MORE, by American Yeoman

America is now the land of More. More taxes, more regulations, more inflation all of which means YOU will have less. You can mitigate some of this unpleasant reality. This is an article I had planned for a while and this****** post by Johnnie Paratrooper spurred me to get it done. It was Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin who said in Poor Richards Almanac, “A penny saved is a penny earned” —but even better? It’s a penny that’s not taxed! One of the ways we can save a penny and often, much more, is in being more competent and willing to fix the things that we need versus simply buying new or having someone else do the work. This has the further advantage of likely sending fewer American dollars overseas. In decades past this was expected. Fathers, uncles, the Boy Scouts, 4H, school “shop” classes all served to give people the basic life skills needed to perform repairs of consumer items and home systems. Most every home had a workspace- the garage or basement or even a dedicated workshop where tools were kept and repairs made.

I own some rental homes; they are a part of my retirement strategy. The homes of course need regular maintenance and improvements from time to time and I do as much of it as I can myself. Here is an example of a small issue– this drawer is typical of the type of cabinetry available outside of high-end custom units these days-made of particle board and staples. Even if I was inclined to do so, trying to find a matching unit to buy would be nearly impossible and likely expensive. Which leaves fixing the exiting unit, either myself or hiring someone to do it. Hiring it done would be expensive and time consuming, it’s simply easier to fix it myself. Further, beyond fixing it, I decided to improve the drawer by using better materials and construction methods. Once the decision was made to fix it, I had to gather materials. Everything that I used to fix the drawer was salvaged materials with the exception of some wood glue. The new drawer “box” was made from 1×4 scraps left over from a window trim project. The bottom, face and roller track were re used from the original drawer. The partition material I added was scrap from an office remodel job. The screws I used were from my stash of such materials and larger than the originals. Other than materials I also needed tools of course. The project required a table saw, though a simple Skil saw could have been used for much of it, wood clamps and a drill for the screws and a measuring tape rounded out the list of equipment. In addition to using solid wood to build the box, the drawer was further improved by adding reinforcement to the bottom and with the addition of partitions which when tied into the box body offered further strength. I am not a carpenter; I shine a chair with my ass to make a living. But, the finished result is certainly adequate for a mid range rental home and it cost me about an hours’ worth of labor and nothing in materials.

Another example- these light cover panels were originally made of extremely thin, clear plastic. Over time the plastic would yellow and get brittle and when replacing the light bulbs in the fixtures above them would often crack and break- another win for FookaYu Plastics Company and Home Depot. While driving down an alley awhile back I found several clothing store fixtures that had been set out by the dumpster. Each fixture was made of 3/8” Lexan. I heaved the units into my truck bed and disassembled them when I got home, salvaging a large pile of stainless steel bolts and nuts, several large sheets of high-quality Lexan and some casters. The idea came to me that I could cut the sheets of Lexan and use them as much sturdier replacements for the existing light covers- two of which were missing and I simply refused to replace- for the second time….A bit of research on Youtube showed that the best way to cut heavy Lexan was by simply using a standard wood cutting saw blade but TURNING IT BACKWARDS! A few measurements, 5 minutes in flipping the blade on my table saw and I was cutting the large sheets of plastic. I think the project turned out quite well and again, zero out of pocket cost.

This project brings up some good points for those seeking to be more thrifty-opportunity and imagination. I could very easily have just driven by some “junk” store fixtures in an alley. But as soon as I saw them I knew they were full of valuable and useful materials that could be used for several projects. If you are going to be more independent you need to see opportunities to collect free or very low cost materials and capitalize on them. A note here- when you gather materials you need to have a way of storing them in an organized way. This is important for more than one reason- First, how many times have you said, “I know I have one of those…”..but couldn’t lay your hands on it? Materials are worthless if you have so much unorganized crap that you can’t find them. Second, and this is no small thing, organization creates fewer issues with spouses and in some cases, “the man”- Everyone knows the house on the block with the junk cars in the front yard and piles of pallets- don’t be that guy. Seeing the usefulness in “junk” is an acquired skill, the more you use salvaged materials, the more opportunities you will see in what others consider refuse. Story time. My uncle was a helicopter crew chief who served two tours in Vietnam. He said that when he first arrived “in country” and they would fly over villages the huts all had grass roofs. When he finished his second tour, most of the huts now had roofs made from Budweiser cans! The locals would pick the cans- made of steel in those days, out of the GI’s trash, cut out the top and bottom, cut them lengthwise, hammer them flat and make “shingles” out of them!

Final example. The Gerber/Fiskars hatchets are popular tools. The common knock on them is the plastic handle which cannot be replaced in the event it is broken. While I have never seen one that was broken, the one pictured below had its handle damaged in a fire. While it was still useable it was uncomfortable and reminded me of the moment of carelessness that had damaged it every time that I used it. After carefully assessing the handle, I decided that I could cut off the damaged portion leaving a short hollow section and with some careful wood working, create a handle that could be slid into the hollow and glued in place. The handle was cut with a hacksaw, maximizing the contact surface for the new handle, an old, broken shovel handle was cut to length and a drawknife and belt sander were used to contour the new handle to fit my hand and the hatchet. The plastic used in the original handle bonds very well with Super Glue, the glue actually melts it creating a very sticky, permanent, and secure bond. I emptied an entire tube of glue into the original handle stub, liberally coated the new handle with another tube and tapped it in place. The repair is quite sturdy after considerable use. Two tubes of Super Glue and a broken shovel handle returned the hatchet to a useful condition vs. the $30 a new one would have cost.

In times past Americans were more prone to fix things versus purchasing new items. While planned obsolescence is certainly a thing, many of the things we toss can be fixed. Don’t be afraid to try. If something is broken, what is the harm in trying to fix it? If you break it further, so what, it was going in the dumpster anyway! Don’t’ be afraid to fail, a willingness to fail is how we grow and learn things. Dave Ramsey built a successful business- and then went Bankrupt. The things he learned in that defeat have allowed him to build an even more successful business that has helped millions of people in the process. We only fail when we fail to learn from the experience. This isn’t some New Age Bullshit, it’s life. None of the jobs in this article turned out perfectly. The hatchet handle for example, if I had thought about it more, I would have made the new handle much prouder and butted it up against the edges of the old one providing a stronger handle. It would have been a simple thing to do requiring only a little extra measuring etc….Next Time……Yes, trying to fix some things may end up costing you more if you have to hire a pro to fix you attempt. That’s simply a cost of developing skill. A good example of that from my own experience was in attempting to replace some drum brakes several years ago. Despite watching a video on the process, I was able to get the job halfway done when I realized I just didn’t understand how to finish it. I had to tow the truck to my mechanic and rather sheepishly admit that I couldn’t get the job done. The mechanic was kind enough to SHOW me what needed to be done and how. It cost me some money for him to finish the job and some time in towing the vehicle in. But, it would have cost me to have him do it in the first place and now I know how to do it.

There may come a time when I don’t have the money to have someone else do the job or, I’m the only one around to do it—have you TRIED hiring someone lately? Over time you will gain skill and confidence- both commodities more valuable than money in many cases. Don’t dismiss the boost to your confidence- the more you do, the more you will be able to do and understand. Knowing that you have real skills, especially at a time when so many do not- (“In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King!”)…. will give you peace of mind and as John Mosby subtitled his book, Forging the Hero- “Who does more, is worth more”.

Spread the love
                

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

25 Comments

  1. Johnny Paratrooper October 18, 2021 at 06:30

    I went to the grocery store this last week and my bill was nearly double from what I usually pay.
    Which means two things.
    First, I need to shop at the ghetto store down the street with slightly lower prices.
    And, my grocery bill consuming my usual foods is now absolutely unaffordable.
    I am switching to eggs, milk, fruits, and bread for the foreseeable future.
    No more beer and whiskey either.
    I’m switching gears to VERY serious mode.
    Strength training and long distance foot marching starts today.

    Also, good work on fixing up the house.
    I do that kind of stuff all the time because if I didn’t, we wouldn’t make any money paying others to fix it for us.
    It also looks like I’m going to have to move to a collapsed and broken town in the middle of nowhere because the housing anywhere within 1 hour of a major city is absolutely unaffordable for a single man working a blue collar job.

    • Gray Man October 18, 2021 at 09:59

      Wasn’t it some turd in the Biden administration that said that food prices have not gone up, as long as you don’t include beef, chicken and pork? That tells you they don’t buy their own food, or at least they don’t shop for it themselves.

      • NC Scout October 18, 2021 at 10:02

        That was circle back Jen.

      • Johnny Paratrooper October 18, 2021 at 11:20

        Two NY stripes is now $35-40.
        They were $15-20 in my AO two months ago…
        Which is 6% inflation according to noodle brain and the “red”head and their lapdog misleadia

        I am going to stock up before it’s $60 for peanut butter.

        I also noticed that the cookie trays are smaller, and the package isn’t comparably as full.

        Same with cheeses and nuts.

        What a freaking disaster…

        • SOG October 18, 2021 at 15:18

          got friends buying sides of beef and stocking up from local farms. cost effective and cleaner meats as well. it is a struggle i am pumping 3.85 cent gas and the station was closed! from 5-10 labor shortage! but luckily the pumps are debit/credit etc but it was shocking to see

          • spaceman October 18, 2021 at 23:15

            Yup, local farmer/butcher is the way to go for meat. Try cooking a store bought steak in a covered pan. Looks like its taking a bath by the time its ready. They must be injecting H2O into it to increase the weight

      • Roave October 19, 2021 at 06:30

        Meanwhile, at the other side of the Pond – West of the ‘ Hellhole ” – bread prices have doubled overnight, chicken meat up by 70%, gas is getting unpayable for me…hell, We use natural gas for heating and cooking… that went from being the cheapest to THE most expensive thing we get billed for in the time span of a week. Electricity also went up by 70%, increasing as we speak. People are getting crazy bills in their mail, 700 Euro extra – or more – is no exception. We sold the house to get the money for our new house that was promised to be ready at the latest July next year…We ended up renting our old house till our new house will be ready … ETA is now somewhere around early ’23. That’s Us spending all our budget meant for the driveway, carport, garden shed ( aka garage for the motorcycles ) & terras on the focking rent. Been living on a shoestring as it is. Our preps won’t last that long. We did get a break with the taxes on the land, 6% in stead of 21%, a small victory… . Been actually thinking about doing some poaching to make it through the winter, but there’s more LEO’s about due to the influx of skinnies, trying to get to the UK. But still… .

        • SOG October 19, 2021 at 09:57

          sorry about your troubles. Are you setting up the new house to heat with wood or wood pellets etc?

          • Roave October 19, 2021 at 11:26

            They are pushing for the populace to stay clear of wood burning stoves etc. ‘ as they are too polluting to justify the use thereof ‘. And to force one even more to go that way, they will charge you 1500 Euros per change in the planning.

            The walloons are the minority and they have been governing us, the majority since the end of WWII. They are even pushing for a ‘ total electronic wallet ‘, ‘ so it will be easier for LEO’s and the like to check & track the civilians ‘… told my wife that that was going to be one of the things they would be doing after the first lock down.

            The walloons are the die hard socialists, and We, the Flemish are the branded right wing. Far right had won the elections last time around, but never governed our own country due to the Left, ‘Christian ‘ Democrats, Libtards, the Green Party ( aka the Watermelons ) rubbing shoulders with one-another in their version of the Purple Coalition ( which varies in hue but kinda has stayed the same since 1945 ). They are making it really hard for those who stand against, but that’s nothing new to us. The Right has been ‘ living ‘ with an ongoing Repression,since 1945, and it hasn’t stopped. I have been a Wolf in sheep’s clothing all my life, and I’ve seen the ways they use first hand, heard of stories that would – if a Right winger would’ve done them – been the focus of the MSM… so did my Grandparents, but even worse.

            My Granddad ended up in a concentration camp; He saw an act of sabotage been committed at the factory He worked at. He went to the guy and said to better stop doing that if he valued his life, ’cause I sure do mine. The guy went to the guard and told him that my Granddad was a Jew. Don’t worry, He got out, actually got cleared and sent to a farm ( ’cause He was in the system – being tattooed – couldn’t be sent packing ), where He – after seeing the Reds assault on the horizon – fled in the dark of night. Marched from Sudetenland all the way back to the Ardennes, crossing the frontline, getting shot at by both sides. What a guy. He is My role model. He passed away in 1997, miss Him every day, still get teary-eyed thinking about Him.
            He was where I got the Prepper mindset from, He lived that way, was considered a hard man, but to me He was the most correct person I’ve ever met. Didn’t find Him to be hard at all…but then again, my Wife calls me hard, so… .
            My Grandmother said once that I am the personification of Him…can’t disappoint Her now can I, even if She passed on some 8 years ago, still try to be & do things the way He would’ve.

        • Johnny Paratrooper October 19, 2021 at 13:27

          Hard Times Make Hard Men.
          Hang in there.
          We are all in this together my friend.
          Also,
          Motorcycles and other Vehicles are going to a steal now with the higher prices.
          Perhaps sell one?
          I have sold bikes and cars I loved.
          Did I want to?
          No.
          But I needed the money.

          • Roave October 19, 2021 at 17:59

            Ha, my Wife told me She would divorce me if I did, lol. She tells everyone She fell for the bike, had to take me with it.
            The second one is more of a moped in my eyes, but don’t tell Her that. She can ride a 125cc max. without needing a motorcycle licence. I on the other hand can’t get a car licence if I just do the practical test, even if I have been riding motorcycles for more than 26 years. I got my licence just after they changed the law, missed it by a couple of months…assholes. ( Not that I can’t drive a car if I had to…).

  2. Anonymous October 18, 2021 at 08:19

    5

  3. American Yeoman October 18, 2021 at 08:50

    https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/07/restoration-videos-common-household-items/

    I forgot the link to Johnny’s article when I sent this one out!

  4. Umbra October 18, 2021 at 09:53

    “It also looks like I’m going to have to move to a collapsed and broken town in the middle of nowhere because the housing anywhere within 1 hour of a major city is absolutely unaffordable for a single man working a blue collar job.”

    What a terrible life changing event. Open a coffee shop in your new “town”. I bet you would make a great barista.

    • Johnny Paratrooper October 18, 2021 at 11:28

      I could open an opium den and make a killing in Smallville, USA.
      Maybe a Hooters?

      I’m gonna guess you aren’t a millennial that had to grow up with all this nonsense 24/7/365.

      It’s not funny.
      It’s killing this country.
      I wish I was ten years older.

      Then a house would be $100,000.
      Not $250,000-$300,000.

      If I did open a coffee shop I would call it Guns and Coffee.
      I could call it Full Auto Brewing.
      We could sit around, drink coffee, and clean weapons.

      • NC Scout October 18, 2021 at 11:48

        Full Auto Brewing is a seriously badass name bro.

        • SOG October 18, 2021 at 15:14

          telling you guys,
          Black Radio Coffee!

          a black outline of the ubiquitous BFeng Radio! marked up basic ass coffee and some great social media marketing with bikini chics and guns boom millionaire status

          • Johnny Paratrooper October 18, 2021 at 16:42

            Fellas, I think this is the start of something big.
            I’ll grab my wheels.
            We just needs cigars, guns, radios, and whiskey.
            And I guess some coffee.

      • Patriotman October 18, 2021 at 15:33

        Sign me the fuck up, brother

        • sog October 18, 2021 at 17:13

          yea gents its life style marketing. cool podcast a product some bikini clad brazilian women and some whitty banter 🇺🇸

  5. Madman_Actual October 18, 2021 at 14:41

    If it weren’t for having a second income to use for the application, buying a home that fits my needs would be impossible in my area. Grocery’s are insane. I just found a secret local chicken farmer that eggs for cheaper than any grocery store. There is a local dairy farm that has much better milk for about the same price but no more expensive. Same for their butter and cream. Going down to visit family in Virginia this fall to get the canning recipes and some reloading tips. Use what ya got and search local! You’d be amazed who has connections if you just ask.

    In the unlikely event this does turn around, at least you’re more useful and aren’t as dependent on the world as much. Which is biblical if you’re into that.

  6. Charlie October 19, 2021 at 09:15

    Now that we are finally finished moving and settled into the homestead, I thank God multiple times a day that I have been piddling with repairs and reworking things all these years. Had no idea how many tools I had gathered, since most were packed away. Now that they are out, and I know how to use them, we are able to be close to self sufficient repair wise.

    The bit of backyard gardening I have been doing for years now will hopefully pay off next spring when I have a real garden to work with!

    We see what is coming and are bugging in, hunkering down and doing all we can to be ready in our little hidey hole.

  7. Johnny Paratrooper October 19, 2021 at 13:30

    “They are pushing for the populace to stay clear of wood burning stoves etc. ‘ as they are too polluting to justify the use thereof ‘. And to force one even more to go that way, they will charge you 1500 Euros per change in the planning.”

    -Comment Quote from Roave down below.

    Meanwhile the leftist professors also teach that the environment needed regular forest fires for nitrogen and adding needed acids and ash into the air to develop proper storm clouds…

    I.
    Hate.
    Leftists.

    They aren’t stupid. They are humiliating and demoralizing us.

    But that’s gonna end soon. And Quick.

  8. LoL No October 19, 2021 at 21:39

    Great read. Reminds me of an ol’ midwest sodbuster saying I hadn’t thought of in years. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or go without”. Hell, I’ve got an entire 101 year old car I built using that philosophy and pieces parts I bartered/scavenged/traded for over the years. The best tool we possess is between our ears. Thanks for the reminder.

  9. SOG October 19, 2021 at 22:35

    buy a wood stove store it and install it when everything goes to shit. by that time anyone knocking on ur door aint a friendly. or a code enforcer. but you do what u have to to stay warm!

Comments are closed.

GUNS N GEAR

Categories

Archives

Spread the love