Bug In Or Bug Out?

This is not a simple question because depending on the crisis at hand either may be right or wrong, so let's take a look at some reasoning for each. For myself I plan to stay put as long as it's safely possible, because of course the majority of my preps are where I am but I have the triggers in place that will get me to leave.
I have heard many people say "I have this remote bugout place that I am going to when it gets bad". Here are the questions I put to them.

1. How far away is it? 
If this remote place is more than 50 miles (or 2 days walk) from you how do you plan on getting there? If people are fleeing like you are there will be traffic tie ups, panicked people, and perhaps already gangs of looters just waiting to take whatever you have. If it's more than 50 miles you may never make it there. Do you have at least 4 different routes to get to your place? Have you drilled these routes so you know them by heart? Do you have cashes buried along the way so you can restock? Have you ever stayed on this place and know where to obtain water? Know the topical graphical layout of the land for security and hunting purposes? Most people say they will bug out to the woods but have no clue how to get there in a SHTF scenario or what to do when they get there. And if it's more than 50 miles like some I know have theirs hundreds of miles away you better have a great plan to leave early or chances are you won't make it.

 2. I'm not leaving I have all my preps and tons of ammo and I can ride it out. Really? Are you will to bet your life and your families lives on it? Alot of people said that with Hurricane Katrina and they paid the ultimate price. Being a prepper means you prepare for any kind of danger not just the man made ones. If you have a wild fire headed toward you are you going to sit there and burn? No you are gonna get out of it's way. So do you have a plan to bug out? Have a more than one location chosen that are at the farthest 2 days walk because you may not be able to use your vehicle. Make sure your bugout bag is current for the season at all times. Make sure you have cashes buried along the way that has fresh water, food, ammo, and clothes in it. Remember no preps are worth your life! 

 

 I made this video a few years ago and it still holds true. Make a plan A B C D E...make sure your family knows it and...drill drill drill!

Bug In Bug Out?

Be prepared, not sorry.
 

Being A Single Goddess Prepper Part Two

I have received much feed back regarding being a single woman and prepping and some of it was great and some was down right disturbing. I had a few individuals which I assume were male that basically said to whore ourselves out to be safe. This is the type of mentality that we are up against in the present and the monsters we will face in the WROL. The positive is I have heard from many single women that are prepping and making their plans now.

survivalistsingles.com

Survivalistsingles is the only dating site that I am aware of. This site also allows you to search for groups too. It is free which is a great feature but like any dating site it has it's share of scammers and and prepper wanna be's so if you do decide to use this site use your common sense.

survivalistboards.com

This site is full of opportunities to connect, network, and has a vast knowledge base. They have a groups section where you can locate individuals and groups by region and state. They also have a singles area. The downside of this site is be prepeared to have a thick skin because there tends to be alot of personal attacks. Myself I like to learn so I just don't make many comments unless I am asking questions.

americanpreppersnetwork.net

This site is a great resource for learning and finding a group and they have webinars every month.

Facebook

You can find alot of pages for region and state. This is a great way to network and find a group.

Please I urge you to make your plans now and as I always say....

Be prepared, not sorry

Being A Single Goddess Prepper

Being a single women it is always on my mind "how do I stay safe when SHTF?" Let's face it as single woman we are targets and as a prepper you are a rich and easy target. I know this is gonna ruffle feathers but I am being a realist. I don't care what conflict, war, or civil unrest the female population is the one that is the most exploited and desimated.

The whole purpose of my blog is to show women how to survive and thrive.

So the first thing I want to touch on is

No person male or female can do it ALL alone

I don't care what gender you are, you can not do security, forage for food, tend garden, food storage, livestock care all by yourself. Believe me I love being single and self sufficent but I know when the world as we know it crumbles I can't do it all on my own.

So right now while you can,  I urge you to really make a list of your options, do some research and cover your bases now.

1. Look at your current situation.

Take your inventory of your current situation. Are you renting or owning? Can you have a garden or livestock? What are your current preps and how long could you survive? Do you have a support system family or friends that can support you? and have your back? If there is no way you have safe shelter, a way to grow food, hunt, scavage, and have those that will help you to do all these jobs you have to start making a plan.

2. Look for a group.

If you do not currently have a group or support network look for those individuals now! Facebook has a ton of local groups. American Prepper Network. Yahooo Groups. Survivalist Singles. Go to Prepper Expos thats a great place to meet people. I can tell you right now it's very difficult being single and dating because like my last date when we were speaking about tv shows we like and I said I like Doomsday Preppers he started laughing and said "You must like watching kooks and stupid people wasting money" Needless to say that was the first and last date for that guy! Let's face it it's hard being a Survival Goddess!!
This is the first on being single and prepping so I would like to hear your thoughts and hear your comments.

Be prepared, not sorry

Goddess (72 Hour) Survival Bucket

We all have our bug out bags, but right next to my bag is my survival bucket. Where I work I can get plastic buckets for free and I use them for cashe' on my route to my bug out location. The survival bucket is an extension of my bug out bag. Both can be grabbed and carried on a moments notice. In my bag is the essentials to survive, my gun, ammo, fire starting tools, fishing button, snares, first aid, MRE's,  water purification, change of clothes and socks, thermo blanket, and ax so if some reason I am separated or can no longer carry my bucket I still have what I need to survive.

In my bucket is the extensions, toilet paper, MRE's and cans of food, hygiene products, bottled water, water purification, more first aid supplies, and a radio. As both are emptied they can be consolidated to my backpack and the bucket can just be used for just water. Now realize that both of these are designed to get me to my next cash. This is not the DO all.... it is just designed to get me to my next cash. So there is planning involved to know your routes and have your cashes buried.

These buckets can be designed for each member of the family. All size of buckets with lids can be purchase at home improvement stores such as Home Depot, Lowes etc. so even children can have the size bucket they can carry and let's face it.... in a bug out situation every little bit of supplies help! As crazy as it sounds even my dogs have their own packs....everyone carries their own supplies!

Now you can purchase these buckets from several different online companies but for a fraction of the price you can build your own and for the same price you can build a few of them. Just think if every person that experienced Hurricane Katrina had a bug out bag and bucket, a bug out plan and route to escape.......how many lives could have been saved? How many people would have not been dependent on FEMA or the Red Cross (which took days to arrive)?

Be prepared, not sorry

Survival Education Plan

I am sorry that I have not been posting regularly but I have taken my own advice and went back to school. I currently work in the medical field but decided I needed more skills and went back to obtain my Pharmacy Technicians certification and on July 15th I passed my boards! 

Along with this plan of going back to school was the long range goal of transferring to a hospital closer to which now is my bug out location but once I transfer it will become my permanent survival retreat.

As I have said time and time again education is going to be one of the keys to long term survival. Even if it's not formal schooling take a survival first aid course, hunting course, canning etc all these add up in your knowledge savings account.

Challenge

I challenge you to expand your knowledge savings account and I would like to hear from you. Share your knowledge plan with us and we can inspire and motivate eachother!

Be prepared, not sorry

Dynamics of a Survival Group Part 1

I have several emails regarding forming or joining a survival group so I am going to do a series to address the different dynamics and issues that you should consider when you think about forming or joining a group.

Survival Goddess You Tube Channel

Mind Sets

I think this is probably the hugest component of a group. I have seen many groups implode due to dictatorship attitudes or what I like to call "Too many chiefs and not enough Indians syndrome". One or a handful of people seem to have all the power and dictate the rules. Whenever you have that type of environment it is just a recipe for disaster. 

I have seen groups that require their members to have 2 years worth of food, a list of weapons and ammo along with a $10,000 membership fee and store ALL of this on this one person's property! Why on earth would you hand over all your preps this way? For $10,000 right now there is listed a property of 3.5 acres 40 miles north of me with a lake 1 mile away and it's very secluded. Granted 3.5 acres is not alot of property but with good property management you can store and grow alot of preps along with some of the best hunting in the state. If you have correct management your space you could maximize 2 families and provide for them.

Suggestion: If you want to form a group and want to purchase a larger chunk of property go to a lawyer and form a Hunting Club. I have seen people do this all the time. You form a club and if for some reason a individual wishes to leave the club the other club members can buy them out, require they find some to buy in and must be approved by the group, or walk away and forfeit their share. This also puts the entire group on a level playing field because you are all equally invested.

When looking for a group of forming one EVERYONE needs to have a valuable skill set to bring to the table. They also need to have the right mind set. I have seen a group that has a doctor and a ex Army Ranger that are given card Blanche in the group and don't need to prep because the group is expected to provide for them because they have such special skills! To me that is absolutely ridiculous! 

The group needs to function as a cohesive unit. Everyone has a job and yes you need leaders but not dictators. I will take a hard working, loyal, and willing to learn individual over a walking ego that thinks he is privileged because believe me when SHTF this self privileged individual will become a source of constant irritation and won't be worth it.

And a huge mindset I look for is the willingness to share their skills with the group. If I see a person that thinks they are going to keep their skills to themselves because they think that makes them invaluable and not teach anyone in case you lose them that proves to me they are selfish and have no regards to the survival of the group and I have no use for them in my group.

What are the needed skill sets?

These are the skill sets that I look for when adding members to my own group.

* Military - Of course you need this. This person knows how to set up a  security perimeter, firearm knowledge etc.

* Hunter/Gatherer/Scavenger - This person or I recommend you have 2 or 3 of these because they always are sizing things up and are little hoarders. They will gather and haul back everything because there has to be a use for it. They know if your hungry enough you will eat anything. A large cricket contains 9 grams of protein. They know how to set snares, run a trap line, hunt, track and field dress anything they kill.

* Farmer - This is a given.

* Livestock/Rancher - If you can find a person that can do Both Farmer and Rancher you have hit the jackpot

* Veterinarian - If you can find a Veterinarian prepper count your lucky stars because they can also double as your Medical person. I know a vet that on a hunting trip one of his buddies fell off a ledge and broke his arm and he set it.

* Medical - Now here you don't necessarily need a doctor but a nurse or paramedic is fantastic.

* Mechanic - In a scenario not involving an EMP you are going to want one of these

* Einstein/Engineer - These are the people that see a need and can come up with a contraption to solve the need.

* Heart - This is the person that doesn't have any of the above skill sets but has the heart to learn because canning, gardening, livestock tending can be taught.

Be prepared, not sorry

Home Remedies 2

Cuts

Like I said I grew up on a farm and home remedies were everywhere. My Granddad farmed with teams and he told me that when they would get a cut he would chew some tobacco and then place it on the cut and wrap it and as it dried it would draw the poison out.

When summer hit I would be barefoot from June until September and when you do that on a farm you are going to step on rusty nails. My Grandma used the same concept on me as my Grandpa did with the horses except she used bread and milk. She would soak the bread in milk and tape it where the wound was (usually the bottom of my feet) and let it dry. Now granted my mom was not so secure in the home remedies and would always run me to the doctors for a tetanus shot.

Earaches

A home remedy I have discovered on my own was I had a son that suffered from frequent earaches. The doctors wanted to put tubes in his ears but I heard nothing but horror stories on that so that was not going to happen with mine. My Grandma when I had earaches would heat up some olive oil and place it in my ears along with a hot water bottle placed on the ear. With my son I used olive oil along with a hair dryer set on low blowing into the ear. My son never had ear tubes. (becareful on the temp of the oil not to burn inner ear)

Cold Cough

In the earlier post I gave you my Grandma's recipe for cough syrup and now I will give the additive my Dad did. If you have ever noticed if you have the nastiest cold if your outside you don't cough? Why is that? I have no idea but when my kids or myself had a cough I would give them a shot of the homemade syrup and make sure it was COLD..either I reduce the heat to their room or I would drive them around in a cold car. Now be sure I do the same to myself.

Cough/Sore Throat

I talked about cough remedies earlier and the key is the Lemon. Something about that lemon stops that cough and sore throat. The other is honey. I tend to suffer from a sore throat all winter but honey in tea works for me.

***The materials contained on this website are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute medical professional advice. SurvivalGoddess.blogspot.com does not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability which may arise from the use of information, or products featured on this site.**

Be prepared, not sorry

The Mayans Were Wrong

Well we made through Dec 21st 2012 and we're still here!

Now in all seriousness there are signs of the troubled times that lie ahead and all you have to do is turn on the news. Those that have known me for years know that I said that our economy could financially survive another Katrina well we have Sandy. The difference between Katrina and Sandy is Sandy hit the financial HUB of our country. 77 days since Sandy not a whole lot of relief has been felt for those individuals and the strain can be seen on the nations economy. How long did we hear we were headed for the fiscal cliff?

The Mayans were wrong but your should be kicking your prepping into high gear.

Here are some New Year's Prepping Resolutions.

*Bugging in or Bugging Out?

There are arguments for both sides but what I believe is you need to have not only Plan A but Plan B C D and E. If your bugging in or out you need to have alternate backup locations and plans. You may be over run by natural disasters or looters where will you go or do then to survive?

*Lists Lists and more Lists

I am the huge list maker. I have complete lists of food and water storage, first aid/medical supplies, and Security/Ammo/Hunting supplies. Each list also has the Want List which is supplies that need to be added. It doesn't matter how much food you have if you get an infection and have no antibiotics to fight it etc.

*Expand Your Knowledge Base

Make it a point to learn more. Take survival or first aid courses. Learn new skills from You Tube or take classes. For example if your food runs out and you have no idea how to hunt or garden then what?

Take some time to actually sit down and think about the prepping you need to get done in 30 days, 60 days, 6 months, 9 months, and for all of 2013. You will be glad you did. I have put a new page up called my How I Prepped This Week. It really helps to put your preps into writing to keep yourself motivated and on track. And who knows? You may get some great ideas from fellow Goddess Preppers!

Be prepared, not sorry

Mother Nature Provides The Lessons For Prepping Part 2

In November 2011 I published the first post of "Mother Nature Provides The Lessons For Prepping" and now in the aftermath of Sandy I wanted reiterate and update this. 

Growing up on a farm you have to be a prepper. We canned, butchered our own meat, hunted, and of course grew our own crops. It's just what you did.. After Katrina hit that's when I kicked prepping into high gear, I seen that Mother Nature is not bias in race, how much money you have, or where you live. She can unleash her wrath anytime and anywhere and it amazes me on how (sorry to say but it's the truth) foolish and unprepared people are. Our own government says you should have at least 3 days of food and water in your house for emergencies.  And it breaks my heart and angers me when I see people dumpster diving and standing in lines to just get fresh water.

It doesn't matter where you live..Mother Nature can hurl anything your way

I don't care where you live in this country Mother Nature can hurl anything at you...wild fires, earth quakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, flood, and blizzards. I live in Michigan and our weather is relatively easy compared to some other parts of the country. But I remember when I was young we had the "Great Blizzard of 1978". That blizzard brought the state of Michigan to a grinding halt for 2 weeks. People died and froze to death because they were unprepared. Thank god we had plenty of food, both wood and fuel oil furnaces, my mother had the good sense of filling the bathtub and anything that could hold water before the storm hit so we had water to drink, she also had plenty of oil lamps, we filled 55 gallon drums of water prior to the storm, and we had a creek running thru our property so all we had to do was clear a path with the tractors and break thru the ice for the livestock to drink after the storm. The only disruptions in my life was no TV or school.

So what can Mother Nature do to you?

Be prepared for what Mother nature can throw at you. Now I'm sorry if this offends people and it's my opinion and blog so I can voice it, but in both cases of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy I seen the satellite images and thought "this is a Monster get the hell out of Dodge!" and both times I seen people on the news laughing saying "it was no big deal and they were going to ride it out". That is just stupid and how many paid the ultimate price for that?

Nothing you own is worth your life or families life.

Now most of us myself included plans on bugging in when SHTF but I am not foolish enough to think that plan will hold together forever and situations arise where I may have to have the alternate plan. I have plans A, B, C, and D.....do you?

*What if your location is overrun by individuals wanting what you have?

*What if Mother Nature makes it impossible to stay at your location such as a wild fire or flood?

If you don't have backup plans start NOW! Here are suggestions for plan B, C, and D

Choose 3 different alternate locations. All must be within a 3 day walk because in the case of an EMP or mass ciaos you may not be able to use your vehicle. Bury cashes along the way so you don't have to carry 3 days worth of food and water. Bury them next to a landmark you will easily remember like a huge tree or road sign etc because in a critical situation you don't want to be scratching your head trying to remember where your cashes are. I like to use plastic tubs because they are fairly inexpensive and very easy to make water tight.

My bugout bag is only designed to keep me for 3 days and or to get me to my next cashe' or bugout location if for some reason I can't get to my cashes. I have 3 different ways to make fire, a few protein bars, first aid kit, water filtration tabs and bottle, a small fishing kit, hand gun, rope, change of clothes, knife, and across the back my bow and arrows. Now I know I'm going to get people saying you need this or that in your bag but I stick to what I have said it is only designed for 3 days of survival MAX. And if you have every prepper gadget known to man in your bugout bag you will NEVER be able to carry it for a long distance so therefore it's useless and may cost you your life. You want to move quickly and efficiently to get away from the danger.

My cashes contain individual wrapped protein bars, a couple cans of ready to eat from the can meals that are high calorie and protein. 4 bottles of water. Bullets. A pair of socks, because you want your feet dry and comfortable to carry you to your destination. A small battery operated radio because if possible you want to know whats going on around you and if anything is standing between you and your bugout location. Hopefully you have your locations stocked and ready for when you arrive.

I can't stress this enough "have alternate plans" .

Be prepared, not sorry

Should You Be Afraid Of What You Can't See?

Should you be afraid of what you can't see?

That would be a resounding..........YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned "that the United States was facing the possibility of a cyber-Pearl Harbor” and was increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers who could dismantle the nation’s power grid, transportation system, financial networks and government.
Think about it, just about everything you come in contact with during a typical day is computerized, you go to the bank, grocery store, pumping gas, even checking out a book at the library is now done on a computer.

Mr. Panetta was also pushing for legislation on Capitol Hill. It would require new standards at critical private-sector infrastructure facilities like power plants, water treatment facilities and gas pipelines  where a computer breach could cause significant casualties or economic damage, but let's face it....

Do you honestly think a foreign country cares about our "legislation" and they WILL find a way around it.

Mr. Panetta also went on to say“cyber-attackers launching several attacks on our critical infrastructure at one time, in combination with a physical attack would cause physical destruction and the loss of life, an attack that would paralyze and shock the nation and create a profound new sense of vulnerability.”

What Mr.Panetta is saying in a diplomatic way is........WELCOME TO SHTF

Now the United States is also guilty of being the cyber attacker. Although it has never publicly admitted it, the United States has conducted its own cyberattacks against adversaries. According to an article in The New York Times in June 2012, during President Obama‘s first few months in office, he secretly ordered increasingly sophisticated attacks on Iran’s computer systems at its nuclear enrichment facilities, significantly expanding America’s first sustained use of cyberweapons.

So what can you do?

*Something I do to retain the information that I want is very simple...I print it out and put it in a 3 ring binder. I pay for ink, paper, and the binder.
*I also buy actual books, not kindle ebooks......books.
* I practice to understand whats in my binders and books so if for some reason I don't have them I remember how to do it.
* I only keep enough money in my bank account to pay my bills. Any extra money I have goes toward my preps because lets be real, when the economy tanks I would rather have food to eat over a greenback that is worth nothing. Same goes for gold. I know so many preppers buying gold and silver. WHY? If you go to barter with me for gold for food I'm gonna laugh at you! Unless  you have something I want that is going to actually benefit my day to day living such as a gun, ammo, livestock etc to me your Gold and Silver are worthless.

So take a step back from your computer and begin weaning yourself from it now. Put in to practice what you read on here. Actually do the manual end of prepping not just reading about it or watching it on You Tube because that screen you stare at, the light switch you flip, the faucet you turn on....is not always going to be there.

Be prepared, not sorry

The Threat Of All Show And No Go

My grandpa used to have a saying about people who tried to pass themselves off as something they wasn't and that was "All show and no go". In the prepper community we have that and unfortunately they are going to be what I think, a huge threat. These individuals have the mind set of the most guns and stored food will survive and that may true for a "limited amount of time"....

But what happens when WROL goes into overtime?

With no skills to grow food, hunt, improvise or barter what will these people do? A hungry pseudo prepper is going to be a very dangerous person. I always use the aftermath of Katrina as an example because that's what it will be like. Being hungry, thirsty with just enough tactical experience and the moral compass lowered to the mentality of "It's you or me" they will, by force try to take what they need. If they have a military background they also know that strength lies in numbers and may recruit their own private army.

The harsh truth...

I'm sorry but the truth is harsh and a WROL situation is not going to be going back to the Little House on the Prairie days, its going to be survival of the fittest and the most adaptable. Within hours of Katrina blowing thru the looting, rape, and murder began. This past summer with the unbearable heat people were using their AC at astronomical rates and there was a suburb in Wisconsin where the power grid went down for three days. Within only three hours of that grid going down there were armed gangs that began robbing and looting. That was was only three hours what happens when it months or years?

Don't show your hand..

If your like me I like to attend the prepper conferences and network with other preppers but I always keep in mind not to give away too much and choose carefully who I network with. This also goes for the survivalist boards etc. because I have met some pseudo peppers that quite frankly scare the hell out of me and I don't want to be around them right now let alone in a WROL situation. But on the other hand I have met some fantastic preppers that I have learned so much from and very grateful for it. The reason I started this blog was to help women take an active roll in prepping and their survival but still I don't give away information that would put myself in danger in the future.

Skills, Skills, and more Skills...

As I wrote earlier I believe it will be survival of the fittest and the most adaptable that will survive. When I say the fittest I don't mean that so much in the physical sense but the person that knows how to hunt and fish, how to grow food and preserve it, how to barter, how build shelter and fire, first aid, and has tactical sense. I am always trying to learn new skills because you can never in my opinion have enough knowledge. Many preppers play and rely on their strengths because they feel that will get them thru.....it won't. You have to be adaptable and the skills to adapt to the given situation. My strengths are hunting, fishing, and farming but yet I know this will not carry me thru. I need the tactical experience to protect myself and what I have so, I continue to learn. Work right now the skills you are lacking in so when the time comes you are not "All show and no go"

Be prepared, not sorry

What If You Knew....

As preppers we are always preparing for what we think will happen in the future, whether our scenarios of the future is a collapse of the power grid or economy, nuclear war, zombies, and the list goes on and on, we are are always preparing. BUT..

What if you knew.....

What if you knew for sure in 6 months to a year the scenario for which you are preparing is going to happen? What would you change or start doing right now at this moment?

*Are you going to bug in or bug out?
*Store more food?
*Store more ammunition?
*Learn new skills such as hunting?
*Create alternative power sources?

I urge you to spend some time considering this. We all would like to think we have more time to prep but we seldom give ourselves a date to be prepared by? I understand no one can be fully prepared for a life shift of this magnitude but seldom due catastrophes show themselves ahead of time or they wouldn't be a catastrophe right?

There are many shows out right now such as "The Walking Dead", Falling Skies, and soon "Revolution" that all show life being turned upside down and all the characters were caught off guard and thrust into this situation and having to cope the best they can. My personal favorite was "The Colony". To me this was about as realistic you could get (in a controlled environment) without the real thing.

This was a group of strangers that were thrust together after a virus wiped out 90% of the population. They all had to pull together to survive and thrive.

I asked you to sit down with pen and paper and write down what would you start doing at this moment if you knew in 6 months to a year your life would be the scenario you most fear? I would like to hear from you and ask you to share with others.

Be prepared, not sorry

Lessons Of Prepping And The Unemployed

Back in May I was layed off from my job, which in Michigan is no surprise. While my previous employers haggled about who was going to pay my unemployment, I was left hanging with no income.

Thank God I'm A Prepper

I went for 6 weeks with no money except for the occasional cash job and thank god I have a medical background so I was able to pick up a shift here and there at the local assisted living home. So there I am hitting my prepping stores hard. These are the lessons that I learned:

Diversify

You hear this term all the time when it comes to a stock portfolio but never when it comes to your skills. In my life I have been blessed to have lived about a half a dozens lives. I have a medical background, real estate, farming, marketing, sales, and title work. In January I took some of my tax return and received my commission as a Notary Public which landed me the job I have now. I am currently saving to take my pharmacy technicians course.

Always move forward to better your skills.

Addiction And Comfort Foods Are Essential

Now I know you are looking at that sentence and the one word that jumps out is ADDICTION. I am addicted to coffee and I really went thru it. I also like my wine at night and thankfully I have been making my own for about year and have been tweaking the recipe. As far as comfort food I love my peanuts and peanut butter and I went thru that too.

As preppers we concentrate on the beans and rice. Let me tell you I learned that the addiction and comfort foods are HUGE! When everyday is survival and stress these will be a small comfort which can mean the world to your sanity and how you face the next day. I really urge you to take a step back and re-evaluate your skills and your prepping stores.

Are you a smoker?

Love chocolate/sweets?

Potato Chips?

These are things that you really need to evaluate and make a commitment to put them away just like you do any store.

Be prepared, not sorry

Bugout Location Options

When considering a bugout location many people think rural or forest locations. Here are a couple options you may want to consider.

Bugout Boat

Remember the old Kevin Costner film "Water World"? In a WROL situation it may be quite as apocalyptic as that but here are some pros and cons and a link you might want to take a look at.

Pros:
-Isolation and relatively unreachable from the starving masses on shore
-Fresh water plentiful, assuming you have a sustainable way to disinfect it
-Fishing easily available as long as there's no environmental devastation or overfishing in your area

Cons:

-Entirely dependent on the water for your food, unless you can grow food on the boat
-Fuel/mobility issues (You would need solar and wind)
-Extremely vulnerable to inclement weather. (One bad enough storm and your floating BOL could be gone forever, maybe taking you with it)
-Cramped quarters/very little storage unless you're willing to tether a bunch of boats or platforms together ala Waterworld
-Limited access to plants you don't grow yourself
-Inability to keep livestock (maybe chickens?)
-What happens if you can't return to shore at all? What if the looters/raiders decide they want what you have, and camp on shore to wait you out? Hope you have enough to eat and drink until they get bored and go away--assuming they ever do.

I would consider this a short term solution unless you are on a body of water and boat that are both fairly large. Check out this link

Floating Cabin

Bugout Cave

Now I have heard a rumor that a large survival group purchased a area of land in Arkansas that is a side of a mountain with many large caves. Well it should be a good idea if our ancestors supposedly started there right? Well lets take a look.

Pros

-A large enough cave will give you ample space out of the elements and allow for you to have a fire.
-Very little maintenance needed

Cons

-Rocks may fall from the roof on you while you're inside.
-You may have to share your cave with the wildlife there has been there long before you (bats, rats, salamanders)
-Moisture dripping from the ceiling (but its better than being out in a cold rain)
-Caves may be very bad places to be in a thunderstorm. (the path of lightning as it travels down from higher up through the rock. As it travels past the cave, the lightning sometimes leaps through the air, across the cave where you might be sitting)
-Caves are a very bad place to be during an earthquake.
-If attacked you may not have an alternate way to escape.

Again these are suggestions/options that if you are considering as I always say..PRACTICE PRACTICE. This is not something where SHHTF and your realize you are claustrophobic or you are not a good swimmer.

Be prepared, not sorry

The Fallout From Aurora

It is such a tragedy what a madman can do to ruin so many lives. This horrific thing will once again fuel the gun control debate. Like the saying goes....

"When you take all the guns from the criminals you can have mine". The fact is criminals will always have guns even if there were gun control.

I'm sorry but I can't help thinking if there were one person in that theatre that had a Concealed Permit the loss of life would have been less. I hate to get on my soapbox here but

"Why does it take something like this for people to think about their safety?

And then a sadder thing is in a month, life will be consumed with the next tragedy and this will fade to the back. People need to say "you know what? I am not going to be a victim, I need to take charge of my life and well being.

Many Years ago I was married to a very physically abusive husband. When I decided I had had enough and was seeking a divorce he stalked, harassed, and terrorized me. Back then they didn' have domestic abuse laws, women's shelters, or help lines. They issued you a personal protection order and unless they caught him in the act there was nothing they could do. After he had slashed my tires for the 2nd time and of course was gone before the police arrived a officer said to me "Well your ok you have a PPO." I looked at him and said "What am I supposed to do with a piece of paper, beat him with it?"

I realized that this was never going to quit until I was dead unless I took charge of my own safety.

So I decided that I was going out without a fight and made a plan. First thing was my dad brought me a rifle from his huge stockpile of weapons. I had been raised hunting and shooting so I was lucky that I was comfortable in handling it. But he would harass me at work, follow me shopping, etc, so I knew I may not have a weapon with me if he attacked me in public. I enrolled in a self defense class. I knew I didn't have time to learn something that would take years to master, I needed something NOW. So I found a class that was run by a former green beret and he taught us a combination of Krav Mago (self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces) and down and dirty street fighting.

The combination of the rifle and the classes saved my life.

First was the rifle. He came to my home one night with a huge Rambo knife but he brought a knife to a gun fight. Once he was staring down a loaded weapon he left never to return to my home because I stated "the next time he would be leaving in a body bag". The next was when he tried to jump me in the parking lot of my work. I dropped him with a broken nose and believe me once I had him on the ground I nearly kicked him to death. He moved out of state 3 months later and I haven't had to deal with him since. Violence is going to increase with high unemployment and skyrocketing food prices and women tend to be the first and easiest targets....

Don't be a victim...take a proactive role for your own safety.

Take classes, both hand to hand combat and gun safety glasses. Get comfortable with both so if you are faced with being in danger it comes second nature to you..you react automatically. Always be aware of your surroundings. I remember my instructor starting every class saying that. When your walking thru a parking lot who is around you, when you go into a movie theater were is the closest exit, walking down the sidewalk is there someone sitting in a parked car? He even went as far as to say "when you board a airplane count the seats to the nearest exit because if you go down there will be panic and thick smoke so you may have to feel your way out". My point is better safe than sorry and also taking responsibility for your own safety will give a that sense of empowerment that you will need when SHTF.

Be prepared, not sorry.

How Do You Keep Your Sanity?

You know we concentrate so much on the basics of what will be required for the day to day survival in the WROL situation, after I watched this video I began to think "How do you keep your sanity or derive any pleasure'?

Alaska Man Goes off Grid

This man is bringing a dog and a Kindle loaded with books to keep him from going stir crazy, but there will be a period of time of withdrawal from society that we will all go through. No computers, tv, cell phone and perhaps for some the only human contact will be in a self defense mode.

Our sanity is just as important to our survival as food and water.

As humans we crave that interaction with other humans, and that part of our brain that needs pleasure. To some people it's music, others its reading a book, or for some like myself going for a run with a friend. I have planned for so many things but no plan for keeping my sanity. In a WROL situation going for a run will not only expend added calories that would be fool hardy to do, but suicidal. There will be no extra power to run mp3 players or e readers. Remember watching Little House on the Prairie? At night they would read and Charles would play the violin. That was the entertainment and pleasure they had.

So in the post apocalyptic world...where will your pleasure come from?



I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on this.

Be prepared, not sorry

Looking For The Perfect Bug Out Location

First of all I have to apologize for my long break from posting. I have been working 60 to 70 hrs per week and I just have to say I'm plain worn out. Extra money means extra preps that can be purchased. I am also looking to purchase my bug out location and begin building. I have already purchase plans for a cabin to be built totally off grid. So I am looking for at least 5 acres with a well and septic already present and close to another source of fresh water. 

A place fairly secluded and away from the larger metro areas. A area that still has good hunting and soil for growing within a 60 minute area from my present location.

This has been quite the task!

Its hard to find everything I want. I'm curious to hear from those that have purchase a bug out location as to what it is they have purchased and the criteria you had during your search. Did you have to sacrifice some of your criteria or did it change during your search. Can't wait to hear!!

Be prepared, not sorry

Walking The Talk

This post may ruffle some feathers with some but I'm hoping this turns on the lightbuld for others. I know plenty of people that spend countless hours watching You Tube videos, on the prepper boards, and email lists. They have the expensive bug out bag with every top of the line gadget known to the prepper world. They have a stockpile of weapons and ammo that could outfit a small army and just as much food.

But they haven't spent 1 minute putting it into practice.

I met a husband and a wife that were so proud of their bug out bags and these bags had everything you could imagine in it. I asked the wife if she had ever actually carried hers because I'm a pretty good judge of weight and that thing came close to out weighing her. She said "no" so I asked her to put it on and walk across the parking lot and back. She barely made it. If she can't carry it...then it's useless.

You have to have more than a plan.

One man I talked to said he was going to bug in as long as possible then he was heading to this state forest. I asked him "Have you ever spent any time there? Do you know the area? Where are your water sources? Any possible threats?" He just looked at me and said "No but I can make it there" Don't be foolish, have a plan. If possible have your bug out location stocked and ready to go but if that's not possible spend some time getting to know your bug out location. Take you BOB and spend some weekends there and see if its actually going to work for you. Find your water sources, practice building a shelter and fire.

What are you going to do when the cans run out?

I have heard so many preppers say "I'm going to live off the land, I'm going to hunt and fish" I then ask them "Do you know how to field dress what you kill?" and the answer I usually get is "Well no but it can't be that hard" Believe me it's very easy to ruin good meat and possibly making yourself ill by cutting into the stomach or intestines and contaminating the meat. Another thing I ask them is "How are you going to kill it?" and they look at me like I'm stupid and they say "I'm gonna shoot it". Why would you want to waste your precious ammo along with risking your safety by letting others hear the shot? I am not going to waste my ammo shooting a squirrel or rabbit when snares work just as well and they don't risk my safety. As far as bigger game learn to use a bow, it is a challenge but that knowledge comes in handy to have.

Put into practice what you have learned because you don't want to learn the hard way after SHTF.

Be prepared, not sorry

Food Prices Increasing....Backup Plans Part 2

As discussed in the first part of this series, food prices are on the rise and we need to make our food dollars stretch. We also need to be creative. I have 1 large room that is dedicated to my preps and I have to be creative on how I use that space. Currently I am installing more shelves along the walls and once that is completed in the center of the room my indoor aquaponics garden will be constructed.

I will construct a frame that will house two large totes on top and two on bottom and I will need two dual aerators. The bottom totes, 1 will contain spices (basil, thyme, etc) and 1 container of beans (Pinto and Great Northern). The two top totes will contain 1 of tomatoes and the other will be green and red peppers.

If you go on You Tube you can find many videos to create your aquaponics but I have include these 2 basic ones to give you an idea.

Be prepared, not sorry

Sharing The Blessings

On this day I count my blessings of family, friends (including my furry friends) health and most of all the joy of every day. Even though it has been a challenging year for me I know so many with little ones that are just wondering where the next meal is coming from or how to keep a roof over the family's heads.
On this day I urge you to take a look at your food stores and donate a few items to your local food bank. If you have old coats or blankets please take them to your local shelter. No one should be cold or hungry on Christmas.

I have done alot of traveling in the last 11 years for my work and the only family I have had to share Christmas with was my dogs. They have been stuck with me hauling them all over this country and have done it happily. No matter the day they are always happy to see me and having them in my life has really been a comfort when I was not able to be with my family. If you feel you could make a forever home for a dog or cat visit your local humane society. There are so many wonderful pets just waiting to make it Christmas everyday for you. If your house is already full the shelters always welcome donations, blankets, food, bowls, litter etc..

Here is my fur family...

Weazle

Killian

Happy Holidays!