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 natural gas and propane markets. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: Silver could be the primary market over gold ahead. o  o  o Why Is Goldman Still Looking For $2K Gold? o  o  o Hedging The Decline And Fall Of A Currency. Economy & Finance: U.S. National Debt …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Youth — nothing else worth having in the world…and I had youth, the transitory, the fugitive, now, completely and abundantly. Yet what was I going to do with it? Certainly not squander its gold on the commonplace quest for riches and respectability, and then secretly lament the price that had to be paid for these futile ideals. Let those who wish have their respectability — I wanted freedom, freedom to indulge in whatever caprice struck my fancy, freedom to search in the farthermost corners of the earth for the beautiful, the joyous and the romantic.” – Richard Halliburton


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 3, 2022

Today is the birthday of painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894–1978.) This is also the birthday of writer James Michener (1907–1997), known for his very well-researched epic novels, such as Centennial. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 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 be used for any of their one, …


My Ultralight Get-Home Bag – Part 1, by St. Funogas

Three cheers to J.M. for his recent excellent, award-winning article on Get Home Bags (GHBs). Finally, a GHB article with advice that’s sensible, logical, and doable for anyone wanting to put together a GHB. I know how long it takes to write an article for SurvivalBlog so I know it took J.M. months to put that all together so again, thanks for such a well-researched piece. I’m stepping up to the plate on his request for some thoughts on other ways to put together an ultra-light GHB. To say the least, I was pretty disappointed with what I was finding …


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 U.S. Freshwater Reserves. Amateur Radio Gear Being Sent to Tonga Frequent content contributor Tim J. sent us this item: Amateur radio equipment being sent to Tonga. Highway Funding Bait-and-Switch Reader …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 2, 2022

February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905), died – March 6, 1982) She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty. — UPDATE: The first batch of 1,000 waterproof SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks sold out quickly, and they’ve all now been mailed out. The second batch of 600 sticks (now in transit to …


Writing Contest Winners Announced: Round 98

We’ve completed the judging for Round 98 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Here are the results: First Prize First Prize is awarded to J.M., for An Ultralight Get Home Bag Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 — posted January 18-22, 2022.  He will receive these prizes: 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 be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a …


Organizing the Pantry, by Elli O.

Organizing one’s pantry is generally part of the list of items we know we should do, like eating right, getting in shape, de-cluttering the closets, and cleaning out the basement. But organizing our food stock doesn’t need to be a depressing chore. I want to share with you what has worked well for me so that (hopefully) it will motivate you to attack your pantry with success in sight! I have added pictures not only to assist in the explanation but to add some appeal to an otherwise boring topic. To some, a pantry may seem like an old-fashion term- …


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 long e-mails for posting as separate letters. Reader A.K. sent the following advice for the owners of cells phones with non-removable batteries: “In case anyone is interested in blocking their cell phone from being able to be located or who they meet with pinpointed or even used to determine if they’ve been around others with Covid- I tried this out with a friend …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — February 1, 2022

Today, we recognize the birthday of Christian economist Dr. Gary North. (Born, 1942.) North is a prolific writer on Christian Reconstruction and economics.  He recently announced that he is in failing health, and that he has published his final book. Please pray for his restored health. We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The …


Prepping At My First House, by M.J.

I just bought my new house in one of New Mexico’s larger cities. It’s not a rural homestead. But it is a nice neighborhood and I’ve spoken with my neighbors a few times. So far so good. And I certainly couldn’t have afforded this home in my old stomping grounds in Southern California. I financed this house in part by liquidating some investments and in part by getting a loan from my parents, which I am paying back at a regularly monthly rate (including interest) that’s lower than the rent I was paying at the apartment that I stayed in …


January 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices. What Did Gold Do in January? Gold began the year with a large $28 drop, to end the day at an even $1,800. A rally to $1,825 was negated on the 6th by a $36 drop, to settle at $1,789. Gold spent two more days under $1,800, rising $20 to $1,818 on the 11th. Prices remained above $1,800 through the 26th, hitting the high for the …


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 the new movie Last Survivors. (See the Montana section.) Region-Wide You know that a new term associated with a trend is firmly established when both poles of the political sphere start using it. See: The Boise Tent Protest community remains undefeated. It …