#SkillsOverStuff
How to develop skills rather than just buy more stuff
Have you heard the prepper phrase – “Two is One, and One is None”?
The idea is to have redundancy and a backup because if your main piece of stuff (a tool, a power generator, etc.) breaks then you are not without.
It is better to develop the skills to bridge that gap, rather than filling it with stuff.
You have a chainsaw. How often do you use it? Do you know how to sharpen the chain? Have you practiced this skill?
People buy a generator and put it in the garage and do not really use it until there is a storm. Then they are standing in the rain trying to figure out the generator or trying to get it to start, when they have not run it in over a year.
True story: I bought a generator, was ready to store it, and then I saw the instructions that you should run it for a few hours before putting a load on it. I tried to start it and the new generator wouldn’t start and it was leaking fuel from the carburetor. It was defective and it took months to get replaced. It was a good thing that I didn’t just put it in the garage without testing it first.
You have multiple forms of fire-starters in your bug out bag (BOB). Have you practiced using those fire-starters? I have dryer lint to use as kindling. After being in my BOB for a year, the dryer lint was not very easy to light.
Buy Stuff that will stand the test of time and use under tough conditions.
Some people take “Two is One, and One is None” seriously, and buy multiple things, but it is all cheap stuff.
Buy the best thing that you can afford, within reason.
Learn how to maintain your stuff
You have a shovel or an axe. Do you seal the wood handle? With older tools you may have to periodically coat the handle with linseed oil.
One things seems for sure – tough times are coming. Things may not be as easy to get as they once were. You may have to learn new skills to replace parts that were once easy to get (like a broken axe handle). Learn the skills to maintain your stuff. Instead of buying two axes, perhaps buy one nice axes and an extra wooden handle.
How to Develop Skills
- Ep. 129 – How to Find Your Side Hustle Niche
In this episode I will share tips on how to discover and develop your side hustle niche. - How I created an Apple Guild – Permaculture
How I created an Apple Guild – Permaculture – Turn a corner of your garden into Hassle-Free Permaculture Perennial Production. Apple, elderberry, blackberry. - How I Created a Permaculture Food Forest
How to Create a Food Forest. Permaculture Orchard From Design to Delivery. How I Hand Dug Swales and Mounds. - How to Forage and Prepare Nettles
In this article I will show you how to forage, cook, prepare, and store stinging nettles. - Ep. 124 – Creating a New Garden Bed with Milpa
Grow Food, Not Lawns I hate mowing the grass. I especially hate mowing the grass along the quarter mile driveway at my homestead. I haven’t mowed it in years. But I now see it as a missed opportunity to plant more garden beds and food forest beds instead of (prairie) grass. Grow Food, Not Lawns, right? How you create a new garden bed depends on what time of the year it is. Most people sheet mulch by covering an area with cardboard, then layers of compost and woodchips. This works well, but only if you do it in the Fall … - Ep. 123 – Permaculture Goal #1: Start Simple – with Cormac Harkin
You don’t hear this permaculture message very often: Start Simple. Usually people are watching videos of Geoff Lawton and planning swales and dams and grafting, and… Cormac Harkin of Vine Permaculture starts his consults with basic questions: He starts people out simply, with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), and then adds on from there: Listen on your fave Podcast app: Thriving The Future Podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcast Thriving The Future Podcast on Spotify Cormac does a Free Food Forest Abundance planning session as well. Contact him at [email protected]. Subscribe to the Vine Permaculture Newsletter. Check out the Vine Permaculture Podcast … - Ep. 122 – Food Security through Landrace Gardening with Joseph Lofthouse
Joseph Lofthouse is the author of Landrace Gardening: Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination. Landrace Gardening Landrace gardening is adapting crops to your land and climate, and then saving seeds, while also selecting for the best flavor, color, and pest and disease resistance. Joseph lives in the high mountains of Utah – a mountain valley with cold air coming down out of the mountains, yet sun almost every day in the Summer, and low humidity. He grows for the farmers market and for himself and friends, and with a shorter season and these conditions he had difficulty growing warm … - Ep. 120 – You Are Not Defined by Your Job Title
Positive Solutions in a Tough Labor Market You are in a social gathering, like church or some other social function, and the question comes up: “What do you do?” (for a living). How do you respond? Most people answer: “I am (this role) at XYZ company”. But what is that really saying? You have boxed yourself into a role. And you (perhaps inadvertently) declared your allegiance to your current company. It is better to say: “I am a (role), currently working at XYZ company.” This is subtle, but it leaves the door open. I have seen a person react with, … - Ep. 118 – How to Build a Side Hustle by Buying a Mini-business or a Pre-made Website
My Lessons Learned from Using Flippa to Buy Websites You’re looking for a side hustle. What if you could buy a mini business that already has a website created for you? It’s either a startup site or an established site that has traffic and maybe even a little bit of income already. Background on using Flippa.com Flippa.com is an auction site to buy websites. It is similar to eBay – everything is an auction. It has Buy It Now, it has a reserve price, it has bids. If you win, then you work it out with the seller to transfer … - How to Grow Chestnut Trees From Seed
Tips and Tricks to Grow Chestnuts from Seed You want to grow chestnuts from seed, but don’t know where to start? You have come to the right place. This will give you a step by step guide to grow chestnuts from seed. Grow Chestnuts from Seed Choose local chestnuts, if available, either foraged yourself or from a nursery that you know personally. Even if you get the chestnuts from a nursery, ask them if they treat the chestnuts. Because they are intended for selling in the store for human consumption, rather than planting, the local “organic” chestnut farm sprays or … - Ep. 116 – Tips on Skills and Side Hustles with Toolman Tim
How to develop skills while doing your side hustle Toolman Tim and I talk about how to develop skills while doing your side hustle. Lots of side hustle tips in this episode! It was -46 in Canada in mid-January. What it is like living in a mobile home in -46. Note that Celsius and Fahrenheit merge at -40. Listen on your fave Podcast app: Thriving The Future Podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcast Thriving The Future Podcast on Spotify Skills Over Stuff Practice with your equipment when the weather is good. “You don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to your level … - Ep. 114 – Sometimes You Just Have to Embrace the Suck
Tips on How to Handle Imposter Syndrome…and January It’s the doldrums of January. Christmas has passed. Deer season is over and I didn’t get a deer. Although I love the snow. I can’t do anything when it’s zero degrees outside and 25 mph wind like it is today. Like many of you, I’m starting to get the seed catalogs and I’m starting to plan my garden, even though I really need to stay in the moment and embrace this season. We live in a world where we want permanence, but we buy stuff that breaks – and we do it … - Ep. 105 – How to Propagate your own Trees, Plants, and Flowers for Free, and Sell the Extras as a Side Hustle
How to Build a Nursery Side Hustle with Grant Payne – Part 2 This episode has tips that you can also use on your homestead to save and propagate trees and plants, with enough abundance to sell the extras. Create your own nursery side hustle, Did you know that figs are pollinated by a wasp, who dies in the flower and is absorbed? Seeds have memory Seeds and trees have “memory”. They thrived and reproduced in a certain climate. Often when you buy trees, seeds, or plants online, you must buy from other states or regions. They often will not … - Ep. 104 – How to Build a Nursery Side Hustle with Grant Payne – Part 1
Learn skills while using your abundance. This is a Master Class on how to build a Nursery Side Hustle, with trees, plants, and flowers. It has tips that you can also use on your homestead to save and propagate trees and plants. Seeds have memory Seeds and trees have “memory”. They thrived and reproduced in a certain climate. Often when you buy trees, seeds, or plants online, you must buy from other states or regions. They often will not do well in your environment and climate. I learned this the hard way that trees and plants grown in other areas … - Ep. 103 – Urban Homesteading and Permaculture Consulting with Kerry from Strong Roots Resources
Creating a Permaculture and Land Consulting Business or Side Hustle Kerry Brown from StrongRootsResources.com joins me to talk about his move from urban homesteading to his family’s land and how he setup a permaculture consulting business. It’s all about using your abundance. Moving from a mindset where your land and home are a source of production instead of just consumption. “Building resilience from the ground up.” Kerry has done everything from swales to soldier fly larvae. How did Kerry setup a #permaculture consulting business? – Property walk – Plant identification – Fodder trees – Livestock Management Kerry has a local/regional … - Ep. 102 – Fight the Fear
Crisis is a Decision Point. Did you Pass the Test? On Oct-4-2023 there was a national test of the Emergency Broadcast System on phones and on TV. Shouldn’t be a big deal. But on Twitter and even on some homesteading groups that I follow, they were abuzz with fears that “this is going to activate something” through 5G. Even the people who are not typical of this were caught up in the conversation, even trying to talk some sense into people. Wars and Rumors of Wars We are also likely in the beginning of a World War. And this one … - Ep. 91 – Homesteading Chat Pt. 2 with Homestead Padre and Grant Payne
We Share Stories of Abundance Grant Payne joins Homestead Padre and I for Part 2 of our Homesteading Chat. Grant gives an update on his homesteading plans: Get episodes early plus these Extras on Patreon: Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. I make affiliate income based on your purchase(s), but you don’t pay extra. So go and shop at Amazon here GrowNutTrees.com Comfrey crowns and root cuttings are now available. Chestnut seeds for planting, chestnut seedlings, elderberry cuttings, comfrey crowns and root cuttings. Adapted to the Midwest. Seeds and trees have “memory”. They thrived and reproduced … - Ep. 87 – Learn the Skill of Saying No
There is a skill of saying No Are you a “Yes” Man? Are you always over-extended? Do you have difficulty saying “No” to family, friends, and at work? Learn the Skill of saying “No”. Get episodes early plus these Extras on Patreon: Check out these hot sauces – Homestead Padre’s own recipes! Use “Thriving” coupon code at Smith-Homestead.com to get 10% off! Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. I make affiliate income based on your purchase(s), but you don’t pay extra. So go and shop at Amazon here GrowNutTrees.com Comfrey crowns and root cuttings are now … - Ep. 77 – How to Grow Your Side Hustle
Tips and real world examples to start and then grow your side hustle. How to start or grow your side hustle: I share the tools that I use and my real world examples, plus my wins and losses. Side hustles I use as an example on this episode: This is not the end of our content. There is much more on our Patreon! Extras on Patreon: How much potatoes or greens should you grow to be your primary food source? Not sure?Download the Thriving Garden Planner spreadsheet. You put in the number of people and it tells you how much … - Ep. 73 – How to Grow More of Your Own Food
How much of your own food do you grow and do you want it to be more? It’s that time of year when you see articles, podcasts, and posts on social media that say, Grow ALL of Your Own Food. Or maybe they don’t go that far and it’s: Grow MOST of Your Own Food. In this episode we’re going to concentrate on How to Grow More of Your Own Food. Victory Gardens – Grow Your Own Food You want to grow your own food. Where to start? How to Grow More of Your Own Food: How to Milpa Garden … - Ep. 72 – How to Breed a Landrace Chicken – with Perpend
A Rotating Rooster Strategy to add diversity to your community’s chicken flocks. Perpend is back and we are planning on How to Breed a Landrace Chicken. Landrace Chicken – Our Preferences We also talk about Perpend’s last tweet: “So long and thanks for all the fish.” Rotate Rooster Strategy to add diversity to your community’s chicken flocks When it comes time to breed the hens and roosters and incubate eggs or let the hens brood the eggs, the chickens are banded with a color band. The rooster and any new chicks born from that rooster are banded. JOIN our Thriving … - Ep. 70 – Head to Head: Two Friends Compare First Aid Kits and Medkits – Who is Better Prepared?
Dave and Scott open their first aid kits to compare the contents, and discuss mindset, training, and preparedness. Note: This is not medical advice. This is for entertainment purposes only. Having a first aid kit at home and in your car is a must in an emergency situation. We have first aid kits in the car, under the sink at home, in our bug out bags/get home bags. A medkit (Dave calls his a hospital bag) is a larger bag that we keep at home. It has more supplies, as well as splints. Mindset What problems are we trying to … - Thriving The Future Podcast Promo – Foraging in the Weeks of Want
Look for Abundance Rather than Scarcity Before supermarkets, there was the gap in the spring between when your stored food ran low or ran out and when you would have your first spring crop of greens. People would forage nettles, fiddle head ferns, ramps, mushrooms. It wasn’t the “weeks of want” – it just required a different level of effort to get the food. Get out of the scarcity mindset! Sponsors: The Homestead Journal – Join the Homestead Journal in living out the classic homesteading ethos on the path towards a simple life that speaks to the heart of humanity. … - Ep. 62 – 7 Tips to Thrive in the New Year
Design Your Intentional Life Perpend joins to discuss our 7 Tips for Thriving in the New Year: In this episode we also discuss Steven Edholm at Skillcult.com method for breeding apples without grafting or growing from seed. He is on a quest to have a good tasting red fleshed apple. He hand pollinates the apple blossoms from two trees, puts a mesh around the blossoms so they can’t be pollinated by pollinators or be affected by bugs. Then he tastes the apples and if they pass then he will grow out into seeds. This eliminates the trial and error and … - The Top 6 Thriving the Future Podcast Episodes of 2022
Thriving the Future Podcast at the One Year Mark. Thriving the Future Podcast started in November 2021 and we are now over one year, with 60+ episodes. These are the Top 6 Episodes of 2022: Ep. 18 – How to Thrive In Ukraine: How you thrive in a war zone, or anywhere else, depends on your mindset. We recorded this episode in March, just after the war started in Ukraine. We approached it from the viewpoint of this being a part of a ForeverWar. How do you keep your sanity with all the UkraineNews…er…propaganda? We talked about how to keep … - Ep. 60 – More Tips on How to Recession Proof Your Life
How to recession proof your life with side hustles and building skills. More tips from the conversation with Kurt (@LibertyFarmersGuild on Instagram) on how to recession-proof your life: “People need to focus on building things that mean something to other people.” Kurt (there is some wind noise in this episode) Sponsors: New affiliate: The Smith-Homestead. They have handmade soap and candles, handcrafted items (Perpend and I like the alpaca wool caps – hand knitted by Homestead Padre himself, and lots more. If you use THRIVING as a coupon code at checkout you get 10% off. GrowNutTrees.com Chestnut seeds for planting, … - Thriving The Future Ep. 54 – Building Community, Parallel Economy, and Recession Proofing Your Life
What is your definition of “Value” in a Parallel Economy? Kurt (@LibertyFarmersGuild on Instagram) is back and he gives an update on his homestead as well as tips from how he is building local community. And we talk about how to recession-proof your life with an entrepreneurial mindset. (there is some wind noise in this episode) Sponsors: New affiliate: The Smith-Homestead. They have handmade soap and candles, handcrafted items (Perpend and I like the alpaca wool caps – hand knitted by Homestead Padre himself, and lots more. If you use THRIVING as a coupon code at checkout you get 10% … - Thriving The Future Ep. 53 – Information Security Tips
Tips and Tricks to Help You Be More Secure Online Mike from Paratus Radio is back and we deep dive on Information Security Tips. Did you know that identity theft is now targeting kids? A friend’s daughter reached 18 and she went to get a car loan, but her identity has already been stolen and debt incurred against her. And Mike is getting insurance and credit ads in the mail for his 11 yo son. A credit freeze can help this. Just one of the tips you will learn in this episode. Information Security Tips: Download Privacy Quickstart Tips PDF … - Ep. 52 – Thriving The Future on FarmHopLife Podcast
Not an Expert But We’re Still Going to Get Stuff Done This week I was a guest on FarmHopLife Podcast. We talked about homesteading, our local “Not an Expert But We’re Still Going to Get Stuff Done” workshops, and what motivates me to grow my own food. This podcast episode is an excerpt of the interview. You can watch the entire interview on Youtube at: You can also stream it on your fave podcast app or on FarmHopLife.com We cover: Matt from FarmHopLife was on Episode 50 of Thriving The Future Podcast. Listen to that episode as he shared about … - Thriving The Future Ep. 50 – Matt from FarmHopLife
The 20×23 Project It’s the story of every homesteader’s life – there are never enough hours in the day. There are never enough hands to help on the big projects. What projects would you do if you could get a helping hand for a week on your homestead? Matt from FarmHopLife Podcast and I talk about his 20×23 project next year – traveling around to farms and homesteads to lend a hand with whatever the owner needs to finish a project, plant hundreds of trees, harvest plants, process livestock. So how does this work? Matt brings his RV or trailer, … - Thriving The Future Ep. 49 – Foraging – So much Much Bounty, So Close to Home
Foraging + 2022 Growing Season in Review “The days grow shorter and the nights are getting long. Seems like we’re running out of time.” – Triumph. In tough times and supply chain breakdowns, these foraging ideas can make the difference to augment your diet, generate some side hustle income, or help grow your homestead. While walking in the woods I saw five of the largest shagbark hickory trees that I have ever seen. Nuts littering the ground. Hickory nuts are some of the best nuts. Akiva Silver at Twisted Tree Farm even presses hickory nuts into cooking oil. The local … - Thriving The Future Ep.37 – Planning the Fall Garden
Plant that Victory Garden! You may think that gardening season is late, and you are just harvesting the tomatoes and the root crops and squash. If you live in the midsection of the country or the South, you can get two seasons in. Start succession planting now! We live in USDA Zone 6A. Our average first frost date is Oct-20. In 2021 it was Oct-30. In 2020 and 2019 it was much earlier in October. If I set Clyde’s Garden Planner (from Baker Creek) to the Oct-20 first frost date, these are the things that I can plant and harvest: … - What Sex Is It? – Chicken Feather Sexing Techniques
How to tell a chick’s sex – is it a pullet (female) or a cockerel (male) You just hatched a bunch of chicks. Perhaps you are only allowed to keep females (NO roosters). Or you only want egg laying hens. How do you tell their sex? On a Wing and a Prayer? If you do not have a sex-linked chicken breed (where the females are a specific color), you will have to use deductive reasoning to tell the sex. A fairly reliable way is to use the wing shape and the type of feathers. On this 10 day old Brahma/Australorp … - Thriving The Future Ep. 35 – Get Stuff Done
#GSD Is Not What You Think It Is Do you Get Stuff Done, or do you change course and start yet another project after seeing a new YT video, saying “I’m gonna try that!” The result = A bunch of projects that never get done. But I want to Get Stuff Done instead. Real stuff. Projects that I finish. I want Proof of Work. I want to actually finish my projects. #SkillsOverStuff – Building skills, refining skills. What skills are you building? Your skills will atrophy if you don’t practice and hone them. The Homestead Journal – Join the Homestead … - Thriving The Future Ep. 27 – Choosing the Right Plants for Your Land
Perennials and Perennial Vegetables Continuing our site survey of a friend’s land – an off-grid property. We focus on what we would plant on this property to stabilize soil, improve “curb appeal” on the SE facing slope, and provide perennial vegetables and medicinals for animal and humans. We want things that look good at different times of the year. For our April workshop we did a property walk and site survey on a friend’s land. His goal is to turn this into an off grid property. We include clips of some of the on-site brainstorming conversations. Background: 3 Acre lot … - Thriving The Future Ep. 26 – Choosing the Right Land
Detailed site survey for an off grid property For our April workshop we did a property walk and site survey on a friend’s land. His goal is to turn this into an off grid property. We include clips of some of the on-site brainstorming conversations. 3 Acre lot in NE KS. Currently pasture with trees along the S side, which borders a creek/ravine. Land slopes down to the S and SE. Most of the land is south facing slope (good for solar and gardens). USDA Zone 6A Goals are important. Owner’s Goal: Turnaround property in 5-6 years and retire. Do … - ThrivingTheFuture – Episode 15 – Building a Thriving Community
We answer questions from listeners about our community. Community and Building a Thriving Community It’s important that we just do what we are doing, and people join of filter themselves out. Perpend How big is your community? 8-10 families. Do you recruit? Not really. We invite people that we meet during the course of life that may share in our values. Community will change, people may come and go. That is OK. Workshops We hold workshops once a month, usually at noon the second Saturday of the month. We call these “No one is an expert, but we are still … - ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 11 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Tips to overcome Imposter Syndrome and the Toolbox Fallacy That self doubt, as an entrepreneur, that you are not good enough or not an expert. It results in cutting yourself short – in pricing, in boldness, in success and thriving. Imposter Syndrome Everyone at some time struggles with Imposter Syndrome. From the entrepreneur to the kid having to present something at the front of the class. What is Imposter Syndrome? Self doubt Thinking that you are not good enough Being told that you are not an expert Competence – the willingness to try. Is confidence genetic or learned? What do … - Making Autumn Olive Oxymel Medicinal
Fight the cold and flu season with Autumn Olive Oxymel Autumn olive berries have a high amount of Vitamin C. The Ruby red variety has more lycopene than even tomatoes. I have autumn olive growing in my pasture. I harvested the berries in October and froze them for use in this recipe in the winter. Autumn Olive Oxymel Recipe Ingredients: Step 1 : Blend autumn olive and filtered water in a blender. Step 2: Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds and debris: Step 3: Add raw honey to taste. I add as much honey as I … - ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 9 – Planning the Garden
We just passed the Winter Solstice, and now is the time to plan the garden. Wait – it’s still winter?! You may think so, but, according to Clyde’s Garden Planner, several types need to start inside (“si” in this chart) in Feb. Time to plan and to buy seeds. Clyde’s Garden PLanner (Baker Creek) Seeds have “memory” This episode was recorded while we were on the road to an event (there is some road noise). This is how the podcast started – we were having deep conversations on the way to an event or meetup, and we said “it seems … - ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 6 – Side Hustles – Know Your Customer
Not everyone is your customer Side Hustles Mindset In the first episode in a new Side Hustles series, we take a look at the side hustles mindset. The market is not saturated! You just have to compete for attention. Providing value uses the 8 forms of Capital (experiential, intellectual, social). “The more value you give them, the more they owe you, and they know this subconconsciously”. Not everyone is your customer. (yes, really) Observe actions over words. Cash flow, and the reality check of accounts receivable. (not boring). Real marketing. Side Hustle Tips We share many tips and details that … - ThrivingTheFuture Podcast – Episode 2 – Skills Over Stuff
Developing a skills based mindset. “If you want to thrive, live life, do what you intend – develop a skills based mindset. Skills will help you thrive rather than just survive.” Listen on your favorite Podcast app: ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on iTunes ThrivingTheFuture on Spotify ThrivingTheFuture on Stitcher ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on Odysee ThrivingTheFuture Episode 2 on YouTube - How to Make Chocolate Mead
The idea lightbulb came on for this chocolate mead based on the fermentation prep stage for making chocolate vinegar, from: Homebrewed Vinegar: How to Ferment 60 Delicious Varieties, Including Carrot-Ginger, Beet, Brown Banana, Pineapple, Corncob, Honey, and Apple Cider Vinegar by Kirsten K. Shockey: Wait…chocolate vinegar? Yes. The first step to making chocolate vinegar is to make a chocolate mead primary ferment with a chocolate nib tea before adding the raw vinegar or an existing vinegar mother. Chocolate Mead Recipe Prep time: About 20 minutes total (plus 4 hours wait for the chocolate nib tea to steep). Ingredients: Brewing the … - No Expert but still Get Stuff Done #GSD workshop
Skills over Stuff Among our group of friends we get together and do workshops to learn and share skills. We have done apple cider pressing, planting trees on contour, and, since we have farms, we have have processed chickens and ducks. We learn enough on the internet to get going and then figure the rest out together. We learn by doing. The key is to Get Stuff Done. Develop Skills over just collecting Stuff. Spreading those skills. Empowering others. Making a difference. It transfers tribal knowledge, which is especially important to impart to the younger members. You can have all …