Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 31, 2022

On December 31, 1991, the Soviet Union legally ceased to exist. Russia and the other former USSR nations had declared themselves independent and founded the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on December 21, 1991. — December 31st is the birthday of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. — December 31st, 1851 was also the birthday of Frederick Selous. He died on January 4th, 1917. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 30, 2022

December 30, 1865 was the birthday of Rudyard Kipling. He lived part of his later life in Vermont. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 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, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried …


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 Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at grocery price inflation. (See the Inflation Watch section.) Precious Metals: Radomski: Gold: The Breakout That’s Really Important. o  o  o Gold Trade Between East And West Follows 90 Year-Old Pattern. o  o  o Russian gold removed from some Western funds after Ukraine. Economy & Finance: A year-end reminder: Don’t lose sight …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 29, 2022

Today is the birthday of actor Jude Law, born in 1972. Many moviegoers remember him from Enemy at The Gates and Sky Captain. — This is also the birthday of inventor Charles Goodyear (1800–1860.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 …


Lessons Learned From a Winter Storm – Part 2, by Michael X.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Generators: TWO is NONE In all this time my second biggest concern, after the generator, was our outside hot tub. When the power is out it becomes a liability. 250 fifty gallons of hot (warm but cooling) water, waiting to freeze and wreck the tub…. The hot tub water temp was down to 74 degrees after one night. My choices were to get the generator going, or drain the tub. Part of the equation for this decision was the availability of the hot tub’s water for toilet flushing. I had only hours …


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 the trend toward small town and rural relocation that developed during the Wu Flu pandemic, but that is continuing in late 2022. Going Rural: Where are Homebuyers Moving? Over at the …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 28, 2022

December 28, 1793 is the day that Thomas Paine was arrested for treason in France. The charges against him were never fully detailed, but he was tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Best known as the author of Common Sense, he moved to Paris to be part of the French revolution. Initially welcomed, the tide soon turned against him, because he was opposed to the death penalty and the French revolutionaries were sending hundreds to the guillotine. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for …


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. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — SurvivalBlog reader Celeste wrote: “I’ve read several recent articles on hand washing clothes.  All use bar soap as a base and agitate the clothing.  As a long-time [wool] spinner and dyer, I use Orvus (sodium lauryl sulfate) as a base.  It is found in most feed and seed stores and at Tractor Supply. …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 27, 2022

On this day in 1979, the Soviet Union sent 75,000 troops to Afghanistan to enforce the installation of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the nation. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had little success in putting down anti-government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destructive, and ultimately fruitless Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. Death by a thousand cuts. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  …


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 some record-breaking low temperatures throughout the Redoubt region. Idaho An Idaho Farm Bureau video: Living in Idaho Back Country. o  o  o Arctic air settles into region, dangerously cold conditions. o  o  o Mourning in Moscow: The latest on the investigation into …