Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

The Hidden Weakness In Your Defense Plans, by T.S. -Part 1

The mental and emotional considerations of using lethal force to protect your home and loved ones after TEOTWAWKI is not going to be as easy, as you have imagined it. By way of introduction, I am a retired street cop who spent his entire career on the streets of a gang-infested neighborhood in a large, inner city. I have shot people, though none died. On several occasions, I was myself shot at, and I was hit once. I want to share my thoughts and experiences with you, lest you have naïve and unrealistic ideas, which will prove counterproductive, at best, …


What Happens When A Spouse Dies? by JEH

In prepping, I never thought about my wife not being by my side. We have both come to believe that the world, as we know it, will evolve into a world where we do not belong. We both work to make our home happy and educate our child. We are paying for braces on her teeth, and we want the best for her. However, nine months ago, a close friend of ours was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. We saw a lady go from being a loving and caring wife, mother, and school teacher to a woman who fought …


Early Literacy for Children, by C.L.

I have read many articles on preparing for TEOTWAWKI that deal with valuable information on caring for our needs and those of our family. These have been full of important information and should be noted. However, I feel there is another skill that each of us needs– teaching our young children to read. I am a teacher, and I love being part of a child’s early literacy experiences. I want to share some things that have worked for my own children and my students. Background: I am a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and prepper. I have a B.S. in …


Lessons Learned While Living in San Francisco, by JGD

I’m writing this as I wrap up my 18th year of living in San Francisco to outline a recent experience with crime in this city. Beneath the surface, this city has big problems. Above the surface, San Francisco is a beautiful city, and it’s a ton of fun to live here. There are thousands of things to do and amazing places to visit; you name it, and it’s here. I’ve got a great career and a beautiful, like-minded woman. I own my house and have a great sailboat and lots of friends. I could not be more blessed. Things just …


Be The Gray Man, by M.F.

Blending In for Survival One of the lesser-discussed survival topics, even among preppers, is the eventual need to go out into what’s left of the world after the fan turns brown. Most preppers focus on making preparations to survive the onslaught of unforeseeable calamities that are more than likely heading our way in the near future. While none of us can say for sure what exactly will happen to bring on a survival situation, we are all pretty sure that something wicked this way comes. Even non-preppers can “feel” that something is wrong. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to …


When It Is Time To Leave Your Home, What To Bring, and Where To Meet, by R.W.

In a recent meeting of our Christian-based preparedness group, the following bylaws were distributed for consideration to the adult members of the group. I hope there are some take home items here that will help other individuals or groups when they are in the midst of considering this most difficult decision: If things get bad, there may be a day when you have to leave your home and evacuate to a safer location. These circumstances might include: Regional, large-scale, natural disasters, such as an earthquake, tornado, flood, or fire, Civil unrest caused by grid down or large-scale economic collapse, Nuclear …


Eating That Preparedness Elephant, One Bite At a Time, by M.H.

It’s probably safe to assume that if you’re a regular reader of this blog and a follower of Mr. Rawles’ books and writings, you are no newbie prepper. I have been making a concerted effort to become prepared since Y2K, and I have bumped up my efforts in the past couple of years, as events have become more disconcerting; even so, I’m sure that compared to many of you fine folks I am just wet behind the ears. Based on what I have learned from Mr. Rawles’ books and others, my attendance at several Prepper Expo’s and participation with various …


Why You Should Build Community Before SHTF, by J.W.

Establishing a network of local contacts is imperative for long-term survival during and after SHTF. As survivalists and preppers, we take excruciating measures to prepare the tiniest details for what events might come. We read up on which ammo will pierce an engine block the best. We invest time choosing food-grade plastic in which to store kitchen staples, and we upgrade to the fanciest water-purification systems and run practice drills for if an intruder were to crash through our front door. Then, we debate those things on the Internet, because we as humans love to get lost in the details. …


Prepping for Prepping: Initiating the Uninitiated, by R.S.

If you are like many in the prepping community (not of the lone wolf variety), then you have developed or are working to develop a network of people with similar ideology regarding SHTF or TEOTWAWKI. We’ve been taught to believe that there is strength in numbers, and OPSEC aside, I tend to agree that surviving together beats surviving alone. In that case, you will inevitably need to reach out to people to build your network, and if you’ve had more than two if these conversations, I’m sure you’ve run into someone that either thinks you’re crazy or needs a great …


Motorizing a Country Living Grain Mill for 12-volt Battery and Solar, by I.S. – Part 2

We’re continuing the instructions for motorizing a Country Living Grain Mill that can run on battery- or solar-generated power. Part 1 dealt with the full list of material and the first step, building the base board. Here, we continue with instructions. Create and Prepare the Motor Mounting Board. This is a critical but confusing step, so pay attention! Cut a 6-1/2” x 9-1/2” piece of 3/4″ plywood. The longer sides will be the front and rear. Mark one flat side as bottom. You will mount the hinge to the bottom and the motor to the top at opposite ends. Think …


Motorizing a Country Living Grain Mill for 12-volt Battery and Solar, by I.S. – Part 1

Introduction The Country Living Grain Mill is a robust mill that will last for generations and is a fine choice for any home or retreat. It has been designed to be motorized easily, however the manufacturer’s motorization kit is expensive and operates on 115 volt AC power, thus requiring grid power, an inverter, or a generator. The following article will describe how to power your Country Living Grain Mill from 12 volt batteries or solar panels for less than $200 (excluding the power source and associated wiring). Currently, all necessary materials are readily available. Tests have shown this setup can …


Tyranny 101, by M.T. – Part 2

In Part 1, I shared some of the history of tyranny and some of the acts of the well-organized conspirators against liberty, here in America and around the world. However, there is more that should concern us and much to do in preparation. There are other reasons to prepare wisely in a God, guns, and grub reality. Our open society is totally reliant on vulnerable technology. Consider the electrical grid, the water supply, trucking, computers, the Internet, and our food supply in general. All these, as well as many more key categories, are extremely vulnerable to mechanical malfunction, human error, …


Tyranny 101, by M.T. – Part 1

This article is a fairly long read, but given the topic, it’s an extremely valuable endeavor. Tyranny is not to be taken lightly; it is as serious as a heart attack or, more aptly, a nuclear strike on our nation. Everything is on the line these days, whether it’s about you and your family or the entire free world. We must all have the courage to stand firm in the truth and the wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. You need strength to get through the truth of our reality, which is exposed in this article. Tyranny, can you define …


The Benefits of Preparedness When All Is Well, by WLC

Recently, I came across a website for ex-Mormons who were lamenting the time, effort, and money they sunk into fulfilling the church’s teaching of long-term food storage. There were many stories of throwing out large amounts of expired food, both for themselves and deceased relatives. Of course, the faithful in the Mormon Church will tell you that if you have to throw out expired food, whether you have ever experienced an emergency or not, you have not been doing it right. You should, for example, already be grinding your own wheat and making your own bread. You shouldn’t wait for …


Getting Prepared, A Philosophical Perspective, by ShepherdFarmerGeek- Part 2

Yesterday, in Part 1, I talked about making choices, being informed, and how to deal with the “best case”. Now, let’s look at the worst case. Worst Case So there’s the best case– a wholesale economic collapse, which has, actually, already begun. On the other hand, I think the worst case scenario would be some combination of: World economic collapse driven by people who want to cripple the United States so its Constitution and sovereignty can be overthrown, PLUS A human-engineered, actually-deadly viral pandemic and mandatory mass vaccination with actually-dangerous ingredients (thimerosol preservative and squalene adjuvant come to mind), resulting …