As a retired prepper I now have to live in the real world with the resources i now have. At 86, one of the most critical is a 52 hp MF tractor. It is paid for and I use the bucket to clean up snow, bring in fire wood, move dirt, etc, all the things I don't have the strength at 86 to do by hand and can't afford to pay someone to do. It was made about 2003 and has a relatively low time on the clock. Paid 12,000 for it a few years back. Had a wheel bearing go and took it to the local heavy equipment garage to have it fixed as I just can't do it any more. Needed 2 bearings, a spacer washer, 2 retaining rings and 1 seal and 1 gasket. Cost of the parts, 350, total cost parts and labor, 1,039.44. I lucked out and the loose balls had not ruined the axle or the pinion gear or it would have been another thousand. I know that even as slow as I am with little experience on that tractor, it as a 2 hour job in a good shop and add an hour to chase parts etc, about 3 hours, works out to about $200 an hour and given the scale of his operation, probably what he needs in order to stay in business and make a profit. He lives in a cheaper house next to me and works his butt off, but has a new pickup, a bobcat for the garage, etc. lives in the "real world" and has to pay for it. As it was it cost me about 1/2 a months SS check and it could have run 1 months check. Getting harder and harder to live a life of independence as every month the costs of the real world go up by percents and income stays the same. 20 years ago bought a working Ford tractor with disc, bucket loader, plow, and drag for $1000. Was a lot easier to go gault or at least semi gault then. One of least mentioned facts in living off grid, or being independent and self sufficient, is that you still have to live in the real world for a lot of things. Fuel, taxes, medical care, repair parts, some foods, household supplies, etc, and as they rapidly increase in price, you some how have to pay for them.
Im 33, been told its harder for my generation to make money than our parents, all i know is i work 80 a week and still live paycheck to paycheck. Gonna be worse after this rigged election.
I make a good wage, owe no one, and yet in the past few years prices and taxes have risen to the point where I was better off when I was 20 and things were cheaper. I at least had (percentage wise) more disposable income.
An item that cost $100 in 1975 costs $604.21 today. Why? Both, Ds & Rs love to print new money. CPI Inflation Calculator Go to this U.S. Government web site, and plug in the year and cost when it was purchased. Then click on the calculate button. http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/c
We are worse off now because our traitorous government has given away our wealth to foreign governments, given our wealth to illegals, printed worthless money, made us dependent on foreign energy when we have more resources than any other country, allowed this traitorous government to hamper US business with asinine regulations, transfer working peoples wealth to nonworking SOBs who refuse to work, allowed our manufacturing to move over seas, finance wars we have no business getting involved with, traitorous government backing bull shit green companies which everyone has gone belly up. Wonder why you're worse off---it's no wonder
