DPT--Go Shooting

Basically I mean go shooting now. In the winter. In the wind. In the rain. In the cold. In the snow. It is easy to go out to the range and shoot a hundred rounds when it is a balmy 73 degrees with no wind, at mid day, when the sun isn't in your eyes. It is quite another thing to go out and shoot a hundred rounds when your fingers are numb, the rain is pouring, and the daylight is a bland shade of grey. For the same reason that runners train at altitude, it makes sense that if you want to be a good shooter in any type of situation, that you should practice in the worst situation you are likely encounter so that anything you encounter after that is a piece of cake. As a side benefit, with bad winter weather and miserable temperatures, there should be lots of space on the firing line for you.

Halloween Safety

Tomorrow is Halloween. If you are sending your kids out so they can make a candy haul on this festive evening, keep these safety tips in mind:

• Each person should carry their own flashlight. Never carry a lit candle or anything else that's on fire.
• Costumes should not limit the wearer's motion or visibility in any way.
• Kids (even the big ones) should always travel in groups instead of going door to door individually.
• The age-old warning of collecting the candy and bringing it all home to be examined before eating it should still be adhered to.
• Costumes should be bright--walking around in the dark in a dark costume can be dangerous as drivers can not see you.
• Go trick or treating in the safest areas possible. A dark street in the worst part of town is a bad idea. Better, a very active neighborhood where houses are close together and well lit. Best, the mall, downtown, or other area which are set up just for Trick or Treating.
• Kids should always have an adult or older (we're talking 17 or 18 years old, not 12) person walk with them when Trick or Treating. This person should also carry a cell phone with them for emergencies.
• Before your kids leave, lay down the law: no getting rides with anyone, no going into anyone's home, you need to know what routes they are taking, no vandalism/stealing candy/other bad behavior.
• Be extra careful about dangerous looking props such as guns, knives, etc. Mistakes happen and the person carrying the real looking fake gun is usually the one mistakes happen to.
• Ditto if you are walking with your kids and carrying a weapon. This is not the night to be overly defensive.
• Set a curfew for your kids to return home by.
• Light up your home, stairs, driveway, and walkway to prevent falls.
• If you live in a marginal or down right dangerous place, consider throwing a Halloween party for your kids and their friends in your home.
• Tell your kids to not cut through cemeteries, dark alleys, busy roads, hop residential fences, or go to other locations that may not be safe.
• If you are driving, drive really, really carefully.
• Consider that 99.9% of the people who are out on this evening are only interested in candy. There is, however, a slight .1% of people who may have other things in mind including everything from vandalism to home invasion and murder. Beware.

Halloween is usually a fun, exciting time for kids of all sizes. With a few extra precautions, this can be a safe event as well.

Doing What Works For You

One of the main things I try to stress in this blog is doing what works for you. Each person's situation is different so what works for one person, or a whole bunch of people, may not work for you. Case in point, today I bought a new digital camera. I have a fairly new 10 meg camera with all of the bells and whistles but I just don't like it very much. It is a great camera but my older camera seemed to take clearer pictures with less hassle (you can't erase the pictures from the memory card via computer, you have to do it on the camera itself on the newer camera, and some other minor annoyances).

So, while I was looking for a camera today, I came across a 4 meg version of the older camera that I really liked (the older camera was old--I think it was a two meg camera). Most people--myself included often times--would think "I should go for the best camera available...I might want the extra bells and whistles some day...what will people think if I don't have the best I can afford?" And then common sense kicked in and I asked myself what do I really need? I need very clear pictures, I prefer SD memory cards over XD, I have never taken a 4 meg picture let alone a 10 meg picture since almost all of my photos are posted on websites and I want them to be able to load before next week, and even though it is a very basic camera, it works for my purposes. I chose the lowly 4 meg camera, got a great deal (about a quarter of what I was thinking of spending), and I don't much care what others think when they see me use it.

This situation comes up again and again. both in preparedness and in life. Many people need transportation to get to and from work. Then they meet a salesman, and before they know it, they have a brand new car and are in debt up to their eyeballs when a $3000 used Honda would have worked for their purposes. I see this OFTEN with firearms. I've seen ME do this with firearms. When I was much younger and much poorer, I would get all excited over buying a new handgun and end up with a Sig or H & K when something much more affordable and of some lesser quality would have worked just fine for my purposes.

The bottom line is that no matter what you do, preparedness tasks included, you should do so in ways that work for you. Just because all of the survival forums are talking about having a year's worth of food stockpiled in your garage, doesn't mean it may be a smart thing for you to do. What if you're planning to move across the country in six months? What if you are hammering away on your credit card debt that is sitting at 28% interest? What if your kids will be moving out soon and will reduce the household from four to two? There are so many variables for any situation that blanket advice which you receive here and in all other blogs is just that, blanket advice that may or may not work for you. Take the time to evaluate each situation and make your own decisions as to what is the best course of action for you to take.

Vote or No Vote?

Based on a tiny, non-scientific poll (ours) we found that 79% of the people who responded to the question "Will you vote in the upcoming election?" will vote and a surprising 21% said they would not vote. Unfortunately we didn't break out the reasons for not voting (apathy, lack of a decent candidate, felon, non-citizen) but that seems like a huge percentage of people who aren't going to exercise their right to vote. Granted I would have liked a better set of candidates to vote for but I did cast my mail in ballot. I'm just happy that in a week all of the horrible political advertising will stop. It seems like the closer it gets to the election, the more heinous the advertisements get.

50 Ways to Prepare for Sheltering in Place

Sheltering in place, or battening down the hatches and staying in your home for a period of time, is a very real possibility. Are you ready? While the term 'sheltering in place' is most often used in relation to chemical attacks, in our area, flooding, road wash outs, bridge wash outs, and snow storms tend to happen often enough and in a wide enough area that it is pretty much guaranteed that everyone will get to spend some time holed up (sheltering in place) in their homes. Also, in a major disaster such as a pandemic flu outbreak or civil unrest (coup attempts, rioting, etc), one of the safest places you can be is in your home (and you'll probably be there for a while). Here's how to be prepared should you need to stay at home for a week or longer:

1. Clean and repair your home. You want it to be a welcoming, sheltering place where you want to be not a messy prison where you don't want to be.
   
2. Have plenty of cash on hand. You may be able to walk to a local store but not get to an ATM (or they may not be in service).
   
3. Have cash in the bank (and a way to use it to electronically pay your bills if needed).
   
4. Check your food stocks. Make sure you have enough to feed the family for a minimum of a month should you not be able to leave your home for that period of time.
   
5. Have board games and books on hand. If the electricity goes out and you have to stay home, the kids can get quite bored, quite quickly.
   
6. Have an alternate source of water (stored, rain barrel, etc) in case your water becomes contaminated or shut off.
   
7. Store plenty of blankets and warm clothing in case the heat goes out (for some reason, disasters tend to happen during the worst weather.
   
8. Do you have spare fuel stored? Once given the all clear to leave your home, local gas stations may no be up and running. With spare fuel on hand you can fuel your vehicles yourself. Fuel is also necessary for your generator if you have one.


9. Keep large poster boards, markers, and duct tape on hand. You can use these items to print a message and post in in your window (ie: OK, need help, need food, etc).


10. Try to have your doctor prescribe three months of prescription medications as a time for you and other family members so that you will have plenty on hand.


11. Keep plastic sheeting and duct tape on hand in case you need to create a sealed room.


12. Have a portable camp toilet (or the means to make one--bucket, plastic bags) in case the facilities don't work.


13. Make your home as secure as possible--this can be anything from a full-scale security system, to solid core doors with bolt locks.


14. An alternate source of power, such as a solar charger or generator, can be really nice to have if the power is out for an extended period of time.


15. Think disposables--disposable plates and utensils, disposable diapers, paper towels--during a disaster you may not be able to do laundry or wash the dishes without boiling water so even if you don't usually use disposable items they will come in mighty handy.


16. Check out your methods of communications. A land line phone (which plugs into the wall but not the electricity) is good to have on hand. A cell is good (as well as a way to charge it without electricity such as through a wind up radio). A HAM radio is another valuable communications tool, as is the shorter distance walkie talkies.


17. Make sure you have lots of batteries on hand of all sizes (D, C, AA, AAA, 9v).


18. Make sure you have lots of flashlights on hand--one for each room.


19. Depending on your inclination, consider what types of weapons you may need--everything from firearms to baseball bats to Mace.


20. PPEs for everyone in the home may be necessary. Face masks, disposable clothing, gloves, booties, duct tape...the whole nine yards.
21. Have some spray paint on hand (black and fluorescent are good colors) for posting messages that can be seen from the air. This is also useful if you conduct door to door searches in your neighborhood.
22. A camp stove with fuel is great to have if your stove isn't working. Hot food is often more comforting (both physically and psychologically) than cold food.
23. Keep a box of treats on hand. It can get pretty gloomy if you need to hunker down for an extended period of time. Unusual treats can brighten people's day.
24. Have plenty of medical supplies on hand and the knowledge to use them. Accidents and illnesses happen all the time (and quite often at the worst possible time) so be able to take care of as many of these types of problems as possible in case medical care is far away or unavailable.
25. Keep the items you may need to secure you home on hand. You may be sheltering in place when a hurricane is set to strike. Do you have the plywood and nails needed to board up your home?
26. Keep your battery/wind up radio, or if the electricity is available, your TV, on at all times so you will know what's going on.
27. Have a pet plan. Depending on the situation, your pets may need to be indoors with you (in the event of a CBRNE disaster) or they may be able to be outside but confined to your yard. In either case, you will need to have food and medications stored for them as well. Depending on the length of the disaster, you may need to protect them from others as when people are starving, dogs can look pretty tasty and they are fairly easy to catch if you let them roam around.
28. Unlike a natural disaster where you may not be able to leave your immediate area for a bit, a CBRNE disaster will usually require an immediate shut down of your HVAC system, closing all windows, closing the fireplace damper, etc. Be prepared to do this immediately.
29. Know where your local community shelters are. If you can not stay in your home, you will need to grab your BOB and get to a shelter at another location. Know where these shelters are and how to get there.
30. Unless it is an emergency, don't use your phone. This ties up the lines for people who are calling for emergency help.
31. Know what the warnings are in your community and heed them. If you live in a tsunami prone area, know what the tsunami sirens sound like and know if your home is on high enough ground or if you will need to evacuate. If you are on high ground, stay put unless told to leave.
32. In the event of a volcanic eruption spewing ash or chem/radiological exposure, make sure anyone who was exposed is decontaminated outside of your home before entering. This may include stripping and bagging the exposed clothing, scrubbing off (a hose, soap, brush, and privacy tent will be useful here), then have them put on clean clothes and slippers before entering the home.
33. Depending on the event, anything received from the outside may need to be cleaned and/or examined prior to allowing it into your home.
34. Have an escape route. While a tsunami, hurricane, or wildfire may be far enough away that you can shelter in place at your home, sometimes these things can switch directions very quickly. Have an escape route/plan in place and use it if necessary.
35. Know the laws of your town/city/state. In the event of a pandemic, for example, it may be the law that anyone who does not shelter in place could be subject to arrest...or worse.
36. Have a plan for your work/business. If everyone is sheltering in place, is there a way to work from home? How would you get paid? If you are a critical emergency worker, how will you get to work?
37. Know what your kid's school's plan is for sheltering in place. Depending on the type of emergency, kids may be released early but other disasters may necessitate keeping kids locked down at the school and parents won't even be able to pick them up.
38. Evaluate your home for the locations that will serve as the main room during a disaster. The attic may work during a flood, the basement would be better during a wind storm or tornado.
39. It's a good idea to keep all of your camping supplies stored together. You can pull out the items and easily use whatever is needed (tent for the back yard if you can't stay in your home, manual can opener, etc).
40. Have a printed speed dial list on hand. Mine includes home and cell numbers as well as HAM call signs for friends and family members, contact information for employees and clients, and contact information for vital services (gas, power, water, etc). Otherwise, if my cell and computer were not working I wouldn't remember any of this information.
41. Get creative. Our normal inclination is to run to the store for what we need, call for food delivery from the local Chinese place, or expect emergency service providers to be immediately available. None of these things may happen during a disaster so use your creativity to reuse, recycle, or do without until things get back to normal.
42. You know what it's like when your broadband service is down for an hour? Multiply this by days on end. If having internet access is critical, look for ways to make this service redundant (ie: broadband, dial up, via an air card, through your cell or sat phone, etc).
43. After a disaster, evaluate the impact of the disaster. This may include everything from filing an insurance claim to figuring out if you can eat the produce in your garden or if it must be destroyed.
44. Document what happens to you and your family during a disaster. This may make for: an easier time with an insurance claim, an excellent after action report, a stunning blog, or a best selling book after the fact.
45. Leave your shelter when the "all clear" is given. This may be an official announcement in the event of a chemical disaster or hurricane, or it may be when the bridge is fixed or the roads are cleared. The idea is not to put yourself in danger by leaving your shelter too soon.
46. Prepare ahead of time for sheltering in place by learning how to: cook from scratch, wash clothes by hand, create your own security system, learn first aid skills, raise your kids to be the people you wouldn't mind being in 24/7 contact with for a month, etc.
47. Drill a variety of disaster scenarios ahead of time such as fire drills, earthquake drills, etc. Much like a crew on a carrier, everyone knows that when X happens, each person's immediate response is to do Y. Each person in the home should know exactly what to do during an emergency.
48. Have a secondary shelter in mind in case you can't shelter at your own home (ie: the home of a family member in another city or state). Don't forget to load up your car with lots of your stored food and water; you'll be a more welcomed guest that way.
49. If you do find yourself at a community shelter, be as helpful and patient as possible. Everyone will be stressed out and tensions may be high, so being the calming influence in such a situation will be greatly appreciated.
50. Learn from each disaster. Make a list of things that didn't go so well and make plans to fix what went wrong. During one long power outage we only had home phones that needed to be plugged into the electric outlet. You can bet that right after that disaster, a phone line only phone was added to our emergency stocks.

Fire Safety--A Refresher

Within the last week, five kids have died in house fires in our part of the state. I understand when the elderly find themselves disoriented in a fire and parish and I understand that small children tend to hide in a closet or under a bed in a fire, thus leading to their death, but it is hard to understand when healthy, active teenagers die in a fire. Of course each fire is different and in one of the recent fires here, an older teen ran back into the burning home to try to save a younger brother (they both died), but more needs to be done to make sure such tragedies don't happen. Here's some tips:

• Smoke detectors are the cheapest insurance you can have against house fires. Each bedroom and each level of the home should have a smoke detector. Be sure to check the batteries regularly or better yet, have the detectors hardwired into your home.
• Installing a sprinkler system (especially during the building process of a new home) is a great way to quickly snuff out fires. Of course most homes don't have these systems and they are nearly impossible to put in after the house is built, but if you have the opportunity to have such a system in your home, it is worth its weight in gold.
• Keep matches, lighters, and other fire starters away from small kids. They are curious, especially about fire, however the consequences can be disastrous.
• Have a fire escape plan and practice it often. Everyone needs to know how to escape from each room of the house (usually out the door and out the window), as quickly as possible. The more this is practiced, the more likely the actions to escape will become automatic and require very little thought during an actual disaster. Obviously, in a second story bedroom, you want to have an escape ladder available but you may not want people to use it during a drill for safety reasons. If you look under my bed you will find a heavy gauge rope which is knotted, tied around the bedpost, and ready to toss out of the second story window so we can climb down to safety. Also, after everyone escapes from the burning house, they should all meet in the same place for a quick head count.
• Have everyone practice the "stop drop, and roll" and also practice crawling from their room to escape (smoke hangs like a sheet and you literally can't see five inches in front of you in a smoky building--crawling out is usually the only way to escape). Other fire safety skills that everyone should know include how to put out a kitchen fire (put a lid on the pan instead of throwing water on it), how to snuff out a small fire (usually covering it with a blanket or some other way to deprive it of oxygen works), and how to safely work the wood stove or fireplace.
• Get rid of fire hazards. Candles are a huge fire hazard. Oily rags in the garage are another fire hazard. Frayed extension cords, space heaters too close to the drapes, fireplaces with no screen...the number of hazards are endless but can be mitigated with a bit of forethought.
• Keep charged up fire extinguishers near places where fires are likely to happen (kitchen, garage). Having long reach hoses outside are also a good idea.
• Smoking should be done outside, in a designated area that is free of combustibles, and the butts should be extinguished in a can full of sand.
• Take care with seasonal fire hazards. People do Christmas once a year so it can be easy to forget that Christmas lights or a dry tree can be a fire hazard. People do Halloween once a year so they may not remember to put out the candle in the pumpkin before they go to bed.
• Make a quick sweep of your home before you leave and before you go to bed to check for fire and other safety hazards. How many times have you left home and wondered if you turned off the iron or coffee pot? We bought the appliances that turn themselves off after a while since this seemed to happen quite often.
• Finally, be sure you have insurance on your home or apartment as well as a regularly updated home inventory. For some reason, fires tend to happen during the period after someone lets their insurance lapse and they end up with nothing--no way to pay their mortgage, no way to rebuild, and no way to replace what they have lost.

Fire safety isn't rocket science. Common sense, some simple precautions, and the mechanical means to detect, prevent, and extinguish fires, can help avert horrible tragedies.

On Becoming a Citizen of the World

Many Americans are not very worldly in the international sense of the word. Where people in other countries are bi- or tri-lingual, dance to American songs, and make foreign travel a part of their annual vacations, less that 30% of Americans even have a passport!

The world is shrinking exponentially--the customer service person you talk to is more than likely to be from a third world country, your next door neighbor could very well be from a foreign country, and Americans are even heading overseas for what would be costly surgeries here in the US. It is important to be knowledgeable and comfortable in the world, not just in your little town in the US. Here's how:

• Get a passport. You never know when you may want to travel outside of the country (or leave the US in a hurry).


• Learn a foreign language. There are books, CDs, podcasts, community and college classes, foreign movies/radio stations/TV shows, and a variety of other ways to acquire a new language.


• Go to ethnic restaurants. This is a great way to learn about the food of different countries and meet people who work at the restaurant that are from other countries. It is best to find restaurants that natives of the country actually eat at (ie: if you go to an Asian restaurant and all of the diners are white, you may want to head to a more authentic place in the Chinatown of your nearest big city).


• Meet people from foreign countries. This may happen by volunteering to teach English to people new to our country, by hiring someone from a different country (many people hire Latinas to watch their kids and also teach them Spanish at the same time), or by chatting online with people from other countries.


• Get out and see the world. Many people go to Canada or England as a first trip out of the country so that they won't have to wrestle with a new language. Others make a quick day trip to Mexico to experience a new culture (a word of caution if you plan to do this--many places in Mexico are like a war zone these days). The point isn't where you go but that you go.

The bottom line is that being able to travel to a variety of countries, get along with the locals, solve problems that come up, learn something new, stretch your idea of what is "normal", and get yourself back home with a new appreciation for the world and the people living in it is a very valuable skill, not only in the traveler sense but in the prepared for anything sense. Also, the world is getting crazier by the day--there have been plenty of people contentedly living in their own little world when something radical happens like a war, coup, natural disaster, or other event that forces them to leave their country and start their lives over in a new country...this way you will be one step ahead should worse come to worse.

Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps and Why They Especially Make Sense Today

You already know I am a fan of Dave Ramsey, the financial guru who has a very simple, straight-forward process for becoming debt free. Judging by the results of the last poll, quite a few of us need to heed his lessons (!), In any economic times--good, OK, or really lousy--following these simple steps will put you on exceptional (meaning rare in the world of the debt-laden American consumer) financial footing. Here they are:

1. Put $1000 in a starter emergency fund. With this money put aside, you can stop using your credit cards for "emergencies". With a month of total intensity (having a garage sale, selling stuff on EBay, getting a second job) you will have this step done quickly.
2. Pay off all of your debts using the debt snowball. Go to a cash only system, get on a budget, cut up your credit cards, then list your debts smallest to largest. Attack each debt with a passion and pay them off as quickly as possible. This means that you pay the minimum on all of your debts while throwing as much money as possible at the smallest debt then moving on to the next highest debt and so on.
3. After all of your debts (except for your house) are paid off, put aside six months of living expenses in a liquid account (ie: a money market account).
4. With your emergency fund set, start putting aside 15% of your income into Roth IRAs and other pre-tax retirement accounts such as 401ks and 403bs.
5. At the same time you are doing step 4, start investing in your children's college education by putting money aside in an Educational Savings Account.
6. At the same time you are doing steps 4 and 5, start hammering away at your mortgage and get it paid off as soon as possible.
7. The final step is to build wealth and give. Continue to do steps 4 and 5 then also begin giving away some money, spending some of your hard earned money, and investing in things such as good mutual funds (listen to his show for specific types of funds to invest in).

Anyway, I love this plan. It is simple, it is common sense, anyone can do it, completing each step builds momentum to power through the next step, and most importantly, it gets you to a point where your entire paycheck is yours to do with as you wish (no Visa payments, no student loan payments, no house payments). Imagine what it would be like if all of your future paychecks are yours to spend any way you wish...
For more info, check out http://www.daveramsey.com/.

How the Lousy Economy Can Impact Your Personal Safety

Everyone's attention is on the economy. You wake up with the Asian market numbers, pensively check your investments throughout the day, then end the day with the Dow heading lower than the day before. The news is all about the economy, blogs are all about the economy, and people's priorities include debt, keeping their jobs, and paying for daily necessities. Notice how nowhere in there do people talk about personal safety? They should. In a difficult economy, there are a number of factors that can directly impact your personal safety. These include:

• Cities, counties, and states are facing huge budget deficits. All are now hacking away at their budgets to make the expenses column meet the income column. Among the cuts that many of these entities are making is to law enforcement, namely the number of law enforcement officers who will be on the streets to protect you and deter crime.
• An article here states that one city is looking at not investigating thefts under $10,000 in value and making thefts under $10,000 a misdemeanor instead of a felony which I'm guessing will encourage more thefts since the probability of getting caught is lower and if you do get caught, the penalty will be less.
• A number of articles, this one for example, have pointed out that crime increases during a bad economy because people have less money for food and other items (shoplifting and embezzlement), they are losing their homes and become homeless (property crimes), they are desperate (robberies, burglaries, gas thefts, metal thefts, et al), they are pissed off (violence), etc. although there was a bright spot to this situation here.

With that in mind, here are some ideas for protecting yourself (bad economy or not):

• Prepare!
• Use Common Sense
• Make Your Home Secure
• Research
• Consider Your Defense Options

9 Things I Didn't Know

Some random things that I didn't know...

• Among private military contractors, Blackwater is quite well known. Apparently they have a ship now too.
• A new service for people who don't have the balls to tell a partner they may have infected them with an STD can be found here.
• Flash mob-ing has its own website...
• Electing the president isn't as easy as it looks. (I know the process but when I try to explain it to others they get confused--I mean the choices for president are right there on their ballot!).
• I didn't even know it was possible to rip a phone book in half...
• From the 'thank God' I'm sittin at home on the couch with the spouse these days and missed the whole hook up revolution' file (especially after reading about the STD email service)... Hook Up Maps
• It still makes sense to travel even though our economy is a mess.
• I didn't know it was possible to live in a 100 square foot house.

50 Things to Have On Hand After a Disaster for Clean Up

After a disaster such as an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane, there are a number of things you need to have on hand for clean up. Here are the things you need:

1. A digital camera to document the mess.
2. A notebook to write down all of your notes (info on what you spent to clean up, etc).
3. Insurance info (policy number, claims phone number, home inventory, etc).
4. Rubber gloves.
5. Leather gloves.
6. Proper clothing (long pants, long-sleeved shirts and or "moon suit").
7. Steel-toed boots.
8. Rubber boots.
9. Goggles.
10. A hard hat.
11. N-95 masks.
12. Shovels.
13. Rakes.
14. Buckets.
15. Wheel barrow.
16. Wet/dry vacuum.
17. Garden hoses.
18. Bleach.
19. Garbage bags.
20. Breaker bar.
21. Brooms.
22. Mops.
23. Stiff bristled brushes.
24. Dust pans.
25. Chainsaw.
26. Waterless hand sanitizer.
27. Antibacterial soap.
28. Disinfectants/detergents.
29. Pressure washer.
30. Generator.
31. Fans.
32. Tarps.
33. Rope.
34. Duct tape.
35. Visqueen (plastic sheeting).
36. 2x4s, plywood, hammer, nails.
37. Garbage cans (a dumpster is better).
38. A tetanus shot (have this done ahead of time).
39. Tool to shut off the gas line.
40. Flashlights.
41. Dehumidifier.
42. Ladder.
43. Food and water (that hasn't been exposed to flooding).
44. Fire extinguisher.
45. First aid kit.
46. Towels/rags.
47. Propane stove/propane/pots (for boiling water to sterilize items)
48. Method to restrain pets (cages, leashes, halters, etc).
49. Backhoe (a nice item to have).
50. Money (the more you have the better off you will be).

Poll Results and a New Poll

Here's the results from the money poll:
The question: How much money do you have to help you through a disaster?
The Results:

• 8 people said barely enough to make it through to payday.
• 11 people said they have a couple hundred dollars and a handful of credit cards.
• 9 people have six month's worth of expenses saved and growing.
• 7 people had fully funded emergency funds, cash, gold, stocks, etc.

Even though these are tough times, the importance of having money socked away for a rainy day can not be emphasized enough. The one thing that helps people through disasters is having money to fix whatever the problem is, whether it is needing a last minute plane ticket to visit a dying relative, having to rent an apartment because your home is flooded, or needing to pick up and move at the last minute. If you are having trouble saving, I suggest tuning into Dave Ramsey's show (on radio, TV, or via podcast) because he will harangue you every day until you get on the earning and saving bandwagon.

This week's poll is a simple yes or no question...will you vote in the upcoming presidential election? To me it seems like an obvious yes, however when I did a bit of research, I found that only 54% of eligible voters cast their ballots during the last four decades of presidential elections (and look where that's got us...). Anyway, no matter what side you support, vote!

Riding the Economic Rollercoaster

Economics is fairly straight forward--buy low and sell high, supply vs demand--that sort of stuff. With the economic ride running rougher than eight seconds on a bull with a bad attitude, there are a number of ways to work with, rather than against the current economic situation. Here's some things that I am doing:

• Gas prices are down so I am rotating my gasoline stores.
• Food prices are up so I am buying lots of loss leaders.
• Housing prices are down which means I am not going to sell my house any time soon but I am seriously looking at buying another rental property.
• Precious metal prices are up so the spouse probably won't get anything gold for this Christmas.
• Clothing prices are low--we just picked up a bundle of summer T shirts for $2 each at Walmart--so we are stocking up in this area a bit.
• Credit card interest is high so I am telling everyone who will listen to pay them off ASAP.
• Car prices are low so if I needed a car, now would be the time to buy. Of course I would pay CASH for it.
• Stock prices are low right now. I don't even pretend to time the market but I will continue to invest in the stock of quality companies with good balance sheets that produce necessary products.
• Restaurants are feeling the pinch of fewer diners so many are offering some good deals to draw customers in. Although we mostly cook at home, the great lunch and dinner specials occasionally draw us out for a special meal.

Anyway, you get the idea. Usually the worst thing to do is sell when everyone is panic selling and buy when everyone is buying. It always makes sense to do your own research and make your own decisions.

11 Preparedness Tasks for Teens

While teens seem to live in their own universe and are often much more concerned with what is happening today, at this very moment in their life, there are a number of preparedness tasks that they can do now which will prepare them for their future and/or any disaster that may strike. Here's what they need to do:

1. Give them a month's worth of allowance (what you would give them for lunch, clothing, etc) and teach them how to make the money last for the entire month. Include lessons on saving and giving of this money as well.
2. Have them take a self defense class. Not only will this give them the physical skills to fight back but it will also build their self esteem so they will be able to stand up to more subtle threats.
3. Chores. Every kid needs to learn responsibility. It's easier to do this when they are younger than to wait until they are 17 to start teaching them to do chores.
4. A big project. Seeing a kid complete an Eagle Scout project is a Wow experience. The reason? All of the details, planning, creativity, effort, and coordination that goes into the project which the young person gets to take pride in after the fact.
5. How to do something by themselves. This may mean traveling overseas, camping overnight in the woods by themselves, or, as in this article, riding the subway by themself. Scary? Yep. Dangerous? Possibly. A huge boost to their confidence? You betcha.
6. An assignment to cook dinner for the family once a week. I'll never forget moving my son into his own apartment and him asking me how to cook something simple. It had never dawned on me that since the spouse usually cooks and in a pinch the kids could microwave something, that the kids missed a crucial lesson in something so simple--learning how to actually cook something from scratch.
7. Taking care of their basic needs: ironing their own clothes, washing their own clothes, shopping the sales when they need things, how to keep their cars running well, etc.
8. Knowing how to communicate well with anyone. Whether they are reasoning with a three year old, calling 911 in an emergency, or asking a community leader to be their mentor, having good social and communication skills will be extremely beneficial for their future.
9. Creating their own little business. Entrepreneurial skills are learned and what better way to learn these skills (customer service, advertising, product development, etc) than to have your own business?
10. Participation in any community education class they can find. First aid class, CPR class, wilderness survival class, swimming team, soccer team...the list is endless and the lessons are valuable. With the things learned in these classes, your teen could be able to save a life, improve their health, climb a mountain, etc.
11. Volunteer. Giving of your time and talents to improve the community in which you live and helping people in your community is not only the right thing to do but will help your teen develop critical job skills and realize how important their efforts are to others even if they aren't getting paid to do these things.

The bottom line is that you want your kids to develop a good self esteem and have confidence in themselves, you want them to know that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to, you want them to learn as many skills as possible, and you want them to be able to take care of themselves (and others) when they grow up. Having them do these simple tasks will give them many of the necessary components of adulthood.

5 Things I Know About Death

Some death stuff has happened recently. This isn't unusual as it can come up in my line of work, however it got me thinking. Here's five things I know about death:

1. All of the preparations that need to be made for dying need to be done now, no matter how young and healthy you are. Without life insurance, a Will, a Living Will, advanced directives, powers of attorney for medical care, etc., your death can leave your family destitute and/or fighting over your stuff like a pack of wild dogs. Don't think it could never happen in your family--I know a few people who would be spinning in graves if they could see how horribly their families have treated each other after their deaths.
2. My personal belief is that when it is your time to die, you die. Period. I have seen people shot a number of times or stabbed and basically walk away from it and then seen cases where someone was killed by a parade float, by an errantly thrown punch, or by an unexpected genetic condition. I believe that people are put on this earth to serve a purpose and when that purpose is done, whether they are two years old, ten years old, fifty years old, or ninety years old, they die and move on to the next phase whatever the next phase is.
3. Injury prevention is still a good idea. Well, you think, if I am going to die when I'm going to die then injury prevention activities such as wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet don't matter. Actually such precautions can mean the difference between road rash and a cracked helmet and being in a semi-vegetative state for the rest of your life. So wear a helmet.
4. It seems that the more rituals your culture has around death and the bigger the role that religion plays in your life, the easier it is to cope with death.
5. If a loved one dies it only makes sense to work the situation out by talking to others who have experienced the same thing; no amount of empathy can make up for actually experiencing such a situation. Guys whose buddies have been killed in combat need to talk out the situation with others who's friends have been killed in combat. Parent's whose child has been killed by a drunk driver need to talk about this with others who's children have been killed by drunk drivers. The only people who understand the magnitude of grief, trauma, and despair that a death--particularly of a child or as a result of a violent situation--are people who have gone through the same thing.

I don't know much about death and am in no way an expert on the subject, these are just some of the things that I see time and time again. It's sad all the way around when someone dies and although time can ease the pain, our rational human minds like to make sense out of what are often senseless situations.

A Round Up of Interesting/Useful Information

It's been a busy day, actually a busy week. Here's a hodgepodeg of useful/interesting info:

• The Chinese word for "crisis" is made up of two characters--one represents 'danger' and the other represents 'opportunity'. Consider this when looking at the current economic situation.
• The results of last week's poll: The question was if you had to evacuate, where would you go? The results--none would go to a hotel, 9 would go to a friend or relative's home, 2 would stay in their car/boat/RV/campground, and 7 would go to their pre-prepared bug out shelter.
• The news is all about money so that's what our question is about...take this week's poll >>>>
• Tough times can push people over the edge, whether because it exacerbates problems with depression, a person mistakenly thinks that if they die their family will get their life insurance, or people are just overwhelmed with life. If you or someone you know have got to this point, I strongly suggest calling 1-800-273-8255 which is the number to the Suicide Hotline. Financial problems and social problems are temporary. Death is permanent.
• For small business owners...78 Ways for Your Small Business to Save Money in This Economy

Today's Preparedness Activity: Making Yogurt

Although I wasn't constructing a bug out shelter or doing some other exciting preparedness activity today, my first foray into making yogurt has many of the hallmarks of something people should do to be prepared, such as...

• It was useful to me. We eat yogurt so it is something that is needed, not a useless activity where the end result would be of no benefit to me.


• It involved constructing something. I made one product out of another product--something many people don't do because they usually just go out and buy what they want. But what happens if the product you want is not available? With a little knowledge, you will be able to actually make the product you need (we're talking basic stuff here, not alloying metal or making rubber).


• It saved me money. For the price of a half gallon of milk ($1.25 on sale) I was able to make almost three 32 ounce tubs of yogurt (at a store cost of $2 per tub).


• It was a learning activity. No matter what you want to learn how to do, start small, do the research, try (and if it fails, try again), and refine your efforts.

The bottom line is that no matter what you are doing to be prepared for the next big disaster, whether it is building a food stockpile, or something as simple as hemming a pair of pants, the most important part of being prepared is knowledge, a can-do attitude, the ability to find and process the information you need, and experimentation to achieve your desired results.

P.S. If you want to make your own yogurt, I found the recipe here.

Making Preparedness a Part of Your Daily Routine

I'm surprised at the number of people who think all I do is preparedness stuff all day long. While I wish I could do that, things like work, social obligations, and life often require my attention which means that I need to integrate preparedness activities into my daily routine. Here's how:

• On Sundays, I read the newspaper, check out the ads, and make my shopping list for the week (this includes everything from sale items on food--some for the week's meals and some to add to my stockpile, ammo that is on sale at the local outdoor store, ziploc bags and toilet paper on sale at Walmart, et al).
• I plan for the week in advance by prepping for meetings, putting together reports or whatever else is needed for work during the week, thinking about how I can group activities (ie: if a meeting is near the outdoor store, I will hit the meeting then stop by and pick up the ammo that is on sale before heading home), and making sure that I have stuff on hand to grab for lunch when I will be out.
• Since my work is quite variable, I often have big gaps of time throughout the week during which I plan a project or two. I may sign up for a class (CPR, HAM radio, etc), learn a new skill (I'm going to try making yogurt for the first time tomorrow since I have no pressing things on my work schedule), or work on a bigger project (such as building a green house or gardening).
• I make lists. There are always more things to do either for preparedness purposes, for business purposes, or social purposes. I try to capture these things on a list (so my brain doesn't explode) and then chip away at the list whenever I have time. Among the things on my giant "to do" list: start practicing weekly for a spring shooting competition, I want to bike from Canada to Mexico so preps for that trip are on the list, develop more sources of passive income, things that I have offered to do to help others out, etc.
• There are many things I do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual schedule. Daily: exercise, take vitamins, do all email, update this blog and related website, etc. Weekly: add to my food and supplies stockpile, home projects (painting, up keep, additional safety measures), etc. Monthly: test the smoke alarms, take a look at the fire extinguishers, check on my finances, etc. Annually: clean the chimney, clean/rotate/reorganize all stockpile areas of our home, etc.
• I never pass up an opportunity to learn something new or have a new experience. I make it a point to always make time in my schedule to take advantage of anything that will make me more educated, more prepared, more knowledgeable, or add to my skills--you never know when these things will come in handy. For example, volunteering at the theater in the costume department gave me some great tips for disguises; backpacking a good portion of the Cascades taught me many survival skills, and interviewing illegal immigrants gave me a whole new insight into these people's survival skills.

The bottom line is to make everything you do a part of your preparedness repertoire. Everything you do from cooking a meal to learning a new language to plumbing a house will give you the skills you may need in a future survival situation.

Holding Our Politicians Accountable

Our politicians work for us. Unfortunately, I don't think many of them have a) read the Constitution, b) realize they have constituents to answer to, and c) been contacted (en mass) by their constituents. We need to change this. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3...

#1--Find out who represents you at www.congress.org

#2--Look at the issues that either impact you directly or have a negative impact on our country, our rights, and/or our future. Here's some examples:

• 'Financial Crisis Buries DoJ Bombshell'
• 'Inside Account of US Eavesdropping on Americans'

#3--Make your views known. Put your thoughts together either in writing or verbally (the more passionate and articulate the better) and contact your legislators by mail, email, fax, phone, or in person. Get your friends to do the same. Post your thoughts in your blog. Spread the word. Vote. Support the candidates that support your views. Join a protest. Sign a petition.

To Get Your Mind Off of the Economy...Here's Some Cool Travel Links

Sometimes when the world seems like it is going to crap, people (like me) start to think about chucking it all and just traveling around the world for a year or two. Unfortunately, I always need time to plan, and being the responsible type that I am I can hardly just sell everything and leave. Besides, the spouse has a dislike of extreme change and uncertainty. So anyway, while I am slowly planning my round the world sabbatical, I content myself with checking out some really good travel websites and blogs. Here's some of the best, or most interesting things I've found recently:

• A Cross Country Road Trip Captured in Time Lapse
• Rolf's Blog
• The New Finance Your Freedom Blog
• A Cool Family Vacation Idea: Family on Bikes
• Greg Rodgers
• 5 Creative Uses for a Bidet
• Letterboxing
• VA's Blog (not travel related but funny as hell)

20 Reasons NOT to Panic During the Current Economic Crisis

Everywhere I have been in the last week--from board meetings at a multi-national companies and government agencies to board meetings at small non profits to overhearing conversations at the local grocery stores--the only thing being talked about, usually with voices tinged with a bit of panic, is the economy. Mostly, people are talking about worst case scenarios and scaring not only themselves but everyone else. Panic seems to have a ripple effect and even those who haven't been directly impacted by anything negative will send themselves into a tizzy of panic and when people take actions based on fear the result usually isn't good. Here's some reasons why you shouldn't panic over the current economic situation:

1. Now is a great time to invest in stocks. Even though the market is tanking, many companies that provide things people NEED such as food processors, fuel, cell phones, etc. are still going to be profitable.
2. Now is a great time to hold stocks in the companies listed above. As we saw after the Great Depression, the stock in solid companies was once again valuable after the market rebounded.
3. After bad times, things get better.
4. If you don't experience bad times, you don't appreciate the good times.
5. Challenging times allow you to change things. Maybe you had a job that was driving you to an early grave; after a layoff you can actually look at some jobs that fit you better without the pressure to keep a job that wasn't right for you.
6. Challenges are fun. Always having every thing just so puts you into a rut and things get B O R I N G. Even though times are tough, the challenge of living through them shows you what you (and your family) are made of and you appreciate your ability to rise the the occasion of any challenge that comes along.
7. People are getting back to reality. Reality is not living on credit cards, reality is not having a 3500 square foot house with an interest only sub prime loan, reality is not driving a BMW on a lease when you can really only afford a used Toyota. After everything shakes out, people will be living in reality instead of a fantasy land.
8. Businesses are getting back to reality. Does it make sense to give someone with a $30,000 a year income a credit card with a $10,000 limit? Does it make sense to make a car loan to someone for a brand new car who is way upside down on their current loan--just rolling over the debt has to end sometime and that time is now.
9. If you get laid off, you get to spend more time with your kids. This is critical for raising good kids, yet with two income families being the norm, kids are often given little attention (other than cash to buy the latest video game). Kids would much rather have their parents play a game with them, take them to the park, help them with their homework, or just talk about their dreams with them instead of having a brand new car, huge house, and stressed out parents.
10. It's all about attitude. I couldn't believe a recent news story about a man who killed his entire family and himself just because of money problems. So what if you lose everything? If you've made it once you can make it again and if you have a family with you, you have the best support system possible.
11. This is an excellent time to explore your own backyard. I have been all over the world yet there are at least 50 famous tourist attractions in my own part of the country that I've never seen. I'm making up a list and will be hitting the local tourist sites over the next few months.
12. There are always opportunities for new ways to make money. During tough times, new writers who focus on money saving books and articles can make lots of money selling their ideas to the public. People will repair their shoes instead of buying a new pair thus giving work to shoe repair shops. More people are looking for bargains so discount stores and garage sales see a surge of shoppers.
13. Priorities change from work, spending, family, health to health, family, work, spending. The latter makes more sense.
14. If you are alive you have hope. I get to see people whose children, siblings, friends, and spouses have been killed. Dead means there is no more hope. Alive means there is hope. If you are reading this, there is hope for whatever situation you currently happen to be in.
15. Maybe people will get healthier. If you can't afford a car, walk, ride a bike, or take a bus. If you are home instead of working at a desk maybe you will play with your kids more and get more exercise. If you are cooking at home more instead of eating out, maybe you will eat more nutritious food. You get the picture...
16. People always dream of a simpler life. Now they will have that opportunity.
17. Job loss, the stress of change, hard times in general are humbling experiences. Humbling experiences are good for the soul.
18. Our economy, while having some major problem areas, is also basically sound. People work, people spend money, people have businesses, people like their iPods...this is the stuff of an economy.
19. You can lead the pack. People are afraid to do things differently because they are afraid of what their friends will think; now you can make radical changes, blame it on the current economic situation, and people will think you are a genius on the cutting edge.
20. Nothing stays the same. Continual change is the nature of life so you can't stop change anyway. You can embrace change or get run over by it--you get to decide how you will react to it.

Anyway, even in the midst of really horrible times, panic is the very last thing you want to do. Keep your wits, courage, creativity, and good attitude about you and things will be fine.

Helping Others During Tough Times

With the economy being the center of everyone's conversation and an entire country (Iceland) on the verge of bankruptcy, I don't need to tell you that times are tough for many people. Even though times are tough, however, I still feel it is important to help others.
Personally, I feel it necessary to tithe each month, it is just something I have always done and something I will continue to do. Also, I feel that it is my duty, as a human being and as a citizen in my community, to help others. Now is probably when helping others is most needed, however during tough financial times, people, logically, want to hold on to what they have as much as possible. This means not donating food to the food banks, not supporting community non-profits, and not helping out those in need. It's kind of a Catch-22. Here's some ways you can help others in your circle of friends, family, and community (and it won't cost you a lot!):

• Offer to babysit if an unemployed neighbor needs to go apply for a job or just needs a bit of stress-relief time.
• Cook a double-sized dinner and bring the other half to a neighbor.
• Look at the loss leaders at your local store and pick up enough to drop off a bag of food to your local food bank.
• Donate blood or platelets--this could save the life of someone you don't even know.
• If you have a group of friends or neighbors with kids (or adults) who are of similar taste and size, organize a clothes swap once a season.
• Volunteer your time at a local non-profit.
• Get together with friends and share tools and other items which will save them (and you) the price of buying hardly used items.
• Research ways to save money and share ideas with friends and family members.
• If someone you know works hard but has fallen on difficult times and needs one-time help, consider giving without expectation of it being returned if you can afford it.

The idea is to get creative and to give back. No matter how hard times are, helping others is a rewarding, valuable experience.

How My Grandparents Survived the Great Depression--Part 1

My grandparents were young adults during the Great Depression. Although they have been dead for quite a while, at this particular point in time, I really wish I would have asked them more about their lives during different periods of time, particularly the Great Depression. Since I basically grew up with them, however, I clearly remember many things they did that I believe were a result of living through the Depression. Here's what they did...

1. They never went to a restaurant; they ate at home unless there was a family/church potluck or some other such event.
2. They grew much of their own food; they always had a huge garden.
3. Food was also caught, shot, or just got--fish, shellfish, deer, elk--if it was hunt-able or catch-able, it usually ended up on the table.
4. They saved everything--from balls of yarn and wrapping paper to old appliances "just in case".
5. They shopped garage sales.
6. If they did need to go to the store, it was either for "loss leader" sale items or they went to the 5 and Dime (kind of like Dollar Stores today), never department stores.
7. They went were there was work. I can't even list all of the jobs they had between the two of them but if there was work to be had, they did it. I remember going to CCC reunion picnics into the 1980's--this was a huge depression-era work program which my grandfather joined when there was no other work to do.
8. Entertainment was done at home with whatever was available--chess, checkers, Monopoly, making forts out of blankets, making tree forts, playing music, etc.
9. They had no debts. Credit cards weren't available then and they never took out a loan from the bank.
10. They lived below their means--they always had cash on hand and never spent all of the money they had because they didn't know when there would be more money to be had.
11. They paid cash for their land and house. They started with a tiny piece of land and a house that was ready to fall over and then made improvements as money and materials were available. They sold that house and bought something a bit better and bigger with cash of course. They ended up in their sixties with a beautiful home on acreage (note that they didn't buy this in their 20's the way many people do these days).
12. If something wasn't broke they didn't replace it. Grandma had a refrigerator that rumbled and shook with each cycle--it was from the early '40s and still worked until she died in the '90s.
13. They worked when they needed to work but I also remember many lazy summer days spent on a blanket under a huge tree in their yard--relaxation was also important.
14. Hand-me-downs were the rule. The oldest kid got clothes from thrift stores and garage sales then they were passed down to the next kid and the next.
15. They were always welcoming company to their home. Friends and relatives regularly stopped by and grandma always had fresh-baked deserts on hand.
16. They were very giving. If a family came to their U-pick farm and looked like they couldn't afford much, they didn't charge them much and would often throw in other things from their garden to help them out.
17. Health was important--farm fresh food, not processed stuff, outdoor activities such as camping/archery/swimming, and good old fashioned care such as chicken soup and staying in bed when you were coming down with a cold was what kept the entire family quite healthy into their old age.
18. Work was done with a positive, happy attitude. Whether it was repairing the house, canning fruit and vegetables, or weeding the garden, it was looked on as a way to help the family and as a part of life, not a huge chore that people tried to avoid.
19. They had a way of acquiring interesting things--plant starts from friends, interesting rocks that decorated their yard from the mountains, books on every imaginable topic--for free or very cheap.
20. They made do with what they had. If we didn't have gloves and it was snowing, we used grandpa's big wool socks on our hands--they served the same purpose and saved money too.
21. Grandpa was a deal maker. Trading, bartering, asking for a better deal--if there was a good deal to be had, he was all over it.
22. They worked together and worked things out when there were problems. Back then people didn't get divorced over every little thing. Plus the house was so small everyone pretty much had to get along because you couldn't get away from each other, especially during the winter when we were all in the living room (the only warm room in the house) in front of the wood stove.
23. Food never went bad--left overs were always eaten the next day or turned into something new (ie: salmon for dinner, salmon soup for lunch the next day, salmon cakes for dinner, and the cats got the bones).
24. Grandpa never invested in the stock market, he liked tangible things--land, animals, firearms, guitars, tools, etc.
25. They developed many sale-able skills. Grandma could cook, bake, sew, can, take care of kids, etc. Grandpa could weld, tame horses, work the land, put on events (dances, music events, etc).

Computer Preps

Every month, round about the last week/first week or whenever I have wrapped up my work for the month (which means all of the 'favorites' in the favorites files have been processed and most of the files that have been downloaded over the past month have been processed), I have a little system I go through in order to keep my computer organized, backed up, and running well. Here's what I do:

1. Transfer any files that I have created/updated on my travel computer onto my desktop (which is actually a laptop) computer. I try to transfer these files via email as soon as I am done with them so I don't forget which I have worked on.
2. Export all of my contact information from my email account into a folder on my desktop computer. Having this file is an excellent back up in case my email program decides to go "toes up".
3. Organize all of the documents on my desktop by putting any electronic files that are in the "My Documents" folder into the appropriate folder so when you look in "My Documents" all you see is neatly organized files.
4. Delete all of the documents (except music files) from my travel laptop.
5. Copy all of the files (except music files) from my desktop onto an 8g thumb drive then transfer all of these files onto the travel laptop.
6. Put the 8g thumb drive into a safe location away from my home.
7. Set the two computers side by side and do the following: empty the recycle bins, go to Internet Options and delete all browsing history, click on 'windows update' and update any needed files, go to 'Accessories' then 'System Tools' and run the disk cleanup and disc defragment programs, run an anti-virus scan, run an Ad-Aware scan.

That's about it--pretty basic stuff. My main goal is to not have to panic if my computer implodes for some reason--the blue screen of death should be an inconvenience instead of a major life crisis. Also, every so often I will go through and change all passwords (to access my computers, to access email, to access online accounts, etc). Of course any time you are working with very sensitive information, I highly recommend doing this on a second hard drive which can be totally disassociated from your computer and stored in a secure location.

Results of the First CNI Poll--Food Preps

The first poll went well. It kind of gave a snapshot of how people are preparing, at least by having food stored for a disaster, and I think the results may just mirror how prepared our larger society is. Here's the results and some commentary:

The Question: How much food do you have put aside for a disaster?

Answer #1--Enough to get by until payday. 17 votes
Answer #2--Enough to cover one month of meals. 45 votes
Answer #3--Enough for six months and increasing. 31 votes
Answer #4--Enough for a year or more. 3 votes

This data looks pretty much, I think, like how prepared people are in general. You see quite a few people chose number one which should not be too surprising judging by the huge increase in need that food banks have seen in the last year. People don't have enough food to make it from paycheck to paycheck and are therefore relying on food banks to help them make it until the next payday. The scary part about this is that during a disaster, food banks won't be available so it is imperative to build up some type of food stores, even if you need to sell whatever spare stuff is on hand on Craigslist and buy a huge bag of rice and a huge bag of beans. At least you would have something to eat for a week or so until help arrives.
Having a month of food stored was the most popular answer. This is great. It is much more than the government's recommendation to have three day's worth of food available and can give a family something to fall back on during a job layoff, illness, windstorm, or other short-term disaster.
Having six month's worth of food stored was the second most popular answer. It is reassuring that so many people, slightly less than 25%, are prepared to this extent.
Finally the hard-core survivalists who could sustain themselves and their families by having a year's worth or more food on hand were only three. I think this reflects general society where there will only be a handful of ultra-prepared people who will be able to take care of the majority of their needs without outside assistance.
Thanks for participating!

Holiday Preps

The holidays are just around the corner and it looks like it will be a lean season for many in our country. Here's some ways to get a jump on the holidays:

• Spread your purchases out over a longer period of time. Need eight bags of candy by Halloween? If you buy two bags a week for the next four weeks, you will have the candy you need without running out at the last minute and spending a whole bunch of money all at once. Putting together a Thanksgiving dinner that would feed an army? Start now adding some of the ingredients for the dinner to your shopping basket and you will be ahead of the game. Need a dozen gifts by Christmas? Buy a couple with each paycheck until Christmas and you will be all set for gifts by the time the end of December rolls around.
• Get the most bang for your buck. Start with Dollar Stores for your basic needs (ie: you can buy a cute serving platter at Macys for $45 or a faux serving platter at the Dollar Store for a buck; the food and camaraderie are what's important, not how much you spent on a plate). Also shop sales as holiday food stuff comes out and head to the thrift stores for things such as holiday decorations and Halloween costumes.
• Be creative. Instead of throwing a huge turkey bash like you always have done (and footing the bill just because you always have done so) why not have a holiday potluck? Instead of shelling out big bucks for plastic Halloween costumes, get creative and make them yourself. Instead of running out at the last minute to the corner Christmas tree stand, why not pay $5 for a permit and take the family out to local forest land and cut your own?
• Scale back on the consumerism. Shopping (even on Thanksgiving Days at some stores) and buying outrageous gifts have pretty much been the norm over the past decade or so, however with tough economic times, maybe people will realize that it is the joy and the people in your life that make the holidays not how much you spend.
• Resolve to skip the pressure and holiday blues that can often occur at this time of year. If you are lonely, invite friends over or volunteer at a local homeless shelter and cheer up other people who need it. Be happy to only do what you can do--many people have unrealistic expectations for the holidays and are depressed when they don't meet these expectations. Do things for others like helping a neighbor hang their Christmas lights or baking cookies for the local fire department staff or nursing home residents--the appreciation you will receive for such small things will truly show you the joy of the season.

A Question and an Answer

I recently received this email from a reader:

I just started a CERT training course and stumbled on your site last weekend I have already learned an enormous amount from it. I really appreciate your work.My question basically is about the rest of us - the ones who are not ex-military, not willing to shoot people, not willing to live in the woods,not big and strong. Are we all just a writeoff when TSHTF - collateral damage.I am storing food, cash, gold coins and now, all the survival gear that you recommend. But the reality is I am a 64 year old woman who weighs 110 lbs and lives in a senior mobile home park.I was born in England during the war so I know that people can live through hard times. But they did it by government rationing and supply and mutual cooperation. The difference here and now is that there will be no government help and people here are so aggressive and lawless. In one of the comments I just read someone said that a study showed that people will steal food after3 days and kill for food after 7 days. So what hope is there for people like me? Am I wasting my time getting all this gear? Should I stick my head back in the sand like everyone else?

Here's my answer:

First of all, congratulations on taking the CERT (community emergency response team) training, that is a wonderful way to get prepared. Although I write about preparedness, my hobby is preparedness, my work entails preparedness, and I am in awe of people who could survive being totally isolated for a year because of their skills, preps, and efforts, some of the people that I feel who will best be able to weather any difficulty, are also the least likely to look/act like survivalists (and are the least "officially" prepared). These people include the older people in our community who still remember how to survive hard times with creativity and ingenuity instead of cash and stored preps, illegal immigrants who can walk with literally only the clothes on their backs from Central America through Mexico to the US then find jobs and a place to live and food for themselves and their family all without the help of anyone (including the government), and the single mother with a passel of kids who can get by on barely anything--money and supplies included.
There are plenty of people in your exact situation and all you can do is what you can do--some basic preparedness skills, having some extra food and water on hand, talking to your friends, neighbors, and family members to both build close bonds with them and plan some shared efforts during a disaster, and using your mind instead of your brawn or a weapon.
Some final thoughts...People will survive--they have survived plagues, genocide (think Nazis and what is currently happening in Africa), and other horrible conditions. Preparation can only take you so far (what happens when your preps run out?)--ingenuity, social skills, and attitude can take you much further. People are generally good--they want to help those in need as shown in the many recent disasters. Fear makes people behave irrationally and become depressed--instead of listening to the news that seems to find pleasure in inciting fear and worrying that you aren't doing enough, make the preps that seem logical to you and spend the rest of your time enjoying your life.

How Long Can I Take Care of Myself and My Family?

That's a good question. How long could you remain cut off from the world and be able to take care of yourself and your family? Whether it is a treacherous, multi-day storm, a week-long bank closure (see comments in last post), or a smallpox outbreak which requires isolation and quarantine, being able to stay home for anywhere from one day to one month or longer may actually happen some time. Are you prepared? Here are some things to do:

1. Pay your bills in full each month. Next have enough money on hand to cover your bills for the coming month. Finally, save enough to cover six month's worth of bills. This amount of money should be in the bank, not laying around your home. It's a good idea to be able to pay as many bills online as possible.
2. Have enough extra food on hand to cover a week's worth of meals. Continue to add enough food to cover a month's worth of meals. Next, strive to have enough food for six months or more.
3. Ditto for supplies (toilet paper, soap, etc).
4. Have money in the bank but also have cash secured at home (anywhere from $500 to $10,000) in case of emergency. Even if you only have some spare change in a jar, start today to build your emergency fund. Have a garage sale, sell stuff on EBay, get a second job, whatever it takes to have a cushion of savings.
5. Do what you can to prepare for residual problems caused by such an extended period at home or without services. Securing my home would be a high priority. Extra ammo would by on my (but not everyone's) priority list. Learn about basic first aid. See if your doctor will give you three month prescriptions for any medical conditions you or your family members have so that you will have extra meds on hand. Develop a nice library and include cards, games, and other things to keep people entertained. Have extra fuel stored for the car in case none is available locally. Depending on the type of disaster, you may need to have alternate sources of water, and alternate heating and cooking appliances available.

And now for the flip side of all of the fear and craziness that has been happening lately...read this.

Paranoia? Maybe...Maybe Not

Either I'm losing it or our government is...and I don't think it's me...

• Exhibit A: Pre-Election Militarization of the North American Homeland
• Exhibit B: Watch this video and this video