Financial Survival Kit

What do you need to be prepared for the future financial turmoil? How can you survive?

Should I Buy Gold?

It seems like everyone is a gold bug these days, but is it the right thing for you?

What Are The Chances?

With all this "end of the world" hype going on, maybe we should consider the chances. What are the chances of a civilization threatening event?

How Much Insurance Do I Need?

Insurance is an extremely broad topic. Hopefully this generalization on the different types and amounts will help straighten things out a bit.

Iraqi Dinar: Scam or Scoop?

Some say it's an easy way to make a million bucks! But do you understand currency markets enough to take advantage?

The financial world we live in is just as wild, if not more, than the mountains and woods we walk through. We are told that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but we can feel that something is wrong. My unique financial background and survival passion make Financial Survivalist and excellent place to learn and share.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

"Money Isn't Everything"

"If you're not here for the money, get out," said George Morris,  my former boss. Tempted to get up and walk out of the room, I decided I better not be rude. He was most definitely talking to me. The guy seemed to talk in dollar signs, and I had made it clear that I had a different view. A week later he "officially" told me to "get out."

If I had told him that money wasn't everything, then he most definitely would have said "That's a lie poor people tell themselves." What about, "It's only money?" Do poor people say that too? Although money is significant, it isn't everything.

I really think that if George would have taken time to get to know me, he would agree with my view on money. It's not that I think money is evil, or that George is wrong to want it with so much passion. My view is that money is never a good reason to make a decision.

Someone could choose a career based on how much money they might make, but if they hate what they do they will likely fail and be miserable their whole life. Their misery will eventually spill over into other aspects of their life as well; family, health, etc. Or, someone could choose a career based on what they are passionate about. If you follow your passion, and are smart and talented, the money will come. I have seen it time and time again.

As we all hear, money is the root of all evil, or the love of money is the root of all evil. In a general sense, obsession is rarely healthy. Obsession with money is never healthy. It leads to people sacrificing more important things (ie family, health, etc) in order to obtain it.

Learn about successful millionaires that are happy, and you will learn that they didn't do it for the money. Don't get me wrong, money is a factor, but it usually isn't the motivating factor in a persons success. When it is, the person usually struggles in all other aspects of life.

This leads me to my philosophy of permaculture. I could work to earn money in order to buy a weed whacker. Then I could work some more to pay for the seasonal tuneup, gas, oil, string and other maintenance. Then I could put on ear muffs, long pants and safety glasses and go get covered in bug guts and grossness. Or I could buy a scythe. It would take less time, money and effort to do the same job.

When we realize that time is money and we sell our lives by the hour, then financial decisions become easier. Some people sell too much of their lives and become time poor. Some people don't sell enough, and are cash poor.

Do something you love to pay your bills and be happy. Enjoy life! If you are talented and intelligent money and success will find you. If you lack talent and intelligence, at least you will be happy, and that's the purpose of life.

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Friday, April 5, 2013

Building Rabbit Hutches

I recently accepted the challenge to build rabbit hutches from scratch. It was an adventure that you can watch below. I learned a lot, but would do a few things different next time.

The biggest mistake I made was my hardwarecloth was too thin. I used a smaller guage (thickness of wire) than needed.This makes the cages seem flimsey and when the rabbits walk on it, the floor bends and bows. If I had to do it again that would be the biggest change.

The second change is that I would use something called "J" clips instead of hog rings. The hog rings should work fine, but the "J" clips would have kept the seams tighter protecting the rabbits from sharp edges.

Other than that, they turned out pretty well. It was a good learning experience, and now I have my first rabbits.


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Monday, March 4, 2013

How Will Sequestration Affect Real Estate?


With all the fear mongering and finger pointing we've experienced from prominent pollititions recently, it's easy to be concerned how sequestration will affect the real estate market. Take a breath and relax, because sequestration will not affect the real estate market.

What is sequestration? Automatic spending cuts. However, even with sequestration, the government will still spend more this year than they did last. So there are no real spending cuts, only a slow down in the increase of spending.

There is no need for any doom and gloom. In fact most if not all of the observed effects are engineered. It's a political game and we are the pawns. The effect on the economy will be minimal, and on the housing market, even less so.

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Ben and Dan on a Log II


Danny, from The Daily Prep, and I hooked up to catch up on a log. It was cold! So we warmed up with a small fire and some hot coco. We talked about things like children, shot show, and backyard homestead. Check it out here.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pleasant Hearth



We bought our homestead (ie home) with a decorative fireplace. It was inefficient and didn't draft properly. I sold it for $50 and bought a Pleasant Hearth 1800 sq ft wood burning stove. $700 at Lowes was well worth it, compared to the extreme heating costs.

I heat mostly with wood now. Our basement is a mother in-law apartment with central heating. That cost a pretty penny, but from the main floor and above it's about $160/year. 

This stove is rated for 1800 sq ft, and we use it for more than 2200 sq ft. It doesn't turn our home into a sauna, but it keeps us comfortable (something the limited duct system cannot do). We bought a cord of wood for $160 (delivered) and it will last us all winter.

Positives:
  • Efficient: can burn on a few logs all night.
  • Amazing Draft: keeps the glass clean and allows for low flow and high heat.
  • Only costs $700
  • One cord ($160) per winter

Negative:
  • Only rated for 1800 sq ft.
  • loud blower


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