Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

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 …


Getting Prepared, A Philosophical Perspective, by ShepherdFarmerGeek- Part 1

“A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” – Proverbs 22:3 Some credible, Christian people who are highly educated and very well informed, experienced and mature, savvy and responsible, and very knowledgeable about the Bible are saying there is a catastrophe coming very soon to the United States. Many other equally authentic followers of Jesus reach different conclusions, and still more find the very idea too disturbing to even consider, so they refuse to mention it to other Christians. They choose to believe that the idea of a national …


Brewing Up Business After TEOTWAWKI, by K.M.

(Preface by HJL: SurvivalBlog neither condones nor condemns alcohol consumption. However, we stand by a biblical perspective that takes a strong stance against drunkenness. There are serious issues that must be weighed in regards to alcohol consumption and commerce, and each reader should measure them carefully to know whether home brewing is for you or not.) “People are going to want to escape from reality and history has shown that alcohol is the escape of choice.” I don’t know how many times I have seen this exact quote in prepping manuals, on survival sites, and included in SHTF barter item …


How To Create a Home based Business for TEOTWAWKI, by TJ

I would love to never have to work for an employer ever again. I am 30 years into working for other people, with the exception of a total of five years during various time periods that I worked for myself as a consultant. I have run more than one small business from home over the years. Each time that I was working as a consultant, I loved making my own hours and answering only to myself, because I am far more demanding than any employer has ever been in regards to delivering excellence. The part about working for myself that …


Tactical Aging, by G.D.

The above title to this article was drafted tongue in cheek, but it seems correct for the points that I hope to make. The article will contain a lot of “I”s and “me”s, but I promise that I am not a raging narcissist. I am only relating events as they have happened to me and how they helped me to navigate the uncertainties of the future. I would like to take credit for planning each positive event, but a lot of it was due to dumb luck and good fortune. Hopefully, however, there may be something in this narrative that …


Watching Out For Scammers on the Ham Boards, by R.B.

I’m a Ham operator and recently got scammed. I want to share my story and to give some pointers to those less educated, concerning what to look for when buying Ham equipment from ads posted online on any of the various Ham forums. I’m not talking about buying in person; I’m talking about buying sight unseen, like non-Ebay or non-Amazon purchases. My Story I was looking for an ICOM radio amp and found one. The price was reasonable for a used amp, so I contacted the person. He said, in broken English, that it was still for sale and he …


Food Security in Beans and Peas, by CJ

In recent years, I have thought a lot about food security. Food security means not relying on a “just in time” (JIT) delivery system that would, not could, fail in the event of a major national disaster. Just in time delivery is part of an automated inventory control system used by major grocery store chains. It allows a store to only order and stock in the warehouse what has been predicted to sell within a given time period. The advantage of this system for the local store is less waste and spoilage, and a smaller warehouse footprint provides an overall …


Getting By In Wyoming, by DBF

Retiring back in Wyoming, where I grew up, has been a real blessing. I had way too much of living in cities during my thirty years with the military. I think a lot of folks out here could be called preppers, but for us it is just the smart way to do things. We don’t have to wait for the system to collapse; every year the weather, or some other thing, has us getting by on our own. We use a lot of the techniques discussed on SurvivalBlog, and there are a few others I’ll list here that you might …