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 If you ask some people, winterizing their home involves stringing colorful lights inside and out and dusting off the old plastic snowman or Santa stowed in the garage. But true winterizing is much more. If not handled correctly, winter can mean more than the grass dying, birds migrating and trees trading in leaves for snow and ice. It can also wreak havoc on your budget and leave you in the cold.
Take Care of Drafts
Nothing drives up your energy bills more than drafts, and that is why it is so important to identify these before the temperatures drop. Sometimes there are gaps that need caulking. Other times windows are not as energy efficient as they should be, which means it is either time to replace them or install plastic over the windows for an extra layer of protection against the outdoor elements.
Get Help With Heating
It’s also crucial that you ensure the heating system within your home works as well as it possibly can, Furnace filters should be cleaned or replaced, and you should verify that your furnace is in good (Read more....) […]
 An Unusual Perspective, by Surviving Survivalism
Some may call it a self imposed exile, but several years ago we separated ourselves from so-called “society”. It’s a 90 minute ride to even get to a town from here, mostly across dirt ranch road, some of it “primitive” (white knuckles). About a year ago, our Ford Bronco died, and we got swindled out of $3000 for a replacement truck that…well, long story, but suffice it to say we haven’t had a vehicle since then. We haven’t left the ranch in about a year. The handful of times we had visitors since then, they have been so kind as to bring us up some small amount of groceries for a “treat” or two, but we gained something very special in that time – perspective.
It’s not like we’ve always lived so remotely and we don’t know what the other side of the world is like. Many of the past 25 years we lived in suburbia, raising our kids and working our successful business. We traversed the country more times than I can count as we drove to the seminars we taught, kids in tow, giving them a better education than they could have gotten in a classroom. We stayed in major cities when we, too, were involved in the (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.
Compost can be au-natural, left to sit in a pile, but be sure to cover it (Read more....) […]
 ***The following is a guest post for Survival by Fred Rasmussen*** My recent activism comes from a concern that the freedoms granted by our constitution are being eroded away by the greed, corruption, and disloyalty of our political system. Instead of government being our servant, they are clearly trying to become our master. In fact they already have, but not by authority that is rightfully theirs. So in the meantime, what can a person do for his own personal freedom? I have some ideas about this. But it isn’t as much a political matter as an economic one. It’s an urgent matter of survival. Suppose the victims of hurricane Katrina could have known six months in advance that the disaster was coming. Certainly many would scoff, others might want to prepare for it but not know how. Still others might make drastic changes in preparation, asking themselves tough questions, like “what would I do for clean water?”, “what about food?”
I believe we are headed for a financial disaster when the dollar ceases to exist as a currency. The basis (Read more....) […]
  Do you believe that it is possible to live on twenty percent of the income that you make right now?
If your boss suddenly took away 80 percent of your current salary, how would you feel?
Would you and your family be able to survive?
Well, the truth is that with the right planning it is not only possible, but you can actually enjoy a better life on a drastically reduced income. One inspiring couple we read about recently went from living on $42,000 a year to only $6,500 a year and they not only lived to tell about it – they are thriving.
How is that possible?
It is only possible if you are willing to dramatically reduce your expenses.
Considering the state of the economy and the incredibly bleak economic outlook in 2009, perhaps we can all learn some lessons from them.
If you want to live on such a drastically reduced income, here are some key tips…..
#1) Move to the country.
Living in the city is exceedingly expensive. Land and housing are much cheaper out in the country (and the air is much cleaner out there as (Read more....) […]
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