From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Survival On a Shoestring Budget

I often get e-mails from readers claiming either directly or indirectly that preparedness is “only for wealthy people”–that working class people cannot afford to prepare. That is nonsense. By simply re-prioritizing your budget and cutting out needless expenses (such as alcohol, cigarettes, convenience foods, and cable television) almost anyone can set aside enough money for a year’s worth of storage food in fairly short order.

It is amazing what can be done with hard work, ingenuity, and very little money. While I do not endorse interloping on public lands nor do I suggest that you live like a hermit, the following stories are indicative of what can be accomplished with next to no cash.

First, here is an article about about a father and daughter that lived for four years undetected in a Portland, Oregon park

Next, a news story about a hermit who secretly lived for at least three years inside the “secure” Los Alamos nuclear research reservation in New Mexico:

Next, an article about New York City’s part-legend, part-fact “Mole People”

I also vaguely recall in the 1990s reading an article about a man who secretly built an underground house in parkland abutting the suburbs somewhere on the east coast. The house went undetected for several years. Its entrance was hidden in a berry thicket. He was only discovered because neighbors saw his comings and goings. When police arrived to investigate, after much searching for the entrance, they entered the underground house just after than man had taken a shower in his underground bathroom. (Perhaps one of you readers saved the newspaper clipping or has a link to the news story.)

I recommend the book “The Last of the Mountain Men“. It is the story of Sylvan Hart (a.k.a.”Buckskin Bill”), a famous Idaho solitary who lived deep in a roadless section of the River of No Return Wilderness. His solution to his own unemployment during the Great Depression was to move to the wilderness and live self-sufficiently. The book describes how Hart lived from the 1930s to the 1970s. He mined and smelted his own copper, made his own muzzle loading rifles and pistols, and constructed his house and garden. It is a fascinating book.

And for someone with a “maxi” budget? Consider the Bear Den: [now advertised at our spin-off SurvivalReatly.com web site.]

I didn’t point out all of the preceding references because I want you to live like hermits or flee into the wilderness and live in a hollowed-out tree like the boy in My Side of the Mountain. Rather, I just want you to start thinking outside the box. Survival is 90% sweat, ingenuity, and perseverance. It is only the remaining 10% that requires cash.

Letter Re: Feed Sacks as Sandbag Substitutes

Mr. Rawles;
We came across a small discovery here on our ranch. We feed many animals and four dogs. So we go through a good deal of dog food in bags. I noticed the similarity in dog food bags to the construction of sandbags. So, I have been using , dog food bags as low cost/no cost sandbags. They work well and if you keep the weight close to the amount that came in the bag. They don’t rip. We have been using them for a year and they hold up well in our tests thus far. They have been used in areas that are under roof so they don’t get exposed to rain/moisture. They work well in areas where one would want to bag to bolster areas close to windows etc. We have also stored some without sand dirt and they hold up well and don’t seem to degrade.

I thought I would share our small discovery. Thanks for what you do and your efforts. – EG

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Releveller wrote to suggest that America’s architectural future may lie in China’s past: Fujian Tulou.

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In the “Why am I not surprised?” Department: NASA’s Hansen to Obama: Use Global Warming to Redistribute Wealth

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Chris K. sent a linked to a Wired magazine article with lots of rookie survival comments. Chris noted: “A few sound like they may survive the first couple weeks and [then] become armed and dangerous — a good reason to move another 100 miles away from the ‘blast zone’.”

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More economic cheer from Cheryl: 2008 Humiliating Year for Investors, Outlook for 2009 Grim — Ten Major Threats Facing US Dollar in 2009 — In Gold We Trust — GMAC Bailout a Sign of the Times — Second-Hand Stores Shine in Weak Retail Market — 1940s Austerity: Make Do, Waste Not — Flawed Accounting Methods Hides True Scale of Pension Fund Losses — Microsoft Announces 15,000 Job Losses — Economists Warn of Doom and Gloom — Jobless Who Get Benefits Most Since 1982; 4.5 Million Figure Expected to Grow — Banker Buys $37 Million Apartment After Getting $25 Million Buying for Doing Virtually Nothing — How We Went from $42,000 to $6,500 and Lived to Tell About It — GMAC’s $6 Billion Deal Show Why Automakers Need to Head for Chapter 11 — Ludwig von Mises Institute: The Crisis in 10 Points

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 20 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Letter Re: Inexpensive Spare Eyeglasses

Hello JWR,
Thanks for the site. Information is the best currency. I will send 10 Cent Challenge money in February.
Just wanted to give you a link to LBWEyewear.com, a site I discovered which sells [made-to-order] prescription eyeglasses. Most normal pairs are less than $25. Some less than $15.
I don’t have any connection to that site, just a satisfied customer. I’m sure there are others like it.

I have found that paying 200+ dollars for a pair of glasses is not economical because I lose them often and break them. It’s always good to have a spare pair in the car, or BOB. And even though ordering eyeglasses on a web site”sight unseen” means you have to guess as to the style / fit, it’s better to have a clunky pair in an emergency than none. Also, post-SHTF, optometrists appointments are probably low priority. I think this falls under the category of medical supplies, such as prescription medicines.

For the second time now I have ordered 4 pairs for less than 60 dollars. There is a pair in each vehicle I own, one by the television, one in the shooting bag, etc. Also, after ordering once I now know which to order that are stylish for me. This company sent both my packages snailmail within two weeks.

Here’s the catch: you have to know your prescription. That means you have to call your eye doctor and finagle this information out of their receptionist. Legally they have to give you this info, but that doesn’t mean they will. Optometrists make their money selling their ability to check your eyes. They’re selling you the eye exam, not the glasses. But they give you the exam “for free”, because you will buy the glasses for hundreds of dollars. The manufacturing itself costs only a few dollars for common glass
Also, your prescription is more than what is written on your contact lenses box. You have to know the power of your near / farsightedness, the axis of any astigmatisms, and your pupillary distance. Doctors don’t often give this information on the first try.

In support of buying local and supporting independent retailers you may want to pay your optometrist something for their service. I however cannot justify another pair of over-priced specs. Offering to “buy the exam” may be a more honorable way to go.
Hope this info is helpful! Best, – N.

Three Letters Re: The Best College Degrees for the Next Depression?

Dear Jim:
Why go to college at all? Speaking as a college graduate, unless you are getting a technical degree, you would probably learn more apprenticing in a real business that interests you, and studying on your own and taking courses part time. When you need to apply knowledge right away, motivation is high, and the lesson really sticks. Bonus – you avoid 4 years of immersion in (and contributing to) a politically correct cesspool – often intellectually dishonest to boot.

For some professions you do need a degree for technical knowledge. But most of the time a degree is just a screening device or “ticket punch” to show that you can study hard and persevere. Gary North has a whole section on his web site on how to beat the college racket, and get your ticket punched with a degree for under $25,000, and no debt.
The way things are going a highly skilled trade where you can work for yourself might be the best bet (electrician, plumber, auto mechanic, computer repair, etc., etc.). Someone who can just work like a professional in the “blue collar” trades will have such an advantage over most of the competition they will do well.
Regards, – OSOM

 

Mr. Rawles,
I wholeheartedly agree with both of the readers whose letters referenced learning a trade before attending college. My own experience, I grew up in a military family, when I graduated High School I wasn’t sure the military for me just yet and had the foresight to understand I probably wasn’t mature enough to handle college at that point in my life. I was also fortunate that in addition to a tradition of military service my family also had years of experience in the trades, one Grandfather became a boilermaker after the Navy, the other a carpenter after his stint in the Army, my Father retired after 22 years in the Air force and learned the trade of sheet metal work and HVAC repair, all of them proudly non-union. With their guidance I did some research and discovered the excellent merit shop (Non-union) apprenticeship programs offered by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The tuition is reasonable, (roughly $200 per semester when I started in 1997) and most member companies are so thrilled to have a young worker take his career seriously that they will sponsor the cost, provided good grades are maintained.

I chose the carpentry apprenticeship program, and shortly after graduation on my 18th birthday embarked on a eye-opening and enlightening experience. One of the first things that shocked me was that at a modest sized company for our large upper midwest town, (150 field employees) there was only one other apprentice my age. We had a handful of laborers who were college dropouts, but none of them were interested in tradecraft training, preferring to remain unskilled laborers and wondering why they always got the grunt work. The fact that there wasn’t a larger group of young Americans clamoring to learn a useful trade to provide for themselves and their families was astounding to me!
After two exciting years (and two bitterly cold winters) of building everything from power plants, to hospitals, to runways I decided to return to college. At first I was planning on studying Civil Engineering, which is a fine profession but entails an inordinate amount of desk work after graduation. Again, with some guidance I stumbled upon Construction Engineering (At other universities known by the names of Construction Management, or Construction Technology).

At the University I was shocked by two things

1) College is a business! They will try to keep you in as long as they can to keep raking in the student fees, etc. My first academic “advisor” even told me that finishing a bachelors degree in four years was a pipe dream, and most students took five years these day! I promptly switched advisors. Students, don’t let anyone convince you it can’t be done in four years or less. I was far from a stellar student in high school, just barely cracked into the top 50% of my graduating class and I completed my Bachelor’s degree in four years, while working 30+ hours a week at part-time jobs. This may take a little extra “hard work” but again, nothing worth having comes easy and if you’re already a preparedness minded individual than this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for you!

2) A surprising majority of engineering students never worked a trade, and never held a trade related internship in college! This flabbergasted me to say the least, how could someone who’s never put hands on a piece of lumber or steel expect to lead workers in a project? Needless to say, come graduation time those students who continued to work at best buy weren’t in the highest demand by employers. Conveniently enough, my trade training had an added benefit: Rather than having to work a “typical” part-time job in retail, I always found construction companies that were willing to work around my college schedule, and pay significantly above the minimum wage my friends were earning. Which offered the added benefit of leaving the nights, and most weekends free for studying or socializing.

After finishing school, I attended the Navy’s Officer Candidate School and became a Surface Officer for 5 years. Again, my trade experience gave me a valuable leg up over my peers. I finished school with no debts, having continued to work the entire four years but was again surprised to learn that some of my friends who had been [contracted cadets] in ROTC had massive debts. The ROTC is quite willing to take C students, but don’t expect to get a full ride! I knew of many officers that finished college twenty, thirty, even forty-thousand dollars in debt!

Now working as a Project Manager for a large General Contractor I am still surprised by the lack of interest shown by today’s students for the trades. To me, the work is exciting, doesn’t involve a desk, and pays extremely well. Believe me, we would love to take as many motivated young Americans as we can get our hands on! Unfortunately, many of them have been sold on the dream that college is for everyone, it’s not, and that isn’t a bad thing. I can’t say enough good things about learning a useful trade or skill, It’s a job that can never be outsourced, but unfortunately it is being “in-sourced” by immigrants who are willing to work hard, harder than most Americans these days.

Mr. Rawles, thank you for your wonderful blog. Very Respectfully, – A Former C Student

 

Jim-
Having recently discovered the site, I am now a daily follower. I find the advice practical and in keeping with my pragmatic approach to life. The technical detail is impressive, and the topics wide ranging. There is always something surprising each day I scroll down the page. I am an architect in New York City, and find the architectural topics of great interest. The site’s take on architecture is refreshing and seldom discussed or debated elsewhere. I will plow through the archives and find out what sort of treasures lurk within.
There have been a number of recent letters discussing the issue of college education. There is a common tone to these letters that suggests that learning a trade is important, perhaps of greater importance than getting one of those pricey college degrees. I agree that having useful skills, particularly hand skills, is important. As for myself, I am a woodworker and carpenter, making and designing furniture, restoring my house in addition to my architectural “office job.”
Here’s my take- college degrees are critical in addition to “pragmatic” skills. I’m not going to suggest which degree to get, since certain degrees are “more valuable” in certain parts of the USA and world than others. Architects are useful in New York City but useless in Nebraska, for example. Two points I want to stress:

1- My degree “got me noticed” by all my employers. It “got me a foot in the door” as ridiculous as it sounds. That degree, that piece of paper, really got me ahead of the mobs on the streets. It’s a sad arrangement, expensive but necessary. Think of that piece of paper as some prized battle rifle as you soldier through life- it’s a tool like anything else.
2- My degree “expanded my mind” beyond the day-to-day, hand-to-mouth nature of existence. Religion “expanded my mind” as well, but the concepts and thinking that college introduces rounded me out even more. When we are all holed up behind steel doors clutching those riot guns, the mind needs to find release, in addition to prayer and meditation. Art, philosophy, psychology, medicine, etc. can help.

Keep up the good work! – Freakoscope

JWR Replies: The emphasis on learning a trade in many of the recent letters overlooks one key issue: At present, someone with a baccalaureate degree on average will earn $1,000,000 more in their lifetime that someone with just a high school diploma. So if you plan to work in the corporate world, then I recommend getting at least a Bachelor’s degree. Just make sure that the degree is in something useful, where there is a reasonable expectation that there will be jobs waiting. (Not “bird calling and basket weaving”–as my father dubbed the useless degrees.) Perhaps the best way to do this is to work in a skilled trade or with an IT certification, to work your way through college on a five to eight year plan. Graduating debt free at age 26 or 27 with lots of practical experience will actually make you a much more desirable job applicant than someone that graduates at age 22 or 23 with nothing other than the degree on their resume. Take as many lower division credits as possible from a community college or on-line. All that employers will consider is the degree itself, and the name of the institution that eventually grants the degree. So take your first two years “on the cheap”, and then transfer to a more prestigious school.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Blacksheep sent us this Army Times article about WoundStat: Army halts use of new anti-blood loss product. (Note: So far as I know, Celox and QuickClot (available from several of our advertisers) are still approved for use in trauma cases.)

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FloridaGuy sent this “signs of the times” piece from one of the several states teetering on the edge of bankruptcy: California Taxpayers Due Refunds May Get IOUs

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This piece by Matt Hardigree was linked once before at SurvivalBlog, but it was so entertaining that it bears repeating: And Now for Something Entirely Different – The Ten Best Post-Apocalyptic Survival Vehicles. (Thanks to Jack B. for the reminder.)

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“N” sent us the link to this essay on self defense against skyjackers aboard aircraft: Fight Back. Note that the author’s mention of carrying a carbon fiber knife would be a felony.So it is best to rely on canes, stiff combs, and ballpoint pens.

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Eric sent this: Rising desperation as China’s exports drop

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If the jury feels the law is unjust, we recognize the undisputed power of the jury to acquit, even if its verdict is contrary to the law as given by a judge, and contrary to the evidence." – 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, US v. Moylan, 1969

Letter Re: Sources for Fasteners for D.I.Y. Web Gear Fabrication

Good Morning, Jim!
I am a long-time regular reader here with a question. On your blog you’ve been recently posting about various web gear, etc. I have long desired to build some of my own gear using nylon straps and high strength plastic buckles, tensioners, and adjustment components typically found on outdoor gear. The problem has been finding a source/supplier for these components. Do you have any recommendations?
Thank You, – John Geerman

JWR Replies: In my experience, piece parts for Fastex buckles and similar parts are ridiculously expensive if bought new in small quantities in a “brick and mortar” retail store. Lower prices can be found in bulk online (for example, at eBay), REI (Fastex quick release buckles and “tri-glides”) and Reef Scuba (for nylon webbing material). But I’ve found that it is often best to simply find “trashed” military surplus backpacks and well-used older generation Load Bearing Vests (LBVs), and cannibalize them for their hardware. Check around at your local surplus stores to see what they have.

The Swiss Army surplus waterproof Alpine backpack extensions, for example, have a profusion of redundant hardware–including the hardware and straps such as the extraneous tie-down straps like those designed to hold down a Swiss “Darth Vader” helmet when stowed on the back of the pack. If you take half of these off, you still have a quite useful waterproof bag, plus a big pile of male and female Fastex type connectors, short length of straps, and tensioners.

Five Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Dear Jim,
Just one caution amid all the excellent advice on hardening a house against intruders–be sure it’s possible to get out from the inside easily in event of a fire or other disaster. Shutters, or latchable
bars are better for this than those mounted solidly into the structure. Alternately, consider paying for ballistic glass. – Michael Z. Williamson

Mr. Rawles,
Thanks for your time and efforts – SurvivalBlog has been a great help to me and I am planning to mail a 10 Cent Challenge contribution to support your work. In the meantime, I thought I would comment on a recent series of postings about “Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures” with some of the changes I’ve recently made.

The home we recently purchased was a brick ranch, but it had a number of architectural weaknesses: Double-hung windows with standard weak latches, doors with weak strike plates, no deadbolts, a flimsy garage door,and two sliding-glass doors. Although we are in a rural, peaceful location, I have taken several measures to increase the home security that may be helpful to others.
The flimsy garage door has been replaced by a windowless insulated door with internal and exterior steel panels.
Each of the exterior doors have had a security storm door with laminated glass and a 3-point latching system installed (Larson brand from Lowe’s). The storm doors allow opening the entry door and being able to view the surroundings before unlocking and opening the security door.

I’ve purchased “Strikemaster II” door strike’s to install on the exterior doors along with good locks and deadbolts so that even if the security storm doors are breached the steel entry doors are reinforced. I’m also adding a “Strikemaster II” and deadbolt for the door leading from the garage to the house.

To reinforce the windows, I’ve had them laminated with an 8mil security laminate film and an attachment glazing system to anchor the laminated glass to the window frame. I’ve also purchased window pins to install so that the window cannot be forced even if the sash lock were somehow broken. The sliding glass doors are also laminated and security bars are being installed. An added bonus is that the laminated windows have a solar tint to cut summer heat gain by 40% and with the insulated garage door and the storm doors I anticipate much lower energy costs.

I am also planning to install a wireless Dakota driveway alarm and gate as you have recommended. My other plan to increase security is to begin keeping guinea hens since they offer a number of benefits to a rural home or retreat – they are fantastic guards that sound the alarm whenever anything is amiss, they feed themselves on bugs, ticks, etc. which is great for organic farming, and they supply both meat and eggs.

Hopefully some of the ideas I am implementing will be of help to others. I also recommend getting used heating oil tanks (often available for free or nominal cost on Craigslist) and using them to stock up on fuel. Clean the tank, install a battery operated fuel pump, and buy a supply of fuel while it is cheap before war breaks out and the price of oil soars again. Thanks again for all of your help, and Happy New Year. – SteelerFan

 

Dear. Editor:
In all the talk about using high tech electronic gadgets to protect against home invasion robberies I am surprised no one has yet mentioned the tried and true dog. My choices are Akitas and Great Pyrenees, but just about any medium to large sized dog will do. Attack and protection training is nice if one can afford it and is willing to accept the responsibility of such a trained dog, but from personal experience, I haven’t had a dog yet that would not unhesitatingly lay it’s life down to protect it’s family and home.

Do I expect my dogs to stop a home invasion by several armed and determined thugs? No, I don’t. But I do expect them to buy me the necessary seconds to grab my weapon so that I may. And thank you for a great site, – James G.

 

Mr. Rawles,
Many years ago when I worked in security we use to install security window laminates to the inside of high-risk structures. This laminate bonds to the glass and works much like the laminated windshield in a car. It is virtually invisible once installed but can repel ferocious attacks. We used the products on retail stores and high-end homes that didn’t want security bars or shutters due to aesthetic reasons.
The other nice part of these products are they are always protecting you. You don’t need to shut them like window shutters and they aren’t ugly like bars. They are also very deceptive to intruders who think the window will be an easy entry point only to find that they can’t get through it with a baseball bat and crowbar. It also provides minor ballistic protection and protection against blast by limiting glass shrapnel.
There are sites that can install it professionally or do-it-yourself (DIY). Here are some:
http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/
http://www.shattergard.com/home.html
http://www.armorcoatfilms.com/
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WF/3MWindowFilms/

Here is a demo of a DIY window film installation.

Here is another demo of a different product under more severe conditions.

These products work well on annealed glass (typical glass that breaks into sharp shards when broken). For use on tempered glass (which is usually a sliding glass door, as required by most building codes), you will need to do a special install to anchor the film to the frame with a specialized caulking.
These products work very well as an alternative to more conventional window protection. – Craig R.

 

Dear Mr. Rawles,
It is easy to become an avid reader of your site.

One simple means to beef up home security is simply to reverse entry door opening. Like commercial code doors, mine open “out” so any attempt to force “in” my doors has one working against the entire door jamb structure. I prefer steel 1 3/4″ thick doors with any [small] window design at the top, if at all.

I live upstairs in my shop. The access to my apartment is up a stairs and through a outward opening door as mentioned. Before one intruder gets that far, I am aware through an old but simple means of alarm. Being that a fine fishing line trip line is strung each evening across the downstairs floors that is attached to electric switches. Intruders will trip one or another once inside the building and I will know by my apartment alarm where they are there long before they know I am waiting with the pump. – Jon C.

JWR Replies: That does have its merits, but I’ve always believed that it is important to have at least one door to a house open inward, especially in snow country. Someday it might be more than just embarrassing to get trapped in your own home.

Letter Re: Safety Note on Modifying Military FMJ Bullets

The article linked at “Box O’ Truth Tests Elmer Keith-style DumDum Bullets” contains a very dangerous statement: “5. Cutting the end off a rifle Ball [full metal jacket (FMJ)] cartridge projectile will definitely make the bullet expand or break up…” DO NOT DO THIS! By cutting off the tip off of a full metal jacket (ball) round you have in effect created a pinched copper tube, open on both ends, filled with a plug of lead. Upon firing, it is possible to blow out the lead plug, leaving the tube (jacket) lodged in the barrel. When the next round is fired, the bullet will encounter this obstruction in the barrel, causing damage to the firearm and possible personal injury. Commercial soft point bullets have a solid base to preclude this from happening. Regards, – John in Colorado

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Rod McG. recommended this web site: Mappery.com

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I heard from a gent over at The FALFIles Forums that Dan’s Ammo still has some original FN (of Belgium) Browning Hi-Power 13-round 9mm magazines at just under $20 each. These were made for the South African Defense Force (SADF), back in the 1960s, and were recently surplussed. If you own a Hi-Power pistol, my advice is to buy at least eight of these magazines for your own use, and another larger pile for barter. You’ll probably be laughing about getting them at this price, this time next year. OBTW, if you hear of any other importers or dealers that still have any full capacity magazines at pre-BHO inauguration sales frenzy prices, let me know the details, and I’ll mention them in the blog.

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A limitless Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB)? Now there is talk of bailing out newspapers!

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Bill in Wyoming mentioned the current swarm of earthquakes going on under Lake Yellowstone-over 250 since it’s beginning on December 26th. The strongest was a [Richter Scale] magnitude 3.8, on December 27th. Some have suggested that this might be a precursor to a massive Yellowstone Super-Caldera eruption. Current updates can be found at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, as well as links to seismograms and other monitoring adjuncts.

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I spotted this bit of bureaucratic self-congratulation linked at The Drudge Report: US rescue averted ‘financial collapse’: Treasury. (This is perhaps a more accurate headline: US rescue delayed ‘financial collapse’: Realist.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"For more than six hundred years– that is, since Magna Carta, in 1215–there has been no clearer principle of English or American constitutional law, than that, in criminal cases, it is not only the right and duty of juries to judge what are the facts, what is the law, and what was the moral intent of the accused; but that it is also their right, and their primary and paramount duty, to judge the justice of the law, and to hold all laws invalid, that are, in their opinion, unjust or oppressive, and all persons guiltless in violating, or resisting the execution of, such law." – Lysander Spooner, The Right of Juries

Notes from JWR:

The third year for SurvivalBlog has come to an end, with continued strong growth in readership in 157 countries. Our stats have tripled in the last 14 months! We’ve logged 400,000+ different readers, and we now have nearly 5,800 archived articles, letters, and quotes–all are available for free download. Since this is New Year’s Day, here is the one and only annual reminder to renew 10 Cent Challenge subscriptions. For the privacy of my readers, I don’t keep records of subscriptions, so I have no way of tracking when any particular subscription has lapsed. I never e-mail our subscribers, bugging/begging them to renew. This isn’t PBS, so there are no insufferable Pledge Drives. SurvivalBlog subscriptions are entirely voluntary. If you realize that it has been a year or more since you subscribed, and what you get out of reading SurvivalBlog is still worth 10 cents a day to you, then please send a $36.50 subscription payment via AlertPay, GearPay, PayPal, check, cash, “Forever” stamps, or money order. (We even get some subscription donations in silver coins and .45 ACP ammo!) OBTW, please mark your calendar to remind yourself about subsequent renewals. To all of you that have subscribed: Thank you so very much!

Our Mailing Forwarding Address is:

Jim Rawles
P.O. Box 303
Moyie Springs, Idaho 83845

Online Subscription Payments:

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Happy New Year! I pray that in Aught Nine you and yours are safe, healthy, right with God, and well-prepared.

It looks like we’re in for some turbulent times. I hope that SurvivalBlog has substantively helped you to get prepared.