At the time of publication, I am almost 18 weeks pregnant. So far, I have been able to avoid hospitals entirely. I am in a situation where I can use a birth center that is very low volume. I work from home and order groceries and other household supplies. I have not been in a grocery or major box store since January 31, 2020. After reading some articles and joining a few online pregnancy lists, it became apparent that pregnant women are experiencing disturbing things during pregnancy and delivery. The intent of this article is to inform on what it...
I like hummus occasionally, but I hate how much it costs for just a little tub. Another concern is that it is one of the foods that seem to be susceptible to food contamination. At the moment I have to be especially careful. Listeria can cause severe problems if you are pregnant. Years ago, I used to buy hummus powder for around $4 per lb. Pretty expensive for something made from chickpeas but still less money than premade stuff. I got to craving hummus the other day when I tried to think about foods that were easy to eat and...
New Year’s Eve 2020 was a constant stream of online declarations of happiness that 2020 was over and 2021 would be different. The reality is that 2021 is shaping up to be another year of life, not being what people expect. At this point, there are still some that say “when things go back to normal.” At this point, that is not a healthy outlook to have. Too much has happened for things to go back to how they were. Can they improve and get better? Sure they can, but it might take some time and a lot of unpleasantness....
The pandemic has led to an increase in doctor’s visits and consultations via video call or chat. Medical offices that previously required in-person visits for straightforward matters are now encouraging virtual appointments. It is also much easier to get a consultation and prescription entirely online, even if you don’t have a regular doctor. You can also get emergency refills of meds. This can be handy if you cannot get an appt with your regular doctor for some reason. I wanted to share my experience using an online doctor service and provide fellow preppers with a good list of online resources...
Humans are fairly fragile when exposed to cold. Some people are not aware that it doesn’t even have to bitterly cold for humans to suffer from hypothermia. The good news is that there are many ways to stay warm and survive if you lose the ability to heat your home. This article explores what you can do to stay warm and dry, even if you are facing additional challenges beyond losing the ability to heat your home. Emergency Blankets It is a good idea to stock up on these. You can stash them in your car, boat, RV, bug out...
There is a lot of survival food to choose from. Preppers need to be careful when purchasing food buckets. They are not all the same, and just because one cost’s more doesn’t necessarily mean it is any better. I have found Augason Farm’s products to be a decent and affordable solution for those that want space-efficient emergency food storage. I purchased two food buckets with my own money, so I can show you what to expect when you buy Augason Farm’s basic emergency food buckets. It should not come as a surprise that there is no meat in these kits...
Regardless of your personal opinions on how serious COVID-19 is, the economic and social consequences have affected you somehow. It is hard to say what exactly comes next, but I get the feeling that it is not going to be great. We are at least in for a bit of a roller coaster ride through 2021. Everyone talks about getting back to normal, but the truth is that things will never be quite the same. There have been far too many businesses and social relationships destroyed on top of lives lost. Some believe that the numbers of COVID-19 deaths are...
There are many products out there that have a ton of uses and cost very little to add to your stash. In this article, I am going to discuss some of the products you can keep on hand to take care of a variety of tasks around the home. Bon Ami I always keep at least 3 containers of Bon Ami around. It is mostly feldspar. Bon Ami is great for cleaning porcelain sinks, enamel stove tops, and baked on grime from pans. It doesn’t scratch but you might want to rub some on a test spot if you are...
Shopping has definitely changed since the COVID-19 pandemic first started. With so many people stocking up and the transportation industry under a lot of pressure, the gaps at the grocery store and the light shelves have continued to be a problem off and on. I have gathered from many readers that this varies a lot based on where you live. My own shopping habits have changed quite a bit too. For example, I don’t really buy a lot of stuff from a traditional grocery store. I also tend to buy in bulk more often. For example, instead of buying 3...
This year has been challenging for everyone. But like any tumultuous year, life goes on in many ways and there is always new life popping up. This time it happened to me. My husband and I really increased how much we were prepping at the beginning of the pandemic. As time wore on and civil unrest came into the mix in the cities, we prepped even more. Matt grew a lot of gardens, and we put back what we could not eat fresh. At 37 years old, we really thought that kids were not possible for us. A few years...
In my area, we have around 90 days until the first frost. Living on a farm that is our cue that winter is going to be here before we know it. With everything that has been going on it seems like it has been a whirlwind since the end of January when anyone that reads alternative media started hearing the first inklings of news about what would become the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of how serious you believe the pandemic to be, it is impossible that it has not had a major effect on your life and those around you....
The idea of having a pistol and rifle that use the same ammunition has been around since the days of black powder. In the late 1800’s basically every caliber from the .22 up to the 45 long Colt was available in both a rifle and a pistol, so it was easy to just use one cartridge. As firearm technology changed, things like necked cartridges, rimless cases, and detachable magazines made ammunition more specialized so less of the new calibers developed were suitable for use in both a rifle and a pistol. The idea of only using one cartridge remains appealing....
There are a lot of ways to approach home defense and to avoid theft and worse. This post is going to cover a variety of situations, including major SHTF defense. Here are a few questions to get started planning what you can do to best defend your home and family. What size of property are you defending and where is your home located within your property? If you have a house in the middle of 20 acres, then your defensive strategy will vary from someone that has a house on a lot on a city street. Not being close to...
I read and write a lot of articles about preparedness. This has led me to think about how to bring all this together to create a household that runs well during an SHTF scenario or long emergency. How does one go about planning out their home so that they can keep everyone fed, hydrated, clean, healthy, and entertained? This post explores the different areas of the household functions that need to be considered. While it is impossible to fit all possibilities and methods in a single article, I hope this overview helps you think about how to get all your...
Launching my own site has made me realize the importance of getting back to the basics sometimes. No matter how long you have been prepping or how prepared you think you might be, it is important to review what the cornerstones of prepping are and some key points that can help you stay motivated while not feeling overwhelmed. Prepping is a new term for what our ancestors did as a way of life many years ago. Putting a label on it is just something people have done for marketing purposes and because we like to label things I always thought...
I have not bought pre-made laundry detergent in over a year, and I couldn’t be happier about it! Making your own laundry soap is very inexpensive, and I have to say that our clothing and linens smell better for longer and are easier to get clean. Matt and I have 1,600 grape vines to tend, a herd of sheep, dogs, cats, chickens, and geese. On top of that, we grow gourmet mushrooms and put back firewood for two houses. All those outdoor activities mean we have a bit of laundry to do, and it can be pretty dirty. In the past,...
Prepping doesn’t require spending a lot of money all at once. One of the most common statements potential preppers and beginning preppers make is ” I would love to prep but I just don’t have the budget”. Hey, I hear you. I have been really broke too. I don’t always have extra to spend on preps. Some of you may see some of the gear reviews I have done and think that I have some neat extras but the truth is that places send me a lot of those things so that I can give an honest review. This evening...
I have carried many pistols over the years, but the one I always seem to come back to is my Bersa Thunder CC. The Bersa is a single stack .380 that holds 7 rounds in its standard magazine plus 1 in the chamber. Advantages of the Bersa .380 Price An everyday carry pistol is going to be out in the rain, it’s going to get wet from sweat, tossed into work bags and generally banged around. I don’t want to spend too much on a gun I know is going to get beat up from daily carry around the farm....
The importance of good lighting cannot be stressed enough during a short or long term situation. Without adequate lighting, injuries and mistakes become more common. Easy lighting options are more plentiful than ever. For this post, I wanted to talk about a wide range of lighting options for those that want to be more prepared and secure. I even chose to include an emergency radio that has an excellent light on it. Charging and power Some of the lights discussed have multiple ways of charging. If you are concerned about having some power on hand to keep lights and small...
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