The kind of "prepping" we don't like to think about

 We have always been "preppers" of one sort or another. When we were younger and broke we "prepped" by saving what we could and learning to do with as little as we could. This was the time that I learned to cook cheap meals, like baked potato and salad night,  that would stretch our budget. When we were a little less broke these were the times that we bought a few extra cans of tuna fish and candles for when the lights went out. As our budget expanded so did our "prepping" pantry along with our skill set. We learned to garden, preserve our food, raise livestock, make do with very little and save money even when there didn't seem to be any to save. However, there is one thing we really didn't think to prep for very much when we were very young....getting older. We did start saving for retirement at a decent age, so financially we were smarter than some but not as smart as others. We are playing a bit of catch up there, but the fact that we have almost no debt and will be completely debt free long before we retire will go a long way toward financial freedom. However, we did not realize how hard things would get physically. Homesteading is a very physical lifestyle. Had we realized how our older bodies would get slower and weaker, we would have prepped our homestead a little better. Let me explain a little bit. When we bought this little farm there were quite a number of repairs that needed to be done. The front steps on the house needed to be rebuilt for instance. Living in the south we know that wood touching the ground is never the best idea because of termites and rot. However, not thinking into the future enough we used wood to rebuild the steps on the front of the house and the barn. Now, 6 years later we have had to replace those steps. The work has been harder and it has taken us longer to complete. We have been smarter this time around. The steps to the barn are sold concrete block, no rot or bugs to worry about. We have  some painting to do to seal them against the weather, but then those block steps and flower beds will be there long after we are gone from this earth. No more redo. The steps for the front porch have concrete block pillars, but a wooden plank tread so that they match the front porch of the house. This is our trend now. Building things so that we won't have to repeat repairs. Our bodies are getting slower and weaker. Things like this are harder and take up more time. So this time we are working smarter in the hopes that by saving ourselves from having to repeat repairs we will be able to enjoy our little homestead longer. I hear of friends who are giving up their beloved life in the country to move to town because they can't keep up with the chores. It simply becomes a life of constant work instead of something that can be enjoyed from time to time. We don't want that. We want to stay in the country. We want to enjoy the life and the land that we have worked so hard to get it just the way we want it. What a shame it would be to have to give it up.  As homesteaders, this is important prepping. We need to start early financially preparing for our golden years. We also need to start early from the start preparing ourselves and our homestead physically for our golden years. Many blessings, friends!