Getting by in Hard Times - Part Two

Why did I think it was important to write about this subject? I heard on Wisconsin Public Radio's At Issue with Ben Merens when he was interviewing author Sasha Abramsky that one in nine Americans is on food stamps, but the numbers were far worse when adjusted to include those who need help feeding themselves and their families. That is a shocking number in a country that is supposed to be the land of plenty. The reality is that incomes are so low that more and more people have to rely on food pantries just to eat because of all the other bills that we are required to pay or emergencies take away what little we do have. We make poor choices in food because it is cheaper than healthier food. Abramsky explained it very well and I had to agree with him. I've tried to teach my children those lessons their whole lives. Although I have been lucky enough not to ever get into that dire a strait, I have known many over the years who have. We never went hungry in my family, not even close in the lean times, but I did find that I was more picky about what I would buy and what I would not. I was lucky enough to be able to raise the majority of our food for many years; most aren't that lucky.

We saw a sign by the fairgrounds a few weeks ago in a nearby town for a sustainable living fair. We actually had to mull that over before we figured out what it was, and then of course it's all we heard about whether on the radio, on television, or in print. Sustainable living is a lot of common sense and training in things that you might not have the know-how to do for being able to get by on very little, such as knowing what groceries are low in cost but high in nutritional value or at least how to shop for them when they are on sale, how to grow a garden and preserve the produce to eat later, repairing rather than tossing items most are quick to discard such as shoes and clothing, bargain shopping in resale shops, etc.

Also ways to start your own business at home or get an education so that a new line of work can be found once hiring begins again, and how to find the money to do it. As a farmer I can tell you sustainable living is just the way we live, we didn't know it was something that needed taught, but I suppose we should, after all, since the ending of the Great Depression too many people have moved away from teaching their children how to get by in hard economic times, such as cooking rather than eating out all the time, and sewing; are there really that many who know how to use a sewing machine anymore? I do, but my mother was a depression baby and she was raised in a large family on a farm so she knew how to do it all, she had to, they all had to, and she passed along some of that to us. What I didn't learn from her, I learned from my mother-in-law, also a depression era baby. There are many like me, I'm sure, who just thought that was good to know, and it turns out we were right.

Case in point: When we moved here there wasn't an option, due to logistics, as to where we sent our children to school. Our oldest was starting high school and when we inquired about FFA (Future Farmers of America), the guidance counselor literally looked down her nose and said that it wasn't done in our school. They needed people to work in the factories and steered the students away from farming as much as possible, especially those who lived on farms, like us. Where did she think her food came from? Now most of the factories are all but closed down and those kids, now adults, don't have a clue how to get by. Of course FFA isn't the only organization that helps students learn valuable skills, but to tell us that we were useless because we were on a farm was more than offensive. When our youngest started high school we were in a position to put him in a different school and they had FFA. He has no desire to farm for a living, but he joined and he learned things that will help him carry on if he has to, as well as leadership skills that will help him once he is out of college in the working world.

The ultimate sustainable living club, 4-H isn't even in the schools anymore. It is still a part of the community, but it isn't held in the schools like it was when I was a child. They do far more than farming and homemaking skills, they have leadership and debating, and many other areas one can use in adulthood to study further for a job or just fall back on if need be. FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and other business oriented clubs are still held in many schools, and they certainly have their place, but so should clubs such as 4-H and FFA. 4-H is partially supported by the University Extension Service, regardless of the state, but members still have to pay dues and fees and have sponsors to run the clubs, just as FFA does. FFA has fund raisers where they take orders for various products and even have club sponsored green houses which pays to keep their clubs going as long as they have a sponsor. In my experience fund raising is how most of the clubs in schools are run. It helps the club members learn business skills too.

Speaking of the University Extension Service, they have all manner of services for teaching sustainable living, from what to plant and how to plant it, to identifying plants (good and bad) and holding classes on how to preserve them (canning, freezing, drying). They can teach about raising animals and what you need to know about safe care of the products so they can be sold. They have resources to teach cooking and recipes that can actually be used rather than complicated, hard to prepare foods, but don't count them out as a source for those recipes too. The local office checked my pressure gage for my canner so that I know I am canning at the proper pressure, to do otherwise can be dangerous. If you have a sustainable living question ask your extension agent; if they don't have the answer, they probably know who does. They also offer a host of pamphlets and booklets and classes at reasonable prices to help you out; some are even free!

The public library can be a fount of information. They have books on all manner of subjects, and what they don't have, most can get through sharing programs libraries participate in now in order to share resources that because of budget cuts they might otherwise not have access to. On occasion public libraries even have guest speakers so ask to be put on a mailing list so they can let you know someone is coming that might be speaking on subject you are interested in; it's a good source for an outing too and it may even be free or very reasonably priced.

Local community colleges offer classes that range from one night for a few hours, to a couple of nights a week for a few or several weeks. They are not often free, but they can be reasonably priced, especially if they are non-credit courses. You can take up a hobby that can ultimately end up bringing in extra income, to helping you develop a new career. Scholarships and grants are available to those who qualify. Ask the guidance department for more information on how to qualify for grants and scholarships. There are a few steps to follow to get them and they will have information of which ones are available for courses they teach. You can get them for online classes as well so if you go that route; ask the guidance department of that particular school. You can also look online for sources for scholarship and student aid, one such site is www.students.gov for information on federal student aid. Some sites charge for their services and some send endless e-mails that may or may not be helpful, but you never know, you just might find that perfect financial aid for school.

Of course, where would be without the internet for more information these days? It can be a great source of information from identifying plants (although a local person with the knowledge is still best) to recipes and coupons for groceries, not to mention those online auction sites to sell your no longer needed items. After all, you found this article didn't you?