Shopping List:     according to sales from August 2009

Yurt, 4-wall* $1,500.00
furniture including, cabinet, table, 2 chairs, bed $350.00
mattress $40.00
oven $90.00

Household Items: $400.00
includes mattress, bedding, blanket & pillow, sheets
water canister, larger plastic bowl for washing
large wok, small pot, kettle, cutting board, knife, cups, bowls, cutlery, glasses (they are a luxury, but I did buy some)
candles & matches

Clothes: $350.00
Deel (traditional Mongolian herder coat)
jacket, pants (depending on season, Nasa got additional insulated pants)
work boots, shoes
hat, shawl, gloves
sweater, t-shirts
undergarments, socks & pajamas

Livestock:
cow /baby cow $570.00
sheep $95.00
goat $85.00
chicken $20.00
pig** $90.00

School Fee: $200
Includes tuition, insurance, schoolbooks per year



For the yurt and the animals, depending on distance and quantity, there are transport costs involved as well.
The numbers for clothes and household items are varied, and sometimes we may get an oven for free, or a hand-me-down mattress from the center. When I set up Baaska it was summer, so many of the items purchased for Nasa had to be bought by Byambaa when winter came around.

* Yurts come in various sizes. The foundation is built through harmonica walls, made out of wood lamellas and connected through animal intestines. It’s a one-size-fits-all wall, but the number of walls determines the diameter, therefore the size of the yurt. Next, towards the outer side of the walls is a thick layer of felt, which keeps out the cold and the warmth in. On top of the felt you have a thick cotton layer, keeping out the wind. That layer is topped with another cotton layer, which is treated to repel water. On the inside a decorative fabric layer in bright colors is attached to make it pretty. Yurts have no windows, the only opening is in the ceiling, where the stove chimney gets pushed through. That opening is covered with plastic and has a mechanism, which allows you to open and close it.
The floor is made up of wood, with an added layer of linoleum. To insulate, cow dung is added around the opening between the ground and the yurt.

** Pigs are an unusual choice, but Byambaa is experimenting with them. In general, Mongolian herders always have several types of animals because it keeps the grazing ground healthy. The famous five are: horses, camels, yaks & cows, sheep and goats. Different animals eat different parts of the shrub. It’s a very sophisticated system of ecological sustainability of the steppe, which has recently become an issue due to overgrazing.