Economics and Investing:

Federal budget gap through June tops $1 trillion amid GOP resistance to more government spending. (Thanks to KAF for the link.)

Thanks to Brett G. for flagging this one: Fed Warns Economy May Take Five or Six Years to Recover

Items from The Economatrix:

Obscure Weimar Collapse Book a Cult Hit

Central Banks Start to Abandon the US Dollar

Top for Silver $100 Per Ounce?

Stocks Mixed After Disappointing Retail Sales Data

Home Loan Applications Down 2.9%

Retail Sales Drop 0.5% in June

Oil Dips Below $77 as US Crude Supplies Rise

Watchdog: Small Banks Struggling Despite Bailouts

A Modern Day Gold Rush

Silver’s Historical Correlations with Gold Suggests a Parabolic Top as High as $714 Per Ounce!

China Stocks Tumble, Dragging Down Other Asian Markets

Irrational Gold Selling (The Mogambo Guru)



Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers have mentioned a new magazine, called The New Pioneer, now available at news stands, and by subscription. It’s premiere issue was just released. Reader G.S,. described it as “Kind of a combination of Pioneer Living, Mother Earth News and Backwoods Home.” The magazine is edited by Nancy Mack Tappan, the widow of Mel Tappan. It’s published by Country Almanac, part of Harris Publications. When I recently spoke with Nancy, she mentioned that Harris does not yet have a promotional web page for the magazine. Check it out at your local news stand. Editorial mailing address: New Pioneer Magazine, P.O. Box 1050 Rogue River, OR 97537. Editorial e-mail: newpioneermag@hotmail.com. Subscriptions and single copy sales: (212) 462-9536. Ask for single copy sales.

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More than 1,000 Exposed to Dengue in Florida: CDC. (A hat tip to frequent content contributor KAF for the link.)

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Cheryl (aka The Economatrix) sent us this: More And More Americans Preparing For Social Unrest



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"How complacent we become when we sit secure, hedged round by laws and protections a government may provide! How soon we forget that but for these governments and laws there would be naught but savagery, brutality and starvation. For our age-old enemies await us always, just beyond our thin walls. Hunger, thirst and cold lie waiting there, and forever among us are those who would loot, rape and maim rather than behave as civilized men.
If we sit secure this hour, this day, it is because the thin walls of law stand between us and evil. A jolt of the earth, a revolution, and invasion or even a violent upset in our own government can reduce all to chaos, leaving civilized man naked and exposed." – Louis L’Amour, Fair Blows the Wind



Notes from JWR:

Do you have any favorite quotes that relate to preparedness, survival, self-sufficiency, or hard money economics? If so, then please send them via e-mail, and I will likely post them as Quotes of the Day, if they haven’t been used before in SurvivalBlog. Please send only quotes that are properly attributed, and that you’ve checked for authenticity. Many Thanks!

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



Creating Secure Perimeter Fencing with Plant Life

I’ve read enough about the Golden Horde, mutant zombie biker gangs, and the occasional parent who will do anything to feed their family to know that in a TEOTWAWKI situation not only do I not want anyone breaking into my house, I don’t want anyone to be able to get past the perimeter of my property. I live in a very rural area of the South, surrounded by a few neighbors that would do anything to help someone out, cotton farms, and cows. I’m as far out in the hinterboonies as is possible in this part of the US. Yet, if I were to construct a perimeter fence that would properly keep people out, everyone in the general area would be talking about “that strange anti-social family” since most properties in this area have only decorative fencing, simple electric fencing, or none at all. Neither my husband nor I really want to spend the 11th hour adding more barbed wire around the livestock pens, gardens, orchards, or the house. Because of this we’ve decided to take a slightly more natural approach to our perimeter fencing. In our area it’s not uncommon to see wooded areas with vast overgrowth so we’ve decided to create a perimeter fence that’s impenetrable and looks like an abandoned wooded area.

When creating a plant based perimeter fence there are three main criteria you need to consider:

1. Is the plant native or common to your specific area? (For example, at a retreat in the southwest various species of cacti would be perfectly appropriate whereas in my area that would be a dead giveaway that someone lives beyond the overgrowth)

2. Will it grow rapidly without much intervention? (This is very important; you don’t want to waste water that could be used for drinking, household duties, or your garden on your perimeter fence)

3. Will it be difficult to get through? (You want to be sure to use plants that are thorny and grow in extremely dense)
Another criterion that you can look at is will your perimeter plants provide you with additional resources. Because my retreat is in an area that allows for such a diversity of plant life to grow without human intervention I added on that final criterion to narrow down the choices. The plants my husband and I chose are Bamboo, Pyracantha, Blackberries, and Spanish Bayonet. So, the reasons why we chose these plants

Bamboo
Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant on earth, and an invasive plant at that. Some species can grow as fast as 48” in a 24 hour period. It is also an extraordinarily diverse plant that can be used in construction, cooking, even as medicine. For perimeter fencing having an invasive plant is a good thing because it means it will grow without much human intervention and it will become very dense, which is better for keeping people out. For my fence I went with a clumping variety instead of a running variety because it’s easier to contain clumping varieties. One great thing about bamboo is there are varieties that will grow from climate zone 4 to zone 11; you’ll just have to do a little bit of research to see which specific species of bamboo will work in your region. Also be sure to look around your area to see what sort of bamboo appears to be growing wild, remember, you want your perimeter to blend in. We’ve managed to make sure we get bamboo common to our area by scouting craigslist, freecycle, and various local classifieds for people offering up free bamboo plants. Because it is such an invasive species of plant, man people will give bamboo away as long as you’re willing to uproot it for them because they can no longer contain it.

Pyracantha
Pyracantha (sometimes called Firethorn) can grow to be about 20 feet high, produce edible berries, and they are covered in thorns. I’ve read a few articles that suggest cultivating Pyracantha around windows for home defense because of how densely the thorns grow. Where I live, beyond extra watering when first planting a Pyracantha tree they need no human intervention to grow. Another benefit is the berries, they attract deer and birds which make for excellent hunting and you can pick the berries to feed to chickens who don’t mind the bitter flavor. For human consumption you just need to boil down the berries to create a tasty jelly with about 40 calories per tbsp; 4 ½ cups of berries will produce approximately 2 cups of jelly. Pyracantha does best and is fully evergreen in zones 7 through 9 though with some research you can find strains that have been bred for hardiness in colder climates.

Blackberries
We chose blackberries for a few reasons; one being that they are my absolute favorite berry and providing food is always a good idea when preparing for TEOTWAWKI, especially a food as healthy and diverse as blackberries. Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid – a B vitamin, and the essential mineral, manganese and they rank highly among fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of polyphenolic compounds, such as ellagic acid, tannins, ellagitannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins and cyanidins. Blackberry root and leaves are also common in herbal medicines to help with ailments such as diarrhea, dysentery, and more. But the security reasons being that they are everywhere where we live, to the point where during blackberry season all you have to do is walk along any road in the area and you’ll be likely to pick enough blackberries in one day to feed your family blackberry cobbler for a year. They are extraordinarily invasive and require no human intervention to thrive. And they are extremely dense, thorny plants, since Pyracantha grow so tall their thorns only affect the upper half of a person, blackberries will take care of the lower half. Blackberries do best in zones 7 through 9; though you can grow blackberry bushes in slightly colder climates they’re unlikely to produce any fruit.

Spanish Bayonet
The final plant we decided to add to our perimeter is the Spanish Bayonet, named so because it’s leaves will puncture someone even through thick layers of clothing. The Spanish Bayonet becomes top heavy between 5 to 20 feet when the it topples over, then the tip curves upwards and continues growing. Meanwhile it readily sends out shoots around the base rapidly becoming a thick, impenetrable clump of bayonet like leaves. Though these provide no additional purposes beyond security, these are the sharpest and easiest plants to take care of in our specific area and therefore a very worthy plant to add into our plant perimeter fence. The Spanish Bayonet grows best in zones 8 through 11.

I always think getting your plants from a local nursery is best because then you know for sure the plant will survive in your specific climate and the conditions in your particular area, not to mention most local nursery owners are willing to help you and they’re a lot more knowledgeable than your average big box employee when it comes to the plants they sell you. Depending on how big of a perimeter you need to create and how much time, and money you have could make it difficult to get all of your plants from the same local nursery. If there are only 1 or 2 local nurseries and you’re unable to get all the plants you need for your perimeter from them I would suggest seeing if you can find a somewhat local nursery that you can order from online. For those on a budget, of which I am one, build up your perimeter fence over time. Simply find the weakest points of your property and start there. You can find plants for free or cheap on craigslist, freecycle, even by searching for garden club plant exchanges. Remember, you don’t have to use the same exact plants around the entire perimeter, just make sure whatever plants you use match the criteria you need. In fact, the more diverse your plant perimeter is, the more likely it is to resemble overgrown woods.

When creating your perimeter fence you’ll want to layer your plants in a way that provides the most protection. We’ve chosen to plant the Spanish Bayonet on the outside, then Pyracantha, Bamboo, another row of Pyracantha, and then let the blackberries run crazy throughout. Behind the plant perimeter we’ve constructed a sturdy barbed wire reinforced fence that will help keep our livestock in and provide an extra layer of security if someone manages to make it through the dense, thorny perimeter we’ve created. The major weak point to this is of course the point of entry through our driveway, after all, someone may not be able to fight their way through the plant life but who needs to when you can walk up a driveway and find the home easily? We’ve handled that problem by putting in a livestock grate and standard livestock gate that is chained shut and kept locked. By not maintaining the entry point into the property from the road it appears to be merely an entry to a livestock pasture that’s become overgrown from years of disuse. In case of TEOTWAWKI we can remove the grate, fill in the hole with barbed wire, tangle foot wire, or even create a punji pit using some of the bamboo from our perimeter fence.



Letter Re: Motorcycles as Bug-Out Vehicles

Sir:
While they certainly have disadvantages, I think that motorcycles might be helpful in certain survival situations. Two-wheeled vehicles are small, maneuverable, and are very fuel efficient. They’re able to navigate highways and roads that are impassible to cars due to traffic jams and broken down vehicles. Given two or three feet of clearance, a motorcycle can get through and around a lot of obstacles. A single motorcycle can carry two people (a driver and an armed passenger?) and hold a significant amount of detachable luggage (think B.O.B. on steroids). My Suzuki gets 60-70 miles per gallon. Strap a full gas can on the back, and the possible range would expand considerably.

Obviously, disadvantages would be increased exposure (to the elements and to gunfire/violence) and reduced cargo capacity compared to a car or a sport utility vehicle (SUV). It’s not the ideal travel solution, but it would have its advantages. The two-wheeled method, I think, would be of most benefit to college students or single people living in heavily populated urban environments. These are folks who likely rely on public transportation and may not even own a car a all. Their best bet for survival, as discussed elsewhere on the forum, is probably to get as far away from the city as quickly as possible. Roads are likely to rapidly become clogged with traffic, and those in a car run a real risk of getting stuck in place and running out of supplies and/or gas.

A rider on a motorcycle, however, would be able to keep moving past wrecks, through congestion, and over clogged bridges while folks in cars would remain trapped in traffic. Ideally, our motorcyclist would move quickly (before things became utterly lawless), would have a pre-planned route or routes, and would be going somewhere specific (to friends, family, a retreat, or even to a well-stocked storage unit some distance form the city). I think that staying alert and on the move would be key to avoiding trouble.

Another possible use of motorcycles as G.O.O.D. vehicles is as a “lifeboat”. Say you lived in southern Florida and you planned to get to your “safe haven” in your truck, RV, or SUV. You know that I-95 (the major route north) may become impassable at some point on your journey. A motorcycle could serve as a backup method that would enable you to keep moving towards safety, even if you were forced to abandon your primary vehicle. A ramp into a truck bed or a single-motorcycle mount to the back bumper of an RV or SUV would be all it would take to bring a light motorcycle with you. If you became irreparably trapped in traffic, with dwindling supplies and no way out, you’d be able to travel farther faster and with more “stuff” via motorcycle than you would on foot. Take care, – J. Smith



Economics and Investing:

Bill O’Reilly calls it: Economic Disaster on the Horizon.

Craig S. sent this: Americans credit scores at new low.

“Boosters” flagged this: Presenting The Wall Of Worry: The 50 Ugliest Facts About The US eCONomy.

KAF mentioned: Secret gold swap has spooked the market

Also from KAF: China to Fight Price Manipulation With Heavy Fines (Hoarding of goods will also be subject to fines of 2 million yuan.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Surge After Alcoa, CSX Report Strong Profit

Job Openings Drop in May as Hirings Stay Weak

Market Slump Expected to Dent Profits at Big Banks

Chinese Rating Agency Strips Western Nation of AAA Status

Euro Slips After Moody’s Downgrades Portugal’s Debt Rating

Gold Bullion Sales Soar, Central Banks Stock Up

US Retail Sales Likely Down for Second Month



Odds ‘n Sods:

Wednesday at noon Eastern Time will be EMPact America’s third show on EMPact Radio. Dr. Peter Vincent Pry will be joined by Professor Cindy Ayers. She is an expert on Islamic terrorism. Please consider listening to the show live and participating via their call-in line (917-388-4499) or live chat. (See the link on blogtalk radio). The chat feature is available during live show only)

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F.J. suggested acquiring some coin-sized pocket screwdrivers.

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this sign of the times article, from Oakland, California: Suffer These Crimes in Oakland? Don’t Call the Cops

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G.S. in the State of Jefferson recommended the latest National Inflation Association video on empty store shelves. It has some good advice, except for the bit about storing a six month supply of drinking water in bottles. The space requirements and cash outlay would be tremedndous! Instead, buy just a one week suply of water and a water filter to treat subsequently gathered water.



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD [is] thy keeper: the LORD [is] thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” – Psalm 121 (KJV)



Notes from JWR:

To those who have asked, the anticipated release date for the first sequel to my novel “Patriots” is September of 2011. The manuscript has been submitted, and the editors at Atria (a division of Simon & Schuster) are now working on it. It will be It is tentatively titled: Veterans: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse. Unlike most novel sequels, the storyline of “Veterans” is contemporaneous with the events described in my previously-published novel. Most of this first sequel takes place in Arizona and New Mexico. There is also major sub-plot about a U.S. Army officer who is released from active duty and must find his way home 11,000 miles from Afghanistan, right in the midst of The Crunch. OBTW, I’m already drafting the second sequel, which should be released in September of 2012. Watch for further announcements in the blog, closer to the publication date.

Today we present a guest article by Steve Collins, a staff instructor for Suarez International, Inc.



Why Not Carry the Big Gun?, by Steve Collins

Carry the gun you want to fight with if you have to! What ever happened to carrying actual fighting guns? If I never see another article touting a ‘lightweight, easy to carry all day’ such and such, I’ll be ecstatic. When a fight comes, I want a chunk of gun in my hand, not some featherweight Mattel toy.

I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, or what you need to carry. Some people simply can’t carry a bigger gun by virtue of the fact of where they work or they live in an Non-Permissive Environment (NPE) where the discovery of a handgun would be disastrous. But to purposely carry something small, because you don’t want to be inconvenienced by it, is just foolish.

Decades ago, mens’ fashions were such that one could carry a full size revolver or semi-automatic pistol in complete concealment without much fuss. Men wore full cut suits with large pockets. It was much easier to carry guns such as a Colt New Service, an N-frame Smith & Wesson, or a Colt Government Model [1911]. J.H. Fitzgerald, legendary professional shooter for Colt, used to carry a pair of cut down Colt New Service .45 Colt revolvers in each of his front trouser pockets. These were called ‘Fitz Specials,’ and were the precursors to today’s short barreled concealment revolvers.

If you knew you were going to be in a fight, and couldn’t take a long gun, what would you want to have with you? I should think the biggest pistol you could control well and shoot accurately. That leaves out the keychain guns like the Beretta .25s, the Kel-Tec .32 and .380, the Seecamp .32 and the like. It also leaves out the 5 shot snubby revolvers. There are very few people, even gun people, who can shoot them well enough on demand to be effective with them. Yes, I have small guns, too. My Smith & Wesson 642 .38 Special has traveled many places with me, along with my NAA Guardian .32ACP. But they are not, in my mind, true fighting handguns. Please, please, spare me the “beware the man with one gun…” blah, blah, blah. The ones that spout that are trying to justify their unwillingness to look at armed conflicts as they really are. You don’t get to choose what kind of fight it will be; it’ll be a fight. You had better be prepared to handle it.

When folks go to the range, what do they normally shoot? The gun they like to shoot, which is normally a full sized pistol! They have no problem shooting a couple hundred rounds through them, but when they’re done, the big gun gets put away, and the little gun, which hasn’t been shot in six months or more, is the one chosen to protect life and limb. Do you see the problem here?

So, the answer is, carry the big pistol. By big, I’m talking about guns like a Glock 17/19 9mm, Glock 21 .45 ACP, the Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum, the 1911 .45ACP, the 4” K and L frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, etc. It’s not hard to carry or conceal them, as long as you put a little thought into it. This is not the place to cut corners; if you do, the whole process will fail miserably.

First, dress around the gun. Stop trying to look like the 17 year olds with skin tight jeans if you’re 40 and for cryin’ out loud, pull up your pants, Snoop Droopy Drawers! It isn’t attractive and it severely limits what you can carry concealed. Pick the gun and holster setup you are going to use, then shop for your clothes with them in mind. If you are using an inside the waistband holster, buy your pants a couple inches bigger in the waist to accommodate the holster. Get your shirts a size or two bigger to cover the gun and extra ammo on your belt, along with your jackets. If you wear a suit, find a tailor who isn’t afraid of guns, or who deals with police officers on a regular basis. Take the gun, holster and belt, and whatever accessories you are going to use to the tailor, they will cut the suit around it.

Next, having a quality holster and belt is critical. You spent a bunch of money on your pistol, why are you buying cheap holsters? There are many good holster makers out there; you don’t have to look really far to find one. Be ready to spend $100-to-$200 on a quality holster, belt and ammo pouches. Kydex is all the rage these days, and you can usually get these holsters at a lower price, simply because it’s less expensive and time consuming than leather to work with. It is also more water and weather resistant, especially if you are carrying inside the waistband. On the downside, they aren’t that attractive, they are hard on the finish of your gun, and if the holster is inside your pants, it can be hard to get accustomed to their rigidness. Leather holsters are easier on the gun and the body, and can be made as plain or as attractive as you want, but suffer from getting weather beaten, soaked in sweat and generally require more maintenance. Many of the leather craftsmen out there are backlogged, so you may have to wait some time to get their merchandise, also. Kydex makers can usually get their goods to you in a couple of weeks, or less.

If you don’t have a good belt, you’re setting yourself up for failure. I normally wear a 1-¾” nylon or leather belt, since I’m in jeans most days. If your belt loops won’t accommodate that big a belt, it’s an easy thing to find narrower belts that are designed to carry a gun. The cheap belts you find at the local super store out there won’t cut it. I know it’s a pain for gun shops to stock a bunch of belts in different sizes, but they are really doing the public a disservice by not having them there for people to try out. At the very least, it’d be good if the guys behind the gun counter had some knowledge about what is out on the market, instead of just what’s in the store and you will be lucky if they even know that.

Spare ammo carriers are given short shrift all the time, and I really don’t understand why. Probably because there is a segment of the gun carriers out there that doesn’t carry spare ammo! If you fall into that category, you need to go back to school, ‘cause you still haven’t figured it out yet. Carrying spare ammo is easy, whether it be on a six round loop carrier for revolver ammo, or a magazine pouch or two on your off hand side. The same holster makers will make ammo carriers to go with them, and you should buy everything at one time to make sure it all fits together.

Tell you what, next time you go to the range, do all your shooting, all your drills, with the little gun. Shoot at point blank range all the way out to 100 yards. See how difficult it really is. If you want to fall in with the ranks of the gun shop and keyboard commandos who have never been in a fight, who always rattle off the “all you need is a two-inch J-frame, ‘cause all fights happen at close range,” mantra, go right ahead. However, if you are willing to look at things objectively, and really think it through, you’ll see it’s better to have the bigger gun with you.

Stephen J. Collins
Suarez International, Inc. Staff Instructor
NRA Certified Firearms Instructor
Cellular: (706) 593-0783



Letter Re: The Importance of Garage Sales in Preparedness

Mr. Rawles;
I thought I’d share this little bit of excitement from my corner of the world, that can serve as a reminder on the importance of scavenging yard and garage sales.

So, I’ve wanted a grain mill for about a year and a half. Because they’re dead useful and I’m growing corn and amaranth in the garden this year. I was really lusting over the Country Living Grain Mill, because it seemed, well, awesome. But $395 plus shipping, plus extra parts was a little out of my reach. I’m a single girl tied by employment to the suburbs, so I pinch every penny I can. [Yes, actually, I do go through my change and fish out the old ones made with copper. I’ve a nice little collection, and it gives me something to do while watching Mythbusters]. So I waited, and every now and then checked Craigslist and eBay. But everyone who was selling one knew what they were selling, and nothing was selling for less than $395.

So I waited.

Then Friday, pondering the recent offer I’d put in on a house, had a sudden whim to check craigslist. I found two listings for a grain mill– one turned out to be a Country Living Grain mill with motor and cart, and the lady was asking $550 for it. That was disappointing. But, there was another listing, for a family yard sale on the other end of the county, and it only listed “Grain mill”.

I figured it was one of those small mills. I shrugged to myself, thinking that if the economy collapses before I collect 40,000 pennies, a small mill is better than no mill, so I might as well get whatever they were selling, as long as it still worked.

Well, I was wrong.It was a huge, cast iron, fire-hydrant-red grain mill, with a motor that the lady included. I turned the flyweel with my hand, and it turned easily. When I asked the price, she said “Oh, five bucks . . . “

Five? Shoot, I’ve got that. I came home, cleaned it up, inspected the really nice lookin’ burrs, found the maker — C.S. Bell Co– and then looked up on the Internet how much it was worth: $399 plus freight, without a motor. I was ecstatic.

If we round up to $400, and I paid $5, then I purchased this mill for 1.25% of retail. (A discount of 98.75%.) This is, again, not counting the motor, or what freight would have cost. (Some options I saw with a motor and a cart ran into the thousands).

Mind you, I’ll be taking the motor to a local servicing station to make sure it’s in good condition and not a danger to operate (I know the power cord needs replacing), and I’ll need a belt (or a few so I’ve some backups). So those will increase the ultimate price. But, whatever I pay for making sure the motor is good, it’ll still be a huge bargain since the motor was free and the mill almost free. And, having a flywheel, there’s always the option post- TEOTWAWKI to connect a bike to the mill to give my arms a rest.

My roommate also obtained $150-$200 worth of candle and soap making supplies for $15.

I always thought that the stories of people getting major deals at yard sales were just stories, exaggerated by re-telling. Well, I don’t think that anymore.

Thank you, Mr. Rawles, for your blog site and for “Patriots”. (I bought a copy of your novel and gave to the roommate for Christmas!)

May God Bless You. Sincerely, – Christine C.

JWR Replies: I concur that local garage sales, yard sales, farm auctions, and estate sales are great sources for preparedness gear such as tools, shelving, and canning jars. Also, don’t overlook you local Freecycle and Craigslist web pages. Watch them like a hawk!



Letter Re: Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up

Hello Jim,

I just wanted to comment on the article, Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up. I have been stocking up on most of the items Scott mentioned for my own use, but had not considered them for barter. I’ll be looking at them differently, now. One which I have given thought to bartering is tobacco.

Your readers can forget stockpiling commercial cigarettes, they will go stale, shortly. As Scott mentioned, you’ll need to know how to roll your own, or purchase an inexpensive rolling machine. Cigarette tobacco can be bought in sealed cans and one-pound bags, though I can not attest to their shelf life.

My suggestion, should one want to stock tobacco for barter, is pipe tobacco. Like some wine and cheese, it improves with age. I have a friend who smokes pipes, and frequents high-end tobacco shops for good tobacco. But he is tickled pink when he can find a 3 or 5 year old bag of cheap tobacco at Wal-Mart. He says it is as good as the more expensive brands (which you are probably paying the manufacturer to age for you).

Pipe smokers are also picky about their pipes. The type of wood apparently makes a big difference. But they have a secret: The lowly corn-cob pipe smokes as well as the high-end pipes. Its only drawback is that it does not last as long. Corn-cob pipes could be stockpiled, also. And, if there is a market after TSHTF (i.e. someone in the area is producing tobacco), learning to make the pipes could be a small business.

Thanks for a great web site, – Stew in Missouri

Mr. Rawles,
With regard to the article, “Pseudo-Currency: Items You Can Trade Like Cash Or Use Yourself if the Balloon Goes Up, by Scott in Wisconsin” from July 11, I have some suggestions:

1) Standard coffee filters. These can be used to pre-filter water that is full of sediment or other debris, so as to lengthen the life of one’s primary water filter. Even if one doesn’t have a primary filter (like a Berkey-type ceramic filter), it will help with whatever other method is being used in a SHTF scenario to purify water. These are available for far less than $0.01 per filter, especially at dollar-type stores.

2) Mason jars – cheap at roughly $1 a bottle in case quantities, these will always be of use for canning or for storage of dehydrated food (and, yes, there will be canning and dehydrating post-SHTF).

3) Mason jar lids and rings – self explanatory; no lids means no canning, and the lids are single-use items. Boxes of one dozen are usually price from $1.75-$2.50, but you can almost always find these on sale somewhere.

4) Steel wool – to use with salt to help preserve food. Take a small quantity of steel wool (maybe 1 cubic inch or so) and an ounce or so of salt, put them together in a napkin or coffee filter that’s tied together with string or a rubber band (string will last longer, as it won’t dry out), and you have a quick-and-dirty oxygen and moisture absorber when sealed inside of a good barrier (like a 5 gallon bucket). Steel wool absorbs oxygen, salt absorbs moisture. Lesser quantities are needed for smaller containers (like Mason Jars). Steel wool is very cheap at most grocery and big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

5) Salt – for use in food directly (for flavor and nutrition – Mayor Bloomberg notwithstanding), and also for food preservation (by direct salting or with steel wool, as described above). Available in the blue cylinders for less than $0.50 in many stores (certainly for the store brands) for 26 ounces (cheaper at the big warehouse stores). An alternative is the little salt packets that you get at fast-food stores – these can be purchased for about $6 per 3,000 (yes, you read that correctly) at a warehouse store. Yet another alternative is to put salt purchased in large quantities (e.g. 25-pound bags, available for under $5 at a warehouse store) into cleaned ½ pint plastic water bottles. Post-SHTF, I’m quite sure that no one will care much that the little bottle may have had some germs before, and in any case those germs won’t survive contact with all of that salt. Regards, – Paul from Texas



Two Letters Re: The Essential Gun for Survival

Jim,
I absolutely concur with Cory M.’s article extolling the benefits of the .22 RF cartridge. If you are limited in the number of firearms you can own or can afford to own, there are two options using the .22 of which everyone should be aware. A multi-barrel long gun (sometimes called a drilling) was one of my first firearms. The Savage .22 RF in combination with a .410 shotgun (aka 22/410 over under), makes a great hunting firearm, and when using a rifled slug in the .410 shotgun, a pretty effective defensive tool. The other is the ubiquitous Black Rifle (the AR-15 or the M4 carbine) chambered in .223 / 5.56mm). [Several brands of] .22 RF conversion kit are available with 30 round magazines for around $150 new. (Perhaps less if you can find a used one.) Add a few more magazines and you’re sitting at just about $200 total. With .223 ammunition running around $300 per 1,000 rounds and .22 RF running around $40 for the same quantity, the first 1,000 rounds you shoot pretty much pays for the entire setup. Switching between the conversion and the original bolt takes less than 60 seconds. This allows you to practice a lot with your Black Rifle, which is how you become proficient in it’s operation, something that could be essential in a TEOTWAWKI situation. – LVZ in Ohio

 

Dear Jim,
One minor point on Peter Hathaway Capstick, .22s, and elephants. I have all of his books, and highly recommend them. I recall him mentioning .22 Magnums being used for Springbok, and calibers as small as .303 British for elephant, on a rear quartering brain shot through the open back of the skull, behind the ears. I doubt a .22 would even penetrate a couple of inches of jumbo, much less reach a critical organ or brain.- Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog Editor at Large)



Economics and Investing:

G.G. was the first of several readers to mention this New York Times article: Crisis Awaits World’s Banks as Trillions Come Due. Be ready folks. We could be on the precipice of a global debt implosion that will make the current crisis seem small, by comparison. I’ve warned you before, folks: be ready for bank runs. Here is a quote: “Banks worldwide owe nearly $5 trillion to bondholders and other creditors that will come due through 2012, according to estimates by the Bank for International Settlements. About $2.6 trillion of the liabilities are in Europe.”

From David W.: Historian warns of sudden collapse of American ‘empire’

Jesse spotted this piece by Paul Krugman:Trending Toward Deflation

Brett G. suggested this article: How the Economy Will Look On Election Day

KAF recommended this: G20 looks to Beijing to drive global growth.

Also from KAF: European banks mull 20 billion Euro private bailout fund: report