Being Prudent In Today's World.
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It’s been a while since I have covered food storage. Because of that and a couple good forum threads, I thought I would bring the subject up again. One of the five basic human needs is food. It can be one of the more difficult to figure out when you’re new to preparedness. I think the reason for that is because the sheer size of the problem can be overwhelming. Take a family of four, eating three meals a day, and two snacks a day, that is 84 meals and 56 snacks in a week, or 336 meals and 224 snacks in a month. Seeing as most people shop for what their needs will be in the next week or two, planning that far or further ahead can be a lot to wrap your brain around.
Food storage isn’t one size fits all. You’ll need to tweak things to fit your family’s needs. That being said, here are some guidelines that can help you build your food storage and keep it rotated.
Shelf Stable
My definition of a shelf stable food is one that can last for six months or longer without freezing or refrigeration and won’t spoil.
Eat What You Store, Store What You Eat
This is the food storage golden rule. It will make sure that you don’t waste money on foods your family doesn’t eat.
When building your pantry, I recommend getting a notebook and writing down all shelf stable food that your family consumes for a week or two. These are the “eat what you store, store what you eat” foods to concentrate on.
There are exceptions to every rule and this one is no different. We happen to eat foods that don’t store well, so if we only stored foods that were shelf stable that we consumed regularly, our food storage wouldn’t last for very long. What we have done is stored some shelf stable foods that we eat occasionally along with some that, because of their long shelf life, we have decided to leave as storage foods.
First In, First Out (FIFO)
When you grab a can of vegetables take it from the front of the line. When you replace it, put it in the back of the line. This is the best way to rotate your foods.
If you’re like me, what can you do to supplement your food stores with foods other than the ones you eat frequently? There are many options available for foods that have a long shelf life, though some you will need to repackage.
Staples
A staple is a food that is used commonly. Think of sugar, flour, salt, rice, beans and so on. These staples, when repacked into Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, can have a shelf life of 25+ years.
Dehydrated
There are commercially dehydrated foods sold that tout a 25+ year shelf life. This can be achieved because the oxygen in packaging is replaced with nitrogen. Most of the data I have seen on home dehydrated foods say 1-2 years. We’ve mostly dehydrated fruits, but you can make jerky, soup ingredients and so much more. Sadly the dehydrated foods never seem to last more than a couple weeks around me, so I’ll never get to see if they could be edible after a few years. J
Freeze Dried
There are many brands of freeze dried foods on the market. I have tried a few and enjoyed most. Trudee and the kids did not like some. Some manufacturers have gotten smart and have the entrees available in a pouch and a #10 can. I highly recommend you try the pouch, as it’s only a few bucks and will save you money if it turns out no one likes it.
Freeze dried foods also have a shelf life of 25+years, as long as the packaging isn’t opened. Once you open the #10 can, you need to consume it within two weeks. I don’t know if it is possible to freeze dry your own food.
Because of the shelf life, and some other factors, we decided to add some freeze dried food to our food stores. We purchased some entrée’s as well as some baking ingredients like powdered egg, powdered milk, powdered cheese and powdered sour cream.
MRE’s and Emergency Ration Bars
MRE’s or Meals Ready to Eat are already cooked meals. They include a heating element that you add water to in order to activate. They often come with a desert and some condiments. Emergency Ration Bars often say something like “2400 calories”. That is for the total bar. However, there are usually nine separate bars, each one containing 250+ calories.
These foods have their place in food storage. They make good additions to BOB’s and car kits. Shelf life can vary from 5-8 years if stored in optimal conditions.
Home and Manufacturer Canned Foods
Whether you purchase commercially canned food or can it yourself, canned food is a great way to supplement your food storage. The most common question is: “how long does canned food last?” Food Reference.com and the FAQ at the Ball Jar Company state the same basic information. Properly canned food that is stored in temperatures above freezing and below 75 degrees will last at least two years. The food will often last a lot longer than that, but over time there may be changes in the color, texture etc. If the home-canned food looks edible from the outside, open it and see how it smells. If it is store purchased and not bulging, open it and see how it smells. If it smells fine it’s probably safe to eat.
The life of many foods can be extended greatly by avoiding the following dangers.
Heat
Temperatures between 40 degrees and 72 degree Fahrenheit are ideal for food storage. For every 18 degrees above 72, the food loses up to half its nutritional value. If the food is exposed to temperatures over 72 degrees for an extended amount of time it can lose its color, texture and taste.
Light
Keep things in a dark space if at all possible, light can affect the appearance and taste of food. Mylar bags and food grade buckets will also help here.
Oxygen
When fats oxidize they turn rancid. Keeping your food in an oxygen free environment will prevent this, as well as kill pests that may be in the food. You can remove oxygen with oxygen absorbers in an airtight bag. I’ll cover deciding how many to use below.
Moisture
Moisture can take the form of humidity, condensation or even a water pipe breaking. To mitigate this, I keep much of my preps in Mylar bags and put the Mylar bags in food grade buckets. You can also add a desiccant to the inside of the Mylar for added moisture removal. I try not to have any food with cardboard packaging out in the open, as it is susceptible to accidents involving liquids, such as broken pickle jars, broken pipes or the “Not Me Ghost”, you know, children.
Pests
Pests range from larvae in bulk food to mice in your food storage area. There are a few ways to deal with each. For larvae, you can place a bag of rice, beans or whatever dry food you intend to store in your freezer for a couple days. This will kill any bugs, larvae or eggs. I used to do that, but it’s time consuming, my freezer isn’t that big and it’s usually full. I found, on a forum, that the simple act of removing the oxygen would kill any pests in the food. This made sense and they were steps we were already taking. We have not had any problem with pests in any of the food we have stored this way. If you want to make sure, feel free to do both. I have also read that Bay Leaves will keep pests away and some people add them to the inside of the Mylar bag as well as the inside of the food grade bucket.
To summarize, keep your food storage in a dry, dark, cool area in oxygen free and pest resistant containers.
This is something everyone will have to decide on their own. That being said, I think everyone should have a minimum of three months food stored. I personally would eventually like to get to one year stored for my family. This will give us a large cushion if I should lose my job, or a number of other things take place. It would also give us room to help those in need in a short term situation.
When you’re beginning your food storage it may be difficult to wrap your mind around storing an extra 90 days of food, or an extra year. Don’t overwhelm yourself! Break it down into easier chunks, like a week, then two and just keep adding to it.
There are a couple ways to approach knowing how many days’ worth of food you have stored. The first is to determine the required caloric intake for your family, then count up the calories of all the food you have stored, divide calories needed into calories stored and you now know how many days of food you have put up.
The second way is to use a food storage calculator. Emergency Essentials has a very good one that is free. With it, you can add how many family members you have and some basic information about them. There are over 500 foods already populated to choose from and the ability to enter your own foods that might not be populated. Once you’ve entered in all of your food storage, simply hit “calculate” and it gives a tally of how many days food you have stored, along with the nutritional information. If you shop from Emergency Essentials, you also have the ability to add items that you want to purchase on your next order.
I recently wrote an article called “Frugal Preparedness”. It has many tips and the comments have even more suggestions from readers. There are many easy things you can do to build your pantry.
If you just need to bring in more money, one option, if you qualify, is donating plasma. I checked into it a couple years ago and you can do it twice a week, receiving $25 each time. That’s an extra $200 a month! Blood Banker is just one online resource. It may or may not list locations that buy plasma near you.
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It’s been a long time since I’ve done a “What Would You Do?” post. I thought today would be a good time to have another. For those who haven’t seen these, the reason I write this type of post is because of the book The Survivors Club. Author Ben Sherwood explores a theory developed by a man named John Leach called “The 10/80/10 rule”. In summary, the rule states that the top 10% of people in a crisis excel; they think clearly and take immediate action. The middle group comprises 80% of people; they are “quite simply stunned and bewildered”; “reasoning is significantly impaired and thinking is difficult”. The last 10% of people are the “ones you definitely want to avoid in an emergency”.
A few pages later he explains something called ‘behavioral inaction’; “The current theory of behavioral inaction goes like this: As your frontal lobes process the site of an airplane wing on fire, they seek to match the information with memories of similar situations in the past. If you have no stored experience of a plane crash, your brain can’t find a match and gets stuck in a loop trying and failing to come up with the right response. Hence: immobility.”
The scenario I describe today has a slim chance of happening just as I describe it but, as was discussed on Monday in “Current Threats to America with AlertsUSA”, North Korea has clearly put the Unites States in its crosshairs and made claims they would use a preemptive nuclear strike. As AlertsUSA mentioned, what it might take for North Korea to attack, “…, we believe that move would not come out of aggression, but fear. Fear of attack and fear of the further choking of resources needed for the survival of the state.”
I chose this scenario because, if I was Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, and was faced with extreme sanctions by the UN and threatened by joint American and South Korean military operation, this is how I would attack America; a sucker punch. The event’s I’ll describe may seem far-fetched but I’m sure Japan attacking Pearle Harbor and destroying a large portion of the United States Pacific Naval fleet seemed far-fetched on December 6th, 1941 until it happened the next day.
What would you do, North Korea Attacks
Due to continued nuclear testing and repeated threats of preemptive strike to the United States, the United Nations has passed the heaviest handed sanctions given to any country in its history. The Chinese, Russian and Iranian leaders condemned planned joint military operation with the South Korean Navy that are to take place in the near future.
At 12:00 PM PST North Korea launches a low yield nuclear bomb on Seoul South Korea and a barrage of conventional missiles at American and South Korean military bases inside of South Korea.
At 1:00 PM PST a modified cargo ship hailing from China but originally from North Korea, has taken a long trade route and is currently in the Atlantic, roughly 500 miles from the East Coast, when it launches two mid-range nuclear missiles. Both are headed to Washington D.C. One is destroyed a minute before detonation. The second detonates.
At 2:00 PM PST a modified cargo ship originally from North Korea, last docking in Hong Kong and now located in the Pacific, 200 miles away from California, launches two long range nuclear missiles. The first missile, targeting military bases, detonates in San Diego California. The second detonates in the stratus-sphere over the western hemisphere of the United States, destroying the electric grid over much of the western half of the U.S. and causing scattered blackouts over the rest of the country.
So, what would you do?
(Check the comments section to see the answers from myself and everyone else as well as to add your own.)
I have mentioned AlertsUSA and Threat Journal in the post I wrote called “Way’s to Stay Informed and be Alerted in an Emergency”. I recently had the opportunity to ask them a few questions about AlertsUSA and Threat Journal, about some recent world events and what the largest threat to America and American interest abroad.
AlertsUSA has also been incredibly generous and has agreed to give away 5 radiation safety packages for Prepared Christians who sign up for the free Threat Journal newsletter. Each radiation safety package will contain:
(1) NukAlert Radiation Monitor and Alarm
(5) RadSticker Peel and Stick Dosimeters
(2) Boxes of ThyroSafe Potassium Iodide Tablets
So make sure you see the bottom for details on the contest.
I have been receiving Threat Journal for two years and follow it on facebook as well. I try to stay on top of current events, but Threat Journal always seems to find a story or two that I hadn’t seen before.
With that, on to the Q/A
Chris:
To start off, can you explain what Alert USA and Threat Journal are and how they can assist in one’s preparedness?
AlertsUSA:
“What AlertsUSA IS:
AlertsUSA is a 12 year old emergency alert system for mobile devices. We monitor news and intelligence information from around the world on a real-time basis (24/7/365) and inform subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile device, when developments occur which pose a direct threat to the U.S., as well as its citizens and interests at home and abroad.
The service is in use by federal, state, county and municipal government agencies, first responders, corporate security professionals dealing with large, multi-site organizations, as well as the general public.
The service is of value to individuals and families along three primary fronts: Speed, Truth and Reach
Speed:
In most instances AlertsUSA beats the mainstream media by hours and days reporting breaking, threatening developments, if it is reported by them at all. As we do not have an editorial process, scripting, advertisers, or other stake holders to worry about or placate in our reporting, we are able to bring factual, validated information to the subscribers quickly. This advance notice can be critical, such as a distant earthquake generating a tsunami, an emergency being declared at a nuclear power station, bank runs, etc…
Truth:
Every story reported by the mainstream media passes through editorial filters seeking to determine if it will impact ad sales, a business partner or a subsidiary. Often stories are stifled as a result. None of these are factors with AlertsUSA’s reporting.
Reach:
It is impossible for individuals to stay parked in front of their computers and TVs monitoring world developments around the clock. This is AlertsUSA’s sole function. And as we deliver breaking information via one’s mobile device, we can reach subscribers, anywhere, anytime, 24/7/365.
What AlertsUSA Is NOT:
We are NOT an automated service. We do NOT send out alert messages just to generate traffic. We do NOT inform subscribers each time a fire engine is called or a SWAT team investigates a suspicious package. We often will go for days without reporting anything as there is simply nothing happening warranting an alert.
Quoting one of our long time subscribers; “We only report the bad stuff.”
Threat Journal:
Threat Journal is a weekly email newsletter used to follow up and expand on any alerts issued during the previous 7 days, as well as to cover other stories we feel the readers should have on their radar, but did not warrant an alert to their mobile device (thus preventing “alert fatigue”).”
Chris:
How do you gather Intel and how do you validate it as credible?
AlertsUSA:
“Our information sources span mainstream media outlets worldwide, premium targeted information services, private intelligence groups and information provided directly to us by government agencies and departments both foreign and domestic. This combination, developed and continually refined over the past decade, gives us an excellent handle on events worldwide.
Validation of information tends to be the easier part of the overall effort. As we also serve a broad number of government agencies and departments, validating information is often as simple as making two or three calls to trusted sources.”
Chris:
In recent history there has been a Russian TU-95 bear bomber flown over the US territory of Guam. North Korea has also made several hostile comments towards America and Iran has made several inflammatory statements as well. Do you foresee any circumstances in which these countries intentions amount to more than saber rattling?
AlertsUSA:
“Russia/China
The U.S., Russia and China regularly test each other’s responses to encroachment on their territory and that of their regional strategic partners. There are a variety of reasons for doing so, including measuring response methods and timing, signals and electronic intelligence gathering and more. Probing each other’s defenses is routine in an effort to understand the weapons systems and defense methods used by the other side. The same occurs with land and naval forces.
As an example, in 2009 Russia conducted simulated bombing runs on Alaska and California. It is also not uncommon for Russian missile and attack subs to be regularly tracked off the East Coast of the U.S. and as recent as December and January, inside the Gulf of Mexico. China is only now beginning to field systems to enable them to carry out such missions outside of their immediate region where they are very active.
Given current events we believe that major conflict between the U.S. and Russia can break out as a result of events in the Middle East. Russia has deep economic, military and cultural ties with Syria stretching back to the 1950’s. Tens of thousands of Russians live in Syria. Russia’s use of the deep-water port at Tartus is critical for their naval presence in the Mediterranean and supports not only the Russian Black Sea and Northern Fleets operating in the Mediterranean, but is also being upgraded to support nuclear-powered warships and submarines. It is also their only base in the region once outside of Black Sea.
Russia has publicly stated that foreign meddling in Syria could end up as a nuclear conflict.
Closer to home, Russia maintains strong economic, industrial and defense ties with Venezuela. Russia and Venezuela regularly hold joint military maneuvers. Venezuela is also one of Russia top buyers of defense hardware, itself a significant source of revenue for the Russian government.
N. Korea
N. Korea poses one of the most profound threats the U.S. is currently facing, particularly in light of their recent nuclear and 3-stage missile tests. The current U.S. missile defense shield, started under President George W. Bush, was rooted in part due to concerns over N. Korea.
With stiff new economic sanctions in place and rather large defense exercises slated to begin in mid-March with S. Korea, the U.S. and several other nations, N. Korea has been making threats of preemptive nuclear strikes on both S. Korea and the U.S..
Here is an article from the Israeli National News N. Korea Threatens Nuke Attack on Mainland USA
Here is a Video from Good Morning America covering North Korea Threatens a Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike on U.S.
This article from the U.K.’s Daily Mail Online: ‘Prepare for all-out war’ Kim Jong Un vows to attack South Korea as he cancels peace pact in revenge for tough UN sanctions
The MSM may refer to these threats as hollow, but the U.S. DoD is taking them quite serious. As recent as January, the New York Times reported theformer Defense Secretary told U.S. troops the following:
“North Korea just fired a missile. It’s an intercontinental ballistic missile, for God sakes. That means they have the capability to strike the United States.”
The best estimates put the current range of N. Korea’s ICBMs as being able to strike Alaska, Hawaii and the Western U.S… Miniaturization of nuclear warheads is merely a function of time, as are increased range of their missiles and the hardening of the warhead package to survive reentry. This does not preclude quiet assistance from other Nation’s such as China, which has already supplied significant portions of their existing medium and long range capability. N. Korea’s nuclear capability itself was enabled by Pakistan.
It is our opinion that the most immediate and easily achievable threat posed by N. Korea to the U.S. comes in the form of an EMP style attack. While their missiles may not be able to survive full reentry, detonation of a nuclear device at a much higher altitude could potentially devastate parts of the U.S. power grid, transportation and communications networks.
The second, and perhaps more concerning threat comes from N. Korea’s willingness to sell the same capability to other nations, such as Iran or other Middle East players. Iranian personnel are widely known to be present in N. Korea during missile and nuclear tests. N. Korean personnel are also a constant feature at Iran’s nuclear facilities.
As for a particular incident or event that could trigger such an attack, we believe that move would not come out of aggression, but fear. Fear of attack and fear of the further choking of resources needed for the survival of the state.
It is important for readers to keep in mind that in desperate times, desperate people (and Nations) do desperate things.”
Chris:
While many countries such as North Korea or Iran, don’t have the missile capability to launch a nuke from their country to land on the continental USA, (I know North Korea either has gotten the technology or is close to having it). Would it be possible for them to hide a missile on a ship carrying shipping containers, and launch an EMP style attack from a hundred miles from our shores?
AlertsUSA:
“In addition to that written above, this is most certainly a possibility. The USGOV certainly appears to be bolstering East Coast surveillance and defenses against some type of threat.
Consider the following:
In January, it was announced that the U.S. defense department would be closing down a balloon surveillance program being run on the U.S. / Mexico border known as TARS, or the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which was an aerostat-borne surveillance program used to support counter-narcotic operations, mostly in southern border regions. Four TARS are deployed in Texas, two in Arizona and one in New Mexico, Florida, Louisiana and Puerto Rico.
In news released this February, a system similar to TARS known as JLENS, or the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System will soon be deployed around Washington DC. This begs the question: Why would such a surveillance system need to be “tested” around our the National Capital Region, already one of the most heavily monitored and defended areas in the country?”
On Feb 1, 2013 Yahoo News reported in an article titled Blimps to bolster Washington’s air shield in test:
“We’re trying to determine how the surveillance radar information from the JLENS platforms can be integrated with existing systems in the National Capital Region,” said Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.”
In addition, it was just announced that a large drone base is being developed at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California for broad area ocean surveillance. The systems to be deployed are high altitude, long duration platforms.
The LA Daily News reports: Drone base planned for Point Mugu near Malibu
“MALIBU – The U.S. Navy proposes to station a drone operations base at an airfield 15 miles west of Malibu, it was reported Saturday.”
The Sacramento Bee reports: Hueneme council supports drone base at Point Mugu
“POINT MUGU, Calif. — The Port Hueneme City Council has agreed to back a military proposal to make Naval Base Ventura County the West Coast home for a new type of unmanned aircraft.”
Chris:
I receive the occasional email and have seen posts on other blogs and forums about the government getting ready for civil uprising, which includes FEMA camps. Do you think these reports belong in the realm of conspiracy theorists and tinfoil hatters or is there credence to it?
AlertsUSA:
“We know from direct knowledge that many of these claims are spot on accurate. While the specifics may be embellished from story to story or site to site, it is solid fact that our nations leaders know that the U.S. is now in a slow motion train wreck and they are most certainly preparing for a breakdown of social order.
The root cause will be, for sure, a collapse of the U.S. dollar and economy. This collapse will come as a result of astronomical debt and spending levels. We are already well past the point of being able to correct the problem. In fact, the U.S. military has, since ~2006, has been actively conducting war gaming exercises and preparing contingencies for just such an eventuality.
One such preparation effort was known as Unified Quest 2011.”
See the following videos:
While carried out under a different exercise, the following images should also drive the point home:
See this link for images: Vigilant Guard 2010 Riot Control, Detention Drills
Most Americans under the age of 60 – 70 have never known extreme national hardship, though it is a non-stop occurrence elsewhere in the world. We just never hear about in the MSM.
Most Americans have never been out of the country and so their world view is severely limited to what they are taught in our increasingly worthless classrooms or see on our increasingly worthless television and cable channels.
Most Americans have no clue that the largest holder of U.S. debt, even before the Japanese (#1) and the Chinese (#2) is our own government. That’s right. Our government must purchase its own bonds just to keep the system afloat. While intentionally called strange names like “quantitative easing”, it is essentially just “printing money”.
The following chart, from the Fed itself, demonstrates the scale of that money printing:
The following chart, from the fed itself, shows the devaluation (purchasing power) of the dollar over time. This is the result of money printing.
The following chart shows the average life span of world reserve currencies since the 1400’s.
America is no different, except perhaps for the sheer size of our debt load and the penetration into other countries.
When one has an understanding of these problems, and how many people are completely dependant on Uncle Sugar for their daily bread and entertainment, they will begin to understand why detainment camps, massive purchases of ammo and hardened vehicles are necessary.
None of this is tin foil hat subject matter, except in the minds of those who do not understand what is before us.
Here are more indicators:
Vigilant Guard 2010 Riot Control, Detention Drills
Wal-Mart Says February Sales “Total Disaster”, Worst Monthly Start Since 2006; Stock Drops
Wal-Mart Situation “Getting Worse” New Leaks Reveal
JCPenney Reports Horrific Results, Stock Plunges
Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short”
Chris:
What would you say is the largest threat to the average Americans’ way of life that is based outside of America? For example Iran mining the Strait of Hormuz, and gas prices skyrocketing.
AlertsUSA:
“In addition to that written above, we would add the following:
As with all modern nations, oil and gas are our lifeblood. Without them, society grinds to a halt. It is our view that dependency on foreign sources of energy is one of the greatest threats to our national security. This threat is not only due to the security in the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal (the site of recent clashes with the Egyptian military and factions of the general Egyptian populace) and other choke points, but also clashes over those resources or delivery means with other superpowers such as China and Russia.”
Chris:
What would you say is the biggest threat to American national security inside our border?
AlertsUSA:
While there are MANY threats, we view the biggest threat as the pending economic collapse. It will happen. This is a given and is only a matter of time. While the blame for the event will be intentionally shrouded with some other event (bank takedown by some ‘evil foreign cyber attack’, or outbreak of serious conflict elsewhere in the world), the impact will be the same.
Chris:
What other current events should we be paying attention to that haven’t been mentioned in the above questions?
AlertsUSA: (two answers)
1. It is important that the readers keep a close eye on our aging nuclear power infrastructure. Many of these facilities have been operating well past their intended design life and are precariously balanced with regular breakdowns. There is far too much money in play for these systems to be taken offline willingly or for the good of the general public. With the current administration’s attacks on coal-fired power plants, there are also few alternatives.
At some point there will be a catastrophic failure at one or more of these facilities. If you reside near, or downwind, from one of these facilities you need to maintain peak awareness.
2. More than any other threat currently facing this country; the one that has me most concerned is related to President Obama’s trip to Israel later this month. Much of the visit is intended to discuss a new peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, halting the construction of new settlements and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
This trip should have all Christians cringing as God has firmly warned that any nation that even attempts to divide up Israel would enter into his judgment.
Joel Ch. 3 is a great place to start. Also, a simple Google search using the phrase “dividing the land of Israel” will provide dozens of sites detailing the troubles that have befallen those nations through history who have already tried.
Draw close to the Lord. There are very difficult times ahead.
Contest Details
AlertsUSA has generously offered the Prepared Christian.net community a chance to win five radiation safety packages. All you have to do to enter is click the picture below that shows the contents of the radiation safety kit, or follow this link to Threat Journal and sign up for the free weekly newsletter from Threat Journal. The contest will run for four weeks and the winners will be chosen on April 8th, 2013. I will make a reminder post once a week until the winners are chosen.
I want to thank the folks at AlertsUSA again for their generosity in taking the time to answer these questions and in giving away five great prizes. I think this is an important article. Please consider sharing it with everyone you feel may be blessed with information concerning current threats to America.
AlertsUSA has been kind enough to offer special pricing. Normally the service is $99 a year, they are now offering the service for $75 a year for Prepared Christian readers.
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Do you live in a state that is too liberal and/or oppressive? Have you given any thought to moving to a state that is more in line with your values? More and more people are doing just that; voting with their feet. In this article I’ll cover some of my own struggles and list some resources that might help anyone else who might want to move to another state. I also ask any of you who might have input to please add it, so that those of us considering voting with our feet and moving to a new state might have an easier time of it.
As some of you might be aware Trudee and I started looking for a new home last fall. The goals were a lower house payment and, hopefully, ten acres or more. We haven’t had much luck, mostly due to the fact that I work from home and need a low latency high speed Internet connection. Since we’re looking in more rural areas because we want 5+ acres, satellite is often the only option and satellite just won’t work for my job.
We started looking for houses on ten or more acres and dropped it down to five when we weren’t finding anything. We started to find some properties, but as soon as we would tell our Realtor to book a showing, she would tell us they accepted an offer. We have now gotten to the point where there isn’t a single house on the MLS in our price range, with any acreage, that doesn’t require extensive fixing up.
I’ve grumbled about not liking Minnesota for years. It’s just too liberal for me. Last week Trudee made a comment along the lines of “maybe this is God’s way of telling us we should move out of state.” I’ll not get into the reasons why I want to move out of Minnesota, as that isn’t what this article is about. If you’re truly interested, send me an email or post in the comments.
We had a couple serious conversations about it. We did a bit of research to find which states are more conservative and found this poll from Gallup ranking the top ten most conservative and liberal states. Last week, Jack Spirko from The Survival Podcast talked about this subject in a listener question episode 1078. He also mentioned he was starting a new forum called Walking to Freedom, a place that will list ten of the most oppressive states and ten of the most liberty loving states. This forum will be a place to speak to others in states you’re looking to move to and from.
Jack posted an article titled “You Don’t Have To Live Like This” the next day. In it the author is telling his readers that many people are leaving states that are not business friendly for states that are. He lives in Florida and is making a case for people to move there.
Looking for a house in Minnesota is hard enough! We look on the MLS, take a look at the property on Google Maps to make sure it’s something that meets our requirements and then I check to see if high speed Internet is available. If it is, we ask the realtor to book a showing. We’re often told that the seller, often a bank, has accepted an offer. I have a hunch that people are making offers without seeing the house in person because Trudee keeps a close eye on the MLS. The houses that we do go see are often not a place we would live for various reasons.
How Do You Vote With Your Feet?
In Minnesota, I know the parts of the state that are more rural, the parts that are a little too rural and have a general area of where we would like to live. Researching another state would be a must, and this is where a forum like Walking to Freedom will come in very handy.
Let’s say you find an area you would like to live and even find a house for sale. How do you go through this process when you can’t go see the house in person? Once you find the house, Google Maps is a huge time saver. We have used it to rule out several homes.
We went to see seven or so houses, and after seeing them in person we ruled five out. One was ruled out due to lack of internet and one we were out bid on. My point is that the realtors put the best pictures of a house on the MLS. We had to set foot in five to rule them out. How would you go about ruling out houses? Trudee mentioned possibly finding a realtor willing to walk through the house with a smart phone running Skype or a similar program that would let us see the house and interact with the realtor. Can you think of any other options?
If you work from home and need an Internet connection with less latency than Satellite, finding a viable ISP may be problematic as well. It took me a week or two of searching to get familiar with the Internet Service Providers that service different parts of the state I live in. Just doing a Google search often only yields the big names like Comcast or Century Link, and might not list a perfectly viable but smaller ISP. I have found a newer technology called WIMAX, which is a wireless connection, sent much like a cellular signal. Since these WIMAX antennae are often located on water towers or other things of similar height, the signal doesn’t have to travel to a satellite and you can see speeds of 5+ Mbps with low latency.
Because of our situation, we may end up staying in Minnesota. Heck, we may end up staying where we live now! What about those of you who live in states that don’t hold the same values you do? Would you consider voting with your feet?
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I recently received an email from a new reader asking about what rules one might put in place when extended family comes to stay, either because they were ill prepared, or are forced to leave their home for some reason.
Andrea said “…much would depend on what type of emergency situation we were facing, but that having some guidelines on things such as how much water, food was to be used per person, what the thermostat should be set to, shared tasks would be helpful.”
Having made two six month cruises on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, I know a thing or two about living in close proximity to others for long periods of time. The US Navy came up with some of the policies on how we would all get along. We developed others out of necessity along the way.
I think this is a great idea. If you have a wide list of potential guidelines, you can pick and choose the ones that might fit your life and the situation you’re facing.
The scenario I had in mind while writing this was one other family staying at my house with no supplies of their own for more than just a few days. If the visiting party brought their own supplies, you’ll just need to focus on the areas where they are dependent upon you. With that being said, here are some general areas and some guidelines.
Space
Sharing space over an extended period of time with anyone can be stressful. When you add extra people there need to be some boundaries established that respect private space as well as shared, public space.
If you want certain rooms to be private, bedrooms for example, establish a clear boundary that no one is allowed in anyone’s bedroom. Making bedrooms off limits can also help give you a private place away from everyone else. One of the hardest things about being on a ship with 6,000 other people is that alone time is very hard to come by.
Request that everyone please help keep the common areas that are shared by everyone clean. If you make a mess, clean it up.
Shared Chores
We raised the boys with the understanding that each of us had to contribute to get the chores done. I think this is the only way to go in a small group scenario, where people are sharing an address for an extended time.
This area will vary largely, based on the type of scenario, the location where you live and the makeup of your group. Instead of coming up with a chore list, here are some things to keep in mind.
There is a good chance those staying with you will want to help earn their keep. Be willing to share the duty with chores they are capable of doing.
Kids will either be very eager to help, or very eager to avoid helping. I do not recommend letting anyone off. Favoritism can quickly lead to resentment. To avoid it, give small chores that can quickly be done by all kids. If those who are eager to help want more after, they might be allowed a special reward for doing extra.
Children
People differ on how to raise kids, but having multiple sets of rules for different kids is just asking for Billy to be angry because he has to go to bed at 8:00 PM and his cousin Robby who’s the same age can stay up until 10:00 PM.
Not all rules need to be the same, but on things that might show favoritism it might be a good idea.
Utilities
Depending on the scenario, you may or may not have power or heat. If utilities are working, my feeling is that whomever pays the bills sets the thermostat, keeping everyone’s safety in mind of course.
It will need to be understood that shower times need to be limited to a short duration, so that everyone can shower.
If the power is out and you have a generator, you’ll need to agree on what gets powered. If you can keep the fridge and the freezer cold by running the generator a few times a day, setting a rule about who is allowed to go in them might be a good idea.
When I was in the Navy there was only one or two television channels available while at sea. Believe it or not, that was probably a good thing. Trying to get a group to agree on which show to watch is like nailing Jell-O to a tree. If you have a working TV, and/or DVD player, putting all options in a hat and drawing one might be the best way to go.
Food and Water
This is another area that will depend greatly on the kind of scenario you’re faced with. If the event is short in duration or is longer duration and you can still get to the store and purchase goods, it is much different than a long term duration where the support infrastructure has collapsed. If you have a well, this is a much different conversation than someone on municipal water and sewer.
If water is in short supply, you may have to ration it. You will have to stop taking showers to conserve water. The rule of thumb is that a person needs one gallon of drinking water a day, more in warm climates or if highly active.
When it comes to rationing food, there is a big difference between making due for a few days until a trip to the store can be made, versus a life changing event that caused you to make due until harvest time.
If you are forced to ration food, keep health conditions in mind, how many calories are burned doing physical activity and the needs of children.
Disagreements
With many people sharing the same space, tension could be high without facing an emergency situation. Add the extra pressure and you’ve got the potential for everyone being on everyone else’s nerves. Finding a fair way to deal with disagreements is something to think about ahead of time, before everyone is torqued off.
If I were in a situation that saw Trudee and I playing host to more people for an extended time, I would need to make sure we had wine, lots and lots of wine. Just kidding.
I would be tempted to go with “My house, my rules”. Depending on the disagreement, that might not be the best route. I try to be objective and understand both sides of an argument, but I don’t always succeed and, like everyone, I make mistakes. For that reason, every adult should have some say in daily life, and compromise should be well-used.
I think that every group needs a leader, someone who breaks ties and when compromise fails, has the final say. There are also some things that I am just not willing to tolerate in my house. When it comes to the safety, well being and righteousness of my family, my foot is down. Don’t ask again.
I am sure I missed some rules or guidelines. If you think of some, please post them in the comment section.
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Total Home Prep Now $29.95
I was recently sent a DVD called Total Home Prep Now, which I watched and am going to give you my thoughts on.
From the DVD jacket:
“In just over one hour our exclusive DVD course will teach you everything you want and need to know about getting prepared. No fluff here just practical, easy to follow, step by step video lessons that will get you prepared faster than any other product on the market.”
Overall Video
The video is very well made. Both presenters do a good job and the camera work was good as well. They were able to squeeze a lot of information in just over an hour. One thing I like is that they tell you what to search the Internet for to get more information on different subjects. If they wanted to go in depth on all of the aspects of preparedness they would need to make this a series of DVD’s. Listed below are the subjects they covered and my thoughts on them.
Food
They do a really good job on this section; how to go about starting a pantry, explaining the two main rules of food storage and the enemies of food storage.
Some food staples are listed and they list expected shelf life. They also explain what the shelf life is with and without storing things in Mylar with an oxygen absorber.
They do a great job of explaining how to store food in metal lined bags (Mylar), and cover some of the problems I ran into in the beginning. Over the years, I have watched a fair number of videos of people putting up food for long term storage. This was one of the better ones.
They used a bath canner and stored apples in jars. They explained the entire process of blanching and soaking the apple to prevent the color from changing. They also used a pressure canner to store chicken. I found this pretty interesting, as I haven’t ever canned meats.
Water
Gathering, treating and storing water is covered in pretty good detail. Rain catchment and using a bathtub bladder are both covered. They also show a clever idea on how to use a tarp and some poles to catch even more rain.
They explain some of the differences in water filters and bring up some points you should consider when looking for one. They cover boiling water and how to store water in a 55 gallon drum.
House
This area covers topics like developing a family action plan, researching potential local threats, how to shut off your gas and electricity.
Sanitation
There are a few different ways listed to deal with sanitation. I’m glad they covered this, as it is an area many people overlook.
Vehicle
Vehicle Prep covers some good info, including never letting your gas tank get below half and doing a vehicle once over, checking for problems with belts, tires and checking for leaks.
Do It Yourself
There are a fair amount of projects shown that you can do yourself. Some of them are:
How to build your own water filter
How to put a spigot on a 55 gallon drum
How to grow sprouts
How to make a small cache out of PVC
How to dig a trench for a latrine
How to make a faraday cage
My Take
There were a few things that I disagree with them on, but on every one of them, they erred on the side of caution. I also disagree that this DVD covers everything you’ll need to know, but it does cover some of the most important things.
This video would have saved me many hours of research in the beginning, and would be a great resource to anyone relatively new to prepping. If you have been at preparedness for a few years, there are probably still some things you will learn, but you’re probably familiar with most of the content.
I usually base my rating system on how much value I feel I got out of the product. I am going to give this DVD a rating from the stand point of someone who is relatively new to preparedness and not from the standpoint of someone who has a blog and talks about it.
As I mentioned above, this DVD would have saved me a lot of research on some of the most important aspects of preparedness. I like that they gave some ideas for things to research if you want more information. The DIY projects are an added bonus as well.
Because I think the DVD has a lot to offer to a newbie to preparedness, I give it four stars.
Anyone involved in preparedness knows that it can quickly get expensive. This doesn’t need to be the case. Here are a bunch of tips for prepping on the cheap.
Don’t be a Gear Snob
While having top of the line gear is often ideal, you’re better off having something that will do an efficient job than holding out for that perfect item. For example if you have nothing for home defense, you’re better off buying a used 20 gauge shot gun for $75 than holding out for a $1500 AR-15.
Another idea that came to mind is purifying water. While I love our current method of purifying water, we needed a tax return to afford it. Until then, we would have boiled water or used bleach. That’s mot ideal but it would have gotten us by.
Don’t be a Brand Snob
When it comes to things like toilet paper, I have my favorite brand, but we have cases of other, less expensive brands, stored. I’m not trying to be crude, but if there is an event that makes it so we can’t go buy more TP from a store, anything short of tree bark will seem like a blessing.
Coupons
Trudee really started couponing last year and has saved us a ton of money. Sometimes saving 30% on a weekly grocery bill. If you’re building a pantry, coupon like your life depends on it. It might mean going to more than one grocery store, but it can easily be worth the trip.
Sales and BOGO (Buy One Get One)
This might sound like a no brainer, but when there is a sale on an item, stock up. Grocery stores often have “buy one get one free or half off”. I have also seen “five for $5” or “ten for $10”. These are great opportunities to stock up.
Discount Groceries
We have a discount grocery store called Aldi’s. From talking to others and my own experience, if you get produce from them you should consume it quickly. However, canned and frozen goods should be just fine.
Craig’s List, Free Cycle
Looking online, you can often find free or inexpensive gear. This would be a great way to stock up on camping gear, and other preparedness related items.
Flea Markets, Garage Sales and Auctions
These can be a great resource for getting gear. You can often haggle to get the asking price even lower.
Copy Canning
I learned about copy canning from the video Urban Master Volume 1 “The Home”, created by the late Ron Hood and his wife. The process is very easy and is as follows:
This is a great way to build your pantry to the point where you’re at the maximum amount of any item you want to store. Then you simply move back to buying just one when you use one.
Dollar Stores
While not all dollar stores are created equal, I would wager I could survive for a week or two based off on the items at most dollar stores. I didn’t say I would enjoy it, but I would survive. Others might have this as well, but Dollar Tree has a section of their website called ”Emergency Supply Checklist”..
Big Box Stores
Costco and Sam’s club can be great money savers. If you can’t afford a membership, consider going in on one with another family. You might always need to go shopping there together, but it would be worth it.
Do you have any tips for frugal preparedness? If so please add them to the comments section!
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