Pioneering To              Wealth 

Most people do not think of wealth when they think of pioneers.  The image of poor folks stumbling along an old wagon trail, nearly starving to death and fearing for their lives comes to mind.  This was the reality for some, but along that dusty trail they learned a few valuable things that helped them succeed in life later on.  The first was "take nothing for granted".  Love with your whole heart, be conservative with food and finances, and don't let anything stop you from your dreams.  

  Our lives today are quite different from theirs if we chose to live the modern lifestyle, but their wisdom is still as relevant today as it was then. 

  Getting your finances out of the red really isn't that difficult but it will take some changes and discipline on your part.  If you stick with it, though, you will be debt free before you know it and on your way to financial freedom.  And it's all based on the simple ideas our forefathers used.   

  To discover this for myself, my family and I went through a really drastic change in our lives.  We moved from a small town with all modern conveniences, to a camper in the middle of the wilderness 350 miles away - and NO modern conveniences (the only thing that worked in the camper was the stove top, not even the oven.  And no shower).  Of course we didn't know that until we tried using them).  So, I just stayed focused on our future with these conveniences and just did some camping until then.  What I found, though, was that after 3 months I was really enjoying the freedom of not being tied down to the grid.  And we had more money.  The only bills we had at this time was insurance for the vehicles and the land payment - nothing else.  That right there was saving us a minimum of $300.00 a month.  No internet, No phone, No power.  And it was wonderful!  To begin, we first have to get out of debt and stay out of it!  Once that's done, then we'll begin saving and investing in things (paying cash) until we're on our way to financial freedom and eventually extra money to spend on a few "wants" instead of being totally focused on "needs".  

  #1)  If you don't have the cash, don't buy it.    Now, I totally understand that today's world is based around credit cards and without them we have a pretty bleak credit score.  But what if I told you that life actually gets less stressful without them?  You may not have the credit score to borrow a bunch of money, but if you save the money to begin with, you won't need to borrow - win win.  

  Also, buying necessities like groceries is included in this.  I'll include this as

  a) Make a list of Must Haves and buy ONLY what's on the list.  You may want to start out slowly with this change as it can be overwhelming if you're not used to making things from scratch and making due with what you have.  Also, knowing where to shop for wholesome food at a reasonable price is a must.  Crazy enough, I've found quite a bit on Amazon (Prime Pantry) that is Organic and cheaper than our local stores - and the shipping is free after $35.00.  And stalk up when you find a good price (how much depends on how fast you'll use it before it expires).  If you're not sure what your Must Have's would be, start out by finding some good recipes for your favorite and most common meals.  Take Bread for example.  It's considered a staple in most houses and it's pretty cheap, but you can still make it cheaper (and it's a whole lot healthier for you).  It only takes about an hour and a half and most of that is waiting for it to rise and then bake (plenty of time to do other things while you wait).  So having the ingredients for bread are simply: Wheat Flour and/or All Purpose White Flour (Wheat Montana barand is our personal favorite), Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Yeast, Honey (or brown sugar or molasses) and of coarse Water and Milk.  That's all you need to make delicious, wholesome bread.  Bread is also one used as a "filler" when other things aren't plentiful 

 It's also nice to focus on items that will be used in different recipes (unless it's a favorite and made often).  

  When it comes to fruits and veggies - the long term goal is to raise as much as you can, using it fresh and freezing, canning and drying as much as you'll need.  There are many steps to getting self-sufficient in this area, and we'll tackle those in the nutrition and garden pages.  

  #2)  Prioritize things that you NEED and focus on getting them payed off or saving up for them.  With every paycheck, put as much money as you can toward getting debt payed off.  Don't keep putting off until the next paycheck or due date, pay them first.  My dear grandmother used to pay off the bills and then live off of what was left.  This is very wise and should be applied just as much today as in her day.  Being in debt casues more stress and less freedom, plus your focus is toward work to make more moey to buy more things.  Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not against having fun and I realize some things do bring a lot of fun (like snowmobiles) but being self-sufficient for some (like myself) means having to choose between a snowmobile and food on the table.  It's not hard to figure out what's more important.  May be someday I'll have saved enough money for something like that, but that's not one of my priorities for sure right now.

  #3) A little more elbow grease goes a long way to saving money.   One thing I learned in that first 3 months without any power was how to wash clothes by hand.  No washing machine and no money for the laundry mat leaves only one option.  And to be honest, it's one of the most gratifying 'chores' that I do.  I'll talk more about chores like this on other pages (like survival) but suffice it to say, this kind of work brings way more enjoyment than anything.  And sitting in the shade with a glass of ice tea as you watch your clean clothes waving in the breeze brings a huge sense of satisfaction.

  #4) Take Pride in your products, produce and livestock.  Don't short change yourself just to make a sale.  If it's taken money out of our pocket to buy it or feed it and you have a quality product (or animal) don't believe that you have to take the first offer.  Hold out and sooner or later someone will come along who'll value it as much as you do (and if it's an animal, it deserves).  Livestock does bring it's own sets of challenges and we'll discuss that in the critters page.  I think this is one of the worst mistakes some people make when they're trying to sell something - they lose sight of the value and just want it gone.

  #5)  Get creative and don't be afraid to try new things.   Just because you dont see others sell it, doesn't mean you won't be able to.  Have some fun - and see what happens.   That said, there is also a time to learn what is popular and offer that also.  For me, it's heirloom fruits and vegetables (apples being my main interest).  The tastes and uses of different heirloom apples is simply profound - and I'm not the only one who appreciates them.  So my goal is to offer all kinds one day (both trees and fruit) along with a lot of other things.  *more on these in the garden page*

  #6)  If you can't buy it, build it.  Anyone can learn basic carpentry and anything can be built out of boards (thick and thin) and nails.  If you can read a tape measure (or shoot, half the time I use a handy stick or branch to measure - as long as they're the same size doesn't matter unless you're using something store bought and you don't want to cut it (like plywood).  Otherwise if you're going to be cutting everything, who cares if it's 2 feet or 2 1/4 feet.  Sometimes that extra 4 inches makes all the difference in comfort.  *more on this on the survival page*

  #7) Don't focus on other people and what they have - find out what you WANT and go for it.   Most of the time, you'll never make everyone happy so don't waste your time and energy trying to do so.  This life is about YOU and what YOU were made to do.  If you have a dream, take one step at a time toward it until it becomes your reality.

  #8) Invest in items and animals that you'll need to become self-sufficient - but don't over-due it.  Start out small with this one (believe me on this!).  A flock of 10 good hens will give you 10 eggs a day during the first few months of their laying career but then you can expect around 5 eggs a day steady unless they're molting or it's very cold outside. 

   *more on this under survival and critters*

  #9) Think before you buy.  Ask yourself two questions, a) Do I NEED this?  and b) Will I even think about this in a week?  If the answer is "No" to either of these, pass it up.  If you still really want it after a week, then start saving up for it.  We don't need to totally deny ourselves a few "wants", but we do need to stay focused if we're going to get to our goal as quickly as possible.

  #10) Imagine yourself totally debt free in __ years and do not be wavered from that dream.  You'll get there!  Just stay focused and do not allow yourself to lose sight of that dream.