Welcome to this week’s Sunday Survival Buzz – a roundup of preparedness news, tips, articles and recommendations from around the web. But first, an update on my own preps.
I have had another busy week gathering supplies. While I was on the mainland, I took at opportunity to stop in at Costco and pick up 50 pounds of bread flour for $16.59. That is cheap! To go along with the flour, I purchased 2 pounds of yeast which for now, will be stored in my freezer.
I have been trying to expand my supply of medicinal herbs and spices so this week I also bought a large supply of cumin to put in deep storage. To learn more, I am always on the look out for free e-books on Amazon (such as this one: Homemade Health – Home remedies your grandmother knew). Now alas, this particular e-book is no longer free but if you keep an eye on my Facebook page, I will alert you when a freebie comes up again.
Task wise, I spent most of Saturday working on variations to my DIY cleaners. I know that this is an obsession with me but knowing that I will have affordable, easy to make and easy to use cleaning supplies if there is a disaster, collapse or EMP are important to me.
Above: An assortment of my DIY Cleaning Projects
Above: Homemade Citrus Cleaner
The really big news is that after having a love/hate relationship with Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soaps, I have absolutely fallen head over heels with Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser. I made up a quick batch of all-purpose spray (1 tablespoon Sal Suds to a quart of water) and breezed through the house testing it out. This stuff is magic!
I promise to write up a review soon but if you are interested in giving this magical stuff a try, you can download a free Sal Suds Dilution and Usage sheet directly from Lisa Bronner’s website.
Right now, the main living area of my home looks like a mini-warehouse. I have survival preps taking up most of my dining area and being a small house, this is creating an obstacle course. There is no question that I need to get organized and get some reviews done.
Okay, enough about me. Let’s get on to the Sunday Survival Buzz.
Survival News & Articles from Around the Web
UK lawmakers say horsemeat discoveries “tip of the iceberg”: This is a developing story. It is not that horsemeat is necessarily bad, especially if you are hungry and there is nothing else to eat, but that when you purchase beef, you should get beef.
Carnival cruise ship: For 4,200 passengers, the SHTF when their cruise ship lost power and they were adrift for five days following an engine fire that knocked out the propulsion system, the power, and the sewage, heating and air-conditioning systems. I happen to take cruise vacations myself and always travel with some of my preps. You can bet that I will update my traveling survival kit with some additional supplies after learning about this mishap on the high seas. (I am thinking about adding large garbage bags for personal sewage – and some No-Rinse bathing wipes.)
Confused about QE?: If you are having a bit of a brain fog (like me) wrapping your head about “quantitative easing”, this article will explain it in easy to understand terms. QE for Dummies explains the “most outlandish monetary experiment ever conducted”.
FCC Proposes Free Wi-Fi For Everyone In The US.: If the stuff does not hit the fan first, this might be something to look forward to. On the other hand, given that the US Government is involved, this may simply be another way to gain control via spying and filtering what we can and can not due over the internet. Gosh, am I a suspicious sort or what?
$10 Cedar Raised Garden Beds: As those of you on Facebook know, I have taken a keep interest in building cheap garden beds – raised, vertical or otherwise. You might get some good ideas here.
RFID in credit cards: Consumer alert! Check your credit cards for RFIDs and if you find them, ask your credit card company for a replacement. Don’t say you were not warned.
Stop Changing Your Car Oil: Need to save some money? Then don’t get sucked in to paying someone to change your car oil every 3,000 miles. I fell in to that trap for years and years. If you drive a lot, ignoring the dealer’s service hype can save you a couple of hundred dollars a year.
Backdoor Survival Reader Tip
An alternative to pepper spray–not legal in some regions–is Hornet Spray. Legal everywhere.
Unlike pepper spray, it has a POWERFUL stream not easily deflected by the slightest breeze, it reaches out to about 20′, sticks to the skin and is agonizingly painful to eyes and a powerful irritant to lungs and nasal passages, yet is not dangerous. If the bad guy(s) doesn’t know what you hit him with, the burning, chemical smell may frighten him into thinking he’s in danger, and he’ll seek an emergency room rather than revenge. In any event, he’ll definitely be out of the fight.
Just never admit to authorities you carried the stuff to use as a weapon, as using “this product in a manner inconsistent with manufacturer’s directions” may be a federal crime.
I actually purchase wasp spray specifically for this purpose. Guests to my home who snoop around often ask why I have a can of this stuff near every door and entryway. Well now you know!
Doctor Prepper CPR
George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com) and I made an appearance last week on the Doctor Prepper show on Blog Talk Radio. We had no set agenda so it was a very fun free-for-all although we did get a good pitch in for George’s newly revised e-book, How to Live on $10,000 a Year – Or Less.
Truly, if you want to hear George and I being real goof-balls, you can click below to listen to the show or go to Blog Talk Radio to listen there or download the show to your own listening device.
The Backdoor Survival Blog Roll
The latest addition to the Backdoor Survival Blogroll is Survival Pulse. Survival Pulse is a new survivalist/prepper website offering links to interesting articles from around the web. Including of course, Backdoor Survival.
For technical reasons, I have renamed Recommended Sites to “Blogroll”. The transition of this page is still a work in progress as I am trying to make a few changes each week without getting too bogged down.
News From our Sponsor
This week I am thrilled to announce our newest sponsor, CR-home.com. This is a company in Costa Rica that provides information to people interested in relocating to this wonderful country.
Now as you may recall, I have visited Costa Rica many times. I love the people, I love the countryside, and I love the food. I also love the relaxed lifestyle and the lower cost of living. If I were younger, I would consider moving myself. That said, I have a local friend that has had a second home in Costa Rica for years and will soon be retiring to live there permanently.
Here is what Hanz, at CR-Homes has to say:
Most people look at Costa Rica as a vacation destination… the land of sunsets and smiles. But it is a lot more than that.
It is not only a small country where the beauty of the land never stops.. but where you can literally hop in your car in the morning and by the end of the day you will have seen two oceans, mountains, rain forests, jungle, cloud forests, volcanoes, hot springs, rivers, huge lakes, cities, small villages, and some of the finest agricultural land in the world.
Costa Rica has no military. There is no nuclear power, no oil drilling, no strip mining, power is all hydroelectric… and almost a third of the country’s land is set aside for national parks and reserves. The country has a superb medical system, a better literacy rate than the U.S., and a strong , vibrant economy and a government which encourages small business and more importantly, treats its residents and citizens with respect and privacy.
Costa Rica possessed the longest running democracy in all of Latin America and has a proud tradition of independence.
Is Costa Rica a place that you should consider for your exit plan? Absolutely… visit out website to learn more and make your own decision.
As with all of my sponsors, please pay them a visit and let them know you saw them on Backdoor Survival. Speaking of which, check out the Backdoor Survival Sponsors page and support the fine companies that allow me to keep Backdoor Survival free for everyone.
Need Some Gear?
If you are in the market for some gear, I just learned that Survival Gear Bags is now offering free shipping on all of their products regardless of price. This makes them extremely competitive with Amazon with the added benefit of personalized customer service. As you might know, I have put together a customized bug out bag at Survival Gear Bags but that is only one of the many items that they offer.
Note: I do earn a small commission on your purchases from Survival Gear Bags.
Other Announcements
Remember last week when I let you know that I was changing the format of Backdoor Survival email updates? Well apparently some folks just aren’t interested and so instead of unsubscribing, they are reporting the updates as spam. Oddly enough, this seems to be happening mostly with Yahoo email accounts.
Marking Backdoor Survival emails as spam may result in blacklisting and surely we don’t want that. Please, if you are no longer interested in email updates, either unsubscribe or reply to the email asking me to do it for you. No hard feelings – really!
The Final Word
As always, when I sit down on Saturday afternoon I start thinking there is not much to report on the forthcoming Sunday Survival Buzz. Sure enough, I sit down, compile my notes, and 2,000 words and 3 hours later, I am polishing up my article for posting around midnight. Funny how that happens.
I don’t know if you noticed, but this is Volume 52 of the Sunday Survival Buzz. Where has the time gone?
With the recent swarm of earthquakes, the miserable winter storms and the meteorite strike in Russia, I am high alert that something unusual is going on. I don’t know what, but I must admit to some apprehension. How about you? Do you feel the same?
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Bargain Bin: Today’s assortment includes DIY cleaning supplies as well as some of my favorite travel items (the OSO Sweet travels in checked luggage).
Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser: Oh my gosh. I just started using Sal Suds 24 hours ago and I am in love. Of course the true test is whether I will like Sal Suds better than my own Peppermint Juice (which is vinegar, water and peppermint essential oil). So far, the answer is yes but by next week, I will know more. Here is the dilution I used: 1 tablespoon of Sal Suds and 1 quart of Berkey (filtered) water. That’s it. Easy peasy. This stuff cleans everything!
Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soaps: Love them or hate them, these castile soaps have cult like following. I have both the Rose and the Peppermint. A little goes a long way.
Soft ‘N Style Clear Spray Bottles
No Rinse Cleansing & Deodorizing Bathing Wipes: One wipe was more than enough for a complete “bath”. These are a good backup when traditional showers are not available such as the week or weeks following a disaster. Also good for camping, boating, hiking and such.
No Rinse Moisturizing Body Wash
PURELL Sanitizing Hand Wipes
Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: This “oh so sweet” knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing. (Newcomers to my website take heed: I love this knife!)
Streamlight 73001 Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight: This small and super-bright light, features a high-intensity, 100,000-hour LED that will last up to eight hours on four alkaline button cell batteries which are included.
Water-Resistant Headlamp Super-Bright 7-LED: A headlamp provides hands-free convenience with over twice the power of conventional bulbs.
Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.
Specials that I like this month are their SUPERPAIL of Soft White Wheat, a Deluxe Grain Mill and Motor and the Provident Pantry Freeze Dried Meat Essentials Combo. The grain mill is on sale for $123.98 (normally $189.99).
In addition, this month Emergency Essentials is featuring their 55 gallon water barrel combo kit. The kit includes a 55 gallon water barrel, Aquamira water treatment, a barrel buddy, and emergency siphon and 2 bung seal caps. The price for everything is $94.99 – a discount of about 33%.
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Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors
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The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 52 is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.
