Year: 2012

Letter Re: Advice on Home Purchase: Minimize or Maximize Mortgage?

Dear James, I really enjoy your blog and try to read it every day. My husband and I live in New Jersey. We just sold our house in May and are renting for a year while we try to figure out where to move next. Unfortunately, our home lost a lot of equity so we only have $55,000 to use towards our next house. Do you believe it is better to pay cash for a house or is it wise to get a mortgage since interest rates are so low? Our original plan was to buy our next home with …


News From The American Redoubt:

For newcomers to SurvivalBlog, here is my primer on the geography and philosophy of The American Redoubt    o o o Combine demolition derby renews BSU-UI rivalry    o o o Wyoming rig count down three: The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. remained unchanged this week at 1,864. And in related news: Red states equal green jobs.    o o o Notice a great big hole in this map of school districts where teachers have been caught cheating on standardized tests? Yes, it is the American Redoubt. Well, to my chagrin there …


Economics and Investing:

W.C.P. suggested this video: Why the U.S. Federal Budget CANNOT be Balanced. RBS sent another video link: America’s Book of Secrets – Fort Knox H.L. sent: Cronyism Is Destroying Spain’s Future Items from The Economatrix: Deleveraging from One Bubble to Another Bernanke is Now a Kamikaze Pilot Panic Cash Withdrawals in Spain Drain Banks; Greece-style Economic Implosion Now Imminent What Key Shipping Index Signals About the Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

H.L. suggested this: Meet the largest [private] landowner in America    o o o Dentist Dr. Tom Loomis will be teaching another two-day Field Dentistry Class, in Sweetwater, Tennessee on Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, 2012. Enrollment is limited to just 12 students. The class costs $400 per person. To register, send $200 by check or money order to Tom Loomis DDS, P.O. Box 510, Sweetwater, TN 37874. Phone number: 423-371-1073, or e-mail: tom.loomis@yahoo.com The class will be held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater at exit 60 off of Interstate 75. Rooms are $35 plus tax if you ask for …



Prizes Awarded — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

We’ve completed the judging for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize goes to Dan in Alabama for Make Your Own Retort Style Charcoal, which was posted on September 19, 2012. He will receive: 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 …


Pat’s Product Review: Spartan Blades Horkos

I’ve been around knives all my life, and I’ve literally had thousands of knives pass through my hands. For about 18 years I wrote for Knives Illustrated magazine, and for several years, I was the West Coast Field Editor at Knives Illustrated. During the course of my duties, I had the opportunity to tour a number of knife factories and companies, to see how knives are manufactured and designed. To be sure, I’ve designed quite a few knives myself over the years, and had them produced by custom knife makers, as well as factory produced versions. So, I believe my …


Mahaffey’s Book Review: Bugging Out to Nowhere

Bugging Out to Nowhere a novel by Paylie Roberts  (ISBN 9781470010447 Published in June, 2012.)  “During the height of economic collapse in the US, Rachel and Tom flee for the countryside a day too late. With the comforts of city life unlikely to be seen again, they are determined to survive on their own out in the middle of nowhere.”  (From the jacket cover) This fictional work is told from the first person perspective, set in the very near future. Rachel and Tom are ordinary folks just trying to make ends meet. They struggle with everyday needs while preparing for what …


Letter Re: Food Stockpiling is a Lifestyle

Dear JWR: Stockpiling food has been performed for centuries.  Our earliest ancestors were hunter gatherers.  If they didn’t save up food for the winter, their existence would most certainly be doomed.  It has been recorded that in hard times throughout history people have re-learned preservation techniques that would ensure their survival for the months and years ahead.  I believe we are in a similar trend at the moment. Most everyone has a reasonable supply of food in the pantry for convenience purposes.  On the other hand some people, like our neighbors who we have affectionately named the “Pod People”, exist …


Recipe of the Week:

Brenda’s Santa Fe Stew 1 pound ground beef, venison, or elk, crumbled/browned/drained 1 onion, chopped/sauteed   Put above in a large pot and add:   1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix 1-2 Tablespoons ranch dressing mix 1 can black beans 1 can pinto beans 1 can kidney beans 1 can corn (hominy is good too) 1 large can diced tomatoes 1 can Rotel tomatoes   Add water to suit your preference for consistency.  Simmer.  Serves 6. Chef’s Notes: Can be topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips.   For freezing in individual containers, don’t add any extra water until you get ready to …


Economics and Investing:

An update: A week ago I mentioned that the producers of the popular Silver Bullet, Silver Shield videos commissioned the minting one-ounce .999 fine silver medallions of their own design. They are being sold for as little as $2.99 over the spot price of silver. If you order yours using the link from SurvivalBlog, we will earn a small sales commission to help defray our considerable monthly bandwidth expenses. I’ve heard that they’ve now pre-sold more than half of their planned minting of 50,000 coins. Watch the spot price of silver carefully, and buy on the dip days! AmEx (American …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.B.S. metioned an indie film that looks low on budget, but yet highly thought-provoking: Dragon Day. The film is nearing completion.    o o o The folks at DumpDC make a Redoubtable suggestion: Secession and Money. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)    o o o James C. mentioned a use for a Stovetec rocket stove: Endless hot water from firewood.    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced a special for the month of October: a 144 Day Meat Variety Pack for $272.64 that contains a total of 144 1?2 Cup Servings of Mountain House freeze dried …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew. They are a wonderful, friendly people as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time, and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people will become as nasty and violent as any Klingon." – Armin Shimerman as Quark, the Ferengi bartender in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, from the episode "The Siege of AR-558" (Screenplay Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimlerby.)


Note from JWR:

Today we present the last two entries for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. As usual, we received a big rush of entries in the past week. Some of these will be rolled over into the judging for Round 43. The prizes for Round 42 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 …


Grow Your Own Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, by C.F.B.

Let’s face it.  When we get to point that you can’t call out, use a computer, or find a stop light that is working, our stash of stored food will eventually become depleted.  We will all become more and more dependent on local produce.  Even if food is available for purchase, many people will want to grow some of their own.  For most of us, growing our own fruits and vegetables in an efficient manner will be a challenge.  How successful we are in gardening will very much depend on our individual knowledge and skills.  If you have never gardened, …