Archive for the ‘Other Resources’ Category
Prepare Magazine Offers Hope and Help for Preppers Like You
May 17th, 2013 | 
Author: Enter “Prepare Magazine.” It offers hope and help to preppers and seeks to lend encouragement and helpful motivation. On yesterday’s DestinySurvival Radio I spoke with Joseph Miller, founder and chief visionary officer behind the magazine. “Prepare Magazine” is celebrating its first anniversary. While it’s had its share of growing pains, Joseph and his staff are moving forward, and you’ll want to be in on it.
The Man and the Mission
By the way, you may know Donna from Millers Grain House and Your Preparation Station on the Preparedness Radio Network. I’ve been on her show a few times, and she’s been on mine.
Joseph’s background is in community service. He served over 20 years in a not for profit organization helping families and children. Then he spent some time in the corporate world, which gave him a different kind of knowledge and training. It all worked to bring him to where he is today.
His call to prepare gave rise to his vision to start “Prepare Magazine.” Though he’d never published a magazine before, he saw a need to counter the fear and negativity often associated with preparedness. It’s his desire to publish a relevant preparedness magazine with a focus on sharing expert resources, purpose-filled training, and support and encouragement for others who are on the preparedness journey.
The Magazine and the Message
Joseph estimates they have 15,000 to 20,000 subscribers to the digital version, and they’re growing. Much of that growth has come through word of mouth and social media. The numbers are amazing, considering they’ve been around only a year. I’d say God has blessed their efforts.
The magazine won’t be overloaded with advertising. They’re selective about advertisers and want to emphasize good content. The goal is to cover a broad array of topics and themes of interest and importance to preppers, such as gardening, alternative energy, alternative health, bartering, mindset and community.
Contributors come from within the preparedness movement who write from their experience and expertise. They’re not writing about theory or regurgitating something from online.
The magazine doesn’t engage in politics. However, they are open about sharing the Christian faith and hope in Christ. They’re not heavy handed about it though.
It’s Joseph’s hope that “Prepare Magazine” will provide excellent value to subscribers. He’s sensitive to the needs of readers. It’s also his desire to help bolster community among preppers.
Find Out More
I’m a subscriber and appreciate what Joseph and his people are doing. There are other publications out there which have useful info for preppers. But for something just a little different, give “Prepare Magazine” a try. Join them as they grow, and you’ll move forward in your preparedness journey, too.
If you’re already a subscriber, why not leave a comment below and let others know how you like the magazine. Would you recommend it to other preppers? Is there something else you’d like to see the magazine cover?
Hick’s Law
Decision making is a crucial survival skill which we each need to cultivate. Craig Caudill shares insights on it below.
If you come to a fork in the road, you must make a decision about which way to go. If you are on a path that splits off in numerous directions, you are really in a predicament. This scenario is an example of when Hick’s Law comes into play.
What is Hick’s Law? Basically, it is the idea that the more choices a person has, the longer it will take them to make a decision. This belief is applied in marketing strategies, tactical training, teaching and so on.
It can also be applied to survival preparedness. In a survival situation, time is of the essence. Spending a great deal of time trying to make a decision could be extremely costly.
This information is extremely valuable in two ways. The first way is your bug out bag or survival kit. Do not pack a lot of gear that all serves the same purpose. You do not want to make an emergency situation worse by cluttering your mind with “which tool should I use” or “what would work best for this particular job.”
Your kit should contain items that you can practice with regularly. Reusable gear is the key to making sure you are familiar with a tool’s uses and are comfortable using that particular item. It is imperative each piece of gear you do choose can be used for a variety of tasks, not just one. This will help you keep your mind clear and focused in stressful circumstances.
The second way in which Hick’s Law applies to a survival situation is the flip side of the formula. If you are thrown into a survival situation, you are going to have a lot of decisions to make. Each option warrants some contemplation. Do you shelter in place or bug-out? What are your sheltering options? Water and food supplies and so on will all need to be addressed. That is a lot to throw at a person at once. When this happens, you must prioritize your immediate needs to live first and foremost.
Use this information to help you choose what gear to carry in your bag. Remember, keep it simple by choosing tools that are multi-use and reusable. And most importantly, practice with your gear so you know how to use it when you need it to survive.
Craig Caudill is an outdoors instructor who teaches, among many other things, about survival backpack kits both online at Dan’s Depot and offline at his Nature Reliance School.
Any thoughts? How are your decision making skills? Leave a comment below and let others know what’s on your mind concerning what you’ve just read.
Posted in Other Resources, Survival Camping, Survival Musings | 
Tags: Craig Caudill, decision making, Hick's Law | 
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Which Solar Power System is Right for You?
So how do you know which solar power system is right for you? Jeffrey Yago presents an informative overview in the March/April, 2013 “Backwoods Home Magazine” (Issue #140). I’ve put an excerpt below.
Grid-tied,
Grid-connected,
Off-grid.
What’s the difference?
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Several weeks ago I received a call from a woman in Florida complaining that they just had a power outage lasting several days and her solar system quit working. Although I had no idea who she was and never had anything to do with the installation of her solar system, she was very distressed and I wanted to at least point her in the right direction.
After a few questions it was clear that what she had purchased was a “grid-tie” solar system, and these systems must be “tied” to a working utility grid to operate. These systems do not have any battery backup capability, so their only function is to sell solar-generated power back to the utility grid, which offsets some or all of the metered usage for a given month. Any month the solar-generated power exceeds metered usage of the homeowner, the utility will credit this excess towards a future month when the utility demand exceeds solar generation.
Read the whole article here:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago140.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine.
http://www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418.
Survival and Your Money–Work from Home Without Getting Scammed
What’s a good solution? Should you work from home? And is that possible without getting scammed?
Consider Some Options
Another possibility is to work from home and combine that with your interest in prepping. Become a consultant for a company like Shelf Reliance. Do home parties selling storage food. If that interests you, contact Misty Marsh, the consultant who’s helping me with my online Shelf Reliance party.
Or you could start your own Web site or blog related to something you’re passionate about, as I did with DestinySurvival a few years ago. It’s a lot of work and may require learning more about marketing and the Internet than you thought you’d have to know in a lifetime. I can tell you it’s not a get rich quick scheme. While some are wildly successful at it, it can consume more time, energy and money than it’s worth for the return you get.
You already know the advantages of working from home. You’re not spending so much on gas and car upkeep. You pocket the money you’d spend on lunches. And you don’t have to drop a few dollars on that office party for someone else’s birthday.
Perhaps you’ve scoured the Internet for work from home opportunities. But many times it’s hard to get straight answers. Or it’s hard to tell if a company is reputable. There are a lot of scams out there. You could lose money rather than bring it in.
Check Out the “May We Help You” Option
Yesterday on DestinySurvival Radio I talked with Latisha McDougle of MayWeHelpYou.net about legitimate work from home opportunities. She partners with a company called Arise to give you a way to connect with and work for Fortune 500 businesses.
Whether you’re a mother, college student, veteran, retired or disabled, this could be what you’re looking for. Here are a few key points.
- You work as an independent contractor.
- Put in 10-20 hours or more during a week at times that suit your schedule. (Much depends on what your interests are and what work is available.)
- You can make the choice to do customer service, sales or technical support. Make use of your strengths when accepting work.
- Pay can range from $9-$19 per hour.
- Work for one or more companies if you like.
- Work for companies whose services you may already be using for things like phone service, cable TV, travel, etc.
Get Started
Then you’ll have access to the job board where you can connect with companies with work opportunities. It’s important to determine if they’re a match for you and you’re a match for them. Next you must go through the chosen company’s at-home training procedures, which vary from company to company.
Be advised that you must pay for that training. The cost varies depending on what the company requires. But if you have to spend as much as a couple hundred bucks, consider it an investment. As soon as you start work, you’ll begin to earn it back. Plus, you can write it off as a business expense.
Hard wired Internet service and a landline phone are required. You’ll need a couple of headsets, too. Latisha can help you with more specifics.
Find Out More
Latisha’s company, as well as Arise and the companies they connect you with are looking for good workers. Considering that working from home is a more user friendly environment, you may want to consider the “May We Help You” option.
Any thoughts? Why not leave a comment below? I’d love to hear how this works out for you if you try it.
Christopher Nyerges Talks About the Old Ways–Part 2
As noted last week, we can easily be duped into a romanticized view of how the Indians lived. Their ways varied from tribe to tribe and location to location because they had their own culture, religion, politics, etc.
But, in general terms, what can you and I learn from them that could help us survive hard times yet to come? What’s relevant and what’s not? Here are a few things to consider.
Concept of Time–If technology fails, we’ll be forced to do without many things. But what’s the one thing we’ll have plenty of? Time. Will we know how to use it? The Indians weren’t slaves to the clock as we are.
Reverence for All Things–We would do well to have greater reverence for things around us. Our consumer based way of life thinks little of good stewardship. Respect for resources means taking to heart the idea to recycle, reduce, reuse.
Family, Home and Community–Many of us want to build prepper communities. Isn’t it sad that we have to think of such a thing? We used to be more family and community oriented. Many Indians have strong ties to land, elders, family and tribes.
Self Reliance–While we as preppers pride ourselves on working toward greater self reliance, what would make that more necessary than the primitive conditions we may one day face?
Heroes and Leaders–Who are our heroes today? Lady Gaga? Sports figures? And who are our equivalents to chiefs and spiritual leaders? At the risk of sounding collectivist, are we too centered on ourselves as individuals?
Role of the Sexes–Women had a high place in the culture of many tribes. They didn’t have to be feminists. Men and women had distinctive and necessary functions.
Outlook on Money–Must everything be viewed with regard to its monetary worth? Is it possible to function in a social structure that values things and people in a more enlightened way? The Indians relied heavily on trading goods of value, rather than exchanging money.
Transportation–The introduction of horses several hundred years ago brought changes to the Indians’ way of life. But we don’t have the number of horses they did in times past. What would we do without modern transportation? We’d certainly have to do a lot of walking or make other arrangements, such as traveling by boat.
We’ll have to adjust our view on time accordingly because a trip which normally takes 15 minutes now might be a half day’s journey.
Mindset–This one’s a must for survival, as you’ve no doubt heard plenty of times before. So many things can factor into it, but some key pillars are our ability to do without, resourcefulness, personal morality, and our relationships with others.
For Further Reading
How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill–Though not related to native American history, this book describes the slow decline of the Roman empire. We may be on the same path.
The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, by Thomas E. Mails–This one describes the culture, art, crafts and religion of Plains Indians. Christopher acknowledges it may romanticize Indians, but it is still of value.
Extreme Simplicity, by Christopher and Dolores Nyerges–Find out how Christopher and his late wife simplified their lives in an urban setting.
Killing the White Man’s Indian, by Fergus M. Bordewich–Written in the mid 1990′s, this book takes a frank look at the complexities of how Indians are surviving in modern society.
Find Out More
Christopher is open to answering your questions. Contact him through his site or e-mail me, and I’ll forward your message to him.
A Final Thought
No matter how well armed we think we are, we won’t be able to stand up against modern military forces should they come against us. There will be no justice or mercy. We may then know what it feels like to be in the Indians’ place.
I’d be glad if you’d leave a comment below and share your thoughts on this or anything else you’ve read above. What do you think?
Posted in Other Resources, Survival Musings |
Tags: Christopher Nyerges, Indian ways |
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Almost Free Wood Burning Furnace and Hot Water Heater
Editor’s Note: Resourcefulness and creativity are admirable trates of self reliant preppers. The following article demonstrates that. It describes how you can make a wood burning furnace and hot water heater inexpensively. It comes courtesy of Drillcat.
Everyone needs and uses hot water everyday. With the high cost of electricity, propane and gas, this is getting costlier every day. Also for people with remote hunting cabins and prepper bug out retreats, people need a real, simple and easy way to have hot water.
There are hot water furnaces for sale. The problem is the cost of these starts at $7,000.00 and go to over 20k. Geting water hot is not this hard. Here below we have a simple way to get hot water. So simple it seems too simple. Get any old used gas hot water heater. The reason to use a used gas hot water heater is because it already has the smoke chimmy in the middle of it.
Remove all gas jets , etc., from the bottom of it. Then all that is needed is to add the fire box to the bottom, with a small door opening. What we used was an old truck rim for the fire box. (Dayton rim has no center.) Then we measured the top of the rim, measured the bottom of the gas water heater and cut a 1/4″ steel plate washer to fit. Then there’s just the simple step of welding the washer to the waterheater and to the fire box.
You will add some longer pipe on top to help it draw. Now by just keeping the yard clean from fallen limbs, you have hot water. If water is cold, and you start a new fire, it will have water hot enough to take a shower in 12 to 18 minutes. If you add a blower to the fire box you can have water hot in 3 to 5 minutes.
This set up means no more $42.00 propane bottles. No electricity is needed. It will work for out door camps, barns, and prepper bug out retreats. Nothing to break down. Simple. It DOES NEED TO BE OUT DOORS, and have a safe place where a fire can be used.
Places to get materials
- used gas water heater for free or almost free–junk yard. Any appliance store–they have them everyday when they sell new.
- Steel washer to fit fire box and hotwater heater–junk yard, steel supply.
- Used truck rim–junk yard, tire shop, or truck repair shop.
This set up wil make lots of free hot water. You can even insulate it and have water hotter longer. We didnt care because of free wood. No problem to light it when we needed it.
About Drillcat
Drillcat describes himself as a master well driller, water project missionary consultant, hands on drill training instructor, and author of Water Well Drilling Troubleshooting Guide. His book is normally available on Amazon.com, but was unavailable at the time of this writing.
www.Drillcat.com Was started 14 years ago by a group of volunteer’s who saw the need to help the average Joe, just the regular guy and regular family who want to pursue their dreams of self reliance. They offer free hands on drilling classes, water well drilling & troubleshooting books, and plain answers to people’s questions.
Over the years Drillcat Volunteer’s have seen many honest hard working families buying remote lots and acreages, but then they’re shocked to find out what an average water well costs. Drillcat offers them options from small used drilling rigs, to parts, plans and even rig rentals. There are many simple solutions. They try to give people options, and let them decide.
Find out more at www.drillcat.com.
Posted in Other Resources, Survival Supplies |
Tags: wood burning furnace, wood burning hot water heater |
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