Mrs ERJ asked me what I was going to do with my Social Security checks when they start showing up. Being a "planner" by nature I had already given that some thought.
One difference between people who are comfortable in monetary terms and those who are not comfortable involves the kinds of things they are apt to buy. For the sake of compactness, let's call them Ants and GHs for grasshoppers.
Ants are more apt to buy classic clothing in fabric that is sturdy and easy to care-for. GHs are more likely to buy trendy clothing or event-specific clothing that isn't appropriate in other venues. I was aghast to learn that there are many people who buy a pair of shoes for a party and never wear them again. Obviously, I don't get out much.
Ants are more apt to buy hardware that has a ten, twenty or even fifty-year useable life expectancy. Feedlot panels, fruit trees, adding fertility to their garden, thoughtful upgrades to their houses, classic books (especially how-to books). On the property I am managing, I am working with forty and fifty-year-old apple trees.
The champion fruit trees are ones that are growing on their own roots and throw suckers. A thicket has the biological potential to live for thousands of years. The Pando Tree is a single aspen clone joined at the roots that covers over 100 acres and is estimated to be between 9000 and 11,000 years. Pears, plums, persimmons and some apples and a host of other fruit trees are either known to sucker or "walk". Walking trees are trees that fall-over and the limbs that are touching the soil strike roots.
GHs chase the latest thing which guarantees it will be obsolete within a year or two. Examples are "Technology" or electronic gizmos, software and entertainment and digital content stored on the cloud.
Some things that might appear to have long shelf lives don't. Bags of premix concrete are an example. Other things that are similar might have very long shelf-lives with a modest amount of care. Bags of salt are an example of that kind of commodity.
Some medicines and vitamins have short half-lives. Others like acetaminophen have a shelf-life that is measured in decades.
Gas powered tools have three common weak links: Fuel-related issues, lubrication and misuse. A gas-powered tool that is fed fresh, clean fuel and has regular oil and filter changes can last for decades if it is not misused. Electric tools are good only as long as compatible, replacement batteries are available.
Hand tools can last a long time when cared for. They last even longer if you have the wherewithal to replace handles or parts that are likely to fail. A little bit of skill with a spoke-shave can vastly extend the life of a hoe or shovel or ax.
ERJ, although slightly behind you on the curve, things I buy now fall into two camps: 1) Will this last me the next 10 years or longer in my life; or 2) Is this something that will make me happy (generally small items for my hobbies or interests). If the answer is "No" in one or both cases, it will not be bought.
ReplyDeleteEverything goes through the filter, "Will it help me keep my handle?",
ReplyDeleteA Little East of Paris
My small SS puts a kilo of peranos, one roll of TP, some tang, tea bags, coffee, dried soup mixes or instant mashed potatoes, sardines or tuna, kilo of rice and similar into a sealed 5 gal bucket. I figure it's 10 days of meals for 2.
ReplyDeleteI learned the power tool collection downsides the hard way. When we were building our home in 1995, we bought a Wagner Power Painter for approximately $150. Used it to paint a room (utility room) - and that was all. Never been used since. We also have some roofing electric staple guns at a pawn shop for less than $100. Never ever been used. Probably should consider selling them.
ReplyDeleteOur manual tools on the other hand - are used often in the pasture. Those are earning their keep.
Food
ReplyDeleteStuff to maintain what you already have. Oil, filters, belts. Irrigation system parts. Whatever's needed to keep Rancho Whybother warm/cool and dry. In short, these days, if I don't need it, I don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteSince no one else has, I'll say it: things that help you be independent.
ReplyDeleteWood stove, firewood and tools for it. Water pump and filters, small stand alone solar system. Create/ update your own water system (Are you on a well or county water?).
I expect regular services and utilities to get less regular over the next decade.
Jonathan
Concealable handgun, crossbow, extras for vehicle maintenance, long term storable food, just annually cycled out my stored gas, adding to my seed collection this weekend (both spring and fall ), next month a moonshine still and another AR, month after that more ammunition.
ReplyDeleteMore silver. When it gets spicy I intend to spend silver on things I will have a year later. Seeds and antibiotics count. Moonshine does not. Woody
ReplyDelete