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Jesse Mathewson

Arizona since 86', lifetime prepper, camper - criminal justice advanced degrees, numerous certifications, 1+ million rounds (shooting for decades), prior contractor, instructor, current volunteer, disabled, honest, father of two husband of one - all budget and prepared. Jesse Mathewson reviews because regular people need someone in their corner as well!

How To Take A Shower In The Woods – Handy Shower Review

water in desert

Showering while hunting, fishing, camping and just being outside after a good hike is something that is essential and refreshing. Personally, my family has used, abused and gone through 3 or 4 solar/camping showers in the past decade.

When the creator of Handy Shower contacted me I decided to accept his offer to review the product in exchange for the product. This is one of the ones I am certainly glad I accepted and did not turn down.

Due to former jobs and current hobbies and by virtue of maintaining a network of individuals I have been able to stay ahead of many of the innovative approaches that have come into the camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, prepping and general out-doors world!

While this invention has a distinctly European feel, especially when you realize it has a bidet head attachment, this is what really makes it a worthwhile investment. I will say again, in any situation cleanliness is absolutely an essential need to remaining disease-free and comfortable.

In the out of doors one can easily work up a good sweat and honestly, I find that if you are consuming enough water and not gorging on typical sodium rich, carbo based fare you will rarely actually smell and a simple rinse with clean water a couple times a day is enough to keep you healthy.

handy shower

However, I can also say that from experience any time you transition into a changed diet or set of external circumstances our internal setup will often rebel and the result can be mudslides or concrete if you know what I mean!

If you do not have adequate toilet paper or facilities this can easily lead to potential infections not too mention looking and smelling like the hind end of a Russian hog after a Texas mud bath! I devised some fun approaches over the years and get really tired of needing to always be prepped for this. To this end I adjusted my diet permanently and my exercise level as well. That being said, keeping clean is still an essential part of daily hygiene!

Handy Shower is pump based and is not gravity or battery powered. You can use your hand or the included foot-pump to keep water flowing. The way it is built you do not need anything more than a simple canteen to supply the water, though I did like and recommend the awesome bag that is included in their Premium version.

The different heads for showering or washing with are fun to test and take seconds to attach and detach. As with everything, make sure you are washing your body over 50 yards from your drinking water and any open sources of groundwater or food as well as living space! I cannot stress enough the importance of having a very select place for washing up!

Hand Shower which is currently active on IndieGoGo found here, offers an all in one package at a reasonable price. And after testing our unit over the course of the last week with a teenager, 9-year-old and adults attached, I can honestly say it is a winning option for campers, day hikers, climbers and virtually anyone that is active and out of doors. Let’s go over the features offered!

  • You control the water exactly, no long turn on and shut off approaches, using a simple pull line or included folding foot pedal (which seems rickety but really does work well) you remain in control of the water flow, how fast, how much or how little is your choice!
  • It works for washing your hands, hair or privates if and when needed and is easily switched between roles, with little fuss and no overt mess! (for we Americans bidets are a bit odd, but they really do work quite well!) never use it for that and still benefit!
  • Empty it weighs right at 400 grams or 14 ounces, which is really quite light and packages into a small easily managed package!
  • Set up really is very simple, first I did it without using instructions. I than checked the instructions and with one exception had everything put together properly. Easy to setup definitely easy!
  • Durability, mine withstood the onslaught of a teen boy, pre-teen girl and other adults for several days without incident. In fact, it was so easy and fun to use that everyone kept coming to the camp to check it out as my children got around the area and met other youngsters. This led to additional uses for testing and showing them as well.
  • It comes in a few different forms, I suggest the premium kit, however, the magic happens with the shower head and attachments themselves. So any of the kits will work for you.

Unfortunately, this shower is only available on IndieGoGo. I can recommend it with two thumbs up and 5 stars all the way. As long as you treat it well it should treat you well for many years to come.

The pump and attachments are well built the only real weakness I see would be in the foot pedal, it is definitely built to run with a lighter touch and not push the pedal through the floor. A harder pump does not cause it to work better, rather be smooth and consistent like you are spray painting a car and it will run well and for a long time to come!

handy shower

Make sure to check out the websites linked to the name Handy Shower in the article and let them know I sent you over! Get on their mailing list and definitely get one of these amazing products today! It was designed and is being made in Poland at the moment but they have plans to produce in many other places as demand increases.

I have a few items I love from Poland, and they do tend to engineer in a robust manner. Additionally, it is a family run business venture and the included talent is downright amazing!

Free the mind and the body will follow!

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Review: Alive After the Fall™ by Alexander Cain

lantern for emp

Electromagnetic Pulse’s have been apart of the subculture of doomsday prepping since the 1970’s. The specter of ultimate doom causing humans to revert to their pre-industrialized days scares many of us. There have been dozens of books written by professionals regarding a man-made EMP or natural similar event occurring. Alive After the Fall™ was written approximately two years ago by Alexander Cain, which is the pen name for someone who supposedly has a Doctorate in Theology and Archeology.

My research has turned up over 4000 different doomsday prophecies dating back as far as 400 B.C., none of these has come true and most of them including Nostradamus and others are at best vague “prophetic” ramblings by individuals more interested in personal fame and fortune at the moment. ¹ So it with apprehension that I read this E-Book. It is my goal, however, to provide you with reviews of applicable literature. So here goes the review!

I agree with the authors premise, an EMP event is quite possible and in fact likely whether it be natural or man-made. Unfortunately, this is where my agreement ends. The author adds just enough “science/math” to support their continued statements as being fact. Sadly, this could not be further from the truth and why I personally adjusted from being a “doomsday” prepper to an everyday prepper years ago. The statement, “we’ve established that an EMP incident will fry all electronics regardless whether they are plugged in or not…” unfortunately is not correct.

While some electronics will, in fact, become disabled, with modern electronics this is actually less of a long-term issue than an immediate issue while the disruption is occurring. Testing completed and evidence available shows that modern electronics due to the use of non-metallic components are less likely to have issues. Additionally, the reality is that North Korea does not have the potential and Russia simply has no reason to attack us.²

Now I should mention, I agree that there is a potential for these types of events, I disagree with the “facts” the author presents and his approach in using your fear to sell a book. Given the lack of principles evidenced by the author in refusing to use their real name or provide any validation as to their purported credentials, I find it difficult to believe anyone willingly believed and even acted on the message in the book. Additionally, the author promotes preparing in ways that are unsustainable and impossible for anyone making under 125,000 dollars a year.

Additional critiques are the author’s insistence on conflating Decibels and MHz with the following science sounding line. “Rooms built in this way have been shown to offer at least 80 db of shielding, but up too several hundred Mhz.” This line shows the ignorance of the author. The real science here is more difficult, 1,000,000 h or hertz makes up a Mhz. The measurement of 0 db is equal to 1000 h, additionally, it is a measure of sound specifically. ³ Given how sound is measure from what I gather, the author’s statement effectively invalidates itself and was likely taken without any real research from another crackpots website versus actually researched with any desire to impart truth. (it is important to note that unlike the author I am not using fake credentials in a different field to convince my readers of somethings existence, rather I as someone who has no formal experience or education in electromagnetic theory and its relation to electromagnetic pulses generated by man or nature on the earth, is simply attempting to introduce what little truth I have in this area)

I will say that the author was correct in at least two areas in the book, the information on the necessity of clean water and the authors desire to have more than one plan. These alone, however, do not make the book worth purchasing. In fact given the premise that the book was marketed with a date of destruction ending in January of 2017 I believe, it failed in every other way. I could go on to explain any number of reasons why this is a terrible purchase, however, I will simply leave you all with this warning.

If it seems to good to be true, or if as a religious person another religious person claims to “know the time”, RUN AWAY, do not give that person or persons your money and absolutely avoid disseminating the included information. I firmly believe if living a prepared life, however, after 41 years on this earth and having weathered dozens of natural disasters and personal major life-changing events I can honestly say, “if you need to believe that the world is about to end to be prepared in your life…you have not lived.”

This book is absolutely a DO NOT BUY!

Free the mind and the body will follow…

Links and related references: 

Review: Slime Self-Sealing Tube for Bicycles


Here in Arizona, we enjoy bicycling, we also enjoy one of the densest populations of spiny flora on the planet. This combination is absolutely terrible for bicycle tubes. This is a review of one product I have found for my bicycle that works quite well and allows us to maintain pressure even when we encounter the inevitable patch of cacti or mesquite laying across a pathway. As with most of my reviews this product was purchased by myself and has been tested for several years with my children and self.

First, let’s get the downside out of the way, these tubes cost on average $15 for two depending on size, we as a family have 26” x 1.75-2.25 tires on our bicycles. We chose mountain and beach style cruisers over road bikes for several reasons, the largest being the lack of maintained roads in many places where we regularly travel. Using M.D. Creekmore Amazon link you can find them here! Now, if you are a regular bicyclist you will know that these tubes are actually not that expensive when you look at what you are getting in return.

Extended use alone makes these a valuable investment. They are not great for road bikes or competitive bicyclists simply because they are heavier and can seem unwieldy after installation. Personally, I have never noticed balance changes. While they are somewhat heavier again, the benefits outweigh these perceived negatives. The company warranties them for up to 2 years after installation. Honestly, I can say that prior to using these I was spending $5-9 every other month on new tires, even with patch kits, which can still be used on these if necessary. Given the sheer amount of unseen thorny threats, these have paid for themselves several times over.

We keep a full set available at all times just in case, and I have a full sized 200psi hand pump that will work in a pinch for vehicle tires as well. I also have a small hand pump and toolkit with patches that sits next to the small trauma kit under my bicycle seat. I should mention I got all of our bicycles for little or no money, two were purchased from local pawn stores for under $30 after a little elbow grease both work great and two others were either gifts or were added on by others in trade. So if you ever see our family riding “designer” bicycles, remember, “designer” can be had for far under new pricing if you are willing to look!

I can highly recommend Slime Self-Sealing Tubes for your bicycles! We enjoy them as a family and yes, I do ride a bicycle, after all, you have to stay in some type of physical shape and this is a lower impact approach.

Free the mind and the body will follow…

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Camping & Woodcraft by Horace Kephart: a weekly product review

Horace Kephart was an amazing individual who assisted by George Masa a brilliant photographer they tramped the Appalachian and Smoky Mountains. It these individuals who did the most work in establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mr. Kephart is best known for having written two of my favorite books, Our Southern Highlanders and the focus of this review, Camping & Woodcraft or The Book of Camping & Woodcraft as it is also known. For legal purposes, this is a book I have owned for many years and purchased of my own accord.

A few weeks back I reviewed a compilation titled, The Lost Ways, at the time I had read it and reviewed it I did not realize that many of the compiled articles and pieces within the book were taken piecemeal and in some cases without any adjustment whatsoever from The Book of Camping & Woodcraft as well as several other sources I personally own and love such as the 12 book Foxfire series.

While I am still supportive of The Lost Ways book, I do need to mention this, as someone on a limited income I realize that adding many of these items can be cost prohibitive. I hope to help you see the benefit of this and other books to be reviewed so that you can make well-informed decisions.

When you have a lower income than some it is imperative to take advantage of deals and options that allow you to benefit the greatest for the least amount of monetary spending. The Book of Camping & Woodcraft is such a book.

While the medical sections of the book are not completely out of date, there are definitely areas that have moved ahead of what was and what we know now. Outside of these areas which only take up a chapter, the book is literally full of some of the best camping, woodcraft, outdoors information ever penned and many modern “survival/ bushcraft/ wilderness/ camping/ primal”gurus have read this book and others like it at some point.

Mr. Kephart takes you through Outfitting your individual or group expedition all the way through dealing with accidents when they occur. In between, he goes into great detail on how to make real buckskin, tan leather and use wild greens and other items found all around us for eating, clothing and shelter.

While many of the items he speaks about are no longer in legal use due to any number of reasons, from modern drug laws through bans on use of various woods and or permitting required the essence of the book is such that you can easily utilize modern equivalents to fill the gaps. Some items of interest are his insistence on getting a solid, comfortable nights sleep.

For this purpose, he suggests the following, paraphrased, “while a good wool blanket is sufficient cover to keep you alive, a cot or bedroll will always be better. Understanding that exposure kills more soldiers than bullets (at the time this was the case).” He then proceeds to go into great detail outlining why sleeping raised above the ground or with sufficient layers of insulation between you and the ground will not only allow for better sleep but also better spirits!

His suggestion regarding the use of a sleeping bag you can open all the way up and air out daily prior to sleep (something that makes a large difference in comfort) added into his description of several mattresses, which I revised personally and have purchased 4” thick Memory Foam full-size bedrolls, are just some of the many areas he deftly describes making it impossible to not be comfortable.

As we head deeper into this fascinating book we discover his desire to use gold coin versus banknotes and his advocacy of a well-stocked medical kit. Now his list of medicines are completely outdated, though his insistence on including a good surgery kit is admirable and agreed upon by myself. Forceps both artery and tooth.

Surgeons needles, suture thread as well as several other additions are important. I carry a large medical kit with several full regimens of 6 different antibiotics both cillins and other. Additionally, I carry wound wash, and topical antiseptics as well as pain medication from Asprin through ibuprofen. He suggests using chloroform on those nasty critters in the South, chiggers or redbugs. There are modern alternatives that work well also.

Next, he suggests a small but complete repair kit for your firearms. I myself have adapted this to mean a spare bolt carrier group and an AR15 small parts kit with a small set of appropriate tools. I also carry a Glock 19 emergency parts kit and spare springs and followers for magazines.

These parts take another pound of weight and barely any space but can mean the difference between life and death should you have an issue. Some of my friends also carry a spare gas tube, this I do not carry with me though I have them at home, the reason being it is impossible to properly change one out without a vice and tools that you will not have with you!

Now while his rifle was not an AR15 the premise is the same regardless your firearm of choice, have a set of parts that are both easy to replace and are most likely to fail with you as well as the where with all to do the work should you need to.

All of this information is in the first 35 pages, the last 200+ pages are filled with diagrams, explanations and step by step instructions that you can adjust and add too based on modern equivalents to his suggested approaches. Chapter 16 begins with some sage advice regarding weight and living off the land.

He states that weight and keeping it down is everything when it comes to long trips where you may be subsisting off the land in part or fully. He makes the brilliant point that soldiers meals (modern equivalents) are often not good for the active individual living off the land except as an addition to your diet. I agree with this and make a point of introducing my children to new edibles each and every time we are out.

Over the last few chapters, his advice and well-mapped approach shows you how to use everything around you as a potential tool and what each and every plant, bark type and animal can be used for while living with the land. While his scope is limited to the Smoky Mountains, the approach can be easily modeled for the Rocky’s as well as any location you reside in.

This is why I believe so strongly in understanding what lives around you and how to use it if needed. He truly enjoys the use of well-made pemmican and even extols the value of dog meat as being quite healthy overall if necessary.

The last chapters are regarding accidents and how to set bones, suture wounds and address issues. These chapters I would not take at face value or would ensure the information is medically appropriate for modern times. After all, we do have many advances that were not in use at the time of original publication. This being said, there is much good to be had especially in these chapters!

My personal opinion is that this is a must-have book for the self-motivated individuals library. It can be had on Amazon for as little as $2 via kindle or my preferred method in paperback for $9. I am linking it here for you all and again I can highly recommend it. I currently have two copies and am going to buy another so that my children each have their own! Five stars and two thumbs up for this amazing book. Remember, while some of the information is dated, apply it using modern equipment and you will easily have a solid setup and approach!

Free the mind and the body will follow

Review: Darkest Days – How to Survive an EMP Attack to the Grid

lantern for emp

Personally, I tend to avoid conspiracies and doomsday predictions, because typically they are, fear-based attempts to drive an individual or groups agenda. At no point in history has any species lived longer than it should nor has any state or collection of states lasted forever. This said I was sent a copy of the book Darkest Days: how to survive an EMP attack to the grid (Link goes to Amazon.com) recently, my review of this book follows. What follows is my review.

Thirty-five pages of explanations regarding what EMPs are and why they pose a risk using solid scientific and mathematical validation were how the book began. As I read through each page I had flashbacks to the e-book Alive after the Fall by an individual who was so ashamed of their work that they did not even use their real name. Certainly, there is a modicum of truth to the idea that in today’s highly industrialized world there is a risk of both natural and manmade EMP related disasters.

However, as I pointed out in the review of Alive after the Fall, these risks are not nearly as disastrous as many would have you believe. In fact, modern electronics are made from less and less metal than ever before lending to their increased survivability during magnetic or EMP interference.

For instance, modern Solid-State Drives are virtually indestructible and have the potential for extremely long-term data storage as compared to the older magnetic drives in use with many lower-end computers. ¹

Next is the inevitable discussion regarding vehicles and the overall electric grid. The simple reality is that if a pulse occurs that is large enough to knock it all offline, your vehicle running is the least of your concerns. Rather, the infrastructure itself providing you with extra fuel is the more important issue at hand.

This means that regardless vehicle type and in fact in spite of in some case, for instance, older fuel-guzzling non-electronically guided vehicles will need more fuel than most of us will be able to store with any real hope of longevity. This leads to the review of the rest of the book, and the preparations the author suggests implementing overall.

Page 39 of the book begins with this interesting line, “Unfortunately, it has been proven that those with less income tend to not fare as well as those who took a little bit of time and money each month to prepare. It is understandable but ANY small thing you can do today will help get you prepared and improve your chances of survival.”

When you look only at statistics coming from densely populated, heavily industrialized, city-states in the last 100 years this is in fact correct. However, what the author conveniently fails to make mention of is the simple reality that through excessive use of force by the states involved those who had less and in every case, no ability to defend themselves were indeed less likely to fare well and rarely have.

You see the author like the author of the other similar tome recently reviewed tends to believe that government is infallible and necessary to the continued happy coexistence of society as a whole.

I would posit that government is at its best unnecessary while society or people as a whole are in fact at their worst still better than government at its very best. I am agreed with by many of the brightest non-socialist minds across history, from Thomas More in the 1500’s through Thomas Paine and onward the reality of collapse is first that it is inevitable and second that humanity can indeed function quite well without babysitters made up of selfish individuals interested in personal gain of power or money.

The benefits of this book lie in the prepping advice,

  • put away a little at a time and over time your supplies will build nicely
  • food, water, toiletries, medication and the like are areas that are specifically looked at first in the book
  • involving the family and having A meeting place is also beneficial goals, though as with everything I suggest more than one.
  • A rather quick blurb regarding protection is mentioned without specifics

After these basic beneficial mentions, the author goes right back into in-depth preparations for what they describe as an inevitable EMP event. I personally do have spare electronic devices such as pre-programmed hand-held radios and backed up data storage in EMP resistant protective approaches, the reality is I could afford the extra radios at the time and I always backup data!

Over the rest of the book, there is some relatively decent information with regards to setting up a variety of energy generating pieces of equipment. Unfortunately, I do not believe that this brief and rather incomplete information is worth paying money for the book. Where the book itself may have some redeeming qualities is in the add-ons that are given to the original purchaser of this book.

First is Unscathed Survival: how to come out untouched from 10 different scenarios, 73 pages of reading with a few areas that are simply not applicable and several others that are.

Among the applicable information is the preparations for and survival after of floods, earthquakes, and other natural disaster preparation is essential. Though it should be mentioned that these same preparations can be easily found on the Red Cross site for free.

Next is Off-grid Home Protection System, this one is interesting with several solid approaches mentioned that are sometimes overlooked. Again, I would say that the author failed to adequately follow through. I have known several persons who purchased and installed many security measures as mentioned here including livestock guarding dogs or LGDs as the author states.

However, like the author they failed to implement any real training around these items and to this day the dogs are little better than house dogs regardless their use of German phrasing for commands as none of the dogs was trained and as many have proven untrained dogs regardless breed are little more than a distraction to home invaders.

My personal recommendation is either well-trained protection dogs OR small dogs like terriers (link goes to Amazon.com and terrier training manual) and the like who will be quite noisy and give an alarm. Some having proven to actually be more willing to attack intruders when compared to larger dog breeds (when both are untrained). I do love the use of vegetation with stickers on it as deterrents.

Personally, as a high desert dweller, I love prickly pear and ocatillo cacti along the inside of my back and front walls. These are almost impenetrable and can be placed for a visual benefit, not to mention the food and medicinal benefit of both of these plants!

Lastly, we have the final addition, how to make your own pharmacy. Sadly, this particular booklet has no value outside of pointing out the potential benefits of herbal medicine. There is no real guidance into what and how to make up various medications from the herbs mentioned.

And NO, making a tea or tonic is not simple nor is it the only way. There are dozens of approaches to the application of herbal medicines and only a few right ways. This booklet does not explain those well.

Only two or three of the mentioned herb-based recipes actually go into detail and offer a somewhat solid approach. For anyone with no or little real experience with these things, this book could easily do more harm than good.

My overall impression is that the authors or author of this book series simply wishes to cash in on the hysteria embracing so many uninformed individuals today. I would definitely suggest avoiding the purchase of these books and any that use words like “guarantee” in the ads for them.

Rather spend your money on solid well put together books (link goes to Amazon.com) that are written by individuals who use their own names and have the credentials and experience to support their work. I will be reviewing a few more books over the next few weeks, and many of them will be positive reviews.

Free the mind and the body will follow…

¹     Introducing the SSD Endurance Experiment. (2018). Retrieved from https://techreport.com/review/24841/introducing-the-ssd-endurance-experiment

The SSD Endurance Experiment: They’re all dead. (2018). Retrieved from https://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead

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Budgeting for Fixed or Low-Income Families: My Personal Journey and Advice

For the past 11 years I have been on a fixed income, with a family this not easy nor is it recommended. If you can avoid a fixed or low income, by all means, do so, after all a greater quality of life is essential to spiritual, physical and emotional self. However, the reality is that due to substantially raised costs of living around the United States if you make under 30,000 dollars a year and have a family you are struggling to meet your obligations in rent, utilities and more than likely shop at Walmart regularly because you believe that lower cost is saving you money. The real test is going from comfortable to strict in budget, which is difficult when single, even more so when you have a family!

My goal is to show you how to prepare in a way that allows for eating better, building supplies, gaining more knowledge and still meeting your obligations. I believe firmly that you can, in fact, raise your individual or families quality of life by simply doing what I am going to show you. It is important to note that my approach is not a quick and easy save, rather it is a journey like all good things in life. Everything takes time to be well done and of course if you take the time necessary it will mean that much more as well. We are going to look first at budgeting based on an income of $15,500 dollars. This is the current fixed income I live on and support myself, two children and still prep regularly including but not limited to actively seeking new training in medical, firearms and even food preparation.

Form local groups or get to know your neighbors. Lower-income families need to have support to do better for themselves. It is essential to understand that I firmly believe that to gain support one must also be willing to lend it! This means that I am not suggesting you seek out charity for the sake of charity, but rather look at generating acquaintances and friend groups that benefit you as much as you benefit them. As an example, my knowledge and active abilities which allow me to trade that for items or abilities I cannot and do not know or need to know have allowed me to have work done on my vehicles for the cost of parts. I than gift a bottle or two of spirits that they cannot make themselves. With that, it is time to look at eating as a part of prepping.

Eating better, this is essential to a healthy life and a greatly improved quality of life. How do you eat better, when you have an annual income that is less than most people will make over the course of 3 months in the United States today?

  • Buy local and look for programs that have large amounts of greens, vegetables, and fruits for little or no cost. We have two locally in Arizona called the 3000 club and Produce On Wheels. By attending one or both every week or even every other week I have been able to not only keep ourselves well fed with vegetables and fruits but also the chickens and canning which simply benefits us even more as a result! And this is all for $20 and a few minutes of time on a Saturday.
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake, a large amount of food manufactured these days is carbohydrates. While pasta, rice and grain-based products can seem to be inexpensive; the reality is the overall health costs will in fact cost you more than simply reducing your intake of them. Regardless your income you can easily gain excess weight if you have limited mobility and bad diet!
  • Even if you live in the city, you can have a garden, once you begin growing your own greens you will find that your taste and desire for them increases. I am most definitely a lover of meat-based products, I enjoy steaks, hamburger, ham, bacon, venison, chicken and fish. However, whittling down the amount of animal products we eat and replacing with greens can, in fact, have a large impact on our health and weight.
  • Buy or barter local, grass/pasture fed for your meat, you will pay more on average for small cuts of meat if you buy local. However, if you have other individuals you trust around you, you can look at group buying a full beef, pigs and more and by doing so actually save money in the long term.
  • Alcohol and cigarettes; in moderation, good alcohol can be beneficial and is definitely fun to drink, however, if you are unable to control yourself I would suggest staying away from this. Cigarettes are a habit that has no long-term benefits, nicotine has anti depressant properties but for anyone who hunts and is active we know that long-term heavy use of these reduces our chances to capture prey or continue being active.
  • Avoid all fast food and cut your eating out down to once a month or less! This alone has been a significant factor in my reducing weight and feeling healthier in the last few months. Additionally, it has reduce expenditures and allowed for a greater amount of healthier food options in shopping.
  • Coupons, use them, learn to use them and do not be afraid of the people who get mad while you are using them (though for manner reasons alone I suggest waiting till after 7 pm to use them in a major store simply to avoid the rushes and prevent issues.) My wife has been a coupon using lady for years and is struggling to teach me her craft! With coupons and knowledge of how to use them appropriately, you can easily save hundreds of dollars every month! (just do not get caught in the trap of addiction with coupon use). M.D. published a good article on using coupons a few months ago that you’ll want to read.

Next, we need to look at ways to build supplies while staying within our budget, this part has become increasingly easier for myself and my wife as we have been more willing to look for the deals while still maintaining quality especially in life-saving items.

  • Personally, I budget 15% of my monthly income specifically to this. With a monthly income of $1300, it stands to reason that to simply survive it is essential to have an extremely regulated budget. I will admit that saving money overall is quite difficult. However, it is possible to still maintain prepping and do so well. With $145 or less every month for the following extras, it takes planning and preparation to properly ensure solid approaches using quality items. (this is why I write the reviews I do).
  • Buying gas when the prices are down and you have spare funds, using the stored gasoline when funds are tight! I buy 15 extra gallons every few months and always have a half or more full tank! Store it in a well-ventilated area that is relatively temperature controlled. I use gas extension products that allow me to use this gas as long as a year to 18 months after purchase. Gasoline costs rise around elections, and weekends and are lowest after elections and from Monday through Wednesday.
  • Firearms, it takes 4 to 6 months for me to have the funds available for a firearms purchase. I refuse to do so if it means shorting our family for any reason. This is also why I am a budget shopper with firearms. As I have noted in several articles less expensive is not a bad thing much of the time. I have tested 3 different AR15 brands over the last decade to the tune of 10,000 to 15,000 rounds each, what I found was that Palmetto State Armory Freedom AR15s (their budget line), worked exceedingly well and were 90% reliable. However, I will be writing and article with my overall findings soon. It must be noted that the 90% reliability was not all firearms, this means that one of the tested firearms had issues occasionally and was replaced for one that functions, FREE OF CHARGE BY PALMETTO STATE ARMORY, all of the ones we currently have run 99% of the time which is the most you can expect. Additionally, I have saved and purchased used Glock 19 gen 3, Mossberg 702 .22lr rifles and other firearms all which function almost perfectly and which allow for easy repair should they have any issues.
  • Ammunition, some people suggest buying a box or two here and here and there as you get the money. I actually suggest a different approach for several reasons. I suggest saving for a month and buying a minimum of a case at a time from a dealer online. Firstly, you will actually save money by doing this and you will get exactly what you want and what works best for your firearms! I enjoy using The Lucky Gunner and *SGammo* for my needs, though I do sometimes shop pricing using AmmoSeek which allows me to input exactly what I need and then find the best overall prices including shipping. I can suggest defensive and hunting ammunition for your use as long as it is in the following calibers, 7.62×39/5.45×39/ .22lr/ 5.56×45-.223/.308-7.62×51/7.55x55swiss/.243/9x19luger/9x18mak/.40sw/17hmr . For practice purposes, any Walmart special will work, unless you are me.
  • Dry goods, like sleeping bags, tarps, blankets and tents or even ropes can be had for reasonable prices with a quick Amazon search. Again quality is essential, however, you can get that quality without always buying a certain name brand! Especially because most if not all of those name brands are sourcing their materials from the same factories making the off brands these days. While some people believe a cotton duck tarp is best, I have used poly-plastic tarps for years with no real negative effect. Additionally, I peruse local second-hand stores and pawn shops regularly. It is amazing what you can find for little or no money especially if you also haggle for it before buying. One of my favorite websites to use for prior used military gear is KeepShooting.com they also manufacture aftermarket magazines for one of my favorite 22lr handguns and many others!
  • Medicines, these take a whole other approach. I know people that swear only home remedies and others that do not use any home remedies, I prefer a balanced approach and while I have access to doctors and testing equipment will continue to avail myself of their services. This being said I also tend to use our local flora for many really solid home remedies that do in fact work quite well. For instance, I use apple cider vinegar, blackstrap molasses and local dark honey for a daily “pill regimen”. I also am versed in and use many other local wild plants that are amazing for their many uses. I also keep stocked several full “runs” of modern antibiotics, even though we rarely use them in our house!
  • Car and animal repairs and adjustments fall under this category as well. You may need to invest in a prepaid credit/debit card that is not attached to your bank account for saving purposes. These do not generate interest, however, they will allow you to place the cards out of sight out of mind and ready for emergencies. Additionally, you can have direct deposit of small amounts sent directly to the cards in most cases and there are several that have no charge or a small opening fee.

Gaining more knowledge, this takes an active mindset and desire to better yourself and your family overall. Knowledge these days can be had with nothing more than a mobile device or library membership. As a child, I spent many hours reading, practicing what I read and testing hypothesis based on presumptions taught me and or learned by reading and studying. I was a voracious reader, who at this point in my life have read over 12,000* books and have no plans to stop. Even with my active ability to learn and apply knowledge acquired through reading, I have found it necessary to find others who have greater knowledge in areas I wish to acquire and solicit their help or pay for it.

budgeting for low incomeAmong those who read this, I am aware of two engineers, a doctor, several nurses, a professional highly skilled dog trainer, several law enforcement (current or prior) and a plethora of mechanics and much more. I doubt that any of these trained professionals simply learned their craft by reading books at a library, though many of them have augmented their knowledge by doing so! (and this is highly recommended) Rather, it is the active engagement with qualified instructors and solid material that allowed most to learn their trade. This means that for many areas it is essential to learn the basics from others who know and then build on that knowledge gained.

What I have found to be the best approaches for this with a small fixed income is this,

  • Barter your skills and knowledge for theirs, I would not associate myself with anyone who believes what they know is so valuable that they would not be willing to exchange that knowledge or teach it for a reasonable sum.
  • If you must pay for some knowledge, seek out avenues that allow you to make payments over a few months. (lay away for education exists especially in the firearms training and legalities training world)
  • Local shooting ranges often need volunteer assistance with range master duties, they will often offer to pay for your NRA range master class in exchange for your volunteering a few hours every other month or so. (I received my RSO certifications this way)
  • Shooting instructors will often need RSO assistance on the range, and this can be exchanged for a free class or two! This assists you in making connections and finding others who are accomplished shooters, as well as opening the door to the groups that exist on every public or semi-public range I have ever been on across the United States and in Canada, the groups of advanced shooters who train regularly. (training with individuals like these will help you polish your skills and because many of these groups are people who work in various fields that require regular training it will also allow you to increase your knowledge further in those areas as well. )
  • For medical and other skilled professions I have found that if you are willing to exchange your skills they are often willing to divulge information for little or no fee. For instance due to my continued visitation of various medical professionals over the last many years I have learned how to gather information and supplies by simply asking! (I am not suggesting you beg or steal, rather I would suggest you ask the doctors and nurses caring for you or your loved ones what care is required, write it down and be specific, than ask what supplies may be needed- in many cases hospitals cannot reuse supplies that have been in a patients room, asking about these can mean you end up with added stock)
  • Seek out training groups, I have found a few over the years made up of individuals who recognize that more civilians need medical and firearms based knowledge. Some are defunct and others are non-starters, however, all have further increased my direct network allowing for the added benefit of knowledge of local and national (even international) training centers and individuals whom I can recommend without hesitation.
  • Learn to read a diagram, schematic, map and the like. Do not hesitate to use one or gather any that may be of assistance to you on your homestead or while prepping. For instance, I have a collection of maps spanning the American Southwest and much of Mexico. Additionally, I have manuals for my vehicles and several in-depth slightly outdated but still viable medical tomes as well. Buying these written works from 3 or 4 years ago will allow you to have access to amazing amounts of knowledge while avoiding the high fees associated with brand new volumes from this year. For instance, the Physicians Desk Reference from 2012-2014 is around a half or quarter of the cost of the same from this year or even two years ago! It is an extremely valuable guide to have available in print.

Meeting your obligations, the unfortunate reality of life in the United States is that our government promotes rapid inflation which quickly outpaces the value of our dollars which depending on the type of fixed income we may be on will not rise fast enough to make a large difference. For instance the real inflation over the past 10 years now has meant that while I used to be able to pay rent, utilities and buy food with some money left over for special extras that are essential for quality of life with children, I am instead forced to resort to gray market and back door dealing to continue simply paying rent.

Our house that cost $500 to rent 10 years ago now costs $1100 and utilities have increased over 200% since 2008. My income has increased by 15% overall which means that paying for the mandatory “free” insurance, taxes (yes, poor people pay taxes too), utilities and rent I am left with a deficit every month of around $250. This is before I put aside for extras and saving for just in case emergencies. The government has mandated that I am not to work given the extent of injuries, this means that I am forced to find alternative means of meeting my obligations every month while still raising two amazing children and maintaining my personal strict code of ethics.

There are many ways to generate additional income that are legal yet for fixed and low-income families will need to be gray marketed simply because of the regulations governing additional incomes. Some of those approaches have been bartering, buying – fixing – reselling items using local craigslist and other sources and there are many other avenues that may be available to you depending on your individual abilities and ethical considerations. For myself it is simple, I believe that whatever is agreed with open knowledge and consent between two individuals is always right, if something is done that has not had the consent of all involved it is always wrong. I have neighbors in a similar situation that have a yard sale every couple of weeks for a couple weeks running then take a break to stay within the law. I barter our chicken eggs and the product of my hands for items that I then resell at times.

Case in point my computer failed on me several weeks ago, I had several other partial computers I had been cannibalizing for a few years and unfortunately this one needed parts I could not afford nor did I have access too. I was partially assisted by one person (thank you) and looked around at locally available rebuilt computers and was able to purchase a computer that I am now using to write this article on. The computer is not brand new, it is, however, extremely solid and with the addition of two parts will easily run for at least two more years allowing me time to save for a new or newer one.

Simply put to save money and really be independent you have to be willing to forgo designer clothing, and addictive habits like coffee, smoking and soda. We drink water at our house, and I make teas from local and traded tea gathered. We have our chickens and I trade my knowledge and abilities to local farmers, ranchers and take advantage of every single available program that exists at this time. While I detest the idea of state-based welfare, I endorse the idea of private aid and earning your way. I worked for decades and still pay taxes today (though grudgingly so) as a result I do not see my main income as a problem. After all, I earned it, unlike so many others who abuse it. However, this is not a political article, it is a guide meant to help those who may need that!

Free the mind and the body will follow…

* It should be noted that this number of books is based on my average reading speed, time that I have been reading and may be off plus or minus a few hundred. Additionally, the number will increase as long as I am able to read, for instance at the writing of this article I had just completed a 9 book series I began 3 days ago. (I love good well thought out science fiction/ alt history/alt future)