page-loading-spinner
Home Preparedness

Preparedness

Image | 17+ Ways To Become Self-Sufficient Before ‘The Crunch’
17+ Ways To Become Self-Sufficient Before ‘The Crunch’
by JW

A simple list of basic skills and resources to acquire before they become more difficult to learn or get.

http://www.survivallife.com/2013/07/26/17-ways-to-become-more-self-sufficient-before-the-crunch/

Also check out the recent Peak Prosperity WSID article on What Can I Do? (Understanding your level of preparedness).

17+ Ways To Become Self-Sufficient Before ‘The Crunch’
 by JW

A simple list of basic skills and resources to acquire before they become more difficult to learn or get.

http://www.survivallife.com/2013/07/26/17-ways-to-become-more-self-sufficient-before-the-crunch/

Also check out the recent Peak Prosperity WSID article on What Can I Do? (Understanding your level of preparedness).

Image | Use of Light: Part I
Use of Light: Part I
by Aaron M

As humans, we’re extremely visual creatures, and our reliance on our eyesight is one of the defining characteristics of the human experience. We define beauty, horror, entertainment, and boredom largely by visual stimulus. We are appealed to and motivated by our visual input, and perhaps most importantly, we base how we move almost entirely by sight, whether on legs, wheels, water, or in the air.
Use of Light: Part I
 by Aaron M

As humans, we’re extremely visual creatures, and our reliance on our eyesight is one of the defining characteristics of the human experience. We define beauty, horror, entertainment, and boredom largely by visual stimulus. We are appealed to and motivated by our visual input, and perhaps most importantly, we base how we move almost entirely by sight, whether on legs, wheels, water, or in the air.
Image | Zeer Pots
Zeer Pots
by JW

A great summary of how the pot-in-a-pot method of creating evaporative cooling works. Check out what Zeer Pots are. 

http://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/how-to-make-and-use-zeer-pots-to-keep-your-foods-cold/

Zeer Pots
 by JW

A great summary of how the pot-in-a-pot method of creating evaporative cooling works. Check out what Zeer Pots are. 

http://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/how-to-make-and-use-zeer-pots-to-keep-your-foods-cold/

Image | Investing in a Clothesline
Investing in a Clothesline
by JW

Investing in a clothesline for indoor/outdoor drying of laundry may be one of the best small-scale investments one can make.  My family recently broke down and made the leap to purchase and set up a clothesline system.  All I can say is, I wish we had done it years ago.  With heat waves hitting many parts of the country and the cost of energy constantly going up, a clothesline will help you save energy and money throughout the year.

src=We have set up 2 different ways of drying clothes, one using a high-quality retractable clothesline and one using IKEA folding drying racks.  The 40' of clothesline makes it easy to hang large items and bigger volumes of wet laundry and the folding racks are for smaller loads and indoor drying.

So far we have not used the propane gas dryer for about 3 weeks, and are now contemplating selling the dryer and focusing those resources into more resiliency-building items.  Maybe a washing tub and crank wringer. 

How do you dry your clothes and save energy?

Investing in a Clothesline
 by JW

Investing in a clothesline for indoor/outdoor drying of laundry may be one of the best small-scale investments one can make.  My family recently broke down and made the leap to purchase and set up a clothesline system.  All I can say is, I wish we had done it years ago.  With heat waves hitting many parts of the country and the cost of energy constantly going up, a clothesline will help you save energy and money throughout the year.

src=We have set up 2 different ways of drying clothes, one using a high-quality retractable clothesline and one using IKEA folding drying racks.  The 40' of clothesline makes it easy to hang large items and bigger volumes of wet laundry and the folding racks are for smaller loads and indoor drying.

So far we have not used the propane gas dryer for about 3 weeks, and are now contemplating selling the dryer and focusing those resources into more resiliency-building items.  Maybe a washing tub and crank wringer. 

How do you dry your clothes and save energy?

Image | The Indicators of Instability to Watch For
The Indicators of Instability to Watch For
 PREVIEW
by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • The inequality of the current system is becoming more and more visible, despite efforts to conceal it
  • History shows that control will break as those running the system are forced to compete more directly for a shrinking pie
  • The 3 essential indicators of instability to watch
  • The high price of a collapse of the status quo (and why developing resilience now is your best investment)

If you have not yet read Part I: Bankers Own the World, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

More Equal than Others

Like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm, those running the current system are quick to convince us they are doing it out of service, not self-interest (many remember the testimony of Goldman Sachs head Lloyd Blankfein that he sees the bank's efforts as "doing God's work"). The media (most of which is owned by the top 147 companies discussed in Part I) reinforces the perception that the status quo is all that stands between us and economic ruin. 

Of course, there's a much darker side to the story. It requires some digging by the curious mind, but the data is there to be found. As previous mentioned, such a parasitical system inevitably concentrates wealth over time into the hands of fewer and fewer of the most privileged and most powerful. Here's an excellent visualization of how that has already happened in the U.S.:

Note that the actual degree of wealth inequality is much worse than Americans perceive it to be. That's not surprising given the absence of light shined on this in the mass media…

The Indicators of Instability to Watch For
 PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

Executive Summary

  • The inequality of the current system is becoming more and more visible, despite efforts to conceal it
  • History shows that control will break as those running the system are forced to compete more directly for a shrinking pie
  • The 3 essential indicators of instability to watch
  • The high price of a collapse of the status quo (and why developing resilience now is your best investment)

If you have not yet read Part I: Bankers Own the World, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

More Equal than Others

Like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm, those running the current system are quick to convince us they are doing it out of service, not self-interest (many remember the testimony of Goldman Sachs head Lloyd Blankfein that he sees the bank's efforts as "doing God's work"). The media (most of which is owned by the top 147 companies discussed in Part I) reinforces the perception that the status quo is all that stands between us and economic ruin. 

Of course, there's a much darker side to the story. It requires some digging by the curious mind, but the data is there to be found. As previous mentioned, such a parasitical system inevitably concentrates wealth over time into the hands of fewer and fewer of the most privileged and most powerful. Here's an excellent visualization of how that has already happened in the U.S.:

Note that the actual degree of wealth inequality is much worse than Americans perceive it to be. That's not surprising given the absence of light shined on this in the mass media…

Image | Raising Kids for a Resilient Future – Part III
Raising Kids for a Resilient Future – Part III
by Amanda Witman

The next 20 years are going to be completely unlike the last 20 years.

~ Chris Martenson

For those of us with children, what does this statement mean? How do we prepare our children for a future that is unlike any we ourselves have ever known? How do we create a world worth inheriting when we are so acutely aware that the abundance our generation has taken for granted will no longer be a given in our children’s future? These questions can frustrate and even paralyze us as parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors. Where do we start?

If you haven’t yet read Part I and Part II of this series, please take a few minutes to read them now.

Raising Kids for a Resilient Future – Part III
 by Amanda Witman

The next 20 years are going to be completely unlike the last 20 years.

~ Chris Martenson

For those of us with children, what does this statement mean? How do we prepare our children for a future that is unlike any we ourselves have ever known? How do we create a world worth inheriting when we are so acutely aware that the abundance our generation has taken for granted will no longer be a given in our children’s future? These questions can frustrate and even paralyze us as parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors. Where do we start?

If you haven’t yet read Part I and Part II of this series, please take a few minutes to read them now.

Image | Things to Know about Eggs
Things to Know about Eggs
by JW

Some great information and tips about egg quality, uses for eggs, and why you should love eggs and keep them as part of your diet. 

http://www.crunchybetty.com/12-things-you-should-know-about-and-do-with-your-eggs

Things to Know about Eggs
 by JW

Some great information and tips about egg quality, uses for eggs, and why you should love eggs and keep them as part of your diet. 

http://www.crunchybetty.com/12-things-you-should-know-about-and-do-with-your-eggs

Image | Approaching Fire or Extreme Fire Alert
Approaching Fire or Extreme Fire Alert
by Mat Stein

[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]

After living in the States off and on for several years, in 2008 Andrew and Mary Hall moved back to their home in Buxton, Australia so they could  be closer to their aging parents. It was a modest, three-bedroom, two-bath house with exterior walls of “mud brick” (adobe) that helped keep the home’s interior cool during the hot Australian summers. With large eaves, a metal roof, and adobe-style mud brick walls, many would consider their home to be reasonably fire-resistant, but its construction proved no match for the forces of nature that turned the neighboring towns of Buxton and Marysville into deadly infernos on Australia’s tragic “Black Saturday” on February 7, 2009.

Approaching Fire or Extreme Fire Alert
 by Mat Stein

[NOTE: This article is adapted from When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival]

After living in the States off and on for several years, in 2008 Andrew and Mary Hall moved back to their home in Buxton, Australia so they could  be closer to their aging parents. It was a modest, three-bedroom, two-bath house with exterior walls of “mud brick” (adobe) that helped keep the home’s interior cool during the hot Australian summers. With large eaves, a metal roof, and adobe-style mud brick walls, many would consider their home to be reasonably fire-resistant, but its construction proved no match for the forces of nature that turned the neighboring towns of Buxton and Marysville into deadly infernos on Australia’s tragic “Black Saturday” on February 7, 2009.

Total 1274 items

Community

Top Conversation

 Prep Now for the Coming Winter Challenges
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the needs and sustainability of our family. We have six young children, our oldest just turned 12 and our youngest just turned 3 months old. I love the considerations that the article had above and thought I would add a few things that I have considered for our situation. My...
Image | hgrootveldgmail-com by hgrootveldgmail-com
36 95
View the conversation
Image | Game Plan Experts

Game Plan Experts

Learn more
Image | The Grow Network

The Grow Network

Learn more