Recipe of the Week:

R.G.’s Cinnamon & Spice Cookies Here is an old family favorite.  This fits right in with SurvivalBlog as it stores well and travels well. 4 cups of flour 1 1/2 cups of sugar 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 5 egg yolks 1 egg white (set additional egg whites aside) 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice 1 cup of honey, warmed Sift dry ingredients on a board or in a bowl. Add eggs and enough honey to make a medium stiff dough. roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds …


Note From JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …


Do It Yourself Gunsmithing, by Charles M.

Much has been written about what particular guns are best for home defense and SHTF, but I haven’t seen much about taking care of these weapons when gunsmiths are not around.  Let’s look at what typically causes firearms to fail.  As a gunsmith, the main cause of firing malfunctions I see is dirt.  This can be crud built up from dust collecting in oil forming a grease-like substance, or rust, or build-up from burned powder (carbon), or residue from the casings or shells. The second most encountered problems stem from magazines, or broken or weak springs.  Lost pins or screws, …


Being Prepared is More Than Just Having a Bugout Bag, by Christine S.

When a SHTF moment happens, preparedness is everything. But it is more than just having a bugout bag and a meeting place for your family. It means being ready, economically, intellectually, and physically. I’m going to talk about three specific goals, why they are so important, and the techniques you can use to get yourself in the best position possible. Don’t wait to progress from one to the other – instead, look at each of the three goals and pick an idea from each to focus on, then continue to add and build as you go. Goal #1 – Economic …


Two Letters Re: All You Need to G.O.O.D. You Can Carry on Your Back

JWR: In response to some of the comments on my article:  My point is that is not necessary to carry a lot of “gear” to survive in the wilderness.  I’ve seen some list of items you would need a van to carry it away.   If we have a major earthquake on the New Madrid Fault (and shut down bridges for hundreds of miles on the Mississippi River and cut off the food supply to half the country), flood, tornado, Yellowstone eruption, meteor impact, economic collapse or whatever, your gas tank will be empty very soon and then what do you …


Economics and Investing:

Veteran content contributor K.A.F. sent this: Gasoline Prices are Not Rising, the Dollar is Falling. Here is a brief quote: “”Right now, the threat posed by rising gasoline prices is not just to family budgets. An even greater danger is that the government will use escalating oil prices as an excuse to do something stupid.” G.G. flagged this: Chart of the Week: Nearly Half of All Americans Don’t Pay Income Taxes The Real Hunt Brothers Silver Story Part 1 Projected PIIGS Pillage: 3233.5 Tons of Gold to be Confiscated by Insolvent European Banks Items from The Economatrix: Gasoline Gas Spike …


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.B. sent this charming bit: Official: Anonymous May Be Able to Disable Power Grids by Next Year    o o o Reader R.J.R. recommended this free Kindle e-book: 101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child.    o o o Ready for grid down? “Z2” sent us this BBC article: MPs warn over nuclear space bombs and solar flares    o o o To follow up on a previous article link: Felony gun charge dropped against Farmington man: County attorney calls Fleming an ‘upstanding member of the community’.    o o o G.G. suggested this: Gun culture spreads in …



Note From JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a …


Adjusting Survival Plans to Meet Your Unique Circumstances, by Thomas A.

So, first a quick rundown on my family circumstances.  I am a lawyer by training.  My spouse, a former teacher, is midway through dental school.  We own a (mortgaged) home in the Virginia suburbs of a large city.  My spouse is from a western state, having grown up around guns, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc.  By contrast, I grew up in a small city, in a house without guns.  I was in the Cub Scouts for a few years, but various other interests took over and I never got to do the majority of the important skill-building that being in …


Experiences Prepping in Florida and Texas, by Scott B.

I’ll start this by saying I’m a single 33 year old. I’ve been into preparedness long before I knew there was a word for it.  I don’t really know where it came from in the beginning, though my mother was my Cub Scout leader in elementary school. Some of my best memories were sitting on the floor underneath the dining room table tying knots around the table legs. I also remember reading The Hardy Boys Handbook: Seven Stories of Survival in elementary school, which was a mix of survival stories and information. It is worthwhile to find a copy for your …


Four Letters Re: Celiac Disease: The Gluten-Free Prepping Challenge

Jim: I am also gluten intolerant and I found out much in the same way and the previous writer.  In addition the information provided I would like to point out potatoes.  They can be bought in 50 pounds bags and stored in a root cellar for most of the winter. We buy two 50 pound bags in the fall that last us until late spring.  We also grow 18 different varieties of potatoes and save and grow them from seed each spring.  That way we have the knowledge and ability to ramp up our own potato production in case we couldn’t buy them from the farm …


Two Letters Re: Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI, by Bill H.

James, I just read the comment  by one of the readers on the Crosscut Saw Company (in Letters – Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI, by Bill H.).   I am on my second crosscut saw I purchased form the Crosscut Saw Company. (The first one that I owned was stolen). I also purchased their saw maintenance manual, and some sharpening tools. I purchased the saws manufactured by them (They also have some of the commercial made saws). Their saws are of excellent quality and workmanship, and definitely worth the money.   If you do decide to purchase one of these saws, purchasing …


Letter Re: Switching to AR-10s for Battle Rifles

JWR, I’ve looked into getting an AR-10 to supplement my AR-15 and considered the SI Defense and CMMG options that accept the widely available and very inexpensive Heckler und Koch G3 20 round magazines.  The former requires minor modification of each G3 magazine, the latter requires modification to an upper receiver, and unfortunately those lower receivers are no longer produced.  I know you’ve mentioned your plan to convert to SI Defense receiver AR-10 rifles, but I did not see a mention of the required magazine modification.  The instructions to modify the magazines can be found here.  The modification involves removing …


Economics and Investing:

Chart: ‘America’s Per Capita Government Debt Worse Than Greece‘. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.) The compression of generations – 25 million adults live at home with parents because they’re unemployed or underemployed. Reader R.B.S. sent this: Idaho Rep. Hart pushes gold coins as ‘legal tender’ $6 Gas This Summer — U.S. Economy Falls Off Cliff Items from The Economatrix: Iran Stopped Selling Crude to UK and France Oil Price Hits 8-Month High Gallup Finds Unemployment Climbing to 9% in February US Dollar Could Weaken Amid Euro Talks