In the past 6 months, I’ve often heard the idea that the world has entered “unprecedented” times during the COVID-19 pandemic. On multiple occasions during the uncertainty of our current times, I’ve found great comfort in my history research for my historical fiction novel. Have the past 6 months been tumultuous? Absolutely! Are they “unprecedented”? Not really. History has a […]
First things first: Optimized budget? Out of debt? Substantial emergency fund established? Great! Why those three things first? The stock market is volatile meaning that you don’t want money in the stock market that you need to use tomorrow, next month, or even next year. Preferably, you won’t need that money for at least 3-5 years. Money invested in the […]
Retire early?!? For many, I’m sure that seems like a crazy idea. That’s only for rich people or people who own their own self-sustaining business, right? I used to feel this way until I was introduced to the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement. There is a very large community of people who are seeking financial independence and many who […]
First, listen to the podcast below. It’s short, only 8 minutes. A friend of mine sent it to me and wondered what my thoughts were about it. It’s a fitting topic for me, of course, because one of my stated goals is to encourage others to pursue their authentic goals and passions. Stop Pursuing Your Passion? Alright, what do you […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on June 21st, 2019 The 1930s were a tumultuous time, not just for farmers, but for the entire world. The world’s economy collapsed into an economic depression that shaped an entire generation. The harshness of scarcity became very real. Naturally, people grew desperate and needed to make substantial changes. Many […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on June 3rd, 2019 It is easy to take for granted the modern kitchen, or more specifically, modern refrigeration. Food can last incredibly long inside of our modern refrigerators, but modern refrigeration is barely 100 years old. What did people do to keep food cool and away from pests before […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on May 17th, 2019 The economics of agriculture, or any sector of the economy, are actually quite simple at their core. A product is produced and someone needs to be willing to purchase that product. What is the key to maximum profit? Connecting the product to the consumer in as […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on May 7th, 2019 When thinking of commodities, the first thought would probably not be manure. Commodities like oil, gold, coffee, and natural gas have a fairly high demand, but who would pay a premium price for manure? In many cases, large farms need to pay others just to get […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on May 3rd, 2019 The statistic is quite striking. In 1820 it is estimated that 72% of Americans worked on farms. In 1920, the number was 30%. Today, less than 1%. This concept continues to come up repeatedly. For 200 years, people have been leaving farms for the city. The underlying […]
Originally published as a blog for the Plymouth Historical Society on January 25th, 2019 I spent some time talking to my father this past week about what he knew of life in the early 1900s. I asked him questions about Dr. W.E. Taylor’s bookSoil Culture and Modern Farm Methods and was somewhat surprised by his response. His ancestors were not doing […]
