Saving in the Hard Times, for the Harder Times, by Mrs. C.J. in San Diego

I am by no means a financial expert and have lived most of my life from paycheck to paycheck, so the first thing I thought of when I read “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”was “Wow, those guys must have been rich to buy all that stuff!” I was very overwhelmed and felt somewhat hopeless that I could ever have enough money to buy the things we needed to make it through TEOTWAWKI, especially now that the economy is worsening, and people have less and less money. So I set out to figure out what I would …


Letter Re: Managing Back and Joint Pain

Jim, I recently “took a bad turn” and re-experienced some back pain. My original injury was in 1979, when I was in the military. After three days I decided to see a chiropractor … like many men, I will see a Doctor only when I have one foot in the grave … (insert visual of wives nodding their heads here). This painful episode got me thinking about survival pain management. In a previous career, I was the Safety Manager at a poultry processing plant. One of my duties was to manage the in-house Clinic staffed with RNs and LPNs and …


Economics and Investing:

Les K. sent this: Federal Reserve opens credit line to Europe Breakfast with the FT: Nouriel Roubini. (Thanks to Mike O. for the link.) Kevin S. forwarded this: U.S. Debt Shock May Hit in 2018, Maybe as Soon as 2013: Moody’s. Fed Restarts Currency Swaps as EU Debt Crisis Flares. Read between the lines! Cui bono? Stocks Mostly Hold Gains After European Bailout SEC: Regulators Yet to Determine Cause of Plunge Items from The Economatrix: US Gold Coin Sales Surge as Investors Flee Risk Who’s on the Hook for the IMF’s Greek Bailout? Fears Intensify About Greek Crisis’ Impact on …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mountain lion confirmed in rural Greene County, Indiana (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson for spotting that article.)    o o o A word of warning to field foragers: Hemlock May Have Caused Tacoma Woman’s Death. (It is important to learn how to identify poison hemlock — not to be confused with the various hemlock trees.)    o o o K.L. in Alaska spotted this piece in a Prescott, Arizona newspaper about Cory Lundin: Local survival teacher gets Discovery Channel TV series    o o o You read about this first in SurvivalBlog: Could another Icelandic volcano …



Letter Re: The Basics of Starting to Prepare

Long term survival means you need a three part system. You need (1) Water, (2) Food, and (3) Security. most people only prep for two of the three or one of the three. I know too many “preppers” that say “all that I need is my AR-15 and a ton of ammo”, but the issue with that is obvious. you will have to turn into a bad guy and steal or kill for the other two. I also know guys who say ” will hoard a 90-day supply of food and water, and my neighbors will help me keep my …


Letter Re: Two Observations on Expected Post-TEOTWAWKI Behavior

James, I wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed the preview to your new book. I am really looking forward to reading the entire book. I also wanted to pass on two “observations of life”, if you will, that I have made in the past few years. First, in a post conversation that I had with a person I had worked with at the time, this person was laughing about a pre-Y2K conversation he had with an elderly neighbor. This person lives in a fairly rural area and his single, elderly female neighbor was asking if he was …


Two Letters Re: The Skeptical Spouse

Hello Mr. Rawles, My wife wasn’t exactly skeptical, but her focus was defined by other requirements. Her family history showed her that keeping family close and healthy was a first priority. So her natural drive was in that direction. My re-entry into the world of prepping came from critiquing the television show Jericho. At first, I was embarrassed to let her know about my interest in the subject matter, and how I thought there were better ways to handle things in the plot. When we talked about it one night, I saw an interest in her eye, and the prepping …


Economics and Investing:

Why does this not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling? The Fed now owns Red Roof Inns. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson for spotting that article.) Food stamp tally nears 40 million, sets record. (Thanks to Brian B. for the link.) G.G. sent this: America has good reason to worry about Greece. Also from G.G.: EU close to €500 billion boost for rescue plan Reader Ralph N. ran across an article in The Wall Street Journal that confirms the warning that I made three years ago: Will Nickel-Free Nickels Make a Dime’s Worth of Difference? Plan …


Economics and Investing:

EMB mentioned: The Crisco Alternative    o o o Mark P. spotted this: Farmers Cope with Roundup-Resistant Weeds    o o o Tina W. alerted me to this article: Rodents pose new health threat in Zimbabwe’s towns. If our economy ever collapses, rats will be with us, in large numbers!    o o o The America I left – reactions of a retiring expat. (A hat tip to Brian B. for the link.)



Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com. (A $275 value.), and D.) A 500 round case …


The Skeptical Spouse, by Mike H.

While many readers of SurvivalBlog might be hard-core, prepped to the nth degree, live off the land survival types like Mr. Rawles, I would suspect that most are much like myself: quiet suburban dwellers whose eyes have been opened by Mr. Rawles at SurvivalBlog and similar voices to the fragility of our modern intertwined civilization. However, my awakening and “journey” was begun without my most important companions: my lovely bride of seven years and our two very young daughters. While I consider my wife to be one of the most resilient and resourceful individuals I have ever met, she shares …


Letter Re: The Importance of Food Storage

Dear Friends, Most of you are preparing, Great. Some of you are thinking of preparing, but find it hard to believe tough times could happen in the near future as this never happened before in our life. We all have insurance for our homes and/or automobiles that we pay for in premiums year after year, after year. Please think of food storage as insurance. Come what may, be it disruptions in “just in time” inventory at the local food chain, civil strife, or inflation. Food storage will pay great dividends for you and your family. Please read the following and …


Letter Re: Surviving a Nuclear Bomb

Mr. Editor: Might I humbly suggest a couple additions for Eric? First, a copy of Nuclear War Survival Skills. Second, build a couple Kearney Fallout Meters (KFMs) as instructed in Nuclear War Survival Skills. These meters are not that difficult to build, but do take some time to build if you do so carefully. Two pound ice fishing line for the suspension threads work very well. A charged KFM with Stren-type monofilament line still had noticeable leaf separation three days after charging this last winter using drywall core as drying agent. A KFM would allow a person to survey the …