Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …


Buying Inexpensive Groceries in Small Towns, by Sarah in Texas

The “extreme couponing” movement is fascinating. In larger communities than mine, people can combine coupons, sales, and store policies (like double- or triple-coupon days) to walk out with free or dirt-cheap groceries, hygiene items, and other goodies. When you’re trying to build a survival stockpile, every dollar matters; it’s great to get a years’ worth of toothbrushes for the entire family for just a few dollars, for example, and to stock up on canned vegetables for twenty cents apiece. However, I live in a small town. This rural part of Texas includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a local grocery store, and …


Some Myths About Seeds, by M.J.E.

I keep coming across misinformation on some of the prep sites I’ve encountered and thought it would be helpful to set some things straight with regard to seeds, seed storage and growing food and other useful plants. Here are some myths I’ve encountered and my attempts at clarification. While the misinformation may not endanger you, it can prevent you from using all resources available or create some false expectations. Myth 1: If you save seeds from hybrid plants (commercial seeds, not heirloom), you’ll starve. Seeds from hybrid plants, in my experience, will not fail to grow – they’re just not …


Letter Re: Vehicle Radiator Ballistic Protection

James: In your novel Patriots, you describe a 1968 Ford Bronco getting its radiator shot out. The only reason that the radiator was put in the front of early cars was because they did not have effective water pumps in the beginning, water flowed through and was cooled. 90% of the air that cools the radiator comes from under the bumper. You can totally block off the upper portion without any overheating issues. So a series of slats if you do not trust it, could be welded behind the grill if you wanted to. If you are still afraid of …


Letter Re: Observations on Post-Tornado Cleanup

James, We have been volunteering at the remains of a home of a prepper here in Ohio for the past two weekends.  Their home was destroyed by a tornado.  I have some simple suggestions that you might incorporate into your future work.                 1.  Store / Organize photos and documents in Ziploc bags.  In this case, they had the preverbal box of pictures stored on the second floor of a three story 1860 brick home with brick interior walls located flood plain.  The tornado remove the upper story plus half of the second floor.  The box of pictures was found …


Letter Re: Prepare to Share

I have been reading your articles for quite a while now and I have a comment on the article Prepare To Share. This has been a difficult subject to deal with. I have been prepping for 2 1/2 years. At times my wife thinks I’m going a little over board. Last winter when we had such mild weather ( I work on heaters) we lived off the food I had stored due to the lack of work and income. This was eye opening and it has set my resolve to store more for the coming problems while I have work …


Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. sent this: 8,753,935: Workers on Disability Set Another Record in July; Exceed Population of 39 States Federal Government’s Debt Jumps More Than $1T for 5th Straight Fiscal Year More mainstream media Pollyanna nonsense: Wall Street Journal: The U.S. Housing Bust Is Over. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.) Sue C. sent this: US poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s J.B.G. suggested this article: Blaming the Spanish victim as Europe spirals into summer crisis Items from The Economatrix: Five Banks Fail, 2012 Tally at 38 Gold Shaping Up for a Major Uptrend Gary North:  Central Banks …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A reminder that another Self-Reliance Expo will be held in Dallas, Texas, July 27-28, 2012. Their most recent event (in Colorado Springs, Colorado), was a huge success. OBTW, wear your SurvivalBlog T-shirt or hat and see who you meet.    o o o Greg C. suggested an essay by one of my favorite talk radio hosts: Are We There Yet? A short term look at the road ahead, by Brian Wilson    o o o Reader C.D.V. mentioned a post-collapse Christian novel audiobook that is available free for just the month of July, from Christian Audio: The Sword, book one …



Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of Simón Bolivar. His full name: Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco. He was born July 24, 1783 and died December 17, 1830. Bolivar will always be remembered as an early abolitionist and as “The Liberator”–the man who led Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela to independence. — Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This …


The Bug Out Trailer, by  Allen A.

If things go bad do you bug in or do you bug out.  This decision will probably be made at the time depending on the expectations of what the emergency will be and just how bad you expect conditions to become.  Are you expecting a hurricane or other disaster sizable enough to worry about?  Will you be gone for a week then return and open the house back up?  Are you expecting a Katrina size event or might it unexpectedly turn into a long term emergency where the only things you have will be those things you take with you. …


Emergency Water Treatment On The Move, by Tom K.

When I first started hiking and backpacking in the 1960s and 1970s few people bothered to treat their backcountry water in the USA. If it looked good it probably was good and we drank from streams and lakes without a second thought to the quality of the water in them. Unfortunately this is no longer the case and serious illnesses can be contracted by failing to treat the water you drink. Since I have not yet experienced TEOTWAWKI, I will describe my experiences with different water treatment methods from the viewpoint of a hiker and backpacker. I think that in …


Letter Re: Swiss Fallout Shelter Specifications

Dear Mr. Rawles: Some of your French, Italian or German readers might like to try this link to the official Swiss Civil Defense web page.  The last five links on the page titled ITC or ITAP are the ones with the specs. The 4th link is also quite interesting, and as you can see, they even have the EMP problem entirely figured out, in typical Swiss fashion   I read somewhere that Oak Ridge might have translated some of these documents, or earlier versions thereof but I have yet to come across these on the net.   Beste grussen und …


Letter Re: Long Term Public Employee Pension Obligations

James: A good read, and the author is right, we shouldn’t paint with a broad brush. However I think he had one glaring inaccuracy, and that inaccuracy is regarding the crucial fact is the crux of the problem people have with government pensions. he wrote:   “I contribute 3% of my salary to my government retirement. Not much you say, but in the civilian corporate world, most companies provide 100% of the employees’ retirement without employee contribution”   This is a blatant falsehood. Company provided pensions have been getting phased out aggressively. They may have been the norm in earlier decades, …