Kit MaloneJan 26, 2025

The #survival skills I learned as a poor #Indiana redneck didn't have much to do with the suburban prepper fantasy play I see a lot of these days.

For us, survival was mostly about knowing how to:

Fix things that break..
Feed ourselves with little $.
Make things instead of buying.
Be good to our neighbors.

During Trump's first botched pandemic response and tradewar buffoonery, I remember *well* how little was on the shelves, how expensive it was and how having those skills helped.

/1

Show threadKit MaloneJan 26, 2025

And I'm not locked in now, and the grocery shelves are full, and me and my husband have a good income. For now.

But I *still* practice all of those skills. 2020-2023 ... changed how I think about them.

And y'all I get up to some crazy shit, and people sometimes shake their heads at my various household projects.

But I like knowing that I can *do* things rather than buy them. And I'm more proud of the end result. And my paycheck likes that I know how to be thrify.

2/

Show threadKit MaloneJan 26, 2025

But looking at current events ... I can't help but think about "survival" and what it means. And how it looks like those skills are going to be needed.

And how much of them are so much less about "how do I hole up in a bunker with a bunch of ammo and canned peaches" and more about "how do I make friends in my community and share knowledge and skills."

3/

Show threadKit MaloneJan 26, 2025

So I'm going to be posting *more* of my weird little household thrift projects because ... well I find them fun and I think that soon #survival is gonna be more about weird things your grandma knew and less about how much toilet paper you can hoard.

4/

Show threadjane goblin 🍄

@thekitmalone

i learned so much from my great depression era grandma. little weird things that have helped me survive and thrive at a poverty level all my life.

back in the day there was a livejournal community called #PoorSkills that had a ton of super good ideas and tips for living well on a low income and with the way that things are panning out this year, i think a resurgence of those skills might help a lot of people who don't think they are poor, but are feeling the pinch.

Jan 27, 2025 at 12:07amWeb
Show threadHisses with Geese 🌱Jan 27, 2025
@thewellandthetree @thekitmalone I'm appreciating the folks in this thread who not only have practical skills (tho being poor is harsh), but also those who remember their grandma's (U.S.) Dust Bowl days/ Great Depression stories. I imagine many more folks across the globe also remember. I learned a LOT from my grandmother as well. Cheers.