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Preparedness

Free for You: The “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”

Free for You: The “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”

Get a free PRINTED copy of the FEMA Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness just for asking. Aka”Are you Ready: An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness”.

The Value Proposition: Bulk Foods vs. Freeze Dried Meals

The Value Proposition: Bulk Foods vs. Freeze Dried Meals

One of the dilemmas every prepper faces is how to derive the most value out of their food storage budget. None of us want waste and none of us wants stuff that tastes bad. Of course the easiest and most economical thing to do is to stock up on the proverbial beans and rice, adding supplementation with oatmeal, powdered milk and a variety of condiments. With these few items, delicious meals can be prepared simply and there will be adequate nutrition to sustain oneself especially if garden fresh fruit and vegetables are also available.

So what about pre-packaged meals? What is the value propositon?

Six Tips for Dealing With the New Prepper

Six Tips for Dealing With the New Prepper

Over the last few days we have seen one the biggest storms in the history of the US slam into the east coast of our country. And then, a week ago, a huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the northwest coast of British Columbia. In the case if the former, there are – as of this writing – 62 casualties with more expected. There are still six million homes and businesses without power and the cleanup efforts will cost billions.

On the other hand, we lucked out with Canadian earthquake. Luckily, it was located a bit off shore on a sparsely populated rural island. There was a tsunami warning but the tsunami did not materialize. But can you imagine the devastation if the earthquake had occurred in nearby Vancouver or Seattle?

Ten Simple Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency

Ten Simple Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency

In a utopian world, we would be 100% self-sufficient. We would have enough food, enough water, enough power, and enough fuel, and perhaps most important, enough money to live a well-rounded, healthy and comfortable life. We would have to work hard, yes, but at the end of the day we would have the satisfaction of being able to take care of ourselves without selling out to greedsters or taking a handout from the government

11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life

11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life

Today I am thrilled to announce that the e-book I have co-authored with my long time friend, George Ure, has been released today. The title, “11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: A Guide to 2012 and Beyond” pretty much describes what it is about. We wrote the eBook during George’s visit in July and have been putting in the final touches ever since. And here you thought we were just goofing off!

Seriously though, our book is available starting today on our websites and also at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Education After the Collapse – A Journey Back to Little House on the Prairie

Education After the Collapse – A Journey Back to Little House on the Prairie

The year is 2018. Looking back, everything in the good old days of 2011 and 2012 seem like a distant memory. And yeah, at the time those good old days did not seem so good. But now they do. Why? The world and society as we knew it are long gone and we are left with a new world, a world without conveniences, without power and without a consistent and reliable food supply.

What I have described above, in my own words, is the scenario described in a new eBook written by Todd Sepulveda, the chief guru at the Prepper Website. In his book, titled “Education After the Collapse”, Todd describes a fictional community surviving in the aftermath of an economic collapse. It is not a pretty picture and most certainly will make you want to sit back and think (as well as ratchet up the preps more than a little bit.)

But his intent is not to scare and not to create panic. Rather, with this brief introduction, the intent is to set you on a track for thinking about an aspect of prepping you rarely hear about: the education of our children and the leaders of our next generation.

How to Build an Outdoor Mud Oven for Now and When the SHTF

How to Build an Outdoor Mud Oven for Now and When the SHTF

Rocket stoves and outdoor grills are great for cooking in a pot or skillet when the power is down or non-existent following a disaster or a worst case SHTF situation where fuel is either flat-out unavailable or intolerably expensive.

How to build a mud oven for use now and when the SHTF.

Baking from Scratch is a Skill You Need: A to Z Bread

Baking from Scratch is a Skill You Need: A to Z Bread

More and more these days I find myself baking from scratch. There are the artisan breads, the automatic bread maker breads and more recently artisan pizza. All of these hand baked items are far superior to store bought – no sneaky ingredients or preservatives that I can not pronounce – plus, they cost pennies to make. (Actually, about 50 cents which is still far less than $4 or more for store bought in my my neck of the woods.)

And then there are sweet breads or loaves. Not quite cake but not quite bread either. These are the banana breads and zucchini breads that are favored as a breakfast treat or bed time snack.

Getting Started with Handguns is Not for Wimps

Getting Started with Handguns is Not for Wimps

Earlier this month attended a 9 hour course on handgun safety and use. I called it “going to gun school”. On the drive to the armory, I was anxious, apprehensive, scared and a little bit intimidated. Luckily, I learned that these were normal feelings for a handgun newbie such as myself and that it I had been licking my chops in anticipation of the experience, perhaps I was a bit of whacko.

Six Things to Do to Prepare for Going Off-Grid

Six Things to Do to Prepare for Going Off-Grid

An updated version of this article can be found here:  Six Ways to Get Ready for Going Off-Grid.    

Is Prepping Worth it? What if Nothing Happens? Is it all a Waste?

Is Prepping Worth it? What if Nothing Happens? Is it all a Waste?

Earlier this year, I ran across an blog post on the Directive 21 site that asked the question: What if Nothing Happens? The context was that of prepping. You know what I mean: the time, the expense, the worry, the whole shebang. Is it worth it and more to the point, will all of this effort be wasted?

Now I happen to know that a lot of naysayers out there will point to the year 2K brouhaha as an example of why prepping if folly. Myself, I like to think that I bring a very unique perspective to that particular time since, as an old COBOL programmer, I knew how the computer code of old would blow up with the turn of the millennium. I also know many people who were frantically involved in code conversions and even I provided a bit of consulting to the telecommunications industry in that regard.

So why was Y2K a non-event? I would say that the diligent preparation on the part of governments and businesses played a really huge role in insuring that our utility companies continued to work, the ATM machines continued to function and that daily life continued without a hiccup. (That is not to say that I did not have $5,000 in small bills hidden under my mattress, however.)

Coming back in to the present, we have six more months for the Doomsday 2012 events yet to unfold. And now that the end of the Mayan calendar has pretty much been dispelled, what is left?

What are Antioxidants and Why Should the Prepper Care?

What are Antioxidants and Why Should the Prepper Care?

Buddha (c. 563 BC to 483 BC) is credited with saying: “To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

Now it seems to me that if the world were to drastically change in a TEOTWAWKI situation, having a strong and clear mind would be paramount to survival. And yet, as we plan for such an event, how much of our effort is spent on the matter of good health in the here and now? Not as much as we could and should I say.

The reasons are simple. It is just easy to continue to do things the way we always have. Some chips with our burger, a nice piece of pie for desert, and oh yeah, what about the can of soda to wash it down?

I have always been interested in diet and nutrition, most likely because I was an overweight child and have struggled to maintain trim my entire life. For the most part I have won the battle but now I also face the dreaded prospect of aging, and am acutely aware that what goes in can materially affect both how I look and how I feel as I get older.

Antioxidants – What are they?

The Importance of Community and Neighbors to Survival

The Importance of Community and Neighbors to Survival

There is no question about it. I am a some-times recluse. I enjoy my home, my dog and my little family of two and can go for days without talking to anyone else outside these four walls. Given a choice of staying home and watching a classic period piece on TV or going to a party with dozens of people, well, the choice for me is clear.

Yet from time to time, it feels good to be a social butterfly. Get me out on the dance floor or at a small gathering and I will bloom and shine. And so it is. We as humans crave our privacy while at the same time we long for the intensiveness of a satisfying social experience.

So how do we find the right balance, especially when it comes to living the preparedness lifestyle? On the one hand we need to feel secure that our “stuff” is safe and that out painstakingly gathered preps will be there for our use when and if we need them. On the other hand, we need to defend ourselves, our homes and our loved ones from physical harm. Is this something we can do on our own in isolation or would we be better served with some help?

A Primer on Using 9-1-1 for Emergencies

A Primer on Using 9-1-1 for Emergencies

These days it is easy to by cynical about government, be it Federal, State, County or City. And yet in spite of the inefficiencies, the crooked politicians and the questionable use of taxpayer funds, there are still some good – if not excellent – and valuable resources available to all of us.

One of those services is 9-1-1, the national (in the United States and Canada) Emergency Telephone Number .

15 Ways to Limit Radiation After Nuclear Armageddon

15 Ways to Limit Radiation After Nuclear Armageddon

As a baby boomer, I grew up in the shadow the Cold War along with the proliferation of nuclear power. Back in the day, we called this the onset of the “Atomic Age” and it was something to be heralded with anticipation for a better world . . . But something happened along the way . . . whether you believe the authorities or not when it comes to radiation safety, the best thing you can do now is learn how to limit radiation exposure following a nuclear incident.

The Useful and Affordable Pocket Survival Kit

The Useful and Affordable Pocket Survival Kit

More than a few of my readers have asked about an efficient, affordable and extremely portable everyday carry kit, often referred to as an EDC. I have been reluctant to respond because everyone’s needs – or perceived needs – are different. But there is one thing most of us have in common and that is the need to have on our person a few essential items that will get us through a myriad of unpredictable circumstances . . . . With that introduction, I would like to suggest five pieces of gear that should be in every backpack, every purse and every glove box. The list is a simple one and while the sky is the limit when it comes to gear, the entire kit can be put together with quality items for less than $50.