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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at Tariff Arbitrage in Tangibles. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Despite the best efforts of the short-sellers, the precious metals bull market now seems to have been confirmed. The rise in gold now appears unstoppable. Meanwhile, the Silver Shorts are still pulling the weekly shenanigans, almost every Friday. But given the …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The second item in the liberal creed, after self-righteousness, is unaccountability. Liberals have invented whole college majors–psychology, sociology, women’s studies–to prove that nothing is anybody’s fault. No one is fond of taking responsibility for his actions, but consider how much you’d have to hate free will to come up with a political platform that advocates killing unborn babies but not convicted murderers. A callous pragmatist might favor abortion and capital punishment. A devout Christian would sanction neither. But it takes years of therapy to arrive at the liberal view.” –  P.J. O’Rourke, Give War a Chance


Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 8, 2025

Today is the 80th anniversary of VE Day, otherwise known as Victory in Europe Day, in 1945. World War II ended in Europe after Germany signed an unconditional surrender. The Brits have several days of celebrations planned. — This is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 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 $2,000. …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, the push toward greater use of military drones. U.S. Army Plans Massive Increase in Its Use of Drones Over at The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Army Plans Massive …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 7, 2025

On May 7, 1700, William Penn began monthly meetings for blacks advocating emancipation. — And on May 7, 1867, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 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 $2,000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: 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. — Reader F.J. mentioned this informative piece by Eric Peters that describes the change from car timing chains to timing belts to illustrate how government regulations spawn higher prices: The Hidden Cost of Things. o  o  o I recently had a consulting client ask me about my current recommendation for an inexpensive dual-band …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 6, 2025

May 6, 1527: Spanish and German Imperial troops sacked papal Rome, ending the Italian High Renaissance. Charles III, Duke of Bourbon had been killed in the assault. It was reported that his death removed any restraint for the victorious soldiers.  The 17th-Century rendering above, titled The Sack Of Rome was by Johannes Lingelbach, — May 6th is also the birthday of Tuvia Bielski. (Born 1906, died 1987.) You may remember that Daniel Craig portrayed him in the movie Defiance. — Today’s feature article is an essay by JWR. — We are in need of entries for Round 118 of the …


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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news about some tax cuts and some tax increases.  (See the Region-Wide section and the Montana section.) Region-Wide Op-Ed: Montana, Idaho join the ‘record’ tax cut club while Washington imposes a ‘historic’ tax increase. The piece begins: “If there was a theme for the 2025 …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 5, 2025

Today, May 5th, 2025 is the 75th birthday of Michael Bane. Born on May 5, 1950, Bane is an author, firearms trainer, television host, and the host of the longest-running firearms podcast:  MBTV – On the Radio.  A proto-prepper, Michael Bane lives in an off-grid home in rural Colorado. Mr. Bane was also the basis of the “Michael Blessing” character in James Tarr’s zombie novel trilogy. Michael Bane’s website–michaelbane.tv–is the place to find his podcast, his blog, and his superb video series: Triggered. It is highly recommended. — We are announcing a change to the First Prize package in the …


Recipe of the Week: Garlicky Corn & Tomato

The following recipe for a Garlicky Corn & Tomato is from SurvivalBlog reader R.E., who says: “This a great summer recipe for your garden produce. It takes just 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes to cook.  This makes a great side dish.” Ingredients 4 Ears of raw corn on the cob (about 2 cups of corn) 4 medium sized tomatoes 1 small bunch (a handful) of fresh basil 3-4 cloves of garlic (peeled and minced) — or less, to taste Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 1/4 cup of water Directions Cut the raw kernels off the cobs …