Do it Yourself & Take Care of Yourself

Live frugal.  Develop skills.  Be resourceful.  

Taking care of yourself and knowing how to fix things is an important skill (and attitude) to develop.  It minimizes your dependence on others, the system, the government, etc., reduces your out-of-pocket expense for repairs, and makes you a better provider for your family.

If I don’t know how something works or how to fix it, I find out (as best I can) and try to fix it myself.  It may not come out exactly right the first time, but it will be better the next time.

If I have to call in a home repairman, I will pay for his services once.  I will watch him do it, learn, then do it myself next time.

I have a working knowledge and hands-on experience with most aspects of home repair.  Saved myself a small fortune over the years too.  I can make minor plumbing repairs, fix leaking faucets, replace hot water heaters, replace light fixtures, build privacy fences, pour concrete, install a sprinkler system, replace toilets, add new field lines to a septic system, fix a leaky roof, landscape, paint, weld, pressure wash, saw, cut, nail, build, fabricate, lay patio brick, build a retaining wall, modify a smoker, pull maintenance on my boat, work on lawnmowers (weed eaters, chainsaws, edger’s, and hedge trimmers), and even do small masonry repairs.

Handy man skills.  They keep the homestead running.

My father taught me many of them.  Others I learned on my own (thanks to my father for imparting to me a self-reliant mindset).

I take the same approach to my health care.  I prefer self-treatment options (as much as possible) when experiencing aches and pains in my body instead of rushing to the emergency room at the first sign of sickness.  Cuts, sprains, lacerations, smashed finders, cold symptoms, and insect bites (etc) don’t require a hospital visit and $4000 in medical bills.  First aid treatment at home will usually suffice.

Regarding getting older:  I  have a bulging disc in my back, bursitis in a hip joint, trigger finger in my left hand, and a condition called shoulder impingement (in my left shoulder).  In every instance I was told by doctors I needed surgery… and extensive on-going physical therapy at their facilities (that would have cost me another fortune).  So I began to search for information and learned to heal myself through my own physical therapy exercises at home.  After being plagued by pain from these conditions for most of my life, I still have not had one surgery and live relatively pain-free.  Some of these exercise have completely changed my life.  Furthermore, at 58 years old I am still physically active, can exercise, work hard, ride bikes, take long walks, dig in the garden, haul wood, and be engaged in all other sorts of labor intensive activity.

I think if more people took a more active role in their health care, dedicated themselves to preventative medicine (exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits), and took the time to administer some self-therapy – rather than surrendering to the pain in their knees and back – they would be much better off in many instances.

Thanks to the United States Army, I learned how to hand sew and make stitches when I was 19 years old so that I could make minor repairs on my clothing (like replace buttons and repair holes in the fabric).  This is a skill I have used all my life.

I am an outdoorsman, handy man, homestead enthusiast, advocate of self-reliance, gardener, fisherman, dog lover, and cast net thrower....

And I believe in the sovereignty of God. 

Until the end comes…..

Country Boy Can Survive