DIY Local Self Reliance

Self reliance is of utmost importance in today's world especially owing to the growing awareness of urban survival. There are a couple of aspects in which urban self reliance can be achieved through DIY methods. One of these is by learning to make your own cleaning products. It'll not only help you save money but also keep you from using harsh chemicals.

It's possible to achieve self reliance with the DIY projects. It's also a great trouble saver, in terms of running to the grocery store every time you need to get some toothpaste or soap. Furthermore, it also prepares you for difficult times ahead such as when the store may be inaccessible or perhaps when the supplies may not be readily available.

Knowing how to prepare this stuff at home sure comes in handy in a lot of situations. And if you maintain a stock of the ingredients needed to make them, it can keep you well prepared to deal with any unforeseen situations.

But the benefits of making your own cleaning products are not limited to this. One of its main advantages is that you know exactly what you're going to use. As you can make your own bath supplies, lotions, and facial creams, you'll know what you'll apply on your body and on your skin. It is a fun learning experience that's also safe. So the whole family can enjoy it together.

The other aspect of becoming self reliant is by learning to meet your food requirements. These requirements may be in terms of vegetables or perhaps your poultry needs. You don't always need a large tract of farmland or a garden to grow vegetables. It is possible to grow vegetables such as lettuce, squash, potatoes as well as tomatoes even on a bale of hay, burlap bag or even in pots or barrels. Self reliant farming is especially healthier as opposed to market vegetables. They're more likely free of pesticides and other cancer-inducing chemicals.

Chickens would make rather interesting pets. You can surely give it a try if they can satisfy your own poultry needs. Taking care of them requires no special equipment. A towel can be used to cushion the eggs and an electric kettle may be used to hatch them. With proper care, your hens may reach adulthood and provide you with eggs on a daily basis. Regulations in most cities may allow you to raise a maximum of six hens. However, you should check the local regulations just be sure.

No doubt that DIY local self reliance can make you and your family independent and self sustaining. Best of all, you know where your produce comes from and you get the satisfaction of having grown them yourself. No doubt you and your family is going to have a lot of fun producing your own food.

Knowing the dangers that await you during a disaster is half the battle. Visit Urban Survival Guide for great info about surviving worst case scenario disaster.




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Where to Store Your Emergency Home Food Storage

It is very important to have an emergency food storage program; however, one of the first steps of having food storage is having a place to put it! There are many places and spaces to keep your food stored. To get started, I would suggest you take a good look around your living space to determine what area best fits your requirements for your food storage. You want to have a place that has the correct temperature and location for your dehydrated food.

Ideal Conditions for Food Storage. You want to find a cool, dry place that has a constant temperature of 40 to 60 degrees F. Stay away from any kind of furnace, freezers, refrigerators, and water heaters because this will cause the temperature to fluctuate. If there is a change in the temperature of the area, the nutritive value of your food can be damaged and shorten the shelf life of the item. The coolest room in the house is always a good place to start - basements (if you are lucky enough to have one), root cellars, temperature controlled garages, spare bedrooms, unfinished rooms, under beds, under stairways, closets, utility rooms and crawl spaces are just a few areas that may be appropriate for your storage. Make sure your room or space is dry at all times. It is important that you select a space that is relatively close to your kitchen so you have easy access to the items and can rotate them on a regular basis.

Location, Location, Location. Obviously, not everyone has a full basement with nothing in it, so you sometimes have to be creative in finding a space for your storage. If you have a stairway in your home, the space under the stairs is usually wasted space. Put in shelves to line the space and you have room for your 5 gallon buckets as well as any canned goods. Make sure you measure your shelves to fit your can and buckets exactly so you don't have any wasted space.

Most garages are not climate controlled, so there is a temperature fluctuation. If that is your situation, you may want to use your garage to store your paper goods, such as paper towels, toilet paper and napkins - or any other non-foodstuff items.

For smaller house or apartment dwellers, space is a rare commodity, so you have to make your own storage areas. Under your bed is a perfect spot. Make sure to put the items you use the most on the outside perimeter of your bed. You can always use your storage to create book shelves by adding a few boards, or an end table by using a large bucket with a round board on top and covered with a table cloth.

Whatever your situation is and what kind of space you have available to you, the most important thing to remember is to pick or create a space and fill it with your emergency food storage. Make the decision to be prepared and then get started!

Terri R. Simmons currently works as an Human Resource Manager for a small company. She is concerned about the state of the economy and wants to share different ideas that may be helpful in preparing for the future. She has many years of experience in using food storage. Find out more about emergency food storage by visiting Food Storage for You










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Last big purchase.

I just made my last purchase for the year. From now on out all that I will spend money on is bills and food. Mini Plus Kitis something that we needed so that I can store the food I do get and the food that I dehydrate. Now we are set. I have our bills down to just the water, gas, cell phones and electric. This spring we plan on buying a vehicle , but by then I should have a bit in savings. I am not missing the expense of having a car. That is the only thing I dread about getting a car. But, with it getting close to my son going to college, we better get one!


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A 72 Hour Kit

When planning emergency survival kits one of the more important ones that you can put together are the 72 hour kits. These emergency preparedness packages are frequently referred to as the first step towards become prepared for any sort of emergency.

The objective behind these kits is that they can be created ahead of time and placed in a closet or cabinet near the door ready and waiting to be grabbed at a moments notice. Their very existence originates from the concept of being quick to grab and get to the bug out vehicle. These are the perfect solution to being prepared if you have to depart the area at a moments notice.

In any emergency a person wishes they had specific items that they need. As an example a fire which I recently dealt with involved a family who literally lost everything they owned. They had nothing left what so ever. We provided them with the necessities of life but in many cases what would these people have done if we were not around to help them?

In times of emergencies complete communities are affected in a similar manner. Emergency supplies are few and often unavailable. What if your town is suddenly informed that they must depart the area would you and your family be prepared? You would if you had a 72 hour kit ready and waiting near your door.

A 72 hour kit should contain the essential supplies which your family would need to take you through three days of taking care of yourself. The reason that a 72 hour kit is valuable is because it has been shown that it could take up to three to four days before emergency personnel could get supplies moving during a disaster. What this amounts to is that until the emergency crews and their supplies are in place you and your neighbors will be on your own. According to how bad your emergency situation is the time limit could even be much longer.

To get you started on construction of a personalized 72 hour kit I will provide you with a few supplies to include. These are not bound in stone items and each kit should reflect the individual's desires and likes.

You could include one or several first aid kits in your pack. I have one in my vehicle, a personal kit and a family kit. In my family kit I include both foot and body powder. I have included both a means of making light such as a flashlight or lantern as well as some ways of creating a fire by either matches or a magnesium block.

In the event that you end up traveling it's always a good idea to include a compass and a set of maps in your kit. Today everyone seems to want GPS systems but you really should know how to use a map and compass as well.

If you can only have one tool in our kit the best item to have would be a "Leatherman" multi-tool. If you are fortunate enough to be able to include several you could easily add things such as a saw and an axe with a sheath.

For cooking your food you may need some sort of folding frying pan, a P-38 can opener and naturally food to go with these items. Your sanitary equipment should include some toilet tissue, soap, and personal hygiene products.

Always include some cash with your kit. I like to have one or two hundred dollars in small bills along with about 10 or 20 dollars in quarters. You can take your credit card and your debt card but never rely solely upon them for funds as you will never know if the ATM machines will be functioning.

Lastly include clothing appropriate for the season and geographical location. Don't pack summer clothing in your kit for use in the winter time. There you have a rough idea as to what you can include in your kit. The rest is up to you. You can personalize your kit as you see fit.

By Joseph Parish

Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish
http://www.survival-training.info

For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.infSimple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com

Food Storage Guidelines

Just am wanting to share a couple of links with my readers about the shelf life of food. It is a Chart that I plan on printing off for reference. USA Emergency Supply has some great points on storage life of foods.



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