You seriously need both. It took a bit of trouble to show me that.
I am a self-sufficient type but when the power went out in an ice storm I discovered my lighting was insufficient, and the fireplace was inadequate and the pipes froze. I also went a bit bonkers because I had no news, and after a couple of days I REALLY wanted to know what was going on in the world, and how hard the Midwest had bee hit.
On the GOOD side we had fresh laid eggs every morning, which I cooked in the fireplace.
On the BAD side, I could really only really see for 6 hours a day, as the slanting light did not really enter the house. And the candle flickered so much that it was hard to read, even hen the book was held a couple of inches from the flames. I tried more candles, mirrors to reflect the light, nothing helped. I now have battery lights.
And it was cold inside.
And, HOW often a day can a person eat tuna???? I have an assortment of canned meats, now!
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Then there is the OTHER kind of SHTF. Too much month and not enough paycheck. And I do not know about you folks, but we feel deprived unless we eat well, not to mention that cheap filler food is bad for my diabetes and hard on my health! Well we can eat luxurious food, courtesy of my 1 acre backyard hobby farm and of my pantry. And because it is cheaper to buy on sale, our pantry costs us nothing as over the years we have saved more money than the pantry is worth. Also, if I am too busy or too sick to cook we just open some cans. And, just for the sake of feeling secure we also have a couple of buckets of rice down there.
Well I have set the sprinkler for the vegetable garden, let the chickens out, and now that I have cooled off I believe I will work my 2 new bee hives. After that I will cool off again, and see if I can do something about the flat on my riding lawn mower. The black raspberries are starting to bear, but I might not get too them today. I am, though, DETERMINED to pick the snow peas again, as I sit comfortably on a cheap stool while I pick. Later, when it is too hot to work outside, I want to hit the grocery store because they are advertising boneless pork loin at $1.69 a pound and I want a bit for the freezer. Yes, we eat well, even on those months when w are flat out broke!