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Preparedness Tip: Homemade Laundry Soap

January 17, 2012 by

I came across an article on making laundry soap and mentioned it to my wife. She looked into it and decided to give it a shot. Follow the link to see how to make laundry soap. with pictures included. I’ll just give you my thoughts.

For under $20 my wife was able to purchase enough supplies to make enough laundry soap to last us roughly a year and in my guestimation we spend around $100 on commercial laundry detergent. (for reference, there are my wife and I and two teenage boys)

We used it for roughly 2 months and stopped because it didn’t get the clothes as clean as commercial detergent. In the FAQ section of the site explaining the process, she mentions that some commenters have said they double the amount of Borax, which makes it clean more thoroughly. We did not try that.

My wife also didn’t care for the smell, but you can add things to change it.

We have an HE (High Efficiency) washer and did some research before using it. I was able to find a few people who had tried it and had no issues. We gave it a shot and had no problems. In fact, my wife heard that homemade laundry soap is actually better for HE washers, as it doesn’t create the suds that aren’t good for them.

We kept the ingredients and will use it if things get ugly, but have continued to use commercial detergents since going back.

If you’re looking for a way to save money, this might be of interest, if you try it let me know how it worked for you.

 
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Filed Under: Finance, Preparedness Tips Tagged With:

Off-Grid Laundry

January 16, 2012 by

Off-Grid Laundry

To do laundry in an off-grid situation, we can just look to the past and add a few modern twists. There are three parts to doing laundry, washing, rinsing/wringing and drying. Let’s take a look at how to do those three off-grid.

Washing


 Washing Board
I’m sure many of us have seen pictures of people using washboards to do laundry. While it might get   the clothes clean, it can take a lot of effort.

 


 
Non-electric Washing Machines

A more modern, yet off-grid means, is with an item like the Pressure Handwasher from Lehman’s, the Wonder Wash from The Laundry Alternative Inc. or Laundry Pod. The designs of the Pressure Handwasher and the Wonder Wash are similar to each other. From simply looking at the designs web pages and the videos that are available, the Laundry Pod design seems superior to me. The process of the three is similar; add a gallon or two of water, a bit of soap and turn/crank for a minute or two, drain, add more water and turn/crank for a minute or two to rinse.


 
Do It Yourself

If you’re a do-it-yourself-er or just frugal, you can do something similar by using a five gallon bucket and a laundry plunger. Take the lid for the five gallon bucket and cut a hole in the middle large enough for the handle of the laundry plunger. Fill the bucket half full with clothes, add a gallon or two of water add a little soap. Now put the laundry plunger in the bucket and place the lid securely over the plunger. Push the plunger up and down to agitate the clothes for a couple of minutes. Some people use a regular plunger. It is my understanding that laundry plungers force soap and water through the clothes more effectively. Lehman’s has two version of laundry plungers or hand washers, they are the Rapid Laundry Washer and the Breathing Hand Washer.


Rinsing/wringing
The non-electric washing machines have a means to rinse and wring the clothes, but there are other methods for those not using one of these machines. Lehman’s Clothes Wringer has some off-grid options but they’re a bit pricey to me.
 
Do It Yourself

Here is a three bucket system I found that I think is very clever and would go nicely with the other do it yourself system to wash clothes.

Drying

Many people use clothes lines and pins for drying their clothes, either to save on the energy bill, or just for the fresh smell. As a kid we used some that were made out of clothes line rope, but you can also use wire strands. Another option for drying clothes is a drying rack.

While this isn’t completely off-grid, it might be a nice option for some. The Laundry Alternative Inc. has two products for Drying clothes that would be great for people with limited space.

One last thought: water that was used for laundry can be recycled and used to water the garden or lawn.

 
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Filed Under: Off-Grid

Book Review: Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat

January 12, 2012 by

Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man’s Solution

This book is written by M.D. Creekmore from The Survivalist Blog.net and tells the story of how Mr. Creekmore bought an RV and a small acreage and moved to it full time. He details some of the creative ways he used to find land and his trailer and provides some helpful information to think about for both.

He also gives some insight to living off grid in an RV full time. He explores topics such as power management, giving a quick explanation of solar and generator power systems. He explores water and waste management. Some of the other topics covered are security, storage space, stockpiling food, medicine guns and other supplies.
 
 
My take:

The part of the book I enjoyed most was the search for land and an RV, I hope to buy some acreage someday and will keep this book in mind when that time comes. That isn’t to say the rest of the book is bad, he has a great take on some preparedness/survival concepts that I am already familiar with, he just applied them to an RV, which does have some unique considerations.

 
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Filed Under: Reviews

What Would You DO? Workplace Shooting

January 11, 2012 by

You’re at work and you hear a loud pop. You stop working and wonder what the noise was; could it have been a gunshot? Your curiosity is answered when you hear a second shot and a few seconds later a third, sounding closer. There are now people screaming.

So, what would you do?

(Check the comments section to see my and anyone else’s thoughts as well as add your own.)

 
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Filed Under: What Would You Do?

Preparedness Tip: Food Grade Buckets Tips

January 10, 2012 by

We got most of our buckets from a small bakery. They charged $2 per bucket with the lid. Before we found that bakery, I got some free ones from bakeries in grocery stores; a couple from Sam’s Club and Costco.

I have read about people getting them from different types of grocery vendors. The trouble is; the bucket may retain the smell of whatever was stored in it and you might not be able to wash it out. If you’re storing directly in the bucket and not in Mylar, I wouldn’t suggest using a bucket that retained a smell. However if you are using Mylar, I would think since it’s airtight it should keep the smell out.

Do you need to put food in food grade buckets?. If you are going to put the food directly in the buckets without Mylar then yes, I would say that you need to put it in food grade buckets. However if you are using Mylar then it doesn’t really matter. I have actually put some of our long term staples in Mylar and stored it in a new 30 gallon trash can. You wouldn’t believe how much fits in one. (maybe a future article or tip).. That being said, most of our food is still in buckets.

If you go with buckets do yourself a favor and get a Bucket wrench and if you store food directly in the bucket a Gamma Seal Lids might be nice for easy access.

Where have you gotten your buckets from?

 
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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips

Car Kit

January 9, 2012 by

When making any kit a good approach is to make sure you have the five basics covered; water, food, shelter, security and energy. There might be an item that could (or should) be in another group, and I am sure I missed an item or two.  There might also be items here that don’t make sense for you. Just use this as a guide for building the kit that meets your needs.

I carry a lot of gear in my car, mostly because my car is usually where I am. I store the gear in a GHB (Get Home Bag) and in a plastic storage bin.  Some of this gear is only in the care because of the GHB and it is not necessarily just for the car kit.

Water

  • Metal coffee can (can be used to melt snow and to heat up water with candle, could also be used as a shovel if needed. You can also store food stuffs inside as to save space.)
  • Half full water container (half full to provide room for freezing)
  • Filtered sport water bottle
  • Water purification tablets (not photographed)

Food

  • Bouillon cubes
  • Hard candy that won’t melt
  • Power bars
  • MRE
  • Emergency bar


Shelter

  • Flares
  • Ice scraper
  • Small tool kit
  • Goggles (to keep rain or wind out of your eyes)
  • Wool blanket
  • 4-way tire iron (I won’t carry any other kind, this is a must IMHO)
  • Metal Folding Shovel
  • Tarp
  • Garbage bag(‘s)
  • Emergency blanket
  • Para cord (this is hard to see, but it’s a 100ft section in between the flares and the garbage bags)
  • Fix A Flat
  • Jumper Cables
  • Map (not photographed)
  • Jack (not photographed)
  • Shemagh (not photographed)


Security

  • Flag rag (color should stand out, if you live in the south white may be good. In Minnesnowta white isn’t a good choice, so blaze orange it is.)
  • Heavy-Duty Leather Work Gloves
  • Safety Reflective Vest
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • Emergency Hammer (there are many types, as long as it has the metal tip for breaking a window and the ability to cut through a seat belt, it should be fine. Try to find a place within reach of the driver’s seat to keep it; I keep mine in the door pocket.)
  • Glow sticks
  • Whistle (I have recently heard of this extremely loud whistle called Storm and Windstorm whistles, they claim it can be heard ½ a mile away. I’ll be getting a few of these at some point. Good for waking the kids when they over sleep haha)
  • Walking shoes (this is a must, especially for my women readers who wear fashionable shoes for work. Keep a pair of walking shoes in your car kit.)
  • First Aid kit
  • Poncho
  • 3M N95 mask (These have a respirator and will keep glasses from fogging up.)


Energy

  • Headlamp (great to keep the hands free, if you need to work under the hood or change a tire.)
  • Flashlight (I keep a shake light in my kit, no worrying if the batteries are good.
  • Candles (if you’re stranded and need to shelter in your car, a candle can heat up a small area relatively well, just make sure to crack a window now and again for fresh air.)
  • Lighter

What other items do you carry as a part of your car kit?

 
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Filed Under: Kits

Review of: 9mm Ammo from AmmoForSale

January 5, 2012 by

I was recently contacted by a gentleman named Caleb from AmmoForSale.com and asked if I would be interested in doing a product review, to which I readily agreed. I let Caleb know the caliber I shoot most frequently (9mm) and headed on over to AmmoForSale.com to check the site out. I have shopped quite a few on-line ammo suppliers and I have to say, AmmoForSale.com is one of the most pleasant sites to shop. Their prices are competitive with most other sites, but they have weekly specials.

There are a few standard hunting loads, but not a wide variety. They carry most calibers that are popular with prepper’s in both handgun and rifle and have a wide selection of both. The site is very well laid out and doesn’t give the cluttered feeling some others do. Their prices are readily displayed, as is the quantity in stock.

The ammo that Caleb originally wanted to send ran out. He quickly apologized and sent an equivalent. While I am writing a review for him, that he so quickly “made it right” for someone that wasn’t paying for the ammo, speaks volumes to me and lends credence to their claim that “our service is unparalleled”.
 
 
On to the range:

I was provided with 50 Rounds of 115gr FMJ 9mm Ammo by Fiocchi, the firearm was my Glock 19.

The ammo fired flawlessly. There were no stove pipes or misfires. I was going to post a picture of my target, but I’m not a great shot and am a little embarrassed. All inaccuracy is solely my fault.

I’m giving this 5 stars not because it was free but because the quality of the ammo was good and I would consider using it again. I was also very impressed by the website.

Also because of how quickly Caleb apologized for running out of the original ammo he was going to send and for getting its replacement out. I will most likely be using AmmoForSale.com for any on-line ammo purchases in the future.

 
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Filed Under: Reviews

What Would You DO? In An Ice Storm

January 4, 2012 by

There is an early winter ice storm that consists of rain and sleet, followed by wet and heavy snow and freezing temps. The weight of all this precipitation is too much for trees and power lines and many of both begin to snap. The power company has an estimated 3-5 days before power will be on in your neighborhood. The roads are slowly being plowed as the plows are having difficulty as well.

So, what would you do?

(Check the comments section to see my and anyone else’s thoughts as well as add your own.)

 
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Filed Under: What Would You Do?

Preparedness Tip: Fuel Tanker at the Gas Station

January 3, 2012 by

If there happens to be a fuel tanker at the gas station when you go to fill up, find another station or come back later. Problems are rare, but they do happen, as can be seen from this video taken in Australia. Searching youtube revealed more videos, some showing the fire much better, but they had some foul language.

On a side note: I’m sure it’s probably a federal regulation, but if you see a tanker at a gas station, they always have a fire extinguisher out with them. Seems like trying to kill an elephant with a finger gun and yelling bang to me. But like I said, it’s probably a federal regulation.

 
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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips

Preparing to Suffer

January 2, 2012 by

I don’t like suffering. I know, weird right? As prepper’s we work to avoid it now and in the future. We store food, water, medicine and other things, to mitigate suffering in the future as much as possible. There is another type of suffering that I don’t have much experience with; suffering for my savior.

I am blessed to have been born in America. My family was poor growing up but we didn’t suffer. We might not have had a lot, but we always had food. I may have been made fun of a few times because of my faith, but that isn’t suffering, not compared to the way people in other countries suffer.

I have felt compelled lately to prepare for both kinds of suffering. I don’t think anyone who reads this blog thinks that we as a country can keep kicking the economic can down the road. The piper will soon have to be paid; there will be pain and suffering for most. Those that see it now and prepare for it will still suffer, but suffer less.

I can’t say what form it will take for sure, but I have been watching what municipalities have been cutting back on. In California, police departments in some cities have said they will no longer respond to certain types of crimes. In Michigan, there was a city that pulled some of the light poles out and won’t be lighting chunks of the city. Instead of making the cuts where they can really make a difference, cuts are made to items of public safety.

As for how we will suffer as Christians, I can’t say for sure either. American Christians have been blessed. We haven’t had much persecution. However I don’t think that will be the case for long. Even now the ACLU is trying to get rid of any trace of God in any School or government setting.  Mainstream media mocks us openly and takes His name in vain using it as a cuss word.  Any expression of faith is mocked, “Tebowing” for example.  I wonder how far actual persecution and suffering is from mockery and blasphemy.

How do you get ready to suffer? Getting ready for economic suffering is simpler I think; make do on less, gut the fluff and keep prepping. Simple, yet not easy.

Preparing our spirits for suffering is a bit more complicated in my opinion. The reason is that you won’t know if you’re truly ready or not until you’re tested. There are things we can do; we can be in the word, memorizing verses, be in prayer, we can listen to worship music and we can pray for our enemies (this is a hard one for me; I want God to pummel the ACLU and those who drag His name through the mud). Most importantly, we can know who we are in the Lord. Watchmen Nee’s book Sit Walk Stand helps explain the different phases of our walk with Christ.

1Peter 2:20
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

God willing, may we learn to suffer well and be commendable before God.
 
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Filed Under: Mind Set
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