From my most recent NRA newsletter… Feinstein will most likely introduce her bill on January 22nd. President Obama has said that gun control will be a “central issue” of his final term in office, and he has vowed to move quickly on it. And yesterday, a story from The Blaze noted that Obama’s point man on gun control–Vice President Biden–has promised that Obama will pass a gun control bill by the end of the month. Contact your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 to urge them to oppose Sen. Feinstein’s 2013 gun and magazine ban. Our elected representatives in Congress must hear from you …
Category: News
Storing Nickels
Guest post by David Hathaway Are you doing due diligence with nickels? As many LRC readers know, nickels are the only real “money” being distributed by the U.S. Government at this point in time. The value of the metal in a nickel equals the fiat value assigned to it by the state. This cannot be said about the currently produced pennies, dimes, quarters, or half dollars and certainly cannot be said about the paper money or the even more insidious and plentiful computer digit money that we are forced to use. Nickels are uniformly marked, impractical to counterfeit, and easily recognizable for their metallic content (75{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} copper, 25{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} nickel). So, is it really that easy to …
How to Make Homemade Deodorant
If we are ever faced with a TEOTWAWKI type situation, given that most people are far from prepared with hygienic items like deodorant — let alone food — the world is going to literally become a stinky place (you ever been in a packed bus in a third-world country? Not fun I tell ya, not fun). Well, by storing a few extra items as part of your preps you’ll become the go-to guy (or gal) for those looking to manage their underarm issues. Heck, I’m sure you’ll even get some sweet barter deals out of it, “Hey man, how bout we trade my ammo for your homemade deodorant? My wife won’t let me back in the house …
Putting Together your Winter Emergency Car Kit
Between commuting to and from work, running errands, and schlepping the kids around to various activities, the average American spends over 200 hours a year in their cars. This is more time on the road than we spend in vacation time in a year! With all that time in your vehicle, the chances of you being stranded in your car due to a breakdown or inclement weather at least once in your lifetime is more likely than not. For that reason it’s an absolute must to have a Emergency Kit for you vehicle. And with winter now fast approaching, having an emergency kit in your car is doubly…
ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag Gen2 Review
In a previous article I wrote about The Get-Home Bag and why having one with you when you’re out and about is a very important part of being prepared. Besides the 5.11 PUSH Pack (the one I recommended as a Get-Home Bag in that article), I now have another bag that I would highly recommend and is the focus of my review for you today. The bag is called the ITS Tactical Discreet Messenger Bag (Gen 2) and it’s designed and sold by the guys over at ITS Tactical.com. I met the owner of ITS (Bryan Black) last year…
Free Download: LDS Preparedness Manual (version 8)
LDSAvow.com has recently released its latest version of their fantastic book “The LDS Preparedness Manual” (now in it’s 8th version!). Quite simply, it’s a collection of fantastic preparedness related articles covering most prepping subjects such as: food storage communication emergency evacuation heating, cooking, and lighting clothing and shelter defense and much more… I figured I’d send this link out as a belated Christmas present for you guys. It’s a fantastic read and highly recommended! You can download it for free here: LDS Preparedness Manual v.8 UPDATE: Try the above link first, but if it’s not working for you, you can download it here as well:
Clothes Washing in a Grid-Down World
If we are ever forced to live through an extended grid-down situation, I think many of us would realize how much we rely/depend upon our “common” appliances like our washing machines. For that reason, having an off-grid secondary option will really make living a whole lot easier if things do go south. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you how you can make your own effective off-grid “washing machine” using easy-to-obtain items: What You’ll Need Two 5-gallon buckets with one lid Toilet plunger (make sure it’s a newly purchased one) Liquid detergent (optional: stain stick) Vinegar Rope or clothesline Clothes pins How to Make an Off-Grid Clothes Washing Kit Step 1: Drill a hole …
Building a Debris Hut
If you were ever forced to bug out and survive in the middle of winter, knowing how to stay warm and dry in chilling rain or subfreezing temps is a must. And what if you had to do that without bedding, fire, or a blanket. Would you still be able to stay warm and dry? Since my brother was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday we decided to see how one of my favorite survival shelters — a debris hut — would fare on an overnight in some cold weather. The evening we did the test was going to be in the low 20s (Fahrenheit) so it was a great night to test the …
Reader Comments Roundup: Save Your Scissors, Tea Balls, Firearms and More!
photo by geishaboy500 I’ve had quite a few of you comment over the course of this blog, and many of those comments are incredibly insightful, so I thought I’d start sharing some of the top comments with all of you! In the interest of keeping this post under five pages long, here are some of my favorite comments from just the last week. From Janie on The Short List of Essential Off Grid Sewing Supplies: “Keep your family from using your fabric scissors by putting a lock through the handles. A luggage lock will do or, — as a friend of mine did (after her husband used her fabric scissors for trimming a radiator hose)…
The Truth About Keeping Preparedness in Perspective
photo by KOMUnews Do you ever get the feeling that you’ll never be fully prepared? That it’s impossible to reach the level of preparedness you feel others may have or that you’d like to attain? Well you’re not alone. Lots of preppers have had those same thoughts. But don’t let it freeze you up and keep you from trying or send you to the depths of prepper despair. There are a few truths about preparedness that everyone should know. The truth is there is no list or standard of exactly what you need to prepare yourself and your family. This is YOU and YOUR family. Maybe living in a bunker in some remote location in Idaho with a bunch…
Top 10 Things I Learned While Earning My Karate Yellow Belt
I recently started taking a Tang Soo Do Karate class with my girls ages 8 and 11. Just last week we each earned the first rank–the fabulous yellow belt! (Yellow just happens to be one daughter’s favorite color so she’s particularly thrilled.) There were many things to learn along the way like vocabulary, and specific types of kicks, blocks, and punches. But what have I really learned from my short 3 months in karate? Here’s a rundown of the top 10 things. 10. I’m older than I used to be. In my brain I can do anything, but I usually go home from class with some new part of me hurting. Good thing it’s temporary and we only have…
The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 45
Welcome to this week’s Sunday Survival Buzz – a roundup of preparedness news, tips, articles and recommendations from around the web. But first, an update on my own preps. While in the Seattle area, I made a much anticipated trip to the Dollar Tree store where I was once again amazed at all of the prepper stuff you can purchase for a buck. My haul this time around? Some small rolls of duct tape to tuck away in backpacks, luggage and odd places where it might come in handy. I also purchased some empty spray bottles and some Honey and Oatmeal soap for &#…
Book Festival and Giveaway: An Interview with Anna Hess
After taking a short break, today I share another author interview in the Backdoor Survival Book Festival. Anna Hess, the author of The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve-Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency shares her answers to my questions and is also providing one of my readers with a free copy of her fabulous book. Before we start, however, I want to add a few words of praise for Anna’s book. I am already a big fan of breaking tasks down into manageable segments. Of course you already know this from my 12 Months of Prepping Series (which will begin year 2 in just a couple of weeks). But …
Review: Red Cross Blackout Buddy Flashlight
Quick. The lights just went out–where is your nearest flashlight? Can you find it in the dark? And does it have fresh batteries so it will actually work when you need it? Well, if you’re at my house with kids, I know where the flashlights are supposed to be and sometimes they are actually there and most times the ones that are where they belong will light up at least for a little while. But not always. So when I read about the Red Cross Blackout Buddy, I thought I better get one and test it out. Here’s how they work. The flashlight plugs in to a …
Food Storage and Survival Top 10 of 2012!
As the year winds down, I want to give a special thanks to all my fantastic readers and blog sponsors! Blog traffic is up more than 250{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} over last year and I can’t tell you all how much I appreciate your visits, comments, and questions! Thank you! Looking back over the year, here are the top 10 posts from 2012: 10. What are Gamma Seal Lids and How to Install Them. You’ll want a few of these lids if you’re storing food in buckets! 9. Eight Great Powerless Cooking Options. How many of these do you have? 8. Four Reasons I Won’t Be Buying Survival Seeds. 7. 6 Tips for …
Doomsday Preppers: Escape From New York Preview PLUS Survival Kit Giveaway!
Have you been keeping up with National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers show? This week is one you city dwellers especially will want to catch. Escape From New York follows three different preppers in New York City who believe their best chance for survival from (***insert preferred disaster scenario here***) is to get out of the city. With the entire episode focusing on getting out of a city, there is a lot of great information for those who may be in that situation when disaster strikes. I think this is my favorite episode so far, probably because they skip the “expert assessment” at the end and just…
Looking Back at the Future
With all good intentions, I had planned today to post a philosophical article about mindset – the survival mindset to be exact. And indeed, the article has been written but with a bit of serendipity, I decided to put the deep thinking piece off until another day. Instead, I thought it would fun to recap and share the most popular Backdoor Survival articles of 2012 along with some of my views on what I see happening in 2013. I call this looking back at the future. The Top Articles of 2012 Coming up with the top articles was a bit of challenge. First of all, many of you visit my home page that changes with each …
The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 46
Welcome to this week’s Sunday Survival Buzz – a roundup of preparedness news, tips, articles and recommendations from around the web. But first, an update on my own preps. We were recently given a friend’s discarded shelving so we cut the shelves down and re-purposed them for one of our food storage closets. As I may have mentioned, I am using my freeze-dried and dehydrated foods more and more in day-to-day cooking. The cost in some cases is more than the same product purchased fresh but there is no waste and if I can save a 20 mile round trip to town, then I am actually saving money. On the shelves below you will see a number of #10 cans, plus my Food Saver …
Book Festival and Giveaway: An Interview with George Ure
Today I share the ninth author interview in the Backdoor Survival Fall Book Festival. George Ure, the author of Broken Web The Coming Collapse of the Internet, shares his answers to my questions and is also providing one of my readers with a free copy of his book. Before we begin, I would like to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway. “Sharon” has won a copy of The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve-Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency. Congratulations! I have contacted you by email for mailing instructions. Here is Sharon’s favorite homesteading tip: When we moved to the country we did everything wrong, bought a fixer-upper farm and house and bought a couple horses we only occasionally rode. 10 years later we felt the …
Storing Household Batteries for the Long Term
As we were sitting around with friends a few weeks ago, the subject of household batteries came up. My husband said “Gaye, we really need to stock up on batteries”. Ha ha I responded and took him to my storage area (which he is not allowed to touch or it will get messed up and disorganized) and pointed to a large stash of AAs, AAAs, D-sized, C-size and the often overlooked 9-volt batteries. (And why do people forget to stock up on those)? I also pointed to a year’s supply of hearing aid batteries. Following that, the topic turned to battery storage and while I am not an expert on all things electrical, …
Top 8 Ways to be Knotty
Knots of all kinds have been useful for all purposes throughout history. I myself learned all about them and how to tie them through many years in the Boy Scouts of America. A number of these knots would be useful for prepping needs. Lets talk about a several few of them, how to tie them, and how to use them. I still use them almost every day. Here is a cool website I found which gives visual aspects of tying all the knots I mention. Remember: ALL rope-work is potentially dangerous, please use caution and common sense. The Knots The Bowline (photo credit:https://…
‘Twas the Night Before Doomsday…..By Robert Hawkins
‘Twas the night before Doomsday…. and all over the world, everyone was sayin, “The End has unfurled!!” There is no tomorrow, the end is in sight. What lay’s ahead is a TERRIBLE FRIGHT! But safe in their bed’s, all snuggled and warm, are preppers who rest, assured there’s no harm. For deep in their slumber, so safe where they lay. They gain blessed peace, to face each new day. Efforts to prepare, independence from without, is always in mind, in preppers, no doubt. They look to tomorrow, as a bright futures reach. And in knowing of how, for others they teach. …
How Preppers Can Help
Feeding the Hungry is also Feeding Hope This Christmas season, see if there is anything you can do to help the less fortunate in your community. As a prepper, I know we should take care of our family and ourselves first, but if some of us have had a good year and our families are taken care of, there is no better time to look to our friends and community. Preppers are in a unique position to help others in many ways. My faith is very clear on the matter of giving as many religions are, so I believe if we can help, we should help. One of the easiest things preppers can do to help is to donate food, especially during this time of year as …
Whats in my Backpack?
Whats in my backpack? Whats in here? (photo credit://https://flic.kr/p/2YybT) Being prepared doesn’t always have to apply to natural or man-made disasters. Being prepared should be a way of life no matter what you do. If you are a hiker, hunter, fisherman, camper, etc. You should always have a bag of goodies in your backpack or other pack, just in case things don’t go as planned. Each activity is different, but I will share what I carry in my backpack and who knows, it could get you out of a sticky situation in the Great Outdoors someday. My bag of goodies was developed from a list called the Ten Essentials, originally developed by a group of outdoors men in…
6 Herbs & Tinctures That Everyone Needs at Home and Their BOB’s
This article should be named “The 100 herbs needed to survive”, but then it would be to long to read. In the meantime, here is a list of the herbs I feel we can’t do without in our home or our BOB’s. echinacea Echinacea: Known throughout history as a cure-all to treat infections and wounds. For 400 years, Echinacea has been used to treat scarlet fever, syphilis, malaria, blood poisoning, and diphtheria. While taking Echinacea to prevent a cold is infective, if you start taking it at the first signs of a cold it will reduce or shorten the duration of your cold symptoms such as cough, …
Book Review: Preppers Home Defense
Preppers Home Defense, by Jim Cobb Security Strategies to Protect Your Family Prepper’s Home Defense (find it online by clicking here) offers different ways to plan for the defense and security of your home. The author, Jim Cobb, writes in a very readable and understandable manner. I understood his techniques and did not have to struggle to finish the book. Prepper’s Home Defense covers many other topics related to home security, that were also very helpful, but what I really enjoyed and got the most out of, was the information on how to set up and layer my home defenses. The techniques Jim covers in the book, when properly implemented, will not only help secure …
6 Cleaning Necessities for Your Stockpile
If you have these 6 items, there’s nothing you can’t clean: Baking soda Bleach Borax Dawn dish soap Table salt White vinegar Many of us have spent our valuable dollars buying the latest in cleaning supplies. What we’re really paying for is harsh chemicals (some of them carcinogenic) and artificial fragrances (many of which are also unhealthy). Instead, consider stocking up on these basic items, which will allow you to make any household cleaner you might need. Most of the time you can purchase these items on sale or in bulk quantities. As well, they all serve other purposes besides basic cleaning, which maximizes your storage space. Baking …
Become a Lean, Mean Prepping Machine: Weight Loss for Survival
If the SHTF, you aren’t going to live off your fat. Trust me on this one. If anything, a great deal of excess body fat just might be the thing that kills you. If you are truly serious about preparedness, getting into shape is one of the best preparations that you can make. What if you had to bug out through the snow with a 25 pound pack on your back, dragging a sled with your toddler on it? How far could you get before you collapsed? Is your heart in condition to go out and swing an axe for a few hours in order to get wood ready for the…
Serfdom and the Feudal System: What’s Old is New Again
The period of history from the 5th to the 15th century was known as the Middle Ages. During this time, the law of the land in Europe was known as the “feudal system.” This was the manner in which the upper 10{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} (the nobility) controlled the lower 90{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} (the serfs or peasants). There were a few kings who were very wealthy and powerful, who owned all of the land. To maintain control of this land, it was broken into fiefdoms and pieces were given to friends of the kings (barons). The barons then allotted land to their friends and allies in order to…
The Toxic Agenda
There is a very good reason that I promote organic food storage – the food supply of the Western world is irrevocably tainted. One day your food storage might be all that keeps you out of the bread lines (best case scenario) or from starvation (worst case scenario). If you store up boxes of Chef Boyardee and HFCS-sweetened garbage containing GMO corn, you won’t die as quickly as those who are starving to death – instead you will poison your family slowly. GMOs actually alter our DNA. Excitotoxins kill our brain cells. Fluoride is a brain suppressant. Additives make us fat. The list of hazards…