I'm frugal,Not cheap,a Treehugger, enviromentalist and what the hell is a carbon footprint?

      Some people may have noticed I recycle, reuse and repurpose old junk . I repair what I can and even rebuild what appears to be to far gone. I invest a lot of time and effort into changing what I have into a new functional item.

    Many may think doing this is environmentally friendly and ecologically  responsible. It may be but it isn't why I do it. Some may think it leaves a smaller carbon foot print.  Ok on this I don't know where to begin . My actions are not based on a belief in saving the planet (mother nature will shake her ass and we all will die one day). It is based on accomplishing  what I need to do within a budget I can afford.                                                                            My son's place is going to be 1500$ and it works out to 1.20 invested per square foot . Its a 1200 sq. Foot house and with land its 3200$ and will have a 10 year plus new life. My daughter property cost 4600 and is going to cost 2500 to 3000 in rehab on 700 foot home or 4 $ a foot for a total of 7,500. Her place is going to be good for 15 to 20 years of new life.

   This wasn't done to save the structures from the dump It was because build cost range from 35 to ???? infinite on new. Even my vending trailer is going to come in at 1/10th new cost. We managed to acquire the properties at low cost and do low cost renovation's to make them work. This is what  , Frugal means.    Sparing or economical ,simple and plain and costing little

     Now while all of my project have been environmentally friendly that was not the intent. I do think we are to quick to teardown old sound structures to build new lower quality one's in their place and most houses and businesses are built to only last the term of their mortgage.

    Our great grand parents lived a frugal lifestyle because it was all they knew. We have as a society  forgotten what a frugal lifestyle makes possible .

Framing ,Roofing, Electrical, YOU TUBE

     So far I have framed the trailer, roofed it and spent today tracing what is left of the wiring. The end of the trailer that had to be junked was where the breaker box was. The crack heads had cutout and striped about 50% of the wiring and cut loose most of what was left. What was left but chopped was the kitchen we found 3 circuits that made 8 plugs and 1 ceiling light. It also made 4 plugs active in what will be the living room. Even though I made progress I still have 8  dead ceiling wires I can't find where they feed power from or to, I may wind up just killing them . I drew a diagram and it looks like I have to run 4 breaker circuits . 3 for wall plugs and one for all the ceiling lights. The wiring has to be done before I sheath the walls while it is exposed. The only thing I will hire done later(permit required)is the breaker box to the power pole.

    I have never done electrical wiring before but I have You Tube. If  you are willing to attempt it is a great place to start . A lot of stuff that people hire done is because of fear and uncertainty of how to do the work. Just remember if it is broke you cant break it. A lot of trained craftsmen have taken the time to make a LOT of good video's on many subjects. For this project I have watched framing electrical and plumbing .

   The trailer has no power so everything has been done off my 1500 watt inverter. So far it has worked perfect for cutting and drilling. Today I used it to trace the wiring, I made a plug with naked wires that I wire nuted to each circuit and used a light to check the plugs . It showed me complete circuits and which wires were dead. For remote work an inverter is a must Yea I could have used a generator but why. My 1500 watt inverter cost 95$ (harbor freight on sale with 25% off coupon) It has wires and clamps from an old set of jumper cables for fast hook up and disconnect. It has run my chainsaw, skill saw , chop saw ,drills. It store in the tool box and I have only had to crank my truck twice to finish a day. Any one that wants to build in the woods without drawing attention an inverter is a must.

Its cold and i am bored.

 Ever feel like this ?

 The older I get the more I understand this.

Hey the hug and 2 million is won't happen so I will settle.

  Remember never blog when tired and bored !

Grandpappy's 30 day food list

   This list is a great starting point for a new prepper. It is a 30 day food supply for one person at a reasonable cost. With a little tweeking  it can fit most any persons taste.

   It is the property of https://grandpappy.org/indexhar.htm and I highly recommend a visit to his site !! The page with this list is     https://grandpappy.org/hfood30d.htm 

    While this list are not set in stone it is a good starting point if you want long term food storage from a local store.

A Recommended 30-Day Emergency Food Supply for One Adult

In my opinion the following food items are ones you should consider for your 30-day emergency food supply.

I strongly recommend that you purchase one can of each of the following foods and serve it to your family during normal times to determine if they enjoy it. If they like it then you could purchase additional cans of that food item for your 30-day emergency food supply.

The following suggestions would be a reasonable starting position for the average family. However, since each family has unique taste and dietary requirements, each family will probably need to remove some items from the following list and add other items that they enjoy more.

Note: All costs, package sizes, and nutritional data in the following table were obtained on January 1, 2014.

Quantity	Item	Container Size	Cost per Container	Total Cost	Total Nutrition per Container	Total Nutrition for 30 Day Food Supply
2 Cans	Campbell's Chunky "Beef Base" Soup	18.8 ounces	$ 1.98	$ 3.96	280 Calories, 9 Fat, 38 Carbs, 14 Protein	560 Calories, 18 Fat, 76 Carbs, 28 Protein
2 Cans	Campbell's Chunky "Chicken Base" Soup	18.8 ounces	$ 1.98	$ 3.96	360 Calories, 16 Fat, 38 Carbs, 16 Protein	720 Calories, 32 Fat, 76 Carbs, 32 Protein
2 Cans	LaChoy Asian "Meat and Vegetables"	42 ounces	$ 2.75	$ 5.50	360 Calories, 10 Fat, 54 Carbs, 15 Protein	720 Calories, 20 Fat, 108 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Chef Boyardee Pasta (Spaghetti, Ravioli, Lasagna)	15 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 3.92	500 Calories, 24 Fat, 54 Carbs, 18 Protein	2,000 Calories, 96 Fat, 216 Carbs, 72 Protein
4 Cans	Armour Beef Stew	24 ounces	$ 2.18	$ 8.72	630 Calories, 33 Fat, 60 Carbs, 24 Protein	2,520 Calories, 132 Fat, 240 Carbs, 96 Protein
4 Cans	Hormel Roast Beef Hash	15 ounces	$ 2.18	$ 8.72	780 Calories, 48 Fat, 44 Carbs, 42 Protein	3,120 Calories, 192 Fat, 176 Carbs, 168 Protein
2 Cans	Chili with Beans	15 ounces	$ 1.00	$ 2.00	700 Calories, 36 Fat, 62 Carbs, 34 Protein	1,400 Calories, 72 Fat, 124 Carbs, 68 Protein
2 Cans	Ranch Style Black Beans (or Pinto or Kidney)	15 ounces	$ 0.68	$ 1.36	385 Calories, 2 Fat, 66 Carbs, 21 Protein	770 Calories, 4 Fat, 132 Carbs, 42 Protein
2 Cans	Taco Bell Refried Beans	16 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 1.96	420 Calories, 3 Fat, 70 Carbs, 24 Protein	840 Calories, 6 Fat, 140 Carbs, 48 Protein
2 Pouches	Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Dry Mix	1.25 ounces	$ 0.50	$ 1.00	120 Calories, 0 Fat, 18 Carbs, 0 Protein	240 Calories, 0 Fat, 36 Carbs, 0 Protein
2 Pouches	Country Gravy Dry Mix (or Brown Gravy)	2.64 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 1.96	320 Calories, 16 Fat, 40 Carbs, 8 Protein	640 Calories, 32 Fat, 80 Carbs, 16 Protein
2 Cans	Pork and Beans	15 ounces	$ 0.68	$ 1.36	385 Calories, 3 Fat, 88 Carbs, 21 Protein	770 Calories, 6 Fat, 176 Carbs, 42 Protein
2 Cans	Vienna Sausage	5 ounces	$ 0.50	$ 1.00	330 Calories, 30 Fat, 3 Carbs, 15 Protein	660 Calories, 60 Fat, 6 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Veg-All Mixed Vegetables (or Corn, or Peas & Carrots)	15 ounces	$ 0.88	$ 3.52	140 Calories, 0 Fat, 28 Carbs, 3 Protein	560 Calories, 0 Fat, 112 Carbs, 12 Protein
4 Pouches	Idahoan Instant Potatoes (Add Water Only)	4 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 3.92	440 Calories, 12 Fat, 80 Carbs, 8 Protein	1,760 Calories, 48 Fat, 320 Carbs, 32 Protein
1 Bag	Enriched White Rice	16 ounces	$ 0.82	$ 0.82	1,600 Calories, 0 Fat, 350 Carbs, 30 Protein	1,600 Calories, 0 Fat, 350 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese	15 ounces	$ 1.00	$ 4.00	480 Calories, 20 Fat, 56 Carbs, 18 Protein	1,920 Calories, 80 Fat, 224 Carbs, 72 Protein
4 Cans	Pink Alaskan Salmon	14.75 ounces	$ 2.58	$ 10.32	630 Calories, 21 Fat, 0 Carbs, 100 Protein	2,520 Calories, 84 Fat, 0 Carbs, 400 Protein
4 Cans	Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore (Tuna in Oil)	5 ounces	$ 1.50	$ 6.00	160 Calories, 6 Fat, 0 Carbs, 28 Protein	640 Calories, 24 Fat, 0 Carbs, 112 Protein
4 Cans	Great Value Chunk Chicken Breast	12.5 ounces	$ 2.08	$ 8.32	360 Calories, 6 Fat, 6 Carbs, 66 Protein	1,440 Calories, 24 Fat, 24 Carbs, 264 Protein
4 Cans	Spam Lunch Meat (or Dak Canned Ham)	12 ounces	$ 2.48	$ 9.92	1,080 Calories, 96 Fat, 6 Carbs, 42 Protein	4,320 Calories, 384 Fat, 24 Carbs, 168 Protein
4 Cans	Roast Beef	12 ounces	$ 2.98	$ 11.92	350 Calories, 7 Fat, 5 Carbs, 65 Protein	1,400 Calories, 28 Fat, 20 Carbs, 260 Protein
1 Container	Quaker Quick Oats (or Breakfast Bars)	42 ounces	$ 3.98	$ 3.98	4,500 Calories, 90 Fat, 810 Carbs, 150 Protein	4,500 Calories, 90 Fat, 810 Carbs, 150 Protein
1 Container	Tang Orange Drink Mix	20 ounces	$ 2.50	$ 2.50	2,160 Calories, 0 Fat, 520 Carbs, 0 Protein	2,160 Calories, 0 Fat, 520 Carbs, 0 Protein
15 Packages	Kool-Aid Drink Mix (Assorted Flavors)	0.13 ounces	$ 0.20	$ 3.00	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein
5 Pounds	Granulated Sugar	5 pounds	$ 2.58	$ 2.58	8,500 Calories, 0 Fat, 2,270 Carbs, 0 Protein	8,500 Calories, 0 Fat, 2,270 Carbs, 0 Protein
1 Box	Instant Powdered Milk	64 ounces	$ 18.28	$ 18.28	6,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 960 Carbs, 640 Protein	6,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 960 Carbs, 640 Protein
1 Container	Hershey's Cocoa Powder	8 ounces	$ 2.98	$ 2.98	900 Calories, 22 Fat, 135 Carbs, 45 Protein	900 Calories, 22 Fat, 135 Carbs, 45 Protein
4 Cans	Fruit Cocktail (or Peaches or Pears)	15.25 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 3.92	350 Calories, 0 Fat, 84 Carbs, 0 Protein	1,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 336 Carbs, 0 Protein
3.5 Pound Bag	Child's Play Candy Assortment (150 Pieces)	3.5 pounds	$ 7.98	$ 7.98	6,000 Calories, 150 Fat, 1,350 Carbs, 50 Protein	6,000 Calories, 150 Fat, 1,350 Carbs, 50 Protein
30 Each	Complete Multivitamin Tablets	30 Each	$ 1.70	$ 1.70	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein
	Totals . . .			$ 151.08		60,980 Calories, 1,604 Fat, 9.041 Carbs, 2,907 Protein.

Now if your new to food storage all this is normal grocery store items. You could add 10 lb. cornmeal 15lbs  flour  10 lbs. rice and 10lbs. beans 5 lbs. pasta your at about 200$ and calories for 60 days. Double the meats add more sugar coffee and tea you still will be under 250$.
  GO check out what else his site offers .

Why do crazy people star on Discovery History and Nat Geo.

     Ok every time a new show comes out on discovery, history, Nat Geo. about off grid or any "non traditional way of life" they find or turn into Crazy people. May be  normal people that live this way tell them HELL NO ain't interested in doing a show. The production companies want drama and extremes in trivial matters. They fail to understand that a lot of viewers want to see true situations and hear the why's without making a stubbed toe a life and death event (ok a stubbed toe FEELS like life or death).

   Last night was the Premier of the Boonies Billed as an Off The Grid way of life. All I saw was a cave dweller who may have cracked when his wife died, A man and wife that had a tree house in the Washington woods , A nomad who lived in a tee pee like in the 1880's. He left society due to lung problems but cooks on a wood fire. The last one is a family man that lives on an island in lake Michigan and bow fishes. This show may develop but what I saw last night was a bunch of crazy folks that had deserted society and technology to run around in the woods and be filmed.

    Now here is my problem with all these show's. They show modern people in primitive situations trying to live without even 1800 level tools and few skills. When trappers, explorers and Settlers left for the  Un known parts of this continent they carried the best known tools of the day. This held true of guns knives axes traps to plows. Even the horse packs and wagons were cutting edge designs for weight and load. In adittion to the tools they had skills learned over a lifetime in their field  of work. If you are going to do a show about Off Grid life style give them the tools that are available today. Yea I know any idiot with a million to spend could make it but there has to be some that have carved out a life in the wild. The only show that comes close in my opinion is Life Below Zero.

 If you had to move Off Grid due to whatever what 10 items of modern technology would you want.

OK some PIc,s of what i have been working on.

      Went and finished the roof at my daughter place today. This picture was taken this morning when we got there.

   As you see I had only 6 sheets to get in place but they were hard to screw in once I run out of room for me to stand.

 I was having to stand on top of an 8 foot ladder and still will need a few more screws put in by a skinner person.
    as you can see this place is rough. The crackheads did  number on the walls chasing a couple of dollars in scrap copper wire. The inner walls have 10 places they ripped around plugs and 2 ceiling panels .

  Here is what the outside looks like all the exterior metal striped except for that little on the top far end. We got that loose this afternoon.

   The open stud area is what we spent a week on . The A hole's had looped a chain around a fireplace and the central air and heat unit and yanked it out through the walls. The roof was collapsed to 4 foot floor to ceiling on the left hand corner. We used a floor jack and sledge hammered the studs in from the right to left . One ooops and the place would have been a total loss. We put the studs on 24 inch centers and all were cut using a 1500 watt inverter powering the skill saw.

   This pic shows about a fourth of the front yard and the 20+ feet we cut off the left end of the mobile home. The place is still trashy even after 4 pickup loads of hauled garbage plus the tore down end of the trailer. I didn't show it but I have a burn pile that's 15 foot round and piled 6 foot high to burn one day.

   These are all I took today. You see the back porch, there is front deck on the ground under the trash that I will put back for the front door later. Tomorrow the place will be wrapped with felt ,tyvek is way to much . I have to have the electrical run before the outer walls go on so I am just drying the place in for now.

Click on pics for a good view.

Need a laugh.

      Found this over at http://www.papamiket.com/?p=85806 it made me laugh.



A US Marine enters the Catholic Church confessional booth in Hendersonville, NC.
He tells the priest, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
Last night, I beat the ever-living crap out of a flag burning , cop hating, Obama loving protester.”
The priest says, “My son, I am here to forgive your sins, not to discuss your community service.”

Is there 38 states wanting change?

    It takes 38 states to add an amendment to the US Constitution. It has never been done. There has been few calls by enough states in the past but rather than allow the states to convene, the congress submitted their version to the states.  I would like to see a convention to address State rights and limit federal involvement . Here are 2 Wikipedia links worth time and thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_to_propose_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_for_Self-Governance

  The federal government has never deigned the states the right to hold a constitutional convention but have passed what ever it took to keep a convention from being held.

   There are some hard questions we need to think on before we say hell yea.

1 Can they address states rights and Federal issues only
2 Can we trust them not to GUT our present constitution.
3 Would state legislature's pass the amendments in a timely manner.
    (in the past most amendments took 5 or more years to get majority)
4 Can we keep special interest out of the process .
5 do we have 13 states that would protect the citizens if the process went for the worst?
6 Could we finally get term limits for congress ?

   OK # 6 is because of Richard Shelby 37 years is WAAAAy to long ( Republican from Bama). I voted for him 3 times 6 is a joke.

I am to fat to be roofer

      Today me and my son put in rafters and runners over at my daughters place . My son has bad feet and stumbles some times on the ground  so I had to do the roof work. I don't want him to fall off a 18 foot high roof . I put in 6 hours up on the roof and feel it. We got it ready for the metal roofing tomorrow. I hope the metal is ready before lunch It will take some time to screw 38 sheets in place. It is going to rain Friday and I would love to have this place dried in .

    The mobile home roof is still good but with the wood siding that we plan on using it had to have an eve and overhang . It looks like I will be able to bring this place in on budget. This is the first project I have done in years that I have used a credit card on. Normally I am Totally cash and carry but these projects would have left me penny less. The carry cost will be kept to a minimum but it will allow me a cash cushion . A lot of folks would have seen this place and said it was  teardown but it had just enough bones I had to save what was there. It will be a nice 720 square foot home when done. I will have put 2500$ into bringing it back. To buy a new mobile home it would have been 32,000$ +. Plus it feels good to recycle on the scale that this place is. We are a throwaway society but it feels good (even aching as I am) to not waste material and money.

Yeaa I am a BAMA FAN !

   I was born Crimson and White and I enjoyed every minute of the game. It was as close as I thought it would be. Clemson may have lost but they played one  hellava game and can hold their heads high.

It's about damn time !!! (link)

    It is about Damn time a governor called for a convention to reign in the federal government. The constitution has provisions That states can call for this with out congressional or presidential approval or permission. If any state governor refused to attend it should be a wake up call that he is just a Federal boot licking Bitch.
   Since the Washington Federal Government doesn't listen to the states or the voters its PAST TIME to strip them of their power.

         PLEASE READ !!!!!!!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-governor-calls-for-constitutional-convention/ar-CCiIFz?ocid=HPCDHP

Keeping my Resolutions .

      Ok in keeping with my resolution to finish one project at a time I have to prioritize my list. The problem is I have 2 that both needed some immediate TLC to prevent more work later. My sons place is now stable. We cleaned the roof of leaves, reinforced the outer wall , removed a building that was keeping the whole place wet.   This is project 1 because it is a lower cost.

    The place I got for my daughter was deteriorating fast so last week it  a lot of attention. We had to raise a 20 foot section of the mobile homes roof because someone had removed the studs for a bon-fire. Next week it gets a roof over all of it and Tyvek wrap on the walls. That should stabilize it so we can finish my sons place.

    My sons will take about 500 to get him in and about the same to finish it the way we both need it to be for vending.
    My daughters place will have cost over 800 by the end of next week and needs another 2500 to get it move in ready.

    They both want it NOW but since its my money I will do as I am able . Son out by February, Daughter out by May, then back to my BBQ trailer before June.

Flags that are worth a salute

    The American flags

     As a southerner the rebel flag is to be saluted to.

  OK in light of our resident Kenyan's stand on guns. 1 more !!!

New year resolutions.

       I have made a few Resolutions for the New Year !
1. I will start no new Projects till I finish what is pending!!!!
2. I will start no new Projects till I finish what is pending !!!!
3. I will start no new Projects till I finish what is pending !!!!

4. I will finish 1 Project then move to the next !!!!
5  I will finish 1 project then move to the next !!!
6. I will finish 1 Project then move to the next !!!!!

7. I will never start 4 projects at once again !!!!
8. I will never start 4 projects at once again !!!!
9. I will never start 4 projects at once again !!!!!
10. I will  play patty cake with the wife more often !!!!!

11. I will lose weight ?

    OK I may not be able to do #11 but the first 10 are the important ones. I have to many things going on at one time and each is as important as the next but I have to decide an order and finish them one at a time.