This is one thing that we are finding out while my husband is laid off - WE NEED TO STOCKPILE MONEY TOO! We have tons of food and other stuff , but the money is slowly dwindling away. His unemployment is taking so long to start getting and we are just living off of savings! Which we are finding out was not a lot. It seemed like a lot when we had money coming in , but with no income it is not a lot. This will be my first thing to work on when we start working again and have money coming in. At least we have food and all of our needs.
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Monday, February 16, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
When to start planting your garden
I have been getting all of my catalogs and ordering seeds for my garden. Next I needed to figure out when to plant the darn things. I found this LINK that was very helpful. Shows all of the seeds that I am going to be planting. I think sometime next week though I am going to start some of them indoors. Just a little experiment I want to do to see how well ones I start early do compared to ones that I just plant straight into the ground. I also want to grow some inside in containers and find out how hard it would be to have an indoor "garden". If I can get good with an indoor "garden" than we could have herbs and veggies all year around.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wordless Wednesday!
This is an almost Wordless Wednesday!
I cannot remember where I saw this , but I think that it is awesome. I would love to make one for us. It is a solar shower.
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Power Outage Survival Kit
This past week has been a very trying time for us in Southern Indiana and in Kentucky. There have been a lot of power outages and hundreds of thousands are still without power. I found the below article and wanted to share it. Always remember , that if you have to get out the kerosene heater to use it safely. Here is a link to a site that has some great tips for using a kerosene heater - Kerosene Heater Safety
As usual your power outage kit must be ready to deploy with you should the need arise therefore I have found it best to assemble my kit within a backpack of some sort. Hanging your kit on a door hook behind the kitchen door or a close by bedroom door is a smart trick and assures that it is readily available in the dark should it be needed.
Items which I always consider keeping in the kit would include:
1. A battery operated or hand cranked radio complete with extra batteries.
2. A Clock which operates on battery power. I have combined both the hand cranked radio and a clock in one unit I have purchased however sometimes the clock loses its time when the battery is weak so I highly advise keeping a battery clock handy.
3. Now this next item is very important. Keep a non cordless telephone in your power outage bag to connect directly to the telephone line. Portable telephones will not function when you have no power available. I also maintain a cell phone however needless to say the numbers are different so I try to maintain both on hand for emergencies.
4. You can never have enough lanterns or flashlights along with their associated extra batteries. This is also a function of my cranking radio-clock but we try to maintain a flashlight or lantern in every room of our home. This will prevent accidental falls in the dark
5. Several 6 to 12 hour light sticks are useful for keeping in your black out kit also. They are a lot of fun also for the kids.
6. A digital quick response food thermometer is a useful addition to your kit. Perishable food temperatures should not reach above 40 degrees for more then a 2 hour period. Use this thermometer to periodically check the internal temperature of the food for harmful bacteria conditions.
7. We keep several candles available in the kit however we use them strictly in a dire emergency because of the fire hazard associated with them. Usually we prefer the battery flashlights and lanterns. A quick note on fire safety is to ensure that all your smoke and fire detectors have a battery backup.
8. If you or a family member happens to be on any sort of medical equipment ensure that you have an alternate means of power for it. I always have small portable power units that can easily be carried around. Should it require refrigeration maintain a small cooler with ice packs in it. The breakable ice packs are great for this. I also maintain a DC operated cooler for this purpose if needed. Keep extra medications in the event that pharmacies do not have back up power and are not working.
9. Generators can be useful however take appropriate precautions in regards to proper ventilation. I consider the preferred method to be having your generator outside and connecting it to an indoor power receptacle specifically for the generator.
10. Keep paper products available as well as a manual can opener.
11. Store up on one gallon of water per person along with a supply of paper cups. A neat little trick is to store several containers of clean water in your freezer. In case you lose power to help to keep your food cold and as it melts you can use it as drinking water.
12. You should also consider an alternate cooking source such as a BBQ grill or a small propane camping stove. I keep both available.
13. Should heat be necessary always maintain extra means of heat such as blankets, fireplace or heat source. We generally keep extra blankets readily available as well as a kerosene heater for use if the main heating system fails to operate due to the lack of electricity.
That about wraps it up. You can conclude your pack with several personal items that you and your family members consider essential. Keep in mind if you have a Bug out vehicle that is equipped with people items for emergencies you could easily move to it temporarily. Campers and motor homes are especially useful in emergency black outs.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info
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As usual your power outage kit must be ready to deploy with you should the need arise therefore I have found it best to assemble my kit within a backpack of some sort. Hanging your kit on a door hook behind the kitchen door or a close by bedroom door is a smart trick and assures that it is readily available in the dark should it be needed.
Items which I always consider keeping in the kit would include:
1. A battery operated or hand cranked radio complete with extra batteries.
2. A Clock which operates on battery power. I have combined both the hand cranked radio and a clock in one unit I have purchased however sometimes the clock loses its time when the battery is weak so I highly advise keeping a battery clock handy.
3. Now this next item is very important. Keep a non cordless telephone in your power outage bag to connect directly to the telephone line. Portable telephones will not function when you have no power available. I also maintain a cell phone however needless to say the numbers are different so I try to maintain both on hand for emergencies.
4. You can never have enough lanterns or flashlights along with their associated extra batteries. This is also a function of my cranking radio-clock but we try to maintain a flashlight or lantern in every room of our home. This will prevent accidental falls in the dark
5. Several 6 to 12 hour light sticks are useful for keeping in your black out kit also. They are a lot of fun also for the kids.
6. A digital quick response food thermometer is a useful addition to your kit. Perishable food temperatures should not reach above 40 degrees for more then a 2 hour period. Use this thermometer to periodically check the internal temperature of the food for harmful bacteria conditions.
7. We keep several candles available in the kit however we use them strictly in a dire emergency because of the fire hazard associated with them. Usually we prefer the battery flashlights and lanterns. A quick note on fire safety is to ensure that all your smoke and fire detectors have a battery backup.
8. If you or a family member happens to be on any sort of medical equipment ensure that you have an alternate means of power for it. I always have small portable power units that can easily be carried around. Should it require refrigeration maintain a small cooler with ice packs in it. The breakable ice packs are great for this. I also maintain a DC operated cooler for this purpose if needed. Keep extra medications in the event that pharmacies do not have back up power and are not working.
9. Generators can be useful however take appropriate precautions in regards to proper ventilation. I consider the preferred method to be having your generator outside and connecting it to an indoor power receptacle specifically for the generator.
10. Keep paper products available as well as a manual can opener.
11. Store up on one gallon of water per person along with a supply of paper cups. A neat little trick is to store several containers of clean water in your freezer. In case you lose power to help to keep your food cold and as it melts you can use it as drinking water.
12. You should also consider an alternate cooking source such as a BBQ grill or a small propane camping stove. I keep both available.
13. Should heat be necessary always maintain extra means of heat such as blankets, fireplace or heat source. We generally keep extra blankets readily available as well as a kerosene heater for use if the main heating system fails to operate due to the lack of electricity.
That about wraps it up. You can conclude your pack with several personal items that you and your family members consider essential. Keep in mind if you have a Bug out vehicle that is equipped with people items for emergencies you could easily move to it temporarily. Campers and motor homes are especially useful in emergency black outs.
Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish
For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info
Download our free toolbar
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Urban Homestead
I got this book today in the mail and LOVE it. The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series)
is a great book for anyone who lives in the city , but still wants to be self-sufficient. There are many projects in this book that include how to grow a patio garden, how to cook with the sun, how to preserve food, and many more. I do not live in a "city", I am in a small town, but I still find this book to be a great addition to my survival library. Download our free toolbar
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