Civil War Household Tips

Civil War Household Tips (Annotated with Study Guide) was a free Kindle book when I wrote this post.

 The United States Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1865. While it was a difficult time for our country, they had many important yet simple bits of knowledge that deserve to be resurrected. Back when they couldn’t run to the corner market for cough syrup, they knew how to make their own. Taking nothing away from our 21st century luxuries, sometimes it just feels good to do something the old fashioned way! Included in this edition is a Study Guide at the back of the book.

5 Essentials for Your 72 Hour Kit

Being prepared to survive any man-made or natural disaster will give you peace of mind. You need to have all the supplies you need to be self-sufficient for no less than three days. After a hurricane, tornado, monsoon or other catastrophe, most everyday services won't be working. You'll be without telephone, gas, electricity, even running water. So, you need to prepare yourself in order to survive until help arrives.

Emergency 72 hour kits are designed for short-term emergency preparedness plans. As long as you have the right tools in your kit, you can be self-sufficient for three entire days. Just make sure that your kit is easy to tote around when you're on the move. When it's time to evacuate, having a bag of wheels or backpack you can grab and go will help make the process smooth.

5 Things Every 72 Hour Kit Should Contain

You can put together your own 72-hour emergency kit. You can also find some great 3-day kits online. No matter which route you choose, be sure that your kit contains the following five things:

1. Water – Experts suggest storing one gallon of water, per person, per day for drinking, washing and hygienic purposes. However, it may be wise to purchase a water purifier or water filter as well. That way, if you run out of clean water, you can make your own. Plus, if you have to evacuate quickly, you may not be able to tote too many gallons of water.
   
2. Food – Choose the foods you put in your food storage wisely. Make sure to store foods with long shelf lives. Canned foods last for years. You can also eat them out of the can without cooking. However, they can be a bit heavy to carry around. Both dehydrated food and freeze dried food have long shelf lives, and are very lightweight. Yet, dehydrated foods require some cooking, while with freeze dried foods, all you have to do is add water.
   
3. First Aid Kit – Make sure your first aid kit contains all of the basic supplies for emergencies. Also, check to be sure that the instruction manual is also included. If all else fails, go and buy yourself a new first aid kit.
   
4. Important Documents – Put important docs like birth certificates, copies of IDs, passports and lists of important addresses and phone numbers in a folder. Keep the folder in your 72 hour kit. Also, be sure to stash some cash in your kit as well. Banking services will probably be down for quite a while.
   
5. Clothing & Warmth – Keep in mind that your home will probably be cold because of utility services being down. And, if you have to evacuate, you never know where you may end up. Be prepared to stay warm at night. Pack warm clothing, heavy shoes, rain gear and work gloves. Also, be sure to include a heavy blanket or a thick sleeping bag.
   

Author Bio
This article was created by Dirk Puckett an emergency preparedness expert. Get your 72 hour kit from www.dailybread.com today.

Backyard Chickens Book Package: The Backyard Chickens Handbook and The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide (Modern Homesteading)

Backyard Chickens Book Package: The Backyard Chickens Handbook and The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide (Modern Homesteading) were free for the Kindle when I wrote this post. Awesome deal. 2 books for free!

Get TWO backyard chicken books for one low price.

The Backyard Chickens Handbook is a greater starter book for those looking to raise a new flock of chickens. It's also a good book for seasoned vets to have on hand as a reminder of the best practices for hatching, raising and feeding backyard chickens.

The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide takes the guesswork out of choosing backyard chicken breeds.

This helpful guide gives you the information you need in order to make an informed decision regarding the chickens you want to add to your backyard flock.

The topics covered include all of the items that are important to backyard breeders, including the following:

• Noise level.
• The amount of eggs you can reasonably expect your chickens to lay.
• The average cost per chick.
• Potential health concerns.
• Temperament.
• Special considerations that must be made.

Take the guesswork out of owning backyard chickens.

There are more than 150 different breeds of chicken. This book narrows your choices down to 22 of the most popular and best breeds for backyard flocks.

If you're planning on owning backyard chickens, you're going to want these books!

5 Easy Ways To Start Your Food Storage Efficiently

What are the biggest food storage challenges people faces? Do you have enough space for your emergency foods? Are you storing food in your kitchen cupboards and pantry, but still need more space? Join me in taking a look at five easy tips to get your food storage started.

1) Utilize All Space

One of the biggest challenges of food storage is having enough space for your supplies. You want to ask yourself before starting, “Do I have enough storage space for all the food that I want to store?” Preparing the space in advance will help you discover other areas for your storage.

If you have only a small amount of space, do not panic. Utilize this space the best way you can, using every inch possible. You do not have to just store your foods in the kitchen. You can use other spaces in your home that are available too. Some of these areas include under the bed, inside plastic storage bins, behind couches and other furniture. 

 

2) Utilize Your Time

 

In all honesty, everyone is busy! Sometimes you may not even have time to sit down to dinner at the table. Yet, it takes time to stock up on a whole year’s supply of food. Here are a couple of things you can do to use the time that you do have to create your food storage:

• Learn to use your freezer. Make extra portions of your favorite foods. Bag them and freeze them.
• Cook days ahead of time. Prepare meals in advance so that you can be prepared for the week. Just store them in your freezer until you're ready to heat and serve them.

NOTE: Storing your foods and preparing meals in advance does not have to take a lot of time, it can actually help you to SAVE time in the long run.

 

3) Set a Budget 

 

You may be working on a budget, but that's okay. You can still start your food storage without breaking your family's bank. It's not expensive start a food storage plan, especially if you add a little at a time. Use a checklist to ensure that you purchase foods you will actually eat. Then, add to your storage in baby steps, little by little. This will help you stick to your monthly budget, while adding to your food storage over time.

4) Be Organized

Most of us reserve a special time each year where we do our major “ spring cleaning.” It's all about cleaning each room, getting rid of the unnecessary clutter. When it comes to your food storage, you need to follow this same concept. You have to do a check, every month or so, to make sure that you get rid of any food items that have expired. You also want to switch things around to ensure that items expiring the soonest, are in the front of your storage. This will ensure that you use the oldest items first, prolonging the shelf life of your foods. Keeping your storage organized will also help you see, at-a-glance, products that have been used up and need to be replaced.

5) Remember Diet Restrictions

If there are people in your household with dietary restrictions, provisions need to be made to ensure their safety. These restrictions can be related to allergies to certain foods, health restricted diets or disliking for certain types of foods. Be sure to consider these factors when planning your food storage. When a disaster strikes, you don't need to have to worry about allergic reactions. You also don't want to see your family starve because you've filled your storage with pork products, and no one in your home eats pork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Self-Sufficiency: Reality Check

Food Self-Sufficiency: Reality Check was free for the Kindle when I wrote this post.


Some people like the idea of producing their own food. They want to grow a garden or raise animals, or otherwise provide for themselves. Others are 'preppers' and have been buying and storing food in case of disaster, hardship, or other turmoil. It's a great plan, but knowing how to produce your own food is real security. Hand in hand with that is knowing what you'll need to produce, preserve, and store that food.

This books is about the numbers. It's not a how-to book, it's about what you need for the “how to”. We'll look at figuring out how much space you need for gardens or animals, how many jars you'll need if you plan to get into canning, and what other options there are for preserving and storing food.

I'll talk about animals and their needs, and suggest ways to feed and shelter them that won't break your bank account. I'll point you the right direction to find out what you need to know about foraging, hunting, and fishing, plus share some tips from my own experiences.

This book is geared toward those with limited funds, but will also be helpful to more prosperous readers who are considering growing or otherwise providing for most or all of their own food. The 'how-to' may vary but the numbers are the same, whether you're rich or poor.