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Giveaway Contest! Discount Codes! Welcome New Years!
Win one of two prizes if you are drawn as a new subscriber to this YouTube Channel. http://www.youtube.com/thewheatguy
ALSO right on there is a CODE to say "Thank You" that you can use on any item in the online store….even if it's already on sale!
Make a customer account (be subscribed to the newsletter) at http://www.millersgrainhouse.com and be in the drawing to win a box of free grain or freshly milled flour.
Silver, Gold and Cash vs. Food, Water and Skill
Author: Donna Miller
Recently, in a forum of which Millers Grain House is a sponsor, someone posted a question that the basis for asking is found in the current economy and trends. The question is valid as many of us wonder what is ahead. It went something like this:
I hear a lot about having cash, silver and gold on hand for the future. Would the current investment not be better spent in another area? A can of beans that cost $.85 now may cost $8.00 after a collaspe. Just speaking for myself I would rather have food, water and toilet paper than valueless cash or glittery metals.
My hypothesis is that some cash (paper money and coins) along with precious metals such as silver or gold may be needed and appeal to some as legal tender if in the midst of an economic melt-down. However, this question deserves some serious thought as well as much warranted action.
An investment in something that will sustain your life is far wiser than saving up only gold, silver, the current currency or stock options. The list of real life assets that could easily prove more valuable to sustain life in even tougher economic times than these include (but are not limited to):
- Water
- Food
- Gardening skills
- Skill to preserve a harvest
- Wood working
- Survival skills (fire building, shelter building, etc)
- Animal husbandry and small livestock
- Sewing
- Anything our ancestors did 200 years ago to establish the land as productive and self sustaining.
This short beginning list of skills and vital items (and the time investment spent learning, testing and trying them) are far more worthy and look to be the more tangible options than a shiny piece of metal that cannot be eaten or share hope with another desperate person.
The best way to find out what might really be important would be to ask someone who lived through the Great Depression. With no funds on hand, what was vital to them? We may be surprised.
Winter Squash - A seasonal bargain with variety!
Tis the season for an abundance of winter produce! Winter Squash to be precise. Most people think of pumpkin pie and stop there when trying to figure
out what to do with these prolific growers that usually just make great
fall decorations.If you're a gardener, you'll also be delighted to know there are more uses for this winter crop than pie!
Most folks will just pass up this seaonal bargain food because they believe it is too difficult to work with or they really don't know the wide variety of things that can be done with winter squash. At bargain prices between $.39 to $.79 cents per pound, ounce per ounce
this delectable winter veggie can stretch in to any menu for pennies.
There's also a reason for this food to be in season in the winter. The nutritional content of winter squash is vital to our winter health. With loads of fiber ( 1 cup winter squash contains 5 grams of fiber) and the deep rich color (1 cup containing 150% of your RDA of vitamin A) it is also a good source of vitamin C, potassium and mangenese, folate, omega 3 fatty acids, copper, vitamins B5 and B6, niacin and thiamin. Each of these vitamins (and the tandum synergistic combination) help to combat the winter blahs, lack of sunshine, loss of energy that can be associated with cold weather and help bolster our immune system to combat cold weather ailments such as the flu. The benefit of getting them in the REAL FOOD of winter squash vs. a pill is that your body really does know how to use those nutrients when consumed as a food.
So here are a few ideas to stretch this frugal and healthy seasonal jewel:
- Add to muffins
- Add to mac & cheese
- Make into creamy soups
- Try as a side dishe with brown sugar and cinnamon
- Try roasted, grilled and mashed
The variety is practically endless.
If you would like recipes for these suggestions and video tips on just how easy using this bargain stretching veggie can be, be sure to sign up for our newsletter before October 31st (when the recipes go out!) at http://www.eatgrains.com (don't forget to click the confirmation email you'll receive or you won't get the newsletter in time). If you sign up in time you'll be loaded up with some out of the box winter squash ideas that stretch your food budget and redefine some 'comfort food' recipes!
For more freebie tips "LIKE" us on Facebook
For even more stretching ideas, listen to "Encouragement in the Kitchen" at 5:00PM Eastern Mondays - Thursdays (or even catch up later at the same link when you have the time). We will be talking about the great upcoming recipes and tips today - 10/25/11
Until next time - keep stretching your dollars and learning new skills!
Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!
Donna Miller
$70 off the Nutrimill Grain Mill !
I can't help but share this news here!
It is after all a Dollar Stretcher item.
Saves $$ on making healthy food (which you can store WHOLE grain for up to, uhm 1000 years unlike flour) and now it's on SALE!!
You can check it out and a video how to use it by clicking this link: http://www.grainmiller.com/nutrimill.htm
If you've been wanting an electric grain mill - this one is fantastic and ON SALE the lowest I've ever seen it!!!
I paid more for my own - years ago!
Sale lasts until September 31st or while suply lasts. The last sale - last year - (at $239.99) sold out in two weeks!!
A Self-sustaining Life is a Frugal Life.
To be self- sustaining is kind of an anomaly in this current global climate, however, the trend to be more frugal is a growing movement. I surmise that the most economical way of living, in the long run, is to be more self-sustainable rather than system-reliant.
In the times of our forefathers, the new settlers to the land, the pioneers and even those here before them, the Natives, there was no system other than community to sustain one’s way of life. The community was made up of families who sustained themselves by gardening, trade and skill. Our community has changed now to encompass imported items from other countries and conveniences we think we cannot do without.
The waste and frivolity of our current societal norm thought to be a higher standard of life can easily become our demise. The more self-sustainable a family unit is, the more they will actually have to share with those in need. The more self-sustainable a family is, the less waste and reliance upon others they will be. The more self-sustainable a family is, the more appreciative they are of the basic necessities that are required to live. These are not only attainable attributes but also are the most desired characteristics of a family who wishes to become more frugal. No one wants to become stingy. But to still rely on the status-quo and cut corners often makes us so. Choosing voluntary self-sustaining practices leave less room for feeling deprived and yield more empowered individuals in the process.
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