Year: 2022

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the recent shortage of Swiss watches. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: The U.S. Economy Is In A Recession Now – Gold, Silver Set To Soar. o  o  o Ray Dalio: Gold Reduces Risks, Enhances Returns, Belongs In Your Savings Economy & Finance: New home sales plunge nearly …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 26, 2022

May 26, 2022 is the 32nd wedding anniversary of Don and Patrice Lewis.  Patrice is the Editrix of the excellent Rural Revolution blog. May 26th is the birthday of Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams, Jr.) He was born 1949. When not touring, he lives Somewhere in Montana, so he qualifies as a Redoubter. — Today we present a guest article that is not eligible for judging in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.


Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?, by Kevin R. Berg

The title of this article is an echo of a song title, by The Clash. This essay is about how I will choose an area for further investigation before moving to the American Redoubt. This summer I will load the family into our RV for a trip through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. As we travel, we will all be looking out for the pluses and minuses of each area. I have already marked up a paper travel map of the route and we can make marks on the map to remind us later. When I make a long …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at upcoming wheat shortages. World Has Just Ten Weeks’ Worth of Wheat World has just ten weeks’ worth of wheat left after Ukraine war. The article begins: “The world has just …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Require nothing unreasonable of your officers and men, but see that whatever is required be punctually complied with. Reward and punish every man according to his merit, without partiality or prejudice; hear his complaints; if well founded, redress them; if otherwise, discourage them, in order to prevent frivolous ones. Discourage vice in every shape, and impress upon the mind of every man, from the first to the lowest, the importance of the cause, and what it is they are contending for.”- George Washington


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 25, 2022

On May 25th, 1787, the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding. The task of the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Articles of Confederation eventually led to the United States Constitution that is so abused today. — Here are two new property listings over at our family’s SurvivalRealty.com spin-off: Two 5 Acre Parcels near Puget Sound, Washington. and, near Boise, Idaho: Totally Remodeled Cabin on 40 Acres. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this …


Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 2, by MonkeyMan

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Thyme – unknown plants About three years ago, while my son was in college for forestry he would bring me leftover plants from the horticulture department. The horticulture departments from the local schools around you are an untapped goldmine of inexpensive, quality grown plants of all types. I encourage you to explore the markets these departments put on each year. I have two different types of thyme. I do not know the history of the plants. They each have a different look and taste. The seeds from these plants are so small …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some longer e-mails for posting as separate letters. o  o  o Reader Joe M. wrote to ask: “I’ve been a reader of your blog for at least 10 years. Thank you for all the knowledge and advice you’ve given us all over the years. Assuming we are indeed headed into a recession, what advice would you give the average prepper to prepare for it …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 24, 2022

On May 24th, 1775, John Hancock was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. He is best known for his large signature on the Declaration of Independence, which he jested the British king could read “without his spectacles.” — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can …


Patio Herbs, Spices, Peppers, and Tomatoes – Part 1, by MonkeyMan

Introduction This is a collection of thoughts encompassing the last twenty years of slowly growing our patio garden of useful plants for our location northeast of Houston, Texas. We are located in Zone 9 that has long hot and humid summers, with maybe, a night or two each year below freezing. We sometimes cover or protect the pots or plants from freezing temperatures. Maybe the solar minimum will change all that, I don’t know. As all SurvivalBlog readers do, I will continually adapt and modify my approach for my location. I do not claim expertise on any of the topics …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on conservative Republican wins in the Idaho State Senate primary races. (See the Idaho section.) Region-Wide Douglas, Josephine Counties reject Greater Idaho proposal, Klamath gets on board. JWR’s Comments: Clearly, Douglas and Josephine counties have too many ex-Californian residents. The inevitable partition of …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 23, 2022

May 23 is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. According to LeftistAgendaPedia: He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand firearms. He founded Kel-Tec in 1991. On this day in 1934 the outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed by a pair of deputized former Texas Rangers and assorted local police, near Gibbsland, Louisiana. — Today’s feature article is a review written by our …