Category: Survival Mindset

I have been involved in “prepping” for just under eight years. I received a rude awakening in ’07 when the housing market crashed and my house equity went completely upside down in a matter of days. I discovered my nest egg (my house) SUDDENLY was NOT such a great investment. Also, up until that time, we had been riding high with second trust deeds, earning upwards of 17% at times, using the equity from a HELOC mortgage to buy short-term trust deeds. Needless to say, trust deeds are a very, very high risk investment, so much so that the laws …

I would like to start off by telling you about something that happened to me at a fairly young age. What I experienced made me look carefully at how truly exposed and vulnerable I was. That experience also led me to make changes in my life that were truly transformative. What follows was very emotional for me, and it shook me to my core when these events transpired. In 1990, I was at deer camp with some college buddies in Upper Michigan. We were staying at a family cabin, situated deep in the Pere Marquette Forest system. The evening we …

Hello, In response to the terminology used in firearms, I would like to relate an interesting use of a politically correct term that is being used by the FBI. I attended a citizens academy sponsored by the FBI. The day came when the participants were taken to the range for a live “Fam Fire” or firearm familiarization. All of the participants were briefed on the different types of firearms used by the FBI to include Semi-auto pistols, shotguns, MP-5 sub machine gun sniper rifles, and the M-4. After a safety brief, and with the assistance of the firearms instructors, the …

Hugh, Preparedness For Teenagersjust once again brought to my attention a matter– we should ALL get a vocabulary change in place. He states getting a shot gun.. then to ‘graduate’ to rifles and ASSAULT rifles (emphasis mine). Please, can we STOP calling them ASSAULT rifles. They are DEFENSE rifles. This is NOT directed to A.H. It is directed to ALL OF US. Stop playing the gun control crowd’s games. Terms and words DO matter. DEFENSE rifles (as opposed to what the “crowd” considers HUNTING rifles, yet WE know any firearm, be it a 306, a 30.30, or a .45, can …

The next part of my personal development of a preparedness-based lifestyle started with acquiring goods. Whether you are living with your parents, in a dormitory, or on your own, you have the ability to stock up on preparedness essentials. The main areas I have found easiest to begin with include information, food, water, and medical/sanitation supplies. Some areas that followed include tools, heat/light sources, communication, and firearms. Remember: Don’t get overwhelmed; it can take awhile to acquire various goods, but they will provide comfort and help you survive in the future, no matter what stage you are in. Something is …

As our world and economy continue to change, I can’t help but wonder what is in store for my generation in our years to come. Interacting with my fellow peers, I realize many of them have no idea about what is going on in our world. Only within the past few years have I realized how under-prepared a majority of teens my age truly are. Whether it be a lack of education of world events or simply a matter of non-interest, it saddens me that my generation, “the leaders of tomorrow”, have little to no sense of preparedness. The world …

So, I wanted to chat about something a bit different. It’s been really helpful for me, and I hope it will be for you, too. It’s about why we do certain things, about why we make certain decisions. I’m starting to get a little older now, and for many of you, you are as well. You can look back at your life and see certain things about yourself and, maybe like me, can see choices made by you or others that had big implications. I’d like to talk about something that I learned about how people work, and I hope …

When I first began this experiment, I must admit, I was under romantic ideologies. Can 21st century people step back in time and homestead like our forefathers? Whenever I passed an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, I would dream of the chance to do this. Then the chance was presented. Here is the scenario. Take a California Valley Girl to “Green Acres”, and see if she and her friends can do it like their forefathers. Granted, I have had modern luxuries, such as running water and electricity (sometimes, depending upon the weather). Still, even with the modern luxuries, …

. I read with interest the after action reports for Sandy and the ice storm in the South, and I wanted to let people know what I have learned after three natural disasters, two ice storms, and a microburst. They all came on with little notice. The ice storm in January wasn’t supposed to be much of anything until it covered the area with over two inches of ice. In some areas there was no power for 42 days after that one! The microburst came at 2am in July and knocked down every power pole on the main road for …

This is my first time to submit anything to a blog. Since I found survivalblog.com about a year ago, I have become a daily reader. In my opinion, it is the most worthwhile site on the Internet. I do browse a lot of the other sites but not on a daily basis. I have considered myself a survivalist since I was a teenager, some 40 years now. I grew up in a very small town on a small farm. We raised animals and always had a garden. The animals we raised were chickens, pigs, goats, rabbits, horses, and cows. The …

HJL, The author should include a bidet bottle in his/her supplies, as well as all preppers. In fact I recommend getting one and start using it right away. I believe you will find, as I have, that once you start using a bidet, you will wonder how you ever did without. It will save great amounts of toilet paper, as now you will only use a few sheets to pat yourself dry. There are places to buy one, but you can also easily make one out of a 1-liter water/soda bottle. Once you get the hang of it, it will …

There is a quid-pro-quo to this proposal. If juries are allowed to “interpret” the application of a law, they could also decide to escalate the severity as well as diminish. I sat on a quasi-judicial board as chairman for a time, and on rare occasions the board would decide, by majority, on the “spirit” of the law rather than the letter of the law, thus compelling the municipality to appeal the decision to administrative court, wherein the decision was consistently overturned. The point is, sometimes they decided not to enforce the law, and sometimes they decided to impose a more …

I was raised by two people that survived a depression, a world war, and a conflict called “Korea” to know the value of a dollar, to be resourceful, to be “smarter than the average bear”, and above all, to live with honor and integrity. I am a man that in these “seven years of plenty”, has been storing grain for the years of want that are yet to be. I am exceedingly happy that these seven years have been stretched into several decades in this particular nation, but I see the writing on the wall and know that it cannot …

Thor1964. You have a good heart. To come as far as you have in 24 months is a real achievement. Keep up the good work. I do want to point out that by doing your “Christian best” you are only delaying the pain of these people that will seek you for help. So, why not take the “help” up a notch. Instead of just giving them some food and a few items that will just bring them back to your door when they are desperate again, open that door and bring them in! Don’t send these folks back out into …