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Homesteading and Fundies why isn't this a thing?


HomeschooledHeartThrob

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Lately I have fallen down the wormhole of Zero Waste and Minimalism and homesteading on the internet and I am hooked! Some of it, such as making your own laundry soap and buying second hand seems similar to the Duggar family pre-fame when they shopped at garage sales and squirreled away money.  With this mindset if they gardened with all those hands they could can, raise their own meat, and grow food too which would save money. Also seems oddly "Un Duggery" to waste money on disposables if they're so obsessed with money. Plus if they are so worried about their bodies being temples why wouldn't they obsess about nutrition vs gorging on tater tots? I knew a Mormon family who was 110%  essential oils and organic food in addition to modesty because of how they interpreted the Bible.  And wouldn't all the liter from the disposable plates/napkins in landfills make them feel guilty about polluting God's earth? Food scraps alone for all those people would compost into a lot of top soil. And vegetables are so much cheaper than meat/tater tots too, why don't they eat more of that? 

So confusing!

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52 minutes ago, HomeschooledHeartThrob said:

Lately I have fallen down the wormhole of Zero Waste and Minimalism and homesteading on the internet and I am hooked! Some of it, such as making your own laundry soap and buying second hand seems similar to the Duggar family pre-fame when they shopped at garage sales and squirreled away money.  With this mindset if they gardened with all those hands they could can, raise their own meat, and grow food too which would save money. Also seems oddly "Un Duggery" to waste money on disposables if they're so obsessed with money. Plus if they are so worried about their bodies being temples why wouldn't they obsess about nutrition vs gorging on tater tots? I knew a Mormon family who was 110%  essential oils and organic food in addition to modesty because of how they interpreted the Bible.  And wouldn't all the liter from the disposable plates/napkins in landfills make them feel guilty about polluting God's earth? Food scraps alone for all those people would compost into a lot of top soil. And vegetables are so much cheaper than meat/tater tots too, why don't they eat more of that? 

So confusing!

Because they are lazy. I honestly think it is as simple as that. They have all of the time and capability in the world, and yet, they instantly use disposable plates and silverware, and eat gross, canned crap.

They weren't raised to do anything beyond what was least expected. I had hope for the older ones as they were getting married off, but honestly, they seem perfectly content to simply not aspire.

Sorry if this sounds too harsh. It just boggles my mind how so many regular working people can do many of the things mentioned in OP's post, while this family seemingly does literally nothing all day.

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4 minutes ago, Londish said:

Because they are lazy. I honestly think it is as simple as that. They have all of the time and capability in the world, and yet, they instantly use disposable plates and silverware, and eat gross, canned crap.

They weren't raised to do anything beyond what was least expected. I had hope for the older ones as they were getting married off, but honestly, they seem perfectly content to simply not aspire.

Sorry if this sounds too harsh. It just boggles my mind how so many regular working people can do many of the things mentioned in OP's post, while this family seemingly does literally nothing all day.

Not harsh at all! I encourage free speech and opinions. It makes no sense to me that they don't do this. Lazy is a theory, tired is another one, I don't know. Seems more frugal to do it yourself, not to mention ethical, more Biblical? They avoid hospitals yet buy food other people grow? GASP.

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When Michelle was still parent-ing she was just trying to get by. She imparted that on to her daughters who have no idea how to do a lot of stuff like that. They could make their own laundry soap (they said they do, but I doubt it) and garden, but that would take too much effort. Jana has gotten into the oils and it sounds like Jill and Jessa have gotten into healthier eating, but I don't think the main house Duggars (except Jana) are into that kind of thing.

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The paper plates really bug me. They have an industrial dishwasher. Everyone in the family is capable of scraping their plate and putting it in the dishwasher. You can buy Corelle which is almost indestructible, and would pay for itself in no time. Wasteful Duggars.

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Potential theory: the earth is "temporary" and how we leave it doesn't matter because the next life is so much better. This sentiment was expressed in "Jesus Camp" (watch it if you have the stomach). Essentially, the textbooks used by the homeschooled children professed that global warming is a liberal scam and that we are supposed to use up God's resources (ie, fossil fuels), because apocalypse, doesn't matter, again, the temporary schtick. Shot in the dark, but maybe this is something similar? Or, they see anything that serves their beliefs as justifiable. God gave them 19 kids, so using paper plates is the best way the fulfill what the Lord has bestowed on them. Because they have so many kids, what feeds the most people is what is permissible. What's interesting is that the last sentiment is not uncommon amongst people who are financially strapped; why spend the money on vegetables when a whole fast food/processed meal is just as much? It's a means to an end, and if I were in a financially trying situation, I'd probably feel the same.  Why the Duggars' situation is aggravating is because none of them will pursue gainful employment and insist of having huge families. Necessity is one thing, deliberately putting yourself in that situation under the claim of "God's will" doesn't cut the mustard for me.

Also, someone with a nutrition background pointed the unhealthy recipes out on one of their recipe postings. Another replied that they look happy and healthy and we shouldn't judge them. Come on guys, we're better than this (note: complete sarcasm)

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I recall quite fondly the late Carla Emery who wrote the Encyclopedia of Country Living or, as it was called in its original mimeographed format, An Old Fashioned Recipe Book.  Phil Donahue like to have her as a guest on his TV show.  Carla covered pretty much everything in her book:  how to milk cows and birth cows, how to grind your own wheat and how to grow it, too, put food by and well, everything you needed to know to successfully homestead.  Carla's book, IIRC, had an adaptation of the song "The End of a Perfect Day"  that described how busy she'd been all day.  That was her perfect day.  With the Duggars, it's plain out laziness that keeps them from doing things like gardening and canning or using real plates.  I'd be so completely and utterly bored if I were a Duggar.

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I personally know more than one fundie family, who lean toward, or full on participate in the homesteading way of life. They are just too busy working and living life to spend all of their time posting about it on the internet! ;) Our friendship with a homesteading family, was one of the only relationships worth salvaging from our former fundie days.

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I think that the Duggars have time to raise their own meat and have a garden now, since they are not traveling as much after the Josh thing. 

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I'm saying this as the mom of our family of ten. Our oldest is middle school age and our youngest is an infant. While I would never, ever eat all that canned junk food on a regular basis I have taken to other wasteful practices to save time. These things have crept up on me over the years and I wonder if the same is true for them so it just feels normal now.

We use disposable diapers. After cloth diapering four children (nearly all of that time with two in diapers) our diapers were in tatters and needed to be replaced. I just couldn't keep going with the extra diaper changes, rinsing, and washing so I went back to the disposables we used with our oldest two kids. I still feel guilty when I order cases of diapers but I feel that $75 a month on inexpensive disposable diapers is giving me a good 30 minutes per day extra to spend time with the kids or accomplish other things (or just have a few minutes to relax) and that's worth it to me.

We also use paper plates, paper bowls, plastic cutlery, and disposable plastic cups most of the time. Honestly, I held out too long on this one. I do most all of our cooking from scratch and it got to where I was running the dishwasher 3-4x a day. I started turning towards convenience foods just to avoid the mess of homemade meals. Once I started buying those big packs of disposables I felt like I had the freedom to cook whatever I wanted and only have to do 1-2 loads of dishes each day. Yes, it's wasteful and I do feel bad about the extra garbage but I'd much rather my kids eat organic veggies and quinoa off paper plates than tater tots off fine china.

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There are actually many fundie families who are into this. I remember reading their blogs a lot eyars ago (talking 2005-2009). Of course, a lot of them stopped blogging because they wanted to go even deeper of "no electricity" or simply giving up internet. 

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My husband's family had a homestead. His parents still do, but they, out of necessity (aging), have had to cut back. They built their own underground home, dug a pond which they stocked with fish, kept goats for milk, and raised rabbits for meat and chickens for eggs. They had a garden, berry bushes and fruit trees. They canned, preserved and smoked food. Very little was bought in town, and they bartered a lot with like-minded families. They planted trees on their land to reclaim the outer fields and extend the forest.

He grew up without a TV, but their shelves overflowed with great books. My husband can name just about every wild edible plant there is; he used to make his lunch out of available seasonal flora when he was a kid by just walking into the forest and eating what he wanted. I always thought maybe there was a lack in supervision on that point, but I'm a city girl, so what do I know? :my_confused:

They were friends with a couple who were completely off the grid and lived in a converted school bus out in the woods. There wasn't even a true road to get to their door. 

They all lived fairly well, and were mostly comfortable. It can be done, but it is a lot of hard work, obviously. I guess the trick is really wanting to do it, it's almost a calling, and that makes the work worth it. The Duggars would never, in my opinion, ever put forth the energy needed to sustain such a life.

I don't think it's an easy life--my husband could tell you stories, and he left home very early--but he remembers his childhood fondly, for the most part. The 4:30 a.m. goat milking in blizzard like conditions he could have lived without, though.

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@season of life, your account reminds me of an old boyfriend whose parents had a dairy farm in upstate New York,  He loved a lot about life on the farm, but he didn't miss those early morning milkings when it was 40 below.

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20 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

@season of life, your account reminds me of an old boyfriend whose parents had a dairy farm in upstate New York,  He loved a lot about life on the farm, but he didn't miss those early morning milkings when it was 40 below.

Oh, I shiver in sympathy for anyone who has to go into the cold, early or not, to take care of business. Farmers have my utmost respect!

My husband and the goats came to an accord on those early mornings. He would be sure to briskly chafe his hands together to warm them before touching the 'ladies', and they would refrain from stomping on his instep. It was a system that worked well for both parties. :pb_smile:

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We were neither fundie or homesteaders, but their were 8 kids in my family.  We always had a small garden that supplemented our groceries (corn, tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries) plus a walnut tree, wild blackberries, two apple trees.  We also had fresh eggs from our 6 chickens.  My dad posted weekly chore charts: weeding, watering, animal care, setting & clearing the table, dish washing, etc.  We didn't have a dishwasher, we all took our turn.  On Saturdays, we had hamburgers and tater tots for dinner, on paper plates. We all looked forward to that.  I am not impressed with the Duggars ' wasteful lifestyle.

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The short answer is it is hard work. We have heard stories of JB and Michelle working hard when they were first married but that was almost 30 years ago. The majority of the kids have no knowledge of working because none of the adults ever get up and go to work. So being able to deal with all the work that goes into a homestead isn't in them. 

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I'd say it's a combination of habit, being undereducated, being lazy, and being overwhelmed. 

I think about that family and I'm so annoyed. Actually most of these conservative families annoy me. They are so focused on the "family" that they forget to teach the children how to be decent humans to anyone outside of the compound. 

Anyway, they used to be a lot less comfortable. IIRC they used to make their own clothes. And they lived in a very small house. I think they started using paper plates when they were in the rental house. By now it's just habit. They worried about money and saving time for so long that now they don't know anything else our what to do with the time they have. 

And being undereducated is a big part of it. They aren't encouraged to want better, or even to know what better is.

I understand how they got to the point of "Duggar Time," paper plates, and industrialized food. It is so unfair to these people though. It's wrong, imo, to not teach your children basic manners like being respectful of others time, property, and energy. It's wrong to not teach them how to politely try new (real) foods. 

I think the Duggars went into survival mode and never realized they can get back out. They should have noticed how rude they all were in the Ethiopian restaurant and made changes. But they didn't. Because they are rude greedy people.

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I have wondered the same thing, I would love to have a sustainable farm once we have land. I would be bored if I couldn't read books, knit, craft, or any other way I find entertainment while homeschooling my kids while working on my Masters in History. The paper plates kill me, we do it on occasion but the rest of the time we wash actual dishes.

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I definitely think it is laziness.

There is maybe also an element of perfectionism here?  I mean, the Duggars are used to thinking of themselves as better than anyone else, but homesteading doesn't always work out the way it was planned, even if you do everything right. If they went into homesteading, they would need to acknowledge that sometimes things don't work.

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I definitely think they went into survival mode a long time ago and never looked back. If I had that many kids you better believe I would use paper plates and cups and disposable diapers. But that's why I have two kids. Because I want so much more for them. That's what these giant fundie families don't understand. God has given them too many kids and they can't handle it. So their kids suffer. 

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I can understand where gardening would be a bit of a strain with a bunch of littles. Last year we had hens, a small garden, and sense my husband is a commercial fisherman, ample amounts of fish. The garden and hens were a bitch to keep up on while my husband was gone and It was just me and my toddler daughter. I couldn't imagine attempting anything bigger with more kids. Now that they're all older there's really no excuse though. 

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I think they consider themselves entitled. They don't have to work because they work for Jesus and that's their only responsibility. They serve Jesus, so the rest of the world should serve them. 

Plus, the above. They are lazy af. They could never handle a farm or animals because those things need taken care of regularly and can't wait for 'Duggar time'. 

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20 hours ago, AreYouThereGothard? said:

Potential theory: the earth is "temporary" and how we leave it doesn't matter because the next life is so much better. This sentiment was expressed in "Jesus Camp" (watch it if you have the stomach). Essentially, the textbooks used by the homeschooled children professed that global warming is a liberal scam and that we are supposed to use up God's resources (ie, fossil fuels), because apocalypse, doesn't matter, again, the temporary schtick.

I suspect this is the case with the Duggars, actually.  I don't think they ever take a moment to consider how much waste they create, except when they have to haul out trash (they go through a LOT of cans and paper plates).  Does anyone remember the magazine, Sassy?  Back when it was around, they had an interview with two fundie teenagers who had no concerns about global warming, pollution, or the carrying capacity of the planet.  They thought humans were God's favorite, bestest creations and no qualms about ruining the planet -- God wanted them to do whatever.   And of course, none of it mattered because this life only counts for finding Jesus and being godly; it's the NEXT life where things are really happening.  

However, I also think JB is cheap AF, but wants to keep things easy for MEchelle.  If he could figure out a way to make the Duggarlings farm and garden efficiently, he'd probably do it, but I think he prefers to focus on real estate (quick results and easier all around). The closest we come to Duggar "skills" are all related to building and construction, with a bit of car stuff thrown in, too.  

I think the paper plates and nasty food are ways to allow MEchelle to keep her jurisdiction (the home) easily, especially since it's always the kids (and Jana!) doing the vast majority of the work.  They lost any sense of drive or ambition long ago.  Staying in survival mode also allows them more time for praying and fellowship. 

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I'm lazy. I will fully admit it. I think most of us are lazy at least sometimes. Lazy isn't a big deal. The issue is that you can't have this many children and be lazy. It doesn't work. 

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