Mental Preparations for Survival, by jc

For many people preparing to survive has become an obsession; a pursuit placed above all else in their lives. Others feel as if survival prep should be more of a priority if they could only afford to do more. Still others feel as if they may have already gone overboard in their preparations. Preparing for survival after TEOTWAWKI can make you feel overwhelmed, under-supplied, overspent, under-funded, over-your-head, or under-the-gun (no pun intended). There are those who have the ability to purchase a retreat, stock it with supplies and equipment for a year or more, and have enough to share with …




Letter Re: The Pension Gamble: Cash In or Stand Pat?

Sir: [My advice to David J. is:] Keep your retirement! I think you should keep your retirement account and find another job. By cashing out now you only receive your contributions plus interest and not one cent of your employers contributions if your state is anything like California. You are only getting about two years of a pension that you could possibly end up collecting for 30 years or more. Not counting any cost of living increases you would receive $756,000 over a 30 year period of retirement, the $50,000 looks kind of weak. Get a jump on things and …




Letter Re: Special $99.95 Sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” Preparedness Course

Jim, We just got a batch of 50 of your preparedness courses from the printer, and they screwed up the shrink-wrapping on many of them. Instead of fighting it out with the printer, we will knock 1/3rd off the regular price for your SurvivalBlog readers. But we’re gonna offer that discount for only a week, because we don’t want to fuss with double inventory. Please note that our main web site will still stay the same, showing the normal price, even on the order page. But when your readers check out, the discounted price [of $99.95 plus normal shipping and …




Odds ‘n Sods:

From SHTF Daily: Four ways to prepare for a global financial crisis   o o o This Gun Free Zone video (recommended by Richard C.) provides a bit of comic relief.    o o o RMV forwarded us this: The Numbers Don’t Add Up for Baby Boomer Retirees. Here is a quote from the article: “Consider the outlook. From 2005 to 2030, the 65-and-over population will nearly double to 71 million; its share of the population will rise to 20 percent from 12 percent. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—programs that serve older people—already exceed 40 percent of the $2.7 trillion …







Note from JWR:

Those of you that have been reading SurvivalBlog for a while have probably taken the time to read through the Retreat Owner Profiles page. Today we present a new profile, for a gent that now carries the moniker “Mr. Uniform.” The profiles are not mere brag sessions. They are the opportunity to see preparedness in action, custom tailored or various locales, circumstances, preferences, and budgets. There is a lot to be learned from the Profiles. Read between the lines. OBTW, we still have room for a few more profiles. I’d particularly like to hear from overseas readers, and anyone that …




Retreat Owner Profile: Mr. Uniform

Present Home: 63 year old brick veneer over weather board farmhouse (1,300 square feet) built by my father. 25 acres, consisting of 3.5 acres of pine, 9 acres of old growth hardwoods, 1.5 acres of apple, pear, pecan, grape, muscudine, and scuppernong orchard/grove/vineyard. Additional 900 square foot house, 100 year barn (30’x30′ with loft and sheds), outdoor privy, detached 24’x24′ garage building, 140 square foot storage building, dog house/lot, hog house lot (not used at present). Approximately three acres in farmstead buildings, drives, and gardens. Balance of land in open arable land presently used by neighbor as native grass hay …




Letter Re: Diesel Motorcycles

Mr. Rawles: The August ’07 issue of Motorcyclist [magazine] (pg 74) has an article on a diesel conversion of a Kawasaki KLR. They are currently making the bikes for military only, however the article does mention that a civilian design is in the wings. The company is Hayes Diversified Technologies. I have seen discussions on the SurvivalBlog about storing diesel and people wanting a motorcycle. This may be a great advertiser for you to chase. I have no relationship to Hayes. I am just a reader of you blog. Good luck, and thanks for all the great info. – Vince




Letter Re: Betadine and Polar Pure from Ready Made Resources

Jim, [Regarding the recent mention of soon-to-be-banned Polar Pure water purification and Betadine iodine products,] Just to let you know, today I picked up some Betadine at my local Walgreens store [a discount drugs store] and it was $17.99 for the name brand (8 oz.) and about $13 for the Walgreens’ [generic] version (also 8 oz). I got home, and called Ready Made Resources, and their’s is $12.96 for a QUART (32 oz). This is between four and six times less expensive! The owner was very courteous, mentioned that he has two sons in the military, and I look forward …




Odds ‘n Sods:

From Business Week, by way of SHTF Daily: Why Bernanke Won’t Save Investors   o o o DAV sent us this: Zimbabwe’s Leader Says He’ll Print More Cash. Good thinking, Comrade Mugabe! That ought to put a damper on the 5,000% annual rate hyperinflation!    o o o I just noticed mention over at the Kel-Tec Owner’s Group that Midway USA (not one of our advertisers, but a reputable company) currently has several different models of original Glock magazines on sale, including the 33 round “Glockamole” magazines. I don’t even own a Glock, but I just ordered 20 of these …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Weapons compound man’s power to achieve; they amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree, having no will of their own. Thus we must regard them as servants, not masters – and good servants to good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.” – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper




Note from JWR:

Today we welcome our three latest Affiliate advertisers: All-Battery.com (NiMH, NiCd, and Lithium Ion batteries and battery packs), HurricaneStore.com (NOAA weather radios, 72-hour kits, LED flashlights, et cetera) and  Pyramid Air (precision air rifles, pistols, Airsoft guns, paint ball guns, and accessories.) Whenever you patronize our affiliates using our links when you order, we get a little piece of the action to help support SurvivalBlog. I should also mention: Please patronize our paid advertisers (in the scrolling side bar) first. But if they don’t have what you need, then take a look at our Affiliate advertisers’ web sites.




A Second Income–A Key Goal for Family Preparedness

I often encourage folks that are preparedness-minded to develop a second income stream. Why is this important? “Living off the land” style self sufficiently is an admirable and commendable goal. But even if you are living truly “debt free”, you will still have property taxes to pay. That means that you will need at least a modest recession/depression proof revenue stream in the event that you lose your primary job. Let me underscore this point with a bit of Rawles family history: My family came out west by covered wagon in the 1850s. They soon after set up a sheep …




Letter Re: The Pension Gamble: Cash In or Stand Pat?

Dear JWR and SurvivalBlog Faithful: Here is a dilemma that I may encounter soon and one that other Survivalblog readers may face as well. I work for the state (which is in dire fiscal condition) and face a possible layoff later this year. When and if this layoff occurs, I will have the opportunity to cash out my pension fund, which after penalties and taxes, would amount to about $50,000—a tidy sum indeed considering I have no other savings except for 4-1?2 ounces of gold and several hundred dollars (face value) in silver coins (thanks to SurvivalBlog’s admonitions and a …




Letter Re: The Global Vitamin C Shortage Underscores Dependence on Red China

James, Here is an article I found describing a shortage of vitamin C due to production cutbacks in China. The following are two quotes from the article: “New York and Beijing – A sharp rise in the international price of vitamin C is focusing fresh attention on the risks of the world’s growing dependence on China for essential food supplies and additives. China, which exports more than 80 percent of the world’s ascorbic acid – also known as vitamin C and a key food preservative – appears to have cut production over the past several months, pushing prices up by …