As preppers we are always thinking about different ways to become more self-reliant and live like they lived 100 years ago. People who lived during the turn of the century lit their homes with kerosene and oil lamps, heated their homes with fire wood. If they wanted new clothes, they had to buy fabric and make them.

In today’s world this seems unfathomable with our “right here right now” mentality, we could literally never leave the comfort of our couch and get anything we need or want. If we don’t want to wait for something to be shipped, we can head out to the local store that probably has anything our hearts desire.

Living in the west in the early 1900’s was quite a bit different than living in the eastern states. The industrial revolution had started, cars and electricity were beginning to be part of their everyday lives, but out west it was a completely different story.

Lisa and I recently went to a western history museum in Montrose Colorado and other than being really cool to see how people lived back then, and the tools they used to survive daily life, a couple of things came to mind.

* We love to think about all the things we might need to survive and sort of grid down or SHTF event, but the saying “easier said than done” couldn’t apply more. We have the luxury of thinking about things we might need, and the luxury of waiting until it fits into our budget to get them.

In those days it was a luxury to have a new pair of shoes to wear, and even if they had the money for them, they still had to wait for the cobbler to make them.

* Community is more important than we think. As people began to move west with the hopes and dreams of striking it rich or just staking a claim to give themselves an opportunity for a better life it couldn’t have been done without the help of a group of people with different skill sets.

People relied on each other more than ever in the early 1900’s because it was impossible for one person to be the cobbler, the seamstress, the blacksmith, the farmer, the rancher and the school teacher. While all these skills can be learned, there just wasn’t enough time or money to become proficient in all these areas.

Just like today, once you get good at something that other people want, you go where they are and offer your services to make their lives easier. This doesn’t just go for the pioneers that settled the west, this is how we have survived since the beginning of our time on this planet.

Skills and Needs – When Today Becomes the Good Old Days

Most men who ventured out west did so gambling on the promise of riches caused by gold fever. I say men because contrary to what Hollywood would like you to believe there were very few women who ventured out west, more on that in a bit.

The real riches were not made by the would-be miners, the real riches were made else ware. Knowing that miners would need food, tools and clothing many skilled craftsman and merchants followed right behind them.

How does this apply to us? We might not barter, sell or trade our skills like they did in the old west, but we do trade our time for money which is ultimately the same principal. We learn a skill that someone else wants or needs, and we trade that for what we want or need.