A Solar Shower

When times get bad you are still going to want to keep clean and comfortable. I am trying to get my husband up and about to making a solar shower. I have seen a bunch of information on Google and it does not seem to hard or expensive. I would love to be able to get a shower even while power and more are out of commission. I also want to build a solar water heater , which I have plans for out of one of my magazines or books. That way I can have warm water on hand to wash clothes , my hair, or hands with!!
I have even thought of buying one of those camping solar showers. That might work if my husband cannot build one.

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72 Hour Survival Kit - What's in Your Bag?

You have already heard about survival kits, and you see the importance of protecting yourself and your family by having one for each member of the family. These kits are also known as 72 hour survival kits, disaster kits, emegency kits or emergency disaster kits. Whatever you call them, the question now is, what should you put in your survival kit.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Dept for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness experts your survival kit should contain at least the following.

* Water -
* Food -
* Flashlight
* Waterproof blanket / sleeping bag
* Emergency Radio
* First Aid Kit


Those are just the bare essentials, you may want to include several other items to help you make it through an emergency, and perhaps even allowing you help others. Other items you could consider are:

Light and Communication:

Hand cranked cellphone charger

Rechargeable Squeeze Flashlight

36 Hour Emergency Candles - These can also be used for a emergency stove

Green Emergency Glow Sticks - These typically last 12 hours each

Survival Whistle

Compass

Signal mirror

Flint starter - for starting fires

Waterproof containers or bags

Box of 50 Waterproof Matches

Bic Style Lighter

Shelter and Warmth:

Emergency Survival Sleeping Bag

6-20 Hour Body Warmer - these can heat up in minutes with an average temperature of 130 degrees.

2-Person Tent

Emergency Poncho with Hood

Tools:

Mulit-Function Knife

Leather Palm Working Gloves

Respirator Dust Masks

At least 45 Feet of Nylon Rope

Hygiene and Sanitation:

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Wetnaps and soap

Dental floss pick

Hand and body lotion

Feminine Hygiene items

After putting toghether these essential, you can also add items that may be of particular interest to you, or add prescription medications that you would need to keep taking. Perhaps an extra set of eyeglasses.

The best way to pack these items is in a backpack or other easily portable container that you can easily grab and go when an emergency strikes.

A 72 hour survival kits are worth their weight in gold during a disaster, I have over 20 years Military experience and have provided emergency relief several times, and I know that having a survival kit is indispensible. I would never go into a disaster relief situation without the proper survival supplies. I strongly advise everyone to have a emergency disaster survival kit for every member of the family

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Thrift Stores Always Have Great Books!!

Last night I went to the thrift store because I was bored and I actually got something that is great!!! I got this book, MAKING THE BEST OF BASICS Family Preparedness Handbook
, I could not believe it when I seen it on the shelf! It is an awesome book. Full of tons of information. I read it through last night and I found some great stuff in it. I know that I will read and reread this book a ton.


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Keep Important Papers Safe

I know that we all want to have a stockpile of food, batteries, baby items, meds, and more, but we also have to keep important paperwork on hand and safe.
Grab a waterproof plastic tote and fill it with all of your important paperwork. Family documents will be safe and all in one place this way. Keep all of your Identification papers, policies, bank and credit card info, medical info, and anything else that is important for the running of your house.
I also have a tote that is full of other types of info. Survival books, maps, first aid books, phone books, and more.
I have them "hidden" out in the open. They are "end tables" with pretty fabric covering them. We do not have a ton of room in our house , so I had to come up with something. They look ok on either side of our thrift store couch with lamps on them and no one knows what they are!!!


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I Wonder About This??

I went to our Goodwill store yesterday and seen one of these hand crank light, radio, television things. Well, I already have a few radios and lights that are hand powered, but I was wondering about this with the TV. I got home and was wondering if I should of bought it, but then I was also wondering if , after June 12th, if the TV would be of any use anyway. It would not be digital. So, it would not even work would it???



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Great Foods For Backpack & Camping

Backpacking Simple Food Ideas

Here are some very simple ideas for dehydrated and light-weight
foods.

1) Any packaged dinner mix from the grocery and packed in ziploc
baggies ie, Macaroni & Cheese, Rice-a-Roni, Broccoli and Cheese, etc
There are tons of these things available today. If they call for milk,
then the boys can carry powdered milk in baggies. Margarine will
travel well, and since they will be working hard, the extra fat might be
desirable.

2) Instant oatmeal and instant grits and bagels are great for breakfast.
Again, powdered milk can be used with these. Get some of the new
Fantastic Foods hot cereal mixes--they are warm and filling.
3) Dehydrated vegetables and full meals can be found in camping
stores. Add dried peas to a box of mac & cheese, for instance

4) Try Ramen noodle soups, or any of those "soup in a cup"s (that can
be packaged in baggies so they take up less room).

5) Dehydrated bean flakes that mix up almost instantly with water are
available in HFS. Mix these with some cooked minute rice and put in a
tortilla. Yum! Flavor them with onion, garlic, cumin powders.

6) Cheese backpacks well. Again, the fat may not be so bad if they are
hiking all day. And if it's cold, then the fat is almost necessary to
help them stay warm. (You need a lot more calories when it's cold.)
Add a hunk to any soup, pasta, rice, or dehydrated veggies you're
cooking.

7) Pasta, pasta, pasta. Top it with sauces made from the dry package
mixes. A lot of these are tasty. High in sodium and preservatives
sometimes, but for a couple of meals they won't hurt you.

8) Instant mashed potatoes that can be mixed with the powdered milk
or water only. Make up an instant gravy to go top.

9) Dried fruit can be cooked in some water and put on top of a piece of
angel food cake for dessert. (Hey, the cake might get crushed a little,
but it is lightweight!) Add some cinnamon and Tang (in lieu of orange
juice)and you approximate a Cooking Light recipe.

10) The dry veggie burger mixes would make a great meal. Most of
them make up with water only and many are quite tasty.

11) Bulgar and couscous cook up in only a few minutes with boiling
water.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Food Storage Planning

I think that this website has a great plan. All though I agree with what they say about it taking maybe $10.00 instead of $5.00 to do this now. I printed the page out and have it on my fridge now and plan on using the ideas on it. I also have been saving change and selling stuff on ebay with the intent of using ANY money from that will go into purchasing more for our stockpile.

Planning makes getting prepared much easier.


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Stock Up On Stuff That You Do Not Even Use Yourself!

This can come in handy in case times get REALLY bad and you can use the stockpile of stuff that you do not even use to trade or barter with. Like , for example, I got a case of 12 packages of pipe tobacco for free and I have it in the freezer to keep it fresh and then if the time comes I have it to use. I also have been stocking up on other things , like diapers (cloth & disposable), powdered formula, and more.
You never know when someone might have something that YOU need and since you have something that they need , you can trade!!!!

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Get A Rain Barrel

This is such a great idea, that i think that every single home should be required to have one. I love having a rain barrel. It saves me a ton on watering my garden, flowers, etc. Also it is just good to have one hand.
This whole next week it is going to be raining here. So I am going to set up another rain barrel up at another corner of my house.

Why should I use a rain barrel?
Lawn and garden water makes up approximately 40% of total household water use in the summer. A rain barrel can save you money in the summer by lowering your water bill by reducing irrigation water usage.
Collected rainwater is better for plants because it isn't chlorinated like your tap water is.
Reduce water pollution by reducing stormwater runoff which can contain pollutants.
Storing rainwater for lawn and garden use helps recharge the groundwater which feeds local rivers.

There are some great videos on YouTube about making rain barrels and tons of info on Google.




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