To read these you'll need either the free Kindle Reading App or one of these Kindle Readers.
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Free Prepper Ebooks Feb 3, 2015
There are some great free ebooks currently available on Amazon. Be sure
to check your cart before you check out, if the free offer has expired
and you get charged it's not my responsibility!
To read these you'll need either the free Kindle Reading App or one of these Kindle Readers.
To read these you'll need either the free Kindle Reading App or one of these Kindle Readers.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Why I'm a "Simple Prepper"
You've probably seen (or heard of) the Discovery Channel series "Doomsday Preppers." Like any other "reality" show, they focus on the most extreme people they can find. Personally I think those folks are wasting their time and money. Maybe someday, if the mood hits, I'll write posts about why I think they're misguided and why I think they give the idea of being prepared for a disaster a bad name.
Enough of that.
I grew up and spent most of the first 50 years of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area. AKA "Earthquake Country." I lived around 1/4 of a mile from the Hayward Fault for a long period of time. As far back as I remember, FEMA and the CA Dept of Emergency Services have recommended having 3 days worth of food & water on hand. I was blessed to have been in a home where food was always available. I really can't remember a time when we didn't have food in the house. In an emergency situation it may not have been exactly what we wanted, but I am sure between the freezer, pantry and cupboards we probably could have gotten by for a couple weeks, maybe longer. A habit I carried over when I had my own place. Back then no one stored water. I don't even know if you could buy drinking water back then, the only water I recall being sold in stores was distilled water.
Back in those pre-internet days news was disseminated via the TV and Newspapers. TV for the headlines, newspapers for the in-depth stuff. Mainly the Sunday paper. I was a voracious reader of the papers back then, often reading two or three a day.
I recall reading a newspaper article (which paper I've forgotten) after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. It stated that in the event of a major earthquake, the water supply to the area could be destroyed. The article stated that in that type of event, it would take 6 months to restore limited service to the area and two years to restore full service. That was probably the beginning of my "prepping", although I don't think that was a word back then. :-)
My plan then, and now, is in the event of a localized disaster is to have enough on hand to last a few months. Somewhere within that time frame I am sure will be the opportunity to leave the area and drive to a friend or relative outside of the disaster zone. And I have them all over the country. :-)
What is the essence of "simple prepping"? Simple ;-)
Enough of that.
I grew up and spent most of the first 50 years of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area. AKA "Earthquake Country." I lived around 1/4 of a mile from the Hayward Fault for a long period of time. As far back as I remember, FEMA and the CA Dept of Emergency Services have recommended having 3 days worth of food & water on hand. I was blessed to have been in a home where food was always available. I really can't remember a time when we didn't have food in the house. In an emergency situation it may not have been exactly what we wanted, but I am sure between the freezer, pantry and cupboards we probably could have gotten by for a couple weeks, maybe longer. A habit I carried over when I had my own place. Back then no one stored water. I don't even know if you could buy drinking water back then, the only water I recall being sold in stores was distilled water.
Back in those pre-internet days news was disseminated via the TV and Newspapers. TV for the headlines, newspapers for the in-depth stuff. Mainly the Sunday paper. I was a voracious reader of the papers back then, often reading two or three a day.
I recall reading a newspaper article (which paper I've forgotten) after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. It stated that in the event of a major earthquake, the water supply to the area could be destroyed. The article stated that in that type of event, it would take 6 months to restore limited service to the area and two years to restore full service. That was probably the beginning of my "prepping", although I don't think that was a word back then. :-)
My plan then, and now, is in the event of a localized disaster is to have enough on hand to last a few months. Somewhere within that time frame I am sure will be the opportunity to leave the area and drive to a friend or relative outside of the disaster zone. And I have them all over the country. :-)
What is the essence of "simple prepping"? Simple ;-)
- Keep the tank on the van full of gas.
- Have an emergency supply of meds for my folks.
- Have a few months of food & water on hand.
- Keep a reasonable amount of cash on hand.
- A reasonable amount of personal hygiene items on hand
- Same for cooking items and such.
Some of these items are subjective and I will go into more detail in future posts.
You don't have to be a "Doomsday Prepper" to be ready for an extended emergency!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Awesome Survival Hacks
While cruising around I found a post about Survival Hacks. It linked to a video and I seldom watch videos online, and even fewer are the times I'll click on a link to one. (If I'm going to watch a video on this thing it better be something I really want to learn, or music I really want to hear). SO I did a search for "survivial hacks" and found this one, which features 37 "hacks".
I hope you like it, I did.
I hope you like it, I did.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Five Dollar Friday
I've missed the last 2 Fridays because I have been so busy I didn't stop and look to see what could be had for a "Prepper Stash" on the cheap. Today I'm going to report on one product and tell you about another.
A while back I bought a 4-pack of toilet paper at The Dollar Tree for...you guessed it... $1! I finally got around to putting it in the bathroom for usage to see what I thought. Normally we buy Charmin Ultra-Strong. That seems to be the best, at least in this household's opinion. The Dollar Tree paper was noticeably stiff and thinner. Still it did it's job. The roll is smaller then the Charmin roll. Quite frankly, by catching the Charmin on sale I think the cost is equivalent or pretty close. So the Charmin will remain the choice for the stash.
Both Walgreen's and CVS have had AIM Tarter Control toothpaste for $1. I tried a tube of that and it seems fine. My normal brand is Aqua-Fresh, and I will probably stick with that but stock the Aim brand for the stash.
On a final note, The Ready Store has Bega Canned Processed Cheese on special today only. This is similar to Velveeta in texture and spreadability with a mild cheddar taste. A case or two is a good addition to any stash!
A while back I bought a 4-pack of toilet paper at The Dollar Tree for...you guessed it... $1! I finally got around to putting it in the bathroom for usage to see what I thought. Normally we buy Charmin Ultra-Strong. That seems to be the best, at least in this household's opinion. The Dollar Tree paper was noticeably stiff and thinner. Still it did it's job. The roll is smaller then the Charmin roll. Quite frankly, by catching the Charmin on sale I think the cost is equivalent or pretty close. So the Charmin will remain the choice for the stash.
Both Walgreen's and CVS have had AIM Tarter Control toothpaste for $1. I tried a tube of that and it seems fine. My normal brand is Aqua-Fresh, and I will probably stick with that but stock the Aim brand for the stash.
On a final note, The Ready Store has Bega Canned Processed Cheese on special today only. This is similar to Velveeta in texture and spreadability with a mild cheddar taste. A case or two is a good addition to any stash!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What Are You Prepping For?
In a post I wote on my "Random Thoughts" blog, I asked "What is a Prepper?" Now I'm going to ask, What are YOU prepping for? Natural disaster? Socio-economic collapse? The end of the world as we know it?
My prepping started when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. As you may have heard, that is considered "earthquake country". As with most places in the country, FEMA, State and Local Emergency Management Agencies all recommended a 3 day supply of food and water be kept in case of a large earthquake. Every time there was a major earthquake somewhere in the world, and definitely during "Earthquake Preparedness Month", the newspapers would roll out the stories of what could happen to the infrastructure.
In an article that was before the computer age, I recall reading that should a major earthquake collapse the water delivery system for the Bay Area, it would take 6 months to get minimal water service restored and 2 years to restore full water service. While stockpiling a 6 month supply was unrealistic, it sure showed a 3 day supply was woefully inadequate.
Other articles about the possibility of freeway overpass collapses (and recalling the collapse of the Cypress Structure during the Loma Preita Earthquake) pointed out that a decent food storage supply would also be a good idea. If the freeways are wrecked, food supplies to stores will be impacted, right?
Some items are problematic. Storing gasoline for example. I know there are ways to do it, I just don't have the place for it right now.
Now I live east of Sacramento, still in the Sacramento Valley, so an earthquake is less of a concern. But I am still prepping, given the current state of events I think that is a wise thing to do.
Coming up I plan to blog about things I've done to prep, things I do or am in the process of doing, and things I am thinking of doing.
So please consider following this blog by signing up for the RSS feed. I also invite your comments, suggestions and opinions.
Thanks!
My prepping started when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. As you may have heard, that is considered "earthquake country". As with most places in the country, FEMA, State and Local Emergency Management Agencies all recommended a 3 day supply of food and water be kept in case of a large earthquake. Every time there was a major earthquake somewhere in the world, and definitely during "Earthquake Preparedness Month", the newspapers would roll out the stories of what could happen to the infrastructure.
In an article that was before the computer age, I recall reading that should a major earthquake collapse the water delivery system for the Bay Area, it would take 6 months to get minimal water service restored and 2 years to restore full water service. While stockpiling a 6 month supply was unrealistic, it sure showed a 3 day supply was woefully inadequate.
Other articles about the possibility of freeway overpass collapses (and recalling the collapse of the Cypress Structure during the Loma Preita Earthquake) pointed out that a decent food storage supply would also be a good idea. If the freeways are wrecked, food supplies to stores will be impacted, right?
Some items are problematic. Storing gasoline for example. I know there are ways to do it, I just don't have the place for it right now.
Now I live east of Sacramento, still in the Sacramento Valley, so an earthquake is less of a concern. But I am still prepping, given the current state of events I think that is a wise thing to do.
Coming up I plan to blog about things I've done to prep, things I do or am in the process of doing, and things I am thinking of doing.
So please consider following this blog by signing up for the RSS feed. I also invite your comments, suggestions and opinions.
Thanks!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Storing Coffee and Other Tidbits
I have been thinking a lot about coffee storage lately. How is the best way to do it? Vacuum sealed ground coffee? Whole green coffee beans, vacummed sealed and roasted as needed? Instant coffee?
Surfing around the internet, I found this thread on the subject. We drink about 2 to 3 pots of coffee a day, which translates into about 3 - 2# cans a month. What we used to call a 2 pound can now has 29 ounces, but I still refer to it as a 2 pound can. Just as I still call a 750ml bottle of liquor a pint while it actually only has 12 ounces. But I digress.
From the thread it appears both instant and regular ground coffee, kept in a cool place in their sealed containers, is the way to go. I'm going to start setting aside some of both, hopefully never to be needed but there if they are.
I found this on Amazon, it works out to $6.50 per pound which is a very good price. With 2 cans you get free shipping, so I'm going to be ordering a couple very soon!
Over on The Ready Store Blog today, there is a post with some good basic info about how to navigate using the Stars, Sun or the Moon.
Magpul, the maker of one of the most popular AR-15 magazines, the PMAG, along with other AR-15 accessories has posted an open letter to their customers and Colorado lawmakers. Full story here, via Guns Save Lives.
Surfing around the internet, I found this thread on the subject. We drink about 2 to 3 pots of coffee a day, which translates into about 3 - 2# cans a month. What we used to call a 2 pound can now has 29 ounces, but I still refer to it as a 2 pound can. Just as I still call a 750ml bottle of liquor a pint while it actually only has 12 ounces. But I digress.
From the thread it appears both instant and regular ground coffee, kept in a cool place in their sealed containers, is the way to go. I'm going to start setting aside some of both, hopefully never to be needed but there if they are.
I found this on Amazon, it works out to $6.50 per pound which is a very good price. With 2 cans you get free shipping, so I'm going to be ordering a couple very soon!
Over on The Ready Store Blog today, there is a post with some good basic info about how to navigate using the Stars, Sun or the Moon.
Magpul, the maker of one of the most popular AR-15 magazines, the PMAG, along with other AR-15 accessories has posted an open letter to their customers and Colorado lawmakers. Full story here, via Guns Save Lives.
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