Year: 2016


Using Canning Jars For All Food Stores and More-Part 3, by Sarah Latimer

Managing Your Jarred Larder Moving a single jar at a time is cumbersome when managing so many. I have kept the original Ball cardboard boxes that the jars came in because they assist in moving multiple jars and placing them on shelves easily, but we are gentle with them to help them last. Occasionally they require some reinforcement with duct tape or replacement altogether; however, so far, most have held up well for a minimum of four years. Labels can easily be placed on the ends of the Ball boxes, identifying the contents and their dates, so that it is …


Letter Re: Washable Cloth Toilet Wipes

Hugh, Regarding the person who wondered “Why go to all the trouble to cut and sew toilet wipes when you can simply use mass-produced bathroom washcloths”: By making them, each family member has their own as I used a different fabric pattern for me and my husband; this removes the “ick” factor Also, I plan to make and sell these both pre- and post-SHTF, and the fabric was free to me. There are other issues that must be considered as well: Last year with a UTI, I used a full 1,000 sheet roll of Scott toilet paper in only six …


Economics and Investing:

CNBC interview (video): The European Union is ‘doomed to fail,’ says ‘Black Swan’ author Nassim Taleb o o o From the Of Two Minds blog of the always incisive Charles Hugh Smith: Brexit, the E.U. and the “Special Relationship” of the U.S./U.K. o o o I missed this well-reasoned piece by Gary Christenson when it was posted back on March 21st: Silver – A Long-Term Perspective o o o For those considering investing in guns, here is a good intro: Garry James’ Rules for Buying Collectible Guns o o o And here is is much more detailed article, by Mike …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Federal regulation of Internet coming, warn FCC, FEC commissioners o o o I see that our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off website now has an amazing 260 listings in the United States. Congrats on that to my #1 Son! Be sure to check out the many unusual retreat properties offered for sale. For example, see this one near Worley, Idaho with plentiful water and a 1,000 square foot NBC bunker! o o o Despite some recent shortages throughout the U.S., Gun Mag Warehouse still seems to have some 20-, 30-, 40-, and even 60-round PMAGs on hand. I recommend stocking up before the …




Making a Living in the Hinterboonies

One of the great quandaries faced by many American preppers is that their desire to move to a lightly-populated rural region is usually not consistent with the ability to earn a good living. Let’s face it: The job opportunities in the Hinterboonies are scarce. Unless you are retired, self-employed, or you are in a high-demand profession (such as medicine or dentistry), then it might be difficult to have the same standard of living that you’ve enjoyed in an urban or suburban community. Part of the following repeats what I wrote in SurvivalBlog back in 2009 about the sorts of jobs …


Letter: Starting a Manufacturing Business on a Tight Budget, by M.B.

In case you have not kept up with the Maker movement the last couple of years, great strides have happened in the average guys ability to build advanced micro-manufacturing facilities for very little money versus even a few years ago. I will note that this discussion is not all inclusive as this field changes on a sometimes weekly basis. The ability to do advanced manufacturing with relatively small amounts of money is the dirty secret of China’s present economic success.  I should know, since I have been there, I have friends in the industrial automation business who have been there, …


Economics & Investing:

The Trajectory of Venezuelan Hyperinflation Looks Familiar… o o o Puerto Rico Faces Record Default: A Look at the Bonds Due ($2 billion is coming due!) o o o At The Sovereign Investor:  Another Market Meltdown? o o o ‘The end is coming,’ says Ron Paul o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

At Instructables: Best Solar Oven (Home-made!) o o o Fresh details spur debate on Orlando police response o o o Best Bug out Vehicles You Can Actually Afford (The Prepper Journal) o o o Over at The Daily Caller:  State Department Won’t Release Clinton Foundation E-mails for 27 Months.   “Nothing to see here, move along.” o o o She’s painted herself into a corner: Lynch to Accept F.B.I. Recommendations in Clinton Email Inquiry, Official Says.  My favorite quote in the article: “Ms. Lynch has said she wants to handle the Clinton investigation like any other case.” Ah-ha! This explains why …



Notes for Friday – July 01, 2016

July 1st, 1863 was the beginning of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. Today is also the birthday of actress Olivia DeHavilland (star of Gone With The Wind), actor Dan Aykroyd (co-star of The Blues Brothers),  and film director William Wyler (often remembered for his film Best Years of Our Lives.) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a …


A Call for Legislative Change – Part 2, by J.D.

(Continued from Part 1) The third explanation is law, which is defined as the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. Let’s disagree with that definition, because clearly with millions of laws and regulations on the books to regulate our actions it doesn’t work. Our country’s prison system maintains over 5,000 jails with a population of nearly seven million. It doesn’t look like law regulates anything to include the definition of “actions”. I think we can argue ethics does regulate action, because …


Letter: Washable Cloth Toilet Wipes

Dear Editor: I have a suggestion, prompted by my reading of the recent two-part SurvivalBlog article titled: “Sew and Grow, Save and Recycle Your Way Into Preparedness“: Why go to all the trouble to cut and sew toilet wipes when you can simply use mass-produced bathroom washcloths? They are already the right size and will clean you up better than smooth cloth will. I already have a large stash of thick washcloths that I bought at a thrift store, along with a case of rubber dishwashing gloves in various sizes. When all the toilet paper is gone, each family member gets …