Get Ready

During the Great Depression of the 1930s and again during World War II, life on the homefront was all about conservation of resources. Gasoline, food, and other items were precious, so the responsible housewife made the best of what was available.

David Stockman, former budget director for the Reagan administration, recently noted that we've been living a financially decadent and unsustainable lifestyle for the past 30 years. The current recession is not over and, according to Stockman, won't be over for a long time.



What a difference from the way our parents and grandparents lived! During this week's holiday shopping binge, we saw the masses pushing into department stores to snap up the 'sale' items. Over and over again, these consumers said that they wouldn't have been able to afford Christmas without the discounts.

What necessary purchases were they making? Video games, large screen televisions, and jewelry.

What would previous generations make of that? And is it possible for us to return to a balanced and affordable lifestyle while still enjoying life? Of course! Until the most recent generation, Americans were happier and still frugal.

It's a matter of mindset. Living within our means isn't difficult nor does it require great sacrifice. All the basic needs of a family can easily be met with a bit of work and planning, and there is still more than enough luxury for those who truly understand what matters.

The New Homefront blog is here to share ideas and thoughts about regaining our strength as individuals and as a nation through sensible action and sustainable living. As a first step toward taking back control over your own life, I suggest you have a look at the 72-Hour Survival Kit assembled by the University of Colorado.

Everyone should have a fully stocked survival kit and be able to survive alone for a minimum of 72 hours. This is an important lesson that has been relearned with every natural disaster that strikes our country. With internet, cell phones, and automobiles, we feel as if there is nothing standing between us and the rest of the world. Victims of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina know better!

Remember: the first step toward taking back our own power is being able to take care of ourselves without any help from the outside world. We must make the best of what we have, waste nothing, and gain the skills needed for creatively using and reusing materials on hand. Knowing that we can do that (as all other generations of Americans did) gives us the courage to move forward toward rebuilding our society.

The New Homefront

In a recent blog post, John Michael Greer points out that we in America are experiencing potentially cataclysmic changes in our society. He writes:

"The price of oil is bouncing along above $80 a barrel, the International Energy Agency has now admitted that peak oil happened in 2006, the United States is openly covering its debts by means of the printing press, and agricultural commodity prices have jolted upwards to unprecedented levels under the paired pressures of an increasingly unstable climate and a disintegrating global economic system...."

Mr. Greer goes on to say that a prediction of our current situation even a few years ago would have been met with jeers, and that despite seeing it happen NOW we are blindly going about the trivia of the holiday season.

How bad does it have to get before we act?

The New Homefront blog aims to be a resource for those who recognize the importance of being as prepared as possible for the unimaginable events to come. Just as civilians shouldered responsibility for helping the war effort in the 1940s, all of us today must step up and act quickly and surely to protect ourselves and our world.

I hope that you who are reading this will be inspired to engage in preparation and will share your own knowledge with others through the comments section.

Together we are strong.