Letter Re: Property Tax Rates as Criterion in Choosing Retreat Locales

Hi James, I finally took the 10 Cent Challenge and pledge to keep it up in the coming years. Thanks for a site with a reliable source of news and resources for family survival. Thanks for referring me to a good storage food vendor. I bought 60 of the #10 cans of dehydrated food and made sure to tell them a couple of times that I heard of them on SurvivalBlog. They were prompt and delivered everything as advertised. Nice people, as I would expect from your recommendation. I am looking to get more freeze dry foods later this year …


Letter Re: Observations on Chest Freezer Efficiency

Hi Jim, I was reading Monday’s letter regarding “Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator”, and a thought came to mind when the author mentioned super-insulating a freezer for extended cooling durations. There are basically 2 types of freezer; the upright and the box, (what we call around here, the “coffin” freezer). Given the same basic amount of insulation included with each type, to the point where both manage the loss of cooling at the same rate, the “coffin” appears to be more efficient during access. Cold air sinks. When the door of an upright freezer is opened, the cold air …


Letter Re: Consider Volunteering at a Homeless Shelter

Sir; I once had an opportunity to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Denver, Colorado. What started as a chance to be of service, turned out to be a lesson in survival. I was surprised to learn that many of the “guests” at the shelter had become experts at existing comfortably, on a permanent basis, without benefit of a home. Here are some of the things I learned: 1) The first lesson is – The quality of your bags determines the quality of your life. If your possessions are contained in fragile garbage bags, you are limited in how much …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More from economist Marc Faber’s recent speech: ‘Doom and Gloom’ has just begun. And at the risk of exceeding your maximum daily dose of Gloom and Doom, consider this article sent in by RBS: US Fed releases [another] $200 billion as credit crisis hits new depths. And for the icing on the cake, The New York Times ran this: Seeing an End to the Good Times (Such as They Were). A key data point mentioned in the article: “The median household [in the US] earned $48,201 in 2006, down from $49,244 in 1999, according to the Census Bureau.” OBTW, that …




Letter Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator

Hello Jim and SurvivalBlog Readers: I have enjoyed reading the vast knowledge shared on this topic and the awakening you have brought to us about our fragile economy! How can one put a price on a wake up call?,… well, it’s easy, renew your 10 Cent Challenge! Admit it, your year is probably up, but the education is still coming to you! I have not seen any talk on your site about a “miniature” diesel genset. My thought is that while the large Lister type genset’s are proven to last, … their will be a time when running something with …


A Flooded Basement – Friends You Can Count On, and Lessons Learned

Mr. Rawles, Once again, thank you for your research and SurvivalBlog posts. I have been a [10 Cent Challenge] contributor for a couple of years and have gotten more than my money’s worth. Thank you. Last night my group and I met at my home. Here in New Hampshire we received a record amount of snow fall this year. (Over 108 inches!) That is the fourth largest every recorded. Yesterday it was warmer then normal there for a lot of snow melt. Last night it rained. As the group was getting ready to head to the range for night shooting …


Letter Re: Practical Bookbinding for Your Downloaded Survival References

Hi Mr. Rawles, I hope you’re having a great day! I was tumbling around the Internet and stumbled upon a site on do-it-yourself bookbinding. It’s got a great deal of information on binding your own books simply and easily using two bolts, two wing nuts, some wood scraps, a wet cotton ball and some Gorilla Glue. I tried it and found that this is a great way to EMP-proof my PDF collection of [public domain] WTSHTF books. Have a great evening. Best, – Ian


Odds ‘n Sods:

P.R. suggested an article in Home Power magazine on hydropower basics.    o o o A reminder that the Western Rifle Shooter’s Association (WRSA)’s first event scheduled for 2008 is a two day defensive handgun course, in Brookings, Oregon on March 15 & 16. The WRSA offers high quality training for very little money, so be sure to take advantage of it!    o o o Remember what I’ve been saying about lenders reverting to saying “No”? And do your remember my predictions on municipal bonds and their insurers” Here are a couple of recent snippets from Bill Bonner, over …



Letter Re: Comments on Farm Land Versus Coastal Land

Regarding the recent comments in SurvivalBlog, I have no experience with coastal land. I do have experience with farm / rural land. In my part of the Midwest, "junk" land (rough land not really fit for farming or pasture…and not holding valuable timber) could be purchased all day long 10-12 years ago for $500-$750 per acre. I recently attended a sale of several parcels good only for hunting and the price was $3,000+ per acre. Top quality tillable land—great for corn, soybeans, wheat? Within the last 90 days a 1,500 acre parcel sold for $6,500 per acre. 10-12 years ago, …


Letter Re: Inflation in Zimbabwe Approaches the Wheelbarrow Stage

Greetings! It’s not quite a wheelbarrow full of money yet, but check out accompanying the photo in this news story. I guess that I should invest in a separate ALICE pack, for when ‘Helicopter Ben’ starts dropping off my paycheck – that way I can at least schlep it all to the grocery store, and keep my hands free to operate small arms. Check out the slide show imbedded in the article as well – shows just how far Rhodesia/Zimbabwe has fallen. – Bob in Pittsburgh


Two Letters Re: 21st Century Property Squatters

Dear Jim: < Sarcasm On > Your disappearing home equity got you down? Behind on your mortgage? What if you could live payment free for up to 8 months or more and walk away without owing a penny? See: You Walk Away < Sarcasm Off > The foregoing is a real solicitation to delay the foreclosure process. When real estate parasites like this have a business helping deadbeats game the foreclosure process, you know the Schumer is starting to really hit. Not that I have much sympathy for the crooked bankers and lenders being taken advantage of here (just wait …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From Bloomberg: Fed Boosts Lending to Banks as Credit Rout Continues. Bloomberg also reports: Bernanke Policy to `Destroy’ U.S. Dollar, Faber Says. It sounds like there are some perilous times ahead!    o o o Mark in Idaho mentioned: that he spoke recently with a good friend who lives in Southwestern Utah. Mark said that his friend went to his local LDS cannery over the weekend and was told to “hurry up and buy what he could since the cannery prices were going to increase, as of the 22nd of March.” That leaves just a short time before the price …