Two Letters Re: Extreme Coupon Prepping

Sir: I just wanted to add a few comments to Y.M.’s extreme couponing prepping article. Shoppers fall into three categories: 1 ) the busy, unplanned shopper, 2 )  the rookie shopper and 3 ) the Olympian. The busy shopper just runs in the store and buys whatever is there. The rookie saves 10-20% and the Olympian saves about 80-90 %. I am definitely in the rookie category. I can save 20-40 % by just shopping the front and back page of the store’s weekly circular. Also if  you cook and do not eat out of boxes, you have additional savings. …


Letter Re: Mag-Lite D Cell LED Flashlights

Good Morning, Jim, I just wanted to pass on this information.  We bought a black Mag-Lite 2D Cell LED Flashlight from Wal-Mart for $33.88 a couple of weeks ago.[JWR Adds: I’ve seen the same 2-D Cell LED Mag-Lite advertised for a low as $20.88 at Amazon.com.] I would like to highly recommend this light as an inexpensive item to have in your kit.  It provides 114 lumens with an adjustable focus and effective lighting up to 298 meters. I can light up my driveway all the way to the bottom, approx. 125 feet. It is available in several colors including …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s G.G. sent this: Bob Rodriguez: The man who sees another crash. Moody’s Warns Big Banks Of Possible Downgrades Don’t Hold Your Breath Summer job bummer: Teen unemployment 24 percent. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Treasury Continues to Dip into Retirement Accounts BBC HardTalk:  Jim Rogers Moody’s Threat of US Downgrade Departure from S&P’s Warning


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Bill H. sent: 10 states most at risk of disaster. Bill noted: “None of the Redoubt States are included [in the top ten list]. This is another reason why my family and I are making plans to relocate there.”    o o o Lynn G. sent this troubling news headline from England: Food chain at risk of being poisoned by terrorist groups    o o o As documented in the Sipsey Street Irregulars blog, more details have emerged in the ATF’s Gunwalker scandal.    o o o More environmentalist hand-wringing: Could the Net be killing the planet one web …



Note from JWR:

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7th is Book Bomb Day for the new book The Simplicity Primer, by Patrice Lewis. You’ll probably recognize Patrice’s name from either her excellent Rural Revolution blog, or from her WorldNet Daily columns. Please wait until June 7th to order the book, to create the maximum media buzz.


Pat’s Product Review: LaserLyte Products

I still remember when some of the first lasers for handguns came on the commercial market. At the time I was working for the late Col. Rex Applegate, and he received several handgun lasers to test. As was usually the case, the job of testing was passed along to me, and I reported my findings back to Applegate. At the time, I thought that lasers on firearms were more of a gimmick or for that matter, just plain ol’ toys. No one made holsters for handguns with laser – simply because the lasers were so big – it wasn’t practical …


Letter Re: Rescue Repair Tape

Mr. Rawles: You recently posted this: Jeremy Pavleck over at Cool Tools recently recommended Rescue Repair Tape. It is a fusing silicone repair tape that has umpteen uses. It can even be used as a temporary patch for leaking radiator hoses. I recommend buying a roll for at home, and one for each of your vehicle tool kits. Jeremy is correct! This stuff is beyond awesome. It is waterproof. It insulates from electricity. It is heat resistant. It is easily removable but doesn’t come off unless you want it to. I have used it to improve grips on firearms (it …


Economics and Investing:

B.B. was the first of several readers to send this article: China Has Divested 97 Percent of Its Holdings in U.S. Treasury Bills. here is a key quote: “Most of the U.S. national debt is made up of publicly marketable securities sold by the Treasury Department and I.O.U.s called ‘intragovernmental’ bonds that the Treasury has given to so-called government trust funds—such as the Social Security trust funds—when it has spent the trust funds’ money on other government expenses.” Talk about a Ponzi scheme! The Sky Is Falling, It Is Time To Panic And The U.S. Economy Has Fallen And It …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A reminder: Ready Made Resources is seeking entries for their Preparedness Video Contest. Instructional (nonfiction) videos on any topic related to family preparedness are sought. The prizes are a brand new Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) complete Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight with a combined retail value of more than $1,400. Please keep your privacy in mind when you create your videos. (Don’t mention any surnames or towns). You may post up to three videos to YouTube for consideration in the judging. Videos up to 10 minute long that are your …



Notes from JWR:

Please pray for the folks in the path of the large wildfire in Northern Arizona. — Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food …


Extreme Coupon Prepping, by Y.M.

Two years ago, after intense research, my husband decided to talk to me about the possibility of an economic collapse or terrorist attack.  He also described to me in detail the steps that we would have to take in order to prepare for such events.  We made lists prioritizing emergency preparedness goals, such as bug-out-bags, water and food storage, a medical supply kit, water purification methods and home defense,  to name a few.   I have to admit that at first I was confused, completely freaked out, and at times angry at the thought that the world as we know it …


Letter Re: National Academies Publication Now On-Line

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was just made aware that on June 2nd, the U.S. National Academies (e.g., National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering) made their publications available for free on-line.  http://www.nap.edu/   Documents can either be reviewed on screen, downloaded as a PDF (need to register with site to download files) or hard copies can be ordered (although at substantial cost). Publications cover a broad range of topics from Agriculture, to Engineering and Technology, to Conflict and Security Issues. Although much of the material may be of little direct value to a prepper, there may be some value …


Letter Re: Keeping Your Communications Private

Jim, I would like to offer a suggestion and a word of caution concerning F.J.B. suggestions for secure and private communications. The suggestion is the computer media containing the data.  Instead of trying to find a small thumb drive or a thumb drive in some nondescript package, one should look at the MicroSD card.  These generally come with an SD card carrier and SD card writers are inexpensive and small.  Once removed from the carrier, the MicroSD card measures only 11x15x1 mm (.43x..59x.04 inches) and is available in sizes up to 64 GB.  This extremely small gadget can easily be …