Few of us are completely self-sufficient.  There are always going to be a few things that we cannot make for ourselves.  If your personal preps are in order, consider investing your prep dollars in a new way: purchase barter items!

A lot of things that are inexpensive now will be invaluable later.  As the economy collapses even further, people will be focused on survival and the barter system will reignite.  Barter items will be far better than cash – you can’t eat a dollar!

What kind of items will be worth their weight in gold?  Check out this list for a few suggestions:

• Matches and lighters
• Seeds
• Canning jars, lids and rings
• First aid items
• Tools
• Water Filtration Supplies
• Sewing supplies
• Vitamins
• Salt
• Feminine Hygiene Supplies
• Vitamins
• Fishing Supplies
• Fuel (gasoline, propane, kerosene, etc)
• Sweeteners such as honey, sugar and syrup
• Coffee/Tea
• Carbonated beverages
• Liquor
• Cigarettes/tobacco
• Small packages of food (baggies of beans/rice, etc)
• Livestock
• Cooking oil
• Firewood
• Farm supplies (pesticides, fertilizer, etc.)
• Weapons, Ammo *
• Batteries
• Warm clothing
• Hats/Gloves (think about those little dollar store stretchy items)
• Soap/shampoo
• Hand sanitizer
• Dental care items (toothbrushes/toothpaste/floss)

*Caution: Exercise great discretion when bartering with weapons and ammunition.  It is entirely possible that those items could be used against you to take your supplies.  These are items to be bartered only with someone you trust implicitly or as an absolute last resort.

Barter items can be purchased at the dollar store, the flea market or at liquidation houses.  Don’t forget yard sales – even though you already possess a meat grinder, someone who has ammo that you need might not have one. Items that you can acquire and store inexpensively may one day be more valuable than gold.

Don’t forget about the items that you can produce yourself.  This goes hand-in-hand with the barter of skills.  Stock up on the supplies you need to create the following items for a long-term flow of “income”.

• Fresh produce
• Ammunition (see *caution above)
• Home canned items
• Preserved meats (jerky, ham, etc)
• Warm knitted or crocheted items (mittens, hats, scarves)
• Yarn spun from animal fibers
• Homemade candy
• Homemade soap
• Homemade candles
• Wooden or clay bowls and plates
• Herbal remedies

Use this list to get your creative juices flowing.  What items do you possess the ability to make?  Which of these items will be particularly useful if the grid goes down or if the economy crumbles?

What items are you stocking up on for life in a potential barter-based economy?  Please share your ideas below!

If the one-gallon jugs of milk in the dairy case seem to be glowing, it may not be just from the fluorescent lights You won’t hear about this from the mainstream media, but the world’s food supply is becoming increasingly tainted by radiation emitted from the Fukushima disaster.

Recently, on the West Coast of the United States, radiation levels were found to be unsafe. Thankfully, the Environmental Deception Protection Agency has responded quickly: they’ve closed down 8 of their 18 radiation-testing facilities in California and upped the “safe amounts” of radiation that we can absorb. I’m sure we can all now breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Just in case you don’t find the EPA’s response to the crisis to be reassuring, there are some things you can do to protect your family from radiation in the food and water supply.

How Does Food Become Tainted by Radiation?

Produce can become tainted in two different ways. First, radioactive particles can settle on the plant while it’s growing. Secondly, when the soil becomes contaminated by “hot” rain, it can be taken up through the root system. Broadleaf vegetables like spinach, arugula, cabbage, lettuce and kale are more susceptible to contamination from fallout. If the soil is okay, then root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are safer than leafy vegetables.

Dairy products and meat become contaminated when the animals graze on radioactive grass or plants. Samples of milk taken across the United States have shown radiation at levels 2000 percent higher than previous EPA maximums. The reason that milk is so significant is that it is representative of the entire food supply. According to an article published on Natural News, “Cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.”

When a person consumes radioactive food, the radioactive substances are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. Different types of particles affect different tissues. For example, radioactive iodine attaches itself to the thyroid gland, and cesium is stored in the bone marrow.

The tissues affected by the radioactive materials are at increased risk for cancer as time passes. Children and pregnant women face the highest risks from radioactive food because of constant cellular growth and division.

According to the U.S.-based group of medical doctors Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), “There is no safe level of radionuclide exposure, whether from food, water or other sources, period,” said Jeff Patterson, DO, immediate past president of PSR, in late March.

Limit Your Exposure

Without a lot of very expensive equipment, there is not a lot you can do to test your food for radiation. There are a few steps you can take to limit your exposure, however.

Water

First, you need access to pure drinking water. Water that comes from an underground source, like a spring or a covered well, is likely to be safe. Water can also be filtered for radioactive particles. The most effective way to remove the particles from water is a double process. First, water should go through a“reverse osmosis” filter, and then, a deionization resin filter. This double process removes 95% or more of radioactive particles.

If levels of radiation are high, this double-filtered water should be used for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing dishes. This purified water would also be the water you would use to wash your produce.

Produce

Despite arguments to the contrary, you CAN wash radioactive particles off of produce. Clearly if the plant has taken in the radiation through the roots, it is irrevocably tainted. Fallout, however, can be dealt with.
Calcium Bentonite clay is a natural substance that actually absorbs radiation. According to the website, About Clay, “Calcium Bentonite Clay has a uniquely strong negative ionic charge. When activated with water it works like a strong magnet, adsorbing and absorbing anything with a positive ionic charge (i.e., toxins, pesticides, radiation). The clay captures these substances and removes them as it is eliminated or washed off.”

To wash produce with Bentonite Clay: Mix 1 part Calcium Bentonite Clay to 8 parts of purified water in a large non-metallic bowl. Toss your produce in this clay water, making certain the produce is completely covered, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well with more purified water.

For additional protection, peel thin-skinned fruits like peaches and apples after washing them.

Growing Your Own Food

According to “Health Ranger” Mike Adams, even growing your own organic produce is no longer enough to guarantee food safety. “Your own gardens are just as susceptible to radiation fallout as commercial crop lands,” states Adams. “Only those who grow food in greenhouses will be largely protected from the fallout. Maybe it’s a good time to buy some sprouting seeds, too, because you can sprout seeds in your own kitchen and grow them free of radiation.”
Hydroponic and aquaponic systems, greenhouses, hoop houses and kitchen gardens watered with radiation-free water will provide the safest food. Sadly, free-range meats will soon be less safe than factory-farmed meats because of the potential for radiation exposure.

Country of Origin

Another step to avoiding radiation in your food is to note the origin of the food. Anything produced or harvested south of the equator is safer than foods that originate in the Northern hemisphere. Along the same lines, items procured from the Eastern half of the United States are safer than items from the West Coast (at this time). As the fallout increases, the entire Northern hemisphere may become irrevocably tainted for generations.

Be alert to the meager amount of news coming from Japan: the damaged reactors are NOT under control and further disastrous output could occur at any point in time. Be aware that the media and the world’s governments are NOT looking out for our best interests. The lives of hundreds of thousands of future cancer victims could be saved if the agencies in charge of food testing, environmental disasters and public safety were issuing truthful warnings and disseminating accurate information.

Instead the party line has been to “avoid panic” through false benevolence, patronizing public statements, sleight-of-hand safety level changes, and other outright LIES. Much-needed food safety testing is not being done, or, if it is, the information is not being released to the public. Without access to the necessary equipment to test foods for ourselves, we must locate own solutions and resources.

I urge you to do your own research in order to protect yourself and your family. Don’t trust the mass media or government officials regarding this issue. They are complicit in the most deadly deceit ever perpetrated on the American people.

Sources

This article was contributed by Daisy Luther

Most Americans take for granted the intricate systems that make it possible for us to engage in seemingly mundane day to day tasks like filling up our gas tanks, loading up our shopping carts at the local grocery store, obtaining necessary medications, and even pouring ourselves a clean glass of water. When we wake up each morning we just expect that all of these things will work today the same way they worked yesterday. Very few have considered the complexity involved in the underlying infrastructure that keeps goods, services and commerce in America flowing. Fewer still have ever spent the time to contemplate the fragility of these systems or the consequences on food, water, health care, the financial system, and the economy if they are interrupted.

A report prepared for legislators and business leaders by the American Trucking Associations highlights just how critical our just-in-time inventory and delivery systems are, and assesses the impact on the general population in the event of an emergency or incident of national significance that disrupts the truck transportation systems which are responsible for carrying some ten billion tons of commodities and supplies across the United States each year.

A shut down of truck operations as a result of elevated threat levels, terrorist attacks, or pandemics would, according to the report, have “a swift and devastating impact on the food, healthcare, transportation, waste removal, retail, manufacturing, and financial sectors.”

So too would events such as an EMP attack or a coordinated cyber-attack that could shut down global positioning systems and the computers responsible for inventory control. Another potential scenario that is more likely now than ever before is liquidity problems within the financial system stemming from currency crisis or hyperinflation. All of our just-in-time delivery systems are built upon the unhindered transfer of money and credit, but when credit flow becomes restricted or money becomes worthless, no one will be able to pay for their goods. Likewise, no one will trust the credit worthiness of anyone else. This is exactly the scenario playing out in Greece right now and the consequences on the health care industry in that country have left many without life saving drugs. When there’s no money, no one will be transporting anything.

The effects of a transportation shutdown for any reason would be immediate (in some cases, within hours) and absolutely catastrophic.

Excerpted from the American Truckers Associations report

Food

• Significant shortages will occur in as little as three days, especially for perishable items following a national emergency and a ban on truck traffic.
• Consumer fear and panic will exacerbate shortages. News of a truck stoppage—whether on the local level, state or regional level, or nationwide—will spur hoarding and drastic increases in consumer purchases of essential goods. Shortages will materialize quickly and could lead to civil unrest. (We’re seeing this in the UK right now)

Water

• Supplies of clean drinking water will run dry in two to four weeks. For safety and security reasons, most water supply plants maintain a larger inventory of supplies than the typical business. However, the amount of chemical storage varies significantly and is site specific. According to the Chlorine Institute, most water treatment facilities receive chlorine in cylinders that are delivered by motor carriers. On average, trucks deliver purification chemicals to water supply plants every seven to 14 days. Without these chemicals, water cannot be purified and made safe for drinking.

Health Care

• Without truck transportation, patient care within the truck stoppage zone will be immediately jeopardized. According to Cook, many hospitals have moved to a just-in-time inventory system. In fact, some work from a low-unit-of-measure system.  This means that essential basic supplies, such as syringes and catheters, are not ordered until the supplies are depleted. These systems depend on trucks to deliver needed supplies within hours of order placement. Internal redistribution of supplies in hospitals could forestall a crisis for a short time; however, in a matter of hours, hospitals would be unable to supply critical patient care.
• If an incident of national significance produces mass injuries, truck transportation is the key to delivering urgently needed medical supplies necessary to save lives.
• Hospitals and nursing homes will exhaust food supplies in as little as 24 hours
• Pharmacy stocks of prescription drugs will be depleted quickly. According to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, most of the nation’s 55,000 drug stores receive daily merchandise deliveries by truck.

Transportation

• Service station fuel supplies will start to run out in just one to two days. An average service station requires a delivery every 2.4 days. Based on these statistics, the busiest service stations could run out of fuel within hours of a truck stoppage, with the remaining stations following within one to two days
• Air, rail and maritime transportation will be disrupted.
• A fuel shortage will create secondary effects. Without access to automobile travel, people will be unable to get to work causing labor shortages and increased economic damage. Without cars, many people cannot access grocery stores, banks, doctors, and other daily needs. Public bus systems will cease to operate as well, preventing many disabled and elderly people from accessing these necessities. Without fuel, police, fire, rescue and other public service vehicles will be paralyzed, further jeopardizing public safety.

Waste Removal

• Within days of a truck stoppage, Americans will be literally buried in  garbage with serious health and environmental consequences. Further, without fuel deliveries, many waste processing facilities will be unable to operate equipment such as backhoes and incinerators.
• Uncollected and deteriorating waste products create rich breeding grounds for microorganisms, insects, and other vermin.Hazardous materials and medical waste will introduce toxins as well as infectious diseases into living environments. Urban areas will, of course, be significantly impacted within just a couple of days.

Retail / Manufacturing / Economy

• Replenishment of goods will be disrupted. Many of the nation’s leading retailers rely on just-in-time delivery to keep inventory levels as low as possible. Similar to the low-unit-of-measure hospital inventory system, these stores rely on frequent deliveries to replenish basic goods. Often, delivery of a shipment is not triggered until the current inventory is nearly depleted. Without truck deliveries, retailers will be unable to restock goods, including consumer basics such as bottled water, canned goods, and paper products.
• Consumer behavior during emergencies triples the rate of inventory turn-over.Since many large retail outlets typically keep inventories as lean as possible, problems often arise quickly during truck transportation slowdowns that occur from crises such as hurricanes.
• Just-in-time manufacturers will shut down assembly lines within hours. Major American manufacturers, ranging from computer manufacturers such as Dell and Compaq to major automakers such as GM and Ford, rely on just-in-time manufacturing. Without truck deliveries, component shortages and manufacturing delays will develop within hours

Financial Sector

• ATM and branch bank cash resources will be exhausted quicky.In today’s fastpaced, high-technology economy, consumers access cash 24/7 from 370,000 ATMs nationwide. JP Morgan Chase, the nation’s second largest consumer bank, replenishes its 6,600 ATMs via armored truck delivery every two to three days. Given the increase in ATM activity that occurs before and after any type of crisis, ATMs would run out of cash much sooner.
• Small and medium-size businesses will lose access to cash.
• Regular bank functions will cease.

While an event that disrupts truck transportation systems may be unlikely, recent history suggests it is fully plausible and the blowback can be devastating. A day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, panicked government officials stopped all transportation flow into the region, forcing hundreds of trucks loaded with emergency supplies like food and water to wait for permission before they could enter the area. As a result, thousands of residents of the city were left without items essential for survival. It took days before truck routes were re-opened and supplies were allowed to flow. Government officials acting on limited information, lack of knowledge and personal politics were responsible for restricting the flow of goods into New Orleans, potentially killing hundreds of people in the process.

What this incident demonstrated  is that when the trucks in America stop, all commerce and delivery stops with it.

Now consider what may happen if the emergency is more widespread, affecting not just a city, but the population of an entire region or the United States in its entirety.

Via SHTFplan

So in light of this, how do we save for the rainy days to come?

Once you’ve established the basics of your survival preparedness, you can protect your personal wealth by investing in precious metals. There are many different ways to acquire gold and silver. Here are a few:

• Purchase the pieces from mints or exchanges
• Purchase old pieces of jewelry or coins from yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores and Craigslist
• From trusted sellers on EBay

Mints and exchanges offer a sure thing. These businesses are built on trust and integrity. However when you purchase from everyday people or take a gamble on buying something at the thrift store, you need to be able to identify and test the metals yourself.

1. Look for markings. Jewelry made from precious metals in the US was required to be marked for metal content in 1906. On silver pieces you are looking for the numbers “925” – this indicates that the piece is Sterling Silver or 92.5% silver. If the piece you are considering is gold, you are looking for 10K, 14K, 18K, etc. 24K is 100% gold, and is very soft, so the other numbers are indicative of the gold content that has been mixed with a harder metal to make it less pliable.

2. Inspect the piece carefully. Is it rough near the edges? Is it discoloured in places? Is the finish chipping or flaking? These are all indicators that the piece may only be plated with silver or gold. These items require further testing. (Note: Sterling Silver will “oxidize” and tarnish – don’t be put off by black discolouration. This should wipe off with a soft cloth.)

3. If the piece has been marked, then you will want to test it further. Carry with you a strong magnet. Precious metals are NOT magnetic, nor are the other metals that are used in jewelry to harden them. If the piece of jewelry or coin reacts to the magnet it is not gold or silver.

4. Test it with ceramic. You can purchase a small piece of unglazed ceramic tile at your local hardware store. If you have a piece of questionable gold, run the piece across the ceramic tile. If it leaves a blackish mark, it is not genuine gold.

Once you have performed these quick tests, you may want to go further. There are two more definitive tests – the “Archimedes Test” and the acid test.

Archimedes Test

Break out your physics hat and perform a density test to determine the content of the metal you have on hand. For this you will require a vial marked in millimetres in which you can submerge the item in question.

Do not fill the vial to the top, since you will be displacing water with the jewelry item. Note exactly the amount of water in your container.
Weigh your item on a digital jewelry scale, marking down your result in grams. This is the “mass” of your item.

Place your piece in the vial and note the new water level.

Calculate the difference between the two numbers in millimetres. This is the “volume displacement” of the item.

Use the following formula to calculate density:

Density = mass/volume displacement

Here is a sample calculation:

Your gold item weighs 38 g and it displaces 2 milliLITRES of water. Using the formula of [mass (38 g)]/ [volume displacement (2 ml)], your result would be 19 g/ml, which is very close to the density of pure 24K gold.

Remember that different gold and silver purities will have a different g/ml ratio:

o 14K – 12.9 to 14.6 g/mL
o 18K yellow – 15.2 to 15.9 g/mL
o 18K white – 14.7 to 16.9 g/mL
o 22K – 17.7 to 17.8 g/mL
o 999 Silver – 10.49 g/mL
o 925 Silver – 10.2 to 10.3 g/mL

Nitric Acid Test

This is the most definitive way to test the metal in question. This test is where the saying “passing the acid test” originated.

WARNING: Nitric Acid is highly corrosive. Wear safety eyewear and protective gloves when working with this product. Protect all surfaces that could come into contact with the acid.

To perform an acid test, you will require Nitric Acid, a non-reactive dropper, and a stainless steel container in which to perform the test.

Place your item in the stainless steel container. Using the dropper apply a very tiny drop of acid on a non-exposed part of the item in question. (Remember: If the item is not gold or silver, the acid may permanently mar the finish.)

If you suspect that the item was merely plated, you can make a small scratch in a hidden place in which to test the item.

The acid will turn different colors in reaction to different metal contents:

Cream: 90 to 100% silver
Gray: 77-90% silver
Green: less than 75% precious metal content
No reaction: Gold

Test kits containing the chemicals and instructions can be purchased through Amazon for less than $10.

Finally, when purchasing gold or silver, always trust your instincts. You may not always have access to your testing kit when an opportunity arises. If an item looks suspicious or the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

For several years now, Lisa Bedford, Survival Mom has opened her doors and invited us into her preparedness world. She did this not only to spread the message of readiness, but to help those new to prepping gain a better perspective on what it means to be prepared and how to get it done.

Unbeknownst to us, she intended on taking her message a step further,  and quietly began writing a step-by-step guide on how to prepare families for everyday disasters.

Not only has she written a good resource, but she has provided some great tips and checklists to turn to in order to keep your provisions organized, well stocked and ready.

5 Reasons to Read Survival Mom:

1.  Her practical advice and instant survival tips can better prepare you for worst-case scenarios.
2. Her emphasis on family-preparedness and getting the kids involved puts a fresh spin on the subject of planning for emergencies.
3. Is a great reference for those new to prepping and a great refresher course for those who are more seasoned.
4. Her chapters on food storage are detailed and will give you the encouragement you need to get your emergency pantry set up.
5. This book shows no fear when it comes to home security and self protection measures.

Those of us who are in the prepper world understand the importance of being ready for those unexpected emergencies. In fact, being prepared also gives you a better frame of mind while in the middle of a crisis. Lisa understands this survival strategy and emphasizes it in her book. As a matter of fact, “Prepare more, panic less” is her first chapter! And this chapter sets the precedence for the rest of the book.

To conclude, Larry King once said, “Good writers are in the business of leaving signposts saying, ‘Tour my world, see and feel it through my eyes; I am your guide.’” Survival Mom is a well-written preparedness guide that gives you a first hand perspective into Lisa’s world and how she has prepared her family.

Get Survival Mom at your bookstore 

As two tornadoes came barreling toward Decker’s Henryville, Indiana home, instinctively she knew she had to protect her children. In a matter of seconds, she swooped up her children up, ran to the basement, covered them in a comforter and braced for the tornado to hit. Stephanie placed herself over her children taking the full hit of the debris and as the home collapsed all around her, and a steel beam partially severed her legs, she continued to shield her children from the tornado’s wrath.

This brave decision ultimately cost her portions of both her legs — but saved her children from harm. Future surgeries are likely, but she is determined to walk again with the assistance of prosthetics.

In every sense of the word, Stephanie Decker is the ultimate survivalist and in her children’s eyes, a true hero. And, like every hero, she is reluctant to call herself one.

“I call myself a mom,” she said. “I love my kids. … I wanted to do anything I could to protect them. I think any parent would.”

To hear Stephanie discuss her account of the traumatic incident, click here.

No one knows how they will act until an emergency situation presents itself; but we should all hope that each of us possess an ounce of the courage this woman had to do what was necessary to protect her family.

While some choose to prepare for these unforeseen events, there will be others who choose to stay complacent and turn a blind eye. The choice of not to prepare could be for a variety of reasons:

• Some simply do not see the need to prepare.
• Or, do see the need, but make excuses why they can’t prepare.
• Are overwhelmed by the enormity of preparedness.
• Are afraid of the unknown.
• Have a fear of other’s opinions about preparing for extended emergencies.
• Or, have the fear of admitting to themselves that devastating events can penetrate our lives and effect us.

But in the end, life is all about choices; tough choices. In this prepper’s opinion, taking the active steps to prepare for an unforeseen disaster (one that we honestly don’t want to happen), was the only option that made sense, but  it took courage and a big leap of faith to get started.

Taking the leap

Like many of you, when I first began preparing, I started with small scale situations and then began prepping for longer-term disasters. I made the same mistakes that many of you made in the process, and learned from them. What I didn’t understand was the importance of being spiritually and mentally prepared for the magnitude of a long-term disaster. As a result, it sent me into a tailspin of negativity, and my writing and articles reflected it. I eventually came to the conclusion that even though we sometimes don’t see the bigger picture when we’re in the middle of what feels like chaos, there is a larger picture at play, and we have to wait to see what the universe reveals to us in order to take the next steps.

I realized that I didn’t want to promote distress, or for that matter teach others to live in it. Rather than staying in the presence of trepidation, I chose to take another daring step and search for a way to prepare but do so in a way that promotes the freedom and gratification we are all searching for. My goal was to be 100% self reliant during a short or extended disaster. Luckily, I stumbled across the concept of homesteading and instantly knew that was I was searching for. Once I adopted this mind-set, my attitude shifted from living in fear to living with courage of what may come. I had found my balance.

As Amelia Earhart once said, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

My new approach to prepping brought a renewed sense of self and a passion that I wanted to share with anyone who would listen. I have mentioned before that showing others how important it is to be prepared and teaching them the necessary survival skills is something very dear to me, and a cause that I feel is greater than myself.  I started the 52-Weeks to Preparedness series as a result of this realization. There is nothing more important to me than seeing that communities of people are prepared for what may come. But in order for an entire community to be prepared, it takes one person at a time to keep the preparedness fire lit.

Trust your gut

As James T. Stevens says in his preparedness guide, Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook, a paradigm shift occurs once the mindset changes from being prepared to living a preparedness lifestyle, “suddenly it’s neither so daunting or burdensome – it becomes your routine – the way you live on a daily basis!”

That being said, once I adopted this new lifestyle, I realized that my current living situation did not support what I wanted or needed to achieve. Changes were made. Some of those changes have been met with resistance from friends and family members. (Something I am sure that many of you have first-hand experience dealing with.)

As the saying goes, “Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path, and leave a trail.”

Despite the contradicting view points from others, I still felt strongly enough to take my preparations to the next level. In time, I hope that many will understand why I felt so passionate about this.

So what are you, a prepper, a survivalist, or part of a community? 

As a whole, humans like to compartmentalize things. We naturally gravitate toward this mind-set and feel more at ease when we are part of a group. I have read in other blogs and forums where people are discussing whether there is a difference between being self reliant, being a survivalists and being a prepper.

Once again, we have compartmentalized ourselves. Well, I hate to break it to you all, but we are all one in the same. That’s right folks, same group, different names. Potato, potato. There are however, varying degrees of preparedness and this is where the difference lies. Preppers range from having a first-aid kit in the car to having an underground bunker. That said, it’s about time that we start embracing one another as a preparedness community and be more positive and uplifting towards one another’s endeavors. Our overall goal is the same: to be self reliant and have preparations in place to withstand the after effects of a disaster so that we do not have to compromise our morals and values.

My purpose

Disasters have been going on for centuries and for one to think they are untouchable is naive. Taking the necessary steps to being more prepared begins with you. If you see a need to prepare for something, start taking the steps to get ready for it. No time is better than today! If you need a preparedness path to follow, consider signing up for the 52-Weeks to Preparedness series where the overwhelming nature of getting ready for life’s unexpected events is simplified and broken down into comprehensive and easy to follow lists.

My purpose in all of this is not to promote fear and doom, or to teach others to hide from life, but to help others be aware that disasters do in fact exist and can affect us. Moreover, my goal is to teach others that they can find freedom through self reliance. My website is a testament to my personal preparedness journey, and a way for me to help others become more self reliant in the process.

In closing, we are all different and come from different backgrounds, have diverse goals, conflicting points of view and various forces that drive us to be who we are. My preparedness goals may not be the same one that you have. However, my hope is that you take the experiences that I post, the lists that I made and the mistakes I have made and learn from them so that your transition into preparedness is simpler and easier.

In another article I wrote about the necessity for preparing to live off the grid when the SHTF. I wrote about using solar power. Finding ways to produce energy without the aid of my yacht’s generator was a necessity. It does not take very long to go through 100 gallons of diesel fuel when using a generator. And I suspect that when the SHTF, diesel fuel will be in short supply.
First it was a solar panel, and now, the latest is a wind turbine. I have installed a wind turbine aboard my boat, but you can use these same principles to install one on land.

Wind has been used for producing energy for centuries; first in Persia (present-day Iran) as early as 200 B.C. However, the first known functional windmills were developed by the Dutch in 1300, by means of cloth sails stretched across wooden frames. In some designs these sails could be trimmed to take advantage of unpredictable wind speed conditions. The large windmills of the Dutch design remained in use all across Europe until the introduction of the steam engine in the 1800s.

Wind is in reality a form of solar energy. Winds are caused by the irregular heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth’s surface, and revolving of the earth. Wind flow patterns are created by the earth’s terrain, bodies of water, man-made structures and vegetation. We humans can use this wind flow, for many purposes: sailing a boat, flying a kite, flying an airplane and even generating electricity.

The term wind power describes the method by which the wind is used to produce mechanical power. This mechanical power can then be used for specific mechanical tasks such as grinding grain or pumping water. Or as used on a boat, an alternator in a wind turbine can convert this mechanical power into electrical energy.

So how do wind turbines make electricity? Simply stated, a wind turbine works the reverse of a fan. As an alternative to using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind spins the blades, which turn a shaft. The shaft connects to an alternator and produces electricity. In our boat’s turbine, the alternator produces 220 volt 3-phase AC current. The controller, converter, then converts the AC power to 12 volt DC power to charge the battery bank.

Wind Availability

When evaluating whether a wind turbine is economically realistic for your use depends on the quality of your wind resources. Usually, average wind speeds of at least 4 mph are required for a small wind turbine to generate enough electricity to be cost-effective. Being less than ½ mile from the Atlantic coast, we have afternoon sea breezes in the summer which routinely produce 10-15 mph winds. In winter months, we frequently have cold fronts coming through that give us sustained winds of 15-20 mph. If your location is inland, your winds will likely be different.

The most significant component of evaluating your wind resource is an anemometer. Anemometers are wind measuring devices, typically designed with rotating cups mounted on a vertical shaft. The anemometer will allow you to “read” the wind speeds. We have one of these permanently mounted aboard our yacht.

If there is another wind turbine owner in your area, you may be able to obtain useful information from its owners about the electrical output of the system and wind speed data. Such information could be tremendously valuable as an option to installing an anemometer.

Turbine Mounting

Determining the location to mount your wind turbine takes a bit of planning. It must be high enough to capture the wind, preferably away from arches, sails, masts or trees that will block or alter wind flow. There is also the issue of rotating blades. We want to make sure that they do not strike anything while turning, especially someone’s head while moving about.

I chose to use the factory designed pole kit that was built for our turbine. It provides a 3-point connection which also allows us to lay it down for servicing. It is powder coated anodized aluminum, with stainless steel, brackets, designed to withstand the harsh marine environment.

My wind turbine is actually a hybrid system I designed using both wind power and solar power; a schematic is provided in the solar panel article showing the configuration.

Being Neighborly

Many people feel strongly about the need to preserve the views and peace and quiet of their marinas. Expect some questions from your dock mates. Understand your neighbors’ natural fear of the unknown and be prepared to respond to their concerns.

Some of the concerns raised about wind turbines are not true. Wind turbines are not, as many people think, hazardous to birds. A shiny reflective window is more dangerous to birds than a small wind turbine. Wind turbines also have no potential to interfere with radio and television reception.

Wind Turbine Noise

Your neighbors’ concerns involving wind turbine noise are important. Regardless of the size of the wind turbine, the possibility for turbine noise to bother other people always exists. Even if a wind turbine does not emit enough sound to break any noise regulations, the noise it produces may still be offensive to other people.

Older turbines were indeed noisy, but modern day engineering has developed turbine blades that are virtually silent. Our turbine is about 3 feet in diameter and at 4 mph winds; the unit produces a light flutter. At 10 mph the unit produces no sound at all.

Wind Turbine Advantages

•  Wind is free
• Produces no waste or greenhouse gases.

Wind Turbine Disadvantages

• The wind is not always predictable – some days we have no wind at all.
• Some units can be noisy. The small modern wind generators used on boats hardly produce any sound at all.

How Much Power Do They Produce

Turbines can be purchased that produce different power outputs. The turbine that I chose is a Sunforce 450 watt turbine. It has a cut-in speed of 4 mph and has a survival wind speed capacity of 157 mph.

The amps (power) produced is:

• 6 mph winds – 8.3 amps
• 10 mp winds – 25 amps
• 14 mph winds – 58.3 amps

The unit has a built in brake that will engage automatically when the batteries are at full charge, or it can be manually set if so desired.

Now more than ever shopping efficiently and reducing costs wherever possible is a crucial component of managing a household. The current economic climate means that even cutting a few dollars off your grocery bill every week can make a big difference long term, and coupons often offer much more than that. Coupons allow you to stock up your pantry with items that will last for a long time when they are on special, saving a significant amount of money than waiting till you need them.

Most people underestimate the benefits of using coupons and overestimate the time taken and consequently do not make use of this valuable resource. However, if you know just where to look, finding coupons that give you significant savings for your grocery shopping is an easy, even fun task that is well worth the time required.

It is true that to find the best deals available it often takes careful research. In the past, this would involve going through multiple newspapers and magazines, looking for suitable savings and then clipping these out. The modern age makes this a much simpler process. Many supermarkets and stores offer coupons directly on their websites and give you the ability to load them onto your loyalty card, removing the need for the use of physical coupons. Printable coupons are another source. Many websites, such as coupons.com and smartsource.com offer a wide range of coupons from many different manufacturers. Additionally, these sites and similar ones offer the ability to search their coupon database by category and many give you the chance to filter their offers to ones that are available to you locally.

If you do not have the time to research multiple different sites for the best and most recent coupons, then do not be concerned. There are many online sites and blogs where people are more than happy to share their own findings with you, presenting the best offers from a wide range of sources in one easy location. Two such sites that offer this is Penny Pincher Gazette, which collates coupons from three online coupon sites and links these with local discounts. Additionally, if you are looking for ideas for how to incorporate these specials into your meal planning, the site offers a range of recipes and cooking articles that use some of the coupons that are featured.

When you go grocery shopping, there is a tendency to buy on a whim. This can often result in more being spent than if you go to the store with a plan as to what you are going to buy. Using coupons involves a degree of pre-planning; it starts you thinking about what meals you want to make during the week, what you need in your pantry and what you already have. This change in behavior alone has the ability to significantly reduce your spending.

Coupons are fantastic for week-to-week shopping, but they are more useful in the event of stocking up your pantry. In running a household, it is important to keep a substantial stock of food, particularly food that does not get bad quickly and will store for many months. Many of the items that are available through coupons are those that will last a significant amount of time, such as canned goods, and the discounts will often allow you to buy them in bulk. This adds up to a significant saving. Additionally, many coupons are specials such as ‘buy two, get one free’. As canned items don’t go bad, it’s great for stocking up.

Using coupons is a fantastic way of taking advantage of specials and stocking up your pantry without breaking the bank. Each coupon may only save you a few dollars at best, but they soon add up, especially if you tie the use of coupons in with specials that are present at your local store. Once you begin to use coupons, you will be surprised at how much you save, especially if you make use of websites that offer a wide range of different coupons. You will find yourself thinking about what you buy more, and weighing up the benefits of one item versus another. These benefits are significant, and well worth the time that is taken to find the coupons initially.

This post was written by Ella Davidson of Coupons.org. Coupons provides authoritative couponing how-to guides as well as top-retailer coupons and deals.

This forecasting station, modeled after our current weather forecasting system, has been designed to flag potential infectious diseases that could overwhelm the country and possibly collapse the fragile medical infrastructure the population is so dependent on.

This bio-surveillance project is operated by Praecipio International, a non-profit international intercept team who is presently working in conjunction with The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System to anticipate infectious disease outbreaks that arise from natural disasters on a global spectrum. Praecipio International is responsible for using the Haiti Epidemic Advisory System (HEAS) to track the cholera epidemic in Haiti where the epidemic is still a daily battle.

The scientists at Praecipio International are “more akin to disaster sociology than public health, and monitor social indicators of infectious disease crises and disasters.”  Shortly after the earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, 2011:

Praecipio was able to rapidly conduct a “radar sweep” using the Internet and by monitoring Twitter feeds across 6 languages for the island of Hispaniola, which includes the countries of Haiti and Dominican Republic. We knew instantly from media, blogs, and SMS traffic what was being documented in terms of infectious disease. Consultation with peer-reviewed academic literature enabled us to construct a baseline for several diseases of concern and issue the first infectious disease forecast report in the world, for Haiti, on January 17, 2010.

Source

As previously noted, cholera and other disaster related diseases are still a daily issue in Haiti even one year after the devastating earthquake leveled most of  the small island. With Haiti being the first country in the world to monitor epidemic activity, they have an upper hand to proactively intervene in order to control the outbreaks and epidemics from exacerbating. This forecasting model is serving as a guideline for the rest of the world.  Hospitals and treatment facilities are already beginning to adopt this forecasting system in order to assist with patients who are more susceptible to outbreaks. The Delta County Memorial Hospital “Kids Wellcast”, is one of the first to understand the importance of this biosurveillance system.

HEAS has quickly become the first of it’s kind to empower patients with information to help them stay better prepared. Further, having a forecasting system that monitors infectious disease outbreaks will propel us out of ”dark ages” in terms of epidemics and pandemics. Rather than reacting to the outbreak and potentially subjecting ourselves to others who may be infected, we will be able to anticipate the infectious disease ahead of time in order to better prepare for it.