Montana Homestead

Montana Homestead: How I Built My Bugout Homestead Off Grid In The Wilderness was a free book for the kindle when this was posted.
The author takes the reader on a journey from his first awareness of the need to prep and survive to his eventual decision to move off grid into the wilderness of Montana and start a bugout homestead.
Not a “How To” manual, but more of a journal outlining the events and the readying of the new homestead. With dozens of photographs and detailed explanations of methods, he narrates how he built an 800 square foot cabin with the help of only his wife and kids and a few simple tools.
Featuring sections on grey water discharge systems, installing a well pump, how to supply water off-grid, and calculations on how much land is needed and what kinds of food to grow on it.

DIY Fire Starters

Firestarter #1

Use cotton balls. Completely cover a lot of cotton balls with petroleum jelly. Store them in a ziplock bag. Put the bag in your survival kit. When you need to start a fire , take a few strands of the fiber out of one of the cotton balls. Place it in a pile of tinder and wood. Light the cotton ball. Instant fire starter!

Firestarter #2

Melt some broken, extra crayons in a tin can set in a put of water. Wrap a pinecone loosely with string and then roll it in the melted crayon. Pull out a tail of string to serve as a wick. Let the crayon wax soak into the pinecone, then let it cool and harden on some wax paper. To use it , arrange twigs and tinder over the pinecone, add some logs, and light the string(wick).

The 5 C's of Survival

1. Cutting Tool. The most important external tool you can carry in a survival situation is a knife. Even a small pocket style knife is handy to have. It is an essential tool.  I always make a point of carrying a knife. My hubby thinks it is funny that I carry a knife in my purse, but there have been many times that we have been away from home and had to pull it out. 

2. Combustion Device. The means to start fire is the next most essential item to carry, even above shelter. A shelter can be fashioned with outdoor materials, even in the most crude fashion, and still be a life-saver. When faced with a survival situation, when you need to start a fire, then you must have a dependable means to start a fire. Learn the many ways there are to make a fire. Have a small mirror in your kit. Waterproof matches.



3. Cover/Shelter. Your first line of defense against the elements; cold, heat, rain and snow; is the clothes you are wearing. An inexpensive poncho can be carried in your mini kit and used as a make-shift shelter or sleeping bag.








4. Container. In order to collect water for drinking, as well as for boiling and cooking, you need a dependable container. In order to boil water in it, your container needs to be metal. A small camping cooking pot works perfect.



5. Cordage. In many instances where you need to build a natural shelter, cordage is a necessity. The ability to make a structure stable is something that cordage can provide. Rope, paracord or some type of twine can be used for countless chores and is a valuable item to have in your kit. Always wear a paracord bracelet.

DIY 72 hour Kit For Baby

If your family includes a baby , meeting the needs of them during a crisis is a top priority. They can pick up on the stress of their parents during a hard time. It will be much easier to be able to reassure your child if you are already prepared for any situation and have items on hand that will make them more comfortable and things that they are used to you having. Have everything ready and on hand for your child , like their favorite blanket, toys, and foods.

Here is a sample list of some other things to have in your 72 hour kit for your baby:

Disposable diapers or cloth diapers.

Wet wipes.

Baby lotion and diaper rash ointment.

Garbage bags for any used disposable diapers.

Way to clean any cloth diapers. I used a Wonder Washer when I cloth diapered my son. It worked great.

Blankets and extra clothing.

Baby formula.

Evaporated whole milk.

Powdered milk.

Karo syrup.

Bottles and some extra nipples.

Baby food and juice.

Baby spoons.

Any medications that you think they might need.

Toys.

Snacks.

Books.

Games.

coloring books and crayons.

Their favorite stuffed animal or doll.

This is just a sample list. Every child is different and should be prepared for individually.

If you love my blog and enjoy my content - BUY ME SOME COFFEE

 

 

 

 

A Tealight Candle Oven...

I seen this on Pinterest and had to go get my toaster oven out of the garage. Looks like such a great idea and it doesn't cost a lot. I bought my toaster oven at the dollar store , but I see them all of the time at thrift stores and yard sales. Need to stock up on Tealight Candles !! Would be a great way to get a hot meal.

http://www.thebusybhomemaker.com/diy-tea-light-oven-off-grid-cooking/

Activities For Kids with Homemade Toys

Activities For Kids with Homemade Toys: Easy Projects Using only Household Items was a free book for the kindle when this post was written. Great book for this time with a lot of kids cooped up inside. Get rid of cabin fever.

 Save a lot of money on buying toys by making them yourself with your kids. For the price of 1 cup of coffee you can have 25 tutorials and ideas of homemade toys and even more activity ideas.

All the toys in the book are made from the items you already have at home: plastic bottles and caps, plastic yogurt containers and lids, chopsticks, cardboard, show boxes, pool noodles, ice cream containers, skewers, old socks, broken umbrella, rocks, marbles, coat hanger, styrofoam packaging, broken toy pieces, cloth pins.

Book is full of beautiful pictures and free 4 template printables.

Create valuable and super fun memories with your children while making the toys.

12 Tips to Follow If You Are Stranded in Your Car in Winter

Natural disasters do not have to be widespread to threaten your safety. A localized snow storm can put you at risk if you are caught up in it.
Here are some before, during and after tips that can improve your chances of survival.

BEFORE --

• It is especially important to maintain your car during winter months. It is easy to neglect fluid levels, brakes, tire conditions, wipers and minor exhaust and ignition problems when it is too cold to check them. This can be a dangerous mistake to make.
• Always keep your fuel level above half during winter months in case you are stranded and must idle your engine to stay warm.
• Even a very basic automobile survival kit is better than nothing. A blanket, or sleeping bag, a flashlight, or 12 hour emergency light sticks, 2 gallons of water and a few energy bars can literally save your life. Light sticks can be placed on top of your car to act as emergency beacons at night. A red bandana can be tied to your antenna, or hung out the driver side window to signal for help.
• If you will be traveling on the highway in winter, always let someone know your route, when you expect to arrive and then call them when you reach your destination.

DURING --
If you are stranded during a winter emergency take the following measures to increase your chances of survival.

• Do not pull off on the shoulder of the highway, or on an exit ramp. Each year, many cars are struck from behind by other traffic, or snowplows. If you cannot get to a rest area, or populated exit, pull off the exit ramp and then park on the entrance ramp. Vehicles entering the highway are going much slower than those exiting.
• Major truck stops are excellent places to shelter from a storm. They provide restaurants, groceries, even private showers, as well as telephones and up-to-date weather bulletins. For the most part, truckers are friendly, courteous and helpful.
• If you are stranded, stay with your car. It is your best shelter. Do not attempt to walk to safety unless your destination is in sight.
• As soon as you have pulled off in a safe place, get whatever survival gear you have out of the trunk and into the passenger compartment. If possible, keep water from freezing by placing it near a heater vent, or covering it with a blanket.
• Run the engine and heater 10 minutes per hour for warmth. Open a window, at least an inch, on the downwind side of the car to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Periodically check your tailpipe to be sure it is not covered with snow. Once the snow has stopped, brush the snow off of the top and rear deck of your car to make it easier to see. Work slowly to avoid perspiring. It is much harder to stay warm when you are wet.

AFTER:

• Stay with your car until help arrives.
• If you must leave your car put a note inside the front window telling rescuers where you have gone.

If you love my blog and enjoy my content - BUY ME SOME COFFEE

 

 

607 Essential Oil Uses

607 Essential Oil Uses: FOR HEALTH AND HEALING, FOR BEAUTY, FOR PETS, FOR HOUSE, FOR OUTSIDE AND FOR FOOD. was a free book for the kindle when this post was written.

 This book contains essential 607 oil uses for health and healing, for beauty, for pets, for house, for outside and for food.Could be very useful for when you can't get to a doctor or just want to be healthier.

Make Newspaper Logs For Your Fire

Step One: Roll dry newspaper
There is no need to roll up the newspaper around a pipe because the newspaper isn't soaked and doesn't need to be rolled as tightly. Roll the newspaper just like you would a sleeping bag.
Step Two: Tie string around the ends of the rolled newspaper log
This is simply done in order for the paper to stay rolled up tightly when it is soaked.
Step Three: Soak newspaper logs
Place newspaper logs in a bucket of detergent mixed water and leave for 3 days so that the log will soak evenly.
Step Four: Dry out logs for two to three days.
The logs shouldn't be completely dry, you want them to still be a little bit damp so that they won't burn as quickly.

Food Storage Comes In Handy During Winter

If you do not already have a food storage stockpile or are trying convince someone you know that they need one, all you have to do is turn on the weather. It is -10 right here now and I am so glad that I have a stockpile! It is so great that I do not have to get out. Little Man asked me to make some of his favorite dip for lunch today. It is a layered dip that has refried beans , cream cheese, and he dips his tortilla chips into it. Really tasty. And easy to make out of my stockpile. Cream cheese that I bought on sale a while ago and stocked up in the freezer and the refried beans made from my stockpile of Instant Refried Beans! If we didn't have a stockpile I wouldn't be able to make a lot of things without having to try and get out in this frigid weather.

So, if you are having a hard time trying to come up with a reason for needing a food stockpile - just stick your head outside and feel the cold. or look outside, some of us are having awful snow and ice right now. We are lucking here, a bit, all we have are the dangerous cold temps. Snow and ice on the way though.

Starting a food storage doesn't have to cost a lot of money! If that is what is scaring you or someone you know off. Look back through the archives on this blog and you will see tons of ideas on how to stockpile for very little money.