5 New Years Resolutions (That Will Help Avert the Most Common Causes of Death)

Most people become preppers because they want to be able to keep themselves and their families safe from harm.  And when they think of harm, all manner of problems come to mind (rape, robbery, active shooters, kidnapping, et al).  But when you look at the actual statistics of how people die in the US, you will find that the most common causes of death have nothing at all to do with the aforementioned threats.  In actuality, people's bad health habits have much more to do with their future causes of death than any social/political/economic/etc issue.

First, check out this list of how people actually die in the US.

Then, consider that if you can avoid accidents (a declining cause of death) and suicide (unfortunately, an increasing cause of death), the rest of the top 15 causes rest heavily on how you treat your own body.

With that in mind, here are five New Year's Resolutions you may want to consider (that can do more for preventing your untimely death than, say, having a nice collection of firearms or a stockpile of food).

1. Walk everyday.  For at least an hour, preferably longer.
2. Engage in other physical activities.  Consider this list of sports.  Consider what you need to motivate yourself to do these sports (join a bowling league to keep you accountable, set a big goal like a mini triathlon and work towards that goal, join a hiking club, etc).
3. Make your diet healthy.  The paleo diet and the Mediterranean diet seem to be the most popular.  Both seem to limit junk food and both seem to limit mixing starchy carbs with protein.
4. Stop eating junk food (easy to say, not so easy to do when you consider more than 50% of the stuff in stores these days is junk).
5. Reduce stress.  Stress negatively impacts nearly every facet of your life if you don't get a handle on it.

Merry Christmas!

A quick post to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and to thank you for reading/supporting both this blog and the CNI website.

10 Things to Give Your Guests

We've been inundated with house guests the past week or so (hence the lack of posts lately).  As with anything, we are as prepared for guests as we are for winter emergencies and car trips.  Here's 10 things we do to prepare for guests:

1. Ensure the guest rooms and guest bathroom are ready (cleaned, fresh sheets, working smoke detectors, flashlights with fresh batteries next to their beds, etc).
2. Have a stock of supplies for our guests (extra toothbrushes, extra tooth paste, shampoo, soap, etc).
3. Put our firearms away (our firearms are within easy reach in nearly every room of our home; with people other than the spouse and I at home I secure them all in a gun cabinet).
4. Have a handful of spare house keys made (our general policy is that people who come to visit are given a key to the house and are encouraged to come and go as they please).
5. Have a quick run though of our home systems with the guests (how the TVs work, how the heating/air conditioning system works, how the home security system works, etc).
6. Maps (while most guests have GPS in their cars, some don't.  We keep a supply of maps of Las Vegas on hand then when they ask about places they want to go, we whip out a map, make notes, and give it to them).
7. Things to do (ditto, most guests already have a plan for what they want to do but we keep a list of weekly events that are happening around town on hand so they will have other options if needed).
8. Show tickets (we have a couple of subscription services for show tickets which provide free last minute show tickets and offer these to our guests if they want them).
9. Food (we--um, the spouse--cooks like crazy for any guests we have.  Generally we provide a big breakfast and dinner for guests then they are on their own for lunch.  This is one way we rotate through our stored food and one reason our food stockpile is made up of food that, unlike MREs, we can easily add into our general cooking).
10. Water (we live in a desert so it is second nature to stockpile water and provide it to guests for both drinking while they are at the house and to take with them as they gallivant around the city). 

10 Ways to Make Some Extra Money for Christmas

With exactly ten days until Christmas, people are either kicked back and relaxed because they are done Christmas shopping or fearful and stressed out because they aren't.  With the extra tight economy this year, lack of money can play a roll in the stressed out part when it comes to gathering up gifts for friends and family.  Here's ten quick ways to raise some cash for Christmas:

1. Sell stuff on Craigslist.  Many people have taken to Craigslist as a way to stretch their Christmas shopping dollars so if you have stuff to sell, now might be a good time to sell it.
2. Sell gold.  Even small amounts of broken gold jewelry can bring in quite a lot of cash.
3. Sell blood.  While you shouldn't have to pop open a vein in order to buy Christmas presents, it is still an option.
4. Offer your services.  With terrible weather hitting much of the country, it does allow one to make a bit of extra cash doing everything from shoveling walk ways to driving fearful commuters to work if you have a four-wheel drive.
5. Babysit.  Many parents would love a few hours of alone time during the busy holidays to finish their holiday shopping, wrap gifts, bake, etc, all without having kids underfoot.
6. Rent out your truck (with you as the driver of course).  This can be useful for people who have small cars yet want to haul home a Christmas tree, bring home a new appliance, schlep lots of stuff to a party, etc.
7. Rent out a room in your home.  When people have too many holiday guests or when people want to escape the holiday season and visit a touristy area (such as Las Vegas) they are now just as likely to check out AirBnB as they are to hit up hotel.com.  List your home on AirBnB if you are so inclined and rake in a bit of holiday cash.
8. Go trash picking.  The end of the year can often be "out with the old, in with the new" time.  If you just happen to drive by neighborhoods the evening before garbage day you might find everything from chairs and tables discarded to make way for a new set to odds and ends, all of which can be cleaned up and posted for sale on Craigslist.  Note universities are a good place to trash pick at this time of year as it is the end of the semester and some students are leaving for good; the often throw out perfectly good, perfectly sale-able items.
9. House sit/pet sit.  When folks head out of town for the holidays they often have to scramble to find someone to care for their pets.  Ditto for their homes.  If you are good with animals, pet sitting or even ranch sitting may be just the way to make some extra cash.  
10. Sell your crafts.  There are still plenty of holiday craft fares where you can sell your homemade wares to people looking for unique gifts.  Note for a non-mobile selling opportunity consider selling on etsy.

Should You Buy Your Child a Gun For Christmas?

For the masses who are now quite urbanized and whose only effort to put meat on the table has to do with the grocery store, that question is like asking if you should put plutonium in your kid's stocking for Christmas.

Back in the dark ages (when I was a kid), it was a no-brainer to get your kid a gun for significant occasions.  We lived in a rural area, EVERYONE had guns (across the back window in their pickup truck, behind the front door, on the back porch, next to the bed, etc), and it was basically a right of passage that people didn't miss out on.  Around five years of age, a kid would get a BB gun for Christmas.  A few year and much practice with gun handling later, a .22 rifle would follow.  As kids got older and more into the sport, their Christmas wish list got a bit more extravagant (30.06, 9mm handgun, and then the stuff that made the adults laugh...a Desert Eagle, an AR...basically stuff that cost more than a few mortgage payments).  By the time you were an adult, you may have amassed a pretty good assortment of firearms--many that you used for practice, others that you used for hunting, some that you even used for competition if you were so predisposed.

Which brings us to the present day where giving a gun to a kid is closely correlated in most people's minds with death/prisons/gangs/etc.  This is an unfortunate mindset because I know a lot of kids who are expert hunters, can do some nifty things with gun-smithing and reloading, and a few who have even earned college scholarships with their firearms skills.

Here are my "guidelines" of a sort for buying firearms for kids:

• If the firearm is not for MY kid (nieces and nephews for some reason usually ask me for firearms for birthdays/Christmas/graduation etc) I will only give it if it is explicitly OKed by their parents, I KNOW that their parents are very safety conscious/very experienced with firearms, and the kid is knowledgeable with firearms AND an overall responsible kid (there are a couple of kids in the family tree I wouldn't trust with a water gun).
• The firearm has to be age appropriate and appropriate to the recipient's handling skills.  There is a progression for owning firearms and it begins with the basics--a bb gun, a 22 rifle, a .410 shotgun--before they move on to the big stuff.
• The recipient needs to have a safe place to store the firearm (a locked gun cabinet that they can't access without a parent's permission in most cases) and a safe place to use it (with a parent at the range or while hunting).
• I need to be relatively certain that the recipient will practice with their firearm regularly (there is no sense in having a gun you never practice with and don't know how to use).
• The recipient needs to actually SHOW me they have learned some skill with their firearm (knowing how to handle it safely, how to take it apart clean it and put it back together, for grandkids who live across the country I get the occasional target in the mail with impressive cluster shots on it ).
• The firearm can't go to someone who lives in a house where there is someone with: a felony record, a history of mental health issues, a history of domestic violence issues, a history of very poor judgement, etc.  That's just asking for trouble even if the kid is a model citizen.
• The recipient has to go through a firearms safety course (yes I or one of my sons may impart a great deal of wisdom when it comes to firearms use and safety to the grandkids but kids are way more prone to listen to someone "new" than to someone they hear harping on gun safety ad infinitum).  Every bit of knowledge they can get is good.
• Besides regular practice, I encourage the recipient to participate in youth shooting leagues, volunteer at the gun range, go hunting with a responsible adult, and otherwise make owning a firearm part of a lifestyle not just something to have to show off to their friends.

Fortunately (knocking on wood) our kids and grandkids, nieces and nephews have been responsible gun owners.  Many grew up to be good hunters, a few put their skills to work with the military, and others decided they weren't that into firearms which is OK too.  Safety can not be stressed too much when it comes to kids and firearms.  Finally, if you do decided to get your child a firearm for Christmas, don't forget to include eye and ear protection. 

10 Random Things to Do This Weekend

In an effort to post everyday (and having nothing earth shattering happening news-wise today) I give you ten random things to do this weekend:

1. Go to a 24-hour micro adventure challenge.  This should make your weekend more interesting.
2. Challenge your own preconceptions with this "ignorance" test.
3. Remember this clever use for floor mats; it may come in handy this winter.
4. See how well you know the countries of Europe.
5. Pull your credit reports for free from the big three companies (always a good thing to do at least once a year to make sure your credit hasn't been jacked).
6. Create a modular go bag; I'm sure you have one already, this system adds a bit of refinement.
7. Watch a TED talk (there's some amazing stuff there).  Here's some to get you started.
8. Plan to send yourself to summer camp, ideas here, here, and here.
9. Reexamine your financial situation.
10. Or you may want to go big and do the Clean Sweep Program.

A Reminder About Triple-Redundant Back-Up Plans

Sometimes I am so prepared I amaze myself.  Other times I am so unprepared I want to smack myself in the head.  Case in point, Yahoo email has been down since Sunday night (even though the article says it went down late Monday evening--it was more like Sunday).  This wouldn't have been a problem for most people (the most people who use GMail for example) but since I have had Yahoo mail since the dark ages--about 15 years and counting--it turned into a problem for me.

Besides missing a couple of important emails, I needed to quickly access a couple of addresses which are kept in my Yahoo email contacts.  I couldn't access these addresses through my computer or through my tablet or cell phone.  Then I remembered I had exported the contact info into an .xls file.  Seeking this file out though I realized that #1 the last time I backed up this file in was in early 2010 and #2 that some of the important information, like the overseas addresses that I needed which don't fit the standard data format anyway, was missing.  With a bit of searching (which included digging a recently received package out of the garbage can to get the sender's address and digging though an old box of letters for another) I was able to get the addresses I needed and sent the packages on their way.

Needless to say, the triple-redundant back-up plan would have saved me quite a bit of aggravation.

To remedy this problem, whenever you are doing something, think "how would I do this if I couldn't use this particular process?".   Examples:

• If you are frying up a steak on the stove, consider that you could also fry this steak on the outdoor grill if the stove didn't work and if neither of those worked you could fire up the camp stove.
• If you are using toilet paper in the bathroom you may consider using a box of wet wipes if there is no toilet paper or using a pee rag or (as many people do around the world) use your hand.
• If you are driving to work, you my consider alternate means of transportation, not only to use in an emergency if your car breaks down but these alternate methods could actually save you a lot of money if used regularly (ie: take the city bus, ride your bike, walk, car pool, etc).
• If you are shopping consider what would happen if the system goes down and you can't use your credit card to pay for a purchase (hint: would a different type of card work such as AmEx instead of Visa or Mastercard, do you have cash in your wallet or a reserve check?  If not, you can always pull out the hidden $100 in cash you always carry for emergencies).
• If the power goes out how would you keep the family entertained?  If you can't use electronic means to entertain them consider alternatives such as musical instruments, playing cards, books, outside games such as hide and seek or tag or basketball, etc.

In my case, there are a number of things I should have done in order to avoid the aggravation of Yahoo mail going down.  I should have (will):

• Made sure all of the contacts I have on Yahoo mail are also in GMail as well (that way I could have sent out a message to people I was expecting emails from about the situation).
• Backed up all of my contacts electronically (in something other than a ,xls file) and then checked to be sure that all of the information was actually backed up and not missing.
• Printed out a hard copy of all of my contacts and kept it in a file folder.

Triple redundancy...it's a good thing.

How to Survive in the Winter Wilderness

There was some very good news on my news reader this morning--this family that had been missing in the snowy wilderness was found healthy and happy.  That doesn't always happen.  Each winter it is pretty much a given that there will be people wrecked/lost in the wilderness and help often comes too late (ie: this example.  Interesting follow up to this case here.).  Here are some ways to improve your odds of rescue if you are found in a similar situation:

• Think twice before going into the wilderness during the winter (you need a whole different set of survival skills than you need in the summer)
• Know where you are going and obey all signs (road closed, etc)
• Leave your itinerary with a responsible person and call them when you get to where you are going.  They will know to summon help if you don't contact them within a reasonable amount of time.
• Keep a car cell phone charger in your vehicle to keep your cell phone charged (helps when pinging the phone in a search situation)
• Make sure your car is well stocked for an unexpected multi-day survival event (extra food, water, blankets, emergency kit, first aid kit, flashlight, toilet paper, matches, flares, etc)
• Make sure your car is in good working order (good tires, tire chains, engine in good repair, etc) 
• Have some experience camping in all weather conditions (you can't beat actual experience when it comes to winter camping)
• Don't leave your vehicle if at all possible (a vehicle is easier to spot by search crews than a person)
• Figure out how to signal for help (this can range from sending smoke signals to tying fluorescent streamers to the top of your vehicle).
• Focus on the basics (staying hydrated, staying fed if possible, staying warm, keeping a positive attitude)
• Do some research.  Start here, here, and here.

20 Christmas Gift Ideas

As I've been perusing a multitude of online sites hunting down Christmas gifts for everyone on my list, I figured I would share some items that I find particularly useful/interesting. Note: the links are affiliate links that support CNI.  Note also: the spouse says I seem to have a one track mind when it comes to Christmas gifts.

1. Flashlight. 
MAGLITE GX01016 Lite Pack 3-Cell D Flashlight and 2-Cell AA Mini Flashlight
2. First aid kit.
Adventure Medical Kits Day Tripper First Aid Kit
3. NOAA/Emergency radio.
Ambient Weather WR-111B Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger with NOAA Certified Weather Alert & Cables
4. Emergency water filtration system.
Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
5. Handheld GPS.
Garmin Oregon 450 Handheld GPS Navigator
6. Bear spray.
SABRE FRONTIERSMAN Bear Attack Deterrent with Hip Holster - Maximum Strength & Maximum Range - 35 Feet (9.2 oz)
7. Daypack.
Osprey Stratos 34 Backpack, Shale Black, Medium
8. Buck knife.
Buck 110BRS Fld Hunting 3-3/4"
9. Pocketknife.
Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker and Classic Knife Combo
10. Multi tool.
Leatherman Wave Black Oxide Finish Multi Tool with Nylon MOLLE Sheath , 830246
11. Basic tool set.
Stanley 94-248 65-Piece General Homeowner's Tool Set
12. Bicycle.
Schwinn Discover Men's Hybrid Bike (700C Wheels)
13. Sleeping bag.
Kelty Cosmic Down 20-Degree Sleeping Bag, Red, 6-Feet
14. Solar charger.
Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit
15. Knife sharpener.
Lansky PS-MED01 BladeMedic
16. Fire steel.
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Army 12,000 Strike Fire Starter with Emergency Whistle - Orange
17. Backpacking stove.
Flash Personal Cooking System, Carbon
18. Water purification tablets.
Aquamira Water Treatment Drops 1oz
19. Emergency food supply.
Mountain House Just In Case - Classic Assortment Bucket (Pack of 12)
20. Emergency heater.
Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater

Tis the Season...For House Fires

As the weather gets colder--and right now it is freezing in most of the country--the number of house fires increase.  To keep your home and family safe this season, consider these safety tips:

• ALWAYS having working smoke detectors in your home (there should be one on each floor and one in each bedroom.  Be sure to change the batteries regularly as well).
• Make sure to keep combustibles far away from all heat sources (no flapping curtains near the wood stove or fireplace, locate space heaters where they won't be in close proximity to flammable items, etc).
• If you do use space heaters, be sure to check the cord regularly to make sure it isn't overheating and make sure it is of the newer variety that will shut off if it is tipped over.
• Keep your Christmas tree well watered and never use candles on it as decoration.
• If you do use candles in your home (on the dinner table, as decoration, for religious rituals) never leave them unattended and be sure they are extinguished before leaving the room).
• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
• Be sure to have your fireplace/wood stove and chimney flue cleaned regularly, and always use both a fire screen in front of the hearth and a spark arrestor on the top of the chimney.
• Have a home fire escape plan and drill it regularly.
• Never cook inside on or heat your home with outdoor appliances (barbecue grills, outdoor firepits, camp stoves, etc).  Not only are these a fire hazard but they are a carbon monoxide poisoning hazard too.
• Have a fire extinguisher on each level of your home and know how to use it.
• Check Christmas lights for signs of defect or overheating.  Also, make sure that outlets are not overloaded which can cause a fire.
• Be extra careful when cooking.  It's the holidays, you have a bunch of people in your kitchen, you get distracted, and before you know it, your kitchen goes up in flames!  Always watch what you are cooking so it doesn't boil over/catch on fire.  Keep kids and pets away from not only the stove/oven but the fireplace/wood stove as well.  Don't wear loose, dangling clothing while cooking.
• If you really need a deep fried turkey/turduckin/whatever, consider having it professionally cooked instead of doing it at home.
• If you are lighting the annual family Christmas bonfire, NEVER use gas to start it!  For some reason people think that lighting the gas (liquid) will start a fire, but it is actually the vapors which explode (think internal combustion engine) if you get a match anywhere in the vicinity.
• Even if your home is overflowing with guests, never allow them to sleep in a room (ie: storage room, closet) that only has one way to exit it.  Many people die in house fires for just this reason.
• When you leave your home or go to bed for the night, do a quick safety check to make sure that: the stove is off, all candles are snuffed, the fire is out, the Christmas lights are turned off, etc.

We want this to be a safe holiday season for everyone.  By following these simple tips, you can make your home as safe as possible for you and your family.

FWIW The Government IS Spying on You

From recent news:

• The government can remotely turn on your laptop camera and you won't even know
• Cell phone companies gladly turn over your records to the NSA
• Here's a bunch of other ways the NSA is tracking you
• You are even being tracked from space
• Don't look to the Supreme Court for help

10 Ways to Follow the Winter Weather

For people in most of the US, no one has to tell you it's cold (or icy, or snowy, et al).  To keep on top of the latest weather news check out:

1. Weather.com
2. Weather.gov
3. NOAA
4. Weather Underground
5. AccuWeather
6. CDC Severe Weather
7. FEMA
8. ESRI Severe Weather
9. The Disaster Center
10. RSOE EDIS (click on layers, show weather layer)

55 Winter Storm Survival Items

If you haven't prepared for a winter storm yet--and for most Americans that storm should be coming soon--here are some items you might want to have on hand:

1. Bottled water (ALWAYS have extra water on hand)
2. Food that doesn't need to be cooked (milk, cereal, bread, peanut butter, granola bars, canned food, etc)
3. Manual can opener
4. Paper plates/cups/utensils
5. Tarps of varying sizes (useful in case a tree comes through your roof during a storm among other things)
6. Rope of varying length and type (ditto)
7. A Bug Out Bag for each member of the family (these should always be on hand)
8. Flashlights and extra batteries 
9. A battery operated radio and extra batteries 
10. A NOAA weather radio (if you live in an area prone to severe weather)
11. Working smoke detectors with batteries
12. Working CO2 detectors with batteries
13. Winter clothing (wool socks, insulated pants and jacket, long underwear, gloves, hat, etc)
14. Winter boots
15. Yaktrax (or similar item to make your boots grip)
16. Chemical hand warmers
17. Sleeping bag for each member of the family
18. Snow shovel
19. Sand, de-icer, road salt...items to make your walk ways less slippery
20. First aid kit
21. Candles
22. Matches
23. Tool set
24. Work gloves
25. Duct tape
26. Cash
27. Hygiene supplies (extra toilet paper, soap, etc)
28. Waterless hand sanitize
29. Water purifier tablets
30. Bleach
31. Plastic bags (from ziploc sandwich size to large, strong trash bags)
32. Playing cards, board games, books, and other non-electric entertainment 
33. Camping stove with fuel
34. Thermos
35. Kerosene heater
36. Firewood and kindling
37. Chainsaw and extra fuel
38. Generator and extra fuel
39. Firearms and extra ammo
40. 5 gallon buckets
41. Ice chest
42. Fire extinguisher
43. Extra prescription medication
44. Additional baby supplies (formula, diapers, etc)
45. Additional pet food
46. Windshield scraper
47. Booster cables
48. Tow chain or rope
49. Spare vehicle fuel
50. Light sticks
51. Shovel
52. Whistle
53. Kitty litter or road salt for traction
54. Snow chains for your vehicle 
55. Cell phone charger for your car

Are You Ready for the Cold?

If you haven't watched the news recently, you may not know that a massive arctic weather system is headed towards the US (and not just part of the US but it will impact MOST of the US).  Even in Las Vegas we are expecting below freezing temperatures which is not unheard of but is also not very common.  Here's some tips to prep for the cold weather that is heading our way:

• Wrap your water pipes and insulate your exterior faucets (drain and remove hoses as well).
• Be sure you have plenty of food, water, and supplies at home (you may not be able to get out to the store for a few days).
• Prepare for power outages, a common event in icy weather.  Make sure you have an alternative heating system, and alternative way to cook and heat water. Keep stored water on hand, especially if you have a well and need electricity to draw water.  Have fresh batteries in your flashlights and radio to use during a power outage.
• Be aware of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning (ie: don't use non-indoor heating appliances to heat your home as this can KILL you).
• Get your car ready for the cold (check the oil, check the tires, add antifreeze, put new wiper blades on, etc).
• Bring pet inside during particularly bad weather.
• Make sure that water for your outdoor animals is not frozen over.
• Keep sand or salt on hand to make your deck/walkway/driveway less slippery.
• If you use wood for heating and cooking, make sure you have extra on hand.
• Top off your oil tank if you use oil for heating or hot water.
• Make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries.
• Although it is short notice, any extra caulking insulating you can do (to your windows, your attic, etc) will help.
• Pay attention to the news for current updates on the weather in your area.
• If you need to renew prescriptions in the near future, do it now.
• Dress appropriately for the weather and avoid hypothermia.
• Know where your city's emergency shelters are ahead of time (you may never need it but a big tree coming through your roof can change this).

More cold weather tips can be found here, here and here.

20 Sub Reddits You Should Check Out

I think most people know about reddit these days although I am occasionally surprised when someone says they have never heard of it.  If you don't know what it is, reddit is like a giant online bulletin board with literally thousands and thousands of "sub reddits" on various topics.  Here's some good subs to check out:

1. Survival
2. Bug out
3. Physics garden
4. Self sufficiency
5. Frugal
6. EDC
7. Guns
8. Fitness
9. Camping and hiking
10. Backpacking
11. Outdoors
12. Lifehacks
13. Homestead
14. Post collapse
15. Make your own gear
16. Bush craft
17. Survive
18. Camping
19. Reloading
20. Hunting

Be sure to check out the sidebar of these subreddits for links to related subs.  Also be sure to check out the subreddit for your area (example here).

Some Year-End Tasks We Should All Do

We interrupt your cyber-shopping Monday to remind you of a bunch of tasks you may want to complete before the end of the year:

• Pull your free credit reports and make sure all of the information in them is correct (find the legitimate, free credit report site here).
• Do your Christmas shopping, a bit at a time, beginning now (so you don't end up being one of those people doing all of their shopping the day before Christmas featured on your local evening news).
• Change all of your online passwords, delete old accounts, and back up your computer files (just some simple housekeeping tasks which often falls by the wayside but which are very important to do on a regular basis).
• Consult with your CPA (or do the research yourself) and see if you need to: donate more to charity for additional tax write offs, contribute more to your Roth IRA or 401k, pay for education expenses before the end of the year, defer income until after the first of the year, etc.  Here are additional things you can do to improve your financial standing although I would hesitate to induce labor solely for financial gain.
• Use your end of the year bonus to pay off a debt instead of blowing it at the mall.
• If you have a FSA, HSA, vacation days, or other "use it or lose it" items that need to be run down by the end of the year, make a plan to do this.
• If you are a senior remember that there are deadlines for signing up for Medicare (at 65) and pulling money out of your IRA (at 70) that are required.
• Review your finances including your net worth and your investment accounts (you may want to make plans to improve these areas in the upcoming year).
• Update your home inventory videos/spreadsheets, particularly after acquiring new, expensive items at Christmas.
• Update your Will, Living Will, Power of Attorney, insurance beneficiaries, resume, etc.
• Review your insurance coverages (for life, health, auto, home, etc)
• Make sure you have an adequate reserve of cash on hand, at home, in a secure location
• Donate non-financial items to charity (food banks often run low this time of year, homeless shelters can always use hygiene supplies, etc)
• Take a short, winter camping trip
• Practice shooting (even fair-weather shooters should practice in cold, miserable weather)
• Instead of a list of new year's resolutions, set one huge, kick ass goal for 2014 and go for it

10 Old-Time Christmas Skills to Teach Your Kids

With Christmas just around the corner, there is no end to the commercialism surrounding the holiday.  Years and years ago there were quite a few skills that went into making a happy holiday season.  These days, all you have to do is open your wallet and "ta da", instant Christmas.  Make an effort this holiday season to create lasting holiday memories with your kids (and surreptitiously teach them some useful survival skills in the process).

1. Cut down your own Christmas tree.  This can be done easily at u-cut Christmas tree places or cheaply with a permit to cut on public lands.  Skills learned: how to use a saw, how to secure your load to your vehicle, how to pick a "good" tree, how to navigate the permit process if you go this route, how to find the location of where you will cut your tree.
2. Have the kids decorate the tree using non-store bought products.  Skills learned: how to glean natural products to use for decorations, creativity, how to research (they can figure out how people decorated trees prior to store bought decorations being available).
3. Do your own baking for the holiday season.  Bake pies and cookies, make candy, etc.  Skills learned: how to bake and cook (a useful skill that will last them their entire lives).
4. Decorate your house for the holidays.  Skills learned: how to safely use a ladder, how to safely hang Christmas lights, how electricity works in regards to Christmas lights.
5. Make your own Christmas cards.  Take the kids out to photograph some Christmas-y scenes and make your own cards on your home computer.  Skills learned: how to be creative, how to use a computer/Photoshop/printer/etc, how to address envelopes, how to find addresses that you may need.
6. Make a Christmas dinner and invite friends and family.  Skills learned: how to shop for ingredients, how to use coupons and shop sales, how to plan food needs based on the number of people attending, how to cook, how to invite people to a dinner, how to work collectively with the family to pull off a big event.
7. Make your own Christmas stockings.  Skills learned: creativity, how to sew, how to make/use a pattern, how to buy fabric.
8. Volunteer or donate to help the less fortunate.  Skills learned: how to help others in need, how to perform various jobs (sorting canned goods at a food pantry/serving a meal at a homeless shelter/etc), how to interact with people who are usually marginalized in the community.
9. Attend a holiday religious service that is different from your own religion.  Skills learned: how to be open minded, how to learn about different religions, how to be respectful of other people's beliefs even if they are different than your own.
10. Let the kids choose a new holiday tradition, plan it out, etc.  This may include looking at Christmas lights around the city, Christmas caroling at nursing homes, setting up a movie night to watch "It's a Wonderful Life", etc.  Skills learned: how to plan an event, how to research, how to use a map to find the most efficient route to look at lights, how to contact a nursing home and arrange a time for Christmas caroling.

I love to see kids learning how to actually DO things.  Anyone can drop money at a store and end up with a reasonable facsimile of the holiday season but this precludes kids from working with others to accomplish a goal, learning valuable skills, developing their creativity, and most importantly, keeping busy (on projects that don't involve a computer or iPad).  This holiday season make an effort to instill the spirit of the season in your family.