Jim S. sent: Don’t Fear That Expired Food
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Reader W.C.P. suggested a piece by LTC Dave Grossman: The Enemy is Denial
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The fledgling C.R.O.S.S. missionary organization is looking for a volunteer publicist. In essence, they need someone to schedule interviews and to help write press releases. This is a way that you can help out that requires no cash outlay whatsoever. This position is not geographically bound. (You can live anywhere that there is a reliable Internet connection.)
"Why has the government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint." – Alexander Hamilton, 1787
Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 44 ends on January 31st, 2013, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Doing “Double Duty” is a concept that I was first introduced to during my first enlistment in the US Army. It is a term that simply implies that an item or material (or person) could be utilized to fulfill an additional purpose besides the one that it was specifically designed or trained for. As a young soldier in an infantry company, I quickly learned the value of being able to “get creative” with my equipment and supplies in order to increase their versatility and make them go farther.
Chances are that this idea is not new to you. With our economy in the US getting further and further out of control, many Americans have already changed their buying habits and now consider the versatility of a product to be an important buying point. It just makes good practical sense. During normal circumstances, planning for double duty is relatively easy to do. Matter of fact, you’re probably already doing it. But planning for double duty in preparation for unusual or emergency situations is considerably more difficult.
In this article, we will discuss why planning for double duty is a good idea, how to plan for double duty both at home and in preparation for a “bug out” scenario, and finally some common items that can perform double duty; at home and on the trail.
Why
Probably the best answer to why is, “to make better use of your resources”. Most of us have limited income, limited space, and limited time to spend on preparedness. Therefore, we need to make the most out of what we have and make it go as far as we can. Double Duty Planning is a tool that can not only help us to be better prepared in the event of a disaster or emergency, but can also serve to make our daily lives more efficient and simple.
Limited Income
In order for your income to be of any benefit to your survival, you need to invest in those things that will be of most use to you and your family. And it has to be done before you need them. During a disaster, TEOTWAWKI, or other calamitous event, it’s a good chance that your money will be worth far less than it is now.
When making purchases, we have all been conditioned by mainstream media to look for and identify what marketers call the “USP” or “Unique Selling Point”. The USP is that one quality or characteristic that supposedly makes the product “the best” at doing one specific thing. Chances are that our cabinets are full of products that specialize in one specific thing. Bleach for example is a product which meets a specific need; to keep whites white. No other product on the market enjoys bleach’s popularity in the market for this one purpose. But what about the other uses for bleach? Most people would be hard pressed to name any other uses. But that is exactly where double duty planning or dual purposing comes in! Bleach does much more than just whiten whites.
If I could show you how you could save hundreds of dollars a year on groceries and other household goods; would you be interested? Well, even though it may sound like a sales hook and too good to be true, planning for double duty can potentially save you hundreds of dollars per year. The way that this is accomplished is by eliminating those products that we purchase that only serve one specific purpose and replacing them with products that have multiple uses. If you look in your cleaning cabinet or closet, how many different cleaning products do you have? Do you have two, three, four, or more? Or do you use a multi-purpose cleaner? How much money would you save if instead of buying glass cleaner, floor cleaner, stove and countertop cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, shower, tub and tile cleaner, pot and pan cleaner, etc; you could buy one product that did it all? Better yet, what if the product or products that you replaced all of these with had other uses as well? You could save a lot of money in cleaning supplies alone.
Limited Space
The issue of limited space is often resolved by our attempts at saving money. This is natural in that as we consolidate the various kinds of products that we purchase, we need less room to store the replacements. As we replace single duty products with double duty products, we will not need as much space to store them. This is space that could be better used for storing additional food and medical supplies; or ammo.
Space becomes a lot more crucial when considering a bug out situation. We will be limited to what we can carry with us or cache along the way. The size, shape, and weight of survival gear become chief concerns when a bug out scenario becomes likely. But, as within the home, dual purposing our gear can save us a lot of space. I’ll use my own personal experiences in the Army as an example. In the movie Platoon, the new soldiers were preparing to go out on their first patrol when their platoon sergeant went through and battle stripped them; leaving them with only what they needed to survive. I went through a similar event before going out on my first patrol. My rucksack was whittled down from a hefty 65 pounds to about 40 pounds. I had packed many tools and items that were unnecessary because I had other items that could do multiple jobs. Not to mention that I now had the space to carry more crucial supplies like water, food and ammunition. It took an experienced platoon sergeant to teach me the value of versatility. Years later, I became a platoon sergeant and made it a point of teaching my soldiers how to pack with double duty in mind.
One of the purposes of a cache is to serve as a resupply point. Many people’s philosophy on caching is, “more is better”, but this is not always true. The larger that you make a cache, the harder it is to hide. Cache size is also limited by the geography of an area or route. Space in a cache can be limited as well and could therefore benefit from the optimization that double duty items can provide. During egress, BOBs and caches kind of go hand in hand; the more stuff that you can cache along your egress route, the more space you have for other items in your BOB.
Limited Time
Time is a variable resource in that we will have more of it during one situation than we will during another. When at home during normal life, time may be easy to manage. But during the beginning of a TEOTWAWKI sort of event, time will be in short supply. The more we prepare now, the less we struggle later. So, how can planning for double duty save us time? Ultimately it boils down to choices. When you go to the grocery store and are confronted with buying dog food. How do you decide which one to buy; price, your dog’s favorite, nice packaging? You only have twelve different brands, seven flavors, three sizes, and twenty prices to choose from. We can save a lot of time if we know beforehand what we’re going to buy. Go there, get it, and leave! The more choices that we have to make, the more time it takes. Make your choices while time is plentiful.
Another Reason
Have you ever been in line in the grocery store behind someone who was into Extreme Couponing? It’s amazing to watch as they unload buggy after buggy at the checkout. You can literally feel their excitement and dread building as the total rises ever higher. As their coupons are tallied, we experience the suspense and danger of failure that this great adventure offers! Then we get to see the glorious sense of jubilation that the shopper feels when their once high total is reduced to mere pennies! All of the long hours spent searching, cutting, and planning have culminated in one flawless victory! Marvelous! This is what makes the adventure worthwhile! If it were simply about saving money, it would not have been worth the cost. It’s about the victory!
Planning for double duty is a similar endeavor; it’s not only about saving money and stretching resources. It’s about the victory! It’s about being able to use what you have planned for in a pinch when it is needed most!
How
To find out how requires the most growth on our parts. This is the step that requires us to do our homework. The process that I am going to layout in this article is what I view as being the most simple and is the process that I use.
At Home
First of all, I created an inventory of what I had on hand. Then, out beside of each item, I noted its use or uses. If the item only had one specific use, then I placed a star beside that item signifying that it needed closer review. My next pass on the list, I’m looking specifically at those items that have more than one use and whether they can take on the additional duty of those items that I marked with a star. If they can, I put a mark through the item with the star that can be eliminated. Next, I investigate to find out if there is a product which I don’t currently have that would assume multiple uses on my list. Finally, I look over my list again to determine if those items have other uses. I have included my cleaning supplies list for reference.
| Cleaning Item List | Uses |
| Windex Window Cleaner | Glass |
| Comet Abrasive Cleanser | Sinks, tubs, toilet, showers, pots, pans, tile |
| Pinesol | Surfaces, sinks, tubs, toilet, floors |
| Orange Degreaser | Surfaces |
| Carpet Fresh | Carpets/rugs |
| 409 Multipurpose | Surfaces |
| Ammonia | Surfaces, floors |
At this point, I have identified how other items on my list can perform the same duties as those that can only perform one. The next step is to investigate to see if there is a product out there to replace those items still on my list.
Baking Soda – can directly replace Comet Cleanser and Carpet Fresh.
White Vinegar – can directly replace the 409 Multipurpose cleaner, Pinesol, and the Ammonia.
Here is what my truncated cleaning supplies list looks like now.
| Cleaning Item List | Uses |
| White Vinegar | Glass, surfaces, floors |
| Baking Soda | Sinks, tubs, toilets, showers, tile, carpet, rugs, pots, pans |
Baking soda and vinegar both have additional uses in food preparation and in medicine. And both tend to be relatively inexpensive and environmentally safe compared to many other name brand cleaners. Baking soda and vinegar mixed together also make a nifty science project for kids and is great for cleaning drains.
I’m not telling you to go through your cleaning supplies and throw out everything and replace it with vinegar and baking soda. I’m just saying that you could if you chose to. Or, if by necessity, you had to. This same process will work for other areas of home and survival preparedness as well. The main question that you want to ask yourself is, “how many different ways can I use _______?”
On The Trail
For those of us that hike and camp recreationally; and I mean survivalist type camping without a camper or grill, packing light is always a priority. If I can consolidate the items that I need to take with me from 30 down to 8, that’s a big advantage for me so long as I know how to utilize what I brought for more than one purpose. Let’s look at tools. When I go camping, I know that there are certain tasks that I may need to perform. I will need to cut brush and vines, chop down small trees, construct shelter, cut/chop food, defend myself from animals/people, and maybe skin and or butcher game. So, is there one tool that I can take that will allow me to do all of these tasks? If I inventory my tools the same way that I inventoried my cleaning supplies, the process will work the same.
| Camping/Survival Tool List | Uses |
| Hatchet | Chopping wood |
| Machete | Clearing brush & vines, chopping food, Butchering, chopping wood, protection |
| Mallet | Driving tent stakes, hammering |
| Utility Knife | Chopping food, skinning, butchering, general use, protection |
| Shovel/Spade | Digging |
| Saw | Sawing tree limbs, roots |
Naturally, we can’t carry all of this stuff with us on a hike, so it’s in our best interest to consolidate. The machete can accomplish everything that the hatchet can. The addition of a military E-tool would eliminate the need for the shovel, the saw, and the mallet. Taking an idea from the Russian Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces), I could sharpen one edge of my E-tool to a knife’s edge and could use it as a bladed weapon and to skin animals. As a result, my new list may look like this.
| Camping/Survival Tool List | Uses |
| Machete | Clearing brush & vines, chopping wood, chopping food, butchering, protection |
| Military E-tool | Digging, sawing, driving tent stakes, hammering, protection, skinning |
| Utility Knife | Chopping food, skinning, butchering, general use, protection |
Notice that there is still some overlapping of duties. It is important to remember here that consolidation of supplies and tools can be taken too far. You can reach a point where you end up compromising your preparedness. Some ascribe to the “Rule of Three”; as in that you need to have at least three ways of fulfilling a need or completing a task. Although you can take it to extremes and purchase three of everything, the point of the rule is to stress the importance of having a back-up plan. In the above refined list, if I lost or broke any one of my tools, I could probably make due with what I had left. They may not fit the bill perfectly, but they’ll get the job done.
Double Duty Items & Supplies
The following list is simply a starting point. But there are plenty of good web sites where you can increase your knowledge. Matter of fact, there are probably many more that you know about that I don’t. If so, please write an article so that we can all learn from your experiences.
Rather than create a list for “At Home” items and then also for “Survival/Bug Out” items, I’ll leave it up to you to decide how these best fit your needs.
| Item | Use/Purpose |
| Baking Soda | Cleaner, deodorizer, cooking, toothpaste, medical |
| White Vinegar | Surface cleaner, clothes whitener, food, medicine, preservative |
| Bleach (Plain, Calcium Hypochlorite) | Clothes whitener, water treatment, surface cleaner |
| Hydrogen Peroxide | Disinfectant, water treatment |
| Salt | Preservative, food prep, antiseptic |
| Pure Vanilla | Antiseptic, mild local anesthetic, flavoring |
| Olive Oil | Cooking, skin moisturizer, lubricant, lamp oil, burn treatment |
| Chap-stick | Soothes chapped lips, zipper lubricant, seam waterproofing |
| Multi-tool (Gerber, Leatherman, etc.) | Knife, screwdrivers, saw, file, bottle opener, scissors, pliers |
| Entrenching Tool, Folding (“E-Tool”) | Shovel, saw, mallet, weapon, food preparation |
| Machete | Clearing brush, chopping wood, food prep, weapon |
| Tomahawk | Chopping wood, food prep, mallet, weapon |
| Rope/Cord/String | Climbing, tying, binding, pulling, trapping, fishing |
I will not go into dual purpose firearms in this article mainly because that is a subject that has already been covered exhaustively by others far more knowledgeable than me.
Let your imagination be your guide. But I would also advise you to not take my word for it because what works for me may not work for you. Take the information in this article and customize it to your specific needs. Then put your strategy to the test. I recommend that everyone take a voluntary “bug out” to test yourself and your preps. It will undoubtedly show you where your weaknesses are.
Captain Rawles,
I have seen this statistic of “13% of people are leaders, 74% are followers, and 13% shut down during a crisis”. I have seen this stat mentioned on Dr. Koelker’s blog, on your blog, and it was even mentioned on a NBC Dateline program covering the Costa Concordia cruise ship accident. Despite seeing this stat mentioned in a variety of places I have yet to see who created the stat. I have never once seen where it was cited from and I can not seem to find any citation of it on the internet. Have you ever come across the origin of this data?
Please Advise, – Arthur K.
JWR Replies: Reader Kris N. reminded me: “In the book, “The Survivors Club” by Ben Sherwood , in chapter two, he tells of the studies of John Leach. Mr. Leach was curious about why so many people died when the “Herald of Free Enterprise” ferry capsized outside the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium in March of 1987. His subsequent Theory of 10-80-10 was the result of examining this as well as many other disasters. It states that roughly 10% of people will handle a crisis in a relatively calm and rational state of mind. Under duress, they will pull themselves together quickly. They assess situations clearly and their decision making is sharp and focused. The majority of people however will be stunned and bewildered with significantly impaired reasoning who will behave in a reflexive, almost automatic or mechanical manner, such as the commuters in the King’s Cross fire who trudged forward with their routines despite the smoke. The other 10% will just simply do the wrong thing in the crisis.”
It’s Not a “Fiscal Cliff” … It’s the Descent Into Lawlessness
Post-Hyperinflationary Zimbabwe Welcomes The Holidays With 80% Unemployment, Empty ATMs And Paralyzed Transport. (Thanks to Jim W for the link.)
American Vehicle Miles Driven Haven’t Been This Low Since The 1990s
Items from The Economatrix:
Chinese Rating Agency Puts US On Negative Watch
Feinstein’s ‘assault weapon’ ban would be tantamount to confiscation. (A hat tip to Jim W. for the link.) Here is a summary in Feinstein’s own words about how she plans to “perfect” renewal of the 1994 to 2004 ban. The law would be worded so that you semi-auto rifles could not be passed on to your heirs. When you die, your guns would have to be turned in for destruction! Please contact your senators and congressmen and urge them to vigorously oppose any new restrictions on guns and full capacity magazines.
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Reader Vince W. alerted me to an anti-preparedness hatchet piece in the leftist The New Republic: From “Walking Dead” to “Doomsday Preppers,” What’s Behind TV’s Post-Apocalypse Fantasies? It was authored by “James Berger”. (I suspect that this is a pen name for one of the magazine’s senior editors, since it is the first time his byline has appeared in the magazine.) This grossly irresponsible and intellectually vacant editorial attempts to smear those who prepare as psychos craving violence and somehow insufficiently represented by minorities. By extension, it tars us with the brush of xenophobic, antiemetic redneck bigots who can’t wait for the excuse to shoot neighbors with darker skin. The truth is that “James Berger” needn’t worry about his well-prepared neighbors. Rather, it is wholly un-provisioned neighbors who are suddenly ravenous and out of drugs that pose the more likely threat. When an actual disaster strikes, I have no doubt that Mr. Berger will come crying like a little girl to the doorstep of his prepper neighbors, seeking: A.) Sustenance (since he bought a BMW 7-Series F02 instead of storage food and a water filter) and B.) Protection from the predations of his neighbors (because he thought that guns were “evil” and he fell for the lie that self defense is encapsulated in dialing 911.)
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Fast and Furious and Profitable, Too! Pistol purchased by ATF agent found at alleged cartel crime scene in Mexico
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Reader R.B.S. suggested this by Dr. Gary North: In Defense of the Second Amendment
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The term “high capacity clip” presently being bandied about by the politicos and television talking heads aggravates me. The term is a specious political creation. The fact is that a 30 round magazine is standard capacity for an AR or an AK, and anything less than that is a reduced capacity magazine. It is fine to say “full capacity” or “standard capacity” but calling 30 rounds “high capacity” is nothing but demonization and political grandstanding. Get your terminology straight and don’t fall for semantics traps!
Oh, and FYI, at present, here are the bans in effect at the state level (some with grandfather clauses–be sure to research your state and local laws):
States prohibiting magazines over 10 rounds: California, Hawaii*, Massachusetts, and New York. (The latter only if a magazine is post-9/1994 production)
States prohibiting magazines over 12 rounds: Washington, DC
States prohibiting magazines over 15 rounds: New Jersey
States prohibiting magazines over 20 rounds: Maryland
States prohibiting magazines over 31 rounds: Ohio
* The Hawaii Rifle Association web site notes: “Hawaii state law prohibits greater than 10 round detachable pistol magazines (including rifle magazines capable of use in any pistol, such as the AR-15/M16, M1 Carbine, H&K carbine, Thompson, AKs, and aftermarket Ruger .22 magazines) unless blocked to hold 10 rounds or less and “not readily restorable”. Possession of illegal magazines [by themselves] is a misdemeanor, and possession of a handgun with even an empty one inserted is a Class C felony. “
“The complexity of social organization does not change. Our technologically sophisticated industrial society is more complex than the agrarian society of America in the eighteenth century. In this regard, that was ‘a simpler world.’ But the complexities of politics (politics here meaning the science of governing) do not change much. The basic political problems confronting the Framers of our Constitution were as complex as our political problems today—perhaps more so, because they were striking off into the dangerous unknown, whereas all we need do is return to the fine highway we were once on.” – Congressman Larry McDonald
Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, E.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 44 ends on January 31st, 2013, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
I am a widow of over three years whose youngest son was serving our country in the Middle East when my husband’s death happened. My husband lost his job and was forced into early retirement before his death. I will not go into the details of all the turmoil then and of having a child home with injuries of war. In a SHTF situation there will be many people with war injuries in our own neighborhoods. My other children and I are so glad he is still alive. My income dropped further not long after this. It was the end of the world as I knew it mixed in the downward spiraling economy. I cannot move from this area. I live in the country near cities. I have grandchildren and children who will no doubt come here if cities rapidly become uninhabitable. For several it is within walking distance if they must walk, about 13 miles. I can only think of how living in a heavily populated area can work to my advantage. Buying and storing bulk foods is not an option. Here is how I am surviving and preparing for a future on a fixed income.
I will be doubling the size of my garden this coming spring. Weather from the drought literally scorched the ground this past summer. I planted lettuce over and over never to see it raise from the ground. That is just one example of what the drought did to my garden. I am sixty years old today and have never seen anything like the weather this past summer. Horrible and truly scary but now I only see it as a lesson for future gardening and for the times when my garden may be raided. I have to think outside the box. I now have a simple irrigation system to help through another drought. My garden is located on the back of my property so I may plow for another garden closer to my house. Two better than one. Though I have plenty of seed for my garden needs, I will be buying extra seed for barter and trying to save more heirloom seeds than I do now. I am using a hoe for weeding instead of a tiller. I can plant more this way and keep in shape at the same time. Gardening is the best summer gym! I can barter fresh produce. For now, winter is just a stone’s throw away yet I can walk to my garden and pick greens I planted late in summer when the drought was over. Asian greens, an onion, pepper, mushrooms with other vegetables and a chicken breast cooked in a stir fry over organic brown rice is a cheap and healthy meal, especially if the veggies come from the garden. A chicken breast from the grocer can be replaced by a squirrel.
I have two grain mills I purchased since my husband’s passing. One mill is a used hand mill I paid ten dollars for and the other a small electric Blendtec I purchased from Amazon.com. Since I live in an area of corn, grain and soybean fields I hope I will be able to bargain {barter} with local farmers for grains to use in my mills. I ordered a large bag of organic wheat from a local health food store a while back and the bread is delicious made with fresh milled grain. Trading fresh bread or produce for grains will be an option.
I have two woodstoves. I heat my home with the one in the basement and the other is in my garage/workshop. Most of my 8 acres is wooded so I will not be cold in winter. I could barter extra wood for food, gas etc. I pile brush from cut trees to attract quail that are coming back into this area.
I can cook over a fire when I run out of fuel for Coleman Cook Stove during blackouts. I keep two Coleman outdoor stoves plus one of their ovens to place on top the burners for baking. Coleman ovens can be purchased for around forty bucks. Once I thought of outdoor stoves only for camping. Several years ago the tail winds of Hurricane Ike helped me prepare for days of no electric. That hurricane was a true wake up call!
Many homeowners in my area have ponds. I can barter for fresh fish. I really need to have a pond built on my place. That is something to think about for the future. I advise anyone with the acreage to build a pond. There will be no fresh or frozen fish if electric is out for weeks. A pond will provide fresh bluegill, bass, crappie, catfish etc.
I do not have chickens. I buy eggs from a couple neighbors when they have extra eggs. Again, I can barter for eggs.
This area is abundant with deer. I have deer in the freezer. Deer would be scarce in a collapsed society but I would still have a few around my property plus other wildlife. Again, think barter.
Double coupon for groceries and other products. It is a pain to categorize coupons cut from newspapers but it is a must when economizing. I use envelopes for coupons in a small folder. My canned section of the folder has envelopes for canned soup, veggies, condiments, meats, salad dressings etc. The health section has individual envelopes for cold medicines, band aids and salve section of drug store, shampoos, etc. The list goes on for dairy products, frozen foods, cereal brands, ethic foods such as Italian, Chinese etc. Sometimes you can buy food for little or it may be free after couponing.
Catch the sales. Since most of the garden burned this summer I purchased canned veggies at 25 cents per can early this fall. There was no limit so was I able to store over 200 cans in my basement until the garden comes in next summer. By Thanksgiving canned vegetables were more than twice that price when on sale. A vegetable stand in a nearby city sells 50 pound boxes of potatoes at half the price of 10 pound bags in the local produce section of big chain grocers. They will store well in the garage until zero weather hits then I will bring them into the basement.
I have a lot of designer clothes in my closet from Goodwill [thrift] stores. I constantly receive compliments on clothes I pay little for. I try to buy when there is a half price sale. My hiking boots are a name brand I purchased at a Goodwill Store still in their box. I have a juicer, DVD/VHS player, steam canner, cook books and much more at a fraction of the new price purchased from Goodwill, Salvation Army and other second hand stores. I do not make special trips to town for shopping. When I go to work in town I always run several errands to keep from wasting gas. An extra trip to town for a single item is unaffordable.
Eating out is a definite no, if possible. If I do, I use coupons or use the dollar menu at a drive-thru. I keep snacks in my desk at work. I make 24 pizzas at a time using a #12 can of pizza sauce, bread flour from a 25 lb bag from GFS, two 5 lb. bags of cheese, salt, yeast purchased in bulk at GFS and olive oil. I mix the dough in four used bread machines purchased for few dollars each. Add ingredients such as pepperoni on top before placing in oven. Grandkids and guests love the pizzas made for less than two bucks. It is hard work for one half day but worth it. Three pizzas can be made with one small jar of pizza sauce if you are not up to making 24 at one time. Beats paying fifteen bucks for a single deluxe pizza.
One of the grocers where I shop gives discounts on gas at the pump. Some months I can save up to 30 cents per gallon. I sold a vehicle I loved for one that is more economical to drive. The increase in mileage per gallon has saved me. I paid cash $3,500 for the vehicle. This way I will not have to make payments that would amount to several hundred dollars per month for a vehicle to drive. If I have to sell my present vehicle and drop down to a $1,000 vehicle it can be done if need be. There are good deals out there for good used cars that have former owners with a good track record taking care of their vehicles. It took a while for me to find one and drove my granddaughter’s car a couple weeks before finding my deal. I borrowed her car before she got her license.
Most important are personal relationships. My neighbors and I have never held a meeting as a survival group. I have been lucky through our conversations that many of us are like minded and we will be there for one another when needed. I am a private person for the most part and so are my neighbors or we would not be living where we live. I know by their lifestyles I can barter with them. I have skills, they have skills. We can complement each other. Further on relationships, as a widow I chose not to pursue a relationship with a man. I decided if God chose to send someone my way it would happen. I went about my life with all its problems and I have had many the past years. Well, God did send someone in my life most unexpectedly. He is a widower who hunts, can fix nearly anything, has grandchildren and has not run when problems in my family have seemed overwhelming for me as when two of my children were sick. That is important. When a person’s world falls apart, patience for any type situation must be in order or a relationship will not survive. I was not progressing past my husband’s death as I should have. I am healing and the new man in my life has been a big part of that process. Again, if you find yourself single for any reason please take your time getting into a new relationship with one of the opposite sex. You need the breathing time to catch up with knowing yourself again as single and go from there. I would certainly have sabotaged a relationship had I started dating too soon after losing my spouse.
I also want to point out that we live in a society that falls apart after a few days without electricity. Other traumatic events will spur post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD )in the best of us. Part of my survival experience the past three years is with a person with PTSD in my life. In a world spinning out of control all of us need to become well read understanding what war and a society falling apart does to the human psyche. Please read and find out all you can about the emotional fallouts caused against individuals before, during and after war and societal unrest. It may mean the survival of a child, grandchild or a dear friend.
Two of my grandchildren cannot play outside their condo in a nearby city because of crime. Crime is everywhere, even in the countryside where I live but children can play on my land. I keep a swing set, plenty of toys, bikes, games, a pool table in my basement, scissors, paper and more for children. If I can eventually afford an above ground pool I will have one for grandchildren to enjoy. Such things relieve stress in children and is good exercise. There is always a small pile of brush needed burning for marshmallow roasting on my place. I have been purchasing VHS tape movies for 50 cents to a dollar and stocking up. Games for children help too. I dedicated a room in my basement to sewing and crafts. Small things costing little mean a lot to small children during times as these.
I have guns and ammo in a safe. My family has lived in this area a long time and most around here know I have guns. I am left alone as far as thefts go, so far. My safe is tied into the floor joists of my house. Presently it would take a chain saw to remove it in less than an hour’s time, not within the five or so minute time frame of local thieves. At my husband’s death my oldest son drove in from Colorado and picked up my youngest son at the airport. They bought the safe on their way home from the airport and installed it. My own sons and daughters have helped me make it to today. I do not know what I would have done without them. Sure, we have our problems and disagreements from time to time but we are tight, regardless.
As you can see my preparedness is quite cheap and simple. I would love to have solar panels for electric and more for the future but economics limits the extremes I would love to go with. My small generator would run my freezer long enough to can frozen meat over a gas grill burner. Would not want to do that but I could if need be. Boundaries as lack of funds keep me thinking outside the box.
The best preparing is letting God be in control. It is unbelievable at the situations I have found myself in to come up with funds to pay bills. One time a check came in the mail within minutes I urgently needed to pay bill. I have been humbled many times by the grace of God these past years. No one is perfect and all of us make mistakes, some quite terrible but God is there regardless if we let him in our lives. He helps us prepare if we let him.
Years before my husband’s death we took an extreme cut in income. I was upset and could not understand why God was letting this happen to us. Little did I know we were being prepared for a further loss of income. When an economic fire storm hit the area we lived in we were a great deal more prepared to face the music than most because we had already had to live through that loss. So the problems you have today may be God’s way of preparing you for the future.
I have been watching the evening news more often as of late. It is unbelievable the amount of shootings, stabbings, robberies and home invasions taking place in the area I live. It will continue in this direction for many years to come. I cannot move as I stated once before. For economic and family reasons I will remain here and sit it out. I search the web and stores like Goodwill for items that can be purchased at prices I can afford to make life more comfortable the coming years. I know the fire storm is coming. One of my grandfathers of many generations past was one of the first white men to come down the Ohio River to the lands of Kentucky. I love reading the history of our country and I know we are headed for rough waters. It cannot be stopped at this point regardless of who is in charge in Washington. It is too late. We may remain the United States of America but it will be an entirely different landscape. Practice preparing. Prepare as best possible with what you have, even if it is only a tomato plant in an Earth Box on your condo patio.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I was recently treated for an abscess in my foot and was reminded of the importance of stockpiling large amounts of everything, gauze in particular. The good news is that a nasty staph infection is treatable in a TEOTWAWKI situation. The bad news is that you need to have antibiotics and gauze, and lots of it.
A few weeks ago I went to see my doctor after developing a large and painful abscess that didn’t look like pimples I’ve experienced before. It was deep under the skin, large and painful, so I thought it should be checked out by a professional. My doctor diagnosed it as a potential MRSA infection because of its appearance and the speed with which it had developed (it went from zero to the size and consistency of a cherry pit in 48 hours). Normally MRSA is diagnosed in the laboratory, but the doctor recommended treating it immediately because it could have gotten worse while waiting for the lab results.
Do a web search for “abscess,” “MRSA,” and “staphylococcus aureus” to get more information about what I was dealing with.
The treatment program was first, the doctor wiped down the area with hydrogen peroxide, injected the area with novocaine and then punctured and drained the abscess using a sterile knife. He then packed the wound with iodoform packing gauze (basically a string with powdered iodine embedded in it), covered the wound with ordinary gauze and taped it down with medical tape.
I came back to his office the next day to have the gauze replaced, and the day after that to have the second piece of gauze removed from the wound.
The program of treatment with antibiotics was as follows: injections of rifampicin once a day for 3 days, plus cephalexin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole taken orally twice a day for 10 days. In addition, I had to replace the gauze twice a day for 2 weeks and apply topical mupirocin every time.
Disclaimer: This treatment program worked for me, but I am not a doctor and I am not claiming that this is the best course of treatment for you. Your doctor may disagree with mine, or may prescribe a different course of treatment for the type of abscess you might have, or to work around any allergies or other individual issues you might have. If the world has not ended yet, please see a professional for any semi-serious condition you have and do not rely on what some guy (in this case, me) writes on the internet.
Now, let’s do some math: 3 injections of rifampicin, 20 trimehoprim/sulfamethoxazole pills, 20 cephalexin pills, and about half a tube of mupirocin ointment. In addition, every time I changed the gauze, I needed to use one piece of gauze soaked in hydrogen peroxide to clean the skin around the wound and then another fresh piece of gauze to apply to the wound. That was twice a day for 14 days, so I went through a total of 56 medium-sized (2″ x 2″) gauze pads. Most boxes of gauze you might buy at the drug store contain 10 or 12 pads.
All of that for a single wound that was smaller than a dime. Imagine what you’d need if you had a larger injury, say a big gash in your thigh from sawing wood.
Now, I have to ask the other readers out there, how much gauze do you have in your first-aid kit? How much do you have stockpiled? I’ll admit that before I developed the abscess, each of my 3 first aid kits (home, car and BOB) only had 3-4 medium-sized (2″ x 2″) gauze pads and 1 large (5″ x 9″) gauze pad. After this experience, I went out and bought 100 medium-sized gauze pads for home, another 100 for the car, and a dozen large gauze pads for each. Because of space limitations, I only added 10 medium-sized gauze pads and two large ones to my BOB. I’m not fully squared away yet, but it’s a start.
I’m going to acquire more sterile gauze in the future, and I’m also going to think about ways to stockpile recyclable gauze, i.e. sterilize and store cloth rags, which seems to be the only long-term solution.
The general rule for prepping is to figure out how much you need and then double it. In this case, what I found out I actually needed was more than I thought I needed by at least a factor of ten. I hope my experience is useful to some of your readers. Many thanks for maintaining this great blog!
Best, – Ted from Maine
Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to write to you about my recent experience with the US shortage of semi-automatic rifles, full-capacity magazines, and .223 ammo.
I am relatively new prepper. So far, we’ve got the bug-out bags, the bug-out bins, the emergency plans, the food and water, some other stuff, and a start on guns and ammo. As of last week, I had my 9mm Glock, a 12 gauge Remington 870 shotgun, various pellet guns (and ~2500 rounds of various ammo). I had been thinking of my next gun purchase, and leaning toward the Ruger 10/22 takedown model. That would have gotten me up to minimal firearm preparedness: a rifle, a pistol, and a shotgun.
Then came the Sandy Hook tragedy. And a renewed discussion on gun control (pushed relentlessly by the media). And the possibility of a ban on so-called assault rifles (we know that term is much-debated elsewhere, so I will not discuss its meanings/implications here). And I began to worry about the availability of semi-automatic rifles.
A good semi-auto defensive rifle has always been on my list of intended firearm purchases. However, it was way down on my list. But my worry about availability just got it promoted to the top.
A week ago last Sunday, I was checking the news, and seeing more and more articles about congressmen (and women) planning to re-introduce the ban on assault rifles and so-called full-capacity magazines (more than 10 rounds!). Then the president announced that he would speak to the country later that night. I began to worry that he was going to alarm the purchasing public, and there would be a run on guns, mags, and ammo.
Fortunately, I had been researching different ARs, and had my eye on the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport, as a good quality, relatively inexpensive, entry-level semi-auto rifle. So, around 5 pm that Sunday afternoon, I called the large sporting goods store (about 10 miles away) and asked if they had any in-stock. They had two; I asked them to put one on hold for me, and they agreed to hold it until closing time (7 pm). My wife had been out that afternoon – when she walked in the door at 5:30, I informed her that I was going out for an emergency shopping run, and off I went.
The store was busy (probably due to Christmas shopping), but the gun counter was very busy. There were about 5 employees manning the counter, and about 30 people waiting to look at guns. Lots of people were getting background checked, standing in line at the register, and walking away with those long, flat cardboard boxes. And the long-gun displays were starting to show bare spots.
Finally, my turn came, and the clerk fetched my box from the back. The rifle looked gun, felt good, and seemed as advertised. Sticker price was $1,050, and by God’s providence, I could afford it. I told him I would take it. It came with one magazine. I asked about extra magazines: they were all out. I asked about .223 ammo: they were all out. Okay. On the way out, I grabbed some full-capacity magazines for my 9 mm. Then, I exercised my credit card and I was out the door, with a piece of fancy metal and some empty plastic magazines. Back at home, they went into the gun safe, and I felt pretty good about front-running the surging demand for these guns.
The week kept me busy, and I didn’t have a chance to look for magazines and ammo until Thursday. I called several large sporting goods stores in the area. No one had any AR-15 magazines or .223 ammo, and none had any estimate on when they would get restocked. It was time to expand my shopping horizon. A Google search informed me that there were three local gun shops in our area.
By now, I was somewhat panicky. Would I be able to find anything? Would there be a continuous shortage on mags and ammo until a gun control bill is passed? Would I be stuck with my fancy rifle, and nothing to shoot? Back on the phone, I talked with the owner of gun shop number one: he was out of AR mags and .223 ammo: no estimate for restocking.
Over the phone, a clerk at gun shop number two claimed to have .223 ammo, so I was out the door again, and in 20 minutes, I was visiting a tiny little cinder block gun shop with huge bars over all the windows, and more guns per square foot than I had ever seen. The very surly owner had 11 boxes of Federal .223 for $20 each – I told him that I would take them all. I asked about AR mags, and he just laughed and told that he was “not selling them.” Okay. With another plastic swipe and signature, I was off to gun shop number three.
Gun shop number three was in a tiny strip mall, and at 6 pm, it was the only store still open in the plaza. What was amazing was the number of cars in the parking lot and the number of people in the store. The store was about 20 feet wide and 50 feet deep, and had about 20 customers either at the gun counter or scouring the remains on the racks and the shelves. About a dozen other customers were outside the store, talking on the sidewalk. All around the store, were printouts telling customers about purchase limits on magazines and ammunition. No AR magazines were left. But, there was a small stock of .223 ‘varmint’ ammo at $13 each. So I took ten (the maximum allowed number) of the boxes, up to the counter.
The shop owner and his three clerks, were doing their best to serve the high demand, but the stress and strain were evident in their manner. At the counter, several customers were looking at guns, and the owner was very blunt with them, saying: “If you think you want this gun, then you should buy it now, because if you wait and come back later, it’s going to be gone.” The owner was also talking about the price increases from his suppliers. Talking about buying an AR, the owner said that, over the course of the week, his price had gone up “$100, then $300, then $500.” At first, I thought that he was talking about a cumulative price increase, then he clarified: “now I’m paying $900 more for this gun, than I was paying last week.” The owner also said that people were buying guns, just to get the magazine(s) that come with the guns. Wow. I made my ammo purchase and I was out the door.
So far, no luck in finding extra magazines. From what I hear, all stores in my area are out of ARs, AR magazines, and AR ammo.
So, maybe this letter gives an example of one story in this situation. But, I think that it also gives some lessons for preppers, in their purchase of firearms.
First, consider availability issues, when determining priorities about the purchase of firearms. Second, don’t expect to count on the ability to purchase full-capacity magazines at a gun-show or from a private seller. As I understand it, the proposed ban on full-capacity magazines (more than 10 rounds!) will make it illegal to transfer (i.e. purchase) such magazines. Third, even if you’re still working up to a firearms purchase, it pays to do your research, so that you know what you want when an opportunity (or necessity) presents itself. Fourth, learn about gun shops other than your local big-box stores. The big-box stores seem to run out of stock first, and (at least some of them) seem to be vulnerable to pressure to limit sales of certain firearm items. Fifth, where possible, try to build relationships with gun shop owners (and other firearm suppliers). The owners I recently met were reasonably courteous to me (as a new customer) but they certainly didn’t go out of their way to help me. Sixth, in your preparedness efforts, think about how to stay in front of the herd, when it comes to purchases. In your hour of need, you don’t want to be at the store with a hundred other people, competing to pay huge upcharges on scraps – you want to be at home or at your retreat, planning your next step in preparedness.
Let’s hope that supply and demand get back to normal in the near future, so we have a chance to make those purchases that we’ve been putting off.
Best Regards, – Chuck W.
Reader “Swampfox” recommended a lecture by hedge fund manager (and fellow nickel coin hoarder) Kyle Bass.
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Items from the Economatrix:
The Last Christmas In America?
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One more reason to flee the over-populous eastern seaboard Nanny States: Outrageous… Lib NY Paper Publishes Names & Addresses of Legal Gun Permit Holders
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10 Best Personal Defense Stories of 2012
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Gregg suggested: The Crude Homemade Guns Of The Chechen Army
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Matt B. recommended: Christianophobia
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Antique Firearms is liquidating all their inventory. SurvivalBlog readers can use coupon code SURVIVAL for 20% off. All offers are considered. The Federal exemption for no paperwork pre-1899 guns may become a thing of the past, with upcoming legislation. Stock up!
"Note to Mayor Bloomberg: No guns in America isn’t quite as easy as no 32-ounce soft drinks in New York City." – SurvivalBlog Reader J.B.G.