More Economic Tips from Pioneer People

From my found old-timey book of hints for the pioneer household (edited and reworded to not infringe on copyright):

If you raise grain and therefore, hay, teach all members of your family how to weave and braid it, to make their own hats and hats for other family members.

If you keep turkeys and geese, keep the feathers, cleaned, and ready to make a fan. It's easy to do. The sooner kids can be taught this valuable skill, the better for the whole family.

In this country, kids are basically free to do as they please for most of their childhood. This is not good for the purses and patience of the parents (and surrounding people), and has worse effects on the morals and habits of the children. Begin early in making everything an education. A child even as young as six can be useful to the family, and can do a little something each and every day that adds value to the family.

More tomorrow.

Hints: Economy of the Household

From my found old-timey book of hints for the pioneer household (edited and reworded to not infringe on copyright):

True economy is gathering all fragments of not just stuff but time. Never throw anything out that could be repurposed, even if that new purpose is tiny and seemingly insignificant.

Whatever the size of the family, every person in it should either help earn or save money.

Make things instead of buying them. Learn knitting and crocheting and sewing. These skills could always lead to employment.

Along this same line of thinking, patchwork pieces are a good idea if you use scraps, but a horrible idea if you tear up perfectly good items to make scraps.

Idea about our next (and last!) homestead

If we can't find the perfect house, and I'll admit we have lots of requirements, then we'll build it. We have very definite ideas about what we want to do, how we want to live, rooms for us now and for our growing family, and possibly for a mom-in-law apartment.

So... I'm asking you, dear readers, for contact information on USA federal government grants (or even state level - Colorado) for land-owners to build a passive solar home. I figure, if there are lots of bad greedy companies getting lots of government money, wouldn't it be a good idea to help the average citizen build something that is good for the environment and could create jobs. Anyone?

Also... a friend told me this weekend that when she bought her 6 acre property 25+ years ago, she could classify it as a farm because she has walnuts trees. She doesn't sell the walnuts, but still, she is classified as a farm and it reduces her income tax rate. Anyone have any info on this?