600 billion$ VS Your $; y'all'd best be planning a garden for spring

[Ec_Prokta]

Quote:
You know, stuff like this has been happening since the beginning of the world. It's mere human nature. People back then have called it the end of the world, and it never happened, so why would it now?

Now PK, stop trying to be wise. You know what happens when you do that. If our friend chooses to believe yet another intervention by the Fed has something to do with Revelation than let's just let him believe it. He's not alone. Besides, there are some truths to what he says, at least about the banks. They do have more power than they should when it comes to currencies.

Now go plant a flower or tomato plant.

Okay... Sorry.

I will.

 

[kathyinmo]

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Lasagne beds are your answer. Make your own dirt this winter.

Hey, I just bought that book! Lasagna Gardening! I am gonna try it, too. Honestly, I am just an awful gardener. I don't know why. I am from Southwest Iowa, the Loess Hills, and I had great flower gardens and vegetables. I really didn't do anything, and they grew and grew. Now, I just have to figure out how to get this here, in Missouri. I will try it ..... I will ! If I don't succeed, we do have Amish markets not far away, and they are wonderful!

 

[Mahonri]

Devaluing our currency is practically the death sentence for a slowly emerging economy.

Increased oil prices means increased prices for corn and wheat and then all foods.

Employers are less likely to hire with increased inflation and unemployment goes up.... less American jobs.

Wages don't go up but cost of living does, supplies and inventories will go down. Prices of some goods and services won't go up thus meaning more reduced profits for small businesses which means no expansion.

Interest rates will go up, and the banks at zero percent already won't lend $..... figure that one out.

OK don't get me started.

The only silver lining I can see is that when inflation goes up it will make it slightly easier for those in debt to get out, (as long as their interest rates are locked) but only if wages go up with everything else...

Grow a garden, store commodities and learn to be self sustaining.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

My DH has been doing the grocery shopping for the past year or so. He told me today that a jar of mayo now costs close to $6. Mayo! I wonder if that's stemming from the tainted egg thing, or if that is just an example of what's to come.

(The passage from Revelation did come to mind as I started reading this thread.)

 

[Organics North]

All I can hope is they (the fed knows something we do not.) Maybe they see a hyper inflation or something...

Makes no sense to me in a recession....

Anyway, It plays into the food Revolution!!! I would like to see happen. Higher prices for industrial processed foods, combined with higher fossile fuel prices.......... Make sustainable grown, locally produced, and organic foods competitive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(yes organic, chem fertilizers use a lot of oil to make, and apply to the fields)

Yep we can topple the giants like Kraft, Monsanto and so forth.. Eliminate the middle men... Get rid of the "super food stores Chains" have local street corner markets owned by you and I, that sell sustainable grown, locally produced fresh foods in season.

More people will be able to make a meager living on agriculture. A revers transition, out of the cities back to the country. We will be healthier and eat better. The environment will be better without the massive mono cropping of corn and soy, for "cheap" food that actually has a high price..

Honestly, it excites me.. Lets ROCK, I am ready.. A good ole hard hitting depression, is what we need to clear our world of the greed and even the playing field... Yes it will hurt us small people, but it will destroy the banks and many of the overlords wealth..

Indeed the end the Corporatist world

Making way for us to have ownership back, small grocery store, small restaurants, small farmers... Plenty of jobs... Keep your profits instead of them being consolidated into the Wal Marts of the worlds pockets..


ON

 

[Goose and Fig]

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Where do you get bread that it's only $1? I can't even make my own for that.

I'm more worried about the corn prices- that's going to hurt!

 

[mgw]

The price of food has already went up in the past few years 30 percent cause of the price of fuel plus using our corn supplyfor fuel additives that are worse for milage, car engines, and the environment, then regular fossil fuels. They want to raise the ethanol another 5 percent. QE2 will be destructive to Americans, home values will stagnate as well as investment values. I remember my dad bought a house in 1977, the prime interest rate was 21 percent. That was after the currency supply had been increased by only 17 percent. In the last 18-20months the currency has been increased over 100 percent (chilling thought) before this 600 billion QE2. This is how the term a wheel barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread comes from. We have already cleared our garden spot and have sketched our planting plans, concentrating on veggies that can be preserved/ saved. Also thinking about meat rabbits
and meat chickens. The raised bed garden is ideal for those with poor soil, and produce alot if you use the square foot method. I hope we are all wrong a bout what may be coming our way, I just don't think we are. So it never hurts to be prepared for what may come. The only way for our money to be worth more is to have less of it in circulation, we are moving in the opposite direction, so hold on tight we're in for a bit of a rough and rocky ride.

 

[Rozzie]

Just throwing this into the mix here:

Remember that our food in the US is actually tremendously cheap. In much of the world, people have to spend half or more of their income on food. The poorest economic levels may spend MUCH higher of a percentage even than that as much as 75-80% or more.

We have the capability to eat nutritious food for a very small amount here in the U.S. However, most Americans either CHOOSE to spend more or are too ignorant to buy cheap food (literally do not know how to prepare food from scratch).


Of course this doesn't mean I "want" to pay 50% of my income for food...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Let me put in a plug for Nifty's forum on gardening, TheEasyGarden.com, for those that want to get into gardening. There are people over there that square foot garden, lasagna garden, raise bed garden, container garden, bag of potting soil garden, and even a few that just garden. Since the link is at the bottom of this page and Nifty runs it too, it is not considered a competitive site so forum rules allow me to mention it. This is my uncompensated commercial endorsement for the day.

Mahonri, I don't mind getting you started. It keeps the thread alive and you usually have a reasonable approach to things. I like getting you started. Managing our currency is not easy. It's hard to strike that balance that keeps it from swinging too far one way or another. There are just so many elements involved. And your poll on our political leanings showed we are so diverse we'll never keep everyone happy. I don't want a dollar so weak that it causes inflation. I'm retired and on a fixed income. I don't want a dollar so strong it pushes American jobs overseas. I've got kids that are working. I find it interesting, not at all surprising but interesting, that one of our biggest critics of us becoming more active in managing the value of our currency is China, who manage the heck out of the value of their currency. But weakening the value of the dollar reduces the value of their investment in our country.

Interest rates will go up, and the banks at zero percent already won't lend $..... figure that one out.

I'll give my take on it. I certainly don't know. First, wasn't a big part of our troubles the last few years because banks were making loans they should not have? Property loans are the big one that gets all the attention, but there were others. Credit card debts for example. Now that we are back to where you have to qualify for a loan, it is harder to get a loan. I've got a friend that works in a bank. They have money to loan but not as many people are applying for personal loans and a lot of those that do cannot qualify. I know it is unreasonable to require down payments and proof of income to get a personal loan when just a few years ago it was not as important, but we don't live in a reasonable world. I think an additional problem on the side of business loans is that there is so much uncertainty in what is going to change next, that businesses cannot come up with a business plan that passes muster. The rules of the game are changing so often that the players (the banks) are just sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to settle down so they can decide what is a good loan. I know that uncertainty of rules changing is not helping my investment counselor's peace of mind.
As I said, just my take on it.

ON, you might enjoy that gardening site. You will find a few fellow travelers in your feelings about the big boys, though I'm not sure they would agree with you on what the results of bringing down the Monsantos of the world be. I guess we all have our own version of utopia. I think I'd enjoy reading some of your conversations with certain people over there. How's that? Two uncompensated, unsolicited plugs in the same post.

Mgw, I'm not arguing with you because I think you have some good points. I will point out that a big part of the recent jump in grain prices is reduced production in many parts of the world. Russia and Kazakhstan get a lot of mention, but Ukraine, Romania, and many others had the same drought and drop in worldwide grain production. It is a worldwide problem, not just a domestic problem. The move to biofuel played its part in price increases a few years ago, but the effect of biofuel in the cost of grain was already there. It really does not play a significant part on the recent increases. And this is a great example of why this is so hard. Biofuel is an attempt to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but there are consequences. It does run up the cost of grain. Are we willling to face the consequences of actually reducing our dependence on oil?

 

[SillyChicken]

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Blossom end rot is a sign of a calcium deficency in the soil. Eggshells and osyster shells are pure calcium carbonate and work excellent as a source of calcium. Shells should be finely crushed before using. Whole or half eggshells, are very slow to decompose and therefore slow to provide any benefit. I did read somewhere where someone was using half egg shells as seed pots for their seedlings. When the plants outgrew the shells, they simply planted the whole shell/pot and plant in their garden.

Thats a good idea!


My DH and I try to can everything out of our garden, so we only plant what we're going to can plus a few things I just want to eat fresh! We're thinking about doubling it in the spring. Our goal is to can enough food for a year, so we don't have to buy any food from the store. We're also buying heratige seeds so we can propigate our own food seeds.

If you're having concerns about supplying meat. There are alternatives, you can learn to hunt, or raise your own meat.. we've got dual purpose chickens and will be getting rabbits to start raising our own (rabbits also can help feed your dog or cat) on top of the venison I shoot every year, which we will also can. I shouldn't have to buy anything but soap at the store! (and I'd like to learn how to make that too)

It's about 2.39 for a loaf of regular bread in MI.

Someone mentioned planting chicken food.... what do you plant and how much would a person plant say to feed, maybe 20 birds? I go though about 50# a week... (is that too much?) with 40 chickens and 2 geese? (most of them are going in freezer camp when they get old enough)