This Was Yesterday, by G.P.

Today was no different than any other. The sense of peace was in the morning breeze. Some of the most beautiful birds were singing, as if they wanted the world to know they are blessed with no worries. The morning dew gives the air an almost sweet smell of perfume. Kids are briskly walking down the street, so they limit the chances of missing their bus. Parents are rushing off to work in an almost robotic manner. News stations are broadcasting news, and radio stations are playing music. Smiles, frowns, tears, and fears fill the faces of society. Many people …


Seasonal Items and Survival Steps, by P.F.

It never ceases to amaze me when something seemingly trivial that occurs in my life can lead to so much self reflection and totally change the direction I travel, so to speak, in my life planning. I recently decided to purchase a spare, portable plug-in heater for my camper, in the interest of redundancy. So, off I went blissfully unaware that this simple, last-minute decision would alter the course of history, my history that is. I went to my local big-box store and soon realized an important issue I had never thought about before– seasonal items are difficult to find …


Time “OUT”, by K.T.

Any serious survivalist has thought through numerous scenarios and situations, right down to the most seemingly insignificant minutiae. I have been engaged in various stages of “preparation” for over 40 years now. Over the last 20 years or so, I have noticed that the vast majority of the public, in general, counts on assorted digital gimmickry to keep track of time. As a result, many people now do not even wear a wristwatch; they just pull out their ever-present cell phone to see what “time” it is. Of those who do wear a wristwatch in the traditional style, an ever-increasing …


Food Less Fortified: Vitamins in a Time of Grid-Down Existence – Part II, by PA Jes

Today, we’ll conclude the article reviewing the vitamin situation in a SHTF scenario and how to provide our body with necessary vitamins without bottled vitamins or vitamin-enriched foods. Vitamins D, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E are reviewed in Part 1, so go back and read it if you missed it yesterday. Vitamin K Vitamin K is necessary for the body to produce blood clots. Blood clots are the body’s method to control bleeding. Without enough vitamin K, people could easily bleed to death. Worldwide, vitamin K deficiency is a major cause of death in newborns, a result of …


Food Less Fortified: Vitamins in a Time of Grid-Down Existence Part I, by PA Jes

TEOTWAWKI can take on many forms. This article is directed towards those who will transition (or already have transitioned) to locally-grown, seasonal, and non-processed (non-vitamin-fortified) food. This includes food produced as a result of homesteading, self-sufficient living, or surviving in a situation where trucks stop stocking supermarkets with vitamin-fortified food, multivitamins, Florida oranges, ocean tuna, and so on. Will America regress to a level of malnutrition typically seen in a third world county? This article is written to be a practical guide to surviving in a vitamin-deficient world, describing some of the key vitamins and their respective government-directed fortification in …


Two Thousand Miles Into the American Redoubt, by M.H.

The following is an extensive review of my journey into the American Redoubt over 11 days and 2,000 miles in July 2014. My traveling companion, during this time, was my adult son, who shares my concern for the rather dim future ahead. My wife of so many years preferred to leave to me the filtering process on which communities we will decide to move to when the time comes. This is not my first trip into the Redoubt but my third; however, this is my most extensive. There is little in life that is more boring than someone else’s travelogue. …


Preserving and Storing Food Safely – An Overview – Part II, by N.M.

Types of Preserving Now that you understand, from Part 1 of this article, some of the reasons to preserve and priorities in preserving correctly, let’s consider which preserving methods you may want to use. Preserving methods include multi-step processes, like soaking, skimming, rinsing, hanging to dry, freezing, canning (in mason jars), smoking, and sucking air out of bags, containers, and buckets. Your choice of which method to use is governed by the food. For example, you would usually freeze berries but dehydrate and vacuum seal tomatoes and strips of meat (jerky). You could can (in glass jars) green beans, though …


Preserving and Storing Food Safely – An Overview – Part I, by N.M.

Preserving food has become an important focus of many families. After reading this article, you will understand what is involved in preserving and be able to decide if it’s for you. Food prices are soaring, and food quality and quantities are decreasing. You can save lots of money by buying things on sale or take advantage of bulk purchases, because you can preserve the food and use it later. You will be protecting yourself and your family by having safely stored nutritious food in the event of an emergency, and you can help your neighbors. With all these pluses, it’s …


Diabetics in Disasters, by Meir L.

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I do not have anything to do with the medical field. This is strictly my personal experiences, and the following does not constitute medical advice.)   Introduction As an 18 year old type 1 diabetic, I am a very active person. I enjoy hiking, biking, climbing, etc. Two years ago, in September of 2011, I started going to the bathroom a lot, drinking like crazy,  becoming very fatigued, and feeling poorly much of the time. Since I am related to multiple Type 1 diabetics, I knew the signs of a developing diabetic, and …


From The Big City To Homesteading–Our Ten Year Journey, by Wranglerstar

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Ten years ago, my wife and I, as young newlyweds, were living the American dream. Our future was bright. While my wife earned a lucrative salary and I built a successful online business, we were on the road to success.  Our urban lifestyle provided us with everything our hearts desired.  In 2006 everything changed.  With the collapse of the housing bubble and the economy in a tailspin, we woke up to the fact that our easy urban lifestyle was fragile and dependent on factors far outside of our control.  We began to be alarmed at the precariousness of our current …


Insulin Dependent Diabetics When TSHTF, by AERC

About five years ago, my husband started worrying about many things happening to our country and the world in general.  Bird flu, inflation, resource grabbing, bank bail outs, government policies, Peak Oil… and more provided fuel for his concern.  As I listened to him talk about what was happening in the world, I began to think about what to do in a situation that would dramatically alter our “way of life”.  We already had goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens.  We already had a nice sized garden and I already canned what we didn’t eat fresh, but it wasn’t done …


Letter Re: Prepping with Fangs: Dogs for a Survivalist

Dear JWR: I have read the previous thoughts on this and I see someone has mentioned several different breeds. I would like to add for those considering a dog to also consider Great Pyrenees. These dogs have the very thick double coats that protect them from attacks, are well known for their ability to take down bears and mountain lions when kept in packs, and are some of the best herd dogs on Earth. If you are wanting to breed them you will have to get the dogs about two years before you are expecting to have pups as generally …


Food Storage on a Budget, by N.T.M. in Nevada

When it comes to food storage, people that I have talked with have almost always made the comment that they can barely afford to feed their family now much less afford to have food storage.  I am currently working with a few people and teaching them how to feed their family and still put food up for TEOTWAWKI.  There are three things that I tell people to always do, (1) gardening, (2) couponing, and (3) food co-ops. (1) Gardening.  When TSHTF, you don’t want to be changing the way that your family eats because then you could be facing worse …


Are We Just Preparing Instead of Preparing and Preventing?, by C.W.S.

Generations of Americans have been vigilant in the past about doing what they believed would provide for their families in times of need.  There has always been a large variation in the types of preparations and the extremes each would go to in these measures.  Why?  Because we are all different people with various backgrounds, influences, upbringings, ethnicities, education and finances.  Some people have lived through the Great Depression, or just hard financial times for that matter. Living through this has instilled a belief upon their families to “put a little away for a rainy day.”  This could mean putting …


Survival Architecture: Building a Retreat that is Defensible, Sustainable and Affordable, by Phil M.

Have you designed and built your own survival retreat yet?  If not, read on.  Designing and building a survival retreat that can provide protection can be affordable and also provide more than adequate shelter and warmth to not only keep its inhabitants alive, but comfortable. To understand how this is achievable we must first understand what sort of materials are available and how each of them apply to defensibility, sustainability and affordability.  Secondly, we must understand how the arrangement of these materials into form, or design, can lend themselves  to defensibility, sustainability and affordability. Materials A major problem with conventional …