For a survival researcher, it is baffling to see the large number of texts on display in library shelves, book stores, e-catalogs, and blogs, and choosing the right one usually becomes a nightmare. There are books on outdoor survival, emergency preparedness, disaster survival, and terrorist attack survival, as well as those covering the possibilities of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. The average reader, therefore, is quite justified in questioning "Where do I start?" The answer, fortunately, is simpler than it looks. Since most survival books, and particularly those written in the last decade or two, target the average reader, the beginner can gain the knowledge he needs from a wide variety of books. The best approach usually is to select, as a starting point, one or two general books that cover almost all aspects of survival. Once you are familiar with the fundamentals, you can refine your field of study according to what you feel is your most urgently needed knowledge, or according to interests. I will present here a general selection of survival books, which should be a good place for you to start, and should help you identify the areas which you want top explore further.
The best book to start with is, I feel, "Ultimate Survival Skills - Secrets to Staying Alive, Anytime, Anywhere." The reason that it makes a good starting point is its approachability: it is written in easy-to-understand, everyday language, and the style is engaging so that it is a fun and informative read. The information given is new for beginners, so you learn a lot while avoiding information overload, and consequently, you can retain almost everything the author describes.
If you find it too brief for your liking, however, then Cody Lundin's "When All Hell Breaks Loose - Stuff you need to survive when disaster strikes" is an excellent alternate. It is more pertinent to our daily lives, as it focuses mostly on urban emergency situations and disasters. Therefore, even for those who do not intend to be part of an outdoor activity any time soon, this book contains useful information that might just help save their lives. Further, this book is extremely easy to read, as well as being enormously entertaining, and once again, easy to retain.
What do you do, however, once you are past the basics? Again, you certainly face an overwhelmingly large number of alternatives. John Wiseman's "SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in any Climate, On Land, or at Sea" is, I feel, a very strong candidate here. The key feature of the work is that it provides very detailed survival knowledge at the same time as being very approachable. If you are upset with the fact that books for advanced learners almost always use boring, tiring jargon and complex writing styles, then this book is a great option for you. The full color illustrations of poisonous and edible plants, animals and herbs are extremely helpful in an actual outdoor survival situation. This is also a good place to learn fire craft, hunting, shelter building and navigation skills.
Of course, if you simply want a carry along guide for a potentially life threatening situation, the US Army Survival Manual ought to serve you well. It deals with all types of survival skills in exhaustive detail, and you can find in it all the information that you could possibly need in the event of any disaster or emergency.
If you are a complete novice in the field of survival, you can read any one of these books for a start and then decide what particular aspect of survival you wish to research further. For more advanced learners, however, it is best to learn more about aspects that you do not already know about, just to ensure that you can hold your own in absolutely any kind of survival situation.
For even more survival books, tips, and advice, check out the #1 site on the net for survivalists at:
http://www.survivalskillsoutdoors.com
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Get Creative With A Cheap Food!!
One of the best ways that I have found to be frugal at dinner time is to use Ramen Noodles!! I fix them many different ways and they are so cheap. At our local grocery store you can either get a six pack for 79 cents or sometimes they have them 10 for a $1.00!! The savings is great.
Here are some of my favorite ramen noodle cookbooks. You will be amazed when you see all that you can do with Ramen Noodles.
Here are some of my favorite ramen noodle cookbooks. You will be amazed when you see all that you can do with Ramen Noodles.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tips on Saving Money On Food
Use a combination of methods to save on food prices.
Food prices are going up. Blame it on the weather, gas prices, politics, or whatever, prices will always go up - sometimes faster, sometimes slower, prices will always go up. Instead of constantly trying to adjust your budget upwards, take another road... adjust your food skills to make your food budget work.
The only way to truly save on food is to use several different tactics at once. Don't get hung up on coupons or cooking from scratch or sales prices to the exclusion of other methods. The more ways you cut your food bill, the more money you can save.
Usually the first thing to consider is shopping for food. Saving at the time you shop is a priority. You must be aware of sales psychology to win the battle and you must be aware of the little and not so little tricks that food distributors use to get more of your money.
Watch out when they change package design, because they may be changing size and price, too.
If you find a good sale, stock up as much as you can without overdoing it. Don't buy at 10% off then find out it's 25% off the next week. It's hard to see how this works if you don't create a grocery price book . It's essential to your shopping decisions to keep a record of prices and sizes that will help you know if you're getting bargain prices or not.
Only use coupons on food you would buy anyway. You're not saving anything if you buy something you don't normally eat. If you use a coupon on a brand name, be sure it still doesn't cost more than the store brand. Call a spade a spade. If you want to use a coupon on something you seldom or never buy, call it a splurge or an experiment. It's not a savings.
Other places than grocery stores sell food. Look around. Convenience stores sometimes have lower prices on milk or bread cheaper than chain stores, so keep alert. Take advantage of every opportunity you find for getting food cheaply or free. There may be more opportunities than you realize - including the ones you create for yourself!
Grow your own food whenever and however it's possible. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you really can grow, even if you live in a high rise apartment. A windowsill will grow herbs, garlic and chives... why buy them? If you have just a little room, container gardening can get you lots of cheap food.
Don't forget about the wild (free) food that's abundant almost anywhere - even in a city park. (But be careful of chemicals and animal droppings.)
Getting all that food won't do you much good if you don't store it properly. Even if you can't do a lot, do what you can. Find a way to not waste it.
After a good meal from your cheap or free food, use leftovers - all of them - creatively for even more savings. What you don't throw out is what you don't have to buy. You may even be throwing out some things without realizing they're edible. Don't throw away stems, leaves, parings, or even bones unless you're absolutely sure they're of no value.
Finally, make your own bread. There's nothing magic about it, although the taste sure seems like it! You can save a lot on the price of bread by baking your own. Here's a "never fail" recipe/method for doing it for beginners and old hands alike: Bread Making for Beginners and Others
Then save even more by skipping the commercial yeast. It doesn't have to be an old family secret and it's fine if it's NOT from somewhere else. Using sourdough starter is a little different, but not much. A time or two and you'll be comfortable with the method.
More ways to save:
Use cheapest cuts of meat and tenderize by marinating and/or cooking methods like boiling or slow roasting.
Use cheese, etc., for protein instead of meat.
Buy meat by the serving, not by the pound.
Have a vegetarian meal now and then even if you're not a vegetarian. Meat is usually the most expensive part of a meal. Eggs and peanut butter are cheaper protein than meat.
Never go shopping when you're hungry
Make a list, take a list, buy from a list
Check the sales circulars before you shop
Avoid junk food of any kind
Avoid "convenience food" - don't pay for something you can do yourself
Eat seasonally. No watermelon in January, no apples in July.
Eat regionally. Lobsters don't grow in the Rockies and beef doesn't grow in New York City. Limit the food on which you have to pay shipping.
Using every method, trick and tip you can find, you CAN keep your food budget under control.
Food prices are going up. Blame it on the weather, gas prices, politics, or whatever, prices will always go up - sometimes faster, sometimes slower, prices will always go up. Instead of constantly trying to adjust your budget upwards, take another road... adjust your food skills to make your food budget work.
The only way to truly save on food is to use several different tactics at once. Don't get hung up on coupons or cooking from scratch or sales prices to the exclusion of other methods. The more ways you cut your food bill, the more money you can save.
Usually the first thing to consider is shopping for food. Saving at the time you shop is a priority. You must be aware of sales psychology to win the battle and you must be aware of the little and not so little tricks that food distributors use to get more of your money.
Watch out when they change package design, because they may be changing size and price, too.
If you find a good sale, stock up as much as you can without overdoing it. Don't buy at 10% off then find out it's 25% off the next week. It's hard to see how this works if you don't create a grocery price book . It's essential to your shopping decisions to keep a record of prices and sizes that will help you know if you're getting bargain prices or not.
Only use coupons on food you would buy anyway. You're not saving anything if you buy something you don't normally eat. If you use a coupon on a brand name, be sure it still doesn't cost more than the store brand. Call a spade a spade. If you want to use a coupon on something you seldom or never buy, call it a splurge or an experiment. It's not a savings.
Other places than grocery stores sell food. Look around. Convenience stores sometimes have lower prices on milk or bread cheaper than chain stores, so keep alert. Take advantage of every opportunity you find for getting food cheaply or free. There may be more opportunities than you realize - including the ones you create for yourself!
Grow your own food whenever and however it's possible. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you really can grow, even if you live in a high rise apartment. A windowsill will grow herbs, garlic and chives... why buy them? If you have just a little room, container gardening can get you lots of cheap food.
Don't forget about the wild (free) food that's abundant almost anywhere - even in a city park. (But be careful of chemicals and animal droppings.)
Getting all that food won't do you much good if you don't store it properly. Even if you can't do a lot, do what you can. Find a way to not waste it.
After a good meal from your cheap or free food, use leftovers - all of them - creatively for even more savings. What you don't throw out is what you don't have to buy. You may even be throwing out some things without realizing they're edible. Don't throw away stems, leaves, parings, or even bones unless you're absolutely sure they're of no value.
Finally, make your own bread. There's nothing magic about it, although the taste sure seems like it! You can save a lot on the price of bread by baking your own. Here's a "never fail" recipe/method for doing it for beginners and old hands alike: Bread Making for Beginners and Others
Then save even more by skipping the commercial yeast. It doesn't have to be an old family secret and it's fine if it's NOT from somewhere else. Using sourdough starter is a little different, but not much. A time or two and you'll be comfortable with the method.
More ways to save:
Use cheapest cuts of meat and tenderize by marinating and/or cooking methods like boiling or slow roasting.
Use cheese, etc., for protein instead of meat.
Buy meat by the serving, not by the pound.
Have a vegetarian meal now and then even if you're not a vegetarian. Meat is usually the most expensive part of a meal. Eggs and peanut butter are cheaper protein than meat.
Never go shopping when you're hungry
Make a list, take a list, buy from a list
Check the sales circulars before you shop
Avoid junk food of any kind
Avoid "convenience food" - don't pay for something you can do yourself
Eat seasonally. No watermelon in January, no apples in July.
Eat regionally. Lobsters don't grow in the Rockies and beef doesn't grow in New York City. Limit the food on which you have to pay shipping.
Using every method, trick and tip you can find, you CAN keep your food budget under control.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Homeschooling on The Cheap
Homeschooling can be an expensive alternative to public schooling. But, its worth it. Right? Well, that depends. If you have extra money that you want to spend on schooling then by all means do it. But if you don't have the extra money don't let that scare you away from homeschooling. In fact, most of the homeschooling we did was done free or at least very cheap.
You can find a ton of textbooks , crafts items, games, and more for very cheap at yardsales and thrift stores.
You can find tons of free info on the internet. They have free printables, free ebooks, worksheets, and even get free items sent to you. I went to google and did searches for free homeschool , free homeschooling, free samples, free printables, and more !! The ideas are endless.
Also utilize your library!! They have tons of books, videos, copy machine, etc. Also if there is a book you need and they do not have it they are able to get it for you.
There is alot of experiments you can do on the cheap, teach kids about math while cooking, teach about money when shopping, and more.
We always had fun going to parks, fishing, going to museums, zoos, and more.
There are ways to make homeschooling cheap. If you use your imagination you and your kids will have more fun and you both will be learning new stuff each day!
You can find a ton of textbooks , crafts items, games, and more for very cheap at yardsales and thrift stores.
You can find tons of free info on the internet. They have free printables, free ebooks, worksheets, and even get free items sent to you. I went to google and did searches for free homeschool , free homeschooling, free samples, free printables, and more !! The ideas are endless.
Also utilize your library!! They have tons of books, videos, copy machine, etc. Also if there is a book you need and they do not have it they are able to get it for you.
There is alot of experiments you can do on the cheap, teach kids about math while cooking, teach about money when shopping, and more.
We always had fun going to parks, fishing, going to museums, zoos, and more.
There are ways to make homeschooling cheap. If you use your imagination you and your kids will have more fun and you both will be learning new stuff each day!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Advice on How to Survive the Recession
There are many ways a person can learn survival tools in this economy. One way would be to try conversing with one of those who have lived through the great depression. Such a person will undoubtedly be happy to share their struggles and would welcome a chat about how to make it on little. No matter how bad conditions are now, they pale when compared to then.
Here are some words of wisdom a depression era woman shared with the writer of this article. She was born and raised in Western Washington State and lived on a dairy farm where she and her family ate berries, cheese, milk, butter and the occasional meat and they were able to survive without much intervention from the outside. Her family ate from the produce of their land, trading vegetables with those who had neighboring farms. They canned their own fruits, and learned ways to store their vegetables. Meat was a luxury item and they would kill a chicken or other animal only occasionally and learned to make cakes without proper ingredients. Though it was hard, her family endured and lived to be stronger because of the experience. It really was a matter of adapting for them and living with what they were given. No matter what the circumstances she proved that if a person is willing to he or she can learn to make the best of their situation.
City dwellers practicing basic gardening skills can learn to grow some of their own food in backyard greenhouses or hothouses or even by growing small plants indoors. Chickens are allowed in many cities and eggs can be available without much extensive planning needed, and they eat from a diverse and naturally plentiful supply of food and do not need a lot of store bought feed. Plants can be purchased from plant nurseries and if given the right kind of garden soil and fertilizer are much more hardy once started then plants grown from seeds.
Americans have become much too dependent on grocery stores and banks and virtual money instead of old-fashioned trade. With a bartering system and a little tender loving care people can learn to be responsible for providing at least a little of their own food supply and if Americans would look to their forefathers they can learn to survive and weather the storms of a recession.
Here are some words of wisdom a depression era woman shared with the writer of this article. She was born and raised in Western Washington State and lived on a dairy farm where she and her family ate berries, cheese, milk, butter and the occasional meat and they were able to survive without much intervention from the outside. Her family ate from the produce of their land, trading vegetables with those who had neighboring farms. They canned their own fruits, and learned ways to store their vegetables. Meat was a luxury item and they would kill a chicken or other animal only occasionally and learned to make cakes without proper ingredients. Though it was hard, her family endured and lived to be stronger because of the experience. It really was a matter of adapting for them and living with what they were given. No matter what the circumstances she proved that if a person is willing to he or she can learn to make the best of their situation.
City dwellers practicing basic gardening skills can learn to grow some of their own food in backyard greenhouses or hothouses or even by growing small plants indoors. Chickens are allowed in many cities and eggs can be available without much extensive planning needed, and they eat from a diverse and naturally plentiful supply of food and do not need a lot of store bought feed. Plants can be purchased from plant nurseries and if given the right kind of garden soil and fertilizer are much more hardy once started then plants grown from seeds.
Americans have become much too dependent on grocery stores and banks and virtual money instead of old-fashioned trade. With a bartering system and a little tender loving care people can learn to be responsible for providing at least a little of their own food supply and if Americans would look to their forefathers they can learn to survive and weather the storms of a recession.
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