Shortages

[Baymule]

As many here are aware, things that we have been used to for most of our lives, are getting hard to get. Some things are just not obtainable at any price. My sister in law has a 3 year old Ford F350 dually that got hit by lightening almost TWO YEARS ago. ALL the electronics are fried. It has been sitting at the repair shop waiting on parts. My DD has a car in the shop, it needs a particular part, that is not available. The dealership thoughtfully made her a lowball offer, to take it off her hands. It does not run. She is considering the offer.

Our illustrious person in the White House has even publicly stated that there will be food shortages. In the Land of Plenty? Food shortages? For most of us here, it won't be that much of a problem. Most of us garden, freeze, can and dehydrate the garden proceeds. Most of us keep some form of livestock......but WAIT A MINUTE!

DROUGHT! FIRES! These are hurting the hay and grains we need to feed our animals. Self sufficient! Yeah, until we can't afford the hay or feed for them. Or until there just isn't any. What then? How self sufficient are we? Keep the porch light on and catch June bugs for the chickens! A June bug in every egg!

At the height of Covid lockdowns, there were no canning supplies. Lids just weren't there. Anytime they hit the shelf at Walmart, they were gone quickly. I know, I went straight to those shelves every time I went in the store. If I found any, I bought them. I marked the boxes with the year so I can use the oldest first. I normally kept a year's supply, so I had enough for that year, now I am 2 years ahead.

Prices are rising daily. Our money is buying less. Inflation. It's a great time to be a seller in the real estate market, lousy time to buy land or a home. Property taxes are being reassessed and are rising to reflect the rise in prices. Everybody I know has gotten new property tax statements and guess what? None of them are going down! I know! SHOCKER!

My take on this for what it's worth is that we are headed into a recession, it has been announced all over TV and articles. Maybe even a depression. Are you ready for this? Is your pantry well stocked? Can you feed your family for a year or two? Do you raise a garden? if not, maybe you ought to get started, like now.

Don't even get me started on gas and diesel prices. I'm angry. I only have a 2004 F250 Diesel truck. I'm spending a small car note every month on fuel AND trying not to go anywhere, but I am obviously failing at that. Diesel yesterday was $4.85 per gallon, what price today? I've looked at fuel efficient cars, there aren't any on the lots, dealerships have "arrivals coming soon" posted on their websites. I haven't looked lately, it may be better now.

How is all this affecting you? What do you see coming in your future and what are you doing about it?

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Honestly so many great things to think about.
The job market currently is only going to hold up so long, there is such a massive surplus of jobs, we can only wonder how long this will last.
I have to feel comfortable with where things are for our family. We have the boys hunting that always overstocks our freezer, there are the meat chickens we raise ourselves, I know its usually more expensive then the grocery store, but I can't help but expect the chicken market to be changing quickly, and as long as our hatchery can make it another month, we will be fine. Then there are the auction animals we have been buying and have some extra from each year. Can't help but think we will have our freezers as full as they can get.
The garden is going like normal and there are always some left over seeds, so we should be good. Just gotta hope what we normally do is enough.
The vehicle market like you mentioned is crazy, and we have experienced that first hand. Honestly it is hard to say where we are with preparedness, but when you only buy sandwich meat from the grocery store, I have to hope we are ok.

 

[Mini Horses]

For me I know I can personally be ok. Not rich but do have a retirement income and still able to work. While I had hoped to quit 2 yrs ago. C19 and the resulting fallout since, I'm not yet a stay at home old lady. With economy in a tailspin I've chosen to keep at it a while longer. Working keeps me in the active world.

If I lost my job tomorrow, I'd feel jolted but not crazy. I am able to increase farm income some and there'd be a big saving in gas! No useless buys, etc, and bills could still be paid. A tighter budget. Many of the "shortages" aren't a problem as I have most of my food farm raised. I'm supplied with enough staples to do fine. Many of the things going up in price I don't buy any or much of, could do without, or I'm supplied.

The costs and availability of animal feeds is my main concern really. Otherwise I've got all I need for myself...and the animals do provide for me, too. I could always cut back the herd. Right now, I'm cautiously optimistic that I can provide. But, it is something I watch carefully and plan for, searching any decent alternatives to help with the increased winter feed/hay challenges that are always there.

I'm aware. I'm concerned. I'm not stressed. Not yet . Well, the garden is annoying this week.. Honestly, just knowing HOW to provide and manage is key.

 

[Mini Horses]

Adding this ...the issues with major problems. Things such as vehicle or appliance repairs or replacement that present heavy burdens for most. Talk about sticker shock!

I have a deep well and if that pump dies I'd sure be as concerned as having my vehicle go down!! Maybe more so. I just hate the thought of any "big" buy -- always a chunk from savings or a large monthly payment I don't want.

That outweighs how many rolls of TP I have. . No spring chicken here.

 

[farmerjan]

I don't even know where to start in this thread. Anyone that has read any of my journal, knows where the hay situation is going. The costs of making hay this year and with the crazy weather so far, we are looking at lower yields already for first cutting.
We are out of hay... DS is negotiating to buy about 250 rolls to get us through and to give us a little cushion. We have fed more that ever, granted we have kept more animals that we normally do and longer than we planned on some of these; plus this crazy weather has had the cattle eating more and more than we normally feed this time of year.

The Deutsche bank of Germany is predicting a "severe recession" next year.... just heard that on the radio. That is not good news. Any adjustable rate loans will get crazy, credit card rates will go up... Thank the lord my mortgage is such a low rate....taxes will go up; for towns and cities and counties will need to come up with more money....

I keep trying to pick up extra when I go to the store. 6-12 extra cans of food, extra tp... things like that while I can still swing a little more out of the budget. Get stuff that will keep and put it back and rotate stock.
Yes, have a garden... If you can't for whatever reason... go to farmer's markets and buy in bulk and bring it home and can it or freeze it or dehydrate it.....Vacuum packing is your best bet for things to keep long term that are shelf stable. Canning fruits is easy, pressure canning a little more involved and I will be honest that I am not good at it... my mom never did any pressure canning. We froze vegs and meat... canned fruits and jellies and acidic things... I like to dehydrate a few things. I am certainly not an expert at some forms of preserving.

Be more strict about turning off lights when you go out of a room. Turn the heat down in a room/area of the house, when you are not going to be there for several hours.
Make your TRIPS COUNT.... make a LIST and if it takes most all day, do it when you are out. When I was a kid, my parents had 1 car. One day my dad would get picked up to go to work or mom would take him.... she coordinated with her mom when I was young... they took a cooler chest, they went grocery shopping, did all the errands and she took her mom home ( didn't have a car at home either) and then came home. We helped unload groceries if she was late coming home and we got off the bus.
If it was not on the list, you waited for next week and it had better be on the list for her to get.

I am lucky in some ways since with my job I can do errands when I am on the way to or from work. I have to go past some major stores/ through towns to go to most farms. I will leave early and try to go before work. The other day I went to test at 4:30 a.m. Got out of the barn at 7:30... went to another farm and then did some errands on the way home. Stayed here for several days except to go to the pastures to check cows.

I hope to do better this year with being more prepared for shortages. Knees are done and not perfect but getting better a little bit at a time. I have no excuse to not becoming even more self sufficient. Hope to get a few more layers to replace the ones the possum got.... have freezers full of meat to get me through. We raise our own beef, and sell some to others wanting good home grown meat. It is going to cost more this year as feed and hay costs for the animals go up.

Like @Mini Horses , I have seriously considered retirement. I would like to not have to go out to farms and it would really cut down the gas costs. But in my case, there is no one to take my job, and farmers are slowly selling out... lost a big 240 cow herd last month that sold out. Smart move for them. Many farms are stretching out and testing every 45 days or 60 days instead of every month. So fewer to do each month. That extra income is nice and right now I think it smart to not just quit. This is a job that is no longer full time due to less farms in business to test.... and farmers are "funny" ... they don't like change and most do not want to have to go through 2-4-8 new testers that only last 1-3 months and then quit. It has happened time and again. The farm I go to that is 125 miles away has had 3 testers that didn't show up as promised over the years... I had done them 20 + years ago, as a relief tester when their regular tester was out for 6 months. They called me before even calling the main office and begged me to come and do them, the last time a tester did not show up.... so they could sell some cows back then. They are a registerd herd. Then they called the office after the fact and told them that they were tired of the testers that didn't show up, left them hanging, and they wanted me from then on, period. They can request a certain tester. They have to pay extra for my mileage, but he said it is worth it to know that I will be there when I say I will and work with them. So, in loyalty to my farmers, I feel like I should stay on. I can still do the job and it does get me out and not getting stale by being secluded here day after day.

But that is off the subject. I cannot stress enough for people to keep more up on the weather conditions and go on the US Drought Monitor... whether you have animals or just for the knowledge of the conditions for farmers on growing conditions... crops that can affect the feed/grain that you feed your animals, and the wheat and stuff that we use in our own kitchens.
Add to that the fires in this country...over half a million acres have burned or are burning. Cropland and grazing land. Farmers selling down herd numbers to try to save what they have, or to be able to feed their animals.

Now we are looking at all these fires at food processing plants. Sure, accidents happen all the time, but this is getting to be very "coincidental"... most are smaller plants, not JBS or Cargill and the like... Plants that produce a good amount of food and products... but owned by independent companies. @Baymule needs to post the links. Even one Walmart distribution center... but there were like 7 or 8 in less than 45 days ...
Yes, even the "conspiracy network" FOX NEWS, has had it on their radar.

What is it going to hurt to get a stockpile of stuff???? So nothing bad ever happens, you simply use the "surplus" you have put back and are a little better off. It is not going to get any cheaper. If we do go into a recession as is being predicted, you will be glad to have extra put back.

 

[Baymule]

I’m excited to buy a place with grass so my sheep can graze. I’ll have a lot of fence to put up and lots of work to do. But I’ll be able to let the sheep graze and get the feed bill greatly reduced. Of course, I’ll still have to buy hay, and just have to pay whatever price it’s going to be.

 

[farmerjan]

With the shortages that I see all the time in the stores; half filled shelves and things out of stock for weeks at a time.... has anyone paid attention to the stock market? Up 600 points one day, dropping 900 or more the next ? Much as I hate it, we are subjected to the whims of the stock market... and it is a good indication of how things are going. It is getting worse... PAY ATTENTION.

 

[Baymule]

I catch chicken leg quarters on sale and can for the dogs. I mix a little with their kibble and they lick the pans clean. I put a quart jar in a half gallon jar and fill with water. It makes more broth and I can stretch it out longer. Haven’t seen any on sale lately.

So I’m buying canned dog food, and that is getting hard to find. I buy it when I find it, going to get a stock pile of it too.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

With this thread, I can't help but be a little afraid with my timing of truly entering the work force. I am not sure I really am worried about food security, and I am in an area that is less likely to be effected by things, but I still can't help but be a little nervous for what lies ahead.

 

[Alaskan]

With this thread, I can't help but be a little afraid with my timing of truly entering the work force. I am not sure I really am worried about food security, and I am in an area that is less likely to be effected by things, but I still can't help but be a little nervous for what lies ahead.

I dunno....

With my sons trying to get jobs...

At least here... lots of jobs to chose from.

Now, making enough money to cover rent, car AND food... totally different story.