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By A Different Drummer

There are many aspects of personal preparedness that make sense, and I know firsthand that once you take a trip down the rabbit hole, the path to preparedness can be daunting at best, if not completely overwhelming.  To this overwhelming state of mind, I wish to remind everyone that you must walk before you can run.

I know it sounds obvious, but once you start “waking up” to the real world we find ourselves in many are drawn into panic because there is so much to do and seemingly so little time.

Where to start?  What’s most important? Bug out bags (click here to read an awesome article on bug out bags)?  Food storage (click this link to read MD Creekmore’s detailed article on long-term food storage)?  Water purification? HAM radio? Alternative energy systems?  Defense “tools”?

The list of needs in a SHTF situation is staggering.  However, I believe that while all those things (and more) are important, maybe even essential given the scenario, what I see most overlooked is just good ol’ common sense personal safety in the home.

For example, are you aware that in 2014 there were over 1.2 million fires reported in the U.S. alone?  Those fires led to 3,275 civilian deaths and over 15,000 civilian injuries.  In other words, the S hit the fan for close to 20,000 people that year, from house fires.  Not financial collapse, CME/EMP or the New World Order, house fires.  Just think about that for a minute and let it sink in…

When is the last time you checked your smoke detectors?  Not only do they need to be checked routinely for battery replacement, but smoke detectors also have expiration dates.  This is something most people aren’t aware of.  If you haven’t checked yours in a while, do it today.

Now let me ask you, where are your fire extinguishers?  Do you know off the top of your head or do you need to think about it for a second?  Can you easily grab one, or is it behind a bunch of stuff that will need to be knocked out of the way?

Do your spouse and/or children know where the fire extinguishers are located?  Do they know how to use one if necessary or when NOT to use them? When is the last time you checked the extinguisher to see if it is still good?  Some extinguishers are disposable and have expiration dates; others can be serviced and can last for years.

Have you made a family/household evacuation plan?  If so, have you ever practiced it?  Nothing can make a minor emergency spiral out of control faster than not knowing what to do in said emergency.  Everyone needs to know at least two ways to get out of the home and where to go once they’re out.

I’m not talking about “bugging out”; I’m talking about evacuating your house due to fire, earthquake, tornado, etc.   You’ve made it out of your home, but the street is blocked off, there are emergency vehicles everywhere, maybe news vans and reporters and of course the curious neighbors and passers-by.  Where do you go?  How do your kids find you if this happens while they are away from the house and the LEO blocking the road won’t let them through?

At the very least you should practice your evacuation plan at least once a year.  The more you practice, the more your response becomes automatic.  And besides, things change.  Another example; my family’s “muster point” should we need to evacuate is in a little courtyard at a small shopping center down the block.

This worked great for 10 years until suddenly the courtyard was fenced off completely for construction and was off limits for a year… It’s important to keep things up to date and even better to have a Plan B, just in case.

Aside from the obvious hazard of a house fire, it’s important to prepare yourself, your family and your home for the type of natural disasters most likely in your area.  For me, its earthquakes, so keeping tall shelves bolted to the walls and keeping a wrench handy to shut off the natural gas valve are some simple, inexpensive preps I can do to help mitigate risk.

Maybe you live in a hurricane zone, so having pre-cut (and labeled!) plywood sheets for your windows would be a simple, low-cost prep that will save you time, energy and further damage when the storms come.

My point is this, we all live with danger, every day of our lives.  There are many things we can do to lower our risk and shorten recovery time, but you have to identify them ahead of time. That is why we all participate in this thing called preparedness!

Sure, smoke detectors aren’t exciting and nobody is going to care about the picture you posted of your freshly serviced fire extinguishers in the survival forums, but these are simple things that will most likely do more to save your life and the lives of those you care about than the latest tactical gear.

It’s easy to get caught up with the preparedness “stuff”, I know because I’m guilty of it too.  And I’m not saying the gear and the long term storage foods and all those other goodies aren’t great to have around.

I’m a firm believer in the better-to-have-it-and-not-need-it-than-need-it-and-not-have-it camp but the fact of the matter is that you and your loved ones are far more likely to face a house fire, a natural disaster or some other mundane crisis than you will need to grab your B.O.B. and your AR-15 and head off into the great unknown to fight the Illuminati.

If you’re one of the newly awakened, take a step back, a deep breath and ask yourself “what type of disaster is the most likely to happen to ME?” and go from there.  Apply a little common sense and get your house in order before you spend all your time and resources on the survival toys that so many crow about.

After all, nothing is going to ruin your day more than having all your hard earned preps lost forever for want of a $6 smoke detector.  It’s often said that skills trump gear nearly every time and I believe that.  I also believe that critical thinking is a skill and one that is underused by many.

If you really think about it, I believe you will agree that preparing your home for the everyday, common emergency will give you a much better chance of survival in the long run than say, another hank of paracord or the latest and greatest gadget to show up on the magazine covers.

Prepare smart, with serious consideration for your location and personal needs and before long the overwhelming panic will subside. And once you got your home base covered, you’ll be ready to move on to your next preparedness phase with a clear head.

by Barry B

Bikes in a TEOTWAWKI situation may be the standard form of transportation and highly valued.  I’m speaking more about mountain bikes (MB) than the traditional multi-speed road bike. Mountain bikes are a great utility vehicle. They can traverse rough terrain, are rugged, and geared to make pulling a small trailer much easier.

This article is more about other things that you might need to support your bike, but first a few things about mountain bikes.  Buy your mountain bikes ahead of a world-changing event – now.  Not all MBs are created equal.

Mass produced bikes that are sold by WalMart, Target, etc. are cheaply made and designed for riding on hard surfaces. They are not designed for off-road riding.  Brands such as Giant, Specialized, Fisher or Cannon are designed for the rigors of off-road riding.

They are double or triple butted at the frame joints for better strength. They also use double-walled rims that will endure hitting rocks and roots without folding like a taco. BTW, the term “tacoing” is used to describe a wheel that basically folded in half on a rough trail.

They use quick release wheels for easier repair. But the greatest difference is in the quality of the drive-train. The shifters, sprockets, derailleurs, and chain are the heart and soul of your bike. The bike brands mentioned above will use higher quality components in the drive train,  that will withstand off-road conditions without breaking. Not only are the materials more durable, but they are machined so as to shift gears more smoothly, even when under torque during climbing.

In a situation where a trip to the bike shop isn’t possible, you need to have high-quality bikes, to begin with. And because bike shops might not be available, you will need essential tools and spare parts to be able to make repairs yourself.  A great reference for your survival bookshelf is, Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, by Leonard Zinn. This book describes, with good illustrations, how to adjust or repair anything on your MB. 

The minimum tools and equipment you should have include spare tubes in your bike’s size, tire levers, AND several tube repair kits.  Replacing a damaged tube with a new one is faster and gets you back on the road faster. Tire levers assist in breaking the bead between the tire and rim so that the tube can be removed.

Save the damaged tube to be patched later and reused. Tube repair kits contain sandpaper for roughing the area to be patched, several sized patches, and glue. Patching a tube requires a bit of practice and should be learned before the skill is needed.  To re-inflate the tire, you will need a hand-pump.

Many riders carry CO2 dispensers to inflate tires, but you will quickly run out of CO2 canisters.  Hand pumps are more work, but you never run out.  Spare tubes filled with Slime (a name brand sealing compound) will also self-seal small punctures and keep you moving until you can get to a safe location and in my opinion are worth the extra expense.

You should also have spare tires stored at your location. Tires eventually wear out but also may be punctured to the point they cannot be repaired. Plain rubber tires are the least expensive, but tires impregnated with Kevlar are more puncture resistant and will last longer (and a bit pricier).

A broken chain can be fixed in a matter of minutes if you have a chain tool. A chain tool runs $10-15 and the price beats walking home if your chain breaks.  Chain tools simply hold a link in place while the pin is pushed out or pushed back in.  It keeps the pin aligned with the link.

The broken link can be removed and two links rejoined with this tool. Again, fixing a chain requires some practice that should be done ahead of time. You don’t want to be learning these skills on the side of the road, especially in a WROL world. Spare chains should also be kept on hand.

Many parts of a MB use hex screws. There are three common sizes. While you can carry three hex wrenches, bike shops sell a three-in-one tool with a handle that is very convenient and not as easy to misplace.

A key to keeping your drive train in good shape is to regularly clean the system and lube it. Depending on where you ride, the chain lube will attract and hold sand and dirt. Sand and dirt are the enemies to closely machined moving parts.

There are many compounds that will clean dirty chains and sprockets, but a 10% mixture of Simple Green and an old toothbrush is economical and effective.  Scrub the sand and dirt out of each link with the toothbrush and clean in between each gear sprocket. Use the toothbrush to also clean each roller and tensioner.

Once clean, re-lube using chain lube.  DO NOT lube with WD 40. WD 40 works to unfreeze a rusted chain, but the lubricant does not stay where it is needed. Even 30 weight motor oil is better than WD 40 for your drive train.

In summary, if you plan on depending on a bike during TEOTWAWKI, purchase a quality machine first. Be prepared to pay at minimum $500 for a new bike. Be sure to stock up on spare tubes (store in a cool, dry place), spare tires, tire repair tools, a chain tool (and spare chains), along with hex wrenches and a good multi-tool.

And finally, get in shape by riding your MB regularly and gaining the off-road riding skills you will need.

by Lynn (aka The Thrifty Prepper)

Unfortunately, I am a lot newer to prepping than I would like to admit. That feeling in your gut that something just isn’t right has been there for a while before I finally listened.  Now my family struggles to make up for lost time.

I have become like a machine in the last years attempting to streamline and speed our progress to feeling like we at least are somewhat “set”. My husband asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day and I told him an AK-47 clone was what I wanted the most. He delivered after selling, scrimping and saving.

I was surprised and thrilled. I have gone from being someone who was nervous even having a loaded gun in the house, to someone who is very capable with my weapon.  A bad experience with firearms in my late teens made me a little gun-shy (pun intended) even though I grew up in a family that would target practice once a week. Thank god for muscle memory.

I realize that I am far behind most of you as wisdom goes but can offer some information.  I have rapidly been reading, watching and gathering as much knowledge as fast as possible. One thing that I have a gift for that may be of some use to readers are my skills with shopping.

By utilizing coupons (click here to read MD Creekmore’s article on using coupons) and watching sales, I have been able to rapidly build up a stockpile. Why I realize many of us may be skittish when it comes to social media, I also know what an excellent tool it can be when it comes to saving money.

On Facebook, I have liked sites such as The Frugal Family, Motherhood on a Dime and Thrifty Wifey and when the deals are posted, they scroll across my news feed. For instance, today I was able to score 6 -24 packs of Crayola Crayons for .29 each.  Less money on school supplies, stocking stuffers, birthday presents equals more money in the pocket for preps. Kroger’s this week has a buy 10 save 5 this week. I will purchase 10 gallons of water for 4.90!

Take advantage of the programs that many drug stores offer. I used to just assume drug stores were too expensive to shop at.  CVS and Walgreens (the two main drug stores in my area) are like gold mines. They both offer reward programs with Extrabucks being at CVS and Register Rewards available at Walgreens. The websites I mentioned above are excellent sources that basically spell out which coupon is needed to get the deal you are after.

Sometimes a coupon is not even needed. For example, CVS and Walgreens both will offer contact solution for 8.99 with 8.99 EB or RR back. That equals free! You pay for the product and then upon check out are issued the 8.99 back to be used in the store.  I haven’t bought a contact solution in two years but have 5 boxes sitting in our pantry/store in the basement.

Start looking around to find your favorite sites that fit your situation the best. I have used coupons/store deals to build up three impressive first aid kits (read MD Creekmore’s review of Survival MD by clicking here) for virtually nothing.

I even got the actual first aid kits for free by purchasing two Johnson and Johnson products (at a great discount + coupons).  Study sales cycles and get a feel for when things will go on sale next. Walgreens frequently has baking soda and salt on sale for .59 each approximately one a month.

Buy the limit and build your pantry up.  You can easily search “Sale Cycles” on the net and find when the most optimal time to buy any given item is. I am on a first name basis with the manager at several stores in my hometown. They help me out so much by pointing me to deals I may have missed and making sure I get a rain check for any items they may not have in stock.  I am always polite and thankful and they appreciate it and in return, they look out for me.

So get that Sunday Paper and pull those ads/coupons and sit down and make the deals work for you! There are also excellent coupon sites on the web where you can print out coupons as well. Couponmom.com and coupons.com are two of the best.

Also, even Sam’s club has jumped in with the preppers.  They now sell Auguson Farms products at great prices and allow us to build up our stores quickly (you can also find Auguson Farms products on Amazon.com).   Less money on beans and more money on ammo is working out pretty well for us.

Amazon is another great asset. While of us may not have a “Kindle”, you can download the Kindle for PC free and those sites I mentioned above are always alerting me to free books. I have gotten books on how to make soap, can, garden, survival medicine, you name it! While I realize these tools would not be available in a grid down situation, I print or write out the most important information and put it together in a grab and go form.

I have a young daughter and she outgrows shoes and clothes as fast as we buy them. Yard sales, Thrift stores, and Goodwill are a godsend in these times. When I find something at a yard sale that is three sizes too big but in great shape for the right price, I snatch it up and put it a labeled bin with the size on the side.

We have picked up brand new camping cookware set at a yard sale for only 5.00! Our major scores have also been hand crank grinders, old-fashioned washboards, iron skillets, and camping gear. We have been able to accelerate the rate of our prepping by utilizing these sales to gather things that we could never afford to pay full price for.  Keep a list of things you are looking for and carry it with you. I almost believe it wills the item to you.

Several times I have set out thinking, I hope I can find some shoes for our girl only to happen upon a yard sale with shoes in her size or one size bigger to get us through the school year that is in fantastic shape! I have happened upon a nice dehydrator in this same fashion as well as affordable second-hand tools.

In part of my education, I follow my grandma and grandpa around as they can and garden and they patiently explain to me exactly what they are doing and why. I have also taken to watching documentaries that have changed and challenged me in ways I can’t even explain. If you have not already viewed the documentaries below, they are what shook me awake and I am in complete awe of what our great country is coming to.

• Zeitgeist: The Movie
• Independent Intervention
• Food, Inc.
• 911 In Plane Site
• Loose Change 9/11 An American Coup
• Ethos
• The End of America

Highly recommended and if you are a Netflix customer, free to watch.

We are working on a plan to acquire land and unfortunately, that is a slow process. My biggest fear is looking into my daughter’s eyes and not being able to help her. I know that is not something that needs to be explained to most parents. I learn daily from you all here on this blog and am so thankful for the valuable information that you all share. Thank you for reading.

by Lynn T

My first prepping goal was to stock a year’s worth of everything we normally use that has a year plus shelf life. This took a few months but we were able to accomplish the goal.  (We did allow for freezer storage for this interim goal, so we’re really more prepared to not have to buy groceries for a year than being REALLY prepared a major long-term disaster.

One thing I noticed is that the storage takes up A LOT OF ROOM!  We have a bedroom, a walk-in closet, an upstairs ‘landing area’ plus several other small areas for all of the storage.  We want to downsize when we buy land soon, so I’ve been trying to figure out how to streamline as much as possible.

Over the past several months I have also started getting more concerned about many of the chemicals we bring into our house and decided to try some of the homemade green cleaners I’ve read about.  After using a few of them I realized how much less storage space they take up.

Most of the homemade cleaners utilize common ingredients, so you could theoretically make all of the cleaners you need from a pretty short list of storage items.  I also realized that most of the ingredients are a lot cheaper than buying pre-made cleaners.

There are a few items that require an upfront investment (like essential oils) but the amount used in these is very small so they will last a very long time.  They are also better for your family and the environment.

I’ve spent a lot of computer time looking for recipes.  I read reviews,  cross-searched ingredients to find other sources that use the same ingredients for cleaning, and looked for multiple blogs/forums/sites that ‘touted’ identical or very similar recipes.  I compiled a group of recipes for my Home Notebook and would like to share these with you.   I’ve also included an ingredient list explanation at the bottom.

Disclaimer:   Although we have made and currently use several of these, I have not tried all of them.  We are still in transition because we have so many products in storage.  I wanted to give credit for the recipes, but since I didn’t save the sources when I copied them, and since I visited many sites with the same recipes, I wasn’t able to find many of the real sources, so my apologies!

Homemade Cleaners

Lavender Anti-Bacterial Spray

– 1 Cup water

– 20 drops lavender essential oil

It smells great and lavender is naturally antibacterial.

All-Purpose Cleaner

– 3 Tablespoons vinegar

– 1/2 Teaspoon washing soda

– 1/2 Teaspoon castile soap

– 2 Cups hot water

It’s a great daily cleaner on everything from counters to floors.  Be careful when mixing this.  It will bubble a lot . . . . so don’t double up to fill up your containers!  And mix over the sink just in case.

Scouring Powder

1 – Make a paste of baking soda and warm water

2 – Make a paste of baking soda with a few drops of castile soap and warm water

Grease Cleaner

– 2 Cups water

– 1/4 Cup castile soap

– 10 drops lavender oil

Bath & Sink Cleaner

This makes a thick paste-like cleaner.  So use a squirt bottle (like a plastic ketchup/mustard bottle from the dollar store)

– 2/3 Cup baking soda

– 1/2 Cup castile soap

– 2 Tablespoons vinegar

– 1/2 Cup water

– A few drops of Tea Tree oil

Dishwasher Rinse Aid

Use plain white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment.

Dishwasher Soap Recipe

– 1 cup borax

– 1 cup washing soda

– 1/4 cup kosher sea salt

– Two packets of Unsweetened Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid

****Only lemon, other flavors will dye your dishwasher!****

Put all of it in the container and shake it up.  (It tends to get clumpy after sitting but a good shake will loosen it up).  Per load, you only need a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher.  I read that is can leave a film on dishes if you don’t use rinse aid.  So use the vinegar in your rinse aid compartment OR in the bottom of the dishwasher.  It was also recommended to wash on the hot cycle. Source:  decorganizecrafts.blogspot.com

Homemade Fabric Softener

– 6 cups HOT water

– 3 cups white vinegar

– 2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or another favorite scent}

Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.  Add the vinegar, and mix well.  Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}  Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!  Source:  thefrugalgirls.com

Homemade Laundry Detergent

– 1 5.5 ounce bar Fels Naptha soap

– 1/2 cups washing soda

– 1/2 cups borax

– Water

Using a cheese grater or food processor, grate the entire 5.5-ounce bar of Fels Naptha, finely.

Powdered laundry detergent: In a container that has a tight-fitting lid, combine the grated Fels Naptha, washing soda and borax. Stir to mix well. Store in a sealed container that is properly labeled. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons in a front-loading machine, and up to 1/4 cup in a top loader. Note: The amount required depends greatly on the hardness of your water. Experiment by using the lesser amount, and then increase as necessary. Cost: About 15 cents per load when using 2 tablespoons.

Liquid laundry detergent: Place grated Fels Naptha into a cooking pot. Add enough hot water to cover and heat over low heat, stirring, until soap is melted, not boiling. Remove from stove and pour into a large bucket that has a lid. Add washing soda, borax and 3 gallons of hot water. Stir until well incorporated. Cover and allow to sit overnight. In the morning stir again. Use 1/2 cup to 1 cup per load, experimenting with the lesser amount to start, and then increasing as necessary. Note: The liquid version will be “gel-like.” Some call it gloppy and gelatinous. This is normal. Simply give it a quick stir before each use. Cost: About 3 cents per load using 1/2 cup.

What, no suds?! This detergent does not produce suds. Suds should never be considered visual evidence that a detergent is working. Dirty water is the sign that the detergent is doing its job. Because it does not create suds, this is the perfect product to be used in HE front-loading washing machines. 

Source:  debtproofliving.com

Foaming Dish or Hand Soap

Re-use your foaming soap pump container!  Mix your choice of liquid dish or hand soap with warm water at a ratio of 5:1 (water to soap), mix gently.

Homemade 409 Recipe

– 2 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar

– 1 Tsp. Borax

– 1/8 cup Dawn Dishsoap

– 1 cup Hot Water

Pour vinegar, borax and hot water into a spray bottle.  Then continue filling the spray bottle with cool water.  Add Dawn last. {no need to shake}  Source:  thefrugalgirls.com

Homemade Glass Cleaner

– 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

– 1/4 c. white vinegar

– 1 Tbsp cornstarch

– 2 c. warm water

Combine everything in a spray bottle, and shake well. Shake well before using, too, as the cornstarch might settle at the bottom (and subsequently plug the spray mechanism if it’s not mixed in well).  Source:  crunchybetty.com

NOTE:  when beginning to use vinegar (plain or 50/50) to clean windows and mirrors after having used commercial glass cleaners, it may be necessary to add several drops of dish washing liquid to your solution for the first few cleanings to remove the buildup from the surface.  I’m not sure if the cornstarch has the same effect or if the dish soap still needs to be added the first few times.

Homemade Furniture Polish

– Olive oil, walnut oil, or jojoba (my preference as it doesn’t go rancid)

– Water

– Lemon juice

Blend 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon water, and a squeeze or two of lemon juice in a small bowl. Place a small amount of the mixture on a soft cloth.  Wipe the polish onto a piece of furniture and give it a good buff.

The oil leaves furniture with a glossy shine, while the lemon juice cuts the oil so it doesn’t go rancid (as well as giving a fresh scent that lingers in the air). NOTE: a small amount on the cloth goes a long way!

Make the mixture as you go, so as to create less waste. You don’t want to leave this mixture sitting around because it will probably go bad before you use it again.  If you want a more shelf stable version, use jojoba and replace the lemon juice with white vinegar.  Use Olive or walnut oil to polish food surfaces (cutting boards, serving platters, wood bowls, etc).

Ingredients

• Lavender Essential Oil – Essential oils can be found online or at health food stores.  I bought a collection at Sprouts Market on one of my trips to town.  They are pricey but the small bottles last a LONG time.
• Tree Tea Oil – can be found at a health food store and at most drug stores.  Tree Tea oil has a lot of other uses around the home.  But it has a very strong odor!
• Castile Soap – an all natural soap that is also very strong so a little goes a long way.  I use Dr. Bronners and found it at CVS.  It is also sold at health food stores and I believe Target.
• Washing Soda – Sodium Carbonate is a strong base that works great as a laundry detergent and has a ton of uses around the house. I use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, found in the laundry section of my grocery store.  NOT TO BE CONFUSED with baking soda!
• Borax (Sodium Tetraborate)– is a natural mineral compound.  According to a chemistry.about.com article, it has many uses in the home as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, fungicide, preservative, insecticide, herbicide, disinfectant, dessicant, and ingredient in making ‘slime’. Borax crystals are odorless, whitish (can have various color impurities), and alkaline. Borax is not flammable and is not reactive. It can be mixed with most other cleaning agents, including chlorine bleach.  I found 20 Mule Team Borax in the laundry section of my grocery store as an ‘all natural laundry booster and multi-purpose household cleaner’.
• Jojoba oil – is actually a wax ester.  It is all natural, shelf stable, and is non-comedogenic.  It has many health uses, including eye make-up remover, lip balm, massage oil, moisturizer.  I found organic Jojoba at a health food store.
• Fels Naptha soap – this is a laundry soap found in a soap bar.  Many people experience difficulties in finding it, but I found it in the laundry section at my local (rural) grocery store.  It is also supposed to be good for poison oak and ivy.  HOWEVER, this is not an all natural/pure solution.  Many people have said they substitute Kirk’s Castile Bar soap, ZOTE!, or even ivory if the ingredients in Fels Naptha bother them.

by Karen I

Being able to repair things is a useful skill to have – believe me, when you’ve knocked your iron off the ironing board repeatedly, it’s awful handy to know how to fix it.   Tackling simple mechanical objects like an iron or (my recently fixed) Foodsaver vacuum machine (see article – Can I Use My FoodSaver® to Vacuum-Seal Mylar Bags?) can be intimidating, but with certain exceptions, you can do it.

First off, find out everything you can about your non-functioning device.  Find the manual (you did keep the manual, yes?  Got it at a garage sale?  Time to Google!), check the manufacturer’s website, check sites that have manuals for sale if absolutely necessary.

You might find that instructions for your device aren’t readily available.  Fear not; much of what is inside an appliance is just air, and there is no magic dust, just mechanical and electrical/electronic parts.

The safety nag:  never, never work on anything while it’s plugged in if the cover is off or there is the possibility of getting shocked.  Electricity is your friend, but it also has a nasty sense of humor and loves to zap you.  Keep water out of electrical devices when you clean as well.

In a pinch, if you have to, a barely damp Q-tip, moistened with rubbing alcohol helps dig out crud and gunk.   Never force things to fit; having to press hard or use a screwdriver to move a latch to get something to fit isn’t forcing, trying to get things to go where they don’t fit or belong with the potential to break is.

Take care if you are using any tools that have sharp edges; you can cut yourself with a screwdriver, so work away from yourself, not toward your body.  You do not want to be driving your husband through a 25 MPH residential district at 40 MPH, panicked and looking for someplace to get his punctured hand fixed as I did once.

A muffin tin or pie pan is useful for keeping parts from rolling off the table, and paper and pencil or pen is useful for making a note of where things go like ‘long screw goes in the upper right-hand hole looking from the front’.

The first step (and hardest, believe it or not) is to get the case off or open it up.   Once you’ve done that, stop and look at the guts of the thing.  Make a diagram of where things are in case you get interrupted, or take a picture.   Doesn’t have to be technical – you can put ‘black pump gizmo’ on your diagram as long as you understand what it is.

You already know what isn’t working, so next, try to figure out just what you are looking at.  In an iron, for example, you have something that holds water to make steam, something to heat the water, something that lets you set how hot the water is, and tubes to get the water from the filling inlet to the water tank and thence to the steaming ports, plus where the electricity comes in (the cord).

The reason for doing this is because you need to find what isn’t working, and if the iron isn’t heating you don’t need to focus on the fancy steam gizmo that lets you shoot a shot of steam, you need to find what heats the water and the path it takes.

Here’s a more detailed example.  My Foodsaver II was acting funny while it was vacuuming a bag, and then completely stopped heating and sealing bags.  This renders the device unusable, and since I had things I wanted to vac-pack, I needed to fix the thing a.s.a.p.

I took it into where I had decent light to work with, and it being unplugged already, began by taking off the bottom of the case.  I set aside the screws, which were all the same length, and gently removed the bottom.  Inside, I noticed that there is an electrical transformer on one side, some wiring, some tubing, and what looks like a pump.

I also noticed that there was a partial blockage of one of the clear tubes that goes from the inlet in the device where you put the open end of the bag to the pump itself.  Solving at least part of the problem, then, was to see if I could get the blockage out because that’s an easy potential fix.  I found the ends of the affected tube, removed it from its fittings, blew out the offending blockage and replaced it.

At this point, I decided to check and see if this resolved the problem, so I put the case back on, minus the screws, and carefully set it on the kitchen counter and plugged it in and tried to seal a spare, empty bag.  The vacuuming part of the problem seemed to be fixed (at least it worked better with no intermittent stalls/chokes), but still no heating and sealing.  Oh, well…back to the repair bench.

The cycle of the machine is to pull out air and then heat and seal the bag of stuff I’m vac-packing, and since the heating and sealing only happens after vacuuming occurs, vacuuming has to be finished before heating can start.  Vacuuming seemed to work, but obviously wasn’t finishing.  Since vacuuming occurs inside what looks like a little pump (there’s a black knob-like thing I could turn and see that a piston-like device moved in and out, so obviously a pump) the next step was to take a look inside the pump itself.

I removed the set screw from the arm going from the motor to the pump arm so that I could remove the arm, onto which the pump piston was attached, and two long skinny bolts with washers and nuts that held on the pump part onto the mechanism that makes it move.

I carefully pulled out the pump piston and looked inside.  Aha!  Gunk, plus some tiny bits of something white, like miniscule rice grain bits, were inside the pump.   I carefully cleaned out any residue with a Q-tip dampened with rubbing alcohol, then got some fine point tweezers and carefully picked out the tiny white bits, then reassembled and replaced the pump in the machine.

I put the case on to test it again, and this time the machine worked, fully vacuuming and then heating and sealing.  The only tools I used were a Phillips screwdriver, fine-tipped tweezers, and my brain.

Now you might think ‘so what, this is a vacuum packer and I need to fix something else’.  Well, the basic process is pretty much the same, no matter what you work on:

• Identify the problem
• Open up the device
• Identify the parts and try to figure out what they do and which ones might be the source
• See if you can reconnect, blow out, use a Q-tip on, run a pipe cleaner through
• Reassemble to test
• Repeat until you’ve fixed the device or determined that you can’t fix it

What if you mess up the device and can’t reassemble it or it won’t work even as good as it did before you worked on it?  Well, think of it this way:  it wasn’t working properly before.  You didn’t lose anything except some time and gained some experience working on things.  Not all devices lend themselves to being fixed by consumers/amateurs, and sometimes all you are doing is forestalling the inevitable:  getting a new one.

Now, there are, as mentioned, exceptions to what can be worked on safely or reasonably.  Most clocks and watches of the mechanical sort are beyond the average DIY’er, and things that require testing while plugged in may fall in that category because of the difficulty of getting the covers on and off repeatedly (and nothing should be tested with the covers off).

Some devices consist of a lot of electronics or things like lasers (DVD players come to mind as an example of things that the consumer can’t easily fix).  However, many devices can be fixed by following this process, and you shouldn’t be afraid to try your hand.

by M. Roberts

Most people have something to hide regardless if the object is valuable, sensitive, dangerous, illegal, or subject to confiscation.  Storing objects in a safe under key or combination lock can be a good security measure, but not everyone wants a large, heavy, and expensive safe and a small safe bolted to the floor can only contain a limited number of items.

A safe of any size also commands attention from thieves and police as something which is virtually guaranteed to hold something special.  Depending on size and weight, thieves sometimes take the entire safe without knowing what is inside.

If the homeowner is present then a burglar with a gun or police with a warrant can persuade them to open the safe immediately.  Again, a safe can provide a high level of security, but sometimes it can also make sense to hide things in other locations around the home.

Most people also tend to hide things in places which can be found quite easily by burglars and police.  For example, objects which have been hidden in a typical home can usually be found in a drawer or closet located in the master bedroom.

Burglars and police know this to be true so they often begin their search in that part of the house.  Regardless if the home invader is a burglar or police, the amount of time they can invest in a search is limited.  To be productive home invaders tend to follow the same basic three-part rule when conducting a search:  1) Look for interesting items which are openly-displayed, 2) shift attention to the most interesting containers, and 3) inspect other containers which are likely to hold something interesting.  If you haven’t guessed already, they are looking for interesting things.

When a home invader begins a search they typically notice openly-displayed things such as a rifle on a gun rack, a plasma television mounted on a wall, or a jewelry box on a chest of drawers.  This process usually only takes a matter of seconds per room before a deeper search begins, but we can slow them down by having more interesting (yet unimportant) things on display.

Taken to an extreme we can create distractions for home invaders, for overwhelming them with a large number of interesting display items can cause them to single out only the most exceptionally interesting things to inspect.

It is quite possible they will overlook an interesting object because it lacks sparkle compared to all the other shiny things in the room.  Another delaying tip is to secure some of those openly-displayed items with locked display cases.  The more time they spend trying to access and investigate displayed items the less time they have to sort through our containers.

We can also create some diversions too.  For example, hiding a gold coin inside a dull matchbook and leaving it on a coffee table will likely be overlooked because it is uninteresting and unlikely to contain anything special, but we can divert their attention away from it even more by placing a beer mug full of common coins right next to it.

In the next phase of the search, their attention turns to storage spaces and interesting containers.  Because there are more containers to search they will prioritize and inspect the most interesting containers first such as a closet, drawers, briefcase, suitcase, gun case, ammunition box, and decorated boxes.

Each time the home invader accesses and inspects a storage space or container they will apply the three-part rule to prioritize their search.  Regardless of how deep their search takes them, they continue to follow the same rule.

It can sometimes be wise to hide certain “give-away” objects in easy-to-find places.  Humans tend to look harder when their search produces little results, but home invaders are apt to call off a search once they found enough interesting things.

We’d like them to leave with nothing, but sometimes (mostly in the case of thieves) it would be better to have them leave early with an armload of minor and insignificant objects than to risk a prolonged search which exposes the things we really don’t want them to find.  Take care, however, not to give them cause to prolong a search.  For example, having an empty handgun box in the closet will inspire them to continue looking for that handgun.

Eventually, the most interesting containers will have been searched and their focus will shift to less-obvious containers which still hold the promise of something interesting.  Examples include mattresses, couch cushions, toilet tanks, and shoe boxes.

They will continue to disregard dull and boring containers which are unlikely to contain something of interest, such as a toothpaste box or bottle of shampoo.  A home likely has hundreds if not thousands of uninteresting containers, everything from sugar packets to garment pockets, so these things will probably not be inspected very closely, if at all.

There is no perfect hiding place as everything can be found with enough search time, but time is something home invaders do not have in excess.  With that in mind, our goals should be to disguise things so they appear to be uninteresting and/or hide things in the most uninteresting and unlikely places while hoping their search time runs out before certain objects are discovered.

As a home invader works his way through a house the pantry is one of the last places to be searched.  They will search for the most interesting objects and containers first which could include storage tubs, but very few people will take the time to carefully inspect each and every can of food.  There are simply too many of them, they are not interesting, and it is unlikely a sealed can of food contains anything but food inside of it.

We can take advantage of that reasoning by using a can to hide small objects such as gold, jewelry, cash, bullets, etc.  First, shop for a can of solid food (e.g. refried beans, cranberry sauce) which meets your size specifications, but is not a brand or food product you would normally consume.  After carefully removing the label from a can of food use it as a template to cut out an identical-sized piece of thin yet firm and flexible cardboard.

Next, place the can on the workspace so it can roll freely and cut it in half using a hacksaw (take care not to bend the can!).  After discarding the contents and washing the two halves of the can, insert the piece of cardboard into one half of the can and cover it with the other half of the can.  The cardstock is the same size as the label so it should fit almost perfectly inside the can to serve as an inner support wall for both can halves.

Tightly pack objects inside the can while taking care to match the original weight of the product, seal it with strong tape, and carefully glue the original label back on to the can.  Place it near the back of the pantry along with dozens of other cans of food to hide it.  Because it is sealed at top and bottom and doesn’t make noise when shaken it will look and feel just like any other can of food.  Yet, the owner will be able to identify by sight which can contain his valuables.

Hiding things under the floorboards is somewhat common but few searchers have the time to thoroughly investigate that possibility.  However, these places can be searched rapidly with metal detectors so it’s not a great idea for hiding firearms, ammunition, coins, and precious metals.  Home invaders do not expect things will be hidden in messy or dangerous such as under aquarium rocks or behind an electrical outlet (turn the power off first!).

These places are commonly overlooked during a search because they do not appear interesting, are unlikely to contain anything interesting, and are not easy to access and inspect.  With a bit of creativity, fake sewage pipes can also be installed in a basement which has screw caps that serve as access points.  Even the most dedicated searcher will likely avoid messing with sewage pipes which could leak or spill stinky human waste everywhere.

A cramped attic filled with loose insulation is another good place as few have the desire or time to sift through all that nasty fiberglass material in a dark and dirty place which is likely full of spiders and mice.  However, because attics are dusty, they may notice foot and hand prints so conceal your tracks carefully.

If long-term storage is desired without the need for periodic access then the open spaces behind internal walls can be used to hide large and small objects.  Repairing damaged drywall does take some skill but few will ever find what has been hidden behind a finished wall.  Scanning a wall with a metal detector is unreliable as metal pipes and electrical wires oftentimes exist behind walls.

Floor level cabinetry, Formica countertops, and virtually all windows and doors have trim, molding or wall guards which can be modified with hinges or strong magnets to become access panels for secret storage spaces.  Stair steps can also serve a cover for an accessible hiding place, but take care to secure it in a way which doesn’t cause an accidental fall.

Most doors of the home are hollow so they could also offer some well-concealed hiding places with access points at the top or bottom of the door.  Keep in mind accessing these empty space areas of the home requires a bit of destruction as well as construction which rely heavily on carpentry skills.

Shoddy workmanship will likely attract attention of a home invader to scrutinize something that is out-of-place so aim for perfection when tackling this kind of project.

Hollowed out furniture has been used to hide things for centuries, yet it’s not a very common practice today.  A table leg doesn’t attract attention because nearly everyone has a few of them in their home.  It’s difficult to determine if it’s hollow just by looking at it and most won’t expend the energy to do a lot of heavy lifting to inspect or access it (especially a pool table), so it can serve as a good hiding place.

Those who have a large library could consider hiding objects in a hollowed-out book as it takes time to inspect each one.  However, this is a fairly common practice.  What is not common is to expect to find a hollowed-out cavity inside a thick a stack of old home/garden magazines which have been tightly bound together with twine.

When an object is too close in our field of view then it often becomes difficult to see, which is the basic concept behind the idea of hiding something in plain sight.  Suppose one desires to hide a map which marks the location of their buried caches.  No one else knows about the map or the buried caches, but the discovery of the map could put your plans in jeopardy.  After all, what else does a person do when they find a “treasure map” but go look for the treasure to find out what it is?

Rather than hide the map it could be used instead to construct a plain-looking lampshade which is visible to everyone.  It will blend in quite well with a room décor theme which includes a globe and a picture of an old map.  Someone could take the time to inspect the lamp itself, but they will likely overlook the obvious and set the lampshade aside when doing so.  It simply isn’t interesting nor likely to contain something interesting.

This isn’t a topic which is discussed publicly very often because those who have great secret hiding places don’t want to reveal their locations.  Even so, understanding a bit about the psychology and methodology involved can help us find or create some really good hiding places, plan distractions and diversions for home invaders, and even motivate them to stop a search sooner rather than later.

by Jim Shy Wolf

Before we begin, we’ve got to lay down the rules. First, this is a potentially very dangerous activity. The least that can occur is mild burns, progressing to severe burns and culminating in burning down your home or shop. It is mandatory every safety rule is followed- both those of the tool-maker and common sense. Fools will suffer their foolishness: don’t be a fool. Wear safety glasses at all times. If you can manipulate tools wearing gloves, so much the better- wear them.

Also, my experience is that of having been doing this since 1975, without any training other than reading and experience. I am not- repeat: not- a professional nor do I claim to be doing all procedures correctly, only as they’ve worked for me over the years.

With that out-of-the-way, should you decide to engage in this activity, do so at your own risk. I lay no claim nor desire to claim ownership of your errors, foolishness or injuries incurred. We are a Free People, let us act thusly.

We’ve been reading post after post of ‘What’s the best gun I can get for my buck?’ And every person with a weapon has put in their two cents.

We’ve brought those shiny new weapons home and looked at the box and fondled the gun, anxious to get to the range and fire off a few bazillion rounds of bullseyes. So we grab that expensive box of XXX Guaranteed Bullseye rounds and head to the range.

Unless we’re the well-heeled type, after a few boxes we start to realize how spendy this little game is becoming. But we love shooting and begin to wonder if there are ways to cut those costs so we can keep shooting and having fun.

Hark! We can hear the glass shattering as the light breaks ‘pon yon window…

We Can Reload!

Reloading can take many forms with many different tools, but all lead to the same point: a bullet down the barrel headed down range. What we’ll be doing from here on is making our own Guaranteed Bullseye rounds from the ground up. (OK: I’m going to renege on the ‘guaranteed bullseye’ bit since I have no control over another’s quality control. But we’ll get that led down the barrel.) And we’re going to do it from the beginning, starting with making our own bullets.

Required tools are going to be minimal and not very expensive even with today’s weak dollar. As you’ll notice, all my tools are Lee brand. No particular reason other than those are what was available when I wanted the tool. I have no experience with and will make no comment about another maker’s tools because I think such arguments are no more valid than the 9mm vs. .45 arguments. If anyone is interested in pricing Lee products they can go to www.leeprecision.com and peruse the catalog. Otherwise, I will make no claim to usefulness for any particular purpose you intend putting the tool to.

When it comes to doing or learning something, I’m about as low as a human can get on the mental ladder. Which means, if I can do something, I’m absolutely positive there is no one else in the world who cannot do the same thing. So don’t think you’re incapable of learning or that it’s too difficult. Also, think of all we have in today’s world and consider the people who invented it. Really, Folks- cavemen invented the bow and arrow, so how hard can things be to learn? You can do it, be sure of that. After all, it ain’t brain surgery or rocket science. Now, let’s make some bullets…

It takes a very secure man to paint his cave pink… oh, wait- sorry, we’re not painting…(sorry: Honey was nudging me)… but you’re going to get burnt and those burns will be pink, then white, then red. And they’re going to hurt! So be very careful: don’t listen to MSM news, the Tv, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh or especially BSHO while working.

Follow manufacturers’ directions for all tools and keep a fire extinguisher handy. A gel burn-blanket won’t be a bad idea, either.

What We Need…

Our tools will be minimalist: just enough to get the job done well at low-cost and super efficiency.

Note the picture above: from the bottom left and going up, you will see a towel. This is what we will drop our molded bullets onto. Some people like a pail of cold water, which also helps make the bullet a little harder.

We will need a slice of wax- any kind will do, I use paraffin. We will use this to flux our lead before molding. Later we’ll use it to make a lubricant.

Besides the wax is a bung stick for working the mold’s sprue bar and to tap the bullet(s) free if needed. Do not use a hammer or metal to beat on your molds.

Next is the bullet mold. This is a two cavity 158-grain Lead Round Nose (LRN) .357 mold. Beside that is the ladle. This is what we dip the lead with to pour into the mold.

Next is a spoon: don’t use your eating utensils for working with bullets. We don’t want to ingest lead particulate. Use dedicated tools for this and all reloading. The spoon is used to load lead into the pot rather than dropping with our fingers. The pot gets very hot and lead can splash. We don’t want accidents.

Finally, the melting pot. Mine will hold two pounds of lead, which gives me about 75 finished bullets of this size.

To make my bullets, I use lead wheel weights, ‘found’ bullets from the range, and lead ingots. Wheel weights are getting more difficult to find since recycling is so rewarding. When the fed made lead shot illegal for ducks, I suddenly found myself in possession of a ton of lead shot- perfect for making cast boolits. (OK, not a ton, but a couple hundred pounds.

If/when TSHTF, some of this shot will go back into shotgun cases.) You can see the dross in the spoon: wheel weight anchors, sand, copper, steel- anything that is foreign to lead will float to the surface to be scooped off before we flux with wax.

Fluxing is taking a thumbnail size piece of wax and dropping it onto the molten lead. Be very cautious here- this will most likely flare up. If your body parts are in the way, you will be burned. Wait for the smoke to clear, then with the spoon, gently scoop the black/dark gray scum from the surface of the melt. Our lead is now ready to be used.

Our ladle/dipper and mold will have to be heated. I use one of two methods, depending on my mood and how antsy I am to get started. The recommended way is to set the ladle in the pot and rest a corner of the mold into the melted lead. If I’m in a hurry, I open the sprue cutter and pour a ladle of melt into the cavities, dump them, and repeat five or six times. You’ll know the mold is hot enough when the bullets come out uniformly neat, with no folds or vacancies in the finished bullet.

As stated earlier, I drop the bullets from the mold onto a folded towel. Since the bullet is still very hot and soft, I have to be careful to not drop them onto each other: they will deform, sometimes badly. Once the molds reach maximum temperature, even dropping from too much height will imprint the towel pattern onto the bullet, so we have to be careful.

A note here about my bullets: these are for the .357 revolver and rifle. I’m not overly concerned with ‘¼ MOA’ results for either of these, just good, acceptable accuracy. Two to three inches at 100 yards is sufficient for my desires. For the LR rifles- .243, .308, 30-06- I don’t cast bullets, I buy them. Reason being, with those calibers I am very interested in ¼ MOA accuracy (though I don’t achieve it often). I can’t make as good a bullet for those calibers as I can buy. Perhaps one day, when the pockets are overflowing…

Once we’ve reached our goal on the number to be molded, turn off the melting pot, set the tools on a fireproof pad and dig out the bullet lube.

The WUT?

Cast bullets shot from modern firearms reach some very hot and fast velocities. As a result, as the bullet goes down the barrel, it leaves small deposits of lead on the lands and grooves. This results in poor accuracy and can lead to barrel damage if unchecked by cleaning and using a lubed bullet. Anyone who has handled .22 bullets knows about the lubricant on them. A greasy, wax type something that… well, is sticky. Bullet lubricant.

Lubes can be bought- Lee sells Alox bullet lubricant, which is supposed to be really good. Others sell their brand and all are probably really good. If anyone has questions on which is better, ask around the gunny sites and you’ll get enough answers to confuse you more.

Since I’m the kind of guy that Honey says is ‘cheap’ because I think spending more than five bucks on a gift for a kid we don’t know is a bit much, I make my own for pennies and save the bucks for other things. Like primers.

To make my cowboy type lubricant, I melt one block (a one pound brick of paraffin is comprised of four blocks) of paraffin in a double boiler. With this is a small 3.75 or 4-ounce jar of Vaseline petroleum jelly. Stir and blend (they’re grease, they’ll blend themselves, really), remove from heat and add about ¼ cup of Marvel Mystery Oil and blend in. No more than a quarter cup or you’ll get a mess. Of course, you could add more paraffin and Vaseline to smooth things out… but why? This quarter pound batch is going to last a long time.

Using aluminum pie tins (‘cuz they’re cheap and everyone has a few), stand about 30-40 bullets nose up and pour enough lube in to cover the lubricant grooves. (Those are the ‘rings’ you see on the bullets.) Don’t go past these- it’s not needed above the groove and just a waste. Once covered, put the tin in a freezer until the lubricant hardens enough to pull itself easily away from the tin.

Once free of the tin, just push the bullet nose until it goes out the bottom side of the lube plate. All done. Now rinse and repeat for the next batch – and this time, you have holes pre-punched to put the bullets in before liquefying the lube and freezing again. Rinse and repeat… until you’re done.

Up next: Putting all this fun together with more fun before the real fun begins.

Well, folks, as they say, it’s better late than never… well, yeah, they (people in general) do say that and it’s true sometimes but not always but then that’s another subject all to itself. Anyways, I should have posted this at the end of November, but things got in the way and I got lost with other projects… namely my other sites that I’ve started.

Why did I start other sites you ask? Well, that’s a good question and let’s talk about that a little right now…

Over the last couple of years, the interest in prepping has taken an immense downturn. Several things have caused this downturn in interest despite the fact that we are in more danger now than we were two years ago… you ask, how’s that? How are we in more danger now than we were two years ago?

After all, Donald Trump is in the Whitehouse and everything is just peaches and mega awesome! We have nothing to worry about now and there isn’t any need to prep anymore because absolutely nothing is going to happen with President Donald Trump at the controls and even if it does he will personally come in on his white horse and rescue you and your family, so you don’t need to prep anymore.

Just take it easy and relax… drink beer, watch the ball games, and go spend your dollars on fancy expensive dinners and shiny trinkets because all is well on the Trump train. Let’s just forget about the nearly twenty-two trillion and growing national debt.

And let’s not forget about the EMP threat… yeah, the threat is still there. Oh, yeah, and the threat of a second Civil War, a war that according to U.S.A. Today a third of Americans think is coming…

And, guess what…Russian hackers are still probing the U.S. power grid as are other nations… and I’m sure that we are doing the same thing to them. Please, read Ted Kopple’s book Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath!

And, let’s not forget that a hundred years ago, the 1918 H1N1 pandemic swept the globe infecting about a third of the world’s population and killing 50 million to 100 million people… and according to people in the know, it will happen again. Yes, it will happen again, think about it! Common sense people – just because a Republican is in the White House doesn’t mean that all is well and that you can just stop prepping – that’s foolish.

But most people don’t want to think about any of this or they want to pretend that it can’t or won’t happen and even if it does they want to think that they have a savior in the White House that will swoop in and save them before it gets too bad so all that they need to do is sit on their butt and watch the ball games, drink beer and eat potato chips.

People don’t want to think about this stuff because it’s scary and it’s easier for them to convince themselves that nothing is going ever to happen… eat, drink and be happy… all is good. Well, reality check… all isn’t good!

Yes, I voted for Donald Trump against Hillary, but I have enough sense to know that he isn’t Gsome superhuman or a God and really doesn’t have much if any control over most of the threats that could send us spiraling into TEOTWAWKI. Yet, when I talk to people it seems that many have put the man on a God status pedestal when in fact he is only a man and when I speak up and say that and that we still need to be prepping no matter what people give me “that look”, you know the look…

If you stopped prepping because Donald Trump was elected president then you need to pull your head out of your rear-end! All of the threats are still there and other threats are emerging and or becoming more likely to happen! And let’s remember that the presidential election is less than two years away – will Donald Trump win the White House again, will he even run again? I don’t know, but one thing is certain and that is if Donald Trump doesn’t win come November 2020 that a far left liberal or socialist will. Then what?

If anything the election of Donald Trump might have bought us a little more time to prep before the balloon goes up and that’s all… maybe… maybe, not. But the fact of the matter is that the balloon is going to go up and it’s going to pop hard! Will you be ready?

Sadly many have decided to not use this time wisely and instead are sitting on their butts doing nothing to prepare themselves or their family for what is coming. Sure, it’s scary… sure it’s hard… sure you have to get up off the couch and do something, but you had better get with it or suffer the consequences of your laziness and inaction.

And then there are those who stopped prepping because they don’t think prepping is “cool” anymore. When all of the prepping reality shows where flashing on the TV screen nearly every evening some people watching decided the prepping must be cool and so they decided that if it’s on TV and others are doing it that it must be cool and as a result, they themselves started prepping…

Well, after a few seasons those reality TV prepper shows stopped coming on and now not even reruns are being aired. I’m not sure why the shows stopped airing, maybe they couldn’t find anyone else that wanted to have their preps shown over on national television, maybe, it was because the rating slumped, or just maybe “the powers that be” saw that the shows were causing an increase in awareness and that growing awareness was causing the “prepper movement” to grow and they wanted to stifle it.

I’m not sure why the doomsday preppers type shows ended… but it is kinda suspicious that nearly, all of them ended at approximately the same time, however, I do know that it caused a huge decline in interest in preparedness. But that doesn’t mean that the threats and need to prepare aren’t there still. The threats are still there and I think that we are in worse danger of a major SHTF even than we were two or three years ago.

Even when prepping was the “cool and the thing to do” far too many people were “pretend preppers” who liked to read all of the prepper blogs and comment about this that and the other thing, while not really doing anything or very little actual prepping. It’s easier to pretend and or procrastinate than to actually do anything but that doesn’t make the lack of preparation any less dangerous.

Okay, now back to my starting point… why haven’t I been updating this site ten plus times a week like I used to? Because the interest hasn’t been there, so why spend hours and hours every week writing and editing content that few will read? So, I decided that during this “prepping interest slump” that I’d use the time to work on a couple of other projects that I’ve been wanting to work on namely my concealed carry blog at Concealed Carry Today and my newest site Knife Law Insider.

Anyway, things change and I’m starting to see an uptick in traffic and more interest in prepping over the past month or so and that’s great, hopefully, some folks are beginning to wake up once again and that’s great. The more folks who prep the better off we will all be when the balloon goes up… but I have this nagging feeling that time is running out. We might have another year before things start to get really bad and then a domino effect into total economic collapse.

But I digress, sorry that I went on a “rant” of sorts but some things need to be said, or at least I needed to get it off my chest take it for what you want… as they say chew the meat and spit out the bones. Anyways, what have I been doing to prep over the past few weeks… well, let’s see…

Okay, that’s about it for me this month besides some random food storage items and replacing items that have been eaten… One more thing before I end this post… I plan on updating this site regularly and the best way to know when I publish a new article is to click on the bell that is in the lower right corner of the page and allow notifications, that way whenever I post something new you will be notified…

by BCtruck – YouTube

Hi folks, I’m going to give writing an article, another try. While reading the rules for the writing contest I noticed where MD was encouraging people to submit articles, the words “we all have something to offer” struck a chord with me. I spent the largest part of my life driving an 18 wheeler long-haul (over the road). I started in 1977 when I joined the army and I’ve driven one till just recently when I decided to hang it up. Consequently, I’ve learned a thing or two about surviving, driving.

The first thing I will do is break the dangers down that we all face while driving. Those are:

• Weather
• speed
• Impatience
• egos
• drunk/drugged drivers
• inattentiveness
• sudden equipment failure
• Construction
• Complacency

First, If you don’t mind, I would like to toot my horn just a little in the hopes that I can convey to you, what I think qualifies me to give advice on a subject that is often a matter of life and death. From 1980 until 1990, I drove about 120,000 miles a year for a total of 1.2 million miles.

From 1990 until 2010, I drove with my wife sharing the driving duties. In those 20 years, my wife and I put over 4 million miles on several different trucks. One truck we put 1.6 million miles on before we sold it. In all those miles I only had a couple of speeding tickets, no accidents or wrecks of any kind, no log book violations.

My wife had one speeding ticket (57 in a 55 in Littlerock) One incident with a deer in Jackson Mississippi and no logbook violations. I’m proud of my driving record and I’m proud of how well I maintained my equipment.OK, thanks for indulging me. Now let’s get after it!

Weather:

We can’t control it so we have two options. Don’t drive in it, or drive in a fashion that is commensurate to the danger presented by the weather. For instance, rain requires less concern than snow, and snow less than ice. However, I’ve been on roads that had been rained on all day and as the sun went down the road surface froze making it not just a possibility, but a likelihood that a skid off would occur.

My solution to ice, was never ever drive on it unless it turned to ice while i was driving, and then I drove only long enough to find a safe place to park to wait for warmer temps or salt trucks to work their magic.No destination, no type of freight was so important that i would risk the lives of other folks, my equipment, or my own life. You can’t drive safe on the ice. It can’t be done without risk that is greater than the need.

Snow:

There are different types of snow. Snow that is wet and heavy is actually fairly easy to drive safely on, provided you use good judgement when choosing a speed and being prepared to adjust that speed as conditions change. Also, planning your lane changes and exits from the highway well in advance and in such a fashion that your need for lane changes doesnt affect the speed or direction of travel of other motorists.

Maintaining your own safe speed and planning your moves in advance is equally as important as not forcing others to make sudden changes in lane or speed. Snow that is very dry is much easier to lose traction on. My philosophy about snow was, if I can drive without endangering others or my equipment, ill drive.

If it was bad enough for chains, I didn’t drive unless it was to cross a mountain pass like Donner, or get to a safe place and wait for conditions to improve. There is an old truckers adage that goes like this,” you can to slow as often as you like, but you can only go to fast once”. I lived by that.

Speed:

We all get in a hurry. We all have had things that happened to make us late for appointments. The problem with speed is, no one else knows about, or for that matter really cares what problem you had that made you need to speed, and speeding actually does very little to negate the problems you had that you feel necessitate the need for speed.

My advice to those that are in front of an angry late person who wants to go faster than you, is move over and let them go. Passivity on the highway goes a long way in making a problem driver go away and perhaps save you from being a victim of road rage.

I’ll tell a short story about speeders. For the last 11 years of my driving career, my wife and i ran a grueling 6800 mile a week route over and over on the same highways at the same times. We found the same people passing us over and over throughout the day and we almost always ended up at the same stops, at the same time. slow and steady saves fuel, stress, and wins the race.

Impatience: Again, most of us have had things that make us late, but there are people out there that completely fall apart mentally when they are under the stress of facing a boss who will want to know why, or a potential client that will be getting a bad first impression based lateness. I’ve seen first hand, impatience make people do absolutely unbelievable things on the highway. Ive also seen a lot of death caused by impatient folks who made driving decisions based on anger. My advice is the same with angry speeders, move over,  don’t make eye contact. That is a challenge to some people. It’s about arriving in one peace, not about saving face or fighting back.

Egos:

All those years of driving taught me one thing that is incontravertible: you can find out anything you ever wanted to know about persons psyche, by watching them drive. There is something about the anonymity of a car and the power of a steering wheel, that brings out people’s truest, most inner character that they might otherwise try to keep hidden.

Driving allows Out of control egos, people who are otherwise constrained by society and its basic need for politeness, to let out their inner demon. these people are to be avoided at all costs and ive actually seen first hand one out of control ego meet another out of control ego, at 80 miles an hour. Its never pretty.

Be safe, don’t fall victim to the “by God, I know my rights” mentality. It will get you killed by those who couldn’t care less about your rights, life, or anyone else on the highway. If they don’t care about their own life, they certainly don’t care about yours.

Drunk/drugged drivers:

In this modern society, with a pill for everything and alcohol in convenient containers. Drunks and druggies are driving amongst us every mile of any highway we are on. Some of these drugs are prescribed by doctors so people who have mental disorders can function in a society that recognizes immediately if someone “aint quite right”. Unfortunately, these drugs that might help some folks, are easily and often abused and consumed with alcohol.

Over the years I developed a keen eye for picking out drivers who were clearly under the influence of something that altered their behavior and judgement. Sudden lane changes for no reason, extreme speed fluctuations.

I even noticed that people who drove cars that were in obvious states of disrepair, were more often the ones that would be under the influence of something. I’m not saying having an older, payed for car means you’re a druggy or drunk, but it is one of the things I used to determine the likely hood of impairment and I was correct, more often than wrong.

Someone who gets on the interstate with broken shocks, cracked windshield and lights not working, are often spending their money on drugs or booze and not car repairs or for that matter, INSURANCE! Be very wary of them. They have nothing to lose and could not care less about damaging your car or leaving you with enormous hospital bills.

Inattentiveness:

If you have a phone, I will call you a liar if you say you’ve never made a call or accepted a call while rolling down the road……. ok , just me? The fact is, as the world changes, we have to adapt to those changes by being extra alert and vigilant. Texting, talking on the phone, messing with complicated stereos and navigation equipment, takes attention from the most important thing you are doing.

I think we’ve all realized this and maybe some of us have even made efforts to try to make ourselves safer from the inattentiveness that goes with technology by looking closely at people in our mirrors and glancing at them when they pass. You can do a lot to enhance your safety, just by recognizing those who aren’t paying attention to their driving and may have a cell phone stuck to their ear.

Increase following distance if your behind them, slow down to a point where they just have to pass you if you are in front of them and don’t be beside them when they realize they are in the left lane and want to turn into the walmart on their right.

Equipment failure: It happens to every machine eventually. Its just the nature of machinery to occasionally fail. For instance, you are driving over a two lane bridge with no emergency lane and suddenly your car stalls. There you are, can’t go forward, rolling backward will make it even worse.

What do you do? Fist and foremost is get your family out and in front of your vehicle by a couple hundred feet. Then do what ever it takes to get the attention of cars coming up behind you to recognize that there is a problem (of course you’ve already put your emergency flashers on). When you are certain that folks coming up behind you, see your car is disabled, then you can make repairs or call the police to direct traffic until a tow truck gets there.

This reminds me of something that non truckers might not realize. Tires on 18 wheelers are prone to Throwing their caps off, while going down the road. I hated caps and never ever used them. It was quite a bit more expensive, but i alway bought new tires.

Sadly, recapped tires are a fact of life and what you don’t know can kill you. I drive on the highway in my pickup and i never “hangout” near an 18 wheeler. I either pass quickly, or if i cant pass, i wait for traffic to clear beside him and pass only when I can get all the way around him. Those caps coming off will go clean through a windshield and do major damage to a vehicle.

Don’t follow an 18 wheeler any closer than you feel you can react if one comes off. Trucks see a lot of miles everyday and the profit margin is so slim that there are a lot of drivers who choose cash in their pocket over properly maintaining their equipment. It’s just human nature I suppose.

There aren’t many who get away with bad maintenance for very long before they are caught by the DOT, but in between those time, a lot can happen. Dont ever be afraid to call the state police and report a truck that has obvious defects that could hurt folks. Other truckers do it, and we all want to be safe on the road.

Construction: Its everywhere! Its everywhere!! You have two types of people whenever you lose a lane or come up on sudden construction. You have those that immediately recognize the need for a decrease in speed and enhanced attentiveness, and you have those who see an easy opening to get ahead of a whole bunch of people who care about others. Don’t fight them. Don’t react to them. let them pass and just keep doing what you know is right. You can’t change the world, its evilness or right a wrong, with your car.

Complacency: When you do something over and over, a part of your brain that manages redundant tasks, takes over the mundane repetitive act of driving and allows the rest of your brain get up and roam about the cabin. DON’T DO IT!!! Truckers fall prey to the natural way the brain works frequently.

When (not if) you find yourself falling victim to complacency, you lose your edge, your attention to what lays around the next bend or a car on the side of the road that just had its hood closed and the driver door shut. Always Always, look as far down the road as your eyes can see and never-never never fall into complacency.

Thanks for reading folks. I think I’ll do an article about staying safe from bipedal predators while on the road at a later date and if its something you might like to hear about. peace love and groovy, BC.

You can find my YouTube Channel Here.

by Lake Lili

None of us really ever want to believe that our lives will end.  We prep so that we have covered our bases for our survival and that of our loved ones.  Most of us hope that we have put things right with our families and right with Our Heavenly Father before our time comes.  Sometimes it is not possible to do, and sometimes we are forced to rely on the decision making of others, at a time when we most want control of those decisions.

As you age, who do you want making your decisions for you?  Think about it hard.  Sit down with a pad and pen and do some planning.  Do you have your will put together?  Who is inheriting all your preps?  Do you want to live on a respirator?

Have surgery for cancer at the age of 95?  Do you have one child who will let you go and another who wants you to live through every heroic measure?  Time to think it through…  Time to do some communicating…

Look at this as another form of prepping.

1.  Make an appointment with your doctor and get a baseline on your health.  Make sure that your doctor knows your family history and that you follow-up on all the tests the doctor wants done.  Then stop fooling yourself and accept the hand you are dealt.
2. Work with your doctor to make yourself as healthy as possible and start doing the things that you know you need to be doing anyways – eat right, quit smoking, lower your alcohol consumption, and exercise regularly – and no fooling yourself into thinking that walking the dog down to the end of the block and back is exercise.  It’s not.  It doesn’t count.

So when you have got all of those basics under control the next conversation you need to have with your doctor is about the laws in your province or state regarding medical powers of attorney and living wills.  In Newfoundland where I live you need to have an Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) written that names your Substitute Decision Maker (SDM), and a back-up.

In it you need to address issues like blood transfusions, organ donations, surgical interventions, long-term care options and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders.  DNRs, however, do require a separately completed form, which you can get from your doctor.  The AHCD will not apply in the event of an emergency (car accident) or if you are involuntarily committed for psychiatric care.

If your SDM declines the role at the time, then the Province will appoint your doctor as your SDM.  So, all the more reason for you to have a good relationship with your doctor and for him to know what you want.  In Newfoundland, Living Wills & Powers of Attorney do not apply to medical issues.  Newfoundland will recognize the legality of the paperwork completed in other Provinces if you are visiting, but if you live here for longer than 6-months then you need to get the proper paperwork completed.

In Ontario, you need to have a Power of Attorney for Personal Care (POAPC) that covers your personal decisions, such as housing and healthcare.   However, you will require a living will to communicate your wishes should you become sick and unable to communicate your wishes.

Most often people write a living will saying that they do not want to be kept alive by artificial means should they have no hope of recovery. Technically this makes the living will an “advance directive”.  Even with an advance directive, Ontario still requires the completion of a DNR form.

When the Power of Attorney and an advance directive living will are combined it is called a Proxy Directive.  All of which tells you that when it comes to healthcare and possible end of life scenarios, governments will make it as complicated as possible so as to ensure that they cannot be held liable by your heirs.

In Tennessee, the laws allow for advance directives for health care decision making.  The directives can be called the “Living Will” or “Advance Care Plan” and the “Medical Power of Attorney” or “Appointment of Health Care Agent”.  The forms that need to be completed are here: https://health.state.tn.us/AdvanceDirectives/

We are a transient society and laws seem to change and evolve quickly in this area, so check your paperwork and ensure that it still meets your provincial or state laws. They are all different too.  So if you live in Tennessee but spend large amounts of time in Florida or Arizona, then you need to make sure the correct forms are completed for those locations too.

You may also need to check and ensure that the medical coverage you are denying in your AHCD will not invalidate your health care coverage.  It may be in writing somewhere in the fine print but talk to your medical insurer and get it in writing.

Once all of that is done sit down with the family member you want to designate your substitute decision maker.  If they agree make sure that they understand your reasoning and that your request will not conflict with their personal or religious beliefs.  Have them sign-off on all the paperwork, so that it is understood that you have reviewed these directives with them and that they are understood.

Now it’s time to go talk to the rest of the family.  Some will be offended but most will understand and be relieved that they will not be required to make end of life decisions.  But now is the time to find out if someone is going to make a fuss about your directives and get it ironed out.

So you have been to the doctor, you are working to get healthy, you’ve talked to all the family, and you have all your paperwork completed.  There are a couple of things you now need to do with that paperwork.

1. File a copy with your lawyers so they have it with your will (and get one of those if you don’t have it.  After all you have worked so hard on your preps, make sure they will go to a good home)
2. Give your SDMa copy for their records.
3. Make sure you talk with your family and friends so that they know who you have designated as your SDM.  Also, tell them about your medical decisions – again argue it out now so that are not fighting you SDM.
4. Give a copy to your doctor so that it is in your medical file.
5. Contact your health insurer and give them a copy.
6. If you have a file at a local hospital, walk into their admissions area and ask them to add a copy of the paperwork to your file.
7. In Canada, our passports have a scan feature that can hold files.  My sons contains his custody paperwork.  Mine contains the custody paperwork and my AHCD.  The Passport office was quite obliging about adding it onto the file when I renewed my passport.

In other words, cover all your bases so that the medical decisions you make, and the person you have chosen to ensure they are implemented, are recognized and taken into account.  Do it now before you are diagnosed with something that could legally incapacitate your decision-making abilities.  None of us want to end up like Casey Kasem.

by J. Cirerol

For over a year, I slept and lived in my car in Los Angeles, California. I moved to Los Angeles for a dream and did not realize how expensive it was to live there.

So I began planning in my head and thinking about how I might save money and how I might get out of the frustrating living situation I was in at the time. I decided living and sleeping in my car would be an idea that would satisfy both of those things I wanted for my life in Los Angeles. It was truly a survival experience.

Throughout my time sleeping and living in my car, I learned a tremendous amount. It was a very tough time as well. But it did, in fact, help me achieve my goals of saving money and being able to live on my “own” in my car.

It didn’t come easy getting that life though. There were many learning experiences. I began writing a book while I was sleeping in my car. About how to live in a car. There are many different aspects when it comes to sleeping and living in your car successfully.

Living in your car takes a plethora of survival skills. It truly is a “survival” experience attempting to live in your car.

I was doing this so I could save money and get ahead in life. You have to sacrifice in life if you want to get ahead in life. That’s what I have learned. Especially in this economy today, you never know when hardship may hit and having these survival skills in your pocket may just save your life one day when you experience hardship.

I saved a great deal of money and had extra money I wouldn’t have had if I was paying rent somewhere.

I am going to go over a few key aspects it takes to successfully live in your car. Even if you never have to live in your car in your life, it’s good to be prepared. You never know what life may throw your way one day.

What to do for Food:

When it comes to food, there are many options when living in your car. My purpose for living in my car was saving as much money as I could. So I keep that in mind when thinking about food.

Canned Foods: There are canned foods such as beans, pastas, and tuna. Have a can opener ready or preferably have an easy to open top. That makes things much easier. Like canned fruits or fruits in plastic cups work as well. They store well too.

Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches are easy to make in a car. Just have a plastic knife to use to make it.

Homeless shelters: Sometimes or much of the time homeless shelters give free food away as well. Just find one in your local area.

Protein Bars: These are pre-packaged, somewhat healthy and easy to eat on the go.

Fast Food: This is a somewhat cheap and accessible option but I generally went for the foods that were in a grocery store as they were cheaper.

In grocery stores, they usually have a bakery or already-cooked foods section and these are somewhat affordable as well. I used to get 2 pieces of fried chicken and some potatoes and it was decently priced and nice to have some “real” food for a changes sometimes.

Where to Sleep:

Where to sleep is probably one of the most key elements of sleeping in your car. A good sleeping area can make or break you living in your car. You have to find a place that is safe but also a place where you can stay on the down-low enough to not be noticed.

I personally slept at a 24-hour grocery store I used to work at. I lucked out. But I’d say if you can manage to sleep at a 24-hour store somewhere that would be good. Or in a neighborhood that is safe where you can stay under the radar.

Once you do find that place you have to make sure to do everything you can to not be noticed.

Your car has to be primed and ready.

I had dark tint on my windows some of the time I slept in my car. If you don’t, you can put dark towels up in front of all windows. You have to be conspicuous though and make sure no one is around when you put them up. Just go to your spot, park, shut the car off and set the towels up.

That is what I did. Make sure you choose the same place for sleeping every night. It makes things a lot easier. Don’t tell anyone where you sleep.

Have the radio off long before you get to your spot so you don’t draw any attention to yourself. Additional tip: do not open your doors once you get to your spot or get out of your car at all. It only draws more attention to yourself.

Where to take Showers:

Keeping your hygiene good is absolutely key to sleeping and living in your car and staying unnoticed. The more you are noticed the worse it is for you. You have to give an appearance you are not homeless. If not, you will be kicked out of a lot of places you may hang out at. I took showers at a gym. I got a monthly gym membership. It was only $40 a month.

So it was not much. I got to both workout and get clean. I recommend having a backpack with everything you need for the shower and a combination lock to lock up your stuff while you are in the shower.

Where to Spend Your Spare Time At:

There are a few options of where to hang out on your day off work or when you have free time.

Fast food chains. They usually have free WiFi for laptops. If you keep a low profile, it’s likely you will go generally unnoticed. Just make sure to keep to yourself for the most part. I didn’t even buy anything much of the time and no one cared to be honest.

Public libraries are great places to hang out in your spare time especially if you have a laptop. There is free WiFi that does not expire like many food places. There are usually a good amount of seats. It is nice and cool inside or warm depending on the climate where you live.

Malls are a decent area to hang out at as well. To find a seat and read a book or walk around. Just as long as you don’t have to pay for parking to be at a mall then it’s great.

A gym is a great place as well. You can work out for a while to kill time and be inside.

Also, if you have made any friends or anything like that, then that will help a ton as well.

Key items to Keep in your Car:

1. A gallon of drinking water: It’s important to always stay hydrated when living in your car. You are always going, always on the move much of the time. There were many times it was after work and I hadn’t had any water. It was always nice to have my gallon of water in the back seat under a towel. It costs about $.25 to fill it up at a grocery store.
2. Pain medicine: Very useful when you have any kind of pain. There were many times while I was living in my car, it was late at night and my head was throbbing. It was nice to reach in my little soccer bag and take some pain medicine and be able to sleep peacefully after that.
3. Car Fan: At night time I find it tough to sleep without some background noise, so this came in handy. It costs about $20 at an automotive store. It is enough wattage to be on all night and not kill the battery. Many nights it is too hot to sleep in a car without a fan. In the summertime, if I didn’t have a fan I would have suffered greatly.
4. Power Inverter: This is a device you can plug into your cigarette lighter and charge your laptop, cell phone, or any other electronic device as long it is a small enough wattage. It costs about $20 at many stores. Be careful what you charge. Some things will kill the battery if you charge it too long. Try to charge things while driving when possible because it doesn’t use the battery. The one I had had was 100 watts, which means anything you charge has to generally generate less electricity than that.
5. Sleeping Bag: A good sleeping bag is key in any environment. Even in Los Angeles, in the winter and many times other seasons of the year as well I needed it. If I hadn’t had a good sleeping bag, I would have frozen and been very uncomfortable the entire night.
6. Snacks/ Food: It is important to always have some sort of food in your car. Preferably on the floor on the passenger seat side as I did. I used that section for my food. It was easy when I got hungry, I could just reach over and grab a banana to eat when I needed it. It’s crucial to always have at least some stuff ready to eat anytime you may need it. Not eating can cause many problems. There were many times after work I was extremely hungry and was leaving work and had a piece of fruit I reached for and ate right from my car.
7. Jumper Cables: Sometimes for a couple different reasons, I found that my car battery died and I needed a jump. Most likely because I left the lights on or I charged my electronics too long without driving. It was a pain standing in front of a store asking people if they had jumper cables. I eventually got some jumper cables so when my car battery died, all I had to do was ask anyone who had a car around me if they could give me a jump rather than also having to ask them if they had jumper cables too.
8. Vitamin C: Living in your car is not a normal thing obviously. There is more wear and tear and hardship than if you had a place to live. So it’s important to keep your immune system up. Vitamin C boosts the immune system. Anything you can consume with a lot of Vitamin C is great. Oranges or any drinks that have vitamin C in them are great. You cannot afford to get sick in your car when you already have enough other things to worry about.
9. Spare Keys Container: Having spare keys around are very important while sleeping in your car. You never know when you may need them. I kept a spare key for my car always in my wallet. Also, I went to an automotive store and got 2 containers for about $10 that store keys and have a magnetic cylinder on the back so you can connect it to any metal at the bottom of your car for when you lose or lock your keys in your car. Make sure to put it where no one can see it. Make sure no one knows it is there. Only you.

There are many important aspects to surviving living in one’s car. These are a few of the key ones. The key thing is keeping a low profile in all you do. That way, you can have the longevity to stay in your car as long as you need to.

You have to stay mentally strong and continually aware and focused on everyone and everything around you. Keep your head up. Always know it is not forever and is only a temporary situation.

Also Read:

• Homeless Survival Tips – What to do if You’re Homeless and Unemployed