Month: October 2012

RVs and Camping Trailers Provide Multiple Backups on a Budget, by Judy C.

Thorough prepping is expensive. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table (plus a few extra cans for the pantry). Alternative power, water, sewage, and refrigeration are back-burnered to the ever-growing “wish list.” So what’s a prepper on a shoestring budget to do? Consider a used camping trailer or recreational vehicle (RV)! You can find a used trailer for as little as $500. We paid $1,200 for a 35-foot RV. Besides weekend camping, the RV offers the following in a self-contained package: fresh water holding tank water heater flush toilet shower gas stove and …


Two Letters Re: Knob Creek After Action Report

Jim, Sorry to be late on my Knob Creek roundup I was indecisive as to the interest level in the past, as it concerns those mostly east of the Mississippi.   Arrived Friday morning and was shocked at how sparse the crowd was compared to past events. It was still a good sized crowd but I could actually get around and wasn’t standing room only. I am guessing that a couple of rain fronts that came through in the week previous dampened enthusiasm, along with the economy and people have been on an ammo buying spree for over a year, …


Economics and Investing:

Kevin S. suggested this article: Concerned Roman Hoarded Gold to Protect Against Hyperinflation at the Outer Reaches of Roman Empire The Washington Times reports: Welfare spending jumps 32% in four years. (Our thanks to B.B. and P.D. who both sent the link.) P.D.’s comment: “As you’ve written before, when the EBT cards stop working, there will be blood.” Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher recently offered a stunning assessment about our policymaking central bankers down in Washington. They’re winging it. Items from The Economatrix: Why Are Gasoline Prices Suddenly Falling? Iran Renews Cyberattacks on US Banks Moody’s Downgrades World’s Oldest …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader AmEx sent news of the know-nothing Big Government crowd at work: Bullet tax proposal in hunt for solution to Chicago gun crime. Call for a levy of nickel for each bullet and $25 for each firearm sold in the city. I predict that their tax scheme will be counterproductive. Note that the tax would apply only to the 40 FFL holders inside Chicago City limits. Who in their right mind would pay 8 cents per round for .22 rimfire ammo, when they are accustomed to paying 3 cents? Obviously, people will take their business elsewhere–namely to gun shows outside …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, …


Notes from JWR:

October 19th is a birthday shared by three notables: the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912, died August 18, 1995), billionaire investor Jim Rogers (born 1942) and novelist James Howard Kunstler (born 1948.) Kunstler is well-known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …


From the Kitchen to the Garden, by G.T.

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Let’s just say I have a fair amount of time on my hands and not a whole lot of money. Add to that a curious mind with a bit of a preparedness mindset and you get someone who likes to experiment with produce and gardening. I wanted to share some of my experiences with growing plants straight out of my kitchen, often from produce bought at the grocery store that was meant to be eaten but didn’t make it to the table, or had the seeds removed first. If you’ve seen some of the propaganda out these days on our food supply, …


Letter Re: Knob Creek After Action Report, by Louie in Ohio

Dear SurvivalBloggers: This past weekend (12-14 October, 2012) was the Fall Knob Creek machinegun shoot in West Point, Kentucky. The Knob Creek (“KCR”) shoot is normally a bi-annual event, held in April and October each year. It is the World’s largest machine gun (MG) shoot and machine gun show. Although none of our group are really “into” machine guns this event was on the “bucket list” of one of our party. With the spring shoot canceled last April because of heavy rains washing a bridge out, we were determined to make this one. Web sites were checked, reservations made, bags …


Economics and Investing:

AmEx (American Expat) sent this: U.S. to Get Downgraded Amid Fiscal ‘Theater,’ Pimco Says Reader A.T. suggested this essay by Martin Armstrong: What Destroyed Rome was its Unfunded Government Employee Pensions The Daily Bell reports: Now Mexico Bans Cash. JWR’s Comment: Don’t mistake this new law as part of the so-called war on drugs or the war on terror. Rather, it is plainly a part of the war on privacy and individual liberty. Izzy Friedman: What Now For the Price of Silver?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader C.D.V. was pondering a wound cleanser which is dry, compact and inexpensive. He decided on potassium permanganate, which in addition for use (in a very dilute solution) on wounds can also purify water, treat fungal infection, canker sores, cholera, start fire and be used as an emergency signal. Wikipedia lists even more uses. A reference page on nursing notes that 400mg (1:1,000) tablets are diluted in four liters of water to give a dilution of 1:10,000 (0.01%). Obviously, just a little bit goes a long way when put in solution as a wound cleanser.    o o o Ready …



Notes from JWR:

Ulysses Press (one of my publishers) is nearing completion of the first-ever hardback edition of my novel “Patriots”. One of the book’s back cover blurbs will mention that there are now “150,000 copies in print.” (With the 10,000 copies in the first press run combined with the previous editions.) That new edition should be released in early November. — Today is the birthday of Matthew Henry (born 18 October 1662, died 22 June 1714. He was a Presbyterian minister and Bible scholar who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (1708–1710) is …


Starting From Nothing: Preparing Quickly, Efficiently and Cost-Consciously, by C.M.F.

My husband and I are new to the concept of prepping and self-sufficient living, having just begun the process in the last 30 to 60 days. Our journey when world events began to heat up in the Middle East and we started asking “what if” questions. Our ignorance means that we have a lot of learning, practicing and catching up to do. I am fairly confident that we are not the only ones to slowly become aware of the necessity of preparing. I thought that I would share what we have done to get started in the hopes that this …


Letter Re: An Interesting Hiding Place

James: Basically this product is a flush-mounted interchangeable decorative panel for kitchens and possibly other areas in the home. The panels can be purchased pre-made or created by the customer; the site shows options such as artwork and more substantial-appearing materials like ceramic tiles and mosaics. The panel has a push-to-release mechanism behind it, and the idea is that a homeowner can swap one panel for another as desired. The installation instructions explain the details. It isn’t designed as a hiding place, and there isn’t much room behind it as it is, but it would be fine for smaller items. …


Three Letters Re: Survival Uses For Stretch Wrap

Hi! I liked the article [by James M.] on pallet wrap. In it, the author mentioned that he wanted a source for narrower rolls of shrink wrap. I’m writing to mention that ULINE sells 2″-wide rolls. Regards, – Trysch JWR: This was an excellent, informative piece.  There is an additional use for this that Mr. M did not mention: My wife is a high school earth science and biology teacher who has her students build solar ovens every year using cardboard boxes, aluminum foil and shrink wrap.  The box is lined with aluminum foil and covered in shrink wrap.  The …