Preparedness Notes for Sunday – March 11, 2018

Today is the birthday of author Douglas Adams (born 1952). He is the author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Also on this day, the Great Blizzard of ’88 struck the northeastern United States (1888).

March 11th is the birthday of the late actor Anton Yelchin (born 1989, died June 19, 2016). He is remembered for his portrayal of Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation, and as Ensign Pavel Checkov, in the most recent Star Trek movie series. He died in a freak accident wherein his parked Jeep Grand Cherokee unexpectedly rolled forward on an incline, pinning him to a security fence. He is greatly missed.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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 $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

No Man Is An Island, by J.S.

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“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” – John Donne

Compared to the seasoned veterans of the preparedness camp, I am a rookie. I have no specific training in any field or category that would make me specifically qualified to write an article on preparedness, but that is why this is so important.

Majority of Preparedness Individuals Are Not Specialists

Odds are the vast majority of TEOTWAWKI preparedness-aware individuals are not specialists in any specific category of emergency or end of societal type skills. Yes, they have a few specific things that they can lean on, as do I. But, in general, they are just the “average Joe” that realizes being prepared is a smart thing to do, and it is fun to learn new things. The reality is that they had to learn from someone else, just like I have had to do.

But nothing I have learned, read, or found discusses the difficulties of dealing with family dynamics. Yes, there are small discussions of how there needs to be plans and everyone needs to be on board and “trained”. What happens if your wife is not part of the plan and your kids are too little to be help, or too old to listen anymore?

Continue reading“No Man Is An Island, by J.S.”

Letter: Post-TEOTWAWKI Refigeration

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Dear SurvivalBlog Readers:

Consider the impact on your diet after a major societal disruption if you still had the ability to refrigerate food.

Work with me here. Open the door to your refrigerator and figure out which foods you could do without.

Then figure out how many bottles, jars, and other containers have labels that say, “Refrigerate after opening.” Could you live without most of them. Sure. Would you prefer not to give them up. Sure.

Then consider how in a crisis the ability to save food from one meal to the next would extend the life of your food storage. Not having to worry about spoilage and food poisoning would mean that you would not need to toss uneaten food at the end of meals.

If you bought the 100 watt Harbor Freight solar panel kit or a similar item, and a deep-cycle battery to use with it, you could use a 12v cooler like this one. While it certainly won’t replace the fridge in your kitchen, you would likely consider its 40 quart capacity to be a Godsend in a crisis.

Continue reading“Letter: Post-TEOTWAWKI Refigeration”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Today features and interesting article with a monetary breakdown of the west. It is definitely worth a read.

Fix NICS – Gun Control in Disguise

Please contact your congressional representatives today and insist that they oppose H.R. 4909, which includes the horribly flawed “Fix NICS” bill that targets veterans. For some details, see this brief announcement from Congressman Massie.

Firearms – Time and Energy vs Money

Reader T.J. sent this video link in to Reid Henrichs of Valor Ridge talking about just purchasing guns vs actually training with them. We’ve all been with friends (or in a gun store) where people talk about the various firearms that they own. How many conversations have you had with these same people about what kind or how much training you’ve done with those firearms? Just from the standpoint of practicality, if you don’t train with a firearm, what good does it do you? A defensive weapon is more likely to be taken from you and used against you if you don’t know how to use it. A long distance platform is worthless if you can’t hit anything with it. Take the time to train. Spend money on it if you need to!

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
 
It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” – 2 Timothy 2:8-16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – March 10, 2018

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On March 10, 1910, China officially ended slavery. But unofficially, China now has one of the world’s largest slave populations. These are mostly political prisoners, working in prison factories. Sadly, there is no way of reliably knowing whether or not most of the “Made In China” merchandise that you buy might originate from these prisons.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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 $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Board Games in TEOTWAWKI, by Gridley

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In “Sleeping With the Friendlies, by Heidi C.”, the author mentions some of the problems of group integration and building group cohesion, and the author touches on a point that I would like to expand on– board games. In this article I will discuss how I feel board games have uses in:

  • Finding like-minded people
  • Building group cohesion
  • Maintaining morale in a retreat location or shelter-in-place

I will take these points in reverse order.

Board Games?

Why board games? First, let’s imagine the following scenario. The fall has happened. You’ve reached your retreat location and found with relief that the rest of your group has as well. Stockpiles have been inspected, defenses set up, et cetera. And then that first rush of excitement and adrenalin fades. Routine sets in.

There’s plenty of work to do– patrolling or guard duty, farm or garden work, cooking, cleaning, but there’s also a lot of tension. Is a gang of bandits forming just beyond your patrol radius? Is severe weather coming? What happened to your friends and relatives who aren’t with you?

Continue reading“Board Games in TEOTWAWKI, by Gridley”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also often share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready! This week’s emphasis is on small arms mechanical training.

JWR

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,

I was very busy writing this past week, so I didn’t have much time for prepping activities.  But I did find some time to do some more gunsmithing. I also segregated another model-specific tackle box of spare gun parts.  I already  had separate tackle boxes variously labelled: “Glock”, “HK”, “AR”, “Bolt Actions & .22s”, “Misc. Shotgun”, and “Picatinny Bits.” I  have now further divided the “Misc. Shotgun” box, creating a new box that is labelled “Saiga-12”.

Avalanche Lily has begun planting seeds in our sprouting trays. They will be started in the house in a spare room under grow lights. Their transition to the greenhouse will have to wait until the snow comes off and the nighttime lows inside the greenhouse are consistently above freezing, probably during the second week of April.  Indoors, she planted a full tray of broccoli; tomatoes: yellow sweet, orange cherry, purple, Beef Steak, Siberian, and Black Krim, Three six packs of celery, Peppers:  orange, green, yellow; Butternut Squash, Burpless cucumbers, the middle eastern cocktail cucumbers, and Straight Eight. Also some Brussels Sprouts.

She also planted three large packages of four year old spinach seeds in one of the greenhouse beds.  She is curious about what the percentage of their germination outcome will be?  The temperatures are mostly holding above freezing in there, and the Kale and spinach that were planted in the “greenhouse within a greenhouse” last fall are continuing to grow. This coming week the temperatures will be in the high 40s with sunshine, so we expect that the growth rate of the seedlings will go exponential.  We’ll be harvesting Spinach and kale by the third week of April, I expect.

I also heard from a friend last week that peanuts can be grown in the north!  I love peanut butter!!  So I bought 225 feet worth of Virginia peanuts.  This will be a major experiment for this summer.

Spring is coming!

Please continue to post comments about your own preps.

Thanks, – Jim Rawles

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Smartphone security is in question again as the iPhone Security has apparently been breached in even the latest models.

Gun Confiscation in America

You have always known that the ultimate goal of gun control extremists is total gun confiscation. Chuck Baldwin writes about how the plan is not to control, but to prohibit private ownership of firearms. With the latest statement of Trump to “Take the guns first, go through due process second” you have to wonder if he even has a clue what the phrase “due process” is. Despite these words becoming a rallying cry for gun control proponents, the current Republican congress is holding Trump’s illogical thinking in check, at least in part. With mid-term elections on the horizon though, there is reason to be concerned.

Traditionally, the party in power loses seats in the mid-term elections. Imagine a Trump making statements like these along with his statements about signing anything Congress sends to him when Congress is held by the most radical, liberal party ever to hold significant power in the U.S.. Thanks to H.L. for the link.

iPhone Security

Reader D.B. sent in this article that outlines how Cellebrite, a company specializing in security is most likely able to unlock any iPhone. A warrant unearthed by Forbes shows that the U.S. government hired them to break into an iPhone X owned by Abdulmajid Saidi, a suspect in an arms trafficking case. Apparently, the data was successfully extracted. The details are not known, so we don’t know if Saidi didn’t have his phone properly locked or if Cellebrite can actually break the robust security on the iPhone X, but there is significant question as to your privacy on these devices. While we won’t condone the criminal activity that led the government to seek that data, it is concerning to us that anything you might keep on your phone can be accessed.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.” – 1 Kings 8:10-11 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday – March 09, 2018

Today is the birthday of writer John McPhee (b. 1931), a master of creative nonfiction. One of McPhee’s most widely read books is Coming into the Country, which eloquently describes the Alaskan wilderness.

March 9th is the birthday of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin – the first man to ever travel in space. He was born in 1934 and died in the crash of a MiG-15-UTI fighter on March 27, 1968.

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SurvivalBlog 2005-2017 Archive Update

We now have another shipment of the SurvivalBlog Archive USB drives in stock. The first batch sold out in 8 days so if you want one, order early!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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 $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Best Way To Keep The Family Fed On Any Budget, by Tennessee Bob

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Many of us have already provided the basics for our families within a budget. These should include the basic necessities such as shelter, clothing, location, security, and most importantly a stable food supply.

Family’s Nutritional Needs

I’m sure many of us have already taken the necessary steps to insure our own family’s nutritional needs will be met. Stocking up on the basics, such as rice, beans, wheat, and vegetables in the form of dry goods, is an excellent first step. However, in a long-term grid down WTSHTF situation, you must anticipate disruptions in all forms especially food.

Problems with Livestock

Many of us have livestock or chickens. However, neither of these may represent viable solutions for those of us who may be required to hunker down in suburban America. Both cows and chickens have a long history of theft in America. Rustlers and chicken thieves can decimate a herd or flock in an extremely short time, leaving your loved ones with empty bellies.

Cows May Put You in Harm’s Way

Even a small herd of a few cows can place you in harm’s way, from a security standpoint. Additionally, these large animals represent high risk to high reward ratio. They require large amounts of food and significant security to protect your investment.

Continue reading“The Best Way To Keep The Family Fed On Any Budget, by Tennessee Bob”

Letter: Trade Deficits and Buying Locally

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Hugh,

We are in the midst of an economic war. Our individual purchases count. There are so many trade deficits to foreign countries. We must look upon our individual purchases and avoid buying from other countries from now on. Our individual choices matter. Choose local. If you cannot, make and grow things on your own effort. Learn, adapt, and survive to the local environment.

We are in a war. Win.

What are your thoughts? God Bless – S.M.

Continue reading“Letter: Trade Deficits and Buying Locally”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Swiss Franc Hedging.

Precious Metals:

The spot price of silver has been remarkably stable for the past three years. I don’t expect much movement until there is either spike in interest rates, a credit crunch, or a currency crisis for either the US Dollar or the Euro. Investors should keep their perspective on what silver represents: A long term hedge on fiat currencies. And, as preppers, we need to recognize that small physical silver (1-ounce .999 fine trade rounds or circulated pre-1965 US. 90% silver dimes and quarters) will still be one of the best vehicles for practical barter in the midst of a crisis.

Forex:

I’m continuing some currency hedging comments I began last week:
I often mention the Swiss Franc (CHF) as a hedge, in SurvivalBlog. I still believe that it will be the most stable fiat currency in the next decade. One key advantage of the Swiss Franc is that you can get Swiss Franc bills in denominations up to 1000 CHF. This makes it a very compact currency to carry in a money belt when traveling. (More than 10 times more compact a form of portable wealth than carrying US $100 bills.)

You can buy Swiss Franc notes at Travelex stores at many international airports in the United States. They also deliver orders via FedEx, at extra cost. There are also companies that will sell you CHF-denominated travel cash cards that have no annual fee, and no expiry date. That is perhaps the most Gray Man method to carry a lot of CHF and not arouse suspicion when passing through border controls. This is because one these cards looks like “just another credit card.” But there is an even easier method that transcends national borders: Simply designate Swiss Francs (CHF) as a secondary currency for your PayPal account. (Once you’ve logged in, just click on “Money” and then click on “Currencies”.) You can then make a transfer from your positive PayPal balance from Dollars (USD) to CHF. As of the day that I’m writing this, $1,000 USD will buy you 911.56 CHF.

I first mentioned buying CHF in SurvivalBlog in 2011 when they cost just 79 cents each, in USD. (As Rush Limbaugh would say, “For those in Rio Linda, California”, the math here is a simple reciprocal: $1,000 USD in 2011 would have bought you around 1,200 CHF.) For what its worth, I expect the current Weak Dollar trend to continue for the rest of Trump’s stay in the White House.

Just be advised that PayPal will charge you a small cambio fee each time that you switch currencies. So don’t do this sort of trade casually with the funds that you will regularly need as operating capital. Ditto for buying Swiss Francs through any other method. One cambio bite of 1 to 2% is bad enough, but multiple bites are very painful.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is “needed” before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents’ “interests,” I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.” – Senator Barry Goldwater