Category: Contest

The Here and Now, by Mark M.

Like many of you, I’ve read many articles on what to do when the SHTF or TEOTWAWKI. With the fear being put out by the media and politicians regarding Covid, many people who had never heard of prepping, survivalists, or even the acronym SHTF, are now getting quickly up to date. For all the articles out there, once you sort the wheat from the chaff, there are usually some great pieces of advice regarding what to do when the SHTF, what to include in prepping, building a bugout plan, etc. But, what about the here and now? The time before …


Hands-On Self-Sufficient Living in Florida, by Bonnie R.

Introduction I have lived in Southwest Florida for my entire life. My dad is a Florida-raised, University of Florida graduate. My mother spent half her childhood in Indiana and the other half in Naples, Florida. Before my siblings and I were born, my parents started a semi-successful beekeeping business that has been going strong for thirty years. Now, I say “semi-successful” because when you’re running a beekeeping business you rely mostly on nature; and nature is something that is depleting with every passing year. However, they built this business well enough that they were able to homeschool and raise seven …


Can You Survive Without Meat When The SHTF?, by Ken Gallender

I’d like to start this article with saying that I am not a tree hugger. I love meat, eggs, cheese and fish. I’m not trying to convince anyone to quit hunting and fishing. I have been an outdoorsman my entire life. I drive and use 4×4 trucks and ATVs every week. I just want to impart what has profoundly changed my life. I have given a lot of thought to how we would survive and provide the protein requirements for my family if suddenly we were faced with the prospect of having no supermarket or source of meat and dairy …


My Rules To Live By, by Brad F.

Author’s Introductory Note: This was written for high school students that are attending the Alternate High School in the American Redoubt which the local Rotary Club has taken an interest to mentor and expose the students to various job possibilities and for a few, higher education opportunities. This was to be a handout and discussion on each topic as this was to be an opening to talk and expand each item as the students wanted. Then a presentation on being an entrepreneur either by buying or starting a business and how to finance such business. Of course, a person will …


Fulltime Living in a Wall Tent, by Tim S.

As we watch the waning of 2021, and witness another emergency (re: Omicron) that the media, tech and the left has deployed to further erode our personal rights and freedoms, my young family have also seen the anniversary of Year Two of living off grid, in tents. It is getting colder. The firewood is stacked. Our root cellar is filled, the chickens properly housed, a bit of insulation thrown on top of the tent and … there is still a whole bunch to do. BACKGROUND When Covid hit we were (like many) Canadians, suddenly reno-victed from our apartment. In part, …


Raising Meat Birds in a Garage, by SaraSue

I recently read that there are chicken shortages in the supply chain (specifically “chicken tenders”) and I’m not going to discuss why. I’m writing this because many people who read the blog do not have a homestead or even a large back yard and worry about supply chain shortages. I hope to give you some ideas on how you can raise your own meat birds in limited space or under restricted conditions. As I wrote this it occurred to me that I was recreating “factory farmed” chicken production. That made me sad, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The …


Stuff Ain’t Enough, by Tunnel Rabbit

Suck It Up, Buttercup Because of several severe and concurrent illnesses, and advancing age, my income is no exaggeration, nearly noth’n. It is waaay below the poverty line, perhaps $3,000 per year with half of that going towards prepping. And so, I must live like a neo-pioneer. I do not receive a check from any source. In my book, no goobermint, is good goobermint, and dependence on any government is a trap, a trap that I would easily qualify for. I live as folks imagine they might have to live during a collapse, and in perhaps tougher circumstances than they …


Your Red Bags: Stop The Bleed – Part 2, by Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Things to consider beyond bleeding No matter how good you are at stopping a hemorrhaging blood vessel, you or someone that you designate must call 9-1-1 right now! Don’t say “Somebody call 9-1-1!” Bob may think that John will call; John thinks that Bob is calling – and no one calls. Instead designate: “John, call 9-1-1!” If you are faced with more than one victim, which might occur in a motor vehicle accident, decide as quickly as you can where the worst bleeding is occurring – which person and which part of …


Your Red Bags: Stop The Bleed – Part 1, by Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.

When the shooting stops but the bleeding doesn’t, are you really prepared? Approximately 40,000 Americans die every year from injuries that result in severe bleeding, a condition that can drain life away in as little as four minutes. The massacre at Sandy Hook, Connecticut on December 14th, 2012, was a tipping point. In that dreadful event twenty students, all only six or seven years old, and six staff members were gunned down by Adam Lanza, who had earlier murdered his mother and subsequently took his own life. Shortly thereafter members of the American College of Surgeons, the Department of Defense, …


Smallpox? – Managing a Serious Possibility, by SwampFox

Author’s Intoductory Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and am not prescribing anything to anyone. Seek out appropriate advice and medical treatment from your own medical professional. — Covid-19 has been unpleasant for many reasons. However, it is not particularly lethal. It is interesting to notice that in the midst of so many restrictions and social changes, the Biden administration has promised us a couple of things: A “Dark Winter” and the “Next Pandemic.” Bill Gates has also called Covid19 the “first pandemic” and has proposed that society should prepare for “Pandemic 2.” How prepared are you for something …


Your New Normal, by SaraSue

Once you see the strings on the marionettes, you can never unsee them. In other words, once your eyes are opened to manipulations, you can’t not see them. When you see them, trust, if given, is retracted, taken back, lost. If a thing is found to no longer be genuine, and it is no longer what it was promised to be, you feel tricked. Trust lost is much harder to earn back than trust never given in the first place. I did, at one time, when I was blissfully unaware of politics, “trust the government”. I do not anymore and …


Boots, Knots, Hand Sanitizer, and a Knife, by The Novice

Thrift store shopping can yield many useful items. This article is a collection of short reviews about some of my finds. These finds include a pair of boots, a book about knots, a gallon jug of hand sanitizer, and a knife. A Pair of Boots When I am harvesting firewood, I like to wear steel-toed boots. My toes just feel happier with a little extra protection when they are in the vicinity of running chainsaws, swinging axes, and rolling logs. About a year ago, I was in one of our local thrift stores and ran across a pair of “Skechers …


Hoping For TEOTWAWKI – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) TEOTWAWKI would get rid of both the 24-hour news cycle and the time-wasting crime that television is. By the time after The Day when the new normal has been established, kids (and most parents) will be thin and active and unafraid again, knowing how to ride bikes, developing ingenuity and problem-solving skills by building go-carts and tree forts, and seeing what neat critters there are under rocks and logs when you roll them over. After their many newly-acquired post-SHTF chores are finished, boys and girls will go down to the swimming hole …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced: Round 97

We’ve completed the judging for Round 97 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize winners are: First Prize: Anthony B., for Progressive Reloading for Beginners, posted on November 24, 2021. His prizes will include: 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), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, …


Hoping For TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by St. Funogas

Oh TEOTWAWKI, where art thou? I gave up the “news” on November 3, 2020 about 8 PM. During December I’d do a quick scan to see if there was any mention of mushroom clouds, then get back to more important things like trying to figure out how to get my hands on some Hoppes 1-8 to go along with my Hoppes 9. In 2021, I’ve given up all news (except the occasional link in another story) and both my sanity and quality of life have improved immensely. Friends and relatives will notify me of any mushroom clouds on the horizon. …