.

Ten Thousand Villages