Small in-the-future details

Today's topic is going to be short and sweet. If by chance you happen to use my blog as a guide for whatever, I will let you in on a few of my plans for this in the future. I plan on showing you how to get that nasty plastic taste or any other unwanted tastes out of plastic containers, the "Hot Water Bath" canning I have learned so far (My Jalapenos are still good and tasty after a year!), we will re-visit my little garden, and I will give you some tips on what I am doing to keep my plants happy, and still producing after a year and a half. Some of the "Don't Do's" I have learned, and how to make a cheap and easy greenhouses, including seed starting, fertilizers, retaining water in plant pots and so much more.

If you don't already prep and want to start, look into getting 5 Gal buckets with lids that have the little rubber strip in the lids, read the manufacturers stamp in the plastic.  I have searched and obtained a list for plastic guidance-

1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) 
Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup, and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

2 High density polyethylene (HDPE)
Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

3 Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) 
Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles.
OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

5 Polypropylene (PP)
Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

6 Polystyrene (PS)
Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys)
BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

7 Other (usually polycarbonate)
Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.

Credit for this list due to-
More: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html#ixzz1tXWayzrf

I have found that a membership to a warehouse store actually does help to stretch the dollar, and well worth the fee.

zip-bags in multiple sizes
If you plan on vacuum-sealing foods with wonderful little toys like the Foodsaver, look up and obtain some little Oxygen Absorber packets They will help lengthen the life of your bag sealed long-term, food stores.

Baking Soda: depending on how many buckets or plastic containers you have, or plan on having more than one little box will be needed. There are many uncommon good uses for it anyway.

There are a lot more things you will eventually need, but for the time it will be a good start for what I have planned in the upcoming future

Until next time.. Be Safe and Happy Prepping!

Don't wait for me to say so..

Good morning all,
  No, I didn't make an entry yesterday because we have to face the fact that we all need a break for whatever reasons. Mine happens to be research, and trying to figure out the next topic of discussion to keep interests peaked, and to aid in newcomers to see the vast array of what I want to feature in discussion. As I am not finished with water, I will start a different topic today to add the diversity early in this blog. I know everyone has seen the sponsor (The Ready Store) I have now and as I plan to progress on the cheapest and most effective way to prepare without needing to go to outside sources. I'm going to be honest with you, sometimes we can't help but go to an outside source to obtain materials we need to help aid our preparation and maybe make things easier in our times of need. Maybe we don't have the time to go to the extent that is sometimes needed for disaster preparation, and with a few clicks of the mouse and a couple dollars, we can progress our preps in a shorter time. No matter what it is we are looking for. No, I'm not "selling out" to the corporate dime, If you would notice, The Ready Store still appears to be a small owned  growing business. What better to help in these economic times, than ourselves, and small businesses in our home country. Now, I'm the last one to support "Corporate Migration" out of this country, and I feel as long as our dollars stay here, we won't lose our dollars value any more than we already have. We have to face the facts here, no jobs equal no money, and no money being spent equals no money here to hire and increase the workforce,... here. We all need to take part and support our "local" businesses. If you look, The Ready Store  is based in Utah..They are "local" and we all need to start supporting whenever possible. The best thing about it is, you get something for a little, and I plan on buying a few things from them myself and showing you on camera what I got, and my true opinions on it. In example, if the M.R.E.s they sell taste like garbage, I will tell you, if the products they sell are barely able to qualify as quality and worth-while, I will tell you. Just keep in mind that I can't buy and test it all so check it out, start small if you have to, and tell me what you got, and your real-world opinion on it so I can post it here for everyone to read and get your real opinion on the product. I don't want to support junk or a waste of money here,.. Sponsor or not. Some will like the product and some won't. Let me know so I can combine reviews on a certain product together and feature it here. Names to be withheld or not is up to you, and will be respected. I will eventually be able to post my own reviews on the same products you are looking at there.. and I'm picky. But it  takes more than one persons opinion to hold any weight. If a disaster strikes your area tomorrow, would you rather say "I wasn't prepared, because I was waiting on this opinion" or, "I bought this before this opinion, really liked it, and because I didn't procrastinate, my family and I were ready when "X" happened.. The choice is up to you, it's your choice, and this is just my opinion.

This isn't my only entry for today, I just wanted to confront this thought. Please express your opinions on it in the comment option below, and don't forget to tell your friends and family about this blog!


    Be Safe, and Happy Prepping..

Water, Continued

I will continue on water today, because a very valid question was posted on the site yesterday. There are many ways to obtain water for filtration, Just make sure you DO NOT use pre-treated/tap water,.. even gardens and plants don't like it. Pre-treated/tap water contains chlorine bleach, and you do not want to introduce chlorine bleach into the filter as it will kill the good bacteria, you want growing in the top of your filter to eliminate the bad/harmful bacteria, and will disable proper filtration, it  also contains fluoride, which the fed govt (FG) has the treatment plants add to the consumer water. Some of it is good for your teeth in occasional doses but too much was proven to actually be harmful and causing tooth rot a couple years ago, when I was still in Indiana. Because of that they lifted the requirement to add it, only for the fed govt to decide to put it back in a couple of years later, for whatever goober reason. You can set up a rain catch system (if you get enough rain, this is one of many examples I will try to provide) to build up free water supply to filter. If you decide to do this, there are many ways you can set it up, you can use the gutter drainage (Don't forget to clean the gutters, and roof for good water to start with)  around your homes roof, the large area of the roof will catch quite a bit of water. If you have a home like I do, that doesn't have gutters, (I rent a home) you can set up your own catch system like I plan on doing. I plan on hang a large tarp from the trees that are on my property and letting only one side droop in to a "V" to funnel the rain it catches to one area for me to harvest and store for Pre- and post-filtered water. If you do something like that, you will need something in the path of the water running down the tarp (or whatever you decide to use) so you don't overshoot your catch target area.. You can build lightweight louvers in the "V"  focal point of the tarp out of most plastic parts you may have laying around the house i.e... junk electronics, trash cans, shelves or many other things you can re-use instead of sending to a landfill, and funnel it into a catch can or whatever you have to catch it with. Remember by letting water you catch sit outside too long after catching, it will enable many things to inhabit the water you don't want in it mosquitoes, algae, even frogs to lay eggs  in it, and many other things you don't want. When you store water before, or even after you filter it, you want to keep it in as cool and dark of an area you can get it in. 40*-60*F would be a good start. The direct sunlight is one of the worst places, because it will not only heat it but, like our skin, it will absorb other vitamins and more. that anything trying to grow in it will thrive on. Once I am able to start building these things that I describe, I will be more able to demonstrate more, with visual aid in doing so. I will cover cleaning the plastic holding tank to remove plastic or any other unwanted tastes in my next entry.

Until then be safe, and Happy Prepping!

Revisiting water.

In my "What If" post I started mentioning water, filtration and beginning thoughts on some of it. With all of things you can do with something as simple, plentiful, and as powerful as water I probably could never cover it all but, take you on many steps and suggestions over time. As we all know, water is the base for all life on this planet,.. and can be not only a life-bringer, but a life-taker as well. The keys to safe water storage are simple things, light and temperature are two key things in it. If you notice, all water that seeps through the ground, pools up deep underground, and stays at colder underground temperatures comes out the purest..We can first confront the "why" on the journey to understanding "how". When water condenses and falls from it's evaporated state in the clouds, it has to go through the atmosphere and air we not only breathe, but contaminate with pollutants. In its fall to the earth it not only warms up, but acts as a natural filter for the air, picking up the pollutants from the air and carrying them with it to the ground. Once it hits the ground, it does a multitude of things. It waters the earth bringing live to vegetation and pools up on top of the ground to be absorbed by the soil. Once it makes it through the soils it starts it's natural filtration process, the more ground it goes through the more the water leaves behind. Whatever it is carrying get lefts behind, depending on density or how thick it is decides what gets left behind. The farther it goes, the more particles and filth get removed from it. depending on the terrain and region, it can get warmer, or colder. Bacteria can only grow in the range of around 40* F to 140* F. any lower or higher the temperature get to extreme for the majority. Some can live until freezing or boiling temps. The soil can, and does remove a lot of it. but once it gets through all of that soil, and down to the cooler temps deeper in the earth, the safer it gets. The combination of soil, temperature, and the lack of sunlight, and heat cleans it to a more pure state. That's what you want to try to copy and imitate at home. You want the least light possible, the coolest temperatures, and a good natural soil homemade filter. Most of you have heard of a Bio-sand water filter and when I manage to get enough viewers here and on my youtube  I will be able to buy and accumulate the pieces to build one on video for you, while showing the shopping list of parts, and a "How-To" for you to build one at home. You can build them in many sizes for many different applications. But once you build one, you need it in the dark at the coolest temps possible with the soil constantly underwater because after about two weeks time, a level of bacteria that you want to keep, will grow in the top  2 centimeters of it. This is a good bacteria that you want, because they will take, eat, and kill the bacteria you don't want. Once it grows in the top layer of soil, you can not disturb it, or it won't be there to help you have drinking safe water. The bacteria will remain in the top, or beginning of the soil filter. If done properly... once it gets through the filter, it will be as clean as it can get, and safe for you to drink. You can filter the local pond, river, or creek water and even rain water, and have water as clean as the bottled water at your local store and for a lot cheaper too! You never need to change or clean the filter either! Once you build it, and start using it, it will filter for lifetimes! You can look it up on youtube and build on now, and hope you understand it enough to get it right, and safe enough to drink, or you can wait until I show you ALL of the details in it, and know you will get enough info to build one!

...Until next time,.. be safe and Happy Prepping!

Future plans..

Good Morning all!
  I have forgotten to mention in my previous installments that If you have, or plan on getting an RV for possible bug out,  a survival scenario, or even just a relaxing vacation out away from the same old grind,Whether your RV is older, or brand new and still has the plastic on the tires, I will be looking in to methods and ways to make it more self sufficient in my own vintage RV!  I will be confronting the power, and fresh water supply aspects, and hope to confront a safe, and Eco-friendly way of the grey, and black waste water. Now we all know that solid waste can be good for gardens sometimes depending on the food intake. Maybe your portable garden can provide for you, and in return,.. you for it! I will also be attempting things we all have plenty of, but take for granted and/or do not know how to apply it be benefit us,... solar power , harvesting the rain for drinking water, for gardening and more! I will be taking you on a trip through attempts failures, and successes in the processes for cheaper, safer and better living with me. I will fail at some points, but you will see where I fail so you don't have to and we can all benefit from it.  So subscribe, and follow so you don't miss a single installment and feel free to check out my sponsors, they will have a lot of the things you see me use on here for testing, application and more! I am in the process of getting my video camera to become a team player, and if it decides to cooperate, it and I will try to present more and more to you, to enable you and I to live better and make better use of what nature provides for free in these rough economic times and even in a better economy.

 Until my next installment... Be safe and Happy Prepping!

Why Prepare?

This is something that a lot of people may, or may not have the answers to. Some people do it for just peace of mind, Others may do it because like many others, they believe that the economy is going to fail, a major natural disaster is just around the corner, or an attack from another country is imminent. What ever your reason, preparing and stocking up emergency supplies is just a good idea no matter what you believe. No matter what, you have experienced water shortages, power outages, and other crisis's that by the time you realize you need to get it, many others have too, and there are people fighting and arguing over something as simple as water. Stores can anticipate and stock up a little extra water, batteries, food and more if they have enough warning ahead of time but, keep in mind that they can only hold so much. Sometimes, the people that come in at the last minute don't just buy 1 bottle of water, 1 loaf of bread, and 1 pack of batteries. People at the last minute come in, and are panicked. They buy all that they can carry because they have others they are trying to take care of, and want to do what they can to make it through the disaster ahead. If you have a system that can warn you in enough time to go shopping at the local store, some disasters have minimal or no warning at all and after one, you are not only recovering and assessing the damages and loss, which can be very traumatic in itself but, now are confronted with added stress and fatigue of a shortage of basic needs and necessities to make it after the event. By the time you realize all that you need and are without, many others have too, and there you are again fighting the mass crowd for basic things again you could have plenty of at home. Now you could always hang by your feet from the ceiling and swing from shelf to shelf, but you can only carry so much, and I think the stores would appreciate it a lot less than the fighting on the floor. Plus, the risk of falling and serious injury in doing such a thing.  So that option isn't even the beginning of a good idea. You could rely on the government to get around to help you after such a disaster, but even they tell you to prepare as much as you can because they may not ever find you, realize where you are, or get to you in time if there are many others in the same state of emergency as you. I will include some Government and Aid links at the end of this installment, and even they have lists for supplies they recommend you to have.

The safest thing for you, is to have at least a week or two minimum of emergency food, water, batteries, flashlights, First Aid, and more so at least you are covered if you ever need it... Wouldn't you rather have it, and not need it, than not have it, and need it? I know how much more comforting it is for me to know that I have the basics at minimum, to take care of my family. There are so many more options out now than there were 50, 25, or even 5 years ago to guide you if you decide to prepare to learn to make, or buy ready made kits for these types of scenarios. Even if you live in an apartment on the 50th floor, you can still have even a  small, portable garden in the window sill, or on a balcony which I can, and will show you how to take the most basic things and make them useful for you.

.. and now the links I promised you..


These are just a few of what are available

http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.86f46a12f382290517a8f210b80f78a0/?vgnextoid=92d51a53f1c37110VgnVCM1000003481a10aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default



Until my next installment... Be safe and happy prepping!

What would you like to see here in the future?

Hello All,

 This entry is going to be somewhat off topic, as I would like know what directions my potential audience would be interested in seeing my blog, reviews, and suggestions venture towards with my instructional progression. I would like to test and review many of the different products that are out for the growing prepper community, with possible suggestions for whatever may suit your possible needs and situation/preparation style. I would like to review many different items such as long term stock foods, emergency fire starters, and many other supplies, with my future how-to videos, and other informative additions I can make to this blog. Please make your suggestions in the comment box below for others to see. What would you like to see covered and discussed in future entry's?

What if?

To start off... If things happened now, you have to think "What is the first thing I need?". Do you have shelter? Do you have water? The human body can go without many things for a varied duration of time, but water is the first, and most immediate thing you need. Water can be cleaned for drinking no matter how contaminated it is, because it is just that,... Water. It can be filtered and sterilized an infinite number of times, the question should be in the level of contamination, and would it be a resourceful consumption of the time and effort it takes to do it? If it is natural contamination, there are many ways to clean it just on that basis, there is filtration for larger particles, and sterilizing for microbial. Depending on your level of contamination you will have to decide on if it's more plausible to stay, or relocate to a better beginning state of condition.

   Water can always return to a pure state in nature, you may need to duplicate that process in a more time conscious manner for short-term resolve, but also figure out what you have available to create a more long-term capability for cleaning and storing the water you manage to obtain, and treat for consumption.  Nature can clean the water back to it's purest of forms without any chemicals like we are so used to using for convenience. We can look at the natural process and then figure out what we can do to return it to a consumable state. First, is the the contamination in it, a solid waste or microbial? We can gather our own materials anywhere in nature to filter, and render it safe to consume. When water goes through it's process in nature, it starts a majority of time in a liquid state, in example lakes, ponds, or creeks, and when warmed up it evaporates in to the atmosphere to rain down again. from start to finish, it is cleaned from it's original state, it's up to you how much more you clean it. The soil is a natural filter, there are ingredients removed from and placed into it from the earth. Most contaminants are removed from the water when it goes through the soil and some minerals are picked up by the water, some of which our bodies may need and some we don't. The first thing you can do in a desperate situation depends on what resources you have available to you, just about anything can be used to aid in rebuilding from a situation, we started somewhere in the beginning and survived. Just keep in mind you want to remove as much as possible for safe consumption. You can build a small, temporary filtration system out of dirt, to get a majority of the contaminants out of it. The more soil it goes through, the cleaner it can get. Water is at the most vulnerable at temperatures where any life can grow and thrive. You can get some of the cleanest water with some simple measures. You can filter it through as much soil as possible and then finally boil it or manage to heat it to an evaporated state, with nothing but soil, and sun you can achieve safe and consumable water. There are also many methods to treat water that you can buy and store to treat water. I will detail more options in my next entry,   until then...

In the Beginning..

Of all the ways to make it in this world, many things remain constant no matter the situation. One thing is, You have to have a drive, or will to survive. Which requires the ability to adapt and overcome any obstacle that happens to come your way. You have to be willing to not only adapt, but learn. Many TV shows are out now that are driving the public mind to thinking of what most like to think will never happen. The thought of a possibility that things aren't as stable as we would like to think and believe. The thought of the rug being pulled from under our feet, the support we have all grown accustomed to in the form of driving down to the local supermarket to get the evenings dinner ingredients, or to go to the local fast food restaurant to get a meal that requires no more effort than to pull out our money and we will get a meal in return. Cooking at home seems to be a fading trend, making a meal from scratch, growing, and harvesting your own food, obtaining water,  etc all things our ancestors had to know, to survive with nothing. We all live where any natural disaster can happen at any given time and we can learn this fading art together. I am researching many ways to make do with nothing, from the beginning and will post  as I learn new methods trials, successes, failures, info and more. So many companies which provide an "Emergency Food Survival Kit".  With all of these options, who is to know which one is the best for you? Gardening methods,.. are you in an apartment or a 1,000 acre farm? Which one will best suit you, and your requirements? "Where do I find this stuff", "Where do I start" No one can think of everything at once, so I will try to explore all possibilities and options hopefully shedding some light on all that I can and providing some info and insight on what I encounter...and learn.