Lori Alexander 46: She Sure Is Highly Edumacated

[molecule]

So Lori's post today was written by a commenter named Nunya? Any chance that it is someone who's yanking her chain? Every time I see some with the username "Nunya," it's someone who really means "nunya business" and who is trying to pull a fast one.

How many days until Lori has a post about how horrible it was that Paige Patterson was fired from his seminary?

[EowynW]

Okay this post pisses me off to no end as someone who lived and is still living that reality. 

 

"Don’t get a mortgage; don’t buy a large house."

 

Getting a mortgage is the only way most of us can afford to buy a house. 

 

"Buy a used mobile with cash if you can, fix it, live in it"

 

Used mobiles are still atleast 4-5K. That's a lot of cash to plunk down at once. Moving a mobile home is several thousand dollars as well. Plus, where are you going to put it? 

 

"until you can afford to buy land, and then move your mobile onto the land until you can afford to build a home."

 

In my state, land STARTS at 5K an acre. It's usually more than that. So again, that's a lot of cash to save up and put down. Again, moving a mobile home costs several thousand dollars. Installing a well and septic system cost several thousand dollars too. Building a home with cash? The cheapest we have looked at (think a larger storage building cabin house) is still $20K. That is a LOT for most folks to save and pay as cash. 

 

"Grow your own veggies as much as you can.  Trade."

 

Trading is a lost art in most places unless you're in a tight knit community or neighborhood. 

 

Growing veggies is not dirt cheap. The soil must be tilled, or raised beds must be built. You need compost because the soil has to be fed. If your dirt is shit you need to get dirt. You need mulch so your water doesn't evaporate too fast. You have to buy seeds or plants. If you are starting seeds some seeds you need to start inside so you will need seed starting pots, seed starting soil, a grow light and fertilizer. You need watering cans, hoses, garden tools, gloves, & stakes for tomatoes. You will need to keep basic bug and blight treatments on hand." 

 

"use one cell phone, whomever leaves the house takes it."

 

That doesn't sound wise to leave someone stuck at home with kids without a phone. 

 

"ditched cable when it went up to $50 a month."

 

Well cable is crap so I can see that. 

 

"Repair your clothes and re-sole your shoes/boots at a cobbler."

 

LOL many areas don't have cobblers.  

 

"Have chickens if you can – use eggs to feed other animals/pets and yourself. I mix scrambled eggs with canned cat food for my cat. It stretches the canned food (earthborn), is healthier, and an egg is a complete protein for them."

 

Chickens require safe housing, deworming, good feed and healthcare. Not dirt cheap. 

 

"Don’t vaccinate; it causes health problems in all animals."

 

You absolutely need to vaccinate for rabies. There are some basic vaccinations livestock need. You don't have to overdo it but some basics ARE NEEDED. To say don't vaccinate ever is extremely poor animal husbandry. 

 

"Eat healthy without chemicals."

 

Water is a chemical. But yes, eating clean is good. 

 

"Make things, sell on Etsy – every little bit helps."

 

With competition from

China not many people make profitable etsy businesses. It's a big topic on my knitting groups. 

 

"Take fewer car trips for supplies."

Agreed. 

 

"Borrow items that you cannot afford (wheel barrow, chain saw, lawn mower, etc.)"

 

Just NO. If you are going to live on land and garden, you NEED a wheelbarrow and lawn mower. Not having these things makes it incredibly stressful. 

 

"Cut back on electricity and don’t use air conditioning unless you MUST."

 

Agree to a point. But AC is a must in the dead of summer in many hot humid areas. We only have window units and have to keep our house on 78-80 because of the electric bill. It's miserable. 

 

"Heat with wood."

 

That requires a fireplace or installing a wood burning stove, idiot. Not every house can be heated with wood. And if you heat with wood you WILL need your own chainsaw. 

 

 

[Alisamer]

Wow, so she has comfy sit-on-the-porch weather in JULY, and expects everyone to go without AC just because she can? (She doesn't, I'd be willing to bet, but she COULD. Just, I'm sure Ken probably prefers the AC on, you know? She's got to follow her headship's lead! Even if the reason he prefers things is to keep her from complaining about them.)

I'd like her to come sit in my little house in the middle of July, when it's at or over 100 degrees F and 98% humidity, and no breeze. My AC is actually broken, right now. However, my house is 800SF and I got a window unity free from someone trying to get rid of it. So my bedroom is nice and cool, I put a fan in the bedroom door to blow the cool air into the living room, and keep the craft room closed off unless I'm using it. 

My grandparents did go without AC for many years, until we insisted on having it installed as their health was declining. But they basically spent most summer days sitting in the living room with no lights on, the rest of the house closed up, and an oscillating fan blowing on them, and only actually DID things very early in the morning or just before bedtime. That's not the life most people live.

Lori is one of those people who cannot see outside their own bubble, at all.  Everyone else's life is just exactly like hers. She can't imagine otherwise. Maybe lack of imagination is one of the reasons her only hobby is copying things others have written and reposting them on her blog.

[TeddyBonkers]

This is just a joke, right:

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The biggest expense is the home. Don’t get a mortgage; don’t buy a large house. Buy a used mobile with cash if you can, fix it, live in it until you can afford to buy land, and then move your mobile onto the land until you can afford to build a home.

My folks just got their property assessment in the mail-their 80 acres plus house increased in value by 64% over the past year. In a LCOL area. (Taxes are going to be a BIIIIIITCH.) And let me tell you, it isn't the house driving up the property value, it's the land. You can't raise your own animals or grow enough food for a family without a significant amount of land.

[polecat]

21 minutes ago, EowynW said:

"Borrow items that you cannot afford (wheel barrow, chain saw, lawn mower, etc.)"

 

Just NO. If you are going to live on land and garden, you NEED a wheelbarrow and lawn mower. Not having these things makes it incredibly stressful. 

This irked me, too, because how utterly presumptuous of "Nunya." Most people don't mind if you need to borrow something once or twice in emergency situations, but when you borrow as a lifestyle habit because you're too "frugal" to buy your own? Hell, no. Every time you use any of those items, you put wear-and-tear on them. That person is going to have to replace their lawn mower, chainsaw or whatever else twice as soon because of YOU. Is that really okay with these people's consciences? 

Never mind -- I already know the answer. 

I'm baffled that they continue to preach about "morals" when it seems they have less than none themselves. 

 

[AuntKrazy]

The AC thing also bothers me.  People have a variety of health needs and sometimes temperature control is critical to health and well-being.  It's supposed to be above 100 degrees here nearly all week.  We have to keep the AC on 78 during the day and 75 at night for me to be able to sleep since I had to have my thyroid removed.  I just can't physically acclimate like I did before.

My mom used to buy a gallon of whole milk at the same price as 2% and then add water to make it into 2 to 3 gallons depending on when we would be able to afford groceries again, and that is what we would use.

Not everyone has land to grow things.  Not everyone can save $100 a month - where it would take 10+ years to afford to buy a cheap parcel of land at current prices, and in 10 years it's going to be more expensive.  Growing vegetables in one's own yard in industrial areas has it's fair share of problems too - it may be one of the reasons for the tumors which prompted my thyroid surgery.  

There are ways to economize, and sharing helpful hints is great; however, expecting people to uniformly do each and every one in order to "be a keeper at home" and "homeschool" (without having any sort of college education!) - is designed to perpetuate a cycle of poverty.  I know a lot of couples who work 3 jobs between them and have an at home business on the side on weekends just in order to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.  They are also the people who brought me food when I had surgery, who delighted in taking turns cutting my parents lawn (in secret) when my dad was in the hospital for several months - my mother even had mums placed by her porch that fall (something she normally did herself), by the neighbors.  

We cannot withdraw from the community and expect our needs to be 1. known by others and 2. met by strangers/a church where everyone is in the same boat, but scattered miles away from one another.  There is a reason most of the world's population gathers in cities - and it has to do with the need to share resources.  Women should not be relegated to confinement a mobile home parked in the middle of no where, cut off from the rest of the world, with no running water, electricity, internet, or phone service to connect with the rest of the world.  My problem with Lori here is that she expects people to isolate themselves and still be taken care of by others with no connection nor awareness of their needs.  One has to be engaged in a community in order for the community to be aware and help.

 

[EowynW]

33 minutes ago, TeddyBonkers said:

This is just a joke, right:

My folks just got their property assessment in the mail-their 80 acres plus house increased in value by 64% over the past year. In a LCOL area. (Taxes are going to be a BIIIIIITCH.) And let me tell you, it isn't the house driving up the property value, it's the land. You can't raise your own animals or grow enough food for a family without a significant amount of land.

You can do it on less than 5 acres if you're strategic. 

[Imrlgoddess]

Amen on the A/C issue.  Anyone in the south can attest to heat indexes resulting in heat exhaustion for folks.  I'm from the northern part of my state, we went without AC from the time I was 4 till I moved out at 18.  When I moved down south a guy I dated did not believe I grew up without it.  Down here even the poorest have either a window unit somewhere or a swamp cooler set up in their living area.  I'm going to assume this lady has no idea about property taxes or homestead exemptions, it's different everywhere.  I know a lot of people would prefer a move in ready home that needs little to no up front maintenance rather than spend money every month on constant repairs.  Septic systems ain't no joke & can get costly to install, repair, or replace.   Is renting the devil's work?  I rarely see reference to renting with these folks.

[Black Aliss]

On 5/29/2018 at 8:17 AM, EowynW said:

Last night in the middle of our anniversary dinner, I got a text from my boss saying I no longer had a job. I burst into tears. That good part time job (in a very depressed and grungy part of our state where most jobs full and part time are fast food, hospice workers or overnight gas station attendants)  was our savings builder for buying a home and trying to get a better car. Lori doesn't understand anything. 

A text? A fucking TEXT!?!?! Your boss didn't even have the decency to tell you this in person or over the phone? I am so sorry. I totally get working for an asshole because the paycheck is necessary. I hope you find something else soon, working for a better person.

40 minutes ago, EowynW said:

You can do it on less than 5 acres if you're strategic. 

Exhibit A: urbanhomestead.org

I'm not a huge fan of [the late] Jules Dervaes's control over his family. Yes, even from beyond the grave he makes Steve Maxwell look downright permissive. But I am in awe of their ability to grow so much food on roughly 1/10 of an acre. Granted, they are in SoCal, where they can grow and harvest year 'round, but still. 

[TeddyBonkers]

46 minutes ago, EowynW said:

You can do it on less than 5 acres if you're strategic. 

Absolutely! Like you said, though, the price of land is prohibitive especially when you're paying in cash.

[Black Aliss]

2 hours ago, dairyfreelife said:

Lol, Lori has clearly NEVER spent time around chickens. There is no way in hell she'd every own any and if did, she'd get rid of them right quick. They are messy, dirty animals. Seeing entitled Lori trying to deal with a squawking chickens flinging poop all over her little backyard, that would be a sight. Who am I kidding, she'd make Ken or the maid do it, which I am sure they'd soooo appreciate doing. 

Plus, you haven't seen expensive until you've raised your own eggs.  You buy the day old chicks, raise them under a heat lamp until they can thermoregulate, buy feed and wood shavings for their pen, continue to feed them, figuring at least 5 months until they start laying--the ones that didn't get eaten by a hawk or coyote or killed by a random dog because, to save money on feed, you were letting them forage. Add in the cost of the coop, the feeder, the waterer, feeding them throughout the winter when they hardly lay at all. . .I never wanted to tally up the actual cost of a dozen eggs from my flock because I knew it would take my frugal breath away, but a rough estimate is $7-8/dozen.

So, no, Either Lori has never kept chickens herself, or she's really bad at basic arithmetic.

[SongRed7]

2 hours ago, EowynW said:

"until you can afford to buy land, and then move your mobile onto the land until you can afford to build a home."

In my state, most if not all of the communities (even many of the rural ones) have laws about what kind of structures can be put on a vacant lot/land. A few years ago a newspaper columnist gave wrote a story about how someone gifted him a mobile home/trailer (not a travel trailer...but mobile home type) and he couldn't find anywhere to put it. Most of the communities in the area were zoned in a way they could only be located in a designated trailer park. Not on private land. 

[Koala]

8 minutes ago, Frog99 said:

I read that stupid post 3 times in an attempt to identify any useful content. There isn’t any (aside from going to the library and exploring second hand purchase options). 

Totally agree.  

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 Buy a used mobile with cash if you can, fix it, live in it until you can afford to buy land, and then move your mobile onto the land until you can afford to build a home.

That's excellent advice for people who live in tornado alley.     I'm sure these people have enough cash laying around to purchase a mobile home outright, too... 

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Use it up and go without.

Umm, what?  Food?  Toilet paper?  Gas?  Medicine?  What exactly should one "use up and go without"?

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Don’t eat out. 

Unless you're Lori Alexander.  Then just try to keep it down to a few times a week.

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Repair your clothes and re-sole your shoes/boots at a cobbler. 

Yeah, that's assuming that you have invested in shoes/boots worth resoling.  My shoes are cheap enough, that buying a new pair would be a better (cheaper) option.  Also, if we have a cobbler, I know know about it.  

Besides that, kids outgrow their shoes.  Resoling them would make no sense.  Kids= shoes.  Lots of shoes.  

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We use one cell phone, whomever leaves the house takes it. I

Great idea.  Then when a child chokes or the house catches fire, mom can use a tin can and some string to call for help.  Super frugal.  

 

Quote

I mix scrambled eggs with canned cat food....  

By the time I got to that point, I was just glad to see her finish that sentence:

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for my cat

With some of these people, you never know.

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We get second hand stuff from family too, especially for the kids. 

Which is great.  Family pays, you get it for free.  But hey, at least one of you gets to be frugal, right?

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 Strive for self-sufficiency

Yes, and there's nothing as self-sufficient as borrowing/taking hand me downs.  That way, some else always gets to pay!

[polecat]

43 minutes ago, Imrlgoddess said:

I'm going to assume this lady has no idea about property taxes or homestead exemptions, it's different everywhere.  I know a lot of people would prefer a move in ready home that needs little to no up front maintenance rather than spend money every month on constant repairs.  Septic systems ain't no joke & can get costly to install, repair, or replace.   Is renting the devil's work?  I rarely see reference to renting with these folks.

That's another good point. I live in an area with a low COL but obscene property taxes. Almost a third of my monthly mortgage payment goes to property taxes. 

Renting should be a good choice for many of them. Sometimes it can be costlier than a mortgage payment, but at the same time, there are virtually no maintenance costs associated with renting. 

[Koala]

1 hour ago, polecat said:

This irked me, too, because how utterly presumptuous of "Nunya." Most people don't mind if you need to borrow something once or twice in emergency situations, but when you borrow as a lifestyle habit because you're too "frugal" to buy your own? Hell, no. Every time you use any of those items, you put wear-and-tear on them. That person is going to have to replace their lawn mower, chainsaw or whatever else twice as soon because of YOU. Is that really okay with these people's consciences? 

Never mind -- I already know the answer. 

I'm baffled that they continue to preach about "morals" when it seems they have less than none themselves. 

 

Omg, I thought the same thing!  It's just so damn entitled.  We have to mow our yard once a week.  We have a large yard, so we have a riding lawn mower.  There's no way I would agree to someone "borrowing" it once a week so they could be more frugal!  It would literally cut the life span of the mower in half.

 

[louisa05]

5 minutes ago, Koala said:

Omg, I thought the same thing!  It's just so damn entitled.  We have to mow our yard once a week.  We have a large yard, so we have a riding lawn mower.  There's no way I would agree to someone "borrowing" it once a week so they could be more frugal!  It would literally cut the life span of the mower in half.

 

My sister-in-law took up "minimalism" for awhile and threw out most of her stuff then expected that everyone would loan her everything all the time. I cringe when I see the advice to constantly borrow from others in the name of frugality or minimalism. It seems downright tacky. If you can't function without it and you can afford it, then get your own. 

[Black Aliss]

1 minute ago, louisa05 said:

My sister-in-law took up "minimalism" for awhile and threw out most of her stuff then expected that everyone would loan her everything all the time. I cringe when I see the advice to constantly borrow from others in the name of frugality or minimalism. It seems downright tacky. If you can't function without it and you can afford it, then get your own. 

That reminds me of a former professor of mine who was a bicycling activist fundamentalist. He had literally burned his drivers license and was openly disdainful of anyone who did not share his dedication to bike commuting. I asked him once how he transported things he couldn't carry on his bike (thinking that he might have had another 2- or 3-wheeler outfitted with a cargo box, such as the ones an friend of mine built) and his response was, "I call someone with a car and ask them to give me a ride."

I used to think it would be lovely to live in a neighborhood where people had a community tool library but really, that only works for things that don't need much maintenance. Chainsaws, mowers, even manual tools need a lot of maintenance and do not tolerate abuse. I would never loan a chainsaw to someone who I didn't know would use it wisely.

[Krissy]

I’m not turning down my AC. I’ve gone years without air conditioning and I’m sure not going back to that. I don’t blame anyone else who wants to run their’s too. It’s hot here and my husband has bad allergies he needs the windows closed when the air quality is bad. 

Everyone except our youngest has a smart phone because between all 3 going to different schools on different ends of town, they all have different activities, and spend time at different friends house. I get overwhelmed if I can’t reach them or God forbid forget someone needs to be some where. I need mine because the reasons above and my husband has always needed his for work. How are these mothers suppose to contact anyone? I don’t like the idea of that level of seclusion.

Does she understand you can’t  just plop a trailer on any land you buy? Also, we get tornadoes here so that kind of structure is a bad idea. 

Chickens aren’t allowed in my city so it’s not like everyone can have live stock.

second hand yes. Constantly borrowing is a big no, don’t these people have any pride? I hate asking my neighbors for anything. 

She wants to give money advice? Recommend an expert like Dave Ramsey and leave it to a professional. 

[Krissy]

29 minutes ago, louisa05 said:

My sister-in-law took up "minimalism" for awhile and threw out most of her stuff then expected that everyone would loan her everything all the time. I cringe when I see the advice to constantly borrow from others in the name of frugality or minimalism. It seems downright tacky. If you can't function without it and you can afford it, then get your own. 

I’m active in a minimalist group and they don’t support stuff like this at all. We are all trying to be self sufficient. She should recommend her followers over there though, lots of self made people in it that do give tips and advice for free. It would be a valuable resource for her fans. 

[Koala]

Lori's dumb is really showing with the whole "I would just try to own some chickens" bit (even the way she phrases that annoys me).  I live in a neighborhood with no HOA, and chickens are banned.  Same for my in-laws.  They live out in the country on a decent piece of land (also no HOA), and chickens are banned in their area as well.

Now that I think about it, we don't have a single family member that lives in an area that allows chickens, and this is Alabama ffs. 

As for the air conditioner, I am currently experiencing the joy of hot flashes.  Those old bats couldn't pry my central air conditioning out of my icy hands.  I've got the whole house at a tolerable 68 right now, and the ceiling fan running full blast.  Anything less, and I am 100% certain I would melt.  

[louisa05]

11 minutes ago, Krissy said:

I’m active in a minimalist group and they don’t support stuff like this at all. We are all trying to be self sufficient. She should recommend her followers over there though, lots of self made people in it that do give tips and advice for free. It would be a valuable resource for her fans. 

I certainly don't think everyone who embraces that is a constant borrower or advocates it, but I have seen that advice given elsewhere in the name of "minimalism". Again, if you need it often and can afford it , buy your own. Something you only need to use once or that you truly can't afford or that is willingly shared among family members is a different story. 

[delphinium65]

14 minutes ago, Krissy said:

I’m active in a minimalist group and they don’t support stuff like this at all. We are all trying to be self sufficient. She should recommend her followers over there though, lots of self made people in it that do give tips and advice for free. It would be a valuable resource for her fans. 

That kind of recommendation would be useful, if Lori cared enough to do any actual research. 

[Destiny]

4 hours ago, dairyfreelife said:

Lol, Lori has clearly NEVER spent time around chickens. There is no way in hell she'd every own any and if did, she'd get rid of them right quick. They are messy, dirty animals. Seeing entitled Lori trying to deal with a squawking chickens flinging poop all over her little backyard, that would be a sight. Who am I kidding, she'd make Ken or the maid do it, which I am sure they'd soooo appreciate doing. 

That. I raised chickens as a kid. They are messy and smelly and noisy. useful too, to be sure, but she'd have to get her hands dirty and given that she can't even manage a small container garden, I don't see her doing it. 

[SuperNova]

Mr.Nova works in agriculture and has access to FREE use of land and water. Water is expensive where we live so free water is a big deal. Every spring he plants a garden. The soil is thin and has to be reconstituted virtually every year. He has a buddy that owns a manure company and he gets a FREE truckload of manure dumped on his plot. He and another man split the cost of a rototiller and spend several days after a long hot workday prepping the garden. Another buddy of Mr Nova's gave him used dripline irrigation for FREE. Mr Nova uses seeds saved from last harvest so they are FREE. The garden is on his company's property so he stays after work to care for the plants until harvest.

Then it's time to harvest and can. It's not unusual to be canning in 105°f heat. At the height of the garden, we have to can every. single. fucking. day. Luckily Mr. Nova and I work well together because 6 hours in a hot kitchen getting splashed by boiling hot preserves can make or break a relationship! Our circumstances are unique so we take advantage of it but it's not really a "cheap" option. It's only cheaper if you already buy premium or artisan products. How many of Lori's fangirls can afford that?

[Chocolatedefrauded]

Friends have asked to borrow my husband’s new chainsaw. He wanted to use it since it is so new therefore he went over to their house & did the cutting himself. They thanked him for his work with a home cooked lobster dinner. It was a win-win. He got to practice using it, ate a great dinner & made sure his new equipment did not get damaged. They got a chainsaw & free labor. Kind of a country trade.

Those friends have housesit for us and helped us in other ways so my husband would have helped them out even without a nice dinner. But you can’t keep borrowing equipment without reciprocating somehow.