Selfsufficientish.com

Good on yer, The Honk. It's good to hear some happy stories instead of the doom and gloom one hears on the news all the time.

The recession has effected my job, seeing as my job is all advertising. I'm fairly certain my nutrition degree will go nowhere but my pocket, too. *sigh*

I am very blessed though because my fiancee is a boilermaker, which is a necessary trade at any time. His job pays very well and he can support us + spending money when I'm not working. I work now and again, and it's usually windfall type money, which we can tuck away nicely... and my fiancee is looking at getting a promotion as well (to foreman) which will double his pay.

We have a five year plan to buy a smallholding. My plans is to make it entirely self sufficient. An acre of just wheat for the two whole cows I'll have. Bees and hives in one area. Trees in another. Fruit and veg in another. Water feature for the duckies.. things like that. So then I suppose it won't matter our income plus he'll still have that awesome foreman job so we'll be good.

I still have no idea what I'll do with my degree... it's not like many people care about their health... and I don't wanna be one of those "nutritionists" that gets paid off to health tick horrible cardboard foods, either.

ElizabethBinary wrote:
I still have no idea what I'll do with my degree... it's not like many people care about their health... and I don't wanna be one of those "nutritionists" that gets paid off to health tick horrible cardboard foods, either.

im still trying to figure out what to do with mine! being in design im finding it hard to get a job, even with all the cvs etc im sending out.

crowsashes wrote:

ElizabethBinary wrote:
I still have no idea what I'll do with my degree... it's not like many people care about their health... and I don't wanna be one of those "nutritionists" that gets paid off to health tick horrible cardboard foods, either.

im still trying to figure out what to do with mine! being in design im finding it hard to get a job, even with all the cvs etc im sending out.

I feel that I use mine all the time, despite not having a paid job. My degree is in Social and Behavioural Studies, and I graduated in 2002. I did get a job that same year, and stayed there until just before my little girl was born in 2006. I feel that going to uni opened up my mind, taught me how to learn IYSIM, and gave me the confidence to go for it, even when I wasn't entirely sure what 'it' was. When I decided not to return to my paid work after my maternity leave, all these things kicked in and my Ishy-ness (which had always been there but had been dormant) developed as I taught myself new skills from books and the internet, and dreamed up new ways of not needing money.

Well true. I guess if I can't use my degree to earn money - I can use it to live longer!!

ElizabethBinary wrote:Well true. I guess if I can't use my degree to earn money - I can use it to live longer!!

just had a thought? ever done a skill exchange? a few of my friends did it while at uni and afterwards, basically you teach the basics in your subject area in exchange for being taught something by them, i for example could teach the basics of design software and you could teach me the basics of nutrition. its not always that easy but i think something like that could work.

i havent tried it yet as ive found you tube, books and perseverance are more my thing rather than having tutors.

you could always use your degree and go back and teach it in a school/college it might mean a few more years of study though or even on the job training

crowsashes wrote:

ElizabethBinary wrote:Well true. I guess if I can't use my degree to earn money - I can use it to live longer!!

just had a thought? ever done a skill exchange? a few of my friends did it while at uni and afterwards, basically you teach the basics in your subject area in exchange for being taught something by them, i for example could teach the basics of design software and you could teach me the basics of nutrition. its not always that easy but i think something like that could work.

i havent tried it yet as ive found you tube, books and perseverance are more my thing rather than having tutors.

you could always use your degree and go back and teach it in a school/college it might mean a few more years of study though or even on the job training

I wouldn't mind teaching nutrition.. technically I think that's all a nutritionist does - just on a smaller scale!

And dude.. if you wanna learn how to eat properly and how to get rid of most ailments using food... I could totally use software design lessons. :D

I should check that out.

It has really affected us, sister in law and son were made redundant and have scraped about for work ever since. There are redundancies at work and I fear for my job. food has gone up and up and so have utilities. We are very careful and should have been like this all along so we wouldn't owe money. I'm far more thankful for what I have and always leave my wallet at home all week so I don't spend money. If anything, it's doing me good and teaching me some hard lessons and making us support family members who would otherwise go without. We grow, we're frugal, we walk, we use public transport and we'll be ok.

It's funny how all of a sudden when the "recession" started, the media began to look for people who were becoming more self sufficient because they were suddenly short of money.

I'm still not sure how many of these stories were not hyped and twisted to make the news more "newsworthy". I suspect that many of the people involved would have been shocked to find that they were no more reduced in cash terms than people on long term incapacity benefits or state pensions only. And we survive quite well with care and attention to the money. Trouble is that we are not the big spenders who keep the High Street going with our shopping. That says it all about what this country bases its wealth on doesn't it?

I know what you mean in a way. I'm really happy that people are becoming more self sufficient but what does annoy me a bit is that the media and some of the people who are now spouting about how important it is to be more self sufficient treat it like a new thing, like a new fad, well its not I was born into it and have spent my life abiding to the principles that I grew up with and was taught. What concerns me is that when this recession is over people will not take on board the good practice of being self sufficient and they will go back to a consumerist society and relying on other countries for our food. What also concerns me is what will happen to the animals when people get fed up with the hard work and things aren't quite so tight anymore. I think what i'm getting at is I hope people haven't just done this because its the next big thing rather than a lifestyle that we all need to adopt to the best level we can even if its just homegrown herbs on the windowsill!
Sorry for the rant, hope it makes sense.

that's one of the great things about being poor ( yes officially ,according to statistics , national averages , the latest paradigms and all that jazz - i is poverty stricken ) - it don't matter to me if there is a recession or a boom - i am no better or worse off

is all this ( green /Eco stuff ) driven by being seen to do the right thing , bandwagon jumping , or "lifestyle vanity" ?? - in some cases yep - but society only has itself to blame - the must have , want it all and want it now culture , together with easy credit , keeping up with the neighbors , pc pussiness ( vis one will be /is deprived if you don't have all the toys ) etc - has all contributed

me , I owe no one anything - pay my bills - don't have credit , debts , cards , etc - and if i cant afford it - i don't have it , my house is all paid for , ( thanks to the late wife ) - and i don't care if i don't have the latest settee , TV , or what ever - like wise no car anymore - so that's one BIG expense less ( never had a new on in my life ) - never go or have been on holiday in my life ( except a 2 day break again with the late wife ) - and have no particular wish to

soooooo does this make me envious of others ?? - nah - actually i pity those who cant live without the latest must have gizmo or new car - so long as i have food for me and the pets - can pay for the leccy and water etc - what the hell ??

think on this : when you are gone - your whole life can be summed up as a collection of black bags

the big one they zip you in and cart you off in
the ones your relatives use to haul away your belongings
and ditto for the ones they put out for the bin men ( the stuff they don't want )

no matter WHO you are or WHAT you have in life - you cant take it with you and money and possessions mean diddly squat in reality - you will be remembered by few , and eventually will be just a name on a headstone ( if you are lucky ) - most of the world will never even know ( or care) you where ever here

sorry for the reality check rant - but boom or bust makes not much difference to some of us

( brett does not have a degree of any kind - only one in common sense )

There have been a lot of redundancies round here. One school and an education centre shut here earlier in the year and another school shuts in the summer. Now they want to shut three swimming pools in the county. All work on county council buildings other than securing them and weatherproofing has been stopped (apart from schools), so lots of tradesmen have had jobs postponed or cancelled.

Other schools have made people redundant and a lot have stopped recruiting, so there are fewer jobs and more people looking for them, which is sending some of my friends further afield to look for work, meaning their kids are seeing much less of them.

My MIL, working full time to support herself in a 1 bed flat in a rough area is now over sixty and the atmoshphere at her company is dire, since the company are now making a loss for the first time ever and redundancies must be coming. No-one takes a lunch break any more and bullying is terrible etc. etc. It is horrible for her but she is scared she won't get another job now as she is older and there is fierce competition.

OH has all his jobs cancelled in Dec & Jan so hasn't earned anything since November.
It's this happening alongside two terrible summers and a long cold snap that makes it particularly difficult if your work depends on the weather.



Good wishes to all xx