Looking for a Defense Shotgun?

If you are looking for a shotgun, but you're on a tight budget you should take a look at the Mossberg Maverick 88.



If you have a few more dollars to spend, the Remington 870 is another possibility.

How to be a Better Employee in 40 Days (or Less)

One of the best ways to be prepared for the future is to keep what you already have. Here are some personal observations about how to be a better employee. In my experience, the best employees reap the biggest rewards. Feel free to disagree.

• Arrive 5 minutes early (first to arrive)
• Stay 5 minutes late (last to leave)
• Be prepared
• Dress the part
• Get organized
• Take initiative
• Learn continuously
• Get motivated
• Be visible
• Be nice
• Be persistent
• Be honest
• Be a team player
• Get engaged
• Go all in
• Make your boss’s job easier
• Do it right the first time
• Develop thick skin
• Act in the company’s interest
• Go the extra mile
• Give 101%
• Make meetings productive
• Build your own brand
• Volunteer
• Do what your co-workers won’t
• Understand your benefits
• Invest in a retirement plan
• Get educated
• Improve your skills
• Develop yourself
• Invest in self-improvement
• Be flexible
• Be realistic
• Let your work speak for you
• Participate in the performance review process
• Keep your resume updated
• Create value
• Be a follower
• Be a leader on your team
• Be supportive

How to Make Laundry Soap

You can make an 8 month supply of laundry soap for just a few dollars.

How to Generate Massive Amounts of Free Compost

If you have difficulty finding horse manure to use for composting try Craigslist. Where I live, a quick search yields all the free horse manure you could ever desire. :-)

As an alternative, you could also use rabbit manure. I have personally used rabbit manure for vermicomposting for several years. I like it as a alternative to horses and cattle. Rabbits are not generally given the same types of medications that larger domestic livestock receive.

Armed with this new knowledge and strategy for generating an unlimited supply of free compost for gardening, you now have no excuse not to start your own backyard garden.

To speed up the process you could inoculate the compost pile with some red wiggler worms, but in my experience that's not really necessary. A big pile of the "stuff" will attract red wigglers on its' own. But if you already have some red wigglers, or can find a source of them from a family, friend, or neighbor by all means use them to turbo charge your composting efforts.

Reduce the Deficit, Create Jobs - Buy American

I earned a "comp day" at my day job for working on Veteran's Day, so today I am spending the day at home. I have spent it relaxing for the most part - choosing to run a couple of errands, filling the gas tank in my car, and reading highly recommended book written by Leonard Pitts titled Freeman. Coincidently, my timing for reading the book was impeccable because on Sunday I watched Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln at the local theatre.

After eating a quick lunch of tilapia seasoned with some Old Bay seasoning I turned on CNBC to catch up the financial news for a few minutes. The news is full of fiscal cliff this and stalemate that interrupted every now and then with one guy bad mouthing the other guy....you get the picture.

I've got a suggestion if anyone is listening. Instead of trying to "one up" one another, I think it's time to get back to basics. How do we do that you might ask? Start by buying American.

I heard a statistic the other day cited on a news channel (I don't remember exactly which one, or I would like to it) that individuals  will be spending $431 shopping for Christmas gifts this year. Imagine if that $431 was invested in Made in the USA products.

I don't mean just buying products sold by an American company. That doesn't mean buying groceries from the local supermarket that are imported from Indonesia, Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, China, or Brazil. Genuine American Made products that are actually produced here (not just assembled here or sold by a company that is based here) are what I'm talking about specifically. Doing so creates a multiplier effect in the economy.

I am not an economist and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I won't attempt to explain the finite details of what that means, but if you do your own research I am sure you will reach the same conclusion I did. Buying American Made makes sense. ABC News featured a report recently explaining that if Americans spend $64 on holiday gifts that are USA produced, it would create 200,000 jobs in the U.S. economy. Imagine how many jobs would be created if the entire $431 is spent on American Made Products.

I'm in. Are you?

And don't start making excuses about the products being more expensive, harder to find, etc. American Made Products exist. They are high quality. And there are plenty of variety available. It's kind of like prepping. You just need to make it a priority.

I buy small gifts for my employees every year. This year they are getting home made jellies and jams from a local resident that sells them at the farmer's market. The fruit is grown locally on nearby farms. The money I am spending goes to a local resident with a husband who works nearby and whose kids attend local schools.

Are you in yet?

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

I try to prep a little bit each day. Some days that means buying camping supplies. Some days that means buying an oil lamp, fuel, or candles. Some days that means improving my knowledge by researching techniques and skills online. Today, I purchased a few bags of freeze dried food at my local sporting goods store.

They had some beef stroganoff, chili mac, granola, and even some freeze dried ice cream. Today I chose Mexican Style Rice and Chicken.

I spent almost 12 years eating Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's) in the U.S. Army Reserves. At that time, I would have never imagined paying any amount of my hard earned money for food in a plastic bag, but my thoughts and ideas have changed gradually over the years. Now, I think it's a "must have" for everyone.

I don't plan to buy more than 10-15 of these freeze dried meals in a bag and I plan to use them mainly for emergency or back-up food options.

Today I purchased one that will be kept in my Ford Fusion and the other will be kept in my wife's Ford Explorer. We have emergency supply kit's with first aid, 3 options for starting a fire, a blanket, suncreen, water, etc. in both vehicles, so it makes sense to carry some emergency food too.

Some may balk at the price of this type of food, but I am certain that I'd gladly pay 3 or 4 times the price if I find myself in a true emergency situation where other options are limited.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

If you are still on the fence about the need to prepare for possible future emergencies and other unforseen events and need a little motivation to get you moving, or if you simpy enjoy ready quality writing with a thought provoking plot, I recommend you read The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

I read the book and then watched the movie. As is more often the case than not, the book contains more details, but if you're short on time (or you just don't like to read books) then by all means watch the movie. 

Urban Aquaponics

Aquaponics has been popular in Australia for quite a few years, but in the last couple of years the interest has been increasing in the United States.

There are many examples of commercial aquaponics businesses on the internet, but for the purposes of urban survival something along the lines of the video below might be a nice starting point.



After our holiday travels to visit family out of state, we're going to start our own basement aquaponics system.

Last winter I successfully operated a very prolific homemade hydroponic system. I've posted some example pictures below:

Kale, Spinach, Collards

Kale

Spinach for supper





The downside to hydroponics is the cost of nutrients. With aquaponics, the fish generate the nutrients and the media and plants help filter the water for the fish.

6 Minute Plank Exercise

If you are looking for a low impact exercise that is highly effective in strength building, flexibility building, and improved overall fitness that promotes weightloss, please watch this video. You don't need any gym memberships, special equipment, or personal trainers. Just watch the video and I think you'll be able to emulate it.


DDP Tv 6 minute Plank from Dallas Page on Vimeo.

I ran across this video after a friend posted another video from Diamond Dallas Page on Facebook.

Best Value All-Around Survival Knife

I purchased the knife below a few weeks ago. My only regret is that I didn't buy three of them! This is a very good knife for a very good price.

Morakniv

My recommendation:  Get them before the prices go up.

Weight Loss

Looking at the title of this post, you may be wondering why my blog about emergency preparedness would contain a post about losing weight. It's simple really because if you're overweight and in an emergency situation, your chances of getting out of harm's way and/or avoiding injury are reduced.

Here's an example scenario:

• Suppose it's 100 degrees in the shade and your car breaks down in a remote area that gets little traffic. Do you think it would easier to walk 5 to 10 miles in 100 degree heat if you are 50 lbs overweight or if you are within the basic recommended weight range for your age and height? 

Here's another scenario for your consideration:

• Suppose it's 20 degrees and raining and you're spending the weekend in the woods at a friends cabin. The power goes out and your vehicles won't start. Phone service is spotty at best and there are no neighbors around for a few miles. Your spouse has been sick for a few hours, is becoming dehydrated, and needs to see a doctor.

Do you thnk it would be easier to walk 2 miles throught the woods, in darkness, and in ankle deep snow if you're 75 lbs overweight or if you are within the basic recommended weight range for your age and height?

I can help answer that question in case you're stumped. If you're overweight - you are going to be miserable and you may not be able to make that walk to go for help. I know from experience.

I have had chronic knee pain for 15 years and I've had surgery on both knees a few years ago. At the time I weighed 219 lbs, which for my height and age was about 30 lbs too much. To make a long story short, I lost 27 lbs in 4 months and my knees feel better than they've felt in two decades.

Click the image above

Do you want to know how I did it? Check out this website about the Dukan Diet. Basically you lower the amount of carbohydrates you eat and increase the amount of protein foods in your daily meals. Gradually, you will lose weight and inches if you stick to the plan. You can pick up the book at almost any major bookstore or on Amazon.com.



If you follow the detailed plan, this book will help jump start your weightloss efforts, improve your health and increase your chances of protecting yourself and your family in an emergency situation.

Why do preppers focus on so much negativity?

I started this website about emergency preparedness a.k.a. prepping, because so many of the blogs, discussions, forums, and website about "being prepared" focus almost solely on negatives. I think I understand why they chose such a negative tone in their material - because it sells.

That is almost exactly the same approach the mainstream news media takes as well. Why? Good news doesn't sell the same way bad news does. Good news blogs and bloggers aren't popular to the same degree that the "doomsday" guys are either. Documentaries seem to follow this same pattern.

Case in point:  NatGeo's Doomsday Preppers series.

There is nothing that good and positive about emergencies, disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., but must the so called prepper experts continuously flaunt the negativity to such a degree?

Here's an example that arrived in my inbox today from one of the urban prepper experts that writes a very popular website and blog. These are the main points from the e-mail:

1. Stop believing that positive thought about the future will make things better
2. Don't become overcome with the paralysis of analysis
3. Don't believe the economy will improve

Here are my personal thoughts on the points above:

• I am not an absolute believer in abundance theory, but I know from personal experience that people who are generally positive about the future and who have a postive outlook during their daily social interactions are usually more successful in their careers and with their families. Nobody I know wants to hang around someone that prescribes to the glass half empty point of view constantly.
• I have to agree with point #2. It's better to take small steps toward the overall goal of preparing for the unknown that may never occur than be taken completely by surprise when it happens.
• The naysayers and pundits (preppers included) have contributed to the self-fulfilling prophecy to a large degree, but they do so from a subjective perspective and for selfish reasons. Many of the naysayers and pundits have a conflict of interest. Many of them (not all) want to sell you something. They want to sell you bug out bags, survival food, e-books about buying gold and silver, etc. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying you don't need to be concerned about those products and the potential for return to economic recession. You surely do. But if you blindly follow the experts and their recommendations, you may actually end up in worse shape financially.

I am not a prescriber to the idea of moving your family to the countryside, into a compound, or to an underground bunker. My goal with this blog and with this article is to add a little normalcy and moderation to the overall debate.

I don't believe in by-passing my 401k donation and spending it all on gold and silver. I don't believe the government is out to get me or looking for me around every corner. I am not going to run high balances on my personal credit cards to by 2 or 3 years worth of dehydrated food to store in my basement or spare bedroom.

I do think putting a little extra food, first aid supplies, water, batteries, etc. on a regular basis makes sense. Having some gasoline, good tires, and a vehicle in good working mechanical condition provides a comfort level that I can leave the area when I need to and get to where I am going. You will continue to need these things whether or not SHTF.