Gardening Season is almost here

Some advice.  Start small.  Starting small will help keep you from getting discouraged, which is what happened to me last year.  Here is my garden from spring of 2009:

Pretty nice, huh?  The garden, as pictured, measures about 18'x20'.  You see my neighbors shed, in the top right part of the photo?  Well, turns out a family of groundhogs made their home underneath it.  By the time they were eradicated, they had eaten about 2/3's of my garden, and I was just pissed, and gave up on it.  By the end of the season it looked like this:

 

Pathetic, huh?  Well, If I would have planned it better (such as having a fence at the get go) and kept it smaller, I think I would've been more apt to keep up with it at least.  

Now, forget about feeding yourself entirely from a garden.  It's not going to happen.  Not unless you have 1) a good bit of land (I've heard it takes about an acre to feed one person for a year) or 2) a lot of time to do some heavy duty intense gardening.  

The point of a garden is to get fresh fruit and veggies that you KNOW don't have any industrial nasties added, and again, you get just a little bit more independence from the JIT systems.  A little bit here, and a little bit there, and before you know it, you've got a real safety net.  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  The time to begin that journey is now.  

A word on seeds.   

You really should stay away from hybrid seeds.  They make great plants, but the seeds they produce are hit and miss - the seeds may turn out right, or they may revert back to some plant that was part of the hybridization process.  It's important to start saving your seeds. 

Here are three reputable stores you can get good, non-hybridized seeds from:

Baker's Creek   Heirloom Seeds   Fedco Seeds

And this website offers some great information as far as how to increase the health and output of your garden naturally.  

Food Security

Whoever feeds you, owns you.  I don't know who to attribute that quote to, but if you think about it, it's pretty accurate.

I want you to begin a food stockpile, so that in times like these you can gain some independence from our Just-In-Time food delivery systems.  Did you know that the average grocery store only has about three days worth of food in it?  Don't take it for granted that the shelves will always be well stocked.  

Fema recommends having a 3 day supply of food in case of an emergency.  That's a joke.  I recommend having a months worth of food stored, as a bare minimum.

A month's worth of shelf stable food can be tucked away under your bed, in a closet, in any nook and cranny you can find, so don't just say "I don't have room for anything like that."

Another issue people have with canned foods is the high sodium content.  These days there are many good, organic products on the market today with relatively low sodium.  They cost more, but you get what you pay for. 

Store what you eat is a great motto.  If you hate kidney beans, don't store them.  If you can eat pasta for a month no problem, then store nothing but.  (lol not really, but you get my point)
 
Start with the basics.  Canned goods remain viable long after there expiration dates.  Exhibit one.  Exhibit two.

Canned goods with a high acid content don't last as long because the acidity tends to eat through the can.  See this as an example:



It helps if you can keep all your stored foods as cool as possible.  Usually this means the basement.  Here is my pantry.  As you can see, in the winter the temperature stays around 50, which is great.  In the summer it gets to about 70, which is acceptable.  Also notice I write the expiration dates in big print on the cans and jars.  The way I'm doing it, I will begin to eat and rotate my stock once they hit their expiration dates.

 Dry goods are another important basic staple of your food stockpile, with rice and beans being a mainstay in any preppers stash.  As unappetizing as it would be to subsist entirely on rice and beans, you can do it, and it will keep you alive and relatively healthy.  Here is a great way to recycle and re-purpose your empty 2-liter bottles:

These containers make it easy to pour out a portion, and provide greater protection from pests and rodents than a plastic bag does.  I imagine just storing your rice and beans like this would keep them good for a few years.

There are lots of types of rice available - which one has the longest shelf life?

Good old cheap "Enriched White Rice."

Bouillon is also a great thing to have to add flavor.

So are things like gravy, and powdered flavorings and drink mixes:

One for my old GSS crew!

Good luck with the new "7&7" plan!  I'm sure that one will be a winner! 

But that's not helpful is it?  That's just my bad attitude talking yet again!  So here is something hopefully useful for you.

Before I got shit-canned I received some of the literature for the new 401k plan. (great timing on that one lol)

There is a fund offered by EuroPacific.

Peter Schiff is the president of EuroPac and he is one of the guys who gets it.

Full disclaimer:  I am not a financial advisor and this is not advice!  (also I think the whole damn thing is going up in smoke anyway) But if I were still with the company, I'd put my money in EuroPac, and here is why:

Guns!

Alright, this is going to be my only post on guns.  There is TONS of in depth information and discussion available out there if you want it.

So, back to the rule of three.  Security is your #1 concern.   Now, is owning a gun going to magically keep you from getting shot?  No, of course not.  But, if you're like me, if somebody does end up shooting at me, I'd like the ability to shoot back!

Two guns is one gun, one gun is no gun.

Ever hear this old adage?   Here is what it means:

 

I bought this gun well used, and put maybe 500 rounds through it.   The last time I took it apart for cleaning I noticed an issue.  First of all I never thought I'd be the owner of a broken gun.  But like anything mechanical they can and do fail.  Secondly, if this was the only handgun I owned, well now I have no guns.  

A close up in case you can't see what I'm talking about:

So if you insist that one gun is all you need I strongly suggest purchasing a number of replacement springs and parts at a minimum.  And then keep your fingers crossed your piece doesn't break like mine did.  Also it's not a bad idea to get spares anyway, no matter how many firearms you own. 

Here are three great sites for gun parts:  Numrich   Wolff Gunsprings   Brownells

I would recommend having a minimum of three guns, or one for every adult in your household, whichever number is greater.

The first gun you should acquire is a handgun.  I'd recommend a semi-auto in 9mm .40 S&W or .45 ACP.  I'd stay away from the fancier/newer cartridges like .357 Sig.  You want something common, something (relatively) easy to find ammo for.

If you prefer revolvers I'd recommend a .357 Magnum.  You can also shoot .38 Specials in them which gives you greater ammo choice.

What are two guns every farmer worth his salt owns?  A shotgun and a 22.  After you get your handgun I'd look for a pump action shotgun, either 12 or 20 gauge.  This weapon is capable of taking small game, flying game, and large game if you load it with slugs.  Very versatile.  Versatility is good. 

The 22 Long Rifle cartridge has put more meat in the pot than any other cartridge in existence.  It's quiet, has no recoil, and ammo is still cheap enough that you can actually afford to practice with it and build a nice stash.  My personal preference would be for a Ruger 10/22.  If you go with a 10/22 you will notice there are TONS of magazines available for it.  Top of the line mags are made by Tactical Innovations.  

One thing about 22 ammo...there is so much of a selection available it can drive you nuts as to which one you pick.  First of all you should get a number of brands/types to see which one your particular gun shoots best with.  After all the research I've done here are the two mainstays in my stash.  1)  Winchester Super-X 40 gr Subsonic HP  and 2)  Aquila Interceptors

Metal Money

Did you know the 2011 Budget includes language to change what our coins are made from?

Get ready for steel coins America.   

This is exactly why I've been telling anyone who would listen for the past year or so!   SAVE YOUR CHANGE!  You know, what's rattling around your sock drawer, ashtray, cup holder etc...is all going to become like the old silver coins.  They'll disappear from circulation when the switch is made, and just like the old silver coins, the coins in your pocket right now will appreciate just like real silver did.  You will hear something similar to this when it is announced; don't believe it, save your change now, it WILL increase in value. 

Maybe you think this is a good thing, after all it makes no sense for Treasury to spend more than a penny to make a penny.  And I agree with that.

But the problem isn't that metal prices have gone up, it's that our currency has been debauched; it's been beaten down; it has been devalued through inflation.  I hope you understand that when they go to steel coins that is only one step away from the proverbial wooden nickel.  Steel is about the cheapest metal you can make coins out of.

Anyway the issue is this:   100 years ago a pound of copper had the exact same utility that it does today.  Its' utility, its' usefulness,  its' value hasn't changed (ie no one has invented a flying copper car the produces skittles as exhaust).  So what has changed?  The currency that it is measured with.  Currency value goes down, price goes up.  If the value of any item/product/commodity stays constant,  but its' price goes up = currency has declined.  We had half cent coins in circulation in this country at one point in time!  Back when the currency wasn't fancy toilet paper.

There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose. - John Maynard Keynes



In the video I make a comment about a dollar increasing in value may only be worth fifty cents, but that that would be a good thing. As long as the fifty cents has the same purchasing power as the original dollar did this is a true statement. We are used to prices going up. We accept this as normal. But what it is is inflation, a monetary phenomenon. It is our currency being devalued. We could also get used to a system in which the currency strengthens and prices drop.

I want to play a game

It's called "which powerful American woman is telling the truth?"

First up is Sheila Bair, head of the FDIC:



Next up is Elizabeth Warren, head of the Congressional oversight panel tasked with keeping an eye on TARP funds:



Got beans?

Foreclosures in the Pittsburgh Area

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On saving money, gasoline style

Most everyone likes to save money wherever possible.  A prepper likes to save money wherever possible in order to facilitate spending more money on more preps!  Here is a way for you to 1) save money (in two different ways in my case), and 2) gain a modicum of energy independence by building a small fuel stockpile.  

I recommend acquiring three (at a minimum) 5 gallon gas cans.  New ones cost about $10 or $12.  They quickly pay for themselves in this example.

Now me personally, I have nine of these cans.  Got one for three bucks at a garage sale, bought the rest new.  I rotate the stored fuel in multiples of three.  The way I figure it, I won't need to use any fuel additives to keep it usable as it will never be more than a year old.  Ignore anyone who says gasoline goes bad in that timeframe.  I bought an old Bronco in 2005, and only ever drove it about 15 miles.  Thing was a deathtrap...  Anyway, I did fill the tank the day I bought it.  When I finally sold it in 2009, it still ran just fine, with 4 year old, untreated gasoline in it.

So here it is:  the largest supermarket  in my area (I imagine lots of supermarkets are doing similar promotions across the country) has one of those deals where you get discounts off of fuel purchases at their gas stations based on how much money you spend in their grocery stores.  Also, they recently implemented another discount in which you get a percentage off of your grocery bill based on how much fuel you buy from them.  The key is the quantity of fuel.  It's limited to a maximum of thirty gallons.  These days, very few vehicles have that big of a gas tank, so you're never getting your money's worth.  And of course they say you can't bring gas cans, but I haven't had any issues yet, aside from a few strange glances from passerby's.

This technique works best if you have two vehicles to work with.  So you save up your discounts until they are about to expire.  Run both your vehicles down to empty, fill one up with 15 gallons of stored fuel, take the three now empty cans and the empty vehicle to the station and fill 'em up!  Fill the cans first to make it easy to know exactly how much fuel is going into each.  If you only have one vehicle, I'm sure you can convince a friend or a neighbor to participate with you.

The proof as they say is in the pudding; here is my best example:

 

And here is a more typical example:

And here is how the cycle starts again:

The rule of three and water storage

An important prep is long shelf life food, and lots of folks (bachelors excluded, usually) still keep well stocked pantries.  What almost nobody (well besides preppers) thinks about is storing water.

Now, the rule of threes goes something like this: (feel free to add your own, these numbers aren't set in stone, it's just designed to help you prioritize your needs)

You will die in

•      .3 Seconds without security (you get shot)
•       3 Minutes without air
•       3 Hours without shelter
•       3 Days without water
•       3 Weeks without food
•       3 Months without hope

In the fullness of time I'll address each point, but for now I want to discuss water storage.

So the rule of three illustrates just how important water is. However I prefer real world experiences to illustrate my points.  And it's the best way to learn as far as I'm concerned.  Sitting around reading and conceptualizing helps, but it doesn't replace real world experience.

So, a week ago we got hit with a huge snowstorm, better than 20 inches, and we lost power for about 18 hours.  I was so excited!  Finally, it's go time baby!  I learned a lot in that little amount of time.  Regarding water, well, I got a call on my cell phone with a recorded message from my water company.  It said " Due to a power outage serving one of their treatment plants, Pennsylvania American Water today requested that customers cease water consumption due to low tank levels serving customers in Allegheny and Washington Counties."  Link.  I heard the spokeswoman from the water company on local radio, and it was kinda scary...basically if everybody didn't stop using water right then, at about 8pm that evening, their tanks would run dry by the next morning. 

Doesn't that just give you a warm and cozy feeling?  In this day and age that a power outage can cause something like this to happen!?  I mean really, they don't have standby generators that can handle the load, Just In Case of a situation like this!?  Hell it surprised me a little bit, and I already understand that America is headed towards third world status.  Heck, America's infrastructure is already graded D by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

So you see my point here?  How screwed would YOU be if you got no water out of the taps...and none of your neighbors did either?  It is imperative to store water.  It's not hard.  Yes, it feels strange at first because NOBODY does it right!?  Yeah well, just last week I was sure as hell glad that I do.  Funny thing though, I have four 55 gallon food grade drums, but they're empty.  Can't think of a good place to stash them.  Believe me, they will be full soon.

So how do you begin a water stockpile?  Easy, like this:

 

Save all your empty plastic (glass is preferable actually) containers, rinse 'em out and fill 'em up.  I keep a bunch in my fridge in the basement as a thermal sink.  You can stash them wherever though.  Away from sunlight is best otherwise algae might grow.   (Not that algae would really hurt you though; don't forget humans got to the top of the food chain for lots of reasons - a strong gut amongst them.)  I refill them every 6 months or so so I don't need to worry about adding any preservatives.  My larger containers that are actually filled hold 7 gallons - these ones I rotate once a year.  I just did this and the water was fine.  So anyway yeah you can get all fancy with rainwater catchment systems (which I plan to do this spring) but you gotta start somewhere; here is the easiest way to get in the game.  You can also drink the water in your hot water heater if you have to.  And the water in the back of your toilet. 

The day the cracks begin to show

When I first thought about this post, the title in my head was "Good Habits."  I am going to discuss habits, and try to get you to change some of yours.  You may think that the habits I'm about discuss are so minor as to be laughable, but I promise you, on the day that the cracks become evident to all, you will be very happy to have already started doing these things regularly. 

So, I'm going to just blurt out in no particular order as many of these little things I can think of.

1)  Stop and fill up the gas tank in your car when it gets down to half full.

Before I became an official prepper, I had kind of made a game out of squeezing as many miles as possible out of each tank of gas.  Which is fine, when things are going smoothly.  Now I've made a new game.  1/2 tank = E.  When my vehicle gets to a half tank, I can put about 7 gallons of gas in it.  And I'm not anal about it, by the time I get to a station if I only have 3/8's of a tank, that's ok.  Because I know that's probably more prudent than about 99% of everybody else.

Isn't it a crappy feeling, waking up in the morning realizing your car is on E, and you're running late for work.  It'll never happen again if you pay attention here.  Just stop more frequently.  Plus, on the day when the cracks begin to show, and people are going bonkers, you don't have to fight for a place in the gas lines unless you want to.

2)  Break the (terrible) habit of using plastic and begin using cash.

I'm not being judgmental here, I was this way too.  I mean I bragged about never having any cash, and bitched & moaned about not knowing where the cash goes whenever I carried it.  Well, that was really just an excuse, it's not that hard to watch your spending when using cash. 

A few months ago I was at the airport, picking up my father.  I went to the gas station to buy some snacks.  I happened to not have any cash on me that day.  And guess what happened!?  Murphy's law reared it's head and the store's credit card machine was not working.  I even commented to the clerk that I normally carried cash...she said it's been a long day because most people don't anymore.  Luckily I was only looking for a snack, not trying to stock up before a blizzard...or a bank run.  Anyway this is one of those things that I think about a lot anymore - modern life is filled with a lot of conveniences.  Unfortunately we take these things for GRANTED, and we shouldn't.  And then I chuckle because the old fashioned methods...like carrying cash...although not flashy, and a little more time consuming...well, they work no matter what. 

3)  Start a piggybank.

Stockpile cash, it's a resource we use daily.  Start small.  I've heard of people making a game of it, such as "collecting" five dollar bills.  Or tens.  Or ones.  But you want to always have a stash that you don't touch unless you have to.  (dipping into the till because you don't feel like hitting the ATM is unacceptable, lol)  And if you have the ability to sock away 50's or 100's don't put all your eggs in one basket - it may be hard or impossible to make change for the big bills. 

And yes save all your coins.  Lots of people hoard copper pennies  They are worth more than a penny in metal.  But I just save it all.  Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value of zero.  No matter what metal coinage will always retain SOME value.


4)  Recharge your batteries.

Almost everyone has a flashlight or two floating around, and probably some rechargeable batteries too.  But do you charge them up regularly, or do you charge them right before you need them, cursing at how long it's taking because you're in a hurry?  Nothing worse than grabbing your flashlight and getting a weak yellow glow out of it.  Now I don't do this on any set schedule, but once every two or three months I recharge all my batteries to make sure they'll have some juice in them if I need them LIKE RIGHT NOW.  I was very glad I did this after the snowstorm we just had.


5)  Defensive driving. 

Accelerate slowly.  This is the best way to get the most mpg.

Leave a car length between you and the car in front of you at a light and don't jam the brake down, only light pressure.  (learned this one from ferfal) 

Pay attention to your mirrors; check them all regularly.  Scan the road in front and in back.  

On saving money, laundry detergent style

Did you know there are tons of recipes online on how to make your own laundry detergent?  If you're wondering how I consider this prepping, simple, #1 it's a lot cheaper than store bought stuff, and again saving money on necessities = more money for good stuff, like big ass emergency candles lol.  #2 The way I figure it, each batch of this will make enough detergent for one person for a year.  Do some quick and dirty math, and for about $100 invested today, you'll be able to supply yourself with laundry detergent literally for the rest of your life.  #3 If we end up with a real crash this could very well be a little business opportunity for yourself...run your own little laundromat. 

Now I know what you're thinking: "there's no way this works as well as store bought stuff."  That's what I thought at least.  I was proven wrong.  To test how well this stuff works I rubbed some common stain makers into an old pair of jeans and let them sit for 48 hours before washing.

Before:

 After: 

Perfect?  No, but better than I expected, and more than good enough for me!

So here's the recipe I used:

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.


The one thing I would do differently is just to use two five gallon buckets in the beginning - it's a pain because when you put everything in one five gallon bucket it thickens into an almost pudding like consistency, and it becomes a pain trying to get half of the soap pudding and half water into your containers.  Just divide the heated soap solution in half, and dump it into your two buckets and add hot water to them and be done with it.