If you have already begun putting food storage aside for the tough times that lay ahead, then it’s likely you have thought about a getaway cabin. This is especially true if you live in a city, or a heavily populated suburb or town.  Many of us have experienced financial set backs over the past few years, and the dream of a cabin with a well and enough property to grow a garden may appear to be an impossibility at first blush. The good news is that’s not always the case. A basic, no frills cabin is all you need. In fact, a no frills cabin is preferable over a showpiece that will draw the attention of looters. (Read more....)

Gardening is the best way to fight back against skyrocketing food prices and compost is the best way to provide rich loam to the garden that will grow healthy, lush fruits, vegetables and herbs. Who would’ve guessed? Actually, composting can be fun! Instead of boring trips to the garbage bin, you can route household fruits and vegetable scraps to the compost. Coffee grounds, leaves and yard clippings can get thrown in as well. You’ll want to mix a compost every once in a while, but other than that, it can be left alone to meld and become that fragrant, rich loam that plants love. It isn’t a great idea to add meat or dairy products in with compost because they have a shelf life of Methuselah, which means it will take forever for these products to break down. Plus they may introduce unfriendly bacteria to the garden. However, compost is not picky and is are quite happy with animal wastes, so if you’re raising chickens, goats, or any other homestead animals add their “clean-out” materials, including hay, in with compost. (Read more....)

Those who live in northern climate zones understand the challenges of a power outage when freezing temperatures threaten to turn us into human Popsicles.  The most prudent of us have prepared for the howling winds and winter storms that can take down power lines for days at a time. But what about newbies who’ve never experienced single-digit temperatures, or those who know better, but their “back-up” plan consists of fleeing to a Motel 6 in hopes they planned ahead for an emergency?  It wasn’t until friends recently pulled the plug on city life to relocate north that the subject of winter survival came full circle. It started with a simple question.  "What’s your advice on preparing for winter?" In no time, I’d replied with several pages of advice. Not fair, really. Not when they were knee deep in unpacked boxes with weeks of decisions facing them like where to put Aunt Martha’s painting, and asking, “WHY did we bring that stupid couch…it doesn’t fit in the living room!”  But they had asked for advice on surviving the coming winter and preparedness in an unforgiving climate deserves special attention. (Read more....)

A recent Reuters poll revealed some interesting insights into the mindset of many Americans today. A large majority (73 percent) revealed that they believe we are “off on the wrong track”.  Nearly half of those polled (47 percent) also believe that the “worst is yet to come”. This is up 13 percentage points from a year ago. Of course this all comes on the heels of the contentious congressional debt ceiling debate, the first credit rating downgrade in United States history, a two-week roller coaster ride in the stock market, and a jobless rate that is almost 10% and stagnant in many parts of the country. Some experts believe that number could be as high as 22-25% when you factor in the underemployed and those who have stopped looking for work, altogether. (Read more....)

***The following is a guest post for Survival by Barbara Fix*** Move over for the next generation… the green movement’s here to stay! It’s taken over our TV programs, big box marketing strategies, and has captured the hearts and minds of many. The green movement is replacing consumerism with practical economy that is user friendly to our overburdened landfills. But nowhere is it evidenced more than with the new wave of organic gardening. Surprisingly, the first green movement began in the early 1900’s in a reaction to synthetic fertilizer at the beginning of the new industrialized agriculture. Somehow, it died a quiet death until it heated back up, starting in 1990. Since then, the demand for organic foods has increased an impressive 20% each year. (Read more....)

In parts one and two of this series we talked about food and water, but in part three we will discuss how you can prepare your home for emergency or disaster.

Below we have compiled a list of items that you will want to have in your home in case disaster or emergency strikes.  It is not a comprehensive list, but if you will follow this checklist, it will give you a huge head start in getting prepared for an emergency. (Read more....)