My Blog

Today I invited someone who knows how to prepare for things that may go terribly wrong in our country. We’ve talked about a number of ideas that we can do in anticipation for that. However, Cygnet Brown has some tips that affects us all the time.

She currently lives debt-free on her husband’s property in Missouri Ozarks where they are working on a more self-sufficient lifestyle. The author chose the pen name Cygnet Brown because her maiden name is “Swanson” (a cygnet is a baby swan) and Brown is her married name. She grew up in Northwestern Pennsylvania and began writing stories in Mrs. Watson’s seventh-grade English class. From then on, she wanted to become a professional writer, but life got in the way. She is a veteran of the US Armed Forces. She served on active-duty Navy from 1981-1987 as a Neuropsychiatric Technician then in the reserves until 1999. She married, became a mother to three children, stepmother to another, and has three granddaughters and a grandson.  She resumed writing in October 2008 when she fell in love with her characters.

Let’s play a game. It’s called getting ahead. More info below!

1. Create a budget
2. Earn more money than you spend
3. Get out of debt and stay debt free
4. Build an emergency fund
5. Purchase quality rather than quantity
6. Invest in real assets
7. Invest in your own business venture

Today, because of inflation, we must tighten our belts. The rising housing and food costs are beyond anything that most of us have seen in our lifetimes. That doesn’t mean we throw up our hands in defeat. There are things that we can do to keep ourselves afloat. We can be creative when we do.

Creating a Budget

If you don’t already have one, create a budget. When we have a budget, we know where our money comes from and where it goes. Budgeting is like calorie counting but using dollars instead of calories. Our budget is the number of dollars that we must spend minus the money that we need to live on each week or month or whatever pay period we must face. Once we have set up our budget, the game can begin in earnest.

Earn more Money than You Spend

The object of this game is to spend less money than you earn every month. When you know what you’re spending each month, you know your discretionary income and expenses and can adjust your spending so that you have money left over at the end of the month rather than bills at the end of your money. Challenge yourself every month to find new and creative ways to save money. Learn to cook from scratch. Find activities that cost little or no money. Discover foraging and add locally grown and free foods to your meals.

Getting Out of Debt and Staying Debt Free

The most important aspect of having a budget is to bring in more money during a financial period than you spend. This is the basis for any successful budget, no matter what budgeting method you use. When you realize that you have more money going out, you need to tackle the problem head-on. If you’ve got payday loans, make it a point to break the payday loan cycle. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. Plan your escape and stay out of debt. There are agencies out there that can help. Go through your monthly expenses and find where you can cut the fat in your spending. It takes a little imagination, but it is possible.

Find ways to be frugal. Avoid going out to eat. Eat oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, a casserole for dinner, and popcorn for snacks. Drink filtered tap water until you get paid again.

Build an Emergency Fund

As you gain control of your financial situation, you’ll need to start building an emergency fund. Even as you are in the process of reducing your debt, you’ll need an emergency fund. Emergencies happen, and they happen regularly, so it makes sense to prepare for them by putting money aside every month.

Purchase Quality rather than Quantity

Use discretion when you are purchasing anything. Avoid fads. Don’t think that just because something is cheap it’s the best value. Purchase things to last. You can often buy better quality used items for the same price as new cheap ones.

Homegrown food can fall into this category especially if it is organically grown. Start small. Grow a garden using simple good-quality hand tools. Learn from your experience and then build from there. I started a garden in pots back when I lived in a rented townhouse. You’d be surprised at what you can grow in a pot on a patio.

Invest in Real Assets

Have you ever wondered why they call real estate “real estate”? It’s primarily because its tangible. Back in 2019, my husband and I purchased our home and three acres of land outright. We bought it free and clear of any debt. The only thing we have to cover every year is our taxes and repairs. We have a place to be. It’s real. It’s tangible. It’s free and clearly ours.

Gold silver and precious metals are real assets as well as long as you purchase the actual metals and not just gold or silver certificates.

Other real assets include the things that help provide our basic needs like materials for home repairs (including duct tape, water, food, and medical supplies. Other needs include managing safety measures of various kinds. Seeds and other related real assets provide us with a perpetual way to continue food production. These are as real as the ground in which we plant them.

Invest in Your Own Business Venture

Another way to improve your financial situation is by making more money. You can earn more money by getting a second job or creating a side hustle. You can get a higher-paying job or ask for a raise at your current one. You could also make money doing something that you love. Do you have a hobby or skill that you can monetize into a side hustle?

Having a business venture does not mean that you must go into debt to start one. I create money in several ways. Every year from May-October I go to our farmers market and sell home-baked cookies, garden produce, and my books. I also attend other events and sell online.

To learn more about what I write, check out my website: Author Cygnet Brown.

Here is my link to my book page https://authorcygnetbrown.com/author-cygnet-brown-profile-page/books-by-cygnet-brown/

Here’s a link to the Author Cygnet Brown Page (contains link to my author blog) : https://authorcygnetbrown.com/

Here’s a link to my Perpetual Homesteader Blog The Perpetual Homesteader

Ms. Brown owns Ozarks Grannies’ Secrets LLC, her publishing business, and has written for Mother Earth News magazine and online article sites including Medium.

Thank you, Cygnet! These tips and ideas can help us for the long haul whether SHTF ever happens or not.