Nine Ways To Be More Self-Sufficient (Even If You Live In The City), by K. Sowell

Many people are intimidated by the idea of becoming more self-sufficient or preparing for disaster because of the misconception that you have to live in the country or at least have a bug-out location in order to do so. This simply isn’t true. There are many things urban or suburban dwellers can do to improve their chances of surviving or even thriving in the event of a disaster when leaving is not an option. A little thoughtful preparation can prevent you and your loved ones from becoming victims in an unstable situation, even if you live in the city and don’t have a lot of room to spare.

Here are nine ways you can make yourself more self-sufficient; less dependent on frequent trips to the grocery store; able to take care of injuries and illnesses in an emergency; and defend yourself, your family, and your property. Even if you can only do a couple of these things right now, you’ll still be ahead of the game while you work toward implementing the others:

  1. Invest in a water filter. My family uses a Big Berkey every day. (I am not affiliated with them in any way.) I run our tap water through it to purify and make it taste better, and it couldn’t be easier to use. Do some shopping to find a water filter that fits your budget and your space. It is critical in a disaster to have clean water. This cannot be stressed enough. You will need it for drinking, washing, and cooking. So, invest in the best one you can afford because cases of bottled water will not be enough, even if you have the space to store them.
  2. Build an emergency medical kit. When someone in the family is sick, do you have to run to the corner pharmacy for pain reliever or cough medicine? Someday, that might not be possible. Over-the-counter medications are easy to buy, have relatively long shelf lives, and don’t take up much storage space. Watch for sales and make use of preferred-customer programs to save on the ones you are likely to use for colds/flu, coughs, fever, stomach problems, and allergies. You’ll need plenty of bandages in all sizes as well as rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and antibiotic ointment for cuts and such. Add a few Ace bandages and ice packs for sprains and muscle/joint injuries, and don’t forget to include hand sanitizer and soap. Again, if the grid goes down, sanitation instantly becomes a priority. When you can obtain extra prescription medications for chronic conditions, do so and make sure you keep an eye on their expiration dates to ensure their effectiveness when they are needed. A well-stocked medical kit, rather than a huge stockpile of food, may be the one thing that saves your life.
  3. Keep a few hens. Yes, real chickens. Backyard Chickens is a great site for more information about keeping urban hens. Check your local ordinances if you live in a city. Many do not allow roosters, which is not a problem unless you want chicks, and some communities require a certain size yard. Hens are easier to care for than a dog and will reward you with fresh, nutritious eggs with minimal work. The only real concern is predators– dogs, cats, raccoons. They will need a safe home, but there are numerous ways you can house them. You can make your chicken coop as attractive as you wish. Healthy hens will lay almost every day, so if you have four of them you may get two dozen eggs a week. If that’s too many for your family, sell a few eggs to friends and family. Then, use the money to buy your chicken feed; your happy hens will be supporting themselves. In a worst case scenario where you cannot leave your house or all the grocery stores are sold out, you will have a source of protein in the form of eggs or the hens themselves. They also produce great fertilizer for your garden, which brings us to gardening.
  4. Grow some vegetables and/or fruits. You don’t have to have an actual garden plot; just a few plants in pots will serve you well. You can grow sweet onions, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, herbs, and berries; grow whatever your family eats. Your produce will be more flavorful and nutritious than any you can buy at a supermarket and you can be sure that it is chemical-free. What do you do with your extra produce, which you are certain to have? Give it to friends or family; barter with it; or preserve it by drying, freezing, or canning. A single cucumber plant can yield several quarts of pickles in a season, even after eating many of them fresh. Just a couple of tomato plants can ensure a freezer full for the winter. The only vegetables that can’t really be preserved and therefore must be eaten fresh are lettuces. Still, they can be grown almost year-round in most areas in order to never be without fresh salad greens.
  5. Learn to can. It’s really quite simple and very rewarding to preserve your own food in jars. First, you absolutely must get the Ball “Blue Book”, which is usually right alongside the canning jars in your local mega-mart. Your grandmother probably has an old copy of it somewhere. It’s pretty much the authority on home canning and breaks it all down into simple, easy-to-follow instructions for you. You will need a canner (the big pot you process the jars in) and jars with two-piece lids, commonly called “mason jars”. Boiling-water canners are about $20 and will enable you to can ONLY acidic foods such as pickles, jams, fruits, etc. To can foods that have a higher pH such as potatoes, corn, beans, and carrots, you will need a pressure canner. Pressure canners are a bit more expensive, but it is worth noting that you can use a pressure canner to preserve any type of food since it can also be used to can acidic foods in place of a boiling water canner. Jars are usually less than $10 per dozen so there is minimal investment for the return you’ll get. Don’t be intimidated; it’s a great feeling to look in your pantry and see shelves of pretty jars of food you “put up” yourself.
  6. Get a stand-alone freezer. This can be a big investment or a small one, depending on what size you want and how much you can afford to spend. The idea is to freeze as much food as you can when it is on sale or in season so you can eat it year-round. The National Center for Home Food Preservation ( has a great site that will tell you how to freeze just about anything from meats to fruits. You can also keep extra grain or flour in your freezer to prolong its shelf life and keep it safe from insects and rodents. A well-stocked freezer will enable you to eat for weeks without a single trip to the supermarket and, in the event of power loss, a full freezer will maintain its temperature rather well (unlike a refrigerator), as long as is not opened too frequently.
  7. Learn to bake bread. Don’t let anyone tell you that baking bread is hard. That’s just nonsense. Millions of illiterate peasants have been doing it for ages! Bread is simple and satisfying and, in a worst-case scenario, you could feed your family on little more. Bread and a few small slices of meat, cheese, or an egg makes a sandwich. Bread with some veggies and some melted cheese is pizza. The shortest bread recipes tend to be the best and only contain flour, water, sugar (or honey), salt, and yeast– all things you should keep in your house at all times. Variations are endless and simple: to make the bread softer, replace the water with milk and add a tablespoon of oil. You an add some chopped garlic or nuts and cinnamon. Do whatever you like, but do it! Bake several loaves once a month and freeze them, or make fresh sandwich buns every week. Do whatever works for you. A word of caution, though; bbread baking can be addictive.
  8. Purchase at least one firearm and get comfortable using it. Imagine being the only person on your block who has food in a disaster. Imagine being the only house with potable water. You will need to defend yourself and your family. If you are not comfortable around guns, then get comfortable. You can be sure the guys that are willing to steal from you are. Buy ammunition every chance you get, too.
  9. Homeschool your children. I realize this may be a big step for some, but consider that in the event of a disaster (whether natural or mad-made), you will want your children with you. If you have to relocate unexpectedly, school will not be a problem. They can continue their studies wherever you find yourselves. Of course, the most compelling reason to homeschool, in my opinion, is so that you can cultivate in your children the knowledge, principles, and values that are important to you while you take full responsibility for their education. You don’t have to enumerate all the problems with our public school system to understand that responsible parents are better equipped to educate their own children than those government-run institutions that resemble prisons more than schools. I live in a state that is very homeschool-friendly; resources are readily available and it’s not difficult to find other homeschooling families. However, if homeschooling is less common where you live, I recommend exploring the Internet for inspiration and ideas, if you are unsure about homeschooling. It is a lifestyle change, but one that is immensely rewarding and will give your family a degree of independence that will be an advantage in an unstable world.

Like so much in life, being prepared is more of a way of thinking than anything else. Anyone can do it, regardless of where they live. You don’t need land in the country or vast storage space – you can survive a disaster right in the middle of a city, if you are adequately prepared.

Guest Article: Taxed Enough Already, by A.H.

How many articles have you read about prepping on a budget? This website and many others have explored the topic in depth. Grow your own food, buy in bulk, cut unnecessary expenses, learn to improvise, and get out of debt. The old saying is “use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without”. We should all be following this advice. At the same time, we should ask the obvious question, ‘Wwhy are so many of us on such a tight budget these days?”

One reason may be that your income has decreased, stagnated, or disappeared. If you are unemployed, under employed, retired, or disabled, it will be harder to make ends meet. Even if you are still working, your paycheck may not be keeping up with inflation. Despite the government statistics, the basic necessities cost more than they used to. Think of all your expenses: housing, food, fuel, clothing, transportation, education, entertainment, and communication. Modern life isn’t cheap.

There is one expense that we often take for granted– taxes. Have you ever sat down and thought about how much of your monthly budget goes directly or indirectly to pay taxes? Typical state and federal income tax can cost you 20-30% of your entire salary. Then there is the cost of sales tax and property tax. Don’t forget about social security and payroll taxes. How about licensing and governmental fees/tariffs that are just disguised taxes?

Gather up all your bills and take a close look at how much of each bill involves a direct tax. You probably pay tax on your cell phone service, cable bill, fuel bill, and shopping bills. Next time you fill-up your gas tank, check the receipt for how much tax you paid to the state and federal government.

In addition, think of the indirect taxes you pay for that tank of gas. What percentage of the price of gas comes from taxes the oil company had to pay and pass on to the consumer? The companies themselves often pay property tax, payroll tax, income tax, and other taxes. What does gasoline really cost, minus all the added expense of indirect taxes passed on to you? What would a loaf of bread cost, or how much less would your rent be if we weren’t subject to all these taxes?

Lowering or eliminating taxes to free up money in your budget is not a ground breaking idea. However, taking the time to actually add up how much you pay in taxes every month could turn the most devout socialist to a Tea Party conservative pretty quickly. You are not paying $400 per month for gas, but really $340 for gas and $60 towards direct taxes. Of that $340 for gas, perhaps another $20 is for indirect taxes passed on to the consumer. For your convenience, the gas station collects the government’s direct tax. You never miss this money because the tax is included as part of the price per gallon.

We need to think about taxes differently, and start asking new questions. Why do we allow private companies to collect taxes for the government? How long do these companies get to hold on to our money before they send it to the government? Why can’t I opt out of this scheme?

When I fill up my tank, I want to pay for gas. Unless I agree to it, I don’t want the gas station collecting taxes from me. At the end of the year, I can send the government a check for all the taxes I owed for the privilege of buying gas and other taxed goods and services. In the meantime, all that tax money is my money and earning interest or available for investment.

More importantly, writing this tax check would not be easy for many people. They would realize how much money they are throwing away to a wasteful government to support endless wars, special interests, and entitlements. Some people wouldn’t even write the check, knowing the government could never prove how many taxable items they bought with cash. Think of all the extra cans of food they could buy then.

Letter: Rechargeable Batteries and a Solar Charger

Hello HJL and JWR,

I was wondering if you could review and recommend the latest generation of rechargeable batteries available and a solar charger as well. I am leaning towards stocking up on rechargeable AA and AAA and the spacer packs that allow these sizes be used as C and D cell batteries. The vast array of options is overwhelming, and I am hoping someone with the expertise required can help. Thanks for all you do. Take care. – J.W.

HJL Replies: I have chosen to use a modular route so that I have the flexibility to charge whatever I need charged. Many of my electronics utilize proprietary batteries, but all can be charged from a vehicle (12-16VDC). I separate my solar setup from the charger so that I can attach whatever charger the item needs, to the solar module, which simply acts like a vehicle. I currently use Eneloop batteries by Sanyo. Most rechargeable batteries have a problem with internal leakage and will only hold a charge for a couple of months. Disposable batteries generally are easier to use because they can be used immediately after purchasing them. If you purchase them, you can throw them in a drawer and pull them out over the course of several years, and they are ready to go. Now with Eneloop batteries, rechargeables have the same capability. A normal rechargeable will lose about 75% of its stored charge in six months and come close to having no charge in a year. Eneloops will hold nearly 75% charge for at least three years. Because of this slow internal leakage rate, they come pre-charged in the package and are ready to go when you purchase them. Except for the higher purchase price, they have overcome practically all of the disadvantages of recheargables. Even the purchase price is tolerable if you look at the ownership cost spread out over the life of the instrument you are powering, which is reasonable since these batteries will take over 1000 charges.

Where you will find issues with your planned usage scheme is using AA and AAA batteries with adapters for C and D. Eneloop does not sell a C or D sized battery yet in the U.S., and their AA batteries are rated at 1900mAh. A decent NiMH rechargable “D” cell battery will be rated at close 10,000mAh. Eneloop has adapters to use AA in a D size, but you will loose 80% of the storage capacity in exchange for that long shelf life. (Sanyo does make them, they just don’t sell them in the U.S.)

Eneloop AAA 1800 cycle, Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 4 Pack

Eneloop NEW 2000mAh Typical, 1900mAh Minimum, 1500 cycle, 4 Pack AA, Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries

Alternatively, you can use the higher power model, but you get fewer charges on it:

Eneloop XX 950mAh Typical / 900mAh Minimum, High Capacity, 4 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries

Eneloop XX 2500mAh Typical / 2400 mAh Minimum, High Capacity, 4 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries

You can also get a kit that contains adaptors from eneloop:

Eneloop SEC-CSPACER4PK C Size Spacers for use with AA battery cells

Eneloop SEC-DSPACER4PK D Size Spacers for use with AA battery cells

Eneloop adaptors are well made, but you can get adaptors to use up to 2 AA batteries to make a “D” cell that has close to 40% of the energy of an actual D cell. (65% of Sanyo’s “D” Eneloop batteries sold in Japan):

Adapter shell converts 2x AA to a D-size cell (set of two)

Chargers on the other hand are a little bit more difficult. One of the huge drawbacks to most portable NiMH chargers is that they must charge batteries in pairs. I have several items that only use one AAA battery or one AA battery, and it is a real problem keeping track of dead batteries versus charged ones. I also try to keep batteries paired for life since they do have a limited number of charges. Pairing a new battery with an old one can lead to issues with rechargeables. As a result, I usually mark the batteries on the end cap, identifying the item they power and the date they went in service. I have found a nice 15-minute quick charger that will also put a maintenance charge on the batteries, if you forget and leave them in the charger. It will charge one, two, three or four AA or AAA batteries. It is powered by a heavy duty 12V wall wart. The charger states it takes a power source from 11V to 16V, so you can also power it from your car battery:

Energizer AA 15-Minute Charger w/4 NiMh AA Batteries

I chose to go this route rather than a dedicated solar charger to give me more flexibility. I have several other items, like an Icom IC-T90A, that use 12-16V to charge as well. It then becomes a simple matter to use a generic solar charger with generic solar panels to charge all of my electronics. Currently I use a Tycon TP-SC24-10 12/24V 10A solar charge controller because it is what I had on hand. You will need a charge controller capable of at least 10A at 12V because that Energizer charger may be small, but it can really pull the juice when it’s in 15-minute charge mode.

With a setup like this, you can be semi-portable by using small solar panels. I use two in parallel that I picked up at a garage sale. They measure 18” x 18”. As an alternative, you can be completely portable by using a flexible roll-up solar panel.

As always, please check with our advertisers to see if they carry these or similar products before using the Amazon links.

Letter: Shotgun Security

Dear Sir:

I am writing to seek your advise and that of your readers. I live in a metropolitan area, in a nice “safe” suburb where “nothing ever happens”. I have recently become more active in preparing for crisis situations. I have also reevaluated my home security needs. I want to have immediate access to my handgun at night. At this point, if we had an intruder, I would have to get into my closet, open my safe, get my handgun and then try to successfully confront a threat. I have several small children, so leaving a loaded firearm in the nightstand is not an option. I believe that a Gunvault product may be my best bet for a handgun. Although it is not “instant” access, the time needed to enter the code is very short.

My question concerns shotguns. I would like to have instant access to my shotgun, but have the same speed and safety concerns. The gun safe is too slow, and the idea of having a loaded shotgun along the side of the bed just won’t work either. I would like to mount it to the wall with a safety mount that covers the trigger. The only product I can find that would appear to fit the bill is called the Shotlock Solo Vault. I have never seen this product, or this type of product, evaluated or discussed on Survivalblog. Do any of your readers have experience with this product? I would appreciate any evaluations, thoughts, or recommendations that you could make that would help me find a product that can meet my needs. – M.C.

HJL Replies: I refuse to give in to political correctness on this issue. Gun safes, vaults and locks are for keeping the weapons that you are not using safe when you are not around. They are not for “working” weapons. Working weapons should be loaded and ready to go at all times, whether it is a shotgun leaned in a corner behind the front door or a pistol under your pillow, or anything in between. The only effective way of making a working weapon safe is to make sure that all who come into contact with it are educated and trained. That may mean that you have to be careful about who is in your house. It may also mean that, at times, you have no working weapon available. Small children are also capable of being trained. I have memories, from when I was only four or five years old, of working weapons in our household. I also trained my children. Before they could handle a weapon safely, they knew of the danger and had their curiosity satisfied by spending time with me and the weapon in use. Your weapon may be scary to your young child, but they can learn to respect it and stear clear of it until they are trained to become comfortable properly using one themselves. Any product that attempts to render a working weapon safe merely gives you a false sense of security and hinders your ability to access that weapon when you need it. As an EMT, I will attest to the reluctance of the mind to function well when you have been rudely awakened at 3:00AM. You owe it to yourself to simplify what you have to think about in a time of severe stress. I want ALL of my thinking to be toward the shoot/no shoot situation rather than fumbling with a combination that I may or may not remember under stress thus shrinking the time available to deal with the shoot/no shoot decision. Making the decision to have a working weapon for self defense is making a decision to change your lifestyle. I don’t believe you can merely purchase a product that will allow you to live life as you did before you made the decision and expect to have the safety and security of a working weapon. As much as I hate to say this, you should also check with your local laws. They may attempt to regulate what you do in the confines of your own home and only you can make the decision to allow them to do that or not.

News From The American Redoubt:

T.H. sent in this link to Amend2, a company based in Idaho that makes 30-rnd magazines. They are $15 apiece and seem stronger that Magpul, according to T.H.

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Here is an clever product, made by a small business in Rexburg, Idaho: The Hot Logs

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Citizens take law into own hands after cash-strapped Ore. county guts sheriff’s office

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Itt seems that Idaho could be next state to allow guns on campus – RBS

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RBS also sent in this video of a man who can skin, gut, and partially debone a deer in 1:48

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Plunder-Lusting Quislings Seek to Repeal Posse Comitatus

Odds ‘n Sods:

B. sent in this link for Sniper Basics For The SHTF Survivalist. Not a bad primer for someone who is just starting out learning this valuable skill.

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China is confirming limited interhuman infection of H7N9 bird flu. This may be a very important development. – B.B.

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Ready Made Resources as a limited supply of har-to-find Radar Scattering Camo Netting.

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B.B. sent another post in on the Connecticut fiasco: How Did ‘Millions’ of High Capacity Magazines Disappear in Connecticut?

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R. sent in this link on How To Make Disaster Survival Gear With Common Household Items

HJL Adds: They are pretty basic and some of them may or may not work. The picture of a hand holding onto the Toilet Paper/Alcohol heater is silly and dangerous, but they might make some fun projects to do together with your kids.

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For those that care, Evolution vs. Creationism will be debated. Ken Ham has the creation museum in Kentucky. He is a former Science teacher with a BA in Applied Science with an emphasis in Environmental Biology. Everyone should also be familiar with Bill Nye (you know, Bill Nye, the Science Guy) CEO of the Planetary Society and an Emmy Award winner. Sign up for a live stream feed via Internet or pre-purchase a DVD at that site. We are planning a homeschool activity around the debate with other homeschool families joining us. It’s happening today, Feb 4th, 2014 at 7pm EST. As one AJK put it… “Thought it might be interesting to watch this debate. Definitely more entertaining than the State of the Union.”

Notes from JWR:

American Liberty: Not the Past, But the Future

I’m not the first one to mention this, but the governance of the United States can be divided into four distinct epochs, delineated as follows:

  1. March 4, 1789: the first day of constitutional government,
  2. April 13, 1861: the first day of un-constitutional government,
  3. December 8, 1941: the first day of non-constitutional government, and
  4. January 20, 2009: the first day of anti-constitutional government.

The past is immutable. We cannot travel back to it, nor can we change it, but the future is something entirely different. The future is a blank slate. We, as God’s creatures with volition, can change the course of history.

I am confident that the American spirit of liberty will not be crushed. With the many recent news headlines about NSA snooping, burgeoning bureaucracies, and the newly-militarized police using bully boy tactics, the future might seem bleak. Yet, we can change it, and change it we must!

I strongly encourage everyone reading this to show some backbone and make a stand for liberty. Just say no to martial law. Use passive resistance, if possible, but do resist, and never give up your final recourse to “…the cartridge box.” Most importantly, don’t just sit still and mute, while watching it happen around you. To paraphrase the leftists: When you see injustice, raise a ruckus. When you see rights being trampled, speak up, and do so vociferously! – J.W.R.

Guest Article: Physical Possession of IRA Gold and Silver, No Taxes, No Penalties, by Will Lehr

1

A complete Ira type and benefits summary

There is much clout and confusion about IRAs and their uses for purchasing precious metals and real estate among the truth, freedom, and self-reliance communities. In this article I aim to clarify the different options and the benefits and potential pitfalls of each, especially as it pertains to taking physical possession of IRA Gold & Silver.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the IRA LLC to the precious metals investor is that the individual (as manager of the LLC) can take physical possession of Gold and Silver Eagle Coins with IRA funds and it is not a taxable distribution.

The concerns of retirement account confiscation or bail ins have been an increasing trend over the last few years. The fact is our government is broke and history, even recently in Poland and Cyprus, shows that pensions and other retirement accounts have become targets for looting. The financial website Zero Hedge recently wrote about Obama’s new Treasury IRA plan rollout that was just announced at a State of the Union address on 1/28/2014. The bottom line is that these risks are real, and there are ways to protect yourself and your hard earned money. Converting your IRA to an IRA LLC may be one solution.

What is a Traditional IRA?

Traditionally an IRA is a tax deferred growth account that allows one to save for retirement. An individual can contribute a portion (up to $5,500 – $6,500 for 2013 and 2014) of his or her annual income with that contribution reducing the individual’s taxable income. Then the money compounds (ideally) tax deferred. The individual pays taxes on the gains in the account later in life during the distribution stage, allowable at age 59.5 and mandatory at age 70.5. Some strategies for self-employed individuals, like a SEP account (which will be covered in depth in my next article) allow the individual to contribute much more– up to 25% of the individual’s total income, lowering the person’s adjusted gross income (AGI) even further. IRAs and like accounts are eligible for rollover to self-directed accounts, which offer more investment flexibility, greater control by the individual, and more layers of protection from bail ins via forced Treasury purchases.

What is the 401k plan?

The 401k is a type of group plan typically administered through an employer for its employees. Some employers contribute or match a portion of the employee’s contribution to his or her individual account within the plan. This additional contribution is a major advantage to this plan. The down side, unfortunately, is that few of these plans offer what are called ‘in service withdrawals’, or rollovers into an IRA or self-directed IRA platform. With most 401ks, the individual’s money is ‘locked up’ until retirement age or employment severance. However, an old 401k from a previous employer is eligible for rollover to a more flexible platform.

What is a self directed IRA?

Self directed IRAs encompass about $100 billion, yet still only about 2% of total IRA assets. Under this structure everything is the same as a traditional IRA, except that the custodian is one that allows and specializes in alternative investment classes for retirement accounts. The large financial institutions, when acting as custodians for IRAs, typically only allow investments into the piggybanks from which they profit the most, such as publically-traded stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and bank CDs. The custodian is the IRS-compliant trustee who houses the account that your IRA owns and ultimately approves its investments. Self directed IRA custodians allow investments into numerous desirable investment classes, including real estate, precious metals, private placements, and LLCs. These accounts differ in their setup fees, ongoing management fees, flexibility, and (most importantly to the precious metals investor) where the assets are held.

Let’s talk about fees…

Traditional IRAs and 401ks managed by broker dealers, investment advisors, and fund managers typically have some of the highest fee structures; this is another major reason the self-directed platforms are more favored. Many of these fees are hidden load fees that the investor never even sees. In recent years median expense ratios for mutual funds have been 1.27% plus 1.2% in trading fees. Thereby over time the average mutual fund has yielded a 7% return before fees, but only 4.5% after fees.

Fees for self directed IRAs…

The two main types of self directed IRA accounts are those that allow investments into precious metals and real estate. The precious metals IRA advantage is its low cost to setup and maintain. Setup fees range between $250 and $500, with annual maintenance and storage fees of $150-$500. The disadvantage here is control of storage. The bullion must be held by a third party depository. Self directed plans that are geared for real estate can differ in cost based on transaction frequency or the portfolio value. A $100,000 portfolio can expect about $500 in annual fees; annual fees for a $500,000 portfolio jump to about $1,600. A relatively small portfolio with limited transactions may only pay a few hundred dollars in annual fees.

The IRA LLC…

I must lead with a caveat here that I am biased to this concept. I am a ‘for profit’ consultant and facilitator of the IRA LLC. This platform has its pros and cons, just as any other. The upfront cost can range from $1,500 to $3,000 to have an attorney or professional facilitator set one of these up. The proper setup is crucial because there are numerous legal documents, affidavits, and compliance requirements that must be met. Once setup, the flexibility is great and the ongoing fee structure is very low– typically $115 to $200 per year. Within the structure the LLC acts as an investment company that is managed by the individual, whom is also the beneficiary of the IRA. As long as there are no prohibited transactions the investor can invest in literally anything except collectibles and life insurance contracts. Many include investment real estate, bug out property, private placements, oil and gas leases, loans, currencies, Bitcoin, and other LLCs in their portfolio. The LLC also adds another layer of protection against potential government pillaging of retirement accounts, as referenced above.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the IRA LLC to the precious metals investor is that the individual (manager of the LLC) can take physical possession of Gold and Silver Eagle Coins with IRA funds without it being considered a taxable distribution. The metal does not have to be held at a depository. For folks that have considered cashing out their IRAs or 401ks (thus paying taxes and penalties for early withdrawal), this can be a much cheaper alternative to physically holding precious metals. There are no additional IRS reporting requirements, merely an annual dollar asset valuation reported to the custodian.

If you want more information or if you simply have questions, feel free to visit our website and contact us anytime. At the least, educate yourself!

Will Lehr

Perpetual Assets

Pat’s Product Review – LED LENSER M7RX Flashlight

It seems the older I get the more I think about being young and all the things I did in my life. Now, if you were to ask my daughters how old I am, they’d probably tell you that when I was younger I hunted dinosaurs with spears. Well, I’m not quite that old, but I am getting there. I spent a great deal of time in law enforcement and private security and I still remember old fashioned flashlights. You know the ones I’m talking about. They held two large “D” sized batteries that didn’t last long, and the light they threw was yellow and didn’t help you see very far at night. For the life of me, I don’t know why they are still be manufactured and sold when there are much better LED alternatives, which use smaller, much longer lasting batteries and throw a bright beam of light a long distance.

Living out in the “boonies”, like I do, we don’t have street lights. When the sun goes down, it gets real dark outside my homestead. During Fall and Winter, it gets very dark much earlier, too. Sure, I keep the front porch light on, but it only lights up my front deck. Iit does nothing to light my large front yard and driveway. So, when my German Shepherds hear something, they start barking, alerting me something is on our property. Because of my poor hearing, I don’t ignore their barking because they rarely bark without good reason. Just the other night, all four of the big German Shepherds in my house started barking. I looked outside, but couldn’t see anything; it was too darn dark.

I reached for the LED LENSER M7RX flashlight I had received to test for SurvivalBlog. I turned off the front porch light, opened my front door, and turned on the M7RX. I saw four does grazing on the plush grass in my front yard, only 30 feet from me. I stood and watched them for several minutes, until they decided the light might be a threat and left my yard; they walked out rather than running. I often sit on my front deck, where I watch deer feed in my front yard, sometimes only 15 or 20 feet from me. They know that I’m not a threat to them, so they’ll feed until they are full, and then leave my yard.

The LED LENSER M7RX is one of the newest small flashlights from LED LENSER. For the record, they are owned by Leatherman– the multi-tool company. I’ve tested several of their flashlights in the past and have been impressed with them all. I carry a small (now discontinued) flashlight in my right front pocket. It is “only” 70-lumens, but it throws a lot of light for a flashlight requiring only one lone “AAA” battery. Comparing my little pocket flashlight to any of the old-style “D” cell battery flashlights, it, literally, outshines them in all respects.

I always have one or two small flashlights in my pockets, always! If you carry a firearm for self-defense and you don’t carry a light source, you are making a big mistake. It is estimated that most shootings take place in low-light or no-light conditions , about 80% of the time. So, if you don’t have a light source when the shooting starts, where are you going to shoot? Are you going to shoot at the muzzle flash or a noise you hear? Not a smart situation. So, you need some kind of light source in order to identify any potential threats that might be out there or in your house. I think we all remember the shooter in the movie theater in Colorado who opened-fire on innocent movie-goers. The only light in the theater was from the screen. If there had been a legally-armed civilian in the theater with a bright flashlight, they might have been able to take down that shooter, or at the very least, temporarily blind him with a bright light.

The M7RX is just such a bright light. It is advertised as having 600-lumens, and that is more than enough to temporarily blind an attacker. What’s that you say? The shooter will see the light and fire at it? Not likely. He’ll be temporarily blinded with 600-lumens. At best, a shooter would only be able to fire wildly, giving you the chance to return fire or escape the deadly threat. Trust me, I know what that kind of bright light can do. While visiting my local gun shop one morning, one of the employees was playing with a 300-lumen flashlight and shinned it into my eyes. I lost sight immediately, and it was several days before the dark spot in the center of my vision cleared up. Not a smart thing for that kid to do; super-bright flashlights come with a warning to not look into the light because it can temporarily blind a person and potentially cause long-term vision damage.

So, we are looking at 600-lumens coming out of the M7RX.. This particular model is rechargeable, too, so you don’t have to purchase any batteries. It has a very clever magnetic charging system; you simply attach the charging device to the bottom of the flashlight. The charging device and flashlight are held in place with a magnet, and the charger is plugged into the wall outlet. If you let the flightlight battery go completely dead, it takes about 6 1/2 hours to fully charge. Still, it beats having to buy batteries all the time.

The M7RX has a maximum output of 600-lumens as mentioned above, and it will run for approximately 1-hour 30-min on high beam. At the reduced power of 85-lumens, it will run for 8.5 hours. Did you read that? At the lower lumen power, it will run for more than 8-hours. Try that with your 99-cent double “D” cell flashlight that might throw 15-lumens of yellow light. The M7RX can throw a fairly bright, white light on the reduced power setting of 85-lumens all night long.

The M7RX is fairly small. It is only slightly more than six inches long, and it weighs a mere 7.16-ounces It is about as fat as a large cigar. It also comes with a lanyard, a pocket clip, and also a holster that you can easily clip onto your pants. We also are looking at the “Advanced Focus System” that LED LENSER has. This allows you to rapidly change the focus of the light from a small, narrow beam to a floodlight. The floodlight focus easily lights up my huge front yard.When I focus down, I can see several hundred yards across the road from me onto my neighbor’s property. I can see just about all of his 40+ acres of land. It cuts through the dark. Without going into all the details of the Advanced Focus System, it basically allows you to use your thumb to slide the lens forward or backward. When you slide it forward, it gives you a narrow focused light beam. When you slide the lens back, it gives you a floodlight effect. Of course, you can’t see nearly as far with the floodlight focus, but it lights up my front yard, which is several hundred feet wide.

Whether you live in the city or out in the country, like I do, you simply must have a good flashlight at night. On top of the power settings on the M7RX and the focus system, it also has several other features that can come in handy. You’ll need to read the detailed instructions that come with this light. You have a strobe light feature; this is a great thing for self-defense use, inside or outside. A strobe will readily disorient an attacker or someone who breaks into you house. In short order, we’re talking a second; the person will break-off an attack once the strobe feature is used and you flash it into their eyes. Yes, you can temporarily blind them, but that’s their problem, not yours. You were defending yourself. If you are one who takes walks at night in the city park (a foolish action, in my opinion), you need this non-lethal weapon in your hands. The strobe light feature will make an attacker or rapist blind, so you can run away. There is also an SOS feature that enablesthe light to flash an SOS signal. The list of features goes on. For such a small flashlight, it has a lot to offer. Check out the website for more information.

I know some people aren’t into firearms, and that’s their choice; they carry pepper spray or a knife, but carrying the M7RX is just a darn good idea if you are worried about your well-being. Pepper sprays don’t always work against drugged-up attackers, and you really need to be skilled in knife fighting or the knife can be taken from you. However, if you use the M7RX to temporarily blind an attacker, it gives you time to run. Even in bright sunlight, the 600-lumens of powerful white light will still blind an attacker. So don’t think it is only a night-time, self-defense weapon.

The M7RX has a full retail price of $300. It is a bit steep, but this light will last you many years; it comes with a five year warranty. You can find the M7RX at lower costs, if you shop the Internet. It is a great investment, not only for the lighting capabilities it offers you but also for the self-defense use as well. Additionally, the M7RX isn’t just a “flashlight”; it is a computerized, multi-function lighting system that might just save your life some day. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Pat’s Product Review: Titan Straps

In another life, I worked as a truck driver. I drove different types of trucks– dump trucks, “straight jobs”, and even pick-up trucks– delivering all manner of cargo. Today, my deliveries are made using an SUV. If I have to haul something, it’s usually on the luggage rack on top or inside. If I have anything bigger to haul, I’ll call a friend with a pick-up truck.

There’s one thread common in hauling anything, and that is that you have to secure it to keep it from moving around. For hauling anything on top of my SUV, I keep some rope in my emergency box as well as several bungee cords of different lengths. The rope is a real pain-in-the-butt, as it is either too long or I have to cut it into pieces and then replace it down the road. More often than not, I forget to replace a length of rope until I actually need it. How many times has that happened to you? Bungee cords are a very useful thing to have around. The only problem is they never seem to fit anything without wrapping them around your cargo several times, and I’ve broken more than my share of bungee cords trying to stretch them too far. The weather takes a toll on them, too.

Several years ago, I sold my two motorcycles because of my bad back; I just can’t ride any more. However, back when I was riding I would often strap something to the rear seat or someplace on the bikes, and that stuff would shift around. I used bungee cords for attaching things to my bikes. It was a decent solution, but not a good one, to be sure.

Titan Straps , sold by Lawson-USA are made in the USA, and are headquartered out of Bozeman, Montana. I received several different color Titan Straps– bright orange, light gray, and tan. Their website shows blue straps, too. I’ll be honest in that I just tossed the plastic bag with the straps in it on my filing cabinet until close to time for me to test them. I always have a long que of products awaiting to be tested. I thought, just by glancing at the straps in the plastic bag, that they were cheap– real cheap plastic straps with plastic buckles. WRONG!

I like to give products I write about a good test. Sometimes products are tested for days, weeks, and months at a time. Some products can be tested right away. So, I figured I’d get around to testing the Titan Straps shortly before their turn in the queue came up. Okay, I was wrong, wrong, wrong! The Titan Straps are NOT manufactured out of cheap plastic with cheap plastic buckles! Don’t you hate it, when you’re wrong?

Titan Straps are made out of polyurethane injected with a UV protectant for an extra long lifespan. The buckles are aircraft grade aluminum, heat treated with polished edges, so they don’t cut into you when you tightening down a load. On the end of the Titan Straps are a very aggressive pull tab, that you can easily pull to tighten a load with gloves on in cold temperature. Each Titan Strap is 25 inches long, and you can attach two or more together, if you need longer lengths. Each strap has 24 holes in it, so you can get the straps nice and tight on any load, too.

I didn’t have anything to haul. So I simply put my 6-foot aluminum ladder on the roof-top luggage rack of my SUV and tied it down with several of the Titan Straps. Then, I drove up the mountain to my usual shooting spot. This was a good enough reason to do some shooting while I was up there. Part of the road is paved and part is gravel. The county recently laid down some more gravel, and they put it down much too thick. It was a total washboard– rough enough to loosen a bad filling in a tooth, if you had one. The ladder stayed firmly attached to the roof rack up and down the gravel road.

Some of the benefits of the Titan Straps are that they are very supple in cold temps, non-marring, cut and tear resistant, chemical resistant, and won’t absorb water. There are hundreds of uses for them, too. If you need to haul anything on your SUV’s luggage rack, tie something down in your pick-up truck, or bind a load, you really should have some Titan Straps handy.

After my incorrect initial, first glance opinion of the plastic bagged Titan Straps, I’m happy to report that these straps are an outstanding product. Get some and keep them in the emergency box in your rig or under the seat of your pick-up truck. You’ll be amazed at how handy this simply invention is, and it makes your job of securing things a lot easier and much faster, too. They have a break strength of over 200-lbs, so you can strap down cargo without fear of it breaking the straps.

The Titan Straps website shows them, in different colors, for $7.99 each. I suggest getting at least four or more of them. You’ll wonder how you ever got along without them. Keep in mind, these are NOT a cheap plastic strap with a plastic buckle. These are heavy-duty, American-made products, well-designed and manufactured out of first-class materials. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week: Mrs HJL’s Sweet, Southern Cornbread

In response to requests for the Sweet, Southern Cornbread recipe Mrs. HJL makes to season our cast iron skillet, here’s her recipe:

  1. Pour about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet. (It should be enough oil to cover the skillet with roughly 1/4 inch of oil.) Place skillet and oil in the oven and turn oven on to 425 degrees.
    • 1 cup freshly ground corn meal
    • 1 cup bread flour (or use finely ground Hard White Wheat flour for a healthier, but heavier cornbread)
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1/3- 1/2 cup sugar (Yes, we like it SWEET!)
    • 1 rounded tsp. baking soda (or use a heaping Tablespoon of baking powder and no cream of tartar; we tend to avoid the aluminum in baking powder)
    • 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
  2. Stir the above dry ingredients together.
    • 1 cup of buttermilk (or milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice added)
    • 1 egg, beaten
  3. Mix the wet ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until moist. (The batter should be about the thickness of pancake batter, so adjust flour or milk to get this consistency.)
  4. Once oil is very hot, pour batter into the skillet. (To test the oil, drop a dollop into the oil. It should sizzle right away. Hot oil makes a crispy crust on the cornbread.)
  5. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If the toothpick comes out with wet dough on it, keep cooking. Varying altitudes will effect the cooking time.

Serve with beans, creamed chicken, chili, or just enjoy with butter.

Five Letters Re: Hardtack

Dear Editor,

When I was in college we had a history class which we re-enacted the civil war battle at Pea Ridge, Arkansas. We actually dressed in period clothing and ate food the solders would eat. Hard tack was one on the meals we had. Another staple was beans, I found if you put the hard tack down and had the beans on top it was a little easier to eat. If this was all I had to eat I would go looking for something better for supper. FYI the hard tack works well as a hammer. – K.

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Hello Hugh,

Glad to have you as part of SB. Regarding the recent post about hardtack, I have some experience here having made several batches over the years. Original, old time hardtack was said to be tough enough, yet not brittle, that when thrown against a brick wall would chip at the edges, but not shatter. It was essentially never eaten alone, as it would break the teeth of those attempting such a feat. This was not a good idea in a time when dentists were few and far between. Rather, the hardtack would be soaked in coffee or soup or gruel or grease and fat of salt port to allow it to soften somewhat. Breaking it into smaller pieces with the help of the butt of a rifle or hammer helps. Sounds great doesn’t it? But it does do some things well, and that is why it persists. It lasts. I have some left over in my cellar that I made 3 or 4 years ago, with no sign of going bad or mold or off flavors or discoloration. Some of it was stored in mason jars, some in ziplock baggies, and some wrapped in newspaper, just to see what effect each storage method had. The difference in effect was negligible. That said, when I did a side by side taste test with the 4 year old hard tack verses some fresh stock I made the other day, the fresh was definitely better. To make it, simply grind wheat berries into flour, add enough water to make a dough that doesn’t stick to your fingers, roll it out until half an inch thick, cut into squares (or rectangles, whatever), pierce with knife or fork several times each to aid the air circulation as they dry. And I do mean dry, rather than bake. Place them in the oven at about 250-275 for half an hour or so, then flip them over and repeat for another half hour. Then take them out of the oven to cool. Then back in for another 45 minutes to an hour, or even longer if your dough was quite wet when you started. This slow cooking is the secret to hardtack that passes the durable-but-not-shattering test. I got in a hurry once and turned the heat up to 300 for awhile, and while it gave a nice toasted appearance to the hard tack, it made it much more brittle. Many modern recipes will call for salt, sugar, lard, milk, butter, and all sorts of other things. While these no doubt improve the taste and nutrition content of the hardtack, they take away from the shelf life and durability, which is the main thing hardtack has going for it in the first place. If you wanted it to taste good, pack snickers bars instead! (Emphasis added by HJL) Salt and sugar attract moisture; lard, butter, and milk increase rancidity. I’ve only ever made it with fresh ground whole wheat, so can’t speak to white vs wheat. I figured all hard tack was from fresh ground whole wheat, back in the day. If other readers have different experience, I’d be glad to learn from them. Cheers, – J.

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HJL:

Hard Tack has always been made with wheat flour. The generalized process of grinding wheat grain often includes sifting which removes the chaff (bran). This process makes wheat flour appear whiter than it would be if simply grinding the wheat berries into a coarse wheat flour.

Since early times, milling has been a process of separating the outer wheat bran and wheat germ from the inner endosperm portion of the wheat berries. Through mechanization in the 19th Century, though, the process became more streamlined. New equipment was introduced into the process which refined flour milling. Sifters, bran dusters, and even middlings purifiers all contributed to the industrialization of the variety of mills. A technique adapted from Europe, called “the New Process” also helped American mills achieve a better and more refined flour. Through these processes, the commercialized wheat flours became finer, lighter in color, and more desirable by most. Then came the bleaching process and additions of nutrients to enrich the final flour product. Rather ironic that now there are so many of us prefer freshly ground whole wheat flour. – LynnS

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Dear Mr. Latimer,

In just reading the post concerning Hard Tack I wanted to share with you the following web site dedicated to hard tack. I have not yet attempted any of these recipes but the post got me thinking about it again and I plan to give it a good test! – M.B.

HJL Adds: S.V. also sent in the link to this web site.

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Some Discussion:

Lembas was made with Elven magic by the Lady herself. Without that – no lembas.

Below is the hardtack recipe I use and my results. The recipe was derived from a Civil War recipe drawn from a no longer there re-enacting web site. At 8 years old (stored as noted below) didn’t make anyone sick. I’m not sure if it did nourish anyone. Any fat in it can eventually go rancid, any seasons can eventually go stale.

Finding weevils in the hardtack was fairly common so I doubt that the small amount of fat going rancid would matter. Hungry is hungry.

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HARDTACK

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
6 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup water

Dry mix the ingredients.

Add the water and knead the dough. Dough should not be sticky.

Roll out to an even thickness. I use a shallow sided cookie pan. The shallow sides control the thickness

Cut to shape. Poke three rows of holds with a fork.

Place in the oven for about 1/2 hour or until just golden.

Makes 10-12 biscuits.

To cook them really thoroughly, set them aside for a day, then cook them at 225 degrees for 30-45 more minutes. The second baking will remove any “sweat” and really dry the biscuit. This is important.

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I took my original recipe from a civil war reenacting webpage (it’s not there anymore) and experimented. The recipe listed above is what I wound up with. I first made a double batch then put them in 1 gallon Ziploc baggies and put the baggies on the guest Bedroom closet shelf. All food trials included a bowl of hot chicken bouillon for dipping/soaking. One week later I tried one and I’d hate to have to live on them. Two weeks later I had the same result. I continued to test them at one month, six months, one year, 18 months, two years, 2-1/2 years, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 years with the same result. I gave one to a friend’s step-son – a reenactor, and he liked it so I gave what was left to him. Apparently they were a hit at the reenaction. I have made a batch or two since then.

If you’re going to consume them in a month or so – bake up a batch with whatever is in it and try it. The water/salt/flour recipe is the standard. – W.B.

Letters: Hearing About Southeast’s Winter Storm

Dear Hugh,

I live just north of Atlanta and, fortunately, I work from home, and I also live alone. So I was not stuck in the massive traffic jams everyone saw on TV. I was nice and warm and comfortable in my home while all this happened. My sister, who lives three counties over, had trouble getting home, but nothing like the 16 hour commutes most people had. It did hit home the fact that I live near a major population center and will have to plan any evacuation in a SHTF situation accordingly. All the Monday morning quarterbacks and Northern naysayers blamed it on us Southerns not being able to drive on snow. That was part of the problem; there were plenty of accidents blocking some roads and interstates. The real and most eye opening problem was the shear number of people all trying to leave the city at once. Like Atlanta Mayor Reed and Georgia Governor Deal said, it was like someone blew a whistle and said “Go!”. Everyone- schools, government employees, private companies all left at the same time. Any traffic system would have had a hard time handling that volume of traffic. Even without the snow and ice it would have been a nightmare on the streets. In a SHTF scenario where Atlanta had to be evacuated, then throw “PANIC!” into the mix and I imagine it would have been even worse. Desperation would set in and no telling what someone might do to go an extra mile or two, or what they would do to get some fuel or a working car, when their family’s safety was involved. I could not imagine trying to get out of Atlanta on any of the three major highways that go through the city and the backroads were just as clogged by everyone trying to avoid the interstate chaos.

It really got me thinking to either move farther out from the city or relocate to a different, less populated state altogether. Snowmaggedon happens once every five years or so and is over in a day or two. SHTF would be an entirely different story.

Side note: Snowmageddon did bring out the best in our neighbors and fellow citizens. People from our sub-division gathered up bottled water and snacks and handled them out along a major through-street near my house that was gridlocked. People thanked us profusely and some even tried to make donations or pay for the stuff. We said no thank you. News report showed people all over the Metro Atlanta area were doing the same. Some in our neighborhood were even willing to open up their homes to anyone who needed it, but the traffic started moving about 9:00 PM, slowly but smoothly. We had no takers for overnight accommodations. – M. in Atlanta