Homeschooling can be an expensive alternative to public schooling. But, its worth it. Right? Well, that depends. If you have extra money that you want to spend on schooling then by all means do it. But if you don't have the extra money don't let that scare you away from homeschooling. In fact, most of the homeschooling we did was done free or at least very cheap.
You can find a ton of textbooks , crafts items, games, and more for very cheap at yardsales and thrift stores.
You can find tons of free info on the internet. They have free printables, free ebooks, worksheets, and even get free items sent to you. I went to google and did searches for free homeschool , free homeschooling, free samples, free printables, and more !! The ideas are endless.
Also utilize your library!! They have tons of books, videos, copy machine, etc. Also if there is a book you need and they do not have it they are able to get it for you.
There is alot of experiments you can do on the cheap, teach kids about math while cooking, teach about money when shopping, and more.
We always had fun going to parks, fishing, going to museums, zoos, and more.
There are ways to make homeschooling cheap. If you use your imagination you and your kids will have more fun and you both will be learning new stuff each day!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Advice on How to Survive the Recession
There are many ways a person can learn survival tools in this economy. One way would be to try conversing with one of those who have lived through the great depression. Such a person will undoubtedly be happy to share their struggles and would welcome a chat about how to make it on little. No matter how bad conditions are now, they pale when compared to then.
Here are some words of wisdom a depression era woman shared with the writer of this article. She was born and raised in Western Washington State and lived on a dairy farm where she and her family ate berries, cheese, milk, butter and the occasional meat and they were able to survive without much intervention from the outside. Her family ate from the produce of their land, trading vegetables with those who had neighboring farms. They canned their own fruits, and learned ways to store their vegetables. Meat was a luxury item and they would kill a chicken or other animal only occasionally and learned to make cakes without proper ingredients. Though it was hard, her family endured and lived to be stronger because of the experience. It really was a matter of adapting for them and living with what they were given. No matter what the circumstances she proved that if a person is willing to he or she can learn to make the best of their situation.
City dwellers practicing basic gardening skills can learn to grow some of their own food in backyard greenhouses or hothouses or even by growing small plants indoors. Chickens are allowed in many cities and eggs can be available without much extensive planning needed, and they eat from a diverse and naturally plentiful supply of food and do not need a lot of store bought feed. Plants can be purchased from plant nurseries and if given the right kind of garden soil and fertilizer are much more hardy once started then plants grown from seeds.
Americans have become much too dependent on grocery stores and banks and virtual money instead of old-fashioned trade. With a bartering system and a little tender loving care people can learn to be responsible for providing at least a little of their own food supply and if Americans would look to their forefathers they can learn to survive and weather the storms of a recession.
Here are some words of wisdom a depression era woman shared with the writer of this article. She was born and raised in Western Washington State and lived on a dairy farm where she and her family ate berries, cheese, milk, butter and the occasional meat and they were able to survive without much intervention from the outside. Her family ate from the produce of their land, trading vegetables with those who had neighboring farms. They canned their own fruits, and learned ways to store their vegetables. Meat was a luxury item and they would kill a chicken or other animal only occasionally and learned to make cakes without proper ingredients. Though it was hard, her family endured and lived to be stronger because of the experience. It really was a matter of adapting for them and living with what they were given. No matter what the circumstances she proved that if a person is willing to he or she can learn to make the best of their situation.
City dwellers practicing basic gardening skills can learn to grow some of their own food in backyard greenhouses or hothouses or even by growing small plants indoors. Chickens are allowed in many cities and eggs can be available without much extensive planning needed, and they eat from a diverse and naturally plentiful supply of food and do not need a lot of store bought feed. Plants can be purchased from plant nurseries and if given the right kind of garden soil and fertilizer are much more hardy once started then plants grown from seeds.
Americans have become much too dependent on grocery stores and banks and virtual money instead of old-fashioned trade. With a bartering system and a little tender loving care people can learn to be responsible for providing at least a little of their own food supply and if Americans would look to their forefathers they can learn to survive and weather the storms of a recession.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Is a Survival Seed Bank Enough For Urban Survival?
Survival seed banks have become increasingly popular over the last year or so. These are kits with seeds in them that can be saved for a few years that can in many cases grow up to an acre of food in times of need. It's kind of the ultimate backup plan for a survivalist when it comes to food. But is something like a survival seed bank enough for urban or city survival?
There is nothing wrong with relying on growing food to have food in a time of need or longer term disaster. But you still need something for today if you are in that situation. A survival seed bank will work appropriately assuming that you are plant and start at the right point of the year.
What you need for today is some food stored away that you can actually eat right now. Make sure that you have two weeks or better yet a thirty day supply of food that you can rely on at any point in time.
For fresh greens growing them from your seed bank is an option but also consider using sprouts. Sprouts like alfalfa, broccoli, wheat, and others can be grown in a jar with just water in about four day to a week's time.
This is a great option because these types of seeds can be stored for a few years as well and don't required soil and sunlight to grow. This can subsidize your diet with fresh greens when your acre of seeds may not be able to be planted or haven't yet produced a crop.
Do you have a plan for natural disasters or pandemics?
Click and learn Urban Survival Skills to properly prepare and be ready for these situations.
Discover Food Storage Secrets that let you have a good supply of food without constant worry about expiration dates.
http://www.urban-survival.info/
There is nothing wrong with relying on growing food to have food in a time of need or longer term disaster. But you still need something for today if you are in that situation. A survival seed bank will work appropriately assuming that you are plant and start at the right point of the year.
What you need for today is some food stored away that you can actually eat right now. Make sure that you have two weeks or better yet a thirty day supply of food that you can rely on at any point in time.
For fresh greens growing them from your seed bank is an option but also consider using sprouts. Sprouts like alfalfa, broccoli, wheat, and others can be grown in a jar with just water in about four day to a week's time.
This is a great option because these types of seeds can be stored for a few years as well and don't required soil and sunlight to grow. This can subsidize your diet with fresh greens when your acre of seeds may not be able to be planted or haven't yet produced a crop.
Do you have a plan for natural disasters or pandemics?
Click and learn Urban Survival Skills to properly prepare and be ready for these situations.
Discover Food Storage Secrets that let you have a good supply of food without constant worry about expiration dates.
http://www.urban-survival.info/
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tips For Self Sufficient Living in Urban Locations
A lot of people believe they can't make changes to move toward a more self-sufficient life when they live in an urban area, but that's simply not true. There are plenty of ways to become more self-sufficient, no matter where you live.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to set up an indoor garden. This could be a hydroponic garden, or it could be a container garden. Either type is fine, as long as you can locate them near a very sunny window or use artificial lighting.
If you don't have a lot of space indoors, you can use a shelf system to do this. Simply buy or create a system of shelf units against a wall, placing the plants in containers on the shelves, with grow lights attached to the shelving units underneath each shelf. If you're going to do this, be very careful when watering your plants, because any water that drips down could short out the lights and cause a fire.
Another way to become more self-sufficient is to set up your own business. The job market is very volatile at the moment, and even people who have been working for the same company for decades are finding themselves unemployed. By setting up your own business, you will be able to control your future a bit more than you could if you relied solely on your job.
You can start your business on a part time basis while working at a regular job. Build it up slowly. Then if you ever find yourself unemployed, you have that to fall back on. It's a lot easier to grow an existing business with an existing base of customers or clients than it is to start one from scratch after finding yourself suddenly unemployed!
Finally, you should start building up a reserve of cash, food, and supplies. You should make it a priority to build up reserves of cash and food to last you for at least three months. If you can save up more, you should definitely do so. It never hurts to be prepared, and if you ever find yourself without a job or facing an emergency, you'll be better prepared to deal with it.
These are just a few ways to move toward self-sufficiency. For more information about Self Sufficient Living, visit http://www.SelfSufficientLiving.net. You'll learn about urban farming, sustainable living, renewable energy, and lots more!
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to set up an indoor garden. This could be a hydroponic garden, or it could be a container garden. Either type is fine, as long as you can locate them near a very sunny window or use artificial lighting.
If you don't have a lot of space indoors, you can use a shelf system to do this. Simply buy or create a system of shelf units against a wall, placing the plants in containers on the shelves, with grow lights attached to the shelving units underneath each shelf. If you're going to do this, be very careful when watering your plants, because any water that drips down could short out the lights and cause a fire.
Another way to become more self-sufficient is to set up your own business. The job market is very volatile at the moment, and even people who have been working for the same company for decades are finding themselves unemployed. By setting up your own business, you will be able to control your future a bit more than you could if you relied solely on your job.
You can start your business on a part time basis while working at a regular job. Build it up slowly. Then if you ever find yourself unemployed, you have that to fall back on. It's a lot easier to grow an existing business with an existing base of customers or clients than it is to start one from scratch after finding yourself suddenly unemployed!
Finally, you should start building up a reserve of cash, food, and supplies. You should make it a priority to build up reserves of cash and food to last you for at least three months. If you can save up more, you should definitely do so. It never hurts to be prepared, and if you ever find yourself without a job or facing an emergency, you'll be better prepared to deal with it.
These are just a few ways to move toward self-sufficiency. For more information about Self Sufficient Living, visit http://www.SelfSufficientLiving.net. You'll learn about urban farming, sustainable living, renewable energy, and lots more!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Cheap & Healthy Snack
Peanut Butter Balls
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered milk
Can add 1/3 cup coconut, if you like.
All you do is mix these ingredients together and shape into balls and EAT!!
These are very good and nutritious and KIDS LOVE THEM!!
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