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Old 02-27-2015, 03:32 PM
 
Location: Murphy, NC
3,223 posts, read 9,613,254 times
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From my experience suburbs/large cities are the toughest because everyone is busy. Often times its money that brings people together in some form, like a job. If u like sports I'd start to frequent the gym or park. If u like drinking frequent a café or bar. Usually large suburbs have a book club if you're into writing. Community college enrichment courses can be worth it to learn new skills that interest you. If any particular area can use a volunteer call them up and ask about it.

I'm not sure about going to church if you're not a religious person. U can give it a shot because there's nothing to lose.
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Old 02-27-2015, 05:54 PM
 
15,534 posts, read 15,551,422 times
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You might also want to ask in the section for relationships.

Don't be so quick to dismiss your co-workers. If you mention this to them, you might have some good results. If you tell them, "I love to play tennis, but don't know anyone to play with," one of them might reveal that they know a nephew you might like to meet. And think about things you like to do, and look for groups involved in that kind of thing.
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Old 02-27-2015, 06:11 PM
 
Location: Tucson for awhile longer
8,869 posts, read 16,280,653 times
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The Self Sufficiency/Preparedness forum really isn't the place for your question. You can ask a moderator to move it. Also, do a search in the Non-romantic relationship C-D forum — this same question has been answered many times there. It really doesn't matter all that much where you live. As a person who has lived in five states, I have observed that making friends is accomplished the same way pretty much anywhere.

Pick an interest category or type a specific interest in the search box. Then get out there and meet some people who share your interests. Some groups are bound to be in your suburb or exurb.
Find your people - Meetup
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Old 02-28-2015, 10:19 AM
 
Location: Cody, WY
10,420 posts, read 14,560,595 times
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I'm embarassed that I didn't think of these before. They're fun, educational, and great ways to make new friends and improve your level of self-sufficiency at the same time.

County extension agents everywhere, even in the darkest big cities, offer courses in canning. The courses are useful and contain the latest information. You'll learn safe methods for canning both produce and meat. Your county extension agent can also calibrate your pressure gauges for free. This would be a great start for the single woman. Not only would other women be a good source for finding men, but many men take these courses as well. For a girl who wants to get hitched (and how many don't? ) it's a great way to impress a suitor.

Whether you consider yourself a survivalist, prepper, hobby farmer, homesteader, off-gridder, hard money investor, or just interested in imroving your culinary skills this comes in handy. When I lived in Colorado my late wife and I canned about a hundred pounds of coho salmon every year. We didn't even have to fish for them. Armed with a fishing license we could just pick them up at the hatchery after spawning season. We began with a county extension course. Couples are very common at these events.

Some government school districts offer interesting and useful courses. We took a one day course in cooking with a pressure cooker. Since we lived at 8500' that was useful.

Volunteering at a railroad museum or tourist railroad can be great. You'll learn the local history, meet great people and often be able to get a license to operate a steam locomotive as well as other steam boilers. These places always need volunteers.

Some places have rock and gem clubs, treasure hunting or metal detector clubs, gold panning and prospecting groups, bottle diggers, and all sorts of others. These are groups that have field trips. There are mushroom groups as well. Many if these are hard core fungi fanatics, but even the hardest of hard core had to start somewhere. There was a chap who was teaching about wild edibles in NYC's Central Park.

Always remember that our kind of folks don't care about fancy electronics or television. They want to learn. Always have some good topics that you can talk about. The history of plumbing, of cooking utensils and methods are always great. Local history is always great.

Last edited by Happy in Wyoming; 02-28-2015 at 11:39 AM..
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Old 02-28-2015, 04:13 PM
 
Location: Murphy, NC
3,223 posts, read 9,613,254 times
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Speaking of learning to can. There are Mormon canneries all over the country even big cities. They teach and let you can your own food. The prices for bulk staples are as cheap as u will find anywhere.

They're everywhere,
Home Storage Center Locations
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Old 02-28-2015, 05:39 PM
 
Location: Cody, WY
10,420 posts, read 14,560,595 times
Reputation: 22017
Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanu86 View Post
Speaking of learning to can. There are Mormon canneries all over the country even big cities. They teach and let you can your own food. The prices for bulk staples are as cheap as u will find anywhere.

They're everywhere,
Home Storage Center Locations
Pouring bulk grains and legumes from bags into #10 cans isn't pressure canning. It's fine for what it is, but it's important to learn pressure canning technique.

Additionally, there are only twelve centers that allow this, eleven in the US and one in Canada. Seven of these are in Utah. For the vast majority of people it's far simpler to use other methods of grain storage or to purchase already packaged grain already in #10 cans.

I understand the LDS concept of the four basics: wheat, honey, salt, and dried milk. They consider this to be for long term storage, up to thirty years of food storage. I think this is fine, but first the individual should have a few years of normal foods stored.

The LDS Church provides an inclusive social as well as spiritual life for its members but only for its members. While they welcome others at their various facilities, they don't invite them to the next dance. N.B. Mormons seem to be very fond of dancing and encourage young people to go regularly to church dances.

Everyone should have the LDS Preparedness Manual. It's available as a free download or you can purchase a hardcover. The Church sells it for a lower price direct than through Amazon. I'll link to both. The Amazon page has plenty of reviews.

https://www.ldsavow.com/PrepManualGeneral.html

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: LDS Preparedness Manual, V8, 2012 Edition (Volume 8.xx)

Here's one review from the Amazon website:

''I am not a Mormon. I have my faith and believe in the right for others to have theirs. That being said...WOW! This book is jammed packed with information that is extremely helpful and well thought out. I haven't finished it and even if I did I couldn't remember it all. It is a great reference. It does not try to push Mormon beliefs on the reader too hard, far less than I expected, so it is readable by a lot of people of different faiths or none. That really impressed me. I expected a sermon every page, I couldn't have been more wrong. Worried about preparedness? Get this book! It doesn't have to be the end of the world, maybe a storm or an extended power outage or losing your job or unexpected illness...we all could do with a little, or a lot, of preparing. Thanks. RB''

Here's what the Mormons offer for DIY canning. This is it.





''Some of the Church’s home storage centers also offer products that you can package yourself. In locations with self-packaging options, you may purchase bulk commodities at the center and use provided equipment to package the food in #10 cans.

The following 12 home storage centers offer opportunities to package your own products:Home Storage Centers
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Old 03-02-2015, 01:18 PM
 
Location: Murphy, NC
3,223 posts, read 9,613,254 times
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I thought most of them did pressure canning. I bought a bunch of bags from their little warehouse and took it home to put in popcorn containers.
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Old 03-03-2015, 09:36 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,331 posts, read 61,154,439 times
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Since you are into: "Self Sufficiency/Preparedness"

I have found that in my area there are a number of groups that are all interested in this topic. I would suggest that you consider places like your local:
Grange Hall,
Permaculture group,
Transition Towns group,
And Farmer's Markets.

I would imagine that your area has most of these.
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Old 03-04-2015, 10:25 PM
 
Location: Martinez, ca
297 posts, read 357,845 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip View Post
The Self Sufficency/Preparedness forum is kind of a strange choice for asking how to meet people as most of the folks on here aren't really gregarious.
Truer words have never been spoken... Looking at you Bigpaul!!!
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Old 03-05-2015, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,331 posts, read 61,154,439 times
Reputation: 30256
I understand what your saying, but, ...



We searched for 15 years, for a region, where we thought homesteading would be best.

Once we migrated here, we began finding groups here of other people with similar mindset. It is fairly rural with a depressed economy. Young adults want high paying jobs, so they tend to leave the area. At the same time, people who want low cost rural migrate here. So the over all population numbers hold fairly steady. We moved here in 2005-2006. Since that time, the people we have met who have moved here after us, have mostly been homesteaders.



I agree that active night-life social scene stuff is not on the agenda for anyone here [with exception of 20-somethings who want to leave].

However, if you are interested in bees. Then a monthly beekeeper meeting, gets you together with other beekeepers and provides a social outlet.

Foraging mushrooms and herbs? There are groups for that skill.

All gun clubs host 'Appleseed' shooting schools where in one weekend you can be trained to be a rifle marksman / sharp-shooter.

Gardening? Off-grid power systems? etc. Our regional Organic Certifying Agency hosts a big annual fair with hundreds of workshops on self-sufficiency skill sets.

There are a number of survival schools here that have booths at the fair, and they present workshops. In this area the ability to take a group into the woods, use primitive skills to house and feed them, requires a license. These schools give the licenses [Called a Guide].

As a homesteader works 'up' the ladder, from simply feeding their family, up through the phases of earning a living from producing food. There are many needed skills. Likewise there are groups where you can socialize a bit, as you are in that transition.
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