Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs: Added Security on the Homestead

Last year, I mentioned Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs. I thought to kick off the year covering this as it pertains to homesteading. The second level is Safety/Security Needs. Last year was rough for a lot of folks and this year may be rougher for a time.

As a people in general homesteaders think long and hard about security. For us, on our little homestead, we live 1/4 of a mile from our closest neighbor. Down in this hollar, our cell phones only work in the winter without a wifi connection. We are two sexagenarian widows living by ourselves on our homestead, but we are far from helpless.

We have dogs as a first line of defense. If nothing else, they are an early warning system. Not much can run faster than a dog on a mission. I wish we had game cameras set up around the property and some sort fencing, but the dogs, ours and the neighbors' dogs, do a pretty good job of covering the area. We live at the end of the road. We can hear someone hitting the top of our driveway...some 500 feet from our front door. At night if you approach and are not announced prior, you are met with a shotgun. We don't take chances.

If you ain't invited, you ain't welcomed. Some of this post is common sense, but most of us homesteaders are prepared security-wise. We have rifles for shooting game, hand guns, BB guns, and heck. even sling shots to ward off predators that threaten us or our livestock. Our property is posted with "No Trespassing" signage. There are a few cutesy signs like "My dog can make it to the fence in...," Forget the Dogs. Beware the Owner," and "This property is protected by Smith and Wesson." We have no qualms about maiming or killing ANY predator be it no legged, four legged, or two legged. I was a former police officer and Mel has lived on her own for quite a while. We have firearms and know how to maintain and use them most effectively.

Being a small homestead, everything has at least a dual purpose. Knives. A machete can clear brush down to a pocket knife to cut a multitude of small things are a necessity on homesteads, but they can also be used for self defense. Even kitchen knives work for in close combat and do the job they are meant for. Don't discount gardening tools also. Even a blunt edge tool will ring someone's bell if swung hard enough. Go on and ask me how I know this, or been accidentally smacked in the face by a shovel or hoe handle while working. 

Now, I've got you looking around you looking at things differently and thinking, I'm going to change tracks. I'm going to cover other security issues like financial. Most of us homesteaders are debt-free or as debt-free as we can be. Last year, we faced lock downs where businesses were closed or access was limited. Some even experienced curfews. Now, while recovering from months of this, things are getting back to a new normal of limits and/or conditions. Financial security issues have us holding onto cash as much as possible within reach and in our homes possibly making us easy targets for unsavory characters. Most of these are opportunist criminals or snatch and grabbers. They'll swipe a wallet or purse and run. How would you protect it?   

My mother had a neat idea of wrapping stacks of cash like meat in the freezer. I knew she did this, but no one else did. She also had a secret way of marking the packages with cash in it. Being an urban homesteader, her freezers were mostly full all the time. (She did rotational purchases of bulk meats also like I do. Wonder where I learned that trick) 😉 When she died, I told my father about it. We searched her two freezers and found nearly $20,000 disguised as meat. No thief would take the time to go through and open every package of meat. He might get lucky and find a couple worth about $200, but that's it. Bet if you think about it you could think of several ways to stash cash safely.

Your important papers. Things you want to keep safe like birth certificates, marriage licenses, deeds, ownership papers, etc. Do you keep these things in a water tight, fire-proof lock box like most folks do? I don't. I keep all important papers in a ziplock bag in my household freezer. It's a quick grab as I head out the door. But I go one step further. I scan all of it to a thumb drive. I keep it on my key chain and every point of egress from my home. All my thumb drives are a 13-keystroke password protected. It would only take 5-7 years for a super computer to break it. What I scan...

• Birth certificates (including parents)
• Passports
• Deeds and proof of purchases
• Mortgage and outstanding debt.
• Utility accounts
• Documentation and pictures of anything of value
• Stocks, bonds, certificates of deposits
• Banking information
• Social Security cards
• Immunization records
• Health/Medical information
• Marriage licenses (including parents)
• Divorce papers
• Death certificates (including parents)
• Insurance papers
• Registrations
• Picture IDs
• etc. Anything you deem important.

Having to evacuate in a hurry many times over the years from natural and manmade disasters over the years, I've learned that having proof of these things is very important to establish who you are, where you are from, and ownership. While scans may not be viewed as certified copies, you at least have documentation and a reference point to search for certified copies to replace them. My drives even include my children's and grandchildren's information too just in case. I update these every two years. Sound like overkill? Try losing everything to a house fire, tornado, or flood. You'll be thankful to have it. Been there, done that.

More financial matters. Last year taught us to be prepared for layoffs, business failures, unemployment, and a few more really nasty downfalls. Maybe you were lucky and had an essential job, many were not. I try to keep at least 1 to 3 months of expenditures in reserve for this eventuality. It's no fun getting caught with your pants down around your ankles, is it? The better solution is 3-6 months worth, or the best is 12 months. I don't always make it. Two years ago, I was hit on all sides and was stuck. It happens like that sometimes unfortunately. The virus caught everyone off guard as do most things that happen like this. What was supposed to be a two-week stay at home stretched months and still not over yet for 10 months so far as we adjust to a new way of being. 

The fact is you can prepare you and yours' security now. The good news is human beings are adaptable. We've proved it time and time again. We survive and fight our we fight our way back up the Maslov's Hierarchy of Needs until we are secure again, or as secure as we can be.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo