Posts
If you haven't already read this news article, read it and act.
When prices rise above what you can pay, what will you do?
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Monday, May 5, 2008
The Long Road
My trip down the road to preparedness began back when I was quite young. Reading about the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, The Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe and like stories kindled the flame of adventure and self reliance.
I had my 1st part time job at age 15 and used the money for buying hiking gear, bicycles and motorcycle parts. When I was 16 I bought my 1st vehicle: a 1948 Chevorolet 1/2 ton Pickup with a 4 speed and granny low. I only had it a few months before I sold it and bought a 1962 Chevy II.
When I was nineteen, I moved out into an apartment and began to collect more and better backpacking gear. I also began to hit garage sales and buy army surplus gear where ever I could find it.
I continued along this way until I was 25. Then came the event that forever changed my life. The survival movement was relatively young and unknown to me until I picked up this magazine at the local store.
Now a whole new world previously unimagined was introduced to me. I began to subscribe to more magazines such as Soldier of Fortune, Survive, Mother Earth News, Survival Tomorrow and Shooters Survival Guide.
At this time the cold war was the big threat and nuclear disaster dripped from every magazine. Natural disasters were also discussed and Global Warming was just an Al Gore wet dream.
26 years later I am still buying and preparing for the new threats emerging. New threats equals new preps. As long as I love my children I will continue to prep for beyond my lifetime and into theirs. Do I think I will ever be done? Not much chance of that thanks to the powers that be.
Prepping is indeed a long and rewarding road. If nothing were to ever happen, I would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that my family will be able to provide a large portion of their needs themselves. And if the train wreck that many see coming happens, we will ride out the storm in a much better position thanks to the preps.
I had my 1st part time job at age 15 and used the money for buying hiking gear, bicycles and motorcycle parts. When I was 16 I bought my 1st vehicle: a 1948 Chevorolet 1/2 ton Pickup with a 4 speed and granny low. I only had it a few months before I sold it and bought a 1962 Chevy II.
When I was nineteen, I moved out into an apartment and began to collect more and better backpacking gear. I also began to hit garage sales and buy army surplus gear where ever I could find it.
I continued along this way until I was 25. Then came the event that forever changed my life. The survival movement was relatively young and unknown to me until I picked up this magazine at the local store.
At this time the cold war was the big threat and nuclear disaster dripped from every magazine. Natural disasters were also discussed and Global Warming was just an Al Gore wet dream.
26 years later I am still buying and preparing for the new threats emerging. New threats equals new preps. As long as I love my children I will continue to prep for beyond my lifetime and into theirs. Do I think I will ever be done? Not much chance of that thanks to the powers that be.
Prepping is indeed a long and rewarding road. If nothing were to ever happen, I would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that my family will be able to provide a large portion of their needs themselves. And if the train wreck that many see coming happens, we will ride out the storm in a much better position thanks to the preps.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Rice and Garden Update
Just got back from shopping and I scored on 60 lbs of rice in 2 lb bags. Total price was $37.41. That works out to $0.6235 per lb. It looked as though they had about 200 lbs left out on the floor after I grabbed mine.
My indoor garden is doing great! Most of the radishes have come up, all of the broccoli has come up, another bok choy has popped up, most of the kale and lettuce has popped up too! The onion seems to be taking its sweet time compared to the other seeds.
Overall I am quite pleased with the performance of these seeds. The oldest seeds which I planted were; the broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and spinach (1999), The lettuce, kale and scarlet globe radish (2005), the mustard, onions, bok choy and scarlet white tip radish (2006).
What this tells me is that most of these seeds will be viable for a long time as long as they are not allowed to get moist. These seeds sat in a cardboard box up until last fall when I placed them into a plastic box so I could catalog and organize them.
I did buy a complete gardens worth early this spring, but I am going to store them in the reefer until they are needed. I still have a bunch of non-hybrid seeds which I bought in 2006 that will be joining them. I intend on using up all this old seed this year so as not to push my luck with them germinating.
Since I didn't have everything I wanted to plant, I bought more seeds last week; zucchini, spaghetti and acorn squash, as well as two kinds of beets, two kinds of roma tomatoes, a cherry tomato and two kinds of bush beans.
Time to get some peat pellets soaking so I can plant tomorrow.
My indoor garden is doing great! Most of the radishes have come up, all of the broccoli has come up, another bok choy has popped up, most of the kale and lettuce has popped up too! The onion seems to be taking its sweet time compared to the other seeds.
Overall I am quite pleased with the performance of these seeds. The oldest seeds which I planted were; the broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and spinach (1999), The lettuce, kale and scarlet globe radish (2005), the mustard, onions, bok choy and scarlet white tip radish (2006).
What this tells me is that most of these seeds will be viable for a long time as long as they are not allowed to get moist. These seeds sat in a cardboard box up until last fall when I placed them into a plastic box so I could catalog and organize them.
I did buy a complete gardens worth early this spring, but I am going to store them in the reefer until they are needed. I still have a bunch of non-hybrid seeds which I bought in 2006 that will be joining them. I intend on using up all this old seed this year so as not to push my luck with them germinating.
Since I didn't have everything I wanted to plant, I bought more seeds last week; zucchini, spaghetti and acorn squash, as well as two kinds of beets, two kinds of roma tomatoes, a cherry tomato and two kinds of bush beans.
Time to get some peat pellets soaking so I can plant tomorrow.
SHTF Planning
Avian Flu Pandemic, Climate Change, Economic Collapse, Food Scarcity, Peak Oil, Martial Law, Terrorism, Natural Disasters, Government Tyranny...
Stop!
Take a deep breathe and settle down.
All of these things can trigger the SHTF, so you need to plan accordingly.
But First...
Before you do anything else, plan a months worth of daily menus that need no cooking beyond possibly heating up for yourself and your family. Stick to canned and dried goods that have a long shelf life. Try to utilize familiar foods that your family likes to eat. Include desserts and snacks. MRE's will work but are fairly expensive as well as some people don't like them.
Freeze dried foods such as that produced by Mountain House, Alpen Aire, Rainy Day Foods and others are a good choice as they are stored in #10 cans and mylar pouches for long life and need only heat and water to be made ready to eat. There is a good variety for building your menu also.
Now go out and buy it.
Store it in an easily accessible area in case you need to leave your home quickly.
FEMA recommends a 72 hour (3 days) supply for emergencys. Just look at how long it took for aid to reach Katrina victims. It took 7 days to get the people stranded at the Superdome evacuated.
Do you still feel comfortable with only 72 hours worth?
For a small scale disaster that may be ok, or as a starting point for working up to a month or longer.
You should also store one gallon of water per person, per day for the same Month period for which you made the menus. If you do not have room to store this much water, get the means to purify it and store what you are able. This means filters like the Berkey (or homemade Berkey style), Bleach (non-scented), Katadyn brand filters and such.
Now, make lists.
Create a list of everything you consume during a months time.
Fuel: Kerosene, Lamp Oil, Liquid Paraffin, Diesel, Gasoline, Alcohol, Propane
Food
Medicines
Entertainment: Console games, Movies, Computer Games, Card Games, Board Games, Reading material, Gambling, Theatre, etc...
Clothing: Shoes, Shirts, Skirts, Blue Jeans, Suits, etc...
Household and Bath (HABA): Toilet Paper, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Laundry Dertergent
Pet care: Flea Collar, Kitty Litter, Food, etc...
Utilities: Phone (land Line), Cell Phone, Cable, Internet, Electricty, Sewer, Water, Garbage, Natural Gas, etc...
Everything.
Including booze and cigs.
Be sure to record what you paid for each item.
Do it. This is important.
List everything under categories like those above.
This is easiest done if you put it into a spreadsheet like MS Excel. Don't have a spreadsheet program? Get Open Office free for the download at http://www.openoffice.org/.
When you have everything listed you will see a picture of your monthly expenditures. Now start organizing the list until you have the essentials in one group, must haves in another and nice to have in a third, etc.. .
Once you have all this info organized it is easy to see where your money goes each month. Now start cutting out unnecessary expenditures until you have enough money to start a SHTF preparation plan. $25, $50, $100 or more per month to devote to this. Depending on where you are in life, Survival Noob or Preparedness Guru (and all the in between points) your plan could be extensive or minimal.
Disaster planning consumes money. Lot’s of it. So start out with the basics. A month’s food/water supply per family member. You are now prepared for a short term food/water disruption. Plan to purchase canned long term storage non-hybrid garden seeds. No less than 4 cans/years worth. Learn how to harvest and store your own garden seeds.
The lists will also show you what you need to stock up on to maintain familiar items in your prep plan. it will also show you the holes. As you begin to make your purchases, date and rotate what you store. Keep an inventory in a spreadsheet and print it out once a month so you have a hard copy if the power goes out.
Now that you have your food, how are you going to keep it? I am not talking about storage, I am talking about roving gangs of starving people who will murder you and your family just to have a peek in your cupboards. Don't think it will happen? Take a look at what's happening in the world! Society is slowly collapsing all around us and it may not return for a long, long time, if ever.
Home defense will require firearms and you will need to be mentally prepared to take a human life. Failure to do so may bring the roving gangs back to your door and that will probably be the end of you and your family. The merely wounded will return to "their" comrades and soon they will be knocking down your door or burning you out.
This alone is a good reason to relocate to a more remote area, near a small town with hospital, pharmacy, Dr.s and Dentists, as well as other professional services.
Hiding your head in the sand will not make the ugly truth go away! If you want an example of how bad it can get, take a look at what is happening in Rhodesia, excuse me, I mean Zimbabwe. This travesty can happen in any nation where the populace is disarmed and the Government is out of control.
Inflation: 100,000%
Unemployment: 80%
Life expectancy: 37 years
Malnutrition: 45% of the population
Half the remaining population is now under the age of 18, according to Save the Children estimates. Many have become refugees in neighboring nations.
How would you cope with these problems? The U.S. is not immune from these troubles (nor is any other nation). They are starting to crop up even now, albeit at lower levels.
If you haven't already, get started prepping now! The ball is rolling, the clock ticking and the hand basket is here. Jump in, we're going to go for a helluva ride!
Stop!
Take a deep breathe and settle down.
All of these things can trigger the SHTF, so you need to plan accordingly.
But First...
Before you do anything else, plan a months worth of daily menus that need no cooking beyond possibly heating up for yourself and your family. Stick to canned and dried goods that have a long shelf life. Try to utilize familiar foods that your family likes to eat. Include desserts and snacks. MRE's will work but are fairly expensive as well as some people don't like them.
Freeze dried foods such as that produced by Mountain House, Alpen Aire, Rainy Day Foods and others are a good choice as they are stored in #10 cans and mylar pouches for long life and need only heat and water to be made ready to eat. There is a good variety for building your menu also.
Now go out and buy it.
Store it in an easily accessible area in case you need to leave your home quickly.
FEMA recommends a 72 hour (3 days) supply for emergencys. Just look at how long it took for aid to reach Katrina victims. It took 7 days to get the people stranded at the Superdome evacuated.
Do you still feel comfortable with only 72 hours worth?
For a small scale disaster that may be ok, or as a starting point for working up to a month or longer.
You should also store one gallon of water per person, per day for the same Month period for which you made the menus. If you do not have room to store this much water, get the means to purify it and store what you are able. This means filters like the Berkey (or homemade Berkey style), Bleach (non-scented), Katadyn brand filters and such.
Now, make lists.
Create a list of everything you consume during a months time.
Fuel: Kerosene, Lamp Oil, Liquid Paraffin, Diesel, Gasoline, Alcohol, Propane
Food
Medicines
Entertainment: Console games, Movies, Computer Games, Card Games, Board Games, Reading material, Gambling, Theatre, etc...
Clothing: Shoes, Shirts, Skirts, Blue Jeans, Suits, etc...
Household and Bath (HABA): Toilet Paper, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Laundry Dertergent
Pet care: Flea Collar, Kitty Litter, Food, etc...
Utilities: Phone (land Line), Cell Phone, Cable, Internet, Electricty, Sewer, Water, Garbage, Natural Gas, etc...
Everything.
Including booze and cigs.
Be sure to record what you paid for each item.
Do it. This is important.
List everything under categories like those above.
This is easiest done if you put it into a spreadsheet like MS Excel. Don't have a spreadsheet program? Get Open Office free for the download at http://www.openoffice.org/.
When you have everything listed you will see a picture of your monthly expenditures. Now start organizing the list until you have the essentials in one group, must haves in another and nice to have in a third, etc.. .
Once you have all this info organized it is easy to see where your money goes each month. Now start cutting out unnecessary expenditures until you have enough money to start a SHTF preparation plan. $25, $50, $100 or more per month to devote to this. Depending on where you are in life, Survival Noob or Preparedness Guru (and all the in between points) your plan could be extensive or minimal.
Disaster planning consumes money. Lot’s of it. So start out with the basics. A month’s food/water supply per family member. You are now prepared for a short term food/water disruption. Plan to purchase canned long term storage non-hybrid garden seeds. No less than 4 cans/years worth. Learn how to harvest and store your own garden seeds.
The lists will also show you what you need to stock up on to maintain familiar items in your prep plan. it will also show you the holes. As you begin to make your purchases, date and rotate what you store. Keep an inventory in a spreadsheet and print it out once a month so you have a hard copy if the power goes out.
Now that you have your food, how are you going to keep it? I am not talking about storage, I am talking about roving gangs of starving people who will murder you and your family just to have a peek in your cupboards. Don't think it will happen? Take a look at what's happening in the world! Society is slowly collapsing all around us and it may not return for a long, long time, if ever.
Home defense will require firearms and you will need to be mentally prepared to take a human life. Failure to do so may bring the roving gangs back to your door and that will probably be the end of you and your family. The merely wounded will return to "their" comrades and soon they will be knocking down your door or burning you out.
This alone is a good reason to relocate to a more remote area, near a small town with hospital, pharmacy, Dr.s and Dentists, as well as other professional services.
Hiding your head in the sand will not make the ugly truth go away! If you want an example of how bad it can get, take a look at what is happening in Rhodesia, excuse me, I mean Zimbabwe. This travesty can happen in any nation where the populace is disarmed and the Government is out of control.
Inflation: 100,000%
Unemployment: 80%
Life expectancy: 37 years
Malnutrition: 45% of the population
Half the remaining population is now under the age of 18, according to Save the Children estimates. Many have become refugees in neighboring nations.
How would you cope with these problems? The U.S. is not immune from these troubles (nor is any other nation). They are starting to crop up even now, albeit at lower levels.
If you haven't already, get started prepping now! The ball is rolling, the clock ticking and the hand basket is here. Jump in, we're going to go for a helluva ride!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Has TSHTF?
The time for making and implementing plans may have come and gone. Some may not agree with this, but I think we are currently in a SHTF situation. A real bad slide toward the inevitable crash. Skyrocketing food and fuel prices are putting a real hurt on low income and lower middleclass familys.
Our do nothing Congress is letting the grain supply that would feed our nation be sold to the foreign markets, effectively leaving our shelves bare. Both partys have sold their soul to the highest bidder, and no legislation gets passed that doesn't benefit some large Corporation somewhere.
The fatally flawed ethanol fuel plan should be put on permanent hold until the food production can go up enough to offset ethanols' drain on the world food supply. Those who concieved this fiasco should hang their head in shame at their lack of foresight.
Or is everything going as planned?
I believe it started on 911 and like the proverbial Frog in the pan of water, the heat is being turned up so slowly that most will not notice it until it is too late to act. The media circus paraded in front of us daily masks the slight of hand legislation in the background. Our rights are being stripped away before our eyes, and the general public never seems to notice.
They are too busy watching the game or NASCAR on their big screen tv, or out shopping for what they do not need and have no place to store. Spending their way into economic collapse, buying goods they do not need, but are programmed into buying irregardless.
Feeding the beast that controls us.
Climate change is starting to affect the growing of food crops in different places in the world. The Rice harvest has been hit by drought, particularly in China and Australia, forcing producers to retain their crops to satisfy local markets.
Shortages of rice is occuring in nations where it is a staple part of their diet, not a side dish. People hoarding rice are being arrested. Already China, India, Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia have imposed tariffs or export bans.
UG99 wheat stem rust (a fungus) is having an effect on wheat harvests in Africa. It has spread slowly across east Africa, but in January this year spores blew across to Yemen, and north into Sudan. It heads to the bread baskets of Asia, and what then? Billions of people at risk of starvation in that area of the globe alone.
Out of control gasoline and diesel prices are driving food costs even higher. Many predict $5.00 a gallon for gas by next summer. This has more impact in the US than in Europe as the US does not have the public transportation infrastructure. Bedroom communities and decent paying jobs are seperated by hourly commutes, draining the tanks, the bank accounts and energy of the people.
It may be many years, if ever for the US to get a solution to this in place. Billions of dollars that could have been used for this improvement instead going to line Haliburton's pockets under the guise of the Iraq war.
The only thing certain to come from this is misery for the poor, and hardship for those who are unprepared. Are you destined to huddle in the Government camps, waiting for your daily ration, for which you toil endlessly under the control of the Beast?
Prepare now, while your money still has value.
Has TSHTF? Yes, I believe it has.
Is it TEOTWAWKI? No, Not yet.
Our do nothing Congress is letting the grain supply that would feed our nation be sold to the foreign markets, effectively leaving our shelves bare. Both partys have sold their soul to the highest bidder, and no legislation gets passed that doesn't benefit some large Corporation somewhere.
The fatally flawed ethanol fuel plan should be put on permanent hold until the food production can go up enough to offset ethanols' drain on the world food supply. Those who concieved this fiasco should hang their head in shame at their lack of foresight.
Or is everything going as planned?
I believe it started on 911 and like the proverbial Frog in the pan of water, the heat is being turned up so slowly that most will not notice it until it is too late to act. The media circus paraded in front of us daily masks the slight of hand legislation in the background. Our rights are being stripped away before our eyes, and the general public never seems to notice.
They are too busy watching the game or NASCAR on their big screen tv, or out shopping for what they do not need and have no place to store. Spending their way into economic collapse, buying goods they do not need, but are programmed into buying irregardless.
Feeding the beast that controls us.
Climate change is starting to affect the growing of food crops in different places in the world. The Rice harvest has been hit by drought, particularly in China and Australia, forcing producers to retain their crops to satisfy local markets.
Shortages of rice is occuring in nations where it is a staple part of their diet, not a side dish. People hoarding rice are being arrested. Already China, India, Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia have imposed tariffs or export bans.
UG99 wheat stem rust (a fungus) is having an effect on wheat harvests in Africa. It has spread slowly across east Africa, but in January this year spores blew across to Yemen, and north into Sudan. It heads to the bread baskets of Asia, and what then? Billions of people at risk of starvation in that area of the globe alone.
Out of control gasoline and diesel prices are driving food costs even higher. Many predict $5.00 a gallon for gas by next summer. This has more impact in the US than in Europe as the US does not have the public transportation infrastructure. Bedroom communities and decent paying jobs are seperated by hourly commutes, draining the tanks, the bank accounts and energy of the people.
It may be many years, if ever for the US to get a solution to this in place. Billions of dollars that could have been used for this improvement instead going to line Haliburton's pockets under the guise of the Iraq war.
The only thing certain to come from this is misery for the poor, and hardship for those who are unprepared. Are you destined to huddle in the Government camps, waiting for your daily ration, for which you toil endlessly under the control of the Beast?
Prepare now, while your money still has value.
Has TSHTF? Yes, I believe it has.
Is it TEOTWAWKI? No, Not yet.
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